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Man killed, stuffed NEWS in rice bag trying to save son from licks AIETEUR

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Monday Edition November 15, 2021 - Vol. 14 No.43

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Failure to audit Exxon's US$10B bill…

Public servants lose 66 years of double …stakeholders ramp up criticisms payof government's dereliction of duty 'Policing of Local Content Legislation crucial' ...GCCI President says Commission must get power to apply penalties on errant oil companies

CDC commissions $112M centre in Lethem

The protest continues for change to ExxonMobil’s contract.

Guyana begins to import …as Exxon downplays fish, shrimp impact from its operations A shopowner on Durban Street say people coming in asking for $40 salt and $50 onion, ½ pint of rice and so on, the shopowner said he doesn’t know how to sell $40 salt. This is your Guyana, this is the transformation, this is the development the leaders promised, this is the Dubai Guyana will become overnight. Go Guyana go!

Kaieteur News

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Monday November 15, 2021

Failure to audit Exxon’s US$10B bill…

Public servants lose 66 years of double pay …stakeholders ramp up criticisms of government’s dereliction of duty

Amid mounting criticisms of the Government’s failure to audit the US$10B expenses

by ExxonMobil for the Liza I & II projects, Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall has estimated that the money forfeited could have doubled public servants’ salaries at its current rate for the next 66 years.

This likely lost income is linked to a provision in the

Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which gives the government a chance, through periodic audits, to reclaim excessive spending by Exxon and its partners. This provision was to ensure that Guyana could get the maximum benefits out of its contract with Exxon. In other words, it was a safety valve for the financial protection of the people of Guyana.

Government had a duty to use the safety valve when needed.

Lall, a businessman of several decades and who has been at the forefront of a campaign admonishing more robust monitoring of the oil and gas sector so that Guyana can get its fair share of the oil profits, was the first person to have flagged the issue regarding the unaudited spending, after

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at a recent news conference admitted that his government dropped the ball. “We received almost $10BUSD in costs for the Liza I & II projects, this money should have been checked, double-checked and rechecked a million times within the two year time frame set out in the contract, and if it was not checked within that time

frame Guyana will have to accept and pay every single cent, as is,” Lall said in a recent radio commentary on Kaieteur Radio.

Who will miss such a deadline?

“Now we are being told by the man himself, our VP, that the deadline has passed and we missed the boat so Guyana will have to foot that bill, that $10BUSD bill.”

The newspaper published asked: “ Who on earth would miss a two year deadline to check a bill coming from people you know you can’t trust with one dollar, much less $10BUSD? You know of anyone…?”

Opining that at least half of the US$10B bill presented

by Exxon was overstated, Lall said that US$5B is equivalent to two and a half years of Guyana’s Budget.

“Let me break it down more simple for you, with that $5BUSD Guyana didn’t have to go prostituting itself to any bank to get $100B for the next 50 years, that’s the kinda money we get [cheated] on because we didn’t check, these clowns let the time run out.” 0 He mentioned that Guyana was spending $15B to pay public servants this year. “…had these clowns checked and managed to save half of that US$10B, public servants salaries could have been doubled now, to the next 66 years with that money alone, and if you lessen the years you can increase the salary more as the years go by, and that is also factual what I am saying here.”

Lall noted that every year the nurses, the teachers, the police, the soldiers, and public servants in general could have been benefiting from a double and triple increase in their salaries.

“That’s the kinda money we lose out by not checking that US$10B and Jagdeo, Ashni Singh, Winston Jordan or any accountant can do the math to prove me wrong, Lall asserted. “Not checking those bills is what has left us in this situation where we would have to continue to borrow every year to give public servants a salary increase…”

During his latest press engagement Jagdeo told the nation that government is disappointed that it has not been able to push through with these critical post-2017 audits.

Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition, MP, Roysdale Forde Expounding further, the Vice President said, “We have been very disappointed that we have not been able to select a group to do the audit of the post-2017 expenditure

by Exxon. The reason is that we didn’t have strong local content. We had two groups, two local groups that came in but they were not strong enough. We want to build the capacity in Guyana to do this audit. We think that our people have enormous skills, forensic skills and auditing capacity.”

The former President added, “…we’re looking to see if we can’t have an arrangement where we have a consortium of our local people to come together to do part of this work while working alongside an international group…”

Jagdeo said he has since asked the Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat to examine the possibilities of getting together, all of the groups from Guyana which have an expressed interest in Continued on page 3

Monday November 15, 2021

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‘Policing of Local Content Legislation crucial’ ...GCCI President says Commission must get power to apply penalties on errant oil companies A robust Local Content legislation or policy means nothing if the right mechanisms are not in place to ensure the provisions in these documents are obeyed by oil companies and their subcontractors.

This is essentially the position of President of the

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Mr. Timothy Tucker.

During a recent interview on Kaieteur Radios programme, Guyanas Oil and You alongside his colleague, GCCI Executive Member, Richard Rambarran, Tucker categorically stated that there

needs to be a Local Content Commission in place to ensure the oil sector gets rigid oversight. He said too that there must be penalties in place for those who fail to be compliant.

The GCCI President said, “There has to be an oversight body to make sure that those

Public servants lose 66 years of...

From page 2 working with a foreign company on this front. He said this is the preferred option as the country desperately needs to increase its auditing capacity and competencies.

Casual and callous Reacting to Jagdeo’s comments Lall said the VP was very casual and callous in addressing the issue.

“Hear what he told the nation…listen to his excuses and how he presented it to us, as if this is candy money or snow cone money we give away.” He continued: “Not even a joker would allow a clown to spend money which has to come out of his pocket and that is what the VP Jagdeo telling us. This man run this country 12 years as President, now he is heading this trillion USD oil sector and telling this nation that he disappointed for not checking $10BUSD spending, knowing there is a time limit to do so.”

Mocking Jagdeo, Lall said: “But hear what this financial guru Bharrat Jagdeo telling us, he is disappointed that the time lapsed and he didn’t have people to verify $10BUSD, like I said if you were cheated US$5B , that money is 2 ½ years Budget gone down the drain, it means everything we are doing in Guyana could have been doubled for the next 2 ½ years, if you had to patch one road you could have patched two; if you had to fix one bridge, you could have fixed two… man everybody salaries could have been doubled too, with just that US$5B.” Criminal dereliction In addition, to Lall several other stakeholders have criticised the government’s handling of the matter. Canadian-based Guyanese, Dr Jerry Jailall in weighing on the matter said Guyana’s failure to audit Exxon’s US$9.5B spending is tantamount to the Government aiding and abetting the fleecing of Guyana’s resources. As such, he was adamant, “the

sin of omission of failure to do audits is as bad as the sin of commission of wrongdoing,” and that “no excuse can absolve the Government of this grave sin against the nation.”

According to Dr. Jailall, “this is not Exxon doing it to us. This is our own Government doing it to us.”

He suggested that Guyana, at the beginning of its oil journey is already manifesting the “resource curse” syndrome.

Dr. Jailall qualified his position by drawing reference to the fact that the ongoing Public Accounts Committee’s hearings “are all about how the country’s monies are being misspent and there is poor accountability, poor record keeping, missing receipts of transactions and payments running into hundreds of millions of dollars, and at the end of the hearings, nobody is going to jail for the unaccounted millions.”

He pointed also to “poorly equipped hospitals that kill our loved ones, dialysis treatment is unavailable in most of Guyana, most of our village roads are mud roads still, our schools are primitive, internet services are unavailable or poor in most of Guyana, and we have a long list of urgent needs.”

56 years of personal income tax For his part, Opposition Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Roysdale Forde described the situation as a massive financial failure that reflects a dereliction of duty.

He said the money forfeited could have paid the personal income tax of all Guyanese for the next 56 years.

Moreover, he is calling for “an independent investigation into this colossal act of incompetence.”

Commenting further, Forde said that the i n c u m b e n t P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration, “opted to let US$9.5 billion

or G$1.8 trillion go, than to entrust a high-valued job to ‘not so strong’ local auditors.”

Forde added, “not only is this disclosure pathetic but it shows Jagdeo’s lack of confidence in the skilled persons of this country and the contempt that he and the PPP/C have for Guyanese as a whole.” As such, he posited, “local auditors must feel like peons (unimportant) knowing what Jagdeo and the installed PPP/C administration think of them.”

According to Forde, “it is stunning to see that it was better for him, who has no auditing skills, to let such a potentially large sum of money be forfeited with the added loss of an opportunity for local auditors to learn on the job.”

The situation, he observed, comes “in a time when the cost-of-living is rising and families are hurting” and lamented, “it is amazing that the country is willing to accept a reckless decision.”

A decision he said, that would potentially let “G$1.8 trillion go down the drain; with such wanton disregard for the financial needs of the people, this installed government is showing its true colours of having no real interest in working in the best interest of this country.”

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram commenting on the issue in the Stabroek News flayed what he described as government’s “nonchalant attitude.” He said the administration could have asked Canada for help, if indeed there was a problem sourcing competent local auditors.

“And if the Government was so interested in auditing those costs, it could have called on the Audit Office, which has easy access to Canada and its wealth of experience in petroleum audits, to provide assistance, even as a short-term measure,” Ram was quoted as saying in the Stabroek News.

who are operating within the sector, they are doing what the legislation says they should be doing. That body will or should ensure companies are reaching their local content targets, they are employing Guyanese, they are procuring locally, and they’re engaging Guyanese…”

Tucker further advocated that a Local Content Commission will be crucial to ensuring transparency in the industry as that it would or should be mandated to analyse data from the companies and provide reports on their performance.

He said, “So that will by itself, guide the industry. We will know where we don’t have capacity, we will know where we have capacity and we can adjust the targets to suit what we have and what we don’t have…”

Tucker was also keen to note that GCCIs calls for a robust regulatory body was reignited in recent months following complaints from several members that they are being sidelined for the provision of non-technical services that include trucking, customs brokerage, logistics, recruitment, etc.

He said, too, that some complaints noted a lack of awareness regarding key oil sector opportunities for

President of the GCCI, Mr. Timothy Tucker

employment and procurement. Tucker said GCCI is of the firm conviction that most if not all procurement should be done in-country and if it is found that the requisite services cannot be provided, only then should outside sources be sought.

His colleague, Richard Rambarran also shared similar sentiments. He said, “In a general sense, what the Chamber of Commerce has been receiving from its membership is a degree of frustration in the local private sector regarding access to the industry and participation in the industry, whether it is on the front of a technical matter or whether it’s on the front of a commercial obstruction…”

Rambarran noted that there are several hurdles, which businesses have to

overcome such as the absence of information on key opportunities. He said this puts locals on the backend when they have to compete against experienced companies with established networks, linkages, and prior supplier arrangements. ”If you put yourself in the average Guyanese business person’s shoes, you would realise that there is a high degree of frustration that would emanate as a result of this,” expressed the GCCI Executive member. While the draft Local Content Law has not been released for public perusal, Kaieteur News has reported that the government is fine tuning the document with the help of experts from Ghana. The bill is scheduled to be laid and debated in the National Assembly before year end.

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Kaieteur News

Monday November 15, 2021

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

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

EDITORIAL

What’s going on NPTAB?

The more things are added up in this country, the more Guyana ends up with a bigger minus sign; deeper in the red where doing the right things are involved. Some things simply do not make sense, no matter how kindly looked at, and particularly when we are supposed to have a proper and functioning mechanism in place. We reported on before, and today we point to, that construction contract for a building in Region 10.

“Fly-by-night company wins $346M contract to build primary school” (KN November 12). It is a big sum, close to the middle of a quarter and a half billion dollars, for a poor place like Guyana, now trying to gather its feet under it, following a long gruelling elections season, and a still intense and damaging viral pandemic. “Fly-by-night” is exactly how to describe this winning company all of a month old, since it fits perfectly. It fits still more seamlessly, because the people behind the company awarded the contract to build a primary school in Bamia, Region 10 are long experienced and better known for their presence in the realms of sports and entertainment.

