Kaieteur News

Guyanese Companies must be reliable for local content to function efficiently-Consultant

Guyana and Italy in visa-free talks

One of the ways the

so, then it is likely that the Government has said it Contractor will have to take expects Guyanese to benefit back the cookies and return from the nation’s lucrative with what should have been oil sector is by allowing delivered. locals to participate in the

“Whathappensisthatfor provision of goods and metoreturnwiththecookies services to industry

from my previous place of o p e r a t o r s s u c h a s dispatch, I thus incur a cost. ExxonMobil subsidiary, So once you are not Exploration and Production compliant you attract Guyana Limited (EEPGL), additional costing and once the lead operator in the you attract this additional prolificStabroekBlock. costing, if it’s not justified

Guyana initiated visa free travel talks with the

Republic of Italy during a meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd and Italy’s NonResident Ambassador Designate to Guyana FabrizioNicoletti.

In a Press Release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Nicoletti paid a courtesy call to Minister Todd.

So much is the focus that you can’t get paid for it and the Government more will be losing”. In that case, recently put in place Local the Contractor may seek to Content Legislation to inflateanaccountingsheetto p r o t e c t G u y a n e s e recover the cost it would He explained that activities employment, making it legal have paid because of its stemmingfromoperationsor for strong Guyanese inefficiency “So their any resource management participation in some 40 original budget that would go into an accounting areas of the oil sector While have accounted for $70 consideration,specificallyin thismovehasbeendescribed dollars may now cost $100.” theoilandgassector as a step in the right That extra cost is handed He continued that where direction, Consultant and over to the oil operators, equitable management of Public Commentator Mark “which means their liability resources is concerned, the Weeks is adamant that much will be increased by $30 constant changing of focus needs to be placed on throughout the whole employees, for example, the compliance of local accountingphase.” could affect service delivery companies to ensure

Natural Resource Minister, Vickam Bharrat

The Consultant charged and ultimately cost. In this efficiency and reliability in therefore that if accounting scenario,hesaidthat,“ifyou thedeliveryofservices. costs are being passed are changing employees Weekes, who holds a upwards, “the more liability frequently then the training M a s t e r s i n P r o j e c t that somebody has is less on program and extension and M a n a g e m e n t h a s tax and other areas in terms of applicable highlighted concerning Obviously all that will service will vary in possibilities should happen there ultimately is relation to changing Guyanese companies fail to leakage and it’s a leakage employees it would be an manage their affairs that is not beneficial to the additionalcost…” correctly In particular, he collectivebody.”

In another example, h a s w a r n e d t h a t

At this point, “It’s to Weeksstatedthatifserviceis inadequacies on the part of bring into question and poor, cost is again incurred. local companies could lead dispute the worthy function He said that if a local to increased cost in the oil- of Sub-Contractors, while Contractor were to deliver related bills coming to holdingExxonaccountable warm cookies to a client at a Guyana from the operators.

(Continued on page 9) certain time and fails to do

“Minister Todd also initiated talks on visa-free travel to Italy for the mutual benefit of both countries, particularly through private sector engagements and people to people exchanges, which will be advanced in thefuture,”thereleasesaid.

In October, British High Commissioner to Guyana,

Jane Miller announced visa relations and partnership C A R I C O M t o w a r d s free travel to the United with Italy in several priority reducing the Region’s food Kingdom. areas including health, import bill by 25 percent by

Commissioner made the

fostering stronger bilateral S y s t e m s a g e n d a o f

The British High education,andsecurity 2025.

According to the release, The CARICOM Agri announcement alongside Todd said that Italy and the Food Systems Agenda is led President IrfaanAli at a joint European Union remain by President Mohamed PressConference. valuable partners to Guyana IrfaanAli.

Visa-free travel to the andCARICOM.

T h e c u r r e n t U n i t e d K i n g d o m

In response, Nicoletti implementation of the commencedonNovember9. alluded to several technical agenda gives special

Meanwhile, Minister cooperation initiatives attention to priority crops Todd told the Non-Resident including Italy’s role in and products in Member Ambassador Designate supporting the Agri Food Statestoachievethistarget. that Guyana is committed to

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd (right) with Italy’s Non-Resident AmbassadorDesignate to Guyana, Fabrizio Nicoletti.

Kaieteur News

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Editor-In-Chief:NIGELWILLIAMS

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EDITORIAL

EXXON’S AUDIT

e thank Professor Floyd Haynes for sharing hispositionsontheauditofExxonMobilbills W(‘Auditor only reviewing Exxon’s bill, not doingforensicaudit’,KNNovember27). Wenotethatthe auditisforUS$7.3BandnotUS$9B.Now,Mr.Haynestook somepositionswithwhichweagree,andsomewhichcause surprise,someuneasiness.

First,Mr.HaynesassuredGuyanesethatnostonewould beleftunturnedintheauditofExxonMobil’scostsincurred in the Stabroek Block. Second, that the audit being conductedisnotaforensicaudit,asa‘forensicauditisdone with the aim of identifying fraud and embezzlement, with the goal of gathering evidence to be used in court.’ Third, AuditorHaynesstatedthat“thegoalistoverifytheaccuracy or rather the legitimacy and validity of costs claimed…ThereisahugedifferencesoIwantedtoclearthat up”. Again, thanks to Auditor Haynes for going to the lengths that he did to make clear what this audit is about, howhandled,whereheaded.

We are, however, concerned that Auditor Haynes had seemingly decided beforehand, viz. a premediated basis, aboutthe‘degreeofmisconceptionsinthepress’aboutthe audit. WedonotthinkthatMr Haynes,speakingonbehalf ofhisauditteam,wasinanyposition,andisstillnot,totake a stand, relative to what are ‘misconceptions’. Certainly, therecanbeagreementthattheauditisforUS$7.3B,andnot US$9B,asthatlowerfigurecouldbewhatispartofhisaudit scope, however expansive or limited it is. But, it was he himselfwhosaidveryearlyintheauditcalendarthatcertain sections of the press were guilty of grossly exaggerating what ExxonMobil is submitting to Guyana as part of its claims for monies that it spent on the Liza 1 and Liza 2 projects. That definitely puts him at a tremendous disadvantageinhisverifyingof“accuracy…legitimacyand validity of costs claimed”. He has boxed himself into a corner because of his earlier assertions about ‘media exaggerations’.

He could not have known, whether the media claims were exaggerated,understated,or fittedthe bill. He could nothavehadanyinsighttotakesuchaposition. Itdidnot speakwelltothelevelofobjectivityandneutralitythatare mandatory for an undertaking of this nature, something so closely watched. It stands to reason, it raises questions of how his team was approaching the audit process under his command, and whether it was with the most open mind, a finelybalancedone,thatis.

From our perspective, there was an early indication of somelistinginaparticulardirection,onethatisnothelpful toGuyana’sinterests.

What is required of Mr Haynes and his audit team is there is no engaging in any ‘witch hunt’, which would be improperandunfairtoExxonMobil. Mr Haynesandteam, however, has a duty to drill down deeply, and get to the bottom of any apparent problematic areas, developments, leads, so that Guyanese get value for what was said to be spent. These are characteristics of dogged auditors. Moreover,amanofProfessorHayneslearningandexposure cannot be unconscious of the way that oil companies conducttheirbusinesswithpoorThirdWorldcountries. He has to, or should, be cognizant of the record that ExxonMobil,inparticular,hascompiledinitsdealingsina range of areas, such as the environment and taxation elsewhere, and even in the United States, of all places. A healthydegreeofskepticismisneverabadingredientinan auditor,mayevenqualifyastheessenceofsoundness.

Finally, Mr Haynes pointed out that this audit is the motherofallaudits.

ExxonMobil’s spreadsheets are so gigantic that they havetobecutintopieces. Yet,histeamcangetthejobdone in four months, which necessarily impacts sampling size andmethodused. Itwouldbeinterestingtolearnwhatthe actual scope of this audit is, to determine whether it was customizedtoleaveoutmuchsubstance,andfocusonfluff. AfterallofAuditorHaynesclarifications,weawaittolearn howwellhisteamdiditsjob.

