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Friday Edition Groups move to AIETEUR NEWS World Court against Israel's ‘genocide’ in Gaza November 10, 2023 - Vol. 25 No. 45

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

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 readership yesterday, 51,888

...lawsuit urges the ICC to include crimes against humanity and issue arrest warrants for Israel's leaders

Jagdeo gives Exxon a pass for refusing to hand over raw production data to auditors

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Exxon buys Liza Unity vessel from SBM for US$1.3 billion US has made no request for military base in Guyana - Jagdeo says

Neesa Gopaul’s mom back in jail p.

15

Bibi Shareema Gopaul

. .Prison Service admits to alleged miscalculation of her prison term

PNC mum on punishment for Exxon's brazen...says useGovt. of Stabroek should sit with Block revenue company and assert position

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Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

PAGE 03

Jagdeo gives Exxon a pass for refusing to hand over raw production data to auditors V

ice President and head policymaker of the oil and gas sector, Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday sought to excuse ExxonMobil's refusal to handover raw production data to auditors scrutinising that oil company's US$7.3B expenses for the period 2018-2020, saying that if the auditors wanted the information they could have gotten it from the Natural Resources Ministry.

Specifically, the auditors wanted the raw data from ExxonMobil to verify whether what they provided to the Guyana Government matched what they have on their system.

Specifically, the team said in a report seen by this newspaper that Exxon was asked to provide a schematic diagram showing all metering points on the Liza Destiny Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The auditors said a schematic would provide a visual representation of the physical flow of production as it is produced onto the FPSO through the various types of production equipment, and into the storage tanks.

Auditors said ExxonMobil was adamant that it would not provide the raw data or the schematic on the amount of oil and gas it produced.

Auditors said Exxon “consistently stated that production information was outside the scope of the cost recovery audit.” Furthermore, Exxon told the auditors that only sales information would be provided.

ExxonMobil Guyana Head, Alistair Routledge

While they were denied this raw information requested, auditors said they have no reason to conclude that the production data presented in monthly statements to government would differ from the raw measurement data utilized by Exxon for production management.

In addition, Exxon told auditors that the Guyana Government has key personnel who are fully aware of all measurement points and are present for calibrations and offloads, hence there is no need to worry.

Be that as it may, auditors advised that Exxon should make the schematic diagrams available for future audits as it would help to validate the volumetric data provided in the monthly statements

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Chartered Accountant and team leader, Floyd Haynes

submitted to the Guyana Government.

The audit report seen by this newspaper was prepared by Ramdihal & Haynes Inc., Eclisar Financial, and Vitality Accounting & Consultancy Inc. with backing from Martindale Consultants.

Jagdeo's position Meanwhile, asked whether he was concerned about ExxonMobil's refusal to handover the data, Jagdeo said: “so I was trying to find out whether I saw this in the public domain without getting into the details of the audit.

As I said before, I wanted this to be purely technical. The raw data is with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the auditors can get that raw data from the ministry. So,

I was hoping that if they didn't get it from Exxon, if that is true, I don't know if it's true.”

Jagdeo went on to say: “…the raw production data has to because of the PSA, (Production Sharing Agreement) be supplied to the Ministry, and, the Ministry is in receipt of it. So if the auditors could not get it from Exxon they can get the raw production data from the Ministry, and then verify whether the sales data matches the p r o d u ction data.” H e then reiterated that “This data is with the ministry but the auditors at some stage, I hope that they will address this themselves.” Auditors have advised that the schematic diagrams be made available in future audits, so that they are able to independently validate the volumetric data Exxon gives the Guyanese Government on a monthly basis.

It should be noted that this document prepared by the auditing team led by Chartered Accountant, Floyd Haynes is yet to be released to the public.

Kaieteur News had previously reported that the audit contract that was awarded to Haynes and his team back in 2022 for US$751,000 had a strict four-month deadline for completion.

Notably, the US$7.3B costs which the auditors examined pertain to the investments for the Liza Phase One and Liza Phase Two Projects which are currently producing approximately 400,000 barrels of oil per day.

Exxon buys Liza Unity vessel from SBM for US$1.3B D

utch shipbuilder, SBM Offshore on Thursday disclosed that it completed a transaction with ExxonMobil Guyana Limited for the purchase of the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

SBM said the purchase occurred a few months ahead of the end of the maximum lease term, in February 2024. SBM said the purchase allows ExxonMobil Guyana to assume ownership of the unit while SBM Offshore will continue to operate and maintain the FPSO up to 2033.

The transaction comprises a total cash consideration of US$1.26 billion. The net cash proceeds will primarily be used for the full repayment of the US$1.14 billion project financing and as such will decrease SBM Offshore's net debt position.

SBM said via a statement that

the Liza Unity has been on hire since February 2022 and up to 2023 it was operated through the integrated operations and maintenance model combining SBM Offshore and ExxonMobil's expertise and experience to deliver outstanding operational performance.

Kaieteur News previously reported that the Liza Unity FPSO is designed to produce approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day, to have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. The FPSO is spread moored in water depth of about 1,600 meters and is be able to store around two million barrels of crude oil. There are total of 19 topsides modules.

The FPSO represents SBM Offshore's first Fast4Ward® design, benefitting from

standardization of the project's execution plan and using a fully completed and commissioned MPF hull, which sets the benchmark for future FPSO projects.

The Liza Unity FPSO has also been awarded the SUSTAIN-1 notation by ABS, the Classification Society. This means that the design and construction of the unit is assessed against and adheres to the requirements of the ABS Guide for Sustainability Notations, aligned with the applicable UN Sustainable

Development Goals. The Liza Unity is also the world's first FPSO to achieve such recognition for sustainability for its design, documentation and operational procedures.

Examples of features recognized by the SUSTAIN-1 class notation include energy efficiency management, mitigation of ozone depleting substances and management of hazardous materials throughout the life cycle.

The Liza Unity currently

operates alongside the Liza Destiny FPSO which was also constructed

by SBM. Both ships are producing about 400,000 barrels of oil per day in the Stabroek Block which measures 6.6 million acres.

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is operator in the Stabroek Block and holds 45 percent interest in the offshore concession. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.

Kaieteur News

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

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

EDITORIAL

Gas-to-energy: Guyanese should expect the worst Everything about this gas-to-energy (GTE) project was wrong from the start. It was an indicator of more wrongs to come. The wrong man was in charge of it from a policy and practical level.

The wrong approach was what became the norm, and continued without one moment of ease. The wrong stories were sold to the Guyanese people in an uninterrupted flow from the people cleared to speak on a project that is characterised by secrecy and uncertainty. Some of the previously thick secrecy is not being shed, and with that the uncertainties of before do not take a pause, they intensify and multiply. The PPPC Government, with Vice President Jagdeo in the forefront is working overtime to headline what is given a sweet-sounding name: monetisation. This is what Jagdeo is talking up: “We’ve made it clear, we want to monetise our gas assets.

This strategy will outline our approach to the industry.”

All that that means, is that Guyana should make money from its trillions of cubic feet of gas in the Stabroek Block. In the course of extensive dealings with Vice President (and former president) Jagdeo, we have learned that when he goes downroads like “monetize” and ‘strategise’, then Guyanese had better get wise.

It is either he is up to something, experimenting with something, or does not know something. In other words, he is feeling his way, and pretending to have all the facts and figures at his command. For sure, there is gas in the Stabroek Block, for where there is oil, gas is usually part of that family, inclusive of associated and non-associated gas. There are compelling and profitable markets for both types of gas, but Guyana has not initiated the kinds of studies or surveys that equip this country with the knowledge that it needs to have. Because Guyana, Jagdeo to be more precise, is moving along at a rapid rate with the GTE project to Wales. The GTE is being stuffed into Guyanese stomachs as the answer to their cries for cheap and reliable electricity. If both inexpensive and a dependable supply of electricity could be delivered by the GTE, then there is something to be said for it, probably what could attract our backing. The challenge for energy hungry Guyanese is that Jagdeo has been touting this Wales GTE project with what is in his head, and little else. Here is a project whose cost has skyrocketed, increased its speed to the finish line, and all that Guyanese have are the sayings put out by Jagdeo. Bitter prices have been paid by Guyanese taxpayers for relying too often on this leader’s promises. They have been written on toilet tissue, and like toilet tissue, Jagdeo’s promises have fallen apart easily, dissolve to nothing, only leaving Guyanese with another bag of debt.

His talk of ‘monetising’ gas assets lacks legs. Give Guyanese something that has teeth, what they can chew and digest. Monetising has something to it, and there is the proof from work that the government commissioned. To date, no updated financial study is available, none that says the Wales GTE project will deliver along the lines that Jagdeo insists will be. Now “monetize” takes centerstage in Jagdeo’s selling of the GTE project. To monetise means market studies, with a view to potential buyers, existing competition, pricing conventions, and the pluses for Guyana. To monetise means special facilities, including transportation mechanisms, but on these Jagdeo is shifty, except for the frills of ‘talking points.’

Guyana currently has proven reserves of 11 billion barrels of oil equivalents, which could mean commercial amounts of gas. The question is how much we really have, how to get the most out of it. Guyanese need to know the details of how that goldmine is going to be handled, what role ExxonMobil has in it, and how Guyana profits. “Monetise” scratches the surface, and with Jagdeo what is left unsaid has battered Guyanese frequently. Begin with the Skeldon factory, and there is a poster of Jagdeo’s many failures. Like the Skeldon factory, the Wales GTE is branded as Jagdeo newest gimmick.

There is too much that is hidden and unknown, too much that instils the worst fears.

Friday November 10, 2023

Palestine and the destruction civilization DEAR EDITOR Over the last month we have witnessed the mass slaughter in an indiscriminate way, of the Palestinian people. At the time of writing more than ten thousand five hundred Palestinian civilians have been slaughtered. Among them are five thousand children, some were newborn babies.

The Israel apartheid regime is committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, no where is safe in the Gaza and on the occupied West Bank of the Jordan River. Hospitals are targeted and bombed, ambulances, schools, universities, and basic infrastructure. More than a million people are homeless since the attack on residential homes.

Water is cut off from Gaza, electric generation stations destroyed, and food is blocked from entering the besieged Gaza area. Even fuel for hospitals is not allowed in. No one is safe. At the time of writing, some ninety-two UN staff members have been killed and twenty-six injured.

Journalists too have been targeted, so far thirty-nine were either shot or died by

the bombs raining down on Palestine.

These have all been recognised as illegal actions.

They have violated UN Security Council resolutions and international law. Why are they allowed to get away with these fascist-like methods of ethnic cleansing?

The simple truth is that they are supported fully by the United States government and the countries of the European Union. The leaders of these countries have been making pilgrimages to Israel to demonstrate their full support for the Apartheid state. The US Secretary of State and its Secretary of Defense have sat in Cabinet meetings of the regime.

The chorus is that “Israel has a right to defend it-self”.

This has been the mantra for a while now, but more particularly since the Hamas led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In the process some fourteen hundred Israeli civilians were killed and some two to three hundred, including Israeli soldiers were taken as hostage.

Those who condemn that action of Hamas refuse to consider that Israel created

the conditions for what took place on October 7. Not only have they converted the Gaza strip into a concentration camp, but they have held more than five thousand Palestinians in their prison for years without trial. These include women, many of whom have been abused and children who were also subjected to torture.

The only way that Palestinians are released from the prison is by the exchange of prisoners. That appears to have been the objective of the attack on October 7, part of which went very wrong.

However, what is taking place is not a case of Israel defending itself. It is Israel and their western backers taking the opportunity to continue the Nakba, the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and lands which began in 1948 without a let-up. This situation has exposed the double standards of the “Western democracies” and it has undermined international institutions, such as the United Nations and its bodies such as the International Criminal Court.

The world witnessed the issuance of a warrant for the arres t of the Rus s ian President because the Russian Government removed some children out of harms way from a war zone in the Ukraine. Now we see the Netanyahu regime killing thousands of children but only a deafening silence is heard on the part of the ICC. So many civilians are being killed so quickly that places to bury them have run out. Yet no one is speaking of charging those responsible for those horrendous crimes against humanity. In the meantime, there has been an outcry from the rest of the world for a cease fire and for a lasting solution of the problem. The Russian, Chinese and many Arab states have called for the establishment of a Palestine state based on UN resolution which recognized the borders of 1967.

It is apposite to note that the US and EU countries have called for a two-state solution, but they have stayed away from mentioning that it should be based on the 1967 borders.

This is troubling because (Continued on page 06)

More calls for Guyana to cut ties with Israel DEAR EDITOR, OVP joins with all those demanding that Guyana immediately sever diplomatic and trade relations with the State of Israel, just as we did with the murderous Apartheid State of South Africa.

The international boycott of Apartheid South Africa played a major role in its final downfall. The mass murder of more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians since October 7th is genocide, is incomprehensible and must not be normalised. With at least 4,324 of those killed being children, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres accurately described Gaza as a “graveyard for children”.

This is a Nakba (Catastrophe) not only for the Palestinians but for all of humanity. People in their millions are on the streets in every town and city worldwide decrying the atrocities being carried out by the State of Israel. Let us stop saying with political and financial backing from the US, Britain and the EU, because they are not simply supporters of these crimes against humanity, but are active participants, bearing

full responsibility for the unbearable daily murder of Palestinian men, women, children and the elderly.

Gaza is a concentration camp and all those who are imprisoned there are being targeted for extermination.

We salute the Palestinian armed resistance. We are outraged by the Western media and other apologists for the Israeli Apartheid regime that insist on beginning every discussion with the question “do you condemn Hamas”, and then proceed to blame Hamas for what is happening in Gaza, as if what is happening began on October 7th, and if Hamas did not exist there would be no issue. If we condemn Hamas, then we must condemn Nat Turner and all those who took part in slave rebellions and burned down the Masters’ homes, killing all those who imprisoned and enslaved them.

We m u s t c o n d e m n Nelson Mandela who remained in prison for 27 years because he refused to condemn his people’s right to armed struggle against Apartheid. Also, we must understand that the only reports we have regarding what took place on October

7th are from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

Reports are now surfacing that it was the IDF that were responsible for many of the deaths of Israeli civilians that day and Hamas leaders are demanding an investigation, claiming that the IDF version of events is far from the truth.

The “beheading of babies” story that the IDF attempted to circulate has been exposed as a complete fabrication.

We have heard from elderly hostages that have been released that they were treated very well by their captors, and these same hostages have been admonished by the Israeli government for telling the truth.