Thus, it baffles that a company with such a track record could be awarded a $346M contract to build a school to house our very young and their educational guides. Even if this newly formed company, Statement Investment Inc, was the sole bidder, this does not measure up, but only looks more glaring, more unbelievable (and unacceptable), when recent tendering history has had more than one instance of retendering.

But, in the bidding for the contract for the school in Bamia, three other companies also submitted bids, but came out on the losing side of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), and of which more will follow later in this writing. It boggles the mind to think that these other three losing companies had a worst, or lesser, construction record than the fly-by-night Statement Investment Inc. Guyanese have had sharp and bitter experiences with fly-by-night entities before. They have been stranded at a bad time, lost money, and left holding the bag. They set up expectations, then when all seem settled and is least expected, they drop the hammer on people who have to pay in one way or another. We point to the rundown stories of local airlines plying the Georgetown to New York route as precedents and warning.

As we digest all of this, we now come to this state agency called NPTAB. In the simplest terms, this is a group of public servants assembled under a single umbrella to ensure that there is clarity and integrity to the business of the people, as such specifically relates to goods and services to improve the standard of living of Guyanese throughout the 10 administrative regions of this country. In theory, NPTAB is supposed to operate free of political interference and influence. In theory, the people leading the way at NPTAB, be they on the board itself, or those doing all the legwork on the ground before matters come before it, are expected and should possess, impeccable standards, and to be more honourable than Caesar’s wife. In theory, NPTAB functions, when at its best, as a filter and screener and protector of the interests of people and state.

But all of these are in theory only; and this is Guyana, which has its own set of realities, that leaves us gasping.

For when something like this happens, with this fly-by-night to build a school, we find our faith in the credibility and integrity of the people at NPTAB, and the agency itself, coming under the severest distress. This does not bode well for NPTAB, or for the confidence of Guyanese, who have seen so many of these inexplicable and sickening situations, that they are no longer fooled.

It would be helpful, if we could be enlightened as to what were the criteria used to arrive at awarding the contract to Statement Investment Inc., and to the disadvantages of the others competing to build that school in Bamia. We think, using this as a test case, all Guyana would want to know the basis for this award. We invite NPTAB to share.

Draft amendments to the Representation of the People Act – good, bad and ugly DEAR EDITOR, The proposed draft amendments to the Representation of the People Act, all six thousand, five hundred and more words, have strong pluses, some glaring minuses.

The priorities rightly target fraud and attempts at fraud, but only partially and selectively, I believe. I think that some areas that were left untouched open the door for more disputes, and the endless wrangling that are so much an inseparable component of politics in this country, generally; and elections, in particular. I start with the positives, which I believe will go some way to help in reducing some of the excesses, and outright absurdities that have taken place every elections season here.

For starters, there was a keen eye for, and spirited moves towards, closing loopholes and opportunities to exploit them, which I interpret to be largely directly traceable to the lessons from last year elections, and the post mortems performed on that fiasco.

There is this heavy emphasis on fraud prevention, official wrongdoing, and the attendant sanctions for violations. I think those are in order. The combination of hefty fines and lengthy prison sentences do not speak to discretion and remediation, but of powerful

caution and conviction: don’t do this, don’t think of it, don’t dare go anywhere near there.

Or else, walk with toothbrush and pajamas, as it will be a long stay.

Second, at almost every level, the draft material takes focus and sharp aim at fraud prevention, through a number of arrangements, and always with punishing sanctions brandished warningly. In terms of the mechanics and structure of the proposed amendments, they are thick and dense, would be torturous and mindboggling to an outsider unfamiliar with our experiences and, what I shall label as our nimbleness and innovations, with things elections. It is as if the PPP Government, no slouch in the electoral skullduggery department, went on the warpath, to neutralize what menaces process and efficiency, and the people responsible for such.

Not shabby at all.

The amendments seek to limit severely, if not eradicate, those areas that have long been exploited by political adversaries. They include: ballot papers, polling places, electoral processes, and enemy practices, now mostly well known to Guyanese.

Another is the substitution clause to cover in the event of the unavailability of one or ones involved (the Mingo Factor) at district/sub-district levels. Though by no means

exhaustive, I recognize this, at a general level, for what it is: a savvy set of proposed amendments, a draft of cleverly devilish proportions, with American Republican fingerprints plastered all over, and a foxy package heavily favouring the PPP. I say this because these draft amendments don’t go near certain places, which are advantageous to the ruling party.

Third, I am surprised (to put it mildly) that some existing elements have been retained, and some new ones have been introduced. In no particular order, I visit them and touch on them with a quick, faint brush. To begin with, there should be no provision for substitute identification for voting on election day.

My position is simple: no national identification card (except for a valid Guyana passport), no voting. On a similar note, there ought to be no allowance for proxy voters/voting. Turn up and vote, or don’t turn up at all, in any other form or shape or place.

Moreover, this space proposed in Section 70 (2) (3A) “to take the oath of identity in the form prescribed” before an electoral officer should have no place in local electoral arrangements. When taken together, there are simply too many places to be exploited, and which political operators and supporters are

only too ready to explore for the usual ends. I move on.

Fourth, in Section 84 (1) there is the substitution of “as soon as practicable” don’t do that; be finite. Give a number. In most other sections of the proposed amendments, there is tightening with “immediate” and other specifics about time clearly spelt out. Going in the other direction with “as soon as practicable” is too openended, too fraught with danger in a place like Guyana; could be forever. I am concerned about the manipulations that contribute to elections corruptions, and intensify racial and social furies.

Be rid of that replacement phrase, as it can lead to nothing good. I guarantee.

Fifth, Section 6 (7) addresses rental of available private facilities, if there are no available public spaces for polling activity, with the condition that they be “unconnected to a political party or politician.” That certainly looks good on paper, but I have difficulty in finding any place locally that could be considered “unconnected.”

Even our supposedly sacred sanctuaries (places of worship) have been profaned by political connections and influence; mostly for the worst purposes. I say that when private must be the case, let it be central, accessible, and (Continued on page 6)

BY MOST MEASURES, CONSTITUENCY POLITICS IN GUYANA IS FLOPPING DEAR EDITOR, Two of our respected advocates of constitution reform are once again calling for the adoption of one of the more appealing and less disputed ideas in our political restructuring—that of closing the distance between elected representatives and those who elect them. Desmond Thomas (Letter in SN 14th November) thus asserts that the government’s proposed changes to the election laws miss “the opportunity to make real progress by increasing the number of constituencies and improving the accountability connection between representatives and citizens”.

Ralph Ramkarran, in his latest post on his Conversation Tree blog, mourns that the 2001 reforms of the electoral system did not continue to the point to have, in his phrasing, the desired effect where an MP is identified with a particular constituency and constituency offices are established for the public to meet their MPs to address their issues and grievances.

Unfortunately, both

gentlemen have entirely ignored the fact that since 2016, the country has had actual case studies to empirically (not theoretically) see for itself how the constituency politics they advocate has actually performed. I refer, of course, to the return of local government elections in 2016 and its recurrence in 2018, both based on wide-ranging reforms to bridge the representation gap (or, to use Thomas’ words, to improve the accountability connection) between the elected and electors.

These elections were held in over 70 Local Authority Areas using a mixed electoral system to achieve two levels of connection: an upper level to elect half of the councilors using proportional representation and a gap-closing firstpast-the-post constituency level to elect the other half.

The system is open to voluntary groups, political parties and individual candidates to contest for seats in the municipalities and NDCs. A candidate must be living in the constituency being con-

tested (my representative lives in the street just behind mine). Up to 18 councillors sit on NDCs and up to 30 in municipalities. In short, an elaborate setup to achieve the grand objectives of a serious local government democracy or a constituency political system.

But, alas, the system is severely flopping by most measures—measures that need no elaboration as many of us experience or can observe the failures in our own communities firsthand. But let’s list some of them: nonexistent accountability to constituents; lack of transparency and public consultations in making major decisions (such as land sales); under-financing; inconsistent services; continued linkage to the national political dynamic; growth of oligarchies; and widespread disinterest and disenchantment of residents.

Given all these disappointments (and not only with local government but with most of the 2001 constitutional reforms), I would ask

Messrs Ramkarran and Thomas (and all others who call for extensive constitution reengineering) to pick up my recommendations in a 2019 letter that before we seek additional changes, let us thoroughly review why many of the wonderful ideas from the last CRC process have failed to deliver on hopes and expectations. In that letter, I proposed that a review (or impact assessment) should answer the following critical questions: (i) have the good governance measures healed racial insecurity and political disharmony (the two challenges that birthed the CRC process)? (ii) to what extent have all the 1999/2000 proposals been implemented? For instance, how has Article 13 (establishment of an inclusionary democracy) moved beyond words? And (iii) to what extent have implemented measures fulfilled their design objectives? For instance, how effective have been the Ethnic Relations Commission and the local government system?

Sherwood Lowe

Monday November 15, 2021

POSTERITY SHOULD NOT BE FED WITH DISTORTED HISTORY DEAR EDITOR, An editorial was penned in the press (KN, October 19, 2021) exalting Colin Powell who passed away recently.

The editorial was brilliantly written and sounded like a eulogy – all adulation and exaltation; which is fine, for after all, it is not ‘proper’ to speak ill of the dead especially if lately departed.

Another article was a Project Syndicate contribution in the SN (Nov. 1, 2021) venerating General Colin Powell and written by Chris Patten. Both writers acquitted themselves creditably demonstrating obvious knowledge and experience.

Mr. Patten referenced not only General Powell but also Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela. Mr. Patten is strikingly familiar in world affairs.

He was governor of Hong Kong, and a staunch Conservative Tory. In fact, for most of his life he was a practicing politician. Around 2005 he was appointed Chancellor of the University of Oxford, which was probably titular because he was most probably not graded on academic credentials alone. Oxford is ancient, ranked among the top in the world, where tradition is upheld. Incidentally, in 1980 I was a Visiting Fellow (of Linacre College by default) when I witnessed a formal dinner tradition in Linacre College banquet hall. I am still nonplussed about it, but this is passé. What I can remember are blurred conversations, a surfeit of liquors of any description, and lots of food. The atmosphere was an admixture of raucous solemnity. Soon tradition may be thrown overboard by a political googly – a £155m donation from Vietnam’s richest woman may facilitate a Linacre name change. Also, currently there are equivocal debates with respect to the statue of Cecil Rhodes.

Autres temps, autres moeurs!

Mr. Patten writes glowingly of General Colin Powell, Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela.

Suffice to say that Mr. Mandela is beyond reproach.

He was/is in the good company of M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Kofi Annan has a dubious moral fragility. As UN Secretary-General, he performed very well indeed, passing all the diplomatic niceties. However, he failed miserably and hauntingly in 1994. By his inaction and involvement with then President Bill Clinton, hundreds of thousands were massacred in Rwanda. The prevailing powers failed to heed the plea of the UN peacekeeping General Romeo

Dallaire and ignored his warnings about the portending tribal genocide. No kind of sanitizing by Mr. Patten can dissolve memories of the massacre of some 800,000 people in a matter of days – as the world was awed by the chilling news.