Using your authority to slander and discredit communities of people is an abuse of power

DEAREDITOR, theparentswerecommended arguments by the Defense the early stages of the 2020 I have wanted to forthisstand.Butwehaveto Council that a case has not general election count, I commentonthreeeventsthat learn to acclaim wisdom beenmadeout.Thequestion suggested that a tribunal are of the recent past but are when it comes from below is whether the DPP in this shouldbedocumentingcases stillunresolved. because very often it comes matter has not invaded the of ‘humans being brutal to

There was a tragic death fromnowhereelse. province of the Magistrate. humans’. bypoliceshootinginGolden This is not saying that Mysecondcommentmaybe Icastnosuspiciononany Grove on the East Coast of wisdom never comes from controversial When the faction. Demerara. The young man, elsewhere. legal system we use was A Columnist asked me QuindonBacchus,whomthe The whole world knows beingformed,judgescreated whether I would agree to a p o l i c e a d m i t t e d by now it has been alleged legal fictions in order to tribunaltoensureanaccurate investigating, was fatally that the son of the former claimjurisdiction. count and I replied: “Yes, if s h o t b y t h e m i n Chancellor Mr Carl Singh I want to ask those who theLeadersagree.” circumstances yet to be described a Policewoman are Lawyers trained in all A f t e r t h o s e disclosed. guarding the former these things whether the developments, the President

OnoraboutJuly4,2022, Chancellor’s residence in presence of a Police Officer, ofGuyanasaidpublicly,and the bereaved family held a inhuman and disrespectful thatistheWomanConstable Reporters reported he said protest march starting at language. The words were on active duty on these (and he has not denied Golden Grove and widelypublishedandarenot premises, does not qualify saying), “rapes including continuing along the East repeatedhere. the premises to be declared, rapes of children have taken Coast Public Road. As the When the Policewoman even as a legal fiction, a place.” The President was march passed from Mon filed private charges against publicplace. challenged by the former Repos Open Air Market, the alleged offender, the Ihavewantedtosay,ever Leader of the Opposition some vendors and the mini media reported accurately since this report appeared, whosaid,“youareentitledto busbelongingtooneofthem (or not) that the Director of that the former Chancellor your own opinion, but not wereattackedbylooters. Public Prosecution used the Mr Carl Singh, though yourownfacts.”

Theparentsoftheyoung DPP’spowerstoremovethe having no responsibility IftheSupremeExecutive manwhowaskilled,Mr and case from the courts, on the whatever in the offenses Authority ever supplied Mrs Bacchus, at once ground that the facts did not alleged, showed remarkable information to the Police, or disassociated themselves discloseanoffenseunderthe wisdom and example, by ever withdrew his from these attacks, saying act. utteringanapologywhenhe allegations, these have not they had nothing to do with The wisdom handed had done nothing illegal or been disclosed even in the protest they had down was the Chancellor’s insensitive. Tomymind,the governmentmedia. organised This was a residence was not a public apology which some people Thisassumedrighttouse teaching moment and the place, as prosecution under will brush aside was authority and high office to Parents used it wisely In a the act required Other intendedtosaytothepublic, slander and discredit moment of high emotion, effortsforjusticeareperhaps “this conduct does not have communities of people, and they let their supporters intrainatpresent. ButIwant my approval ” Having then to trample reputations knowthatattackinginnocent to raise two matters examined some of the and leave it at that, is an persons was not in keeping Normally,itisthefunctionof actionsofunderlings,Icome abuseofpower withtheirsearchforjustice. any Magistrate or sitting now to the Supreme Respectfully, I do not know whether Judgetodecideafterhearing ExecutiveAuthority During EusiKwayana

Voters List

DEAREDITOR, theAFCtotakeseveralsteps registration in light of the debated the Constitutional It saddens me to see back and forth on elections. High Court ruling that one Reform Committee Bill madness in politics in a ThePNC/AFCalsochoseto cannot deny any Guyanese when it was tabled and country that I so love. Most not participate in the Claims their constitutional right to supported it, they would recently, the AFC and Objections exercise that vote because of where they havebeenthefirsttoopenly, backpeddled on LGE. The was undertaken by GECOM live These calls by meaningfully,andgenuinely PNCisyettodecideandthe – an exercise that should PNC/AFC to remove engage and support the URP said they will not have been part of their persons based on residency Constitutional Reform participate in LGE because avenue to address their very has caused me to question process, and importantly, thelistisbloated,andthatthe concerns.In light of all of the sanity of these political they would have paid deadvoted. these complaints by the parties and their leadership. attention to the ruling of the

Never in the history of PNC/AFC, Comrade Leader If, indeed, the PNC/AFC HighCourt. thiscountry,Guyana,hadso ofthePNC,Hon. wantedtoseeasanitizedlist, Thelogicoftheseparties many dead and absent voted Aubrey Norton, and his they would have undertaken implies that the voters in than during the 28 years of teamhadn’tthegalltoshow to do so while in Guyana are uneducated and PNCrule.ThePNC/AFChas up for a meeting with Government. Instead of cannot see through their said that the voters list, GECOMthattheyrequested tryingtoorchestratestealing shallowmusings. whichsitsataround682000, on the very same public a country, they would have I am grateful that the and representing a musings. undertaken electoral and Guyanese voters are more populationofabout750000, I will not disagree with constitutional reform while enlightened and educated is bloated by an estimated the fact that some in office, they would have that what the PNC/AFC is 200 000 names. This list sanitization of the list is participated in the Claims making them out to be and contemplates and is in line needed to facilitate the and Objections exercise, LGE will once again with the constitution of removal of the deceased they would have attended demonstratethatfact. GuyanaandreflectstheHigh from the voters’ list; m e e t i n g s o f t h e

Mostrespectfully, Court’s ruling save for the however, I am completely ParliamentaryCommitteeon Hon. Lenox R. O. miniscule number of the flabbergasted at the calls for Constitutional Reform, they Shuman,MP deceased.Thishasprompted new house to house would have stayed and

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd.

needs some sanitization, Opposition parties must work toward that end

Guyanese replaced slave masters with political masters, one is like a Mafia boss

Equip Police Ranks with tasers to deal with road bullies

DEAREDITOR, the officer take a bribe and One could only imagine There is circulating on allow him to go free. Well, whatwouldhavetakenplace social media an incident thiswasnotthecaseandthat if it was the female Officer involving a speeding Minibus Driver went who was attacked and could Minibus Driver, who ballistic. There were also notdefendherself. Orifthis physicallyassaultedaPolice loud shouts of “Officer you incident took place at night Officerwhenhetriedtoissue wrong, give back d man e whentherewasnoonethere him a ticket. The entire license,” all symptomatic of to film the details of the incident was captured on the culture of lawlessness assault. Wemustfurnishour camera, something the thatpresentlyexists. Officers with the necessary offendingBusDrivercannot Now, in my book equipment to deal with such deny punishment for the errant offenders.

DEAREDITOR, history, our fore-parents, to our ancestors while they immobile in the effort, were rebellion and resistance to intothenextyear Andsowe I observed recently that shockusbackintothereality e n d u r e d s l a v e r y, beaten to force them into counter the brutality of suffer under the stain of Guyanese have been abused ofourcondition. indentureship, feel their submission While both plantation life, with many insufficiency, not being able by their Governments so The majority of us have pain, suffering, understand African men and women s e r v i n g o u t t h e i r to own our own homes, not much through the decades our roots in the sugar thebrutalityoftheircolonial were subjected to the most indentureshipintheabsence beingabletoprovideproper that they seem to have lost plantations spread along our masters and their depraved forms of of viable alternatives of meals for our children, their identity, their sense of coast centuries ago, being governments who enlarged punishment to break and existence in colonial watching them grow up and worth, dignity, are mentally descendants of enslaved themselves on the sweat, mentallyenslavethem,their Guyana. under performing in an defeated,andhavelosthope Africans or Indian blood,livesofourancestors. women were subjected to While many of the first education system designed in their governments I immigrants conned into the Many of the first Africans sexualabuse,rapeandsome arriving Africans and to keep the economically further suggested that we bondage of indentureship. diedtryingtogetaway,were became regular concubines indentured Indians put up depressed in the financial neededtoreconnectwithour We need to reconnect with injured and rendered of either the slave masters quiteabitofresistance,with and mental chains of themselves, or their many Africans losing their bondage in which many underlings entrusted with lives in the process, the publicservantcurrentlyfind instituting systematic abuse, second and subsequent ourselves. We are being as a means of degrading, generationsofbothAfricans robbed by our Government demoralizing Africans, to and indentured Indians did of the better, happy, ultimately break or keep not put up as much prosperous lives we should theirmindsinsubmission. resistance, because they be leading. Because they Aside from being didn’t know or understand have found it fit that we promised compensation for freedom. should suffer under their work on the sugar The abuses of plantation rule. plantations, indentured life became the norm since With close to a century Indians fared not much theygrewupwitnessingand having passed since slavery better off than enslaved b e c o m i n g v i c t i m s ended in Guyana in 1834, Africans since, while they themselves. We ourselves whyisitthatmanyGuyanese were willing to work, they aretheirdescendants. What all across the country, were still subjected to the we need to take away from whether in Essequibo, whip and other forms of allofthisismanyofushave Berbice, Demerara, along physical abuse during the been deliberately subjected thecoast,inland, regular work-day Indian to decades of impoverished (Continuedonpage6) women also suffered rape conditions, working without and sexual abuse, becoming fair and adequate concubines in a similar compensation, always manner as enslaved African wanting, not being able to women. provide enough because our

Now, there are a few driver must be meted out Not only do we see such things I would like to bring swiftly and condignly, a ignorant (Caribbean to your attention, that is, the hefty fine for assaulting the meaning) behaviour admission of guilt by the peace officer for doing his manifesting itself, but I am driver who, when he was work,whileatthesametime also talking about our stopped, did so willingly the imposition of a six- Lawmen being adequately The problem immediately month suspension of his protected when making became apparent when the vehicular license privileges. commonarrests.Icallonthe law officer was about to This would send a clear Minister to so equip our write up the particulars for message to all Drivers of forces with the necessary the illegal act committed, at vehiclesthatthisfoolishness hardwarewhendealingwith thatstagetheDriverbecame would not be tolerated those who believe that they irate and belligerent. Some Decency and responsible can commit a crime and of the onlookers egging him drivingmustbeadheredtoat bullytheirwaythrough. on to violently attack the all times, failing which, Respectfullysubmitted, Officer persons would either be Neil Adams

This is what we would suspended or removed say in Creole ‘wrong and permanentlyfromourroads. strong.’ Fromwhathasbeen It also brings into focus the goingonourroads,itisclear need for our Policemen and that this Driver wanted the women to be fully equipped Policeman or, simply put, withtaserstodealwithsuch expected of the driver that foolishpeopleonourroads.

