K
EPA ill-equipped to NEWS handle mass importation - former head, of hazardous chemicals Vincent Adams AIETEUR
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Sunday Edition November 29, 2020
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
p. 17
Price $140
Online readership yesterday, 102,129
Exxon, Total renegotiate major gas sharing deal in Mozambique p. 19
Guyanese lives not worth US$300M to ExxonMobil
According to Exxon’s priorities, the lives of Guyanese are not worth a miserly US$300M. This is the sum which the company is reluctant to spend to protect this country’s population from the effects of its toxic wastewater dumping into the ocean. This revelation was made by Dr. Vincent Adams, former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), during a recent Kaieteur Radio conversation. Exxon refuses to invest a paltry US$300M in available technology to properly treat its pollutive discharge into our waters. In so doing, it is impairing the nation’s health. Instead, Exxon prioritizes shipping away the US hundreds of billions of our oil. It prefers to contaminate our fishing grounds, threaten the livelihood of our fisher folk and expose our people to serious health risks. Exxon’s actions makes us believe that, as far as they are concerned, Guyanese lives do not matter, Guyana’s environmental record does not matter. What matters to Exxon is the rape of our resources.
Oil companies must use local goods and services - Suriname laws p. 16
- five years later, Guyana does not have a proper local content provision
Driver runs away leaving car after fatally hitting down man p. 15
Oil companies must not prohibit employees from - Labour becoming unionized Minister p. 3
Oil companies trap Ghana in long term deal to take more gas than it needs p. 8
- Int’l watchdog calls on Guyana to pay heed Listen to what your leaders don't want you to hear and know...11:am today on 99.1/99.5FM radio (Rebroadcast)
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Govt. needs to tell the truth about oil deal pitfalls - Demand ExxonMobil, others obey the law - Janki
I
nternational lawyer and transparency advocate, Melinda Janki is of the firm conviction that it is high time the government desists from selling the citizenry false dreams and hopes about the oil wealth. Instead, the attorney categorically states that it must inform the citizens of the truth, which is, that the Guyana-ExxonMobil deal is fraught with pitfalls that only funnel billions of dollars in profits into the pockets of ExxonMobil, its partners and their respective shareholders. Janki was also keen to point out that the government must make every effort to ensure that ExxonMobil and others obey the nation's rules and
regulations, especially those which relate to the protection of the environment. The lawyer expressed these opinions during an interview on Kaieteur Radio's show, Guyana's Oil and You. There, she was joined by Tom Sanzillo who serves as Director of Finance at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Sanzillo, who unequivocally shared Janki's sentiments, was also keen to note that based on the lopsided structure of the contract, Guyana will not have enough money for new spending, nor will it have sufficient oil revenues to cover budget deficits and make significant transfers to the Natural Resource Fund. The industry expert also
IEEFA Director of Finance, Tom Sanzillo bemoaned a major pitfall of the contract which sees Guyana paying the income taxes of ExxonMobil and its partners.
If Guyana did not opt to do this, Sanzillo said Guyana could have been benefitting from an additional US$650M. Instead, it is allowing the oil companies to walk away with this. Sanzillo noted that he would have made these and other points in his report that was published by the IEEFA. That report is titled, “Guyana's Oil Deal: Promise of Quick Cash Will Leave Country Shortchanged.” That document he said, also states that it would be better for the government and the companies to disclose on a regular basis, projected production for the Stabroek as well as the outlook for the oil sector so that the public can engage in more informed discussions. He was critical of the
fact, that is not taking place. Sanzillo said, “We at the IEEFA don't have the authority of the government or the legal obligation of the contractors. We do however, look at the longer term markets and we can say that the outlook is negative for the oil and gas industry and that means that the prices are likely to stay low. It means that the worldwide competition is going to get more tense and that would mean more downward pressure on the prices.” He added, “It also means, and this may be a shock to everyone, that Exxon, who is the lead on the project, has become a less stable company that we have known it to be. We know of a long history of solid, stable profits
International lawyer, Melinda Janki
and developments. And the company, like the rest of the industry, is getting much weaker.” Taking these factors into consideration, Sanzillo alluded to how important Guyana is to the oil giant while reiterating the need for all parties, that is to say the government and the oil companies, to be transparent with the citizenry about who really stands to benefit from the lopsided deal Guyana has been handed.
Oil companies must not prohibit employees from becoming unionized - Labour Minister overworking without compensation on the oil platforms offshore Guyana. In detail, he indicated that these employees have reported that they were being underpaid for the same jobs expatriates were doing, as well as working 12 hours a day, exclusive of overtime. To this the minister said, “I said to ExxonMobil when they were here that I believe that they have the responsibility to speak to their contractors that they Minister of Labor, Joseph Hamilton
T
he Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, has made it clear that oil companies and their sub-contractors which are operating in Guyana, must not prohibit their employees from becoming unionized, as doing so would be against the laws of Guyana. It was during an engagement with the press l a s t F r i d a y, M i n i s t e r Hamilton highlighted to the press that he has received reports of discrimination and
bring into the space, to ensure that they must facilitate workers forming unionizations, or unions if they care to. I will continue to fight for all and sundry on those matters.” Notably, Kaieteur News had published reports last year in which TotalTec, an oil services company, has prohibited their employees from joining or forming unions. Disgruntled by this, head of the Guyana Trade Unions Congress (GTUC)
Lincoln Lewis had asked the government, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) to intervene but nothing was done. The Labour Minister had also pointed out that the Ministry of Labour currently lacks the capacity and expertise to dispatch Labour Officers and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers to the oilrigs. Once there, these officers would be charged with identifying
labour issues, and would report them back to the authorities, following which it would act. However, those officers are currently under training, Hamilton pointed out. “ T h a t c o n v e r sa t i o n
continues,” the Minister said. “We have a joint technical committee that is the ministry with ExxonMobil and also with AmCham that continue to discuss these issues.”
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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Untenable Before anything else, it should be established early on, without equivocation, that the current elections petitions before the courts in Guyana are complete nonsense, as much nonsense in fact as the current cases before several US courts challenging the outcome of that country’s recent elections. On Friday, the Trump campaign lost its most significant legal fight yet, with a federal appeals court not only rejecting its challenge of an earlier lost case in seeking to get the state of Pennsylvania to disregard millions of votes and this reverse Joe Biden’s win of the state, but taking the time include the sort of verbal whipping of the Trump campaign that Guyanese would not be unfamiliar with given our experience of earlier this year. Because our memories tend to be short, and because the nonsense shoveled at us was in such Augean proportions that we might have glossed over that particular shovel-full, it bears reminding that a few short months ago, in June of this year, the argument was similarly made. We offer the opening paragraphs of our lead story for June 30: “Arguing that he resents the threats of sanctions from external actors and commentators, de facto President David Granger says that he expects a declaration of the elections results by this weekend, based on Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield’s latest report showing a Coalition win. Granger in an interview on Benschop Radio last evening claimed that he fully supported the report submitted by Lowenfield, citing that the CEO’s report, took into account the “possibility of the contaminations” of the votes due to “anomalies and irregularities” in the March 2 electoral process.Following the ruling handed down by the Appellate Court in the Eslyn David et al case that “more votes cast” must mean “more valid votes”, the CEO handed in a report to the Commission, disregarding the directive given by Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh to use the figures accumulated at the end of the National Recount. Instead, Lowenfield used alternate figures, taking the win from the Opposition and handing it to the governing Coalition while also dumping 115,844 valid votes.”Not only was this indecency floated by the GECOM CEO, but it was adopted in multiple cases by the Granger administration, months after it had clearly lost an election. Indeed, the Federal appeals court judgment could have been referring directly to Guyana when the Court observed on page 19 of its judgment, in the section titled aptly, ‘The balance of equities opposes disenfranchising voters’: “The Campaign has already litigated and lost most of these issues as garden-variety state-law claims. It now tries to turn them into federal constitutional claims but cannot... Tossing out those ballots could disrupt every down-ballot race as well. There is no allegation of fraud (let alone proof) to justify harming those millions of voters as well as other candidates” In the case management hearing held last week, the Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire deciding to label an argument presented by Mayo Robertson, attorney for the petitioners, as “untenable”. This in a case management conference, which will be concluded tomorrow, during which the usually unflappable Chief Justice visibly lost her cool faced with Mr. Robertson’s antics, contortions and incompetence. To be clear, Mayo Robertson is not in the actual employ of any of the citizens whose names the elections petitions have been filed in – his actions are directly in the service of the Granger political machinery, as they were in the several losing cases in which he represented other clients during the five month trauma of Granger administration’s attempt to both rig the elections with the collusion of elements in GECOM and to attempt multiple times to litigate the insane into the realm of sanity, all of which failed. That is why the most recent move by Respondent Number Two, Granger, in the elections petition cases is particularly interesting. As reported in yesterday’s issue of this paper, the former President, through the former Attorney General, Basil Williams, filed notice to not oppose the election petitions cases. Current Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, believes that this is a convoluted, bizarre and ultimately ineffective strategy to counter his own filing to have the petitions dismissed due to late filings by the petitioners in both
Sunday November 29, 2020
Many persons voted against the Coalition because of corruption, vindictiveness Dear Editor, Dear Mr. David Granger, in my analysis of your leadership style as President of Guyana I have identified many flaws which contributed to your defeat at the 2020 polls. These flaws fall under one general heading - ‘Governance’- which comprised several contributory factors such as corruption, discrimination, vendetta politics, constitutional aberrations, electoral misconduct and elitism. When you were the leader of the Opposition (pre2015), you had accused the PPP/C government of corrup-
tion, drug trafficking, race discrimination, among other things. Many Guyanese had agreed with your criticisms and tended to embrace your promise of zero tolerance for corruption. Your desire to eliminate discrimination, initiate Constitutional reform within 100 days, produce the good life for all Guyanese, and holding of Local Government Elections, resonated well with Guyanese. After 23 years in the political wilderness (19922015), your coalition (APNU+AFC) was voted into power, partly in response to
cases, errors that he believes to be fatal to their case – it should be noted here that this sort of error should not have been committed by the Granger machinery which is full of lawyers and political actors with extensive experience in election petition cases, so much so that such error would be tantamount to self-sabotage. Even if it is that Nandlall is wrong and the trial continues, what Granger’s move does, according to Section 27(2) of the Validity of Elections Act, is to effectively constrain him from presenting any evidence in the case. This means that the same man who claimed that his SOPs, that no one has ever seen, showed him winning the elections, will not be presenting those SOPs to the courts. It also means that the same man who made bold but unproven claims of dead and migrated people having voted, going so far as manipulating the state machinery to produce false evidence of immigration records,
those promises. Your supporters were beaming with optimism and exuberance on your victory; a new era of political dispensation was in the making, as they saw your coalition being positioned strategically to manage the emerging oil sector. Your victory had shattered the PPP/C leadership and plunged it into despondency. They had to pull former President Bharrat Jagdeo out of retirement to rescue the party from tattering further. Mr. Jagdeo rose to the challenge and began to re-build the party and restore
its viability. PPP/C members also felt that the AFC component of the coalition would check the excess of the PNCR and therefore help to calm their (PPP/C) anxiety. Introspection allowed the PPP/C to conclude that their election loss in 2015 was attributed principally to complacency, arrogance, breakdown of the party’s grass roots organization, as well as the perception of corruption. Rather than tapping into the widespread good will that your government had enjoyed in the beginning, you (Continued on page 6)
will not be producing the mountains of evidence of malfeasance that he claims cost him the Presidency after just one term. It is almost as if Granger waited until the very last minute to not only sabotage his own case, but then to pull himself out of a situation in which he would have been compelled to produce ‘evidence’ of his claims of massive fraud in court. Surely, considering that he campaigned on a platform of honesty, integrity and decency, this would be untenable. The following five sentences of the appeals court judgment against Trump in the US should have particular resonance for David Granger and his continued farce in the courts of this country: “Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”
Sunday November 29, 2020
Tribute to Shari Rodrigues DaSilva Dear Editor, November 26th, 2020 marked the 1st Anniversary of Animal Rescue and Protection Society (ARAPS) and, c o i n c i d e n t a l l y, the birthday of its founder, Shari Rodrigues DaSilva. So, it was a double celebration. Happy Birthday Shari! And Happy Birthday ARAPS (with close to 11,000 followers on your page). During its first year, this amazing group rescued hundreds of animals; spayed and neutered more than 700 cats, dogs, kittens and puppies, and found forever homes for hundreds of animals. ARAPS, together with GSPCA, Rosewood and me (pre-COVID), went into schools (as far away as Berbice) to talk about kindness and responsible ownership, and to educate children about animal abuse, what to do and who to call. ARAPS, with the help of GSPCA and the police, conducted multiple investigations into animal a b u s e . To g e t h e r w i t h Humane Society Intl, GSPCA and the Rosewood Foundation, ARAPS has led multiple vaccination and flea treatment outreaches. These activities contributed to
healthier pets and help eliminate the virus, Distemper. ARAPS spaying and neutering campaigns have been carried out in Essequibo, Berbice, Tuschen and Enmore, among other place. Shari, with her team, often travelled the day before to capture strays, plan and organize these outreaches. They are a dedicated group, focused on controlling the animal population. Of course, their work could not be done without ongoing support from GSPCA, Dr. Bassoodeo and his staff, Dr. Steve Surjubally, and the many ARAPS donors. In January 2020, I was asked to help a dog from Lusignan that was abused. He was tied in a toilet which had no roof. When it rained, he cried but his owners did not seem to care. Vani Samaroo, w h o worked nearby, heard his cries, fed him and begged the owner to move him to a better area in the filthy yard where he lived. Vani made contact with Nalisa M o h a b i r a n d m e, and together we tried to improve his living conditions but without success. His owners were bent on keeping him but did not care about his welfare. Finally, they agreed to sell
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him to me. He was taken to ARAPS Shelter and named Louie. He stayed there for several months, cared for and loved by Shari and staff. After one of my dogs died, I adopted Louie and he changed my world. Louie is not easy, much like a spoiled and mischievous child, but I love him and he loves me and his three sister dogs. He has become the protector of our home. Thanks to ARAPS for giving Louie shelter and love until he found his forever home with me. Editor, I cannot say enough about Shari, this superwoman has her own family, which includes 10 dogs, and she has her own business. Yet she still finds time and energy to oversee two shelters, with over 70 dogs and cats, most of them rescued from abused homes. I recently visited her and the phone n e v e r s t o p p e d ringing - persons calling from all over the country on animal related matters. Shari has a heart of gold and tries to help and respond to every animal in need. Guyana is lucky to have this hard-working lady and her team of dedicated committee members. Please follow ARAPS page and support their cause. Syeada Manbodh
No ganja smoking in public Dear Editor, Guyana has taken note of the statements of the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, regarding a relaxation of the marijuana regulations. According to Kaieteur News’ edition of Wednesday, November 25, 2020, the AG disclosed that the Cabinet is
expected to review a draft bill, which seeks to remove custodial sentences for persons caught with small quantities of ganja. Importantly, the Cabinet will be looking at statistics from the region to determine whether such measures work. One of the arguments is that authorities have been examining measures to reduce the prison population. It is no secret that it costs the National Treasury tens of millions of dollars annually to upkeep our prisoners. We look around the globe and even in the US, where the issue has been a controversial one. The measures of liberalization have been one that saw different states taking their own decisions when it comes to the issue of marijuana. A number of states make it possible to walk into authorized stores and buy marijuana and marijuana products. The Minister stated that he has already consulted the
Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, for information on the number of inmates incarcerated for possession of marijuana. Importantly, the AG said that the relaxation would not mean that there is no offence. It will remain one if a person is caught. However, there will be a limit to what could amount to possession, for personal use. Whatever it is that Cabinet decides, there must be a few things clear. Yes, it can be agreed that the prison population is overcrowded from marijuana offences. But, relaxation does not mean that one can take liberties. What the AG seems to imitate is that it will still be illegal to possess marijuana. We strongly urge, for the
sake of the country, that smoking of marijuana should not be allowed in public. It would not be farfetched to think that one can stand up in front of a police station and dare the police ranks at the gates. It would not be unthinkable, that someone could be posing off on the security of Parliament Buildings. There has to also be another safeguard. If you are caught, let us say three times for possession, then a jail sentence can be automatic. There are a number of ways to address this. It is a serious matter, that speaks to law and order and the values of this country. Cobeer Persaud
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President, Government earn respect for performance Dear Editor, Everywhere I traveled on the coast last week interacting with the public at random, I heard primarily praises for the performance of government and ministers (those who constantly mingle with the public). The President and his government have an almost 100% rating for their performance so far – over three months into the administration. The personality and style of President Irfaan Ali and his team are very different from the predecessors. The ministers are very active, getting things done. They are going around communities, on the ground themselves to address public issues with some earning sky-high ratings. Some Ministers, like Anil Nandlall, Zulfi Mustapha, Collin Croal, Susan Rodrigues, Nigel Dharamlall, Vi c k r a m Bharrat, Vindiya Persaud, among others, came in for special praise especially for their activism and presence in the public. People, a large majority, including a growing numbers of supporters of
the coalition, are thankful for the change in administration, expressing delight and gratitude to rid the country of the coalition. The $25K household COVID-19 grant has boosted the image of the government. There are questions asking why the Coalition could not have helped them during early period of the pandemic. A large majority saw the previous Coalition regime as a burden on the backs of the people. “Thank God they are gone,” is the response of many about the Coalition when asked about the change in administration. Members of the Coalition, top-tier leadership in particular, should go out and interact with the public to get a sense of how they are viewed among their own supporters. The response among many is not pleasant and description of their performance is not flattering – horrendous, appalling, dreadful, among other negatives. On the other hand, the description of the performance of the current
government, that of some Ministers in particular, who seem truly immersed into their jobs, is the complete opposite – praiseworthy, commendable, impressive, among other positives. Those I interacted with say that this new group of ministers, the President and PM, are very interactive and engaging with the p u b l i c w h i l e t h e Vi c e President Bharrat Jagdeo is very interactive with the media. Most of the current ministers find time to interact with people. The ministers are not stuck in air-conditioned offices. They are doers. They don’t just talk. They walk the talk. In contrast, the previous group of ministers of the Coalition and their assistants were viewed as “wanting only to sit in office on the throne. That is why they get shai out,” said one-poll respondents. The Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, leads in performance as “the best minister” of the Government. And there is no comparison of him with his p r e d e c e s s o r. Respondents in the current poll say it is like comparing the taste of lime with ripe
...Many persons voted against From page 4 began instead to fire nonpolitical Indo-Guyanese workers in the public service as well as non-Indo Guyanese workers thought to be sympathetic to the PPP/C as well as Amerindian CSO workers. Later you fired sugar workers, most of whom were IndoGuyanese. Despite your campaign’s resounding promise that sugar “is too big to fail” and that sugar workers will receive a 20% pay hike, and rice farmers will receive $9,000 per bag of paddy, once in office you recanted on those pledges and thus destroyed the faith of the 11% Indo-Guyanese that voted for your coalition in 2015. Mr. Granger, your systematic attempts to militarize the society through your appointment of ex-military GDF officers, who occupied strategic positions in the public service as well as the re-activation of the People’s Militia in December 2015, with a force strength of 1,500, combined with your re-organization of the top police’s hierarchy in August 2018, were all parts of your grand military design. Other related measures included your refusal to hold election following the successful passage of the NCM (No Confidence Motion), a position criticized by your
pollster, Peter Wickham, of CADRES; your unconstitutional appointment of the GECOM Chair, James Patterson; and your failure to accept the 2020 election results that were duly certified by CARICOM. Your team tried valiantly to stage an electoral coup d’état after knowing that your party had lost the 2020 election. These and other actions such as creation of a spy agency (attested to by the Brassington mission in December 2015) had sent a chilling message that power consolidation had been central to your political ideology. Now that you are out of government, Mr. Granger, you have become more visible than when you were the President, but your utterances at public gatherings have not been progressive but rather reactionary. You have complained about the dismissals of PNCR-aligned supporters in the Public Service by the PPP/ C government. You failed to tell the people that when you were in government, you said nonchalantly that the responsibility of government is not to provide jobs, but rather to create an enabling environment. Yet, in practice during your five-year term, your new hires were a phenomenal
10,000 workers. The PPP/C government has been exercising its right to terminate the services of political appointees (who refused to resign) to make way for the appointment of the PPP/C’s own political appointees who are expected to promote their policies. Your firing of workers Mr. Granger was ruthless while the PPP/C’s firing was less severe and done on a much lesser scale and in a measured way. While you fired thousands of workers, the majority of whom were IndoGuyanese, the PPP/C has terminated less than 300 political/contract workers. Had you not embarked upon a vindictive campaign with support of Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo, to destroy the livelihood of thousands of workers, the Coalition would have been in a strong position to win the last election. While the PPP/C carried out a good campaign, it was largely the Coalition that made it possible for the PPP/C to win the 2020 election. Many people voted for the PPP/C not because they necessarily liked the party but rather because they despised the vindictive, corrupt, and autocratic leadership of the PNCR-led coalition. Dr Tara Singh
sapodilla. Nandlall dazzles with his brilliance and erudition of law. People like the idea of ministers visiting their communities. Those I interacted with say Mustapha, Croal, Rodrigues, and Dharamlall are lauded for being very active on the ground. They seem to have a presence everywhere. Agriculture Minister Mustapha seems to be loved by farmers. He has gone to almost every part of the country, trying to sort out agricultural issues. Farmers say he is the total opposite of Noel Holder, the coalition’s Minister of Agriculture. Mustapha is described as very engaging and hands on. Farmers say he listens to them, accepts their complaints, and acts. He champions the interests of farmers unlike his p r e d e c e s s o r. A c c o l a d e s also come in for Natural Resources M i n i s t e r, Vickram Bharrat, who is described as very calm, s a v v y, a r t i c u l a t e , a n d reasoned. Vickram Bharrat has the support of the miners who say he listens
to them and that he is nice to people. He has a wonderful personality and he has learned the job very fast. Miners express confidence in him, saying he is doing a great job. Infrastructure issues are also being addressed promptly. Telecoms is a serious problem with people everywhere complaining of poor service, dropped phone calls, and WiFi signals. The good news is that complaints across all ministries are being dealt with almost instantly, at times by ministers themselves. People express concerns about COVID-19 which is a serious and c h a l l e n g i n g issue…adequate protective steps were not taken to deter spread of infections under the Coalition – people unknowingly spread the virus. Not enough tests were done even though 1,700 kits were donated to the Government in the first month of the pandemic. One could not get an accurate assessment of the presence of COVID-19
among the public. The secrecy of the operations of the Health Ministry led to the spread of the virus and the spike in the number of cases. Cases were first reported to the Minister as opposed to the patient and a t t e n d i n g d o c t o r. T h e number of cases was under-reported for political reasons. That has all changed with the change of administration in early August. Dr. Frank Anthony has limited time to interact with the public on so many health issues as he tries to control the spread of the virus that has been taking a growing toll on people. His performance is rated as very good. There is now more testing unlike under the Coalition when few tests were conducted. Test kits were hidden and results concealed, away from the public. Overall, the President and his ministers, the Vice President and Prime Minister have earned the respect and admiration of the public. They are worthy of commendation. Vishnu Bisram (Pollster)
Giving back those lands Dear Editor, I read of one man on bond with regard to some dirty land deal, and yet another group of men giving back some prime parcel of land previously awarded. In both instances, this speaks so much of us, about how we manage duty, authority and responsibility, on the one hand; and, on the other, how ease of access and ascent to the appropriate powers facilitates so much happening. There is so much revealed, both the belated positive and the overwhelming negative. Before proceeding, I must say something first. The first thing that has to be said in the clearest terms is that I have nothing to give back; I have nothing to look over my shoulder because of knowledge or fear that such was acquired in less than legitimate ways, in criminal ways. Absolutely nothing to return or hide from or hide its existence. With that out of the way, I ponder as to how many people, who were or are in some position of oversight and stewardship, directly or indirectly, can say the same and with accuracy. Not many I would venture to mention, not according to my understanding and evaluation of them. Currently, some PNCR men have been subjected to the glare of the spotlight, and
the irony of iron bars. I say irony, since we are talking of men of the law; the luminaries and rising stars, the adored and swooned over role models. I go a tad deeper: for every single one exposed and held aloft as a mockery of what principle and integrity ought to be, there are a hundred (arguably a thousand) more that remain undercover and untouched. Moreover, just like the PNCR, the PPP/C which speaks so piously and powerfully stand as pathetic examples of the national hypocrisy that is religion and culture in this place of night without light. Since there are more PPP/C practitioners around, then they are bound to be more of them; since they have been in power longer, there are more of them, because they had more time and opportunity to weave their particular brand of criminal concoctions. Oh, PPP/C leaders rave and foam, but they themselves are just as bad, if not worse than the PNCR ones they condemn rightly. Heal thyself leaders, fix first thine own self-while in the damnation business, and then there can be righteous indignation and accusation. As I think of this, I question the existence and presence of national political role models. I readily admit starting in the worst of places,
since one does not go into a crack house or drug yard to find the unsullied and sober. But, they (all of them, PPP/C and PNCR stalwarts) preen and prance and pretend at this stupidest of games, which fool so many Guyanese. Educated men and wise women lose their mojo, surrender the cells and sinews of their souls to be near to them and be a part of their crooked prospering action. I abhor them all, with the scantiest of exceptions; and even then, I am guarded these days. I yearn no longer for a talented tenth, since that is out of reach and as good as dead, gone with the wind to the great beyond. Or, the greater one that is America. Nowadays, as I understand what makes the people tick here on this blob on the map, I will settle for a talented twentieth. And, if that fails - more realistically not if but when - then I will have to be satisfied with a talented one percent, or whatever comes this way. This is how bad we are. This is where I finally come to my senses. As I leave, I think of those returning lands, and I have these questions: why only now the good? And last, what would have happened, being returned (if anything), if the government had not changed? I have a dog to return. But then, I wouldn’t do that to a dog, either. GHK Lall
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Oil companies trap Ghana in long-term deal to take more gas than it needs - Int’l Watchdog warns Guyana to take heed
A
n independent policy center called Institute of the Americas is warning Guyana to be careful as it negotiates its deal with ExxonMobil and its Stabroek partners for the gas-to-shore project. Ghana’s experience with its own gas-to-shore project, the non-profit entity pointed out, has found itself trapped in a long-term agreement with oil companies which resulted in the African nation having to pay for 90 percent of its own gas and scramble to find uses
for it. In the Institute’s report titled, ‘Guyana’s Gas-toPower Potential,’ University of California San Diego graduate student Kathryn Hillis noted that Ghana, like Guyana, suffered power outages. It also wanted to reduce power costs, lower emissions and make electricity services more reliable. That was addressed when Ghana approved the Sankofa gas project in 2015. According to the World Bank, since the startup of the project, Sankofa resulted in the pro-
vision of power to 1.6 million households, decreased oil imports by 12 million barrels a year, and reduced carbon emission by 1.6 million metric tons. Notwithstanding the benefits, there are challenges Ghana is now struggling with. The World Bank partially funded the project, whereby the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC), and Eni and Vitol drilled wells and interconnected a gas pipeline to the country’s pipeline network and with existing power plants.
Ghana signed a long-term take-or-pay Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with gas and power suppliers, through which it would have to pay for 90 percent of the produced gas from the field, no matter the demand, Hillis wrote. “In an environment of frequent power outages where a large portion of the population lacks access to electricity, this seemed like an ideal arrangement,” she said. However, the market is now severely oversupplied, with the government paying $500 million annually for un-
used power. Ghanaians are also reported as arguing that the tariffs in the Power Purchase Agreement are not competitive, causing the government to overpay for power. Recognising that the energy sector is not financially sustainable, the current administration responded by creating the Energy Sector Recovery Program (ESRP) to identify the policies and actions needed to recover the sector financially. The programme would have to find uses for all the extra gas and work on ensuring fairer agreements in the future. Part of the programme involved having Cenpower, a major power company in Ghana, switch its primary fuel consumption from light crude to natural gas.
Hillis said that Ghana will need to do a lot more to find offtake sources for the gas because the company’s switch is nowhere near enough. “Clearly, Guyana must seek to avoid Ghana’s mistakes with its PPAs.” Hillis said. “Despite the numerous benefits of using gas for power generation, the project could become a negative for the country if not executed properly.” Guyana’s Gas-to-Shore Task Force is being headed by Winston Brassington. The Government, according to Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Vickram Bharrat, intends to finalize negotiations by 2021-year end. The project will draw associated gas from the Liza Phase One well.
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Health Ministry records 28 new COVID-19 cases - 782 persons in home isolation The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday recorded 28 new COVID-19 cases, pushing Guyana’s confirmed cases to 5,338. This was presented in their daily dashboard update. Of the newly recorded cases; Region One and Region Three recorded one new case each, Region Four recorded 7, Region Seven recorded 5 and Region 10 recorded 14.
The MOH’s dashboard further states that 782 persons are in approved home isolation, 87 are in institutional isolation, 41 are in institutional quarantine and 3 persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit. The COVID-19 death toll remains at 149 deaths and 4,317 persons have recovered. Additionally, 29,521 persons have been tested for the virus countrywide to date.
Dem boys seh...
Blame de pandemic De bossman of de Waterfall paper walk in de pressroom. Immediately everybody start to scratch de palm of dem hands. Dah had de boss man baffle. He thought was some allergy in de place. One of de reporters run to he and seh, “When yuh palm scratching yuh, it mean money coming yuh way.” The boss man seh, “De money coming but not me. Business bad. Revenue down. Blame de pandemic. However, yuh could ask Exxon. I hear dem plan fuh give every Guyanese bonus …from de US$55B wah we leaders left at de negotiating table… And den dem gon reclaim it from cost recovery.” De staff face get sour and dem ask de boss man, “But is wah you giving we fuh Christmas this year?” De boss turn like de Scrooge and seh, “I gan give y’all de day off on Christmas Day
and Boxing Day. And for good measure you can also stay home on New Year’s Day.” Dem Boys did remember long ago when postman and de garbage collectors used to leff an envelope fuh yuh, to put a token in fuh de Christmas. Almost every house used to give them something. De present generation, however, nah know about dem customs. Last year de rubbish truck men drop off dem envelope. It mark “Merry Christmas pun it.” At one house, a lil child collect de envelope and run in de house. “Mommy, Mommy, de rubbish bin men send yuh a Christmas card.” De mother pick up de envelope and seh “But look at this, dem send de envelope without de card.” Talk half and blame de pandemic if yuh nah get nothing this Christmas.
