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U.S. issues Saturday Edition AIETEUR sanctions on NEWS

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

December 20, 2025 - Vol. 20 No. 50

family members and associates of Venezuela’s Maduro

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 38,804

‘We must plan for possible hostilities as U.S. heats up row with Venezuela’- APNU Businessman Sebastiao de Oliveira Moura

...says Govt. hoping to outsource defence

High Court rules SOCU has legal standing in Moura gold smuggling case

Joyful children playing games provided by the University of Guyana Department of Events, Conferences, and Communication (DECC)

Govt. broken promises a ‘slap in the face’ – APNU PAGE

14

UG spreads Christmas cheer to children

CARICOM troubled

by U.S. restrictions on Antiguans and Dominicans ...said decision taken without prior consultation; calls for urgent engagement between U.S. and affected states

US$15M signing bonus by Total Energies paid into NRF

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Kaieteur News

Jagdeo defends govt. hiring Trinidadian doctors

Persons pay their final respect to veteran broadcaster Ron Robinson, A.A. (Neaz Subhan Facebook)

Ron Robinson, A.A. remembered as broadcasting icon

V

eteran broadcaster Ron Robinson, A.A fondly called 'Uncle Ron' who died a week ago at his home was cremated on Friday following a service at the St. George's Cathedral.

Before the service, tributes were heard under the foyer of the National Cultural Centre, Home Stretch Avenue, G e o rg e t o w n . P r e s i d e n t Irfaan Ali was among those who euologised Robinson as an icon and hero.

“Ron was a master, one of the finest this land has ever produced through wit, humor and deliberate exaggeration he held a mirror before us that keen, playful personality will be surely missed. For many years, Ron also bore the flame of local theatre in both the good times and lean years of local theatre he carry the baton on,” President Ali said.

The head-of-state said too that it would be most fitting to honour Robinson by revitalizing the performing arts, particularly

Saturday December 20, 2025

President Irfaan Ali stands over the casket of veteran broadcaster Ron Robinson, A.A (Neaz Subhan Facebook)

theatre. “Ron Robinson was a man of many calling he served his church, was part of the scouts movement demonstrating his commitment to shaping young lives. As a Rotarian he exemplified service and in motor sports he brought a keenness of man and spirit of enthusiasm,” the President stated.Robinson, 79, recently celebrated 60 years in broadcast and many decades in theatre.

- says global recruitment will continue for skilled professionals General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), and second Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, has defended the government's decision to import doctors from Trinidad and Tobago.

Jagdeo was asked by reporters to explain why the government moved to import the Trinidadian doctors.

“Everywhere where we [can] get health workers, wherever they come from, we are recruiting now because we want to make sure, until we train up our people… we're not going to be able to fully man these hospitals with our own healthcare professionals right now,” he said.

Jagdeo explained that the Ministry of Health has a massive training programme, but until locals are properly trained, “we made it clear, we are recruiting from anywhere in the world, once they are skilled people.”

On December 10, 2025

Kaieteur News reported that the recent announcement by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar that scores of doctors from the twin island will be contracted to provide medical services in Guyana, sparked questions from opposition member of parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul.

The Trinidadian leader revealed that new partnerships are being established between Trinidad a n d G u y a n a , t o o ff e r employment opportunities for medical professionals.

She said, “Dr. Bholo and the minister of health (are discussing) to hire in Guyana doctors from Trinidad and Tobago because we have so many well-trained doctors and with all the new hospitals opening up in Guyana we are working on a partnership.”

The prime minister added that the initial batch of doctors from T&T could be about 50.

General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Bharrat Jagdeo To this end, Mahipaul on Tuesday raised a dozen questions concerning the development, calling on the government to be fully transparent on the issue.

He has asked the government to state the specialisation of the doctors to be hired and the number of medical professionals to serve in each specialty.

Mahipaul also asked about the duration of contracts; expected salaries, allowances and other costs to (Continued on page 3)

Kaieteur News

Saturday December 20, 2025

PAGE 03

US$15M signing bonus by Total Energies paid into NRF The first consortium to seal an oil pact with the Government of Guyana (GoG) under the revised Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) has paid US$15M as a signing bonus into the country's Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

This is according to the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat.

In an invited comment, he told Kaieteur News that the entire sum has been deposited into the oil account.

Be that as it may, the Bank of Guyana NRF report for November 2025 does not reflect the US$15M sum.

In fact, the report indicates that a mere

US$3,750,000 signature bonus was deposited into the Fund that month.

Bharrat explained that the three partners in the consortium made separate payments but assured that the total US$15M signing bonus has been paid.

While it is only possible to see the US$3M payment, Bharrat indicated that the balance could be reflected in the following month's NRF report, depending on the date of the deposit.

The Minister did not respond to questions on whether the GoG has sight on any specific use for the resources at this time.

On November 12, 2025, the GoG signed a Petroleum

Exploration Licence and Petroleum Agreement with Total Energies, Qatar Energy and Petronas for Block S4, a shallow-water concession off the country's coast.

Total, a French energy giant leads the consortium with a 40% interest in the block, along with its partners, Qatar Energy and Petronas with 35% and 25% respectively.

Block S4 spans an area of approximately 1,788 square kilometres, located 50 to 100 kilometres off Guyana's coast in water depths ranging between 30 and 100 metres.

Under the revised terms, shallow water blocks are subjected to a signing bonus of US$10M, while

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat deepwater are a s w i l l attract a higher sum of US$20M. Government was however successful in acquiring a higher s i g n i n g bonus through

negotiations with the consortium.

The oil companies will be expected to pay a 10 percent royalty and a 10 percent corporate tax to the

Government of Guyana. In the meantime, the cost recovery will be capped at 65 percent in a given year, while profits will be shared 50/50 between the parties.

These fiscal terms vary significantly from the existing PSA enjoyed by ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek Block.

The company pays no taxes but shares 50% profit with government after deducting 75% each month for cost recovery.

It also pays a meager 2% royalty to government.

The block, which originally spanned 26,800 square kilometers, does not have a ring-fencing provision.

‘We must plan for possible hostilities as U.S. heats up row with Venezuela’- APNU ...says Govt. hoping to outsource defence

A

s the United States (US) government takes aim at Venezuela to tackle a string of illicit activities, it is incumbent on the Government of Guyana (GoG) to plan for any outcome that can involve hostility.

This is according to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Terrence Campbell. During a press conference on Friday, the businessman in an invited comment said that the party is concerned about any threat to the region, as a zone of

peace, and the risks to Guyana should tensions escalate and the situation becomes more aggressive.

Already, US war officials have held talks with the GoG as the President Donald Trump-led government heightens its presence in the region in a move to tackle illegal movement of drugs from the sanctioned state.

In recent weeks, the US conducted several military strikes on vessels off the coast of Venezuela, killing close to 100 already. Only this week the United States military said it killed four people in its latest attack on a

vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Government officials in Guyana have cited support for the actions by the US which it says is aimed at crumbling a criminal empire.

As a small nation, Guyana is caught in the midst of the battle between the two mega countries, with far greater resources. To this end, APNU stressed the need for Guyana to ensure it has a contingency plan in place.

“We are concerned about any threats to the region, as a zone of peace and we are concerned about the risks to

Jagdeo defends govt. hiring....

From page 2 be funded by government such as housing, transportation and others.

The MP has also raised questions over the placement of doctors at specific health facilities across the country. He queried, “Where will these doctors be placed within the public health system? Are they intended for regional hospitals, health centres, or the Georgetown Public Hospital? What criteria or process was used to select these doctors, and were local doctors given priority or consideration? How will this decision impact opportunities, morale, and career progression for Guyanese medical professionals currently in the system?”

In addition to the projected cost of this initiative, Mahipaul questioned whether the

names and credentials of the doctors will be made public for the purpose of independent verification and background checks.

Further, the MP asked whether the decision was subject to any bilateral agreement, and if so, whether the details of that agreement will be tabled in the National Assembly.Mahipaul noted that Guyanese have every right to full disclosure on this matter, especially given the financial, professional, and societal implications.

“Transparency must be the foundation of any decision involving foreign recruitment within our healthcare sector,” he urged.

With no timeline set for the next sitting of the national assembly, the MP said he publicly highlighted his questions which will also be shared in parliament.

Guyana if there are to be hostilities. In our statement today we highlighted the fact that we have heard nothing really from the government about contingency planning if there will be hostilities,” Campbell noted.

He added, “Those contingency planning relate to our defence posture and our ability to even defend ourselves and also, the crisis that may be caused on our border with migrants pouring over. Already its an issue here in Guyana that has not been dealt with and the reality is that we must plan as though hostilities could take place tomorrow.”

Be that as it may, APNU argued that the government has failed to outline a policy on migration and strategy for defence. The party pointed out that President Irfaan Ali in his recent address to the nation referenced a migration policy but offered no details on enforcement, regularization, labour market impacts, or contingency planning in the context of regional instability. “There was also no credible defence strategy, implicitly suggesting continued reliance on external actors...nothing on details for his new Migration Policy, a policy long overdue and no contingency planning

Opposition MP, Terrence Campbell for escalation of hostilities in the region or for the defence of Guyana,” APNU argued.

The party therefore concluded that this is a clear signal that government is hopeful that Guyana's defence will be outsourced.

Campbell reasoned, “Nobody wants this or must think this can happen but it would be prudent governance from the government of Guyana to be planning as though something could happen tomorrow and we are seeing none of this.”

He stressed that he has not seen a shred of evidence that points to planning for a possible mass movement of migrants across the border.

While he acknowledged that these details would not be publicized, the MP pointed to the importance of these plans being shared in the

National Assembly.

Campbell expressed further discontent that the Head of State has not summoned the Opposition faction of the National Assembly on the recent developments to discuss plans.

He was keen to note, “These are not issues that the government should take it on themselves alone to address and to plan.” According to him, this subject requires not only the support of one party, but all of Guyana, including all political groups.

Beyond a Presidential invitation, Campbell was asked whether the Opposition wrote to the Head of State seeking to engage on the subject. As such, he explained, “That issue is being considered by our foreign policy team at the moment.”

Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 20, 2025

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor-in-Chief: Nigel Williams Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

The President's speech President Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday, addressed the nation and laid out what he described as his administration's vision and plans for the next five years.

On the surface, there is nothing unusual about a head of government outlining a forward agenda. What is deeply troubling, however, is how and where this was done and more importantly, why. Traditionally, such addresses are delivered in Parliament at the opening of a new session or at another constitutionally appropriate moment. They are not mere speeches; they are part of a democratic process rooted in accountability, transparency, and respect for representative institutions. They are delivered before elected Members of Parliament from both sides of the aisle, formally recorded in the Hansard, and subjected at least in principle to scrutiny and debate.

President Ali chose instead to deliver what amounted to a parliamentary address outside of Parliament, albeit at the very venue where Parliament normally sits, and in a style indistinguishable from the conventional parliamentary ceremony. This was no accident of scheduling or logistics. It was a calculated political manoeuvre, and Guyanese should not insult their own intelligence by pretending otherwise.

The most obvious explanation lies in the government's apparent obsession with keeping businessman Azruddin Mohamed, now the presumptive Leader of the Opposition, out of the national spotlight. By avoiding a properly constituted Parliament, the administration neatly sidestepped the presence, participation, and visibility of an opposition leadership it is clearly uncomfortable confronting. That discomfort, however, does not justify the abandonment of democratic norms.

To contort national governance procedures simply to spite or sideline a political rival is not clever politics; it is democratic vandalism. When institutions are bent to serve partisan anxieties, the entire nation pays the price. The concerns raised by opposition figures about being deliberately excluded from the event are not trivial complaints. They strike at the heart of representative democracy. Parliament is not decorative. It is not optional. It is the central forum where national agendas are presented, interrogated, amended, or rejected. To bypass it while delivering a speech that constitutionally belongs there is to weaken its authority and signal executive contempt for oversight.

This episode cannot be viewed in isolation. Parliament remains effectively paralysed. Guyana still has no formally appointed Leader of the Opposition, despite the Constitution clearly outlining the role and its importance in major state appointments—from the Police Commissioner, to the Chancellor and Chief Justice. The explanations offered so far—that the Speaker was travelling, that the Constitution sets no timeline may be legally convenient, but they are democratically hollow. Urgency seems to apply only when it benefits the executive.

