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Wednesday Edition May 26, 2021 - Vol. 16 No.21

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X-mas party, Anniversary retreat

Online readership yesterday, 77,663

More shares sold in 55 “suspiciously awarded” Kaieteur Oil Block th

Oil benefit must pass on to all sectors of society

- Pres. Irfaan Ali Independence address

City Council to publish list Woman scolded daughter, 11, of beneficiaries of ‘Royston when she complained about King approved’ leases relative raping her - Police Global Roundtable on Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development...

UN SG tells world leaders that mineral resources must benefit all people, not just elites …calls independent monitoring by civil society “essential”

Samoan PM refuses Manhattan DA convenes to concede defeat Trump Grand after 22-year rule Jury - WAPO Listen @11:00hrs Aurora & Troy Resources getting hundreds of millions of US on Kaieteur Radio $$$ in tax waivers while Guyana gets thousands in Royalty 99.1/99.5FM

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Guyana at 55 Today, the country celebrates its 55th Anniversary as an independent nation. Independence itself is a tenuous, patchwork thing. It implies a birth and purity of a nation when it hardly ever is for countries like ours, whether in any real or symbolic sense. A simple example is the nation’s most obvious symbol of sovereignty - the Guyana flag. The Golden Arrowhead – which we are taught from nursery school represents various characteristics of our national spirit and various natural resources – was not designed by any national artist bursting with pride for our pending independence but by a 20-year-old American, Whitney Smith, in 1960, six years before Independence. The flag, commissioned by then Premier, Cheddi Jagan, would make its debut under Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham, under an independence transition curated in the finest detail by the British and the Americans in keeping with their Cold War geopolitical interests. A perhaps symbolically notable occurrence is that Smith died at the age of 76 in November 2016, five months after the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the country whose flag he had designed.

The celebration of the Independence Anniversary has become a sort of ritual that we throw money behind and celebrate with a sort of semi-religiousity, with the solemnity and the fanfare and the fireworks and albeit the genuine expressions of patriotism.

And like many rituals, after half a century of not only repetition within the celebration itself, but otherwise falling far short of the ideals previously enshrined in the ritual, that ritual of celebrating the annual Independence Anniversary has become empty.

The ideal, 55 years ago was that, after centuries of exploitation of our various people – from conquest and subjugation through slavery through indentureship through colonial rule – the secondclass citizens of what finally coalesced under what was defined by imperial powers as British Guiana would finally be able to chart their own course, to control their own economy to their own benefit and to elect a political leadership accountable to them and not some shadowy power thousands of miles away. The reality however was much different and ten years after, the British multinational Booker’s was still in charge of our primary export, sugar. In 1980, some twenty years after he had designed our flag of Independence, Whitney Smith might have wondered how we as a people had fallen short of everything that flag symbolised as we had moved from what would have then been a symbolic independence, to a dictatorship in less than a decade and a half, with the imposition of an oppressive new Constitution via a rigged referendum and the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney. And would Smith have recognised the hand of his own government in sustaining such miseries?

Martin Carter in a 1979 poem published in a government anthology would cry, subversively and impotently, for someone to show him a freedom “different from this now,” the realisation having likely dawned upon him that we had merely left one sort of bondage for another.

The lesson of the past half century plus five years should have been this – a nation’s development is never static and therefore its self-definition of independence should never be. For us to be truly and consistently close to the idea of independence, the concept of independence itself has to evolve.

We keep looking at independence as an event when we can’t afford to keep referring to it as a past accomplishment only. We need to redefine it to reflect our growth and current challenges. We need to build on it. There’s work required to maintain and enhance it.

We aren’t truly independent, for example, if communities across the nation aren’t empowered to thrive. We aren’t truly independent if companies from rich countries come and exploit our resources and grow even more wealth and then those countries come back and ‘save’ us with a relative pittance in ‘aid.’ With the oil and gas sector rapidly expanding, what is emerging is a picture that makes one wonder if we are being hooked into some cycle that will see few benefiting while, as happened under the yoke of colonialism from which we sought to free ourselves, the majority of our people suffer systemic exploitation, humiliation and disregard.

If we can’t control our own development and resources, then we really are at risk of losing our independence as well, the little that we have ever truly had in the first place. Our population and its challenges are ever evolving. Our solutions must too. If we fail to innovate in how we define independence for the current era, we are just setting ourselves up for neocolonialism.

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

Restructuring of oil fund – must be done right DEAR EDITOR, I make mention of articles about Guyana’s oil fund is to be restructured “to rapidly improve infrastructure” (Demerara Waves, May 23), and with that same early access recommended by the World Bank (SN May 24).

Given what has happened repeatedly with public money, I am not optimistic, even as I acknowledge that it was almost inevitable that the fund be accessed; and as made even more urgent by the ravages of the pandemic, and the need to get out of our Dark Ages platforms. Now comes the ifs, ands, and buts, which all have relevance.

This country is yet to know a project of substance spearheaded by politicians or governing groups, which has brought universal recognition for impressive handling and political cleanliness; conclusions have been largely negative, especially when huge sums are spent. If there has been such a laudable project, it has remained in the realms of an astonishingly wellconcealed secret. Today, when there is no bigger, richer money tree than Guyana’s growing oil fund, and in U.S. dollars to boot, I assert that the ethical equipment on hand at the leadership level is remarkably unimpressive. For the longest while, that oil/sovereign/wealth fund has been ‘fulling the eye’ of just about every Guyanese politician. Many political men have spent considerable time thinking of how they can grasp at the contents of that fund, through using inspiring cover stories, but with the steadfast objective of doing wrong by it.

As cover stories go, none is better than “to rapidly improve infrastructure” locally. Who can argue when that is presented as the

centerpiece of justification for “restructuring” the oil fund? Or for early access to get going, as touted by the World Bank? I wouldn’t under normal circumstances. I wouldn’t if it involves visionary and transformational leaders, who are trustworthy when billions are at stake.

We have been waiting for the longest while, for some of those kinds of leaders. They have failed us when massive amounts of money have been spent. Leaders talk a lovely game about transparency and accountability, but resist strenuously at being either, when billions come into play.

In the last 10 months, the PPP Government has been a study in ongoing secrecy. Payara came and its review is done, but the promised report is still kept away from Guyanese.

Why? It is a Guyanese undertaking, and that information ought to be shared with citizens. Dr. Vincent Adams - the Guyanese who knows more about oil, oil behemoths, and prudent and patriotic oil management than any other Guyanese around - has been insultingly fired and without any reason that makes sense presented to the Guyanese people. Why? Why does the PPP have a problem with him? Is it Exxon that has a problem with him? If PPP leaders are serious about doing the right thing and the best thing for Guyanese with this oil, then get the best minds, the cleanest hands, and the most principled Guyanese. They will insist that the funds accessed from the oil fund be put to the best possible use, and in the most principled manner. We haven’t had such.

As a quick aside and to set the record straight: I do not dislike any PPP leader, or any Guyanese politician. I only detest what they do, when it is

clearly so. What they do to the hopes of Guyanese.

It is more than philosophical differences.

For sure, to move to “rapidly improve infrastructure” is one of the primary ways to go; it can’t be bettered.

Of necessity, those will largely be for big-ticket, billion-dollar projects.

Therein lies the danger that will not go away, the fear that will not be shaken.

Because for every dollar involved and spent, I believe that no less than 75 cents will be mismanaged or misplaced (euphemisms); perhaps, as much as 90 cents, if Guyanese do not persevere with checking, critiquing and calling out, so that all political people will feel the heat. What we have had for political people, where big money and big projects are concerned does not inspire confidence, with trust in the shortest supply.

Yes, it is exciting to hear of gearing up for moving from US$5,000 to US$25,000 annually within 10 years on a per capita basis. As an inspirational moment, it can’t be surpassed. It can happen, but only if done honestly. The foundations for prosperity could be laid: jobs, standards, modern megapolis, oil laboratory, prosperous population.

These will happen, but only if done right. I leave my fellow Guyanese with this reminder: I say this just before the celebration of 55 years of this nation’s attaining Independence. As to how close I am with being right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate, will not require another 55 years to come to light and be appreciated. Less than 55 months may be just the space required to prove or disprove what is laid down here today on this May 26, 2021.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Restructuring of oil fund – must be With oil wealth, no Guyanese must only detest what they do, as the centerpiece done right presented be oppressed by the burden of want of justification for “restruc- when it is clearly so. What DEAR EDITOR, turing” the oil fund? Or for they do to the hopes of I make mention of articles about Guyana’s oil fund is to be restructured “to rapidly improve infrastructure” (Demerara Waves, May 23), and with that same early access recommended by the World Bank (SN May 24).

Given what has happened repeatedly with public money, I am not optimistic, even as I acknowledge that it was almost inevitable that the fund be accessed; and as made even more urgent by the ravages of the pandemic, and the need to get out of our Dark Ages platforms. Now comes the ifs, ands, and buts, which all have relevance.

This country is yet to know a project of substance spearheaded by politicians or governing groups, which has brought universal recognition for impressive handling and political cleanliness; conclusions have been largely negative, especially when huge sums are spent. If there has been such a laudable project, it has remained in the realms of an astonishingly well-concealed secret. Today, when there is no bigger, richer money tree than Guyana’s growing oil fund, and in U.S. dollars to boot, I assert that the ethical equipment on hand at the leadership level is remarkably unimpressive.

For the longest while, that oil/ sovereign/wealth fund has been ‘fulling the eye’ of just about every Guyanese politician. Many political men have spent considerable time thinking of how they can grasp at the contents of that fund, through using inspiring cover stories, but with the steadfast objective of doing wrong by it.

As cover stories go, none is better than “to rapidly improve infrastructure” locally.

Who can argue when that is

early access to get going, as touted by the World Bank? I wouldn’t under normal circumstances. I wouldn’t if it involves visionary and transformational leaders, who are trustworthy when billions are at stake. We have been waiting for the longest while, for some of those kinds of leaders. They have failed us when massive amounts of money have been spent. Leaders talk a lovely game about transparency and accountability, but resist strenuously at being either, when billions come into play.

In the last 10 months, the PPP Government has been a study in ongoing secrecy.

Payara came and its review is done, but the promised report is still kept away from Guyanese. Why? It is a Guyanese undertaking, and that information ought to be shared with citizens. Dr. Vincent Adams - the Guyanese who knows more about oil, oil behemoths, and prudent and patriotic oil management than any other Guyanese around - has been insultingly fired and without any reason that makes sense presented to the Guyanese people. Why? Why does the PPP have a problem with him?

Is it Exxon that has a problem with him? If PPP leaders are serious about doing the right thing and the best thing for Guyanese with this oil, then get the best minds, the cleanest hands, and the most principled Guyanese. They will insist that the funds accessed from the oil fund be put to the best possible use, and in the most principled manner. We haven’t had such.

As a quick aside and to set the record straight: I do not dislike any PPP leader, or any Guyanese politician. I

Guyanese. It is more than philosophical differences.

For sure, to move to “rapidly improve infrastructure” is one of the primary ways to go; it can’t be bettered. Of necessity, those will largely be for big-ticket, billion-dollar projects. Therein lies the danger that will not go away, the fear that will not be shaken. Because for every dollar involved and spent, I believe that no less than 75 cents will be mismanaged or misplaced (euphemisms); perhaps, as much as 90 cents, if Guyanese do not persevere with checking, critiquing and calling out, so that all political people will feel the heat.

What we have had for political people, where big money and big projects are concerned does not inspire confidence, with trust in the shortest supply.

Yes, it is exciting to hear of gearing up for moving from US$5,000 to US$25,000 annually within 10 years on a per capita basis. As an inspirational moment, it can’t be surpassed. It can happen, but only if done honestly. The foundations for prosperity could be laid: jobs, standards, modern megapolis, oil laboratory, prosperous population.

These will happen, but only if done right. I leave my fellow Guyanese with this reminder: I say this just before the celebration of 55 years of this nation’s attaining Independence. As to how close I am with being right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate, will not require another 55 years to come to light and be appreciated. Less than 55 months may be just the space required to prove or disprove what is laid down here today on this May 26, 2021.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

DEAR EDITOR, Sitting silently in our constitution is Article 40 (1), which states, “Every person in Guyana is entitled to the basic right to a happy, creative and productive life, free from hunger, ignorance and want.” In this grand entitlement, the pivotal idea, around which the others revolve, is the freedom from want. Freedom from want, as a core human right, is embedded in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its historic roots, however, trace back to the Address to Congress by US President, Franklin Roosevelt, in 1941, who listed it as one of his four main global freedoms. Roosevelt

explained that a man could never enjoy his full human rights if he was always necessitous.

What must it mean for us in Guyana to be free from want?

It must mean to be liberated to live our best lives and to be our best selves. No longer must we be imprisoned by the struggle to meet basic needs, such as finding food, shelter, and dignity.

No longer must we live in fear of the uncertainties of daily survival. We must be liberated to live (in the words of Article 40 (1)) “a happy, creative and productive life.”

As such, we must be enabled also to follow our aspirations, discover our

Timely response and intervention DEAR EDITOR, My name is Roopnarin Persaud. I am a farmer from Helena. For years, farmers in this village have been suffering from flooding due to a number of blocked canals and internal drains.

A few farmers and I met with Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a farmer’s meeting at his office and asked him to do some works in the area.

He agreed and said that

he would make a machine available to do the works soon. I am happy to report that the machine came and the works have been completed.