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Granger’s notice will have no effect on application to strike out elections petition- AG The move to issue a notice of intention not to oppose the Elections Petitions by former Presidential candidate of the A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) party, David Granger, will have no effect on the application by Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C to strike out the petition. Nandlall shared this perspective during a Department Of Public Information interview about the Court case. According to Nandlall, the notice by Granger appears to be a desperate attempt by the Opposition camp to invalidate his application. He explained however, that his application to strike
out the petition is based on the fact that Granger, a named respondent in the matter was served late. He stressed that the late/ defective service is a fundamental issue covered by the law and in such circumstances, the Court has no jurisdiction to hear the elections case. Stressing that the late service is fatal to the opposition’s case, Nandlall said that “Perhaps the lawyers are hoping that by getting Mr. Granger to put in the notice not to oppose the petition, then my argument on the point of Mr. Granger’s late service becomes mute and invalid. Perhaps they think they can circumvent a proven deficiency by this notice but
they are wrong.” In this regard, the AG explained that the notice not to oppose the election petition relates to a completely different aspect of the law. “They are mutually exclusive concepts …so if they think this notice somehow evaporates my application, they are completely mistaken,” he stressed. Additionally, the AG noted the lack of coordination among the lawyers for the petition has led to confusion on several points in the matter. “Clearly there is some degree of confusion among the ranks of lawyers, because one is objecting to exactly what the other did, so clearly there is an implosion… Is it that
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C. they are not speaking to each other, or to their clients? Is it that they don’t understand the law? One begs to question” Nandlall said adding, that he is confident that his argument will be upheld when the matter is finally ventilated. Last Thursday, Granger indicated by way of notice to
Former Presidential candidate of the APNU+AFC party, David Granger. the Court that he will not oppose the Elections Petitions, which challenges the results of the March 2, 2020, Regional and General Elections. According to a Notice seen by Kaieteur News, the move is in keeping with provisions of Section 27(1) (a) and (2) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections)
Act Cap1:04 and rule 25 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rule Cap1:04; provisions which cater for withdrawal from the proceeding. Section 27(1) (a) of the Act states, “that if before the trial of an elections a respondent other than the Chief Elections (Continued on page 13)
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Citgo 6: US oil executives convicted of corruption in Venezuela Six US oil executives have been jailed after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Venezuela. The men all worked for Citgo, a US refining company owned by Venezuela’s state oil firm, and were arrested in the capital Caracas three years ago. They all denied wrongdoing. Citgo’s former president, Jose Pereira, was sentenced to over 13 years in prison and given a $2m (£1.5m) fine. The others received sentences of between eight and 10 years. The others, who were all vice-presidents of the company at the time, have been named as Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Jose Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell and Gustavo Cardenas. One of the group’s lawyers told Reuters news agency that the men planned to appeal and described them as “political prisoners”. “The evidence for the
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
The men worked for US firm, CITGO (Photo Credit: Getty Images) crimes they are accused of corruption operation in Venwas not there, it did not even ezuela. Critics of President mention the six of them,” lawNicolás Maduro said the yer Maria Alejandra said. The group, all US citizens move was part of a political or permanent residents, was purge. Venezuela’s oil industry is arrested in November 2017 after being called to Caracas key for the government as it accounts for about 95% of the for a meeting. According to Human country’s export earnings. Last year, the US introRights Watch, the group was accused of signing a deal that duced sanctions against the was “unfavourable” for country’s state-owned oil firm PDVSA after recognising opVenezuela’s state oil firm. Their arrests marked the position leader Juan Guaidó beginning of a sweeping anti- as interim president.
GTA launches new experiential tours in awareness of tourism month
Scene from the “Experiential Tourism Product Launch” at the National Exhibition Centre. The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) yesterday virtually held its ‘Experiential Tourism Product Launch’ in awareness of Tourism Month at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia. The three new tourism products are the Moraikobai Cultural Tour, the Wakapau Day Tour and the Seven Curry Tour. Attending this virtual launch were Representatives from GTA; the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG); the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; the Singing Chef Adventures, the Toshaos of Moraikobai and Wakapau and media personnel. Speaking with Kaieteur News, Candace Phillips, Travel Industry Development Officer at GTA, explained that with these new travel products, the GTA has been work-
ing closely with the two communities for the past two years in order to bring their itinerary to life, as well as partnering with the private sector in terms with the Singing Chef Adventures who is offering the ‘7 Curry tour.’ She hopes that with these new products, domestic travelers can now choose one of these locations to explore and experience. The officer added that it would not only enrich traveler’s experiences but help to bring income for these communities and push the diversity of the GTA product. Meanwhile, the President of THAG, Mitra Ramkumar, commented that the launch of the new tourism product focuses on developing tourism within these communities and producing employment opportunities for residents. Lastly, he commended the
GTA for helping to develop these products and for lending a helping hand to the Toshaos of both communities for getting the travel products up to the standard it required. Lastly, the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, who was unable to make it at the launch, in her message to the gathering, expressed that she advocates that wherever in Guyana someone visits, they should have a remarkable and satisfying experience because Guyana is absolutely beautiful. Walrond added that she is very pleased that these two communities are visitor ready. She noted that today’s launch aimed to give travelers a meaningful and captivating experience, as they actively engage with the history, nature, the culture and food of the local people.
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Kaieteur News
FRONT PAGE COMMENTS RECAP As we continue our mission to enlighten the nation about issues of importance to this nation, we at Kaieteur
News have published a series of front page comments in hopes of having our leaders take the necessary actions in
Joe Harmon drifts, while Ashni Singh spins is the Leader of the Opposi- about today and fast and tion and not leader of the nasty money for secret Sunday Drifters. Because all that Mr. gangs. Oil and gas are about
Opposition Leader, Mr. Joseph Harmon, either thinks he is slick, or we are stupid. But whatever games Mr. Harmon is playing, we are not fooled. He may think that Guyanese are idiots, but we recommend a mirror so he can see for himself how he appears before the world on this nation’s oil and gas. About two months ago, Mr. Harmon promised to hold a press conference, as he was waiting on some mysterious overseas information. Eight long weeks later, Guyanese are still waiting on the Opposition Leader for some words on their oil and gas. In case Mr. Harmon forgot, as he pretends these days, we remind him that he
Harmon is doing nowadays on oil and gas is drifting endlessly and aimlessly. He feints, dodges and backpedals. The man twists sideways and every other way on oil and gas. He calls a press conference to announce intentions to hold another press conference on oil and gas. Mr. Harmon should know that his antics wear thin, he looks pathetic, he sounds worse. To show that he has some clue, Mr. Harmon tells us (Kaieteur News) that we should focus on drugs. If we didn’t know better, we would wonder what kind Mr. Harmon was around. If Mr. Harmon doesn’t know, we present him with nursery school basics: drugs are
honest riches that belong to whole societies and for generations to come. Surely, Mr. Harmon doesn’t need an education from us. Mr. Harmon is not the only upside-down politician around. The newly returned PPP finance man, Ashni Singh, said that non-oil sectors should gear up for spinoffs of the new economy. Spinoffs from what? Crumbs? Spinoffs from charity, handouts, and leftovers from Exxon? How about borrowings from bankers rushing to lend Guyana? The first man seeks focus on drugs, the second on spinoffs. Somebody is spinning something, instead of sharing hard truths about oil and gas.
All Guyanese must speak out! MONDAY Guyanese should take note of how the coalition operates. On some things it is engaged and lively, on others it is as cold as a tombstone. It blows hot and cold. On former NICIL chief, Colvin Heath-London, and the secret land deals, the coalition is a bundle of energy, with strong denials and pronouncements. The Coalition leaders go
into overdrive when they are required to plug holes in their leaky boat. On the other hand, the same leaders are as cold as death when it comes to Guyana’s oil. They are frozen stiff and unable to say anything of significance on this issue. APNU+AFC is not inspired by what the Surinamese leaders have done with their oil. It is content to muddle along as though oil has no bearing on
Guyana’s prosperity, and as if it is the last thing on its agenda.Given what the PPP has done with our oil, and all the lopsided deals that the APNU+AFC signed away during its time, Guyanese should be asking themselves if there is any hope left for a good future for them and their children.. It is not time that Guyanese speak out about the many oil corruptions and skulduggeries that harm their future?
On oil, the dray is before the donkey TUESDAY That dray-cart drags down the donkey. Successive governments have rushed ahead in a beehive of activity with our oil wealth, but they are sluggish
to the point of paralysis in doing the things that will nourish that wealth, by watching over it, like a hawk, to get the most out of it. By this, we are talking about our petroleum laws. Our petroleum laws are not outdated, they are ancient, and they allow foreign exploiters and producers to use them to our disadvantage. Those same laws impoverish us and leave us with little to improve our oil prospects. Clearly, the time for rehabilitating our antiquated petroleum laws is now. It must be the highest priority. Other countries, once
similar to us, have already strengthened their petroleum laws for maximum leverage when partnering with foreign oil players. A compulsory piece of any revitalized Guyanese petroleum laws must be arming us with the power to over-
see fully, through monitoring and authorizing and verifying to the fullest extent, every aspect of the exploration and production of our oil wealth.
The same goes for the related finances, which should be built into new laws and any offshoots of such laws. Last, after having such robust laws, they must be enforced constantly. If we do so, Guyana can become a rich and respected oil haven, and not the tricked and mocked place that it is today. Oil is war, and the sooner that we realize this, the better.
act as a party against the petition in any proceedings thereon.”The notice comes days after the lawyers embroiled in the case argued over the application by attorney Mayo Robertson to have Granger struck from the list of respondents in the matter. During those proceedings, Robertson, who represents one of the petitioners in the matter, held the view that Granger is not a necessary part in the case and
page comments of the past week to bring you up to speed.
ACCOMMODATING THE TAINTED THURSDAY No leader should be given a pass, given the madness and corruptions that are going on with this oil of ours. Alison Redford, QC, is the first case in point. The PPP contracted Canadian Alison Redford to review the US$9B Payara oil project, and do right by us. This was expected from a woman, who couldn’t do right in her own business. Her already tainted record is now worsened by disclosures that Exxon money con-
tributed to her political coffers. This is how cozy and incestuous Exxon’s relationships are, and this is how Guyana gets raped. What could this socalled world class expert do for us that was clean and reliable? This is the garbage that PPP leaders dump on Guyanese, while telling us how lawfully and cleanly they are overseeing the nation’s oil. The second instance is that of Baker Hughes, Inc. to be partnered with for onshore
capacity development. Baker Hughes has compiled a record of bribery and corruption the world over. Now our leaders are about to greenlight the company to corrupt Guyanese, especially Custom Officers, by spreading its poison and getting its oil business done its usual way. These are the types of people, the Canadian Redford and the American company, Baker Hughes Inc., that PPP leaders welcome here. This is how corrupt leaders corrupt our oil oversight and corrupt our people.
What did Guyana get from this US$30M? That is the question Can we expect anything, Guyanese would like to have at any time, with this oil of FRIDAY answered by Vice President ours, Mr. Jagdeo and Mr. US Hedge Fund, Elliot Management, paid US$30M to the people to whom the PPP/C (Robert Persaud and Donald Ramotar) secretly handed the Kaieteur oil block. That US$30M is payment for only a tiny piece of the block. With all this money changing hands, the question is this: What did Guyana get from this arrangement?
SATURDAY Just after the People’s Progressive Party lost the 2015 elections, they quickly accused the new A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change Coalition government of ‘ethnic cleansing’. Not a single case was however referred to the Constitutionally-sanctioned body, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC). Now, recent history has come full circle. Faced by increasingly embarrassing revelations about its giveaway of lands, both before and after it spent five months seeking to rig an election, the Coalition, now itself in opposition, is making serious and strenuous charges about ethnic targeting. When asked about
Granger’s notice will have no... From page 10 Officer (CEO) gives the prescribed motive that he does not intend to oppose the petition… the Registrar shall give notice thereof in the prescribed manner …” Part Two (2) of the section further notes that, “a respondent who has given the prescribed notice that he does not intend to oppose the petition or for whom any person has been substituted shall not be allowed to appear or
order to realize the desired outcomes. Today we recap the front
should be struck off. Lead attorney for Jagdeo, Douglas Mendes S.C, argued nonetheless that the issues are bound up together and should be ventilated together. “If the court decides that Mr. Granger is not a necessary party, then he will be struck out only from the proceedings but if the court decides that he is a necessary party, then the entire petition will need to be struck out…” he said.
Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Harmon. In case they are hard-ofhearing or suffer from human attention deficit, we repeat the question for Messrs. Jagdeo and Harmon: What did Guyana get from this arrangement? We ask also, how will Guyanese benefit from the investment made through Cataleya Energy?
Harmon? By the way, Mr. Jagdeo, we commend the action announced to block Exxon from importing bottled water. We express thanks for the small start. Now how about the bigger, material things like: What is Guyana going to get from this investment by Elliot Management Corp into Cataleya Energy?
RACE BAITING whether or not a single case of this was reported to the ERC, the excuse given for not doing so was that this constitutional body was ineffective, with AFC Executive Cathy Hughes citing some nebulous complaint made just after elections which the ERC merely acknowledged. This is the same Hughes who around that time had made the perhaps equally credible complaint about secret Russians coming to Guyana to hack the elections and being deported. It is clear that the standard distraction of losing incumbents, to avoid scrutiny of their corruption or wrongdoing by the new regime is to race bait. Both APNU and AFC, for example, have refused to speak to the particular charges of Bond’s arrest, and the surrounding issues of the massive land giveaway that took place under the Granger administration, even as it was defying the legal effect of the
No Confidence Vote and trying to illegally and indecently overturn the will of the people after losing the March 2 elections. That such an irresponsible statement should come from the PNC would not be surprising since it has been the PPP’s complement and twin in exploiting racial division in this country. That it should come from the AFC is not surprising either, just further proof that the party of change has now become an appendage of its coalition partner. Ethnopoliticisation is the primary hurdle to Guyana’s development and has been since the pre-Independence era. What we need is a direct and honest conversation about how race divides us, and how it continues to infect our politics. What we continue to get however, perhaps expected from politicians, is cheap, insidious and exploitative racial theatre.
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MIND launches Caribbean Public Sector Leadership Review KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Management Institute for National Development (MIND) Saturday officially launched the first issue of the Caribbean Public Sector Leadership Review, themed ‘Adaptive Leadership’. Speaking at the virtual launch, Executive Director, MIND, Dr Ruby Brown said the publication signals the organisation’s ongoing commitment to not only change the tone and texture of conversations about public sector leadership, but to influence the practice through exposure to interventions, cases, and experiences that have been utilised successfully by leaders. Brown said the magazine supports MIND’s ongoing quest to foster an enriching leadership development expe-
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
rience that is academically sound, practitioner focused and fully supports public sector transformation and service excellence across the Caribbean. She posited that the Review is intended to be a practitioner’s guide, delivering a wealth of strategic thought, reflection and the lived experiences of leaders from across the Region, as they lead in pursuit of service excellence. “For many years we have been publishing the Caribbean Journal of Public Sector Management, a peer review journal which has benefitted from academic papers from scholars locally and abroad and we will continue to do so,” Brown said. “However, as we sought to give greater focus to lead-
ership, recognising its inextricable link to public service transformation for service excellence, we saw the need to broaden our reach and strengthen our impact beyond the journal, and so the Caribbean Public Sector Leadership Review was conceptualised,” she added. Brown used the opportunity to thank the authors and leaders who shared their experiences/stories and contributed to the publication. “This reveal would not have been possible without the leaders whose experiences have formed the rich content that we celebrate as part of this review and the authors of the various articles who were willing to give us the invaluable opportunity to learn from their experiences, a special thanks,” she said.
Minister briefed on recent ganja bust in prison officers’ quarters Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn has been briefed on the recent marijuana bust in the prison officers’ quarters located at the Lusignan Prison Officers’ Sports Club. This is according to a press release sent out by the ministry, reiterating its zero tolerance for rogue members of the law enforcement agencies. The ministry also stated that it will continue to support every effort to root out those elements from the system. Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, the release stated, reported to the Minister that a search was conducted on November 11 and a quantity of suspected cannabis was found. At the time of the search, two prison officers were occupying the quarters. Reports are that the cannabis, which amounted to 894 grams, was in a plastic bag stashed in a cupboard underneath a sink. An investigation was launched and the two prison officers were arrested. Both of them denied ownership of the drugs. According to the release, they claimed that they weren’t aware that the marijuana was there. Evidence obtained by po-
Director of Prisons, Gladwin
lice was sufficient to charge only one of the officers, Quincy Jemmott, 34, of Schoonard, West Bank Demerara. He appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate Court on November 16 and was charged with ‘Trafficking in Cannabis.’ Jemmott was granted $150,000 bail and is expected to reappear in court on March 22, 2021.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn.
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BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our page seven to be blunt on ongoing indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation. Sunday Opposition Leader, Joseph Harman said that Kaieteur News should give attention to the Cocaine Sector as much as it gives to the oil sector because of Belguim drug bust How nonsensical can he be? Does Cocaine give us our bread and butter? Can this nation thrive on cocaine? Ou politicians need to do better! And stop encouraging our people to take their eyes off the prize that is our oil Is we own so we must give it attention! Monday November 22 We will be blunter than usual today. Robert Persaud should be removed immediately from his post of Foreign Secretary. Donald Ramotar should cease receiving his pension. This should happen to both of them until they come clean with what happened (and why) with the Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks. This way President Ali would show that he is serious and honest with Guyana’s oil. Tuesday Good governments do not sign secret oil deals. Good governments do not give away the wealth of their citizens. Good governments do not leave their country in debt for generations to come. Whether PPP/C or APNU+AFC, we have not had good governments managing our oil wealth. Wednesday The people of Guyana say that the Government as our gatekeepers are really bandits That all along, a gang of them, all planned it. The people of Guyana are saying that elections comes every five year That all the politicians who believe that they can do as they like now will pay dear The people of Guyana of Guyana say they have long memory That if the politicians believe they can escape, well in five years they will become history
Thursday Our leaders are gaining a reputation for dealing with the gutter and swimming with snakes. Recently they got a Canadian, Alison Redford, who couldn’t differentiate right from wrong in Canada. The latest is the US Company that wants to set up a shore base here at Land of Canaan, Baker Hughes, which is surrounded by the stench of corruption worldwide. Ms. Redford compromised herself over pennies in Alberta and she was hired to review our Payara costs – what could she do here for US$9B? Baker Hughes corrupted public officials wherever it went – why not here, also?
Our leaders insist upon dealing in trash, and they already smell like a landfill. Friday The PPP/C government is rolling in COVID-19 relief funds, with money from everywhere Everyone is lining up to lend Guyana, with the latest being the World Bank with US$7.5M Problem is the PPP/C’s borrowing binge has to be repaid by us, meaning ME and YOU No matter how ‘soft’ these compassionate loans, they must be paid back eventually. And regardless how soft and long, weak oil prices can make repayments hard and feel short
The PPP/C gets on its knees to borrow; the taxpayers bend their backs to pay back Saturday Carte Blanche is fancy a French term. It translates to “You could do whatever you want.” Subsequent governments continue to show that oil
companies got carte blanche when it comes to Guyanese. Exxon wants to dump wastewater and flare, threatening the environment, both PPP and Coalition give them carte blanche to do so. CGX is collecting money from foreign investors but not drilling any actuall wells, both PPP and Coalition give them
carte blanche to do so. Kaieteur and Canje Block owners are getting millions of dollars of investments while they enjoy carte blanche deals when it comes to keeping finances secret from Guyanese. Meanwhile, the only carte blanche that the average Guyanese can afford is a House Proud.
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Kaieteur News
Oil companies must use local goods, services- Suriname law - Five years later, Guyana without proper local content provision
N
o stone is left unturned when it comes to Suriname securing maximum benefits for its people. In fact, the Surinamese Petroleum Law explicitly mandates that contractors in the oil and gas industry must use local goods and services produced and/or available in Suriname, over that of foreign goods and services. The law of the Dutchspeaking country goes on to
highlight, however, that the only instances where contractors can import those products is if the local conditions are “less than favorable”.
This rule is not only absent from the Local Content Laws of Guyana, but also the draft Local Content Policy that was finalized by United Kingdom Consultant, Dr. Michael Warner—who also happens to be a client of ExxonMobil. Notably, in a series of ar-
ticles, Kaieteur News had exposed how Dr. Warner had ignored and removed key recommendations to give Guyanese an advantage in the oil sector. Surinamese Petroleum Laws also mandate that companies are required to pro-
vide a report demonstrating the number of employees engaged in petroleum operations in Suriname , identified by nationality to the extent of providing such in-
formation does not cause the contractor to violate any laws. This report must be submitted no later than 90 days following the end of each calendar year. This provision is also missing from the Guyana laws, as well as the Production Signing Agreement (PSA) signed between government and ExxonMobil. In fact, this oil major continues failing to submit a breakdown of the job descrip-
tion, salaries, and even the plans in place to increase
this workforce by more than 55%. Further to this, no data was provided for the public to analyse if there was any progression in the employ-
ment of Guyanese to senior positions from 2015 to now. Instead, Exxon continues to make general claims but provides no actual evidence on its use of locals in its operations.
President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
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EPA ill equipped to handle mass importation of hazardous chemicals for oil and gas sector - Former Head Vincent Adams Former EPA head, Dr. Vincent Adams
E
nsuring the protection of G u y a n a ' s environment should come as the utmost priority for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but without the requisite and essential equipment to handle the influx of hazardous chemicals from the oil and gas sector, it would be unable to complete that mandate. Unfortunately, that is the
existing situation at EPA as was revealed by former head of the Agency, Dr. Vincent Adams, on a recent edition of Kaieteur Radio's, 'Corruption, Governance and Justice,' hosted by senior journalist Kiana Wilburg. “If you think we are not going to have environmental issues, you've got something else coming because in the industry, there is going to be all kinds of chemicals we
Please help
Residents of Haslington New Scheme, East Coast Demerara, are complaining bitterly about the water service and quality in their area. They say it comes irregularly, with very little pressure when it does and is of poor quality. They are asking the Guyana Water Inc. to fix the situation.
A section of the spill at GNIC last year
have never seen before, never had any experience with and it is all going to hit us,” the environmental expert stated. That now presents a dangerous challenge for the EPA, Adams reported, as these facilities will be located in central and populated areas and on the river. He added, “And you know the river is convenient, it is cheap and you have easy access and transportation and that's where you gonna be vulnerable to spills and the air.” The EPA according to Dr. Adams currently lacks the basic capacities, such as human resources, to assess simple environmental issues. A forensic audit of the agency done back in 2015 had discovered that the EPA should have had at least 263 persons employed. However, according to Dr. Adams, at the start of his
tenure, only 90 persons were there. With work overtime, Dr. Adams reported that the number increased to 120 and plans were afoot to boost it to at least 300. Not only that, Dr. Adams noted too, that plans were in the works to procure a state-of-the-art laboratory for the EPA. However, these plans were cut short after the new People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) regime recently terminated his contract. But even with those improvements, it still was not enough. Simple measuring equipment to measure pollutants in the air are lacking at the agency, Dr. Adams relayed. “It is a problem and what used to happen was, we have staff that were very dedicated and they mean well and one of the things that we were doing was, we had some outdated equipment and they were
going out taking measurements using those and I said if the equipment is old, I say we put it aside and say we don't have the equipment,” he continued, adding “When we say that now people laugh at us and say that we are not an EPA. But I prefer for us to not give any data because you are playing with people's lives because you are gonna say that okay this is safe, but it is the wrong measurement.” The environmental expert called on the government for adequate funding for the EPA as they are the guardians of Guyana's environment and play an intricate role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Guyanese. “There is oil and gas, mining, road construction, etc. everything has to pass through the EPA so we need the resources, if we are going to really be serious about protecting people's health, safety and the environment.
Half of the population is below the age of 25 so what are we gonna give them? They are the ones who are gonna have to survive this,” he said. Guyana's response capacity was already tested in a major way after a “Rheduce” chemical spill at the Guyana National Industrial Company (GNIC). That led to the EPA putting a halt on chemicals being stored at the wharf. A forklift pierced the container holding the chemical that was left at the facility for months after being imported by Schlumberger Guyana. The company later faced a $1 million penalty for the spill. While the chemical placed no harm on the environment and human life, what was worrying about the incident was the EPA was notified more than nine hours after the spill had occurred.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Third option added to Guyana's COVID-19 testing portfolio - Private health institutions to be certified once criteria is met
T
he Ministry of Health (MOH) has added the rapid antigen test as a third option to Guyana's COVID19 testing portfolio. The rapid antigen test detects viral proteins and gives a positive test result when a person is most infectious and it delivers faster test results according to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). The tests were to be rolled out by the end of last week or early this week within public health institutions. It was mentioned by the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, as he spoke on the matter last week. He further went on to say that if private institutions wish to introduce these tests they must first meet the criteria. Once the ministry sees that they have met the criteria, they can be certified to offer the testing. “Now, I'm sure there might be labs, who would start bringing in rapid antigen tests, once they meet the criteria because WHO (World Health Organization) has established some criteria for these types of tests as
well, we would check. So, whoever wants to use them could contact the Ministry, and we will go through a process of vetting, and once it meets those criteria, we will allow it,” Anthony had said. He disclosed that the rapid antigen tests will be used mainly in hinterland areas to improve their testing capacity. This publication previously reported that despite the testing capacity being increased at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), the delivery of speedy test results in remote areas was still delayed. This was because the test samples being taken in those areas would have to be transported to the lab in Georgetown then have the results taken back to their respective areas. Further, Dr Anthony had noted that sending out swabs for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests was a challenge for the ministry. The government has acquired 20,000 antigen tests for use and of these tests, one set came from the US and the other from South Korea.
The National Public Health Reference Laboratory
The first set, a test named “Panbio” was produced by Abbott Laboratories and takes about 20 minutes to be completed. The second set was acquired through PAHO who sourced it out of South Korea. Notwithstanding, the rapid antigen test being added to Guyana's COVID-
19 testing portfolio, the Health Ministry maintains that the PCR test is still the gold standard for testing as it is the most accurate. The second test that was added to the portfolio was the rapid antibody test, however, this was rarely used. In one instance, it was
used for mass screening of teachers and students in Region Nine (Upper TakatuUpper Essequibo). This was a result of circulating claims in the media, alleging that several students had tested positive for the virus in various sections of the region. A Ministry spokesman
told this newspaper that rapid antibody testing shows if someone contracted the virus in the past. A positive test result from an antibody tests means that the person would have contracted the virus but has already recovered and they were more than likely asymptomatic.
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Exxon, Total renegotiate major gas sharing deal in Mozambique
By Tsvetana Paraskova
S
upermajors ExxonMobil and T o t a l a r e renegotiating a natural gas resource sharing deal for their respective liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects offshore Mozambique, Reuters reports, citing sources with knowledge of the talks. Exxon and Total are leading the Rovuma LNG and the Mozambique LNG projects, respectively, and are looking to renegotiate a 2015 deal on using resources from the basins that would supply gas to their respective projects. Both oil majors, who are looking to cut project costs, want to use the resources from a shared field first because they are cheaper to extract. The 2015 deal stipulates that Exxon and Total extract a total of 24 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from the "straddling" reserves in a 50/50 share in the first phases of their projects. "They want to use the cheapest gas first - which is the straddling resources," one of Reuters' sources said. The renegotiation of the gas extraction deal also involves the government of
Mozambique, which has to sign off on any new resourcesharing deal, the sources told Reuters. The Total-led Mozambique LNG Project, for which the US$20-billion Final Investment Decision (FDI) was taken in 2019, is on track to deliver LNG in 2024, Total says. In July, Total secured as much as US$16 billion in funding for its LNG project in Mozambique despite the supply glut and demand decline in the LNG market. The financing agreement "shows continued progress on project implementation despite security challenges and lower medium-term hydrocarbon prices, raising the prospect of significant positive effects on Mozambique's growth and public finances in the longer run," Fitch Ratings said after Total secured the funding. While Total secured financing for its project, ExxonMobil has delayed the FID on its US$30-billion Rovuma LNG project to next year due to low commodity prices and Exxon's need to cut investments globally. This will delay the start of production by one or two years, to around 2025-2026, Fitch says.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Meet the alluring Miss Ariella Basdeo. Ariella describes herself as energetic, intelligent, and always happy. Her favourite quote is, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.�
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, y r a n io is v e il t a s r Ve
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
John Caesar, By Enid Joaquin
B
y the age of 80, most people would have already called it a day – wrapped up whatever businesses they have and retired to the rocking chair. But not John Caesar. With eyes sparkling with excitement, Caesar recently spoke of his plans to expand Chanzar Enterprise, a family-oriented business that was birthed in his kitchen, nurtured in our local bauxite company and propagated by the people of Linden. The business has been in existence for over 40 years. John Caesar grew up s u r r o u n d e d b y entrepreneurship, as his father operated a vessel/launch known as the ' S e a Ve n t u r e , ' w h i c h transported lumber to Linden from communities in the Lower Demerara River. The family also operated a grocery shop in the old Wismar Market. Caesar worked alongside his father in both businesses, so it is not at all surprising that today he is the proud proprietor of Linden's oldest and most successful manufacturing enterprise. He credits the support of his children for the longevity of the business. "My greatest assets are my children, I could not have come this far without them, because this line of business is very tedious; there is always so much to do," said Caesar. Although he has had no formal training in food processing, two of his children, Caroline and June,
is a 'Special Person' did courses through Empretec, on agroprocessing. Their combined knowledge and skills have added immeasurably to their father's success, as a manufacturer. PERSEVERANCE Caesar confided that he started his manufacturing business at a time when any kind of food/agro processing was forbidden in the Town of Linden, given the heavy bauxite dust pollution. "In those days there were strict laws that said any kind of food manufacturing business should be done at
products were added. Caesar boasts of his factory's ability to manufacture over 40 products these days. All the raw materials are purchased from farmers in and around Linden, and to a lesser extent from farmers in the Essequibo area. His products have been featured at many trade fairs across the country. Caesar was born at L e o n o r a , We s t C o a s t Demerara. He received his formal education at the Agricola Anglican School on the East Bank Demerara. He later moved to Linden with his parents.