The Palestinians have no army, air force or navy. Israel on the other hand is the 4th largest military power the world has ever known, with nuclear weapons. Their nuclear capability is endorsed by the Western powers, while Iran is being sanctioned allegedly for developing nuclear technology, and Arab States, most notably Iraq, have been literally obliterated under the cover of what the whole world now knows was a lie, that is, having weapons of

mass destruction. The Western powers have made it very clear that the nuclear club is a ‘white boys club’. In fact, one of the conditions that Mandela was forced to accept in order to end Apartheid in South Africa was that he would hand over decades of Apartheid South Africa’s research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, making it clear that the Western powers would not sanction such knowledge being in the hands of a Black-led South Africa as they had a Whiteled South Africa. Of course, we all want a world free of such weapons, however, after seeing what was done to Libya following its abandonment of all research and development of weapons of mass destruction, and witnessing the kind of violence that the Western powers are capable of unleashing around the world, and now in Gaza, it is understandable that nations want to develop such capabilities.

The Empire’s racism and hypocrisy has become unbearable for the masses of (Continued on page 06)

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

PAGE 05

Missing ‘Records of Service’ Is the Mahdia inquiry serious?

They always blame the the guava indicating a fat Creates Huge Challenge to NIS InD theEaftermath, of the heap of knowledge of the opposition. This is how the EAR

DEAR EDITOR “If you are 60 years old or over, and have made at least 750 contributions to NIS, you may qualify for a regular monthly pension. If you fall short of 750 contributions, you could qualify for a one-time payment. Under both situations, the respective amount is calculated based on NIS formulae as set forth in the National Insurance and Social SecurityAct: Chapter 36:01.”

This statement appears straight forward but it obscures a few institutional flaws which help to explain the frustration that many Guyanese (both at home and abroad) experience in having their NIS claims processed and finalized.

Critics have been pointing out the lengthy delays in settling many NIS claims and tend to attribute blame onto the NIS staff. Deeper insights however would point to institutional deficiencies as the main source of complaints. I believe that the PPPC government recognizes this situation and has moved forward to conduct NIS outreaches in Guyana to address claimants’ complaints at a different level. The Guyanese diaspora members have also become vocal in raising several issues regarding their claims for NIS benefits.

Because of their persistence, their voices have been heard at the highest level of government.

When the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali visited New York in October 2023 to attend the UN General Assembly, he squeezed in some time to meet with Guyanese at Jamaica, Queens, New York City. He provided an update on theVenezuela’s illegal claim to 2/3 of Guyana’s territory as well as on the positive social and economic developments taking place in Guyana. In responding to questions, the President stated then that since most of the complaints that he gets are from Guyanese having problems with their NIS claims, he would send a NIS team to New York to work with claimants to resolve their issues. A 5-member NIS team led by NIS General Manager, Ms. Holly Greaves arrived in New York last week and immediately

began to review NIS claims.

The NIS team conducted outreaches in Brooklyn on Saturday, November 4, and in Schenectady on Sunday, November 5, and in Queens on Monday, November 6, 2023. Over 600 cases were reviewed (at Brooklyn, Queens, and Schenectady, New York) by the NIS team which worked extremely hard and put in extra hours to settle cases and to figure out how others could be resolved. The NIS team was ably assisted by Ambassador Michael Brotherson, Guyana Consul General and his NY Consulate staff.

In general, people wanted to know when they would get feedback from NIS on the status of their claims. The NIS Manager assured them that a special unit at NIS will be set up to process their requests and that they should expect to hear from NIS before December 31, 2023. She emphasized also that this was the instruction of the President and that they must therefore meet the December deadline.

The biggest challenge for the NIS team has been to validate claims that have “missing records of service.”

Many claimants complained about their inability to obtain records of their contribution f r o m the Ministry of Education, GuySuCo, and some private businesses, some which no longer exists. For missing records, NIS has been asking claimants to submit authorized letters from employers covering their service. Some claimants believe that such requests should be the responsibility of N I S !

This outreach allowed some people to apply for the first time for their NIS benefit as well as allowed others to submit their Life Certificate so that their benefits could be restored after having been stopped because of non-receipt of the Life Certificate by NIS. There were also a few cases where people had difficulties in accessing survivor’s benefits and where pension money drawn by a representative was not given to the pensioner.

The large crowd that

gathered at Liberty Palace, Liberty Avenue, Richmond Hill, New York City, expressed displeasure at the long waiting time to process their NIS claims. Their frustration led to some of them leaving the outreach without their case being reviewed. Claimants did not seem to understand the need for record validation: the problems they raised could not be solved quickly; those require research and contact with other government agencies and private businesses.

The NIS team conducted themselves professionally. To operate in a makeshift office to process about 400 claims in Queens alone in just one day, was unsettling. The NIS team had to struggle to process/review all the requests- the workload for one day was very heavy. It would have accentuated had it not been for the support of the Guyana Consulate staff.

Notwithstanding, many claimants had their issues resolved, while some claimants remain optimistic about the outcome, but others remain skeptical.

The NIS claims procedure is not clear to most Guyanese diasporans.

What is apparent is that the NIS Board should clearly lay out and publish the broad outlines of the qualifications required for NIS benefits and stating who has the obligation to provide records of service or other related documents. There must be a national program of education for both employers and employees. It is imperative that institutional deficiencies be eliminated to allow the smooth flow for processing NIS claims.

Vigorous efforts must also be made to ensure that private companies, local and regional governments, remit their employees’ contribution in a timely manner to NIS. The NIS Board should consider the feasibility of employees ‘buying back’ contributions to allow them to qualify for a monthly pension because they had fallen short of the qualifying amount (750) by a few contributions, as happens with similar insurance in other countries.

Regards.

Tara Singh

DITOR

Mahdia tragedy that claimed the lives of 20 children, the salient question remains: how serious is the ongoing Commission of Inquiry?

Given the facts that the dormitory where the fire occurred was deemed unsafe by both fire personnel and regional executives, one can surmise that if the government could not fix the unsafe conditions to protect the lives of children prior to the worst fire in Guyana in recent times. It begs the question: would the PPP regime act with any semblance of alacrity to enact and construct what the Commission decides? The answer is an unequivocal NO! Guyanese can recall that a report on school dormitories was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and was done by Deen and Partners, paid for by UNICEF and shared with the relevant agencies/authorities years before this tragedy occurred. It stands to reason that very little was done since the report was issued.

Education Minister, Priya Manichand, known for her feral blast infamy at the US Ambassador’s residence, is a vital link in the chain of events leading up to the fire, yet she will not be called upon to testify! In fact, President Ali should have asked for her resignation, instead he has offered the parents of the deceased children a few million dollars, which is insulting and offensive. As a former Minister of Social Services, who was in the past at the time of the murder and dismemberment of teenager Neesa Gopaul in 2011, this office holder had two bites of

state of dorms across the c o u n t r y. S h e r e m a i n s ultimately responsible because she failed to act and follow up with the seriousness and speed that the UNICEF report which she commissioned had proposed. Instead, she has sent her assistant to testify who was asked why still nothing was done considering the UNICEF report, the Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussein replied that ‘the Department of Education in Region Eight has no say on how things should be done in the Region even though that r e g i o n ’s e d u c a t i o n department is entrusted with those responsibilities. Mr. Hussein’s response is a clear indication that he is not honest.

The sad reality is the incessant outpourings of social media and the dailies on her inability to properly manage the department of education. Many believe that she is incompetent and her failure to obtain copies of the UNICEF recommendations is solid proof of her dereliction of her duties. The truth is the Minister of Education- bears full responsibility for the maintenance of the dorms.

Declaring to the media that she is responsible for running the dorm only and not to fix or repair anything safety or otherwise is far from the truth. If the safety of the dorm falls under the local and regional authorities, then why the former Minister Nigel Dharamlall is not testifying? The PPP government is known to have never taken responsibility for any major disaster.

PPP government has and continues to operate under the honcho and de facto president who is the only person known to have used uses an honorary Doctorate in front of his name. Shame on him!

Judging from testimony and the unwillingness by the minister to testify seems to be political directive from the de facto president, the ultimate ruler of Guyana.

Millions have been spent on the Inquiry but whatever is u n e a r t h e d a n d recommended could have been avoided but the PPP government never listen to its advisors because the de facto president believes he knows it all. I want the public to know that as a builder] I have more than 25 years experienced in New York, in several areas including building codes, electrical and plumbing codes, fire safety and hazardous materials, construction designs, and quality control, among others. I have offered my services free of charge on numerous occasions to various ministers, the VP and the President but was not taken seriously. The best advice for the Commission is to recommend a guideline for safety in all buildings. In other words, a safety system with the acronym R-A-C-EE, which stands for RESCUE, ALARM, CONTAIN, EXTINGUISH and EVACUATE. God bless the children and adults of Guyana with this uncaring PPP government.

Sincerely Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine Real Estate builder

Kaieteur News

PAGE 06

We look to the courts and to all citizens to demonstrate proper regard for democratic values DEAR EDITOR, It is undeniable that U.S President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address is universally accepted as one of the bestknown speeches in world history. His determination and belief that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” is perhaps the most influential and inspirational for aspirants to a free and democratic society. Another former U.S President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, poignantly remarked that “a people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both”.

It is our unshakeable view that “sovereignty belongs to the people” (article 9) is the bedrock principle of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of the Guyana and must be defended, as our territorial integrity, by every citizen of this land.

The preamble to the constitution makes clear our responsibility to protect “the rich heritage won through tireless struggle, bequeathed us by our forebears”, and, through broad-based participation, to affirm our sovereignty” based on democratic values, social justice, fundamental human rights, and the rule of law” all of which we believe are under threat today.

Three weeks ago, we staged a small presence outside the Court of Appeal to enquire into the apparent inability or unwillingness of the court to render a verdict more than seven months after hearing election petition, No. 88 which contends that Section 22 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act is unconstitutional and that Order No. 60 is invalid, null, void and of no effect.

The right to vote and not to have that vote discarded

by improper fiat is fundamental to every other right; to adulterate and deny this right, or to surrender it, strikes the death knell for freedom won over centuries of struggle.

Pericles, a prominent Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens, ancient home of democracy remarked that “freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it”.

We look to the courts and to all citizens to demonstrate proper regard for democratic values, social justice, fundamental human rights and the rule of law.

Sincerely Oscar Dolphin Earl Fleishman Edward Perry Charlene Paul George Gulliver Betrum Cummings Dwayne Dolphin Lloyd Massiah

Would UN and OAS suspend, or expel Venezuela, were it to defy a favourable ruling on referendum?

DEAR EDITOR Were the ICJ to rule favorably on the provisional requests of Guyana, and Venezuela still proceeds with its unlawful referendum, would world bodies such as UN and OAS suspend or expel that country from membership of those organizations?

For the UN, it might have to be the Security Council which will have to vote on such a move.

Vetoing is envisaged by some countries.

What does the Charter of the OAS say on such a measure?

Sincerely Shamshun Mohamed

More calls for Guyana to cut ties...

From page 04 humanity. What is taking place in Gaza is not a battle between Jew and Palestinian, many Jews, both inside the State of Israel and worldwide have denounced Israel’s war crimes, making it clear that this genocide is not being carried out in their name. Neither is it a battle between Muslims and Christians, Black and White.

This is a battle between oppressed humanity of every race, colour, creed and religion against the Empire.

It is fitting that the battle line was drawn in Gaza, where the world’s largest captive population is held.

Let it be known that the resistance that began on October 7th, 2023, in Gaza will not end until Palestine is free, and this Empire falls.

This horrendous act of brutality spells their end.

People worldwide are actually watching a

genocide in real time on their screens and are traumatized.

The “era of the masses”, predicted by Muammar Qaddafi, is upon us. It is not governments that are demanding the end of this brutal Empire, but rather the masses of humanity in every corner of the globe.

Everywhere, north and south, the people in their millions are crying out for an end to the irrational violence, brutality and repression that has characterized our existence on this earth for too long.

Guyana may be a long way from Gaza, but we are a part of the global community and as such, in the face of this genocide, we must hold down our corner and do all that we can to stop this genocide.

South America led the charge, with Bolivia being the first country in the world to cut all diplomatic ties with

Israel as a result of this current campaign of terror, quickly followed by Colombia, Chile and Honduras. South Africa, Jordan, Turkey, Chad and Bahrain have also now cut ties.

Of course, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, North Korea and Cuba to their credit already had no diplomatic relations with this rogue state. Let us in Guyana take our place among those nations who have decided to be on the right side of history. As one protestor aptly put it, “I am not protesting against the genocide in Gaza because of my race, religion or ideological preference, I am protesting because I am human”.

Gerald A. Perreira Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP)

Friday November 10, 2023

UK firms win contracts to market Guyana’s crude

T

wo United Kingdom (UK) energy firms have been awarded contracts to market Guyana’s oil from the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity and Payara Prosperity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.

This is according to the Minister of Natural R e s o u r c e s , Vi c k r a m B harrat who told this publication on Thursday that BB Energy Trading Limited was awarded a contract to market the crude from the Liza Unity and Prosperity FPSOs for US$0.26 per barrel.

JE Energy was awarded a contract for to market the crude from the Liza Destiny for US$0.70 per barrel.

The contracts to market the country’s oil will last for one year.

On its website, BB Energy states that it is

a m o n g t h e w o r l d ’s leading independent energy trading companies, with eleven strategically positioned offices around the globe and over 50 years of trading experience.

The company noted that it has consolidated experience in trading, operations, chartering, logistics, storage, refining, and financing.

It traded in excess of 40 million metric tonnes (MT) of crude oil, petroleum product, and g a s i n 2 0 2 1 .

JE Energy, which was incorporated in 2015, is involved in the sale of fuels, ores, metals and industrial chemicals.

The two firms were among 25 global oil entities who submitted bids for the government project back in October when bids were read at t h e N a t i o n a l

Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office.

Kaieteur News had reported that the move to market the oil aims to competitively market and maximize the value of the Government’s crude oil entitlement from developments in the Stabroek Block while fostering a competitive market for the Liza, Unity Gold, and Payara Gold blends.

In the past, Guyana had entrusted the marketing of its crude oil to BP International Limited, a subsidiary of British Petroleum, following the initial discoveries of substantial oil reserves in the Stabroek Block.

The decision to seek a new company for oil marketing, is part of Guyana’s strategy to continuously optimize its oil sector.

“Lil axe cut down big tree” DEAR EDITOR Wake up Guyana!

Slumber not one moment longer The enemy gathers at our doors In great numbers, raging And armed to the teeth, Frothing and fuming and itching to bite, Their mouths drooling over our Dear Essequibo: A gripe that was settled decades ago, But we will stand our ground, And not budge a single inch,

We will confront them As One People Wa k e u p f e l l o w Countrymen!

