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Guyanese rally NEWS against slaughter of Palestians by Israel AIETEUR

Thursday Edition May 02, 2024 - Vol. 17 No. 18 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 (VAT Inclusive) readership yesterday, 49,442

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

Govt. advisor puts oil reserve at 15B barrels Chairman of Wales Development Authority, Asgar Ally

...but VP Jagdeo and Exxon's Routledge say no significant increase ExxonM eyes GYSBI, other private spaces to dump waste ...Exxon's 6th oil project study reveals

Whiptail permit mandates Workers demand fair share of ‘Drill Baby, – GTU President says oil the “oil wealth” belongs to all Guyanese Drill’ policy Guyanese workers make their demands during the Labour Day parade

Powership sails into Guyana ...as GPL still fixing site, finalizing rental of barge

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Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

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Govt. advisor puts oil reserve at 15B barrels ...but VP Jagdeo and Exxon’s Routledge say no significant increase Chairman of Wales Development Authority, Asgar Ally has said that some 15 billion barrels of oil have already been discovered to date in the Stabroek Block.

This is despite Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo and ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) Country Manager, Alistair Routledge maintaining that the country’s resources have not significantly moved since the last update in 2022 when it was at 11 billion barrels.

Ally, a former Finance Minister and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, represented

Guyana at the Jamaica Stock Exchange Conference held back in January. During an interview at the conference he made the disclosure of an additional 4 billion barrels of oil being discovered. “As of this point in time we don’t know the full extent of the oil deposits but it’s huge and I could explain what that means. It’s about I would say they have identified at least 15 billion barrels of oil in the (Stabroek) Block. So at this point in time, I would say Exxon has identified about 25 to 35% of that,” Ally who is an economist stated.

Although eight new

discoveries were made since Guyana’s last resource update in April 2022, with one of those estimated to hold some 746 million barrels of oil, Exxon and Guyana’s Vice President have stated that the country’s estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable resources remain with no significant improvement.

H o w e v e r, A l l y i s contending that over 4 billion barrels more have been discovered. Added to this, he explained, “If you have the time, I can explain to you what has happened.

You see at one stage, Africa

Whiptail permit mandates ‘Drill Baby, Drill’ policy Guyana does not have a depletion policy in place, with which to guide the rate crude is extracted and produced from the Stabroek Block. In fact, the permits being handed out enshrine maximum production.

This much, is made clear in the most recently approved Permit issued to the ExxonMobil-led consortium, operating in the Stabroek Block. According to the Permit, the holder must “ensure the development plan, and the level of production proposed therein is consistent with the maximum efficient rate of production which conforms to sound reservoir engineering principles in accordance with, best international industry standards and practice.”

Enshrined in the Whiptail Permit, the holder is also obligated to ensure the most efficient development, production and beneficial use of the commercial discovery concerned.

This, taking “into account best international industry standards and practices as defined in the Act, and as applicable in relation to production operations, to mean all those uses and practices that are, at the time in question, in accordance with the most up to date international standards that are generally accepted in the international oil and gas industry as being state-of-the-art or otherwise appropriate to the operations in question, safe, e c o n o m i c a l , environmentally sound and efficient in developing, producing, processing and

transporting petroleum.”

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s personal position has become the bedrock of w h a t t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party /Civic’s depletion policy–”Drill baby drill!”

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) last month received the green light from Government to pursue a sixth oil project in the Stabroek Block, the Whiptail development.

The $12.7 billion Whiptail development is targetting an estimated resource base of more than 850 million barrels of oil and include up to 10 drill centers and 48 production and injection wells. The floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for Whiptail, which will be called Jaguar, is already under construction.

ExxonMobil also announced its Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project that is expected to produce approximately 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2027.

Liam Mallon, President of ExxonMobil Upstream Company at the time said, “Our sixth multi-billiondollar project in Guyana will b r i n g t h e c o u n t r y ’s production capacity to approximately 1.3 million barrels per day.”

He noted that the c o m p a n y ’s u n r i v a l e d success in developing the Guyana resource at industryleading pace, cost and environmental performance is built on close collaboration with the government of Guyana, as well as its partners,

suppliers, and contractors.

Mallon further pointed out, “We are committed to helping spread the benefits throughout the country by investing in local Guyanese communities and projects to support the country’s phased and sustainable development.”

Currently, three FPSOs – the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity and Prosperity – are operating offshore Guyana and are producing more than 640,000 barrels of oil per d a y. C o n s t r u c t i o n i s underway on FPSOs for the Ye l l o w t a i l a n d U a r u projects, with Yellowtail anticipated to start production in 2025 and Uaru targeted in 2026.

There are currently 6,200 Guyanese working in support of Stabroek block operations—which is 70% of the workforce. The cumulative spend of ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors with Guyanese suppliers since 2015 surpassed $1.5 billion at the end of 2023.

Exxon said production from the six Stabroek block developments will generate tens of billions of dollars of revenue and significant economic development for Guyana. Since first production in 2019, more than $4.2 billion has been paid into the Guyana Natural Resource Fund.

ExxonMobil affiliate, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is operator with a 45 percent interest in the Stabroek block while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest.

and Latin America were joined together. So West Africa is closer to the South American coast, of which Ve n e z u e l a , G u y a n a , Suriname, a part of and there is under that coast a basin of oil, huge basin of oil.”

“Every day we are finding new oil discoveries…

Nobody knows the full extent (but) everyday they are finding more,” he added.

On Tuesday, Routledge d u r i n g E x x o n ’s p r e s s conference made a distinction between oil reserves and resources. He explained, “When we have a better ability to understand that through looking at concepts, the number of wells and testing of the reservoirs then we are able to move to greater certainty and the greater certainty we have is when we sanction a new project as we did with Whiptail. That is when we start to call them reserves.

We are now at the point where we can consider that these are going to be developed and produced so its reserves not resource.”

To this end, Routledge said that the six sanctioned projects in the Stabroek Block are estimated to hold some 4.8 billion barrels of oil reserves. Describing the process to determine oil reserves as an “ongoing

Chairman of Wales Development Authority, Asgar Ally complex exercise,” the Country Manager pointed out that the company has been providing quarterly updates to the government on the estimated recoverable resources. “We provide quarterly updates to the government, that number hasn’t moved hugely in the recent months but it is something that we continue to look at and we update the government,” Routledge

said.

He was then asked for an update on how the country’s resources have grown since the 11 billion barrels estimate in 2022. In response to the question, Routledge said, “I think I’ve answered that, it’s the same as what Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said, the 11 billion hasn’t significantly changed, we continue to update the government.”

Kaieteur News

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Thursday May 02, 2024

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

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

EDITORIAL

NoExcuses media conferences We have a government in place since August 2020 and it has never held a post-cabinet media briefing. We have ministers holding very important portfolios who have never faced the press.

We have a President who is hiding behind facebook live and a Vice President who by his own action has acknowledged that what he puts out weekly is balderdash so he is ashamed to cover it with the official stamp- he hold his pressers at Freedom House.

We are highlighting this travesty a few days before the government regales us about its record as a “champion” of media freedom. If Ministers of the PPPC Government do not have the skills to face the press, at least they must have the guts. That is, to face the music and represent their portfolios persuasively, and take whatever comes on the chin. This is how an honest Government operates in a democracy of openness and accountability.

It is appalling that members of the Cabinet find it helpful to hide behind the protective skirts of the DPI. This makes their faces look tear-stained from fright, and smudged with many suspicions. If there is nothing to conceal, then every Minister has a duty to show that they are the real deal, that they are neither overwhelmed nor lost in the area for which they are responsible. Cabinet Ministers are not water boys and girls, or highly paid shoe shine men and women.

The more ministers seek shelter under the Department of Public Information (DPI) umbrella, the clumsier, more pitiful, and shallower and more anxious they look.

Undoubtedly, ministers are only human, and they are comforted by friendly, helpful, softball questions. Their hands are held, and their noses cleaned so that they look good when presented by the DPI to the Guyanese with their half stories, and clever cover stories. What the DPI succeeds in doing is adding farce to spectacle resulting in usual government circuses.

When anybody has only the truth of facts and figures to present, and in the most powerful terms, they do not need the DPI barricade. They stand on their own feet like real men and real women, and say to their questioners: go ahead, fire away, we are ready.

This is what Ministers with a minimum of dignity, of self-respect, of pride would do, including the Hon. Minister of Natural Resources, mostly a no-show, a presence of scant substance, a shell that is overshadowed by events. Nobody has to serve as a crutch for Ministers, put words in their mouths; or be afraid that they will crumble when confronted with tough questions. This is how real people and real leaders operate in the real world. There is none of this slinking away like scaredy kittens to the DPI safe harbour.

They stand their ground and stand for truth if they have it.

What happened to that standard? Where did those kinds of men and women go? The people need to know, they are owed, and they deserve to be served by those who hold vital portfolios. At times, those interests may call for incredible dedication to duty, or honesty and integrity of a kind never before asked for in Guyana.

The Ministers who handled themselves impeccably well on both counts should have no fear, know no barriers, to their being able to stand in front of the independent, mainstream media and speak to truth. Truth does not duck and dodge and dance around cleverly.

Truth needs no escape valve, no exit strategy, no DPI. Truth and fairness and what is right shouts from the rooftops, and neither of those three essentials (truth, fairness, and right) runs away and hides under the bed of the DPI. What our Ministers are doing is a disgrace. It makes them look dodgy and tricky. Once a Minister is clean and about managing his portfolio in the right way, there is no need for the gimmick of the DPI, the media 'backtrack' of a

The “lean and clean” government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan is a thing of the past Dear Editor, In a letter captioned “Under Jagdeo, corruption, wealth gap, and citizens s t r u g g l e s g r e w exponentially” and dated December 16th 2023, I stated, “We created through propaganda the stalwart image for Jagdeo, who never did much if anything for the PPP nor PYO. He was foisted upon us by Janet Jagan who pressured the leadership to bring him in.

After he attained power the legacy of Dr. Cheddi Jagan was cast aside. It became a party for the enrichment of a few. We can recall when Janet was told that she was an ordinary citizen by Jagdeo. Total lack of respect for the woman who gave him the Presidency on a platter”.

We also know how Cde Navin was marginalized and how Ralph Ramkarran was bypassed and how Irfaan gained the Presidency. In the letter I explained how Jagdeo took control of the PPP. PPP congress took a decision for 20% Civic. However, when Bharrat became President, he increased this to about

60%. Now the Civic was not an organization with values, principles etc. It comprised of individuals brought in at the pleasure of the President.

They came in as ministers, parliamentarians etc.

Eventually many joined the PPP and because they are well known, because they were Ministers etc, the PPP members voted them into the Central Committee and thus Jagdeo gained control of the Central Committee.

Later we were to witness the vulgar manipulation which caused leading stalwarts to be bypassed and for Donald Ramotar, with absolutely no experience in government being catapulted into the President's seat. The general feeling was that the real power was behind the throne. Same as it is today after another manipulation.