“
My greatest assets are my children; I could not have come this far without them, because this line of business is very tedious; there is always so much to do. least 25 miles away from the town itself. But that didn't make sense; they were sending you in the jungle where there was no electricity, so how were you going to do manufacturing without electricity?" He would turn a deaf ear to this admonition and persevered despite the challenges. "I started this business during a period of austerity in this country; things were difficult, so I came up with the idea of producing porridge stuff, tea, chocolate and black pepper.” As time went by, more
”
There he met and married the late Christina Pauline David in 1968. The union produced five children. EARLY DAYS During a recent i n t e r v i e w, C a e s a r reminisced on the early days, helping his mother and grandmother grind various spices for the family pot. Our 'Special Person' would later put that knowledge of processing spices to good use. He confessed that Chanzar Enterprise was
birthed out of the need to help feed his family following the restrictions on imports of several food items by the government of the day. For him, it was a blessing in disguise, as he was forced to think of ways to alleviate the subsequent hardships on his own family, as well as others. So it was that he started producing various porridge items using eddoes, plantains and corn. He would sell his handmilled products throughout his neighbourhood, riding around on his bicycle while targeting homes with diapers on the line. "In those days people used to wash the baby diapers and hang them on the (clothes) line to dry. They didn't have Pampers. So I would look for the houses with diapers on the lines and introduce the porridge stuff to the housewives." Before long, it was the housewives who were “looking out” for the man on the bicycle selling corn meal, eddoes and plantain flour. The little business started to grow, and the demand was getting so great that Caesar had to devise ways of keeping his customers satisfied. "I was working with the bauxite company at the time, so the business was actually to supplement my income. However, as the demand got greater, I had to work out strategies to keep up,” said Caesar. “I was working on the
Staffers busy preparing some Chanzar products.
John Caesar is a 'Special Person' railroad, so when the trains went to Ituni, I had a lot of time on my hands. I used to lie down and think about what I could do, and just like that I got the idea that I could use all that free time to push the business." Caesar said, too, that he started taking a box with the accoutrements of his trade to work, and during the slack periods, would grind black pepper and other things, and then at lunchtime take the items to sell in and around the markets at Mackenzie. 'HAND WASH HAND’ He confessed that he also got a few of his co-workers to help him grind some of the spices. "Dem boys used to be glad because I used to buy food for dem. I would leave dem grinding whether black Chanzar's products ready for consumption
pepper or corn or whatever and I would go down the road and sell and bring back food for dem so was a hand wash hand thing." Later, he started making Cerex using soya beans and corn flour. "I used to bake the soya beans and grind it and take it to the bauxite plant to dry,” he recalled. He pointed out that he discontinued this practice, after a report was made to a Senior Executive of the company by the name of D u n s t a n B a r r o w, w h o subsequently offered to pay somebody to build a Solar dryer for him. However, Caesar said that he did not take up the offer, as he did not have land space to accommodate the equipment. He opted instead to create his own drying (continued on page 62)
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
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It is a miracle! The GPSU is alive! T
he Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is up to its tricks. Having demanded that all nurses benefit from the allowance which was announced for 'frontline' workers in the health system, it is now up in arms over the two-weeks bonus which is being offered to all healthcare workers by the Ali administration. The union latest peeve is that the bonus is being offered arbitrarily and was not part of a negotiated settlement with the union. The union seems to have forgotten what constitutes a bonus. A bonus is not subject to negotiation. It is payment of gratis, not an entitlement. It is determined exclusively and at the discretion of the employer. A bonus is not intended to be a long-term agreement. It is often paid based on the availability of resources. This means that it is outside of the scope of collective bargaining. A bonus is not a benefit. It is considered as a
financial compensation outside of an expectation. This is why it is deemed a bonus. No worker therefore has a legitimate expectation to a bonus and therefore such rewards fall outside of the collective bargaining process. The President was very specific when he made his announcement. He did not say that he was extending the risk-allowance to all health workers. He offered instead a two-week bonus which means that he did not create any permanent entitlement. The President has not set any unusual precedent. In August, French President, Emmanuel Macron, paid homecare workers a bonus of 500 Euros each. The payment of the bonus, to the healthcare workers, would have involved sacrifices for others. He also went to explain that in order to pay this sum, they had to cut programmes and find extra resources in order to pay the bonus. The cutting of programmes means that
some public expectations would have to be deferred. Those affected by the cuts in government programmes have a greater grouse than the GPSU. Over the past five years, cat had gotten the GPSU's tongue. The GPSU did not complain when the Coalition arbitrarily imposed a Christmas bonus and then cut it the next year. But it is now extremely vocal against the present administration. The GPSU's claim to collective bargaining was ignored for five years by the APNU+AFC. There was never in those five years, between 2015 and 2020, any agreement on wages and salaries. Not a criticism was heard then about the bonus which was paid. But that is the mystery of the ways of the GPSU. It always becomes militant under the PPP/C. In 1999, it launched a bitter 55-day strike against the Janet Jagan administration. The strike was infiltrated by political
operatives. When the strike ended, union leaders had to be escorted to their homes because the workers turned against then. The police found a cache of crude incendiary devices – the type used to make channa bombs, at the union headquarters. But no one was ever charged nor has the union ever offered an explanation as to what it was doing with those objects. If the GPSU is peeved over the bonus which the government is offering to all health care workers, it should order its unionized members not to accept it. But it is not going to do this. Instead, it will toe the usual line that the bonus should be accepted as an interim payment. This is the line which the GPSU adopted in the past when it was opposed to arbitrary salary increases, yet insisted that the workers should accept the very increases to which the union was opposed. We are not in usual times. There is a fiscal
emergency. This is why an emergency Budget had to be passed, the bulk of the monies of which were already expended by a Coalition administration which had extended its stay in office by a full five months. The GPSU has lost credibility a long time ago. It has never established itself as a responsible union. Its consistency is to be found in its militancy against PPP/C regimes. Yet, the present government has not ignored the GPSU the way the Coalition did. When the nurses began their protests to benefit from the risk-allowances,
the government did meet with the nurses in the presence of the union. It has held talks with the union. This is a much-improved engagement than what the GPSU enjoyed under the Coalition. But some unions cannot change. The GPSU is doing what it has always done best since 1992. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday November 29, 2020
The Haitian people: sadly and badly in need of a champion H By Sir Ronald Sanders
uman rights and constitutional violations in Haiti have been ignored for too long by the Organization of American States (OAS). The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has also avoided dealing with incendiary political issues in Haiti. Meanwhile, more suffering is being piled on the poor people of Haiti whose body count from malnutrition and organized violence continues to grow. Against this background, it is not surprising that Haitians are seeking every means of escape from their homeland. In desperate situations, criminals take advantage of the vulnerable. Thus, a brisk
trade has begun in trafficking young Haitians – this time into the Caribbean. Evidence of this is the discovery by police in Guyana on November 7 of 26 Haitians, including two boys and five girls who were being transported to the Brazilian border by a human trafficking ring. Both the OAS and CARICOM are obliged under their charters and declarations to call to account member states whose governments act unconstitutionally or take actions that violate the human, civil and political rights of their people. The two organizations were active and vocal throughout the five-month impasse in the Guyana elections, from March to August this year, and afterwards. During that
entire period, the constitutional and electoral situation in Haiti was worse. But not a word of condemnation of the Haitian Presidency was uttered by either body. Haitian President, Jovenel Moïse, has been running the country by decree with no elected parliament since 2019, amid accusations of corruption, protests and the deployment of the military which has been accused of atrocities. The Chair of CARICOM did publicly declare, in January 2020: “CARICOM is deeply concerned at the continuing unsettled political, economic, humanitarian and social situation in its Member State, Haiti. Indeed, we are particularly concerned about the several
incidents of violence and the associated and tragic loss of life”. Since then, CARICOM said nothing more. Yet, four months later, in its April 2020 update on Haiti, the World Food Programme said that almost four million Haitians need urgent food assistance, and that at least one million of those are suffering from severe hunger. President Moïse has been close-mouthed about the gangs that, according to the Miami's Herald's Jacqueline Charles (a Haitian expert), “have been on a rampage in poor neighbourhoods — kidnapping, raping and killing at will”. An Editorial in the Trinidad Express Newspaper pointed out on November 25: “The US position is particularly
hypocritical in the context of its backing of Haitian President, who has been ruling by decree since dismissing parliament, and who continues to preside over unending human rights abuses and the rise of Tonton Macoute-style death squads.” It is well-known in the OAS that it is the US government that is principally behind no action on Haiti by the organization whose Secretary-General, Luis Almagro, has been ardent in calling out other countries, particularly Venezuela and Nicaragua, on human rights. The US and the “Lima Group” of countries in the OAS have been dependent on Haiti's vote to secure the bare majority needed to secure adoption for controversial resolutions against the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan governments. Hence, the suffering of the poor people of Haiti is ignored. Whether by coincidence or cooperation, on the same day October 29 - US Under Secretary of State, David Hale, and Secretary-General Almagro urged Moïse to hold “overdue legislative elections as soon as possible”. Moïse has ignored them, continuing to operate with untrammelled power, including by making appointments of personal loyalists to key posts in violation of the Constitution which requires such appointments to be approved by the Senate. Recently, he has appointed the Commander of the Armed Forces, the Head of the Police Force, the Governor of the Central Bank, and the chairman of the National Credit Bank. The holders of these offices were all appointed without the senatorial ratifications required by the Constitution. Consequently, they are not vested with the administrative and financial independence necessary to carry out their duties as guaranteed under the Constitution. They are instruments of the President, vulnerable to his sole dictates. Unrest and violence continue as groups demonstrate against corruption and call for elections. The Police has been active in breaking up protests, reportedly shooting dead one protestor and
Sir Ronald Sanders injuring two more on November 18th. Even within the police force, protestors exist. A secret group called “Fantom 509” has been actively protesting poor wages and conditions. The recently appointed Police Commissioner, Leon Charles, commanded his officers to confront and lock up colleagues who are “Fantom 509” members. On Friday, October 30th, President Moïse officially put the Constitution of Haiti “on hold”. He formed a committee, to “revise” the draft of a new constitution, which, reportedly, was drafted by persons appointed by him. In any event, the President has no authority to modify, reform or change the Constitution. This unconstitutional behaviour is yet another dangerous threat to democracy and political stability in Haiti if it continues unchallenged. It violates both the Charter of the OAS and the InterAmerican Democratic C h a r t e r. I t i s a l s o inconsistent with the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society. At the very least, they should rebuke Moïse for his violations of the constitution. It is unlikely that between now and January 20, when US President-elect Joe Biden assumes the Presidency, that there will be any movement by the US government - by itself or in the OAS - to address the plight of the Haitian people. Nonetheless the OAS - and CARICOM within it should act. The Haitian people are not a political problem; they are human beings sadly and badly in need of a champion. (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own.) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Sunday November 21, 2020 SURINAME CAN ACCESS OIL COMPANIES’ACCOUNTS WHENEVER IT WANTS - WHILE GUYANAONLY PERMITTED TOAUDIT ONCE PER YEAR Suriname has far more protection to inspect books and visit operations of oil companies than Guyana, according to comparisons in the deals signed by both countries. Kaieteur News – Suriname’s petroleum laws mandate that its accountants and representatives of a state enterprise shall at all times have access to the facilities, equipment, activities, accounts, files and registers of any oil company. In simpler terms, this means that Staatsolie, the state oil company of this neighbouring Dutchspeaking country, possesses the authority to access any oil company’s accounts, whenever it wants. However, significantly, this important provision is absent from Guyana’s contracts. In fact, under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that ExxonMobil signed with the Government of Guyana, the country has the right to audit the company’s books. However, that right was granted along with some very restricting measures. These measures are outlined in Article 23 and Annex C of the contract. Annex C has an “Audit and Inspection Rights of Government” clause. That clause states that the Minister “shall have the right to audit upon 90-days written notice, at his sole cost and expense, accounts and records of the contractor, maintained hereunder with respect to each Calendar Year within two years from the end of each such year.”` The contract states that the Minister may audit, examine and verify, “at reasonable times during normal business hours but not more than once per Calendar Year, all charges and credits relating to the contractor’s activities under the agreement and all books of accounts, accounting entries, material records and inventories, vouchers, payrolls, invoices and any other documents, correspondence and records necessary to audit and verify the charges and credits.” The PSA also states that at the conclusion of each audit, ExxonMobil and the Government shall endeavour to settle outstanding matters
and a written report will be issued to the contractor within 60 days of the conclusion of such audit. BK FINALLY VACATES $827M YARROWKABRA SCHOOL SITE Kaieteur News – Contractor, BK International Incorporated, has finally vacated the work site of $827M Yarrowkabra Secondary School. Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, had terminated the contract with immediate effect, some 21 days ago. In the termination letter, the AG had reminded BK International that it had committed a “fundamental breach” of the terms of the contract, which resulted in the government exercising its right to terminate the contract. In that same letter, the contractor was instructed to remove all personnel and machinery from the site. But BK International defied the government’s instructions, as shared by a consultancy firm, Vikab Engineering Consultants Limited. In fact, the supervising firm stated that during a November 10 visit to the site, it had observed that the contractor was still progressing with works. The following day, the firm dispatched a missive to Brian Tiwari, the principal in BK International, reminding him of what the term “Termination” meant. He was further instructed to immediately cease all works. The Ministry of Education in a statement explained that the consultants had instructed the contractor to stop works immediately and advised that any work done or materials ordered beyond the date of termination, November 1, 2020, is done at the contractor’s own risk.
Later on November 19, Permanent Secretary of the MoE, Alfred King, instructed BK to vacate within 24 hours, following which the contractor finally vacated the site on Friday. The Ministry has since installed its own security after taking possession of the site with the help of the enforcement arm of the state. BK International was awarded this $827M contract through the MoE on December 31, 2019. Despite warnings that the caretaker Coalition government should not be signing any contracts with elections scheduled in March 2020, they still went ahead and awarded the contract. It was signed on January 7, 2020 with completion projected for March 12, 2021. Even with receiving a $214M advance, the AG in his letter to BK made it explicitly clear that only five percent of the scheduled works have been completed. This contractor’s termination was grounded on the breach of Clause 40.2 (a) for failing to comply with the schedule works, among other things. Importantly, BK contractor will not walk scotfree, as the AG made it clear that the government will impose the enforcement of 10% of the contract sum as liquidated damages. Further to this will be the surrendering of the performance security as consequence of the “fundamental” breach of the contracts. Monday November 22,2020 EXXONMOBIL’S BEHAVIOUR IN GUYANA IS AN ATTEMPT AT COLONISATION – INT’L LAWYER, MELINDA JANKI Kaieteur International
News – Lawyer,
Melinda Janki believes that ExxonMobil’s relationship with Guyana amounts to an attempt at colonisation Speaking to anticolonialist Kingston University Professor, Andy Higginbottom, during an online forum, Janki said last month that “the main point of colonization is to take a country’s resources and to pay little or nothing. The colonizing entity co-opts the political elite, [then] the colonizing entity and the coopted political elite rely on agents and accomplices. Together, you have an unholy trinity that completes the colonization.” She explained that in order to get away with this, ExxonMobil has to fool people. She reminded that in the old days, European colonizers promised civilization and a better faith. “We know what that looks like,” Janki said. “We’ve heard that. Genocide, slavery, brutality, land dispossession. Grinding poverty for the colonized; riches for the colonizing power.” “The lie,” she said, “isn’t gonna work now. So today, the colonizers say we’ll get economic development – the holy grail of the capitalist system.” What is promised as economic development, Janki posited, tends to turn into genocide, land grabs, grinding poverty for the colonized, riches for the colonizing power and the elites, and their accomplices and agents, and destruction of the natural world…” Former Petroleum Advisor to the Government, Dr. Jan Mangal, had also raised concerns about this issue. He had said that the Government is welcoming the colonization of Guyana if it approves the Payara permit. At the time, he had advised the government to use the permit as leverage to convince Exxon to come to the negotiation table for a
better Stabroek block deal. The Government refused, and approved the project quickly. Dr. Mangal had told Kaieteur News “They are saying ‘welcome to the new colonization of Guyana’. We replaced ‘Bookers’ with ‘ExxonMobil’.” Bookers, a British business firm, had operated in British Guiana, with sugar plantations being the lifeline of its wealth. The company’s economic power and reach into colonial Guiana’s affairs was so pervasive that the country had sometimes been called ‘Booker’s Guiana’. HEATH-LONDON PINS BLAME ON DEAD FORMER NICIL CEO FORAMENDED LEASE CLAUSE IN PETER’S HALL LAND GIVEAWAY SCANDAL Just days after his arrest, Colvin Heath-London’s legal counsel has brought claims that it was the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Horace James, now deceased, who authorized the amendment to the stateowned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) land leases presently at the center of police investigations into the giveaway of prime state lands at Peter’s Hall. In a detailed release, the former NICIL CEO’s Attorney, Nigel Hughes, stated that London in the company of his lawyers went to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Police Headquarters, Eve Leary last Friday and was immediately arrested for conspiracy to defraud. Hughes stated that London was questioned extensively in a videorecorded interview. Investigators, according to Hughes, pressed the former CEO on “whether he was aware that a clause which requires Lessees from NICIL
to secure permission in writing from NICIL before subletting the leased property was included in contracts of four companies; whether he knew Horace James, CEO of NICIL, whether he knew where Horace James was; whether he knew James Bond; whether he knew Timothy Fisher, Sworn Land Surveyor; whether he knew various executives of companies which had leased land from NICIL and whether he was aware of any Board or cabinet approval for the leases which did require written permission of NICIL before they could sublet the properties.” London was said to have exercised his right to silence and the questioning continued until late in the evening. According to Hughes, at the time of the execution of the leases in question, London was not the CEO. That office was held by former CEO, James, who died back in 2019, while London functioned as the head of the Special Purpose Unit (SPU). Electronic copies of NICIL’s Board meeting minutes and records on January 15, 2018 were provided to the police. According to the Board minutes, James, then NICIL’s CEO, informed London of plans on stream for the Peter’s Hall area to be designated as an industrial park in support of Guyana’s new oil and gas sector. OIL COMPANIES MUST EMPLOY LOCALS IN FRONT OF FOREIGNERS – SURINAME OIL LAW – WHILE GUYANA HAS NO LOCAL CONTENT LEGISLATION 5 YEARS LATER Kaieteur News – No stone is left unturned when it comes to Suriname securing maximum benefits for its people. In fact, the (Continued on page 26)
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From page 25 Surinamese Petroleum Law explicitly mandates that the employment of foreign personnel is strictly limited to functions for which there are no experienced and qualified Surinamese nationals available. In layman’s terms, this means than unless Surinamese are not qualified for a job, locals must always be chosen in front of foreigners/expatriates. The Petroleum Laws go on to mandate that oil companies must utilize all possibilities so that Surinamese nationals can gain expertise in and acquire responsible positions in the activities within the law. Interestingly, this rigid rule is not only absent from the Local Content Laws of Guyana, but also the draft Local Content Policy that was finalized by United Kingdom Consultant, Dr. Michael Warner. ExxonMobil happens to be one of Dr. Warner’s clients. Notably, in a series of articles, Kaieteur News had exposed how Dr. Warner had ignored and removed key recommendations to give Guyanese an advantage in the oil sector. Surinamese Petroleum Laws also mandate that companies are required to provide a report demonstrating the number of employees engaged in petroleum operations in Suriname, identified by nationality to the extent that providing such information does not cause the contractor to violate any laws. This report must be submitted no later than 90 days following the end of each calender year. This unbending provision is also missing from the Guyana laws, as well as the Production Signing Agreement (PSA) signed between government and ExxonMobil. In fact, this oil major continues to fail to submit a breakdown of the job description, salaries, and even the plans in place to increase this workforce by more than 55 percent. Further to this, no data was provided for the public to analyze if there was any progression in the employment of Guyanese to senior positions from 2015 to now. Instead, Exxon continues to spew flowery claims and provides no evidence on its use of locals in Guyana. GLENN LALL STANDS BY POSITION OIL BLOCK DEALS WERE CORRUPT Kaieteur News – Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, told the High Court yesterday that he is of
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
the firm belief that the Kaieteur and Canje oil block deals signed under the Donald Ramotar administration was corrupt.Lall was at the time responding to questions in the libel action brought against the newspaper and its principals by former President Ramotar. The case which is ongoing before Justice Navindra Singh at the Georgetown Court is expected to conclude by March 12, 2021. Ramotar has sued Kaieteur News for its expose on the questionable circumstances under which the oil deals were signed. The newspaper had published several advertisements showing the stark similarities between how the Ramotar administration and Senegal, an oil-rich West African country dealt with oil deals. Both countries allocated oil blocks to companies with no known experience in the oil industry.In Senegal, the oil blocks were signed away to a convicted drug lord; in Guyana, the owners of the oil blocks were unknown until the newspaper tracked down the contracts. However in the lawsuit, Ramotar claimed that the advertisement portrayed false, slanderous information which resulted in immeasurable damage to his character. He is suing Kaieteur News; its publisher, Lall; and former Editor-inChief Adam Harris for in excess of $10 M for libel. Lall who had previously provided the Court with a witness statement, took the stand yesterday, where he essentially stood by his position on the oil deals when he faced a series of questions from attorney for Ramotar, Chandrapratesh Satram. Satram appeared in association with lawyer Rajendra Jaigobin. During the proceedings, Satram raised several questions about the contents of the advertisement, which was published under a bold caption, “WAKE UP GUYANA” GUYSUCO MOVES TO BUY 44 TRACTORS AT $33M EACH – MINISTRY OFAGRICULTURE UNAWARE OF PURCHASE The state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which manages a number of estates in Demerara and Berbice, is reportedly moving to upgrade its fleet of equipment. According to persons familiar with the situation, GuySuCo’s board is expected to shortly consider a major
purchase from a foreign supplier of 44 tractors. The price tag on the Cameco tractors, according to information, is around $33M for each. An official from the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said that the matter has not been brought to the attention of the ministry. In any case, the official said, the matter will still have to engage and get the greenlight of GuySuCo’s board before it comes to the ministry and then to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval. Kaieteur News could not immediately make contact with GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (ag), Sasenarine Singh. Online searches identified Cameco equipment as being ideal for the sugar-cane industry. However, this newspaper was told that the recommendation for the use of the Cameco tractors as against the locally-available John Deere ones was made some time back with a representative of GuySuCo travelling to the US to meet with the company. John Deere tractors are reportedly selling for less than half of the $33M price stated for the Cameco tractors. The purchase, if approved, will add up to a significant $1.5B for GuySuCo. The industry, once the mainstay of the economy, has fallen on hard times, after a crippling price cut from the Europe market, and then loss of the preferential market there. A lack of capital, poor agriculture and corruption was blamed and the previous Government under David Granger shuttered four estates – Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales. It had led to a loss of 7,000 workers with entire communities complaining bitterly of the fallouts. The Irfaan Ali administration has, however, vowed to reopen the estates and make them profitable again, albeit in private hands. In fact, the government has asked for investors to make proposals. GuySuCo has been accused of being top-heavy with its management, with cronyism and corruption blamed also for its financial woes. Wednesday JAMES BOND ARRESTED IN PETER’S HALL LAND GIVEAWAY PROBE Kaieteur News – Senior People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member and attorney-at-law, James Bond,
Photos of the site for the Yarrowkabra Secondary School as of November 20, 2020
was yesterday arrested as investigators continue their probe into the large-scale giveaway of prime state lands at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, confirmed Bond’s arrest. Bond was fingered by two businessmen embroiled in the scandal – Life 1 Pharms Inc. Director, Avalon Jagnandan; and Director of A-Z Pharmaceuticals Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc., Eddie Doolal; as being the mastermind behind identical land deals which saw 30 acres of land being transferred to Chinese national, Jainfen Yu, in deals which saw the state being robbed of tens of millions of dollars. Bond was a prominent face for the Coalition in the recent elections fiasco, which saw President Irfaan Ali being forced to wait five months before being sworn in. This was because the David Granger-led Coalition was challenging the results, leading to several court cases and a recount of the March 2 election results. Bond posted on his private Facebook account that he was being taken into custody at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve
Leary. “I’ve been taken into police custody for questioning at CID Headquarters. I’ve been asked to take a lie detector test surrounding the allegations made against me by Mr. Eddie Doolal and Mr. Avalon Jagnandan. I am currently cooperating with the police,” Bond posted. Shortly after, he issued another Facebook post saying: “I’m still in police custody and am being kept for 72 hrs. at Brickdam Police Station.” He said: “I will not request bail, because I have nothing to hide… I am ready and willing to do a lie detector test to prove my innocence, but I am still to be provided with the opportunity to do so.” However, according to the police, at no point was Bond asked to take a lie detector test. In a statement, the Guyana Police Force clarified: “Mr. Bond is in custody; but at no time was Mr. Bond asked to submit to a polygraph test or as described by the post, a lie detector test. Further, the Force has no intention to make any such request.” While in police custody, Doolal and Jagnandan reportedly told police that not
only was PNCR senior member the brains behind the operations, he also received a hefty payoff from both deals, amounting to more than $100 million. CANADIAN HIRED TO REVIEW EXXON’S US$9B PAYARA PROJECT BENEFITED $$$ FROM EXXON SUBSIDIARY Kaieteur News – Alison Redford, the former politician sent by Canada to review ExxonMobil’s US$9B Payara project, has benefitted from thousands of dollars in donations made to her political party by a subsidiary of ExxonMobil called Imperial Oil. Imperial is a petroleum company operating in Canada, majority owned, about 70 percent, by ExxonMobil. Elections Alberta, an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly there, keeps records of donations made to political parties. According to its data, Redford’s party, Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCA), received donations from Imperial over many years, while she was a (Continued on page 27)
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From page 26 member. In the period during which the donations were received, Redford quickly moved up in the PCA, eventually becoming its leader and Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2009, the year after Redford was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for her Calgary-Elbow constituency and named the PCA Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Imperial donated CAD$10,250 to PCA, and another CAD$1,475 to support specific constituency associations of the party. In 2010, Imperial donated CAD$10,250 to PCA, CAD$400 to Redford’s Calgary-Elbow constituency association, and another CAD$875 to another constituency association. In 2011, Imperial donated CAD$6,750 to PCA and another CAD$400 to a specific constituency association. During this year, Redford became Leader of PCA and Premier of Alberta. In 2012, Imperial donated CAD$15,000 to PCA, and another CAD$1,475 to a specific constituency association. In 2013 and 2014, Imperial donated CAD$10,000 and CAD$10,900 respectively to PCA. While she benefitted from Imperial’s money – ultimately Exxon’s money – another scandal plagued Redford’s political career. She drew widespread public controversy in Canada when it was discovered that, during her attendance of the funeral of Nelson Mandela the state footed the CAD$45,000 cost of her trip, including about CAD$10,000 for a privately chartered return flight from South Africa. Redford reportedly refused several calls to repay the money spent for the South Africa trip, but eventually bowed to pressure in 2014 and delivered the funds back to the public purse, with a public apology. Meanwhile, Redford announced her resignation in March 2014 as Alberta Premier, and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in August, a day before an Attorney General (AG) report on her spending practices was scheduled for release. US COMPANY SETTING UP SHORE BASE HERE KNOWN FOR BRIBING POLITICIANS, CUSTOMS OFFICERS The Stabroek Block offshore Guyana currently holds over nine billion barrels in oil equivalent resources. To
GuySuCo is reportedly moving to buy 44 tractors from the US at $33M each.
develop such a massive oil and gas reserve, there will be an urgent need for facilities close to the shoreline to support setting up of equipment before it is transferred offshore along with maintenance work for vessels. These shore base facilities make billions of dollars for providing such services. Baker Hughes, an American company that boasts of being one of the world’s largest oil field services companies is chomping at the bit to get in on this action. In fact, the Texas-based firm is awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to construct a US$8M shore base facility at Land of Canaan. Of note, however, is the fact that this very company which is so eager to spread its tentacles into Guyana’s oil industry, has a welldocumented history of bribing politicians to win oil contracts. According to filings in April 2007 by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Baker Hughes was charged with several violations of the USA’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Following its guilty plea to the said charges in the U.S. federal court, the company agreed to pay US$44.1 million in fines and penalties. The case that was brought against Hughes alleged that the company paid approximately US$5.2 million to two agents or middlemen while knowing that some or all of the money was intended to bribe government officials, specifically officials of stateowned companies in Kazakhstan. The complaint alleged that one agent was hired in September 2000 with the understanding that Kazakhoil, Kazakhstan’s national oil company at that time, had demanded that the agent be hired to influence
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senior level employees of Kazakhoil to approve the award of business or contracts to the company. Baker Hughes retained the agent principally at the urging of Roy Fearnley, a former business development manager for Baker Hughes. Fearnley, had informed his bosses that the “agent for Kazakhoil” told him that unless the agent was retained, Baker Hughes could “say goodbye to this and future business.” Thursday INVESTMENT FIRM PLUGS US$30M INTO KAIETEUR BLOCK OWNER – REUTERS EXCLUSIVE By Luc Cohen, Ron Bousso, Jessica ResnickAult NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – Activist hedge fund Elliott Management Corp has invested at least $30 million in Cataleya Energy, a small firm focused on oil exploration in Guyana, the world’s newest oil and gas hot spot, two people familiar with the matter said. The deal reflects rising interest in Guyana, a small South American country of 750,000 whose oil discoveries are set to transform an economy dependent on agriculture and mining. Five years ago, a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp struck oil off the Guyanese coast in the 6.6 million-acre (26,800 square kilometer) Stabroek block that has been shown to hold more than 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas. Cataleya, founded by Canadian and Guyanese businessmen with backgrounds in gold mining, holds a 25% stake in the Kaieteur block, a 3.3 millionacre area adjacent to Stabroek. Exxon holds a 35% stake in Kaieteur, and is the block’s operator. Elliott declined to
comment. Mike Cawood, chief executive and co-founder of Canada-registered Cataleya, declined to comment on the Elliott investment but said his shareholders come from Guyana, the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and Israel. “We’ve got a large investor range,” he said. The company will disclose details of its beneficial ownership later this year for Guyana’s next report to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a multinational standardsetting body, he said. Guyana’s government has not held licensing rounds for new acreage recently. Elliott’s deal shows how companies with ownership stakes in existing blocks can provide investors with a means to gain exposure to future developments. The investment puts Elliott, run by billionaire Paul Singer, in a consortium with U.S. producer Hess Corp, which owns a 15% stake in Kaieteur. Elliott, a shareholder in Hess, pushed for changes at Hess in 2013 and remained critical here of the company’s management for years. Elliott is well-known in Latin America for its use of litigation to enforce claims on defaulted Peruvian and Argentine bonds. Elliott also has taken stakes in energy companies QEP Resources Inc., Marathon Petroleum Corp, and Noble Energy. Private equity also is among its investment strategies, the company said on its website. Cataleya was advised on the deal by boutique investment bank Hannam & Partners, according to one of the people. The investment faced a setback this month when Exxon disclosed its first exploration well in Kaieteur, known as Tanager-1, had struck less lucrative heavy oil, and that the well was not financially viable on its own.