Do not waste time bickering While the enemy slithers nearby, snickering In dispisement of our pettiness, We must show our tenacity, Forge our courage, our iron wills, our alls Into One Nation of diamond mettle That cannot be crushed By the enemy’s evil ettle

Wake up Compatriots!

By fate we were thrust togather In this Homeland Guyana, Ordained to share One Destiny For worse, or for better, Now we face one common foe And we will not turn around or run, They will not prevail: “lil’ axe cut down big tree!”

Thank you, Yours respectfully, Alvin Smith

Palestine and the destruction...

There should be a return enormous power, on the

From page 04 they may be planning to hand over more of Palestinian lands to Israel.

This would be creating conditions for further conflicts in the future.

The time has come to find a permanent solution that is just and based on international law. The United Nations Organization must take the lead in this process. The United States, which had pushed out other participants over the years, has ruled it-self out as the only participant. It is not an honest broker, it is totally on the side of the Apartheid regime in Israel.

to a process which would involve the permanent members of the Security Council. Another option could be to add participants from Latin America, probably Brazil or Mexico and a state from the African Continent, possibly South Africa.

To put Israel to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority alone would be a disaster. The people of Palestine have no confidence in Abas and his group in the West Bank. He is seen as an Israeli puppet.

Moreover, they are not equal partners. Israel has

other hand the Palestinians are almost powerless.

Therefore, the logical alternative to direct negotiations between the two contending parties is an international alternative as mentioned above. That could lead to a viable two state solution with the two peoples living side by side in peace. As time passes by, they could develop into friendly relations.

Nothing else is likely to work.

Sincerely Donald Ramotar Former President of Guyana

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B T LUNT. UNT...B BL Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

With all his grand failures from the white elephant Skeldon Factory to the Fip Motilall 'road-to-nowhere scandal former President Bharrat Jagdeo should be out of any leadership picture, any conversation that is focused on what is right for Guyanese.

Yet he is hanging on.

Once upon a time he used to refer to older leaders as fossils, we wonder when he looks in the mirror what he makes of himself now that he is above 60. His record is that anything that has to do with money is saturated with questions, doubts, suspicions, and fears about the worst.

On the nation's vital oil patrimony, Guyanese now have to deal with a national leader who is a non-white version of Darren Woods and Alistair Routledge: he is more for ExxonMobil than Guyana. After all the failures and disgraces, Jagdeo should go, and count his years and their rewards.

PAGE 07

Kaieteur News

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Friday Monday November May 02,10, 2022 2023

Guyana paid Ex-TT Energy Minister US$20K to prepare ‘aimless roadmap’ for gas monetization F o r m e r Tr i n i d a d & Tobago (T&T) Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine, was paid some US$20,000 to prepare the widely discredited Guyana's draft National Gas Monetization Strategy.

In 2021, T&T's Energy Minister, Stuart Young, accused his predecessor, Kevin Ramnarine, of jeopardizing the country's gas industry with a questionable deal. However, Ramnarine had defended the project, a US$900M petrochemical complex with Japanese firms, citing job creation and future positive cash flow. Young had criticised the lopsided provisions, debt issues, and preferential gas reserve policies.

Guyana is actively pursuing the use of natural gas in the Liza One and Liza Two fields for the Gas-to-

Former Trinidad & Tobago Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine Energy (GTE) project.

ExxonMobil Guyana will fund a 12-inch pipeline for transporting the resource to Wales, where a Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant will treat and separate the gas for use in the power plant.

On Monday, October 30, the Government of Guyana (GoG) through the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)

unveiled the draft strategy for public consultation.

The ministry had stated that the gas strategy is part of a pivotal roadmap for managing the nation' s significant gas resources and that it also serves as a vital tool for Guyana to make informed decisions regarding the utilisation of its gas resources.

H o w e v e r, f r o m a n analysis of the document, it is evident that the strategy leaves much to be desired in terms of concrete, achievable steps for gas monetization. In fact, during a recent press conference, Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo, who previously expressed enthusiasm about the strategy, conceded that there are several known issues with the 43-page strategy before labeling the document as a “discussion paper.”

This publication understands that Ramnarine is responsible for the draft strategy, collective feedback as well as incorporating it into the final document.

Kaieteur News had highlighted that since the start of Guyana's oil industry, Ramnarine has been advising on Guyana's Local Content initiatives as well as its imminent Gas-to-Energy

Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo Project said to cost US$2B. He was also part of the nation's Local Content Panel, which was commissioned in 2020 by President, Irfaan Ali. SUB-STANDARD STRATEGY As citizens analyse the document Ramnarine prepared for the two-week period, it is essential to remember that ongoing exploration and appraisal activities are still underway to determine the full extent of Guyana's gas reserves. This uncertainty adds an extra layer of complexity to the monetization strategy.

The draft gas strategy extensively discusses the various options available for the utilisation of natural gas, but falls short of providing a clear and detailed roadmap for Guyana to transform these options into reality.

This discrepancy raises questions about the feasibility and practicability of the government's approach.

The draft strategy discusses Methanol production, highlighting its significance as a global

commodity chemical, especially in China.

Methanol's growth in the fuel sector and applications in various products are noted.

However, the document lacks a comprehensive strategy for Guyana's natural gas resources for Methanol production.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is overviewed, emphasizing its complexity and reliance on long-term contracts. The strategy highlights the global growth in LNG production, but fails to provide a roadmap for Guyana's entry into the LNG market. Notably, it cautioned regarding reliance on associated gas for LNG production, citing risks compared to non-associated gas reservoirs.

The document explores Ammonia/Urea production as a natural gas monetization route for global fertilizer markets. Demand, price fluctuations, and potential export constraints are discussed, but a clear plan for Guyana's ammonia and urea production is lacking.

Also, Hydrogen's role in climate change is mentioned, including green and blue hydrogen applications.

However, the strategy lacks specific steps for Guyana to pursue this route, mentioning the need for renewable energy sources and Carbon Capture and Storage technology.

To access the Guyana Gas Monetisation Strategy and participate in the public consultation, please visit the ministry's official website at https://petroleum.gov.gy/.

The deadline for the public consultation is November 14, 2023.

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

PAGE 09

The claim will remain regardless of what the ICJ decides

T

he International Court of Justice (ICJ) allows for the making of provisional orders. Guyana has asked the court to make provisional orders about the referendum which is slated to be held on 3rd December 2023 in Venezuela.

In that referendum, Venezuela is asking its people five main questions.

First, “Do you agree to reject by all means by the law, the line fraudulently interposed by the 1899 Paris Arbitration Award, which seeks to deprive us of our Guayana Esequiba?”

Second, “Do you support the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument to reach a practical and satisfactory solution for Venezuela and Guyana regarding the controversy over the territory of Guayana Esequiba?”

Third, “Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to resolve the territorial controversy over Guayana Esequiba?”

Fourth, “Do you agree to oppose, by all legal means, G u y a n a ’s c l a i m t o unilaterally dispose of a sea pending delimitation, illegally and in violation of international law?”

Fifth, “Doyou agree

with the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state and the development of an accelerated plan for comprehensive care for the current and future population of that territory, which includes, among others, the granting of citizenship and identity card? Venezuela, by the Geneva Agreement and I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a w, consequently incorporating said state on the map of Venezuelan territory?”

In its Request, Guyana is asking the ICJ to make the following provisional measures: One, “Venezuela shall not proceed with the Consultative Referendum planned for 3rd December 2023 in its present form;” Two, “In particular, Venezuela shall not include the First, Third or Fifth questions in the Consultative Referendum;” Three, “Nor shall Venezuela include within the ‘Consultative Referendum’ planned, or any other public referendum, any question encroaching upon the legal issues to be determined by the Court in its Judgment on the Merits, including (but not limited to): a). the legal validity and binding effect of t h e 1 8 9 9 Aw a r d ; b ) . sovereignty over the t er r i t o r y b e t w e e n t h e E ssequibo River, and the b oundary established by

the 1899 Award and the 1905 Agreement; and c). the purported creation of the State of ‘Guayana Esequiba’ and any associated measures, including the granting of Venezuelan citizenship and national identity cards.”

Fourth, “Venezuela shall not take any actions that are intended to prepare or allow the exercise of sovereignty or de facto control over any territory that was awarded to British Guiana in the 1899 Arbitral Award. 5. Venezuela shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”

In response to this Request, the Vice President o f Ve n e z u e l a , D e l c y Rodriguez, in a recent interview asserted that G u y a n a ’s r e q u e s t f o r provisional measures to halt the consultative referendum in Venezuela represented an act of desperation. She emphasized that the International Court of Justice could not intervene in Venezuela’s internal affairs, including its c o n s t i t u t i o n a l o r d e r.

Rodriguez was attempting to suggest that the ICJ could not prevent a consultative referendum approved unanimously by the Venezuelan Parliament.

The Venezuelan Vice President questioned the

DEM BOYS SEH

Dis maths problem spreading like de flu Dem boys know de PNCR gat a problem with maths. Dem does never get dem addition right.

But it looks as if de problem is now more widespread. De prison service release somebody from jail early. De person was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment from de date of conviction which was 2015. So even if yuh tek off 3 months on every year de person still supposed to spend 18 and ¾ years in jail. Well leh we tekk off de ¾ year for good behaviour.

De person still nah supposed to get release till de next 10 years. 2015 +18= 2033. How come de woman get release ten

years earlier?

We l l , d e p r i s o n authorities claim dat dem calculate wrong because dem use de date of remand which was in 2010 instead of 2015. But even if yuh use 2010, de woman still not supposed to get release until 2028. So is either de Prison Service maths like de PNC or something wrong here. Dem boys want know if de same type of mistake mek with any other prisoners. So dem boys hope and detailed investigation and audit gan be carried out because we don’t know how much people getting wrongfully released.

All dis talk about prison

and numbers mek dem boys remember de story of the prisoner who was sentenced to death. When it was time for the sentence of be carried out, the executioner, by tradition, asked him what he would like to eat for his last meal.

De man replied “Instead of food, can I request to sing one last song? But you must let me finish the song” Confused by this, the executioner agreed to let the man sing.

The man begins “one billion green bottles standing on the wall, if one green bottle should accidentally fall there will be ….”.

Talk half. Leff half

legal and juridical basis for the International Court of Justice to intervene in Ve n e z u e l a ’s i n t e r n a l matters, dismissing the notion as devoid of legitimacy.

The ICJ’s decision will be an important one. It is difficult to see how the court can be asked to stop a referendum, an act which would be tantamount to interfering in the internal affairs of a State. The Caribbean Community, in its statement of October 25th, has conceded that the referendum is a domestic m a t t e r f o r Ve n e z u e l a (CARICOM described it as a domestic construct) but it says that its summary effect is to undermine peace and security. It also said that some of the questions, if passed in the affirmative, constitute an authorization

to annex the territory of Guyana.

Despite the ‘domestic’ argument, there is a possibility that the court may claim jurisdiction to issue provisional measures on the basis that some of the questions are prejudicial to the case. But in my humble estimation, this is a very remote possibility. ICJ will, I believe, defer from making the provisional orders.

Whatever the Court decides will not change anything in so far as Venezuela is concerned.

That country rejects the jurisdiction of the ICJ. According to Rodriguez, since the establishment of the International Court of Justice, Venezuela has consistently maintained a clear position of not acknowledging the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction.

T h e Ve n e z u e l a n Vi c e

P r e s i d e n t a rg u e d t h a t Venezuela could not be compelled to adopt a means of resolution without expressing its will to do so.

Guyana may lose the battle to secure the provisional orders.

However, it is not likely to lose the main case concerning the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award. But even if a favorable judgment in the latter comes Guyana’s way, that will not remove Venezuela’s claim.(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10 S

UTH

D TR

HAR

HK

BY G

LALL

Monday May 02, 2022 Friday November 10, 2023

H@RD TRUTHS

BY GHK LALL

Pension book distribution:

Reasonable, then rough and rougher A

ll things normal, this should be the final sharing on this year's Old Age Pension Book distribution exercise.

To d a y, I s h a r e t h e encouraging, the worrying, and the baffling.

One citizen went on Friday to the GPO building to collect his 2024 book, and he was done in 10 minutes. Two others went to the Bourda Post Office on Monday, and they were out of there in less than 15 minutes.

I v i s i t e d t h e Cummingsburg Post Office, and it was over in 18 minutes flat. This is too rich for the blood, even better than the private sector, I should think.

It is the way it should be.

The officials of the Ministry of Social Protection are commended from the minister on down, especially those who have to face cranky, spunky, and shaky 'old people.' Excuse me, senior citizens.

Senior

means the head of the class, the foremost in considerations; as heard and experienced, the Ministry of Social Protection did display its human services side.

Thanks, and wishes for even more enhancements to this year's process.

For there came reports of other places of distribution, and the retreat of those who said to themselves that it is better to leave for another day, as in early January. The East La Penitence Post Office is a case in point of confusion, and less than good feelings by seniors.

Not to worry, for the official word is that Phase II of the distribution process will follow from this Wednesday for two days on the tarmac of the National Cultural Center. There is the comfort of space; tents should keep the sun at bay, and the relentless heat pushing everyone to keep moving.

Certainly, the Ministry of Social Protection finally moved to the media with several center pages of announcements about catchments and collections centers.

This is helpful, but a little behind the clock, I should say. Perhaps, the idea was to lessen the crowds of seniors by not informing the public about actual book distribution happening since last week. So, when the announcement came about where to go and when, the numbers of pensioners lining up to collect their books would be reasonably smaller.

Whatever the thinking, the d e l a y e d m e d i a announcements did have its r a y o f l i g h t : distribution/collection is stretched to three days in the bigger and more congested areas. Notwithstanding my smooth experience, this qualifies as a cluster bomb, which had some running here

and there, and then for shelter. I suggest the Hon. Minister, Dr. Vindya has no immunity in this snafu; she must be included in any identification parade.

When it is old people-aka geriatrics, senior citizens, last year's legends, hasbeens, and the over-the-hill gang-being discussed and jostled like this, it's an arduous undertaking of Homeric proportions. I saw some who were bent at an almost 45-degree angle, those with walkers, those with apparel that has seen better days. In sum, it is those who I conclude count the days and hours to the first of every month to exchange that pension voucher for $33,000 Guyana, which prompts venturing elsewhere.

This$33,000 payout has worried before, worries today, worries with thoughts of $7,000 (total) in increases for the next two years. When first read, typos came to mind: a missing digit. Or a quartet of missing letters, such as t-e-e-n, meaning seventeen and not seven.

This is not politics (like some of the holy say about me in

the Roman Catholic Church), this is economics.

This is of the God in whom my fellow Guyanese profess belief.

