Kaieteur News

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Oil spill insurance NEWS motion will test PPP/C’s - former EPA Head says now loyalty to Guyana is the time to reverse past mistakes

Monday Edition

AIETEUR

May 16, 2022 - Vol. 15 No. 19 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 62,788

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

‘Guyana will lose big with National Oil Company’ - Analyst says country better off seeking higher royalties in contracts

Corentyne man feared dead after boat mishap in Canje Creek Calls grow for ExxonMobil major review of opens public 2020 elections meetings on 5 - Opposition commissioners, civil society group see this as key to electoral reform project today

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Guyana has no independent oil sector regulator

Seven years later:

* Opposition mulls re-tabling old Petroleum Commission Bill * as PPP/Govt. continues pussyfooting around issue

Kaieteur News

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Monday May 16, 2022

‘Guyana will lose big with National Oil Company’ - ANALYST SAYS COUNTRY BETTER OFF SEEKING HIGHER ROYALTIES IN CONTRACTS

By Kiana Wilburg Guyana would be better off pressing for increased royalties in future oil contracts rather than rushing ahead with plans to set up a national oil company, Arthur Deakin, Co-Director of the Energy Programme at Americas Market Intelligence has said.

It was Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo who had announced earlier this year government’s interest in setting up such a company ahead of an oil block auction in September. Ever since his announcement, there has been a lot of push back to his idea, which he has disregarded.

Locally, some sections of

the media have resurrected arguments by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has worked closely with Guyana since 2015. The financial institution has contended that there is simply no business case for a NOC here. There are quite a few persons who agree.

Deakin for example, recently told Energy Advisor that the drawbacks of creating a NOC in Guyana far outweigh the benefits.

The analyst reminded that the Guyanese Government has said it is looking for an open, public bidding process for its remaining oil blocks where the most competitive bidder wins. Deakin said that awarding the block/s to a

state-owned oil firm, or limiting key players such as ExxonMobil from participating, goes against that—especially since some of the participating companies (like Exxon) have local experience that could lead to economies of scale.

Further, Deakin reminded of the government’s desire to accelerate its oil production to ensure that it does not get ostracized by global climate targets.

The analyst argued however that a NOC with little to no experience and wherewithal would potentially delay this accelerated pace of oil development, as the

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo government would need to create the supporting legal and regulatory structure around the company.

Deakin said too, there is a strong risk of corruption and nepotism that comes with creating a NOC. He said this is seen by regional peers; such as, PDVSA in Venezuela, Petrobras in Brazil and Pemex in Mexico.

The analyst said, “Perhaps more important is that since the blocks are prospective, the NOC would mean new risks and costs for the government. A simpler way

to increase their percentage of profits, while avoiding taking on new risk, is by increasing its royalties in future production-sharing agreements.”

Regarding the oil curse, a term which describes the political and economic dysfunction that occurs when leaders fail to properly manage and invest oil revenues, Deakin believes it is too soon to tell whether Guyana will be able to dodge it. He said, “It has set up a relatively promising sovereign wealth fund, but it is unclear how transparently and efficiently it will spend its oil money.”

To e n s u r e f u r t h e r economic diversification, and encourage local entrepreneurship, Deakin said Guyana needs more government incentives, more robust technical training and easier access to financing.

IMF ADVICE In one of its analytical reports, the financial institution noted that many countries have a National Oil Company, which allows the government to participate in the block like an investor

Arthur Deakin, Co-Director of the Energy Programme at Americas Market Intelligence would. The IMF said that this move also allows the government to have a “seat at the table” for decisionmaking. The Fund noted, however, that given the substantial regulatory powers the government can have over the upstream petroleum sector, it is not evident that participating would necessarily be adding much more value.

Furthermore, the financial institution warned that participating interest by government requires it to Continued on page 8

Kaieteur News

Monday May 16, 2022

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Seven years later:

Guyana has no independent oil sector regulator

By Renay Sambach This month, makes seven years since Guyana is without an updated legislative and regulatory framework that is essential for the protection of the oil industry against mismanagement and corruption.

One of the key regulatory architecture that remains in limbo is the Petroleum Commission Bill that would pave the way for the appointment of an independent regulator. The Petroleum Commission Bill was initially proposed by the APNU+AFC for the establishment of an independent body which would hold responsibility for monitoring and enforcing G u y a n a ’s m o d e r n i s e d petroleum laws, policies and oil agreements. The body is also intended to ensure oil companies comply with health, safety and environmental standards.

On May 8, 2017, then Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman had tabled the Petroleum Commission of Guyana Bill 2017 during the 64th Sitting of the Eleventh Parliament.

The passage of that Bill would have seen the creation of the Petroleum Commission of Guyana

— Opposition mulls re-tabling old Petroleum Commission Bill — as PPP/Govt. continues pussyfooting around issue

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali which will oversee and manage Guyana emerging oil and gas industry. The Petroleum Commission of Guyana will have the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring compliance with the policies, laws and agreements for petroleum operations.

It would have also, inter alia, be responsible for ensuring compliance with health, safety and environmental standards and ensure local content and local participation in all of

the activities. Also, the commission would have been tasked inter alia, with researching efficient, safe, e f f e c t i v e a n d environmentally responsible exploration, development and production of petroleum in Guyana, including the optimum methods of exploring for, extracting and utilising petroleum and petroleum products The new regulatory body will also have an advisory role to the Minister on matters related to the conduct of the industry. The Bill was however sent to a Special Select Committee since its most fatal flaw or characteristic was that it gave the Natural Resources Minister a toxic level of control over the said body.

Upon assuming office in August 2020, the PPP administration had promised an overhaul for Guyana’s petroleum laws. In fact, President Dr. Irfaan Ali during his inauguration address pledged to establish a Petroleum Commission to insulate the oil and gas sector from political interference.

ExxonMobil opens public meetings on 5th project today US oil major, ExxonMobil is scheduled to host a series of meetings with the public, from today on its fifth oil project in the Stabroek block, Uaru Plus.

In an advertisement published in the daily newspapers, Exxon said its subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has submitted an application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for authorisation to undertake the Uaru development project, which will be implemented in multiple stages.

Given that the EPA has already ordered an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project, the notice also informed members of the public that they have 28 days to make written submissions to the Agency, setting out those questions and matters which they require to be answered or considered in the EIA. The 28 day period will conclude on May 29. Today’s meeting will be held in Region One. Meanwhile, on Monday, May 23, a session will be hosted in Region Four at the Umana Yana, in Kingston from 17:00hrs.

Other meetings will take place in Regions Two, Three, Five and Six. In its project summary that was submitted to the EPA, EPPGL said the Uaru Project will be located in the eastern portion of the block, approximately 200 km from Georgetown and amid previous Stabroek Projects.

Current plans include drilling via drill ships to produce oil from approximately 4076 wells. Production is expected to begin

between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the second quarter of 2027 with an expected field life of at least 20 years. EEPGL said the production facilities to be installed include subsea equipment attached to the seafloor as well as processing equipment on the ocean’s surface known as a Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

EEPGL said this subsea equipment is installed at approximately 1,450 – 1,950 m of water depth while noting that the main components of the subsea kit include the following: production tree, production manifold, flowlines, risers, and umbilicals.

The subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines are commonly referred to as SURF. The anticipated production rate for the FPSO ranges between approximately 220,000 barrels and 275,000 barrels of oil per day. The vessel will be capable of storing approximately two million barrels of oil.

Furthermore, third party oil tankers will be scheduled to offload the oil from the FPSO, making the oil available for export to the international market.

The FPSO will also process, dehydrate, compress, and reinject associated gas produced from the reservoir. As the Uaru and Mako reservoir pressures deplete over time, this gas reinjection will help maintain reservoir pressure and allow for optimum production of hydrocarbons to continue over time. In addition, some of the gas will be used as fuel on the FPSO.

Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson Also, both the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo and Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat have agreed that such a body is needed to ensure the sector is independently managed and kept away from political influence. In fact, in March 2021, Minister Bharrat had stated that within a matter of weeks, the independent regulator the government promised to establish for the oil sector would be in place.

Minister Bharrat was also quoted on the Guyana

Basins Summit website as saying that the Commission is needed so it can “manage this emerging sector without political interference.”

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, had told Kaieteur Radio during an interview with Guyana’s Oil & You hostess, Kiana Wilburg, that the Bill is at the Ministry of Natural Resources and it is being actively considered by a Legal Department within that Ministry. That was when the Attorney General cited that changes are likely to be seen. Since then, the government has not disclosed the progress made on this front.

However, it has been 21 months since the PPP/C Government assumed office and it has yet to honour its promise to the nation.

CHERRY-PICKING Notwithstanding the importance of the Petroleum Commission Bill, the government in the meantime has engaged in the cherrypicking of legislative reform to award itself sweeping powers over the country’s oil revenue. Kaieteur News had

r eported that the PPP/C Government had hurriedly passed the highly flawed Natural Resources Fund Act (NRF Act) in December 2021, which gives it total control over how the oil money is to be spent. The administration even amended a small part the nation’s 1986 oil law so as to ensure ExxonMobil has a smooth flow with lands to be used or disrupted during the construction of the gas-toenergy project and other initiatives.

As a result of the government not making any headway with the improvement of the Bill, much less its passage – Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson in a recent interview with this publication disclosed that the Coalition is mulling to bring back the Petroleum Commission Bill of 2017. “…absolutely no interest anybody [government] has in the Petroleum Commission to carry through with the bill. They would like to continue

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Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

How smart operators seek to ‘scamp’ gullible Guyanese It is a fact of life that when the cunning desires to pull the wool over the eyes of a partner, they come up with ways to do so. It is either how to conceal vital pieces of information from them, or how to give them misleading information, or how to give them no information whatsoever. This, as Guyanese know, comes from the lessons of hard experience, and not from some assumptions in a textbook, or the imagination of the suspicious. In this country, it is called seeking to ‘scamp’ someone else, usually somebody in a business transaction or relationship.

This is what came across in a recent gathering of concerned Guyanese, as presented under the caption, “Exxon refuses to disclose cost to transport gas to Wales at public consultations meeting -Wales Gas-to-Shore project… Project Manager says cost not part of EIA” (KN May 12). There it was that the Project Manager was religiously sticking to what were his marching orders: discuss the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) only, and not a word on anything else. Be polite, but be firm, and don’t move one millimetre from either script or programme. Project Manager, Mr. Friedrich Kristin, turned out to be the most loyal corporate soldier that Exxon could have found. He would not yield on transportation costs, he refused to utter a word on anything related to that vital component of the project. Hiding essential information from a partner is an aspect that features constantly when the intention is to take advantage of (‘scamp’).

From the studies undertaken by international experts on behalf of Guyana, there are two essential areas, among others, which must be looked at with the keenest and most critical eye. The first is the price that the Exxon, through its Guyana subsidiary, will charge us for the natural gas piped to the Wales destination point. It goes without saying that Exxon, as an entity that seeks to maximise its profits, would be dedicated to getting the “greatest return on its investment,” which means that the company will spare no effort to squeeze the last cent of price for the natural gas out of negligent or compromised political leaders. For those who think otherwise, we simply point to the horrendous deal (for Guyana) and the sweetheart results (for Exxon) in the hugely lopsided contract it extracted out of this country for itself.