Exxon said it was still “evaluating the exploration potential” in the block. STABROEK BLOCK OVER 1000 TIMES BIGGER THAN ASINGLE GULF OF MEXICO OIL BLOCK – EXXON PARTNER SAYS – COALITION, PPP/C MINISTERS USED DISCRETIONARY POWER TO GO BEYOND LEGALLIMIT Kaieteur News – The Stabroek Block, one of three large oil blocks operated offshore by ExxonMobil, is so large that it is 1,150 times the size of a Gulf of Mexico oil block. This is what was said by President and Chief Operating Officer at Hess Corporation, Gregory Hill during the company’s 2020 third quarter earnings call. Hess and Exxon are coventurers in the block, along with CNOOC Nexxen. Hess recently took the decision to sell out its interest in a producing Gulf of Mexico oilfield to raise money to plug into the upcoming Liza Phase Two project in the Guyana Stabroek Block. Hill sought during the earnings call to explain the uniqueness of the Stabroek block, by pointing to its size and scale. The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres. It stretches from the border with Venezuela all the way to the Suriname border. According to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, a regulator in the Gulf of Mexico, typical blocks there are 5,000 to 5,760 acres. Guyana’s Petroleum Act and Regulations allow the subject Minister to grant a licence “in respect of not more than sixty blocks” – about 5,073 sq. km or 1.25 million acres. However, Section 13 of the Regulations states “The Minister may consider any application in respect of more than sixty (60) blocks where the Minister is satisfied that special circumstances exist for doing so.” The award was first made by former President and Minister of Petroleum, Janet Jagan in 1999, then former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman in 2016. Kaieteur News understands that a portion of Stabroek Block was relinquished under the 1999 agreement, including parts of what is now the Canje Block. When pressed about the legality of his decision to allot more blocks than the legal limit, Trotman had said that the large acreage grant was above board, and that it was vital to protecting Guyana’s
border security, seeing that Venezuela especially has been clamoring for ownership of the Essequibo region. Exxon also operates two other blocks which, when initially granted, were both above the legal limit – Canje and Kaieteur block. The Canje Block was awarded to Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas on March 4, 2015 at 6,100 sq. km or about 1.5 million acres. Exxon later farmed in and is now the operator with a 35 percent stake. In the latter half of 2019, Exxon relinquished 20 percent of the Canje block, as per the relinquishment clause in the licence. The Kaieteur Block was awarded to Ratio Guyana and Ratio Energy on April 28, 2015 at 13,500 sq. km or 3.3 million acres. ExxonMobil farmed in to 50 percent of the block, later selling 15 percent to Hess. Exxon is now the operator of that block as well, with a 35 percent stake. GLSC TRANSFERRED SPORTS COMMISSION LANDS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL – SAYAG As the investigations continue into the giveaway of prime state lands by the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC), it was discovered that the Commission transferred lands belonging to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to a private individual. According to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, that individual later subleased the large plot of land to a fast food chain outlet, garnering millions in revenue. “One portion of land that was given to someone else by the GLSC was not even owned by or under the administration of the Lands and Surveys Commission. It is owned by the National Sport Commission and given to a businessman who has sublet it to a food chain outlet drawing tens of thousands of US dollars in income per month,” Nandlall disclosed. A competitive bidding process should have been engaged, the AG explained. However, no evidence was found that this was done. Not only that, Guyana’s State Lands Act has provisions to prevent the subleasing of state lands. “All these transactions are going to be made public in due course because they are state property, public lands and the state lands act imposes certain restrictions on how to deal with state lands,” the AG added. Guyana’s State Lands Act clearly stipulates that (Continued on page 28)
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From page 27 whenever State lands are leased, the lease agreement must indicate that the lessee “SHALL NOT” part with lands (possession) or “SHALL NOT” assign the interest in the said agreement without the consent of the State. It states too that in the event that there is going to be a transfer to a third party, the State reserves to right to step in and repossess the lands, reverting ownership back to the State. But this feature seemed to have been disregarded by the Commission, as was done by the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) also under investigation. With the NICIL land leases, a specific clause was altered to state “the lessee may divest the land, may part with possession, may assign it to a third-party interest” – an insertion that saw hundreds of acres of prime lands being resold and transferred with the State acquiring zero revenue from the transactions. The thing is in a horrible mess,” Nandlall continued “and it stinks of unaccountability and lack of transparency.” Under the previous administration, the NSC was chaired by Ivan Persaud and included Christopher Jones, Nigel Hinds, Seon Erskine, Lavern Fraser, Igna Henry, Edison Jefford, Aliann Pompey along with Ramnaresh Sarwan. Notably, also on the Sports Commission was James Bond, who is currently at the center of investigations regarding his involvement in the giveaway of state lands at Peter’s Hall. CUYUNI FARMER CONTINUES TO WAIT FOR LEASE 37 YEARS AFTER FIRSTAPPLYING A Cuyuni farmer, Michael Cordis recalls receiving an approval for his application to lease some farmlands in the prime of his youth, now a pensioner at age 60, and some 37 years later, he still awaits his lease instrument. As previously reported in an article published in May 2010 by this paper, Cordis had applied to the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) in the year 1982 for 10 acres of land at Three Quarter Miles, Cuyuni River, Region 7. Sitting down in the interview room at Kaieteur News yesterday, Cordis recalled that he was only 22 at the time and brimming with youth. He eventually got his approval of application and
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Map showing blocks operated by ExxonMobil, offshore Guyana. (Credit: ExxonMobil).
permission to use the land in 1983. He invested some money in cultivating the plot for his livelihood and began paying rates and taxes at the GLSC office located at Bartica. He did this for four years but did not receive a lease instrument. Cordis reapplied in 1987 for a 25-year-lease. He got a second approval and continued investing in fruit trees and other crops to sustain himself. In 1989, he left the area and returned in 1995 but still did not receive his lease. Cordis continued to invest more and more money in the farm as he waited patiently for the legal document. He spent five years developing and working tirelessly on the land before leaving the area again for a second time in 2000. When he returned in 2003, Cordis discovered that Barama, a foreign logging company and Guyana Sawmills had invaded his farm. The companies had bulldozed his fruit trees. The farmer did not waste no time in taking the companies to court in 2006 and called for $74M in damages. The man had told Kaieteur News in his earlier interview, that Barama had offered to compensate him $5M, an offer he rejected. In
2007, GLSC agreed to make a settlement with Cordis to give him back part of the land. Cordis said that they also guaranteed that he would be handed a legal document giving him the rights to the land. He accepted and began clearing the bushes to plant a new set of crops but was halted by one of the same logging companies operating there. They told him that he could not do anything with the land until he produced his lease instrument. The matter between him and the companies dragged on for years as he continued to wait for the lease GLSC promised him. In 2010 at the age of 50, he became frustrated and staged a one-man picket in front GLSC office located on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, begging for his lease. His cries unanswered, he continued the next seven years spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund his court battle, in a bid to prevent the Barama takeover. In 2017, Cordis saw a glimmer of hope after Barama came to an agreement with the court. The company stated via its lawyers that it is no longer interested in the lands and was willing to give it back
to the government. Despite this move, GLSC still did not grant the lease instrument to Cordis. With the court case officially over, he reapplied in 2018 for the same land and was granted approval for a third time. Earlier this year, Cordis visited GLSC to inquire about the lease and was told that he cannot receive a lease because the land was sold to someone else. As Cordis sat yesterday with reporters, yesterday, his eyes watered as he showed them photos and videos, which he recorded of his farm located on the left bank of the Cuyuni River. SEVERAL RANKS ARRESTED FOR MISSING GUNS Kaieteur News – Several ranks have been placed under close arrest, as a probe continues into an estimated 150 guns that reportedly vanished from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) armory, Eve Leary. Kaieteur News learnt from a source that those ranks are currently being grilled about the disappearance of the weapons. Just a few days ago at the launching of the National
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall.
Road Safety Week at Parliament Park, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn told reporters that those found responsible for the missing weapons will be dealt with by the authorities. “It appears that every now and again, police would capture someone with a firearm and the numbers are filed off and we feel that the source of these fire arms might actually be the police armory.” Benn then asked reporters, “Can you believe that?” Kaieteur News reported on November 23, that the weapons were discovered missing during an audit of GPF by the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). Benn had called the revelation alarming. His exact words were, “It is not simply worrying but alarming that such a number of weapons cannot be accounted for.” Information reaching Kaieteur News had suggested that weapons started disappearing in 2018, under the administration of the Coalition. At that time, Khemraj Ramjattan served as the nation’s Minister of Public Security while Leslie James was the Commissioner of Police. The cache of weapons, according to sources, comprised of guns lodged for safekeeping and others that are part of ongoing criminal matters. This newspaper was told that there is likely to be several more arrests in the coming day BREAKING PARLIAMENTARY LIST SYSTEM VITAL TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF OIL – PROFESSOR, SOUTH FLORIDA UNIVERSITY Professor of Economics at the University of South Florida, Dr. Tarron Khemraj,
believes that there are several dynamic changes that need to be made to Guyana’s governance structure if the country is to succeed in its management of oil, to secure maximum benefit for the people. The present system, he opines, promotes disunity. One of these, Khemraj told Kaieteur Radio, involves promoting independence at the level of Parliament by breaking up the list system, allowing Members of Parliament (MP) to be more dependent on and be voted in by their local constituents instead of party loyalty. “The list system has to go. You need direct representation of independence, so an independent person doesn’t necessarily need to go and compete in national elections.” Dr. Khemraj said on the radio show, Petroleum 101. If the Constitution is so reformed, Dr. Khemraj opines, “You can have a talented independent person from Essequibo Coast who is not part of one of the main political forces and can run for election or become a Member of Parliament, represent the locality.” The present system requires persons desirous of being MPs to join the list of a political party. The major political parties are or are led by parties, which have been around for decades, and tend to secure most of the votes, making it difficult for new, independent parties to break into the system. While some MPs are selected based on the vote in the regional elections, this accounts for less than a third (20) of the 65 seats of the National Assembly, while the 45 other seats are decided based on the national vote using the “top-up” list. Dr. Khemraj shared the view that voters may be more willing to “split” their vote, meaning they would vote for a member of one party for the (Continued on page 29)
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From page 28 presidency, and an independent or third party candidate as an MP for their constituency. He pointed to the United States, in which a voter may support a Republican as a senator, and a Democrat for the presidency, or vice versa. He’s of the view that it would be more difficult to be elected to the presidency as a third party candidate early into such reform, but that that could change, a few decades down the line. The Professor signaled that it might be difficult to bring about such change, seeing as the incumbent party benefits from how the current system allows them to consolidate power. “So once you are the incumbent, you tend not to call for changes… When the PPP was in power, prior to 2015, the calls for constitutional change were really from the PNCR side, and from other small opposition parties.” Similarly, he said of the incumbent, “this Burnham constitution is very much loved in the PPP.” “The PPP thinks it can use the document to get its agenda done…” Independence of thought has similarly been frowned on by the Coalition, which expelled former AFC Member, Charrandass Persaud, from the National Assembly and the party, when he voted in support of a No Confidence Motion on December 21, 2018, laid by the then opposition PPP/C. Small parties have tried to make inroads with little success. The most successful recent attempt was by the Alliance for Change (AFC). Notably, the AFC is currently led by Khemraj Ramjattan who was pushed out of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) by its leadership after taking divergent positions. Other leaders in the party had found themselves to have differed with the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). In the 2006 elections, the party secured six seats, then seven in 2011. For the 2015 election, realizing it couldn’t oust the PPP/C without forming a coalition, AFC joined with the David Granger-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Former House Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran, shared a similar fate as Ramjattan with the PPP/C leadership. He went on to run as Presidential Candidate for A New and United Guyana (ANUG), which contested the 2020 election. ANUG could not secure
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Dr. Tarron Khemraj. enough seats on its own, but shares a single seat with two other parties, due to a tripartite joinder it formed in the weeks leading up to Election Day. COMPLIANCE, MONITORING NEEDED FOR SOUND GOVERNANCE OF OIL SECTOR – FORMER EPA HEAD VINCENTADAMS Kaieteur News – To say that the oil and gas industry is large would be the understatement of the century. In fact, the size of this industry is so immense, it often leaves room for the majors and super majors in the corporation to abuse loopholes and slack oversight. To guard against this, compliance and good oversight are needed for the sound governance and monitoring of the oil sector. This is opined by the recently relieved Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Vincent Adams. During an interview with Kaieteur Radio’s: ‘Corruption, Governance and Justice,’ Dr. Adams was asked to share his thoughts on the oil industry in Guyana, where it is today and what he believes is needed for sound governance. To this he responded: “Monitoring, compliance and well, good governance.” During his 30 years of service in the United States’ Department of Energy’s Environmental Management office, Dr. Adams recalled that he came up with the mantra that the government must have better-equipped personnel and all other equipment that is needed. “You have got to be better equipped, which means that [the regulator] makes sure that
Former EPA head Vincent Adams.
it trains their people so that every time you get into a negotiation, you understand the issues better than the company themselves. That was one of my goals.” It is with aims of achieving this goal that Dr. Adams shared his reasoning for embarking on a programme to ensure that representatives of the government, engineers, scientists and other relevant personnel are two steps ahead of those contractors in the industry. He adds, however, that this is not the only requirement for the authorities and regulators, but that these bodies must have free access to every single piece of information possessed by the contractor. “Not only does the oil belong to us,” he says, “they are just extracting it. But all of the data belongs to us as well. Everything they develop belongs to the government as well. I think any law is gonna back you up on that.” Importantly, Dr. Adams is keen to point out that the country first needs to train and equip their people “more than anything else.” With tackling this, the former EPA Head indicated that the next challenge would be compensation. “One of the things that used to happen to us in the US is that you would train the people, get the best and then you would hire them. This means we would have to now compete… You invest in your personnel, but you have got to make sure that the personnel, conditions, salary, whatever is the compensation package, that it is competitive, and that’s the reality.” This practice, he says, ensures that the agency gets a return in the money it has invested. Dr. Adams is ready to
serve his country Shortly after being relieved from the EPA, Kaieteur News had asked Dr. Adams whether he would be willing to commit his services to the government in future if asked. To this he indicated that he is enthusiastic to serve the people of Guyana in any voluntary capacity, if any arises. “Whatever capacity there is for me to serve the Guyanese people, if there’s any such opportunity, then I will surely give my services,” he said to this publication. There is a new government in place, led by President Irfaan Ali. The oil and gas sector is rapidly experiencing a growth since oil production started last year. “WE’LLBEAVAILABLE TO OFFER GUIDANCE” – TROTMAN, PATTERSON ON ABSENCE FROM PARLIAMENTARY NATURALRESOURCE SUB-COMMITTEE Kaieteur News – Though being the most au fait with the oil and gas sector during their tenure in government, former Ministers David Patterson and Raphael Trotman were not included on the Parliamentary Natural Resources Sub-committee. However, even in this absence, both men have given assurances that they will be ready and able to give support and guidance to the members of the said subcommittee. During an Alliance For Change (AFC) virtual press conference, yesterday, the question was posed to both Patterson and Trotman about whether they were disappointed and concerned about their exclusion from the parliamentary sub-committee. To this, both of the former
ministers replied in the negative. In his explanation Kaieteur, Trotman who held the position of Natural Resources Minister articulated that the party took the decision to allow “fresher faces” to hold the fort, while he and Patterson assumed a ‘behind the scenes’ roles. To this Trotman said, “The thinking behind it was that we would allow fresher faces, a fresh look at that committee, which was buttressed by the understanding that we [he and Patterson] both would make ourselves available for guidance and support for all of the new members.” When pressed as to what areas Trotman would be focusing on, he indicated that he will be heading a cluster in areas of foreign affairs, economic and businessrelated matters. This cluster will see the support of Attorney-at-Law Amanza Walton-Desir and the former Business Minister, Khemraj Rajkumar, Trotman pointed out. The former Natural Resources Minister further indicated that he hopes to act as a bridge between the opposition and the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) government for some matters, which are in the “national interest”. Meanwhile, Patterson, who was the former Minister of Public Infrastructure, reminded the press yesterday that he still holds the position as shadow minister for oil and gas. These questions were fueled after Patterson had resigned as the AFC’s General Secretary in late September. Notably, Patterson highlighted in yesterday’s press conference that he has rescinded that resignation, but that he only holds the position temporarily. In a Facebook post after the press conference, he clarified further that he would retain the position until the party’s conference next year. Questions were posed to other AFC Executive Catherine Hughes, who now serves as an opposition member of the subcommittee, along with Former Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams and Members of Parliament (MP), Vincent P. Henry and Deonarine Ramsaroop. Hughes was asked what issues are on the front burners as a member of the subcommittee, to which she said that their primary focus will be providing “very strong oversight at a parliamentary level of some of the current issues regarding oil and gas industry.” Against this, she highlighted her concern over
Exxon’s increased flaring, which has taken Guyana as now one of the top five countries in the world for volume flared per year, per capita. Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sharifah Razack, had provided that Exxon flared 16.496 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in October – up from 15 million cubic feet per day before. GUYANAERRED BY ALLOWING EXXON TO DUMP TOXIC WATER INTO OCEAN – FORMER EPAHEAD WARNS OF RISING TEMPERATURE Kaieteur News – During his time as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, was insistent that oil giants like ExxonMobil must conduct their operations following international rules and standards while adhering to the local laws and regulations. The environmental engineer kept true to this approach up to his last assignment before being sent on leave in August last. During a recent interview on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, “Governance, Corruption and Justice,” the former head revealed that he was the person leading the charge that ExxonMobil should have in place, the relevant technology to reinject any and all toxic water extracted during the oil production process. Dr. Adams was asked to be part of the team that was responsible for reviewing ExxonMobil’s field development plan for the Payara project which would produce 220,000 barrels of oil by 2025. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to be part of the conclusion of the consultations as he was unexpectedly sent on 126 days leave, with the government announcing recently that his contract would not be renewed. Once he was out of the way, ExxonMobil, it appeared, got its way since it was not required to put any technology for re-injection in place for the Payara project. In fact, the company’s environmental permit states that it can go ahead with dumping toxic water into the ocean so long as it is treated to international standards. The permit also calls for a feasibility study to be done to assess the cost of reinjecting the water. Upon taking note of this, Dr. Adams said he is of the firm belief that Guyana has (Continued on page 30)
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From page 29 made a great blunder. He said, “Now this toxic water which you are referring to is usua l l y c a l l e d ‘produced water.’ It is the water that comes up when you drill for t h e o i l a n d e x t r a c t i t . I t ’s basically high brine content in some reservoirs. Now brine could be several times the salinity of seawater, etc. It’s really salt, and it has all kinds of minerals in it and we don’t know what they are or what effect it can have on the marine environment.” He added, “The water is also hot because it’s coming from v e r y, v e r y d e e p b e n e a t h t h e seafloor. As a matter of fact… the temperature close to the Liza Destiny (increases) by like 38 degrees centigrade. That’s hot! So you can’t tell me that that’s not gonna impact the environment…” Dr. Adams also stressed that the World Bank has set a standard which states that the first option for disposing of produced water must be re-injection.
Kaieteur News
BOND ON BAIL FOR PETER’S HALLLAND GIVEAWAY SCANDAL – FRAUD CHARGES EXPECTED SOON Kaieteur News – An elated James Bond was yesterday released on $200,000 bail after being held by police as investigations continue into the Peter’s Hall land giveaway scandal. Bond posted to his Facebook page, minutes after, quoting lyrics from Sizzla Kalonji’s ‘Solid as a rock’ with an image of him hugging PNCR Chair, Volda Lawrence. However, his jubilation may be short lived as Kaieteur News understands that the senior People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member will soon be facing fraud charges. He was reportedly asked to return to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary on Monday. Bond, also an attorney, is at the center of controversy regarding his involvement in a multi-million dollar land give away scandal involving prime state property at Peter’s Hall,
East Bank Demerara. He is accused of being the mastermind behind land deals which saw 30 acres of state land being transferred to Chinese national, Jianfen Yu. Not only that, Bond was said to have also pocketed more than $120 million from both deals. He was fingered by two businessmen embroiled in the scandal – Life 1 Pharms Inc. Director, Avalon Jagnandan; and Director of A-Z Pharmaceuticals Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc., Eddie Doolal. Kaieteur News was informed that the businessmen and Bond had a confrontation on Wednesday. While in police custody, Doolal and Jagnandan reportedly told police that not only was the PNCR senior member the brains behind the operations, he also received a hefty payoff from both deals, amounting to more than $100 million. Jagnandan and Doolal both leased from the state-owned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) 15 acres of land situated at Plantation Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara.
Sunday November 29, 2020
James Bond hugging PNCR Chair shortly after being released from the CID
Sunday November 29, 2020
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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
The PNC’s horrible and horrific mistreatment of Nigel Hughes If there is any philosophy I embrace in life is that a man must fight for his family; family comes first. I love Janet Kissoon and have been married to her for 42 years. You can tell me anything you want, you can throw any physical thing in my direction to harm me and I will take it but do not mess with my family. I will die for my wife and daughter. The PPP government messed with my family and that was unforgivable. During its era in power, it ran an anonymous web site and inserted a fake photograph of my daughter in a compromising position with another woman. It was not my daughter. I know the person who did that. He is in the PPP’s leadership and he needs to apologize to my daughter. The former Head of GOINVEST, Geoff Da Silva, writes a letter in the newspapers each week. But Mr. Da Silva has not penned one word about my wife’s professionalism when he was her boss at GOINVEST. Mr. Da Silva knew that the PPP government had targeted my wife and literally ran her out of GOINVEST. When CLICO collapsed, she lost her pension. I lost monies I was entitled to when the Ramotar presidency terminated my UG contract in December 2011.
I was walking my dog one night in the compound of the Aquatic Centre when my cell phone rang. On the line was a long-time friend of over 45 years. He was now the advisor to the PNC’s 2020 election campaign– Dr. Mark Kirton. He asked me to send him the Ombudsman’s damning report on the termination of my UG contract. He said the government is looking at the idea of compensation. I was thankful for Mark’s intervention and indicated I need the money to buy a car since my old Rav 4 was fit for the scrapheap. He came in person the next day at the National Park where I was walking my dog and collected the documents. I never heard back from Dr. Kirton. Dr. Kirton is a principled man who keeps his promise. It meant someone in the Granger Government rejected his effort. I call upon former presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar to apologize to my wife and daughter. Da Silva should publicly acknowledge my wife’s professionalism when she worked under him at GOINVEST. Jagdeo and Ramotar should apologize for my illegal UG contract termination. I hope Dr. Kirton can say why the compensation idea died. As we move into a brave, new future I think these historical wrongs, though just
a few years old, should be corrected just by a simple apology. What has this long rambling diversion got to do with the caption above? It has to do with family and the insensitivity of the corridor of power to the sacred value of family. While in power, the authorities bestowed the status of Senior Counsel on a number of attorneys of which two should have headed the list in the first conferral – Nigel Hughes and Anil Nandlall. These are two of the most pointed legal minds Guyana has produced, talent that is comparable in a world context. Obviously, the APNU+AFC would have blocked Nandlall’s accolade. But why was Hughes overlooked year after year? My take on denying him his accolade was based on the PNC’s perception of him. If there is any African Guyanese the PNC is afraid of, it is Hughes. There is that feeling that he could be persuasive among the constituencies that keep the PNC alive. In all this time, Hughes’ wife was one of the leaders of the coalition partners in government. This is where the “Senior Counsel” denial is mysterious and complex. How could the relevant au-
thorizes behave like this? Whoever arrived at the decision to select the names for “Senior Counsel” had to be deliberately dishonest to compile their list without Hughes on it. The man meets all the requirements that I am afraid some of whom were chosen did not. The government changed in August 2020 and weeks after Anil Nandall got what he deserved in terms of what he accomplished. It is a moral
depravity to continue to overlook Hughes. I hope very soon this wrong is righted. I have never spoken to Cathy Hughes since she became a minister in 2015. I requested to see her through a text message, but she declined. Then 10 days after she got back saying she was available but the issue on my mind was dead, so I declined to meet. If I ever see her, I would ask her why she did not remonstrate with those who were doing a
Frederick Kissoon wrong to her husband. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Coronavirus: Places where you are more likely to catch the infection By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center A recent model study carried out by researchers from Stanford and Northwestern Universities, had some interesting findings that I thought was worth sharing with you today. The study used cell phone location data to track the movements of 98 million Americans in some metropolitan cities and came up with hotspot areas where infections were likelier to spread. It focused more on social sites and did not include schools, nursing homes, prisons, etc. that are known to be associated with COVID19 outbreaks. Today, I will share with you the list of places that were considered high risk so that you can be more careful and selective when or if you have to visit
them. Restaurants/ Cafes Persons who eat at these places will have to spend some amount of time eating and have to be without masks to eat. The fact that they are in an enclosed space with others, makes it a very suitable environment for the virus to spread. Gyms Gyms tend to be enclosed and those that exercise breathe harder and faster. Someone with an infection will therefore expel more virus while they are exercising. This will expose others to higher inoculations of the virus which is circulating in the closed space. Also, equipment used in gyms are touched by many persons on a daily basis. The coronavirus can persist on these surfaces for hours (sometimes days) and come in contact with others. Hotels Some hotels recirculate
their air from split air conditioning units. This will obviously keep the virus particles in closed spaces longer if an infected person enters one of the closed spaces. In addition, indoor eating, swimming at pools and coming in contact with others at hotels will increase one’s risk of coming in contact with the virus. Religious gatherings Religious gatherings tend to bring groups of persons in close proximity to each other in mostly closed spaces over a period of time. There may be loud speaking or singing at these gatherings. The louder someone that is infected yells, the more virus they will expel and the further it will travel. This will obviously increase the risk for others around who are closer together in a closed space for a protracted period. Crowds in small spaces with long exposure
The researchers found that it only takes a small amount of infected persons to infect a larger group in such settings. They concluded that these spaces all share similar factors; they are small, closed spaces that are crowded with people who tend to dwell there for longer periods. It does not mean that we should avoid these places altogether. We have to live and adapt to life with this virus for at least the next year. The researchers stated that capping capacity at 20
percent of maximum occupancy can reduce the infections by more than 80 percent in such spaces. This will mean that these sites will only lose around 40 percent of the visits when compared to fully reopening with usual maximum occupancy. Risk can be decreased further if visitors minimize the time they spend at these sites and while wearing their masks. We should therefore be more selective in where we go and how we expose ourselves. It doesn’t mean
Dr. Zulfikar Bux that you should avoid these spaces; all you need to do is take what you’ve learnt today and apply it smartly while behaving responsibly.
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…
is k e e W e th f o r e rk o W e in tl n o Fr Our
Public Health Nurse/Medex
Keisha Moore By Enid Joaquin
W
ith COVID19 cases escalating around the world, frontline workers in the area of health are becoming more hardpressed daily, as they strive to cope with the pandemic. Many are working longer hours to valiantly fight this disease, which people all across the globe are hoping and praying to see the end of. One of the frontline workers forced to work longer hours is a Public Health Nurse/Medex, Keisha Moore, who is attached to the Regional
I really love my job. I love caring for people when they are ill and nursing them back to health. I also strive to help maintain good health, in persons who are not sick. Nursing is all I know to do, as it's the only field I've ever worked in.
