Kaieteur News

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AIETEUR Guyana receives Tuesday Edition NEWS first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines p. from COVAX 18 March 30, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 13

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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Gas-to-shore pipeline alone could cost US$800M p.

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T&T - country will still have to invest in capacity to make industry feasible - Fmr. Energy - must do independent audit of gas reserves; don’t depend on ExxonMobil Minister p.

Despite some Surgery patient 3 improvements, Guyana’s public financial managementp. dies after swallowing - had reportedly told still “inadequate”- IDB report 8 dentures doctors he had none

“Every single one of those bullets were meant for me” - says Roger Khan as Ricardo Fagundes laid to rest

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COVID-19 response…

UNDP funding Father of p.

Pres. Ali blasts 2 p. one killed roadmap to 16 developed nations in Melanie develop Natural for failing to do more accident Resources Ministry - pleads with world leaders for debt relief p.

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Dem. Harbour Bridge to see less retractions, reduced speed limit - as Govt. implements measures to facilitate maintenance work

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Drugs and Medical Supplies - Another Ponzi Scheme “Dem Runnin”.

Listen to The Glenn Lall Show @11am on Kaieteur Radio! 99.1 and 99.5

… e s n o p s e r 9 1 D COVI

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Pres. Ali blasts developed nations - pleads with world for failing to do more leaders for debt relief G

u y a n a ' s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, is calling on the developed world to do more for developing countries, taking into account the prevailing Coronavirus pandemic and its implications in addition to other economic realities.

Such, assistance, according to Dr. Ali, could come in the form of debt forgiveness.

“Given the reality that many poor countries are saddled with debt distress, we advocate for broad-based

debt relief to developing countries through international frameworks, similar to the Paris Club arrangements, such as the debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative,” Dr. Ali said.

He was at the time addressing a virtual Meeting of Heads of State and Governments, on the International Debt Architecture and Liquidity, and encouraged the granting of debt relief by bilateral and

commercial creditors, not explicitly participating in debt relief initiatives.

Guyana, he said, “is deeply concerned” over the widening development chasm between rich and poor countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and reiterated calls for more systems to be put in place to aid countries struggling to rebound from the deadly disease.

“Guyana would therefore like to take this opportunity to urge, developed countries and international financial

institutions to immediately revisit and reform the existing international debt framework, so as to make it more responsive to developing countries' needs.”

During the address, President Ali was joined by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau; the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, and UN SecretaryGeneral, António Guterres, among other world leaders.

Addressing the virtual gathering, Dr. Ali noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the

levels of poverty and economic distress, “the structure of the existing international debt compounds poorer countries' bleak recovery prospects.”

He did use the occasion to applaud the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) initiative to provide Special Drawing Rights of US$650 billion.

According to Dr. Ali, the initiative “would definitely enhance global liquidity and assist countries to navigate the risk and adverse effects of the pandemic.”

While complimenting the G20 countries for initiating the debt service suspension initiative—which allows for the postponement of debt repayments for more than 70 l o w - i n c o m e countries—President Ali used the forum to “strongly urge” them to seriously consider granting a further extension of the standstill period to support their recovery efforts.

These measures, he insists, will help to provide valuable fiscal space and liquidity for the affected developing countries, and allow them to mount appropriate responses, geared at mitigation, relief and rebuilding efforts in the wake of natural and biological disasters.

“Immediate relief should be provided,” President Ali

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali demanded, and pointed out that, “this could be achieved if developed countries, honour the pledge made to allocate at least 0.7 percent of the Gross National Income (GNI) to official development assistance.”

He used the occasion to note that the developed world's achievement of this pledge has been underwhelming, as only four of the 29 member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC); Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden have met or exceeded the 0.7 percent target.

“Guyana, therefore, urges the developed countries, (continued on page 8)

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

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Gas-to-shore pipeline alone could cost US$800M - country will still have to invest in capacity to make industry feasible - must do independent audit of gas reserves; don't depend on ExxonMobil - Fmr. T&T Energy Minister

G

u y a n a ' s Vi c e President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has suggested that in light of the perceived benefits, a gasto-shore pipeline from the Liza Field to the Wales Estate is a “no brainer” given the possibility of reducing the cost of generation of electricity in Guyana.

Former Energy Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Kevin Ramnarine, is of the view that Guyana needs to do much more before forging ahead with the project, since, among other reasons, the touted US$800M price tag is just for the pipeline alone.

The stark warning was given by Ramnarine during a recent webinar on Guyana's proposed gas to shore project, hosted online by OilNOW. Drawing on the T&T's experience, Ramnarine noted that the bulk of the natural gas produced in that

country does not go into electricity generation directly, despite the fact that all electricity in the Twin Island Republic is generated using natural gas.

He noted that the gas recovered from the field can be used for varying purposes, in addition to electricity generation.

It was explained that while electricity can be generated using the methane in the gas, there are other associated gases that can also be commercially feasible and spoke of propane that is for cooking and butane that are used in cigarette lighters.

He was adamant that the feasibility of bringing gas to shore will require a holistic approach that will guide a strategic strategy for the country's industrial development.

These would include the proposed gas to power plant to generate electricity for the

domestic grid in addition to separate facilities for the processing of the other gases.

T h e f o r m e r e n e rg y minister was adamant too that if Guyana is serious about developing a feasible natural gas industry using the associated gas discovered so far in the Stabroek Block, it must first undertake an independent audit of the gas reserves.

The country is currently dependent on ExxonMobil for its data regarding the Stabroek Block potential.

T h e f o r m e r e n e rg y minister was keen to point out that his country, which currently produces all of its natural gas from electricity, only use a small amount of its production for this purpose.

A c c o r d i n g t o Ramnarine, data currently available from ExxonMobil indicate that about 20 per cent of the just about nine

Surgery patient dies at N/A Hospital after swallowing dentures - had reportedly told doctors he had none

A

patient who was admitted to the N e w Amsterdam Public Hospital to remove a foreign body from his arm ended up dying after he swallowed his dentures on the operating theatre. This development was confirmed by a relative of the patient who requested anonymity.

According to the relative, Vincent Miguel, a 42-yearold man of Orealla Village, died on Friday at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

The relative said that he learnt that medical professionals at the hospital had asked Miguel if he had dentures in place, among other questions. To the question about dentures, the relative said, Miguel responded in the negative.

This publication was informed that it was while in the operating room during surgery that the dentures at the back of the man's mouth became loose and started to move down his trachea (windpipe) where it got lodged. His lungs eventually collapsed causing his demise; the relative said he was told.

The unusual fatality first made its way into the public domain by way of a Christopher Jones' Facebook post on Sunday. Jones is the Chief Whip of the parliamentary opposition.

This publication first reached out to Regional Chairman, David Armogan, to comment on the matter on Sunday but he said that he was unaware of the incident and had asked when it

occurred. He promised to look into the matter and provide details in a subsequent call but calls to his phone went unanswered up to yesterday. Efforts to contact the Regional Health Officer (RHO) for Region Six, Dr. Vishalya Sharma, also went unanswered.

While the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Mr. Michael Khan, did answer his phone, he told Kaieteur News that he too was not aware of the incident and advised that the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Vasana Henry, was the best person to contact for a comment.

However, when contacted, Dr. Henry made it pellucid that she could not speak with the media since Dr. Sharma, the RHO, had not given “the go ahead" to do so.

billion barrels of oil is associated gas.

He reminded that the company has committed to supplying some 50 million cubic feet initially on a daily basis.

A c c o r d i n g t o Ramnarine, the proven reserves currently indicate about 9.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas but the country would need to be able to ascertain that there is enough gas in order to sustain the industry for some 20 years.

“There is a significant amount of natural gas out there, 20 per cent of eight billion barrels of oil

equivalent is 1.6 billion equivalent, which when converted into gas is 9.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.”

He explained that the gas does present a huge development opportunity for Guyana but there is a need for a well thought out natural gas master-plan “as to how the country plans to use the gas.”

He reiterated that the 50 million cubic feet tranche of gas that can potentially begin landing onshore in 2024 “is only the beginning of the gas story in Guyana.”

As such, Ramnarine was

Former T&T Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine adamant that such an independent audit would be able to inform the industrial development of the country and optimizing the use of the gas.

He said “increasingly, as the decade's progress, I think more gas will be making its way to the shoreline, so the question is what is the best way to use this gas to develop industries that are sustainable.”

“Liquefied natural gas is certainly a growth industry; gas is going to be around for a long while,” according to Ramnarine, and as such, he (continued on page 8)

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Tuesday March 30, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Public Accounts Committee The coalition APNU+AFC has gone to bat for the embattled current chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Mr. David Patterson. From the sound and substance of the coalition’s representations, Mr. Patterson has something going for him in his struggles to hold on to the chairmanship of that pivotal parliamentary oversight committee. We at this paper say this, because in this country, when one side does so, the other feels justified in following in the precise pattern.

It does not matter, to any material extent, that there are a slew of concerns - we go so far as to say, outright violations - in the areas of professional, moral, and ethical standards. What is relevant is that the other people did it; therefore it should stand up to scrutiny now, and pass any degree of critical muster.

We disagree with the coalition. We disagree, even as we recognize fully what is being presented, which is that there should be no double standard in his instance. That is, his troubling set of circumstances, should boil down to the usual Guyanese political reality of ‘different folks, different strokes.’

The coalition has the facts on its side: the then chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Mr. Irfaan (now Dr. and President) Ali was indeed ‘tainted,’ but he was given a free pass, when his people shielded him. To the coalition’s point, the amount of heat being brought to bear, and the drive, to force Mr. Patterson’s humiliating exit from the chairmanship of the PAC, if not out of the PAC itself, is a classic case of overwrought passions aimed in his direction, and with overkill already at work. As an aside, and because it is worth mentioning, that same former PAC chair, the then Mr. Ali, had several fraud charges levelled against him, which were subsequently dropped, and is now the same Guyanese citizen that is the head of the Guyanese state.

All of this is not easy to overcome, especially when Mr. Patterson is fighting for more than continuity as the chair of a parliamentary committee. It is more than that, as we sense it, for he is fighting for his political life, or what is left of it.

However, the but now comes, and in a manner that will be a source of ongoing agreements and disagreements.

What we think that the coalition is saying distills to this at its rawest: since that was in operation then (with Mr. Irfaan Ali) when he was left untouched, it should be the exact same result in his (David Patterson) circumstances today. As a practical matter, the toothpaste is out of the tube and cannot be put back in, as much as such is desired to level the scales. That clock has already ticked, and is gone. It is part of the sordid history of this country, and as it functions even in our august National Assembly, in the tawdry examples of our parliamentarians, who are supposed to be makers of the law, not breakers of the law.