On behalf of the farmers from Helena, I would like to thank the Honourable Minister for his timely response and intervention. I would also like to thank the engineer who worked to have everything completed.

Yours sincerely, Roopnarin Persaud

talents, and develop our skills.

We must have time to be involved in community and national life in whatever way.

Our constitutional right to work, rest, recreation and leisure must make sense.

Freedom from want therefore activates and gives substance to most of the other human rights granted each of us by our constitution.

The argument that such basic socioeconomic rights are only aspirational — that many countries are too poor to actually deliver on them— has become worn out. In any case, that excuse no longer holds for Guyana today. By 2024, we (the people) will be earning over US$1.5 billion annually in oil revenues to stash away in an already bulging Natural Resources Fund.

With a small population (and by now fully advised as a nation on the recipe to avoid the resource curse), no Guyanese must now be oppressed by the burden of want.

The aspiration in Article 40 (1) is fundamental to nation (Continued on page 6)

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

President urges citizens to dream...

Netanyahu should face the International Criminal Court DEAR EDITOR, The Israeli Prime Minister and his Defence Minister should be tried for crimes against humanity for the Holocaust that is taking place in the Gaza.

This latest genocide is taking place because Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet were just about to be thrown out of Government, having failed to form a government after the last elections in Israel.

The leader of the Opposition was asked to put together a coalition. He was doing this and included, for the first time in Israeli’s 73 years history, an Arab party in the coalition.

It was at this point that the latest provocation against the Palestinian people took place.

The two incidents that sparked this was the forcefully eviction of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem from their homes by Israeli forces.

The second incident coming just at the closing of the month of Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims was the expulsion of worshippers from the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem.

Netanyahu was deliber-

ately provoking the Palestinians to get a reaction so that he could unleash the murderous violence on the poor unarmed people.

By doing so, he has evoked nationalist sentiments of the Jews and portraying himself as a champion of the Israeli people. That would have the effect of stalling the formation of a new coalition government to remove him as prime minister.

Indeed, he is probably hoping that he would be in a better position to put together a location to keep himself as Prime Minister of Israel.

This is important for Netanyahu because of another personal reason. He is facing the court on corruption charges. If he is convicted, then he can end up in prison.

The only way he can avoid facing the court is if he remains the Prime Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is therefore prolonging this bombing on the pretext that he wants to stop the primitive rockets that are being fired from the Gaza in self-defence.

He knows too, that he has the support of the United States who keeps supplying him with more weapons that

are sophisticated. At this moment, the US is sending US$735 million in weapons to Netanyahu.While he continues to murder innocent civilians including a large number of women and children, the US is protecting him diplomatically, politically and of course militarily.

This is all that matters to him. He knows that with US support, he can violate UN resolutions and murder Arab as much as he wants and he would remain untouchable.

The US support has given the Israeli regime carte blanche to do as it pleases. It can bomb people in Syria, Iran and almost anywhere in the Middle East because no one wants to confront the military might of the United States.

However Israeli ‘s actions amounts to crimes against humanity that was coldly planned from the very beginning to kill Palestinians as a means of whipping up politic support to stay in power.

This is cold-blooded murder and Netanyahu should face its International Criminal Court. Instead, he will continue the holocaust in Israel.

Donald Ramotar, Former President

A glimpse of last night’s cultural performance

From page 3 diplomats, the performers, politicians from the current administration and the high ranking policemen who stood guard. One would think that probably the energy at this year’s celebration would be very low but instead for those present it turned out to be “dreamlike.”

The evening began with smooth, soft steel pan music played by the National Steel Orchestra. As the music started to pick up pace, the VIP guests began arriving one after the other and were escorted to their seats. Ministers of the various ministries began to arrive too.

Some of them sat down in their respective seats, while others formed little groups to chat and laugh with each other.

Cameramen positioned themselves to get the best shot of the attendees. As it got close to 19:30 hrs, the MC of the programme, Michella Abraham-Ali, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Communications Network (NCN), signalled that it was time to begin.

After some brief opening remarks, the Guard of Honour March commenced. The drums rolled and in marched the Joint Services Band comprising of members from both the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). They were then followed by the Guard of Honour, which consisted of 46 ranks and a Commanding Officer.

After the March was completed, the Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips, arrived and approached the podium for the Prime Ministerial Salute. Not long after, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, arrived for the Presidential Salute. He was then invited to inspect the

Guard of Honour.

This was only the beginning - as the President ascended to his seat there was a light drizzle that threatened the celebrations but within minutes it stopped. The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson, was tasked with introducing President Ali to make his maiden Independence Anniversary speech. For many present it was his speech that set the tone for the rest of the celebrations, making it a dreamlike one.

In his speech he urged citizens to dream big and promised that his administration will help make their dreams a reality. Ali spoke of establishing a new city from the coastal belt to spread Guyana’s population.

He said that Guyana fought for independence so that its citizens can have a quality life that they were deprived of and because of this, he promised that all of the country’s financial resources would be used to improve the quality of life for all Guyanese.

Ali in his speech sought to motivate Guyanese to dream. He hinted that his Government is currently brainstorming mechanisms to reduce the cost of energy for both businesses and domestic users. He talked about reduced prices for houses and land in a new city and urged citizens to build new communities. The President explored a theme of connectivity to all parts of Guyana via roads, bridges telecommunications, air and river transport. He also spoke of his dream of Guyana having a knowledge-based society so that it can compete with the best in the world. Ali then ended his nearly 20minute address by calling for citizens to unite and not divide themselves so that Guyana can become a powerful nation.

Following his speech, the Golden Arrowhead was

hoisted. There was also a beautiful prayer by Rondeen Rebiero, a student of the St. Roses High School. Malkia Harris from the Bishop’s High School led the attendees in repeating the National Pledge. A National Song was then played and was followed-up by the National Anthem.

Finally, the moment that blew minds and grasped the attention of the VIP guests began – the Cultural Presentation. The Joint Services Band (GDF/GPF) played a medley of songs and ended with bang by showing off their dance skills as they played the popular song, Jerusalema.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats and wanted more. The 20 top performers of The Guyana Talent Search performed a lip sync of their prerecorded performances and the dances that accompanied the songs by the various dance groups were breath taking. The dances were a combination of the Indian, African and Amerindian cultures seeking to display the diversity of the Guyanese culture and also to promote unity.

The costumes were colourful and the atmosphere resembled that of a carnival or Mashramani.

The Ackufyaa group joined in and added a bit thrill to the performances; reporters were glued as the men danced with lit torches and blew fire into the air. Many were also amazed to watch a talented artist who painted the Guyana map in three minutes while the persons holding the white sheets were dancing.

As this was going on the sky began to come alive with the carnival colours of fireworks. Everyone was sky gazing and this reporter recalled his colleague just saying “Oh my god …oh my god, this is amazing. I never taught it would be so dreamlike.”

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

All those foreign companies coming here and claiming they are doing so bad. It is as if we have it so good, that we can afford to be charitable and give away the rent money and the children’s future.

Look at them: Troy Resources, Rusal and others. They are supposedly losing, or barely making money and can’t get by, but they remain here and ‘investing’ more.

They are doing so poorly year after year, but they are still here. Companies do not throw good money after bad, for so long.

They pull up stakes and leave.

Something is not adding up here.

And when it does not add up, that means that Guyanese are paying for what is subtracted from our treasury.

Less hopes. Less prosperity.

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Govt. is no scapegoat for City Council’s failures - President Ali P

resident, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has said that while the welfare of the capital city remains paramount, Government will not allow itself to be used as a scapegoat when the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) fails in fulfilling its duties.

The Head of State made this assertion while responding to a recent statement made by City Mayor, Ubraj Narine, in which he claimed that the President is starving the council of resources.

“Let me be very clear, this Government cares tremendously about our city, but we will not allow ourselves to be used as a scapegoat in the city, not fulfilling its responsibility and mandate, or in the city converting everything into political opportunism or a political football. As President, I am not going to allow the Mayor to get away with a statement like this,” Ali said.

The President noted that

whilst the council is not fulfilling its mandate to maintain the environment and infrastructure, Central Government has embarked on a massive programme to clean the city, establish roundabouts and maintain the roadways and drainage.

“We have invested in pumps to ensure, as far as possible, we have improved the drainage situation in the city to prevent flooding.

These are the necessary investments, because as a Government, the city reflects who we are as a country too,” he said alluding to the array of programmes implemented to engage communities in the cleaning-up of various wards in the city, including South Georgetown, Sophia and Albouystown.

The President noted nonetheless, that this responsibility is of the City Council, which he said continues to fail the people of the city. “[And], every time they fail the people of the city, they try to pass the buck on

or pass the burden on,” added Ali. President Ali reminded too, that Central Government has a responsibility to ensure that resources are spent for what they are budgeted for and to ensure that there is accountability and transparency. Pointing to the discrepancies uncovered at City Hall over the years, the President noted that the M&CC continues to breach Section 177 of Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal and District Councils Act, which requires the Council to prepare accounts yearly and submit same for audit no later than four months after the end of the year. Further, he highlighted that in 2004, in the last audited financial statement, a disclaimer of opinion was issued by the Auditor General. A disclaimer is where the information submitted cannot stand up to scrutiny.

According to Ali, in 2005, again a disclaimer opinion was issued; 2006 to 2011, no financial

statements were submitted; 2012 to 2015 financial statements were submitted but the information required could not have allowed auditors to express an opinion; 2016 to 2020, again, no financial statements were submitted for the period.

President Ali also revealed that in 2019, following an investigation of the M&CC, several discrepancies were revealed and reported to the Audit Office.

These include: failure to remit workers National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions; failure to remit workers Credit Union contributions; failure to remit workers Guyana Revenue Authority’s Pay as Yo u E a r n ( PAY E ) deductions from workers; failure to effect payment of retirement benefits (gratuity) to a number of workers; issues surrounding the number of contracts in keeping with financial regulations, transparency, and accountability; waiver of rates and taxes; rental of

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.

wharf facilities and the granting of leases.

He added that as recent as March of 2021, a special audit commenced, and again similar issues were uncovered concerning the National Insurance Scheme, Guyana Revenue Authority and monies not paid over.

“All of these were issues highlighted, where transparency, accountability and clear violations and breaches we found, yet,

central government continues to transfer resources to the city. But how long must we, as a people, and as a Government allow this blatant disregard for transparency and accountability, this blatant disregard for the rules and laws governing the financial accountability of the Mayor and City Council? There must come a time when things will come to a head (Continued on page 30)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 09

Why are we poor?

P

eople should listen more to Glenn Lall. His is not a rant about the wrongs, which have been committed against Guyana by foreign companies working in cahoots with our leaders.

Some of our leaders are seeking to project Glenn Lall as only raging against the oil industry. But anyone who has listened to his programmes will realise that what is being addressed is a more fundamental issue: Why should we be so poor when we have so much resources?

This is an issue, which has baffled persons from all walks of life and from all countries. There can hardly be a Guyanese who has not been asked the question how it is that the country and its people are so poor given that Guyana has so many resources – gold, timber, rice, sugar, bauxite and diamonds and its population is so small?

It is an utter disgrace that 55 years after Independence, Guyana earns less per capita than some of the smaller islands of the Caribbean.

And Guyana’s per capita GDP is still almost one-third of what exists in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, despite the problems these countries have faced in recent times.

Many years ago, there was a Working Paper published by an international organisation, which sought to compare the post-Independence development of Guyana and Barbados. It was argued that what accounted for the difference in development was something called ‘factor productivity.’ Basically, the

experts were saying that we were not getting enough out of our inputs. The imputation was that our labour was not efficient.That theory has since been discredited. But the question remains unanswered: how it is that small Caribbean states have done much better than G u y a n a s i n c e Independence?

Glenn Lall has not set out to answer that question or to compare Guyana with other Caribbean states. He is not simply railing against the exploitation of Guyana by foreign multinationals.

Obviously, he is upset by the betrayal of our leaders who have failed to get a good deal for the country, be it in the oil and gas sector or the gold industry. All he wants is a better deal for the country.

But indirectly, he is providing an explanation as to why the Guyanese people remain poor despite the country being rich in resources. He is suggesting that the problem is that the Guyanese people have been short-changed by their governments when it comes to the resources. He has for years now been saying that if the country had gotten a fair share when it comes to its resources, no Guyanese would need to work anymore.

So why are we poor? A lot of excuses have been provided in the past. In the 1970’s when the price of sugar soared and oil prices were low, Burnham used to taunt oil-rich Trinidad by telling Eric Williams that oil does not spoil but you cannot eat oil. He used to brag about the high prices he was receiving for sugar.

He recognised that the

foreign multinationals were exploiting the country, reaping the rewards from our resources and shipping out our riches. And so he nationalised the sugar and bauxite industries in the hope that state-ownership would allow more money to remain in the country. But the US government sent an envoy to him and the man read to him the riot act and Burnham was forced to pay compensation for nationalisation. That compensation drove the country into deeper debt and contributed to the crashing of the economy.

From the mid 1970s, the economy began to ‘flat line.’

And the excuse was high oil prices. But guess what, all the other countries in the Caribbean had to contend with high oil prices and they did not have food shortages, extended power outages, retrenchment and devaluation.

And so Guyana moved from one extreme to the next; from foreign exploitation to state incompetence. The result was that Guyana remained poor while the rest of the Caribbean, with far less resources, surpassed us.

The tragedy of Guyana today is far worse. The foreign exploiters have returned. And they are devouring our resources and paying us a pittance, just like in the days of Bookers, ALCAN and Reynolds.