General Colin Powell of Jamaican heritage was an ‘ordinary’ kid growing up in New York City. Somewhere/somehow his persona was transmogrified from the unassuming kid to that of the soldier. He became a soldier and he served commendably both in office and the field. What I find distasteful (probably because I do not share his philosophical and political outlook) is that as a young black man he pursued a military (meaning war) career and served faithfully under two republican presidents. Of course, he had that right to do so! During his military sojourn, there was no blemish on his character as far as I know. I saw him on TV during the preemptive exchanges prior to President George W. Bush attack on Iraq. This was a difficult time following the 9/11 felling of the Twin Towers. These terms are apropos “causa belli” and “casus belli”. As a military man he had to make good assessment and judgment, to be precise, accurate, and with ready preparedness. I make the assumption that he was able to accomplish all his duties meritoriously. On TV General Powell appeared befuddled, confused, and in disarray. As a soldier and a gentleman, I am presuming that he did not know how to lie unabashedly – a good man trying to appease and serve his “masters” George W. Bush and Tony Blair. But he did subscribe to the lies that were generated for the invasion of Iraq – the casus belli. He could have/should have refused to be part of the diabolical plot, as the plot thickened. And we are experiencing the unending ruinous fallout…. For his complicity in

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this alone, his stature became tarnished, and no amount of whitewashing can remove the stain. Regrettably so!

The philosophy of any publication generally speaks to inclusion and integration; the free press usually follow an eclectic mix of viewpoints but at the same cognizant of and distinguish between lies and honest mistakes, errors of commission and errors of omission. This necessitates vigilant and constant oversight and scrutiny. The editorial policy must also allow for latitude of expression of other opinions and the other “truth”.

One must be aware that one’s sincere belief in accuracy and “truth” may nonetheless be an “untruth”, bearing in mind the distinct distinction between truth and truthfulness. One can make an honest mistake, not necessarily be mendacious, just like the difference between an error and a lie. Thus, Mr. Patten should have told the whole story. Should there be convenient omissions and evasions…?

I write this with a heavy heart, as I realise that relatives and friend are still mourning their loss. Painful as it is, one should not be silent, and allow posterity to be fed with distorted history. Moral strength may be measured by taking sides, that is, where one stands in moments of challenges and controversy.

Notwithstanding, I thank Mr. Chris Patten for bringing to the fore the good qualities of these individuals.

Gary Girdhari

Congratulations to the President for taking the first steps towards a safer Guyana DEAR EDITOR, Congratulations to President Ali on his refocus on the safety of our citizens. This is the foundation that is necessary to start down a path to true prosperity. It is one of the three pillars on a good society where citizens are able to easily prosper and enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Environment, Health and Safety is essential to setting the correct course towards a good life, and within this framework safety must be first and foremost. Offering amnesty and an opportunity for selfchange amongst those who have taken our Nation down the wrong path towards prosperity is a very forgiving action being taken by the current Administration. It should not be taken lightly.

After the amnesty period

is up, the Administration will have full support and authority to use the entire weight of the law to round up and punish those still engaging in criminal activity. A good house cleaning always starts at the top and it is essential that the government begins by purging themselves of all those who have been known to have participated and continue to participate in criminal and illegal activities.

If not done, the lowerlevel criminals, who are the protected foot soldiers of the criminal elements with influence and powerful connections, will continue to disregard the authority of the Government, the Courts, the Police and the Prisons. By purging the system of criminals with authority, the voices of those who adhere to the law

Does Shuman retain Deputy Speaker’s job after rotation?

Dear Editor, The joinder parties by signing an agreement were able to get one seat in Guyana’s parliament.

Mr. Lenox Shuman presently holds that seat and was elected Deputy Speaker.

But the joinder parties have a rotation system in which case Mr. Shuman will not be in parliament when his term is up. What does it mean for the Deputy Speaker’s job?

Does Mr. Shuman retain

the right to be the deputy speaker?

Is that position rotated with the joinder party’s new MP? If Mr. Shuman were to retain the Deputy Speaker’s job it would mean the joinder parties would have two MPs in Parliament.

This cannot be right.

What’s the solution to this problem?

Sincerely, Sultan Mohamed

will be strengthened and allowed to have a stronger impact on the integrity and honesty of our Nation. Thus, allowing the Government to regain control of our legal system, the police and the prison system. To this day I still remember when a thief was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing a breadfruit. This was in the 1980’s when criminals were still given the grand prize of a hanging and caning was acceptable in our schools. During that time period our streets and homes were safer. Those thinking of behaving badly and engaging in criminal activity would hesitate to carry out such actions because they knew how serious the punishment was for being disobedient and breaking the law.

Singapore still carries out caning of criminals and China continues to use a firing squad.

The culture of Guyana is not that of other Nations such as North America, and we must revert to the system that works best for our culture which is more aligned to that of Singapore. Then and only then will control be regained and the safety of our villages, communities, cities and our Nation be restored.

Currently, many criminals (Continued on page 6)

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Kaieteur News

Gross incompetence by the PPP/C Govt. has robbed Guyanese of billions DEAR EDITOR, The concept the “Stockholm Syndrome” originated in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 during a bank robbery when four bank robbers took some bank employees hostages for several days. During their captivity, hostages developed a psychological bond with their captors and, as a result, they defended their captors and refused to testify in court against them after they were released. Not only did the hostages defend their captors, but they helped to raise money for their legal defense. Such paradoxical behaviour now permeates our beloved country, as Guyanese are being robbed of a colossal sum due to the mammoth failure of the powers that be to complete the audit of EXXON’s pre –contract for Lisa 1 & Lisa 2 deductible expenses. Governments past and present have sold out the interests of Guyanese to foreigners, especially the giant oil companies, and this will negatively impact future generations. As a result, the nation is saddled with the gargantuan sum of US$9.5 Billion that must be paid to ExxonMobil by the taxpayers.

Lest we forget, in 2018, the self-anointed oil and gas Overseer had blasted the APNU+AFC coalition government for its sloth in auditing US$460 million in Exxon costs, but now in 2021, the same Overseer has forfeited

US$9.5 billion, due to the PPP/ C government failure to conduct a forensic audit. This is hypocrisy at its zenith, yet voices of objections have been sporadic, feeble and to some extent silent, as if such gross incompetence and depraved behaviour is acceptable. Surprisingly, some in the PPP/C government even praised the government. It seems that Guyana’s political leaders have been scheming and conspiring with Exxon to rob the country and its citizens of its resources, which suggests that the Stockholm Syndrome has made its way to Guyana. In fact, the Stockholm syndrome has consumed our leaders, past and present.

The senior management of ExxonMobil are generally sleazy, tricky, and unscrupulous and they have demonstrated such conduct globally in dealing with several poor countries, including Guyana, which they have given a paltry two percent royalty, a measly US$18 million signing bonus and a lousy 50/50 deal for the country’s high-quality oil.

Since independence on May 26, 1966, governments past and present have made some problematic and inane investments that have resulted in outright failed projects.

For decades billions of dollars have been wasted on white elephants such as the Glass Factory, the Skeldon Sugar Factory, Amalia Falls

hydro project, D’Urban Park Stadium, and a Drug Storage Bond, among others. Both the PPP and PNC governments have also embarked on some ill-fated programmes including the National Service and ‘One laptop per family.’ The sheer corrupt and awkwardness of the current and past leaders and their respective clique, continue to make Guyana a comical and warp nation.

Similarly, the Marriott Hotel, the Berbice River Bridge, and the D’Urban Park Stadium whose construction have never been audited as well as the cost of the Specialty Hospital have all become major failed endeavours, thus costing the taxpayers more than US$300 million— money that could have been used to build proper infrastructure, improved education and the health care systems and build several homes for low-income families. Sadly, these failed projects have also made the Cooperative Republic of Guyana the laughingstock of the Caribbean and perhaps the world. It is a serious problem that must be addressed.

The situation calls for crucial reforms and criminal investigations of misconduct and malfeasance of public officials, including those who have traded away our resources to the multinational giants like ExxonMobil.

Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

Upcoming appointments at GECOM DEAR EDITOR, Guyana received its independence since 1966 and one would have hoped that concerns about racial insecurity would have dissipated over the years but it has not.

Two political parties, the PPP and the PNC, have been in government since then and it is for another article to discuss this failure and aberration in our society.

Guyana had its elections in March 2020 and it was only in August 2021 that the results were finally announced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

We are all aware that this inexcusable delay was as a result of the numerous Court matters that were filed and had to be determined.

GECOM whose responsibility was to prepare, conduct and announce the results must take a major share of the fiasco that followed after the polls were closed.

It is my humble view that the root cause must lay as a result of the composition of the members of the Commission and this needs to be changed in order to avert any future re-occurrence.

The members of the Guyana Election Commission comprise the Chair-person and six members.

Three of the six members are appointed by the Government and the remaining by the majority Opposition Party in Parliament.

The Chair-person is appointed by the President of Guyana with the concurrence

Draft amendments to the Representation of ...

From page 4 open to scrutiny.

Sixth, the division of Region Four into four sub-districts makes for some statistical sense, since it is the most populous, most troublesome, and most subject to heavy infiltrations and manipulations (by both sides). Those range from spreadsheets tampered with, ballot boxes reengineered, and hostilities concentrated. In the next breath, it is definitely more logistically accessible, more technologically connected, and more politically scrutinised than its brethren. Still further, the geography, for one, does not demand this subdivision. So, the question I ask myself (and others) is:

why? A brief could be advanced for time, convenience, and bulk, all practical considerations.

But I ponder if this is not a tricky political stick and carrot combination. In view of what was claimed about ballot boxes on the East Coast, and similar disturbing matters in Georgetown, I think that several purposes are served.

Separate sheep from goats, dilute potential fraud concentrations and visions, and work a little electoral magic for self in between. I am still trying to figure out where the final sub-district boundaries are going to be, and the reactions to those.

Also, the disposition of the four sub-districts’ seven

(7) seats in the National Assembly, without fractions. I believe that the sub-districts redrawing could be a source of contention.

Seventh, rather curiously and venturing afield, given the level of anxieties over electoral lists, the proposed amendments were noticeably silent in this regard. I regard that as an opportunity missed to put to bed. The amendments furnished the occasion to address with authority and finality, and also those issues that surfaced last year about residence and overseas voters. Failure to address (under whatever separate cover they may appear) shrinks the electoral reform umbrella.

My final thoughts are that

Monday November 15, 2021

the amendments have helpful elements, some suspicious ones, components to be raged over, and sensitive parts missing. The PPP started out with something as intricate as these amendments with a top-down mindset.

That is, alone; and this is what it is, take it or leave it.

From the very start, it ought to have involved the widest cross-section of Guyanese, as possible. Now, the exercise in consultations, a patented fraud by itself, takes over. Since a simple majority is all that is needed, this was over before it started. Happy voting, Guyana.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

of the leader of the Opposition.

The members of the Commission should be objective in the performance of their duties and have the best interests of Guyana and the ensuring of elections that are free and fair.

Have they been loyal to the oath they swore and to ensure that they are objective?

Have they when acting as GECOM Commissioners cast aside their respective party loyalties?

Have they been able to satisfy the electorate that their decisions were fair and that the electorate can have confidence in the electoral process and the results? You decide. Perspective is so important!

What had occurred was that the Commission was divided along party lines with the government appointed members on one side and the opposition appointed members on the other side. It was left to the Chair-, on the crucial matters, to cast the deciding vote.

When this occurred, according to the matter decided, the members of the public who supported the side that had the vote in their favour were elated.

The other half was not and questioned the impartiality of the Chairperson, Claudette Singh.

GECOM now has another important task to conduct and that is the appointment of the Chief Election Officer and several other important positions in the machinery for the conduct of elections in Guyana.

If they fail in this duty and appoint persons who do not portray objectivity or have a political party loyalty or can be perceived to have such loyalty or not competent for the respective positions then this will be a further blow to

our democracy and the acceptance of future election results may also be questioned.

It is imperative for the respective political parties to understand that it would be in their interests and the greater good of Guyana for us to have a GECOM which we can feel and believe is objective and fair.

If this is achieved, they can be at ease that no mumbo jumbo or abracadabra or incorrect addition will be sprung on them in the future.

We/Guyana have too much to lose now with the wealth that we have and will get from the oil and gas sector.