To put this differently, if Exxon has to kill us financially to ensure the highest profitability from the project, then the company will do so most ruthlessly, and most cleverly.

We at this paper purposely selected the word cleverly because there are many ways that Exxon can shaft (‘scamp’) us in the pricing of the piped product. We are raw newcomers to the world of oil, while Exxon has been a top leader in it for over 135 years. We could get hurt badly, if our leaders are not careful, conscientious, and committed to getting the best for us. Guyana could be from some really rough going to get what benefits us for the long-term, under most likely different conditions.

The other area of potential trouble for Guyana is transporting the natural gas to Wales. It is a key cost that Exxon can fiddle with to our disadvantage. The company has not been hesitant in looking for opportunities to dump questionable expenses on us, some of which have been detected in the US$460M bill it submitted for Liza-1. The natural gas in our offshore fields has to be transported from those fields about 220 kilometres to the Wales terminal. If Exxon doesn’t get us on the pipelines, it will get us on other component variables that go into constructing it. The company has a history of being relentless and ferocious in this respect. And when the laying of that is finished, the next area for a clever manipulation is what this resourceful oil company charges us for transporting it to Wales. This is a tricky one, and how the final transportation charge is arrived at, should tell us what we got, what it means for the viability of the project, and the bottom-line cost of electricity for Guyanese long-term. No surprise that the Project Manager preferred silence.

The Vaccination Drive is still necessary Dear Editor, Yet again, our people are being warned against complacency regarding the still very deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The word from the Ministry of Health is that the COVID-19 vaccination rate is not where it should be, and this is at a time when the country is currently seeing a new wave of infections. The recent figures show that the Ministry of Health reported that a total of 32 new COVID19 cases were recorded from 1,530 tests, taking the overall number of confirmed cases to 63,804. In fact, over the past week or so, the active cases were more than 265, and on Saturday, the new numbers recorded in the following regions were: three – Region Three, 20 – Region Four, four – Region Five, two – Region Six and three – Region Nine.

These returns suggest not just complacency, but a level of carelessness that can result

in many innocent and careful people becoming infected to the point of reaching fatality.

Let me first state that the World Health Organization is still advocating for extra-care even though many mandatory restrictions have now been eased. The latest plea is that all citizens must protect themselves and those in close proximity. The word is still intact; people must: Get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn and follow local guidance on vaccination; Keep physical distance of at least 1 metre from others, even if they don’t appear to be sick; Avoid crowds and close contact; Wear a properly fitted mask when physical distancing is not possible and in poorly ventilated settings; Clean your hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water; Cover your mouth and nose with a bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze; Dispose of

used tissues immediately and clean hands regularly; and if they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, they are to self-isolate until they recover.

So, he has a right to be concerned, that is, our Health Minister, who stated that “… the rise in cases is a worrying trend …” He explained that “The SARS-COV2 is a very tricky virus…there are different variants and subvariants; some are very contagious. In January of this year, we saw a spike in cases, close to 30,000 cases in that month before we saw a significant decline… But the sub-variant is highly transmissible, so we have seen over the last few days a rise in cases.” This kind of reality should ‘hit home,’ but it is not, and the sad thing is that many who are taking all the necessary steps in terms of getting vaccinated and exercising due caution may

become victims of the ‘brave and foolish.’

Let me remind our citizens, like the minister did, that “…After that, the immunity begins to wane, (we) need to take the booster shot … but many people have stopped coming for the vaccines because they believe COVID is over.” It is not over, and from what I have read, in our land, many Guyanese are at risk given that a sizeable portion of the population has comorbidities.

Secondly, I need to call attention to the medical and scientific fact that getting vaccinated is nothing new and chancy. It is a wellestablished universal phenomenon in medicine. In this day, credible information is so readily available, but I will still point out some things.

We need to know that (Continued on page 6)

The President did not come to the meeting with good faith Dear Editor, Governance is about people and their development within the confines of universally acceptable legal, physical, and moral infrastructures. Governance is not about one “upmanship” as witnessed in the Friday meeting between President Irfaan Ali and Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton. The fact that Norton had to request from Ali the names of the persons who he intends to appoint to the commissions and be informed these will be sent later indicates that the President did not come to the meeting with good faith.

Good faith would require the President in consulting with the Leader of the Opposition to be open and frank with him. Having dispensed with the pleasantries at the meeting, the President and Leader of the Opposition should have gotten down to dealing with the people’s business. The President should have placed on the table the proposed list of commissions; the names and CVs of the prospective commissioners, to facilitate the beginning of the consultation process, and any other matters that the two determine worthy of discussion. Whereas the President has the responsibility of making final decisions on constitutional appointments, he needs to take into consideration a number of factors, including the fact that the holder of the office of Leader of the Opposition comes to the

table representing half the society.

The people of this nation deserved better than what happened on Friday. Almost two years since the 2020 Elections and change of government, there has been no serious effort to govern within the confines of the Constitution and Laws of Guyana. I have no interest in the excuse that the Office of the Leader of the Opposition did not have a holder for three months, or who should recognise the incumbent as legal or not legal. These are politically silly and immature arguments that have no bearing on the law or governance and are being used to hold the people’s business and interest at ransom, to govern at the exclusion of others, and to justify trampling on rights and the rule of law. The present configuration of the Executive, National Assembly, and ten Regional Democratic Councils is as a result of the 2020 Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) declarations. Until the court has ruled otherwise, or a next election is held, those in office today and are being paid by the people, must begin to work for the people.

The constitutional business of this nation and the welfare of its citizens are matters of national importance and should not be trifled with or reduced to photo opportunity.

Any engagement between the nation’s two premier constitutional office holders must be one of

seriousness. Evidently both or either party did not know what the meeting was about or didn’t see the need to be prepared for the meeting. The engagement also suggests that there was no pre-meeting between the two sides to deliberate on an agenda. Were there an agenda the parties would not have appeared before this nation and issued a joint statement later admitting to the absence of the most fundamental of information to proceed with any sort of engagement. Not even a low-level meeting would such behaviour be considered acceptable.

Far too much time has already been lost in filling constitutional positions which is not only a demonstration of contempt for law, and the instrument they took an oath to uphold, but an undermining of the democratic processes of this country and the welfare of its people. It is unacceptable the judiciary still does not have confirmed Chief Justice and Chancellor and the incumbents have been acting for years without being confirmed. Nowhere else do we see this nonsense, this boldfaced undermining of the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

There are constitutional commissions yet to be activated and await new appointments. How can we call ourselves a democratic nation when the Human Rights Commission has never been activated; the Police Service Commission, Public Service Commission, etc., are operating without commissioners who have

oversight responsibility for the respective commissions?

This is political dysfunction at its highest. It is not by accident. It is deliberate machinations to prevent the wheels of government from properly turning because should this happen, there will be accountability in the system. It is an organised plan by some to deprive citizens the enjoyment of the right to day-to-day involvement, participating in the development of the nation, and sharing in its patrimony.

We must get serious about good governance.

Today I call on the media to help us restore sobriety to governance by holding our leaders accountable for managing the affairs of state consistent with the Constitution and Laws of Guyana. Discussions about Statements of Poll and whether the government is legal or not is a façade to justify exclusion and trampling on the rights of others. Let me reiterate, unless the court rules otherwise on GECOM’s declaration, or a new election is held, the present office holders must be held to standards of matured leadership and not be facilitated or encouraged in the childish conduct of seeking acknowledgement.

Let us stop allowing ourselves to be distracted from holding them accountable to treat us with respect and deliver prudent management of our resources.

Regards, Lincoln Lewis

Monday May 16, 2022

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Kaieteur News

MADNESS AND ABUSE IN THE SECURITY INDUSTRY Dear Editor, I wish to concur with the honourable Commissioner of Police Mr. Clifton Hicken, warning security services to desist from the unnecessary use of high- powered AR rifles and sub-machine guns, etc.

The Private Security Industry in Guyana has been at its best with respect, honour, dignity and service for a long time. It has always been an important component of the Guyana Police Force as an auxiliary support in crime fighting and law enforcement.

The undersigned has been in the private security industry for 42 years and I have employed tens upon tens of thousands of persons.

Some of the finest security personnel, some of the most disciplined and articulate ones, many of whom have returned to the Creator. I will always be grateful to them.

Today, the security industry seems to be one where many enter it for their convenience and as a part of what they think is a “get rich quick syndrome or scheme.”

Many are registering security services after other names of businesses and even independently, merely for the factor of acquiring guns.

They say it’s too hard to go through the normal system.

Some guns are scary and unnecessary. I’ve seen auto sales and security services,

I’ve seen retail/ wholesale Hallal and security services, and I’ve seen Pawn Brokers and security services. Very soon, we may have toilet rentals and security, latrine makers and security, cosmetics and security, Cinderella and security, tamarind-ball and security, etc. My point Editor, ladies and gentlemen, is that many people are adding security companies to their various businesses because they want guns for their families and friends. Some of which are involved in renting weapons to neighbours, corporate owners and business people whom they process as SC’s. And one wonders who else! I know one person who says he has several guns, his mother-inlaw has a gun, his wife has a gun, his maid has a gun, and all his neighbours have guns.

They all make it seem as if security services in Guyana have gone gun mad with madness! It seems people can use all kinds of games to acquire firearms by registering a security business.

It rocks my heart at times when I suddenly see an announcement of a new security service. Their personnel have heavy duty firing power around their necks. I sometimes have to wonder, after 42 years in the Security Industry, we are

trying to upgrade or get approval for 2 or 3 upper-level firearms as we are a responsible company and we do not use firearms to show off nor play big or bad. But these new boys on the block instantly seem to have their personnel processed and weapons galore as soon as they get their licence. Many long-term security services are asking the same questions as well as the citizens of Guyana. They usually get the high-power weapons instantaneously, it seems and makes us feel as if we are providing service in places like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Palestine and Israel.

Weapons that make us look horrible and as if our state is a warzone or a Norco state, which is not the case!

I have had many visitors in Guyana and they are shocked to see these kinds of firepower and security outfits, as if we are legal mercenaries for some countries that are used to support their militant campaigns. Some powerful nations in places like Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. It is shocking to know that one of the most equipped in the country was recently formed

and has such firepower and such reach with only one business. People are beginning to say that some of these businesses are merely fronts for other businesses. They seem to be using legal weapons for possibly illegal businesses.

This is the opinion and view of many educated and simple Guyanese.

We have in Guyana a stable government! We have a well-trained Police Force, which no one can manage in a major altercation! These overnight security services are carrying more firepower than our Police Force. This is scary. My specialist friend in security Mr. Robert Gates, has been talking about the possibility of these kinds of personalities coming together, rivaling the Police and our Defence Force in an attempt to create mayhem and destruction in Guyana, especially those with ulterior motives in Guyana and possibly anti-government.