We must recognize that the “lean and clean” government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan is a thing of the past.

We are witnessing the growing impoverishment of our people, the growing corruption, the growing self-

enrichment of a small section of the PPP leadership and their friends, family and donors. Of Course they tell us we doing better than the PNC but is that enough. WE deserve what Guyana's wealth is capable of giving. It is not there for the few select.

I will now attempt to explain what happens re Elections at PPP congress. First many of the older members know of the list passing by the leadership. Second, the Amerindians are directly influenced by the leadership who to and who not to vote for.

Third the PPP leadership would place whom they want in positions where they are exposed to and interact with the Members. They are presented as leaders.

But beyond that let me explain the unprincipled nature of the PPP leadership.

At one congress I Rajendra Bisessar brought 36. When a vacancy arose, the leadership said they would not proceed to bring in the next person on the list but use some geographical consideration. Laughable,

they brought in their friend, Mr. Ramdas, from the Corentyne. Rohit Persaud from the Corentyne was already a CC member so that destroyed the geographic argument.

The Next Congress has five Candidate members Elected. I was one and Berry Ramsarran another. We all know that Berry from Georgetown was one of their favorites. They decided to elect someone from the five.

They forgot about geographic. Berry was elected. The next congress saw Lionel Peters, an outstanding organizer but with an independent mind as the only plausible candidate member that could be elected s o t h e y f o rg o t a b o u t candidate member and went back to some obscure questionable geographic consideration. The circus continues. The next election saw Fazel Khan, highly qualified popular in the trade union movement, an independent mind coming 36. There was a vacancy, but no one was selected to fill.

(Continued on page 6)

PPP has been able to expand its political reach to all corners of the Guyanese society Dear Editor , There are a number of interesting facts regarding o u r p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r y, especially since the introduction of mass-based competitive politics during the 1950's. Political power has since alternated between the PPP and the PNC, in the case of the latter through undemocratic means.

Prior to 1964, the PPP won three consecutive elections, namely 1953, 1957 and 1961 until it was engineered out of office by way of constitutional engineering in the 1964 elections. For nearly three decades, the PNC rigged its way to power until it was forced to agree on democratic reforms on the

eve of the October 5, 1992 general and regional elections which was decisively won by the PPP/C under the leadership of Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

One note-worthy political fact was the multiethnic appeal of the PPP ever since its formation on January 1950 which was responsible for its massive victory in the 1953 elections, the first that was held under universal adult suffrage.

That appeal has not diminished despite several prior attempts to divide the party along ethnic and ideological lines. In fact the PPP has now evolved as the largest multi-racial party in Guyana, encompassing a much bigger universe of the

protective Government provision. A real Minister, one who has been true and faithful in his or her duty to Guyanese, would recoil from any backdoor arrangements like the DPI. In fact, there would be sharp anger at such an arrangement, the stealthy character of such a convenience, and a bona fide Minister would tell whoever came up with such media trick to take it and shove it.

Since we do not have any Minister objecting to this DPI setup, the door to speculation is flung open as to what they may have done, and which necessitated why they need to hide. Surely, they cannot be this limited that their hands have to be held. Surely, they cannot be this neck deep possibly in the dark and dirty that leaders do not trust them to the full exposure of mainstream media, and its hard questions.

Guyanese electorate as evidenced from the results of the recent national and local government elections.

A second, and perhaps more significant point to note is the ideological consistency of the PPP which has never wavered from its pro-people orientation. This has been, and remained a defining characteristic of the PPP and all PPP/C administrations. It is this people-oriented, propoor approach to governance that is mainly responsible for the party's longevity and electoral successes.

T h i r d l y, n o o t h e r political party in Guyana has done more than the PPP to bring about national reconciliation and a climate of peace and security in the country. This is manifested in the fact that the PPP is today the largest political party in the country. Unlike the days of the 'communist' hysteria when ideology and race was used against the party by reactionary groups, the PPP/C administration is now generally recognized for its capacity to enhance the quality of life of the Guyanese across the political and ethnic spectrum of the country.

Guyanese are today no longer influenced by the 'politics of race' which seeks to capitalize on 'ethnic insecurity'. The economic and social gains of the PPP/C administration have pushed the race agenda of the political opposition in the backwaters of our extant political dispensation.This explains the inroads made by the PPP/C in what was once perceived as PNC strongholds in areas such as Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam among others.

The fact is that the PPP has been able to expand its political reach to all corners of the Guyanese society.

Unprecedented growth rates, transformational changes and the massive human development agenda of the current administration has engendered a new thinking among the populace which is changing the political dynamics away from race and ethnicity to one that is more results-oriented.

Political parties are evaluated on their ability to deliver on manifesto promises. This puts the PPP/C administration ahead of the curve.

Sincerely Hydar Ally

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

May they? Yes, but only in a safe way!

Dear Editor, Unsafe work practices have left many without their daily bread. The unlucky ones have left us and those that are fortunate have survived the neglect that places progress over safety.

Neglected landmarks fall as new ones are erected.

Transformation and expansion continues as death on the roads remains the norm. Sectors boom as safe working practices are an afterthought. A May Day celebration occurs while workers strike.

Workers' rights and the progress of our unions have been sidelined. There is more in the treasury, but less in our pockets. Promises are broken, while those responsible are applauded and promoted. Is this the transformation and progress that we seek? Is this the shared development for all members of our society that is coming? It is a redefined meaning of universal suffrage that we can do without. The manager and the worker should share in the successes and also share in the challenges and burdens. Favouritism has no place when we all strive together to achieve a better future. The conscience of our society has been made dormant in the name of progress.

Let not the building continue upon the blood of our workers. We must see an advancement in environmental, health and safety policies and practices as we seek to progress.

Companies with poor safety records should not be allowed to continue to bid for contracts without first showing an improvement.

This would have helped prevent the ongoing embarrassment of the government and the tender process. The current level of inspectors and inspections that ensure safety requirements are being followed are far from what is urgently needed in the mining and construction s e c t o r s .

Y e t , transformational expansion continues to take priority and workers continue to risk their lives. The lure of a quick dollar has made law and order on the roads elusive. The minibus saga has kept repeating its sad tale. The general attitude towards keeping customers safe while on their way to work has been one of cattle ranchers trying to move as many heads as possible during a chaotic stampede.

The enforcers of the laws turn a blind eye to the unnecessary risks being taken. Thirty extra minutes is all that is needed to keep the pace within the speed limit and to be on time.

Demanding safety for each other from each other will return as a norm when we value each other's lives more than a dollar. Enjoying the pace of the day at its norm will give the patience that reduces the noise on the road and the rage that is now prominent. Transformation cannot occur at the expense of the living.

Our wealth cannot increase at the expense of our health. Our progress cannot continue if the environment is ruined and our workers cannot be safe.

Safety comes first, then all else may follow. Of what use is it all if the cost remains too high? Of what use is it all if you cannot return home after earning a honest living? If a company cannot place the safety of its workers at the forefront of its decision making, then that company cannot be allowed to operate. Let the the transformation we seek first o c c u r w i t h t h e transformation of our attitudes towards safety. Let the transformation we seek first occur with the level of respect we have for our workers.

T h i s i s r e a l transformation. This is transformation that can be felt. When it occurs, then and only then will the transformation we see have meaning and be embraced by all.

No one wants to look upon a new road or a new building and remember that workers died while making this happen. That blood was shed at that intersection.

That he fell from that floor when they were building.

Our society is close knit and we all remember when our people's blood was shed.

Sincerely, Mr. Jamil Changlee

PAGE 05

Illegal vendors must be removed expeditiously everywhere they are found, every business should not have to sue Dear Editor, Finally, vendors doing their illegal vending in front of Demico have been removed. Now you can actually see that there is a Demico there. Same for the Muneshwer's building after they sued and the Judge ruled in their favour. Same for K i r p a l a n i ' s . N o w, t h e Georgetown Hospital has served notice they want the vendors moved. Already, Government has served strong messages to the seawall vendors.

Meanwhile, there is a proliferation of vendors in front of our beloved Cuffy Monument. Now I can't see the fella very well. Why has the Council not moved to remove illegal vendors as soon as they start? Who is minding the store? Why wait after many, many years and those vendors think they have acquired prescriptive rights to their spots. They think if Council moves them, then the Government has to provide alternatives for them. The same problem at the Berbice Bridge area where shacks have gone up and nobody is stopping it pronto. The Court ruling on the removal of vendors is a precedent similar to a class action lawsuit.

Every individual business does not have to sue. It's now a general ruling for all businesses. City Council needs to get to work to bring order to the City.

I noticed along the UG Road and Cyril Potter College, there are vendors

along the UG and CPCE fence who need to be removed too. One guy built a huge building across the drain so workers cannot clean that drain. Their sign advertises delivery services, so essentially this private business is operating on the government reserve with a permanent building along the CPCE fence. There is also a food shack at the right entrance to the CPCE that creates a ghetto look. The UG Road takes us into our only University and visitors must not see vendor shacks be spoiling the drive. We cannot allow ghettos to emerge everywhere, now that we want to be the Dubai of Caricom. Mindsets must change. We must think “modernization” and high standards. I have not seen such unregulated and rampant vending in other Caricom countries. There is a guy hawking two little squares of sponge. How can he make a living off of that.

How about the guys selling steering wheel covers and wipers? Given the shortage of skills in Guyana, maybe the Ministry of Labour needs to do some outreaches and job counselling to recruit small vendors into meaningful,

gainful employment. I am sure the labour market can absorb them into jobs with NIS and pension benefits later, which gives better job security and stable earnings.

NGOs can take on such a project.

From the vendors' perspective they are doing an “honest” living which is true, but that does not confer the right to violate city regulations and acting as bullies setting up shop in front of established businesses, sometimes just by their doors. Sounds like a form of bullyism. I noticed a vendor operating out of a vehicle has set up a copying business encroaching on the walkway in front of the GRA building. Council must remove these kinds of encroachments, not wait for others to do the same. We must also continue to remove abandoned vehicles along the roadways. There are several in front of Cummings Lodge school that need to be moved ASAP, and the authorities need to shut down that unsightly scrap metal operation just next to the school. Bring back order to Guyana!

Sincerely, M. Singh

Kaieteur News

PAGE 06

Thursday May 02, 2024

Govt. to spend $917M to construct four-lane road at Giftland Mall The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) an agency under the Ministry of Housing and Water is planning to construct a four-lane road in the vicinity of the Giftland

Mall, Turkeyen. According to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office, it was revealed at a recent opening of tenders that the construction of

Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) Construction of four lane road at Giftland Mall.

Extension of New Diamond Grove Primary, East Bank Demerara.

the roadway is estimated to cost $917,508,795. A total of five contractors have bid for the contract.

Below are the companies and their bids: Extension of Annadale Secondary School.