Only today, the players are different and they are operating in the bauxite, gold mining, oil and gas sector.

Why is Guyana poor given all the resources that it has? Listen to Glenn Lall and

Dem

Independence boys seh... come and gone!

Dem Boys bin remember when de Golden Arrowhead was raised at de National Park and people was so happy dem cry.

And dem party all night. But de next day dem realise dat Independence nah gan put money in dem pocket.

Not everybody was pleased by Independence. Deh had some people nah bin happy at all. Dem woulda preferred Guyana remain a colony. If some of dem bin alive dem would have been happy today.

It was long, long time ago when Guyana become an Independent nation – in form but not in substance. We bin only fool we self into thinking dat de Queen would have given us freedom to do as we pleased.

We soon found out dat Independence nah

mean no dependence. We still used to sell everything we gat to Europe and Uncle Sam. And dem control de markets.

Dem decide whether we get loan or no loan and dem decide a lot of other things. So we bin just fooling we self dat we did free.

Dat was what Cheddi been trying to tell Forbes. He bin trying to tell he that Independence is not just an instrument but a process and dat all Forbes get was a piece of paper saying dat we Independent.

Nuff other leaders in de Caribbean bin get similar paper.

And dem too realise dat dis thing call Independence is not automatic. Yuh does gat to stand up fuh something. Otherwise yuh gan fall for anything.

how he exposes how Guyana is being taken to the “cleaners” by foreign multinationals while our leaders turn a blind eye.

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

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The psychic make-up of a nation 55 years after Independence

I

live directly opposite the massive Caribbean owned supermarket, Massy Mega. I go to Massy Mega almost daily. As I turn north from the Railway Embankment onto the street that leads to the supermarket, I am constantly reminded that this country is not one of, but the world’s only enduring tragedy. The parapets on both sides of that street are never weeded. And as you look at it you ask yourself; “Is this a country in the 21st century?” Please note that the CARICOM Secretariat annex is on that very street.

Two White Englishmen did the unthinkable two weeks ago in this land. They were rude to a minister, asking him in an unacceptable manner to leave their business place, which they illegally operated. In any country anywhere on Planet Earth, you cannot be so flippant to a minister of government. It just doesn’t happen in the

real world. But it happened in a country you would expect it to occur in for reasons that would be explained below.

The two men had lived in Guyana for years before the incident. It is obvious they had seen things that made them feel we are a 10th rate banana republic. Whatever we are, it does not give them licence to insult a minister and they should have been removed from Guyana peremptorily.

But if we do not shape our collective psyche to be 21st century people and to bring Guyana into the 21st century, there are going to be dozens more like them.

The point is, after 55 years of Independence we have to stop appearing in the eyes of the world as a tragic, idiotic land. It is patriotic stupidity to deny that this country is a psychological wasteland where it appears to foreigners as an awfully backward place in terms of the shape of the collective

psyche.

Can we think of anything those two men would have seen to make them feel that in this country no one cares about the values of life so anyone can come to Guyana and just do what they want?

Surely, they must have seen the stench that permeates the capital city.

How long that stench was around? Long before 55 years of Independence.

Drive around the capital and you are compelled to say that no capital of a Caribbean country should have such a sickening appearance.

Those two men must have driven through the bushes of that street where the CARICOM annex and Massy Mega are. Those two men must have had anxiety attacks when for four years they saw Guyanese behaving like jungle animals at the junction of UG Road and the Railway Embankment where the traffic signals stopped working.

It isn’t hard to research

the sad psychology of the people of this tragic nation.

Ten years ago, we were at 45 years of Independence. Go back at that time to the letter sections of the daily newspapers. Read about how commercial banks treated small depositors.

We are at 55 now and two weeks ago, two letters appear about the identical complaints we read 10 years ago.

It must be painful to ask – what happened in those 10 years? No one in authority or no one with conscience looked into this human dilemma the past 10 years.

What more evidence does one need that this country has permanently broken down than what I am about to describe.

Two of the country’s most brilliant economists in the past 40 years – Drs. Maurice Odle and Clive Thomas – were part of the government, 2015-2020. Yet after their party, the WPA,

lost government, the very party wrote a public letter expressing anger at how the

Frederick Kissoon commercial banks treat small customers. The sadness of this situation lies in a commonsensical question – what were they in government for?

I know how tragic this country is because it affects me daily. I get a pension from my former workplace and the NIS. After 55 years of Independence, the form I have to submit for these

pensions can only be signed by seven, I repeat, seven categories of people. This is a leftover from colonial times. No human in this country has the mental strength and psychological integrity to change it.

A famous citizen 54 years after Independence is accused of killing a famous athlete in a road accident.

In testimony in court, the police witness said the breathalyser machine, at the time the driver was tested, had malfunctioned.

At most public buildings, there is the sign, “no sleeveless dress permitted.”

I guess a woman looks like a donkey in a sleeveless dress thus the ban. This is an extremely young, tragic nation that Nietzsche’s Übermensch has to save.

Can he?

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

Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Cash-strapped GWI spent $30M on 2018 Christmas party, Anniversary retreat The cash-strapped Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) utility company in 2018, under the then leadership of Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, reportedly spent some $30M from its coffers for a Christmas party and its Anniversary celebrations.

The staggering figures are illustrated as expenditure by the company in an internal document, which has since been leaked to this publication.

At the beginning of the year, in January, the utility company’s ‘Planning and Transportation Committee’ reportedly took some $260,000 for activities

related to GWI 16th Anniversary activities. Four months later in May that same year, just over $15.2M was utilised as a clearance for the anniversary activities. GWI observed the Anniversary at the end of that month—May 2018.

This was followed by a subsequent disbursement, acknowledged for the month of June, for $9,325. Another amount totaling $50,000 was obtained in November 2018 for an Anniversary advertisement, making the cumulative amount for GWI’s Anniversary some $15.58M. Activities for the e n t i t y ’s A n n i v e r s a r y included a Retreat, a Prize G i v i n g a n d Aw a r d s

Ceremony, held at the Ramada Princess Hotel.

Finally, for the year, the document reveals that at the end of that year, the utility company hosted a Christmas Party expending some $14.5M. As such, GWI for 2018, spent a total of $30M for its Christmas party and Anniversary celebrations from its coffers.

The expenditure by the utility company is coming under focus in light of the company’s position that it is essentially cash-strapped, to the point where it was unable to pay its electricity bills for that year. It was reported last year that GWI owed the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) some $7 billion for

Former GWI Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles (right), Substantive Minister for the Sector at the time, Ronald Bulkan (left) and former Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green.

the period 2018 to 2020 and that the power company was hoping to enlist the assistance of the then newly elected Irfaan Ali-led

administration to have the company pay off some of that debt.

G P L’ s D i v i s i o n a l Director of Finance, Loris

Nathoo, had told a Public Utilities Commission (PUC) hearing on the power c o m p a n y ’s O p e r a t i n g (Continued on page 30)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 13

No provision exists for post audit of flaring activities, operator only needs to keep records for three years - Ram ExxonMobil’s modified Permit…

F

ollowing his perusal of the recently modified Environmental Permit on matters of flaring for ExxonMobil’s Liza Phase One operations, Chartered Accountant and Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram, has found some troubling loopholes that could very well perpetuate further destruction of the Nation’s pristine environment.

In a letter to the press, Ram said the Permit exposes that the Environmental

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

Protection Agency (EPA) is relying entirely on ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), to provide reports on flaring since it will have no presence or equipment at the Stabroek Block operations to verify any information it receives after the event. What was also troubling to the Chartered Accountant is the fact that the modified Permit contains no provision for any postaudit of flaring activities while adding that the operator needs only to maintain records for three years.

Speaking to another area of concern in the Permit, Ram said he observed that flaring or venting is strictly prohibited, “except when it is permitted” for commissioning of the operations and during start up of operations. The former he noted has no specific time or flaring volume limitation while the latter is permitted for up to 60 days but without

Armed bandits rob supermarket, take surveillance recordings The owner of RI RI FU supermarket located in Friendship, East Bank Demerara, along with the building’s security guard and another victim, were robbed by three armed bandits on Monday, who took the business’ surveillance equipment and footage before escaping.

According to a police report, the 52-year-old owner of the establishment opened for business at 7:20 hrs. After opening, the victim went to man the cash register when he observed three individuals wearing dark-coloured hoodies entering the supermarket.

The victim reportedly observed that one of the suspects went up behind the unarmed security guard who was stationed at the front of the building and dealt him a blow to the back of his head, causing him to collapse on the floor. The suspect then proceeded to bind the man with a black plastic strap before doing the same to the owner.

The bandits then began to search the victims before taking a quantity of Digicel

phone cards valued at $120,000, a Samsung A21s cell phone valued at $60,000 and a blue Vivo cell phone valued at $40,000. One of the suspects then guarded the two victims that were tied while the other two headed upstairs.

The two suspects subsequently approached a third victim who was upstairs and proceeded to bind him before taking that person’s cell phone, valued at $46,000 and ransacking a bedroom located within the upper flat of the building.

The two suspects afterwards returned downstairs to remove two CCTV Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) before fleeing from the scene in an unknown direction.

A female employee of the establishment subsequently arrived and observed the bounded men on the floor and began to untie them.

Upon making checks in the bedroom, the first victim observed that $660,000 in cash was missing.

Investigations are currently underway.

a volume limitation.

Ram then placed the spotlight on the fact that there are special circumstances for which flaring can be approved.

These circumstances are: (i) Emergencies arising from a n y u n a v o i d a b l e , e x p e c t e d e v e

nt requiring flaring, including weather; Safety Response to maintain the safety of the flaring system and pilot flame. (ii) Inspections, planned and unplanned maintenance, etc.; and (iii) Re-start,

defined as the “instance of resumption of oil production following a shutdown event.”

Ram further noted that if any of the special circumstances exceed 14 calendar days, the Permit

holder must seek approval from the EPA within the first 48 hours of the commencement of flaring.

The application must be supported by a number of (Continued on page 25)

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Govt. terminates BK contract for Good Hope Secondary School T

he Government of Guyana has terminated the $800M contract of BK International for the construction of the Good Hope Secondary School.

According to a letter signed by Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC, and seen by this paper, the contractor has been notified that the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Education, has terminated with immediate effect the contract which was executed on October 1, 2018, for the construction of a general secondary school at Lot 2, Good Hope, East Coast Demerara.

The letter – dated May 25, 2021 – noted, that in accordance with the general conditions of the contract, the termination is on the

grounds of the fundamental breach of the conditions stipulated by the contract, which includes, but are not limited, to failing to maintain security as required and inordinate delay.

The letter said too, that it is the intention of the Government to institute legal proceedings against BK International to claim compensation and liquidated damages for the breaches.

As such, the contractor was ordered to vacate the construction site immediately as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education has been instructed to take possession of the premises.

BK International Incorporated had previously committed to completing the $800M Good Hope Secondary School by May

22, 2021. This was following a site visit that was conducted by the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, last month.

During her recent visit, she had stressed that the completion of the school was important to Region Four, particularly the students living in communities like Paradise, Plaisance, Enmore and Good Hope along the East Coast of Demerara.

During the recent visit to the Good Hope School, BK’s Chief , Ganesh Sawh, informed the Education Minister that the majority of the works left to be completed on the school are electrical in nature.

The contract for the construction of the state-ofthe-art school was awarded to the company in October 2018. The works started that

The $800M Good Hope Secondary school. very month and a January 2020 deadline was given.

However, 15 months later, the school was still incomplete.

T h e s c h o o l ’s construction is part of the World Bank-funded Guyana Secondary Education

Improvement Project (GSEIP), which aims to aid the achievement of universal secondary education, in keeping with modern standards. The GSEIP caters for the construction of three schools: the Good Hope Secondary School, the

Westminster Secondary School and the Prospect Secondary School. Upon its completion, the Good Hope School is expected to house 1,000 students and will have features similar to those at the recently completed Westminster School.

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

More shares sold in “suspiciously awarded” Kaieteur oil Block

C

ataleya Energy Limited (CEL), the company that was first awarded the Kaieteur Block in 2015 by former President, Donald Ramotar, has sold one fifth of its 25 percent working interest in the offshore concession to Hess Corporation. As a result of the transaction, Hess’ working interest has moved from 15 percent to 20 percent, while Cataleya is now left with 20 percent.

Meanwhile, the other partner on the block, Ratio Guyana Limited, holds a 25 percent stake while ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), holds 35 percent, thereby making it the operator of the block.

The sale between Hess and Cataleya was reported

by Westmount Energy Limited, a UK investment firm that gives overseas firms opportunities to buy shares in the licenced operators of Guyana’s offshore blocks. According to Westmount in its latest

report, the increase in Hess’ working interest has occurred on the back of the Tanager-1 oil discovery, announced in November, 2020.

Westmount noted that Tanager-1, the first well drilled on the Kaieteur block, encountered 16 metres of net oil pay (20oAPI oil) in high-quality sandstone reservoirs. The UK firm said that the well was reported as an oil discovery, which is currently considered to be noncommercial as a standalone development. Furthermore, Westmount cited aspects of a post-well report by Netherland, Sewell & Associates Inc. (“NSAI”) which state that the Tanager1 discovery contains a ‘Best Estimate’ of Unrisked Gross Oil Resource totalling 65.3 million barrels.

Following the announcement of the farm down, Gerard Walsh, the Executive Chairman of Westmount was keen to note that the move is consistent with the Stabroek partners’

assessment that the potential of the Guyana-Suriname Basin is now more than twice the discovered resource to date - indicating a potential in excess of 10 billion oil-equivalent barrels across the basin.