But we have to start somewhere, and Mr. David Patterson, son of Guyana, and honourable member of the people’s house, must discern that the timing and passions are not in his favour. Not even the scurrilous precedent of that previous chairman is helpful to his cause. To be sure, it exists and is a discredit to both parliament and to the people of this society. But what has been done cannot be undone, which is the regrettable position with regards to the rationalization that his group has placed in the public domain. This leaves him in the drink with the harsh music to be faced, which could include his removal as chair of the PAC. Our well-meaning recommendation to Mr. Patterson is that he does the honourable thing. There is only one right thing that can and should be done, all considerations weighed, which is to depart on his own initiative.

That is, to resign and to do so early.

More generally, for too long, and for too many years and decades, we have had the curse of corruption slowly kill us, like some slow-moving disease that never seems to leave us. We can’t go on like this. We have to make a start now, and though it may the smallest consolation (one that means nothing) to Mr. Patterson and his supporters, it could mark the turning point in how we conduct ourselves in this country, be it in parliament, or in state agencies, or in the walks of the daily street. The disposition of that much discussed and much disputed chairmanship of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee could set the bar on how we hold the feet of each other to the most intense of fires, and demand the utmost in what is clean and honourable and dignified from all.

The Government must stop making excuses and create a united front for renegotiation Dear Editor, Our national hero Vice President said the gas-toshore project is so obviously right (in his unilateral opinion) that it’s a “no brainer.” How could the rest of us dumb people not see it? No studies, no planning, no consultations needed. Our PPP is like the Mighty Sparrow. If Sparrow says so, is so.

In my view, it’s not a case of the Government “can’t” renegotiate; it’s a case of the government “won’t” renegotiate, despite its many promises during the election campaign that the PNC sold us out, and the PPP will correct that problem. The excuses they make against renegotiation make them sound as the PR arm of Exxon, rather than the voice of the Guyanese people for a new, improved deal.

As I review many articles and headlines in leading world publications, you wonder what context clues is the Government missing, that it refuses to renegotiate the oil deals in which our nation will lose hundreds of billions of US dollars, and our working people would be perpetually poor. (See headlines in World Oil, Forbes, Oilnow, Petroleum Economist, Bloomberg, Industryweek, Yahoo finance, ABC news, Forbes, Rigzone, Oilprice, spglobal, Wall Street Journal, the MotleyFool,

NSEnergy, etc.).

No wonder President Ali said Guyana “cannot remain a rich country of poor people.”

So nation, I ask you which of the context clues in the headlines below, are the Government missing to realize that Guyana has the upper hand in oil, that Guyana’s desirable sweet crude oil is the new cash cow for Exxon, Hess and CNOOC and they cannot walk away from Guyana if the Government asks for a new deal? There can be no “sanctity of contract” if that contract is inherently flawed and violates Guyana’s laws. Even Tim Jonas knows that. It’s a “no-brainer.”

The Government needs to grow a pair and make Exxon accountable for oil spills, local content, and secure proper insurance for any potential liabilities. Instead, so far, the Government has sent out all the wrong signals in letting Exxon flare billions of cubic feet of gas with impunity, pollute the environment with no penalties, going soft on proper insurance, and allowing the continued violations of Guyana’s laws pertaining to payment of taxes and give away of oil blocks.

As foreigners snicker at the stupidity of Guyana’s leaders, and word spreads that we are dullards willing to pawn our country cheaply, people are

coming here in droves to make money, while we are short of medicines, public utilities are limping along, our public infrastructure has collapsed, and life is a daily grind in our mineral-rich Guyana. Look at these headlines and statements: · “Guyana wells have high recovery rates, can be drilled faster than any other deepwater basin in the world.” · “Exxon Mobil Corp. agreed to sell some assets in the North Sea for more than $1 billion as the company focuses on newer and larger sources of oil and gas such as Guyana.” · “The Hess President and CEO said the Stabroek Block of 6.6 million acres or 1,150 Gulf of Mexico Blocks, is ‘so unique’ because more than 9 billion barrels of oil and gas resources have been found from that world-class reservoir, with multi-billion barrels of exploration potential remaining. He added that the Stabroek Block’s world-class reservoir quality with exceptional permeability and porosity that results in high flow rates and high recovery factors.

The reservoirs are shallow and there is no salt that allows for drilling wells in a fraction of the time and cost of other deepwater basins.” · “Experts in the oil and gas

industry believe that more oil could be discovered closer to Guyana’s shoreline in the coming years with one official saying just two years after the world class Liza discovery that the hydrocarbon resources found at the Stabroek Block so far is just the tip of the iceberg.” · “In terms of preserving the long-term value of our assets, Guyana, with its low cost of supply and industryleading financial returns, remains our top priority,” The Hess CEO said. · “Exxon’s move to ramp up its drilling capacity offshore Guyana is to facilitate an aggressive exploration and appraisal campaign this year targeting 12 to 15 wells in a variety of play types.” · “In 2015, ExxonMobil made what one of its executives described as a ‘fairy tale’ discovery in the vast Stabroek exploration block off the Guyanese coast.” · “Exxon’s Big Bet on Guyana’s Offshore Oil Basin is Paying Off.” Therefore, nation, the Government must stop making excuses and create a united front for renegotiation.

“It’s a no-brainer.” Let’s support the Government in this direction.

Sincerely, Dr. Jerry Jailall

Column’s parallel between Holi story and Guyana’s politics is representative of most devastating sacrilege Dear Editor, It is obvious to anyone who pays attention that Hinduism in Guyana, mainly through its two national festivals, Divali and Holi, is interpreted in ways by political parties and their various surrogates to promote their respective agendas and to condemn their opponents.

No one dares to take the same liberty with Christianity and Islam, the reason being that the adherents of these faiths themselves will fiercely guard against any trivialisation. The world knows to what extent they are prepared to go to defend their beliefs. But, with Hindus, it is different. We are in the forefront promoting the most devastating kind of sacrilege.

We know, for example how, in the 1970s and 80s, leaders of the Hindu community conferred divinity of

prominent politicians of the day making them the equivalents of Rama, Krishna and Shiva.

The latest demonstration of the tendency in this regard is seen in the Eyewitness column, entitled Post Phagwah Postings, the Guyana Times, March 29, 2021, where the writer is invoking, “some deep, unconscious prompt”, makes a link between the acronyms of Post Phagwah Postings (PPP) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and offers a “modern take” on the old story of Prahalad and his tyrannical father.

If making the link between the acronyms is not enough to churn the stomach into a nausea, the writer goes on to demonize former president David Granger into the evil and tyrannical king who had become drunk with power, and, on the other hand, to

divinize the current president, Dr. Irfaan Ali, into the youthful Prahalad, that paragon of virtue possessing an unparalleled and unwavering devotion to the Lord, and the Lord alone.

One can ask many questions on the significance and appropriateness of this “modern take” but I leave it to readers, especially Hindus, to ask questions, seek answers and form their own conclusions. However, I have two concluding points to make.

I noted at the beginning that Hindus themselves are often in the forefront in volunteering in the desacralization to Hinduism as in the present case.

Eyewitness himself has not only demonstrated an acquaintance with Hinduism, but one gathers from the column that he is a Hindu. In any case, I do not believe a

non-Hindu would ever dare to engage in any “modern take” as we see in the present case.

The second point I make is that in no case do we find a permanent and eternal conflict in narratives of Hindu legends. There is always a reconciliation in the end, and in the case of Prahalad and his father such a reconciliation was seen in the final embrace between father and son.

Of course, in the end, the father was also put to death by the Lord, and as eyewitness must know death at the hands of God is indeed synonymous with final liberation, in this case, the ultimate reconciliation.

Obviously, this conclusion could not fit the “parallels” and would make the “modern take” meaningless.

Yours truly, Swami Ashkarananda

Tuesday March 30, 2021

The Vice President presents figures only he is privy to Dear Editor, A couple of familiars are proving true with the nation’s oil and its Vice President. The first is that when deception is starting point, then deception must continue: it is deception upon deception, and in many clumsy forms, leading to the totally untrustworthy. The second is whom the gods wish to destroy, they make mad first. Guyanese should study their VP, and decide on his deceptions, and the brainless state to which they drive him.

Oil does so. The first deception with oil was silence. It is a subtle one, but becomes too bloated, when the pregnant silence extends.

On the lady from Canada and Payara, the VP decided that his best bets must be silence followed by more silence.

So, he sealed his gums and went mum; but the more he did so, the louder his silence spoke. Something wrong, many things, and the more silence that he engaged in, the more apparent it became that serial deceptions were afoot.

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Kaieteur News

I offer serial deceptions because this was characteristic of this same VP, then president, with all those big-money projects in prior PPP governments, when he was chief deception officer.

As has come to light, some secret partners (likely money launderers) reap the dividends, while ordinary Guyanese struggle to get NIS payments. That connection should not be lost.

The former President (now VP) was silent then, and deceiving back then: he didn’t tell the whole story; the real story.

He bluffed first, and when that failed, he tried to bludgeon into submission, which is exactly what he attempts to do today with oil and that completely crass business about the gas-toshore project being a ‘no brainer.’

He has made a living making puppets of many Guyanese, now the shoe is on the other foot: Exxon makes him into a puppet, a stooge, one of those blubbering brainless that we see on the

streets and from whom we shrink. Exxon explored Guyana, and ended up exactly where it wanted to be. It is why that Wales project is a ‘no brainer’ to him and him alone. It is ‘no brainer’ because he says so: without tendering any basis or anything of substance. He presents figures, the origins of which only he is privy to; the man is an Olympic figure skater.

I urge Guyanese to compare their dealings with the mad men roaming our streets. Those unfortunates believe they are so slick, so smart, so sophisticated with the stories, which they share, so as to get some trust and a dollar donated. It is where the VP is today: any rickety story will do. Truly, the gods first make mad those marked for self-destruction. Gold and Midas. Oil and Guyana’s VP. He clutches at any frail straw.

He swings in the wind, but runs out of rope and wind to swing some more. The VP’s deceptions prove it.

Yours truly, GHK Lall

Hamilton Green has suddenly found his moral compass Dear Editor, Anyone reading your letter in Kaieteur News titled “The Best of Laws, Constitutions or Reforms will mean very little unless our leaders are morally erect”, and wasn’t around long enough to know who the true Hamilton Green really is, would marvel at the sage advice, which he is offering.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e a r e those of us who were born in the 1950s and have been around long enough to witness PNC domination and rule for 28 years of which he was a part of and a major player, are wary of what he is peddling.

In those decades of PNC rule, can Mr. Green say if he saw anything wrong with the way he and his cohorts ran the Government? How Inclusive a Government was the one, which he was part of?

Did he ever see the need to call on themselves to be “Morally Erect”? Was he at any time “Morally Erect”? Did he even see anything wrong with the disenfranchisement of the Guyanese voters?