Bidder

Amount Tendered

Kawall Ramdeen Gen Construction & Office Furnishing

$75,012,550

4S Security & Building Enterprise

$73,055,320 $64,701,240

Bidder

Amount Tendered

Bidder

Amount Tendered

Dax Contracting Services Japarts Construction Inc.

$1,284,508,208 $848,690,462

Hoosein Logistics & Supplies Inc.

$55,800,000

Z&H Investment Inc.

$52,031,960

4S Security & Building Enterprise

$54,203,130

JJ Construction & General Building Enterprise

Kaiveri Procurement Logistics Investment Inc.

$57,601,320

FS Construction

$75,749,710

J&N Persaud Construction

$77,683,860

M&D Investments

$42,215,260

Vishal's Contracting Company

$69,379,400

VG Group Guyana Inc.

$68,749,650

Navin & Son's Construction

$67,993,690

Kawall Ramdeen General Construction Office Furnishing

$54,580,180

Memorex Enterprise

$83,508,335

Simcon Engineering Inc.

$63,473,300

Gryphon Engineering Inc.

$63,391,842

R Kissoon Contracting Service4

$90,787,150

Centaur Investments Inc.

$59,149,060

$75,200,000

Cimcon Engineering Inc.

$51,170,720

Safraz Construction Services & Supply

LS Contracting Service

$54,509,500

LS Contracting Service

$73,292,175

RS Builders Inc

$58,153,700

$64,110,390

Memorex Enterprise

$64,186,585

Ayani Haltan Construction Company

M Ali Contracting & Engineering Service

$53,493,620

Centaur Investment Inc

$84,172,760

Extreme General Construction & Supply

$56,221,000

VG Group Guyana Inc.

$88,381,500

R Kissoon Contracting

$73,077,020

M&D Investments

$70,900,690

Z&H Investment Inc.

$69,427,690

Tony's Construction

$53,172,875

Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works

$78,870,135

Rishma & Sister's Enterprise

$55,439,340

R&S Builders Inc.

$79,350,600

JJ Construction & General Electrical

$53,682,158

$75,122,980

Ayami Hattan Construction Co

$49,729,090

Kaiberi Procurement Logistics Investments Inc. Extreme Gen Construction & Supply

$73,702,300

Mohabir's Construction

$65,473,080

Ivor Allen KP Thomas & Sons Contracting Inc. S Jagmohan Construction & General Supplies Inc. Engineer’s Estimate

$1,072,722,105 $99,888,488 $1,134,383,460 $917,508,795

Ministry of Health Supply and Delivery & Installation of Medical Equipment.

Bidder Western Scientific Company Ltd Caribbean Medical Sups Inc. ABD Medicare Investment Inc. New GPC Inc. Bio Medical Enterprises of Trinidad &Tobago Ltd Meditron Inc.

Amount Tendered US$166,427 $8,556,500 $15,507,610 $61,536,745 $14,687,590 $11,009,243

Ministry of Education Extension of Diamond Primary School.

Bidder Tony's Construction

Amount Tendered $49,848,235

Vishal's Contracting Company 4S Security & Building Enterprise

$49,878,500 $53,704,330

Vishaul's Contracting Company

$52,385,800

MK Haniff Construction Service

$93,522,200

Memorex Enterprise Gryphon Engineering Inc

$59,906,955 $63,760,150

Navin & Sons Construction

$52,592,900

FS Construction

$54,530,500

K Haniff Construction Service

$120,379,550

MK Haniff Construction Services Noel Joe's Construction Services LS Contracting Services

$87,733,200 $47,386,790 $50,257,200

Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works

$58,397,485

Tony's Construction

$72,252,050

E n g in e e r ’ s E s t im a t e

$ 6 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0

Engineer’s Estimate

$80,000,000

Hoosein Logistics & Supplies Inc.

$51,850,000

GD's Construction & Supplies

$50,384,160

The “lean and clean” government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan...

RS Builders Inc

$55,889,300

Ayani Hattan Construction Co.

$47,616,390

Rishma & Sisters Enterprise

$53,938,862

Simcon Engineering Inc.

$49,155,020

Contaur Investment Inc.

$55,859,065

FS Construction

$51,887,070

Extreme Gen Construction & Supplies Superior Supplies & General Construction

$51,057,400

R Kissoon Contracting Service

$70,922,120

M Ali Contracting & Engineering Services Eron Lall Civil Engineering

$53,687,920

Kaiveri Pro Logistics & Investment Inc.

$54,604,020

Engineer’s Estimate

$56,250,000

$52,291,000

$55,807,030

From page 4 Naubat Persaud, their close friend was 37. When the next vacancy occured they decided to move along the list and brought in Fazel, at 36 and Naubat at 37.If this does not tell a story then what does?

That is not all. The counting of the votes and declaration is not transparent. They could very well place the ballots in front of the returning officer and call out the votes while two recording officers on both sides would record. Others could observe by standing behind and looking at the counting. In the end we would have four tally sheets.

But no.

The returning officer would take the ballots and divide them among a number of counters. The returning Officer would be selected by the leadership and would usually be a long standing PPPite. These individuals would count and prepare their tally sheets. One can understand under this modus it would be difficult to

observe the counting of votes. The number of tally sheets are then handed to the returning officer who enters them into the computer and then he produces one tally sheet of his making. No one can verify his sheet.

At the congress in Tain, the returning officer was announcing the results from the one spread sheet. I noticed when he reached my name he hesitated and looked back then repeated my name and announced how many votes I received.

Of course I did not have enough.

I approached him after and asked him to show me the tally sheet, but he refused. He got a big job after and this was the usual practice with returning officers.

WE, in the PPP although there is a lot of grumbling and dissatisfaction usually do not challenge in the interest of party unity. I would like to advise that the PPP lost power in 2015 because of deep rooted corruption. I criticized it and

I was terminated. I am not lying when I state that presidential Candidate in the 2011 elections stated that the corruption was deep rooted and he would root it out. This was a headline in the News Paper.

The major problem we have is that the leadership of the parties are in the leadership of the governments, so the party is instrumental in putting them there but incapable of holding them accountable.

The habit PPP delegates have is first to tick off the leaders and the ministers and then think of whom to vote for next. So, they are responsible for the perpetuation of the state of affairs where the Party has no control. In fact the leader uses the list system where he choses who are to be MPs and who are to be Ministers etc to ensure he controls people. If they are critical then no meat.

Congress is the only opportunity you have to control your government.

So, delegates are advised not

to elect those powerful figures in the government but to ensure the CC has seasoned members especially those who have maintained the Legacy of Dr. Jagan and who as a result are ideologically oriented in favour of the working people. We know who are the corrupt and power drunk. Do not cast your votes for them.

Put into place a CC that would hold the government accountable and one which calls upon Cheddi Jagan not in name only but one which would bring back his legacy of pro-working class and lean and clean.

The future of this country lies in your hands.

The selling out of Guyana's patrimony must cease. The corruption and selfaggrandizement of a few top leaders and cronies must be brought to a halt.

Long live Cde, Cheddi and Janet, Long live the working people.

Sincerely, Rajendra Bisessar BSc Sociology, DSc in Law

Thursday May 02, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Thursday May 02, 2024

Exxon eyes GYSBI, other private spaces to dump waste The Guyana Shorebase Inc (GYSBI), is being looked at as an alternative site for the dumping of its waste as it ramps up production in the Stabroek Block.

This comes at a time when the Haags Bosch Landfill is quickly running out of space to store refuse.

In the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the sixth oil project it was noted that at present the GYSBI site has already been identified as an emergency dumpsite should there be any problems affecting the operations at HBL. Environmental and Technical Solutions (ETS) and Sustainable Environmental Solutions Guyana, Inc. (SES), located at the GYSBI facility, are currently the primary providers of hazardous and nonhazardous waste treatment services in Guyana.

Both facilities employ a variety of waste treatment technologies (sorting/segregation of recyclables, physical/chemical/ thermal treatment of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes), discharge treated fluids as permitted to the Demerara River, and send treated nonhazardous solid waste as well as other wastes received (including

...Exxon’s 6th oil project study reveals general waste, paper/cardboard, and scrap wood) to the HBL. According to the Company, The GYSBI Annex Plot 4 site is located on the east side of East Bank Public Road, approximately one km southeast of the GYSBI entrance and encompasses an area of approximately 40,000 square meters and “this area could be used for the emergency storage of up to 1,000 tonnes (at a minimum) of treated nonhazardous waste pending the resumption of routine HBL operations.”

According to the EIA, at present all non-hazardous wastes managed at ETS and SES are currently stored at the respective facilities pending offsite transfer to the HBL for final disposal.

Waste is currently transported to the HBL once a complete truckload of waste has accumulated. However, both these facilities have very limited space available for nonhazardous waste storage.

“Therefore, any unplanned shutdown or operational challenges

at the HBL could disrupt operations.”

To this end, EMGL has developed a contingency option that identifies an additional location (GYSBI Annex Plot 4) that can be used for emergency storage of solid (no-free liquid) treated nonhazardous waste in the event of an unplanned shutdown or operational challenges at the HBL—meaning the landfill cannot accept wastes because of weather or other operational challenges. GYSBI currently operates a steel pipe warehouse, storage, and handling operation at its Annex location that involves the washing of virgin steel pipe prior to transfer to the wharf and loading onto the vessels for offshore transit.

It was acknowledged in that the viability of its operations depends on sufficient waste management infrastructure and as such in recognition of the potential future capacity constraints and impacts on non-Project users of this infrastructure, the Project has initiated a number of mitigation measures:

To this end it was noted that as warranted, based on anticipated future Exxon Mobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) hazardous waste generation trends and trends in nonEMGL hazardous waste generation, continue supporting the expansion of existing local waste management capacity for hazardous wastes, and explore use of new local hazardous waste treatment facilities, or identify suitable alternative solutions.

The company said too it would also continue monitoring of plans for further expansion of the HBL and/or (if approved by the EPA) construction of additional landfill sites in other locations (as decided by the government) or identify suitable alternative (interim) local solutions for non-hazardous waste management.”

Additionally, the EIA concedes that for those wastes transported onshore, there are a limited number of facilities for the treatment of hazardous and industrial waste in Guyana, although the construction and proposal of additional such facilities are growing commensurate

with the planned expansion of oil and gas activities.

The HBL is the only engineered sanitary landfill in Guyana and started operations in early 2011 and is the current destination for most municipal and commercial solid non-hazardous waste generated from the greater Georgetown area, including wastes generated from the 25-plus Neighbourhood Democratic Councils between Mahaica, the Seawall, Timehri, and Parika.

All non-hazardous solid wastes generated to date from EMGL’s projects have been disposed of at the HBL. The original disposal cell (Cell 1) is closed, and Cell 2 started operations in late March 2021. The remaining estimated life span of Cell 2 depends on how much the waste volumes received at the landfill increase with the expanded economic development expected in the Georgetown area over the next 5 years.