Additionally, Walsh whose company holds a 5.3% share capital in Cataleya Energy Corporation, the parent company of CEL said, “We believe this farm-in transaction reflects confidence in the prospective resource potential of the Kaieteur Block and augurs well for the continuing exploration of the area.”

CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION For several years, this newspaper was at the forefront of calls for there to be a thorough, independent investigation into the award of two blocks, Kaieteur and Canje, since several industry stakeholders who examined the matter, concluded that they were awarded under suspicious circumstances.

With respect to the

Map showing the Kaieteur Block.

Kaieteur Block, this publication previously reported that it was awarded

by Ramotar on April 28, 2015, just two weeks before the 2015 general and regional elections on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud. Two companies received the block with 5050 stakes, Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited.

Ratio Energy was incorporated in Gibraltar on April 15, 2013, and registered in Guyana on October 23 later that year.

Independent watchdog, Global Witness, said in its damning report ‘Signed Aw a y ’ ( w h i c h w a s subsequently pulled by the organisation), that at the time of receipt of the block, the company was owned by an Israeli-based lawyer named Richard Roberts.

Ratio Energy’s name was then changed on August 3, 2017, after it received the Kaieteur Block. Its two directors are Canadian, Michael Cawood and Guyanese, Ryan Perreira, who have experience in m i n i n g .

Cawood’s LinkedIn page lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Chief Executive Officer. Pereira’s LinkedIn page lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Cofounder.

Research also revealed that Perreira has a history of collaboration with C a w o o d ’s R i v a G o l d Corporation. In 2010, agreements were announced meant to allow Riva the option to acquire the rights to certain groups of mineral properties in Guyana, specifically gold.

Importantly, neither of these men had any experience in oil exploration to talk about prior to Cataleya’s receipt of the Kaieteur block.

The other initial owner of the Kaieteur block is Ratio Guyana, a subsidiary of the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum. The parent company has been active in the oil industry for decades.

Subsequent investigations showed that when Cataleya and Ratio Petroleum got the Kaieteur Block, they quickly sold it off piece by piece to ExxonMobil and later on to Westmount, without doing any work. In fact, Cataleya and Ratio Petroleum each sold 25 percent of their Kaieteur Block ownership to ExxonMobil in March 1, 2017. ExxonMobil then sold part of its stake to Hess in April, 2018. Global Witness had said it gathered from Ratio Petroleum’s website that the companies didn’t even conduct seismic work before ExxonMobil bought its share. It was only months after Exxon bought into the block that the oil major started a seismic survey.

Exxon’s work revealed that the Kaieteur Block has an estimated 2.1 billion oilequivalent barrels.

Further to the fact that the original owners quickly sold portions of the block despite commitments in the Production Sharing Agreement to undertake several exploration activities, this newspaper had shown that the owners of the Kaieteur Block had set the stage for secrecy in their acquisition of the block by incorporating in a jurisdiction notorious for financial secrecy. The use of secrecy jurisdictions like Gibraltar is what allowed the

companies to keep the details of their transactions with ExxonMobil under the radar.

In addition to the aforementioned, this newspaper had exposed that while Ratio Guyana’s parent company, Ratio Petroleum, has nearly three decades of experience in the industry, it does not have the capacity to conduct ultra-deepwater drilling, which is required for the Kaieteur acreage.

Only a handful of oil companies have the capacity to drill in ultra-deepwater, including ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP, and Total SE. Ultra deepwater has been closed to drilling for decades because companies just didn’t have the technology and the experience. Besides, there was a lot more oil and gas accessible in shallower waters.

Though the foregoing points among others were brought to the attention of Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, last year November, he was adamant that no corruption took place. He even stated that no laws were broken. Furthermore, he expressed confidence in former President, Donald Ramotar, who signed the Kaieteur and Canje agreements away in 2015, just before he was ousted by the David Granger coalition in that year’s election.

“I’m convinced from knowing Ramotar,” Jagdeo said, “that there was no c o r r u p t i o n . ” In his view, the issues raised

by Kaieteur News over the years can be explained away since in that time, before the discovery of oil, Guyana was liberal with the way it went (Continued on page 25)

Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Samoan PM refuses to concede defeat after 22-year rule MPs forced to swear-in first female PM under tent outside Parliament leader, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who is the world’s second-longest serving Prime Minister and has been in the role for more than 22 years.

However, Tuilaepa’s caretaker government p o s t p o n e d M o n d a y ’s Parliamentary session and Continued on page 30

Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, the country’s first female Prime Minister.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who has been PM of Samoa for more than 22 years, refused to concede defeat on Monday.

(DW) In dramatic scenes in the Pacific country of Samoa, MPs have convened an ad hoc swearing-in ceremony outside parliament and declared their party’s leader the new Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

The move came after the caretaker government refused to convene Parliament on Monday to allow a transition of power, locking the prime ministerelect and her supporters out of the Parliament building.

In an unprecedented move, MPs hold swearingi n c e re m o n y o u t s i d e parliament and declare new PM, with her party then announcing on social media that she was the new Prime Minister of Samoa.

Samoa’s Parliament was due to convene on Monday to swear in a new government, more than a month after a knife-edge election, which has been followed by legal challenges, the calling of a second vote, and intense constitutional maneuvering.

The election was the most closely-fought in the country’s history and had the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which has

ruled Samoa for 39 years, challenged by the insurgent Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party, which was founded in June 2020.

The election resulted in 25 votes apiece for HRPP and FAST, but the one independent MP threw his support behind FAST, giving them a majority.

HRPP then declared the country’s 10% quota for female MPs had not been met and appointed an additional female MP, boosting its numbers to 26.

Samoa’s Supreme Court last week declared this use of the gender quota to be improper, clearing the way for a FAST victory.

After weeks of maneuverings by HRPP, the country’s supreme court ordered the parliament on Sunday to convene on Monday and allow the new parliament to be sworn in, which would have ended the country’s electoral drama and meant Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, the leader of FAST, would become the country’s first female prime minister.

Fiame was previously the deputy prime minister and defected from HRPP last year. She took on her former

Samoa’s Chief Justice, Commissioner of Police and Judiciary were denied entry to Parliament House on Monday when they arrived for the swearing-in ceremony of the elected Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

Photograph: Nofoilo Samoa Talafou.

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Wednesday May 26, 2021

The old wood that was used.

The roof that was completed.

Minister Dharamlall awarded $10M to contractor to fix two rows of stall roofs – City Mayor - contractor uses old wood Minister Nigel Dharamlall

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, has reportedly awarded a $10M contract to a contractor to repair two rows of stall roofs in the East Ruimveldt Market. This is according to Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine.

When this publication visited the market, it was observed that the stalls are separated into rows that house four to five different vendors. The contractor had completed repairing one row of stall roofs but used old wood at some parts of the roof of that stall.

This publication had reported that Mayor Narine had received $10M from Minister Dharamlall to fix four stall roofs in the market.

However, while speaking to this newspaper, Mayor Narine stated that he did not receive the $10M and that Minister Dharamlall through his Ministry awarded the contract to a contractor to fix four stall roofs.

“I was told by one of the city engineers that the $10M

Kaieteur News

that was supposed to do four stall roofs will only do two,” Mayor Narine added.

The Mayor disclosed that the Council has workers that could have done five to six stall roofs with the allocated funds. “If the Minister wanted, he could have let our workers do the job and they could have supervised the work,” he further noted.

The Mayor indicated that he would continue to make representation for all the stall roofs in the market to be fixed and not only a selected few for an amount of money that could be used to fix more roofs. Kaieteur News had tried contacting Minister Dharamlall but up to press time, we received no response.

Additionally, yesterday, in responding to a comment made by the City Mayor, President Irfaan Ali, stated that while the welfare of the City is important the Government will not be used by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) since the Council fails in fulfilling its duties.

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Wednesday May 26, 2021

Global Roundtable on Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development...

UN SG tells world leaders that mineral resources must benefit all people, not just elites …calls independent monitoring by civil society “essential”

Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, has called on the leaders of countries boasting prolific extractive industries to be reminded that, “our shared responsibility, is to ensure that the benefits of mineral resources reach all people in society, not just elites.”

T h i s , “ w h i l e safeguarding the natural environment today and for future generations.” To this end, he has reiterated that independent monitoring, including by civil society actors and indigenous peoples, is essential. This, in order to protect against the litany of ills associated with such industries – corruption, exploitation, environmental degradation, worsening climate change and biodiversity loss, armed conflict, gender-based violence, population displacement, cultural harm and human rights violations.

UN Roundtable Guterres was at the time addressing the culmination of the UN Regional Economic Commission’s series of roundtables on global industry that culminated with the Global Roundtable on Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development. The activity saw in attendance heads of state and key actors in the global extractive industries.

Delivering the keynote address to the gathering, the Secretary General observed that mineral resources are o n e o f E a r t h ’s g r e a t endowments and that their extraction plays a dominant role in the economies of 81 countries.

This, he said, translates into these countries accounting for a quarter of global Gross Domestic Product, half the world’s population and nearly 70 percent of people living in extreme poverty.

Impressing that “our shared responsibility, is to ensure that the benefits of mineral resources reach all people in society, not just elites,” the UN’s top diplomat said this must be done “while safeguarding the natural environment today and for future generations.”

As such, he related that over the past eight months, the United Nations Regional Economic Commission have organised a series of roundtables on these issues and that yesterday’s activity was the culmination of a

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres richly insightful process.

According to Guterres, a common thread identified through the regional roundtables, has been the need for the extractives sector and the resources generated to be managed sustainably, inclusively and equitably. This, he said, also means taking into account the needs and rights of women, indigenous peoples, local communities and other stakeholders who are affected by the industry yet excluded from the design and benefits of extractive operations.

Resources Governance Guterres told world leaders, “…we need to improve extractive resource governance through more effective rules and enforcement related to environmental sustainability, transparency, inclusive decision-making, accountability, access to information and respecting and protecting human rights.”

To this end, he stressed that independent monitoring, including by civil society actors and indigenous peoples, is essential. “So too,” he added, “is human rights, due diligence and effective remedy, in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”

According to the UN Secretary General, “also essential is addressing corruption, revenue mismanagement and illicit financial flows.”

He noted that the extractive sector could avoid exacerbating inequalities by ensuring the fair distribution of the benefits of the development of extractive industries, in line with the right to development.

“This is especially important regarding new minerals and metals on which the technological revolution depends,” he stated.

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Money changer and daughter murder PI…

Woman scolded daughter, 11, Two defendants lead when she complained about their defence relative raping her - Police

The two defendants accused of murdering money changer, Aaron Latchman and his daughter, 18-year-old Arianna Latchman, during June 2019, last Friday led their defence.

The matter is being heard

by Magistrate, Alisha George, in the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. On May 15, 2021, Magistrate George ruled that a prima facie case was made out against the two defendants as she had discharged the matter against another accused.

Five persons were accused of the double murder. Those persons are, 25-year-old Mark Rufino called ‘Mark,’ a labourer of Parika Facade, East Bank Essequibo; 37-year-old Paul Chan called ‘Long Hair’ or ‘Anthony,’ a conductor of 10 Dennis Street, Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Troy Abrams called ‘Troy’ or ‘Rasta Man,’ a vendor of 34 Middle Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara; and Lloyd Sadloo, self-employed of 220 Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara.

The prima facie was made out against Chan, Sadloo and Abrams. Sadloo and Abrams had informed the court that they would lead their defence, while Chan

T

Dead, Aaron Latchman.

Dead, Arianna Latchman. declined. On Friday when the matter was called, both Sadloo and Abrams led their defence, and Sadloo called one of his two witnesses. The matter will continue on May 29, 2021, when the defendants will call other witnesses.

Kaieteur News had reported that the matter was discharged against Thomas, while the fifth accused, Rufino is still on the run after escaping from the Lusignan Prison during last October.

Kaieteur News had reported that the indictable charge alleges that on July 4, 2019, at Robert Street, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, the defendants murdered the Latchmans during a robbery.

According to the facts of the charge, on the day in question, Aaron Latchman

arrived home around 15:15 hrs. and was attempting to park his car in his yard, when two gunmen struck. One of the gunmen reportedly entered the house and shot Arianna Latchman. The other then attacked the father. The two men got into a scuffle, which resulted in a bag ending up in a neighbour’s yard.The gunman who had allegedly shot the young woman then exited the house and came to his accomplice’s aid, shooting the older Latchman as well. After he fell to the ground, the attackers snatched a bag of cash and fled. The gunmen escaped in a car. The money changer and his daughter were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where they were both pronounced dead on arrival. The matter was reported and an investigation was launched. The five accused were later arrested and subsequently charged jointly for murder.

More shares in “suspiciously awarded”..

From page 16 about issuing licences. He also responded to the assertion that the blocks were given to companies that are not capable of developing them, positing that even oil majors like ExxonMobil and Total SA would take licences and flip them.This is what the initial owners of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks did, without doing any work. ”So whether you have capability or not,” Jagdeo said, “that was never a requirement of the [Petroleum] Act, particularly

in that period when you did not find oil… People would have to face a whole range of questioning, even with the transferral [of stakes].”