We saw one operator of a security company before the elections, during the count and recount in 2015 and even in 2020 threatening this government when they were in opposition in pre-2020. He,

the head, was putting up advertisements that ex-GDF, military and police personnel were warning the then opposition, which was the PPP/C and the government now, of major activity against them, yet still this company is being awarded security contracts and has firearms.

Travelling to Berbice a few days ago during the Ramadan, I was shocked to see a communication tower with a lone security guard and an AR rifle hanging on his neck, coming down his belly, over his reproductive part while eating. He could have easily been disarmed with a piece of stick, a baton, a punch to the face or a spit in the eye.

It must be noted that some security services pop up with strange names and some are being awarded major government security contracts without any experience, expertise or security specialisation. These businesses lack the ability to

procure security personnel and lack offices in different districts for which they are being awarded. After being awarded the contract, they even lack the ability to start the contract on time even with the ministry giving them as much as an additional two weeks. We have had to suffer and wait those two weeks to assist the security service because it is our government’s properties and staff that were involved. But they were awarded the contract just (Continued on page 6)

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The Vaccination Drive...

From page 4 vaccines differ from other medical drugs in that they are designed to prevent disease, rather than treat it. They do this by priming a person’s immune system to recognise a specific disease-causing bacteria, virus or other pathogen. This “memory” can last years, or in some cases for life, which is why vaccination can be so effective, stopping people from getting sick rather than waiting until disease occurs.

Further, vaccines prime the immune system to detect a particular virus or bacteria by showing it a harmless version of the pathogen, or part of it – much like giving a bloodhound a rag to sniff – so that it can remember it and is able to mount a defence if the person ever becomes infected.

They typically do this by stimulating the production of antibodies, which are proteins made by our bodies to fight disease.

This can also help stimulate other parts of our immune defences, such as T cells. This is the basic premise

Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

for how all vaccines work So, I am with Dr. Anthony, who detailed that “We also must remind ourselves that we are in a pandemic, and in this pandemic one of the most effective tools that we have is to use vaccination to immunise people so that even if they get infected, they would not get the most severe form of the infection.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a country should strive to get 70 percent of its population vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of June 2022.

Therefore, with the requisite personnel, facility and vaccines, Guyana can very achieve this important goal.

Guyana is now hovering quite close to this target. The minister pointed out that “We are not very far from achieving that target of 70 percent, we are in our 60s, and so if we make an additional effort, we will be able to get to that 70 percent mark before June of this year.”

I hope we do – it is vital indeed.

Yours truly, H. Singh

OPR probe found there were two Liverpools Dear Editor, On Thursday 12th May, I was invited by the Office of Professional Responsibility.

The OPR in their investigation found out that there are two Liverpools. One a presidential guard and the other the Head of Intelligence headquarters where the Monument is located. An apology was made to the

presidential guard since the person whom I was referring to in my previous letter was the Head of Intelligence. This information should have been released to the media houses in order to correct their story but has not been done, so it caused me to be vilified by PPP supporters.

Any good journalist inquiring into what is

Teachers are even more privileged than the parents Dear Editor, A mother pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two weeks in prison for beating her child but what charges were given to the teacher, who was caught on video beating a student with what appears to be a ‘wild cane’.

I have seen multiple videos and photos of teachers beating and branding students and all you hear is “the ministry is handling the matter”, nothing comes out of

it.

I have never once seen or heard of any of these teachers being charged with a fine, much less doing jail time. Are the teachers more above the law than the mothers who gave birth to these children?

We are in the year 2022 and teachers are even more privileged than the parents to have had the opportunity to study and to be trained in some amount of child psychology and development psychology and yet they get a slap on the wrist, if so much, when they are found not practising what they’ve learned. When they are found TEACHING the children that violence is the answer; the way to make people do what it is you want them to do.

If a mother can be made to stand before a magistrate and be prosecuted for beating her child and do time in prison for such a crime, then the teachers should not be exempted from such laws and consequences.

J. Smith

currently transpiring with the National Unity Monument reaches back to the years 2012 - 2014 when the PPP government constructed the Joint Services Intelligence headquarters on the Lawns of Castellani house, a stone’s throw away from the Monument with no regard for the significance of the Monument, the PPP under then President Ramotar desecrated the monument site. As I said before, there are letters to Editors of both SN and KN newspapers and one in the Stabroek News of an interview with then, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon but for the media houses to carry piecemeal is a grave injustice to me, the artist who saw beyond the narrowness of Guyanese politics a platform for National Unity by way of interpreting our history and Culture in a visual representation.

When the APNU+AFC Government came to office in 2015, the National Unity Monument was partly restored by the National Trust Guyana

and adopted as a Heritage site.

This again can be investigated by any good journalists wishing to get to the bottom of what is currently transpiring under the 18 months old PPP government.

President Ali needs to clarify whether he has instructed the demolition of the Monument and why? Race relations are already strained and the demolition of the National Unity Monument poses no threat to our National Security, rather National Unity is an instrument of our National Security as it fortifies our Nation’s Sovereignty.

Whatsoever the fate of the National Unity Monument it is the responsibility of the National Trust Guyana. As a Guyanese artist with National and international accreditation for my dedication to the struggle for National Unity and the promotion of universal peace the lack of informed reportage has raised great concern in the diaspora.

Yours faithfully, Desmond Alli (Architect of the National Unity Monument)

MADNESS AND ABUSE IN...

From page 5 because they tendered below cost.

With this below cost tendering, I say this to the Government of Guyana, ‘watch out for Income Tax, VAT, PAYE and definitely National Insurance Schemes being cheated’. It is the normal corollary of thefts. It is unfortunate that the lawabiding agencies with the skills, abilities and talents, and those that cannot charge below cost will have to suffer the consequences of those

bent on deceit and dishonour.

So GRA and NIS, watch out for lower Income Tax and NIS funds into your schemes.

We have seen one security service who stole NIS, GRA monies and VAT. Then made arrangements to pay but never did to any of these agencies. They declared bankruptcy, changed their name and with the same uniform, at the same offices, they continued into business with the major government contracts during the APNU era going their way. And they continued the same criminality such as stealing the NIS, VAT, etc…

A union was given the contract guarantee for seven years, which stole billions in NIS, GRA, PAYE taxes and never paid corporate taxes.

Then went “belly up”. NIS suffered, GRA suffered and the legal companies suffered to make up the shortfall of the dishonesty. I tried to cover three important areas with some emphasis on what is happening in Guyana. The cabinet, the ministries and the government must pay serious attention to the award of security contracts and other contracts that are important to the development of Guyana, for example, seawalls, roads, kokers and housing. Do not leave it up to NPTAB only. They need to find a method to eliminate those bent on dishonesty, and desperation. I highlight these things with the hope that it will draw the attention of those in power.

Sincerely, Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Monday May 16, 2022

Calls grow for major review of 2020 elections - Opposition commissioners, civil society group see this as key to electoral reform

By Zena Henry O p p o s i t i o n Commissioners will reiterate their call for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to order a review of the body’s operational procedures when they meet with Attorney General Anil Nandlall later this week.

Kaieteur News understands that the elections body has been invited to discussions with the Attorney General come Thursday. This meeting will facilitate exchanges

pertaining to the draft Representation of the Peoples Act (Amendment) Bill and Regulations.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said two Fridays ago that GECOM and civil society group, Electoral Reform Group (ERG) had provided the most “substantive” contributions in the consultations so far.

He said that the AG and Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira were thus instructed to meet with the two groups.

The AG met with the ERG on May 9. A Partnership for

National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Commissioner, Vincent Alexander told the Kaieteur News that the opposition commissioners are looking forward to meeting the AG as the issue of reviewing the faults of the 2020 General Elections is among the very pertinent matters key to any beneficial reforms of election operations.

Alexander said that the proposal to review the 2020 General Elections was already on the table at the Commission level and, “that in principle, it was

accepted.” However, when it came to actually ordering that a review process be initiated, it was said that the commission could not facilitate such as it was occupied with the ongoing registration process.

Alexander said that his answer to that was that the review was absolutely necessary at the present time since it would have influence on the process concerning local government elections and should be addressed before.

Alexander further explained, that information which was submitted to the government by Chairwoman Claudette Singh purporting to be the contributions of GECOM to the reform election laws and “which

was internally circulated, has that in it.” He clarified that it is not that GECOM would conduct the review since it would involve the Agency itself, “but that GECOM could commission such as review.” At this point, the Opposition Commissioner continued, there seems to be some kind of resistance from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Commissioners and the Chairperson to have the review conducted. This he said is in spite of glaring inconsistencies that occurred during the 2020 elections, such as the 47 ballot boxes that were counted without supporting documents. A review would shed light on all claims of election rigging alleged by

parties that contested the 2020 process.

PPP Commissioner Bibi Shadick told the Kaieteur News that she would be accepting the Attorney General’s invitation to Thursday’s discussions once it is done virtually. The Minister who highlighted personal health reasons said that she has been staying away from crowds for quite some time given the COVID situation, but would conduct her duties virtually. She noted however that she has some of her contributions to be made to the draft reform discussions. On the matter of the internal review of the 2020 elections, Shadick did not state categorically whether she supported it or Continued on page 17

Guyana has no independent oil...

From page 3 unilaterally making decisions on the industry without any oversight, all they are interested in is getting their hands on the money,” Patterson stated.

He explained that the Coalition is duty bound to do something about it and as such will be considering bringing back the draft

Petroleum Commission Bill.

According to him, the draft bill will either be tabled in either the next sitting of the National Assembly which ends in August or before the year ends. “We are monitoring the situation, there is a draft petroleum commission bill that was in the previous parliament, so we do have a draft and I’m

‘Guyana will lose big with...

From page 2 contribute to handling a portion of the costs, including in the development phase of the oil block. It was keen to note that the government can raise its own money to handle those expenses, or it can lean on the operator and repay the oil company with interest. The Fund noted that the latter option delays the receipt of any major benefits for the government.

As such, the IMF said that the government might be better off securing a higher government take in the contract itself.

Be that as it may, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed the view that the IMF does not have the country’s interest at heart; therefore, it is the government that will decide what would be the best way forward on this subject.

saying that if the government does not bring it…we will be considering bringing up your draft for consideration whether the government accept it or not,” Patterson added.

Recently, during a press conference Jagdeo the Vice President once again acknowledged that an independent regulator for the oil and gas sector in the form of a Petroleum Commission is critical to any government’s regulatory architecture. However, he noted that the absence of such a body in Guyana does not mean that the sector is hanging from a dangerous precipice. In response to Jagdeo, Patterson stated that what the Vice President is peddling is “absolute hogwash.” He added too that the government is comfortable working in the unregulated manner in order to do whatever they please in the sector.

Monday May 16, 2022

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

Every cent matters but the big bucks matter more The Stabroek News has written a nasty editorial describing as vulgar a recent fundraising event purportedly organised by the Office of the First Lady. The reason for this characterisation is because the editorialist felt that the cover charge for the hosting of the all-white party was higher than the current minimum wage.