With this in mind, EMGL noted that planned Project activities could impact waste management infrastructure capacity for current users of Georgetown-based waste treatment facilities since “EMGL and other oil and gas Continued on page 18

32 more Laing Ave. households receive housing vouchers In a move to assist homeowners in upgrading their living standard, some 32 more households in Laing Av e n u e , G e o r g e t o w n , received vouchers valued $250,000 each Monday afternoon.

Each recipient also received an extra $100,000 to cover labour expenses. The vouchers were distributed by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, during a simple handing-over ceremony at St Pius Primary School, Cemetery Road, Georgetown.

Brimming with happiness was beneficiary Andrew Christian, who welcomed the voucher and stated that muchneeded repairs will be undertaken on his house. “I feel fantastic. I have been waiting on this project for quite some time…I will be doing the roof, bedroom walls, and the window frames. If possible, I will do some painting,” Christian told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Sharing similar sentiments was beneficiary Ron Johnson, whose house is in dire need of repairs, said he can now purchase the necessary building materials.

Johnson emphasised, “I am thankful for the little help that the government is giving us.”

Beneficiary Ann Braithwaite will be using her grant to execute repairs on the

72-year-old Brenda Hopkinson receives her voucher washroom, the door, and other necessary works. With this support, 72-year-old Brenda Hopkinson expressed that she is now able to fix her door and zinc sheets, as her house is in a deplorable condition.

“When rain falls, the whole place does flood out. I am glad that my place is getting this help which will go a long way. I am grateful for that since I am an elderly person,” she added.

Meanwhile, Minister Croal highlighted that this programme has seen an overall investment of over $31.5 million in vouchers to date. As such, 122 vouchers have been distributed to the residents since the programme commenced. A total of 211

households are eligible to benefit from the initiative when the verification process is completed. In January, the first batch of vouchers, valued at $250,000 each, were distributed to 60 residents from Laing Avenue.

Some 30 more residents received their vouchers in February. In July 2023, VicePresident, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo announced the $50 million house improvement programme for residents of Laing Avenue and Yarrow Dam. Minister Croal reiterated that government’s housing programme caters to ensure persons from all sections of society have access to affordable housing solutions. (DPI)

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

PAGE 09

The President and his statistics President Irfaan Ali has developed a penchant for heavily daubing his presentations – addresses and

impact of his message. It is far more effective to be concise and forceful in delivering key points rather

Sector Sugar ( tonnes) Bauxite (tonnes) Rice (tonnes) Gold (oz) Forestry ( total logs: cu. mt) discourses – with statistics.

He does this with such proclivity that he often ignores the utility of the use of statistics in presentations.

A Stabroek News editorial of August 19, 2003 had called attention to this tendency of the President. It noted, “… the President is a numbers man. Give him a statistic and he will tweak it for political ends. He can't help himself. The least the press can do is question where these statistics and all others come from and their accuracy…”

That editorial questioned some of the President's numbers on mortality rates in Guyana, accusing him of using partial data for 2023 for comparative purposes with other years. But that may have been an error on someone else's part.

However, when such errors repeat themselves it becomes a cause for concern.

And this brings us to the recent marathon statement issued by the President – lasting some 24 minutes – and addressed to the workers of Guyana.

As an aside, the President must exercise better control over the length of his presentations. Prolonged speeches risk alienating his audience.

By persisting with lengthy presentations, he runs the risk of losing their attention and diluting the

2014 216,192 1,563,563 635,238 387,508 406,432

than inundating listeners with long-winded discourse filled with unnecessary fluff and jumbled phrases. Brevity will ensure that his message remains engaging and impactful, maintaining the audience's interest and maximizing the effectiveness of his communication.

In his extended statement, the President said, “In 2020, when the PPP Civic government assumed office, we inherited a broken economy where all the major sectors reported significant decline in output.”

He then went to point out financial losses in the sugar, forestry and bauxite sector.

But financial losses are far different from saying that 'all' of the major sectors reported a significant decline in output. In fact, there was never a year between 2015 and 2020, under the APNU+AFC where the economy did not grow.

The PPPC in 2014 left an economy that was tottering.

Growth of GDP in 2014 was a mere 1.7% and declined to o.7% in 2015 when the APNU+AFC ousted the PPPC from office.

Growth in 2016 was 3.8%; in 2017 it was 3.7%; in 2018 it was 4.4% and in 2019, the last full year of the APNU+AFC government, growth was 5.4%. These numbers do not suggest a 'broken' economy.

The following table

shows the output in production in the main sectors; namely sugar, bauxite, rice and forestry:

2019 92,232 1,919,747 682,081 641,828 277,739 Output: Guyana's economy: 2014 vs 2019 As is evident, the only two main economic sectors which declined in output were sugar and forestry. All the other major economic sectors (bauxite, rice, and gold) registered superior output under the APNU+AFC government.

Irfaan Ali therefore does not have a strong empirical basis to argue that the PPPC inherited an economy in 2020 with declining output in all major sectors.

The APNU+AFC put the PPPC government to shame in terms of output in gold, and rice and to some extent bauxite. But by the time the APNU+AFC assumed office in 2o15, sugar was on its deathbed, due in no small measure to the drain on the industry's cash flow because of the costs of the new Skeldon Sugar Factory.

The forestry sector declined on account of the fallout between the APNU+AFC and a major Chinese forestry firm.

Observers believed had that company still been operating in Guyana, Guyana's forests would have been under greater threat.

It is therefore disingenuous for Irfaan Ali to suggest that the PPPC inherited an economy in decline. The Irfaan Ali government inherited an economy in which oil

DEM BOYS SEH

Guyana gat nuff con-tractor Lang ago, we used to have 'contractors' and 'con-tractors'. De fuss set used to build things. De second set does fool you into believing dem know to build.

With a regular contractor, yuh stand a chance of getting yuh job complete, never mind it over budget and late. But with a contractor, de wuk does finish even before it start. One day a carpenter was nailing a fence. He went to one of dem con-tractors and says, "Boss, I have a problem. I just opened this packet of nails and all the heads are on the wrong end."

"Idiot!" yells the con-tractor. "Those nails are for the other side of the fence!"

But Guyanese con-tractors are de best.

One time a company advertises for tenders fuh build a bridge. It received three bids, one from a Chinese contractor, de next from an America contractor, and de third from a Guyanese contractor. De Chinese contractor ask fuh $10M to build de bridge. De American contractor ask fuh $20M. De lowest bid was from de Guyanese con-tractor. He wanted $30M De company manager called in de Guyanese and asked him why his bid was so high at $30M. De Guyanese contractor replied,”$10M for me, $10M for you and we gan hire the Chinese contractor to do de wuk.”

He got the job. But de odder two bidders sent a protest to de PPC. Dem hoping to get an answer by de turn of de century.

Talk half. Leff half.

production had just commenced; and it must therefore not blame the APNU+AFC for failing to pay workers better.

In a subsequent column, I will expose the flaws in some of the other statistical metrics used by Ali in his address to workers.

This will reveal much of the hollowness of his arguments.

Ali should be reminded that while statistics can be a powerful tool for bolstering

arguments, his approach seems more focused on quantity over quality.

By indiscriminately throwing numbers into the fray, Ali undermines the credibility of his arguments and risks misleading his audience.

Rather than using statistics as a crutch, he should employ them judiciously, ensuring that they are relevant, accurate, and properly contextualized.

This approach would

enhance the persuasiveness of his arguments.

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

Kaieteur News

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Thursday May 02, 2024

Customs declaration on steroids: Statia’s back ripe for the sack I am glad that there is a Ramps Logistics and an Exxon in Guyana.

Though it is painful, their presence helps to breakup the routine drudgeries of the PPP Government, the rants of its two headmen aka headhunters, and the delirious ecstasies of the surrounding cast of thousands. I am still to decide that if Guyana was a true oil story captured in motion picture form, whether it would be a horror thriller or a Gothic tragedy.

Get a load of this fellow Guyanese. An audit of Exxon’s expenses went from US$214M to US$3M, just like that, and nothing happens. One poor fellow who was a willing lamb that went without a bleat to his unjust desserts. The comedy about his punishment was that it was no punishment at all, and a running joke for the perp at whose doorstep the US$107M giveaway was placed, as well as all those in

the vicinity of the charade.

We have become a land of actors, with one academy awardwinning performance after another.

Justice is served. It was the first full length screenplay of the still developing Guyana’s oil novel. It promises to be an encyclopedia and a thriller of a read.

The latest chapter is this one ensnaring Ramps Logistics, Inc., a CARICOM business brother, and Exxon, Guyana’s American partner. If I had my choice of partner, I would settle for Sammy “the Bull” Gravano, or John Gotti.

In this still unfinished chapter involving a pumped up, blown up, souped up, and revved up, customs declaration, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) looks like the hero.

But, given that this is Guyana, the darling GRA could still be made into the overwrought villain. I

GTU President questions Govt. swiftness to respond to sugar workers one-day strike action Teachers from across the country participated in the annual Labour Day march on Wednesday, advocating for fairness and better treatment from the Government of Guyana (GoG).

Mark Lyte, President of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU), in his address during the postmarch programme at the unions’

Mark Lyte, President of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) headquarter in Georgetown, emphasised the importance of treating educators with respect.

Lyte highlighted the injustice teachers faced for participating in the 29-days strike action, and drew comparison to the treatment teachers received, versus a recent strike action, by Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) workers.

The GTU President said, “I’m wondering whether the striking GUYSUCO workers from the Canje, Rose Hall Estate if their matter was settled, I saw them for a few hours and I haven’t seen them again. How many days did you see us for. These guys came out and say we not working and they nah going back there, and that’s the last bit of word we heard from them, I believe if the matter was unsettled they would have been outside again…”

On February 5, teachers from across the country took to the streets to protest for better wages and salaries. This action went on for almost a month and resulted in a court battle between the Union and the government. In response to the GTU’s industrial action government had announced that teachers who participate in the strike action – salaries will be d e d u c t e d . H o w e v e r, G T U challenged the government’s decision in court and on April 19, 2024, High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon ruled in favour of the teachers, affirming the legality of the strike and prohibiting the government from implementing salary deductions.

On the other hand, the GTU President highlighted that on Monday sugar workers from the Rose Hall Estate downed their tools and picked up placards to protest after they were denied paid leave. Kaieteur News had reported that the sugar workers contended Continued on page 18

wonder where this features in the policy man’s makeup. I now cut to the gunfight, something that the man from the Alamo, Marshall Alistair Routledge, should identify with well.

On the dark side in the black hat stands Ramp Logistics. On the other end of the sunbaked, dusty street, there waits a riled-up, Exxon pretending to have on a white hat (painted over).Don’t look at Exxon. Don’t dare to try to stick this US$12.1B to Exxon. There is the real bad guy over there, Ramps Logistics. Man, these are the days when I long for the warren that is Wa l l S t r e e t i n d o w n t o w n Manhattan.