The indentured Indians Governmentshavefoundall resorted to all forms of kinds of stories to put us off

Guyana-land of the lawless, utter madness, from top to bottom

Guyanese replaced slave masters with...

Frompage5

outbythecourtbecauseitis Orthattheyareowedfive Because their Government find themselves in a state of apieceoffraud. to eight or more million had no intention of paying it semi-slavery, working, but Thatisthemostrubbisha dollars in income arrears in the first place.I know I still unable to pay all the politicianhassproutedinhis because our Governments want the salary increase due bills, unable to adequately lifetime, only outdone by have willfully denied the me. provideforourchildren? that politician himself. If a collective bargaining And I want the six or

The answer is that we contractisfraudulent,itgets processtoavoidhavingtogo however many millions of havetradedourslavemasters thrownoutofcourt.Ifitfails toarbitration.Butsuchisthe dollars the Government for our governments to protect the rights of one reality owesmesinceJanuary2012. Because it is our party (in this case

Byfindingallmeansand You can snap a single stick governments, through the Guyanese),itcangetthrown mechanisms to ignore the withtwohands. decades, which have outbyourcourts. collective bargaining If you tie a thousand of systematicallyengineeredus It is almost a certainty process, our Governments them together as one, it is into the poverty and thatmanyPublicServantsdo have denied us the incomes impossibletobreakthem. insufficiency in which we not believe that they are due due us from the outcomes to I urge all public servants findourselvestoday as much as $50,000, even those wage negotiations to stand together as one and

DEAREDITOR, him that his letter, ‘Immune chant, then there must some letter writer, addressing the people wanting to stop right every, every week; as they Devanand Bhagwan totheboomboxmadness,’is ‘buddying up’ in the buses, same issues: “Minister Juan in front of their houses. are all regular there and we writes that, “I’ve been in anexerciseofutterwastage. on top of the garbage Edghill,asrecentasOctober Minibuses must only stop at always get this issue and Guyana for several weeks, From the top to the least of collecting vehicles, and of this year, ‘mouthed’ that designated bus stops.” Like nothingwasbeingdone. We andit’sbeenajoytoindulge his Leaders, there is a drivingincognitoontheroad “The culture of minibuses hahahahahaha-a joke from a made complaints to the in ole time get togethers shocking ‘doltness’ that is during peak hours. Do these flouting traffic laws while joker Police several times.”This with Guyanese of all stripes impassable. The Leaders of foramonthIask. operating on Guyana’s Let me remind all law kind of thing elsewhere and colours. I am impressed thislandaretotallybereftof The conclusion is that roadways must come to an conscious Guyanese to be would have created a with the progress made in the requisite minimum nothing will change except end, and authorities have careful. Keep reflecting on consternation, and there several departments but not knowledge in key areas for the worse. The pushcart signaled their intention to what happened last year wouldhavebeensuchastrict its tolerance of mind Also, they all live music operators will clamp down on such August, when a Religious andsustainedcampaign,that boggling madness, such as ‘cushioned’livesthatarefar continue to operate, Albion, practices.” In his ongoing Leader, Rishi Barrat, called by now, a ‘dropped pin’ thenoisefactor.”Isaytohim removedfromthe‘everyday’ Enmore and Enterprise will practiceofawantonwasteof “Haribol,confrontedseveral would have sounded like an “Welcome.” hardships of the majority of continue to complain, words, he promised, like so menwhowereimbibingand interferenceacrosstheland. As my preface, I point Guyanese For example, wedding houses and bars many others and on far too using indecent language in Editor,someoneneedsto out that it is scientifically they are not exposed to will never stop blasting, and many occasions, that “We frontofhis(own)home.This broadcast the ‘real’Guyana, establishedthat“Reallyloud potholesandpuddles,traffic parked vehicles will vibrate have to work with the man was brutally beaten to thatis,thebonafideonewith noises, like an explosion or chaos and, of course, ‘ear homeutensils. minibuses. Along the road, death on that fateful its noise pollution, feral listening to loud music, can banging’noises.So,fromthe This is Guyana we are we have designated bus Saturdayevening. drivers and ‘potto potto’ make sound waves that are leaders,itis‘tohell’withall talking about. It is the ‘land stops; we have to start Let me remind readers road. I will know that we strongenoughtodamagethe of you; we don’t care, and of the lawless,’ where enforcingit.Guyanaisnota that “… several complaints havetrueleaderswhenthere eardrum. Loud noise also ‘aint nothing you can do lawlessness is endorsed by country that lacks laws, our were made to the police but is the complete end to these can cause temporary or aboutit.’‘Gwansoh!’ our dim-witted leaders and problem is in the theyfellondeafears,inspite everydayhappenings. permanent damage to the I think this answers your irresponsivelawenforcers. enforcementofthoselaws… ofthefactthatthesekindsof Yourstruly, cochlea ” Then, “Driving question, regarding “Why Here is a joke from one Wehavetostopthecultureof people “… cause trouble, GaylordRiley withthemusicturneduptoo don’t the authorities do loud can distract a Driver.” something about this health In fact, some studies have hazard?” Like you, “I (too) found that loud music can believeoneofthereasons(is negatively impact a driver’s that)theyneverexperienced reaction time, increasing the any such instance; they live likelihood of not braking in sophisticated, gated soon enough, or failing to communities and have no dodge an obstacle in the ideahowordinaryGuyanese road ” Overall, the suffer.”IwillaskDevtoget consequence of diverting someshotsofhowgarbageis attentionfromtheroadtothe being picked up here in music while driving can be Guyana-the vehicles used, life threatening. Therefore, how the stuff is being the obvious answer to end rammed, and what Personal self induced hearing loss, Protective Equipment (PPE) complications from it, and arebeingused. increased reaction time in If the President and his vehicles would be to simply Cohorts want a unified turndownthemusic. Guyana, that elusive ‘One ToMr Bhagwan,Isayto Guyana’ motif that they

It is our Governments $70,000 or $80,000 on their This is money that I submit tellthisadministration: WE which are giving away our monthly salary, subject to a that they owe all Public W A N T O U R oil wealth and telling us decision of a task force Servants, whether joint MONEY!!!Handoutsarenot about the sanctity of establishedtoassessthetrue services, nurses, teachers, the solution, because after contracts, when that oil monthly adjustment needed ancillary staff, or workers at debts and bills have been contract should be thrown tooursalaries. Ministries and other State paid,wearestillinthesame institutions. hole! Guyanese were finally

History has shown that able to rid themselves of workershavehadtofightfor Burnham. The PPP will everydollar,everyrightthey havetofigureouthowtoget have earned in developed rid of the man who is economies. It will be no controlling them and the different with workers in country like a mafia boss. Guyana. The only way For the sake of Dr Cheddi workers can get their due Jagan who founded the PPP salary increases, along with andmentoredmanyofthem, themillionsinunpaidwages that should become their goingbackto2002isifthey primaryduty tell their government that Sincerely, they want their money

CraigSylvester

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THOMAS SANKARA, A TRUE LEADER

This Burkina Faso improved the lot of his people.

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In ways they could feel, and enduringly.

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He improved food production. He built massive infrastructure without much foreign aid.

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Thomas Sankara gave the poor land.

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Vaccinated millions of children and improved literacy rates.

PresidentAli are you listening? Jagdeo, is this registering? Mr. Norton, are you interested?

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Derelict vehicles, encumbrances to be removed from roadways

– Public Works Ministry

Bush Lot woman, 85, killed on birthday

…Nieceinpolicecustody

Dead: Sumintra Sawh

The Ministry of Public Works has Kururu, Soesdyke/Linden Highway embarked on a campaign to remove derelict entrance. vehicles and all encumbrances from the The removal campaign will continue roadways and has given the owners of the across the country and the owners of the vehicles24hourstohavetheruinsremoved. vehicleswillbegiven24-hourstoact.

In a public notice, the Ministry said “In “The Minister [Juan Edghill] makes it this regard, vehicle owners are being warned clearthattheMinistrywillnotberesponsible to IMMEDIATELY remove such for any damage or loss when these derelict encumbrances, or have these removed by the vehiclesareremoved,”thepublicnoticesaid. Ministry’steam.”

B a n d i t s b r u t a l l y murdered an 85 year old woman on Monday in her sides of the temple, three to bedroom while she slept in Lot 131 Section ‘B’ Bush the forehead and one to the thebackbedroomofthetwoLot, West Coast Berbice backofthehead. storey wooden and concrete (WCB)homewhileescaping The woman’s 37-year house. with approximately old ‘Caretaker Niece’, The woman said she was $350,000. Roshanie Basdeo, would awakened by an unidentified Dead is Sumintra Sawh staywithheratnights.Sheis male,who helda knifeto her popularly known as ‘Aunty in police custody assisting throat and demanded money Betty’, who would have p o l i c e w i t h t h e i r at about 03:00h on Monday celebrated her birthday investigations.