I call upon the GECOM commissioners to cast aside their political loyalties and show to the citizens of Guyana and the world that they have the will and determination to appoint persons who can have the confidence of all the electorate.

The respective political parties must inform their appointed members that they also expect this perspective from the persons whom they had appointed.

But in my heart, it is hard to see them doing this and perhaps we are all to blame as we have to a great extent remained silent and not championed our desire to see fair play, objectivity and the banishment of race in our society and elections.

GECOM has to show us that the process in the appointments will be fair and acceptable.

They have to inform us how they will achieve this and we should accept nothing less.

I do hope that all the appointments will not be by the Chairperson casting her majority vote as that will not be comforting or acceptable to me. Perhaps you too also!

K. A. Juman-Yassin, S.C, A.A.

Congratulations to the...

From page 5 and deportees laugh at the authorities with no fear of punishment because of rampant corruption and weak penalties for criminal activity.

We must teach the criminals that there is nothing to fear but fear itself and the punishment they will receive in our Nation is such that it will drive fear into their souls and they will pray to be deported to a different country. People must feel and know that in Guyana the authorities do not play around. You have to follow the law or you will feel its

full force and weight. The laws of our Nation are not a joke, and we the Guyanese people will not tolerate any disrespect for our laws, nor any stealing of our belongings nor killing of our law-abiding citizens.

Once again, Congratulations to His Excellency President Ali for taking the first steps towards a safer Guyana.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Man killed, stuffed in rice bag trying to save son from licks

By Malisa Playter-Harry Police in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) are investigating the alleged beating to death of a 64-year-old man from Woodley Park Village, West Coast Berbice.

Two suspects have since been arrested while investigators are seeking others.

Dead is Bheim Evans called ‘Lailo’.

The man was battered to death by several men from his village while he was trying to save his son who was also being beaten. The suspects accused Evans of stealing a silver chain, a gold chain and eight silver rings.

The injured son of the deceased, Tichan Persaud, 21 also of Woodley Park, told Kaieteur News that he had just left the ‘Level Up’ bar at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice when he was approached by the men. He related that there were at least five men whom he

Persaud, the men turned their attention to him and beat him too.

“Dem just start beat me father. They lash he cross he face with the rope and with the cutlass and then dem take pepper spray and spray he on he private parts and they take gas and throw it in he face,” the injured Persaud said.

He disclosed that the men brutally beat his father in his presence until he was unconscious.

Bheim Evans called ‘Lailo’ The men then wrapped Evan in a rice knew and all were armed with cutlasses, chains, pieces sack and dragged him some of rope and pepper spray. He 300 feet away from where he said it was not too long after was beaten. They then the men had stopped than discarded him on the parapet they began to beat him while near a trench.

“They take the man and telling him “I know what you throw he at the trench corner father do.”

Persaud said he kept and I run and come to my telling the men that he did not sister that live right at the know what they were talking back and we call a taxi and about but this angered them we go to the police and then e v e n m o r e a n d t h e y police come with we and we collected my father and take continued beat him.

It was not long after that him to the hospital and dem his father (the victim) arrived say he dead,” Persaud said. and in an attempt to save Investigations are ongoing.

Monday November 15, 2021

PAC highlights breach of tendering process by former Region 2 REO The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last Monday, highlighted a breach of the tendering process made by former Regional Executive Officer of Region Two under the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) ad min is tr ation, Rupert Hopkinson.

The issue was brought to the fore during a review of the 2016 Auditor General report 2016. According to the report, Hopkinson had approved a reduced scope of works than that which were agreed to under the original contract for construction work to Marlborough Health Centre, Lower Pomeroon.

The report outlined that instead of the works on a timber bridge, perimeter fence and revetment, only a longer timber revetment was contracted. The Audit Office found that that original contract sum was paid but no bridge or fence was constructed.

Also the auditors noted no approval or variation order was ever presented for the changes, Hopkinson acted on his own and approved the change to scope of works. He later admitted to his wrongdoing by in a letter to Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs. Hopkinson expressed regret not seeking approval for the changes to the scope

Former REO for Region Two, Rupert Hopkinson of works and said he was sorry for the oversight.

However, the Auditor General noted in the report that, “The regional administration should ensure in future that works are retendered when there is an entire change in the scope of works to allow for competitive bidding and fairness to all bidders and variation orders are prepared and approved in keeping with the conditions of the contract when there are changes to the scope of works.”

Questions about the misuse of funds by the Region Two Administration and a subsequent audit have revealed several other contraventions, including breaches in the award of contracts, payments for incomplete works, and

misallocation of funds for at least six projects in the previous year.

These projects were the construction of a fence at Unity Park, Ex-mouth, Essequibo Coast (phase 1); the construction of a fence at Unity Park, Ex-mouth, Essequibo Coast (phase 12); the construction of a bus shed at Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast; general repairs to the landing at Liberty Primary School, Lower Pomeroon River; general repairs to the sitting area at Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast; and general repairs to the Anna Regina Health Centre located on the Essequibo Coast.

When he was REO, Hopkinson was questioned extensively on the use of expenditure to fund capital projects, as was observed in the 2016 Auditor General’s (AG) report. When Hopkinson appeared before the PA, he attempted to explain that the head of programmes had agreed that the projects were a necessity.

The total cost of those projects was $37,784,115.

The audit team found evidence of capital projects being funded under budget allocations, specifically under maintenance of bridges, buildings and other infrastructure.

Monday November 15, 2021

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Kaieteur News

The PEPS requirements are preventative not punitive Anyone who has had the fortune or misfortune to visit a money transfer agency may end up leaving with the feeling that too many questions were asked of them. But those questions are not intended to violate anyone’s privacy or to discriminate or stigmatise rather to ensure compliance with the law and to ensure due diligence in financial transactions.

I have long told my overseas relatives not to send any monies for me through a bank or a wire transfer agency. I do not need remittances but the main reason for not accepting them is because I am not prepared to answer those questions which are often asked by banks and wire transfer companies.

However, I do acknowledge that the agencies concerned have every right to be asking those questions which are requirements of the country’s Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act. If the average citizen feels violated by those requirements, imagine how much harder it is for politically exposed persons (PEPs). Such persons are subject to much more stringent requirements, in accordance with the country’s anti money laundering and the combatting of the financing of terrorism laws.

Those stringent requirements are part of the principal AML/CFT Act. The APNU+AFC made amendments to this Act but saw no reason to alter the requirements in relation to the politically exposed persons.

The law provides that a money transfer agency of any other financial institution must do a number of things

in relation to transactions involving PEPs. First, the agency must identify and verify the identity of the politically exposed person. Second, it must have appropriate risk management systems to determine whether the person is politically exposed. Third, the approval of senior management is required before doing any business with a politically exposed person.

Fourth, in such cases the agency has to take reasonable measures to determine the source of the money which is being transferred. Fifth, the agency is required to undertake enhanced monitoring of the business relationship with the politically exposed person.

A PEP is defined by the AML/CFT Act as any individual who is or has been entrusted with prominent public functions on behalf of a State, including a Head of State or of government, senior politicians, senior government, judicial or government officials and senior executives of state-owned corporations. It also includes important political party officers, including family members or close associates whether resident in Guyana or not.

If when one visits a money transfer company to undertake a transaction, one is told that one is deemed a politically exposed person, then it is not discriminatory for the approval of management to be sought before any transaction is initiated or processed. It is not discriminatory also for the entity concerned to ask the source of the funds being transacted and the uses to which it will be put. It is not discriminatory for questions or queries to be asked or made respectively in relation to those and other

transactions.

The law mandates that these actions be taken. It is a law which the APNU+AFC did not object to or find discriminatory.

The laws and regulations concerning PEPs are preventative rather than punitive.

According to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), many PEPs hold positions that can be abused for the purpose of laundering illicit funds or other predicate offenses such as corruption or bribery.

Because of the risks associated with PEPs, the FATF recommendations require the application of additional AML/CFT measures to business relationships with PEPs. These requirements should not be interpreted as meaning that all PEPs are involved in criminal activity.

FATF has gone to great lengths insisting that these requirements which apply to PEPs do not collide with antidiscrimination laws which safeguard equality of all citizens. The requirements are part of a corpus of additional measures which are purely preventative in nature and which are applied to high-risk relationships, “whether those relationships are with natural persons or legal persons” and are specifically “linked to prominent public functions, irrespective of the personal characteristics of the persons holding them.”

The main aim of the PEPs requirements goes beyond preventing money laundering and financing terrorism. It is also directed towards their predicate offences including preventing corruption and bribery, according to FATF. Those who do not wish to subject themselves to interrogation and to these require-

Dem Boys Seh…

Dem money transfer agency is like de CID Sometimes when yuh guh in dem money transfer place, yuh does believe dat yuh deh in de Criminal Investigation Department and under suspicion fuh some grand crime. Dem does grill yuh so much yuh does find out things bout yuh self yuh bin never know.

De other day a man walk in one ah dem money transfer agencies. And when dem done with he, he nah know whether fuh tun south or north. He wasn’t even sure wat he name was. And was like he just run a marathon. De man was soak

in perspiration. He bin feel as if he just been through wan inquisition.

It remind dem boys bout dem bank. Dem does be real nice dese days. Dem does always be calling yuh up… fuh remind yuh dat yuh loan repayment due.

Is like de taxman. He does only know yuh when yuh owe he money. But leh he owe you money, yuh gat to call he every day and he don’t answer de phone.

But dem boys know dat money talks but dem boys own does wave goodbye as soon as dem get it. Is always

somebody want a freck out of de lil freck yuh getting.

And when yuh help dem out, dem does decide fuh save de money by not remembering who dem borrow it from.

One man come fuh borrow some money from dem boys.

Dem boys tell he how dem exercising dis month.

He ask dem boys wat dat got to do wit de loan he want.

Dem boys explain dat de only exercise dem does do is to run away from dem wah wan borrow.

Talk half and know when fuh exercise like dem boys.

ments always have another option, as I have relied upon: Ask those who are sending remittances to you not to do so.

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

Kaieteur News

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Monday November 15, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

MR. JUMAN-YASSIN’S LETTER IS YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR ME

I

n a letter to the press y e s t e r d a y, w e l l known city attorney, K . A . J u m a n - Ya s s i n (KAJY), in writing on electoral reform noted: “Two political parties, the PPP and the PNC, have been in government since then and it is for another article to discuss this failure and aberration in our society.”

I will await the forthcoming article but I hope it goes beyond the sentence, which I quoted from KAJY. His letter gives me another opportunity to reinforce my advocacy for applying other paradigms in trying to understand the failure to transform Guyana

from a polity of ethnic strife, political exclusion and anachronistic political culture.

Here are eight pieces by me (this column makes it nine) that advocate for a new approach to analysing the recurrent failures in Guyanese politics. KAJY used the word “aberration” and it is from the use of that noun, I will further challenge theorists and political observers who continue to see Guyana’s political economy and sociological forms through the prism of a dire struggle for domination by the PNC and PPP. 1 - Wednesday, July 22, 2020, “Dr. McDoom’s pair

of red underwear has lost its brightness and shape.”

2 - Sunday, October 4, 2020, “Dialectics in Guyana’s politics: An alternative theory.”

3 - Tuesday, July 14, 2020, “In the diaspora, in Plato’s cave.”

4 - July 28, 2020, “Trotz, de Souza and rigging: The i m p r i s o n e d F re u d i a n mind.”

5 - Monday, December 14, 2020, “The sickening admission/confession of Raphael Trotman.”

6 - September 25, 2021, “Recording history: Dr. Tarron Khemraj adds his two cents.”

7 - Saturday, October 2,

2021, “The PPP/PNC song and bell have been sung out and rung out.”

8 - Monday, November 1, 2021, “This huge gap in Guyanese politics has to be filled.”