It is no big deal for something like this to happen, since these, ah, slips happened all the time. Stuff happens, and that is why there are fans that have to spring in extra duty and clear the stain and stench away. The reminders, the mantras, the commandments, no matter how differently they are framed and expounded, all come back to the same place: don’t let any such escapades (no matter how they are part of the ingrained routines) ever get into the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times.

Keep the damned dirty laundry in the house and among family and friends. That’s what friends are for, just such contingencies when they get out of the bag. It is do or die.

With this fiasco now making the rounds, and generating tsunami-

like waves, in Stabroek News and Kaieteur News, those who didn’t do well have to die.

They don’t hang people anymore, those who get caught with standard practices that mushroom into handwringing blunders when they wend their way into the public domain. But they do die a quick, bloodless corporate death. Kaput! Off with their heads, the foolish four-flushers and dice players, who committed the cardinal sin of doing what gets the company’s name plastered all over the paper. Wall Street firms would take the hard multimillion dollar hit, swallow their financial pain.

But just keep things contained. By God! Just don’t let any whisper, not a hint, get into the news.

If this was Wall Street, a specialty-chartered plane would be sent here to airlift the Exxon people near this paper perversity submitted to the GRA back to Spring, Texas, and then from there to make their way into the badlands of America’s still Wild West. I shouldn’t have to say it, but there would be a stopover in Port-ofSpain to dump off the Ramps Logistics worthies whose fingers twitched, or eyesight was too good for their own good.

People would have been fired unceremoniously, including any commanding managing director, since the embarrassment occurred under his watch. To be clear: Guyana is not Wall Street, for here

the errant live happily ever after, and even get to laff in the face of Guyanese in their distress. This place is the joke of the century: the Three Stooges, Bud and Lou, Eddie Murphy and Richie Pryor, all rolled into one big show. Hear me out on this one: nothing is going to come out of this. Not one damn, blasted, bloody thing.

But there is something that I am concerned about: the staying power of the GRA man in charge: Godfrey Statia. This guy is a problem. A thorn that is causing too many troubles. An officer of the State who doesn’t know that there are times to look the other way. Look at all the ministers in the PPP Government. It is why they are still where they are. Look away, learn some more, live to last another day.

One customs declaration for fingers-full of millions miraculously mutating into the magnificence of US$12.1B. It is my belief that Mr. Statia is seeing too much, pushing too hard. Like that other genuine Guyanese Dr. Vincent Adams, he had better pack his bags: his back is right for the sack. He is a block to Texas-style business. This is why I love Guyana; why I love the PPP and Exxon more.

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

Seven firms bid to supply barge for power ship Seven firms have expressed interest supplying a barge to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. to transport and store heavy fuel oil (HFO) from Kingston / Vreed-en-Hoop to Everton, Berbice.

This is according to information revealed during the opening of tenders on Tuesday at the National P r o c u r e m e n t a n d Te n d e r Administration Board (NPTAB) office. The seven bidders are FCD Maritime Management Inc.; Horizon Maritime Consultancy & Investment Inc.; Atlas Caribbean Inc.; Posterity Investments; Apan Energy Services Inc.; ETS Trading & Shipping in joint venture with Blue Horizon Nautical Brokerage, Offshore Solutions Trinidad, JEL Business Solutions Trinidad; and Trader Tanker SA (based in Panama).

The power company last week advertised for the rental of a barge in preparation for the power ship which arrived in the country on We d n e s d a y. G P L i n i t s advertisement had mentioned that it is in the process of expanding its

generating capacity and the need has arisen for a barge with the capacity to transfer and store between 8,000 and 35,000 barrels of HFO to be transported from Kingston to Everton.

The company noted that the barge will be primarily stationed at Everton. The requirements for the barge include capability of transporting and storing heavy fuel, oil (HFO) in a safe manner.

The barge must have among other things, capacity to store between 8,000 to 35,000 barrels of heavy fuel oil.

The barge must also have the capability of mooring and transiting between GPL’s Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop ports. The barge must be self-propelled. It must hold the capability of performing ship-to-ship transfer /loading of heavy fuel oil. The barge must be available to be leased on a continuous basis for a minimum period of one year to a maximum period of two years. It must have a valid barge registration/licence and be double hulled, GPL stated.

With regard to the power ship, Kaieteur News had reported that GPL signed a contract with Urbacon Concessions Investments, W.L.L (UCI) on April 13 to charter the vessel with a total installed capacity of 36 Megawatts (MWs) for a period of two years.

The contract inked with UCI, a subsidiary of UCC Holdings, a company incorporated in the State of Qatar. UCC Holdings has a strategic alliance with Karpowership International, a Turkish company.

This publication reported also that the utility company in a public missive stated, “the contract requires GPL to pay UCI a fee of 6.62 US cents per kWh as a monthly charter fee for the powership and a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh, based on electricity generated.” According to GPL, the power ship is expected to operate at 96 percent availability. It will be located at Everton, Berbice and will be interconnected with GPL’s Grid at 69 kV.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

Karpowership in Guyana’s waters

PAGE 11

Powership sails into Guyana - as GPL still fixing site, finalizing rental of barge

T h e Tu r k i s h P o w e r s h i p contracted by the government to supply Guyana with some 36 megawatts of electricity for two years, arrived on Wednesday.

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) posted the news about the vessel’s arrival on its Facebook page without any additional details.

Karpowership will be station at Everton, Berbice, Region Six and will be interconnected with GPL’s Grid at 69 kV and is expected to start delivering electricity to the country by May 8, 2024.

A contract for the ship was signed between the GPL Inc. and UCI, a subsidiary of UCC Holdings, a company incorporated in the State of Qatar. UCC Holdings has a strategic alliance with Karpowership International, a Turkish company. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali had told reporters that contracting ship for a two year is feasible to end Guyana’s blackout crisis for now until the US$2 billion and counting Gas-to-Energy project comes on stream but to date Guyana remains in the dark over the true cost for electricity from the vessel.

Guyana had to pay a mobilization fee of US$1M to get the ship here and the contract,

according to GPL, includes the provision of operation and maintenance services as part of the agreement. According to the utility company in a public missive yesterday, “the contract requires GPL to pay UCI a fee of 6.62 US cents per kWh as a monthly charter fee for the powership and a monthly operation and maintenance fee of 0.98 US cents per kWh, based on electricity generated.”

A 36MW capacity plant is expected to generate some 315,360,000-kilowatt hours per year, which would mean an annual bill $2,087,683,200. This in addition to the 0.98 US cents maintenance fee, will add an additional US$309,052,800, or cumulatively US$2,396,736,000.

This price however excludes fuel because based on the agreement signed Guyana will have to supply that too. Member of Parliament David Patterson had claimed that based on his calculations it will end up costing Guyana someUS$0.30 cents per Kilowatt Hour.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in response has accused Patterson of misleading the nation on the cost that will be accrued for the

rental of the Turkish power ship.

Notwithstanding Patterson’s calculations, Jagdeo did not provide a detailed account of what the country is really paying for the service, leaving Guyanese in the dark over the true cost. Jagdeo was at the time addressing reporters at his weekly press conference on Thursday. “I just said that the fuel is US13 to US14 Cents per kilowatt hour (to supply the fuel) if you add to that the 7.6 cents per kilowatt hour, you are coming around to 21 or 22 cents per kilowatt hour which it costs to generate elsewhere too not 55 cents per kilowatt hour,” Jagdeo said. At a previous pressconference Jagdeo was pressed to provide the amount of money Guyana will be paying for the electricity from Karpowership International. Instead of giving a definitive answer, he said that it will cost the country nearly US$0.30 cents per Kilowatt Hour.

SITE PREPARATION Meanwhile, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that significant site preparation work is currently underway in Everton, East Bank Berbice, Region Six for the operations of the ship. Zone Manager of the GPL

GPL workers at the Everton, East Bank Berbice site

Berbice location, Ravindra Jagnandan, visited the site on Tuesday to oversee ongoing preparatory works. In a recent televised interview, Jagnandan explained that major land clearing and installation of utility poles are in progress. “Firstly, what we are doing now to accommodate the ship, is land-clearing and vegetation management. We also have to build a network to connect

Sugar workers end protest as management agrees to pay them on Friday

Scenes from Monday’s strike.

Sugar workers attached to the Rose Hall Estate have ended their protest as the management of the estate has promised to meet the initial promises made to the workers

by Friday. This was confirmed by Aditya Singh

who was one of the many workers that spoke to this publication on Monday. This publication previously reported that on Monday sugar workers at the Rose Hall Estate downed their tools and picked up placards in protest after they

were denied paid leave.

The workers had reached out to the Kaieteur News to vent their frustration about the situation. The protest had taken place in front of the estate’s compound.

the power barge to our network at GPL. “The ship will be dispatching 69,000 kilovolts and so we have to construct a new transmission line for us to connect and dispatch power from the ship to our grid,” he elaborated. Currently, the GPL Berbice team is preparing to set up the transmission lines at Everton.

Jagnandan further explained that to access electricity from the power ship to the DemeraraBerbice Interconnected System (DBIS), they will tap into GPL’s existing L21 transmission line.

“Having the electricity at that voltage level (69,000 kilovolts), then we will be able to access power from the ship at our various load centres across Berbice and Demerara,” the manager noted.

He emphasised that the team is working diligently to complete the preparations and conclude the network construction and maintenance on the lines as early as possible before the ship’s arrival. Jagnandan highlighted that the country is currently experiencing frequent power outages due to a deficit between GPL’s generating capacity and the country’s growing electrical demand. Therefore, the arrival of this ship will form the basis of a proactive approach by the government to help minimize current disruptions.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Thursday May 02, 2024

Members of the Guyana Teachers Union

Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union marching in the streets of Georgetown

Labour Day Scenes

Starting point of the Labour Day march

Members of the General Workers’ Union exhibiting their union’s sign

General Workers’ Unions marching and singing

Members of the Guyana Trades Union Congress display their placards during the march

Members of the General Workers’ Union declared: “In unity there is strength.”

Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers’ Union during the Labour Day celebrations

Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers on Wednesday during the march holding up their union’s sign

Members of the Guyana Public Service Union in the parade

President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Dr. Mark Lyte during the Labour Day celebrations Workers attached to the Guyana Local Government Officers’ Union were represented

Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union marching on Labour Day

Thursday May 02, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

Supporters, at the May Day Rally – GTU Headquarters

Workers demand fair share of the “oil wealth” – GTU President says oil belongs to all Guyanese With oil production ramping up offshore Guyana, President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mark Lyte has made a call for workers to “get a fair share” from the country’s burgeoning oil industry.

The workers on Wednesday called attention to their plight with low wages and poor working conditions. They also used the Labour Day march and rally to urge better management of the country’s oil resources, with calls by union leaders for full protection from an oil spill and other concerns.