This is a spurious ground for criticising the charitable event. There is nothing either vulgar or irregular about having high-priced admissions for fundraising events. Some local political parties usually host fundraising dinners at a price per plate that is staggering.

Poor people do contribute to charitable causes but without the large donations a great many of the charitable causes in the world would flop.

In 1985, Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson wrote a song entitled, “We are the World.” A start-studded cast of some of the world’s top singers came together for the recording. The sales of that production netted more than US$50M to help end hunger in Africa.

Bob Geldof was involved in launching a number of concerts for the same cause.

Those concerts raised a total of US$150M. A refugee crisis developed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In just two weeks following the Ukraine crisis, private businesses and philanthropists donated

US$200M to the UNHCR. The Stabroek News did not find these donations as being vulgar.

Raising funds locally can be a challenge. At present, funds are being sought to support the training for a young Guyanese swimmer.

The response has been disappointing so far, to say the least.

On the other hand, there were floods in Guyana last year, which caused substantial losses. A grouping calling itself Friends of Guyana for Democracy and Freedom was able to raise more than US$40,000 from a mere 281 donations. There were a few big donors, which tipped the scales.

It is hoped that the Friends of Guyana for Democracy and Freedom would make public how those funds which they raised on a GofundMe page were utilised.

It always helps to encourage persons to continue to give when they are provided with a public account of how their contributions were utilised.

Many years ago, the most successful attempt at raising funds was done by the publisher of this newspaper, Mr. Glenn Lall. He was able to raise millions of dollars for various causes. He also put a great deal of his own money into every fundraising event.

The name of every donor was made public and when the funds were disbursed, these were also made public.

The PPP/C got envious and decided that Lall should not be raising funds. And so

they resorted to some archaic colonial law requiring persons soliciting house-to-house donations to first obtain permission. The intent was obvious, and Lall decided that he would no longer be part of any such activity even though he still gives generously to persons in need.

When you look at the profile of the donations for the fundraisers organised in the past by Lall, it was clear that without the big donations, the total sums raised would not have been as significant. It is the big donations, which matter the most.

The political parties know this all too well. The small donations by the average supporters cannot finance the campaign expenses of political parties. Without the large multi-million-dollar donations from the business class, the political parties would be in the red after election campaigns.

In fact, for many years when it contested elections, the WPA ended up being almost bankrupted and having to always move its headquarters to new places because of its debt. The PNC/ R after 2011 was forced to sell some of its lands adjacent to its headquarters to finance, what is believed to be, its campaign debt.

David Granger had an initiative to provide buses, boats and bicycles to schoolchildren to help them get to school. But had not the big donors intervened, the initiative would have flopped.

Without the support of

Dem Boys Seh…

De Georgetown Seawall done return to old confusion Dem boys remember when deh had a time when yuh want a quiet place to relax, yuh could ah go to de Georgetown Seawall.

Nowadays, de place nah quiet nor peaceful at all. Is sheer noise and confusion.

A lot ah money spent on de recent improvements.

But is money which gan go down de drain because ah dem vendors.

De Fuss Lady do a wonderful job suh far with de beautification of de Georgetown Seawall. But she wasting she time and effort. Guyanese nah understand wat is orderly development.

Dem boys did warn dem dat unless dem pass law fuh put de whole area under de control of a seawall authority, de place gon become a bigger eye sore dan it was before.

Dem bin doing some wuk pon de seawall tarmac and de road did close off and dem vendors nah bin around.

But no sooner dat de road open leading to de Seawall, dem vendors with dem tents and caravans tek over de place. It now looking like a shanty town. Dem is nat small vendors wah deh pon de hustle. Some ah dem operating bars pon de seawall. Dem suppose to be in a mall, not by de seawall.

Some ah dem vendors gat dem own seating accommodation fuh dem customer. Some ah dem selling malt and beer. Dem boys nah know whether dem get licence fuh do dat. But in Guyana, stranger things does happen.

De irony of it all is dat dem gat signage wah sehing ”No vending allowed”. Perhaps de people nah see de “no”.

Further down de line, dem gat vehicles driving pon de sea defence. Is only a matter of time before de whole sea defence in dat area collapse.

Talk half. Leff half.

businesses and those with plenty of money, the initiative would have died a natural death.

The Stabroek News therefore can lament all it wishes about the ‘vulgarity” of hosting an all-white party on a barge with an admission fee higher than the national minimum wage.

But that event would have most likely raised more money than three or four traditional fund-raising

activities put together.

The average church fair raises less than 2 million dollars and almost everything is donated. The average raffle, to which those on minimum wage contribute, barely scrapes in a few hundred thousand dollars.

There is nothing vulgar about asking the rich to contribute to the plight of the poor. Indeed, when the rich give back to the poor, they are effectively giving back what

they would have taken from the poor.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Monday May 16, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Guyana: Mysterious things not found elsewhere Each day, as I live another moment in this country, I wonder about its nature. What kind of people, mentality, psyche, soul, substance, etc. this country has? Each day, month, year, I witness things, yes all sorts of things, and as an experienced social activist and academic, I would ask questions simply because I have been around long and these things confuse me.

I am being honest when I say these things appear mysterious. I wanted to use the word, “irrational” but I am not sure that is appropriate because there is rationality in the action of these things. Maybe the word “illogical” is relevant.

But I don’t know. I think

there is logic in these actions.

So I think the safest description would be “mysterious.”

Let’s start with the normal first. The action of Glenn Lall, Sherod Duncan, Mikhail Rodrigues (Guyanese Critic), Naim Chan, Christopher Ram, in my eyes appear as logical people. These five names have shows in which they invite Guyanese to answers questions. What is logical about that?

All five of the names above, live in Guyana, know what is going on in Guyana, and will interview the minister or the public sector CEO, or the important businessman to ask him what happened in a certain

incident in the barber shop or the supermarket. In other words, these interviewers know what is going on in their country because they live here.

We move from the normal to the mysterious.

There is a daily Zoom interview programme named Globe-Span hosted

by Dr. Asquith Rose, Paul Tennassee and Charles S u g r i m . I k n o w M r.

Te n n a s s e e . H e w a s a successful party leader in the late 1980s. His group the Democratic Labour Movement contested the 1992 election, was not successful and he migrated the same year. That is 30 years ago.

I know Dr. Rose but I

don’t know when he migrated. I was told it was in the 1980s and he is a US citizen. I don’t know who Charles Sugrim is. I asked Rajendra Bisssesar for the purpose of this article who is this gentleman but he didn’t give me a plausible description. I was told he left Guyana a long time ago. My question is why would a daily Zoom panel discussion be hosted by foreign based Guyanese? Do they know what is going on in Guyana like Lall, Duncan, Ram, Guyanese Critic and Chan?

Then there is a daily social media discussion programme hosted separately by David Hinds, Rickforde Burke and Mark Benschop. All three live in the US. The same above question applies. Do they know what is going on here?

The Chronicle is afflicted with the same strangeness.

It has two Sunday columnists who live outside of Guyana. Why would a newspaper want its columnist to be foreignbased? The Chronicle has a third Sunday columnist, Barrington Brathwaite. He lives in Guyana and mixes with the ordinary folks and he writes about things he sees in Guyana.

I can tell you with oceanic definiteness that all over the world, people like to

read what the newspaper columnists have to say about this or that incident that they saw in this or that building.

Two of the Frederick Kissoon biggest names in television talkI am strongly show business are r i g h t - w i n g e r, Tu c k e r r e c o m m e n d i n g a Carlson and left-winger, symposium by Moray House Rachael Maddow. Why on the question as to what would any television station was the legal actuality in the have a host that lives in election results. I would definitely think that Anil another country?

Here is more mystery. Nandlall and Timothy Jonas There is an organisation should be part of the head named Moray House on table. Will Moray House do Quamina Street that holds it? You should not be hopeful monthly symposia. I read because Guyana is such a last week that it sponsored a disappointing land. Finally, panel on the oil contract. no article on the strangeness U n f o r t u n a t e l y , n o that Guyana is drowning in government representative can be complete without was on the programme. I mention of the University of don’t know if they were Guyana. The university since thousands of years ago, invited and declined.

What I am confused yes thousands, was known about, is that since it has and is known for its been in operation over 10 academics explaining to the years now, Moray House has peoples of the world about n o t s p o n s o r e d a n y the meanings of social programme on the GECOM phenomena. Does UG have chairman impasse in which academics? If not, what it President Granger broke has then? with the constitutional (The views expressed in Carter/Process formula; events surrounding the this article are those of the controversy of the no a u t h o r a n d d o n o t confidence vote; and the five necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) months of election rigging.

Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

The Lima Sands Police Outpost.

New police outposts commissioned in Essequibo

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn on Sunday commissioned two police outposts in Region Two; one at Lima Sands and the other at Onderneeming Sand Pit. According to a police press release, residents of the Onderneeming Sand Pit area can now benefit from a new police outpost, which was handed over officially to the Guyana Police Force by the Minister Benn.

According to the police, the Onderneeming Sand Pit Police Outpost will serve the security needs of residents of the area. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ms. Mae

To u s s a i n t J r. T h o m a s , A c t i n g Commissioner of Police Mr. Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag) Mr. Ravindradat Budhram, Commander of Regional Division #2 Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus and other senior and junior officers were also present at the official handing over ceremony.

Meanwhile, across at Lima Sands, the outpost is pegged at $4.5M. The new police outpost, a retro-fitted 40-foot container, will serve the security needs of residents of the Lima Sands and surrounding areas.

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn and residents of Onderneeming Sandpit at the commissioning of the police outpost.

Several community-related issues were raised and solutions/decisions were taken instantaneously by Minister Minister Benn and Police Commissioner (ag.) Mr. Clifton Hicken. The Permanent Secretary, Ms. Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas, along with Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag) Mr. Ravindradat Budhram, Head of Special Branch Mr. Errol Watts, Commander of Regional Division #2 Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus and other senior and junior officers were also present at the simple but significant handing over ceremony.

Monday May 16, 2022

Ketley Primary wins Literacy Bee competition

Nicola Austin Henry and students Angelina Deonarine and Antoine Henry pose with their prizes.

Ketley Primary school emerged winner of the ISecure Security Service/ MOE Literacy Bee Competition which culminated on Saturday at the National Cultural Centre.

Angelina Deonarine and Antoine Henry of Ketley Primary in Georgetown outshone their competitors from Auchlyne Primary, Region Six and Patentia Primary, Region Three. The two children shared their exuberance and spoke of how they prepared for the competition.

“On mornings, I normally wake up, and my mother would ask me questions, and sometimes we would stay in school and our teachers would help us with some questions,” Antoine said.

“When I go home, my parents would ask me questions and yes, we stay back at school and also revise,” Angelina added.

Headmistress of the school, Nicola Austin Henry noted that it was a holistic effort to help the children to prepare for the competition.

“Children learn, they learn very quickly too, and they learn in different ways, so we would have used different strategies in order to prepare them, and assist them for this competition today,” she noted.

She also endorsed the competition. “The initiative is a great one in that it would help them to see how they are excelling, as well as managing in gaining competency skills in the various aspects of literacy.”