Did he see anything wrong with the elimination of Independent Media, repression of free speech and elimination of any opposition, all of which he and the PNC were doing for all that time?

Did he ever write a letter to the Press calling for free and fair election and representation for all?

What is astonishing is that at no point in our history has there been a more transparent effort to elect our leaders than at our most recent General Election and at no point in our history has there been more effort to represent all Guyanese equally as we are seeing at this current time yet he now

chooses to stand up to criticize the Government. He found no reason to criticize when he was leader and he found no reason to criticize between 2015 and 2020.

When he and his cohorts are in power, everything is good and we can’t ask for better, but, when he is not in power, everything is wrong and he is speaking out for what is right! He’s suddenly found his moral compass! I only have to think of the bleak and dark times, which we went through under PNC leadership in the 70s and 80s and Green’s words become hollow and hypocritical.

Yours truly, Dennis Balgobin

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Father of one killed in Melanie accident A father of one was yesterday killed in an accident on the Melanie Public Road, East Coast Demerara, after a canter drove into the path of his motorcycle.

The dead man has been identified as, 31-year-old, Leon Singh, of Enmore, East Coast Demerara; while the driver, a 43-year-old, resident of Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, is presently in custody, as the investigation continues.

According to a police report, the accident occurred around 09:30 hrs. Involved in the accident were motor lorry, GSS 5634, and motorcycle, CH 3066.

Investigations revealed that the canter was proceeding north on the western side of the Melanie Access Road, when the driver failed to stop at that corner.

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Kaieteur News

It is alleged that the driver continued to proceed north onto the Melanie Public Road, into the path of the motorcyclist, who was proceeding west on the western lane of Melanie Public Road.

This publication understands that the front of the motorcycle collided with the right side of the canter. As a result of the collision, Singh fell onto the roadway, which caused him to receive injuries to his head and about his body.

In a video seen by this publication, Singh’s body was lying face down on the roadway, as passersby gathered around and watched. A woman’s voice can be heard praying for Singh and another woman can be heard screaming in the background.

One of the women went into Singh’s pocket and took out his wallet for his identification card and another kneeled down and checked his pulse to see if he was still alive. Singh’s mangled

“Every single one of those bullets were meant for me” - says Roger Khan as Ricardo Fagundes laid to rest

By Shervin Belgrave

Dead: Leon Singh motorcycle and the canter that was involved in the accident are also seen in the video.

The police report stated that Singh was picked up by public-spirited persons and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), but died while receiving treatment.

The driver of the canter remains in custody as police continue with their investigation.

“Every single one of those bullets were meant for me…all 20 something of those bullets were meant for me.” This was the declaration of Roger Khan yesterday as he paid tribute to his slain best friend, Ricardo Fagundes popularly known as “Paper Shorts”, who was laid to rest yesterday.

Fagundes, a biker and gold dealer, was riddled with more than 20 bullets two Sundays ago, as he exited the popular Main Street nightclub, Palm Court. The act was carried out by two men who had emerged from a heavily tinted white Toyota Fielder wagon (new model).

During his farewell service held at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club located at Thomas Lands, Georgetown, Khan made it clear that he (Khan) was the intended target and not Fagundes.

Khan began his 15-minute long tribute by referring to Fagundes as his own son before going on to share his conviction that he (Fagundes) had died in his

Murdered: Ricardo Fagundes. place.

“There are many things said about my association with Ricardo, so the first thing I would like to do is clarify my relationship with him. He is not my friend, he is not my associate, he is not my worker; he is my son.”

Khan continued, “Whoever killed him, did not kill an associate, they did not kill my friend… they killed my son.”

“This was not an attack on Ricardo,” he said, adding that “Today is a difficult day for me… especially for me to face Ricardo’s friends and family because he died in my place.”

Khan also recounted his final moments with Fagundes

Roger Khan paying tribute at Ricardo Fagundes’s farewell service yesterday.

(Royston Drakes Production). at Palm Court. He said that they had arrived at the bar around 20:42hrs. He noted that the car, which transported the gunmen arrived an hour later.

He claimed that they waited for some 20 minutes until Fagundes stepped outside, sometime after 22:00hrs, presumably to move his (Khan’s) Ford pickup and bring it closer to the (Continued on page 18)

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Tuesday March 30, 2021

Kaieteur News

With this month being regarded the deadliest since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic to our shores, there is still need for the administration to take decisive action, and swiftly too.

Yes, the President has recognized that the country is faced with a dilemma, as do our health officials, but action does speak louder than words.

Cosmetic actions such as arresting persons for breaching curfew will not save us!

Indeed we have some hope that the vaccine will work in our favour, but until then must we silently look on as infections increase and bodies continue to drop?

Isn't a lockdown – maybe just for a week or two - warranted to curb the unprecedented spread and the far too many deaths?

Yes it will mean loss of revenue but without our people, of what use will be all the revenue in the world?

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Despite some improvements, Guyana's public - IDB financial management still “inadequate” report E

ven with some improvements to G u y a n a ' s financial system, like the enactment of the Fiscal Management and Accountability (FMA) Act of 2003, the country's public financial management (PFM) is still “inadequate”.

Making these damning revelations is the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) in its recent report titled: Economic Institutions for a Resilient Caribbean.

In the report, the IDB noted that in its Country Strategy for Guyana for 2016–2020, the enactment of the FMA Act of 2003 led to improvements in public financial management. The Act, together with the Audit

Act (2004) and the Regulations for the Audit Act (2005), regulated internal auditing.

This, the Bank said, is although most ministries remain without internal auditing offices.

In addition, the bank said that ICT upgrades and capacity-building fostered sustainability and improved transparency in Guyana's public institutions.

Nevertheless, the IDB stated that PFM was still inadequate. In fact, the Bank noted that on the professional development (PRODEV) index, Guyana scores 2.0 on public financial management, well below the regional average of 2.9.

Public expenditure and financial accountability

assessments, the IDB said, identified weaknesses across the following key areas: transparency in intergovernmental fiscal relations, including lack of information on the resources received by delivery units; management of assets and liabilities; policy-based fiscal strategy and budgeting.

We a k n e s s e s a l s o included predictability and control in budget execution, i n c l u d i n g i n s u ff i c i e n t legis lative scrutiny of external audit reports; uncompetitive procurement, resulting in substandard provision and low value for money, and procurement inefficiencies, together with a lack of feasibility studies and rigorous project

appraisals, which result in lower implementation and investment inefficiency; lack of any tender notices on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board's (NPTAB) website, which contradicts international practice; and

provision of quality public services and the efficiency of expenditure management.

To a d d r e s s t h e s e weaknesses, the IDB said there is a need for reforms to simplify the budget classification system, which is rather complex, with many

lastly, inefficient and paperbased bureaucratic processes.

The Country Strategy further noted that fiduciary assessments identify specific areas for improvement for Guyana's public investment management, particularly in State-owned enterprises.

To this end, the IDB noted that the current framework undermines the

programmes, subprogrammes, and activities, and many economic classification codes.

The bank also noted the need for improved accounting, recording, and reporting systems; improved transparency, including through performance information for service delivery, and, similarly, provide more detailed

information (currently available only at aggregate levels) in in-year budget reports; enhance public investment management, fiscal risk reporting, and public debt management.

Further, it highlighted the need to complete the upgrade of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to allow the government to implement a sole PFM platform for all public expenditures (and thereby avoid payment arrears), streamline budgetary processes, phase out payments by cheque, and further implement a TSA. Furthermore, on recommendations, the IDB called for the strengthening of the budget preparation process, macro-economic and fiscal forecasting, fiscal strategy, and medium-term perspectives in expenditure budgeting; as well as the strengthening of external scrutiny and audit, including legislative oversight.

Pres. Ali blasts developed...

From page 2 particularly the DAC countries, to make concerted efforts to increase their O ff i c i a l D e v e l o p m e n t Assistance (ODA) allocations to the 0.7 percent target.”

Dr. Ali used the occasion to also appeal to developed countries, and international lending institutions to increase funding to support small developing states, “so that they can better respond to natural and biological disasters, which exact

massive tolls on their e c o n o m i e s a n d infrastructure.

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of international economic cooperation. Such cooperation to assist developing countries to better shoulder their debt burdens has never been more imperative as it is now.''

The meeting featured opening remarks by the UN Secretary-General and the leaders of Canada and Jamaica, followed by a high-

level roundtable with IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva; World Bank Group President; David Malpass; OECD Secretary-General; Ángel Gurría, recently appointed WTO Director-General; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and approximately 20 Heads of State and Governments who recommended measures to overcome debt and liquidity problems to help the world recover better and invest in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Gas-to-shore pipeline alone could cost US$800M From page 3 suggested that the Guyanese government may wish to “have an independent third party assessment of the reserves that have been discovered thus far.”

A c c o r d i n g t o Ramnarine, such an independent assessment will give the country a better idea of the reserves in its possession “so right now, we have some figures and those figures have been given to us by Exxon(Mobil) out of their

reporting.”

The former T&T Energy Minister was unwavering in stating that “it would be useful for the Guyana government to have an independent third party assessment; audits like that would give the Guyanese government a good idea of what sort of resource base you are playing with.”

This, he said, would inform industrial strategies and planning going forward in order to make the gas-to-shore initiative economically

feasibility.

According to Ramnarine too, the technology exists to bring the pipeline and he estimates it would cost between US$600M and US$800M and that the cost would be minimal when juxtaposed with the total returns from the Stabroek Block and would probably reduce electricity generation in Guyana by about half.

The industry, he advised, must be approached in a holistic manner.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 09

Is it feasible?

U

p to now, this column has not commented on the statement attributed to Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, to the effect that the call for a feasibility study for the gas-to-shore project is a 'no-brainer.' Others have d e s c r i b e d t h e Vi c e President's statement as “disappointing, arrogant and insulting.”

This column would not characterize the statement as any of the aforementioned. It is the opinion here that the statement is idiotic. It is inconceivable that a national leader could spew such drivel.

Here is major project which from all accounts, the government intends to pursue. And in addressing a worldwide audience over the Internet, the call for a feasibility study is said to be a no-brainer.

That statement by Dr. Jagdeo should disqualify him from any future involvement in that project.

It also places the young President in an uncomfortable and embarrassing position.

What happens when potential financiers demand to see the feasibility study?

Will they be told that this is a no-brainer? Or have selected investors been identified even before there is a project document?

The Vice President's nobrainer statement can only be deemed a personal opinion. Such a position can neither represent nor bind the government. It would be unimaginable if the

President and his government were to support such a position.

After the debacle of the Skeldon Sugar Factory, it is unthinkable that any major project would be undertaken without a feasibility study.