Equally disturbing is the silence of those who usually posture as guardians of democracy. The diplomatic community, so vocal during elections and moments of crisis, has offered no public insistence on the reconvening of Parliament, no demand for the appointment of an Opposition Leader, and no concern about executive overreach.

Guyanese are learning, perhaps painfully, that external actors will not always defend local democracy. That responsibility rests here, at home. The government's rhetoric about inclusion, unity, and democratic values rings increasingly hollow when set against its actions. Lofty speeches cannot mask a governing style that consistently sidelines dissent, marginalises opposition voices, and treats constitutional institutions as inconveniences rather than safeguards.

Since returning to office, this PPP/C administration has repeatedly disappointed those who hoped for a break from old habits. Instead, we see a familiar pattern: centralised power, procedural manipulation, and a growing intolerance

President Ali doesn't understand how upset people are about the cash grant Dear Editor, Listening to President Ali's speech about his 5-year plan, as if he was making Dr. Ashni Singh's budget presentation, it is clear that he still does not get that poverty is real and that all Guyanese are disappointed that he has not kept his cash grant promise for Christmas, the way he did not keep his promise to renegotiate the bad oil contract that robs us of billions every year.

The phenomenal rise of WIN, securing 25% of the votes, can be attributed to the fact despite the fact that the government made phenomenal progress in buildings and infrastructure.

People feel equal attention was not paid to bread-andbutter issues.

The working poor is still catching hell while the contractor-class and business oligarchy wallow in wealth due to lucrative income from contracts.

You wonder who is advising the President to give a speech at this time that did not announce the payment of the cash grant.

People feel they were lied to.

The non-payment of the cash grant is on everyone's lips.

Some say all the people of Guyana must pay the price, sacrificing their cash grant which is their national patrimony, to enable the PPP's agenda of delaying the election of their former friend and now political rival as Leader of the Opposition.

To pay the cash grant, there has to be a meeting of

Parliament to approve it, but if they call a session of parliament now, it will look bad if the Speaker does not call a meeting for the Opposition parties to elect the Leader of the Opposition.

The strategy seems to be - delay as long as you can hoping the rival can be extradited to the custody of the USA and not getting appointed as Leader of the Opposition.

So, no meeting of Parliament means no cash grant possible. So, we all have to pay the price to support the PPP's apparent ploy of delaying the election of the Opposition Leader.

The President in his speech said the Guyanese people come first, but this is not so.

If the interest of the

Guyanese people comes first, they should have called Parliament to approve payment of the cash grant.

Force feeding us his great vision a week before Christmas, you would think the president is still on the campaign trail.

People are pre-occupied with Christmas preparations and the president is giving a campaign speech as if that will put food on the table.

He talked much about Artificial Intelligence but what we got was an Artificial Cash Grant.

The government looks like bad Santa and Mr. Scrooge. WIN will capitalize on the frustrations of the working poor.

Sincerely, M. Singh

Look to the fulfillment of the govt.'s 5-year plan with confidence and optimism!

Dear Editor, Every person on planet earth has certain inalienable rights including the right to hold to whatever ideas or beliefs they find convincing and to practice and to preach their conviction within the meaning of a constitution and laws. This applies to anyone who genuinely themselves believe in a s p e c i f i c p h i l o s o p h y, ideology or religion or none at all. That's their right.

Equally, it is the right of any person within a parliamentary democracy to criticize or even reject someone else's philosophy,

ideology or religious beliefs, especially if they consider such beliefs abhorrent to them. However, whatever their criticisms or rejection, it should be evidence-based and framed scientifically.

Insofar as divided views on philosophy and ideology are concerned, two examples would suffice. First, is the fierce ideological contests and debates currently taking place in the courts, congress and senate, the universities, media and public spaces in the United States. Second, is the result of last Sunday's election in Chile where Jose Antonio Kast, a far-right

politician with deep ideological roots in conservative Catholicism and economic neoliberalism, obtained 58 percent of the vote defeating Jeannette Jara, his left-wing opponent.

Call one's ideology or philosophical beliefs 'obsolete,' 'irrelevant', 'a foreign or European phenomenon' as some are won't to do, and attach whatever label to anyone who believes in any of them, nevertheless, as one American journalist writing in the New Yorker put it; 'You can put a philosophy or ideology back into the

century of its origin but you can't keep them there.'

It has been centuries now since the 'Wretched of the Earth' have abandoned the believe that ancestry, wealth or religion determine their status in life. Everyone is the same as everyone else. Men and women can see, without illusions, where they stand in their relations with others.

Historically, ideas, have proliferated and continue to exert influence on mankind's progress and, in some cases, backwardness. More recently, didn't Uber; Air B&B; cryptocurrency and AI (Continued on page 5)

A broken promise to be remembered during the next elections Dear Editor, This time of year, preparations have already begun for the holidays.

Shopping is in full swing and parties have begun. The entire populace was looking forward to the holiday cash grant, but newly announced timing of 2026 is out of sync

with the current need.

CRG encourages the government to quickly distribute the money before the holiday season is over and honour their election pledge.

But based on the PPPC's General Secretary's comments, this is no longer a

for scrutiny. Addressing the nation outside Parliament while Parliament itself is sidelined is not symbolism, it is a warning sign. Guyanese deserve better than democracy by detour. They deserve governance rooted in constitutional respect, institutional integrity, and genuine accountability.

A five-year national agenda cannot be credible if it is unveiled in a manner that excludes half the country's representation. Guyana is not a one-party state. Parliament is not optional. And democracy, once eroded in small, convenient steps, is not easily restored.

possibility. Something which was clearly known while the elections were being held.

Timing is everything and the delay is very inconvenient, especially for those who had planned to use the cash grant during this holiday season. Keeping a promise builds good will, breaking it during such a special occasion for many will destroy trust and confidence.

A disappointing accomplishment just achieved by the government.

The voters will surely keep this broken promise in mind during future elections.

As Guyanese, we know how to make the most of the little, we have and enjoy the holidays with or without plenty. Good friends and close family make the difference and helps keep the holidays enjoyable.

Independent of what the government does concerning the holiday cash grant CRG wishes everyone a great holiday season.

May good health, joy and safe travels accompany you and your family this season.

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

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 05

The New Empire: When the Once Colonized Now Colonize Their Own Dear Editor, In Guyana today, we are witnessing the birth of a new empire — not one ruled by foreign crowns and colonial banners, but by local elites who have mastered the old imperial playbook. Our new rulers speak of development, progress, and prosperity, but the nation they are building looks eerily like the one we thought we dismantled decades ago: extractive, unequal, and profoundly elitist.

History, it seems, does not disappear — it only changes its skin-colour and lingo.

Where once domination came through imperial decree, it now operates through state contracts, patronage networks, and selective access to opportunity.

Economic power is concentrated in the hands of a small political-business class who govern not through inclusion, but through control — control of information, control of wealth, and control of who belongs. The names and faces have changed, but the logic of exclusion remains.

The resource bo o m promised transformation.

What it delivered is entrenchment. A narrow circle of politically connected elites now reap extraordinary profits from the country's resources, while ordinary Guyanese watch prices rise and opportunities vanish. The new “fancy people” — a term proudly flaunted at high-society galas and glittering all-white affairs — symbolize an economy designed to reward proximity to power rather

than merit or service. And the chasm between those who dine under chandeliers and those who scrape the barrel to feed their families grows wider by the day.

In a resource-rich nation, persistent poverty is not a coincidence — it is a policy construct. It is the deliberate result of governance that thrives on dependency, insecurity, and distraction.

When the population is kept economically desperate and politically divided, authority faces little resistance. That is not leadership; that is psychological warfare — dressed up as patriotism, development, and stability.

What is even more disturbing is how normalized this culture of entitlement and impunity has become. We now see elected officials credibly accused of predatory and exploitative behaviour continue to o c c u p y p u b l i c o ff i c e , shielded by partisan loyalty and silence.

Meanwhile, countless capable, conscientious citizens remain sidelined, reduced to spectators in their own democracy. This is not accidental. It is strategic.

When integrity threatens the system, mediocrity becomes a survival skill.

The empire no longer wears red coats, instead reemerging in red shirts, standing tall — rebranded, localized, and celebrated by those who have learned to profit from the old machinery of domination.

The new masters do not need to conquer; they only need to convince us that nothing can change. But that is precisely what must be challenged.

If independence meant

anything, it meant rejecting not only foreign rule but the mindset that made it possible — a belief that some lives, voices, and dreams matter more than others.

We are fooling ourselves if we think sovereignty built on social exclusion,

economic inequality, and moral decay is anything more than a flag in borrowed winds.

The time has come to think beyond the politics of personality and partisanship.

This is not about which party holds power; it is about how

power holds us.

Accountability, equity, and dignity are not luxuries — they are the bare minimum of a society that refuses to be colonized again, especially by its own.

Guyana's wealth belongs to its people, not to its

gatekeepers. If we continue to treat exploitation as vision and injustice as inevitability, we will prove that the empire never died — it simply changed its skin colour and resides amongst us now.

Yours truly, Hemdutt Kumar.

Look to the fulfillment of the govt.'s 5-year...

From page 4 all begin with an idea? There have been thousands of cases worldwide, where individuals in pursuit of their beliefs and ideas were criticized, ostracized and marginalized as the price of their beliefs. Experience shows it takes courage to face the consequences to not run with the herd. Thus, the question; what should one do, when his or her beliefs puts a target squarely on their own back and political consequences face them on their own terms?

There are many in the PPP who understand that working-class agitation nowadays does not necessarily mean ownership of the means of production but political inclusion.

Generally, when inclusiveness is done or seen to be done unrest subsides.

They know very well the precise demographic profile of Party supporters in particular and of voters in general. They also recognize that free and fair elections is a sine qua non of democracy and good governance.

Furthermore, they also recognize the power of other forms of identity such as race, tribalism, religion and nationalism.

I support the view that; 'Life is about doing, not only about thinking. As for me, I did what I had to do while in opposition politics from 1968 to 1992 and served as a minister of government in three ministries and parliament from 1992-2015.

It was all about doing, rightly or wrongly so. My task then, with others, was to help transform our country in order to produce an economic and social environment for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Being a member of the PPP is to be creative and sociable. Remove the sociable dimension that pivoted them in politics for decades and they will no doubt end up being characterized by some as 'political has beens'; 'searchers of relevance' and adherents to an alien and perverse belief; a syndrome that views them as ideological nomads, assigning them to 'Jurassic Park.'

But all the derision and labeling by self-styled and born-again democrats notwithstanding, the creative side of the member ought to remain intact; they can paint, compose or write profusely and creatively and can

articulate their views clearly and precisely.

Some claim that there are politicians in our midst who are 'square pegs in round holes,' who are 'corrupt' and are 'arrogant'; but this is clearly a judgmental issue. It is just as if a person is being judged on the basis of their philosophical, ideological or religious beliefs.

Contrast such judgmental disposition with the adage; 'People in glass houses should not throw stones' or better yet; 'Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?' Some people are deemed arrogant because they go about their tasks confidently with positive behaviour. The critics and cynics are unable to recognize the fact that some while being modest, are more optimistic than others.

Our march to national and social liberation was obsessed with class and class struggle principally in colonial times. And though its adherents were fully aware that there was no 'revolution around the corner', they remain fully a w a r e t h a t p o v e r t y, unemployment and social

dislocation as well as the gap between the have and have nots cannot be wished away.

One of the most striking points French economist, Thomas Piketty makes in his book, “Capital in the Twenty-first Century.”

(2013) is that, as he puts it, “In all known societies in all times, the least wealthy half of the population has owned virtually nothing,” and the top ten per cent has owned “most of what there is to own.”

It is important that due recognition be given to the fact that there are people in our midst who have been materially damaged by natural disasters, fires, floods, migration or people who are hostile to the status quo for one reason or another.

Furthermore, it is critical that we have a general idea about the basic needs of people who want improvements in their living standards. That people fear losing the little they have and they also want the best for their children. In the circumstances, let's look to the fulfillment of the 5 Year Agenda in new year with confidence and optimism!

Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee

PAGE 06

Kaieteur News

Saturday December 20, 2025

Govt. broken promises a ‘slap in the face’ – APNU A

Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has accused the Government of Guyana of engaging in deceptive electioneering and failing to deliver on commitments made to citizens, regarding the Christmas cash grant.

Speaking at an APNU press conference on Friday, Opposition Member of P a r l i a m e n t ( M P ) D r.