“
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pointed out that she read up a lot on the pandemic and followed the news and this helped her to become a little bit more comfortable. By then she was observing all the precautionary measures to keep safe.
and requested that their family members be tested too, she added. Nurse Moore has to her credit an Associate Degree in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science Degree. A former student of the Mackenzie
In the company of her colleagues
Health Department, Region 10. In a recent interview, Nurse Moore, spoke candidly about her initial fears about COVID-19, and how she has been coping since being placed on the frontline. "Before I got into COVID, in January, when I went to Lethem to work, I was very, very fearful of the pandemic. It wasn't here yet, but we were being proactive to prevent it from getting into Guyana. Our RHO (Regional Health Officer) asked some other colleagues and myself, and we agreed to go but I was still very fearful. Everyone was fearful...my spouse, everyone was fearful," she recounted. Nurse Moore, however,
Nonetheless, she related that ever since she began to function as a frontline worker earlier this year, her life has taken a different turn. This, according to her, was something she was totally unprepared for. "In the beginning it was very challenging, as persons were not very receptive to being tested, as some maintained that COVID-19 was not real...it was just something being propagated to control people," Nurse Moore revealed. There has now been a drastic change as it relates to the general perception of the pandemic and with that, persons have become more receptive, she disclosed. Presently, some even came forward to be tested,
High School, Nurse Moore commenced the professional nursing programme at the Charles Roza School of Nursing, the same year she graduated from secondary school. "My career as a professional nursing student was short-lived after a few unsuccessful attempts at the state finals medical nursing exams," she recalled. However, in 2008, her eldest brother called her, immediately after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper for the Medex programme. MEDEX Opening Nurse Moore said that she paid him no mind, as at the time, she felt that she had
lost the love for the medical profession. Despite her reluctance, her brother went ahead and sent in an application. Reflecting on the whole episode, Nurse Moore said she was surprised when she was called for the interview, and though still not interested, she turned up for it and was successful. She subsequently commenced the Medex programme in 2008 and graduated in 2011 as a registered Midwife/Medex with an Associate Science Degree. She worked from 2011 to 2017 at the Lititia Holder Health Center in Amelia's Ward and the DeVeldt Health Center in the Berbice River. During her attachment at those two health facilities, she was engaged in medical outreaches to villages along the Berbice River. She would later apply to do the Public Health programme in 2017 and began her training that very year. Two years later, she graduated with a BSc degree in Public Health. After graduating, Nurse Moore spent a short time at the Lititia Holder Health Center, and then in January 2020 was temporarily transferred to Region Nine. There she had to assist in the strengthening of border control in the fight against COVID-19. She returned to Linden in March where she joined the COVID-19 response team. "Ever since I did that, my life took a different turn. I became very busy and hardly have time for family or myself. Presently, a typical day for me starts at 5am and ends at 11pm. My phone is hardly at rest." Nurse Moore said that her mother, with whom she shares a home, though very supportive of her career, is beginning to get worried over the long hours that she works. She added that her spouse, who is also very supportive of her career, sometimes says, “Babe you need to rest!” H o w e v e r, f o r t h i s hardworking frontline
Frontline Worker Nurse Keisha Moore worker, rest does not come easy these days. On days off, it is time to take on some household chores, and prepare for work the next day. Regarding her social life, Nurse Moore quipped: "That is totally nonexistent...dead!" And this situation is not just due to her long hours of work but to all the restrictions, such as the ongoing curfew brought on by COVID-19, she declared. Despite all this, Nurse Moore remains optimistic, and continues to do her best.
On the job: Garbed in her PPEs to combat the COVID-19
"I really love my job. I love caring for people when they are ill and nursing them back to health. I also strive to help maintain good health, in persons who are not sick. Nursing is all I know to do, as it's the only field I've ever worked in," she said. For such commitment and perseverance, even in the face of fear and the numerous challenges, Kaieteur News takes pleasure in according this hardworking health professional, the title of "Frontline Worker of the Week."
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>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<
Oil monitoring (we cannot compete); domestic violence (we cannot condone) By GHK Lall
V
incent Adams, former Head of the EPA, highlighted the need for training and compensating our people for monitoring and effective compliance with our laws and regulations. I am encouraged that Dr. Adams pinpointed this policing of our ballooning oil industry, which has relevance in other resource areas. To be ahead of the multi-nationals, we must be better than them. It is a huge order of many pluses, which encourages because of its significance for us, as an oilproducing nation and as to how much we extract from what is
extracted. There is a downside to this, which I share from past experience. The highly trained overseers - the recognizably tough ones, the ones manning the bridge - usually get wooed a w a y. T h o u g h w e l l compensated, the trained ones that stand out a lot of the times end up on the side of the same companies that they were responsible for probing, monitoring, challenging, and stopping from continuing their violations. They end up on the other side, because no matter how richly compensated; the state cannot compete with the deep pockets of the heavy hitters in the corporate world. When those are of the heft of an Exxon, it could be over before it started. I know of men and women - well trained and well paid - who were successfully recruited by the same businesses, which they oversaw. Packages offered were
just too rich. As evidence, there were Arthur Andersen auditors and Enron. In addition, Guyanese learned of Canadian Payara reviewer, Alison Redford, and Exxon monies funneled to her people. Competitive training and compensation are mandatory, but the big companies can outspend and outlast. In fact, the SEC of America was prompted to make it a hard condition for its staffers - attorneys and accountants - to prevent them from taking up a position for a minimum of two years with a company from the time of their last engagement. The revolving door slowed considerably. The disturbing was discouraged. In the villages, two citizens are dead within two days, a mature woman of 62 and a young man of 20, at the hands of close blood relations. Both the woman and the man died in the bloodiest of circumstances, and in both instances, chemicals were
involved. From the media reports, I gather the disturbing story of a hardworking woman brutalized and murdered allegedly by her own son, a confirmed drug addict. In the instance of the dead man, he was stabbed by his own sister due to his drunken violence against his wife. He was the one that was intoxicated in this instance. Violence against women by their own in Guyana, is almost an accepted cultural practice, the dead mother being less frequent, while the deceased husband killed during his drunken rampage is a relatively rare phenomenon. Regardless, this troubles at several levels, battered women living in continuous fear; the resignation, even tolerance with which such is treated in and out of the family home by a jaded and distancing society; the limitations of court orders and moral suasions; the almost always lateness of neighbours, friends, relatives, or the law to make a difference, through no negligence of each of
those groups. It disturbs that we seem so helpless in the face of what amounts to a national scourge, a societal disgrace. Recently, the Hon. Minister of Human Services, Ms. Vindya Persaud, used the vast reach of social media to recognize and align with the UN's 16-day initiative against gender-based violence under the theme: “Orange the world: Fund, Prevent, Respond, Collect.� I support all of those action verbs, if only they give a chance to save one life, usually a woman's or that of a child's prevented from growing up motherless and ending up who knows where and in what shape. If a son, as a perpetrator? If girl, a punching bag, a bulls eye for target practice? It disturbs that this is so prevalent; I am encouraged that we keep trying to fight it. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday November 29, 2020
g ts in s... re ture e t In rea C
Millipede
Millipede Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Order: Diplopoda Scientific Name: Diplopoda
T
Kaieteur News
he millipede is a medium to large sized invertebrate that is found under rocks and in decaying logs all around the world. The millipede has a long and narrow body which is made up of segments. The millipede is from the same family as the centipede, but the millipede generally has more legs for its body length than the centipede. The average millipede has between 80 and 400 legs, not a thousand as the name suggests. The millipede is found all over the world but is more common in the southern hemisphere where the millipede has been known to get to nearly 40cm long. Some species of millipede have a poisonous bite which they use to kill their prey before eating it. Millipedes are most
commonly found in the cooler, damper and darker places within their environment. Millipedes inhabit areas under rocks, in the leaf litter, in rotting logs and occasionally in burrows which are all known as micro-habitats. The exact number of legs and segments that make up the body of the millipede, depend on the millipede species. However, all millipedes are made up in a similar way with the first sections of the millipede's body having one pair of legs and the later sections of two pairs of legs. The legs of millipede all work together and move in a wavelike motion. The millipede is an omnivorous animal but primarily feeds on dead plant material and decaying matter on the forest floor. Millipedes are also known to eat some species of plants (that are alive) and the larger species of millipede also hunt insects. The millipede has a number of different predators in its natural environment including birds, badgers, foxes and small rodents such as
shrews and rats. When the millipede feels that it is in danger it curls up into a spiral and some species of millipede even release a disgusting smelling liquid that deters many of the animals that prey on the millipede. The female millipede can lay up to 1,000 sticky eggs at once although the number of millipede eggs laid is usually closer to 500. When the baby millipedes hatch they only have 3 pairs of legs but they shed their skin as they grow. Each time the baby millipedes shed their skin they develop more body segments and legs.
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K O
BO
Book: Blackout Author: Candace Owens Critic: Glenville Ashby, PhD
C
andace Owens has been hailed by conservatives as an eloquent and arrant voice for truth. For others, especially the radical left, she is pilloried as a provocateur, an expedient tool of a social structure that had systemically oppressed the black community, of which Owens is a member. With impartiality tossed out, neither group can, nor is willing to objectively critique Owen's views. This is unfortunate because there is much to glean from her work. It is now up to the
Sunday November 29, 2020
The Democratic Party and the Destruction of the Black Community
discerning reader to make a veritable assessment. A formidable orator, Owens is equally effective as a writer and raconteur. She is economically succinct and poignant. She is anecdotal, introspective, and even selfcritical. She chronicles her early years and the role of family in defining her personhood. She recalls indelible tales, one of racism during her school years, and one interaction with her grandmother that proved epiphanic. Interestingly, Owens was not always the unswerving conservative she is today. But ever inclined to analysis, a trait that is clearly evident in 'Blackout,' she began to revisit her values. Her Occam's Razor is her disregard for psychosexual and sociopolitical theories
on racial oppression advanced by the likes of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing and Dr. Franz Fanon. Not that her views on race are Pollyannish. She does offer a clear path to empowerment. She acknowledges that a post-racial America is still distant. But she does not see a racial narrative in every struggle. Race, she avers, has been weaponized by the Left to control an unsuspecting community. This political sleight of hand, according to Owens, has disempowered blacks making them victims of a delusion forced upon them. Of leftist politics, she writes, “Progressive policies have led to regressive results for black America. Democrats see inherent racism and struggle in everything, thereby destroying all racial progress that has been achieved thus far.” America is still paradisiacal, she argues, an oasis among broken nations. Despite its checkered past,
America is a place of opportunities that beckons the ambitious and the industrious. The culture of victimhood has blinded the black community producing shells of a people in the process. Owens promulgates a different approach to empowerment. Firstly, blacks must be aware of their alliance with a political party that has gutted their historically conservative culture, a culture that, in the harshest periods - slavery and Jim Crow - kept the black family intact. The Democratic Party has never been friends of blacks and to this day, advances an agenda that is antithetical to black tradition, culture and lore. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Ghettoized communities have become fiefdoms of corrupt, career politicians, mostly Democratic, who peddle in racial politics. After decades of Democratic control, black communities have little to show. Owens singles out the welfare system and 'the public school trap' as instruments that smother b l a c k m o b i l i t y. S h e delineates how these institutions militate against black endeavorus. Today, the Democratic 'carrot' to the black community, in the form of reparations, free health, student loan forgiveness, free college tuition - more free stuff - is reminiscent of Roosevelt's 1933 National Industrial Recovery Act (part of the New Deal). Owens states: “What is most surprising about the many ways in which these policies hurt black Americans is that it did nothing to quell their willingness to vote in even larger numbers for Democrats again in 1936 -
helping Roosevelt cruise to a landslide victory.” Black support for the president had all to do with the administration's promises, its good intentions, and “little to do with the truth that the New Deal policies caused disproportionate harm to the black community.” Of the abysmal failure of pubic schools, Owen pens: “[T]hough choosing the best school for our child should not be a politicized issue, it has certainly become one, as Democrats have convinced blacks that opting out of these institutions would spell disaster.” She elaborates: “Although numerous polls show that black Americans favour school choice (via vouchers that would allow parents to transfer the government funding already allocated for their children's education from a public school to a private school, charter school, or other institutions of their choosing), left-wing politicians have
nonsensically waged this option as an infringement on civil liberty [making] the extraordinary claim that voucher system favours white families and is thus responsible for segregation in public schools.” She dismisses this argument as “classic leftist misinformation campaigns, which control and constrain black progress.” Owens speaks of a perverse brand of liberal politics that has seeped into black culture with cataclysmic consequences. She traces the history of the Democratic Party. A sore picture she paints. Unbeknownst to many, the KKK was very much the face of the Party that today boasts of tolerance. Of its checkered past, she writes: “Through rigorous policy and reforms, Republican President Ulysses Grant fundamentally annihilated the Klan but...years later they experienced a rebirth.” She adds: “Release of the film 'Birth of a Nation'...that (continued on page 58)
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THE
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STORY WITHIN THE
That traffic situation By Leonard Gildarie
A
n incident occurred Friday evening at Peter's Hall, along the East Bank Demerara corridor between the city and the Demerara Harbour Bridge junction. For hours, commuters were stranded. The lines, at the afternoon peak hours, were long. I have never felt the level of anger from drivers and others than what I heard and saw Friday. The words flowed freely on social media. The Guyana Police Force in a short statement seemed to have confused the matter more and offered little comfort. A statement said that “after a brief interruption of free flow of traffic on the East Bank corridor which was caused by heavy motor lorries traversing, traffic is now flowing at a normal pace.” The reality is that there can never be a brief interruption for hours. It just cannot be described as that. The police went further: “Please note that all measures which were put in place by the Force's Traffic Department on the said corridor were not done in any way to stymie the flow of traffic but to ensure that commuters, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians be safe when using the roadway.” The Force also said that more police will be on the road at peak hours. It is a simple fact that Guyana is going through a change that it is unprepared for. Zoning will have to be a word on the lips of our planners. The oil and gas development has seen the East Bank of Demerara become a focused area of
development for operations because of the proximity to the Demerara River. There will be quite a number of shore-based operations in the coming years along the Demerara River. The problem, of course, will be the limited roads. There is one road leading to and from the city from the East Bank. In the short term, for the next five years, we will have to deal with the present situation. A new harbour bridge and accompanying road link between the East Bank and East Coast will not come anytime soon. We wasted precious time in the last few years dallying on these projects. In the meantime, more vehicles are being placed on the roadways. At least 10,000 annually we are told. There are more heavy vehicles, including haulers trucks on the roadway. It will therefore come down to the measures that the police, as enforcers, and the road users take to reduce the madness that has started to manifest. The reality is that indiscipline, coupled with a lack of control from the absence of enough ranks at peak hours, is the main blame for the frustration. We naturally have drivers who cannot wait. The minibuses, especially, would be guilty of rampant abuse, including undertaking, speeding, overtaking and switching lanes at will. At key bottlenecks Mandela Avenue at the Houston bypass; Eccles traffic lights and between the stretch from Peter's Hall to the harbour bridge junction will require more motorcycled ranks. We can effectively
Leonard Gildarie eliminate the four and five lanes that are caused by drivers undertaking and have a more manageable situation. I don't think the police force has an understanding of how much this would help. There is absolutely no reason why we should have trucks working daytime. I believe sand and container trucks and those for the oil and gas can work in the nights. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It will require the oil and gas sector to adjust their operations. This is for the greater good of the country. There are a number of things that the harbour bridge management will have to urgently implement. This include a faster way to process vehicles crossing. The bridge management did announce that it was examining an automated toll system which requires no clerk printing a ticket. What it does is have a device on the vehicle which is read and clocked by one on the toll station area. The bridge management has already introduced this system to a number of government agencies, including the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture. The bridge management will have to collaborate with companies which will offer the necessary network that will take the money out from a payment system that is similar to phone card credit. It will shave time from crossings. There will clearly have to be a zero tolerance for the traffic lawlessness that now besiege. We have to continue to think out of the box. Desperate times call for desperate measures. In the meantime, a new harbour bridge and alternative road to the East Coast that can also lead to the Timehri direction is what is needed, in a hurry. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
A contribution to the authentic history of Dutch colonization of Essequibo and Demerara (A Review of David Granger’s Laurens Storm van’s Gravesande: His life and times in Essequibo and Demerara) Laurens Storm van’s Gravesande was a towering figure of the Dutch’s presence in the colonies of Essequibo and Demerara. According to David Granger, in his monograph – Laurens Storm van’s Gravesande: His life and times in Essequibo and Demerara – Gravesande served as Secretary for the Dutch West India Company, the principal colonizing and governing authority in Guiana. He became the Commandeur of the Essequibo between 1743 and 1750 and was appointed Directeur-General in 1750, making him a man of unparalleled standing within the then colonies of Essequibo and Demerara, for the next 20 years. Prior to his joining the West India Company, he was said to be a hot-tempered youth who had enlisted in the Dutch army. His prospects in military life appeared promising but he opted to serve as the Company Secretary in the colony of Essequibo. Laurens Storm van’s Gravesande has been lionized by historians. Sister Noel Menezes, for example, credits Gravesande for having a vision for the development of Demerara. She argues that he recognized that if Demerara was to flourish it needed an injection of new life and funds. It was through Gravesande’s instrumentality, she says, that English planters from Barbados were invited to settle on the island of the Essequibo and the Demerara River. A.R.F. Webber said he was “a man of action and strength of character.” C. A. Harris and J.A. J De Villiers designated him as “a pioneer of empire.” The latter claimed that it was under Gravesande that Essequibo reached the ‘apex of its prosperity’ and the development of Demerara commenced. Vincent Roth, writing in Kyk-Over-Al (Vol.2, No.7, Dec 1948) lists Gravesande as his top choice for the man who has left the greatest mark on the country’s history. Roth credits Gravesande with the development of Demerara. He says: “…Storm van’s Gravesande, the doughty founder of the Colony of Demerary, the Dutch Commandeur-General of the Two Rivers who, with his headquarters at Fort Zeelandia (Fort Island), had
the vision to see the possibilities of the smaller but deeper river to the east of the old colony of Essequibo. There is not the slightest doubt that, due to his encouragement, both private and official, was due the start and rapid development of the youngest of the three Guiana colonies to the position of first importance in the subsequently combined British Guiana. But for him, Demerara might possibly today be but another Mahaica, a small Mahaicony, a small settlement acting as a province of the principal area of the territory, Essequibo.” Raymond Smith described him as “… a man who must rank as the greatest in the colonies’ history.” These ‘assessments,’ coming from such authoritative sources, are hardly ever expected to be contested. But history must always be approached with a critical eye and Granger’s approach to history has always been critical and clinical. David Granger set out to investigate the man behind the myth. He questioned whether these laudatory statements were reflective of van’s Gravesande’s complete character. He interrogated the work and achievement of van’s Gravesande in five policy areas – economy, indigenous peoples’ relations, defense, exploration and administration. Granger’s analysis is thorough and balanced. He does not fall victim to the stereotypical caricature, which projects an image of colonialism as being devoid of development or progress. Neither is he ensnared in the ‘great man’s theory of history’ which characterizes so much of recounting of the history of that period. Granger examines both Gravesande’s achievements and failures, sedulously.
Granger has mined both primary and secondary sources in undertaking this fascinating appraisal of Gravesande. Among the rich vein of sources consulted were: British Guiana Boundary Arbitration with the United States of Venezuela. Appendix to the case on Behalf of the Government of Her Britannic Majesty. Vol.11 – 1724-1763 (1988); C. R. Boxer’s, The Dutch Seaborne Empire 1600-1800. (1965); R. Netscher’s History of the Colonies: Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice: From the Dutch Establishment to Present Day. (1888); Alvin Thompson’s Colonialism and Underdevelopment in Guyana: 1580-1803. (1987); and A.R.F. Weber’s, Centenary History and Handbook of British Guiana. (1931). Granger admits that one of the limitations of his analysis is that much of the recorded history of the colonies, during this period, was compiled from dispatches issued by Gravesande himself. Granger has been able, in spite of this, to interrogate this history and to emerge with a balanced perspective, which neither detracts from Gravesande’s achievements nor disparage him as a reviled figure. The following extract sums up the balance, which Granger was able to achieve: That Gravesande, in reality, was neither the brilliant success he has been made out to be by some writers, nor was he a corrupt and incompetent Commandeur. He was beset by numerous external and internal problems, but he carried on Dutch rule through a dangerous period. Gravesande justly deserves some acclaim for not leaving the colonies in a precarious condition. Equally, he deserves some censure for his errors and for not doing more
to leave them in a prosperous state. Gravesande’s contribution to the delimitation of the country’s borders, however, is one area in which sufficient credit is not accorded. The Arbitral Tribunal of 1899, which settled British Guiana’s boundaries, more or less followed the Schomburgk Line, which, generally, accorded with the area, which Gravesande treated as encom-
passing the colony of Essequibo. Gravesande, despite Granger’s expansive, but less than effusive, assessment remains an imposing figure in the country’s history – one who should not be relegated into oblivion. But since the writing of history should aim to be as accurate and truthful as possible, this book contributes to the authentic history of Dutch colonization of
Essequibo and Demerara. It remains, more importantly, a constant reminder to students and readers alike that they should be open to questioning historical conclusions. History should always be studied with a critical eye as David Granger does. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
‘The Crown’ Seasons 5 and 6: New Cast Members, Timeline and Everything We Know With The Crown season 4 now streaming on Netflix, anticipation is already ramping up for the upcoming next two seasons of the Emmy-winning historical drama about the royal family. Over the past year, the streaming platform announced some of the new stars taking over for the current cast in season 5 — prepare to say goodbye to Olivia Colman and hello to Imelda Staunton — and confirmed that season 6 will be its last. From the cast to the timeline, here is everything ET knows about the final two seasons of c r e a t o r P e t e r Morgan’s series: New Cast Members Per tradition of the series, The Crown recasts the lead roles every two seasons, meaning that following seasons 3 and 4 audiences will get a whole new cast. So far, Netflix has announced several key roles, including Staunton taking over for Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pr yce following Tobias Menzies as Prince P h i l i p , L e s l e y Manville stepping in for Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, a n d E l i z a b e t h Debicki playing Princess Diana after Emma Corrin originated the role in season 4. Other major roles still to be announced include Prince Charles, who was previously played by Josh O’Connor, and Princess Anne, who was originated on screen by Erin Doherty in
season 3. Their younger siblings, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, are likely to appear in smaller roles after making their debuts in season 4, with the former going through his own martial problems with Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, around the same time as Charles and Diana. And given that a young Prince William and Prince Harry briefly appeared in season 4, they may get more screen time — and possibly speaking roles — in 5 or 6. Meanwhile, the most coveted non-royal parts are the new prime ministers — John Major and Tony Blair — to immediately follow Margaret Thatcher (played by Gillian Anderson in season 4). Blair was notably played by Michael Sheen twice in Morgan’s other films, The Deal and The Queen, which starred Helen Mirren in the titular role in the aftermath of Diana’s death. Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II The Crown is the latest major franchise for the Oscarnominated actress, who has previously appeared in the Harry Potter movies as Dolores Umbridge and as Lady Bagshaw in the 2019 Downton Abbey film. “I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor, it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional
creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion,” Staunton said when cast. Later, while speaking with ET, Staunton added, “I don’t want to let the air go out of the balloon and I really have to bring it home. I would love to do that for all the people who have gone before me.” Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip The Oscar-nominated actor makes a welcome return to TV after playing the High Sparrow on Game of Thrones and appearing on the Amazon original Tales From the Loop. “I am delighted to be working with Netflix again. The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip. To be doing so with Peter Morgan in the company of Imelda Staunton will be a joy,” the actor said when his casting was announced. Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret The longtime English actress was previously nominated for an Oscar for the 2017 film Phantom Thread and was last seen on TV in the Hulu original series Harlots and can be heard narrating the HBO Max romantic comedy series Love Life. ”I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don’t want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a a complete
Jennifer Lopez Drops Sultry New Song ‘In the Morning’ Jennifer Lopez fans had lots to be thankful for as they awoke on Friday to a new song by the triple-threat star. The day after Thanksgiving, Lopez released her sultry new single, “In the Morning,” after teasing it a few days prior with some seriously sexy cover art. “If you love må / Say it in the morning / Not just in the evåning / Only when you want my body,” she sings on the chorus of the track. The lyrics match the song’s cover art, which has Lopez posing completely nude. In addition to the release of “In the Morning,” Lopez also recently teased a few other potential news songs. “#InTheMorning #MorningFace #TurkeyEgg #NewMusic,” she captioned a post on Instagram. Lopez’s new music comes just days after she and Maluma rocked the American Music Awards on Sunday, performing their hits “Pa Ti” and “Lonely.”
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II joy,” Manville said in a statement. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress revealed that she is digging into her research and already planning a special night out with her two Margaret predecessors. ”I’m now rewatching The Crown because, ultimately, yes I’ll read the books, yes I’ll listen to Margaret talking, yes I’ll look at endless footage of her. But at the end of the day, I have to look at what Vanessa did, look at what Helena has done, and pick up the baton of those two great actresses and carry on being that Margaret,” she said, adding, “That’s definitely on the agenda — a three Margarets dinner happening somewhere. I will do it and it will happen.” Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana After her breakout roles in the 2016 limited series The Night Manager and the 2018 film Widows, Debicki’s profile continues to rise with a coveted role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and now, the final seasons of The Crown. “Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live on in the hearts of so many. It is my true privilege and honor to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one,” the actress shared in a statement. Later, Debicki revealed why she is such a huge fan of the series. “My very dear friend Vanessa Kirby played Princess Margaret in the first
two seasons so beautifully. That’s why I started watching it, really, and I remember watching it thinking, ‘This is remarkable.’ Everything people do on that screen is just incredible acting,” she told ET. ”For me to even start to swim in that ocean is incredible. And obviously Princess Diana was a truly profoundly remarkable, unique woman, so it’s nothing but an honor to be asked to play her.” Timeline Typically, each season covers roughly a decade of time. With The Crown season 4, which introduces Princess Diana to the story, spanning from 1979 to 1990, season 5 is likely to pick up shortly after. However, since Debicki was cast for seasons 5 and 6, it’s safe to assume she’ll appear in most if not all of the final season, meaning that the series will likely end around or shortly after Diana’s death in 1997. If that is the case, then that seven to 10 years could be stretched out over two seasons. Considering that Morgan previously wrote the 2006 film The Queen, about the events immediately following the young royal’s shocking death, it’s unlikely he’d want to retread too much of the same territory. (The film earned Morgan an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Mirren an Oscar win for Best Actress.) But the last few episodes could jump forward in time, not only introducing
Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, but depicting the time leading up to Princess Margaret’s death in 2002. That would provide a fitting closure to the relationship between the queen and her sister, perhaps the series’ most important relationship. And with Staunton and Manville in those roles, it is hard to imagine not wanting to get the most out of their time on screen together. Filming and Premiere Date Considering The Crown seasons 1 and 2 premiered back to back in November 2017 and December 2018 before taking a two-year break. Season 3 and 4 premiered in November 2019 and 2020, almost exactly one year apart. That means audiences likely won’t see the series return to Netflix until 2022 at the earliest. Meanwhile, given the coronavirus pandemic, there’s also been no formal announcement about production starting up on the new seasons. And given how much it has slowed productions down all across the world, The Crown could even be delayed until 2023. In March 2020, when ET spoke with Staunton about season 5, the series had finished only just production on season 4 before “the world has gone upside down.” The actress said she hadn’t seen any scripts and was just in the midst of her own research into the queen, taking advantage of the extra time at home.
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Identifying and treating Eating Disorders You have heard persons talking about it; you have seen persons either in real life or on television suffering from it. But what exactly defines an eating disorder? Over the years, pictures have been circulated with young women and men suffering from anorexia and they seem quite gruesome. On the contrary, some of these images are meant to raise awareness about eating disorders among young people. But did you know that anorexia is not the only eating disorder that persons can suffer from? It is commonly thought that eating disorders are actually a lifestyle choice. In that, the sufferers can actually just snap out of it or choose to eat properly. This is a common perception in Guyana and the world over where there is not much focus on mental health issues of this sort. However, it must be noted that eating disorders are grave and often fatal diseases that can cause severe disturbances to a person’s eating behaviors. Certain obsessions with food, body weight, and shape may also signal the presence of an eating disorder. Eating disorders that frequently occur include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorders. People with anorexia nervosa often times see
themselves as being grossly overweight despite the fact that they are dangerously underweight. It is not uncommon for persons with anorexia to constantly weigh themselves during the day, sometimes four to five times within a 24 hour period. They also tend to severely restrict the amount of food they consume and at that, only eat very small quantities of just certain foods. Of all the eating disorders and all the psychiatric disorders for that matter, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate. Most young people with this disorder tend to die from complications associated with starvation. However, due to the depression, others die of suicide. Suicide is much more common in women with anorexia than with most other mental disorders. Symptoms of anorexia may include: · Eating extremely small amounts · Extreme emaciation (thinness) · The relentless urge to get thinner and unwilling to maintain a normal or healthy weight · A deep and intense fear of gaining weight · Distorted body image, a self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape · Denial of the seriousness of low body weight Some other symptoms
may develop over time due to the initial starvation. These would include: · Thinning bones referred to as osteopenia or osteoporosis · Anemia, muscle wasting and weakness · Brittle hair and nails · Dry and yellowish skin · Growth of fine hair all over the body (lanugo) · Severe constipation · Low blood pressure, slowed breathing and pulse · Decreased heart function due to damage · Brain damage · Multi-organ failure · Drop in internal body temperature, causing a person to feel cold all the time · Lethargy · Infertility Now, people with bulimia nervosa have frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and having little to no control over them. This binge-eating behavior is usually followed by a compensating behaviour for the overeating such as purging, overuse of laxatives or diuretics, prolonged fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of all. Unlike anorexia, bulimia patients are usually able to maintain a healthy or relatively normal body weight. Symptoms of bulimia nervosa may include: · Chronically inflamed and sore throat due to purging
· Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area · Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of exposure to stomach acid · Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems · Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse · Severe dehydration from purging of fluids · Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack Finally, people with a binge-eating disorder lose total control over his or her eating habits. Unlike bulimia, the periods of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. As such, binge-eaters are commonly, very overweight or obese. Some of the symptoms associated with binge eating include: · Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time · Eating even when you’re full or not hungry · Eating fast during binge episodes · Eating until you’re uncomfortably full · Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment · Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your
eating · Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss What then are some of the risk factors associated with developing these disorders? Research dictates that these disorders usually occur during the teenage years or into young adulthood but can also begin during childhood or later on in life. They affect both genders, although women are two out of five times more likely to develop them as compared to men. Unlike women who may tend to have body image distortions concerning being overweight, men may have muscle dysmorphia, a type of disorder marked by the need to become more muscular. Research has shown that eating disorders are caused by a complex interaction of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors. So for those suffering from any of the above, it might not just
be one trigger, it may be a combination, which is why not many Guyanese know how to deal with them when diagnosed. Treatments and Therapies Ensuring that there is adequate nutrition, helping to reducing excessive exercise and putting an end to purging behaviors are the mainstay of treatment. However, treatment plans are tailored to each individual’s needs and may include one or more of the following: · Psychotherapy · Medical care · Counseling on nutritional · Medications Medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, or mood stabilizers have been found to be very helpful for treating eating disorders and illnesses occurring hand in hand such as anxiety or depression.