At the present time, he said, there would be much more stringent measures to determine the capability of applicants before awarding licences. The Vice President was also asked to say whether he would support an independent probe by a competent foreign investigator. Jagdeo refused to commit to having said probe then. He said that he

would not commit “at this stage.”Preceding any investigation, Dr. Jagdeo had said he asked for internal documents to be prepared to get an understanding of the approval process for the awards of the blocks in 2015, the timelines for the incorporation of the companies which received the blocks, and the names of individuals involved.” In the meantime, he had said he found no breach of the law because “what has been raised [is] a lot of speculation.”

No provision exists for post audit of flaring...

From page 13 documents and the EPA can request further and additional information. On being satisfied, the EPA can allow flaring for up to 60 days, subject to further extensions and any conditions the EPA deems appropriate.

To explain in simpler terms, Ram alluded that ExxonMobil will be allowed to flare any quantity of gas for 60 days with possible

extensions from the EPA at no cost. The only time it pays is when flaring is not considered part of the Startu p a n d S p e c i a l Circumstances periods. In such instances, ExxonMobil will pay a ‘paltry’ sum of US$30 per tonne of Carbon Dioxide equivalents (C02e) emitted as a result of flaring.

Considering the foregoing loopholes, among others, Ram said one thing is clear, “…exploration in the

petroleum sector under successive administrations is designed to serve the interest of the oil companies.”

He further asserted that the consequence for Guyana is the “raping” of the Nation’s natural resources, the accompanying destruction of its pristine environment and the deterioration of its reputation as a responsible petroleum producing country.

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday reported that a woman had scolded her 11-year-old girl daughter after she complained about being raped by an adult male relative.

The report stated that the incident occurred in Region Seven. It was also disclosed that the man began raping

her during August 2020 and that the matter was recently reported to the police.

According to the police, the child related that her relative continuously sexually assaulted her but when she confided in her mother, the woman scolded her for complaining.

However, recently the child confided in another relative who reported the matter to

the police.

A medical examination was conducted on the child and it revealed that she was sexually assaulted. The suspect was later arrested and placed in custody.

The police did not report whether or not the child’s mother was arrested for questioning or if she is in custody. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

17-year-old among seven persons who died from COVID-19 The Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday announced that seven more persons who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have died over a three-day period. Among those who passed away is a 17-year-old boy from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), who is recorded as the Guyana’s youngest COVID-19 fatality. Their deaths have now pushed the country’s death toll to 368.

Two of the seven victims died on May 22: they are two women, a 63-year-old from Region Four and a 53-yearold from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). Two died on May 23: a 58-year-

old woman from Region Four and a 76-year-old man from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). The other three victims died on May 24 – they are three men: a 78-year-old from Region Five; a 75-year-old from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and the 17-year-old from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

According to the Ministry’s press release, all seven persons died while receiving treatment at a medical facility.

Furthermore, the Health Ministry in its daily COVID-19 dashboard recorded 85 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total

number of confirmed cases to 16,320.

The dashboard also shows that 19 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 97 are in institutional isolation, 1,783 in home isolation and six are quarantined institutionally.

To date, a total of 14,053 recoveries have been recorded.

A breakdown of new cases per Region shows that Region Four leads with 43 new cases, Region Three with 19, Region Seven with eight, Region Five with six, Region Six with five, Region One with two and Regions Eight and Ten with one each.

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

GGMC prosecutor charged for collecting bribe from gold miner A prosecutor attached to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) who was caught last week in a police sting operation accepting bribe money from a gold miner, was today charged for collecting bribe from the gold miner.

The defendant, Sherwin Crandon, 44, of George S t r e e t , We r k - e n - R u s t , Georgetown, made his first court appearance before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ C o u r t s y e s t e r d a y. H e pleaded not guilty and was charged for corrupt transaction by an agent.

The charge states that on Wednesday last, at Seeta’s Bar, Kitty, Georgetown, being a prosecutor employed with the GGMC, he corruptly obtained $300,000 from Viveka Singh as an inducement for forbearing to prosecute and to cause the matter to be dismissed against Singh, for illegal mining, an act in relation to his principal affairs.

Crandon was granted $150,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to June 8.

According to an initial report by the Force, a gold miner visited the GPF on Wednesday last at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown, and disclosed

Sherwin Crandon, the GGMC prosecutor that was charged.

to the police that, in 2019, he was charged by the GGMC for illegal mining at Blackwater, Mahdia.

The man further revealed that Crandon called him on Wednesday and informed him that he was willing to dismiss his case if he paid him $300,000. He said the prosecutor went on to tell him that if he does not comply then he would be convicted for the offence.

The miner said Crandon then gave him a location to meet him at a popular bar in Station Street, Kitty, on Wednesday at 16:00 hrs. A sting operation was executed by the GPF when the GGMC prosecutor met the miner at

the bar and was subsequently confronted by police – a search was conducted on him and the $300,000 was found in his pants pocket. He was informed of the allegation, arrested and taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

After Crandon was arrested, he told the GPF that he is a prosecutor at GGMC and he was prosecuting an active matter against the said gold miner at Mahdia Magistrate Court, which was being tried at the Diamond Magistrate Court. Crandon admitted that he did collect the money from the gold miner, but claimed that he wanted to “borrow” it.

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

PAGE 28

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Oil benefits must pass Second suspect remanded on to all sectors of society with murder of 10-year-old – President Ali Independence Address

G

uyana today observes its 55th Anniversary as an independent nation, and with its newfound oil wealth, is on the cusp of unprecedented economic prosperity. To this end, Head of State, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has adopted the position that, “we cannot be a nation that produces oil and gas, earning considerable sums from it, without passing on the benefits to all sectors of our society.” As such, the Administration is exploring ways to begin spending some of Guyana’s earnings from the sale of its oil.

H e g a v e t h e pronouncement last evening at the annual Flag Raising observances at Kingston, Georgetown, in the vicinity of the Umana Yana, with the Appeal Court, the Guyana Marine Turtle Monument, Pegasus and Marriott International Hotels serving as a backdrop.

Addressing those in attendance for the scaled down version of the flag raising activities, in keeping with ‘some level’ of COVID-19 restrictions, Dr. Ali used the occasion to disclose that his Administration, since taking office, has been examining the utilisation of Guyana’s earnings from its oil sector.

The country has so far US$327M accumulated in the US Federal Reserve B a n k i n N e w Yo r k ,

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, delivers the 55th Independence Anniversary address. accounting for earnings from the sale of Guyana’s share of oil in the Stabroek Block, along with royalties paid since production began in December 2019.

That account, a type of sovereign wealth fund, is named the Natural Resources Fund, and is governed by the Natural Resources Fund Act, a piece of legislation passed under the David Granger presidency and criticised by the Dr. Ali administration as inadequate and to be reformed.

Qualifying his announcement with regards spending the oil earnings, Dr. Ali said, the cost of electricity must be reduced for both businesses and household consumption, “therefore, [the] Government is carefully considering mechanisms by which the cost of energy can be reduced across our

society by utilising an appropriate percentage of our national earnings from oil and gas to do so.”

The Head of State said, “These mechanisms will be presented to the Nation through the appropriate bodies for endorsement.”

He was adamant that, “the bottom line is that domestic consumers must be given relief and businesses should be rendered more competitive.”

According to President Ali, “our financial resources must be utilised to improve the quality of life for all our communities.”

He had earlier lamented that a number of sectors in the country were adversely affected by the high cost of energy, which has had its own concomitant effects on the cost of doing business, and earning foreign exchange for the country generally.

The second suspect, who was recently arrested in relation to the murder of 10year-old Anthony Cort, was yesterday remanded to prison after appearing in court.

The 29-year-old defendant, Kenrick Cozier called ‘Bullaboy,’ made his first court appearance in the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate, Rochell Liverpool, where he was charged with murder in the course of furtherance of a felony.

The charge state that Cozier, “on Thursday March 11, 2021, at ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown Magisterial District, County of Demerara, in the State of Guyana, murdered Anthony Cort, in the course of furtherance of a robbery under arms.”

The man was remanded to prison and the matter was adjourned to July 9, 2021.

Back in March, a 16-yearold, who investigators said was their prime suspect for the murder of Cort, was remanded on March 19, 2021, to the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre.

It was reported that following Cozier’s arrest, he was grilled by investigators and confessed to his involvement in the heinous crime. The 29-year-old mason told detectives that on the day of the deadly home invasion, the teen went to his home and designed a plan to rob the deceased neighbour’s home, where the boy was murdered.

The man disclosed to the operatives, that the teen told him that his father was in a relationship with Cort’s

Remanded to prison, Kenrick Cozier.

10-year-old Anthony Cort who was shot and killed during a home invasion.

neighbour who has millions of dollars in cash and jewellery. He went on to further confess, that the teen then brought three of his friends – one who had a handgun – to carry out the crime.

The men said that the teen planned, that one of the suspects would go into the shop and purchase an item as a decoy; the two other men would be on the lookout, while the now remanded teen would go into the house and execute the robbery. The suspect said that about 12:00 hrs, he and the teen went to the shop, as planned, and the teen pointed the gun at the three women who were in the shop. The man told cops that he was unarmed and he relieved the women of their valuables – two gold rings, one silver chain, one phone and $18,000 cash.

He added that he then entered the house, while two of the women followed him.

The suspect continued to relate to CID officers that he saw the teen heading to the

upper flat of the house after which he heard a loud explosion that sounded like a gunshot.

The man claimed that he ran upstairs where he saw the teen standing over Cort who was lying on the ground motionless. He told investigators that he ran out of the house and picked up his bicycle, which he stashed before the robbery and rode off towards School Bridge, Sophia.

He mentioned that the teen later met him and confessed that he shot the now dead boy. They parted the money and jewellery and the teen told him that he gave the gun back to another suspect.

The suspect told police that he never saw the teen again and travelled to Tuschen, where he stayed low until he was arrested.

Cozier told detectives at the time of his arrest that he was wearing the same black jersey, which he had worn at the time of the deadly home invasion.

death while he was trying to physically remove her from their home, was yesterday remanded to prison for manslaughter.

The defendant, Miledidys Quezada Lezcano, a domestic worker of Lot 203 Charlotte Street, Georgetown, made her first court appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, to answer to the charge.

Lezcano was not required to plead to the charge, which allege, that on May 19, at Lot 203 Charlotte Street, Georgetown, she

further remanded and the matter was adjourned to June 15, 2021.

Kaieteur News in previous reporting had stated that around 05:00 hrs. last Wednesday, the man was slain after an argument ensued between him and his wife.

The police report revealed that at the time of the incident, Yoesmarita was armed with a knife and was attempting to remove the woman from their premises.

There a fight broke out and the woman reportedly took the knife away from her husband and stabbed him

a woman who knew the couple said, that they would sometimes get into a rg u m e n t s o f m a t t e r s concerning their relationship. The woman, who requested anonymity, stated that not long ago before this incident happened, the man had threatened to kill the woman.

She lamented that the couple lives alone, but sometimes Yoesmarita would have people staying in their home and this, in the past, had caused the two to argue.

Lezcano was arrested and an investigation was launched into the incident.

UN’s Gutteres calls for shift in subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy Woman remanded who killed husband as he was trying to “put her out” ...tells world leaders decarbonisation The Cuban National who allegedly killed 40-year-old once to his lower back was arrested for allegedly Lopez Cardenas Yoesmarita. r e g i o n . W h e n t h i s of global economy is inevitable stabbing her husband to The 44-year-old woman was publication visited the scene,

The United Nations (UN) is calling for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the transfer of technology to developing countries.

This, since among other reasons, “decarbonisation of the global economy is inevitable.”

United Nations’ Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, put the position forward bluntly during his keynote address yesterday to

Heads of State in attendance at the Global Roundtable on Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development.

Addressing the gathering also comprising industry experts and leaders, the UN Head noted that countries representing 73 percent of global carbon emissions, have committed to net zero by mid-century.

He observed however, in order to achieve the objectives outlined, “Countries and donors need to support the rapid deployment of renewable energy technologies and the

phase-out of fossil-fuel based assets.”

To this end, the UN Secretary General proffered, the first priority is to end coal use. This, he said, means no new coal plants must be built or financed—pursued in tandem with a phase out of coal use by 2030 in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and 2040 in the rest of the world.

According to Guterres, to boost these efforts, nations need to shift subsidies from fossil fuel to renewable energy and promote (Continued on page 31)

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 29

Airlines re-route to avoid Belarus, opposition says journalist beaten KYIV/VILNIUS (Reuters) - Airlines rerouted flights to avoid Belarus’s airspace yesterday and Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe, as international outrage mounted over Minsk forcing down a jetliner and arresting a dissident journalist on b o a r d . We s t e r n n a t i o n s accused Belarus of hijacking and piracy over the interception of the Ryanair plane as it crossed the country on a flight from Greece to Lithuania, and diplomats said France, Ireland and Estonia would raise the incident at a private meeting of the United Nations Security Council today.

“The behaviour of the Belarus regime is outrageous, illegal, and completely unacceptable ... we also condemn this kind of dangerous interference in civil aviation,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters.

A video released overnight showed 26-yearold Roman Protasevich who was pulled from the passenger plane after Belarus scrambled a warplane to escort it to Minsk on Sunday confessing to having organised anti-government demonstrations.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the video was “concerning”. G erman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko must pay a “bitter price” for detaining Protasevich.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the footage showed Protasevich had been tortured.

“He said that he was treated lawfully, but he’s clearly beaten and under pressure. There is no doubt that he was tortured. He was

taken hostage,” she told a news conference in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Belarus did not immediately comment on the torture allegation but has consistently denied abusing detainees.