Terrence Campbell criticised President Irfaan Ali's announcement that a $100,000 cash grant for every Guyanese citizen aged 18 years will be done in 2026.

He said the president's announcement on Wednesday differs from his previous comments on the 2025 campaign trail. “I heard PM [Prime Minister] told them next year is the next grant. If you behave yourself, you get it this year…We will have a beautiful Christmas. Look at the smile on my face and know that you will have enjoyable holiday,” the president said in the lead up to the September 1, general and regional elections.

Public expectations had been heightened following comments made by Ali during the election campaign.

F o r h i s p a r t , D r.

Campbell stated that the cash transfer comes on the back of a significant abuse of electioneering.

“The transfer was promised before Christmas in a most demeaning gimmick.

We h o p e v o t e r s

Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Terrence Campbell understand how trivial small man issues are to this government,” he noted.

The opposition MP argued that the administration's approach reflects a wider pattern of heavy state spending without delivering tangible relief to citizens.

He contrasted the government's policy direction with that of APNU, outlining what he said would be a fundamentally different approach to social support if the coalition were returned to office.

On Thursday, General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at his press conference sought to explain that President Ali's earlier promise of a “bright Christmas,” was based on citizens behaving 'good' and was not a firm commitment to a 2025 Christmas cash grant.

Holding up the PPP's 2025 manifesto, Jagdeo said the document clearly r e p r e s e n t s t h e administration's contract with the people. He noted,

“And by the way, this manifesto did not say … it didn't say cash grant before Christmas…the president I recall at Eccles, you know the PM was saying next year you'll get your cash grant and the president said if you are good people, it may happen this year jocularly...”

Addressing questions about why the cash grant remains at $100,000, Jagdeo said the payout next year will amount to $63 billion, which he noted exceeds the entire national revenue when he began his second term as president.

“That's the magnitude of it…this is our manifesto here, it speaks to cash grants here but it did say before Christmas and in fact how can you do it before Christmas, it took us five months the last time to get it implemented, you know how many people tried to rip off the system the last time…we don't even have a budgetary provision for it, you have to go to parliament to get a budgetary provision…,” Jagdeo stated.

Responding to concerns from ordinary citizens that $100,000 is too little and should be increased, Jagdeo said, “Everybody would say, I might say it myself it's too little if I want money too, everybody wants money….”

He added that governance cannot be centred solely on cash grants, noting, “…you don't manage for cash grants alone and if we only allow that mindset, some people just waiting for that, for everything, cash grant, you gotta earn too.”

CARICOM troubled by U.S. restrictions on Antiguans and Dominicans ...said decision taken without prior consultation; calls for urgent engagement between U.S. and affected states The Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Friday said it has noted with concern the proclamation issued by the Government of the United States on December 16, 2025 imposing partial entry restrictions on nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and the Commonwealth of Dominica.

“The Bureau recognises the right of countries to implement policies regulating entry to their borders. Nevertheless, the

Bureau expresses concern that this decision was taken without prior consultation, especially in circumstances of its potential adverse effects on legitimate travel, people-to-people exchanges, and the social and economic well-being of these small states,” a statement issued by the CARICOM Secretariat said. According to the statement, CARICOM is also concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the status of existing visas after January 1, 2026.

“The Bureau urges an

early engagement by the United States with the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica to clarify the proclamation and address outstanding concerns, consistent with the strong and longstanding partnership between the United States of America and CARICOM.” CA R I C O M s a i d i t remains committed to dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect, shared interests and the rule of law as we seek to secure the prosperity of the region and its citizens.

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 20, 2025

'Sugar still has potential to make money, but govt. will not invest' - Jagdeo Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is holding firm to the belief that the sugar industry in Guyana has the potential to be profitable, but made it clear that the government does not want to invest in it.

At his third press conference since the People's Progressive Party Civic's (PPP/C) re-election to office in September, Jagdeo was asked about the joint venture between GAICO Construction and General Services Inc. and US-based Sucro Limited to construct a white sugar refinery for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO).

He was asked why not have “an intermediary private sector firm be part of that arrangement.”

“So, my question to you is, why not the government have GuySuCo pursue it?” the reporter asked.

In response, the General Secretary of the PPP/C told reporters that the government is hoping to get the private sector to invest in sugar. “We believe there is a lot of potential still in sugar t o m a k e m o n e y. T h e government doesn't want to do the investment. It's a simple thing. You have a proposal now you're happy

about the proposal, and they will do it,” he said.

Reasoning that the government wants more private sector consortia involvement, Jagdeo referenced “…the other Guyanese consortium that is building the shore thing at Vreed-en-Hoop.”

“These Guyanese firms, that's what we want to step up.

The President made it clear we are working for our people, Guyanese private sector, Guyanese families across the country, wherever they live, that's why we're elected” Jagdeo who is also

U.S. issues sanctions on family members and associates of Venezuela's Maduro WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on family members and associates of Nicolas Maduro and his w i f e , a s Wa s h i n g t o n ratchets up pressure on the Venezuelan president.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it had imposed sanctions on seven people it said were tied to Maduro and his wife. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused them of "propping up Nicolas Maduro's rogue narcostate.

"We will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our nation with deadly drugs," Bessent said.

"Maduro and his criminal accomplices threaten our hemisphere's peace and stability. The Trump administration will continue targeting the networks that prop up his illegitimate dictatorship."

Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Maduro and his government have vehemently denied links to crime and say that the U.S. is seeking to oust him in order to take control of Ve n e z u e l a ' s v a s t o i l reserves.

In recent months, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Maduro, executing a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean.

It has carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region, seized a sanctioned oil tanker off

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo the country's Vice President stated. Kaieteur News reported on December 11, 2025 that Guyana's first-ever white sugar refinery, a US$20 million joint venture between GAICO Construction and General Services Inc. and US-based Sucro Limited is set to position the country as a major supplier of refined sugar to the CARICOM market.

The project, hailed as historic by Senior Minister

with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, was formalised during a signing ceremony at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in Georgetown.

The refinery will be constructed at the former Wales Sugar Estate, Region Three, and is expected to come online in 2026. Once operational, the plant will produce 100,000 tonnes of refined sugar annually, with room for expansion, a significant shift in a region that imported 200,000 tonnes valued at US$180 million in 2024.

According to a D e p a r t m e n t o f P u b lic Information (DPI) press release, the Caribbean imports around 200,000 tonnes of refined sugar each year, totalling US$180 million in 2024. With the new plant projected to

produce 100,000 tonnes per year and designed with scalability for future expansion, Guyana is poised to become a major contributor to the region's refined sugar needs.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Singh said the project represents a major transformation of the sugar industry and a defining moment for Guyana's agroindustrial future. He explained that the project aligns directly with Guyana's leadership role in advancing CARICOM food security, including the 25 by 2030 initiative championed

by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. “We have always taken our regional obligations seriously… and our preferred access to the CARICOM market makes this project even more significant,” Minister Singh said.

First government service centre opens at West Central Mall

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds a hat as he joins his supporters during a march in Caracas, Venezuela, December 10, 2025.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo the coast of Venezuela, and declared a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

Trump has also repeatedly said that strikes on land in Venezuela are coming soon.

Friday's action sanctioned relatives of Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, the nephew of Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores. The U.S. says Malpica Flores was involved in a corruption plot at state oil company PDVSA. He was sanctioned

by Washington last week.

His mother - the sister of Maduro's wife - as well as his father, sister, wife and daughter were hit with sanctions on Friday.

The Treasury on Friday also extended a general license protecting Venezuela-owned refiner Citgo Petroleum from creditors through February 3 that was set to expire on December 20. It was a far shorter extension than the last one Treasury issued in

June, which had a six-month duration.

Wa s h i n g t o n h a s protected the Houstonbased company from creditors in recent years even amid a court-organized auction of shares in its parent company, PDV Holding. The license temporarily bans transactions with a Venezuela-issued bond collateralized with Citgo equity.

A U.S. judge in November authorized the sale of shares in the parent of Citgo Petroleum to an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, following his approval of a $5.9 billion bid from the company in a courtorganized auction to pay Venezuela-linked creditors.

The sale order, which is pending Treasury Department approval, was the last major legal step to wrap a two-year auction aimed at paying up to 15 creditors for debt defaults and expropriations.

President Irfan Ali along with staff of the new government service centre The first Government Service Centre was officially opened on Friday at the West Central Mall, Leonora, West Coast of Demerara, marking the launch of a one-stop location for residents to access government services instead of travelling to its main branches.

Residents in the region can now apply for passports, process birth and death certificates, obtain marriage licences, access full services from the Guyana Revenue Authority, and register for the National Electronic Identification (E-ID). The centre also allows residents to apply online in advance, reducing waiting times when they arrive.

The facility will operate from Monday to Friday between 08:00hrs and 17:00hrs, with similar centres expected to be rolled out in other regions.

President Irfaan Ali, who

attended the opening, highlighted the rapid response from residents and the efficiency of the new system. “Can you imagine that? Thirty-five applications in the last 24 hours. About 10 minutes each, and they're already getting that certificate today.

This would have been weeks sometimes, days of running, weeks of running,” the President said. He added that the same efficiency was seen at the passport office, noting that processing takes as little as five minutes per person, and urged that the high standards of service be maintained.

President Ali also disclosed that 20 national ID cards were processed on the first day and emphasized the expedited renewal process for provisional and driver's licences. “We're doing an expedited process for the driver's licence, so that will

take about a maximum of three days if they come to do their licence here,” he said.

He further announced that, in the near future, all taxes will be filed online ahead of the upcoming tax season, while the Ministry of Finance works to integrate all Guyana Revenue Services at the centre.

Meanwhile, prior to its opening, residents welcomed the center and were engaged in its services, the centre recorded significant results, with four driver's licences issued during the week and revenues already banked.

Looking ahead, President Ali announced that similar Government Service Centres will be established in Regions Two, Five, Six, Ten and Nine within the first quarter of 2026, “So that people can enjoy a better quality of life, quality of service.”

Kaieteur News

Saturday December 20, 2025

PAGE 09

The Vice President must smell the air F

or many of us, the c i n e m a t i c portrayal of elderly care provides an image of dignified spaces where private rooms open onto lush gardens, and communal areas–such as dining and recreational rooms – hum with quiet activity. These images, common in films from the developed world, are not mere fiction. They reflect a standard of care and a philosophy of aging that prioritizes some amount of privacy, respect, and quality of care. In Guyana, however, the reality for too many of our elders is a stark and heartbreaking

contrast. Elderly homes are often a world of either open wards with no privacy or crowded rooms, inadequate facilities, and an overwhelming institutional smell that signals a loss of personhood. The recent announcement by the Vice President that the government will support daycare and elderly care facilities is therefore a welcome recognition of a deep and growing need. But support must be strategic and visionary.

The immediate, intuitive response—to divert public funds to bolster existing charitable homes-is a well-

intentioned but fundamentally flawed approach. It risks perpetuating a cycle of mediocrity, using taxpayer dollars to subsidize substandard conditions. And worse, it stultifies the very concept of corporate, personal and community social responsibility.

When the government steps in as the primary financier of private charitable facilities, many of which already raise significant donations, it sends a dangerous message.

It tells corporations and philanthropic citizens that their responsibility ends at a donation drive,

DEM BOYS SEH

Is time fuh get lil worried Dem boys seh de Christmas breeze start to blow early dis year. But it ain’t de smell of ham and sorrel in de air. It smelling like gunpowder and oil. Heavy oil.

Yuh remember earlier this year when Uncle Sam dispatch he armada to the Caribbean Sea? Dem talk ‘bout “criminal gangs” and “narco-terrorists.” Dem send warship and sanction and just de odder day dem impose naval blockade and seize an oil tanker after blowing up some boats dem claim transporting drugs.

We watch and we whisper, “Somethin’ nah right.” True, dem place have problem, but de hammer Uncle Sam using too big for de nail dem seh dey hitting. And all de time dem claiming was drugs and criminal gangs dem after.

Now, de mask slip clean off. Dem boys in de White House stop pretending. Is all ‘bout oil. Pure and simple.

Chavez did announce de nationalization of de oil fields years ago.

He tell de American companies to take a hike. Now, we hearing the real tune: dey must get back “their assets.” De oil assets.

Overnight, de story change from “fighting crime” to “restoring democracy” and “protecting American interests.” Interests that come in a barrel and sell for USD.