Dangerous chemicals hiding in everyday products It was long believed that you could acquire “better living through chemistry.” But that may really not be the case. In a landmark alliance, known as Project TENDR, leaders of various disciplines have come together in a consensus statement to say that many of the chemicals found in everyday products can result in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit disorders. “Ten years ago, this consensus wouldn’t have been possible, but the research is abundantly clear,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis and co-chairwoman of Project TENDR. “At some point, we say we know enough to take preventative action,” said Frederica Perera, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. Perera is also a signatory on the statement.
Last year, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (PDF) stated that “Widespread exposure to toxic environmental chemicals threatens healthy human reproduction.” Other medical groups such as the Endocrine Society (PDF), the world’s oldest and largest organization devoted to researching hormones, have expressed similar concerns. But this is the first time that leading scientists, doctors and policy advocates across various disciplines have come together to say that the science on toxic chemicals is clear: They can harm brain development. Everyday chemicals carry toxic burden. These everyday chemicals, including organophosphates, flame retardants and phthalates, can be found in food, plastics, furniture, food wrap, cookware, cans, carpets, shower curtains, electronics and even shampoo. They are pretty much everywhere around us.
Scientists and researchers are concerned that many of these chemicals may be carcinogenic or wreak havoc with our hormones, our body’s regulating system. But the impact of these chemicals may be most severe on the developing brain, Perera said. Brain development is the “most complete and most rapid during the first nine months, prenatally,” she said. During that time, neural connections and pathways are being developed. “Any interference by a physical stress like a toxic chemical or other stressor can disrupt this natural progression that is so very delicate and complex,” explained Perera. Though the group hopes to come up with regulatory recommendations to reduce this toxic burden, there are some simple things that individuals can do to reduce their exposure. Chemicals to watch for. ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES
Organophosphate pesticides (PDF) are a class of neurotoxic chemicals used as warfare agentsin the 1930s. However, today, they account for about half of all pesticide use in the United States. And they can make their way onto crops that we use as food sources. Areas that spray pesticides heavily, such as farms, may find higher rates of exposure. Children exposed to higher levels of these pesticides have been found to have higher rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. You can reduce your exposure to them by eating organic and using alternative pest control methods. PHTHALATES These chemicals soften plastics and help scents and chemicals bind together. Exposure to phthalates has been associated with lower IQ levels. They can be found in shampoos, conditioners, body sprays, hair sprays, perfumes,
colognes, soap, nail polish, shower curtains, medical tubing, IV bags, vinyl flooring and wall coverings, food packaging and coatings on time-release pharmaceuticals. You can reduce your exposure to phthalates by using unscented lotions and laundry detergents, microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic, using cleaning supplies without scents, and avoiding air fresheners and plastics labeled as No. 3, No. 6 and No 7. POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS These chemicals are used as flame retardants, chemicals that can slow the speed of a flame. They can be found in televisions, computers, insulation and foam products, including children’s toys and baby pillows. Products can shed ethers that can accumulate in dust. Exposure to these ethers have been associated with thyroid issues. There isn’t a directory
that lists which products have these ethers, but consumers may still be able to reduce exposure by looking for products that advertise themselves as free of flame retardant. These chemicals were found in a lot of older foams, so replace products such sofas and pillows that have exposed foam. And use a high-efficiency HEPA filter vacuum to clean up dust. AIR POLLUTANTS Air pollution from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas is usually associated with respiratory issues. However, these pollutants can also include nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and benzene. Higher exposure to air pollutants has been associated with lower birth weights, preterm deliveries and congenital heart defects. The World Health Organization (PDF) considers exposure to benzene a major public health concern. ( http:/ /edition.cnn.com.)
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
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TEEN TIME We promised in our last issue
to name and define the principles that will prove to best in guiding your life These are:-Fairness, Honesty; Integrity, Human Dignity, Growth, Tolerance, Respect for nature, and Loyalty. These principles would help you to create a solid foundation for your life with full confidence that you are on the correct path to the fulfilment of your life You will need to consider each of them, and ensure that your character is aligned to them. Fairness – a sense of justice in all one’s dealing with others; a proper balance of conflicting interests achieved by subordinating one’s own feelings, prejudices and desires in the interest of the good of others. This is the principle that we have to contemplate every day, and in every situation we find ourselves, so as to be
always in the right. It prompts us to use our conscience in all we do. Honesty – dealing in truth in every aspect; fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; uprightness of character; adherence to a standard of what is right and proper. This is another trait of our character in which we have to use our conscience, and really try to be unselfish in our determination of what is right or wrong in all our thoughts, words and actions. Integrity – the ability and willingness to live according to the values that one has adopted as his mode of behaviour; firm adherence to a code of moral values; the quality or state of being completely undivided in his word, thought and action. The true test of our integrity is the
measure of how much we adhere to the principles that we have adopted as our way of life. It will negatively always affect the other aspects of behaviour when we forget our principles and act selfishly in any situation. Human dignity – the quality or state of being worthy, honoured or esteemed; sincerity in manner and appearance; respecting all others as you would like to be respected. One important thing to remember is that when we do not respect others we little by little lose our self-respect. We will continue next week with the other principles that we have mentioned as necessary to our In the meantime, think on these and try to improve each one in your personality.
The Choice Is Yours At every time and in every place, of whatever people you belong, If you observe life with a clear honest eye, you cannot help but see – Life is cast in two clear moulds, and yours is the freedom to choose; Your choice will determine your fate for now, and all eternity. On one hand there is the idle side, with many pleasures that call to you, It is easy as sliding down a hill, but filled later with destruction and sorrow, The other side has its hardships, with discipline and sacrifices to endure, But always resulting in a bright future, full of promise and hope for tomorrow. So he who is preparing to carve his destiny must be sure to pass the test, With care and forethought to choose the path that would lead to his best.
Just as the captain of a ship needs a compass to guide him to his intended destination, we each need a set of principles to lead us to our life goals.
TELL IT TO UNCLE ROY Uncle Roy is once again appealing to all teens to write to him about any problem you may be facing for which you need a solution. He would also like you to contribute to this Page by submitting other material that he can include here. These include: 1. A poem, short story or bit of advice that you have written and would like to share with your fellow teens. 2. Any significant event that has happened, or any interesting item about what is going on around you. 3. A commentary about where you live to acquaint others about it. As mentioned before, you can email me at: uncleroy1992@yahoo.com
Solutions to last week’s Sudoku Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 5 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.
Jigoku
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Basic Makeup Tips For Beauties With Dark Skin
November 27, 2019 by Afsha Rangila Different people have different skin tones; therefore, their makeup requirements are unique. One’s face shape and contour also determine how and what kind of makeup should be applied. While purchasing makeup products, those with darker skin tones should select their makeup carefully as it makes a huge difference to their appearance.The right makeup can make a girl with a warm skin tone glow like a goddess. 1. Moisturize: Those with dark skin, especially with dryness problems, tend to look ashy if skin is not moisturized properly. After your daily shower, make sure you apply a good moisturizer to keep your face and body well-hydrated. This will give you that clear, glowing dusky look. 2. Sunscreen: Just because you have a darker complexion doesn’t mean your skin won’t get affected by the harmful UV rays. This is a common mistake that many dark-skinned beauties tend to make. Choose your sunscreen depending on your skin type. 3. The right foundation: Foundation acts as a base for your makeup. Always make sure that the foundation matches your natural skin tone. You can also try using two shades of foundation – a lighter shade on the center of your face, and your natural tone on the rest of the face. This would make your face appear brighter. Look for a shade that is just right for you and evens out the discolorations. Avoid using transparent powder – it can give your skin a grayish tinge. 4. Concealer: To counteract the stubborn blemishes under the eyes, apply a concealer along the tops of your cheekbones towards the tip of your eyebrows. It’s more or less like drawing a triangle. This shape not only conceals dark circles, but it also instantly help attract the light by bringing warmth to that area. 5.Highlighter: There’s nothing we love more than a creamy highlighter that wears like a face polish. To give the illusion of larger eyes, apply the highlighter under your brow bone, a bit above the crease in your lids. Once done, pat a small dot in the middle of the apple of your cheeks. Then press the highlighter onto your forehead followed by your high plane of the face, chin. 6. Bronzer: Literally a staple diet for all beauty lovers, a bronzer can make your skin look fresh, glowy and sun-kissed even when the temperature is soaring high. For that perfect bronze look, we suggest go about two shades deeper than your tan color, and make sure you don’t dust bronzer all over the face. To create a neat look, apply the bronzer with a sculpting brush on in a C formation. That means, start it at the temples and flick lightly along the sides of the face, forehead, nose, and chin for a more refined look. 7. Eye makeup: Eye makeup is something that highlights your eyes and enhances your looks. For a casual daytime event, it’s best to avoid vibrant or bright colors and opt for subtle shades like browns, pinks, and gray eyeshadows, complemented with loads of mascara. For an evening event or a formal occasion, try shades like blue, purple, and greens and also shades like burgundy, prunes, copper, and browns. These colors look amazing on dark skin and are sure to make you look like a diva! Be experimental and play with colors. 8. Lipsticks: Lipsticks Selecting colors for dark skin tones is a big task. Use lip colors like beige, coffee, chocolate, soft pink, plums, berry, burgundy, and gold. Stay away from lipsticks with a frosty finish or ones that are too glossy. 9. Blush: Shades like dark peach, bronze, deep orange, coral, wine, rose, and gold, and any darker shades of blush will complement your skin best. 10. Experiment:
Don’t be afraid to wear bold colors! Just because you have dark skin, doesn’t mean you can’t rock a red lip or blue eyeshadow – just not at the same time! Additional Tips Wear a blush to add a flush of color on the face. Use warm colors like bronze or deep pinks. Darker skin tends to be oily, so opt for powder-based products.Try to keep your makeup minimal; simply enhance your natural tone so that the skin looks more healthy and glows. Try colored eyeliners in the shades of blue, green, purple, and deep browns for night-outs. This will accentuate and enhance your eyes dramatically.Dark skin is absolutely gorgeous. Just keep these tips in mind the next time you are getting ready. https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/beauty-tips-for-dark-skin-tones/
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
1. How did the ornament get addicted to Christmas? He was hooked on trees his whole life. 2. Why was Santa’s little helper depressed? Because he had very low elf esteem. 3. What does the Grinch do with a baseball bat? Hits a gnome and runs. 4. What do you call a broke Santa Claus? Saint-nickel-less. × 5. What do you call a kid who doesn’t believe in Santa? A rebel without a Claus. 6. Why did Frosty ask for a divorce? His wife was a total flake. 7. Why does Scrooge love reindeer so much? Because every single buck is dear to him! 8. What do you get when you cross a duck with Santa? A Christmas quacker. 9. What’s Santa’s favorite snack food? Crisp Pringles. 10. Why do mummies like Christmas so much? They’re into all the wrapping. 11. How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing. It was on the house! 12. How do you help someone who’s lost their Christmas spirit? Nurse them back to elf. 13. What do you call an elf wearing ear muffs? Anything you want. He can’t hear you! 14. What nationality is Santa Claus? North Polish. 15. What do you call a blind reindeer? I have no eye deer. 16. What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? Rude-olph. 17. How is Christmas exactly like your job? You do all the work and some fat guy in a suit gets all the credit. 18. What’s every elf’s favorite type of music? Wrap. 19. What do you call a scary looking reindeer? A cariboo. 20. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frostbite. 21. What’s the absolute best Christmas present? A broken drum—you can’t beat it! 22. What do reindeers say before they tell you a joke? This one’s gonna sleigh you! 23. What do you call Santa’s little helpers? Subordinate clauses. 24. What did Adam say to his wife on Christmas? It’s finally Christmas, Eve! 25. What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has No-el. 26. How do you know when Santa’s around? You can always sense his presents. 27. What do you call an elf that can sing and dance? Elfis. 28. Where does santa keep all his money? At the local snow bank. 29. Why did the Grinch go to the liquor store? He was searching for some holiday spirit. 30. Why don’t crabs celebrate Christmas? Because they’re shell-fish. 31. What’s every parent’s favorite Christmas Carol? Silent Night. 32. What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Frosted Flakes or Ice Crispies. 33. What do you call Santa when he takes a break? Santa Pause. 34. Why is Santa kind of scared of chimneys? Because he’s so claus-trophobic. 35. What do elves learn in school? The elfa-bet. 36. Why couldn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas party? He had no body to go with. 37. What do you call a cat on the beach on Christmas Day? Sandyclaws. 38. Why do Christmas trees like the past so much? Because the present’s beneath them. 39. Why is Santa so good at karate? Cause he’s got a black belt. 40. What part of the body do you only see around Christmas? The mistletoe. 41. Where does mistletoe go to get famous? Holly-wood! 42. Why is Santa always cast as the lead in the local musical? Because he has such good presents. 43. What do you get when you deep fry Santa? Crisp Cringle. 44. Why does Santa always enter through the chimney? Because it soots him. 45. How do sheep say Merry Christmas in Mexico? Fleece Navidad. 46. What’s Santa’s favorite candy? Jolly ranchers. 47. What do you get when you mix a Christmas tree and an iPad? A pineapple! 48. What do you call a snowman that can walk? Snow-mobile. 49. What do hip-hop artists do on Christmas?Unwrap. 50. What do you call a frog hanging from the ceiling? Mistletoad.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday November 29, 2020
Engineering Bill for Cabinet sub-committee consideration’ Less than three months after a request was made by the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers, (GAPE) for an Engineering Bill to be considered by the Government, Minister Juan Edghill has delivered the draft document for Cabinet Sub-Committee consideration. This news was shared with the Engineering Association last week during a meeting. According to the Ministry of Public Works, the Members were pleased to learn that Minister Edghill has delivered on his promise to deliberate on the Engineering Bill with his Cabinet colleagues for possible inclusion into legislation. At the last meeting held with the Association on September 4th, 2020, the team had underscored the importance of the bill. During last week’s discussion with representatives, engineers, Jacklyn Major and John Cush, Minister Edghill disclosed that several major projects are to be untaken soon and the expertise of local engineers will be critical. A few of the projects mentioned by the Minister was the deep water harbour project and the Suriname River Bridge Crossing, among others.
(From right) John Cush; Jacquelyn Major; Joel Trotman; Minister Juan Edghill; Stuart Hughes; Amir Dillawar; and Safiya Gafoor meeting back in September.
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Region One donates school boat, engine to Unity Grant children -several schools being rehabilitated
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ver 30 students from Unity Grant enrolled in the Warapoka Primary and Nursery schools will now have easier access to education, through the donation of a 30-ft boat and 15 horsepower engine.Barima-Waini (Region One) Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mr. Tikaram Bisesar told DPI that this donation is the realisation of a commitment made to residents during an outreach earlier this year. He said that the community’s previous boat was irreparable so the region pledged to provide a vessel for the students, who travel approximately two hours from the village to attend school. This boat will cut travelling time in half.“At this moment, we have already given the boat to the community and so all that is left,, is to
deliver the engine. The Regional Education Officer will soon make the trip to take the engine,� the REO said. Unity Grant boasts a population of just under 100 persons including children. It is located along the Waini River. In addition to this, Mr. Bisesar said the regional administration has also started to rehabilitate several schools and to install the necessary amenities to bring them into compliance with the COVID-19 measures. The works include some rollover projects that the administration hopes to complete on schools like the Port Kaituma Primary and Secondary and the construction and enclosure of living quarters at Manawarin. Renovations are also ongoing at the Matthews (Continued on page 57)
Sunday November 29, 2020
Friendship Secondary wins virtual debating competition
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n Wednesday, the Friendship Sec ondary School of Education District Four (4) emerged victorious at the Ministry of Education’s first Virtual Debating Competition. The East Bank of Demerara school scored 243 points, defeating President’s College which gained 232 points. The moot the two schools debated was: “The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest hindrance to the economic development in Guyana”. Friendship Secondary was the proposing team while President’s College opposed. The final debate of the
competition was held in the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) auditorium under COVID-19 guidelines and was the only round held faceto-face. Before the finals, all the other rounds were done virtually. Fo ur Education Dis-
tricts participated with two schools representing each district. Region Three (3) was represented by West Demerara and Zeeburg Secondary schools; while Region Four (4) was represented by Friendship Secondary and President’s College. Mackenzie High and New Silvercity Secondary
represented Region Ten (10) while Georgetown was represented by the Bishops’ High School and Brickdam Secondary School. According to the Ministry of Education, the competition was the first of its kind, coordinated by the Ministry of Education, Secondary Sector under COVID-19 guidelines. “In light of the pandemic, the Ministry of Education was steadfast in ensuring that the competition was held and therefore the adoption of the virtual approach. The final debate was keenly contested as the judges opined that both teams exhibited good oratory skills and the moot was well researched.” Addiette McAlmont of President’s College was adjudged the Best Speaker. The proposing team (Friendship Secondary) was represented by Toressa Reddy- first speaker, the second speaker was Ronaldo Charles while Rockalya Thomas was the team’s third speaker. For President’s College, the representatives were Addiette Mc Almont- first speaker, Zahra Knights, second speaker while Travis Isaacs was the team’s final speaker. The competition began on September 29th, 2020.
Kaieteur News Second Place: Representatives of President’s College with their trophies.
Proud winners: Friendship Secondary debaters with their trophies
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Kaieteur News
Gov’t pushes for more corn, soya bean cultivation - budgetary incentives in place
T
he Ministry of Agriculture is urging farmers to capit alise on the budgetary measures in the sector to expand their crop repertoire to include corn and soya bean. Guyana spends almost US$ 25 million annually to import these commodities for livestock. Instead of those sums being expended abroad, they can be used to purchase from local farmers. In an interview with DPI on Tuesday, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), said for
Guyana to become self-sufficient, eight to ten thousand acres of corn and soya beans must be cultivated. Farmers will have more spending power and are assured of a
permanent market for their produce. The Government, in the 2020 Emergency Budget, removed valueadded tax (VAT) on agriculture machinery, fertilisers, agrochemicals and pesticides, making it more feasible for such investments. Additionally, the PPP/C has reversed land lease fees across all sectors and water charges back to 2014 rates. Dr. Homenauth advises that they
take advantage of the opportunity and cultivate these crops now. Meanwhile, some farmers have already indicated an interest in cultivating 40 and 50 acres of corn. “We are working with them. As incentives, we will be providing some of the seeds. While we don’t have all the seeds at present, we will work to generate seed materials and that will start maybe by December, due to the inclement weather. At Mahaica and the Linden Highway, I believe we can do about 20 to 30 acres and from that, we can generate seed materials.”
Dr. Homenauth hopes to triple that amount come 2021, noting that the Brazilian investors have agreed to return and expand the cultivation next year. “I am sure we will have a couple hundreds of acres more,” he said. Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in Guyana’s economy. In order to realise the goals of the industry, special incentives were included in the budget to spur greater investment in the sector through expanding cultivation, exploring new crop options and valueadded production. (DPI)
Dr. Oudho Homenauth, CEO of National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)
Sunday November 29, 2020
Siparuta imposes lockdown; Orealla restricting movements “Govt teams remain in place to treat, monitor COVID-19 cases
Siparuta Village, East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) has imposed a two-week lockdown from Friday to curb transmission of COVID-19. Orealla village has also imposed restrictions on movement to reduce the incidence of transmission. Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony made this disclosure during Friday’s COVID-19 update. He said the communities took the decision following advice from the Village Council, noting that the National COVID-19 Task Force did not impose the lockdown. “We did not advise them that they need to do a lockdown; they did that on their own and they have that right as a Village Council to make those decisions. On their own they decided that they want to have a restriction of movements and they have imposed that.” At the same time, Dr.
Anthony said positive cases are expected to go up as testing has increased in the villages; however, the Government’s systems remain in place to cover these eventualities. “Once you do selfisolation in the village itself, it will prevent transmission. We have a medical presence in those communities as well, and if we see any patient that moves from an asymptomatic case to a symptomatic, then we will be monitoring them more closely. And, if there is a need, then we will bring them out to one of our hospital facilities where they can get additional care if that is required. So, we have a system that is set up.” In the meantime, medical teams are continuing to monitor St Cuthbert’s Mission, which has about 20 active cases. New Amsterdam is also being monitored after showing some positive cases during this week. (DPI)
Edghill threatens contractors to personally visit project sites Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, on Friday met with over 20 contractors where he urged that the infrastructural works be completed on time. The contractors, who were recently issued their contracts were explained to, by Minister Edghill, that he will be holding them to the terms and conditions of the contract. The Minister cautioned that he will be looking forward to exactly what they signed to. So far, 95 contracts have
been issued for works to be done in the Hinterland Regions. One contractor reported that he has already started work, while others are still mobilizing. Minister Edghill noted that he will be conducting site visits to ensure that the works being done is in keeping with the design, quality and timelines. The Minister also indicated that he expects the contractors to engage the residents in the communities where works are being done.
Region One donates school ... From page 54 Ridge Nursery and Primary and extensions of the Whitewater Primary School, among others .“Most of the works commenced. We are hoping that everything can be completed by year-end and in other instances, we will have a few
rollover projects in 2021, but those will be major infrastructural projects,” Mr. Bisesar said. The administration’s education programme is quite extensive and it hopes to improve the delivery of education in the region, the REO said. (DPI)
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Sunday November 29, 2020
The Democratic Party and the Destruction... From page 42 told the story of the brave sacrifices that the Confederate Klansmen had to make to protect the South, reignited the Klan. The film, an adaptation of the book The Clansman, a book written by Thomas Dixon Jr., a dear friend and classmate of incumbent Democratic president Woodrow Wilson, a racist, made the extraordinary decision to screen the film in the White House.” Owens views are grounded in her faith. “There were Bible studies every week, prayers before every meal, and more rules than I felt were necessary,” she recounts of her upbringing. “Everything centered on the concept of respect and how even our smallest actions were manifestations of character.” During that period, she learned to unburden herself from the weight of victimhood. She recalls the travails of her grandmother who “lived in a constant state of physical pain [but] never once had she or my grandmother ever complained.” Of her folks, she pens: “They did not complain as children, nor did they complain as adults, not even as they were forced to contend with the world's problems in addition to their own.” Owens is selfdeprecating, at times. “Yet, there I was, with a fullfledged victim mentality, upset that life hadn't been fair to me. It was pathetic.” Victimhood, she sees, is worn as a badge of honor by the Left. “ Tr u e L i b e r a l i s m , ” according to Owens, “pursues principles like the right to vote, right to life, freedom of speech.” She continues: “I will make an argument that liberalism has only ever been practiced by conservatives in this country.” She resounds that The Left has become moral arbiters, the Thought Police, eager to alienate and blacklist dissenters. She defines leftism as “any bad political philosophy that seeks to infringe upon individual liberties in its demand for a higher moral ground.” She explains, “The issue with leftism is that moral goodness is, of course, subjective. In essence, there is nothing more illiberal than leftism.”
Owens rejects the argument that “the government, after years of slavery and Jim Crow should eliminate black debt by subsidizing black housing, and otherwise funding black lives, arguing that a painkiller cannot eliminate cancer, and that no shortterm fix, no Band-Aid over the deeply infected wound will ever fix the underlying problem plaguing our community.” She views conservative speaker, Larry Elder, as an important voice that shaped her beliefs, recalling his factbased response to a charge levelled by a liberal host that blacks were under threat by a racist police force. She cites Elder's argument that health of the black community rests in the family: “In 1890-1900, a black person...was more likely to be born to a nuclear intact family than a White family.” Owens was “stunned” to learn “that even during the traumatic periods of slavery and segregation, black families were more intact than they are today.” Owens, through her podcasts, writings and Blexit (a movement she founded to empower urban minorities) promises to challenge the status quo. Her deliberations against socialism, her philosophy on faith, her thoughts on slavery, Black Lives Matter, and feminism make a compelling read. 'Blackout' is that thoughtprovoking. But slowing the metastasis of left-wing politics is still a daunting task. Many a conservative, Owen included, have been censored and de-platformed by liberal big tech companies, such as Twitter and Facebook. But with this dangerous flirtation with Orwellianism and McCarthyism, Owens' message might just get support from unlikely quarters. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Copyright © 2020 by Candace Owens LLC Publisher: Threshold Editions An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Available at Amazon ISBN 978-1-9821-33276. Ratings: ***** A Mustread.
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Sunday November 29, 2020
U.S. Requires Social Media Information for Visa Applicants By Attorney Gail S. Seeram
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n May 31, 2019, t h e U . S . Department of State updated its immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms to request additional information, including social media identifiers, from U.S. visa applicants worldwide. For applicants seeking entry into the United States, they should think twice
about using social media as a platform to speak freely about social, political and economic topics as their accounts will be watched and reviewed by the U.S. government in deciding visa issuance or cancellation. Unfortunately, the State Department has offered little detail about precisely how it will use the millions of identifiers that it is collecting. According to the department's regulatory filings, consular officers
could look at social-media accounts to round out other information about an applicant. What is a social media handle/identifier? A social media “handle” or “identifier” is any name used by the individual on social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The updated visa application forms list the specific social media platforms for which
identifiers are being requested. What is the U.S. looking for, and what do they plan to do with my information? The U.S. is looking solely for social media identifiers. Consular officers will not request user passwords. The information will be used, as all information provided during a visa interview and on the visa application, to determine if the applicant is eligible for a visa under
existing U.S. law. What if applicants participate in multiple online platforms? Are they being asked to list all of their handles, or only one? Applicants must provide all identifiers used for all listed platforms. What if the visa applicant doesn't have a social media account? A response to the questions related to social media will be required. Visa applicants who have never used social media will not be refused on the basis of failing to provide a social media identifier, and the form does allow the applicant to respond with "None." Applicants should complete the application as fully and honestly as possible to avoid any delays in processing. Failure to provide accurate and truthful responses on a visa application or during a visa interview may result in denial of the visa by a consular officer. In the case of an applicant who has used any of the social media platforms listed on the visa application in the preceding five years, the associated social media identifier would be required on the visa application form. (The views expressed in
Attorney-at-law, Gail S. Seeram this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) NOTE: Immigration Law Offices of Gail S. S e e r a m o ff e r s a f r e e consultation to discuss related fees for a process and explain options. Our office will NOT tell you how to complete the legal process on your own. If you seek legal representation, then legal fees will be due to our office. Attorney Gail Seeram, LL.M., J.D., BBA Call | text 407-292-7730 WhatsApp 407-3531363 E m a i l : Gail@GailLaw.com L i v e c h a t : www.GailLaw.com Download FREE App: Gail Law Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Sunday November 29, 2020
John Caesar... From page 22 system using plastic and sunlight. "The idea came to me that I could make a plastic roof dryer using a wooden frame with the plastic roof. I saw this in Africa. I installed it on the shop roof and it worked excellent,” he related. It was unique because it created a vacuum of heat. “The plastic traps the heat, and draws out the water,” explained Caesar. He still utilizes the same method of drying.
establish a bigger factory. "We need more space right now because the demand for our products is there, so we have to build capacity to increase production,” he confided. For blazing the trail in food processing and persevering in this field of endeavour despite the odds, we at Kaieteur News take this opportunity to bestow on John Caesar the title of 'Special Person.'
LONG WAY Caesar has come a long way from the days of bicycle hawking. He has added dozens of products to his "Logi" brand, which could be found in supermarkets and other businesses all across Linden, the East Coast and Georgetown. There have also been s i g n i f i c a n t improvements in packaging, with many of the products being offered in shake bottles and professionally designed packets. His main concern these days is his need to acquire a plot of land to
A business minded character
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Fire destroys part of National Psychiatric Hospital building
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nvestigations are ongoing into the cause of a fire of unknown origin which occurred about 20:30 hrs on Thursday evening in the National Psychiatric Hospital at Fort Canje Berbice. The fire destroyed part of the roof of the Chalet 4, Male Admission Ward which is a flat concrete and wooden structured, that is situated on
the eastern side of the compound. The fire was reportedly, first spotted by a patient who informed the head nurse that smoke was seen coming from the washroom. Checks were made and it was noticed that smoke was emanating from the roof of the washroom. An alarm was raised and the Guyana Fire Service was summoned.
They responded quickly with two fire tenders from the New Amsterdam Fire Station.. The fire was extinguished with damage contained to the roof of the said building. The scene was visited by Superintendent Roberts, Inspector O'Donoghue and a party of policemen. No one was injured and investigations are continuing.