Sponsor of the competition,

Quincy Anderson of ISecure Security Service, in brief remarks, noted that the quality of the competition speaks of the good work done by the teachers even when there was no face-toface learning for an extended period.

“This event …will become an annual event, and it should be looked forward to by each primary school because we are targeting the primary schools, so next year, let’s hope to get a bigger event where we could integrate more schools probably touching the hinterland and so on,” Anderson said.

The competition saw several preliminary rounds, which narrowed down the list of schools to Auchlyne Primary, Patentia Primary and Christiansburg Primary in Region Ten. Ketley Primary secured the highest p o i n t s i n l a s t w e e k ’s preliminary round and were automatically placed in the finals.

The winning school received a prize of $100,000, while the two students who won received tablets, and trophies. Trophies and certificates of participation were given to the other participating schools.

Samantha Williams, Assistant Chief Education Officer, said the competition supports the Ministry of Education’s mandate of providing a platform for learners to showcase their talents and knowledge in areas such as Spelling, Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge.

(DPI)

Kaieteur News

Monday May 16, 2022

Corentyne man feared dead after boat mishap in Canje Creek A 30-year-old man from Ulverston Village, Corentyne Berbice is feared dead after the boat he was in capsized in the Canje Creek on Saturday.

The man has been identified as Kevin France. According to reports, he along with four others including a policeman had ventured into the Canje Creek by boat to make checks on cattle. It was during the boat ride to the location that the incident occurred. Police said two boats that were 20-30 ft ahead of the vessel France was in, caused heavy waves in the water when they passed and it resulted in the boat capsizing.

As a result, France and the four others in his vessel fell overboard. The four men from the boat swam to shore but France was nowhere to be seen in the water. It is suspected that he may have drowned.

A search was launched by police and the coast guard while the four survivors were taken into custody for questioning in relation to the incident. An investigation is underway.

RDC councillor arrested for beating businessman

The swollen area behind the businessman’s head.

The RDC councillor accused of assaulting the businessman.

A 24-year-old member of the Berbice Regional Democratic Council (RDC) was on Saturday arrested for allegedly beating a businessman, age 66, at Hogstye Corentyne, Region Six. The businessman identified as Azad Taki told Kaieteur News that all he did was share his views on what should be done with some

“mud” removed from the shoulder of a road within in the Hogstye community.

Taki recounted that on Saturday morning, he n o t i c e d t h e Hogstye/Lanchaster Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) conducting works on the “shoulder of the road”.

“The shoulder of the road Continued on page 17

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Monday May 16, 2022

Oil spill insurance motion will test PPP/C’s loyalty to Guyana — former EPA Head says now is the time to reverse past mistakes

By Davina Bagot Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent

Adams has said that the Speaker of the National Assembly as well as government is now in a position to reverse the

mistakes made regarding oil spill insurance and moreover prove its loyalty to the country.

His comments came on

the heels of the recent revelation by Shadow Oil and Gas Minister, David Patterson, that the amended Motion, seeking full

insurance coverage by oil giant ExxonMobil, will be resubmitted to the House this week.

Dr. Adams in a recent

Former Head of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams interview with this publication explained, “This is the time for the Speaker and administration to show maturity and love for their country in accepting what is obviously a mistake that flies in the face of the interest of the people of Guyana and Caricom. It gives an opportunity to reverse what seems to be an ill-advised decision, by allowing for the 65 Members of Parliament who were put there to represent the people, to show whether they stand up as true representatives and guardrails against exploitation of their people, or whether they stand on the side of Exxon allowing the unfettered exploitation of the nation.”

He was referring to the weakening of the insurance motion by the House Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, who had in February removed 13 of the 20 clauses in Patterson’s Motion.

To this end, the former EPA boss reasoned, “Does it really make any sense for our poor nation to be so generous to mega rich Exxon, to first, be receiving much less monies than we deserve for our oil; second, to be paying Exxon’s billions of dollars of taxes out of our little bit; and third, to be holding the stick carrying Exxon’s humongous liabilities many, many times our national budget, in the case of a major oil spill? I think not!

The Opposition’s Motion on full coverage insurance is calling for the Government of Guyana, to include full unlimited liability coverage for oil spills and other disasters related to petroleum production, as a condition for granting approval for ExxonMobil’s fourth project, the Yellowtail development, and all other future petroleum development.

It is also seeking an independent analysis on the possible ill effects of an oil spill and for this report to be Continued on page 17

Kaieteur News

Monday May 16, 2022

PAGE 15

$215M Anna Regina Police Station commissioned

The spanking new and state-of-the-art Police Divisional Headquarter at Anna Regional, which was constructed at a cost of more than $215M. Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn on Sunday handed over the spanking new state-of-theart Police Regional Divisional Headquarter at Anna Regina to the Guyana Police Force officially.

Construction of the project started under the APNU+AFC Coalition Government. The Divisional Headquarter at Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast was constructed by Builders

Hardware and General Supplies and funded by the Government of Guyana at a sum of over $215M. With its modern exterior and interior design, the Divisional Headquarter will house several departments and facilities including a domestic violence room, juvenile friendly holding area, child-friendly area, witness protection room, a case management room, a case management system, traffic department, and

criminal investigation department.

The newly constructed station will also house the Anna Regina Immigration Service, which will provide decentralised Immigration Services to residents of Regions One and Two. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Ms. Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas, the Acting Commissioner of Police Mr. Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commissioner

Govt. to build hospital at De Kinderen Government is planning to construct a modern hospital at De Kinderen, Region Three to facilitate citizens living in and around the area.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony made the disclosure during the recent commissioning of a $30 million blood bank at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. “We have to also m o v e w i t h t h e demographics because if you have a lot of people are clustering in that area then we need to provide a facility that is closer to where this concentration of people is located.

“So, one of the things that we’ll be doing is we’ll be building a new hospital at De Kinderen, the region has already identified the land and this year in another few months, we should start the construction of that hospital,” Minister Anthony said.

The hospital will be e q u i p p e d w i t h approximately 75 inpatient beds, two operating theatres, one minor theatre, imaging suite (digital xrays, ultrasound, CT scans), modern accident and emergency and outpatient departments. The minister said government is also working on having “electronic health systems”, this would allow

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony healthcare facilities to move information at a faster rate and improve efficiency.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, $ 1 0 4 million was allocated to upgrade health centres in the region. While speaking about this project Dr. Anthony said, “if we can’t change the culture then we have to make sure we can facilitate people when they come early, so if we don’t have an outside waiting area then we have to build that, if we don’t have sanitation facilities while people are waiting then we should build that.”

Another US$1 million was expended to reengineer and upgrade the Leonora Hospital; this is part of the “Smart Healthcare Facilities in the Caribbean” project that is

being funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

The minister assured health workers that the government will continue investing in the sector, while urging them to care for the facilities and work towards improving the quality of health services in the region.

Meanwhile, the construction of a new hospital in the compound of t h e We s t D e m e r a r a Regional hospital is part of the government’s manifesto promise to provide improved infrastructure and improve the quality of healthcare services in all administrative regions across Guyana.

“The intention is that because a lot of this is very old … we can’t utilise it as effectively as we would like to and therefore what we want to do is to build a completely new hospital that would be modern, and it would have a lot of equipment, but the negotiations for that is still ongoing and we haven’t finalised that as yet, so once we do that you would have a new hospital being built in this compound.”

Dr. Anthony said the project is currently in the design phase; however, monies have also been expended to upgrade other sections of the hospital. (DPI)

‘Administration’ (ag) Mr. Calvin Brutus, Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ ( a g ) M r. R a v i n d r a d a t Budhram, Head of Special Branch Mr. Errol Watts, Commander of Regional Division #2 Superintendent Mr. Shivpersaud Bacchus,

Commander of Region Two, Shivpersaud Bacchus greets Minister Robeson Benn on his arrival on the Essequibo Coast.

Head of the Corporate Communications Unit Mr. Mark Ramotar, and other senior and junior officers are also present at the official handing over ceremony.

Several members of the

Business Community were also present at the event which saw the handing over of ten new vehicles to the Police Force by Essequibo businessmen Tamesh and Suresh Jagmohan.

PAGE 16

Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

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Grade 2 Teachers,Secretary & Security Guards. Contact:6 49-8174.

Receptionist,Washer,Pressor & Hotel Attendant.Call:2310951,227-7714,223-3448 info@vgiworld.com.

TM Truck Driver,Maid to look after elderly person & Porter.Call Richard 609-7675/ 674-1705.

Teachers for Grade 5,preschool & janitors. Contact: 649-8174.

The New Testament Church of God (NTCOG) Guyana will hold its 63rd Annual Convention from May 20 -22 at the National Cultural Centre, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

This year’s event signals a return after a two-year absence due to the global Corona Virus pandemic which has so far killed 1,228 Guyanese, 1.6 million in Latin America and Caribbean states and some 6.2 million persons worldwide.

As such, the theme of Convention 2022 is ‘Still Your

VACANCY Accounts Clerk. Quick books knowledge & Accoun ting Experience. Tel: 6092995,email:survival. humanresources@gmail.com.

Inventory/Data Entry Clerks, with passport size picture.

Tel:609-2995,email: survival. humanresources@gmail. com.

PM Shift Cashiers.Math & Eng required.Tel:609-2995, 227-5286 email: survival. human resources @gmail.com.

PM Shift Sale Representatives. Tel:609-2995,227-5286 email:survival.humanresources @gmail. com.

Security Officers.Tel:6092995, 227-5286 email: survival .humanresources@gmail.com.

Pump Attendant/Cashier, shifts (6am-2pm & 2pm-10 pm).Shell Station Providence E.B.D, email: Shell ramsburg @gmai.com.

2 Experienced hairdresser, location E.B.D.Contact:6770040.

Masons & Carpenters, wages $7,000-$10,000 per day.

Call:650-1394,650-1941.

1 salesgirl/pharmacy assistant. Drop application at Patient Needs Pharmacy, stall 16-18 Section A Bourda, Phar patientneeds @ gmail.com.

Millenium Manor Hotel,43 Hadfield St.1 experience housekeeper,come in with application.Call:223-0541/2.

Experienced Skidsteer (Bobcat)/Mini Excavator Operator.

Tel:623-2728,619-0898,6984321.

Water Delivery Driver and Porter for E.C.D.Tel:676-1363/ 692-6768.

Servicemen for Interior location. Applicants must be experienced. Call:231-2250.

Cleaner,Time keeping,Tool issuing clerk,2 security (night & day).Contact:621-6969/ 615-7784.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area.Call:615-9132 Female Cleaner for office.

Call:642-9823.

Healer.’

At the three-day event, Caribbean Field Director, Bishop Ishmael Charles and his wife, Patricia, will be the featured speakers. Bishop Ishmael Charles will close the 63rd Convention on Sunday morning which commences at 9 am. On Saturday, the Ladies and Youth Departments will team up from 3 pm with Sister Patricia Charles as the guest speaker. The Convention begins on next Friday at 6:30 pm.