And de language! Dem not even hiding it good. High-ranking officials on de news, straight face, telling de world dat “all options are on the table.” In de polite world of diplomacy, dat is one fancy way of saying “war is an option.” Dem putting de pieces on de board right at we western doorstep. So here we is. Time for peace and goodwill. But instead of wondering if we get a new shirt for Christmas, we have to wonder if we will hear fighter jets instead.

Instead of church bells, air raid sirens? Is dat de new Christmas morning chorus dem planning for we?

We cyaan enjoy no sponge cake if yuh eating it in a shelter. No Grand Market if de sky lighting up with bombs instead of fireworks. Dem boys playing a dangerous game with big stakes, and we, right next door, holding de losing ticket if it go wrong.

If de Americans start bombing, Guyana can become a land flooded with refugees, running from war and running from hardships.

Dis Christmas, pray for peace like yuh never pray before. Not just for we souls, but for we very backyard. Because right now, de greatest gift we could get is no news. Just peace.

Talk half. Leff half.

absolving them of the need to invest in substantive, i n f r a s t r u c t u r a l improvements. It tells facility managers that the goal is mere sustenance, not transformation.

Charity becomes not a springboard for excellence, but a crutch for the status quo. We cannot donate our way to dignity. Dignity must be architected, legislated, and built. Instead, the government’s role should be that of a standard-setter and a pioneer. The State must build what it wants to see. It should construct, perhaps on the very grounds of the Palms or on new land, a firstworld model elderly care home. This would not be another monolithic institution, but a humane community that embodies best practices.

Many years ago, I saw a clip of a private company bring in small containerized homes which they planned to sell to miners in the interior.

The cost was reasonable, then about $1.4 M. Today the cost would be a cheaper.

These units could be turned into elevated, containerized individual apartments. They offer a practical, scalable, and dignified solution. They offer a private space for a bed, small sitting area, a kitchenette, and bathroom.

With many small units like these, arranged in community clusters with shared dining, medical, and recreational pavilions, we can lift the standard of local elderly care. This model

directly attacks the core indignities of lack of privacy, the institutional smell and the crowded clutter of residents’ room.

Such a facility would serve a dual purpose. First, it would provide an immediate, transformative home for a segment of our population, particularly the most vulnerable who currently endure the open wards of the Palms, the Amerindian Hostel, or the Night Shelter—places where some are in need of hospice care and find only custodial holding.

Second, and just as critically, it would establish an irrefutable benchmark. It would show Guyanese citizens, private investors, and charitable boards what is possible. It would make the cinematic standard a Guyanese reality. This model home would become a demonstration project that raises the aspirations of elderly care. The government can no longer justify open wards by pleading limited resources.

When a State model demonstrates an affordable, dignified alternative, this will also help lift private elderly care standards.

Corporate social responsibility would be redefined: it would no longer suffice to write a cheque to a substandard home; true responsibility would involve funding the replication of the model’s private units, its therapeutic gardens, or its trained staff. In this way, the paradigm shifts. The government’s role shifts from subsidizing failure to

catalyzing excellence.

The Vice President’s announcement is the starting pistol. The next step must be a visit, not just a photo opportunity, to State-run and private elderly homes. The Vice President must smell the air and witness the erosion of privacy. From that sobering experience must spring a resolve not to patch and prop, but to revolutionize. As the government channels resources into new sectors and infrastructure, it must ask itself what development truly means. The government itself concedes that development must be measured by how we treat our most vulnerable at the twilight of their lives.

The solutions are evident like container homes for the elderly that provide greater privacy and their own washroom and private areas.

We have the need, painfully evident. Now we need the political will to build a new standard—not in a movie, but on Guyanese soil—to prove that a society’s greatness is reflected in the dignity it grants its elders.

Let us build that model, and let the private elderly homes follow suit.

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

Kaieteur News

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S

UTH

D TR

HAR

BY

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Saturday December 20, 2025 Monday May 02, 2022

H@RD TRUTHS

BY GHK LALL

Pres. Ali- an updated, modernist profile

T

hey are talking about it around the marketplaces.

Guyanese are talking about it in the water ferries. Locals are talking and talking about it on the minibuses, the New Bharat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge (the old one, too). At weddings and wake houses, funerals and post funeral liquid sendoffs to the great unknown. Believe it or not, Guyanese are talking the s a m e t h i n g a l l o v e r, including by the plush airport and docksides favoured by the seedier side of Guyana. The words start

as a whisper, then roar into a crescendo, until they make for one unholy din. Cash grant. Cash grant. Cash grant. We want cash grant.

We want cash grant.

Has anybody seen Ali? There is only one at this time, and with that issue burning a hole in the gut and gullet of Guyanese. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president and doctor, to be accurate (and careful, also). Ah, I discern that he is having the same trouble that has always plagued him since his early High School days. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a man who gives the

impression of being a special talent, one who can come up with a basketful of words (not necessarily his own) and then the problem intensifies, takes off like a rocket. He can't get beyond the words.

He can't make them come to life, deliver on the great promise that he represents, the greater promises that he makes. Need I say, cash grant for the umpteenth time? It is tiring. It is nauseating. It may get on the nerves of Dr. Ali, and there is no knowing how he will react, how far off the deep end he will go. Me, I know

my place and mind my manners. Especially when around big people with big positions.

Only a serial exaggerator and a conspicuous hyperventilator would commit to something that he knows that he cannot deliver. Or, to take matters to the extreme, that he had some internal reservations about putting on the table. A classic case of the usual overpromising and underdelivering. It wouldn't be the first instance that Guyana's head-of-state has lost his head and then leave it to kindly citizens like me to

hand his head back to him. It is not a job that I look forward to, wish that there were others in Guyana to whom this patriotic duty could be passed. Indeed, those to whom much is given, much is asked. So, I tarry on, through sturm und drang.

In spending some more time and energy on this cash grant sequence, I must confess that it ranks with any Alfred Hitchcock suspense horror.

Maybe this one will have a sweet and happy ending, with Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali breaking his self-imposed

silence and surprising all Guyanese clustering around his Facebook page, and ready to hang on to his every word. All they ask for are three little ones, for starters.

Cash grant coming. The Department of Propaganda Innovators (DPI) would then be free to say how much, when, and where. Guyanese can then rush off to their friendly neighbourhood loan shark and strike him up for a cash grant advance. Some may have already done so, but where the money went, they cannot say. Just like some of those slush fund billions (miscellaneous and contingencies) that go into ministries and Office of the President and are never heard from again. If those funds were missing persons, the Guyana Police Force would have a file thicker than the 2022 census report, and likely in the same unconvincing state.

Ever seen a cash grant announcement or a stimulus check, cause such a frenzy, drive ruling politicians to antics and push the people to hysterics? I haven't until now.

But welcome to Guyana, the universal oil nirvana, and get used to developments such as this cash grant one. What else is new? What else can be expected in a burg like this Guyana? There is Dr. Irfaan Ali, whose job description (according to his interpretation) calls for him to be president part of the time, an actor and performer most of the time, and a bluffer and pretender all of the time. It is a nice job, if one can get it. To be paid for it has to be the sweetener in the porridge.

All that is well and good.

But I remind Excellency Ali that he is a president and not studying in a seminary to be a priest. He can take a vow of silence, but that doesn't commit the poor of Guyana to a vow (and life) of poverty. Let's hear it for a cash grant. Let's hear hip, hip hooray for Pres. Ali. For he's a jolly good fellow, a jolly good fellow. A cash grant must have been announced.

Happy holidays, Guyanese.

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

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Govt. looking for contractor for asphalt overlay on U$65M Heroes Highway …APNU says projects always rushed without proper planning Three years after the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government commissioned the US$65 million Heroes Highway, the Irfaan Ali-led administration has officially moved to locate contractors for the asphaltic overlay on the road.

The Heroes Highway, which links Mandela Avenue to Eccles and the new Demerara River crossing, is fast becoming one of the country's most expensive

concrete pavement, inclusive of 13 bridges and three roundabouts.

According to the project description, the works involve the rehabilitation and strengthening the existing concrete pavement through a combination of pavement repairs, reinforcement interlayers and asphaltic overlay works in accordance with internationally recognised standards.

In 2021, the contract for

A section of the Heroes Highway

infrastructure arteries with this new multi-billion-dollar investment adding to the growing price tag of Guyana's concrete transformation.

Earlier this year, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had stated that the government already had plans to have an asphaltic overlay placed on the highway – his comments followed criticisms from United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Following a visit to Guyana in March 2025, Rubio made reference to the bumpy nature of one of the roads he was driven on, noting that “we almost had concussions.”

According to a Request for Proposal (RFP) by the Ministry of Housing – Central Housing and Planning Authority ( C H & PA ) i s i n v i t i n g qualified and experienced contractors to submit their proposals for the execution of the asphaltic overlay works on the highway.

“The intent of this project is to improve ride quality, safety, durability and overall structural performance of the roadway.

Heroes Highway is a strategic transportation corridor serving the emerging housing developments and critical regional infrastructure,” CHPA stated.

The RFP stated that the highway comprises of approximately 12.5 kilometer of existing

the project was awarded to 12 contractors, GuyAmerica Construction Inc, V. Dalip Enterprise, (JV) Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Wo r k s , S . J a g m o h a n Construction and General Supplies Inc., H. Nauth and Sons, JS Guyana Inc., (JV) VALs Construction and AJM Enterprise, China Railway First Group Company Ltd., Aronco Services Inc., Ivor Allen, (JV) Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. and Khemraj Nauth Contracting Services.

The aforementioned contractors work included the construction of some 30 reinforced concrete bridges, two roundabouts, and a total of 9.4 kilometres of reinforced concrete road.

Moreover, the full scope of work for the new project is outlined in the RFP as well as the minimum qualification requirements. Interested contractors can submit their proposals to the Chairman of the National Procurement Tender Administration (NPTAB) by 9:00hours on February 3, 2026.

On Friday, opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Terrence Campbell commented on the government move to now put an asphaltic overlay of the Heroes Highway.

“Talk about putting the cart before the horse, everything is done with this government is done rushed, it's a brainwave. President wakes up one morning and this is what they're going to do without thinking the

project through properly without feasibility studies and this is why now almost four years or five years after they started that whole Heroes Highway we're now talking about an asphaltic overlay,” he stated during the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) press conference.

Moreover, opposition MP Nima Flue-Bess for her

part noted that she finds it quite interesting that government is now moving to the Heroes Highway. She noted that she will pay keen attention to see how the works is executed especially in areas where there are homes nearby.

Kaieteur News recently reported that the CH&PA will expend approximately $4.2 billion on widening the

Heroes Highway, adding new lanes from Haags Bosch to Massy Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The project which is divided into five lots, went out to tender and in October six contractors submitted bids to t h e N P TA B . T h i s publication understands that the project will see the lanes from Haags Bosch to Massy Road on the Heroes

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Terrence Campbell Highway being widened from four lanes to six lanes.

PAGE 12

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

Israel bombs Gaza wedding as mediators hold ceasefire talks in US Israeli attack kills at least six Palestinians attending wedding party at school-turned-shelter in Gaza City.

Aljazeera - The Israeli military has carried out a deadly attack on a shelter in Gaza City as senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye were in the United States for talks on reaching the next phase of the shaky ceasefire.

At least six Palestinians were killed and several others wounded on Friday in

an Israeli attack in Gaza C i t y ' s T u f f a h neighbourhood.

Local sources told Al Jazeera that Israeli tank shells struck the second floor of a school-turned-shelter while displaced Palestinian families were gathered there to attend a wedding.

The attack was the latest in hundreds of Israeli

ceasefire violations that have taken place since the USbrokered agreement came into force in October, according to a tally from the Gaza Government Media Office.

It comes as US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and other senior US officials were set

A displaced Palestinian man walks through a flooded street in Gaza City, on December 15, 2025 [File: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]

to begin talks in Miami, Florida, on how to reach the next phase of the Gaza agreement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the talks are taking place with representatives of Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, saying that he may join the negotiations later.

He stressed that the US priority is completing the first phase of the truce deal by setting up a Palestinian technocratic committee to help govern Gaza, establishing the foreign-led “Board of Peace”, and deploying an international policing force to the territory.

“No one is arguing that the status quo is sustainable in the long term, nor desirable, and that's why we have a sense of urgency about bringing phase one to its full completion,” the top US diplomat told reporters during a news conference at the State Department.