Except if the objective is to create another white elephant and bankrupt the economy!

Anand Goolsarran, the former Auditor General of Guyana, conducted an audit into the construction and operations of the Marriotbranded hotel built during the tenure of the PPP/C government.

The audit found that Cabinet took a decision to proceed with the project without a feasibility study.

The audit concluded that there was no economically sound basis for Cabinet's decision to proceed with that project, since at the time Cabinet made its decision; it did not have a feasibility study.

The audit, however, did indicate that the original pitcher of the project did do a study. But this would have been relatively dated by the time the decision was taken

by Cabinet to approve the project. By the time Cabinet decided to move ahead, the person who pitched the idea was no longer involved and as such Cabinet could not have had the benefit of that study because it could not have been produced for propriety reasons.

Atlantic Holdings Incorporated, the developer, did indicate that a number of studies were done. But these

would have been specific to the interests of those undertaking the studies, such as the Marriot chain and Republic Bank, which handled the syndicated portfolio.

It is doubtful whether Marriot would have branded that hotel without some understanding as to the feasibility of the investment being made. But this fact does not absolve the government from not undertaking its own feasibility study especially considering the financial model involved.

The PPP/C had commissioned a prefeasibility study for a new Demerara Harbour Bridge in 2013. So why this rancour now over the calls for a feasibility study for a project which is likely to end up costing more than five times the cost of the bridge?

Two years ago, the PPP/C, then in Opposition, issued a call for a feasibility study of the sugar industry, as well as, for a transparent plan. But no sooner it embarked on the campaign trail that it announced that it would be reopening the closed sugar estates.

And it did when it returned to office in August 2021; it did not launch any feasibility study. But it has been announced that the Corporation is selling sugar at half the price it costs to produce and hopes to sell 40 percent of its sales as packaged sugar, which fetches a higher price. No one said whether a feasibility study was done to determine

Like de Vee Pee boys studying neurology? seh...

Dem

D

r. D u k h i i s considered de best brain doctor in Guyana. De man know he stuff. But it looks as if he getting lil competition from de Vee Pee. De Vee Pee like he vying fuh de post of a brain surgeon.

He just listen to wah a man seh and he done know dat something must be loose in de man head. Not even de good doctor can do dat.

Den de Vee Pee seh dat any person with a tiny brain or even a residual brain would understand dat de

financial aspect of de gas-toshore is a no-brainer. Dem boys never know dat yuh could look at de size of a man brain and know whether he talking sense or nonsense.

And dem boys sure dat de best brain specialist in Guyana never hear anything about a residual brain. It look like de Vee Pee rewriting de neurology text books.

Determining whether a feasibility study is needed or not is not rocket science. It is not brain surgery neither. But de Vee Pee mekkin' it look like ABC.

One time dem boys had to go to a brain surgeon. He mess with dem boys head and dem boys did plan fuh sue he. But he change dem boys mind.

Another time, a man run into de office of a brain surgeon and announce, “Doc, I lose meh memory!”

De doctor tun to he and ask, “When did that happen?”

De man reply, “When did what happen?”

Talk half and nah leh de Vee Pee see de size of yuh head!

whether there existed a real possibility of additional markets being found for packaged sugar.

To i t s c r e d i t , t h e APNU+AFC had undertaken a feasibility study of the sugar corporation engaging in aquaculture. And the report of that study was handed over to the corporation. To date, the PPP/C has said nothing about its plans for aquaculture as part of any diversification efforts within

the sugar industry. Certainly, if aquaculture can turn a profit, it may be a useful device for crosssubsidization of the lossmaking sugar production.

In relation to sugar, the PPP/C is obviously acting on the basis of political expediency. It promised its supporters that it would reopen the estates and it was determined to do so whether or not there is any future in sugar production.

But surely there can be

no such political expediency when it comes to the gas-toshore project. So why this issue about the feasibility study for the project being a no-brainer? What is behind this project and who benefits?

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Tuesday March 30, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Help me understand the DPP's words in the Donald Rodney appeal I

doubt there is a high school kid that doesn't know the function of a magistrate and judge. They know that court is a battle between a prosecutor and a lawyer. They know the judge's role is that of a referee, who listens to both sides and make a judgment based on evidence.

If there is no evidence, the school kid knows the judge and magistrate in 99.99 percent of court cases will free the accused. The school kid does not have to be

educated on the role of the prosecutor.

The prosecutor is half of the courtroom battle, the other half being the defence lawyer. The prosecutor wants you to be convicted because the prosecutor is acting on behalf of the state that charged you because it feels you committed an offence for which you should be convicted.

Now the courtroom becomes an intriguing story when the prosecutor no longer sees merit in the trial

because there is no evidence – circumstantial or physical – to present to the referee (judge or magistrate). In that case the trial does not start and the referee frees the accused.

All of what is written in the above lines here is jejune because everyone knows this.

But everyone does not know how dystopian is a country called Guyana and that in G u y a n a a b n o r m a l i t y, irregularity, inexplicability and irrationality, which are negative values in other countries, become the norm

here.

This explains the boring build up to my point. I am getting there so bear up with me. Now the school kid knows that once the prosecutor withdraws the case, the referee cannot disagree. The referee in law cannot proceed with the trial.

There cannot be a trial because a court battle is between two persons – prosecutor and defence counsel.

Perhaps the famous case of the IMF chief is a potent example of the power of the prosecutor in a trial. Dominic Strauss-Kahn was the head of the IMF when a hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, accused him of rape.

Given the global status of Strauss-Kahn, the news shocked the world.

Prosecutors filed a motion in court to drop all the charges.

The judge could not have refused the motion. In the motion, the district attorney informed the judge that Diallo was not a credible witness and there is no evidence from which they could proceed with the trial. Ms. Diallo turned out to be an unreliable witness, who was a systematic liar.

This will not happen in Guyana. In fact the opposite happens. The prosecution team informed Magistrate, Judy Latchman, that they charged the wrong person. In what could only be a bizarre moment in a court room in any part of the world. Ms. Latchman remanded the

wrongly charged person.

So livid I was that I wrote a letter to the Judicial Service Commission asking for an inquiry into the magistrate's conduct on the bench.

I subsequently received a reply that informed me that after an inquiry, it was found

Frederick Kissoon that themagistrate did not act improperly. For more of my complaint against Ms. Latchman, see this newspaper's report of April 27, 2014, and my column of March 11, 2014, headlined, “Small minds pursue Ashni Singh not Judy Latchman.”

We come now to Donald Rodney, the brother of Walter Rodney. The Commission of Inquiry into his death laid the blame on the state, unambiguously implicating President, Forbes Burnham.

So cruel was Burnham's presidency that the state charged Rodney's brother, Donald, who almost died when the bomb exploded in the car killing Walter.

Disgraceful magistrate, Norma Jackman (deceased),

convicted Donald and sent him to jail in one of the Caribbean's most sickening cowboy trials.

After 40 years, the appeal is now being heard. Don't forget Walter Rodney's party, the WPA was in government from 2015 to July 2020 with two of Walter's closest comrades – Drs. Rupert Roopnaraine and Clive Thomas – holding substantial state positions. Last week when the appeal was heard, representing Donald was a PPP parliamentarian, Sanjeev Datadin.

The DPP told the three Court of Appeal Judges that there is no evidence against Donald.

Then the same DPP uttered a few words that were in direct contradiction with her noevidence statement. She said that the charge was validly instituted.

Can someone explain this disjuncture or is it a mambo jumbo dance in a dystopian society, which all Guyanese are accustomed to? Someone please assist me here. If there is no evidence in 1982 when Donald was charged for possession of ammunition, why then was he charged?

What about the Burnham dictatorship falsely charging people? Here is my favourite French saying, “God is dead, Marx is dead and I'm not feeling too well myself.

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

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Demerara Harbour Bridge to see less retractions, reduced speed limit - as Govt. implements measures to facilitate maintenance work

Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill, (right), and Engineer, Mr. Marcel Gaskin. (Photo Credit: DPI)

S

everal measures a r e b e i n g implemented at the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) to facilitate maintenance work, following damage to the structural integrity of its span

nine.

This is according to a Department of Public Information (DPI) report.

In that report, it was noted that Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill, had on Sunday engaged

technical staff of the DHBC and was updated on the emergency works going forward after a series of analyses were conducted.

Minister Edghill, according to the DPI report, said that remedying the

Minister Edghill during a recent inspection of the DHB. (Photo Credit: DPI) situation is government's priority since the bridge is essential to the lives of all Guyanese, especially those who traverse it daily for work or business.

He noted that “every effort is being made to ensure that we could get vehicles crossing the bridge, supplies can move from the east to the west and vice versa; people can get to work, and we can respond to medical and security emergencies.” To this end, the Minister said that the usual number of daily retractions would be reduced.

“The bridge cannot be opening two times a day. We have already engaged the agents and owners of oceangoing vessels and we want that every time there is a retraction, there must be about five to six vessels passing. The fact that they have to slow down, it means that the retractions will take a little longer than normal. We are looking at opening and closing to allow vessels to transit at times when it's less impacting to vehicular traffic, which will be at nights.”

It must be noted that there would not be any retraction between 2pm and 5pm, as this will help to create a smooth flow during the “rush hour” period. In some instances, however, Minister Edghill noted that there are times the bridge will be opened during the day to facilitate tugs and barges, which are not safe to transit at nights. He said an analysis of the traffic pattern is being conducted and a schedule would be established.

The Minister also said there are plans to place traffic police at strategic points

along the bridge with radar speed guns to monitor drivers' speed, while other methods are being sought for the same strategy to be used for river traffic. Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Robeson Benn, has already been notified of the new approach. “We have to get these measures in place in a matter of hours and we are working around the clock,” Minister Edghill relayed.

He pointed out that while the damage to the bridge is caused by both vehicular and marine traffic, it is caused mostly by speeding heavy trucks and the application of sudden brakes.

The Minister said consideration is also being given to ferrying heavy-duty vehicles across the river by barge, and private sector operatives have already indicated their willingness to aid in this regard. However, landing spots on both the east and west banks of the river remain a challenge.

Meanwhile, Engineer, Mr. Marcel Gaskin, explained that the bridge has outlived its lifespan and is showing signs of serious wear and tear. He said the approach to fixing the issues would be done over short and long-term phases, even as plans are streamlined to establish the new Demerara River Bridge.

Gaskin said this includes replacing the retractor span [a retractor span opens and closes to allow large vessels to pass]. Currently, span nine is worse than span 10, but both have suffered severe damage. Gaskin predicts that the situation should be fixed over a six-month period.

Highlighting some of the short-term measures, the

engineer noted that the “roller cards” will be replaced. These are the underside protection, which are located at the area that opens and closes the bridge.