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Kaieteur News
Three years after establishment…. Sexual offences Court
continues to make impact in criminal justice system On November 13, 2017, Guyana’s first Sexual Offences Court was established with the Supreme Court of Judicature (High Court) in Georgetown. Since then, the Sexual Offences Court has made some significant strides towards the overall improvement of the criminal justice system with two more specialized units in Essequibo and Berbice. According to a release from the Supreme Court on the third anniversary of its establishment, Head of the Judiciary, Chancellor Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards has lauded the Court for adopting an integrated approach among all stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Justice CummingsEdwards noted that since its establishment, the Court has aimed to have a faster disposal of cases in an environment that respects the privacy and the dignity of victims through the use of special measures to aid witnesses giving evidence. However apart from the physical setting, the Chancellor pointed out that the Sexual Offences Court provides for the integration of all social workers and case providers, forensic interviewers and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system, with the aim of reducing the often insensitive treatment of victims of sexual offences and reducing the incidence of retraumatization of the victims. “The input of psycho-social services and counselling by social workers/probation officers and others must be hailed, as these personnel understand the dynamics of society and the vulnerability of marginalized groups, and can assist both victims and accused persons,” the Chancellor added. She noted that part of recognizing its achievements, a review of the Court‘s opera-
Chancellor Jsutice Yonette Cummings- Edwards. tion for three years was conducted, and the statistical data which revealed inter alia, that females represented 92 percent of the victims while males represented 8 percent. According to the Chancellor, another factor highlighted, is that, the most prevalent type of offence is rape of a child under 16 years. She noted that the most common age of victims was 13 years old, with the oldest victim being 77 years old and the youngest, a one-year-old. Additionally, the minimum length of trial is one day and the maximum eight days. As it relates to the physical features, the Chancellor noted that the use of screens for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses to prevent them from seeing the accused while giving evidence has proven especially effective. “The witnesses also have the option to give evidence during the trial from outside the court through a televised link to the courtroom,” Justice Cummings-Edwards added. Another special feature of the Sexual Offences Court, the Chancellor said, is the use of anatomically correct dolls for taking evidence from children who may have difficulty verbalizing the details of their
An interior of the Sexual Offences Court in Essequibo.
assault. In a similar commentary, Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire stated that a supportive environment for victims is necessary to ensure that their interactions with the justice system is less traumatic. The Chief Justice (CJ) explained that governmental agencies such as the Probation Services and the Childcare and Protection Agency of the Ministry of Human Services, and nongovernmental organizations such as Red Thread, Help and Shelter, Blossom Inc. and Child Link, provide support to victims through forensic interviews, counselling and attending court with them.” She emphasized that data collection is key to enhanced performance. “Therefore, data is collected, capturing relevant details of each case such as the gender and age of victims, gender of the accused, place of the alleged offence, whether the accused has a lawyer, and the length of time each trial takes. This has permitted the judiciary to garner information so as to be more responsive to the needs of victims and accused, thereby ensuring improved access to justice and fair trials,” Justice
Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire. George-Wiltshire added. “Importantly,” she noted “since sexual violence is a human rights violation, the establishment of the Court is consistent with Guyana’s state responsibility to take steps to protect individuals from human rights abuses and grant redress according to
law.” In this regard, the CJ said that the Supreme Court and the judiciary of Guyana commits to continuing to improve the crucial service the Sexual Offences Courts provide to the society. In 2010, the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 8:03 made
provisions for the establishment of a Sexual Offences Court. The specialized court was delivered to Guyanese in November 2017— the first ever Sexual Offences Court in Guyana and the Caribbean was launched with the support of UNICEF, the Ministry of Social Protection, The Jurist Project and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system for this court. As a consequence, the Supreme Court, with tangible support and funding, established the special measures room at the High Court in Georgetown, Demerara. Later, the idea of having a Sexual Offences Court in all three counties of Guyana came about because of the significant increase of sexual offences cases being heard, and the realization that there was the need to have a resolution of these sensitive matters in a safe atmosphere for its survivors, while ensuring fair but speedy trials.
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East Bank hire car drivers complain about being removed to accommodate beer carts Hire car drivers at the East Bank Demerara Park at the Stabroek Market Square are complaining about a recent move by the police that has left many of them without work. A group of drivers who spoke to Kaieteur News yesterday said that ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) recently cut the number of
drivers present on the park in half to “clear the road”. According to the drivers, since the cutting down on the presence of cars at the park, only five to six cars have been able to park at a time. Despite them being moved to clear the road, beer stands have now taken up the space they were removed from. The drivers stated that
the beer stands comprise of old refrigerators being used to sell beers and benches where persons sit to hang out. The drivers described the scene as distasteful, lamenting that they were removed only to have their spot taken up by persons making the area look “shabby”. One driver said that it has been roughly three weeks
Sections of the East Bank Car Park.
since they have been removed, leaving many of them struggling for survival. He said that since the space is limited, not everyone can park and solicit passengers. The drivers also claimed that they would have highlighted the matter to the Town Clerk, the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine and senior police ranks at the Brickdam Police Station. In fact, another driver disclosed that police ranks often patrol the area but have done nothing concerning the beer
stands. They said that even though they highlighted the situation to the relevant authorities, they were only met with promises and to date, no effort has been made to resolve the matter. “It is unbelievable. As a small man you come out for your daily bread only to have your income shut off. Is madness. If we get removed and the road was still clear then we woulda understand, but these people selling beers and liming in the middle of a
pandemic. Is it not slackness? It is,” a driver expressed. Further, the drivers questioned if it was a deliberate act by the authorities to remove them and accommodate more roadside vending. “These vendors cause more confusion on the road than we the short drop hire car,” a driver said. Additionally, they alleged that monies would have been paid to police ranks to allow for their parking, but they were still restricted from doing so.
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Sunday November 29, 2020
BE IN THE KNOW AS YOU BUY THOSE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES THIS HOLIDAY
STANDARDS IN FOCUS With just about a month away from Christmas, and as peak purchasing period of the season approaches, many consumers are considering upgrading or buying a new piece of household electrical appliance. It is necessary for buyers of electrical appliances to choose carefully the best brands and types of appliances needed for their
homes, taking into consideration the usage of the appliance and after-sale services provided by sellers. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) monitors the quality of household electrical appliances imported and offered for sale in Guyana to ensure that they comply with labelling requirements and quality
requirements. These appliances include refrigerators, electric stoves and cookers, televisions, mini music systems, blenders and food processors, toasters, microwaves and fans. To avoid making purchasing mistakes, there are some guidelines consumers should follow to ensure they get the best products and deals:Analyze your needs -
Who will be using the appliance? How often will it be used? What exactly will it be used for etc., and choose accordingly.Price - Expect to pay more for the more popular brand name appliances, added features and performance and possible workmanship, if not adequately covered by a warranty. Some additional gadgets may give the appliance a better look but may be unnecessary for your needs.Electrical requirements – Ensure that the appliance has the correct voltage (110 or 220 volts). If you purchase any high voltage appliance, you must have a higher voltage electrical line installed. You may require the services of an electrician. Ensure the appliance has the right cycle (50 Hz, 60 Hz or 50/60 Hz) which may vary depending on the area you live).Remember to check to ensure that the watts can be accommodated in your home. (Note that higher watts may result in better performance but will require more energy).
Certification Mark: Look for the certification mark at the back of the appliance. Certification mark indicates that the products were tested independently in the country of manufacture and have met safety and quality requirements. Some certification marks include UL, CE, CSA, NOM, and CCC. General tips for a great deal: In the case of appliances, consider the size of the item and its capacity. Make sure the item can fit into the space available at your home.Take into consideration the frequent changes in technology, which may render an appliance obsolete or outdated.Buy from stores that
offer warranties, good prepurchasing advice and adequate after-sale services. Make sure you know who is responsible for services and repairs – the dealer or manufacturer.Look beyond sales and bargain prices and think quality. A quality appliance may cost just a bit more but will last a lot longer.If you are buying your appliances
on hire purchase, make sure you understand the details of your hire purchase agreement. Read the fine print or have each section of the document explained to you. When buying a new appliance, it makes good sense to choose the model that uses the least energy while meeting your needs. It helps the environment and it can save you money too.Ensure that the appliance purchased is working at the store before taking it home.Handle appliances with care; do not misuse them.Caution: Do not try to install or do any work that should be done by a qualified electrician. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) For further information on this subject, please contact the GNBS on Telephone Numbers: 219-0065, 219-0066, WhatsApp 692-GNBS (4627) or follow us on Facebook #GNBSGY
Sunday November 29, 2020
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Buxton’s County High definitely not a failure DEAR EDITOR, This letter is not a defence of our teacher and principal, Eusi Kwayana, against the brazen offensiveness of Vassan Ramracha’s baseless commentary, published in Kaieteur News on November 18, 2020. It is also not a defence against Vassan Ramracha’s assault on Guyana’s history and Eusi Kwayana’s contribution to our progress and development, but also to educate our learned critic. Eusi Kwayana is more than capable, at the tender age of 95 years, to represent his record. However, as former students of County High School, we are offended by Mr. Ramracha’s assertion that: “ASCRIA, which was founded by Mr. Kwayana, became a failed organization and was later dissolved without explanation. But this was not the first failure. County High School located in Buxton, which was founded by Mr. Kwayana, was also a failure. Not to mention the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC).” Mr. Ramracha, since your ego seems to allow you to spit out unsubstantiated rhetoric about a person’s positive contribution for the development of people and his country, we request of you to inform the readers who you are and what contributions you have made to your communities, your country and Guyana. The East Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and AfroGuyanese - former students of County High School- are of the collective view that a school’s success or failure is not measured by the prosperity or impoverishment of its founders, but rather by the quality performance of its students and their contribution to the world in their respective field of study. As former students of County High School, (later renamed Republic Cooperative High School, registered under the Cooperative Act of Guyana), Buxton Village, East Coast, Demerara, we firmly condemn Mr. Ramracha’s false rhetoric that he stated in his letter about Mr. Eusi Kwayana. You are free to write whatever you please, true or false, about Mr. Kwayana, because of your profound disdain for his efforts to help his fellow brothers and sisters. However, when it comes to Mr. Kwayana as an educator, especially being the founder of County High School, you are totally outof-place and very wrong. Neither time nor space affords us the opportunity to
list the accomplishments of the students of County High School and thus of Mr. Eusi Kwayana’s vision and success in educational entrepreneurship. Several former students of County High School are currently living and working, in all the professional disciplines, on all the continents except Antarctica. If this is what you, Mr. Vassan Ramracha, characterize as failure, then this is good and exemplary failure for which Mr. Eusi Kwayana should be complimented rather than ridiculed. Mr. Ramracha, in your extensive studies in the diaspora and other institutions abroad, apparently, your exposure to get knowledge about Mr. Kwayana did not permit you to fact-check that County High School was definitely not a failure. Mr. Sydney King (now Eusi Kwayana) founded a secondary school, named County High School, in Buxton Village, East Coast, Demerara in 1956. This institution was renamed Republic Cooperative High School in 1966, when it was registered as a cooperative society. In 1976, the school was forced to close, only because the government at the time had introduced a law and wanted to put an end to nongovernmental secondary schools, unless they were commercial schools, specializing in shorthand and typing. During all of this, Mr. Kwayana, being a very dedicated teacher, found time to provide lessons to hundreds of students from rural areas who could not afford to attend high school in Georgetown. County High School was the “Pride and Joy” of Buxton and other villages. It was designed to enable parents to give their children a “high-school or secondary education,” at an affordable cost. Previously, children, whose parents could afford it, had to go to high schools in Georgetown or to the Commercial School in Beterverwagting. For your information, Mr. Ramracha, we are pleased to edify you and give you a brief history of County High School as follows: On September 1st 1956, Mr. Sydney King (now Eusi Kwayana), started County High School in Buxton at a building called the Ebony Club. He was then the Principal and only teacher. On the first day only one student attended, Miss
Princess Amsterdam, who later became a primary school teacher herself. Within a few months, the number of students steadily increased, and this Principal sought help from his brother, Mr. Malcolm King. Students comprised Buxtonians and nearby villagers. In 1957, the school was moved to the Flora’s Hall building and two new teachers joined the staff – Mr. Benn, a retired headmaster and Mr. J Singh. In 1958, the school’s first batch of students was registered to take the General Certificate of Education examination (GCE) and most was successful. Later that year, seven students were registered for the College of Preceptors Examination (C.P.) and they were all successful. In 1959, as the number of students increased, the Principal had to move his school again into a building with more space - the former home of Mr. Thierens, a retired headmaster from the village. Since there continued to be a steady increase of students and staffers, desks and benches were built by the school and placed under the house of the principal’s mother, in order to accommodate two forms of students. Also to be noted, Mr. Ramracha, from the time of its inception, County High School had a functioning “Commercial” branch which taught secretarial skills (typing, shorthand, etc.) to villagers who could not afford to attend such schools in Georgetown. Ms. C. Rogers was the teacher for this branch. Further, this school sent a batch of students to the Botanical Gardens to study “bee-keeping,” which became a functioning activity of the school. Also, an after-school class taught masonry. It was taught by a village mason, Mr. Telemachus Wills, along with another former student. Altogether, County High School continued to excel academically, while at the same time educating students in business and other areas. When the principal’s wife, Tchaiko Kwayana, joined the teaching staff, she introduced Swahili, a language spoken in nine East African countries and the first four students who sat for Swahili, at GCE, were all successful. We would like to know if there is any other institution,
that boasts equivalent success. Mr. Ramracha, you should also be aware that County High School survived, after a former student who received his complete secondary education from it and later became a brilliant science teacher at the school, suddenly left and opened up his own high school in the village to challenge County High. Additionally, just in case you do not know, Mr. Ramracha, County High School produced very successful and credentialed students who went on to become accountants, nurses, civil servants, headmasters and school teachers in various districts of Guyana. You should also be knowledgeable of the fact that there are many other successful County High School students who pursued higher education overseas and became scientists, doctors, attorneys, insurance and real estate professionals, business persons and nurses, to name a few, with some PhDs in their chosen fields. There were also some former students of County High School, who became graduates from the University of Guyana and other universities in the USA, Canada and the UK. Mr. Ramracha, we can continue with more success information or credentials to prove to you that our former educational institution, County High School, founded by Mr. Eusi Kwayana, was definitely not a failure, as you erroneously stated in your letter of November 18, 2020. Mr. Ramracha, it is not our place to question if or why you appear to be suffering from a crisis of identity. However, your brazen and offensive assaults on Guyana’s history and Eusi Kwayana’s contribution to our progress and development have been proven baseless and very wicked. In concluding, what we think is bothering you, Mr. Ramracha, is Mr. Eusi Kwayana’s ability to fight people like you who prefer evil to triumph over good. We ask that you use your education to benefit humanity and the development of all. County High School Former Students
GCCI should lead the way in domestic violence prevention DEAR EDITOR: It is long past the time when rhetoric should be considered ‘assertive action’ in the context of domestic violence prevention. The fact is that many have talked the talk over the years but not followed up by requisite action, an attitude that reflects otherization, the attitude of expecting others to walk one’s talk. I’m aware that many years ago at least one NGO involved in domestic violence prevention had approached the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry to partner in the journey to reduce this form of abuse and had offered appropriate, free training to all members of the Chamber. To date that offer has not been acknowledged. However, the recent outpouring of the Chamber gives hope that attitudes have changed and so I suggest that Chamber follows up its words with necessary action by ensuring that it be designated domestic violence free zone along with all its members and that domestic violence prevention training is offered to all its members and their staffers. All its members should also include counseling and
other support services for all their employees should any such employee be experiencing domestic abuse. The Chamber should ensure that all its members foster ongoing domestic violence prevention by collaborating to set up billboards and other signage, by including messages in their advertisements, especially on radio, TV and in the newspapers, by supporting NGOs that are engaged in domestic violence prevention and by having their leaders become spokespersons for domestic violence prevention. In addition, within their respective communities and among their employees, all the chamber’s members should foster training of lay counselors who can be the first responders with respect to domestic violence prevention. I know of NGOs that offer such training free. In short, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry should lead the way in walking its talk with respect to domestic violence prevention, thereby setting an example for others to follow. Annan Boodram
State-of-the-art hospitals and skilled staffing DEAR EDITOR, It is heartening to see the plan of the current administration to set up several stateof-the art medical facilities in various locations. Upgrades too. About time but we know they won’t run successfully on their own without very skilled medical personnel. More power to the doctors graduating from Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean. I’ll phrase the concerns this way - when these hospitals are up and running will the financially comfortable men and women, in and out of government, leave the country for medical treatment abroad? Will there still be visits to Cuba, the US and surrounding countries? Recently, there was an article in the print media from artists asking for financial contributions for treatment abroad. Why so? Though the article didn’t clearly state what
the medical problems were, it would have been informative to know. Relatives still travel out of Guyana for prostate checks and semi-major medical issues. Granted they’ve already established a medical relationship and history with their doctors abroad, but how about the rest of the population?Not ignoring the ladies, hopefully the state-ofthe-art hospitals will have the full scale of highly skilled medical personnel (doctors especially) needed in all areas of concern. We hope the presence of these state-of-the art facilities means the average, and especially financially able citizens seeking treatment, will no longer need to travel out. For those in the diaspora planning to return, the availability of top-notch medical support services should be a consideration. Chi Kansi
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
UK regulator set to approve COVID-19 vaccine next week – FT (Reuters) - Britain is set to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc this week and deliveries would begin within hours of the authorisation, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The first immunisations using the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine could take place from Dec. 7, the FT said, citing unnamed sources. Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson named Nadhim Zahawi, currently a junior business minister, as the minister responsible for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.
Britain said on Nov. 20 it had formally asked its medical regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to assess the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for its suitability, the first step in making it available outside the United States. Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which has been found to be 95% effective in preventing the spread of a virus that has killed more than 1.4 million people worldwide and crippled the global economy. The government asked the regulator on Friday to as-
Nadhim Zahawi sess AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine for a possible rollout.It has secured 100 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and has targeted a rollout to begin before Christmas.
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Driver runs away leaving car, after fatally hitting down man A manhunt is on for a driver who struck down a pedestrian on Friday and ran away leaving his car behind. The pedestrian identified as Kayum Alie of Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo was picked up by police and taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital. Doctors there pronounced him dead on arrival. According to a police report the man was struck down at around 21:55Hrs along the Hydronie Public Road, Parika. Investigators were told that the driver was speeding south along the western driveway of the eastern carriageway.
The pedestrian was at the time standing on the median in the center of the road when the car struck him down. The car, police were told, turned turtle and further collided with a nearby shop before coming to a halt.Investigators reported that the driver exited the car and ran away. The car left behind was taken to the Leonora Police station and lodged. It was later discovered the car is owned Sheldon Holder of Doctor Charles Scheme, East Bank Demerara. The driver, however, is still being sought by police.
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Sunday November 29, 2020
Holder takes two as Windies restrict New Zealand A Chemar Holder
Sunday November 29, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Put your foot down today, Aries. Don't let others push you around. It could be that you're used to letting people have their way in order to keep the peace.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Feel free to let it all out today, Libra. It's finally your turn to stand up and say what you feel. Don't let others push you into places you don't want to be.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) For goodness' sake, decide today, Taurus. The more you flounder about which way to go, the likelier it is that you will miss the boat altogether. You have all the facts you need, so don't delay any longer.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Emotionally speaking, you're probably doing quite well today. You have extra self-confidence to draw on to tackle your projects.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Mentally, you're apt to do very well today, Gemini. You will find that you can tackle just about any cerebral challenge that comes along. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your heart is in the right place today, so feel free to share your good mood with others. Keep things simple and straightforward. Try not to complicate issues with unnecessary garble. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may find it hard to get rolling today, Leo. It's likely that you're caught in a gridlock between your mind and heart. Be careful about letting this tension build. The most important thing for you today is to relax. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You're apt to be spurred into action by strong forces that don't want you to take a break. Keep in mind that the more you resist, the more you will be pushed and pulled by outside sources.
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SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You might be in a bit of a jam today, when one person or situation doesn't work well with what you're thinking, and another doesn't fit well with what you're feeling. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today is a good day for you to follow through. Normally you're much better at tagging along or simply going with the flow of the situation. This way of doing things has proven quite effective for you in the past. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Have sympathy for those who need to vent today. Don't be surprised if people line up outside your door for a chance to bend your ear for an hour or two. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You will probably want everyone to know how you feel today, Pisces. You won't be shy about expressing your emotions. Feel free to take the lead on matters, for you have the self-confidence and emotional stability to do quite well at the helm of the ship.
SportsMax - West Indies fast bowler Chemar Holder claimed two quick wickets to lead the team’s incursions into the New Zealand A batting line-up, as the hosts made it to 249/4 at stumps, on day three of the tour match in Queenstown. The reply, anchored by Will Young’s unbeaten 80 from 161 balls, left the Kiwis still some 322 runs short of the Windies’ mammoth first innings total of 571. New Zealand resumed day 3 at 45 without loss and pushed on to 100 before spinner Rahkeem Cornwall got the breakthrough, with the lbw dismissal of Rachin Ravindra. Ten overs later, his opening partner Henry Cooper also departed the scene after being trapped lbw off the bowling of Holder. He left the crease having tallied a patient 54 in close to 200 minutes. Joe Carter was next to bat but did not last long. He only faced eight deliveries, making one run, before being caught behind by Shane Dowrich off Holder. West Indies captain Jason Holder then got in on the act with a delivery that caught Ken McClure lbw just before tea. McClure made 20 runs and faced 53 deliveries. New Zealand A captain Cole McConchie, however, partnered with Young to steady the ship before bad light ended the day’s play.
...Thomas’ century propels From page 76 Rahaman Khan captured 2-29. The competition concludes today with Regal Legends playing Savage Legends at 09:30hrs on pitch two in the over 50 final (umpires Stephon Josiah and Ranole Bourne), Wellman Masters facing Fisherman Masters in the over 45 final at 09:30hrs on pitch one (Shameer Samad and Mark Ernest) and Regal All stars taking one arch rivals Speedboat in the open final at 13:30hrs (Flemroy Lambert and Mark Scott).
...All Blacks bounce back From page 74 minutes left after picking up a wayward ball, then got another when he intercepted a pass and darted down the wing. Patrick Tuipulotu put the icing on the cake with their fifth try five minutes after the hooter. “It probably doesn’t make up for the loss, but it just goes to show if we get things right during the week and we get in the right headspace, we can perform,” said Coles. “So that’s a good lesson going forward.”
...Bahrain GP: Hamilton storms to pole ahead of From page 75 Racing Point-BWT Mercedes RP20 - 1’28.322 6 Australia - Daniel Ricciardo, Renault R.S.20 1’28.417 7 France - Esteban Ocon, Renault R.S.20 - 1’28.419 8 France - Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri-Honda AT01 1’28.448 9 United Kingdom Lando Norris, McLarenRenault MCL35 - 1’28.542 10 Russian Federation Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauriHonda AT01 - 1’28.618 11 Germany - Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF1000 1’29.149 12 Monaco - Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF1000 1’29.165
13 Canada - Lance Stroll, Racing Point-BWT Mercedes RP20 - 1’29.557 14 United Kingdom George Russell, WilliamsMercedes FW43 - 1’31.218 15 Spain - Carlos Sainz Jr., McLaren-Renault MCL35 16 Italy – Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari C39 - 1’29.491 17 Finland - Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari C39 - 1’29.810 18 Denmark - Kevin Magnussen, Haas-Ferrari VF-20 - 1’30.111 19 France - Romain Grosjean, Haas-Ferrari VF20 - 1’30.138 20 Canada - Nicholas Latifi, Williams-Mercedes FW43 - 1’30.182
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Sunday November 29, 2020
All Blacks bounce back to crush grieving Argentina AFP - The All Blacks crushed Argentina 38-0 yesterday to restore some pride as they roared back from two straight defeats to put one hand on the Tri Nations trophy. The three-time world champions were under enormous pressure after slumping to the Wallabies then the Pumas, leaving them facing the prospect of losing three in a row for the first time in more than 20 years. But spurred on by a backlash from their notoriously demanding fans, Ian Foster’s team bounced back emphatically with a five tries to nil win in brutally hot and humid conditions at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was a far more disciplined All Blacks who dominated the first half, going to the break 10-0 ahead, but there were also missed opportunities with two tries disallowed. Argentina, playing just days after the death of football legend Diego Maradona, lacked cohesion after making 10 changes to the team that drew with the Wallabies last week. Two tries in quick succession from young fullback Will Jordan in the final quarter sealed the victory and a crucial bonus point for winning by three tries or more. “It’s extremely satisfying. There’s no hiding that we’ve had tough few weeks, we felt
New Zealand’s Will Jordan scored two tries in quick succession.
Ardie Savea scored one of four second-half tries for the All Blacks. the pain of the losses and I’m really proud of the work we have put in the last two
weeks,” said All Blacks captain Sam Cane. “The way that the Pumas
defended and kept us out numerous times is a real credit to their desire. But I’m proud
of the way we were able to stay patient and we got there in the end.” - Maradona tribute It all but secured the silverware for New Zealand, who have 11 points from four games. Australia play Argentina next week and either side could feasibly edge them out, but it would take a bonus point win and by a huge margin given New Zealand’s vastly superior points differential. Defeat brought Argentina’s fairy-tale run to a shuddering halt in the tournament’s penultimate round after they beat New Zealand 25-15 then battled to a 15-15 draw with Australia. It proved extra painful for Mario Ledesma’s men, who were hoping to lift the spirits of their nation after Maradona’s death aged 60 this week. Cane laid an All Blacks jersey emblazoned with Maradona’s name and shirt number, 10, in the centre circle ahead of the kick-off as a mark of respect. “We were not clinical, there were too many handling errors when we got the ball, some mistakes in defence as well, so not a good thing for us,” said Pumas skipper Pablo Matera. “I don’t think that was the problem,” he added, when asked about the team’s wholesale changes. “It was a whole team thing. There were
many, many mistakes.” Victory eased the pressure on Foster, who had been facing calls for his axing after just five games in charge following their twin defeats. He shuffled his forward pack to better deal with Argentina’s physicality and they responded well. - ‘Good lesson’ With temperatures above 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), fullback Beauden Barrett went over the try line early on, but a video review showed a knock-on. But the initiative was with the All Blacks and the breakthrough soon came with hooker Dane Coles powering over in the corner in his 50th Test, with Richie Mo’unga nailing a difficult conversion. Mo’unga kicked a penalty to put them 10-0 as Argentina struggled to get their hands on the ball. Powerhouse winger Caleb Clarke should have put them further in front but his try was ruled out after his hand went into touch as he slid for the line. After almost 75 percent possession in the first 40 minutes, New Zealand again dominated the second stanza and deservedly got another try from a lineout when the ball was fed to Ardie Savea, who bulldozed across the line. Jordan, in only his second Test, grabbed the allimportant third try with 13 (Continued on page 73)
Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt could be yours - for $2 million (Reuters) - The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his famous “Hand Of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico could be available for $2 million following t h e A rg e n t i n e ’s d e a t h o n We d n e s d a y, s a y s a n American sports memorabilia expert. The shirt is owned by former England player Steve Hodge, who got it from Maradona after the match in which his attempted back pass led to the controversial goal that helped dump England out of the tournament which Argentina went on to win in Mexico. “I was walking down the tunnel and Maradona was coming in the opposite direction. I just tugged my shirt and we swapped there and then,” Hodge, who had been delayed on leaving the pitch doing a TV interview, told British media. The shirt is currently on display at England’s National Football Museum in
Charge d’affaires of the Argentine embassy Diego Alonso mourns the death of soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona in La Paz, Bolivia, November 27, 2020. Maradona wears the famous $2M shirt as he lifts the World Cup. (REUTERS/David Mercado)
Manchester. “It’s very difficult to gauge (the value) with the “Hand Of God” jersey, but I know that the owner was looking for a $2 million private sale,” David Amerman of Goldin Auction in New Jersey told Reuters. “It certainly could be a p o s s i b i l i t y, t h e v a l u e s have jumped quite a bit in soccer.” A m e r m a n ’s f i r m i s currently involved in another auction together with Sotheby’s called “ A Century Of Champions,” which features a Jules Rimet trophy which was presented to Pele by FIFA after he won his third World Cup with Brazil in 1970. The trophy is expected to sell for up to $800,000 and that sum could be dwarfed if Hodge finds a buyer for the Maradona shirt or if he puts it up for auction, although the 58year-old former midfielder may not quite reach his target price.
TWO MILLION “It’s very difficult to see how it would get to the two million dollar price, but I don’t see why an individual who had the money wouldn’t want something like that - you can’t really put a number on it. If you find the right person in the right place, it’s a realistic possibility,” Amerman explained. “ M a r a d o n a ’s r o o k i e soccer card, we recently sold a copy for $10,000. This is a card that was worth maybe a few hundred dollars just a few years ago, and that was before his death. I saw one yesterday online that they were asking $20,000 for.” But Amerman sounded a note of caution for those thinking of getting involved in the Maradona memorabilia market following the Argentine’s death aged 60 after a heart attack. “Right now we’re definitely seeing increased action - I’ve already got inquiries from people who have purchased Maradona
items on our site looking to sell them back in our next auction. “We saw with the passing of Kobe Bryant this year... an immediate huge spike in his memorabilia... then it levels out because the market gets saturated...” One man who won’t be putting the shirt Maradona gave him on the open market is ex-Arsenal and Juventus player Liam Brady. The former Ireland midfielder played against Maradona many times for club and country and the Argentine gave him an unusual number 17 shirt rather than his usual number 10 after a game in 1979. “If it went to a private collector that really wanted it, if it was going to the right place and it was going to be appreciated, I would consider selling it, but I wouldn’t put it on eBay or any of these auction rooms,” he told Reuters. “It has a huge amount of sentimental value.”
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Kaieteur News
Bahrain GP: Hamilton storms to pole ahead of Bottas Motorsport - After Max Verstappen had led final practice, Lewis Hamilton hit back to top all three segments of qualifying, leading the way on the first runs in Q3 with a 1m27.677s. The world champion then found time in all three sectors on his second run on the soft tyres, ending up with a new track record of 1m27.264s. Verstappen had been second after the first runs in Q3, after which he complained he did not have the rear grip he had enjoyed earlier on Saturday, with Valtteri Bottas in third. But the Mercedes driver was able to find enough time on his final run to jump ahead, as Verstappen lost time in the final sector and wound up 0.414s behind Hamilton. Alex Albon took fourth ahead of Sergio Perez, who demoted Daniel Ricciardo one spot on his final effort. Esteban Ocon will start behind his Renault teammate in seventh, with Pierre Gasly eighth for AlphaTauri. Lando Norris and Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10
Lewis Hamilton captured pole position for the race. (Motorsport Images) in Q3. Q2 was disrupted by a red flag after Carlos Sainz spun at the end of the main straight, when the rear wheels on his McLaren suddenly locked as he approached Turn 1. The Spaniard came to rest at the edge of the track and could not get going again, which forced the FIA to stop the session so his car could
be recovered. This stopped a big group of cars, led by Ricciardo, from setting the opening timed laps of the middle segment and suspended the session for over five minutes. When it did get going again, the Q2 pack was split between a few early runners attempting to get through on the mediums (all the drivers
bar the AlphaTauri pair and George Russell, who stayed in the pits at the start of Q2, had initially headed out on that rubber) and others waiting until the final moments. Hamilton led the way ahead of Verstappen and Bottas, and the leading trio were followed by Alex Albon, Lando Norris and Sergio
Perez, who were all a big chunk behind the P1 benchmark and under pressure to switch to the soft tyres, which few drivers will want to use in the race give it is degrading by 0.5s per lap after just one tour. Albon and Norris did switched to the red-walled rubber, by they and Perez were only beaten by Ricciardo during the final laps in Q2, and so all the top 10 runners will start on the medium tyres. Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc had also tried to get through on the mediums but were knocked out in 11th and 12th, with Lance Stroll 13th and blaming a “miscommunication” for his early exit. As they were suddenly not under pressure from drivers behind go faster on the mediums, Albon and Norris were able to abandon their runs on the softs, which Russell used on his late solo flying lap to take P14, which means he will start ahead of Sainz.