“Once we've established that, we have a lot of confidence that we are going to have the donors for the reconstruction effort and for all the humanitarian support in the long-term, building of phases two and phases three.”

Earlier, US news outlet Axios reported that the Miami meeting will include Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh M o h a m m e d b i n Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

At the same time, Israel's public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to examine the second phase of the ceasefire and potential scenarios.

That official said Israel could launch a new military

campaign to disarm Hamas if Trump were to disengage from the Gaza process, while acknowledging that such a move was unlikely because the US president wants to preserve calm in the enclave.

Despite Washington's insistence that the ceasefire remains intact, Israeli attacks against Palestinians in Gaza have continued almost uninterrupted since the truce came into effect on October 10.

Israel has also blocked the free flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been decimated by the country's genocidal two-year war on the Palestinian territory.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces carried out air attacks, artillery shelling and heavy gunfire across eastern Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reported from the ground.

Israeli attacks also hit areas under Israeli control in southern Gaza City, while shelling struck Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, inside the so-called “yellow line” – territory Israel was required to withdraw from under the ceasefire.

Al-Aqsa TV reported that Israeli artillery fire in eastern Khan Younis killed at least three Palestinians, including a woman. The channel said Israeli naval vessels also opened fire on fishing boats off the city's coast.

Elsewhere, Israeli warplanes bombed Deir elBalah in central Gaza and carried out another strike in Gaza City's Shujayea neighbourhood, where plumes of smoke rose over the targeted area.

“Our people expect these talks to result in an agreement to put an end to ongoing Israeli lawlessness, halt all violations and compel the occupation to abide by the Sharm El(Continuned on page 17)

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 20, 2025

th

ENet backs 24 Vergenoegen Village Day as Christmas tradition grows into national spectacle

W

hat began as a simple g e s t u r e o f appreciation within a tight-knit community has blossomed into one of Guyana's most anticipated Christmas Day traditions, and this year's 24th annual Vergenoegen Village Day promises to be no different.

Set for December 25, the event once again enjoys the backing of ENet, one of Guyana's leading providers of television, internet and information technology services, reinforcing a long-standing partnership that has helped sustain and grow the celebration over the years.

Originally conceived to honour villagers who made meaningful contributions to the development and spirit of Vergenoegen, the Village Day has steadily evolved beyond its modest beginnings.

Today, it stands as a signature Christmas event on the national calendar, drawing families, music lovers and visitors from across Region 3 and beyond.

Coordinated by Slingerz Family Entertainment, the day's activities begin long before the music takes centre stage.

True to its community-focused roots, the event opens with the distribution of hampers to elderly and less fortunate residents in the East Bank Essequibo Community.

This charitable outreach has remained a cornerstone of the Vergenoegen Village Day, ensuring that the spirit of Christmas is felt where it matters most.

Another major highlight will be the massive toy distribution, scheduled for the Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac.

Organisers say the Rice Mill Tarmac will be transformed into a vibrant family-friendly arena, where children and their families can enjoy face painting, a designated play area, toy distribution, and a range of other activities, all completely free of charge.

While the initiative is aimed primarily at children within the village, organisers have noted that, over the years, it has naturally expanded to include families and youngsters from neighbouring communities.

“The Village Day is centred around Vergenoegen, but our intention has always been to spread Christmas cheer as far as we can,” organisers said, noting that the smiles of children remain the true measure of the event's success.

ENet's involvement has been a constant throughout the growth of Village Day. On Thursday, Devon London, ENet's Head of Business, formally handed over the company's contribution to Slingerz

ENet's Business Head, Devon London, (right) makes his company's presentation to Slingerz Family Entertainment representative, Aswell Mohabir for this year's Vergenoegen Village Day. Family Entertainment at ENet's Camp Street location, reaffirming the company's commitment to community development and cultural celebration.

Slingerz Family Entertainment expressed gratitude for ENet's continued support, describing the partnership as vital to keeping the Vergenoegen Village Day alive and impactful. The organisers also voiced optimism about future collaborations aimed at elevating

the event even further.

While charity and community are at the heart of Village Day, the celebration has also earned a reputation as one of the most sought-after Christmas concerts in Guyana. Over the years, some of the Caribbean's biggest names, particularly from the dancehall genre, have entertained massive crowds in Vergenoegen.

Last year, the entertainment segment was temporarily relocated

to the National Track and Field Facility due to repairs on the access road leading to the Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac.

However, following strong attendance and feedback from patrons, organisers have opted to return the concert to the Leonora facility this year, citing plans to further elevate the overall experience.

What started as a village celebration born from humble beginnings has now grown into something resembling a celebration of all of Region 3, with patrons converging from every corner of Guyana.

This year's concert lineup underscores that evolution.

Jamaican dancehall heavyweights Skeng and Valiant will headline the Christmas Day show, which will feature several local acts. Known for their highenergy performances and charttopping hits that dominate playlists and street corners across Guyana, both artistes bring a brand of dancehall that resonates strongly with local audiences.

For Skeng, the appearance marks his first performance at a Slingerz Family Entertainment event on the West Side, while Valiant will be making his second appearance, returning by popular demand.

UG spreads Christmas cheer to children

T

he University of Guyana's Department of Events, Conferences, and Communication (DECC) on Friday hosted its annual Santa's Helpers programme, aimed at spreading cheer to children through gift-giving and festive activities.

The event was held at the George Walcott Lecture Theatre and attracted more than 100 children and parents.

The programme was funded through contributions from DECC staff, who donated gifts, grocery hampers, and several household items to support families during the Christmas season.

Children were selected from Sophia, Cummings Lodge, and other nearby areas, with the initiative intended to spread holiday cheer and ensure that children in the identified communities experience a memorable Christmas.

Activities during the programme included storytelling

by University of Guyana lecturers, carolling, and games such as candy hunting, musical chairs, and a piñata.

Parents were also engaged through activities such as The Price Is Right, which resulted in the distribution of hampers containing self-care products and household items, including toasters and kettles, all donated by faculty and staff.

Joyful children playing games provided by the University of Guyana Department of Events, Conferences, and Communication (DECC)

Children throughout the programme expressed excitement and joy, with one child stating, “I really am enjoying myself.” Many children responded enthusiastically when asked about their experience at the event.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed was also present and, in an interview with Kaieteur News outlined the mission behind the initiative.

“This is a historical series of things that the University does. It started quite a number of years ago.

It was Santa's Helpers event, and they started very small,” she said.

She explained that the programme initially began as a nine-day festival during which staff raised funds to purchase gifts for children, but over the years it evolved into an annual celebration that expanded in scope.

“Everybody pays their money, and then we buy gifts, but I think that the team at DECC has done really well this year. This year they have really expanded, because they add games, they add things for parents, etc., and so we make more and more children come out and experience this initiative,” she said.

Professor Mohamed praised the

overall success of the programme, describing it as the most impactful to date.

“I think it was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal, I think it's the best so far, and of course the biggest so far, because people were actually just walking in the door, I know that because they were coming to ask me what was going on here, and then they just stayed and you know, it is what it is, but the DECC really, excelled.”

She further explained that children are usually selected based on recommendations from surrounding communities and

schools.

“The children are chosen from the communities around, and the schools in the communities ...and so they send us names that we buy based on the information they give us.”

However, she noted that additional children who were not pre-selected were also accommodated.

“So, we always have to have extra, and so on, because the idea is not to have any child leave without something, without a gift, without feeling treasured, special, without feeling seen.”

Emphasising the University's responsibility to the wider community, the Vice-Chancellor said, “The general context for me is that you can't be in a community, you can't live in a community as a university for 60 something years, and not be responsive to everything that's happening in that community, so this is only a part of what we do.

This is something that always gives me joy.”

Looking ahead, Professor Mohamed shared her hopes for future editions of the programme.

“One would hope that, you know, we're able to always touch more children... but I think we would always have something, a Christmas cheer for children and for others, around. But I think it's set to get bigger," Professor Mohamed said.

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

LEGAL NOTICE

WANTED

VACANCY

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sales Rep needed, ages 1830 years. Knowledge of vehicle model will be an asset. Contact: 619-1237.

One Day and one Night nurse for the East Bank, call 615-9132 .

Restaurant Supervisors and Front Service cashiers. New exciting restaurant experience necessary: 710-0750 .

Send Resume eatitguyana@gmail.com

Aracari hotel renovated rooms,LEGAL A/C, TV,NOTICE Restaurant, Bar, Pool, Gym. Stay 7 nights, 1 FREE! Call 264 2946.

Wanted one night guard and one handyman. Call : 612-2125.

Wanted house lot to buy & land with unfinished building. We pay cash.

Call: 216-0671 / 692-8464.

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Office Secretary wanted at export company in Land Of Canaan. Email: glinc20112011@gmail.com Live in maid wanted please call : 762-3155, Robb Street Bourda.

Wanted one Maid. For more information please Call: 680-1282.

VEHICLES FOR SALE 1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, spoiler, low mileage, PTT Series (first owner). Call: 6490956.

TOURS Suriname fireworks extravaganza. Celebration, tours, shopping, sightseeing, casino party bus, dolphin tour & more.

Call/Whatsapp: 639-2663/ 673-2348 .

SERVICES VISA Application for USA, Canada, UK, ETA, ETC. Naturalisation guidance + application filling & Building Plans. Tel: 626-7040.

Need a bus? Planning a tour or trip? Call/whatsapp Matthew's Bus Service & tours at: 639-2663, 673-2348, 689-6661.

Restaurant Manager & Stores Clerk. New exciting restaurant experience necessary : 710-0750 / eatitguyana@gmail.com Accounting Clerk, AAT level (1) and up.

Peachtree & microsoft office. Experience Necessary. Call: 710-0750.

Send resume eatitguyana@gmail.com OFFICE ASSISTANT / MESSENGER . Please send application to P.O.BOX 10109 , Georgetown . A valid motorcycle license .

Babysitter/Housekeeper (age 35-45 ) for 3 boys.

Monday-Friday,occasional weekends.Salary starts at $8000.Located Canal #2 Polder WBD.Call:702-9612

ENTERTAINMENT Family Fun Aracari Resort! Crystal clear pool, safe kids & adult sections, music & food. West Bank Demerara. Call: 264-2946-9.

FOR RENT Spacious , Furnished 900 SQ FT 1 bed/1 bath in Subryanville. Call: 6242619/624-4636 2 bedroom apartment at back street Houston, E.B.D Contact 686-0653

LAND FOR LEASE Wales public road, W.B.D, Parcel 21 (0.467 acres) 20,342 SQ FT. Available long term 20-25 years. Sign on property.

Phone / Whatsapp: 592615-2270 / 592-628-8619.

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FOR SALE TRUCK TIRES 295 / 75R22.5 $40K EACH. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL / WHATSAPP:+592-6883201.

LEGAL NOTICE 2025/295-FD-PET-DEM IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE FAMILY, DIVORCEAND MATRIMONIALJURISDICTION FAMILY DIVISION Petition No. 295 BETWEEN: LATCHMAN (SABRINA ELIZABETH) nee LIM Petitioner/Applicant -andLATCHMAN (PAUL) Respondent NOTICE OF PROCEEDINGS TO: PAULLATCHMAN Herdmonston, West Bank Demerara Guyana.

TAKE NOTICE that on the 25th day of March, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

a Petition for Divorce was filed against you by SABRINA ELIZABETH LATCHMAN nee LIM the Petitioner/Applicant in the Family Division of the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that as part of an Order made on the 30th day of October, 2025, the Petitioner was directed to effect service of her Petition on you by publication of this Notice in two (2) consecutive issues of the Saturday Kaieteur News, News, a daily newspaper of wide circulation in Guyana and the worldwide web or service hereon the Respondent by way of Publication.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire you may appear or attend in person or by your duly authorized agent or Attorney-at-Law at the Registry of Family Division of the High Court at Georgetown, Demerara where you will be issued with a certified copy of the Petition together with related documents.

AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire to Defend this Divorce, then upon receipt of the certified copy of the Petition, you must file an Acknowledgement of Service, Notice of Intention to Defend (Forms are available at the Registry), Answer and/or Cross Petition via the online portal, https:// ejudiciary.supremecourt.gy within 35 (thirty-five) days from the date of the final publication of this Notice.

Your access code is k9Wfpq.