“We have to design and install what we call an exoframe, which is a frame to the outside of the existing bridge structure that is going to support those panels of the retractor spans that are broken. We have to procure spare static rollers and spare travelling rollers. All these are rollers that enable the bridge to open and close. We want to have spares, so in case anything happens to the existing ones, we have those in place,” Gaskin added.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill apologized for the inconvenience caused during the traffic backup on Saturday, stating that the closure of the bridge, between 11:30 hrs. and 13:00 hrs., was to allow the pins to be fixed.

However, the one and a half hours of maintenance work did not remedy the problem at span nine. “All it did was to allow us to fix one of the 272 pins to get the bridge into some shape to allow for retractions for marine traffic and to keep vehicular traffic moving. We have had to start releasing trucks on the bridge at intervals and the fact that they are going at intervals it caused a build-up. We also have a situation where marine traffic, because some of them are moving with such speed and creating waves, they are causing the misalignment on the bridge,” the Minister said.

Inspection of the bridge continues daily, according to DPI.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 15

Tenders open as RDC begins spending Region 10's $4.7B budget I

n the 2021 national budget, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 has been allocated $4.7B and tenders are already being advertised for capital and current projects under e d u c a t i o n, agriculture, health, infrastructural and administrative works.

According to Regional Executive Officer (REO), Dwight John, out of the allocated sum, a total of $916M will go towards capital works.

Under education, the sum of $274M has been allocated for both capital and current projects.

The majority of the funds, he said, will go to the first phase of construction of schools across the region.

These will include a primary school for Bamia/Amelia's Ward and Wisroc and a nursery school for Hururu, a community in the Upper-Berbice River.

Upgrades are also slated for a number of schools

including: the One Mile Primary School, Wisroc Nursery School, Watooka Day Primary School, Regma Primary School and the Canvas City Nursery School.

A document provided by the REO, which stipulates the allocation for the various programme heads, shows that a total of $419M will be expended under the health sector, which is the sector benefitting from the largest budgetary cut.

One of the main projects is the extension of the Upper-Demerara Hospital, which is expected to be transformed into a modern infectious disease hospital.

Rehabilitation and maintenance of health centres have also been budgeted for, John revealed.

Among the first batch of projects being advertised for tender are the rehabilitation and maintenance of the 58 Miles, Coomacka, Christianburg and Kimbia Health Centres.

In an effort to advance

agricultural efforts in the region, a sum of $169M has been allocated and two of the main agricultural projects budgeted for are the continuation of the farm to market road from Millie's Hide Out to the Berbice River and the farm to market road in West Watooka.

In the area of infrastructural development, $21M has been allocated for bridges and $88M for roads.

An addition $39M has been allocated for other infrastructural development.

According to John, the roads included in the budget were part of those presented to the administration by the RDC following community consultation.

Included in the first batch of tenders are David Rose Avenue to Yuriballi Street, Pine Street Nursery School access road, First S t r e e t R a i n b o w C i t y, Oronoque Drive Retrieve, Ituni internal access road and the Industrial Area access road.

John told Kaieteur News too that the 2021 budget has made provisions for the construction of asphalted roads, which is in response to a motion moved by the Councillors to construct better quality roads to maintain longevity of the structure, while retaining value for monies spent.

He said that while the quality of the roads will be better, the quantity of roads usually budgeted for has decreased.

John assured that the region's administration will ensure this budget, which is one of its largest, is spent effectively so that residents can get value for their money.

According to the REO too, systems have been put in place to ensure this is done in a timely manner as well. “We have hired additional Clerks of Work on a part time basis and we will also be employing more evaluators. I have already written and asked

for more.

We already have 10 and we are looking to hire eight more so that the evaluation process will be done in a shorter time,” he related.

He is also committed to ensuring the tendering process is fair and free of corruption and collusion between Tender Board members and officers. The Tender Board currently has five members.

REO John related that the Sub-Region district has not been neglected and has its fair share of projects.

“The Government made it very clear that especially hinterland locations must benefit from the funds allocated,” he said.

Projects that have been budgeted for in the hinterland district include the construction of a wharf at Kimbia, extension of Health Centres at 58 Miles, Ebini, Malali and DeVeldt; repairs to Calcuni Primary S c h o o l a n d Te a c h e r s ' Quarters and repairs and

Region 10's REO, Dwight John maintenance to Teachers' Quarters at Calcuni, Mabura, 58 Miles and Aroaima.

Community Groups in these communities are invited to participate in the tendering process to boost the socio-economic base of the communities through local content recognition.

REO John said too that technical officers will be overseeing the works that will be executed by community groups who will be awarded the projects.

PAGE 16

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UNDP funding roadmap to develop Natural Resources Ministry The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that it is funding a programme to develop the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). In a procurement notice on the UNDP's website, the roadmap is titled: 'Costed Strategic Framework 2021-2026.'

According to the UNDP's request for proposals, the objective is to prepare a strategic plan for the MNR which promotes sustainable development and the integration of

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environmental and natural resources considerations in economic development planning.

This would include the harmonization of policy and management in the petroleum, forestry, mining and other natural resources-based sectors, and better mainstreaming of protection, conservation and environmental management.

The outputs of the procurement notice request a detailed methodology, including a schedule of visits and interviews for the entire

consultancy in three phases.

The institution noted that this should include timelines, draft travel itineraries, if relevant, and persons to be interviewed.

Secondly, it requested a draft inception report which presents the findings of Phase 1 activities, inclusive of a training report.

“A final inception report that presents the findings of Phase 1 activities; a Phase 2 Analysis Report; a draft new Costed Strategic Framework 2021 - 2026 and consultation report; and a Final new Costed

Strategic Framework 2021 2026.”

The UNDP has asked interested parties to refer to the website http:// www.gy.undp.org for the complete Request for Pro-

posal (RFP) for the scope and relevant instructions. Proposal must be submitted online to procurement.gy@undp.org

by Monday, 12 April, 2021 at 09:00 hrs. (NY time).

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

Fire Service should network with neighbouring counterparts to some training sessions with done overseas and the basic of gears, the ability to get to rectify its issues - Min. Benn countries in the Region, but training done here in the a point where firefighters can In order to better equip and enhance itself when it comes to firefighting, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, has urged the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) to develop a better networking relationship with its neighbouring counterparts. Such a move, the Minister believes, will help to rectify some of the challenges the local Fire

Service faces.

The Home Affairs Minister made this disclosure during the recent opening of the Fire Service’s Senior Officers Conference, which was held last Thursday in the auditorium of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Training Centre.

As he offered his suggestion, the Minister told the gathering “we can all learn

from each other.”

“We should be able to pick up the phone and speak with the Fire Chief in Suriname, or Trinidad, or Barbados and ask them: ‘how do you do this?’ Can we exchange comrade and work on issues together?” the Minister said.

According to the Minister too, the Fire Service has been participating in

due to the prevailing coronavirus disease, sessions are conducted virtually. Engaging in these virtual sessions, he added, would help the participating countries to understand and better each other’s posture, leadership training, and for them to inspect how things ought to be done.

Minister Benn explained further that with the training

country, the Fire Service will now have to optimize its efforts and put them into practice.

Some of the areas he highlighted that networking can be a solution to, is training as it relates to the care and use of equipment, especially the Fire Service’s major assets - the fire tenders. The Minister also mentioned the need for training for the particular use

attack the source of the fire and the exchange of information and the exchange of expertize.

He also stressed the need for a revision of the training manual, training posture and operational posture, and the best way to do this, he said, is to exchange experiences with the regional countries and other fire services.

PAGE 18

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Kaieteur News

Guyana receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX Yesterday, Guyana received a donation of 24,000 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility.

COVAX, which is a partnership between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, the Pan American Health Organization/World

Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), had earmarked a quota of vaccines to cater for 20 percent of Guyana’s population since last year. Its main objective is to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally.

The vaccines arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport yesterday and saw European

Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana, Dr. Fernando Ponz Cantó; representatives from the UN, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and other officials present to witness the arrival.

In an official release, COVAX stated that the delivery of the vaccines is just the first phase of deliveries for Guyana, with more vaccines expected to arrive during 2021. It was noted that

“According to the first round of COVAX allocations, Guyana is expected to continue receiving doses through May until it reaches 100,800, the amount specified

by COVAX.” Guyana’s PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. Luis Codina, who was also present, said that seeing the arrival of the vaccines is very reassuring and it means that more people in the country will be able to be protected

Ministry of Health, PAHO/WHO, UNICEF and UN officials at the CJIA yesterday.

from COVID-19. The COVAX statement further highlighted that Guyana is one of 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that are receiving vaccines at no cost through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) and Guyana is the first AMC country in the Caribbean to receive vaccines.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, offered remarks as the vaccines arrived, saying, “The Government of Guyana welcomes the arrival of vaccines from COVAX AMC. These vaccines will certainly help to expand the current vaccination efforts and assist in protecting many persons who are vulnerable to

COVID-19.” He also extended gratitude to COVAX, PAHO/ WHO, UNICEF and the UN for their efforts in securing the vaccines for Guyana as they will aid in the country’s efforts to achieve herd immunity promptly.

COVAX has stated that it will deliver 32 million vaccine doses to 59 countries by the first quarter of 2021, and is aiming to secure 1.3 billion doses for 92 low and middleincome countries by the end of the year.

The EU has announced that over 2.2 billion Euros, including 1 billion Euros from the EU budget, will be used for COVAX which makes it COVAX’s biggest donor to date.

Two women are country’s latest COVID-19 fatalities The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported the death of two females; a 67-year-old from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and a 63year-old from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) as the latest COVID-19 fatalities.

In its Press Release, it was stated that the women died on Sunday while receiving treatment. Their deaths have since been recorded as the 228th and 229th COVID-19 fatalities. The MOH also

reported 14 new infections via its daily dashboard update yesterday increasing the total number of cases to 10,182.

The dashboard shows that 11 patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, another 14 in institutional quarantine, 54 in institutional isolation and 966 in home isolation.

Additionally, a total of 8,922 persons have recovered to date while 113 new recoveries were recorded as at yesterday.

...“Every single one of those bullets From page 6 bar. Khan explained that the gunmen were lurking to attack the person who drives the pick-up. Tragically, that night, it was Fagundes walking to the driver’s side of the pickup, which resulted in him being killed.

As he continued his tribute, Khan said that even though he would have preferred to have taken the bullets, he believes that it was Fagundes’ appointed time to go. He quoted Hebrews 9:27, a biblical verse, which states “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”. Khan interpreted the verse by saying that “no man can determine one’s death, enemies can sit and plan but God has the final say.”

Nevertheless, Khan demanded justice for his slain friend and even lashed out at the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for not working diligently to find Fagundes’s killers.