Rights groups have documented hundreds of cases of what they describe as abuse and forced confessions during a crackdown on prodemocracy opponents of Lukashenko since last year.

Lukashenko, whose opponents accuse him of rigging an August 2020 election, has so far shrugged off Western sanctions, which mostly consist of barring various officials from travelling or doing business in the United States and EU. The Belarusian leader enjoys financial and security support from Russia.

The White House said President Joe Biden would discuss the incident with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their summit next month, but added the United States did not believe Moscow had played any role in it.Belarusian state media have reported that Lukashenko personally ordered the flight to be intercepted.

Belarus says it was responding to a bomb scare that later proved to be a false alarm.

Belarusian authorities yesterday released a transcript of a conversation between the plane and an air traffic controller in which the pilot repeatedly questioned information about the threat before agreeing to land at Minsk.

The transcript, which Reuters could not independently verify, differs from excerpts previously released by Belarus state TV, which had suggested the pilot had asked to land in Minsk, rather than that the

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya controller had advised him to do so.Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sagega, 23, were arrested when the plane landed.

Three other people also disembarked the flight in Minsk, suspected by Western countries of being spies involved in the operation.

In the video released overnight, Protasevich can be seen seated at a desk in a dark hooded sweatshirt.

“I can state that I don’t have any health issues, including diseases of the heart or any other organs.

Police officers are treating me properly and according to the law,” he says, adding that he had “confessed to organising mass protests in Minsk.”Sagega’s mother Anna Dudich told Reuters that her daughter, a student and a Russian citizen who is originally from Belarus, had steered clear of politics, but that she feared for her health and safety in detention.

Russia’s foreign ministry said Sagega may also face criminal charges.

In response to Minsk’s actions, the European air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol, recommended that EU and British carriers that fly over Belarus should re-route via the Baltic states.

Reuters/STRINGER Opposition blogger and activist Roman Protasevich arrives for a court hearing in Minsk Britain also said it was banning Belarusian airlines from entering its airspace.

European Union leaders at a summit on Monday had called for airlines based in the 27-member bloc to halt flights over Belarusian airspace, which is along a major corridor connecting Europe and Asia and earns hard currency from overflight rights.

Lufthansa, KLM, SAS, Air France, LOT and

Singapore Airlines were among carriers that announced they would stop f l y i n g o v e r Belarus.Belgium’s Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits, tweeted “Europe in action”, with a picture of a flight tracker map of the continent showing no planes flying over Belarus.

EU leaders also directed officials to draw up unspecified new sanctions against Belarus, and to work

out a way to ban Belarusian airlines from the bloc’s skies.

Belarus’s neighbour, Ukraine, announced a ban on flights to or from Belarus, and on its own airlines using Belarusian airspace.

“If we let this go, tomorrow Alexander Lukashenko will go further and do something even more arrogant, more cruel,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement.

Manhattan DA convenes Trump Grand Jury - WAPO Reuters - Manhattan’s district attorney has convened a grand jury that is expected to decide whether to indict Donald Trump, which indicates he feels he has evidence of a crime by the former president or someone close to him or by h i s c o m p a n y, t h e Washington Post reported yesterday.

“The panel was convened recently and will sit three days a week for six months,” the Post said, citing two unnamed people familiar with the development.

“It is likely to hear several matters — not just the Trump case — during the duration of its term, which is longer than a traditional New Yo r k s t a t e g r a n d - j u r y assignment, these people said.”Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has been investigating Trump’s pre-presidency business dealings for more than two years.

Vance’s office has said in court filings it was investigating “possibly

Former President Donald Trump

extensive and protracted criminal conduct” at the Tr u m p O rg a n i z a t i o n , including tax and insurance fraud and falsification of business records.

A spokesman for Vance, Danny Frost, declined to comment on the Post report.

The Post said the move i n d i c a t e s Va n c e ’ s investigation has reached an advanced stage and that he believes he has “found evidence of a crime - if not by Trump then by someone potentially close to him or by his company.”

The New York attorney

general’s office said a week ago that it had opened a criminal investigation into Tr u m p ’s c o m p a n y, increasing the legal risk for Trump and his family.

Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.

Trump, who left office in January, has denied any wrongdoing.Last week he attacked James, saying “we will overcome” any attempt at prosecution.

PAGE 30

Kaieteur News

Pensioner receives broken knee after being hit by car

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A pensioner is now hospitalised after being struck down by a motorcar yesterday while attempting to cross the road.

According to a police report, the woman, who is identified as 65-year-old Ornette Joseph of La Penitence, Georgetown, was on the eastern side of the La Penitence Public Road and was proceeding to cross, heading to the western side.

It was in the midst of crossing the road that the woman came into the path of a Toyota Allion that was driven by Kenneth Mootoo, 65, of Wortman Village.

The report stated that the woman, after colliding with the vehicle, was pitched into a nearby drain.

The woman was then picked up in a conscious state

by Mootoo, before an ambulance was called. She was then placed in the ambulance and carried to the Balwant Singh Hospital where she was examined by a doctor.

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Mootoo was served with a notice of intended prosecution and a breathalyser test was conducted on him. How-

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Samoan PM refuses to concede defeat...

From page 19 locked Parliament House in the capital, Apia, blocking FAST MPs from entering.

After Fiame and other FAST MPs held a swearingin ceremony outside parliament, Tuilaepa denounced Fiame’s actions as “treason and the highest form of illegal conduct”.

“This is not a country of stupid people,” he said in a press conference on Monday afternoon. “We’ve almost had 60 years of sovereignty. Now it looks like we are ruled by the mafia.”

Fiame told FAST party members and supporters on Monday morning, outside the locked doors, that: “We are here to uphold the orders of the Supreme Court and convene parliament.’’

Samoa’s Chief Justice and judiciary and Police Commissioner, who perform roles in the swearing-in of new members of parliament, also walked up to the Parliament House building on Monday morning, wearing full ceremonial robes, and were also locked out.

The Clerk of the House, Tiatia Lima Graeme Tualaulelei, explained that the building had been locked on the orders of the Speaker of the House and the caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa.

“I am following instructions I was given,” Tiatia told Fiame during a public exchange.

She urged him to reconsider and open the doors, saying: “We need brave Samoans right now, return the

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G$250 million. He reported at One clerk for Eccles office En- the time that said GWI’s debt glish & Mathematics, Grade 1 is up to the end of August or 2. Email application to 2020. techserigy@yahoo.com.

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The State Corporation’s current CEO, Shaik Baksh, earlier this year reported that the utility company had managed to reduce its debts to suppliers from $800 million to $260 million from September to December 2020.

“We owed a lot of money

power to the hands of the people, to our people to uphold our election. We pray to you Tiatia, you can do this.”

Fiame told supporters: “We will continue to sit here in the hallowed grounds of parliament that belongs to our people. If you will not let us into the house, we will stay here. We have all waited, they have all waited, the paramount chiefs, the chiefs and all of us. There will be a time, when we will meet again, inside that house. Let us leave it to the law.”

Tuilaepa hosted a gathering of the HRPP denouncing the actions of FAST at the parliament grounds and accusing them of “breaking and entering”.

“They have desecrated the grounds of parliament, and have made a ruckus in our hallowed grounds, they are trying to use force to open the House of Parliament,” he said.

“They should know better,” he said. “There remains to be only one recognisable government even if it is a custodian government. The public responds to one prime minister and ministers and that is with this government.” … we have a small favour to ask. Millions are turning to the Guardian for open, independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially.

We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity.

Cash-strapped GWI spent $30M... to suppliers and GWI was finding it very difficult to access credit to source important equipment and materials for its day-to-day operations…So, indeed, this is a big achievement. Many suppliers have been paid and we still have some outstanding current year debt which is 2020,” he said.

Baksh had reported that when he took up his appointment in September last, GWI was in debt. It also had a bank overdraft of an undisclosed sum at one of the commercial banks.

When a company has an overdraft, it means that you are in a desperate financial position,” he said. Although the entity’s financial position has improved in recent months, Baksh stressed that there is still room for improvement.

That’s why we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This means more people can be better informed, united, and inspired to take meaningful action.

In these perilous times, a truth-seeking global news organisation like the Guardian is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning our journalism is free from commercial and political influence – this makes us different. When it’s never been more important, our independence allows us to fearlessly investigate, challenge and expose those in power.

Govt. is no scapegoat ...

From page 8 and these things have to be fixed. We cannot continue this level of mismanagement,” he said.

In the interim, the Head of State said that the Government is fully committed to ensuring that City Hall, the physical building, is restored.

“That is a project we have budgeted resources for in the budget and we are going to work on implementing.” The historic building has increasingly deteriorated over the past two decades with several restoration efforts failing to take off.

President Ali reiterated that while his Government is desirous of “nothing short of an excellent relationship with the city”, it will not be blamed for the City’s mismanagement, nor will they disregard all of these discrepancies over the years and continue to transfer money blindly knowing of all of the irregularities.

“So, I just want to make it very, very clear, that we want a partnership for the development of the city, but we cannot allow the City Council to continue to blatantly disregard what is out there in terms of its responsibility and in terms of its fiduciary responsibility…. Notwithstanding all of this, we are moving forward with a plan and programme to improve the welfare, well-being, living conditions, and standard of the people of the city and those who use the city, and we are sparing no resources in achieving this,” he added.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 31

City Council to publish list of beneficiaries of ‘Royston King approved’ leases Town Clerk (Ag.), Sherry Jerrick.

Months after a decision was taken to cancel all leases approved by former Town Clerk, Royston King, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has announced a move to publish and review the list of 55 lessees, who benefitted from the process.

The move to publish the list was taken into consideration after Deputy Mayor of the Georgetown M&CC, Alfred Mentore, raised concerns over the manner in which the leases were dealt with. Mentore had proposed to attendees of the Statutory Meeting held at City Hall on Monday that the Council should reach out to the affected persons with a view of evaluating their leases and bringing it into conformity with correct procedure.

While taking the suggestion into account, Town Clerk (Ag), Sherry Jerrick, noted King had leased to a number of private individuals and companies several river side properties and reserves without the knowledge or approval of

the Council, which is in breach of Municipal and District Councils Act. She stressed that, in the eyes of the law, those transactions would be unlawful and since the decision was already taken by the new Council to cancel the illegally approved leases, the onus is on the persons who got the leases to appeal f o r a r e v i e w, w h e r e necessary.

“While I agree to some extent that the manner in which these persons were leased these properties may be no fault of theirs, it is for them to approach the Council to request a review, not the other way around,” Jerrick said.

The Town Clerk said too that a Committee had already examined the list.

“I understand that there are some persons who had already constructed buildings or paid monies to the Council’s coffers … so they should come to us first since it’s in their interest. We can advertise a list of the names but we will not be calling in persons,” she

stressed.The Town Clerk’s recommendations received support from several Councillors at the meeting, including City Mayor, Ubraj Narine, who had initially announced the move to cancel the leases approved

by King.

Announcing the cancellation of the leases back in February, the Mayor noted that in one instance, King had been collecting a yearly rent from the tenants of a water front property, despite claims that the State holding company – National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) – owns the property.

As a result, the former Town Clerk was eventually dismissed for dereliction of duty because of that COI. Narine had emphasised that “careful examination of the transport and leases determined that it has no connection to Council.

[King] took it upon himself and leased the properties.”

The Mayor noted that there are a number of leases that were authorised by King himself and not the Council.

Taxi-driver robbed, gun-butted by customers in Agricola

A

taxi-driver who thought he was about to conduct his normal pickup and drop off routine in Agricola, was on Monday night robbed and gun-butted by three persons who posed as customers.

At around 19:45 hrs. in First Street, Agricola, the 31year-old driver who is attached to GR Taxi Service, was attacked and robbed by two men and a female accomplice.

The taxi-driver reported to the police that before he was attacked and robbed, he

went and made a pickup when three persons entered his motorcar and requested to be taken to First Street.

He told detectives that upon arrival at the street, an unidentifiable man who was in the front passenger seat put the gearstick into park and they all pointed their guns in his direction. After this, he said that two of them carried out a search on him and robbed him of his Samsung Galaxy J-7 cellular phone, his wallet that contained $10,000 in cash and other personal

documents.

Before making good their escape, he reported that one of the suspects lashed him once to his head with their handgun.

After the incident happened, a report was made at the Agricola Police Station, there the taxi-driver was escorted back with ranks in Agricola and one of the suspects, a 19-year-old was arrested.

Up to press time, the other accomplices were not yet apprehended – a search is on for their arrest.

Oil benefits must pass on to all...

From page 28 technology transfer. He cautioned however, this agenda needs to take account of and mitigate the impacts of ending subsidies on the poorest and most marginalised.

He observed that “we have repeatedly seen how sudden changes with inequitable impacts can precipitate social unrest,” and as such posits, “support from the whole development

finance architecture is paramount so fossil fueldependent developing countries can finance a just transition.”

The UN Chief used the occasion to also urge multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, the International Monetary Fund and other institutions to support the process decisively.

Additionally, he pointed to the need for greater

regional and global coordination to manage shocks and to ensure a smooth, just and sustainable transition process. In this respect, he said the United Nations Regional Economic Commissions will continue to have an important role and invited the 37 Member countries to “join in the creation of a Working Group on Extractive Industries hosted by the United Nations to help transform the sector.”

“We must admit that these leases were never brought before the Council or any committee. It is therefore within the rights of the Council to have all the leases he made cancelled,” he told the council last February.

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Kaieteur News

People’s National Congress The People’s National Congress greets all Guyanese on this happy occasion of our Nation’s 55th Independence Anniversary.