NTCOG members around the country are relieved about the return of their signature annual event, and some have said so in their social media posts.

NTCOG currently 65 churches as members in Guyana, five of which are deemed mission churches and one located at Western Suriname, all contributing to a national membership of approximately 5,000. In Guyana, Bishop Joseph Persaud is the overseer of the NTCOG, with its numbers constantly growing.

The NTCOG has linkages to the oldest Pentecostal Church in the United States and falls under the Church of God movement. As such, NTCOG is a Pentecostal movement best known for its fervour and enthusiastic ‘holy spirit’ influenced worship sessions.

According to its brief history, although the Church of God movement

Caribbean Field Director of NTCOG, Bishop Ishmael Charles and his wife Patricia. commenced in 1886, it only came to Guyana in the 1940s and officially began its operation here in 1956.

The New Testament name was adopted because when the movement arrived in Guyana, it was found that a Church of God was already operating in Guyana.

The history is similar in most of the Caribbean island.

Several Caribbean territories have New Testament Church of God because Church of God churches were there before. The New Testament movement currently exists in over 183 countries with millions of members.

In a previous interview with Kaieteur News, Overseer of the NTCOG in Guyana, Bishop Joseph had explained that the church is unique in its structure since it is guided by a centralised team of elders

in the United States. “We are known by this, we are also known by the way we are structured and because we are Pentecostal, we also pay a lot of attention to miracles because we believe that God still heals…above all, we believe in holiness,” asserted Bishop Persaud.

But even with its various peculiarities, Bishop Joseph made it clear that “everyone is welcome to any New Testament Church of God…anybody can walk off the street and feel like they belong here.” However, becoming a member of the church requires that individuals are taught the doctrine of the church and accept that the entire bible is inspired by God although members are known to mostly embrace the New Testament theology.

‘Go back to CPCE or be fired ’ - MoE tells untrained teachers The Ministry of Education (MoE) is calling on all untrained teachers in the system to enroll in the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) without delay at the appropriate level and programme.

In a statement signed by Chief Education Officer, (CEO) Marcel Hutson, the ministry iterated the importance of teachers acquiring training.

The statement pointed out that the criterion requiring the employment of in-service teachers for one year before entering CPCE is no longer applicable. The ministry said that the decision to remove the entry level requirement is in keeping with its objective to have all teachers trained.

The release added that the approach is necessary as it aids in the attainment of the mandate of the MoE Education Sector Plan (20212025) with regard to improving accountability and efficiency in the classroom, improving performance at all levels and reducing inequities in the

classroom. The Ministry noted too that, “failure to enroll may result in the ministry’s inability to continue the employment of some teachers.”

As part of its 2022 work programme, the Ministry of Education (MoE) announced last December that it is looking to have all teachers across the country trained. Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that for the last 15 years, the country has recorded a disappointing 70% average of trained teachers. She promised an expansion of the CPCE in 2022, the only teacher training college in the country, which had never seen more than 535 students accepted annually. This year, with teaching now online, there are some 2,500 teachers currently in training, which will see the highest number of trained teachers graduating in a single year in the next four years.

Notwithstanding, Manickchand bemoaned the small number of untrained

Chief Education Officer, (CEO) Marcel Hutson. teachers in the system. “We can no longer accept the average 70% of trained teachers…we have to license our teachers; this is one of the most important professions …The highest level of trained teachers we have is at primary, and has never reached 80 percent. We don’t have any level with 80 percent trained teachers, it has all been at the 73, 71, 75, 77, and the reason (Continued on page 17)

Monday May 16, 2022

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Calls grow for major review of 2020... 45 new Covid-19 cases; two persons in ICU

From page 8 not. When asked about Alexander’s statement on the internal circular that allegedly includes a review of the 2020 elections, she said that she was unaware of such, before offering that “Alexander says all kinds of things” in the media.

At the meeting with the AG, the ERG called for President Irfaan Ali to honour his statement to investigate the 2020 elections fiasco. A statement from the AG’s office quoted the civil society body as saying, “The ERG observed that upon assumption of office, the President had stated that there would be a thorough investigation into the political crisis following the March 2 elections in 2020, but this has not occurred. Such an investigation is a critical step toward diagnosing the causes of problems and will better guide reform proposals.”

Alexander told the Kaieteur News that since the ERG said that it was not in the business of making contributions to reform election laws at this time; statements by the government that they received “substantive” contributions from the group seem misrepresented. In a Stabroek News Sunday report, “ERG wants societal talks on electoral reform, not offering prescriptions” ERG coordinator Dr. Desmond Thomas said that the group at this stage can only advocate for meaningful dialogue among Government, Opposition and civil society, apart from raising awareness

in society about the need for electoral reform. He was quoted as saying that, “At this stage of the Electoral Reform Group’s (ERG) operations, our main focus for electoral reform is dialogue and making people more knowledgeable about how the electoral system works, its strengths and weaknesses.

We are not into the idea of making prescriptions at the moment.”

Alexander said that the government is giving the perception that there is widespread consultation ongoing, when in fact calls are getting louder for real public discussions to be held.

The Stabroek report also quoted the ERG coordinator as saying that, “Government has been kind of acknowledging the need for consultations”. Given such statements, Alexander reiterated his rejection of government’s claim that it received “substantive” contributions from the civil society group and GECOM. He said that where the Commission is concerned, there has been no internal discussion on the election reform contributions and therefore, the government could not receive any submissions claiming to be that of the agency as a collective. Alexander said opposition commissioners made initial contributions to Commission but specifically asked that detailed discussions be held as a collective so that the document on behalf of GECOM would be comprehensive in

highlighting the various positions such as common and minority views. Shadick had told Kaieteur News that she made her submissions directly to the government as a citizen of Guyana and was not interested in GECOM’s internal discussions, especially since, “it took so long to get its house in order.”

Justice Singh told the newspaper as well that, “something always comes up” before the Commission could get to the election reform discussions. The matter was back on the agenda at last Tuesday’s statutory meeting but Alexander said that the commission did not get past its minutes. Again, no discussions were held.

The opposition Commissioner took further note that the AG stated in its ERG meeting, that while the government is committed to electoral reform, it was only dealing with statutory changes to the Representation of the People Act at this time, specifically excluding changes to the Constitution,” and that the AG took many critical issues off the table for consideration, including several matters listed in the ERG submission.

In that regard, Alexander questioned the type of consultation that is really being held.

Statutory changes to election procedures do not have the same effect as constitutional changes, which deal with important administrative matters. This would include for instance, the mechanism offered by

Vice President Jagdeo to remove the names of dead persons from the voters’ list in contrast to the removal of the names of dead persons from the constitutionally backed Register of Registrants. The ERG thus maintained its call for sustainable electoral reform, which it said requires comprehensive social consensus with effective civil society involvement. The group told the AG during their meeting that, “the narrow focus on the RoPA amounts to reinforcing a system in dire need of reform instead of fixing it.”

In terms of the 2020 elections fiasco, the PPP has accused the APNU+AFC of producing false documents to purport their victory in the last election, while the APNU+AFC is accusing the governing party of using the documentation of deceased and absent persons to vote in their favour. Three former GECOM employees, including the Chief and Deputy Elections Officers, an opposition member and activist have been charged and brought before the court for conspiring to defraud voters, while the High Court has taken possession of 2020 Statements of Poll and Statements of the Recount, for safe keeping. A review of the 2020 elections fiasco, along with comprehensive reform of election laws is a main concern to numerous stakeholders to, “deliver elections that are free from suspicion and readily acceptable to major stakeholders”.

Oil spill insurance motion will test...

From page 14 submitted to the Parliamentary Committee of Natural Resources, to be used as a reference for all other future oil development submissions.

The oil company has since gotten the necessary environmental approvals to proceed with the Yellowtail development, in the absence of full insurance coverage.

Nevertheless, ExxonMobil is currently seeking approval for its fifth oil project, Uaru Plus. The second clause, in the insurance Motion states, “And Whereas worldwide offshore oil production operations show a high likelihood of an oil spill occurring offshore Guyana, and that such likelihood of a spill increases exponentially with the rapid increase in offshore production activities” and the fourth clause read, “And Whereas the emergency response and cleanup of the British Petroleum Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

have so far cost more than $70 billion USD.” Even though these details have been widely reported on, and are moreover available for verification through quick research, these clauses were removed as the Speaker concluded they must be based on facts. The removal of these clauses means that they will not be debated in the National Assembly. Given that these clauses which can easily be verified were removed, Dr. Adams said he believes the Speaker owes Guyana and the rest of Caricom an explanation.

According to him, “I think that in the context of a matter of such a critical nature to the health, wellbeing and livelihood of the peoples of Guyana and the Caricom nations, the honorable Speaker owes all an explanation why he thinks that each of these 15 Clauses he unilaterally removed, are not factual; and why does he believe

it’s appropriate for him to usurp the rightful obligation of the 65 Members of Parliament to debate, decipher the facts from falsities, and make the decisions by a vote on these critical matters that carries dire potential consequences to Guyana and the region.”

He added, “Isn’t Guyana supposed to be a democracy and not an autocracy – the reason why we have a parliamentary forum as our highest decision-making instrument of the nation, where the members of this parliament was put there by the people to speak on their behalf? Is it just the Speaker’s high and mighty political bias?

Or is it in fairness to him, just his being ill-advised of what is factual? Isn’t the parliament the ultimate authority where issues of this sort must be debated and where facts must be separated from falsities?

Since when does the constitution call for the

Speaker to usurp this role of the 65 Members of Parliament and by extension, all Guyanese?”

ExxonMobil has, since the startup of its oil operations in December 2019, evaded demands to provide insurance coverage, and instead tied its subsidiary to providing this guarantee. This has been the centre of debates as the fairly young company with assets worth only around US$5 billion, would not be able to effectively cover all costs associated with an oil spill in Guyana, should such an adverse event occur.

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor.

Say no to it.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise here, with the Ministry of Health reporting another 45 new infections on Sunday.

Two persons are also in the COVID Intensive Care Unit.

RDC councillor arrested...

From page 13 was not level so they were leveling up cause it got some heavy-duty vehicles in the community that park on the parapet and cause some big, big hole,” said Taki.

While observing the machine at work, he reportedly noticed that the operator could have made use of the “extra mud” that remained after leveling up the parapet. “I go out and tell he, leh he heap up all the stuff and when he finish, he could use it full up some holes on the road but like he decide to call this councillor”, Taki told Kaieteur News.

Taki alleged that when he the councillor came, it appeared that the man was annoyed with him and they got into an argument over his proposal.

The businessman claimed that he flung his hand at the councillor in disgust during their argument. “Like duh get the man vex and he said, ‘You know how long I waiting for you, and he start pelt some cuff behind meh neck back”, recounted Taki.

The assault on the businessman left an area behind his head swollen. He reported the matter to the police, did a medical and returned home where he saw the operator of the machine doing the same thing that he had advised him to do earlier.

The councillor was arrested and later released on station bail as the investigation continues.