I remind believers and nonbelievers that this was/is a divine presence that loved lepers, lifted up the lost and losers in society, lent a hand to the despised (Samaritans), and racial minorities (Israelites).

I retreat from full proclamation thunder.

This is not about mystics; it is of civics; this is the panic that infests from depending solely on the monthly pittance of $33,000 in the richest country in the world.

If we cannot afford more today, care more soon, then when can we?

Senior citizens are hobbling around, and lining up humbly in the heat for their share of the national patrimony, while the one-percent people are racing around in their airconditioned Mercedes and BMWs, gobbling up everything in sight.

There may be a Rolls Royce around, but I missed it.

This is what is baffling. I refer to no one by name or title. All I say is that the money is here: GY$156

billi on (repeat billion) has been withdrawn so far for this 2023 from the Oil Fund, and Guyanese elderly who lived the bad times and the hard times experience nothing better in the new times.

When a succeeding generation comes into good times, then the first thought is how to make surviving forebears right by extending a slice of the wealth to them.

It is human.

It is giving something to those who gave so much when there was so little.

A healthy bump in their pension would have been constructive, compassionate.

The way I see this is simple: pension may have some connection to elections come 2025.

Sorry to break my word about suppressing politics in this offering, this prayer. No wonder the people in de chuch suh shaky. The Pharisee is me.

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

Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

US made no request for

military base in Guyana - VP Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the United States Government has made no request to establish a military base in Guyana.

The VP was at the time responding to a question posed by Kaieteur News at a press conference held on Thursday.

Asked specifically whether the United States government made approaches to the Guyana government for the establishment of a military base here and whether with the present threat posed by Ve n e z u e l a , w o u l d t h e government be predisposed to having such a base set up here, if asked by the United

Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yvan Gil Pinto

States, Jagdeo said “No we have been Approached by the United States to establish a military base in Guyana that but we don't conduct public policy issues at a press conference.”

Jagdeo response comes after more than a month after

Ve n e z u e l a n F o r e i g n Minister Yvan Gil Pinto told the UN General Assembly that the US government plans to establish military base on a territory of Guyana and Venezuela in order to exacerbate the dispute between the two nations and

plunder energy resources, Yv a n G i l P i n t o said."Today, the government of the United States of America seeks to appropriate our oil resources by using Exxon Mobil, which has incorporated the government of Guyana into its ranks. Guyana is granting oil concessions in an undelimited maritime territory, in total violation of international law. Unilateral disposal of a disputed territory is not permissible, but the Republic of Guyana p er s is ts in its illeg al conduct."

He told the 78th session of the UN General Assembly."We denounce that the government of the

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

United States of America intends to militarize the situation. The Southern Command seeks to establish a military base in the contested territory with the aim of consolidating the plunder of our energy resources."

T h e Ve n e z u e l a n diplomat statements was made roughly a month before his country announced a national referendum on the border controversy that the country has with Guyana over the Essequibo region.

GTU welcomes incentives ...but urges govt. to return to to teachers collective bargaining process The Guyana Teachers' Union while welcoming the incentives announced for teachers stressed the need for the government to return to collective bargaining.

The union also urged that junior teachers benefit from these incentives announced by President Irfaan Ali on Thursday. The President on Thursday announced salary adjustments as well as allowances for qualified teachers and duty-free concessions for some teachers.

GTU however, in a press statement underscored that the measures will immediately benefit approximately 4,500 teachers which is 37.5% of the country's teacher's population. “This is apart from the across-the-board bonus of $25,000 for all public servants and other categories of workers. The teaching fraternity has over 13,000 teachers most of whom are below the status of SM/HoD (Senior Mistress/Master and Head of Department). One thing that is noted from this announcement is that there are incentives for improved qualifications inclusive of GOAL degrees,” GTU said in its statement.

Notably, the Union underscored that while it is not averse to teachers receiving added financial benefits whenever it is offered, “it still sees the need for collective bargaining so that teachers of all categories (senior or junior) benefit.”

The GTU pointed out that the President in his announcement stated that another statement would be made regarding salary increases for teachers sometime hence, the union believes there is still time for engagement to address the percentage before the year ends. It was also stated, “teachers across Guyana especially seniors would be elated about duty-free becoming available for those with three years remaining. We have long advocated that all seniors be given a duty-free concession.”

To this end, the union stated that presently they are over 5000 teachers who will be eligible this year. The union also welcomed the decision to award teachers within the status duty-free but noted that consideration should be given for vehicles up to 2000cc

President of the GTU, Dr. Mark Lyte instead of 15000 cc.

Moreover, the union stated that teachers with added qualifications will certainly enjoy the allowances; but asked that it be tax-free.

The GTU explained that currently, allowances given are taxed after being added to the teacher's gross salary. It was stated too that hinterland teachers will also benefit from the increased Remote Areas Incentive (RAI) which should cushion in some way the high cost of living these teachers endure there.

The GTU said it noticed that the government has been incrementally addressing proposed matters outlined in its submitted multi-year proposal, adding, “we believe that the collective bargaining process would have enabled us (government and union) to arrive at a consensus early so that teachers would have had a clear understanding of their benefits.”

Closing their statement, the GTU reiterated their patience and optimism, expressing hope for productive discussions that would result in a sustainable compensation package. They emphasised the significance of recognising educators' contributions, reflecting in compensation packages that enable long-term planning for teachers' families, thereby fostering a supportive environment for those who contribute to Guyana's educational success.

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

PAGE 13

PNC still in talks with lawyers on Exxon's 20% relinquishment of Stabroek Block The Opposition on Thursday said it has not yet determined the way forward as regards taking legal action to get government to expose records to justify the extension of the relinquishment provision to oil giant, ExxonMobil.

That extension allows the operator to hold on to 20% of the Stabroek Block, which was expected to be handed back to Guyana this year, until 2024. It was former President David Granger who had approved the extension of the relinquishment provision in 2020, weeks before the General and Regional Elections. The approval however required reports by the oil company to prove its operations were impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo had told reporters that government was satisfied that the company's operations were indeed affected by

the pandemic. He however made it clear that government did not need to prove this to the Opposition parties or any other interested stakeholder to ease public tension.

Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton during a press conference last month told reporters, in response to a question, that government should be held to account on this matter.

He said, “We believe the government should be held accountable…we will have to look at the laws to see if there is a case…the lawyers will have to look at it and decide on the legal way forward.”

During its weekly press c o n f e r e n c e y e s t e r d a y, t h e Opposition said it has not yet reached a conclusion.

In the absence of the Leader of the Opposition, his Economic Advisor, Elson Low explained, “As it regards legal action, we

haven't come to a conclusion on that front, but what is clear is that the government, and this is based off the initial relinquishment extension agreement signed by (former) President Granger, that

there needs to be regular reviews to whether or not the operations of the operator had been affected.”

The Opposition used the

opportunity to renew its calls for the evidence of impacts to Exxon's operations to be made public. On the other hand, it noted, “Now if you don't have reviews, I imagine it would be difficult for you to make it public.”

Low argued that this recent stance by the administration to hide the reports from Exxon highlights the government's lack of transparency in the management of the oil and gas sector. “If there exists a relinquishment agreement which says that you have to produce assessments...why hasn't the government published its regular assessments? That first of all is a matter of lack of transparency,” the Opposition urged.

The Stabroek Block which spans 6.6 million acres and holds over 33 oil discoveries is so massive that it is equivalent to 600 oil blocks offshore Guyana. Exxon

and its partners which include Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited were expected to give up 20 percent of the block this year which could then be used as part of an auction to garner more funds for the country.

The extension granted by the former President and supported by the present administration will however allow the company to continue exploration activity in the Stabroek Block which is bound to what has been described as the world's worst oil deal.

Meanwhile, other blocks will be subjective to more competitive terms such a 10 percent royalty compared to two; companies will also now be required to pay a 10 percent corporate tax, compared to none in the existing agreement with Exxon. Additionally, 65 percent monthly cost recovery will be charged compared with 75 percent in the 2016 deal.

New UN report says 43.2 million people suffer from hunger in Latin America and Caribbean ...region has higher levels of overweight than global estimates A new United Nations report, 'Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, 2023', states that 6.5% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean suffers from hunger, or 43.2 million people, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.

Although this figure represents a slight improvement of 0.5 percentage points over the previous measurement, the prevalence of hunger in the region is still 0.9 percentage points above the 2019 records prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. Moreover, the scenario is disparate at the sub-regional level. In South America, the number of hungry people declined by 3.5 million between 2021 and 2022. However, there are 6 million additional undernourished people compared to the pre-COVID19 scenario.

In Mesoamerica, 9.1 million people were hungry in 2022, which means a prevalence of 5.1%. This figure does not reflect any significant variation from the previous measurement. The scenario is different in the Caribbean. In this subregion, 7.2 million people experienced hunger in 2022, with a prevalence of 16.3%.

Compared to 2021, this number increased by 700,000. Between 2019 and 2022, the increase was one million people, with the highest prevalence in Haiti.

"The hunger figures in our region continue to be worrying. We see how we are moving further and further away from meeting the 2030 agenda, and we have not yet managed to improve the figures before the crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our region has persistent challenges such as inequality, poverty, and climate change, which have reversed progress in the fight against hunger for at least 13 years. This scenario obliges us to work together and act as soon as possible," said Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Lola Castro, Regional Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said that "it is necessary to keep people at the center of all solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in the current context of climate emergency. In support of regional governments, we are promoting actions that protect the most vulnerable people and transform food

systems to make them more resilient, as well as accompanying efforts through holistic public policies to promote healthy and affordable diets".

Food insecurity continues to rise in the region The report also informs that, in 2022, 247.8 million people in the region experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. That is, they were forced to reduce the quality or quantity of the food they consumed or even went without food, went hungry, and, in the most extreme case, went days without eating, putting their health and well-being at serious risk. This figure represents a decrease of 16.5 million from 2021. In South America, more than a third (36.4%) of the population suffered moderate or severe f o o d i n s e c u r i t y. I n Mesoamerica, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity reached 34.5 % in 2022, which represented an increase of 0.4 percentage points, or 1.3 million additional people, compared to 2021. In the Caribbean, meanwhile, during 2022, 60.6 % of the population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.

The United Nations report notes that inequalities

in Latin America and the Caribbean significantly impact the food security of the most vulnerable people.

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity continues to affect women more than men. Although the gap narrowed in the region, it is still 9.1 percentage points, with Latin America and the Caribbean being the region with "In 2022, moderate or severe food insecurity in rural areas was 8.3 percentage points higher than in urban areas. Once again, it is the rural populations who are left behind, and that is why we must prioritize them in programs and public policies," said Rossana Polastri, Regional Director of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The region faces the challenge of malnutrition Latin America and the Caribbean is increasingly facing the complex problem of malnutrition, which encompasses both undernutrition - stunting, childhood wasting, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies - and overweight and obesity. According to the report, the region experienced an increase in

the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 between 2000 and 2022 and the prevalence of obesity in adults between 2000 and 2016, in both cases exceeding the global average. Between 2020 and 2022, in the context of the pandemic, the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age increased slightly from 8.3 % to 8.6 %, with a more significant increase in South America, a milder increase in Mesoamerica and remaining stable in the Caribbean. In 2022, the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age was 9.7 % in South America, 6.7 % in Mesoamerica, and 6.6 % in the Caribbean.

"Overweight and obesity are a growing challenge, responsible for approximately 2.8 million deaths" from noncommunicable diseases in 2021 in the Americas, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director. "In the last 50 years, overweight and obesity rates tripled, affecting 62.5% of the population in the region," he added and considered the regional prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents at 33.6%, higher than the world average. "It is urgent to advance in the transformation of food systems to ensure healthy eating for all."

Obesity is not the only challenge in this area. Some (Continued on page 24)

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Friday November 10, 2023

PNC mum on punishment for Exxon's brazen use of Stabroek Block revenue ...says Govt. should sit with company and assert position The illegal use of Stabroek Block revenues by oil major ExxonMobil, to cover costs in other offshore blocks should be addressed by government by sitting with the operator to outline its obligations.

This is the position of the People's National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R). During a press engagement on Thursday, the party was asked by this publication whether it believes Exxon should face sanctions for the illegal use of Stabroek Block revenues to cover other expenses, as flagged by the recent US$7.3B audit report.

That audit, conducted by a local consortium Ramdihal & Haynes Inc., Eclisar Financial, and Vitality Accounting & Consultancy Inc. and bolstered by the

international support of SGS a n d M a r t i n d a l e Consultants—gave a meticulous breakdown of five instances where the Stabroek Block's financial resources were used for Kaieteur –a block Exxon walked away from this year –as well as Canje.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo had acknowledged that while this was an illegal act, Exxon will only face “consequences” which will d e e m t h e c o s t s unrecoverable. This means that the costs will not be allowed.

Kaieteur News reported that as a result of the five instances in which the oil companies acted in violation of the contract, auditors insisted that the Stabroek Block account be reimbursed

Pres. Ali announces salary adjustment, allowances for some teachers President Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced salary adjustments as well as allowances and duty-free concessions for some category of teachers.

In an effort to address salary disparities, President Ali declared that all graduate teachers would be elevated to the maximum scale corresponding to their current positions. This move is expected to benefit more than 4,000 teachers, incurring an additional annual cost of $1 billion, effective December 1, 2023.

Furthermore, Ali also announced the enhancement in education allowances.

Te a c h e r s h o l d i n g a Bachelor's Degree will receive a monthly allowance of $10,000, translating to $120,000 annually. Those with a Master's Degree and a Doctorate Degree will receive $20,000 and $30,000 m o n t h l y, r e s p e c t i v e l y, resulting in additional allowances for over 4,500 teachers at a cost of $500 million annually.

President Ali also addressed the challenges faced by teachers in remote areas, announcing an upward adjustment of the Remote Areas Incentive (RAI) to $20,000 monthly from December 1, 2023.

This initiative is expected to

benefit more than 2,400 teachers, incurring an additional annual cost of $260 million.

Illustrating the impact of these changes, examples were provided, showcasing salary adjustments ranging from 12% to 16% for various teaching positions. In a move aimed at recognising the dedication of senior educators, President Ali also announced duty-free concession for teachers holding a substantive appointment as a Senior Master/Mistress or above, within three years of retirement, and without a prior concession on a motor car. This intervention, estimated to cost $150 million annually, and is set to benefit around 100 teachers currently receiving such concessions, with the eligibility expanded to include all senior-level teachers three years before retirement. Cumulatively, these initiatives represent $1.9 billion in additional disposable income for teachers each year, the president said. Beyond immediate financial relief, this comprehensive support is anticipated to have a lasting impact on teachers' pension and gratuity payments upon their eventual retirement.

with US$3,812,653.