President Irfaan Ali had issued a call on

The notice said that “all derelict vehicles residents to clean and upkeep their should be taken to the Ministry’s derelict communities. His call was reiterated on dumpsite, located at Laluni.” The Ministry’s Saturday during a walkabout at Herstelling dumpsite can be accessed from the Kuru andGrove,EastBankDemerara(EBD).

Basdeo said the man Mondaylast.

According to a Police removed her from the

Police said that Sawh’s report,Basdeoalsoknownas bedroom she was sleeping body was found laying face ‘Mala’ arrived at the in. While outside, she said up on her bed with blood deceased’s home at about shenoticedanothermanwith stains about her body. 16:45h on Sunday At about Sawh in the front bedroom. Investigations revealed that 19:00h, Basdeo said the duo The woman said she was the woman was stabled six retiredtobed.ShetoldPolice takentothelowerflatofthe times: once each to both that Sawh slept in the front (Continued on page 9)

A derelict vehicle is being removed from the roadway

Sumintra Sawh’s home at Bush Lot, WCB

CAN THE PNCR OR APNU HOLD ON TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SUPPORT OF ITS CONSTITUENTS IN 2025 AS IT DID IN THE 2020 ELECTIONS?

Given the barefaced and States imposed visa credibilitycrisis.

expect in 2006 when the attempttorigtheelections.It dishonest attempt to rigs sanctions on those whom it Unlikein1997and2001 AFCsuccessfullypenetrated follows from this logic that those elections, suggestions felt were undermining whenthePNCRtriedtosteal intoPNCR’ssupportbase. voting predominantly along Day Agreement and the have been made that the democracy in Guyana. The powerthroughstreetprotests Two general reasons ethnic lines will continue in subsequent razor slim PNCR has lost significant Head of the Caribbean by claiming that those have been used to explain the2025elections. electoral victory in 2015 electoralsupport. Community came out elections’ results were ethnicvotinginGuyana.The Today, however, the General and Regional There are grounds both against the attempt to derail fraudulent,theAPNUandits first is the ethnic security PNCR is a divided house. Elections. in support and against the theelections’results. sidekick the AFC were dilemma which argues that Factionalism is rife within Some of the very forces view that the PNCR will A l l o f t h e s e unabletogetitssupportersto each of the two main ethnic the PNCR and unless the whoforcedhimtodemitthe suffer fallouts as a result of developments shamed the engage in mass protest groups has fears of ethnic present Leader can heal leadership after the 2020 the electoral shenanigans APNU+AFC in the eyes of action. The pandemic no security fears, and these thesedivisionsandunitethe electionsfailedhimwhilehe duringthe5monthsbetween the international community doubtplayedarolebutifthe insecurities lead to ethnic party, it is likely that the was in Government. And March and August of 2022. and made it into an supporters of the voting. But the ethnic PNCR will suffer the same now some of them are These grounds are assessed international pariah One A P N U + A F C w e r e demography of the country humiliation as it did in the privately confessing that below Caribbean Prime Minister convincedthatthePPPCwas haschanged.Guyanaisnow 2006elections. theyneedhimtoreturntothe A number of factors asked the loser of the stealing the elections, they acountryofminoritiesinthe David Granger had helm to restore the party’s would support the theory elections to “stand up and would have taken mass sense that no single ethnic united the party after the fortunes. But will the that the attempt to rig the take your licks like a man.” action, pandemic or no group commands a majority devastating hiding the supporters of the PNCR, electionswillbackfireonthe Another said that what took pandemic. of the population. No ethnic PNCR got at the hands of particularly those young PNCR.Forone,theAPNUis place in Guyana is not what So will the PNCR or groupthuscanfeelthatthey Bharrat Jagdeo in 2006. He supporters who had prior to discredited internationally the Caribbean stands for APNU be snubbed by its are permanently locked out was able to rebrand the 2020 never experienced The International Observer And the +CARICOM Audit supporters in any ofpower Theotherpossible PNCR into APNU and electoralrigging, every trust Missions would have all Recount Report suggested forthcoming election? One theory to explain ethnic recover the support which the PNCR again? Only time reported on the conduct of that much of the objections school of thought is that electoralclannishnessisthat the PNCR had lost. The will tell (The views the APNU+AFC to their being made during that historical voting patterns do each group generally wants support he and the APNU expressed in this article are respective organizations process ( primarily by the not suggest that the PNCR toberuledbyitsown. secured led to a minority those of the author and do T h e H e a d o f t h e APNU+AFC) amounted to will lose any of its core Theethnicfactortendsto governmentin2011.Hethen not necessarily reflect the Organization of American a”fishingexpedition”. support base. It was pointed supportthosewhodonotfeel launched a coalition opinions and beliefs of this States Observer Mission to Anumber of legal cases out for example that despite thatthePNCRwillnotsuffer building process which n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s G u y a n a t o l d t h e were filed during the five- destroying the economy of any major fallout from the culminated in the Valentine affiliates.) organization, which monthelectionimpasse.The thecountrypriorto1992,the represents35countriesinthe APNU+AFC supported PNCR still managed to WesternHemisphere,thathe many of the challenges securemorethan40%ofthe neversawamoretransparent Giventheconsistencywhich votes in those elections and attempttoaltertheresultsof thelitigantslostthosecases, has maintained that level of the elections. The United the Coalition was left with a supportwhileinOpposition,

Bush Lot woman, 85, killed on...

Frompage8

pensionbookandotherimportantdocuments houseandtiedtoachairwithasling. While was missing from the bedroom She thereshesaidsheheardSawhyelling“Don’t estimatedthatSawhhad$350,000inthebag kill me granddaughter”. Shortly thereafter, that she was reportedly saving to build her the unidentified man who was with Sawh fence. appeared in the lower flat and both men

Meanwhile, Police said that Basdeo had searched the flat before making good their visibleabrasionsonherneckandrighthand; escape. After their exit, Basdeo said she thewomantoldpoliceshewasinjuredbyone untiedherselfandrantotheupperflatofthe oftheinvaders. houseandsawSawhlayingmotionlessonher She was taken to the Fort Wellington bedinapoolofblood.

Hospital for treatment. Sawh’s body is

The woman told Police that Sawh’s presently at the Bailey’s Funeral Parlour handbag where she kept all her money, awaitingapostmortemexamination.

Guyanese

Frompage3

Legislation around the is to be blamed for that to timely payment.” “So all corner, Natural Resources because we are moving at of the Contractors’ non Minister, Vickram Bharrat, suchaspeedthatitishardto compliantpracticesmightbe recently cautioned keepup,”theMinistersaid. spiking whatever is the stakeholders to improve

He urged that, “In order overall billing that they are their operating abilities to truly achieve local sendingtoExxonforthemto before seeking more jobs content, I would remind the pay out and then it is still with high Guyanese privatesectorthatitcanonly going on their resource participation. He urged the be achieved with capacity sheet.” privatesectortotempertheir development We can

Weeks submitted that expectationsforgreaterlocal quarrel whole day about there are a lot of content demands as there is what aspects of the ringconsiderations that people stillmuchtobedonetoequip fenced categories of work musttakeintoaccountifthe the local sector for its mustbeincreasedbutdowe overall goal is to help efficient participation and havethecapacitytomeetthe Guyana manage her oil bills delivery of service in the targets effectively, moreefficiently Hesaidthat sector efficiently and cost while Exxon Mobil plays a “We have to be honest effectively?” pivotal role in ensuring with ourselves and accept

Some of the areas of compliance, “our local our disadvantages and work where Guyanese have sectors and resource shortcomings and recognize firstjumpincludeslogistics, compliance needs to be what we need to strengthen. security, immigration simultaneouslyanalyzed.” Thereisacapacitydeficitin support, transportation, With the country’s first Guyana and we cannot run customs brokerage, and review of the Local Content away from that.And no one catering.

Companies must be reliable for local content...