TAKE NOTICE that the Application is scheduled for Directions Hearing on that Thursday the 12th day of February, 2025 at 9:00 am before the Honourable Madam Justice Heassaun Yasin

via zoom Meeting ID: 525 150 0023 and Passcode: q8W7yp IN DEFAULT of your filing an Acknowledgement of Service/Notice of Intention to Defend, Answer and/or Cross Petition the Court may proceed in your absence and may make any Order it considers appropriate, including granting the Divorce.The Registry of the Family Division of the High Court is located at the Law Courts [Georgetown, Demerara].

The office is open to the public between 8:00am and 3:30pm Mondays to Thursdays and 8:00am to 2:30pm on Fridays except on public holidays and on such other days as the Registry is closed.

Dated the 25th day of November, 2025

LEGAL LEGALNOTICE NOTICE IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE OF GUYANA (COMMERCIAL JURISDICTION) 2025/3-HC-CD-SOC-DEMCIV BETWEEN: CAMPTON RAZACK BAKSH, executor and beneficiary named in the Last Will and Testament of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH, represented herein by his duly constituted attorney WILLIAM HOWARD agreeably with Power of Attorney executed on the 31st day of May, 2024 and registered in the Deeds Registry, Georgetown on the 26th day of June, 2024 and numbered 3724/2024

LEGAL LEGALNOTICE NOTICE Applicant/Claimant -andMAVIS SINGH represented herein by her duly constituted attorney MARCANTHONY DANNETT agreeably with Power of Attorney executed on the 7th day of June, 2024 and registered in the Deeds Registry, Georgetown on the 21st day of June, 2024 and numbered 3625 of 2024 Respondent/Defendant TO:MAVIS SINGH represented herein by her duly constituted attorney MARCANTHONY DANNETT of Lot 60 Russell and Sussex Streets,Georgetown, Guyana TAKE NOTICE that a Statement of Claim was filed on the 7th day of February, 2025, against you by CAMPTON RAZACK BAKSH, executor and beneficiary named in the Last Will and Testament of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH,represented herein by his duly constituted attorney WILLIAM HOWARD agreeably with Power of Attorney executed on the 31st day of May, 2024 and registered in the Deeds Registry, Georgetown on the 26th day of June, 2024 and numbered 3724/2024,in the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara, where the Claimant asks for: a) A declaration that the Claimant is the executor and a beneficiary named in the Last Will and Testament of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH, deceased dated the 18th day of February, 2020 and is entitled to have access to the property as the executor. b) An Order setting aside the CAVEAT # 104/24, dated the 2nd day of July 2024 for the estate of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH, deceased as there is no substantive matter filed in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature.dated the 18th

Saturday December 20, 2025

LEGAL LEGALNOTICE NOTICE the property as the executor. b) An Order setting aside the CAVEAT # 104/24, dated the 2nd day of July 2024 for the estate of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH, deceased as there is no substantive matter filed in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature.c) An injunction restraining the Defendant whether by herself, her servants, her agents or otherwise howsoever, from meddling in the affairs of the executor of the estate of RANDOLPH DEODAT SINGH, deceased in relation to the property situate at Lot 60,Russell and Sussex Streets Charlestown Georgetown Guyana, with the building and erections thereon and more fully described in Transport No. 667/87.d) Damages in excess of $1,000,000.00 (one million) for damages done to the property situate at Lot 60, Russell and Sussex Streets Charlestown Georgetown Guyana, with the building and erections thereon and more fully described in Transport No. 667/87.e) Costs; f) Such further or other reliefs as the Court may deem just.AND FURTHERTAKE NOTICE that as part of an Order made on the 24th day of November, 2025, the Claimant is directed to effect service of the Information for Court Use, Statement of Claim and Notice of Appointment of Attorneyat-law by publication of a Notice of the Proceedings in two consecutive Saturday issues of the Kaieteur consecutive Saturday issues of the Kaieteur News or any Saturday issues of the newspaper of general circulation Kaieteur News or any newspaper of general circulation in the State of Guyana.AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you desire to defend this Claim, you must forthwith, within 42

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Kaieteur News

High Court rules SOCU has legal standing in Moura gold smuggling case

T

he Demerara High Court on Thursday ruled in favour of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), holding that the agency has the legal capacity to institute legal proceedings in its own name in relation to the case against businessman Sebastiao de Oliveira Moura.

The decision was delivered by a Full Court comprising Justice Nigel Niles and Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul.

As a result, proceedings involving Moura, a Brazilian national and director of Gago Gold Inc. will resume. SOCU had previously seized assets

LEGAL NOTICE (forty two) days , after the final publication, enter an Appearance thereto, and serve a Defence on MR. GORDON GILHUYS whose address for service and place of business is at Lots 60–61, Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, Guyana, Email: : attorneysatlawgilhuyspollard@gmail.com, and file same to this cause in the Registry of the High Court at Georgetown via the High Court’s eLitigation online platform with the use of the authorisation code: uSChh8, not later than 4 (four) days before the date fixed for hearing of the Claim, and you or your Attorney-at-Law must appear at the hearing.AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to file a Defence and/or if you fail to appear at the hearing, final judgment may be given against you notwithstanding your absence.

FOR REGISTRAR

Dated this 9th day of December, 2025.

valued at more than $190 million from Moura amid allegations of gold smuggling and money laundering.

In a press release, the Attorney General’s Chambers stated that the Full Court, in a reasoned and unanimous judgment, held that SOCU “possesses sufficient legal capacity to institute and maintain legal actions by virtue of the provisions of the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, Cap. 10:11 (AMLCFT Act).”

The ruling overturns a decision handed down on May 27, 2025, by Justice Peter Hugh, who had struck out SOCU’s application to restrain and detain large quantities of gold, foreign currency and Guyanese dollars belonging to Moura and Gago Gold Inc. Justice Hugh had ruled, among other things, that SOCU lacked legal capacity to initiate or maintain legal proceedings since it is not a body corporate under the Companies Act. According to the Chambers, “In dismissing SOCU’s application for the detention and restraint orders, Mr. Justice Peter Hugh ruled inter alia, that SOCU has no legal capacity to institute or maintain legal proceedings as it is not a body corporate within the meaning of the Companies Act, and that no provision of the AMLCFT Act expressly conferred upon it such status.”

SOCU subsequently appealed that decision on June 17, 2025. On Thursday, the

Businessman Sebastiao de Oliveira Moura.

Full Court set aside Justice Hugh’s ruling “following written and oral arguments by the parties,” the Chambers said.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, argued before the Full Court that the issue of SOCU’s legal standing was of “substantial importance,” noting that Justice Hugh’s ruling had effectively disabled SOCU from carrying out key statutory functions assigned to it under the AMLCFT Act. He submitted that “should the ruling of the Learned Trial Judge stand, SOCU would be crippled in the execution of its mandate under the Act.” The Attorney General further contended that the question of corporate legal personality under the Companies Act was irrelevant, pointing to several provisions of the AMLCFT Act that expressly empower SOCU to institute and maintain legal proceedings in its own name.

The Full Court agreed, stating that SOCU’s legal standing is a matter of public importance that bears directly on the effective administra-

tion of Guyana’s anti-money laundering framework. The Court warned that the issue, “if left undisturbed, may likely recur and affect future proceedings brought by SOCU under the Act.” In explaining its reasoning, the Court held that the AMLCFT Act “assigns to SOCU in explicit terms, functions that cannot be discharged without recourse to the Courts, particularly the restraining, seizing, detaining and forfeiting of tainted property.” It further ruled that “sections 38 and 109A directly integrate SOCU into the framework of civil restraint and confiscation proceedings,” and that it would be “illogical” to conclude that Parliament intended to grant SOCU such powers while denying it the procedural means to exercise them.

The Full Court ultimately concluded that SOCU does possess sufficient legal capacity under the AMLCFT Act to institute proceedings for the civil restraint and confiscation of property, and that corporate personality is not

required since Parliament has expressly conferred the necessary legal authority on the agency.

SOCU was represented by Attorney General Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, along with Shoshanna V. Lall, David Brathwaite, Thalia Thompson and Mohanie Sudama. Moura was represented by attorneys Latchmie Rahamat and Naresh Poonai.

Moura, who has gold mining operations in Guyana, is charged with five counts of money laundering.

He appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on April 17, 2025, where he was not required to plead to the indictable charges. Bail was granted in the sum of $1.75 million.

SOCU’s investigation stems from a joint intelligenceled operation conducted on February 7, 2024, involving SOCU, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Guyana Gold Board and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. During a search of Moura’s business premises at 19 Albert Street, Bourda, Georgetown, officers discovered $81,101,200 in Guyana currency, US$6,057, SRD$240, 4,018.15 pennyweights of gold valued at $112,588,563, and diamonds weighing 3.5 grams.

After more than a year of investigations, SOCU instituted charges, alleging that the seized monies, gold and diamonds are tainted properties linked to money laundering and gold smuggling and constitute proceeds of crime.

Israel bombs Gaza wedding as mediators...

From page 12 Sheikh agreement,” Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim told the AFP news agency.

Naim also said the discussions should focus on boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid and equipment needed to rebuild Gaza, as well as the opening of the southern Rafah crossing in both directions.

They should also address “how to implement the remaining elements of the Trump plan in a way that achieves sustainable stability, launches a comprehensive reconstruction process and paves the way for a political track enabling Palestinians to govern themselves, culminating in a fully sovereign and independent state”, Naim added. Qatar’s prime minister warned on Wednesday that the Israeli breaches of the Gaza ceasefire are threatening the entire agreement, as he called for urgent progress to-

wards the next phase of the deal. Sheikh Mohammed made the appeal following

talks with Rubio in Washington, DC, where he stressed that “delays and ceasefire

violations endanger the entire process and place mediators in a difficult position”.

Kaieteur News

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Saturday December 20, 2025

Rubio says new governance bodies for Gaza will be in place soon, followed by international force WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that a new governance structure for Gaza -- made up of an international board and a group of Palestinian technocrats -- would be in place soon, followed by the deployment of foreign troops, as the U.S. hopes to cement a fragile ceasefire in Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave.

Rubio, speaking at a year-end news conference, said the status quo was not sustainable in Gaza, where Israel has continued to strike Hamas targets while the militant group has reasserted its control since the October peace agreement brokered

by President Donald Trump's administration.

"That's why we have a sense of urgency about bringing phase one to its full completion, which is the

establishment of the Board of Peace, and the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic authority or organization that's going to be on the ground, and then the stabilization force comes closely thereafter," Rubio said.

Rubio said progress had been made recently on identifying Palestinians to join the technocratic group, and said Washington was aiming to get the governance bodies in place "very soon," without offering a specific timeline.

Rubio was speaking after U.S. Central Command hosted a conference in Doha this week with partner nations to plan the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza. Two U.S. officials told Reuters last week that international troops could be deployed in the strip as early as next

People gather during a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that was partially destroyed during the war and collapsed on Tuesday, at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

month, after the U.N. Security Council voted in November to authorize the force.

It remains unclear how Palestinian militant group Hamas will be disarmed and countries considering

contributing troops to the ISF are wary that Hamas will engage their soldiers in combat. Rubio did not specify who would be responsible for disarming Hamas, and conceded that countries contributing troops

want to know what the ISF's specific mandate is and how it will be funded. "I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit, but I feel very confident that we have a number of nation

states acceptable to all sides in this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilization force.," Rubio said, noting that Pakistan was among the countries who had expressed interest.

Establishing security and governance was key to drawing donors to pay for reconstruction in Gaza, Rubio added.

There is no longer famine in Gaza, a global hunger monitor said on Friday, but the situation remains critical.

"Who's going to pledge billions of dollars to build things that are going to get blown up again because a war starts?" Rubio said, discussing the possibility of a donor conference to raise reconstruction funds. "They want to know who's in charge, and they want to know that there's security so and that there'll be long term stability.”

Putin vows no more wars if West treats Russia with respect BBC - Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no more wars after Ukraine if Russia is treated with respect - and claims that Moscow is planning to attack European countries were "nonsense".

In a televised event lasting almost four and a half hours, he was asked by the BBC's Steve Rosenberg whether there would be new "special military operations" - Putin's term for the fullscale invasion of Ukraine.

"There won't be any operations if you treat us with respect, if you respect our interests just as we've always tried to respect yours," he asserted.