He accused the Force of failing Fagundes and his relatives miserably by not doing its best in relation to the investigation. Khan went on to question why no roadblock was set up immediately, in order to trap the getaway car, which the gunmen used.

Khan also claimed that the police are harassing

Fagundes’ family members, instead of hunting for leads in the case. He said too that investigators had told him that they could not obtain video footage where the car went because the State’s security cameras are not working.

As Khan called for justice, he passionately underscored that “history can tell us that when there is no State security, lawlessness will prevail.”

“The hearts of men bleed for justice,” he added, as he insisted that the investigation into Fagundes’ murder should be given the same importance that was given to the Henry boys’ case.

Meanwhile, the GPF, in a statement issued in direct response to Khan’s remarks, assured that the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Fagundes killing were never compromised.

“This incident is being treated with every seriousness and alacrity spearheaded by investigators of the Force’s Major Crimes Unit (MCU),” the GPF stated.

The Police Force also made it clear that a comprehensive investigation is being conducted and all leads are being followed to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 19

Essequibians adhere to COVID measures to celebrate Phagwah

By Romario Blair

O

n Sunday, Guyanese, despite their religious or cultural backgrounds, joined their Hindu brothers and sisters, to celebrate Phagwah, the festival of colours.

Phagwah, which is generally known as Holi, is celebrated with the belief, that good triumphs over evil. The festival also celebrates the arrival of spring, and signals a time for fun, forgiveness and the mending of broken relationships.

The celebration this year, however, was quite different than usual, due to the deadly COIVD-19 pandemic. The festival that once saw persons turning out in vast numbers to celebrate, was this year limited to only a few persons in a confined area.

On the Essequibo Coast, the regular marching on Phagwah day was ditched, and replaced by small groups of a few friends and neighbours. Kaieteur News was able to catch up with former president of the Sparta M a n d i r, M r. B h a r a t Parmanand.

When asked how this year's celebration was affected due to the pandemic, Parmanand said,

“Everything was well but the problem was, we were not able to have so much people around, as we use to.

We didn't do the road marching around the community; we just march from the area where we burn the Holika to the mandir.”

Parmanand explained that the Sparta Mandir observed the COVID-19 regulations,

afraid felt safer because the rules were kept.

We had a regular service with over 80 to 90 persons because the temple is bigger,” he added.

A big part of the Phagwah celebrations is the singing of chowtal from community to community.

This a spect of the celebration involves Hindus

Phagwah celebrations on the Essequibo Coast

given the severity of the virus. “This year, we took all the COVID-19 precautions and we ensure persons had on their masks.

Fortunately for us, persons adhered to that and they were comfortable because whoever was more

marching in a crowd, as they sing religious songs.

Kaieteur News understands that due to the social distancing and public gathering guidelines, this custom was not embraced this year.

When asked if the

significance of Holi was g e n e r a l l y a ff e c t e d b y C O V I D - 1 9 t h i s y e a r, Parmanand, who was previously mentioned, said, “it did affect the significance, in our village; we used to look forward to Holi...everybody

come together and have a nice celebration without alcohol. We used to have half of the village and community come out and walk about singing chowtal… After, we attend the Phagwah mala for the finale.”

Based on what this publication observed this year on the Essequibo Coast, more persons celebrated the festival amongst their family and imm e d i a t e neighbours, rather than the usual extravagant celebration in the streets.

Berbicians celebrate a quiet Phagwah amid COVID-19

By Malisa Playter-Harry

D

espite the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that have been imposed on the country, Phagwah was still celebrated in sections of the country. In the Ancient County of Berbice, there were celebrations among close family members and friends on Sunday.

Moreover, it wasn't the usual Holi celebrations with persons visiting each other's homes to play with water, the colourful abeer and powder. Rather the atmosphere was mostly somber and quiet for many.

Minister, Ashni Singh, who visited the region over the weekend for a series of public meetings, took some time Sunday, along with Regional Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain, to visit several Mandirs in Region Six to participate in some of their celebrations. Masks were also distributed.

Hundreds of hampers were also distributed by the Minister and the regional administration.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Organization also ensured that their Phagwah celebrations included the usual water, fun and colours on Sunday. Also joining in the excitement of the day were members of the Reliance Settlement Sanatan Mandir.

Berbicians also cooked their favourite Indian dishes to observe the day. There was an array of sweet meats that succeeded in tantalizing the taste buds.

Members of the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Organization took a moment for a photo after soaking each other with water

Minister, Ashni Singh (middle), with Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain (extreme left), and members of a Berbice Mandir, all masked up and colourful

Members of the Reliance Settlement Sanatan Mandir

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

St Kitts, Antigua, score big wins in World Cup qualifying ...Ramnauth, Bharat spur B’ce SportsMax - St Kitts and Antigua and Barbuda each scored big wins to close out the latest round of matches in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on Saturday night.

There were also wins for Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

A Keithroy Freeman double sandwiched around a Rowan Liburd penalty paced St. Kitts and Nevis in a 4-0 win over the Bahamas, meaning the Sugar Boyz finish with a perfect March.

Omari Sterling-James came into the contest as a second-half substitute and fired a long-range shot that kissed off the post and in for the fourth goal at Thomas Robinson Stadium.

Meanwhile, a pair of

familiar faces scored the goals for Antigua and Barbuda in a 3-0 victory against the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Veteran forward Peter Byers got on the board in the 26th minute with his long-time Benna Boys teammate Quinton Griffith netting a penalty in the 34th minute and then again from the run of play in the 42nd.

Guatemala also closed out March with a perfect start to qualification.

After Wednesday’s win over Cuba, Los Chapines earned a 3-0 win over the British Virgin Islands.

In the 22nd minute, Darwin Lom muscled off his defender and poked his finish home before the goalkeeper could block it. Moises

Hernandez added a second, running onto Nico Rittmeyer’s cross into the box and finishing confidently.

The lead was three in the 81st minute with Robin Betancourth getting on the end of a ball over the top and scoring just five minutes after entering the contest.

It was also a perfect start for the Dominican Republic, which topped Anguilla 6-0 on Saturday after last week’s win over Dominica.

Fresh off participating in the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, Dorny Romero scored a double, converting a penalty in the 22nd minute and using his left foot to knock in a halfvolley in the 27th minute.

Nowend Lorenzo also had

Tuesday March 30, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Paperwork involving money needs to be executed today, Aries. It could be a settlement, new commission, or bonus of some kind.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today your mind should be especially quick and penetrating, Taurus. You could decide to tackle some in-depth research that you've been considering doing for a while on a subject that fascinates you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Some vivid, beautiful dreams or visions could awaken you and make you aware of new opportunities. They could be creative in nature, and you should consider taking advantage of them, Gemini.

CANCER(June21–July22) Today you might decide to attend a group activity that is primarily concerned with an intellectual, philosophical, or spiritual interest of yours, Cancer.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A public figure, perhaps an author, might capture your interest in some way today, Leo. This person could have a lot to say that appeals to you on a number of different levels.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you might attend a party or group activity that puts you in touch with some interesting people from faraway places, Virgo.

You could find their conversation intellectually stimulating.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Some big upheaval in your career could take you by surprise, Libra, but it's apt to make a very positive difference to you. Your public standing and income could both skyrocket.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) A social event could bring you into contact with a very intense, fascinating person in an intriguing profession, Scorpio. You could find him or her very charming and sexy.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You always tend to have good powers of concentration, Sagittarius, but today you're more focused than usual, probably on a project that means a lot to you.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) An intense conversation with your romantic partner could take place today, Capricorn. This could involve taking the relationship to the next commitment level, and the subject of marriage could come up.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today you and the other members of your household might discuss the possibility of making some changes.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today you might feel the urge to write, Pisces. This could involve nothing more than a lengthy letter or email to a friend, but it could also be creative work, such as a novel, essay, screenplay, or poem.

a pair of goals, with a goal in each half. Romero turned provider and set up Domingo Peralta for a 65th-minute goal, and substitute Luis Espinal put in the final goal in the 74th minute.

There was also a big win for Nicaragua as Ariagner Smith and Juan Barrera each scored twice for their side to begin its Concacaf World Cup Qualifying campaign with a 70 victory over the Turks and Caicos Islands at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Barrera opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing off a low cross that came in from the right side to give La Azul y Blanco an early lead. Smith’s first came five minutes later, as he finished off a team move to double the advantage.

Despite heavy rain that began to fall as the game progressed, the second half started in the same fashion as the first, with Marvin Fletes scoring from a corner kick just a minute after the restart. One minute after that, Smith added to his debut Nicaragua goal with a second score just a minute later. Barrera got his service from the left side in the 59th minute and completed his brace before making way, as Nicaragua manager Juan Vita made a number of modifications. Two of those changes found the back of the net, with Dshon Forbes scoring on a breakaway in the 78th minute and Matias Moldskred putting the cherry on top in the 87th.

Finally, Nigel Hasselbaink notched a hat-trick in Suriname’s 6-0 victory against Aruba, scoring twice in the first half and once in the second.

Ryan Donk was the last to touch a set-piece before it went in, adding another to his Suriname account after scoring a 3-0 victory against the Cayman Islands to open qualification.

Florian Jozefzoon, on his debut for Dean Gorre’s men, and Roland Alberg also found the back of the net in the win.

From page 25 Country which played the first International match against Canada in 1844, were in trouble at 41-3.

Shwethan was bowled by Budhoo at 58-4, while the skipper, who departs here on April 2 for the US National U-19 trials, looked very accomplished and executed an array of delightful shots but just when he looked set for a big score he was run out at 59-5.

Without addition to the score, Ramnauth, the younger brother of West Indies U-15 batsman Rampertab Ramnauth, induced Mihir Patwardhan (7) to edge to the keeper to leave the visitors on the ropes on 59-6.

Aryan Singh (5) was bowled by pacer Aaron Craig after hitting Ramnauth back over his for a well-timed boundary before Ramnauth struck twice in quick succession as the NY Tri State were dismissed with 16 balls left in their innings.

When the host began their chase, Tulsiram Ramcharran (1) was bowled with a perfect yorker from Bolisety at 9-1 before Ramnauth and Bharat added 32 for the second wicket before the well set Ramnauth threw his wicket away with an impetuous drive off Rai and was taken at mid-off at 412, while Romario Ramdehol was run out for a duck at the same score.

Rai, with his extremely long

hair blowing in the wind, struck again when he trapped Budhoo for five at 55-4 before Zadeem LaRose (4) was run out by a relayed throw from long-on which resulted in a direct hit and at 65-5, the Americans were back in the fray.

However, some loose bowling, especially from the skipper and ordinary fielding, allowed the Berbicians to recover and although Bolisety and Rai struck in the space of 10 runs, Dhanesh Prabhudyial (2) stayed with Bharat, who at times tried to hit the ball too hard instead of finding the gaps, to see victory achieved with 18 balls to spare.