In Guyana, Labour Day celebrations began during the 1930s under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow and his British Guiana Labour Union (BGLU). Notably, Labour Day was announced a national holiday on May 1, 1958 by then Minister of Labour Janet Jangan. As such, workers in Guyana have celebrated the holiday by marching in the streets throughout the districts, along with rallies addressed mainly by union leaders and others. On Wednesday workers braved the scorching sun to participate in their annual march.

The procession kicked off at Parade Ground, Middle and Carmichael Street, around 8:30hrs, with workers marching under the theme: “Galvanizing and mobilizing for workers empowerment and equal share of oil wealth.”

Some 11 unions participated in the Labour Day celebrations.

These were: Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU); Guyana Trades Union Congress(GTUC); Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU); Guyana Post and Telecommunication Workers Union (GPTWU); General Workers Union( GWU); Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (UAAW); Guyana Market Vendors Union (GMVU); Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GBGWU); Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU); Clerical and Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU) and Guyana Labour Union (GLU).

During the parade and march this publication observed several participants holding up placards bringing attention to several issues affecting this country. Among the placards were: “We demand full liability coverage from the ExxonMobil in case of an oil spill.” Another one stated, “Oil Continued on page 18

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Thursday May 02, 2024

Guyanese rally against slaughter of Palestians by Israel

Seven-year-old, Daniyal Dmitriyev sharing his Poem at the Labour Day Rally on Wednesday Guyanese on Wednesday gathered at the Square of the Revolution for a Labour Day Rally calling for an end to the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinian workers by Israeli forces.

The rally featured speakers such as former President of Guyana Donald Ramotar, Columnist Freddie Kissoon and Haji Dr. Roshan Khan. They spoke of the atrocities and genocide occurring in Palestine, especially in Gaza and called for it to end.

The rally was themed ‘Stop Targeting Gaza’s Essential Workers’ in light of the significance of Labour Day in Guyana.

However, one of the stories that gripped the hearts of those who attended the rally was that of a seven-year-old boy, Daniyal Dmitriyev who wants to fly jets into the war zone to rescue Palestinian children and their parents from the Israeli killers. His mother said that she would tell him it’s dangerous and cannot be done so easily. She would jokingly ask him what he would do if Israeli forces stopped him. “He would tell me that he would fight them off”.

Driven by his passion and concern for the Palestinians being killed daily he shared a poem with the audience. He said, “I am sorry

Gaza, I am sorry Palestine, I am sorry that we cannot stop the falling missiles. I am sorry that we cannot save your children, I wish that we can make them un-see their horrors, I am sorry that we cannot be there with you to help heal your wounds and keep them warm.

Believe when I say, we would if we could and I am sorry that it took Genocide for the world to wake for the masses [suffering in Palestine].

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said around 10,300 workers had entered Israel before Oct. 7, 2023. “Some 3,200 workers were released by Israel at the Kerem Shalom crossing in

November, while 6,441 others had left for the West Bank,” the statement read. “Around 1,000 workers remain missing,” the NGO said, adding that Israel refuses to disclose any information about the fate of these missing workers.

Israeli human rights group (HaMoked) said on Wednesday that some 9,088 Palestinian detainees are held in Israeli jails.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7, which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly

Scenes at Wednesdays Labour Day Rally for a Free Palestine.

women and children, and thousands injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities. More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN. Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

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Thursday May 02, 2024

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NYC police arrest 300 as university Gaza protests rage on ( A L J A Z E E R A ) Demonstrations against Israel's war on Gaza have continued to rage at universities across the United States, in a night capped by mass arrests in New York and an attack by counter-protesters in California.

In New York, the NYPD said it had arrested 282 people at Columbia University and the City College of New York into Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

That came as police cleared students who had occupied Columbia University Hamilton Hall since April 30.

The building had been dubbed building “Mandela Hall” when students took similar action in support of South African liberation in 1985. This time around, protesters named the building “Hind's Hall” in honour of six-yearold Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside her family by Israeli forces in Gaza. Columbia University student journalist Meghnad Bose told Al Jazeera he was inside the university gates when he witnessed the police “arresting pro-Palestinian protesters who had lined up right [in front of] the gates to prevent the NYPD from coming in”. “I saw firsthand how the police dispersed those protests, arrested them and sometimes got pretty aggressive in making sure the protesters went away,” he said. In a post on X, Kaz D a u g h t r y, t h e d e p u t y commissioner of operations at the New York Police Department

(NYPD), said that Columbia University had requested the police to help “take back. He said the police were “dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings and restoring order”.

Meanwhile, at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), pro-Israel counter-protesters sought to tear down a pro-Palestine encampment, with witnesses saying the assailants threw objects at those taking part in the demonstration. Sergio Olmos, an investigative journalist reporting from the UCLA campus, told Al Jazeera that he witnessed several hundred counterprotesters as they tried to tear down walls set up by the pro-Palestine encampment.

He described counter protesters trying to hit the pro-Palestine protesters with sticks and in some cases throwing glass bottles.

Witnesses said the incident went on for about two hours. In a post on X, the Los Angeles Police Department said it had responded to the scene “at the request of UCLA, due to multiple acts of violence within the large encampment on their campus”. Reporting from Los Angeles, Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds said despite the violence “the encampment is still there, and the student protesters, despite this attack, have stood their ground.

They haven't fled”. “This has happened before, although on a smaller scale; for example, over the weekend, particularly on Sunday

night, the camp was attacked in a similar fashion,” he said.

Ongoing protests Protests have been common across US campuses since the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, and throughout the nearly eight-month Israeli war in Gaza, which has killed 34,568 Palestinians and left the enclave on the brink of famine.

However, the latest surge in demonstrations began nearly two weeks ago amid outrage over Columbia University President Minouche Shafik's testimony to a US congressional committee, in which critics alleged she kowtowed to lawmakers while sidelining students at the university. Among an array of demands, several protest movements have called for their schools to divest from Israel or weapons manufacturers related to the war. They have accused administrators across the country of weaponising public safety and disingenuous claims of “antisemitism” to crack down on protests. The most recent bout of arrests also included at 14 protesters at Tulane University in New Orleans, as well as arrests at the University of South Florida and University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The protests have resonated far beyond US borders.

On Wednesday, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, said she was “horrified by the violent actions of

Govt. invests $22.8M in water distribution network at Potarinau Potarinau Village in South Rupununi, Region Nine, continues to benefit from government interventions aimed at improving access to potable water for hundreds of residents.During a recent two-day outreach to the region over the weekend, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues handed over a $22.8 million contract to the Village Council to execute works on the water distribution network and elevated storage to achieve 100 per cent coverage.

Speaking at an engagement at the village benab, Minister Rodrigues assured that efforts will continue to ensure all communities are reached by 2025, prioritising equitable access to basic services like water, especially in hinterland regions. Initially, only 60 per cent of the Potarinau Village had access to potable water through a drilled well and PV (Photovoltaic) system.

However, increased water levels prompted the drilling of a new $12 million well, undertaken

by R. Kissoon Construction, to serve an additional cluster of 30 households. According to Minister Rodrigues, these interventions also aim to mitigate the challenges

Pro-Israel counter-protesters try to remove barricades at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). [David Swanson/Reuters] police at US universities smashing protests against an ongoing genocide perpetrated by a foreign country”. In a post on X, she said: “such a dystopian reality. May students and faculty members be safe. May the genocide end. May justice and reason prevail.” But the White House appeared to back the crackdown on the protesters on We d n e s d a y, l i n k i n g t h e demonstrations to anti-Semitism.

“They should not be able to disturb or disrupt the academic experience that students have,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “It is important that students and communities feel safe here. And at the same time, we are going to be really forceful here and continue to underscore how anti-Semitism is hateful speech.” Asked about proIsrael protesters' attack on the student encampment at UCLA, Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the specifics. She said the White House rejects all forms of violence

“broadly”.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass called the UCLA violence “absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable”. For his part, New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the police crackdown, claiming the protest at Columbia was “led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university”, a claim the police have yet to back up. “There is a movement to radicalise young people. And I'm not going to wait until it is done to acknowledge the existence of it,” Adams said. Meanwhile, the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) group condemned both the NYPD and Columbia University's actions.

Stefanie Fox, the group's executive director said, the school was on the wrong side of history once again as it was “in its oppression of the student anti-war movement of 1968, and wrong again in its oppression of the student movement against South African apartheid in 1985”.

Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Susan Rodrigues capturing water for an existing water system in Potarinau

posed by prolonged dry periods and have shown significant progress.

She highlighted the identification of an additional cluster in the village, assuring that the area will be addressed promptly to provide water access to its residents.

Minister Rodrigues reminded the residents that when the government took office in 2020, only 46 per cent of villages had access to potable water.However, with ambitious targets set by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana aims to achieve the United Nation's (UN's) Sustainable Development Goal Six – access to water and sanitation for all by 2030, with significant progress already made to reach it by 2025.

Over the past three years, some $3.5 billion has been invested in the hinterland water programme,

resulting in the drilling of 75 new wells. This year, an additional 1.5 billion will fund the drilling of 40 more wells. Additionally, the minister disclosed that “The government of Guyana is committed to investing in Climate Resilient Infrastructure and other measures to counter the impacts of climate change.”

She also commissioned expanded water systems that will benefit approximately 2,000 households in Karaudarnau, Awarewaunau, and Rupunau, while a $23.8M contract was handed over to the Aishalton Village Council for a water distribution system.

Minister Rodrigues was joined by Director of Hinterland Services at Guyana Water Inc., Ramchand Jailal, as well as other technical officers. (DPI)

Body washed up at Hope Beach identified as missing elderly man The body which washed up on Hope Beach on Sunday was identified on Tuesday as that of a Michael Bacchus, 74 of Houston, East Bank Demerara.

According to police reports the elderly man was missing since April 16th 2024.

Police said, on Tuesday, a male, went to Cove and John Police Station, claiming that his father-inlaw Michael Bacchus had gone missing since April 16, 2024.''

There were missing person reports filed at Brickdam and Albertown Police Stations, respectively, by the relatives.

As a result of these the man was

accompanied by ranks of the Force to the Memorial Gardens Mortuary, where he identified the body to be that of his father in law by his dentures and clothing.

The man claimed that the deceased was a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital and he suffered from dementia. A postmortem examination is scheduled for May 03, 2024. This publication previously reported that the decomposing body of a man was on Sunday found by a Mangrove Ranger at Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara. Police said that the discovery was made around 11:30 hrs.

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6th oil project…

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Thursday May 02, 2024

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Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

Workers demand fair share of the “oil wealth”

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From page 13 spill does kill.” Additionally one of the placards questioned, “Who will pay the cleanup cost in case of disaster? Guyanese tax payers??”Moving forward, in relation to better wages for public servants, some of the placards highlighted: “Teachers are our children’s educator/ caregiver, invest is caring.” Another highlighted, “Domestic workers, say ‘NO’ to discrimination, ‘YES’ to decent work and decent pay.” “End exploitation against domestic workers now,” and “Domestic workers are real workers.”