MOVIE TOWNE, DECIBEL TERRORISM AND SEX APPEAL

Imetamanonthebeach were not both selfish and morning as she did in 2019. noiseterrorism. the roadside, the three weeks ago while sheepish citizens. He wrote Movie Towne repeated the It was the famous name little dance organized walking my dog. I saw this about what affected him on identical cruelty it of Ralph Ramkarran that byoverseasfriends. personbeckoningtomesoI Eping Avenue where he perpetuated on residents in advised these “superstars” Does this not went up to him. He told me lives. But what about the 2019. Mr. D Sawh and no thattheydonothavetoglow remind you of the accept government’s hewasthemanIwroteabout ubiquitous ugly attitudes other Guyanese (except me only over social issues that campaign to rid the pubic sincerity in confronting in my column of November that dominate the entire who penned a column on bring publicity (he used the parapets of encumbrances? noise nuisance when state 2, 2022 titled, ‘Sex appeal, social landscape of this Ms Gafoor’s complaint) term sex appeal quite The targets are always the officials encourage noise KFCoutlet,wash-bayboys country that he and others had even a little bit of appropriately).Heurgethey wash-bay boy, the dog-food nuisance? It is interesting to andabananarepublic.” shouldwriteabout? sensitivity to write a little highlight so many other seller and the single mother notethattheEPAhasanoise In that article, I quoted Zorina Gafoor is the letterinsupportofthesenior pressing issues that they with her tray The nuisance hotline. When you this gentleman as informing Aunt of Bibi Shadick, Gafoor oughttodo. untouchables are never rang, a voice came on Guyanese that he spent 47 famous PPP personality, Did people read Ms Certainlynoiseterrorism visited. And who are the advisingyoutowritealetter years living on Eping former PPP Member of Gafoor’sletter Yestheydid. isoneexigentsubjectforthe untouchables?-therichfolks People including Ms Avenue in BelAir Park and Parliament and former Did the “superstars” in civil “superstars” especially who encumber the public Gafoor’s 79 year old heneversawwhatgoesonat GECOM Commissioner. society organisations read when this decibel terrorism parapets with objects of motherwasbeingtormented present on that street where Ms.Shadickrecentlypassed Ms. Gafoor’s letter? Yes is generated by state actors ostentation. by violent decibels last KFChasadrive-thruoutlet. away On Wednesday, they did. But Movie Town themselves. Noise nuisance Last Sunday’s insanity Sunday morning and the Isaiditisavehicularjungle December 4, 2019, Ms repeatedthesametrajectory is all over the news. The came about because a EPA wanted her to write a thatpreventsfreepassage. Gafoor published a letter in ofmadnessandinflictedthe Environmental Protection magistrate gave permission letter In the meantime the So he called me on the theStabroekNewsinwhich same measurement of Agency (EPA) and the for Movie Towne’s “all superstar idiots in certain beachandtoldmehewasthe she described what her sick mental anguish on residents police force announced in black” party It was the civilsocietyorganizationare D. Sawh that published the mother endured from a last Sunday morning. As I August this year that the police that gave Movie on their quest for never letterIquotedfrom.Ichatted concert at the car park at wrote yesterday; the music countyhadimportedanoise Towne permission to use a endingsexappeal. briefly with him but MovieTowne.Thespeakers stoppedatarounddaybreak. measurementmachine. loud instrument. It was the (The views expressed in somehow did not bring up were directly booming into What are the horrible But who is this machine police that received dozens this article are those of the what I wanted to express. I the home of Ms. Gafoor dimensions about what directed against? This of complaints in the author and do not don’tknowwhyIheldback. which directly faces the car happened Sunday morning? question even a moron can uncivilised hours in the necessarily reflect the I wanted to tell him this park. One is the sex appeal the answer The police and the morning about earth opinions and beliefs of this country would bring mental TheseniorGafoorisnow “superstars” in certain civil EPAconfront the little fish- shattering noise and refused n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s comfort to countless 79yearsoldandhadtosuffer society organizations crave. shop owner in the village, to come. How can the affiliates.) numbers of Guyanese if we the same fate last Sunday Theotherisstate-sponsored the little bar-be-cue lime at citizenry of this country

FrederickKissoon

Oil companies to drill US$93 million well in Corentyne Block next year

Map showing the location of the Corentyne Block

Canadian oil explorers, channels in a western block, the Joint Venture was F r o n t e r a E n e r g y channel complex in the previously required to spud Corporation and CGX northern section of the Wei-1, the second of two Energy Inc., said yesterday Corentyneblock. commitment wells on the that they are all set to drill It was previously block, by November 27, their next target in the reported that the Wei-1 well 2022. Corentyne block, offshore was named after one of the Orlando Cabrales, Chief Guyana. tallest peaks in the Executive Officer of

In fact, the partners said Pakaraima Mountain Range, Frontera, commented that final preparations are which has commanding the joint venture remains complete in advance of v i s i b i l i t y o v e r t h e firmly committed to drilling spudding the Wei 1 well surrounding terrain Wei theWei-1wellandisgrateful which follows the discovery Tepuwashistoricallyusedas fortheongoingsupportfrom of light oil and gas a sentinel post by the the Government of Guyana condensate at the Kawa-1 Patamona people to guard as they mutually work to wellmadeearlierthisyear. againstattacks. unlock the potentially

K a i e t e u r N e w s A s p a r t o f i t s t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l understands that the Wei-1 preparations, the partners opportunityintheCorentyne well will be located have agreed with the block. approximately14kilometres Government of Guyana that C a b r a l e s s a i d , northwest of the Kawa-1 the Wei 1 well will be “Significant investment, exploration well in the spudded no later than planning and work has been C o r e n t y n e b l o c k , January 31, 2023, utilising completed in preparation to a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 0 0 the Noble Corp Discoverer drill Wei-1 and we are ready kilometres offshore from semi submersible mobile to drill the well upon rig Georgetown, Guyana, and drilling unit This is in arrival in one of the most will be drilled in water depth keeping with the schedule exciting exploration areas in of approximately 1,912 feet provided to CGX Resources theworld.” (583 metres) to an Inc.byNobleCorporationso CGX previously noted anticipated total depth of as to allow for the Noble thatthewellwillbedrilledat 20,500feet(6,248metres). CorpDiscoverertocomplete a cost of US$93M. This sum Furthermore, the Wei-1 its current obligations in wouldberecoverableshould w e l l w i l l t a r g e t Trinidad. CGX move to production on Maastrichtian, Campanian Under the terms of the the heels of a commercial and Santonian aged stacked License for the Corentyne discovery

Man fined for using indecent and threatening language against employer

Randy John was on Monday fined that he completed work assigned by his $20,000 with an alternative of two weeks in Employer after which he and another prison by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly after colleagueaskedwhentheywouldbepaid. he pleaded guilty to the use of indecent and John told the court that his Employer said threateningbehaviour she did not know when the salary will be Accordingtothetwocharges,onOctober available. 2022, at Penny Lane Avenue, South This angered the man, prompted an Ruimveldt, Georgetown, John used indecent argument which contained indecent and and threatening language to his Employer threateninglanguage. becauseshewasunabletopayhimhissalary The matter was heard at the Georgetown In his address to the court, the man said Magistrates’Court.

Fire destroys ECD hardware bond

Scenes from the inferno

When

“Idon’tknowifit’selectrical,but

This publication understands that the it could be electrical,” Mohammed said. Up bond was stacked with thinners, sheet rack, to press time there was no official report on ply-board and other hardware materials. thefirefromtheGuyanaFireService.

The Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

A massive fire on Monday afternoon During their hours-long quest to get the fire destroyed a hardware bond at Plantation Le under control, several explosions were heard Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, comingfrominsidethewarehouse. belonging to Z Mohammed and Sons

Speaking to Reporters at the scene, Trading. Businessman Zaid Mohammed related that

Kaieteur News arrived at the scene hewasinofficewhenhereceivedaphonecall thick smoke billowed from the warehouse as around 16:30hours informing him about the scores of onlookers gathered in front of the fire at the bond. Mohammed stated that he Grand Costal Hotel which is nearby immediately contacted the fire department Firefighters along with several fire tenders who responded to the emergency call. The were in place battling the blaze which took businessman added that at the time of the fire several hours before it was completely none of his six employees was at the broughtundercontrol. warehouse.

ExxonMobil now seeking local insurance for US$10B Yellowtail Project, US$2B Gas-to-Energy venture

ExxonMobil subsidiary,

cover costs pertaining to the Stabroek Block offshore Esso Exploration and c o n t r o l o f w e l l s , Guyana. It involves the Production Guyana Limited redrilling/extra expenses, development of the (EEPGL), is on the hunt for seepage and pollution, clean Yellowtail and the Redtail local companies that are up and contamination of discoveries located in the capable of providing exposures. eastern half of the insurance for its US$10B

It is also going after a concession. It will be a Yellowtail Project as well as General Third Party subsea development tied its US$2.2B Gas-to-Energy Liability(TPL)policywhich back to a new floating venture.Thiswasnotedinits will cover sudden and production, storage and Request for Information unforeseen pollution, along offloading vessel called (RFI)publishedonMonday with any liabilities arising ‘ONE GUYANA’ The

The document said from allYellowtail and GTE FPSO will be built by SBM EEPGL is seeking detailed Project exposures on an Offshore. It is estimated to commercial and technical international basis. February haveanoptimumproduction information from Suppliers 1, 2022 to December 31, capacity of 250,000 barrels who can provide local 2027isstatedastheduration per day (bpd) of oil. The insurance to cover four of coverage for the TPL and vessel will also have a majorareas. OEE. storage capacity of two

The company said it is

Additionally, the million barrels of crude oil, seeking credible Insurance selected Insurer will be gas treatment capacity of Providers for all Subsea, reinsuring 100% of the 450 million ft³ a day, and Umbilical, Riser, Flowlines 2026. Floating, P

plant, onshore policy based on the agreed water injection capacity of (SURF),

ho

ba

e For the gas to energy Storage and Offloading enabling works, and related terms, conditions, and 300,000bpd. construction, and related project, EEPGL is desirous (FPSOs) vessels as well as assets. premiums. Furthermore, the vessel assets for the Yellowtail of having in

ance modifications to FPSOs, Importantly, EEPGL is ABOUTYELLOWTAIL will be designed to perform development. This coverage coverage for all Subsea, offshore pipeline to shore, also seeking providers for an T h e Ye l l o w t a i l produced water treatment is expected to be from Umbilical, Riser, Flowlines onshore pipeline until Operator’s Extra Expense Development is the fourth functionsaswellasoil February 1, 2022 to June 30, (SURF), connections to connection to a Natural Gas (OEE) policy This is to project planned in the (Continued on page 19)

Scores seek employment at National Job Fair

J o b s e e k e r s a n d

Employers on Monday lauded the Government through the Ministry of Labour for its first ever National Job Fair which was aimed at ensuring more Guyaneseareemployed.