On Thursday, Economic Advisor to the Opposition Leader and spokesperson on oil and gas matters, Elson Low said that the government's failure to address the situation can allow for future reoccurrences.

“Some of these disputes are concerning and we need to see government urgently meet with the operator to clarify some of these issues and to ensure that they do not reoccur. First of all with concerns with monies being spent on activities which should not be recovered needs to be made clear to the operator that this is not acceptable,” Low explained.

Meanwhile, Low indicated that there are other areas which the government must “clear up with the operator” concerning the use of revenue from the Stabroek Block to fund developments in other blocks.

The Economic Advisor to the Opposition Leader noted

that since such brazen acts are likely to continue, “the government needs to speak to the operator as soon as possible.”

He added, “That is where we start...we believe that the government must meet with the operator, must make these things clear...what we need to see is the government meet with the operator and outline Guyana's position that only expenses related to the Stabroek Block should be charged to the Stabroek Block.”

Low noted that after engaging the operator, if future audits continue to flag such illegalities “then there would be need for additional actions and additional conversation.” He did not cite what specific actions should be taken against the operator.

This newspaper, however, asked the party representative whether he believes outlining Guyana's position to the operator would be sufficient since the

Economic Advisor to the Opposition, Elson Low

multinational company should have a clear understanding of its responsibilities by now.

To this end, Low told Kaieteur News, “We need to differentiate between costs that are wholly inappropriate, such as a puppet show, are made clear to the operator (that) we don't expect to see that happening again and where there is dispute over whether or not costs are legitimate that there is no dispute as to whether or not costs are legitimate.”

According to him, “There is a difference between a puppet show or yoga

activities which are a oneoff...and them charging us more than they really should, in our opinion for activities across multiple blocks. That is an issue which will be a problem in every single audit that is conducted. To that end, we must engage the operator to clarify that and if there is a disagreement out of that, then we can look at further action on how we will approach it but we first of all need to engage the operator before we can look at any kind of sanction because we need to get their perspective and we need to make it clear what our perspective is.”

Former Courts employee sues state, company for over $20M

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tanwick Rose, a former Unicomer Inc. (Courts Guyana) employee, has launched a legal action against the company and the State, seeking over $20 million for alleged malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.

The lawsuit, initiated on November 8, by attorney Donavon Rangiah, lists the Attorney General of Guyana, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Commissioner of Police, Detective Constable Mark Griffith, and Unicomer Inc. as defendants.

In a press statement, it was disclosed that Rose a former cashier of Unicomer was charged for two separate indictable offences of 'Larceny by Clerk or Servant' contrary to section 184 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act Chapter 8:01 in the Georgetown Magistrate's Court on the 14th November, 2022.

Rose had denied the charges of 'Larceny

by Clerk or Servant' when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Court.

He was accused of stealing $4,697,747 between December 1, 2018, and January 14, 2022, along with an additional $500,000 on December 31, 2021. The trial was overseen by Magistrate Rhondell Weever.

According to the document seen by this publication, the trial encountered obstacles when a prosecution witness disavowed statements. The document states that one of the prosecution witnesses, indicated that his 'purported' statement dated the 28th January, 2022, and his second 'purported' statement

Magistrate Weever held that the aforementioned evidence cannot be relied upon by the prosecution. It was stated that on June 6, 2023, the Magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against Rose, and the matter was dismissed for insufficient evidence.

As such, Rose now seeks compensation from the State and Unicomer for malicious prosecution and false imprisonment. Rose is seeking damages in excess of $10,000,000 for malicious prosecution; damages in Former Courts employee, excess of $10,000,000 for false Stanwick Rose imprisonment; exemplary and/or aggravated damages in excess of $1,000,000; interests in accordance with the law; such further and other relief the court and costs.

The legal documents underscore the harm to Rose's reputation, mental anguish, hindrance in employment, and the adverse impact on his family during the proceedings.

The lawsuit contends that Rose's ability to secure alternative Attorney-at-Law, employment was compromised by the Donovan Rangiah publication of his picture and name, negatively influencing his standing in society. Additionally, it emphasises that Rose's wife was pregnant during the prosecution, contributing to the mental 28th January, 2022, (the latter anguish suffered by his family. 'purported' statement borne no The legal filing highlights the signature), were not his statements and profound effects on Rose's professional his former 'purported' statement bears a a n d p e r s o n a l l i f e , p a i n t i n g a signature that is not his own. comprehensive picture of the damages To this, the lawyer said that incurred.

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Neesa Gopaul’s mom back in jail ...Prison Service admits to alleged miscalculation of her prison term

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n one of the most embarrassing episodes of the Guyana Prison Service, it was on Thursday forced to reimprisoned Bibi Gopaul- the woman who murdered her daughter back in 2010, but was shockingly released three months ago after spending just 13 years on a 25 year jail term.

The woman was reportedly rearrested at Parika, East Bank Essequibo.

President Irfaan Ali told News Source that he has requested all of the information surrounding the woman's release, including the calculations of her sentence and time served, to be made available to him. He said if anyone is found responsible for misconduct in relation to Gopaul's early release, they will face full consequences and be held accountable. Also at a news conference Thursday afternoon, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo said there will be a full investigation into the matter.

He said an investigation would be done to figure out what went wrong and possibly, whether anyone should be penalised. “When the full investigation is completed, then questions of accountability as to how this happened will be addressed.

“Right now, the position of the Government of Guyana is that this cannot stand,” Jagdeo told the news conference.

The Prison Service in a statement following public outcry over the woman's early release said that it had miscalculated her prison term.

“Today the Guyana Prison Service has issued a directive to recall convicted murderer, Bibi Gopaul to prison to complete serving her lawful sentence imposed by the Caribbean Court of Justice,” the service noted in the statement. According to the prisons, Bibi Gopaul, who was ordered to serve a 25-year prison term for the murder of her daughter, was recently released from Prison as a result of an incorrect calculation of her prison term.

“The CCJ in their judgement had ordered that Prisoner Gopaul was to serve 25 years from the date of the conviction. The sentence in the words of the CCJ is as follows: “In all of the circumstances… a just and

Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot

Bibi Shareema Gopaul

Murdered: Neesa Gopaul proportionate sentence is 30 years imprisonment with no eligibility for parole before the expiration of 15 years.

From this sentence, the period of 5 years will be deducted for time spent in custody while on remand, with the practical consequences that from the date of conviction in 2015, Gopaul will spend a maximum of 25 years in prison.”

The Guyana Prison Service said, “Unfortunately, and in error, the Prison Officials reckoned the sentence to run from the date Gopaul was first remanded which was the 10th of October 2010, and not the 5th of March 2015 which was the date of conviction and on which sentence was imposed.

From the clear language of the order of the CCJ, the sentence should have been reckoned to start to run from the 5th March 2015.”

Granted remission Contrary to what the prison service has said, this newspaper was told that Gopaul was released three months ago after being granted further remission on her sentence due to her good behaviour in prison.

However, it was pointed out that even with the remission, the release appears questionable.

This newspaper had reached out to the Guyana Prison Service as well as a lawyer who represented Gopaul during the trial- all parties had declined to comment.

On October 2, 2010, the partially decomposed body of the teenager who attended Queen's College was found stuffed into a suitcase, which was anchored in a creek with several dumbbells at the Emerald Tower Resort at Madewini, Soesdyke-Linden Highway. Bibi and her lover,

Jarvis 'Barry' Small were found guilty of the teen's murder following a trial before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in March 2015.

She was initially sentenced in the High Court to 106 years in jail while Small, was sentenced to 96 years.

At the initial sentencing, Justice Singh took into consideration the gruesome manner in which the victim who was only 16 when she met her demise, this included the extent of the injuries she received, the manner in which her body was disposed of and the fact that she was killed by persons close to her.

The pair then filed appeals against their convictions and sentences.

Gopaul's sentence was later reduced to 45 years and then further reduced to 25 years with the possibility of parole after 15 years, following appeals to the Guyana Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2022. The CCJ rejected her appeal to have her case dismissed but directed that her co-accused, Small, be freed due to lack of sufficient evidence to link him to the teen's murder. In 2022, the CCJ overturned the conviction and sentence of Small calling the evidence proffered against him in the lower courts “greatly prejudiced”.

Small was freed of the 2010 murder, some eight years after he was found guilty of the crime. CCJ's Justice Denys Barrow said that the case against Small should have been dismissed since there was no case for him to answer due to the lack of evidence.

The court also agreed with the contentions of Small's Attorney, Nigel Hughes that he should have been tried separately at the High Court since the

evidence led in the trial was “greatly prejudiced” against him.

He noted that there were three pieces of evidence proffered to tie him to the crime–reports that he had sexually assaulted Neesa, a pair of dumbbells that reportedly belonged to him found at the scene of the murder, and a statement by Small that he did not murder Neesa but he knew who did.

The CCJ rejected the State's argument that the report of sexual assault was motive enough for Small to want to kill his teenage stepdaughter.

The court dismissed the argument as “pure speculation.”

With regard to the dumbbells, the court found that there was no evidence to show that Small had a hand in tying the dumbbells to the

suitcase found with the body at the scene of the crime. In relation to Small's statement that he knew who killed Neesa, the court found that it was impossible to conclude that because he said he knew of the killing, he was the killer.

The CCJ found also some serious investigative flaws and noted that other supportive evidence was weak or equitable in the case.

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Khushal Singh Named UG's 2023 Valedictorian ...cops both President's Medal for best graduating student and Prime Minister's Medal for Best Graduating Student with a Degree of Public Management Khushal Singh, UG's 2023 Valedictorian Moses Rover

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wenty-six-yearold Khushal Singh, has emerged as the University of G u y a n a ' s 2 0 2 3 valedictorian.

He completed a Bachelor's Degree in Public Management with a perfect GPA of 4.0 capturing both

the President's Medal for the Best Graduating Bachelor's Degree Student and the Prime Minister's Medal for the Best Graduating Student with a Degree of Public Management. Singh, a resident of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), will be amongst the over 3000

graduands who will be walking the University of Guyana's graduation stage when the nation's premier tertiary institution hosts its 57th Convocation exercises from November 9 to 18, 2023, UG said in a press release.

In his immediate reaction

to the news that he was named this year's Valedictorian, Singh told the University of Guyana's Public Relations Department that he was extremely happy that he copped the coveted prize. “I feel very happy, proud and fortunate. It is an incredibly rewarding

experience. It is a sign that I have worked hard, achieved success, and earned the respect of my peers. It is a reminder of how far I have come and the potential I have to achieve even more. It is also a great opportunity to inspire others and show them what hard work can achieve.”

Singh, the second of three siblings, attended the Enterprise Primary School and then went on to acquire his secondary education at the Bishop's High in Georgetown. The Valedictorian explained that he came up in very humble beginnings but this never stopped him from dreaming big. His mother is a housewife and his dad works in the Interior.“My family understands the value of education and always kept pushing me to do the best I can and to complete the programme even though I was faced with some challenges,” he said.

The Valedictorian who is also an avid chess player, explained that he was able to accomplish this feat in three (3) years. “I had to pull additional courses and do summer courses.

This meant lectures clashing, several tests in one day, and a greater amount of effort and work being required. With classes, assignments, work, social activities, and other commitments, it can be hard to balance everything,” he explained.

In response to how he managed to achieve this level of success, he said: “I was able to overcome these challenges by being disciplined, consistent and utilise goal setting. I had to

prioritise lectures and tutorials and set short and long-term goals. This enabled me to keep track of remaining assessments and plan accordingly. Taking on so much in a short time requires you to be persistent and highly organised.”

According to Singh, his academic journey was not all smooth sailing as he was faced with challenges along the way. “I was determined to continue pushing myself and expanding my horizons.

I was also motivated by the feeling of accomplishment.

Every time I gained an 'A' I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction. This feeling kept me going and gave me the drive to continue pushing myself.” Singh explained that his academic journey is attributed to his desire “to achieve excellence in every assessment, regardless of its weight, and me being very angry at myself if I got a B for any course.”

Singh, who has been married for one year now, said that this is not the end of his academic journey as he intends to keep going after new knowledge so that he is equipped with the skills needed to make a positive difference in his community and country as a whole. “I aspire to develop myself academically with a master's degree and a doctorate and serve in a capacity where I am able to positively influence policies as I believe these greatly shape the future of individuals, societies and nations.

Additionally, I aim at becoming a successful entrepreneur and creating fruitful businesses that will make a progressive impact (Continued on page 24)

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Groups moves to World Court against Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza (ALJAZEERA) Three Palestinian rights groups have filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging the body to investigate Israel for “apartheid” as well as “genocide” and issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by human rights organisations Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, called for “urgent attention to the continuous barrage of Israeli airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas within the Gaza Strip”, which have killed more than 10,500 Palestinians, almost half of them children, according to Gaza health officials.

The document also asked the body to expand its ongoing war crimes investigation by looking into “the suffocating siege imposed on [Gaza], the forced displacement of its population, the use of toxic gas, and the denial of necessities, such as food, water, fuel, and electricity”.

These acts amount to “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”, including “genocide”, the lawsuit said.

The three groups want arrest warrants to be issued

- lawsuit urges the ICC to include crimes against humanity and issue arrest warrants for Israel’s leaders

Palestinians look for survivors following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbai against Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) opened an official investigation into the situation in Palestine in 2021 after determining that “war crimes have been or are being committed by Palestinian and Israeli actors in the West Bank, including

East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip”. However, the group has faced criticism from rights groups and activists who say its response to ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza have been tepid. In the latest ICC filing, the rights groups’ lawyer, Emmanuel Daoud, referenced the ICC’s ruling against Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, and said there was “no room for

double standards in international justice”.

Bottom of Form “Whether war crimes are committed in Ukraine or Palestine, the culprits should be held to account,” said Daoud. This is not the first time a file against Israel has been brought to the ICC during its one-month war in Gaza. On October 31, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) submitted a complaint

to the body alleging Israel had perpetrated war crimes against journalists in Gaza.

As of Thursday, Israeli attacks have killed at least 39 journalists since October 7, according to figures from press freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 34 of whom were Palestinian, four were Israeli, and one was Lebanese. Criminal responsibility

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan pointed to additional possible crimes when he visited Egypt’s Rafah border crossing on October 29, saying impeding humanitarian aid from reaching civilians could be prosecuted under the Rome Statute. “There should not be any impediment to humanitarian relief supplies going to children, to women and men, civilians,” Khan said. “They are innocent, they have rights under international humanitarian law. These rights are part of the Geneva Conventions, and they give rise to even criminal responsibility when these rights are curtailed under the Rome Statute.”