Addressing workers at a rally held at the GTU Ground, Lyte underscored that the country’s wealth does not belong to only a select group. “The wealth of this country belongs to every Guyanese. Why treat us as third and second class

citizens…we deserve a just piece of the pie, we must remind ourselves of our immense contribution,” he added.Lyte outlined the vital role public servants play empowering the economy. “In spite of our dedication and hard work there are glaring inequalities that persist, this is unacceptable. Every worker, every employee of the state deserves dignity, safety and a fair share of the wealth…”

Lyte said. Moreover, he emphasised that Guyanese must raise awareness among themselves and fight against social injustices. He remarked that the Unions have seen it fit to rally for more for workers, particularly from monies earned for the oil resources.

“Our country is well positioned with adequate available resources to offer workers more than any other time in our history to offer workers a better package…yet we

are told by the government that there is no space in the budget to pay us a livable wage,” Lyte stated.

The GTU President asserted that the presence of the workers at yesterday’s rally is an indication that they intend to move forward, not only on Labour Day, but whenever there is social injustice. “We have to take a stand,” he noted.

This statement prompted applause from workers present who were in agreement. Lyte called on workers to stand together and work towards the vision of an equitable and impartial society, in which Guyanese can all benefit. He concluded that in order for public servants to take a step forward, “we must engage in dialogue, advocacy, and collective bargaining to bring about meaningful change…”

(See more photos on page 12)

Exxon eyes GYSBI, other private spaces to...

From page 8 operators are the primary users of hazardous waste management facilities. Since 2019, there has been a substantial expansion of third-party commercial hazardous waste handling, storage, and treatment facilities in Georgetown.”

The general Georgetown community inclusive of all residential and non-residential users is the primary user for non-hazardous waste landfills. According to EMGL, in addition to ETS and SES, several other private waste management facilities have come online or are expected to come online in the near-term for hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment.

These include the following Eternity Investment Inc.,

(EII)—a scrap metal consolidation and exporting facility that also accepts and manages lead acid batteries and electronic waste. The main scrap yard for the facility is located in a sparsely developed area of Madewini near the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

The company receives non-ferrous (including lead acid batteries), ferrous, and electronic waste scrap, and then sorts and consolidates these materials.

EII receives scrap metal from throughout Guyana.Additionally, the EIA noted that Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal is a scrap metal consolidation and exporting facility and is autho-

rized by the EPA to manage scrap metal.

This in addition to Oilfield Waste Management Services (OWMS) submitted a permit application to the EPA in 2020 for the construction of a 5,000 square meters drilling waste processing plant in the Little Diamond East Bank Demerara area located approximately 5 kilometers south of GYSBI. OWMS will, EMGL said will employ thermal desorption separator technology to treat drilling muds. Oil and water recovered from the process are proposed to be recycled in the formulation of new drilling muds, and the solids are proposed to be used in the bitumen manufacturing process or sent to the HBL.

GTU President questions...

From page 10 that GUYSUCO had agreed to provide paid leave after two weeks once the crop finished. However, after four weeks, workers had not received their entitlements, prompting the strike.

While the protest occurred on Monday, there have been no further reports of its continuation.

In response to the one-day strike action, Lyte said also, “…So I can infer without the requisite evidence that something went on behind the scenes.” He continued, “It looks very suspicious.” Moreover, Lyte expressed concern that deTO LET spite the court ruling, no progress has been made in addressing teachers’ concerns. He reiterated the GTU’s dedication to To let one bedroom apartment. fighting for better working conditions for educators and imPlease call : 612-8305 proved wages and salaries.

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President Ali leads call of Regional Leader for renegotiation of CPL contract CARICOM leaders and cricket stakeholders are advocating for the renegotiation of contractual arrangements between Cricket West Indies (CWI) and organizers of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

These calls arose during the recent CARICOM cricket Symposium held in Trinidad and Tobago, attended by President Irfaan Ali, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Junior, and officials from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).

The current CPL contract spans 50 years, with the tournament set to embark on its 12th edition this summer, leaving 38 years remaining

on the agreement.

Discussions during the Symposium hinted at the potential for increased financial benefits once the current contract undergoes revision and renegotiation.

According to CPL boss Pete Russell, who is also a member of the CPL Management team, while the tournament has disbursed over US$27.7 million to its players over an 11-year period, it has amassed cumulative losses of approximately US$40 million.

He further stated that CWI has received roughly close to US$17 million in sanction fees over the same 12-year span, positioning

CPL as CWI's largest domestic commercial partner.

Russell emphasized that the 5-week-long tournament incurs an annual cost of US$25 million to operate, with CWI bearing no risks or costs as the Franchises cover all expenses.

He highlighted that this arrangement places no financial strain or burdens on the territorial boards or CWI. However, West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd raised questions at the Symposium regarding the necessity of signing a 50-year contract.

He expressed bewilderment about what a board would negotiate for such a prolonged deal.

Wednesday May 02, 2024 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19 You might have questions about the satisfaction you feel about your personal life, Aries. It's possible you have more demands than ever.

Things seem so urgent to you now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You might be upset by certain financial matters today, Libra. Either you realize just how much you've been spending lately or you see that things will be tight in the months ahead.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today is excellent for just letting your intuition guide you, Taurus. If you have time, you might want to let your mind go and follow the train of thought wherever it takes you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Just for today, Scorpio, ignore your habit of always trying to find an explanation for everything. Something is changing inside you and in the way you react to situations.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today is the kind of day when all you want to do is think about a vacation. You're usually such a responsible, conscientious worker that you can afford to escape for just a few minutes. .CANCER (June 21–July 22) You are an excellent friend, and you take pride in helping the people around you. Have you ever thought about getting involved in a humanitarian cause.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) The planets want to make a deal with you today, Sagittarius.

Either you stay in bed fantasizing about life as a CEO or rock star or you get up, get dressed, and do what you have to do to make your dreams come true.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Your natural compassion may have led you to choose a profession in which healing or helping other people is your primary duty.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You have a rather strange day in front of you, Virgo. The celestial atmosphere could be playing tricks on you. You might get aggravated for no reason at all

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It's possible you could meet someone today who will act as a kind of Pygmalion for y o u . Yo u n e e d t o b e surrounded and encouraged by people who believe in you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You are particularly inspired by and sensitive to crisis situations. What that means is that you can't stand to see other people suffer.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Days like today push you to act in the areas of your life where you may have hesitated before. Does your love life need a breath of fresh air?

Sir Lloyd suggested that renegotiating the contract could provide the West Indies with more leverage, particularly regarding player compensation, potentially attracting more Windies players to participate in the tournament.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley demanded to see the actual contract, arguing that it is "Unequally yoked" and should not be binding for 50 years.

President Ali highlighted the need to reassess the state of West Indies cricket, noting its decline compared to its illustrious past.

He commended the CPL for its contribution to the development of West Indies

cricket and its players, stressing the importance of leveraging and expanding upon this opportunity to propel West Indies cricket into its finest era of franchise cricket.

In outlining his strategies for the ongoing advancement of West Indies cricket during the Symposium, President Ali proposed the establishment of a Regional T20 tournament, akin to the now-defunct Champions League T20 Tournament.

He believes such an initiative could address not only the challenges faced by the CPL but also other issues plaguing the cricket landscape.

President Ali disclosed

that discussions are underway regarding a potential new regional T20 tournament involving CWI and CPL. He sees this as an opportunity to bolster and redefine the game's image and offerings.

“In Guyana, we are working with the West Indies Cricket Board, CPL, and the ICC to launch a new product for the region that will position the region in the global market: The World Premier League. We are hoping that it will replace what used to be the Champions League,” the President said.

Meanwhile, CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe expressed his belief that the CPL may not be the most effective avenue for nurturing grassroots cricket.

Instead, he suggested the possibility of a Regional T20 tournament exclusively for West Indies players, slated for 2025.

Thursday May 02, 2024

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Wayne's hat-trick sees Speightland into 'One Guyana' Beach Football final - Young Gunners to tackle Hi Flyer for Men's title The stage is ablaze for the highly anticipated 'One Guyana' Beach Football Championship final, following a riveting display of talent during the semifinals on Tuesday at the PPP-C Office compound in Linden. Speightland and Hururu Women's teams triumphed in the Queen's Segment, while Young Gunners and Hi Flyer Men's Football teams secured victories to advance to the King's finals.

In the opening showdown, Hururu seized an early 1-0 advantage within the first five minutes, courtesy of a spectacular strike from Jasmin Williams, leaving Aroaima ladies trailing.

Despite Aroaima's relentless efforts, they failed to mount a comeback, resulting in a 1-0 conclusion.

Subsequently after that, Speightland's Nikitta Wayne and Shenessa Cornelius unleashed a relentless assault on Rockstone

Women's team. Wayne found the net three times in the 8th, 12th, and 29th minutes, while Cornelius added a brace with goals in the 30th and 37th minutes. Alliyah Venture's strike in the 23rd minute completed the resounding 6-0 victory to meet with Hururu in the final.

Turning to the King's side of the competition, Young Gunners outplayed Platinum Ballers with a commanding 4-1 triumph. Devonte Tappin opened the scoring for Young Gunners in the 2nd minute, followed by Omarion Ramsammy's goal eight minutes later, extending the lead to 2-0. Rodensio Tudor sealed the deal with a brace in the 21st and 26th minutes, securing a formidable 4-0 advantage.

Platinum's Tyrese Lewis managed a consolation goal in the 30th minute, concluding the match at 4-1. Young Gunners will now square off against Hi Flyers for a shot at the $1,000,000 cash prize and championship trophy.

Johnson Charles’ unbeaten ton powers Windies A to 76-run victory over Nepal SportsMax - In a dazzling display of power hitting, Johnson Charles led the charge for West Indies A with a spectacular unbeaten 119 from just 61 balls, guiding his team to a commanding 76-run victory over Nepal and taking a 2-1 lead in the T20 series in Kirtipur.

Charles's explosive innings included 13 fours and seven sixes as he anchored the West Indies A innings, propelling them to a formidable total of 227-3 against the hosts. His half-century came in a blistering 24 balls, setting the stage for a dominant performance.

Charles formed a crucial secondwicket partnership of 145 runs with Andre Fletcher (53), after Alick Athanaze was run out for 17.

Fletcher's innings featured four fours and three sixes before he departed in the 16th over.

Contributions from Fabian Allen (19 from nine balls) and Keemo Paul (13 from seven) further bolstered the West Indies A total, which marked the highest score by the tourists in the series so far.

In response, Nepal faced an uphill battle chasing more than 11 runs per over for victory and struggled under scoreboard pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Lokesh Bam and Karan both managed 28 runs, while Kushal Malla contributed 20.