If there is any aberration in the use of power that generates a pessimistic refrain in the minds of Guyanese, it occurred after 2015. After 2015, the PPP no longer exercised state power.

The PNC was not a complete hegemonic actor in the state because its hegemony was quantitatively shared by extensive latitude possessed by the Alliance For Change (AFC). Top revolutionary, transformative Rodneyite figures from the 1970s - Drs. Clive Thomas, Rupert Roopnaraine and Maurice Odle - were in government.

They represented the Working People’s Alliance (WPA).

The word, “fantastic” would not be out of place to describe the anatomy and biology of the WPA from 1974 and the AFC from 2006. They were blessed with multi-racial constituencies, had superbly educated, multi-racial leaders who did not lack charisma, and were fervent denouncers of the direction the two main parties – PNC and PPP – had taken Guyana since the split between Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham in the first half of the 1950s.

The anticipation in 2015

that the WPA would dissolve the old way of using state power t resided in the exemplary praxis of Drs. Thomas and Roopnaraine.

Frederick Kissoon Both men were extremely close to Walter Rodney and their he early 1960s. Viewed by praxis was matched by their the Guyanese society as the final answer to the racial intellectual depth.

Thomas was the author d i m e n s i o n s i n t h e of one of the most sweeping physiology of the PPP and condemnations of capitalist P N C , t h e A F C i t s e l f economics. The book is reinforced its strength entitled: “Dependency and among the Guyanese by T r a n s f o r m a t i o n . T h e declaring it will never Economics of the Transition partner with the PNC or the to Socialism.” Here are the PPP. It told the nation once it names of three books that did that, the AFC will give you an insight into the become dead meat.

What happened after admirable minds of these two gentlemen: Clairmont 2015 with the AFC in power Chung’s “Walter Rodney: A constitutes one of the most Promise of Revolution”; painful tragedies in the 21st Frank Birbalsingh’s “the century in the entire world. It PPP of Guyana, 1950-1992: may be true to say that An Oral History”; Rupert G u y a n a h a s n o t y e t Roopnaraine’s “The Sky’s recovered from the failed Wi l d N o i s e : S e l e c t e d promise of the AFC. The PPP was not in power in 2015.

Essays.”

When you read these The PNC shared power after books and you juxtapose 2015 with the AFC. Yet them against the abysmal power was used in the same failure of the three WPA old way. One then has to look p e r s o n a l i t i e s i n t h e for new paradigms to government after 2015, then understand this stagnation. I the aberration that KAJY have offered my theories in referred to cannot be laid at several articles. I will wait the doorstep of the PPP and for what KAJY has to add.

PNC. (The views expressed in The AFC became the second most successful third this article are those of the party in the history of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t Caribbean after the United necessarily reflect the Force in this very country in opinions of this newspaper.)

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Monday November 15, 2021

CDC commissions $112M centre in Lethem

The new CDC Centre in Lethem (Photo Courtesy – DPI) Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips (above) and Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig during their address in Lethem (Photo Courtesy – DPI)

T

he Civil Defence C o m m i s s i o n ’s (CDC) Regional Disaster Management C e n t r e w a s o ff i c i a l l y commissioned on Friday in Lethem, Region Nine by the Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips.

The facility which is said to have been constructed at a cost of over $112 million (inclusive of the building, fencing and landscaping, beds, etc.), also facilitates a warehouse, shelter and conference room for Region Nine.

According to a Department of Public Information release, the commissioning ceremony was witnessed by the Regional Chairman, Regional Executive Officer, Lethem’s Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Town Clerk, members of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other Regional Heads. The Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock, provided opening remarks, lamenting on the importance of such a facility in the

Region. Allicock thanked the CDC and the Government of Guyana for adding the asset to Lethem.

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig in brief remarks said, “The Centre is the first of its kind in Guyana and can be considered as a monumental achievement for Disaster Risk Management locally.

The warehouse will be used to pre-position and stockpile relief supplies.

This is expected to increase the efficiency of emergency response operations in the Region by reducing the cost and time for shuttling relief supplies from Georgetown into the region.”

He said the facility will allow for items to be sourced within the region, which is anticipated to have a positive effect on the local economy.

Additionally, the shelter facility will boost the region’s capacity to provide housing for residents displaced during floods and other hazard impacts. The

office and training facilities will improve preparedness and be used to host meetings, training, simulation exercises and other capacity building activities, he explained.

Lieutenant Colonel Craig praised the Regional Office and Municipality for their continued support during this project and assured all in attendance that the facility will serve the Region, and ultimately Guyana, in the realm of Disaster Preparedness and Risk Management.

In his address, Prime Minister Phillips said the Region must take charge of “this monumental asset and utilise it in every regard.”

“This centre, continuous training and injection of other resources along with an active early warning system, will enhance the regional capacity to reduce the loss of lives, damages to assets and put it a step ahead of

reducing its vulnerability to hazards. The facility comes fully equipped with all the modern amenities and is ready to use,” Phillips said.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo, delivered the vote of thanks as the ceremony came to a close. The Mayor said the Region is proud to host the first Disaster Management

The beds inside of the CDC Centre (Photo Courtesy – DPI)

Centre in the nation and will ensure that opportunities are not wasted to use its many features. He expressed gratitude to the CDC, Government of Guyana, Regional Authorities and all others who aided to make the structure a reality.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister was given a tour of

the building and was consistently impressed with the layout, amenities and other features.

The CDC will work closely with the Regional Democratic Council and Municipal Authorities to ensure that the centre is always ready to support and manage any hazard or disaster in the Region.

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Monday November 15, 2021

Guyana-Norway agreement… Less than one percent spent on climate

resilience strategy and action plan

– LCDS 2030

A

Climate Central map illustrating land projected to be below tideline by 2030.

ccording to the P e o p l e ’ s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration, Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 draft, less than one percent of the US$166,400,000 that was funded through the GuyanaNorway agreement, was spent on climate resilience strategy and action plan.

Since the signing of the Guyana-Norway US$250 million agreement in 2009, three of the 12 projects are still ongoing and the chunk of the monies was spent on the management of the forest.

Through the GuyanaNorway agreement, the total sum of US$166,400,000 was allocated for the projects.

A table in the draft, which summarises Guyana’s earnings plus associated investment income, illustrated that out of the 12 projects under the agreement; eight are completed, three are ongoing and one is still to commence.

T h e s u m o f US$50,400,000 was already expended out of the monies that was allocated for the projects and out of that sum the single largest chunk of US$12,600,000, was spent on Transforming Forest Management – Monitoring, Reporting, Ve r i f i c a t i o n ( M R V ) System, while the single smallest sum was spent on the climate resilience strategy and action plan.

The LCDS 2030 highlights that there are over 40 serious climate change risks that are relevant now and are projected for 2030.

However, it was stated that work will commence on implementing the resilience objectives aimed at addressing these climate change risks based on identified risk level and importance.

As the adverse, and potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change are already being Continued on page 15

Over 129 died from COVID in October; 3,000 persons contracted virus With 36,817 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country thus far, some 3,602 of these were recorded in the month of October alone.

This is just about half of the number of cases recorded for the month of September.

Some 6,285 cases were recorded in September. In October too, a total of 129 individuals lost their lives after falling victim of the deadly disease. According to Kaieteur News analysis, out of the 3,602 cases, some 1,970 persons were women while, 1,632 were men.

Majority of these cases were recorded in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

A breakdown of the cases per region shows that from October 1 to 31, a total of 1,555 cases were recorded in Region Four; 584 in Region Three; 362 in Region Six; 270 in Region Two; 245 in Region 10; 154 in Region Five; 134 in Region One; 126 in Region Seven; 91 in Region Eight and 81 in Region Nine.

During that period, the least number of cases seen in one day was recorded on October 31 which had 36, while on October 8, there were 250 cases which totalled to the highest in just one day for that month.

Regarding the deaths, out of the 129 recorded, 60 persons were women while 69 were men, with the majority being recorded in Region Four. Out of the 69 men who passed away last month, 34 were from Region Four, 17 were from Region Three, five were from Region Two, four were from Region Six, four also were from Region 10, three were from Region Five and two were from Region One. Meanwhile, out of the 60 women who died, 32 of them were from Region Four, seven were from Region Three, seven were from Region Six, four were from Region Two, three from Region Five, three from Region Seven, and two each from Regions Nine and 10.

Three of the recorded deaths were persons below the age of 20; this includes an 18year-old girl from Region 10 who died on October 19, a four-month-old baby boy who died on October 13 and a seven-month-old baby boy who died on October 17, both of them were from Region One. While majority of the deaths were that of unvaccinated persons, others were fully and partially vaccinated with a COVID19 vaccine.

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

Crane Primary School girl on her way to QC Emily Vaamonde-Beria copped 515 marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) emerging as the top student at the Crane Primary School located on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD).

She earned a place at Queens’ College which she has always wanted to attend, the Ministry of Education said in a release. The 12year-old said she expected to do well but not to be at the top of her batch. “I feel very happy that I could’ve done so well. It was my expectation, but I did not expect to do so well,” Emily said after learning of her results in October.

“We are very proud and happy. We know we would have done good because we always give her the support

…had fled Venezuela with parents three years ago and encourage her to work very hard in her education,” her father Brayan Vaamonde said.

Emily is Venezuelan by birth; she was placed at the Crane Primary School in 2018 when she emigrated to Guyana with her parents and younger sibling. At the time, she was eight years old and her only exposure to the English language came from her Guyanese parents while living in the Spanishspeaking country.

At first, she said “It was a bit hard with the language barrier and to understand some of the subjects,” but Emily quickly learned the English words she did not

Less than one percent...

From page 14 experienced in Guyana, worrying details from a Climate Central map illustrates that Georgetown, Guyana, and eight other cities worldwide are forecast to be under water by 2030, due to the rising sea level stemming from climate change.

When questioned on the climate change recommendations that were made in a report, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, had stated that the wholesale relocating of coastal residents will be complicated and costl

understand and became a translator for other migrant students at her school.

In fact, her head teacher, Ms. Vashti Paul noted that Emily is often called upon by teachers to communicate with other Venezuelan students. “She was always happy to do so,” Ms. Paul said. She further praised the young scholar as being an example of an excellent pupil. “She excels at everything she embarks upon intentionally or unintentionally. She is selfconfident and selfmotivated. She is a wellrounded pupil, involved in academic as well as cocurricular activities.

Throughout her years at the Crane Primary School, she has always been the pupil that achieves the highest percentage in her class,” the teacher added.

The 12-year-old has since obtained her Guyanese citizenship but is working to become a lawyer to assist other migrants relocating to Guyana. “I would like to be a lawyer to help people like

me, fight for their freedom and justice; some are awaiting their citizenship while some are waiting to get into schools,” she noted.

To help students like Emily, the Ministry of Education in June 2021 established its Risk Management and Migrant Support Section (RM&MSS).

The Unit is responsible for placing, monitoring, and supporting children in crisisstricken communities, along with the integration of migrant children into the Guyanese society. The Unit collaborates with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and C u l t u r a l O rg a n i z a t i o n (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Ministries of Human Services and Social Security, Health, and other stakeholders. The RM&MSS aims to ensure equitable access to education

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand alongside Crane Primary School top NGSA student, Emily Vaamonde-Beria. and ensure that children affected by crises can access a safe and productive learning environment.

Coordinator of the RM&MSS, Rampattie Prashad-Bisnauth noted that the Department of Education, Region Three

assisted several students with the translation of documents through the Catholic Church while visits were made to Regions 1, 3, 4 and 7 to assess the problems migrant children are encountering with regards to access to education.

PAGE 16

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FOR RENT Fully furnished self-contained bedrooms house, Bougainvillea EBD $3,000 USD.Tel:223-6218,226-5546.

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One experienced domestic to work Georgetown 2 to 3 days per wk,vaccination required.