After the game, Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) President Hilbert Foster informed that after two matches were washed out in the City Coach Linden Fraser called on Saturday to organise a game for his team.

“We found a team despite the short notice which is testimony to our very efficient cricket system in Berbice,” said Foster who provided the youths with a brief history of Albion and of 19 Test players produced by Berbice.

The hard working and dedicated Foster presented the visitors with a plaque and a Trophy for their participation, while Fraser who hails from Region six, donated some coaching equipment and cash to the BCB for the continued development.

The Visitors are scheduled to play the next match today at Bourda, weather permitting.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 22

Sam Cox - Golden Jaguars Captain

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Tuesday March 30, 2021

The ‘Golden Jaguars’ Technical staff sharing plans before Sunday’s training session ahead of the all-important clash against Bahamas this afternoon. (Franklin Wilson photo)

A patient and organised approach can be expected from Guyana today - SMNT Head Coach Márcio Máximo

By Franklin Wilson in the Dominican Republic, compliments of Secure Innovations & Concepts, Industrial Safety Supplies Inc., Fazia’s Motor Spares and GFF

K

eeping in track for secondr o u n d qualification in the race to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 depends on the result of this afternoon’s crucial clash against the Bahamas from 15:00hrs at the Olympico Felix Sanchez Stadium, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Head Coach of the G u y a n a S e n i o r M e n ’s National Team (SMNT) Márcio Máximo and his charges are well aware of what is at stake and have promised that they will deliver a positive result for themselves and the nation.

Whilst stating at yesterday’s Zoom press conference involving both teams, that Guyana will be respectful of their opponents, Máximo also noted that they’ll be very organised in their approach during the encounter as well as patient.

Captain Sam Cox in his remarks said that today’s

match gives his team a chance to redeem themselves following the T&T result.

“We’ve trained well and we want to amend the result from the Trinidad and Tobago game and we’re going into this one with confidence.”

Also sharing his thoughts on the match was ‘Golden Jaguar’ custodian, Kyle McKenzie-Lyle who said he was happy to be selected after two years having been out due to injury.

“It’s great to be feeling good and being a part of the group with a lot of experience now and a lot of

young talent in there as well.

The result against Trinidad wasn’t a reflection of how we played, we’re still a group in transition.”

The Bahamas have lost just once in their last five matches, four being played in the Nations League in 2019, they drew against Bonaire having defeated them in their first encounter.

They also won both matches against the British Virgin Islands.

Their opening match in this competition on Saturday last saw them going down to visitors Saint Kitts and Nevis, 0-4 at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau. Head Coach Nesley Jean said it’s a learning experience for his young team and they are hoping to

very competitive against Guyana.

Captain of the ‘Bahamian Slayersz’ also known as ‘The Baha Boyz’, Lesly St. Fleur, who is their most experienced player and leading goal scorer with 10goals in 20-apperances, noted that said his role along with the other senior players is to help the younger players get more involved and integrated.

Quizzed on possible changes to his starting team, Máximo did not answer directly noting that if there are any, that’ll be known today. He reminded that the T&T game was close acknowledging that mistakes were made in terms of positions and that would be fixed for today’s match.

“Also, two words we need to have tomorrow (today), patience and organisation.” These qualities he believes will allow his charges to create chances.

Captain Cox also posited that his charges are all on the same page and understands what went wrong in the first game: “Like I said, we are fully prepared, got another session today (yesterday) where we will work on our shape and then we are going the game tomorrow night (tonight) with some confidence and hopefully get a good result.”

Once again, both Head Coach and Captain are calling on the nation to keep the faith and support for the team going strong.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 23

Braithwaite 99no leads West Indies fight back to 287-7 on Day 1 N O RT H S O U N D , Antigua (AP) — West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite will sleep on 99 not out after boosting his side against Sri Lanka to 287-7 on the first day of the second test yesterday.

Brathwaite carried his bat through the day to the brink of his first test century since 2018. He took over the captaincy in February from Jason Holder, and has been dying for a big score after only three half-centuries in 16 innings over the past year.

He held together an innings that wobbled at the start and briefly in the middle. His stands of 71 with Kyle Mayers, 51 with Holder, and an unbeaten 65 with Rakheem Cornwall ensured they finished the first day on top.

Brathwaite is trying to lead his side to a third series win against Sri Lanka after the Twenty20s and one-day internationals, while preventing Sri Lanka from a first test series win in the Caribbean. Both teams were unchanged from the drawn first test last week in the same, empty Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Sri Lanka won the toss but the bowling was let down

Rahkeem Cornwall was close to reaching another Test half-century, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, North Sound, 1st day. (RANDY BROOKS/AFP/ Getty Images)

by four dropped catches, two of them expensive.

Brathwaite was dropped on 37 at third slip by Oshada Fernando off left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando, and Mayers was dropped on 12 at third slip by Pathum Nissanka off medium-pacer Suranga Lakmal.

Lakmal was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-71. He started the day with six consecutive maidens, two of them with wickets; opener John Campbell on 5 and Nkrumah Bonner for a duck.

L a k m a l ’s e v e n t f u l seventh over conceded three boundaries to Mayers, who was then dropped.

Mayers was eventually out for 49 in the first over after lunch. Two others fell in the middle session, Jermaine Blackwood for 18 and Holder for 30 off 34 balls.

Brathwaite should have joined them, but he was dropped on 37. His partner at tea, Joshua Da Silva, was also given a reprieve after a video review of the second ball he faced.

Da Silva was eventually out for 1 after 35 balls, the fifth batsman in seven to edge behind the wickets.

Alzarri Joseph, dropped on 28, was out lbw on 29 at 2227.

But the bowlers flagged at the end of the day. After conceding 86 runs in the first session and 85 in the second, they went for 116 after tea.

Brathwaite batted on serenely, facing 239 balls for his 99 not out. He hit 11 boundaries.

Brathwaite received late

support from Cornwall, who was 43 not out from 53 balls at stumps. Cornwall is a

tailender but in high spirits after producing his test high score of 61 just last week.

Dawn of a new era for Guyana’s Cricket

Singh is GCB President in 1st democratic elections in a decade

By Sean Devers In gloomy weather conditions at Rahaman Park, yesterday, saw the dawn of a new era for Guyana’s cricket when Demerara Cricket Board President and Businessman Bissoon Singh was elected as the New President of the Guyana Cricket Board at the first democratically held GCB Elections in over a decade.

Yesterday’s elections which saw the no show of Essequibo Cricket Board, was held a day after Anand Sanasie, the former Secretary of the GCB and his running mate Calvin Hope, the Vice-President of the BCA, did not turn up leaving the CWI without the nine delegates needed to hold the elections. This was the first time ever that the elections of the Regional Board were postponed and it has now fixed for April 11 via zoom.

However, this was not the case when the ECB, who were supporting the incumbent Board, did not show up since 17 delegates were needed for the Elections to proceed. All nine delegates from the BCB

and DCB turned up very early for the elections which were scheduled to commence at 11:00 hrs.

Cricket Ombudsman Attorney at Law Kamal Ramkarran who was appointed by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Charles Ramson Jnr, was the presiding officer of the Elections that went very smoothly with those who were nominated for positions being unopposed.

The position that had two nominees was for the VicePresident with responsibility for Administration.

Rabindranauth Saywack and Azad Ibrahim were both nominated with Saywack winning 13-5 in a vote of secret ballots.

After the Elections were completed, a patriotic moment was observed with the playing of Guyana’s National Anthem.

While, the New GCB President informed after the elections that he and the BCB President Hilbert Foster were now Guyana’s Directors on the CWI, he disclosed that the executives would sit and decide who

Bissoondyal Singh

would be the alternate Director.

When pressed for his take on whether Sanasie could still be eligible to contest the CWI elections, Singh said he will have toconsult his lawyer before making any comment on the matter.

“If the CWI decides he can still challenge Mr Skerritt for the Presidency then I will have to consult the

other executives with regards to the GCB still supporting him but I am open to anything they decide,” said Singh.

Singh thanked everyone who has been involved in this day becoming a reality and was high in praise for the role played by Sports Minister Ramson for helping, in his short time in office for brining this to an end.

He said he plans to work with everyone who truly wants to see Guyana’s cricket and its players develop and flourish.

New GCB Executive: Bissoon Singh (President), H i l b e r t F o s t e r ( Vi c e President cricket d e v e l o p m e n t ) , Rabindranauth Saywack (Vice-President Amin), Ronald Williams (Secretary), Davteerth

Anandjit (Asst Secretary), Prittipaul Jaigobin (Treasurer), Cecil Beharry (Asst Treasurer), Mohammed Baksh (Chairman Marketing Committee), Claude Rapheal (Public Relations Officer), Shawn Massiah (Chairman Competitions committee) Elroy Stephany and Andre Forsythe (Trusties), Jack Alli & Sons Company (Auditor).

Meanwhile, Former Guyana and West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is the new Chairman of selectors, while former Guyana First-Class batsman and West Indies U-19 Captain Andre Percival was appointed Chairman of the Junior Selection panel.

Present Chairman of the CWI selection panel and former Guyana and West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper and former Berbice Inter-County player and Ex BCB President and Banker Anil Beharry were selected as special Technocrats with Harper dealing with the cricket development issues and Beharry with the Administrative issues.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Tuesday March 30, 2021

Regional Boards express views after Non-attendance to CWI AGM

S

everal Regional Cricket Boards have issued statements following the postponement of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Annual General Meeting (AGM) due to the non-attendance of the Guyana and Barbados Cricket Boards.

Following their no-show, the GCB Vice President, Drubahadur, issued the following statement to shed light on the action of the local entity: “As the Vice President of Guyana Cricket Board and an appointed representative of the GCB, at all CWI General Meetings, it is unacceptable to condone the numerous breaches of the CWI articles of association on Financial matters and governance issues.”

“The GCB has written to CWI corporate secretary on numerous occasions regarding the conduct of the AGM of 28th March especially as it relates to the financial matters, and the responses were unacceptable with adversarial views as we maintain that only shareholders can alter the Articles of Association. I am aware of all the required standards for financial accountability and would endeavor to adhere to them.”

“The GCB is also reliably informed that plans are being formulated to attempt to debar the GCB of its voting rights as a CWI

shareholder. We were made aware of a legal opinion sought by CWI without board approval from a source that is compromised on the matter of Guyana’s situation regarding the Cricket Administration Act. We are prepared to stand our ground until there is full compliance with the CWI articles.”

However, the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) expressed sadness at the regional game being brought to disrepute in a statement issued Sunday.

“The Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) is saddened by the events of earlier today at the CWI Annual General Meeting (AGM). The absence of the representatives from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) at the AGM forced the postponement of the CWI AGM to 11th April 2021.