Kaieteur News understands that the councillor told investigators that Taki had “cuffed him first”.

‘Go back to CPCE or be...

From page 16 for that is simple, some teachers have retired every year and we have only ever been able to put 535 (at a time) in training,” Manickchand revealed.

The Minister mentioned too that the Ministry has recorded a drop in hinterland teachers being trained.

Though it was worrying at first, she disclosed that what they found is that these teachers preferred to do the two-year Associated Degree programme instead of the full four-year certificate programme. Although noting that this is commendable, she encouraged them to pursue the profession further.

For those teachers in the system who are untrained, the Education Minister assured that in 2022, the Ministry will

be working closely to upgrade them.

While, disclosing the plans the Ministry has, the Minister noted that in the next four years, Guyana will be able to produce more teachers than it has ever done before.

She observed that there were many untrained teachers who were doing well, but said she believed they stand a chance to do better if certified and trained.

The Education Minister said she had already said to untrained teachers in person that they need to be trained.

“We see two things, those who have qualifications and who can get in but didn’t go and teachers in the classroom who do not have eligibility criteria…for those we are upgrading those teachers so they can get in,” she added.

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Monday May 16, 2022

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Monday May 16, 2022

Monday May 16, 2022

20 new horses imported for Guyana Cup 2022 Advertisements have been seen in the local newspapers and other media and fans have begun to buzz over the 14th Running of The Guyana Cup set for August 14 at the No.6 West Berbice racetrack.

The event is hailed as one of the most anticipated Horse Racing events in the Caribbean with over 10 racing stables welcoming new top stake horses imported from Trinidad, Jamaica, Canada & USA. This batch of horses is the best breeds imported in over 10 years. The new horses combined with the horses preparing for this event will definitely make this the most competitive horse race ever

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Kaieteur News

ran.

Local stables have started preparation works to accommodate over 20 new thoroughbreds that were brought in through the CJIA. Specially designed travel boxes were sought to ensure the horses were safely contained whilst on the aircraft.

Active stable owners; Kris Jagdeo Racing Stable, Jumbo Jet Racing Stables, Cheffoon Racing Stable, Rising Sun Racing Stable and Romel Jagroop Racing Stable have all purchased new horses and has paved the way for new horse owners to meet the standards established over the years. Entering the

horse racing arena and creating quite a stir are Ephraim’s Racing Stables, Slingers Racing Stables & Big G Racing Stables who fortunately copped two winning thoroughbreds from the imported horses.

Competition is expected to be extremely stiff with horse owners providing the very best in care and preparations required for their horse(s). Some are importing the best supplements and feed in addition to rigorous training to ensure their horses have the best possible chance of winning the prestigious stakes and classic races.

When contacted, stable owners Nasrudeen ‘Junior’

Monday May 16, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You might need to hold your tongue today, Aries. People's feelings are more easily hurt now, and the slightest criticism could be misinterpreted as a terrible insult.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You may feel rather lazy and out of touch today, Libra. It could be that your emotions have taken a stronger hold on your psyche than your rational way of thinking.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You'll find that you have a much better than usual connection with the people around you, Taurus. Your psychic sense is acute, and you should use this sixth sense to pick up things that other people might miss.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today is a good day to dream, Scorpio. Be aware that structured forces may try to convince you that the route you want to take isn't the most practical.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be persistent and don't give up the fight today, Gemini. It might seem as if you aren't making progress and that it's harder to make decisions about anything.

CANCER(June21–July22) Your current plan of attack may run into some snags today, Cancer. This might be caused by an emotional need that you may not have recognized earlier.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may need to take a more disciplined approach to your communication today, Leo. Try not to be so harsh and limiting with your words.

People respond better to comforting expressions and a sympathetic tone.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) This is an excellent day for you. You should find that things are running smoothly and to your advantage. Watch out for those who may want to rain on your parade by bombarding you with information that doesn't really connect with the way you feel.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You might feel like your emotions are up in the air, Sagittarius. As soon as you feel emotional, there may be a more structured force telling you to be reasonable.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Your head is filled with passion today, Capricorn, and you may be feeling a bit more sentimental than usual. The one difficulty with this is that there may not be an appropriate situation in which to express this emotion as fully as you might like.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Try not to get weighed down by emotions today, but give them the opportunity to have their time in the spotlight. You may find that there is a strong force working to cover up the truth of what you really feel.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It may be difficult to express yourself fully today. Somehow the words aren't coming out quite as clearly as you'd like. Powerful emotions are getting in the way.

It could be difficult for you to find solid footing .

Mohamed & Kris Jagdeo shared the same sentiments, “Horse racing is truly a passion and we have been upkeeping our horses for the past three years in anticipation for the biggest horse races, the Guyana Cup. We have the chance to get back on the saddle and continue pushing forward.

The date is set, preparation work have started on the grounds and the horse owners, trainers, jockeys & grooms are excited and gearing up for the stiff competition. Rest assured Horse Racing is back with a bang and with these new thoroughbreds imported, the competition is even relying on the trainers to ensure the owners raise the trophies with pride and glory.”

Campbell pedals his...

From page 22 Adjani Culley. The female category which involved only two riders saw Clivecia Spencer outdo Denise Jefferey to claim the title.

Following the final stage, the presentation ceremony was done in the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to honour the top performers and standout performances.

Prime Minister Independence...

From page 24 Beharry Group of Companies, Ansa McAl and the Guyana Tourism Authority.

Entrance fee is $15,000 per team and details on registration for the tournament can be had by contacting B.L. Aaron on telephone 662-3497 and or Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire on 659-8672.

New IBA Board of Directors meets first time and appoints Ukrainian Vice-President Saturday the newly elected International Boxing Association (IBA) Board of Directors (BoD) met for the first time following the election of ten independent Directors at the IBA Extraordinary Congress in Istanbul. These BoD members will be joined by two further elected Athlete Committee representatives following the conclusion of the ongoing IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. They were also joined by the President and also the Presidents of the Continental Confederations.

Key among the agenda items was the election of the IBA Vice-President, and Mr. Volodymyr Prodyvus (UKR) was elected. “I have been involved in boxing since I was 16. It is an essential part of my life and I want to see my beloved sport reaching new heights,” said Prodyvus in the meeting. “I fully recognize the responsibility this position entails and thank my new colleagues for their trust.” With 20 years of finance and strategy

experience, Elise Seignolle (USA) was unanimously elected as a third member of the Finance Committee after the other two independent members were also approved by the incoming Board of Directors. This action further implemented the recommendations of the Governance Reform Group whose representatives observed the meeting.

Reports were made on further steps towards implementation, including the establishment of the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit.

President Kremlev added: “I am grateful to my new colleagues for their active approach and the dedication to boxing that they are already expressing.

We need to build an open dialogue to be able to implement all required reforms in order to further help athletes, coaches and National Federations in achieving their goals.”

The next meeting of the IBA Board of Directors is scheduled for 24 June in Lausanne.

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Monday May 16, 2022

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden…

Swag Entertainment masterfully preserves title

Swag Entertainment on offence about to score their second goal.

A dynasty was solidified on Saturday evening, as defending champion Swag Entertainment successfully retained the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden Championship, defeating Amazings 2-0 at the Christianburg Hardcourt.

Witnessed by a large crowd despite the inclement weather which highlighted the night’s proceedings, emerging star Kendolph Lewis settled the outcome with a quick-fire double.

The deadlock was broken in the 10th minute, as Lewis slammed his effort into the roof of the net, after receiving a pass from the right side of the field. The eventual scoreline and his brace were sealed four minutes later, as Lewis stabbed his effort into the right corner, after receiving a pass from the left side.

With the outcome, Swag Entertainment walked away with $300,000 and the

championship trophy. They also earned an automatic berth to the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championship, which is slated to commence later in the year.

On the other hand, Amazings pocketed $200,000 and the runner-up trophy for their efforts. In the third-place playoff, Silver Bullets downed DC Ballers 4-3 on penalty kicks after regulation time ended 1-1.

Donovan Francis gave Silver Bullets the initial lead in the third minute, while Jamal Allicock equalised in the 12th minute.

Due to the result, Silver Bullets pocketed $100,000, and the respective trophy, while DC Ballers received $70,000 and the corresponding accolade.

Meanwhile, in the earlier semifinal round, Swag Entertainment dismissed Silver Bullets 5-1, while Amazings edged DV Ballers by a 1-0 scoreline.

39th Independence Three-Stage Road Race…

Campbell pedals his way to the crown

Team Foundation rider, Akil Campbell, put forth a robust performance over the weekend to be crowned the champion of the Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) 39th Independence ThreeStage Road Race which ended yesterday morning following a 65-mile trek from Linden to Georgetown.

The final stage which ended on Homestretch Avenue saw Campbell finish first to add to his victory in the first stage. His overall time of 7 hours, 18 minutes and 19s (7:16.19s) was the fastest over the three stages, while Jamaul John was second in both the final stage and overall. He turned in a time of 7 hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds.

Finishing third overall and in the final stage was Curtis Dey who stopped the clock at 7 hours, 28 minutes and 36 seconds, while Kemuel Moses was fourth with a time of 7 hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds.

Jason Cameron held on for fifth with a time of 7 hours, 32 minutes and 51 seconds.

Cameron finished just three seconds ahead of David

Hicks (sixth) as Hicks edged out Deoraj Garbaran (seventh) by seven seconds, who bettered Walter GrantStuart’s (eighth) time by only a second. Marcus Keeler and Andre Greene rounded out the top ten, in that order.

On Saturday, Campbell won the first stage with R a y n a u t h J e ff e r y a n d Garbaran finishing second and third, respectively. Later that day, John won the second stage ahead of Dey and Hicks, who were second and third, respectively.

In the Veterans category, Grant-Stuart’s overall time of 7:33.01s trumped the competition as Robin Persaud finished second with a time of 7:39.20s ahead of Paul Choo-Wee-Nam, who was third with the same time.

For the Juniors that rode reduced miles, Arjoon Sookhai was the top Junior with a time of 5 hours, 58 minutes and 15 seconds ahead of Sherwin Sampson who finished four seconds behind. Copping the third and fourth place finishes were Dimitri Madansik and (Continued on page 19)

Kaieteur News

Monday May 16, 2022

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Djokovic wins Italian Open to claim first title in over six months

R

OME, (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his first title in over six months after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0 7-6(5) to win the Italian Open yesterday.

Djokovic did not drop a set en route to the final in Rome, having picked up his 1,000th tour-level victory by beating Casper Ruud in the semi-final to book a clash with Tsitsipas - a repeat of last year’s French Open final, which the Serb won.

A sixth-successive win for Djokovic over his Greek opponent looked inevitable as he stormed through the first set with a blistering display of hitting, to which Tsitsipas had no answer.

Tsitsipas’s name rung around Campo Centrale in the fourth game of the second set, however, as an unforced error from Djokovic gave the Greek player two break points, the first of which he converted to take a 3-1 lead in the set.

After Tsitsipas held to make it 4-1, Djokovic then upped it a gear, winning five of the next seven games to

take it to a tiebreak before sealing his sixth Italian Open title, and first since winning the Paris Masters in November.