Earlier this month, Putin said Russia was not planning to go to war with Europe, but was ready "right now" if Europeans wanted to.

Answering a question from the BBC Russia editor on Friday, Putin also added the condition that there would be no further Russian invasions "if you don't cheat us like you cheated us with Nato's eastward expansion".

He has long accused Nato of going back on an a l l e g e d 1 9 9 0 We s t e r n promise to then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev before the fall of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev later denied the remark had been made.

The "Direct Line" marathon combined questions from the public at large and journalists from across Russia in a Moscow Hall, with Putin sitting beneath an enormous map of Russia that encompassed occupied areas of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Russian state TV claimed more than three million questions had been submitted.

Just hours after the televised marathon, Ukrainian officials said seven people were killed and a further 15 injured in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine's southern Odesa region. Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

EPA Russian President

Vladimir Putin (C) attends his annual live broadcast press conference with Russian federal, regional, and foreign media at the Gostiny Dvor forum hall in M o s c o w, R u s s i a , 1 9 December 2025EPA Organisers of the event said three million questions had been submitted to Putin Although the "Direct Line" was largely choreographed, some critical comments from the public appeared on a big screen, including one that referred to the event as a "circus", another bemoaning internet outages and one that highlighted poor-quality tap water.

Mobile internet outages have been blamed by authorities on Ukrainian drone attacks.

Putin also addressed Russia's faltering economy, with prices rising, growth on the slide and VAT going up from 20 to 22% on 1 January.

One message to the president read: "Stop the crazy rise in prices on everything!"

The Kremlin regularly

uses the end-of-year event to highlight the resilience of the economy and, as Putin spoke, Russia's central bank announced it was lowering interest rates to 16%.

Foreign policy issues were mixed with musings about the motherland, praise for local businesses, fish prices and the importance of looking after veterans.

But the issue of almost four years of full-scale war in Ukraine was never far away and it was often in the background of many of the questions.

Putin again claimed to be "ready and willing" to end the war in Ukraine "peacefully" but offered little sign of compromise.

He repeated his insistence on principles he had outlined in a June 2024 speech, when he demanded that Ukrainian forces leave four regions Russia partially occupies and that Kyiv gives up its efforts to join Nato.

Chief among Russia's demands is full control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas,

including about 23% of Donetsk region which Russia has not been able to occupy.

Map showing which areas of east of Ukraine are under Russian military control or limited Russian control highlighting the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea Putin argued Russian forces were making advances across the front line in Ukraine and he r i d i c u l e d Vo l o d y m y r Zelensky's visit to the front line at Kupiansk last week, when the Ukrainian leader was able to refute Russia claims that it had captured the town.

Putin has also demanded new elections in Ukraine to be included in the peace proposals that US President Donald Trump has submitted as part of his efforts to bring the conflict to an end. At his news conference, Putin offered to stop bombing Ukraine when voting took place.

Ukraine's SBU security

service said on Friday it had for the first time hit an oil tanker operating as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean. Putin said it would not lead to the result that Kyiv wanted and would not disrupt Russian exports.

Most of the questions from Russian media or from the public made little attempt to challenge Putin, but two were allowed from Western correspondents, Keir Simmons of US network NBC and the BBC's Steve Rosenberg.

When Simmons asked if Putin would feel responsible for the deaths of Ukrainians and Russians if he rejected the Trump peace plan, Putin praised the US president's "sincere" efforts to end the war, but said it was the West not Russia that was blocking a deal.

"The ball is in the hands of our Western opponents," he said, "primarily the leaders of the Kyiv regime, and in this case, first and foremost, their European sponsors.”

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

As Christmas lights illuminate our homes and hearts in Guyana, we are reminded of the true spirit of the season —love, kindness, and compassion. Yet, amid this festive cheer, our streets face a rise in banditry, threatening the safety of our communities.

This holiday, let vigilance walk hand in hand with generosity. Guard your homes and look out for neighbours, while not letting fear overshadow the joy of giving.

Share a smile, extend a helping hand, and embrace those in need; these acts of compassion define the essence of Christmas. Let us celebrate responsibly, balancing caution with warmth.

In showing care for one another, we strengthen the bonds that make our nation resilient. True Christmas spirit thrives not only in celebration but in mindful, collective protection of our people and values.

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St Benedict’s College dispatch KC to meet Chase in 2025 KFC Goodwill final The stage is set for a thrilling showdown as the final two teams booked their spots in the 2025 KFC International Goodwill Football Series final following two pulsating semifinal encounters on Thursday evening at the Ministry of Education Ground.

St Benedict’s College of

Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o continued their impressive run, as defensive discipline and clinical finishes carried them to a 2–0 victory over Jamaica’s Kingston College.

The win secured St Benedict’s a place in the final, where they will meet defending champions Chase’s Academic Foundation of Guyana.

The Trinidadians wasted little time stamping their authority, with Ruben Phillip delivering a first-half masterclass. Phillip broke the deadlock in the 28th minute before striking again deep into first-half stoppage time (45+3), sending St Benedict’s into the break firmly in control. Despite a decent second half for the

Saturday December 20, 2025 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today the cosmic conditions are great for peak physical and mental energy. You'll be able to take on almost anything.

With an added increase to your confidence level, now is the time to take steps toward your biggest goals.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This will be one of those days when you're glad to get up. The energy is exceptionally positive. You'll probably feel energetic, confident, and ready to get down to work on your projects.

This in combination with your tendency to work hard

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Expect to enjoy today. You're in great shape and operating at peak performance. These are excellent conditions for working or creating. Given the chance, your mind will teem with innovative ideas.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) It's going to be a great day to get things done. Cosmic conditions will have you feeling energetic and raring to go. If there's a list of things to do waiting for you, grab it and get going.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) The energy today means you'll feel on top of the world.

Given your usual hardworking nature, you may need to keep an eye out for exhaustion.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) This will be an excellent day to start some of the projects you've held back for some time. You'll likely feel more physical and mental energy than you've experienced lately.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You're off to an excellent start.

If you've felt a little weary lately, this will change. Added mental and physical strength is available to you. Things that seemed difficult yesterday will come easily today.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You might be more energetic than you've felt in a long time.

It's the perfect day to get busy with tasks, projects, and housework. You'll breeze through most things in no time and enjoy them.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You might feel like you have more energy today than you usually do. Whether the tasks ahead require physical strength or mental acuity, approach them with confidence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)If only more days could be this easy. The energy from the aspects is revitalizing, allowing you to get a lot accomplished. If there's something you've hesitated to do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Expect to start your day with renewed strength and energy.

Almost everything on your todo list will fall into place. You can approach your projects with confidence and vigor because you can do what needs to be done.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today will start off with an energy boost for you. Seize the opportunity to make the most of this by getting those major projects and chores handled. It isn't every day that you feel this good. If you get to work right off the bat.

Jamaicans, goals were still hard to come by.

St B e n e d i c t ’s b a c k l i n e remained resolute throughout, shutting down Kingston College and preserving a clean sheet to seal a deserved semifinal triumph.

St Benedict’s victory marked Kingston College’s second consecutive defeat in the tournament, having fallen to the 2024 champions the previous night. Phillip’s brace not only electrified the crowd but underscored the team’s balance between defensive solidity and attacking flair. In the second semifinal, home favourites and reigning champions Chase’s Academic Foundation delivered a dominant performance, dismantling Suriname Technical Institute 5–0 to cruise into yet another KFC final. Chase’s intent was clear from the opening whistle.

Malcom Hendricks rose highest to nod home a corner kick in the fourth minute, giving the champions an early lead. Just four minutes later, Isaiah Ifill doubled the advantage with a composed finish from close range.

Neeiaz Baksh added a third (goal) only two minutes later, calmly caressing the ball into the net as Chase raced to a commanding lead.

To their credit, Suriname Technical Institute tightened defensively after the early onslaught, limiting further damage and heading into halftime trailing 3–0.

The second half resumed with Chase pressing relentlessly. After a few near misses, Whitney King unleashed a thunderous freekick from just outside the box in the 56th minute, extending the lead to 4–0.

Shaquan David then put the finishing touch on a comprehensive display, slicing through the Surinamese defence to net the fifth and final goal of the match.

With both St Benedict’s C o l l e g e a n d C h a s e ’s Academic Foundation unbeaten in the tournament, Sunday’s final promises to be a high-quality contest between two of the competition’s best sides.

The grand finale of the Sixth Annual International Secondary School Football

St Benedict’s stamps authority in 2-0 win against Kinston College to advance into 2025 KFC Goodwill Football Final.

backed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, MVP Sports, Austal, SkyTec Enterprise, New GPC Inc. through its Limacol brand, ANSA McAL with its Lucozade brand, Royal International Hotel, Demerara Mutual, and Trans Guyana Airways.

The competition is also sanctioned by the Ministry of Education.

Championship will be p l a y e d o n S u n d a y, December 21, at the Ministry of Education Ground, where Chase’s Academic Foundation will defend their title against a confident St Benedict’s College outfit.

Before that, Jamaica will go up against Suriname for the third-place spot.

This year’s tournament is made possible through the support of KFC Guyana, also

Berbice River Bridge Closure to Road Traffic Saturday December 20, 2025

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 16:35hrs Sunday December 21, 2025

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 05:00hrs For Ocean Going Vessels opening last 1-1½ hrs DATE: 12/19/2025

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G.L.C. 357 Lamaha Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown Tel:226-0753. While every effort is made to ensure numbers are correct, please call the hotline for confirmation, The G.L.C. and Kaieteur News cannot be held responsible for printing errors.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Saturday December 20, 2025

Barbados clinch Super Over to seal emphatic 3-2 comeback series win 2025 Barbados Tour of Guyana U13 40-Over series Final... v

A spirited fight-back from the young Barbados team enabled them to come back from two down to clinch the 5-match series 32, following an electric Super Over win versus the Guyanese yesterday at the Everest Ground.

Barbados and Guyana both posted 103-10 during their respective regulation batting innings before playing to a tie which triggered the rare Super Over, which went in favor of the visitors.

Kymani Inniss led the Bajans scoring during regulation time with 37 off 40 (5x4), while in-form allrounder Natarie Lavine chipped in with 20.

Guyana led with spin as Sahid Gajnabi (3-25), Afraz Khan (2-5) and Jaden Ganpat (2-14) had good returns, keeping the Extras to just 12. However, things

would go horribly wrong for the home team, as pacer and skipper Zdari Scantlebury (3-7) picked up wickets at crucial points throughout the innings.

Daniel John (26), Gajnabi (22) and Khan (12) underestimated the target, as they failed to carry on before a string on run-outs left Guyana shook, as Kymani Inniss and wicket-keeper Oliver King shared honours for their alertness and accuracy which saw Guyana go from leading the series 20 to now fighting for their lives in a 1-Over duel.

Medium-pacer Kjanni Inniss lent support with 2-29 in support of his skipper’s three scalps which essentially forced the super over. Guyana taking first shot, lost their skipper Gajnabi to Lavine before making just 6 runs off their over. The pair of Kymani

The Winning Barbados team.

Inniss (5*) and Lavine (1*) then saw their team to victory with a ball to spare, thus wrapping up one of the more exciting bilateral youth series in recent times.

At the presentation ceremony, Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president Calvin Hope said the series was a microcosm

of what’s to come in the future, citing the move as a start of a bilateral relationship between the two nations.

Hope then thanked the parents from Barbados who came to support the kids, adding that in cricket one must stay with it in order to remain successful; even during the tough times. He lauded coach Roddy Estwick, the GCB and president Bissoondyal Singh along with the local players, coaches and parents.

As part of his feature address, the GCB head highlighted that the series represents friendship, respect and competition between the two nations.

Singh sent his heartfelt congratulations to both squads for teamwork and competitiveness which was exhibited throughout the series.

“Thanks to Barbados for the competitive spirit and sportsmanship both on and

Natarie Lavine cops his MVP award from GCB Operations Manager Anthony D’Andrade. off the field”, said the GCB president who further hailed the BCA for its willingness to develop cricket while lauding Hope for his commitment in ensuring the grassroots cricket reaches a competitive level between the two countries.

Following the ceremony’s address, the lads were given their respective awards with the Most Runs for Guyana going to Lomar Seecharran who topped the list with 161 runs and two fifties.