Independence on May 26, 1966 was a transformative event that laid the foundation for a good life for all.Our visionary first Prime Minister – Forbes Burnham – embarked on a transformative programme of renewal. His administration led public education enhancement including the construction of the Cyril Potter College of Education, University of Guyana campus and multilateral schools in coastal regions and public infrastructural development through the construction of the Timehri International Airport, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, coastal sea-defence and coastal road networks from Skeldon to Parika.

The People’s National Congress, during the first decade of Independence, contributed to social cohesion by ensuring that Islamic and Hindu holy festivals were observed as national holidays; to securing Indigenous people’s land rights by establishing the Amerindian Lands Commission; to territorial defence with the establishment of the Guyana Defence Force; to regional integration by

contributing to the establishment of the Caribbean Community and to housing development; hinterland development; youth development and much more.

Guyana was able to make a good start as an independent nation despite emerging from the worst period of civil violence, economic bankruptcy and political turmoil. It became respected for its efforts at advancing the cause of the small, developing states, particularly in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.Independence celebrations this year will be restrained as a result of the huge death toll caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the damage to households caused by the unprecedented dismissal of public servants who are parents and the ominous resurgence of narcotics-trafficking, criminal violence and environmental degradation.

Independence Day reminds the Nation, also, of its debt to doctors, nurses and other workers in the public health system who have been engaged continuously in protecting our people from the ravages of the pandemic.

The People’s National Congress wishes everyone a Happy 55th Independence anniversary!

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Independence Day Messages

55

th

Today we at Kaieteur News join with the rest of the Nation to celebrate our 55th Independence Anniversary.

In doing so we recognise that it was because of our resilience that we still stand as a Nation today. May we continue to embrace the words of our Motto – One People, One Nation and one Destiny – as we move forward.

People’s Progressive Party Our beloved Nation has reached another milestone, its 55th Independence Anniversary.

It comes at a time when Guyana is on the cusp of u n p r e c e d e n t e d transformational development.

The unleashing of our Nation’s vast potential is within reach. Our developmental trajectory has, undoubtedly imbued all Guyanese with a tremendous sense of optimism, pride, expectation and confidence that our individual and collective dreams and aspirations for a prosperous Nation will be realised.

As we observe this very significant moment in our Nation’s history, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend greetings to all Guyanese, both here and those globally in the Diaspora.

The 55 years since the Golden Arrowhead was first hoisted in May 1966, was not without its challenges. Our Nation and its people were tested at various points, but on every occasion, despite the severity of what confronted us, our resilience

and indomitable will to rise to those challenges and to forge ahead, prevailed.

It is demonstrative of our resoluteness as a people to work assiduously and to sustain our efforts to build a brighter future for all.

During those 55 years, there were periods when much was achieved – a period that saw our physical and social infrastructures being transformed through sustained growth and development –and periods of regression.

There were periods when our freedom were suppressed and periods when they were restored.

There were periods when pride was lost and periods when it returned after relentless struggles.

However, throughout these times, our people never allowed hope to slip away and remained steadfast in their commitment to nationbuilding and the advancement of all.

Guyanese are aware that the 55th Independence Anniversary comes months after glaring attempts to suppress freedom and democracy.

The fact that our freedom

and nascent democracy were vigorously defended is testimony to our collective resolve and the value we, as a people, attached to our democratic principles.

This is not dissimilar to the values of those who led the struggles and fought valiantly for Independence would have attached to breaking the shackles of colonialism.

Those selfless struggles remain a revered source of inspiration and a demonstration of patriotism in guiding us to work in the best interest of our country and all of its peoples.

As we celebrate this Independence Anniversary, albeit restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Party urges that we be encouraged by the invaluable efforts of those who struggled to free us from colonialism, as we endeavour together to safeguard our democratic values and to advance ourselves and fellow countrymen and women as a n e w e r a o f transformational development beckons.

Happy Independence to all Guyanese!

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 33

Seventeen Haitians ‘packed on’ to return flight yesterday - GPF says they failed to satisfy immigration requirements Seventeen out of 61 Haitians who had arrived in Guyana recently, were yesterday packed on a return flight and sent back to their port of embarkation (Barbados).

A c c o r d i n g t o information received, the return flight departed the Eugene Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, sometime after 15:00 hrs.

Attorney-at-law, Darren Wade, was at the airport when they left. He recalled that they were rounded up and taken away to board a Caribbean Airlines Flight (CAL).

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has stated that the 17

Haitians were sent back because they had failed to satisfy immigration requirements. This media house had asked the Force to specify what immigration requirements they failed to satisfy and whether or not the group included men, women and children, but up to press time GPF had failed to respond.

Kaieteur News had received a tip-off earlier yesterday that some Haitians were not being allowed to enter the country and were detained at the Ogle Airport in inhumane conditions. This media house visited the airport but was unable to locate them; however, later in the day Minister of Home

Affairs, Robeson Benn, informed media operatives that the Haitians were indeed at the airport awaiting their return flight. He added too, that his ministry had been working along with Ogle Airport to provide “additional temporary accommodation for them.”

Wade had told Kaieteur News that they were kept overnight and he had a chance to meet with them.

The lawyer claimed that he

The Eugene Correia International Airport where the Haitians were reportedly held and packed on a return flight.

was made to understand that they were no beds available for them to sleep at the airport and that a “good Samaritan” had to assist by buying five mattresses.

GPF stated, that the Haitians were part of a group of 61 who had arrived on CAL flights between Sunday May 23 and Monday May 24.Kaieteur News learnt that the Haitians had boarded the flights to Guyana from Barbados. A representative

from CAL explained that his company does not operate direct flights from Haiti to Guyana. The representative continued that flights would only leave from Grantley Adams International Airport to Ogle. Late last year, 26 Haitians - men, women and children - were detained at Government facilities for illegal entry. They were charged in the Magistrate Court and it was later ordered by Principal

Magistrate, Sherdel IsaacsMarcus, that they be deported.However, Wade had decided to represent them and had filed an application in the High Court to have the deportation order quashed. In January 2021, Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire, ruled in favour of Wade and the order was quashed. The Haitians were subsequently released from custody but they had vanished since then.

PAGE 34

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Wednesday May 26, 2021

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Kaieteur News

India women players finally set to receive T20 World Cup prize money

India finished runners-up in the T20 World Cup in March 2020. (Getty Images)

Wednesday May 26, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Too many invitations to social events may come today, Aries. This might be one evening when you want to relax at home, but you won't want to say no to anyone.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Today you might work on your spiritual practice or studies, Taurus. You could read a book on the subject, attend a lecture, or practice some kind of discipline such as yoga or meditation.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Physical pleasure may be at the top of your priority list today, Gemini. You might want to go to your favorite restaurant and have a great meal, including wine, appetizers, and dessert.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Love matters may prove too intense today, Cancer. You may be having a rough week. Your partner may be especially demanding of your time and energy.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You've been hoping for a quiet day on the job, Leo, but too many calls could come your way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Were you planning to go shopping today, Virgo? If you can, put it off until tomorrow. You could be tempted by too many items that seem wonderful in the store but are nothing but a bother once you get them home.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You look especially attractive today, Libra, and it's doing wonders for your selfesteem. Even members of your household notice. But you probably feel more like staying in than going out.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today, Scorpio, you might want to make an unqualified declaration of love. That's fine if you've been involved for a while, although you could overwhelm your partner.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A friend may offer you a gift today, Sagittarius. It could involve money, favors, time, items you need, or something else. Be discriminating about what you accept, and make sure you offer to reciprocate.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The temptation to take center stage might be too strong to resist, Capricorn.

Someone may ask you to tell a story. Your gift with words and vivid imagination should serve you well.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A gathering could bring you lots of good news and useful information, Aquarius.

The problem is that there might be too much.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You generally enjoy your dreams, Pisces, both the dreaming process and analyzing them later. But tonight you might have too many to keep track of.

ESPNcricinfo - Nearly 15 months after they finished runners-up in the T20 World Cup, the India Women squad will finally receive its share of the prize money amounting to USD 500,000 (INR 3.5 crore approximately). ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI on Monday asked the players to raise invoices to get their shares.

The development comes a day after the UK publication The Telegraph revealed that the squad had not yet been paid its prize money despite other teams including Australia, who won the World Cup, receiving theirs soon after the tournament was over.

ESPNcricinfo has learned

that the ICC disbursed the prize money to the BCCI last March, around a week after the World Cup final, which was played in front of a record 86,174 spectators on International Women’s Day (March 8) at the MCG. When asked for a comment, BCCI officials told ESPNcricinfo they have no knowledge of the reason behind the delay. ESPNcricinfo confirmed the delay with more than one player and support staff member who were part of the India squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur.The delay raised eyebrows because the BCCI is learned to have disbursed all other payments owed to the players since March 2020. This includes three instalments of their central contracts fee for 2019-20, match fees, and appearance fees for the Women’s T20 Challenge in Sharjah last November. Recently the players are understood to have submitted their invoices for match fees for the limited-overs home series against South Africa in March 2021. The payments are still awaited, though.

Incidentally the BCCI is learned to have distributed the prize money allocated by the ICC to the India team that finished runners-up in the 2020 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, which was won by Bangladesh last February in South Africa. The Women’s T20 World Cup took place only a few weeks later. According to The Telegraph, the victorious Australia Women players received their share of the prize money amounting to USD 1.6 million soon after the tournament.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 36

Amir, Malik and Lamichhane sign for Hero CPL Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik and Sandeep Lamichhane will be playing at the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League which takes place in St Kitts & Nevis in August and September. The Barbados Tridents have secured the services of Pakistani left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir. With 220 T20 wickets to his name, 59 of them coming in international matches, Amir has a huge amount of experience and a track record of success across the globe.Shoaib Malik returns to the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

Malik was central to the success of the Amazon Warriors in 2019 when they won 11

consecutive matches. Malik has played 417 T20 matches and won 12 trophies in the format.

Sandeep Lamichhane joins the Trinbago Knight Riders for the 2021 season. He has played at the Hero CPL for the last three seasons, impressing with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Tallawahs. The legspinner has become a regular in T20 tournaments around the globe and will add potency to the Knight Riders attack.

The complete squads for Hero CPL 2021 will be revealed on the draft show which will be broadcast on Friday 28 May at 9am ECT | 2pm GMT | 6:30pm IST.

Amir

Wednesday May 26, 2021

West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph is set to join the St Lucia Zouks.

Windies pace bowler Joseph heading to Zouks after being released by Patriots

W

est Indies fast b o w l e r A l z a r r i Joseph is set to join the St Lucia Zouks for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League season, after not being retained by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

The 24-year-old quick has been a part of the Patriots franchise since 2016.

Joseph did, however, struggle last seasons,

claiming just three wickets from seven matches, at an expensive 9.29.

In 2019, the pace bowler captured 9, the third most on the team with an economy rate of 7.75.

Late last week, the Patriots announced that they had retained Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit, JonRuss Jaggesar, Joshua Da Silva, and Dominic Drakes.

Joseph is currently taking part in the English County

Championships where he is currently representing Wo r c e s t e r s h i r e . T h i s season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which bowls off on August 28, will be held in its entirety entirely on the island of St Kitts & Nevis.

This year could mark the return of fans, with fully vaccinated patrons expected to be allowed to attend a half capacity Warner Park venue.

The Patriots have never won the CPL but went to the final of the competition in 2017.

Uefa opens proceedings against Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid over European Super League plan BBC Sport - Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid over their involvement in the proposed European Super League.

The clubs were part of the 12 ‘founding’ members of the breakaway league, which later collapsed.

The other nine clubs renounced the project but Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid have refused to do so.

Uefa said proceedings had been opened against the three “for a potential violation of Uefa’s legal framework”.

In a statement released y e s t e r d a y, U e f a s a i d : “Following an investigation conducted by Uefa ethics and disciplinary inspectors in connection with the socalled ‘Super League’ project, disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus for a potential violation of Uefa’s legal framework.

“Further information will be made available in due course.”

The other nine clubs involved - Arsenal, Chelsea,

Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid - have been punished by European football’s governing body for their participation.

They have agreed to make a combined 15m euro (£13.4m) goodwill contribution to benefit children’s and grassroots football across Europe.

They will also have 5% of Uefa competition revenues withheld for one season, starting in 2023-24, and this money will be redistributed, including in the UK. Each has also committed to Uefa and its competitions, with the clubs facing fines of 100m euros (£86.9m) apiece if they seek to join an unauthorised competition in the future. They will be fined half that if they breach any other terms of the declaration.Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who was appointed as chairman of the ESL, recently said that the 12 clubs that agreed to join the project have “binding contracts” and “cannot leave”.

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Kaieteur News

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BCCI mulls September-October window for remainder of IPL 2021 This, however, could require a rejigging of various boards’ calendars ESPNcricinfo - The BCCI is honing in on the possibility of conducting the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE in a window between September 18 and October 12. For that to happen, however, it would require a rejigging of various boards’ calendars, not least the CPL which is scheduled to start on August 28. If the BCCI does push ahead with these dates it would mean that the IPL ends only around a week before the mooted start of the ICC’s T20 World Cup, which may also be held in the UAE. The BCCI has informally communicated these plans to IPL franchises, telling them it needs a 25-day window to conduct the 31 remaining matches. This year’s IPL was indefinitely suspended on May 4, after a number of

players and staff tested positive for Covid-19 in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic in India.The window remains a fluid prospect and is subject to the BCCI being able to convince various other member boards to tweak their schedules, which would allow maximum player availability. Not least among them would be the CPL, which is scheduled to run between August 28 and September 19. West Indian players are a significant part of the IPL and the clash of dates has forced the BCCI to open discussions with the CPL, asking whether it can tweak its itinerary to allow enough time for players to travel to the UAE for the IPL. That might not be easy, given West Indies’ packed home international season,

Report: Copa America could be played in USA NBC Sports - Copa America could be switched to the USA, as fears continue over the current coronavirus situation in South America.