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The Ministry of Health on Sunday announced the deaths of two more persons from the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

Both persons, who have been listed as unvaccinated died on Saturday.

The latest fatalities are that of a 51-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

As a result of this, Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll has moved to 959. Meanwhile, in its latest edition of the COVID-19 dashboard, the Ministry recorded 76 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 36,817.

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Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

‘DIVISIVE BUT NOT A SURPRISE’

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Mr Gaddafi’s comeback has sharply divided opinion in Libya, says BBC Monitoring’s Amira Fathalla.

Yet there is little surprise at his leadership bid, as he has been repeatedly touted as a contender for years.

Memories in Libya are likely still too raw for him to win the presidency, says the BBC’s Middle East editor Sebastian Usher, and his candidacy will further complicate the already fragile electoral process.

After years of civil war and rival powers operating in the east and west of the coun-

try, Libya is currently led by an interim government but remains politically unstable.

Disagreement between Libya’s political bodies and opposing factions about the election rules and the schedule have threatened to derail the presidential vote.

Other candidates in the running are the warlord Khalifa Haftar - who previously led an insurgency from his eastern base against the UN-backed government in Tripoli, plus Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

Kaieteur News

Monday November 15, 2021

Bandits are busier on Saturdays, in the afternoons - Police stats

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali showing some crime stats while making his live statement on Friday.

President Irfaan Ali on Friday said that persons are more likely to be robbed by bandits in Guyana during the afternoon hours, according to police crime patter analysis.

Ali was at the time making a live statement when he pointed to some statistics showing that most of the armed robberies occur between 12:00 and 18:00Hrs. The President revealed this while explaining the level of analysis his government is conducting in order “to have a more structured and targeted approach to crime fighting”.

He highlighted first that the analysis has been able to identify Saturday as the day when the most robbery occurs.

“Now we have here robbery under arms by day.

So this tells us which day robbery under arms is more prevalent and in which areas and in which regions. For example, you will see on Saturday, if you look at it here, On Saturdays, 92 robberies under arms so far

this year. So Saturday is what we will consider a high risk day.”

Ali continued: “if we were to go on further you will see that we have broken down not only by days but also by the time of the day, when these crimes occur…So for example, I think if you look here you will see that between 12:00 p.m. 6 p.m. is when most of the robbery under arms occur.

The President also detailed that analysis had also allowed his administration to determine where arm bandits are more likely to target. Ali pointed out that 37.7% of all armed robberies occur in the streets while 33.6% take place at businesses.

These statistics, he said, shows that more efforts will have to be made to reduce robberies in the streets and businesses. Ali added that the goal of the statistics is to break down the analysis for decision making and policy making to support his government’s crime fighting strategies.

PAGE 17

Guyana begins to import fish, shrimp - as Exxon downplays impact from its operations

A

mid a shortage of fish here, supermarkets are now stocking their freezers with imported fish and shrimp from Florida and Jamaica. And while local fishermen have sought to blame the situation on ExxonMobil’s ongoing oil operations in Guyana’s waters, the American oil giant has downplayed this, saying impacts from its operations on marine life is minor to negligible.

Visits to supermarkets in the City have revealed that a number of supermarkets are stocked with imported seafood. When the first six months of 2019, 2020 and 2021 were compared, it was revealed that for the past two years, fish and shrimp production has been declining. This was seen in the recent Bank of Guyana (BoG) Half-Year Report.

According to that report, the fishing industry recorded mixed output performance and this resulted in a smaller reduction of 6.6 percent compared to the 12.1 percent recorded in June 2020.

It was also stated that there was a decline in catches of fish and shrimp by 22.1 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively, due to a reduction in the number of fishing vessels operating.

A table in the report illustrated the fish and shrimp production as follows: fish (tonnes); 2019 – 10,378, 2020 – 9,509 and 2021 – 7,406, and for shrimp (tonnes) 2019- 10,046; 2020 – 9,259

The imported fish and shrimp found in City supermarkets. and 2021 – 8,171.

Similar to what was reported in the Half-Year Report, the Ministry of Finance’s 2021 Mid-Year Report mirrored the data that was in the BoG report. Both reports highlighted the decline in fish and shrimp production in the country.

According to the Mid-Year Report, the chemical changes in Guyana’s coastal waters have caused a significant decrease in shrimp production. It was also underlined that Guyanese fishermen recorded lower

catch rates for white belly shrimp and finfish, and when compared to the same period for the previous year, there was a significant decrease in the production of white belly shrimp and finfish by 75.5 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively.

The significant reduction in the production of white belly shrimp was caused by a change in salinity of coastal waters. Salinity is the degree of saltiness of the water.

Interviews conducted by this Continued on page 18

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Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

$127M in flood relief grants for Region One Approximately $127 million in flood-relief grants will be distributed to farmers from several villages in Region One (Barima-Waini) who were affected by flooding earlier in the year.

Ministers of Agriculture, Local Government and Regional Development and Housing and W ater,

Zulfikar Mustapha, Nigel Dharamlall, and Collin Croal are currently on a two-day visit to the Region to wrap up distribution in the remaining villages that were affected by flooding during the extended MayJune rainy season.

It is expected that close to 1,500 farmers from Yarakita, Kamwata, White Water, Hobodeia, Hotoquai, Wanakai,Arauau, Sacred Heart, St. Dominics, Three Brothers, Imbotero, Morawhanna, Smith Creek, Barima,Koriabo, Black Water Savannah, Red Hill, Barascina, Waikarebi, Kinchee Creek,Hosororo Hill, Kumaka, Koberimo, Wanaina, Bumbry, Aruka Mouth, Lower

Koriabo, Arukamai, Mabaruma Central, Wauna, Tobago, St. Anslems, Lower Kaituma River, Powaikuru, Barima Blackwater, and Unity Square will benefit from the distribution exercise over the weekend.

Minister Mustapha, who spearheaded distribution in the villages of Yarakita, Kamwatta, and White Water urged farmers to use the monies to go back to the land as soon as possible, the Department of Public Information has reported.

“We are here today to deliver on a promise made by His Excellency, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. During the flood, the President and other members of his Cabinet visited all of the flooded areas and saw firsthand the devastation that was taking place. The agriculture sector was one of the most affected sectors.

The President made a commitment that, after the flood, the government would give some form of assistance to those who were affected.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha poses with recipients of the cash grants When we make commitments, we work tirelessly to deliver on those commitments,” Minister Mustapha is quoted as saying by DPI. Farmers from Arakaka, Matthews Ridge, and Baramita have already benefited from the ongoing exercise when distribution commenced in the region earlier this month.

Guyana begins to import fish, shrimp From page 11 publication revealed that our fishermen have been “catching hell”.

Kaieteur News had received numerous reports of a rapid depletion of fish in Guyana’s waters and that a number of fishermen have blamed poor regulations by the Government for issuing too many fishing licences, thereby causing the sea to become overcrowded with fishing boats.

On the other hand, others believe that it might be as a result of the ongoing exploration, drilling and production of crude by ExxonMobil. In

light of this, no independent study has been made public by the government about the effects these oil operations have on the nation’s marine life.

However, during the recent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultation for the fourth oil project in Guyana waters, the American oil giant company stated that the possible environmental impacts to marine fish, their operations might have is negligible to minor.

They presented to the forum that the changes in fish distribution due to altered

water quality, is negligible to minor, while they reported that the changes in distribution and habitat usage, loss of fish eggs and larvae due to entrainment of immature life stages, loss of fish eggs and larvae due to entrainment of immature life stages and exposure to artificial light and sound are negligible.

The American oil giant also presented that their offshore structures create artificial habitat for marine fish and that they are adhering to international standards for treatment of discharges to water.

At the end of the exercise livestock and cash-crop farmers will each benefit from at least $50,000 in relief grants as the government moves ahead with the exercise.

Farmers who benefited from the exercise expressed heartfelt thanks to the government for the relief and committed to using the monies to return to the land.

Rosalinda Joseph, a cashcrop farmer from White Water Village while reflecting on her losses said that she will use the money to return to the land.

“I lost a lot of cassava, ginger and other cash crops like tomatoes and so on.

I will use the money to buy seeds and fertilizers to put back on my farm.

I want to thank the President and the government for this help because the flood really affect us,” the farmer said.

To date, farmers and other persons from Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine, and Ten who suffered losses as a result of the flood have benefited from relief from the government.

‘Granger, the downfall of PNCR’ - says Vanessa Kissoon Former Member of Parliament, Vanessa Kissoon, is ready to return to the ‘party of her heart’, after the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), lifted a seven-year suspension that was imposed by the party’s incumbent leader, Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger.

In a statement Kissoon said her “unjust suspension” should have never happened in the first place. “The decision was taken without respecting my right to due process as a card-bearing, financial member of the Party.

Seven years later, I wish to say that I have never left the party and deep in my heart I know the party of Cde. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham has never left me.”

Kisson further stated: “I have always held sacred the party’s founding principles and commitment to society. In spite of the unjust suspension, during the 2015 and 2020 General and Regional Elections I worked my hardest to help deliver Region Ten to the PNCR.” Kissoon who sat as a Member of Parliament for Region 10 for two terms, was suspended from the PNCR in 2014. this was after an altercation between Kissoon and former General Secretary Oscar Clarke, over control of the keys to the PNCR’s office in Linden. It was then suggested that Mr. Granger allegedly used that incident to suspend her but wanted to do so since 2012 when Kissoon was accused of organising a protest against him in Linden. The protest had occurred at the Mackenzie High School.

In her statement, Kissoon said that it is because of the attitude portrayed by the party’s leader that has left the party in the current weak state it is in today. “I am not ashamed to say I am a grassroots politician because I connect to the people and the people connect to me. The democratic principles enshrined in the constitution of the Party allow me to express my opinions on matters that cause me concern, and as such I say with conviction, it is the abandonment of the grassroots, friends, and supporters, abandonment of years of network established by the

Former PNCR MP, Vanessa Kissoon PNCR from Cdes. Burnham to Desmond Hoyte to Robert Corbin, that have us where we are today, in shambles and divided by one who has no understanding of our political undertaking, no connection, no appreciation, no recognition, no compassion for the base of the Party.”

She took the opportunity to set the record straight regarding some misperceptions in the public’s domain. “Former General Secretary, Mr. Oscar Clarke, never slapped me.

I was never “recalled” from the National Assembly. I served my full term which came to an end at the prorogation of Parliament for the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

Three, Cde. Aubrey Norton and I have not spoken to each other since about 2014/2015.”

Miss Kissoon who continued her role as a public figure during her suspension, most recently spearheaded several protest actions in Linden against the mandatory vaccination policy; one of which led to the blocking of the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge.

The motion to lift her suspension, was tabled by Retired Rear Admiral Gary Best. It was reportedly seconded by Aubrey Norton who is vying for the position of leader of the party.

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

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Kaieteur News

Monday November 15, 2021

Monday November 15, 2021

NBA roundup: Cavs shock Celtics with second-half ...

From page 24 the Pelicans won for the first time at home this season.

Herbert Jones scored 17 off the bench, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Devonte’ Graham scored 15.

Dillon Brooks scored 23 points to lead the Grizzlies. Ja Morant had 22 points and 10 assists, former Pelican Steven Adams recorded 15 points and nine rebounds, Desmond Bane added 14 points and Kyle Anderson had 13 off the bench.

Wizards 104, Magic 92 Spencer Dinwiddie’s double-double featured a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, and undermanned Washington continued its best start in seven years with a win over host Orlando.

Washington played without leading scorer Bradley Beal (personal reasons) following the passing of his grandmother earlier in the week. Aaron Holiday moved into the starting lineup against Orlando and had 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting as the Wizards extended their winning streak to four games.

Orlando ended a fivegame homestand with just one victory. Wendell Carter Jr., who exited in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Brooklyn due to an eye injury, donned protective goggles and finished with 17 points.