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has previously r e j e c t e d t h e c o u r t ’s jurisdiction and does not formally engage with the court. The ICC’s founding Rome Statute gives it legal authority to investigate alleged crimes on the territory of its members or by their nationals when domestic authorities are “unwilling or unable” to do so. On October 10, the office of the prosecutor of the ICC said its mandate applies to potential crimes committed in the current conflict.

Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says WASHINGTON (AP) Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza, the White House said Thursday, as President Joe Biden pressed Israelis for a multi-day stoppage in the fighting in a bid to release hostages held by the militant group.

Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call and said he had also asked the Israelis for a pause of at least three days to allow for negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas.

“Yes,” Biden said, when asked whether he had asked Israel for a three-day pause.

“I’ve asked for even a longer pause for some of them.”

He added that there was “no possibility” of a formal cease-fire at the moment,

and said it had “taken a little longer” than he hoped for Israel to agree to the humanitarian pauses.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that a daily humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance every day.

Israel, he said, also was opening a second corridor for civilians to flee the areas that are the current focus of its military campaign against Hamas, with a coastal road joining the territory’s main north-south highway.

Similar short-term pauses have occurred over the last several days as tens of thousands of civilians have fled southward, but Thursday’s announcement appeared to be an effort to formalize and expand the

process, as the U.S. has pressed Israelis to take greater steps to protect civilians in Gaza. Biden’s push for an even longer pause comes as part of a renewed diplomatic push to free hostages taken by Hamas and other militant groups to the Gaza Strip during their Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.

Israeli officials estimate that militants still hold 239 hostages, including children and the elderly, from the attack that also saw 1,400 Israelis killed. U.S. officials say it believes fewer than 10 Americans are among those held captive.

Kirby told reporters Thursday that pauses could be useful to “getting all 239 hostages back with their families to include the less than 10 Americans that we know are being held.

So if we can get all the hostages out, that’s a nice finite goal.”

“Humanitarian pauses can be useful in the transfer process,” he added. Indirect talks were taking place in Qatar — which also played a role in the freeing of four hostages by Hamas last month — about a larger release of hostages. CIA Director William Burns was in Doha on Thursday to discuss efforts to win the release of hostages in Gaza with the Qatari prime minister and the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to a U.S. official.

Burns met with Mossad chief David Barnea and Prime Minister Sheikh M o h a m m e d b i n Abdulrahman Al Thani, said the official, who talked to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Qatar is a frequent gobetween in international dealings with Hamas, and some top Hamas political

leaders make their home in the Gulf country. The U.S. official stressed Burns was not playing a lead role in the negotiations.

Kirby confirmed that the U.S. continues to have “active discussions with partners about trying to secure the release of hostages,” noting in particular Qatar’s help. “We know they have lines of communication with Hamas that we don’t,” Kirby said of Qatar. “And we’re going to continue to work with them and regional partners to try to secure the release of all the hostages.”

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, said there had been no shift in Israeli t a c t i c s . ’ T h e r e ’s n o ceasefire,” he told reporters. “‘These are tactical local pauses for humanitarian aid, which are limited in time and area.’ “These evacuation corridors are for

civilians to move south to safer areas where they can receive humanitarian aid.”

A s k e d a b o u t K i r b y ’s announcement, he said: “It’s not a shift,” though he said Israel would try to expand these humanitarian corridors.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had warned Israel last week that it risked destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acted swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas.

In a blunt call for Israel to pause military operations in the territory to allow for the immediate and increased delivery of assistance, Blinken said the situation would drive Palestinians toward further radicalism and effectively end prospects for any eventual resumption of peace talks to end the conflict.

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One-off $25,000 bonus for pensioners, public servants, disciplined services - Pres. Ali President Irfaan Ali, on Thursday morning announced a tax-free, onetime bonus of $25,000 for pensioners, public servants, and members of the disciplined services.

Addressing the nation, President Ali specified that this bonus would be disbursed in December 2023, benefiting approximately 67,000 workers across various sectors at a total cost of $1.7 billion. Notably, included in this initiative are public

servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, staff of Semi-Autonomous Agencies, and Public Enterprises, such as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO).

The bonus extends to workers in sectors like policing, healthcare, and public enterprises, covering roles from policemen and women to nurses and doctors, as well as employees of entities like Guyana Power & Light (GPL) and National

Insurance Scheme (NIS).

Old Age Pensioners are also set to receive a $25,000 one-time bonus in December 2023, benefitting over 72,000 individuals at a total cost of $1.8 billion.

Additionally, differentlyabled individuals on the Public Register will receive a $35,000 one-time bonus, reaching 19,000 persons with a cost of $660 million, all payable in December.

These one-time bonuses collectively aim to assist nearly 160,000 individuals,

contributing to an increase of over $4.1 billion in disposable incomes.

President Ali further outlined a commitment of $850 million for the purchase of fertilizer, benefiting 287,000 acres of cultivation and 35,000 farmers, with the goal of boosting food production and managing costs.

Furthermore, under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP), Community Enhancement workers' monthly earnings

will be adjusted to $40,000 from December 1, 2023, impacting over 2,000 workers and injecting an additional $130 million in disposable income annually.

President Ali concluded by emphasising that these measures, totaling over $7 billion in additional disposable income, reflect the government's steadfast dedication to enhancing working conditions, supporting vulnerable populations, and aiding farmers. Additionally, he

President Irfaan Ali hinted at an imminent announcement regarding an across-the-board salary increase for public servants, teachers, and members of the disciplined services.

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GPSU knocks Govt. $25K bonus to public servants ...says announcement of pay increase without consultations with union unlawful

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he Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has criticised what it termed the arbitrary, insensitive and unimpressive announcement of relief for public sector workers and pensioners.

In a statement the GPSU said the relief is viewed as blatant eye pass and insult to workers and pensioners in light of the astronomical increases in the cost of living.

President Irfaan Ali, on Thursday morning announced a tax-free, onetime bonus of $25,000 for pensioners, public servants, and members of the disciplined services.

Addressing the nation, President Ali specified that this bonus would be disbursed in December 2023, benefiting approximately 67,000 workers across various sectors at a total cost of $1.7 billion. Notably, included in this initiative are public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, staff of SemiAutonomous Agencies, and Public Enterprises, such as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO).

The bonus extends to workers in sectors like policing, healthcare, and public enterprises, covering roles from policemen and women to nurses and doctors, as well as employees of entities like Guyana Power & Light (GPL) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

The President also stated that he will make an announcement shortly with

respect to increases in wages and salaries for all categories of workers. “The GPSU strongly condemns these arbitrary impositions, which are in conflict with the President's obligations with his oath of office to respect and uphold the Constitution and Laws of Guyana. These and any other future impositions amounts to the abuse of workers' rights to collective bargaining, which is evidence of the President's h ig h - h an d ed ap p r o ach , together with his continued focus on upholding bad governance as had always been his government's hallmark, compounded with a deliberate policy of keeping workers vulnerable and at a level of poverty,” the union stated.

According to the GPSU, it would seem, therefore, that the President is oblivious to the dire consequences that his methodologies, in this regard, would have for workers and peoples of this country. “These continued violations impugn workers' rights and is disastrous to their quality of life and the livelihood of their families.

The GPSU is therefore calling on all workers to be steadfast and in a state of readiness to confront these Constitutional abuses. In the prevailing circumstances, workers should view all payments made based on the President's proclamation as advances on merited labour debt due and payable to them.”

The Union also

reminded, that the Government of Guyana as the largest employer must respect the Laws of Guyana in its entirety to the effect that collective bargaining with workers representatives must be enforced before such announcements are made.

“As the largest employer in the Country with the responsibility of guiding the enactment of laws in the Legislature the Government should seek to set an example for other employers rather than its current posture.”

However, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) in its reaction to the President's announcement said the $25,000 bonus is a positive step towards addressing the needs of the working class in Guyana. “It clearly indicates the President's and his Administration's unwavering commitment to the welfare of ordinary citizens. It is worth noting that President Ali has, on several occasions, emphasised the importance of ensuring that all Guyanese benefit equally from the country's wealth. This latest move is a concrete demonstration of Irfaan Ali Government's commitment to fulfilling that promise and a testimony to being an ally of the workers,” GAWU stated.

The union said the $25,000 bonus is a marked departure from the term of the Coalition Administration.

“During that period, sugar workers were subjected to differential treatment and

Mother returns from washroom to find baby dead P

olice are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a twomonth old baby who died on Wednesday at Agatash, Bartica, Region Seven.

The infant, identified as Allison Ram, was found dead around 14:30hrs reportedly by her mother. The woman was questioned by police and alleged that she had gone to the washroom and left the

baby wrapped in a sheet, lying in a chair.

When she returned some 10 minutes later the baby was motionless.

The woman then said that she took the child to the Agatash Health Center and the medix on duty referred them to the Bartica Regional Hospital.

Upon arrival at the Bartica Hospital, a doctor pronounced the child dead.

Investigations are ongoing.

Public servants to get a $25,000 Christmas bonus were denied any pay rise or bonus. This unfair treatment indicated they were considered inferior and unworthy of the same benefits and improvements their colleagues in other State sectors received. That discrimination against the hard-working and dedicated sugar workers was a blatant disregard for their contributions to the industry and the economy. It is,

therefore, commendable that the current administration has included them, marking a significant departure from past practices.” According to G AW U t h e c u r r e n t Administration's treatment of sugar workers including the re-opening of the Rose Hall Estate is well received, and the workers are grateful for the return of dignity and respect. The one-off bonus is cause for celebration. “The

workers are optimistic that their pay will soon be addressed, and they look forward to continuing their work with enthusiasm and d e d i c a t i o n . G AW U welcomes His Excellency's announcement and looks forward to working with his Administration towards the improvement and betterment of the lives of all Guyanese particularly the workingpeople,” GAWU said.

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Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

Khushal Singh Named UG’s 2023 Valedictorian...

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From page 18 on my nation.”

He added: “I am committed to using my academic accomplishments to make a positive contribution to the world and ensure that everyone understands the profound opportunities that grows from education. I want to stay true to my values and remain passionate about the things I care about.

I want to continue to learn and grow, to take risks, and to experience all of the wonderful things life has to offer.”

Speaking directly to persons who have not yet taken the step of pursuing tertiary

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education he encouraged: “Take the leap.

I would encourage anyone to pursue an education at the University of Guyana, as the institution is a springboard for achieving your dreams and a better life. The experiences will be lifechanging and the opportunities that will come will be endless. Have faith in yourself. I know there will be obstacles but those too shall pass.”

The Valedictorian expressed that he is very thankful to all those who contributed to his success, including his family, friends, university lecturers and members of his community. In addition to Singh, several other outstanding graduands will be receiving special awards; these include: Dhanraj Baljit who completed a Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) will be receiving the Prime Minister’s Award for the best graduating student in the School of Medicine; Keon Heywood who will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Secondary) English will share the Council of the University Prize with Marleysa Bishop, who will graduate with a Degree in Food Science.

The Council of the University prize is awarded to the graduating student who has attained at least a “Pass with Credit” and has made the greatest contribution in other areas of University activities.

Heywood will also share the Dennis Irvine Award with Shedella Hodge who completed a Degree in Social Work and will be recognised for being the student who has made the greatest contribution to the cultural life of the University.

Ruth Manbodh will be presented with The Chancellor’s Medal for being named The Second Best Graduating Bachelor’s Degree Student.

Manbodh will be graduating with a Degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Sarah Hannah Grannum, who is graduating with a Degree in Law will be given The ProChancellor’s Medal for being the best graduating Law student at the University.

Feryal Khan will be presented with The Campus Award for The Best Graduating Student at any of the Campuses other than the winner of the President’s Medal. Khan who attends UG’s Tain Campus will graduate with a Degree in Management.

Moses Rover, who has completed a Degree in Biology will receive the University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS) Award for being

the Graduating Student

(other than the winner of the Council’s Prize), who has attained at least a “Pass with Credit” and has made an outstanding contribution in other areas of University activities.

This year Convocation Ceremonies are extremely spe-

cial as the University is proudly celebrating its Sixtieth Anniversary under the theme “Consistently We Rise, Changing the World in Infinite Ways”.

The 2023 Convocation Ceremonies for graduands of the Turkeyen Campus will be held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) in Georgetown from Thursday, November 9th to Saturday, November 11th and for Tain Campus on Saturday, November 18, 202,3 on the University Lawns, Berbice Campus, Tain Settlement.

The ceremonies will be blended with the large majority of the graduands attending face-to-face and the remaining participating virtually.

The University will also confer Honorary Doctoral Degrees on ten outstanding Guyanese in various areas of expertise during these special 60th Anniversary ceremonies.

The public is invited to celebrate with the University of Guyana at this year’s graduation events which will be streamed live on the University’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ uniofguyana and UG Broadcasting Service at https:// broadcasting.uog.edu.gy/.

The Ceremonies will also be covered by local and international media.

(Feature by the Department of Events, Conferences and Communication (DECC), Office of the Vice-Chancellor.)

New UN report says 43.2 million people...

From page 13 countries still have a high prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age. At the regional level, this figure reached 11.5%.

Although a significant reduction has been achieved since 2000, the decline has slowed recently. Between 2000 and 2012, the prevalence decreased by nearly 5 percentage points; between 2012 and 2022, the drop was only 1.2 percentage points. “In Latin America and the Caribbean, child malnutrition is a problem that, in its different forms, continues to impact children and adolescents. Child under-nutrition and overweight are two sides of the same coin and require a comprehensive approach. Childhood overweight has increased alarmingly in the last two decades, threatening the health and well-being of children. At the

same time, child malnutrition is prevalent in the region, affecting mostly undeserving, Afro-descendant, and rural populations.

UNICEF calls on countries to promote public health policies that protect children’s right to nutrition, ensuring their access to nutritious food and adequate services and practices,” said Garry Conille, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The high cost of a healthy diet Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest healthy diet costs worldwide.

Between 2020 and 2021, the cost of a healthy diet increased by 5.3% in the region, which can be explained by rising food inflation driven by confinements, global supply chain disruptions, and human resource shortages. Accord-

ing to Panorama 2023, the average cost of a healthy diet globally is US$3.66 per person per day.

Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest healthy diet cost, reaching US$4.08 per day.

It is followed by Asia, with US$3.90; Africa, with US$3.57; North America and Europe, with US$3.22; and Oceania, with US$3.20.

The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023 is a joint publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

Friday November 10, 2023

MACORP bolsters certified excavator operators with 11 GFF scholarship...

From page 31 training programme that commenced on September 4.