After being delayed by a year due to the pandemic, the tournament is due to kick off on June 12 in Argentina, b u t S o u t h A m e r i c a ’s governing body CONMEBOL are desperately trying to find an alternative solution for the event as Argentina is currently in lockdown and all soccer game have been called off.

After Colombia and Argentina were originally scheduled to co-host the tournament, games will no longer be held in Colombia due to ongoing protests against the government.

All games will be played in Argentina, as things stand, although Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela have all offered to co-host the tournament. This situation is very fluid.

A report from Te l e m u n d o ’s D i e g o Montalvan states that plans to host the entire tournament in the USA are gathering momentum, as Blu Radio in Colombia had the initial story.

Per Motalvan’s report, games would not be played in stadiums and cities hosting the 2021 Gold Cup games as CONCACAF would not want the two tournaments to clash at all.

Is moving the Copa America to the USA feasible?

With regards to the Gold Cup the dates overlap a little, but not much.

The Gold Cup is due to take place mostly in Texas, plus Orlando, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Phoenix from July 10 to August 1, while the Copa America is scheduled to take place from June 13 to July 10.

Of course, if the Copa America tournament is moved from Argentina at such short notice, and out of South America altogether, it would mean that a lot of logistical plans would have to be changed.

That would take extra time, and that could mean the tournament being pushed back a few weeks.

On the face of it this makes sense.

Fans can attend games in pretty large numbers if the tournament is held in the USA, plus the Copa America Centenario was a huge success when it was held across the United States of America in the summer of 2016.At least some fans would be able to attend, plus revenue could be generated through ticket sales and this temporary solution could suit the players and staff as the U.S. is in a much better situation in terms of vaccination rates than most of the world.

The BCCI has told IPL franchises it needs a 25-day window to conduct the 31 remaining matches. (BCCI/IPL)

which ends with the last Test against Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place from August 20 to 24.

The BCCI also opened up informal dialogue with the ECB last week to explore the feasibility of tweaking the schedule of the five-Test series between England and

India, which will be played between August 4 and September 14.

An earlier end to that series could allow enough of a window for the IPL. That is an equally difficult request to consider, given the ECB’s own packed schedule this summer, including the

l a u n c h o f T h e Hundred.England’s players are also due to travel to Bangladesh and Pakistan immediately after the home summer for two white-ball series, with the ECB having already indicated that their players are unlikely to be part of a rescheduled IPL.

On the FTP (Future Tours Programme), South Africa are also scheduled to tour India for three ODIs and three T20Is in October before the T20 World Cup. With India still firmly in the grip of the second wave of the pandemic, the BCCI has concluded that the IPL will need to be shifted overseas and that the UAE is the best option, especially since it also remains the ICC’s back-up venue for the T20 World Cup. There could be an impact on the global event should the BCCI succeed in scheduling the IPL around those dates.

The T20 World Cup is expected to start around October 16, but would need teams to start arriving a few weeks before that date wherever the event is ultimately staged.

PAGE 38

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points for the Milwaukee Bucks in their win over the Miami Heat. (Reuters)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

NBA play-offs: Milwaukee Bucks crush Miami Heat to take 2-0 series lead BBC Sport - The Milwaukee Bucks produced an exhibition of three-point shooting to crush the Miami Heat and take a 2-0 firstround play-off lead over last year’s NBA Finals runnersup.

The Bucks scored 22 out of 53 three-point attempts in the 132-98 win.

Bryn Forbes netted five threes in the first half and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets bounced back to level their series 1-1 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nikola Jokic scored 38 points while Michael Porter Jr had 18 in the 128-109 victory.

The Bucks dominated the first quarter of their match with their 10 threepointers matching an NBA record for the most in a quarter, and their 26-point lead (46-20) matched the largest after the first quarter in post-season history.

They maintained a healthy lead after that as they cruised to victory with six players finishing in doubledigits.

“After game one I didn’t look at the stat sheet,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, a win is a win. All I care about is winning the game, putting my team-mates in a position to win a game.

“It feels good when guys

are knocking down shots. We were seeing the ball go in, we were making stops, it felt good. We’ve got to stay locked in for game three.”

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will not face punishment for breaching NBA health and safety protocols by attending a promotional event, with the league saying he posed no risk of spreading Covid-19.

It was reported last week that James attended an outdoor photoshoot for his tequila brand with several celebrities before the Lakers’ 103-100 win over the Golden State Warriors and was photographed without a mask at the event.

‘Scooby’ Barrington booked - Last minute pull out for Ecuador from Winston George

By Calvin Chapman he Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has swooped in to ensure that one of their star athletes in 800m National Champion, Devaun ‘Scooby’ Barrington, will be part of the team heading to Ecuador to participate in the 2021 South American Championship this weekend.

In an invited comment with Kaieteur Sport, the multiple time national and Aliann Pompey Invitational (API) winner, s h a r e d t h a t he was elated to be able to represent Guyana and be part of one of the biggest contingents that the Golden Arrowhead h a s e v e r fielded at the meet which will see all 13 nations of South America competing.

Barrington still have

T

aspirations of making the Olympic Standard to join up with Aliyah Abrams who is the only Guyanese track star to qualify for the Tokyo Games thus far, and the S o u t h A m e r i c a Championships may very well be his last chance since the API has since been cancelled, while the AAG’s National Championships is looking very doubtful.

The GDF athlete further expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Army for their massive support in funding his airfare and he vowed to do his best with the given opportunity which includes being a beacon of order and discipline in the Spanish speaking nation.

However, Guyana will miss out on a golden opportunity to field both a 4x100 and a 4x400 team after word reached to the AAG on

Monday ahead of the team’s departure today that 2017 South America Games 400m m e n ’s g o l d m e d a l i s t , Winston George, sustained an injury and will be unable to compete.

Barrington will link up with fellow GDF team mate, high jumper Mark Jhalu, who was also sponsored by the Army.

The other athletes for Team Guyana in Peru include, Emanuel Archibald who is in good form, Arinze Chance, Jasmine Abrams (S.A. women’s 100m top seed), Andrea Foster (S.A. 800m women’s top seed), Quamel Prince, Noelex Holder and Jeremy Bascombe.

The support staff will include Johnny Gravesande as Coach and Kenisha H ead ley as Team Manager/Assistant Coach.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 39

Mushfiqur ton helps Bangladesh to break Sri Lanka jinx AFP - Mushfiqur Rahim hit a gritty 125 to set up Bangladesh’s maiden series victory over Sri Lanka across all formats with an emphatic 103-run win in the rain-hit second one-day international yesterday.

The wicketkeeperbatsman lifted Bangladesh from a precarious 74-4 to 246 all out after they elected to bat first at the Sher-eBangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

Sri Lanka managed just 141-9 in the tourists’ revised

Mushfiqur remained the hero as he recorded his eighth ODI century and put on a crucial 87-run fifthwicket stand with Mahmudullah Riyad, who made 41.

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera struck twice in his first over to send back Tamim for 13 and Shakib Al Hasan for nought.

Chameera wrapped up Bangladesh’s innings in 48.1 overs after sending back the in-form Mushfiqur, who completed his eighth ODI

Saifuddin, who got a hit on the helmet during his knock, was later replaced by Taskin Ahmed as concussion sub — the first for a game held in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, who won Sunday’s opener by 33 runs, were always on top once debutant pace bowler Shoriful Islam dismissed skipper Kusal Perera for 14 in the sixth over of innings.

Opener Danushka Gunathilaka made highest 24 runs while one-down Pathum Nissanka made 20

Mushfiqur Rahim’s 125 runs helped Bangladesh to their first victory over Sri Lanka in any format.

chase of 245 in 40 overs as Bangladesh took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman claimed three wickets each while Shakib Al Hasan took two key scalps.

“Lucky to win two games. We haven’t played the perfect game yet,” said Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal.

“We lost a lot of wickets in the middle, and 200 was l o o k i n g d i ff i c u l t , b u t Mahmudullah and Mushy played very well.”

hundred following a second rain interval.

Mushfiqur, who scored a match-winning 84 in the previous match, stood firm with Mahmudullah to take the attack to the opposition.

Mahmudullah kept up his form after hitting 54 in the opening ODI, but fell short of his fifty when Lakshan Sandakan, who returned figures of 3-54, got him caught behind.

Mushfiqur put on another defiant stand of 48 with Mohammad Saifuddin, who was run out on 11, for the eighth wicket.

for Sri Lanka, who had never lost to Bangladesh in eight bilateral series.

Sri Lanka were 121-9 in 38 overs when rain halted the game for more than half an hour, forcing the match officials to give them a revised D/L target - reducing two runs and 10 overs.

Isuru Udana hit Shoriful for two sixes to add 20 runs in the last two overs to only reduce Sri Lanka’s margin of defeat.

“It’s very disappointing.

Both matches, the middleorder collapsed and lack of experience cost us.

We need to have a serious

talk,” said Sri Lanka captain Perera.

The third and final match is on Friday at the same venue.

Scores: Bangladesh 246 (Rahim 125, Mahmudullah 41, Chameera 3-44) beat Sri Lanka 141-9 (Rahman 3-16, Miraz 3-28) by 103 runs.

PAGE 40

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

Members of the United We Stand Cycle Club takes time out for a photo following last Friday’s AGM.

We Stand United Cycle Club holds AGM Wilson and Leung returned as President and Secretary

W

e Stand united Cycle Club (WSUCC) on Friday last held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and re-elected almost the entire executive to serve the club for the next four years.Returning as President was Franklin Wilson for his second term along with

Secretary, Maria Leung.

Also returning were; the First, Second and Third Vice President’s, Joseph Britton, Michael ‘Punga’ Bradford a n d E n g l e b e r t Leung.Joining for their first stint as executive members were Treasurer Danielle Swain and Petrina Newton as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.

Retained as Co-Captains are Warren ‘Forty’ McKay and Raymond ‘Steely’ Newton.

Lead Coach of the club is H o r a c e B u r rowes.

Wilson expressed thanks to all the members who attended the AGM and promised to continue to work for the continued development of the club’s cyclists.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday May 26, 2021

PAGE 41

New National Sports Commission Trophy Stall Independence Softball tourney starts members officially appointed Muhammad is Chairman; Campbell, Fernandes, Singh, Davidson and Ramdial are members

Christy Campbell - NSC Member B a s e d o n t h e recommendation of the Honourable Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., Cabinet met, considered and agreed with recommendations for positions on the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Those persons appointed for the next two (2) years are Chairman, Kashif Muhammad, GCB President and CWI Director Bissoondyal Singh, Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) President Christy Campbell, Guyana Hockey Board President Phillip Fernandes, Chartered Accountant Cheteram Ramdial and Private Consultant, Dellon Davidson.

The appointment of the NSC Board will now pave the way for the appointment of the Director of Sport in consultation with Minister Ramson Jr. Former Member

Philip Fernandes - NSC Member

Bissoondyal Singh - NSC Member

Cheteram Ramdial - NSC Member

Dellon Davidson – NSC Member

of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, Steve Ninvalle is tipped to become the new Director of Sport.

The appointment of the NSC was gazetted on May 22nd and is in keeping with the

National Sports Commission which empowers the Minister of Sport under section 3 and paragraph 5 of the first schedule.

The MCYS also extended congratulations to the NSC members whilst wishing them all the best.

today in Bartica

T

he Trophy Stall Independence 10/10 Softball competition commences today at 10:00hrs at Karrau Village ground in Bartica.

The competition which is being organised by the Region Seven Softball Cricket League involves four male and eight female teams.

In the male category, Karrau will play Royal Strikers and Tyube Knight Riders will face Batavia 5 Stars.

In the female division, Batavia 5 Stars will take on Kartabo Power Rangers, Karrau will match skills with Agatash Sunrisers, Itaballi Golden Eyes will face Goshen Female SC and Epic Blasters SC will play Fal Mouth New Uprisers.

The winning teams in both categories will take home a trophy and a cash prize, while the runners up will receive a trophy and cash incentive. The best dressed team, the player with the highest individual score and the player of the man in

Chairman of the Region 7 Softball League Edward Skeete (L), with CEO of Trophy Stall Ramesh Sunich and Secretary of the Region 7 Softball Cricket league Tesha Kenswil display the trophies. the final will each be given a trophy. The competition will conclude on Sunday at the Bartica Community Center ground.

Meanwhile, Chairman of

the Region 7 Softball League Edward Skeete has expressed gratitude to CEO of Trophy Stall, Ramesh Sunich, and said a keen competition is expected.

Uefa opens proceedings against Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid over European Super League plan Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona have not renounced the ESL. (Getty Images)

Kashif Muhammad - NSC Chairman

New National Sports Commission members officially appointed t r o Sp

Muhammad is Chairman; Campbell, Fernandes, Singh, Davidson and Ramdial are members

‘Scooby’ Barrington booked - Last minute pull out for Ecuador from Winston George

Devaun Barrington is off to Ecuador for the South America Championships.

Devaun Barrington.

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