The job fair which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre was held under the theme “Improving lives through Employment.”

Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, job seeker, 23-year-old, Oneil Devon Damon when asked about his views on the initiative o p p o r t u n i t y o f a n said that it was something employment where he can interesting and “it give us a learn new things “I’m push in life to become working but you know I that he went to the fair engineering When asked did a good job explaining come to this place where somebody better.” He noted wanna push myself, because seeking a job where he can how he felt about the everything and giving their they have people explaining, that there is a lot of young I always tell myself, I don’t put his skills to test. Barton Ministry’s initiative, he said

people who are at home and see myself at one place all shared that he had recently “They did quite a good job

do not have a job, the fair he thetime,”headded.Hisfield completed his studies at the with the different set of jobs Phillips related to this

make application said would give young ofinterestisinagriculture. Government Technical presenting what they do and publicationthatthejobfairis andsoon,”Brownrelated. peoplethatpush.

Another job seeker, Institute (GTI) and was what they have to offer for a good initiative especially A representative from Damon noted that he is Shakobe Barton, said looking for a job in the you. As people now coming for young folks who are out T e c h n i p F M C ,

currently employed but was yesterday that it was his first construction sector, into the work force of school and seeking engineeringcompanywhich at the fair seeking the time seeking a job. He noted specifically dealing with especially me, I think they employment. “ they can

An artist’s impression of what the US$2B gas project

businessesagoodface.” what is expected of them,

His mother, Elita Brown what the jobs entail, where

they can

Scenes from the Ministry of Labour first ever National Job Fair.

Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton at the launch of the National Job Fair on Monday.

Several countries going after windfall tax as oil giants rack up big profits

By Renay Sambach

…while Exxon and Partners enjoy tax-free ride in Guyana

has sent oil prices soaring c o m p a n y ( C N O O C ) to use the money to alleviate

For the month of and triggering a cost of recordingUS$5.1billion. thecost-of-livingcrisis. November, Kaieteur News living crisis in many Britishoilandgasgiants, While the oil giants’ reportedonseveralcountries countries. Amid the war, oil likeShellandBP,alsoposted profits are being taxed in thathaveeitherincreasedthe and gas companies have record profits this year For foreign countries – Exxon ‘WindfallTax’onoilandgas been seeing record-breaking the third-quarter of 2022, BP Guyana, Hess Guyana companies or have signalled profits. For just the third- recorded US$8.2 billion for Exploration Ltd and theirintentiontodoso. quarter of 2022, American the three months through to CNOOC Petroleum Guyana A windfall tax is a one- oil giant, ExxonMobil the end of September – Limited have been enjoying off tax imposed by a announced that its overall whereas Shell recorded tax-free profits here with the Government on a company, earnings was a record US$9.45billionforthesame Government of Guyana specifically targeting those shattering US$19.7 billion – period. The oil majors’ big (GoG) disclosing that it has that benefit from something whereas US-oil major Hess profits this year have led to n o i n t e n t i o n o n they were not responsible reported that it earned a net several Governments implementingawindfalltax. for. In this instance, the income of US$515 million implementing windfall tax, In Guyana’s case

Exxon’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd (EEPGL), is the operator of the country’s richest oil block (Stabroek Block) Guyana’s Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers) and has approximately 11 billion proven barrels of oil.

Exxon and its partners pay no taxes in Guyana and continue to enjoy tax-free earnings owing to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed onto with the oil major Accordingtothe2016 PSA, Guyana has agreed to, anditsaffiliatesbesubjected u n d e r t h e t a x a t i o n to the new terms his p r o v i s i o n s , t o p a y administration announced ExxonMobil’s share of forfutureoilblocks.

Corporation and Income COUNTRIES Tax.As such, it would mean,

that Guyana foregoes each

year, billions of US dollars.

IMPLEMENTING/INCR

EASING WINDFALL

TAX

O n t o p o f t h i s , The most recent country documentation to this effect to go after windfall tax is is then provided to the US Italy. On Monday Reuters based company allowing it reported that Italy plans to to not have to pay any taxes apply a 50 percent one-off in its home country for its windfall tax next year on earningsoverseas. surplus income of energy

Kaieteur News had companies that have reported that despite the oil benefited from the surge in companies already not oil and gas prices, a draft of paying taxes, President the government’s 2023 Irfaan Ali is adamant that budgetseenbyReuters.

Guyana is new to the oil The levy has a rate equal business and as such he to 50 percent of the part of stated that this country will 2022 corporate income not be implementing a which is at least 10 percent windfall tax on the oil higherthantheaverage companies nor will Exxon

ongoingRussia-Ukrainewar and China National oil with most countries aiming

British Finance Minister, Jeremy Hunt

Czech Finance Minister, Zbynek Stanjura

German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner (Reuters photo)

President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali

President of India, Droupadi Murmu

Guyana attends 55th CFATF meeting in Cayman Islands

…in preparation for 4th round mutual evaluation

Guyana is participating Guyana’s delegation is in the Caribbean Financial headed by Attorney General Action Task Force (CFATF) and Minister of Legal 55th Plenary and Working Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC Group Meetings being held and includes Dr Gobind in the Cayman Islands from Ganga, Governor of the November 27 to December Central Bank, Matthew 1,2022. Langevine, Director of the The meetings come Financial Intelligence Unit ahead of Guyana’s fourth- (FIU),AliciaWilliams,Head round mutual evaluation of Compliance, FIU, Karim scheduledfor2023. Baksh, Head of the Special This is the first Plenary Organized Crime Unit and Working Group meeting (SOCU), Natasha Backer, held by the body since Assistant Director of Public November 2019 The ProsecutionsandRommelSt Plenary which opens on H i l l , A n t i M o n e y Wednesday November 30, Laundering/Combating the 2022, will follow the Financing of Terrorism working group meetings (AML/CFT) Officer in the such as the Heads of FIU AttorneyGeneral’sOffice. forum, a working group of The Ministry of Legal Financial Action Task Force Affairs in a Press Release (FATF) issues, International said that at the meetings, Cooperation Review Group, countries who are in the Steering Group, and CFATF assessment process get the Risks Trends and Methods opportunitytodiscusskey Group. (Continued on page 15)

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Monday announced that the distribution of National Identification (ID) cards has startedcountrywide.

Persons who completed registration transactions during the Cycle of Continuous Registration, held during the period March, 2022 – May, 2022 and the Claims and 13:00hrs to 16:30hrs and on Objections Exercise which Fridays to between 8:00hrs was held during the period to 12:00hrs and 13:00hrs to August, 2022 – September, 15:30hrs to facilitate the 2022 respectively, are collectionoftheIDcards. advised that they can collect Authorizations will not their National ID Cards from be accepted and, in this the GECOM Registration regard, Registrants must Office where the transaction uplift their ID Cards wasdone. personally in accordance

“Specifically, only with GECOM’s Standard persons who would have Operating Procedures in completed new registration relation to the verification of transactions,changestotheir identity, transparency, and registration particulars, or a c c o u n t a b i l i t y, t h e appliedforareplacementare Commissionadded. required to visit the Meanwhile, persons who Registration Office,” the would have conducted Commission said in a Press transactions in previous Release. registrationexercisespriorto

GECOM offices will be 2022 and have not yet open on Monday to uplifted their National Thursday from 8:00hrs to Identification Cards can do 12:00hrs and between soimmediately

L-R Mr. Karim

Head of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), Mr. Matthew Langevine, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Ms. Natasha Backer, Assistant

of Public Prosecutions; Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, Attorney General and Minister

Baksh,

Director

of Legal Affairs; Ms. Alicia Williams Head of Compliance -FIU; Dr. Gobind Ganga, Governor of the Central Bank and Mr. Rommel St Hill, Anti-Money Laundering/Caribbean Financial Task Force (AML/CFT) Officer in the Attorney General’s Office.)

WANTED

Driver, sales man, porters to work in warehouse. Must have experience , attractive salary offered. Call: 6964444.

One experienced cook and one kitchen assistant. Call: 603-1278/ 665-5074.

Live-in domestic/ maid and canter driver to work in the Interior. Call: 614-1819.

Carpenters, masons & labourers required. Call: 645-9805.

Motor Lorry drivers needed and Porters. Tel: 627-1835/ 626-4691.

Labourers to work on Cash Crop Farm, salary $5000. Call: 695-6139,679-7552.

Bar girls needed to work in the Interior, ages 20-30 years. Call: 687-7638/ 6913942.