MACORP’s President and General Manager Consuegra affirmed their ongoing commitment to providing players with additional skills that contribute to their personal wellbeing and the overall development of the country.

“We have been committed to the Guyana Football Federation to provide training to our players as part of our social responsibility commitment to Guyana,” he told the graduates, adding that the scholarship programme helps participants to “acquire real

knowledge and abilities. We give you the skills to be able to contribute to the growth and to the progress of your country.”

Launched in 2021, the scholarship programme is structured to offer individuals engaged in football the chance to gain new skills that can be applied for livelihoods beyond their active football careers. As of now, 32 footballers and federation officials have accessed the lifechanging skills development scholarship programme.

During his brief comments, GFF President Forde emphasised that it was the

third graduation ceremony for the federation’s scholarship recipients and expressed gratitude to MACORP for their on-going generosity.

He added that the central focus of the federation on football development includes the nurturing of individual development.

“The Guyana Football Federation can sometimes be perceived as an organisation that is purely concentrating on football activities, such as running tournaments, developing coaches and referees.

The truth being, that while we are tasked primarily with the developing football, our core

Friday November 10, 2023 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today you might be in the public eye along with some close friends and perhaps a love partner. You may be giving a speech, leading a discussion group.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Social contact with new and exciting people, Libra, perhaps at a neighborhood gathering, could bring intriguing information your way. You could learn about new fields that interest you.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Whether or not you're artistic, Taurus, inspiration for music, painting, writing, or other creative projects could come to you thick and fast today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Work might take up a lot of your time today, Scorpio, perhaps job related, perhaps chores around the house.

Friends or family may join you, and their conversation could help relieve some of the tedium. .

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Much of your day is likely to be spent in the company of family, close friends, and a current or potential love partner, Sagittarius.

Business partners could be involved.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A group activity could involve a number of people, including some close friends, who share your intellectual, philosophical, or spiritual interests.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today you might be in the public eye along with some close friends and perhaps a love partner. You may be giving a speech, leading a discussion group, or be the center of attention at a party.

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The Today you might decide to host a social event in your home, perhaps for friends and colleagues with whom you share intellectual, philosophical.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A new and exciting person, possibly someone from a distant state or foreign country, could come into your life today. You could spend hours talking.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) A large gathering, perhaps a festival of some kind, could take place in your neighborhood today, Aquarius. You could choose to attend with some close friends and your romantic interest.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Some unusual dreams could have unexpected side effects, Virgo. They could spark new ideas for creative projects or possible innovative concepts to advance your career or social life.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Discussions with friends or colleagues about possible future business enterprises could find you taking notes, Pisces. Your natural meticulousness should serve you well.

duty is to develop people because the people that serve our fraternity is at the heart of everything we do.”

President Forde conveyed to the graduates that the skills and education acquired over the past three weeks will open doors as Guyana expands its economic opportunities for all citizens.

The federation remains committed to enhancing the lives of footballers across Guyana.

GFG Fitness Expo 2023 hailed a success The Fitness Expo 2023, hosted by Guyana Fitness Games (GFG) Saturday last, proved to be an extraordinary event that left a lasting impact on all attendees. The organisers expressed their joy and gratitude, announcing that the expo exceeded all expectations.

In a release from the organisers, they stated, “We are delighted to announce that this event exceeded all expectations, and we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated, supported, and sponsored this remarkable fitness extravaganza.” The event not only surpassed expectations but also brought together a community of individuals passionate about fitness, contributing to the promotion of a healthier and more active lifestyle in Guyana.

The Fitness Expo showcased a diverse range of fitness activities, bringing to-

gether fitness enthusiasts, professionals, and sponsors in a celebration of health and wellness. From intense workouts and fitness challenges to informative workshops and product demonstrations, the expo offered something for everyone.

Attendees were treated to a dynamic and inspiring atmosphere, with top-notch trainers leading workouts, experts sharing valuable insights, and participants pushing their limits in various competitions.

As fitness becomes an integral part of people’s lifestyles, events like the Fitness Expo play a crucial role in fostering a culture of wellness and inspiring individuals to prioritise their health.

In conclusion, the Fitness Expo 2023 organised by Guyana Fitness Games concluded with tremendous success, leaving a profound impact on all attendees.

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 10, 2023

BCB and University of Guyana to unveil Berbice Cricket Wall of Fame next week - Second edition of coaching manual to be launched

S

ince the election of the Hilbert Foster led administration in 2018, the Berbice Cricket Board has undertaken a wide range of developmental programmes/projects to lift the standard of the game and to honour heroes of the county. The BCB next week would successfully launch

another major project, the Berbice Cricket Wall of Fame at the Tain Campus.

The project is one of several that were agreed on earlier this year when a BCB delegation led by Foster met a University of Guyana team headed by Vice Chancellor Dr. Paloma Mohamed.

The Wall of Fame would

include the county’s twenty test cricketers and eleven others who played ODI and 20/20 at the Male and Female levels. The Test players on the Wall would be John Trim, Ivan Madray, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Sew Shivnarain, Leonard

Benchan, Clayton Lambert, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Devindra Bishoo, Brandon Bess, Veersammy Permaul, Candacy Aktins, Assad Fudadin, Shimran Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie and Joseph Solomon. The others shall be Romario Shepherd, Milton Pydana, Royston Crandon, Kevin Sinclair, Tremayne Smartt, Shemaine Campbell, Erva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond, Shakabi Gajnabi, Subrine Munroe and Ashmini Munisar.

Each of the thirty one inductees would have their own 17’ x 12’ frame with their photographs and cricket records. The Wall of Fame would be situated within the Berbice Campus of the University. Foster noted that the BCB/UG Wall of Fame would be a historic project and would be a fitting tribute to the heroes of Berbice Cricket. The BCB, he stated was determined that all of its heroes are honoured in a special way and to make sure that the younger generation of cricketers are aware of the rich tradition and history that they have to uphold.

Foster also expressed delight that the University of Guyana has agreed to honour the legendary Rohan Kanhai with a honorary doctorate as part of its 60th anniversary.

Kanhai represented the West Indies in 79 test matches scoring 6227 runs with 16 centuries.

He also led Guyana to regional glory in 1973 by lifting the Shell Shield Trophy and was the

Dr. Paloma Mohamed – UG Vice Chancellor

Hilbert Foster - BCB President

first East Indian to be appointed captain of the West Indies Test Team. The BCB extends congrats to Kanhai, who was named as Berbice greatest ever cricketer in 2018 by the board.

Meanwhile, the BCB with the support of the University would also be launching the second edition of its historic coaching Manual at the same ceremony.

The 32-page manual represents the hard work of the BCB executives along with a panel of dedicated cricket coaches including the late Michael Hyles, Winston Smith, Julian Moore, Balram Samaroo, Leslie Solomon and Travis Hardcourt.

The Manual was edited

by BCB president Hilbert Foster and Asst. Secretary Balram Samaroo. The main objectives are to assist youths to improve on their game at home.

The coaching manual covers intense training in the arts of batting, wicket keeping, fast bowling, spin bowling (off spin, leg spin, left arm orthodox), wicket keeping,

physical fitness and fielding.

The reader of the manual would be taught how to play a wide range of shots including the forward defence, straight drive, cover drive, on drive, pull shot, sweep shot and the back foot defence.

Special emphasis is placed on assisting bowlers to better themselves with the grip, run up, gather, release and follow through. The manual would be distributed free of cost to all youth cricketers and cricket clubs in the county. Some of the manuals would also be donated to other county board if requested.

The BCB would also be unveiling a new billboard in front of the historic Port Mourant Cricket Ground featuring the photos of all of its test cricketers.

The billboard is sponsored by the Guyana Brewery Inc. A total of one hundred young cricketers are also expected to receive millions of dollars’ worth of cricket gear shortly as the BCB expands its youth developmental programme.

New Amsterdam Town 132nd anniversary Dominoes competition set for Sunday A one day domino competition will be held on Sunday, 12th as celebration of the 132nd anniversary of t h e To w n o f N e w Amsterdam continues.

The competition, which is open to all interested teams in Guyana, will be played at the New Amsterdam Town Hall beginning at 13:00 hrs.

Entrance fee is $10,000 with the winner set to walk away with $50,000, the runner-up will get $25,000 while third place will get a

hamper and trophy.

The tournament will be coordinated by Councilor Eze Blake.

The town of New Amsterdam, which is being led by Mayor Waynewright McIntosh, is the oldest town in Guyana.

It is located in East Berbice-Corentyne Region 6 on the eastern bank of the Berbice River, immediately south of the Canje River.

The town has its origins in a village which grew up alongside Fort Nassau about

56 miles on the right bank up t h e B e r b i c e R i v e r.

It was later relocated to its present site at the confluence of the Berbice and Canje Rivers.

New Amsterdam was subsequently established as the seat of Government for Berbice.

The celebrations this year is being held using the theme “Embracing Inclusivity for Sustainable Development of the Town of New Amsterdam.” (Samuel Whyte)

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

PAGE 29

GPF Officer’s T20 team take COP T20 KO cricket championship Those at the Police Sports Club ground at Eve Leary witnessed a thrilling conclusion to the Commissioner of Police (COP) T20 Regions and Branches Knockout Cricket Competition on Wednesday, with the Guyana Police Force (Officers) cricket team emerging as the champions.

In a nail-biting final match, the Officers’ team secured the victory after facing tough competition from teams representing Regional Division #3, Headquarters, and Berbice.

Assistant Superintendent, Troy Benn showcased exceptional skills, scoring a classy 68 runs, leading his team to triumph. The team’s captain, Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Mr. Ravindradat Budhram, played a pivotal role in

steering the team to success.

The COP T20 Cricket Finals commenced with an intense clash between the Officers and the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) team, who won the toss, putting the Officers in the position of chasing for the win. Top Cop, Clifton Hicken bowled the first delivery, officially kickstarting the final.

The victorious Officers’ team were rewarded with trophies and cash prizes, with amounts of $300,000, $200,000, and $100,000 for the first, second, and third p l a c e , r e s p e c t i v e l y.

Additionally, individual achievements were recognized with MVP of the final, Best Bowler, Best Batsman, most wickets, and Best all-rounder receiving $20,000 each.

Assistant Superintendent

GPF Officer’s cricket team bags COP T20 Regions and Branches cricket championship.

Benn shone in the individual accolades, securing the titles of Best Batsman, Man of the Match, and Best all-rounder

in the competition.

Meanwhile, the prizes for most wickets and best bowler were claimed by

Assistant Superintendent Harris.

The TSU team secured the second-place position,

while the Berbice team clinched the third spot in the closely contested tournament.

BCB Premier T20 Tournament...

Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt, Port Mourant, Young Warriors and Blairmont register victories - Brilliant Junior Sinclair hits majestic century

T

he Berbice Cricket Board very active cricket season continued on Saturday last with the start of the BCB Premier Round Robin T20 Tournament with matches across the ancient county.

The tournament is the second first division tournament to start recently following the Ivan Madray T20 Memorial League. The BCB has also acquired sponsorship for the hosting of two fifty overs tournaments which would be played on a round robin basis.

They would be sponsored by Ansa Mcal Trading and AJM Enterprise respectively.

On Saturday last, Rose Hall Town, Port Mourant, Yo u n g Wa r r i o r s a n d Blairmont registered victories in the first round, while the Albion versus Rose Hall Canje match was washed by rain.

The Police Sports Club and the Tucber Park match was unable to be

Seon Hetmyer play due to the lack of a suitable venue.

The highlight of the opening round was a majestic 110 not out by CPL Best Emerging Player Junior Sinclair, who struck eight huge sixes and nine boundaries against Skeldon at the Area ‘H’ Ground.

Half centuries also came from Alex Algoo 80, Seon Hetmyer 74 and Clinton Pestano 60.

Pestano also performed well with the ball with a four wicket haul while Berbice senior player Seon Glasgow also took a

four wicket haul.

Scores in the matches played were: 1) Rose Hall Town Namilco defeated Skeldon by a massive 157 runs at the Area ‘H’ Ground.

The home team amassed 218 for the loss of one wicket with Sinclair 110 not out, Pestano 60 not out with four boundaries and five sixes along with Jason Sinclair 30 retired hurt being the principal scores.

Matthew Pottaya 11 was the only batsman to be dismissed as Arvin Ault took 1 for 51 from three expensive overs.

Skeldon in reply were bowled out for 61 in 16.4 overs with only Triston Ramsarran 13 and A. Ault 12 reaching double figures. Pestano and Junior Sinclair returned with the ball to take 4 for 8 and 3 for 11 respectively. National under19 left arm spinner Jeremy Sandia took 2 for 8.

2) Port Mourant eased past Upper Corentyne by 8 wickets at the No. 69 Ground.

Upper Corentyne won

the toss and elected to bat.

They were bowled out for 125 in their allotted 20 overs with Paul Tyndall 33 and Alvin Hemchand 28 being the main scorers. Vinod Samaroo 3 for 8 (4overs) and Madan Budhram 2 for 36 were the visitors’ best bowlers.

Port Mourant in reply, raced to 127 for 2 in the 18th overs as West Indies youth player Rampertab Ramnauth 38 not out batted well.

Ronald Pottaya 1 for 23 and Devenand Chatterpaul 1 for 23 were the successful bowlers for the home team.

3) At the Blairmont Community Centre, the home team squeezed past West Berbice by one run in an exciting finish.

The visitors needed five runs to tie Blairmont score of 115 for 8 but only managed to score a boundary.

The top scores for Blairmont were Kevin Jawahier 29, Javed Karein 16, Seon Glasgow 17 and Nick Ramsaroop 20. Rashaad Gaffur 3 for

Clinton Pestano 12 and Odel Miller 2 for 20 were the best bowlers for West Berbice.

The visitors push to overtake Blairmont small total was led by Shelton Ramsay 26, Rashaad Gaffur 13 and Andrew Dutchin 15.

Off spinner Seon Glasgow 4 for 24 and leg spinner Kevin Jawahie 3 for 8 were the best bowlers for Blairmont.

4) At the Rose Hall Community Centre, Young Warriors Cricket Club defeated a youthful President XI team by 117 runs.

The President XI team consists of junior players

who were unable to make the different clubs first division teams. The main aim is to expose them to a high level of cricket at a young age to assist in their overall development.

Batting first, YWCC after losing the toss, amassed 202 for 8 from 20 overs as former national youth layer Alex Algoo scored 80 and Berbice Senior Player Seon Hetmyer 74.

Left arm spinner Kumar Deoperaud took 2 for 30 from 4 overs.

The President XI in reply were restricted to 85 for 8 with Julian Bennett top scoring with an unbeaten 50.