It has been the perfect week for the 34-year-old, who became only the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the 1,000 wins milestone after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl and Rafa Nadal, ahead of the start of the French Open next Sunday.

“I surprised myself I can say,” Djokovic said. “I had a clear game plan and I knew what to expect, so I knew what I had to do, but I did play a perfect first set.

“After that it was a little tighter. At this level, one or two points can turn a match and he was then back in the game at 4-1 up. The match could easily have gone to a third set but I managed to find the right shots at the right time to come back into the match.

“I have been building my form for the past couple of weeks and I knew that my best shape on clay usually comes around Rome time, so it could not be better going into Roland Garros with a title.”

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates with the trophy after winning the final against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas. (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

Swiatek retains Italian Open title with 28th straight win

Poland’s Iga Swiatek poses with the trophy after winning the Italian Open, alongside runner up Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

(Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek retained her Italian Open title after overwhelming Ons Jabeur 62 6-2 in Rome yesterday, clinching her fifth consecutive WTA crown and winning her 28th match in a row.

Having swept the titles in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, Swiatek has now won every WTA 1000 tournament she has contested this season and will be the favourite to add to her 2020 French Open success when the Grand Slam tournament begins next week.

Swiatek outmanoeuvred Jabeur to snap the Tunisian’s 11-match winning streak, which began in her title run in Madrid, to level their head-to-head record at 2-2 after having lost both 2021 meetings at Wimbledon and Cincinnati. “Today I’m going to celebrate with a lot of tiramisu, no regrets,” said Poland’s Swiatek, who collapsed on the red clay at Foro Italico and broke down in tears after securing the title.

“I just felt huge relief... I was just really happy that I could cope with all the pressure and expectations so well,” she told reporters later. “I have emotional reactions, but this one was probably the most emotional after winning the title. “I mean, why not? It’s a week of tension and stress. Finally letting go (after that), for me

that’s okay.” In the pair’s first meeting on clay, Swiatek was barely troubled by world number seven Jabeur in the opening stages of the match and comfortably held her serve to race into a commanding 3-0 lead.

Jabeur tested her 20-year-old opponent at 4-2 but Swiatek dug herself out of a 0-30 hole to hold from deuce and take the game before wrapping up the set on her second set point when the Tunisian whipped a forehand into the net. The second set started off in similar fashion, with Jabeur proving no match for Swiatek’s power and mobility from the baseline as the Pole cruised 4-0 ahead. Jabeur won the next two games and looked set for another but Swiatek held from 0-40 down, saving four break points and closed out the game on her first serve before a backhand into the net from the Tunisian ended her resistance. “Iga, mentally she was really good. She was always aggressive,” Jabeur said.

“No matter what the score is, always going forward, putting pressure on the other player. That I think is very important. “Iga is the number one for a reason. She’s really the leader here on tour. I personally have a lot to learn from her. Hopefully we’ll have another match soon.”

Unbeaten Mathews century gives Sri Lanka first-day honours

E

SPNcricinfo - Angelo Mathews’ 12th Test century headlined Sri Lanka’s fine first day against Bangladesh in Chattogram. His century, and 92-run stand for the third wicket with Kusal Mendis, revived Sri Lanka in the second session before keeping things locked in their favour till the end of the day.

Bangladesh would rue dropping Mathews on 69, but it was an otherwise tight contest for the Sri Lanka batters against the steady home spinners.

After the big stand with Mendis, Mathews added another 75 for the unbroken fifth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal, who was unbeaten on 34 at stumps.

Mathews was on 114, using all of his experience to hit his first century against Bangladesh. Only the Bangladesh spinners took wickets, with Nayeem Hasan taking two and Taijul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan one each.

Mathews’ most fruitful zone was in front of the wicket, mostly driving straight on a pitch that had low bounce but was good for batting from the second session.

Between extra cover and midwicket, he struck 11 boundaries and hit a straight six too. The rest of

Mathews’ boundaries were hit towards fine-leg.

When he was on 69, in the 65th over, Mahmudul Hasan Joy dropped Mathews at slip off Taijul, and although Mahmudul made it up with a good grab in the next over to get rid of Dhananjaya de Silva, it proved to be a costly drop.

The third session started poorly for Sri Lanka, when Mendis pulled Taijul’s long-hop to Nayeem at short midwicket.

They had earlier gone wicketless throughout the second session as Mathews and Mendis bedded in for the long haul.

Mendis batted quite conservatively, only hitting a couple of cover drives and another boundary through midwicket, as he allowed Mathews to thrive. They had come together late in the first session after Nayeem had taken two wickets.

The offspinner, playing his first Test in more than a year, removed Dimuth Karunaratne in his first over, before getting Oshada Fernando caught behind.

Bangladesh, though, lost two of their reviews with ordinary lbw appeals.

Stumps: Sri Lanka 258 for 4 (Mathews 114*, Mendis 54, Nayeem 2-71) vs Bangladesh.

Angelo Mathews celebrates with Dinesh Chandimal after reaching his century. (AFP/Getty Images)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Monday May 16, 2022

Magnum Independence Cup…

Bent Street lose stakes with Sparta Boss’ triumph - Back Circle to battle for title

The Back Circle Team.

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new champion will be crowned in the Magnum Independence Cup, as holders and two time winner Bent Street lost to fierce rival Sparta Boss in an instant classic 18-17 in the semifinal round on Saturday at the National Park tarmac.

Witnessed by a large crowd, the fixture which was highlighted by several instances of individual brilliance is being credited in several circles, and by many pundits, as the greatest match on local soil in the format.

Ryan Hackett of Sparta Boss was one of the main

The Sparta Boss squad. protagonists of the encounter, as he recorded 10 conversions, the most for a player in a single match during the event, in the third, fourth, 11th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 27th, 29th, 31st, and 44th minutes.

Jermin Junior chipped in with five goals in the 12th, 16th, 20th, 22nd and 49th minutes, while Eusi Phillips bagged a double in the sixth and 36th minutes. Adding a goal in the 17th minute was Kelsey Benjamin.

On the other side, Trayon Bobb fashioned eight strikes in the ninth, 18th, 28th, 30th, 37th, 38th, 39th, and 41st minutes, whilst Pernell

Schultz added four strikes in the 19th, 19th, 20th and 40th minutes. Contributing a double was Daniel Wilson in the 35th, and 39th minute, while Sheldon Profitt, Jermaine Scott, and Clive Nobrega netted in the fifth, 13th, and 48th minutes respectively.

Sparta Boss will now meet Back Circle in the final on Saturday May 21st, after the latter defeated Gold is Money 5-2. Jermaine Beckles recorded a double in the 13th and 26th minutes, while Cecil Jackman, Adrian Aaron, and David George scored in the 12th, 14th, and 29th minutes respectively.

For the loser, Darren Benjamin and Deon Alfred netted in the 19th, and 24th minute each. The losing semi-finalists will contest the third place playoff.

The w inner of the tournament will receive $700,000, and the championship accolade, whilst the runner-up will pocket $400,000 and the corresponding trophy. The third and fourth place finishers will pocket $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, in the Plate Section, North East La Penitence, and Future Stars will contest the final

following wins over Showstoppers and Melanie respectively.

North East La Penitence brushed aside Showstoppers 13-0. Lennox Cort scored in the sixth, seventh, 13th, 20th and 21st, while Akil Plass added goals in the fifth, 14th, 23rd, and 26th minutes, and Ravin Naughton netted in the 27th, 18th, and 30th minutes.

Adding a goal was Junior Jordan in the12th minute.

On the other hand, Future Stars edged Melanie 7-6; Seon Cummings [fourth, and 14th], Jamal Cozier [fifth, and 17th], and Carl Griffith [seventh, and 25th] tallied respective doubles, while

Rondel Bowman added a conversion in the13th minute.

For Melanie, William Europe recorded a hat-trick in the 11th, 24th and 26th minutes, while Teon Stewart scored twice in the 12th and 30th minutes, and Ryan Seales netted once in the 16th minute. The eventual winner of this section will pocket $40,000.

The other sponsors of the event are MVP Sport, Nigel Hind Financial Services, Andrews Supermarket, Bold Expressions Barbershop, Fireside Grill ‘N’ Chill, Star Party Rentals, and Lucozade.

Prime Minister Independence Domino tourney set for May 26 in Linden

Ramesh Sunich (right) of the Trophy Stall along with B.L. Aaron display some of the main trophies on offer.

The Honorable Prime Minister, Ret’d. Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips Independence Domino Tournament 2022 will be staged on Thursday 26 May, 2022 at 2330 Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden (Shanghai’s Residence).

This will be the First Independence Cup Tournament being staged in the Mining Town and all Clubs affiliated to the Linden Domino Association and all affiliated clubs from all other Associations are invited to take part.

Attractive prizes are at stake and they are:

1st Place $500,000 2nd Place $300,000 3rd Place $100,000 The winner will also claim the Hon. Prime Minister Lien Trophy.

Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall has donated the trophies for the winner, 2nd and 3rd place teams. A number of other individual prizes are also to be won. The competition promises to be keen.

Among the other sponsors on board are: Office of the Hon. Prime Minister, Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, Bakewell, (Continued on page 21)

Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips

Monday May 16, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

Vyphuis and Bridgemohan are overall masters’ winners; Hussein and Sanmoogan cop overall intermediate titles

Wazeer Hussein Marley Vyphuis and Lalita Bridgemohan were crowned overall male and female winners respectively in the masters category, while Wazeer Hussein and Sarah Sanmoogan won the overall male and female intermediate titles in that order when the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation held its Masters/Intermediate championship yesterday at St. Stanislaus College.

The championship also served as preparation for some athletes that will be representing Guyana at the North American Powerlifting Federation championship in Panama in August.

The performance of Hussein of Roy’s gym and Bridgemohan of Seemangal gym, both of the Essequibo Coast, underlined the vast improvement of athletes from that county.

The day’s proceedings also saw a number of new records being set as athletes notably Richard ‘the Mack Truck’ Fredericks and Arnold Archer, displayed tremendous stamina to hand the fans much to cheer about.

See details in tomorrow’s edition.

Lalita Bridgemohan

Vyphuis and Bridgemohan are overall masters’ winners; Hussein and Sanmoogan cop overall intermediate titles 39th Independence Three-Stage Road Race…

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Defending champion Swag Entertainment received its championship trophy and first place package from Sales and Outdoor Manager Sean Grant, after successfully defending its title in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden edition at the Christianburg Hardcourt.

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden…

Swag Entertainment masterfully preserves title Team Foundation riders Akil Campbell (left) and Jamaul John celebrate crossing the finish line of the third stage.

20 new horses imported for Guyana Cup 2022

Campbell pedals his way to the crown Swiatek retains Italian Open Prime Minister Independence title with 28th straight win Domino tourney Djokovic wins Italian Open to set for May 26 claim first title in over six months in Linden One of the new thoroughbreds, Chestnut 3yr old colt, named Sail Ahoy on arrival in Guyana.

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