VACANCY

Hotel attendant needed at Hick's Ville Hotel.Tel: 6400673, 227-7714, email: info@vegeworld.com

Driver must be able to assist in workshop @ Eccles, age 23-50, Car/ Van licence. Call 645-8443 or 642-9823.

One clerk for TSI Eccles office. English & Mathematics, grade one or two, email application to: techserigy @yahoo.com or call 6159132.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area call 6159132.

Wanted: Experienced supervisor, cashier, counter person, cooks and labourer. Apply @ Shanta's, 225 Camp and New Market Sts.

Room attendant and laundry attendant, 25-50 years old at South Road Lacytown. Call: 225-2304.

Barge with fuel sinks in Cuyuni River

A barge transporting fuel, explosives and a truck belonging to Zijin Mining Inc. a Chinese company sank in the Cuyuni River, Region Seven on Sunday.

Kaieteur News understands that the barge sank Sunday morning in the vicinity of Tapir Landing, located not too far away from the company’s operations at Aurora Gold Mines (AGM).

It is unclear if anyone was onboard the vessel and what caused it to sink.

A cell phone recorded video showed that the barge was close to the river bank and had capsized before slowly disappearing under the water.

Efforts are being made to recover the fuel and bring the truck to surface.

Screen grab from video of the sinking barge

Scores seek employment at National Job Fair...

From page 13 specialises in subsea operations shared with Kaieteur News that the turnout was great especially from the young people. Her company managed to collect a few applications and is looking to employ some of the applicants. The Representative also lauded the Ministry for such an event and hopes to have another hosted again.

The Job Fair on Monday saw over 25 different employers setting up booths. In attendance also were employers out of neighbouring Suriname. Delivering his feature address at the launch, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton said

that the initiative forms part of the Government’s manifesto and that it also falls under his ministry’s mandate to ensure employment for all. “Today’s event provides many opportunities for job seekers to meet face to face with employers not only those operating in the

traditional sectors but those also operating in the Oil and Gas sector to explore employment opportunities,” he shared.

The Minister noted when they took office the plan was to create jobs for as many people as they can. During their two years in Government, he stated that his Ministry has managed to get persons employed through numerous initiatives such as the launch of the National Job Bank which opened earlier this year, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) which has attracted persons not only in the coastland regions but persons in the hinterland areas and also

through the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency. Over the two years, he added they have managed to train over 7,000 persons and found employment for more than 50 percent of those persons who were trained. Looking to have more persons in the workforce, the Minister shared that they have had discussion with the leadership of the University of Guyana where they are looking to have final year students do internships at some companies to build their experience. The Job Fair which was held between the hours of 10:00hrs and 18:00hrs. Minister Hamilton hinted that they are looking to make the initiative an annual event.

Several countries going after windfall tax...

VEHICLES FOR SALE

One Honda CRV,fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable & 1 new super custom Hiace Bus 2.5M .Contact:649-0956.

Data Entry clerk needed. Apply to: Essential Care Pharmacy & Supercentre , Block X Mandela Avenue or G3 Building Diamond East Bank Demerara Or Via E-mail - essentialcarepharmacy@ yahoo.com

Pharmacist & Pharmacy Technician needed. Apply to: Essential Care Pharmacy & Supercentre, Block X Mandela Avenue or G3 Building Diamond East Bank Demerara or E-mailessentialcarepharmacy@ yahoo.com

From page 14 income reported between 2018 and 2021.

pay from multiple firms.

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It has a ceiling equal to 25 percent of the value of net assets at the end of 2021, Reuters reported. “The scheme is different from the way it was outlined by the Treasury only last week. That version envisaged a 35 percent tax running from January until July 2023 and calculated on energy companies’ net profit, rather than income as in the latest draft,” the media agency said.

It was also stated that Rome expects to raise around 2.565 billion euros (US$2.66 billion) from the tax, which follows a framework proposed by the European Commission and replaces a similar levy in force this year which has triggered criticism and refusals to

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Kaieteur News reported last Friday that the German Finance Ministry announced its plan to levy same at 33 percent, this is according to the German national newspaper, Die Welt reported. Die Welt reported that the German Ministry aims to introduce a 33 percent tax on oil and gas companies that have benefited from windfall profits. The German newspaper cited a draft document and said that companies in the oil, gas, coal and refining sectors whose profits for 2022 and 2023 are more than 20 percent higher than the average profits of 2018 to 2021 would have to pay the extra tax. It was stated that the Government aims to use the revenues and the skimming off of excess profits in the energy sector to cover the financing of an electricity price brake. From this the Ministry has estimated to raise additional revenues of US$3.1 billion.

On November 19, 2022, this publication reported that, four months after it introduced a windfall tax on crude oil in their country – the Government of India announced that it will be further taxing domestically produced crude, amid the sudden spike in crude oil prices that have led

to ‘big-profits.’ It was reported that on July 1, 2022, the Indian Government introduced the windfall tax on crude oil. However, the Government on November 16 announced that it has decided to move up the windfall tax on crude oil from the current from 9,500 rupees (US$116.49) per ton, to 10,200 Indian rupees (US$125.22) per ton.

Similarly, it was reported by this publication that British Finance Minister, Jeremy Hunt announced that the Government is increasing the windfall tax on oil and gas operators from the current 25 percent which was announced in May of 2022 to 35 percent.

The British Government’s move to raise the tax on the big profits being made by oil majors is to alleviate the costof-living crisis and balance their economy. Hunt said, “I have no objection to windfall taxes if they are genuinely about windfall profits caused by unexpected increases in energy crisis.”

He then disclosed that the energy profits levy will increase from 25 percent to 35 percent. He added that the increase will take effect from January 1, 2023 and last until March 2028.

For their part, the Govern-

ment of Spain is moving ahead with its Windfall Tax Bill which is intended to levy US-billions from banks and energy companies to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis being experienced by Spanish families.

Last Friday, the Bill was approved by Spain’s Congress, which is the lower house of parliament. It was stated that with Congress’ approval, the Bill will be sent to the Senate for final vote, where it could be approved as is, if the upper house does not add any amendments –this is according to an international news reports.

As for Czech Republic, earlier this month they imposed its first windfall tax on some of the biggest businesses to help finance energy subsidies without boosting government borrowing. Kaieteur News had reported that the country’s lawmakers on November 4 approved Finance Minister, Zbynek Stanjura’s proposal to slap a 60 percent ‘tax surcharge’ on the main energy companies and banks.

It was stated that the levy will be in place for the next three years and target extraordinary profits caused by surging energy prices and high interest rates.

Shakobe Barton

CoI Commissioners visit scene

of elections drama

A team of officials attached to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2020 Regional and General Elections on Monday visited the former G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM) Command Centre located at Ashmin’sBuilding.

The aim of the visit was to conduct an onsite inspection of the scene where the elections drama unfolded.The guided tour of the premises was led by former executive member of the New Movement Party (NMP) Dr. Josh Kanhai, f o r m e r Ta b u l a t i o n Supervisor attached to GECOM,Anil Giddings and Assistant Commissioner of Police,EdgarThomas.

Kanhai and Giddings provided an overview of whattranspiredattheformer Command Centre during the March 2020 elections to the Members of Commission which included Justice of Appeal(Ret’d)StanleyJohn, Former Belizean High Court Judge and Justice of Appeal (ag)intheEasternCaribbean Supreme Court, Godfrey Smith, SC, and Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, CarlSingh.

The duo directed the officials to the tabulation room and the offices of the former Chief and Deputy Chief Elections Officers Giddings said that despite having cameras installed in the key areas of the building, no systems were established to monitor and or retrieve data from the footage at the command centre “The cameras were actually in the room on the walls in the ceiling. There were maybe two cameras outside on that ceiling, just outside of the tabulation centre pointing toward the entrances and so forth…”Giddingssaid.

Prior to the site visit, Rosalinda Rasul an Elections Observer for the American Chamber of C o m m e r c e G u y a n a (AmCham) took the witness s t a n d a t t h e C O I headquarters in Middle Street Rasul told the Commission that she was present at the Ashmin’s Building from March 3 to 5, where suspicious events regarding the tabulation and declaration of the votes for RegionFourunfolded.

On March 3, Rasul claimed that the actions of ReturningOfficerforRegion

Four, Clairmont Mingo startedtoreekofsuspicionas his numbers failed to correspond with the tabulation of officials of the Opposition parties and ElectionsObservers.

Rasul recounted that Roxanne Myers, who was GECOM’s Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) at the time, told those gathered in the Ashmin’s Building that a decision was taken to limit the number of agents and observers present. She said that Myers told Party Agents and Observers that onlythreepermissionwould be allowed in the building since GECOM staffers felt threatened by the number of people in the tabulation room.

She recalled that the count was stalled by a number of events including one which Mr Mingo purportedly fell ill and needed emergency medical attention The witness recountedthathewasrushed to seek emergency medical attention by an ambulance awaiting him outside the building. The witness said a series of questionable a c t i v i t i e s u n f o l d e d thereafter

According to Rasul, GECOM staffers were then instructed to use a spreadsheet continuing unverified numbers, purportedly drawn from Statements of Polls (SOPs). “There were lots of objections by everyone except the APNU+AFC (agents) about the use of the spreadsheet There were questionsaboutwhythiswas being used when it was mandatory to use the SOPs,” she said adding that “Junior GECOM staffers, who were calling figures from the spreadsheet, could not answer why this was now beingused,”sherecounted. Eventually, she said then GECOM CEO, Keith

Lowenfield told the Agents and Observers that this spreadsheet was being used for expediency Rasul claimed too that Lowenfield ignored many of the complaints that were raised by the Opposition Parties andInternationalObservers.