Algoo returned with the ball to take 2 wickets for 8 runs, while Ricardo Ramdehol claimed 2 for 23.

Coach of the President XI team Balram Samaroo stated that all the members of the team were making their first division debut and were excited at the new innovation of the BCB to aid in their development.

The tournament continues Saturday with second round matches.

Kaieteur News

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ExxonMobil Guyana/New Era Ent Futsal kicks off tonight ExxonMobil Guyana and New Era Entertainment joined forces in a grand spectacle that excitedly made even the futsal ball blush as they launched the 2023 tournament, which kicks off tonight.

The tournament, set to unfold over nine riveting days, will take place on the revamped Retrieve Hard Court in Linden.

Kenrick Noel, one of the principals of New Era Entertainment, declared that they’re “committed to ensuring utmost professionalism in team attendance during the march past and the conduct of teams throughout the tournament”.

This tourney adopts the round-robin format, and the winners, 1st through 4th place, shall reap financial rewards: $1,000,000, $500,000, $200,000, and $100,000, respectively.

Twenty formidable teams from Linden are

poised to engage in epic battles, with five teams on standby (as the name suggests), just in case someone decides to ditch the parade on opening night.

The roster of participating teams reads like a who’s who of futsal: Anybody Gets It, Blueberry Hill, Coomacka, DC Ballers, Fearless, Finishers, Genna Syde, Goal is Money, Gorilla, Golden Stars, Hard Knocks, HH Ballers, Hill Side Ballers, LA Ballers, One Side, The Money Team, West Side Ballers, YMCA, Young G u n n e r s , a n d Yo u t h s United.

Ryan Hoppie, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Community Relations Advisor, shed light on the goals of this escapade, stating that “one of the goals is to ensure that we have good wholesome fun at this year’s tournament and to ensure that this provides a

platform for alternative types of social activities, that can foster camaraderie and a level of discipline, while also providing an opportunity for players to earn some winnings”.

Mark your calendars for the November 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 22, and 24 spectacles, with the grand finale on the 25th.

The victors will not only bask in glory but also execute a community project in collaboration with ExxonMobil Guyana.

Team Unknown, last year’s champs, lit up the Green Valley community with streetlights.

Retrieve Hard Court received a Cinderella-like makeover in partnership w i t h N e w E r a Entertainment, ExxonMobil Guyana, and the Ministry of Sport. The result? An upgraded playing surface, washroom facilities, a fence, lighting, and seating.

Friday November 10, 2023

Malteenoes Cricket club is recipient of bowling machines, other equipment courtesy of SHBS&LS

CEO of SHB&LS Shawn Holder (right) and MSC President Deborah Mc Nicols at the presentation. (Sean Devers photo) The Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) received a pair of bowling machines along with a number of cricket equipment, on behalf of Shawn Holder’s Brokerage Shipping and Logistics.

Holder, the MSC vice-president is a former National U-19 player and has cited the move as part of giving back long-term to his club, which he has been a part of for a number of years. He urged the club to care for the

items, while deeming the donations as major aspects of Malteenoes ongoing development. Meanwhile, Malteenoes Club president Mrs. Deborah McNichols welcomed the donations, adding that it will vastly improve the standards of the club as it continues to move from strength-to-strength.

She further thanked Holder and the local Brokerage Association, who along with the former player, made the donations possible.

BCB 2023 Cricket Season Dave West Indian Imports tournament

Guymine, Canje Titans, Kendall’s Union, Tucber Park and Betsy Ground CC register victories Zeymul Ramsammy

S

econd Division teams in the ancient county are been kept busy on the cricket field as the Berbice Cricket Board pushes ahead with its 2023 cricket tournament.

Eighteen second division teams from the new Amsterdam/Canje area are currently involved in the Dave West Indian Imports 40 overs tournament.

Scores from some of the matches played are: 1.

G u y m i n e defeated Kendall’s Union by six wickets at the Locaber Cricket Ground.

Kendall’s Union 78 all out in 14.2 overs. H. Harris 18, B. Baker 19, A. Khalill 12.

Joel Seitaram 5 for 15, Rocky Hutson 3 for 28 and John Gawshan 2 for 15.

Guymine 81 for 4 in 9.2 overs. Devon Clements 33

not out, Damion DaSilva 15 not out.

M. Baker 2 for 23, H. Khallil 1 for 23.

2. C a n j e T i t a n s defeated Goed Banana Land by 7 wickets at the Goed Banana Land.

Goed Banana Land 83 all out in 16.5 overs. M. Persaud 20, J. Ali 19, A. Drupersaud 12.

J. Hussain 2 for 13, N. DeJonge 3 for 10, A. Persaud 3 for 24 and C. Cort 2 for 4.

Canje Titans 88 for 3 in 10.5 overs.

R. Basant 45 not out, A. Persaud 21. Damion Cyril 3 for 39 3. K e n d a l l U n i o n sports Club defeated Rose Hall Canje ‘C’ by 7 wickets at the Kendall’s Union .

Rose Hall Canje ‘C’ 32 all out in 17 overs.

R. Greaves 11, Samuel Baker 5 for 6, D. Baker 2 for 16 and A. Ramroop 2 for 4.

Kendall’s Union 33 for 3 in 5 overs J. Wenjallum 18 not out. R. Ramdeholl 1 for 16 and D. Sooknanadan 2 for 13.

4.

Tucber Park C.C defeated Police Cricket Club at the Goed Banana Land Ground by 109 runs.

Tucber Park 298 for 7 in 40 overs.

Z e y m u R a m s a mmy 100, Abdul Ramsammy 56, Kevin Kisten 32, Leon Swammy 30. C. Mitchell 2 for 42, T. Withright 2 for 26.

Police Cricket Club 189 all out in 33 overs. K. Mentone 50, P. James 28, T. Withright 27.

Abdul Ramsammy 3 for 38, W. DeJonge 2 for 23, Gavin Kisten 2 for 5.

5. B e t s y G r o u n d defeated Edinburgh by 125 runs at the Goed Banana Land Ground.

Betsy Ground 310 all out in 40 overs. R. Jugisteer 48,

M. Durga 85, K. Sobhai 28, K. Gangaram 87. B. Lee 2 for 40, A. Venesh 2 for 50.

Edinburg 185 all out in 30 overs. H. Wesley 87, K. Gangaram 3 for 40, K. Rampersaud 2 for 45.

The Dave West Indian Imports 40 overs tournament involves the hosting of 5 sub association internal c o m p e t i t i o n s - We s t Berbice, Berbice River, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower/Central Corentyne and Upper Corentyne.

Wiruni has so far emerged as Champions of the Berbice River Zone and Cotton Tree as the West Berbice Champions.

Teams in the other zones are currently playing to determine the other champion who would go on to play in a special playoff tournament to decide the overall Berbice Champions.

Kaieteur News

Friday November 10, 2023

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BCB cricket season 2023...

Republic Bank on board as sponsor of Region 6 Inter Secondary School Tournament The Berbice Cricket Board continues to attract sponsorship for its packed cricket season and on Monday last, Republic Bank came on board as the official sponsor of a Region Six Inter-Secondary School cricket competition. The official launching of the tournament took place at the Bank’s New Amsterdam branch and was attended by BCB Secretary Angela Haniff and chairman of competition committee Leslie Salomon.

Solomon stated that the tournament forms part of the BCB development programme and would assist the board to view potential talent at the school level. A total of 17 schools would participate in the tournament on a knockout basis.

Solomon noted that Inter Secondary School tournament has been held in each of the sub associations – We s t B e r b i c e , N e w Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne. The tournament

Republic Bank staff member Suresh Dhanai hands over sponsorship to BCB Secretary Angela Haniff in the presence of fellow staff members and Leslie Solomon. would be played 25 overs for side.

The BCB has already assisted all the secondary schools in the county with 15 pairs of white uniforms in a multi-million dollars investment. Schools have also received a donation of cricket balls and gear from the proactive board.

The school that would participate in the BCB/Republic Bank

tournament are: Line Path, Skeldon High, Tagore Memorial, Black Bush, M a n c h e s t e r, Wi n i f r e d Gaskin, Corentyne Comprehensive, Port Mourant, JC Chandisingh, Lower Corentyne, Canje Secondary, Berbice High, Vryman Erven, Berbice Educational Institute, New Amsterdam Secondary and Tutorial Academy. The final of the tournament will be

Police ranks engages in coaching and counseling during visit to East Canje villages Corporal Brenda Johnson and Constable Barton, third from left, with some youths at the Goed Bananen Ball field after a coaching session.

R

esidents of villages of East Canje are getting regular session of counseling and coaching in various sports from Police ranks from the Reliance Police Station in East Canje Berbice.

Despite some negativity that permeated from the district the ranks are constantly visiting villages in the district to help the resident to push back against social ills that infiltrate the society.

Led by officer in charge female Corporal Brenda Johnson and female Corporal April the ranks engaged with residents of the villages of Betsy Ground and Goed Bananen Land.

During the walkabout in Betsy Ground the ranks interacted with residents on topics such as domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Youth and Sports.

The residents were told of the many social ills of society.

Youths were encouraged

to stay in school and take their education. They were also encouraged to get involved in sports and to stop being idle.

A visit was also made to the Goed Bananen Land ball field where Constable Barton was engaged in coaching youths to play cricket.

The youths were encouraged to join the Reliance Police Station’s youth and sports club where many opportunities abound.

(Samuel Whyte)

played at the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre ground. Players are to be Under19, born on or after the 15th of September 2004 and Solomon stated that they must be a registered student of the school with a 75% attendance rate. Schools which have non-registered players would be thrown out of the tournament. Solomon expressed gratitude to the management of the bank,

especially Branch Manager Imran Saccoor, for their support and reassured them that the tournament would be well organized.

BCB President Hilbert Foster noted that the tournament would be another tournament in the county that includes under 11, under 13, under 15, under 17, under 19, under 23, primary secondary, female, second division and first

division. Foster noted that over the next month several projects would be completed. They include the reopening of test player billboard in Port Mourant, the opening of the Berbice Cricket Wall of Fame at the University of Guyana Tain campus, publication of the second edition of the BCB coaching manual while a total of 100 youth cricketers are expected to benefit from donation of cricket gears. 20 clubs with youth teams would also benefit from $2 million worth of coaching equipment to assist them to properly prepare youths for the future.

Presently the BCB has 20 cricket coaches working across the county under the Government of Guyana 10 days work programme.

Branch Manager of the New Amsterdam Republic Bank, Imran Saccoor stated that, the bank was delighted to support Berbice cricket and would continue to do so.

He congratulated the board on its outstanding work and expressed confidence in the success of the tournament.

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 10, 2023

Rosignol Secondary aims to continue CSEC PE Golf dominance in 2024 T

he 2024 PE class from Rosignol Secondary were hard at practice yesterday at the Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue with Sir Kevon Jawahir, Master Coach Aleem Hussain and Senior Coach Vishal Dhanai on an effort to maintain their dominant performance in Golf at the CSEC PE elective.

Rosignol has increased the size of their PE class by more than 100% over the past two years since Golf was introduced to the school.

Head Mistress Donnette D’Andrade expressed her satisfaction at the progress made by her school and Sir

Rosignol Secondary School prepares for 2024 PE CSEC Golf Jawahir, “Rosignol has and will continue to lead in programs put forth by the Ministry of Education as

shown by the recent inclusion of sport under the Unit of Allied Arts Priority Programme. We intend to

remain at the top of the region and country.”

Last year, Rosignol Secondary achieved 100%

pass rate at PE with 93% receiving Grade I, all elected to do Golf as their practical examination.

“We are extremely proud of the students at RSS, they were amongst the pioneers in this programme and continue to show great interest and results,” said Sir Jawahir.

With the recent push by the Ministry of Education Priority Programme to

ensure that all learners are exposed to the five Priority areas which includes a sport, Nexgen Golf Academy has stepped up to provide a Golf coaching programme in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 and Georgetown.

The intended outcome is to have Golf available in every region and school that would like to offer the sport to learners.

Ansa McAl supports ‘Jackie Chan’ Ansa McAl’s Corporate Communications Officer, Denita Prowell, makes the company’s presentation to Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson.

Yesterday was a day of both heartwarming support and serious commitment as Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson, the local legend, received a generous financial boost from ANSA McAL Distribution Inc. The recent loss of his home to a fire on October 4, 2023, was not just his loss but a setback for his entire family and others living in the three-story building. The good news is that no one was seriously hurt during this ordeal, giving everyone a fresh start to rebuild their lives.

“Jackie Chan” isn’t just any regular name; it belongs to a renowned professional footballer who made history as the first locally-based player to join the MLS with the Colorado Rapids.

His impressive journey includes stints as a striker for teams like Puerto Rico Islanders, Carolina Railhawks, Joe Public, Pele, Alpha United, Beacon, and the Guyana Football Federation Elite League. Not to mention his contributions to the Guyana National Team, the Golden Jaguars, and his memorable 2-0 victory over Suriname in 2016 at the Guyana National Stadium.

ANSA McAL Distribution Inc. said they’re proud to lend a hand to the local football legend, stating that they stand firmly with Richardson and his family during this challenging time.

According to the company, they’re we’re delighted to be a part of their journey to recovery and rebuilding.

Friday November 10, 2023

Kaieteur News

MACORP bolsters certified excavator operators with 11 GFF scholarship graduates

MACORP and GFF officials along with some of the graduates of the programme.

Machinery Corporation of Guyana (MACORP) has expanded its roster of certified excavator operators with an additional eleven graduates from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) scholarship programme.

The batch of new operators, including nine men and two women, were congratulated by GFF

President Wayne Forde and MACORP President and General Manager German Consuegra during a simple graduation ceremony on November 8 at the heavy duty machinery company headquarters in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Sasha Greaves, Anneicia Cole, Jomar Adams, Trevon Alder, Diquan McLean, Ian

McLennan, DeAndre Linton, Antonio Allen, Mark Hilkes, Gaibert Salty, and Benedict Gomes, originating from the Rupununi in Region Nine ( U p p e r Ta k u t u U p p e r Essequibo), were praised for proficiently completing the three-week comprehensive theoretical and practical (Continued on page 27)

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rts Spo

Semonica Duke and Tonnica Dey (atop the podium) top performers in the Women’s Team events.

GFG Fitness Expo 2023 hailed a success ExxonMobil Guyana/New Era Ent Futsal kicks off tonight

Aubrey Major Jr, Co-Director of New Era Entertainment, accepting the sponsorship cheque from Ryan Hoppie, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Community Relations Advisor for Public and Government Affairs. They were joined by Kenrick Noel, Shareef Major, and Keeran William.

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