In other results: Pacers 118, 76ers 113 Pistons 127, Raptors 121 Clippers 129, Timberwolves 102 (Field Level Media)

Fisherman retain Masters title...

From page 23 Regal opted to bat. However, Jianit Lall provided Wellman with the breakthrough when he had Hardyal caught for 11 with one four and a six.

The inform Yusuf struck four fours and one six before he was taken off Lloyd Ruplall for 35, while Eric Thomas was dismissed for 13 with the score on 78.

Ramesh Deonarine and Rudolph Baker added 45 for the fourth wicket before Baker was taken off Lall for 24 with two sixes.

Deonarine was bowled by Lester Thom for 43 which was laced with three fours and one six while Fazleem Mohamed made 16 not out as Regal posted 171-6. Ruplall claimed 2-26 and Lall 2-32.

Wellman were pegged back by some accurate bowling as David Harper uprooted the stumps of opener Seeraj

Monday November 15, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Words may hold charged energy, so be careful what you say and how you say it.

The mood today requires that people have space to express themselves.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You have a flexible nature.

Other people may be just as malleable as you, but now is your chance to take the lead.

You're at the starting line waiting for the race to start.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Either way you choose, you have strength to work with, so stop agonizing over your decision. People will be like putty in your hands. Your calm, diplomatic approach calms even the most heated dispute.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your power to transform your life is potent. There are many options available to you even though it may not seem like it. The one big obstacle holding you back is your emotional state of mind.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may feel like someone is giving you an emotional slap. Don't immediately react by putting up your defenses.

You'll do much better if you step back and analyze the situation before concluding what's right or wrong.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) - It may seem like everything is moving counter to your trajectory. While you want to move south, the wind blows west. This doesn't mean you should give up on your goal.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may feel like your battery has run out of juice today. You may ask yourself if what you're doing is worth it. Don't despair. A friend will be along soon who can help give you a jump-start..

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Reevaluate just what it is that you're working for. If it's fun and relaxation you're after, maybe you're passing it by without even realizing it.

The fun you seek is there in front of you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) There's power when you discover how to be part of two opposing teams. At first it may seem like treason to be part of one as you help the other.

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Strong forces may make it hard for you to be confident today. You're so intent on maintaining your freedom that you refuse to yield when you should.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Take a more adaptable approach. Go with the flow and let things merge on the foundation that has already been established. You're holding on tightly to a security blanket. This tattered piece of cloth gives you peace.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) T hings are moving in opposite directions, yet you can relate and benefit from all of them. There's nothing wrong with keeping your options open. Some people like to stick with one game

Bhimsain (04), pacer Parsram Persaud sent back Hardat Heeranandan (01) and Deonarine disturbed the stumps of Ruplall (08) , reducing them to 25-3.

Wayne Jones and Nandram Samlall added 26 for the fourth wicket, but when they were separated, the rest of the batting failed to show any resistance as Wellman were sent packing for 79 in17.2 overs. Jones top scored with 26 which included three fours, while Samlall made 15 with one four and one six. Eric Thomas bagged 5-17.

Regal Legends took home a trophy and $300,000 while Wellman pocketed a trophy and $50,000. Yusuf was named the most valuable player while Thomas was man-of-the-match. The open final between Regal and Ariel was contested last night.

WTA calls for investigation into Peng sexual assault allegations (Reuters) - The WTA Tour yesterday called on the Chinese government to investigate allegations of sexual assault made by Peng Shuai against a former Chinese vice premier while also demanding an end to censorship of the former top-ranked doubles player.Peng, one of China’s biggest sporting stars, alleged on her Weibo social media account on Nov. 2 that Zhang Gaoli, who became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee - China’s top decision-making body coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

Peng said in the post, which was deleted around half an hour after it was published, that she could provide no evidence to back her

allegations.The China Tennis Association did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.China’s internet is heavily censored and the private lives of top leaders are an especially sensitive subject.

Concerns among the global tennis community have grown as Peng has not been seen since the post.The WTA said in a statement that it will seek a, “full, fair and transparent investigation into sexual assault allegations against former Chinese leader”.“The recent events in China concerning a WTA player, Peng Shuai, are of deep concern,” said WTA Tour chairman and CEO Steve Simon in a statement.“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored.

“Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”Peng was the world number one doubles player in 2014, the first Chinese player to achieve a top ranking, after winning the doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

BCB hosts second...

From page 25 youths and to continue to invest into their future.

West Berbice Cricket Board President David Black expressed thanks to Foster for his commitment to the overall development of cricket in West Berbice and urged the youths to go back to their clubs to share the new knowledge with their peers.

Each of the participants of the seminar was presented with a Certificate of Participation from the BCB. Ten of the youths also benefitted from an educational grant of ten thousand dollars each from the BCB under its Patron Educational Trust Fund. The funds would be used to purchase much needed educational materials from Metro Office Supplies. Under the programme, a total of forty youths would benefit from grants during the month of November. The youths were also involved in a one day cricket academy yesterday at the Cotton Tree Ground under the watchful eyes of a battery of coaches including Leslie Solomon and Travis Hardcourt.

NSC hands...

From page 25 and other gear during the recent visit to senior community representative, Rawle Rodrigues. Ninvalle reiterated that this is just the beginning of support that the community of Kaikan will receive from the state.

Kaieteur News

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Monday November 15, 2021

Taylor unbeaten ton, Nation maiden half century, lead Windies Women to sweep over Pakistan in Karachi S p o r t s M a x KARACHI, PakistanWest Indies captain Stafanie Taylor struck a masterful unbeaten century yesterday to lead West Indies Women to a comprehensive sixwicket victory with six over to spare over Pakistan Women and complete a sweep of the three-match series in Karachi.

C h a s i n g P a k i s t a n ’s Women’s 225-7, Taylor scored 102 not out after coming to the rescue of her team that has slumped to 153 within the first five overs.

Taylor shared in an 83run fourth-wicket partnership with Hayley Matthews, who made 49, and then a match-winning unbroken partnership of 128 with Chedean Nation, who scored 51 not out, her maiden ODI half-century.

Taylor faced 117 balls for her score that included 12 fours while Nation struck seven boundaries facing 67 balls during the matchwinning stand.

Anam Amin, who did the early damage by dismissing the in-form Diandra Dottin for 4 and Shemaine Campbelle for one, finished with 2-45 from her 10 overs.

Diana Baig, who dismissed Rashada Williams for 6, returned figures of 1-36 from her eight overs.

Sadia Iqbal, who snagged Matthews’ wicket, finished with 1-36 from seven overs.

Earlier, sent in to bat, Pakistan Women owed their best score of the series to opener Muneeba Ali, who scored a patient 58. She and Ayesha Zafar staged an opening stand of 49 before the latter was out caught and bowled by Aaliyah Alleyne (2-41) for 13.

Ali and Javeria Khan put on 74 over the next 20 overs as the West Indies bowlers tightened their grip on the innings. Ali eventually fell to Taylor in the 31st over with the score on 123. Six runs

West Indies players pose with the trophy after their 3-0 win in the ODI series against Pakistan • Nov 13, 2021 © PCB

ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFER 2021 GROUPS Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFER 2021 – WEST INDIES WOMEN GROUP A FIXTURES. November 23 – West Indies vs Ireland, Old Hararians November 27 – West Indies vs Sri Lanka, Old Hararians November 29 – West Indies vs Netherlands, Sunrise Cricket Club ICC WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIER 2021 – SUPER6 FIXTURES December 1: Super 6 Match 21 - Old Hararians Super 6 Match 22 - Harare Sports Club Super 6 Match 23 - Sunrise Cricket Club December 3: Super 6 Match 24 - Old Hararians Super 6 Match 25 -Harare Sports Club Super 6 Match 26 - Sunrise Cricket Club December 5: Super 6 Match 27 - Old Hararians Super 6 Match 28 - Harare Sports Club Super 6 Match 29 - Sunrise Cricket Club (All matches start at 9:30am local time, 3:30am Eastern Caribbean time, 2:30am Jamaica time.) later, the pressure began to take a toll as Taylor ran Khan out for 13.

Two balls later, Alleyne picked up her second wicket when she bowled Omaima Sohail for 27.

Iram Javed and Aliya Riaz held up the progress of the West Indies bowlers with a 44-run fifth-wicket stand that was eventually broken when Javed was dismissed

by Shakera Selman for 26.

Riaz would eventually

Christopher Franklin

get Pakistan Women past 200 with her unbeaten 44 that helped set up a decent total for the West Indies Women to chase.

Selman took the wicket of Fatima Sana for nine to end with figures of 2-40.

Baig was run out for nine off the last ball of the innings.

The West Indies Women will now travel to Zimbabwe for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. The

tournament will be played in Harare.

Scores: Pakistan Women 225/7 (50 overs) Muneeba Ali 58 Shakera Selman 10-0-40-2 Aliya Riaz 44* - Aaliyah Alleyne 10-0-41-2 West Indies Women 226/4 (44 overs) Stafanie Taylor 102* Anam Amin 10-0-45-2 Chedean Nation 51* Diana Baig 8-0-36-1

Stafanie Taylor celebrates her century • Nov 13, 2021 © PCB

Tough outing for Guyana at ITTF Panam C/Ships

G

uyana’s National men’s champion Christopher Franklin, Miguel Wong, Joseph Alleyne and his teammate Shemar Britton were both knocked out in the first round of

the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Championships that is being contested in Villa Deportiva Nacional, Lima, Peru.

Franklin lost 4-2 to a player from Guatemala while Britton,

Miguel Wong and Joel Alleyne lost to competitors from Rodrigo Tapia of Colombia, Rodrigo Vigo of Peru, and Julian Ramos of Colombia, respectively.

Yesterday, the doubles duo of Franklin and Britton after being

2-0 up against Team Canada couldn’t hold on as Canada rallied back to win in their round of 16 encounter.

The Guyanese will now turn their focus to the team competition today.

Kaieteur News

Monday November 15, 2021

PAGE 23

Fisherman retain Masters title, Thomas bags 5 for as Regal successfully defend Legends crown GSCL Inc Prime Minister’s T20 Cup 5

By Zaheer Mohamed Defending champions Fisherman Masters and Regal Legends both successfully defended their titles when the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc Prime Minister’s T20 Cup 5 culminated yesterday.

Fisherman showed their mastery as they defeated Ariel by 22 runs in the Masters over-45 final.

Led by a fine unbeaten 74 from Troy Ramsaywack, Fisherman Masters posted 169-2 after they were inserted at the National Stadium.

Ramsaywack and Ramo Malone started off on a positive note as they put on 80 for the opening stand before Malone was caught off Sukhdeo Lakhan for 38 with four fours and one six.

Ramsaywack and Jagdesh Persaud continued to accumulate runs as they added 86 for the second

The victorious Regal Legends. wicket.

Ramsaywack played some decent shots on both sides of the pitch as he struck 11 fours, while the left-handed Persaud was run out for 37 with three sixes.

Ariel Masters were put

on the back foot early in the chase as Stanley Mohabir picked up the wickets of Ganesh Persaud (03) and Patrick Khan (01), while Toolsie Sahadeo was taken off D. Singh for one. Samuel

Kingston followed shortly after, bowled by Zameer Hassan for 11 before Fraser and Sheldon Perch steadied the chase somewhat, however Ariel suffered a further setback when Perch

was dismissed for 19.

Despite wickets tumbling around him, Fraser continued to gather runs and along with Deroop Arjune kept their team in the hunt, but when Fraser departed,

smartly caught by Dennis Mangru at point off Malone, the chase was virtually over.

Fraser struck four fours and four sixes in a top score of 52, while Arjune remained unbeaten on 27 as Ariel Masters were bowled out for 147 in 18.2 overs. Manoj Arjune contributed 13 as Stanley Mohabir claimed 316, Pooran Singh 2-13 and Malone 2-30.