However, Nepal ultimately collapsed to 151 all out in 19.2 overs.

Hayden Walsh Jr led the bowling attack for West Indies A with impressive figures of 3-28, while Gudakesh Motie provided valuable support with 2-28. Fabian Allen, Matthew Forde, and Obed McCoy also chipped in with a wicket each as the West Indies comfortably secured a pivotal series lead.

Johnson Charles' heroic innings and the collective effort from the West Indies A b o w lers hav e positioned the team favorably as they head towards the remaining matches of the series, aiming to clinch th e s er ies v ictory against Nepal.

Hi Flyers to come up against Young Gunners for the One Guyana Kings of the Sand Beach Football title.

Later the evening, Hi Flyers edged past MS Ballers 4-2, with Keon Sears netting two brilliant goals in the 8th and 10th minutes.

Emmanuel Atkins (20') and Anthony Mc Calmon (31') contributed with goals for Hi Flyers. MS Ballers found the net through Shawn Arthur and Demol

Warner.

The tournament, meticulously organised by Kashif and Shanghai Organization under the One Guyana Brand, promises an electrifying grand finale on Sunday, May 5th, at the same venue. Male teams will battle for a share of the prize money, with first

place receiving $1,000,000, second place $500,000, third place $200,000, and fourth place $100,000. Meanwhile, the female teams will compete for top honors, with first place earning $400,000, second place $200,000, third place $100,000, and fourth place $50,000.

Former Guyana youth player Hemnarine Chattergoon confident of success Cambridge Jaguars are ready to go at this year's Canadian Premier Softball Cricket League (CPSCL) T20 tournament on Sunday, May 5th.

They will open their campaign against Berbice Vipers at Grenoble Public School ground in Brampton, Ontario.

In 2023, Cambridge Jaguars roared to the championship in this version while they also took possession of the T10 and 15-over trophies.

According to Captain Hemnarine Chattergoon, the side is anxious to participate in the various tournaments again.

Having reflected on what would have transpired last year, Chattergoon, is more confident that the guys can dominate proceedings.

He outlined that Jaguars played competitive cricket from the commencement to the conclusion and would prioritize the same level of commitment.

“The bunch of guys would want to start off on a winning note from Sunday; I know you can't underestimate any team because there are some strong teams out there, so we just have to play competitive cricket,” the righthanded Chattergoon who has become a versatile all-rounder player due to his bowling, stated.

level, related.

This will be Jaguars third year in succession Hemnarine featuring at the CPSCL Chattergoon annual showpiece.

The team has been in existence for the past two decades.

They participated in the Ontario Round-Arm Softball Cricket Association as well and reached the championship encounter against longstanding and successful team Sunshine.

Vi c e - C a p t a i n o f Cambridge Jaguars Shelindra Singh echoed similar sentiments of Chattergoon, the former Guyana ad West Indies youth player.

Singh disclosed that the team has intensified their preparations and that would certainly boost their confidence tremendously.

He is also optimistic Like 2023, four trophies are up that Jaguars can emerge winners by for grasp including the Rapid-ball 100. Cambridge Jaguars were the completion of the 2024 edition.

Some senior and reputable beaten in the final for that trophy softball players are in Jaguars which was retained by VP Boys.

“I [am] very confident that we lineup are: the hard-hitting Riaz can win the tournaments for the Kadir, Rajkumar Budhram, Garvin second year because we have a Prashad and Teddy Nankisore balanced team and everyone did among others.

Notably, the team is owned by play hard and disciplined cricket popular Canada-based Guyanese last year, and we want to lift these trophies again,” Chattergoon, who businessman Satishwar Persaud, a represented Canada at the highest Realtor of Adana Homes.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 02, 2024

Archery Guyana Launches Caribbean Development League for Aspiring Archers A

rchery Guyana is proud to announce the commencement of the Caribbean Development Archery League (CDAL), aimed at providing a platform for budding archers in the region to compete remotely and hone their skills.

Endorsed by World Archery Americas, this initiative was the

brainchild of the Archery Association of St Vincent and the Grenadines' President and World Archery Americas Ethics Committee Member, Sanjay Jiandani, and is being run off in several Caribbean countries, which marks a significant step forward for the development of archery in the Caribbean.

The CDAL invites aspiring archers from affiliated clubs across the region to participate in this i n a u g u r a l e v e n t . Wi t h n o restrictions on the number of

President of Archery Guyana Ms. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, National Coach Mr. Jeewanram Persaud and Judge Candidate Mr. Umasankar Madray at the National Gymnasium.

PAGE 23

Competitors check their target during the event. entrants, over 30 young archers from various parts of Guyana have already signed up for the 'Extraordinary Beginner' Category.

This category, designed for archers with three months or less of experience, will see participants shooting from a distance of 15 meters with barebow equipment.

The competition will consist of multiple rounds, with league play concluding on June 24th, 2024.

Following the league stage, the top four archers in each category will advance to the elimination finals on July 14th, 2024. The winners will be awarded medals at the CDC event in Jamaica.

On Sunday, April 28th, 2024, simultaneous shooting sessions were held at Essequibo's Motorcross Mainstay facility and the National Gymnasium, with the

participation of Archery Guyana's National Coaches Ryan McKinnon and Saeed Karim in Essequibo and U m a s a n k a r M a d r a y, a n d Jeewanram Persaud in Georgetown.

The opening remarks were delivered by Mrs. Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon, President of Archery Guyana, at the National Gymnasium, where she extended her best wishes to all participants and expressed gratitude to the coaches, Board of Directors, sponsors, Guyana Beverages inc., media, Director of Sport Mr. Steve Ninvalle and the National Sports Commission for their support.

Archery Guyana is committed to fostering the growth of archery in the region and looks forward to a successful and competitive CDAL season.

GCB T10 Blast tournament… Perez, Persaud hit

half-centuries as Anacondas/Hawks record victories Half-centuries from Raymond Perez and Akshaya Persaud gave their team's respective wins when yesterday's double-header round of the GCB T10 Blast continued at Malteenoes Ground.

Essequibo Anacondas beat Essequibo Jaguars by 8 wickets Jaguars were bowled out for 122-4 led by knocks from Chandrapaul Hemraj (34), Shemroy Barrington (28), Dwayne Dick (23) and Carlos Larose (19).

Anaconda's left-arm spinner Anthony Adams grabbed 3-23, with Abdul Ramsammy claiming 2-15 as the leading wicket-takers.

Guyana Harpy Eagles and Anacondas opener Perez then took his team home with a blitz, clobbering 7 sixes and a trifecta of fours in his Man-of-the-match knock of 66 not out off 23 balls.

The Anaconda's platform was earlier laid by openers Kevon Boodie (23) and Ushadeva Balgobin (18) who along with Perez took their franchise to 123-2.

LaRose (1-21) and Dimitri Cameron (1-8) were the lone wicket-takers for the Jaguars.

Demerara Hawks defeat Demerara Pitbulls by 4-runs

In a boundary-filled knock, Captain and Man-of-the-match Persaud stroked 74 off 30 with six fours an 7 sixes, while Neiland Cadogan (15) and Shaq Williams

(10) helped take the Hawks to 1127. A two-man show from spinner Keon Sinclair (3-31), Leon Swamy (2-18) and in-form seamer Chris Barnwell (1-25) kept things in

check. Pitbulls then tried to hunt their total down with Damian Vantull hitting 50 off 23 (2x4 6x6) and Barnwell 37 but fell short with wickets in the tank, ending on 108-

3. Hawks spinner Richie Looknauth was the pick of the lot with (2-25) with slight help from Windies U19 fast-bowler Isai Thorne (1-21).

Raymond Perez smacked 66 to help see his team home.

Captain Akshaya Persaud's fiery half-century took his team over the ropes.

Thursday May 02, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Brar and Chahar go into CSK's den and spin them out ESPNcricinfo - Chennai Super Kings were left reeling at the Chepauk Stadium as Punjab Kings made it backto-back wins with a comfortable seven-wicket victory to retain a slim, outside chance at making the playoffs. They have also become the second team to beat CSK five times in a row, an honour they now share with Mumbai Indians.

It was a far cry from the six-fest of this IPL season, or indeed PBKS' jaw-dropping success against Kolkata Knight Riders that lifted them out of a three-game

losing slump.

This time, it was the PBKS spinners that stole the limelight as they restricted CSK to 162 for 7. Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar choked the life out of the batting, taking two wickets apiece and both going boundaryless for their respective four overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad's 62 held together a patchy 20 overs, which bagged him the Orange Cap. But he probably would have swapped either the half-century or the cap, perhaps even both, for winning the toss. Sam Curran

Harpreet Brar bowled a spell of 4-0-17-2. (BCCI)

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sam Curran tussled in the powerplay. (BCCI)

was always going to bowl first when the coin fell his

way given how dew would impact the second innings on a sweltering evening in Chennai. While that did come to pass, the game was set on its destination early in the chase.

CSK were hampered early in their defence when Deepak Charar limped off after bowling the first two deliveries of the innings, leaving them a bowler short.

Though Richard Gleeson marked his IPL debut with the dismissal of Prabhsimran Singh, 64 off 37 deliveries between Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Roussouw put them ahead of the rate.

Both could and perhaps should have seen their side home. Bairstow fell trying to ramp over MS Dhoni, giving Shivam Dube his first IPL wicket since 2020 with just his second delivery of 2024, while Rossouw was bowled by a low full toss from Shardul Thakur that should have gone the distance. But their blitzes, both as a partnership and when Rossouw kept going until the end of the 12th over, had the ask down to a manageable 50 from 58.

With 37 needed off 37, a brace of Curran boundaries against Thakur - the first off a

no-ball, and another from the subsequent free hit - removed what jeopardy was left. After successfully reviewing an lbw decision that would have handed Gleeson a second wicket, Curran was able to finish unbeaten on 26, calling for the extra run from a misfield that took Shashank Singh to 25 not out and finished this match with 13 deliveries to spare.

Scores: Punjab Kings 163 for 3 (Bairstow 46, Rossouw 43) beat Chennai Super Kings 162 for 7 (Gaikwad 62, Rahane 29, Chahar 2-16, Brar 2-17) by seven wickets.

Thursday May 02, 2024

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

Charles scored an unbeaten 119 from just 61 balls for the West Indies A.

s t r o Sp

President Irfaan Ali

Johnson Charles' unbeaten Pres. Ali leads calls Leader ton powers Windies A to offorRegional renegotiation 76-run victory over Nepal of CPL contract Archery Guyana Launches Caribbean Development League for Aspiring Archers Speightland goal scorers Shenessa Cornelius, Alliyah Venture and Nikitta Wayne.

Wayne's hat-trick sees Speightland into ‘One Guyana' Beach Football final -Young Gunners to tackle Hi Flyer for Men's title

Competitors from 'De Chief Archery Club' and 'Essequibo Archers”.

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