In Q1, Russell escaped the opening segment for the ninth time in 2020, while Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen were shuffled down as drivers running behind them on the track right at the end of the opening segment improved. Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, who said he “pushed too hard” trying to “enjoy it”, were knocked out in 18th and 19th, with Nicholas Latifi bringing up the rear of the field. All five of the drivers eliminated in Q1 set their best times on the final laps, but could do enough to join Russell in Q2. 1United Kingdom - Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Power+ - 1’27.264 2 Finland - Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Power+ - 1’27.553 3 Netherlands - Max Verstappen, Red Bull RacingHonda RB16 - 1’27.678 4 Thailand - Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing-Honda RB16 - 1’28.274 5 Mexico - Sergio Perez, (Continued on page 73)
...From one legend to another From page 79 started to make the records that most people know from that period of time. My youngest brother Alpine, who was working for the company, met at MIDEM (a music business convention) where music executives meet once a year in Cannes. He met and befriended an executive named Bernardo Bergeret who was Living in Argentina and through Alpine we would send my records to Bernardo who was working as the head of A&R (they decide which records to release) at ATC Records in Buenos Aires. He got one of the records entitled “My Love My Love” and included it on a compilation and the record proverbially blew up. We made a general agreement for my catalogue for Argentina. I was getting these reports that the people were showing a liking to me. One day I was told I should come to Argentina and that the people wanted to see me. I was selling A LOT of records in Argentina. In those days records really sold in vast numbers when they hit. I was checking to see if they had a lot of Black people in Argentina or like they do in Brazil and you would expect you will be selling a lot of records to these people, but I found out Argentina
hardly has any Black People at all. Then I realized that these people must really love this music. So we started to make plans to tour. Arriving at Argentina, I realized it was a special place. Bernardo was telling me that all of the time but you don’t know it till you see it. Bernardo also told me that the places we would be playing would be up and down the country so that I would get a chance to see the real Argentina as well as the urban Argentina; places like Cordoba and obviously Buenos Aires and you will meet a great fan of yours, Diego Maradona. “Diego will be at your show.” Somewhere in the audience, when you play at Luna Park, which was the first gig, Diego Maradona will be in the audience. By now I’d known, well and truly, what Diego Maradona was about; the skills and his fame were at their peak and he was just about to leave Boca Juniors and had also signed some massive deal to wear Puma clothing. In fact his whole family I came to see wore Puma. Bernardo had told Maradona that I like to play soccer and he told the press. With that came an invitation to train with a club called Racing Club. I told Bernardo that I just have to go to see a football match in Buenos Aires. After the excitement and
the welcome into Argentina, we had the first gig at Luna Park. There was a fantastic audience and we filmed it. That is what you see on YouTube that is part of what took place and the whole show was broadcast LIVE to the public. When I asked the audience if Diego Maradona was in the house, everyone was shouting “yes, yes he is here” but he was so far away, so when I invited him up on stage the crowd made it impossible, after a while I thought he was not going to make it to the stage. But thank God, because we became so close after that meeting. He came up on stage and was dancing and clapping, we had now made a connection. He invited me and my entire retinue to his house. His Diego Armando Maradona football team was there and we were invited to play, our team against his team on a full size football pitch. There are lots and lots of major league football stars that have never either played with or against or even seen Diego Maradona let alone see him play but I can honestly say I played against Diego, when he was in his prime, not when he was big, when he was in his prime, when in order to catch him you would have to lasso him and I played with him and I am proud of that, because
there are so many guys that are Professionals who would have loved to have had that opportunity. When we finished playing, we acquitted ourselves quite well, they did not swamp us with 10 – 0, we gave good account of ourselves, he came up with his manager at the time who was called Jorg’e and asked how come we played so well. I told him I have a brother, talking about Rudy, I was boasting about him saying the game would’ve been tied had he been with us. Diego said if Rudy was as good as I said he would send for him and give him a trial for Boca Juniors. The interface between his family and my family was wonderful. He then said “you must come to Boca Juniors to train,” I thought nothing would please me more. The next day Bernardo took us to the Boca Juniors training ground. The guys were playing in a mud bath, the ground was very rough as was the playing …very aggressive against each other. They train how to play this way. Real serious training and Diego was chief amongst them. He had on a short, blue sweat jacket which he gave to me afterwards and I gave him my on stage leather jacket. He also presented me with
some of his international shirts as well as two of his treasured Boca Juniors shirts that he’d worn in various matches. Yes, I have a collection of genuine shirts that he wore in his international and club matches. I promised him that since I was so well-treated, well thought-of, my whole inside went towards Argentina and the people I met there. To have this close relationship with these people was amazing. I told him I would write a song for him, Claudia and Argentina. I don’t think he believed me. He must have been told all kinds of crap by people of all description at all kinds of times. I did not see Boca Juniors play as I had left by then, but I did see them train. Diego Maradona was all heart all football all commitment. Even playing against amateurs like us, he was committed, if he had to beat you twice, he would beat you twice, that commitment I have never seen in any of the professionals in Europe. I had not even seen that in my hero in English football which was Jimmy Greaves, so many years before I’d seen Pele and Maradona. I had not seen it… A lot of the European guys did not have that commitment to train, to work hard, to play hard and that is what made Diego Maradona into the ex-
cessively brilliant ball player that he became. And this moment? It is like someone has ripped a part of my chest out. There’s nothing like total dedication when you love what you were born to do. What is in my heart for Argentina, the people of the country, rich or poor, players, all the people I met? I want them to know how grateful I am for the period of time that they sought to make me one of their stars. Diego Maradona touched me and touched my family since we travelled as a family, Ice Records is a family affair. It is just now that the rest of the world are going to catch up with the real human being because now they will see before and after, they will see Diego before Europe and after Europe and there is a significant difference. We all have to die, dying is part of living. If you are going to die, then the fact that you have done your best work, at the best time, is the greatest vindication for anything that will happen thereafter. God bless Diego Maradona. He did the best work at the right time and today people are still scrambling to catch up. Rest In Perfect Peace Diego Maradona. Ringbang For Life. Eddy Grant.
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7th Pakistan cricket team member tests positive for COVID-19 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A seventh member of the Pakistan cricket team in New Zealand has tested positive for COVID-19 and will join other infected teammates in quarantine. Six members of the 53member squad tested positive on Tuesday when the team arrived in New Zealand from Pakistan and began its compulsory 14-day stay in managed isolation. The seventh member tested positive Friday when players and officials again were tested on the third day of their isolation period. Under New Zealand rules, people in managed isolation generally are tested on the third and 12th days of the isolation period. The new infection was reported Saturday by New Zealand’s ministry of health in its daily update of COVID cases. “One additional member of the Pakistan cricket squad has today tested positive during routine testing,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement. “The remainder of the results from the squad’s day 3 swab testing — apart from the six who have already
returned a positive result — are negative.” People who test positive while in isolation can be held beyond the usual 14-day period. The Pakistan team has already received a final warning from the health ministry after players breached protocols on their first day in isolation. The ministry said closed-circuit television footage from the team’s Christchurch hotel showed squad members mingling in corridors and sharing food. An exemption which would have allowed team members to train in small groups after their third day in isolation has been revoked. But will be reviewed later if no further breaches occur. Players and team management are required to stay in their rooms for the first three days of the isolation period. New Zealand’s director general of health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, said he took a “dim view” of the team’s failure to obey the regulations which had been clearly spelled out to team members on their arrival. Further breaches
might lead to the team being expelled from New Zealand. “Rather than being in their own rooms which is a requirement for that first three days, until that first test comes back, there was some mingling in the hallways, chatting, sharing food and not wearing masks,” Bloomfield said. A wider outbreak among squad members would also be a serious issue which might put the tour in jeopardy. Pakistan is due to play New Zealand in three Twenty20 internationals and two test matches. The first T20 will take place on Dec. 18 and the tests are the main features of New Zealand’s domestic summer. On Friday, the health ministry said the team’s conduct had “significantly improved” after the warning was issued. “We thank members of the team for their co-operation with the case investigations following the announcement of positive cases within the team,” the Ministry said. “Cooperation and compliance are critical in ensuring New Zealand is kept safe from COVID-19.”
In this Tuesday Sept. 1, 2020, file photo, Pakistan players celebrate their win in the third Twenty20 cricket match against England at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. Six members of the squad in New Zealand have tested positive, for COVID-19 and have been moved from managed isolation into quarantine. (AP Photo/Jon Super, Pool, File)
Thomas’ century propels Regal Legends into final - exciting climax anticipated today By Zaheer Mohamed Eric Thomas struck his second century as Regal Legends booked their place in the final of the over 50 category when the Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc Prime Minister’s T20 Cup 4 continued yesterday. Thomas slammed seven fours and 11 sixes in a fine 111 as Regal Legends posted 218-4, batting first in their semi final encounter against New York President’s XI at the Everest Cricket Club. Jagdesh Bhoj supported with 39 not out and Eon Abel scored 29. Mikey Ifill took 234. NY President’s XI were bowled out for 166 in 19.1 overs in reply. Mohamed Rafeek made 54 while Dennis Mangru scored 42. Fazleem Mohamed claimed 3-33, David Harper 2-28 and Laurie Singh 2-41. In the second semi final, Savage Legends defeated Parika Defenders by 39 runs. Savage Legends took first strike and managed 168-7. Randolph Perreira top scored with 56, while Nadir Baksh made 29 and Seemangal Yadram 27. Carl Scarce took 2-31. Parika Defenders responded with 129-8. Asif Ahmad made 46 while Oswald
Chandler and Ramesh Rambharose contributed 24 each. Vishnauth Gobin captured 2-25. In the Open semi finals at Queen’s College, Speedboat overcame Ariel in a high scoring affair. Speedboat batted first and posted 253-6. Greg Singh stroked 84 with four fours and eight sixes while Safraz Esau made 56, Lennox Marks 48 and Safraz Karim 25 not out. Hemnauth Deochand claimed 2-33 and Deon Wallace 2-50. Ariel replied with 234-9. Quentin Sampson continued his fine form with an attacking 85 which included three fours and 11 sixes, while Brain Mangar made 74 and Shaz Grosvenor 42. Kishore Smith picked up 2-5, Peter Alleyne 2-25 and Greg Singh 2-59. Regal All stars beat Spartans by six wickets. Batting first, Spartans scored 184-9. Keon Sinclair and Devendra Ramotar made 30 each, while David Williams got 28 and Eon Hooper 26. Roy Persaud grabbed 4-33 and Delroy Perreira 3-38. Regal All stars responded with 186-4 in 18.2 overs. Skipper Chien Gittens cracked six fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 61 while Richard Latif made 27 and Rickey
Eric Thomas Sergeant 23. In the over 45 division, Fisherman Masters beat HS Masters by eight wickets. HS Masters took first strike and were sent packing for 73 in 14.5 overs. Vivian Bissoon made 27 and Ganpat Gossai 14. Stanley Mohabir picked up 3-2, Pooran Singh 3-8 and Zameer Hassan 2-23. Fisherman Masters replied with 79-2 in 10 overs. Keith Fraser struck 51. At Lusignan, Wellman Masters defeated Success Masters by nine wickets. Success Masters took first turn in the middle and made 85-8. Hackim Majeed scored 17, Mustapha Azimullah got 14 and Narine Roopdeo 13 not out. Imtiaz Mohamed captured 2-14, Sheldon Perch 2-15, Greg De Franca 2-16 and
Greg Singh
Greg De Franca
Chien Gittens
Ricky Deonarain
Keith Fraser
Randolph Perreira
Lester Thom 2-19. Wellman Masters replied with 87-1 in 9.4 overs. De Franca stroked 51 and Azeemul Haniff made 26 not out. Earlier, Floodlights Legends beat New York President’s XI by one run in
their final preliminary round game. Floodlights Legends batted first and scored 154-7 from their reduced 18 overs. Ricky Deonarain struck 58 not out, while Anil Beharry made 25, Sahadeo Boodhoo 23 and Surendra Nauth 19 off four
balls. Dhanraj Mohabeer, Gopaul Deen and Balram Lakeram claimed two wickets each. NY President’s XI responded with 153-3. Mohamed Rafeek made 47 and Tony Fernandes 46. (Continued on page 73)
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‘Hetmyer unlikely for 1st Test selection’says Reds - Openers is an area for worry By Sean Devers Veteran Guyanese born cricket broadcaster Joseph ‘Reds’ Perriera feels that the opening position is one area for worry as West Indies begin a Two-Test series against host New Zealand on what could be fast, bouncy tracks in the Island Nation. The 81-year-old also felt it would be very difficult for Guyanese left-hander Shimron Hetmyer to be selected for the opening Test which runs from December 37 and responded to former West Indies pacer Franklyn Rose on the bowlers running in and bowling fast. Reds, who made his Test debut as a Radio Commentator at Bourda in 1971 when India toured the West Indies, gave his thoughts on West Indies tour, while speaking on the ‘Sean Devers Sports Watch’ on Kaieteur Radio last Wednesday night vie zoom from St Lucia where he resides with his Guyanese wife. Focusing on the Test Series, Reds said the question of the openers is an area of worry.
John Campbell
Reds Perriera “After a good home series against England, (Kraigg) Brathwaite and (John) Campbell looked very much a part of the future but have gone downhill since then. Braithwaite put together two good scores on the recent tour of England and has started well in New Zealand,” said Reds, who has been broadcasting First-Class cricket commentary since 1959. In the second ‘A’ team warm up match in New Zealand, Braithwaite registered his highest FirstClass score and along with Campbell (who made 45), put together a century stand.
Braithwaite scored a ‘double in the second Warmup games while Darren Bravo, who missed the England series, scored 93 to follow-up his 132 in the first warm-up match. Reds believes if the opening pair can get a good start, the middle order led by Bravo, will need to spend long periods of time at the crease in addition to scoring runs by rotating the strike and picking up singles while dispatching the bad balls. “(Shamarh) Brooks will start…(Jermaine) Blackwood did well in England…he put his head down and put on his
thinking cap, then there is (Royston) Chase. So what is the position with Hetmyer? How do we fit him in?” asked Reds. Jamaican Rose recently said that he wanted the West Indian pacers to ‘run in and bowl fast and show aggression to bring back the memories of the days when West Indies defended 150 totals’. Reds, who in 1973 was behind the Microphone when Joe Frazer and George Foreman battled for the Heavyweight world title in Jamaica, responded to Rose’s comments. “Yes we have bowlers who can bowl fast and the pitches in New Zealand should have
Darren Bravo pace and bounce but we must remember that the pace quartet of the 80s did not just run in and bowled fast. They had great skill, great control and great match awareness in addition to great speed. But our present bowlers lack some of those attributes,” Reds continued. “If our pacers just run in and bowl fast the New Zealand batsmen will cut and
hook all day,” added Reds, who along with the late Tony Cozier is regarded as the best two cricket commenters produced by the West Indies. Reds’ team for the first Test is: Kraigg Braithwaite, John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Shermar Holder.
GFF President extends condolence to Argentina on Maradona’s passing In-form McKeown smashes short President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde has extended condolences to Argentina through President of the Argentina Football Association (AFF), Mr. Claudio Tapia on the passing of Argentina and world football legend Diego Maradona. In his letter to his South American counterpart, Forde wrote: “On behalf of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and our passionate football community, I am moved to write to you to express my sincerest condolences following the shock news that the beautiful game has lost one of its greatest artists – Diego Maradona. As the global football community mourns together, we stand in solidarity with our Argentinian brothers and sisters to remember the life of a true legend of football – a mercurial genius who touched so many lives with his supernatural talent and unforgettable style. I was fortunate enough to meet Diego during the 2017 FIFA Congress. His warmth and compassion stood out, along with his strong love for the game and football family.
course 200m backstroke record
Wayne Forde It was a personal highlight for me, as a lifelong football fan and someone who continues to play even during my tenure as the GFF President. In Diego’s presence, everyone is an adoring fan. Watching Diego grace the field inspired generations of players and fans. He towered above the game of football. His legacy will live on. All those moments of magic will never be forgotten. While football has sadly
lost one of its great sons this week, we know that his exploits will continue to inspire us even if he will never be replaced or surpassed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Argentine people. Yours in football, Wayne Forde.” Maradona died of a suspected heart attack last Wednesday at home while recovering from a recent brain surgery to remove a clot.
SYDNEY (Reuters) Tokyo Olympic hopeful Kaylee McKeown has confirmed her rich vein of form by claiming a 200 metres backstroke short course world record at the virtual Australian national championships in Brisbane. The teenager clocked one minute 58.94 seconds on Friday to take nearly half a second off Hungarian Katinka Hosszu’s 2014 mark (1:59.23). “Short course is something we don’t get to do very often, so I was excited to see what I could put up after some solid training this year,” said 19year-old McKeown.”I headed over to my team mates and my coach and they said, ‘You just got a world-record!’, and I was like, ‘What?’. I didn’t actually know till a few minutes later.” Australia’s national short course swimming championships were moved to a virtual platform this year because of the pandemic, with swimmers competing simultaneously in pools in
Kaylee McKeown of Australia competes in the 18th FINA World Swimming Championships Women’s 200m Backstroke in Gwangju, South Korea - July 26, 2019. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji) Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart. In long course meets, McKeown won gold in the 50m, silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m backstroke at the 2018 Youth Olympics before claiming a senior world championship silver in the 200m in Gwangju last year. She swam the seventhfastest 200m (2:05.83) and ninth-fastest 100m (58.62) of all time in January before the COVID-19 pandemic put her season on hold. She returned to improve her personal bests in the 100m
to 58.11 and the 200m to 2:04.49 to take the Australian records in Brisbane earlier this month. The health crisis also forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by 12 months, but that has not diminished McKeown’s determination to earn a place at the biggest swimming meet of them all. “In Australia, we have some of the top women in the world racing in my events, so it’s tough,” she told the Olympic website last month. “But being able to go to the Olympic Games is what I’ve been dreaming of.”
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Sunday November 29, 2020
Ismail, Johnson hand Haynes-led Sydney Thunder second WBBL title ESPNcricinfo - A searing opening spell from Shabnim Ismail and menacing seam by Sammy-Jo Johnson set up the Sydney Thunder for title glory in overwhelming fashion against the tournament pace-setters Melbourne Stars, who crumbled for the lowest total in a WBBL final. Ismail, named Player of the Match, took 2 for 12 from her four overs, and could easily have more, claiming the vital scalps of Meg Lanning alongside Elyse Villani. The entire Thunder attack played their part, with all six bowlers taking at least a wicket, and such was their dominance that five dropped catches (one of them off Lanning) did not come back to bite them. The Stars limped through their 20 overs with Katherine
Brunt top scoring with 22, but for such a power-packed batting order the innings included just three fours and two sixes. It was fitting that the Thunder’s attack was so central to their success: if you take it back to the semi-final, when they fought back against defending champions Brisbane Heat where the game seemed lost, they had taken 15 for 98. The chase wasn’t without its occasional moment of unease, but the target was reached in a rush through a collection of crisp boundaries of by captain Rachael Haynes, who led the side superbly in the biggest match, and Heather Knight, who secured the title with a straight six. Ismail vs Lanning It was a contest for the
ages. One of the best batters in the world versus one of the best and fastest bowlers in the world. For the seven balls it lasted, it was gripping. Ismail should have claimed Lanning second ball but Tammy Beaumont could not hold the chance at point: spilling Lanning in a final felt like a big moment. In her next over, Ismail came close to getting her again when an upper cut fell just out of the reach of Johnson at third man. Would it be Lanning’s day? After brief respite from Ismail with a slog sweep for six against left-arm spinner Sam Bates, Lanning pinged two sweetlystruck drives but earned just one run. And then the great captaincy call: sensing the moment, Haynes opted to bowl Ismail through, as she has done before. With the
KMPA, GCOS & Ansa McAl assist students The King-Medas Pansy Adonis (KMPA) foundation along with the Guyana Committee of Services (GCOS) and beverage giant; Ansa McAl Trading, have all collaborated to help eight student-athletes towards academic success. The organisations have donated a desktop computer to each child and have pledged to pay for all of the subjects that the students plan on sitting at the Caribbean Secondary Education Examinations (C.S.E.C). The KMPA foundation
played a vital role in organising this charitable gesture and the head of the body; Andy Medas-King, shared with Kaieteur Sport, that since the fourth annual KMPA Junior Olympic Games has been cancelled he decided to give back in whatever way he can. During the third Junior Olympic Games last year, at the Lusignan Community Center ground, over 300 student-athletes took to the field for the opening day. The featured 10k race on the third and final day saw the biggest race; the senior
male 5k carrying a winning purse of $50,000, 2nd $40,000, 3rd $30,000, while the senior females had the winner running away with $40,000, 2nd $30,000, 3rd $15,000. In addition to cash prizes, the 1st to 10th place finishers received trophies, while some lucky student-athletes received sponsorships from the KMPA Memorial. Medas-King further shared with this publication that the KMPA will not stop at this point and they are currently working with the GCOS on a massive project that would eventually see each track and field athlete being equipped with a pair of sport shoes.
first ball of her fourth over the edge was found and safely held by Tahlia Wilson. The Stars were 3 for 20. Perfect powerplay Vital to the pressure Ismail built was the fact it was sustained at the other end. Johnson’s opening two-over spell was just as good as she consistency moved in the ball late off the seam. She beat Villani with three consecutive deliveries before Villani’s awkward stay ended when she drove Ismail to cover for 1 off 11 balls. Johnson returned to bowl the final over of the powerplay and beat Lanning twice in three deliveries either side of a big appeal for lbw. Then, off the last ball of the over, she trapped Mignon du Preez with a full delivery that straighten late. Johnson’s powerplay figures were 2-02-1. No way back The Stars have formidable depth, but this was too much to recover from. The Thunder could even afford to be far from faultless in the field: Annabel Sutherland was dropped before scoring at slip by Knight, which would have given Ismail a third wicket, then at longon by Ismail herself. However, the ball after Sutherland’s second life Natalie Sciver got a leading edge into the off side against Bates and, in the n e x t o v e r, A l a n a K i n g picked out deep midwicket to leave the score 5 for 37. Sutherland’s departure, the ball after successive blows for four and a mighty six, removed the Stars’ last hope of anything resembling a fightback. Chase to the title All the Thunder had to do
Shabnim Ismail sealed the title for the Sydney Thunder with that opening spell. (ESPNcricinfo Twitter) was to avoid an awful start to their innings and they achieved that through an opening stand of 24 before Beaumont was removed lbw by England team-mate Brunt. Rachel Trenaman played some strong off-side shots before driving to cover point, but the Stars could not conjure a miracle having reached finals for the first
time. Fittingly, Haynes, up against her national captain Lanning, was there at the end and as the six from Knight sailed into the stands raised her arms in triumph. Scores: Sydney Thunder 3 for 87 beat Melbourne Stars 9 for 86 (Johnson 2-11, Ismail 212) by seven wickets.
Pooran, Powell lined up for Windies A ‘red-ball’ squad to face New Zealand A
Omari Walcott (left) of Bygeval Secondary and Shaquille Adonis of KMPA share a photo during the handing over.
SportsMax - Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, and a number of others will get a brief chance to show their aptitude for cricket’s longest format, as they were expectedly named in a 14man West Indies A squad to face New Zealand A next month. In recent months, there have been calls to consider the in-form Pooran, in particular, for the Test cricket format, with his advocates insisting the shot maker has the ability to adapt. Chief of selectors Roger Harper, as a result, extended the invitation to players on the current tour interested in playing a set of three-day games that will take place at
roughly the same time as the team’s Test matches. In addition to the interested white-ball specialists, the team will consist of six reserve Test players. ”This series will give our players an opportunity to play first-class cricket against foreign opposition as well as experience different conditions here in New Zealand,” Harper was quoted as saying. “It will also help to keep them in the frame should the need for replacements for the Test team arise, as we will have players who have been playing red-ball cricket and in-form to consider.”
FULL SQUAD Fabian Allen Nkrumah Bonner Joshua DaSilva Brandon King Kyle Mayers Preston McSween Shayne Moseley Nicholas Pooran Rovman Powell Raymon Reifer Jayden Seales Romario Shepherd Oshane Thomas Hayden Walsh West Indies “A” Team Tour Schedule December 3-6: West Indies “A” vs New Zealand “A” at Bay Oval December 11-14: West Indies “A” vs New Zealand “A” at Saxton Oval, Nelson
Sunday November 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
PAGE 81
From one legend to another - Guyanese Eddy Grant pays tribute to Argentina’s Diego Armando Maradona During the late to mid 60’s I was very involved in playing football. I was the captain of my school’s football team. With four of my brothers, we played c o n s i s t e n t l y, s e r i o u s football. So, by the time I would’ve gotten into music, football ran like water off of a ducks back through me. We were playing football every s i n g l e d a y, i n c l u d i n g Sundays. After a time, the Ice Records football team started to compete in the Music Industry’s Football competition; that was a very serious competition, it was so serious, that the major companies like EMI and Wa r n e r w o u l d p a y professionals of the past or semiprofessionals, to play in their teams, whereas Ice Records, my little company team basically had myself, my brothers Rudy, Brian and Alpine and we put in some of our close friends to make up the eleven. We won the first cup competition of that nature. We played a lot of Charity football, especially Rudy who was well known by a lot of the Professional players as being very good. Being the eldest one, I knew of the great players of Europe like Ferenc Puskas, Sir Stanley Matthews and some of the then current ones like Jimmy Greaves, George Best and Dennis Law, people like this. From the South Americans, of course, Pele was the king of all kings, because he had decimated the whole world by the age of seventeen in Sweden’s world cup of 1958.
I also got to know of players from Brazil like the great Garrincha, Didi, and Vava. From Argentina, I got to know, in the later years, Mario Kempes, Passarella, Tarrantini Leopoldo Luque; people like Ozzie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, people who came to England to play. M y l i f e w a s circumscribed by football, soccer as the Americans call it today. I had heard through the grapevine in the 1970s, that there was a kid who was not necessarily playing serious football matches yet but that he was a football wizard who entertained the public during intermissions at first division football matches and he was very young and his name was Maradona. Everyone just called him “Maradona”. It took a while before most of Europe’s fans actually got to see this kid. Most of the English players “farfarred” or “pooh-poohed” him. Can’t be any good!” They were prepared to put up with Pele because they just could not understand what he was doing while playing incredible football to beat them. Once we started hearing about this golden child Maradona and of course the Argentinians who’d won their first world cup without him {Menotti’s Lucky Blunder} during the glorious Argentina 1978, the next world cup was surely going to be his. Everybody saw the skills and still they “farfaared” it, he not special, he is not special. But, eventually they got to see the real reality. Now that he has passed, you are hearing all of the plaudits
Eddy Grant and Diego Maradona on stage during the 1981 tour to Argentina. (reggaeville.com Eddy Grant video grab image)
and stories. Gary Lineker is now prepared to come out and say that he saw Diego Maradona keeping some socks that he’d rolled up like a little ball aloft and how long he kept it up with his left foot, forever and ever. Of course they always knew, especially England whose attitude that their own relatively unskilled players could outplay Maradona any day. What made them hate him even more was to become known worldwide as the Hands of God. It robbed the young players of the opportunity to love and imitate a truly great player, whose skills, were they to be shown on television, without prejudice, would have done wonders for upcoming talented players of Europe. I do not know why Diego did that at that time. As he says, it might not be something that happens in England (which of course it does), but as far as where he comes from, if it happens, it happens; you do not make an excuse. If the goalie saw it or the referee saw it and it passed, it passed. But the English were prepared to slay this great football wizard and convince others to do so, because of that. I think it’s a case of their loss. Even today, now that he has passed, they still, while throwing accolades at him, still carry on about The Hand of God. Yes the Hand of God did touch Diego Maradona, It’s true, because what he could do with a ball, no player around today could even contemplate it. There will always be the argument about Maradona versus Pele versus the real Renaldo (the Phenomino). But it really does not matter as Pele would tell you. You have a generation, you carry them with you, they learn from you, another one comes, they carry on. Maradona’s children (not his real children) the children who have seen him play, they are the ones that are playing today, Lionel Messi, the Portuguese Ronaldo, all these guys have all seen the magic, and they’ve all tried to be Diego Maradona, for them Diego is God and quite rightly so. My Interlude with Diego Maradona started in a very auspicious way. I had started my own Independent record company Ice Records. I (Continued on page 75)
Eddy Grant and Diego Maradona (ARGENTINA 1981).
‘Hetmyer unlikely for 1st Test selection’ says Reds - Openers is an area for worry
Shimron Hetmyer
t r o Sp
Pooran, Powell lined up for Windies A ‘red-ball’ squad to face New Zealand A
Nicholas Pooran (right) and Rovman Powell will turn out for the West Indies ‘A’ team.
Ismail, Johnson hand Haynes-led Sydney Thunder second WBBL title The Sydney Thunder players celebrate with the trophy. (Getty Images)
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