Fisherman Masters collected a trophy and $300,000, while Ariel received a trophy and $50,000. Fraser was named the most valuable player while Ramsaywack was voted the man-of-the-match.

Regal, spearheaded by a five-wicket haul from Eric Thomas, trounced Wellman by 92 runs in the Legends over-50 finale.

Openers Unnis Yusuf and Mahendra Hardyal put on 42 for the first wicket after (Continued on page 23)

Lewis Hamilton Wins Brazilian GP from Tenth Race and Track - Lewis Hamilton’s weekend could have been over on Saturday morning. Despite qualifying 4/10ths ahead of the field on Friday, Hamilton’s time was disqualified after a part failure led to a DRS infraction during the session.

He started last in the sprint qualifying race, then an engine penalty guaranteed he would start five spots behind where he finished that race. But Hamilton drove up to fifth in 24 laps, putting him a respectable tenth on yesterday’s grid.

Then, somehow, he won.

While his pole-sitting teammate Valtteri Bottas lost the lead to Max Verstappen on the start, Hamilton made up four spots on the opening lap. He was up to thirdplaced teammate Valtteri Bottas just a few laps later, then Bottas let him past just before a safety car. That left him to re-start immediately behind just the two Red Bulls, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. He caught Perez quickly, but a quick virtual safety car let Perez slow slightly and grow Verstappen’s lead. Perez knew the pass was inevitable, but he fought back from Hamilton’s first lunge and actually briefly retook second for a lap. Once Hamilton got past again, however, his defence was done.That left the story that

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the race alongside second placed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and third placed Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. (REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli)

racing fans have come to expect from every grand prix in 2021: A head-to-head battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.Verstappen’s lead shrunk to under a second before their final stops, but he undercut Hamilton onto the same hard tires by three laps and was able to briefly grow the lead back to four seconds. That lead lasted all of six laps before Hamilton was back in DRS range, leading Hamilton to an early chance to make a pass for the lead and win.

Then, for the first time since Monza, a serious moment of on-track drama between the title contenders.

Hamilton dove to the

outside under braking, getting side-by-side with Verstappen to complete what has been one of his favorite passing moves in the DRS era. The pair were side-byside at the apex, with Verstappen still ahead, when Verstappen seemed to go wide through the corner to protect his position. The move sent both Hamilton and Verstappen well off track, with Verstappen still leading.

Stewards decided not to review the move for a penalty. Hamilton and Mercedes voiced their displeasure, then Hamilton got back to work.

A few laps later, it was the same move to the outside. This time, however,

Hamilton cleared Verstappen enough with the help of DRS to move in front under braking before the corner. Hamilton. This one

Lewis Hamilton leads the Brazilian Grand Prix after starting tenth to win the event.

stuck.In the end, Hamilton won the race by ten seconds.

It completed a weekend where he had to pass 24 drivers for position in two races, overcoming two separate grid penalties and some seriously controversial on-track battling with the greatest title threat he has faced since his former teammate Nico Rosberg retired. It is just the sixth win of his season, three behind Verstappen, but it is the 101st of his career. Whether it leads to a championship or just serves as a memorable counterpunch in a title battle that goes to Verstappen, it will be remembered as a definitive race in his career.

Verstappen and Bottas finished second and third, while Sergio Perez completed an expected top

four lockout for Mercedes and Red Bull. The Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz, the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, and the McLaren of Lando Norris finished in the other points-paying positions.

The win moved the championship lead to just 14 points with three races remaining. Without the bonus point for fastest lap, the winner of every GP scores seven more points than their closest competitor.

That means, if fast lap gets poached by someone else while Hamilton wins the next two and Max finishes second, the two will be tied heading into the season finale.

The battle continues at Qatar next weekend.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Monday November 15, 2021

T20 World Cup: Magnificent Marsh sees Australia to maiden title SportsMax – Mitch Marsh blasted a recordbreaking 31-ball halfcentury as Australia beat New Zealand by eight wickets to win their first T20 World Cup title yesterday.

Kane Williamson made a majestic 85 from only 48 balls after being dropped by Josh Hazlewood on 21 as New Zealand posted 172-4, after being put in by Aaron Finch in the trans-Tasman showdown at Dubai International Stadium yesterday.

That was the jointhighest score in a T20 World Cup final, with Marlon Samuels having been 15 short of a hundred in West Indies’ victory over England five years ago. It was also the fastest half-century ever scored in the final of the competition for a short time, until Marsh’s heroics.

Williamson reached his fifty from 32 deliveries as Mitchell Starc endured a nightmare, the left-arm quick’s four wicketless overs going for 60. The outstanding Hazlewood was the pick of the Australia bowlers with brilliant figures of 3-16.

Australia produced another magnificent run chase on the back of a stunning semi-final win over Pakistan, Warner and Marsh putting on 92 for the second wicket.

Warner made a superb 53 from 38 balls and Marsh was unbeaten on 77 from 50 deliveries as Australia were crowned champions with seven deliveries to spare.

The new T20 world champions • Nov 13, 2021 © AFP/Getty Images

Mitch Marsh and David Warner put together 92 runs for the second wicket.

(Getty Images) Marsh raced away to his half-century, taking spinner Ish Sodhi (0-40 in three overs) apart as Trent Boult’s brilliant figures of 2-18 were in vain.

All-rounder Marsh had not fully realised his potential in an injury-hit career but showed he can be a world-class performer on a

historic Sunday night for Australia as New Zealand endured heartbreak in their first T20 World Cup final.

World-class Williamson the man for the big occasion New Zealand were only 32-1 at the end of the powerplay, with Daryl Mitchell caught behind off

Hazlewood, but Williamson shifted through the gears in a masterful innings with sweet timing and power.

The skipper was put down by Hazlewood in the deep in the 11th over from the expensive Starc before hitting Maxwell for back-toback sixes to reach his halfcentury - the first of those with one hand coming off the bat as he hoisted the ball into the stand.

Martin Guptill (28) fell to star spinner Adam Zampa (1-26) after being dropped

by Matthew Wade on 10, but the boundaries continued to flow for Williamson, who hit three sixes and 10 fours before holing out off Hazlewood.

Marsh and Warner make light work of run chase Boult got an early breakthrough when he sent Finch on his way, but Warner

and Marsh swung the game in Australia’s favour with clean striking and great running between the wickets.

Marsh struck the first

ball he faced from Adam Milne for six, while Warner looked increasingly ominous, taking a liking to the spin of Sodhi and hitting Jimmy Neesham for a huge six to reach a 34-ball halfcentury.

The excellent Boult returned to clean up Warner and the left-arm paceman dropped a tough chance to dismiss Marsh when Australia were almost home.

Glenn Maxwell (28 not out) struck Tim Southee for four to win it, with Marsh still unbeaten after striking four sixes and another six boundaries in a stunning innings.

Scores: Australia 173 for 2 (Marsh 77*, Warner 53) beat New Zealand 172 for 4 (Williamson 85, Hazlewood 3-16) by eight wickets.

Mitch Marsh blasted a record-breaking 31-ball half-century for Australia.

NBA roundup: Cavs shock Celtics with second-half rally Reuters - Darius Garland scored 22 points and hit two free throws with 9.4 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 91-89 comefrom-behind victory Saturday night over the visiting Boston Celtics.

Evan Mobley had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the Cavaliers won for the sixth time in seven games. Ricky Rubio came off the bench to tally 16 points and seven assists as the Cavaliers overcame a 19point, second-half deficit.

Boston was bidding for its first three-game winning streak of the season and got 28 points from Dennis Schroder and 21 from Jayson Tatum. But the Celtics

withered in the fourth quarter.

Leading late in the third quarter 74-56, the Celtics yielded a 21-2 run to the Cavaliers. Cedi Osman hit a pair of 3-pointers in the spree and Mobley added three buckets as Cleveland took the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Heat 111, Jazz 105 Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry each scored more than 20 points and Miami survived a furious late rally to snap a three-game losing streak with a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.

Herro saved the day for Miami, ending a late 18point run by the Jazz by

hitting two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Heat their final six-point margin. Herro finished with 27 points, Robinson had 22 and Lowry contributed 21.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 of his team-high 26 points in the second half for the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson also had a big game with 25 points.

Pelicans 112, Grizzlies 101 N i c k e i l A l e x a n d e rWalker scored 21 points and host New Orleans ended a nine-game losing streak by defeating Memphis.

Brandon Ingram returned from a seven-game absence due to a hip contusion to add 19 points as (Continued on page 23)

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) go for a loose ball during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

Monday November 15, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

The participants of the seminar poses with BCB President Hilbert Foster, WBCA President David Black and their Facilitators.

BCB hosts second social skills seminar

T

he Berbice Cricket Board on Saturday last hosted the second of four social skills seminars for youths in the county. The seminar was held at the Fort We l l i n g t o n S e c o n d a r y School and attended by thirty five youths drawn from clubs in the West Berbice area.

The event was organised under the board’s Patron Trust Fund and over the next two weeks would be held for a combined eighty youths in Upper and Lower Corentyne after the first one was held in New Amsterdam last weekend.

BCB President Hilbert Foster, who was present for the entire six hours of the seminar, urged the attentive youths to take full advantage of the opportunities been presented to them by his board as it was an investment

into their future. Youths in West Berbice, he noted are given the same opportunities as their counterparts in the other sub associations and they must work hard to improve themselves. One of the basic problems in the county, Foster stated, was that the board had observed, was the lack of basic social skills among players who go on to play for the county or Guyana.

These include basic manners, table etiquette, public speaking and how to behave at a public ceremony.

The idea for the seminars was the initiative of Foster and Patron Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, during one of their regular meetings on the development of Berbice Cricket. The seminar was conducted by four graduates of the Tain Campus of the University of Guyana - Seeta

Dallo, Marissa Foster, Denica Henry and Junior Blair along with veteran sports administrator Levi Nedd.

Among the topics covered last Saturday were life skills, leadership, basic mannerism, conflict resolution, table etiquette, balancing of sports and education along with public speaking among others.

Foster also spoke of the benefits of been a professional cricketer and the expectation of the BCB for the next set of the county cricketers. He cautioned them to not only focus on their cricket but also on their education as only a few of them would go on to play professionally and as such having an educational background is very important. He committed to BCB to always be a friend of (Continued on page 23)

NSC hands over cricket and other gear to Kaikan community Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle and Director of Youth; Suresh Singh paid a visit to Kaikan last weekend to push the development of youth and sports in that community, in keeping with the promise of H.E. Dr. Irfan Ali who has decreed that the Region 7 community will not be left behind as Guyana advances.

Ninvalle shared with this publication that during the outreach he spoke with the Toshao if the community, M a r l o n Wi l l i a m s a n d through the National Sports Commission (NSC) he has pledged support to ensure that the communities upcoming football and volleyball competitions have the necessary equipment.

H o w e v e r, t h e N S C handed over some cricket (Continued on page 23)

Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle (2nd right) presents the gear to Rawle Rodrigues during his visit to Kaikan.

- Ten students benefit from Patron Educational Programme

The awardees of the Patron Educational Trust Fund with WBCA President David Black and Hilbert Foster.

rt o p S

T20 World Cup:

Australia celebrate their triumph after beating New Zealand for their first T20 World Cup win. (Getty Images)

Magnificent Marsh sees Australia to maiden title GFF delivers Elite Football

Taylor unbeaten ton, Nation maiden Lewis Hamilton Training to hundreds of half century, lead Windies Women Wins Brazilian talented children across Guyana to sweep over Pakistan in Karachi GP from Tenth GSCL Inc Prime Minister’s T20 Cup 5

Fisherman Masters with their hardware.

Fisherman retain Masters title, Thomas bags 5 for as Regal successfully defend Legends crown

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