Most wickets Award witnessed a tie between Guyana skipper Sahid Gajnabi and young left-arm spinner Jaden Ganpat, who

BCA president Calvin Hope speaking with the lads during his address yesterday

both ended with a total of 5 wickets; before the economy rate of Ganpat slightly pipped that of his skipper’s to give him the edge and the crown. Gajnabi also bagged the award for the MVP for Guyana Over in the winning camp, finals MVP award went to the skipper Scantlebury for his 3 wickets. His teammate, Lavine who copped the Most Runs award for his 170 including a best of 65, was also adjudged the tournament MVP, with Most wickets Award also going to the Bajans as Kjanni Inniss finished with a total of 7 wickets. (Clifton Ross).

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

Dharry vows to deliver IBO World Title to Guyana …Salmin Kassim promises knockout

BY RAWLE TONEY February 15, 2026, is shaping up to be a red-letter day for Guyana and a potential landmark moment in the nation’s boxing history, at least if Elton “The Bully” Dharry has his way.

The veteran Guyanese pugilist will step into the ring at the Pegasus Hotel to contest the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) Super Bantamweight World Title, carrying not only his own ambitions, but the hopes of a boxing-loving nation eager to witness a homegrown world champion crowned on local soil.

Standing between Dharry and history is a confident, flamboyant and a m b i t i o u s 2 2 - y e a r- o l d Salmin Kassim of Tanzania, a rising African prospect who has made no secret of his intention to leave Guyana with the world title firmly in his possession.

At a press conference hosted yesterday at the Pegasus Hotel and Suites, both fighters, joining virtually from their

respective training bases, expressed confidence, patriotism and belief that February 15 will belong to them.

Each pledged to dedicate the IBO belt to their country, setting the tone for a compelling clash between experience and youth, and a battle between Guyana and Tanzania.

For Dharry, now 40, the bout represents a second opportunity at world championship glory. His first came against Australian Andrew Moloney for the WBA Super Flyweight World Title, a fight that ended in controversial fashion and remains a recurring talking point whenever his career is discussed.

This time around, Dharry will be competing five to seven pounds above his customary weight class, a challenge he has embraced without hesitation.

The title shot comes amid a resurgence for the Guyanese boxer. Earlier this year, Dharry earned a convincing unanimous

decision victory over Roger Saldana at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, a performance that reinforced his form and confidence.

He enters the IBO showdown riding a six-fight winning streak, during which he captured the WBC International Super Flyweight title and the WBA Super Flyweight Gold belt.

“I’m always working hard,” Dharry said from New York, where he was training in the gym at the time of the press conference.

“This is about preparation, discipline and belief. I want to bring this title home to Guyana.”

Dharry brings into the contest a battle-tested résumé, boasting a professional record of 30 wins, 17 by knockout, against six losses.

While he concedes an 18-year age gap to his opponent, the Guyanese fighter is unfazed, pointing instead to experience, ring intelligence and resilience forged over nearly two decades in the professional ranks.

FLASHBACK! Elton Dharry (right) in action against Dexter Marques where he won the WBA Super flyweight gold title.

Kassim, meanwhile, is viewed as one of Africa’s most promising young boxers.

Unbeaten in 12 professional outings, he owns a record of 10 wins and two draws and arrives in Guyana full of confidence following a second-round knockout victory on December 10 in Tanzania.

Speaking through an interpreter, the Tanzanian made his intentions clear.

“I respect my opponent,

but I will win by knockout,” Kassim declared, stopping short of predicting the round.

Asked about facing the most experienced opponent of his career, Kassim acknowledged Dharry’s achievements, but insisted that the moment belongs to him.

Adding to the significance of the occasion, President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, Peter Abdool, described the night as a historic one for the

sport locally.

He noted that Dharry will become the first male Guyanese boxer to contest a world title on home soil, while the event also marks the first IBO-sanctioned card ever staged in Guyana.

Abdool extended gratitude to the IBO for bringing the championship fight to Guyana, emphasizing the importance of such opportunities in inspiring the next generation of local boxers.

Year-end football action for Berbice Candy Boss & Di Antics 8-A-side knockout kicks off at All Saints Ground

Organiser Tito Sancho (3rd right) displaying some of the trophies to be competed for along with representatives of some of the teams at the launching ceremony.

Football fans in Berbice will not be left out of football action this year-end.

The Candy Boss and Di Antics group will be staging a 16 team 8-A-Side

Knockout Football Tournament. The venue is the All Saints Scott Church

Ground, Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam and was set to commence last

evening. Teams are expected from all over Guyana with the majority coming from the Berbice areas. The tournament was launched recently at the same venue.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, organiser Tito Sancho announced the 16 teams that will compete for over $2 million in cash, trophies and other incentives.

Sancho said the annual event continues to grow in stature, attracting a strong mix of senior clubs, youth teams and community-based sides, all vying for supremacy in a straight knockout format that guarantees excitement from start to finish.

All matches will be played under lights at the All Saints Ground. Kick off time is 18:00 hrs.

The teams invited are: Ithaca, Cougars A, Paradise, Fyrish, Cougars B, Kildonan, Trafalgar, Young

Strikes, Pele, Airy Hall, Vi c t o r i a K i n g s , U 2 1 Monedderlust, Genesis, Golden Grove, Buxton Stars and Mahaicony.

The teams have been divided into two groups with the Berbice teams in one group and the other teams in another group. The top teams will advance to the semifinals with the winners meeting in the final.

The competition was expected to kick off last night (Friday December 19) with three matches.

Ithaca was scheduled to take on Cougars B in the opening game, then Paradise matched skills with Fyrish in the second encounter with Cougars and Kildonan set to collide in the final game.

Matches will continue on December 21, 26 and 27. The semi-finals are set for January 9, while the grand final will be played on January 10, 2026. (Samuel Whyte)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Saturday December 20, 2025

King and Campbell give West Indies century opening stand after New Zealand declare on 575

Devon Conway walks back after making 227. (AFP/Getty Images) Brandon King drives down the ground. (AFP/Getty Images)

ESPNcricinfo - Devon Conway brought up a double-century and pushed New Zealand into such a strong position in Mount Maunganui that they actually got carried away with it.

With their fifthhighest Test total at home - 575 for 8 declared - on their back, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Michael Rae ran in expecting

wickets to tumble.

They bowled far too full and were taken for far too many and, as a result, both teams have now wasted the new ball on a green pitch.

We s t I n d i e s w e r e flying - 88 in 15 overs with 13 fours coming in that time.

That’s not including ten wides. Brandon King and John Campbell did

not bat like they had been weighed down by 155 overs in the field or the 500-plus deficit.

They focused on playing late, playing straight and were still alert enough to punish an overly enthusiastic New Zealand attack.

West Indies go into the third day still trailing by 465 but in games like these you can’t look at the scoreboard too much.

You just put your head down and keep going.

That’s what King and Campbell did to produce their first century partnership as an opening

pair, and only the sixth in the last 11 years for West Indies.

King even had time to bring up a fifty, his second in Test cricket.

Such treats were on offer on day one too, only New Zealand were at the other end now.

Twenty-four hours has produced a sea change with the visitors also finding their discipline with the ball.

Justin Greaves set up Kane Williamson beautifully to dismiss one of the best batters in the world for just 31 and Roston Chase bowled 25 overs unchanged from morning drinks to cover for the loss of Kemar Roach to a hamstring injury.

Shai Hope is of more pertinent concern because he spent the entire day at the hotel unwell and might not be allowed to bat at his usual No. 4 spot.

Ojay Shields and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were carrying niggles as well so when Greaves had to step away for a bit in the second session, West Indies had no subs left and had to rope in local Tauranga boy,19-year-old Sebastian Heath, who is also registered with the Denmark cricket team, to field for them.

Given all these handicaps, the seven wickets West Indies took on Friday, the composure that followed with the bat, and the fact that they have all their run-scoring resources in hand for when the pitch flattens out were unlikely but hard-earned

John Campbell scored quickly. (Getty Images)

outcomes.

Greaves may just have heralded that with his extraction of Williamson, where he beat the outside edge several times, the batter struggling to come to terms with the pace of his own home ground.

Wi t h t h e p r e s s u r e sufficiently built, Greaves dangled the bait wide outside off stump and Williamson couldn’t resist having a go.

He threw his head back - but dared not look back - when he heard the nick go through to the keeper.

This was what was missing from West Indies on day one when Conway and Tom Latham cruised to 323 for 0. The ability to hold a line and length and build up to a wicket.

West Indies allowed only one man to score more than fifty runs on the second day - Rachin Ravindra making 72 not out. It was a much more appropriate outcome given the conditions.

Balls on a good length continued to misbehave.

Jayden Seales hitting more or less that area against Conway, batting on a double-century, had the batter recoiling as one kicked up alarmingly.

The opening batter’s wicket - for 227 - was the result of another ball nipping in and keeping low to trap him lbw.

There is still help for the

bowlers out there, just that their margin of error is small.

When they focus outside the 6m length, the pitch speeding up has made hitting through the line easy.

Conway was tiring at the end of his 508-minute innings.

West Indies’ bowlers were right there with him.

Seales had roused himself to go one-on-one against Daryl Mitchell.

He was emotional enough to curse so loud it was caught on the stump mic when Greaves put down a straightforward catch off Mitchell at second slip in the 127th over.

He has six wickets at an average of 50.33 on this tour. He’s bowled better than that.

Day three will bring different challenges.

Chase’s offbreaks were already getting grip and turn and bounce.

Ajaz Patel will have a lot to say and this match r e m a i ns interestingly poised, not to mention one of a kind - the first in New Zealand history to include two century opening stands in the first innings.

Scores at Stumps: West Indies 110 for 0 (King 55*, Campbell 45*) trail New Zealand 575 for 8 dec (Conway 227, Latham 137, Ravindra 72*, Greaves 283) by 465 runs.

Saturday December 20, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 27

Trophy Stall on board with Kennard Memorial Turf Club Boxing Day Horserace meet The winner of the event for the L and K class horses is set to take home $350,000 and trophy over 6 furlongs.

The horses competing in the final event of the day for the L and lower horses that

Juliana Rikhee (right) of the Trophy Stall presents some of the trophies to Mrs Chan Kennard.

T

rophy Stall has come board as one of the sponsors for the Kennard M e m o r i a l Tu r f C l u b (KMTC) Boxing Day horserace meet, slated for their racetrack at Bush Lot, Farm, Corentyne, Berbice.

The date is Friday December 26th.

Know for their support of sports in general. Trophy Stall Representative Juliana Rikhee handed over the trophies on offer during the event to Mrs. Chand Kennard of the KMTC. Both expressed pleasure at the occasion. Mrs. Kennard for the support of the Trophy Stall and Ms Rikhee on behalf of the sponsors of being able to continue a long tradition of not only supporting sport, but horseracing and in particular the Kennard Memorial Turf Club whom they have supported over many years.

Seven races are carded for the day with incentives including cash trophies and

other amenities topping the $10M mark.

The Kharag family will once again take care of the feature event. They have pledged close to $4M for that event. The race, which is billed for all horses in Guyana, will see the animals battling over one mile for the Sunny Kharag Memorial Stakes.

The winner will race away with $2M and a trophy.

The sprint classic event going over five furlongs is another big event with the winning prize of $700,000 and trophy at stake.

The winner of the G and lower event gets $500,000 and a trophy over five furlongs.

The Guyana Bred 2 year’s old maiden animals will compete over 5 furlongs with the winner set to gallop away with $350,000 and trophy.

Animals in the “I” and lower event have a first prize pegged at $350,000 and a trophy over seven furlongs.

have never earned any prize money over 6 furlongs, will have a pole position taking of $350,000 and a trophy to aim for.

Incentives will be presented to the outstanding

jockeys, trainers and stable compliments of Businessman Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall.

The KMTC has been touted as one of the top horseracing venues in the

country and an exciting day of racing is anticipated.

The event will be conducted using the rules of The Kennard Memorial Turf Club.

Bugle time is 12:30hrs.

St Benedict’s College dispatch KC to meet Chase in 2025 KFC Goodwill final P. 19

Shaquan David troops maintain perfect run in the KFC International Goodwill Series.

rts Spo

Organisers of the IBO Super Bantamweight title fight between Guyana’s Elton Dharry and Salim Kassim at a Press Conference at the Pegasus Hotel on Friday.

Dharry vows to deliver IBO World Title to Guyana …Salmin Kassim promises knockout King and Campbell give West Indies century opening stand after New Zealand declare on 575 Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.