The LICB is deeply troubled, perplexed and horrified that the BCA and the GCB, which are globally recognized for producing some of the greatest cricketers to have played the game, were comfortable bringing CWI in such disrepute. We are confident that all processes and procedures were followed leading up to the AGM, wherein all LICB representatives as well as representatives from

Jamaica Cricket Association, Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board and Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control were present at the meeting and ready to engage in pursuit of the betterment of West Indies Cricket.”

“The LICB hopes that both BCA and GCB will be present at the AGM scheduled for 11th April 2021 and will fulfill their obligations thus allowing due process to take place.

The LICB takes this opportunity to reiterate its support for Team Skerritt and Shallow. The LICB unanimously decided to not only nominate Team Skerritt and Shallow but to also support them in the election.

Today’s turn of events reinforced this decision proving why Skerritt and Shallow are the only and right choice to lead CWI at this time.”

A n d t h e Wi n d w a r d Islands Cricket Board was also disappointed at the turn of events. “The Windward Islands Cricket Board expresses sadness at the turn of events at the Cricket West Indies Annual General Meeting scheduled for today March 28, 2021. On the agenda at this meeting was the elections of a President and Vice President to continue leading the affairs of the institution for another two years. Windwards Cricket like other territorial boards internally through an established democratic process selected representatives who were nominated to attend the AGM and vote on its behalf.

It is now common knowledge that the representatives from the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) opted not to attend the virtual meeting. As a result, for failure to obtain a quorum, the meeting was postponed to April 11, 2021. The WICB finds no good reason for the manner in which confusion and disrepute have been foisted upon our esteemed and honourable governing body and condemns this attempt to drag our cricket into the gutters.

Wi n d w a r d s C r i c k e t similar to most of the other Territorial Boards save for the BCA and the GCB

endorses Skerritt-Shallow.

Over the past two years, the CWI leadership has displayed great skill and fortitude in uniting West Indies Cricket, inspiring hope in our fans, forging strategic alliances, managing scarce finances, and showing great vision in charting the way forward.

We remain confident that the Territorial Boards will be present and display the honour with which we have become accustomed on the adjourned date April 11, 2021.”

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) expressed concern and like the others including Trinidad and Tobago has come out to support the Skerritt and Shallow ticket.

“The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) is deeply concerned that Cricket West Indies (CWI) had to adjourn its annual general meeting on the 28th of March 2021due to the lack of a quorum. The Articles of Association of CWI requires a minimum of nine representatives from members’ states to be present. Only eight (8) representatives were in attendance, those from The Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board, Leeward Islands Cricket Associations, Windward Islands Cricket Associations and the Jamaica Cricket Associations.”

“It is noted that the representatives from the Barbados Cricket Association and the Guyana Cricket Board were absent without an apology for their absence despite the fact their attendance was previously authorized. This comes at a time when we need to work together to continue the rebuilding of our cricket, which requires a mature approach on the part of everyone especially those in leadership roles. As one of the final bastions of Caribbean unity, it is even more important that we overcome whatever challenges we may have individually and work collectively to preserve our lasting legacy.”

“This occurrence which is potentially damaging to the reputation of the people of the Caribbean as well as those in the diaspora highlights the urgent need for change to the governance structure of CWI. We need for all our members to act in a way that will engender the confidence and respect of our Caribbean people, sponsors, media rights partners, our fans and even more importantly our players who will take the field of play this (Monday) morning for the second test against Sri Lanka.

We at the JCA sincerely hope that this is not the culture we intend to create in West Indies Cricket.”

NBA roundup: Devin Booker leads Suns to OT win over Hornets Devin Booker scored a game-high 35 points Sunday afternoon to help the Phoenix Suns hold off the host Charlotte Hornets 10197 in overtime.

Booker and Chris Paul, who finished with 16 points, each made free throws in the extra period as the Suns picked up their fifth victory in their past six games.

Charlotte had its threegame winning streak snapped, and lost at home for the first time in six games.

The Hornets, who played without Malik Monk (right foot soreness), closed out regulation on a 14-2 run to force overtime. Devonte’ Graham led Charlotte with 30 points and hit back-toback 3-pointers to cap its late surge, including his gametying triple with 34.3 seconds left.

Los Angeles Lakers 96 -

Orlando Magic 93 Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and host Los Angeles held on to defeat Orlando.

Kyle Kuzma had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Markieff Morris totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James missed his fifth straight game with a high ankle sprain.

Dwayne Bacon scored a career-high 26 points, Chuma Okeke scored 14 points and Mo Bamba had 11 points off the bench for the Magic. R.J. Hampton, Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. made their team debuts off the bench for the Magic after they were acquired in trades on Thursday.

Portland Trail Blazers 122 - Toronto Raptors 117 Damian Lillard scored 22 points and added 11 assists as visiting Portland defeated Toronto.

CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and had seven rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have won three straight road games.

Derrick Jones Jr. added 16 points for Portland.

Robert Covington had 13 points and 12 rebounds, former Raptor Norman Powell had 13 points, Enes Kanter and Jusuf Nurkic each had 10.

Denver Nuggets 126 Atlanta Hawks 102 JaMychal Green scored a season-high 20 points, Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and host Denver beat Atlanta.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives into Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) during the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center.

The Phoenix Suns won 101-97 in overtime. (Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports) Jamal Murray added 17 points, Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Will Barton scored 12 for Denver. Aaron Gordon got the start and

finished with 13 points in his Nuggets debut.

Trae Young had 21 points, seven assists and seven turnovers, Danilo Gallinari scored 14 points,

John Collins added 11 and Clint Capela finished with 10 for Atlanta, which lost for just the third time in its last 12 games.

(Field Level Media)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 30, 2021

PAGE 25

Rampersaud Ramnath had 4-16 before returning with the bat an important 16 to the Berbice U-15 Presidents’ X1 beat the NY Tri State’s U-15s at Albion. (Sean Devers photo)

Ramseh Bharatt carried his bat in an unbeaten 38 at Albion on Sunday.

(Sean Devers photo)

NY Tri State Captain Nayan Elammuragah sweeps during his before he was run out at Albion on Sunday. (Sean Devers photo)

Ramnauth, Bharat spur B’ce U-15 President’s X1 to 3-wkt win As NY Tri State U-15s lose tour opener in Berbice

By Sean Devers in Albion At a venue which hosted five ODIs including the first ODI in the West Indies when

H. Nauth & Sons Set to Conquer Golf with Easter Weekend Tournament The Civil Engineering giant today announced that it would partner with the Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy to take on the challenge of leading Golf to the forefront of Guyanese sports, starting with an Easter Weekend tournament that will demonstrate how serious they are about the game.

The tournament (No Entry Fee) will be spread out over three days to ensure compliance with the Covid19 Task Force approval and will offer prizes for the best Amateur players who will compete for 3 holes in addition to chipping and putting prizes.

All players of every skill level and age group are invited and under strict covid-19 guidelines, there will even be an Easter Golf Ball hunt - for all ages! In addition, there will be many prizes and trophies to take home as the GGA seeks to expand the game to as many persons, at little or no cost.

H. Nauth & Son’s is one of Guyana’s leading civil engineering and construction firms with more than 30 years experience in major developments for both

government and private companies around the country.

Wi t h a l l t h e b e s t machinery and over 100 skilled staff on hand, they take on the most challenging projects and always produce the desired results on time and within budget, so it’s no wonder that they decided to take on the most challenging sport- golf!

Mr. Nauth said, “This opportunity is to help our children to get involved in a different sport (especially during this covid-19 period) giving them a chance to play a game that opens many once closed doors (to the majority of our people), was not a difficult decision for me. The Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy can count on our full support and commitment to grow this game.” General Manager Mohamed Majeed and Project Manager Colin Bowen started playing only a few weeks ago and have quickly become hooked on the sport. According to Majeed, “I wanted to play golf all my life but never got the chance until we met Aleem, and in one quick lesson, I realized that I had

found a new passion! Both Colin and I are very competitive and everyone we’ve brought to play has enjoyed the experience.”

The company will also dedicate resources to developing facilities for the expansion and teaching of the game across the nation.

“We have all the equipment for any type of project so it’s very easy for the company to assist with the development of Golf,” said Project Manager Colin Bowen.

President of the GGA Aleem Hussain said that with the support of such a major company, it would make it a lot easier to accomplish the goals set for the development of the game “having access to the vast knowledge and massive amount of machinery that H. Nauth & Sons have at their disposal allows us to move faster than ever. We are in a much stronger position because of their commitment and thousands of children will benefit from their involvement.”

For more information about the event, Nexgen Golf Academy or H. Nauth & Sons, please visit them on Facebook or call 6450944/674-9206.

West Indies beat Pakistan by four wickets in 1977, a Berbice U-15 President’s X1 beat the New York Tri State U-15s by three wickets last Sunday at Albion in their Guyana Tour opener.

Led by a carefully constructed match winning innings from 13-year-old Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club’s Ramesh Bharat who ‘carried his bat’ for an unbeaten 38 with a single boundary from 79 balls and 16 from 51 balls from Rampersaud Ramnauth, the Berbice U15s reached 103-7 in 37 overs as left-arm spinner Ansh Rai bowled with immaculate control to finish with 3-24.

Left arm pacer Anivadh Bolisety supported with 2-18 for the American side, made up of players of Indian and

Pakistani ancestry.

The American lads were earlier bowled out for 102 off 37.2 overs as only Skipper Nayan Elammurugah, who was run out for 20 with a four from 51 balls and Schavesh Shwethan (13) reached double figures as leg-spinner Ramnauth captured 4-15, while Afraz Bodhoo had 216 for the hastily put together side.

Early morning showers in Guyana’s second largest County delayed the start by two hours and resulted in the 50-over game being reduced to 40 overs per side.

The host elected to bowl on a track with some preparation moisture and a large and heavy outfield in overcast conditions and pacer Khemraj Tika trapped the left-handed Tamesh Dourge (3) at 9-1.

Nikhil Mudaliar & Tamesh Dougre walk out at Albion to start the NY Tri State’s U-15 tour to Guyana on Sunday.

With the unusual sight of no fans in the Stands for a cricket match at Albion due to Covid-19 Pandemic, Nikhil Mudaliar and Elammurugah joined forces at a ground which hosted its last International match in April 1985 when New Zealand toured the West Indies.

With the Sun returning in all its glory and Coconut trees outside the ground swaying in a strong breeze, Emmuruagah backed away and slapped Tika majestically to the cover boundary in the fourth over and did the bulk of the scoring before Mudaliar (6) called for a suicidal single and was run out at 34-2.

Utkarash Srivastava was bowled by Budhoo for a duck and the team from a (Continued on page 19)