Thewitnessclaimedthat, “There was no explanation on how that spreadsheet was derived; he did not answer that specific question Additionally, he said that if anyonehadanyobjectionsor saw any deviation, then they will bring out the specific SOPs to check it ” The Presidential CoI was set up to inquire into what transpired during the March 2, 2020 General and

Regional Elections. Upon its c o m p l e t i o n , recommendations are to be made to all for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to discharge its constitutional functions in a mannerthatisimpartial,fair, andcompliantwiththelaw President Irfaan Ali, under whose hand the C o m m i s s i o n w a s established, had said that the findings will be used to hold persons accountable, especially if they are found to be involved in any attempts to rig the polls. Evidence during inquiry is being led by Trinidadian Senior Counsel, Sophia Chota, Natasha Veira, and KeomaGriffith.

U.S. weighs sending 100-mile strike weapon to Ukraine

Reuters - The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind RussianlinesastheWeststruggles tomeetdemandformorearms.

U S and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as thewardragson.

Boeing’s proposed system, dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans for getting new munitions into production for Ukraine and America’s Eastern European allies,industrysourcessaid.

AlthoughtheUnitedStateshas rebuffed requests for the 185-mile (297km) range ATACMS missile, the GLSDB’s 94-mile (150km) range would allow Ukraine to hit valuable military targets that have been out of reach and help it c o n t i n u e p r e s s i n g i t s counterattacks by disrupting Russianrearareas.

GLSDB could be delivered as earlyasspring2023,accordingtoa document reviewed by Reuters and three people familiar with the plan. It combines the GBU-39

SmallDiameterBomb(SDB)with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in U S inventories.

Doug Bush, the U.S. Army’s chief weapons buyer, told reportersatthePentagonlastweek the Army was also looking at accelerating production of 155 millimeter artillery shells currently only manufactured at governmentfacilities-byallowing defensecontractorstobuildthem.

The invasion of Ukraine drove up demand for American-made weapons and ammunition, while U.S. allies in Eastern Europe are “putting a lot of orders,” in for a range of arms as they supply Ukraine,Bushadded.

“It’s about getting quantity at a cheap cost,” said Tom Karako, a weapons and security expert at the Center for Strategic and InternationalStudies.

He said falling U S inventorieshelpexplaintherushto get more arms now, saying stockpilesare“gettinglowrelative to the levels we like to keep on hand and certainly to the levels we’re going to need to deter a Chinaconflict.”

KarakoalsonotedthattheU.S. exit from Afghanistan left lots of air-droppedbombsavailable.They

cannot be easily used with Ukrainian aircraft, but “in today’s context we should be looking for innovativewaystoconvertthemto standoffcapability.”

Although a handful of GLSDB units have already been made, there are many logistical obstacles toformalprocurement.

The Boeing plan requires a price discovery waiver, exempting the contractor from an in-depth reviewthatensuresthePentagonis getting the best deal possible.Any arrangement would also require at least six suppliers to expedite shipments of their parts and services to produce the weapon quickly.

A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment. Pentagon spokesmanLt.Cmdr TimGorman declined to comment on providing any “specific capability” to Ukraine, but said the U.S. and its allies “identify and consider the most appropriate systems” that wouldhelpKyiv

GLSDB is made jointly by SAAB AB (SAABb ST) and BoeingCo(BA.N)andhasbeenin development since 2019, well before the invasion, which Russia calls a “special operation”. In October, SAAB chief executive Micael Johansson said of the

GLSDB: “We are imminently shortly expecting contracts on that.”

According to the document - a Boeing proposal to U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which is overseeing weapons headed to Ukraine - the main components of the GLSDB would come from currentU.S.stores.

The M26 rocket motor is relatively abundant, and the GBU39 costs about $40,000 each, making the completed GLSDB inexpensive and its main components readily available.

Although arms manufacturers are struggling with demand, those factors make it possible to yield weapons by early 2023, albeit at a lowrateofproduction.

GLSDB is GPS-guided, can defeatsomeelectronicjamming,is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armored vehicles, according to SAAB’s website.

The GBU-39 - which would function as the GLSDB’s warhead - has small, folding wings that allow it to glide more than 100km if dropped from an aircraft and targets as small as 3 feet in diameter

INDUSTRYMOTIVATION

At a production plant in rural

Arkansas, Lockheed Martin is redoubling efforts to meet surging demand for mobile rocket launchers known as HIMARS, which have been successful in hitting Russian supply lines, command posts and even individualtanks.

The No 1 U S defense contractor is working through supply chain issues and labor shortages to double production to 96launchersayear

Lockheed Martin has posted more than 15 jobs related to the productionofHIMARS,including supply chain quality engineers, purchasing analysts, and testing engineers,accordingtoitswebsite.

“We’ve made investments in terms of infrastructure in the factory where we build HIMARS,” said BeckyWithrow, a sales leader at Lockheed Martin’s missileunit.

Despite the increase in demand, Lockheed Martin’s chief financial officer told Reuters in July that he did not expect significant Ukraine induced revenue until 2024 or beyond. The CFO of Raytheon Corp (RTX.N), another major U S defense contractor, echoed that timeline in an interview with Reuters this summer

Former executive member of the New Movement Party (NMP) Dr. Josh Kanhai engages COI Commissioners during the site visit of the former GECOM Command Centre at Ashmin’s Building on Monday

Top Cop sounds warning against attacks on Cops

law

Physical assault on ranks of the GuyanaPoliceForce(GPF)willnot be tolerated and those found guilty oftheattackswillfacethefullbrunt of the law, Police Commissioner CliftonHickensaidonMonday

Hicken told traffic ranks from GeorgetownandtheEastCoastthat he has taken note of the recent incidents of aggressive and abusive attacksmetedouttomembersofthe Force while carrying out their lawfulduty

“There will be a zero-tolerance

approach in this regard and is asking the public to desist from suchbehavior,”Hickensaid.

Last Tuesday, two teenagers, ages 18 and 19 were arrested for assaulting a Police Constable at Republic Road, New Amsterdam, Berbice,RegionSix.

According to Police, at about 08:00h, the duo identified as Quincy King and Christopher Abrams assaulted Constable Fredricks who was attempting to provide them with traffic

instructions in the vicinity of a pedestriancrossing.

The teens failedto adhere to the instructions of the Constable. The entire ordeal was caught on camera and shared across social media. PolicesaidthatAbramswasseenin the video punching the Constable repeatedly before the Law Enforcement Officer fell to the ground. On Saturday, another Cop was beaten by a Bus Driver along the Montrose Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD) The

assaulted Cop was identified as Lance Corporal Singh and according to Police, the rank was beaten around 17:00h while he and his colleague, Constable Doris wereperformingtheirduties.

Their speed gun had captured a speeding minibus approaching them and they decided to stop it.

Corporal Singh reportedly asked the driver to hand over his driver’s licenceandhecomplied.

However, while Traffic Rank was writing up a speeding ticket,

the driver allegedly tried to take back his driver’s licence but CorporalSinghrefusedtoreturnit. The Bus Driver decided to take thelicencebyforce.

Passengers of the minibus had recorded videos of the assault with their cell phones. In one of the videos, the Bus Driver was seen punching, slapping and wrestling theCoptotheground.

A female Traffic Officer attempted to rescue her colleague butwasunsuccessful.

High seas Pirates found guilty of killing Fishermen in 2018 attack

The two men who were on trial at the Berbice High Court before Justice Navindra Singh were yesterday found guilty of murder by a 12-member jury for the deadly piracy attack that killed Tilaknauth Mohabir called ‘Kaiman’ and Mahesh Sarjoo back in 2018.

The victims were on board fishing vessel, ‘RominaSK764’atthetime. The charge read that Nakool Manoharcalled‘Fyah’,40of Lot 1 No 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice and Premnauth Persaud, 44, between April 27, 2018, and May 3rd, 2018, murdered Mohabir and Sarjoo while committing piracy in Corentyne waters They werechargedjointly

Manohar and Persaud Sanbad’ had both pleaded not guilty earlier this month andsubsequenttothat,aJury was empanelled, and a trial commenced with a number of witnesses taking the stand in person and virtually Following the summing up of the case by Justice Singh yesterday the Jury retired to deliberate. After about two hours, they returned with a unanimous decision of a

guilty verdict for both men on both counts. Probation reports for both men were ordered by the Judge and they will return to court for sentencing on January 16, 2023.

Duringthetrial,thecourt heard that Manohar had threatened revenge after his brother was killed in Suriname According to testimonies given in court, Manohar had ordered Persaudandotherstoransom the boat which led to the killings.Oneofthesurviving men of the attack, Darandeo Persaud called ‘Archie Bai’ had relayed to the court that he along with others were working on fishing vessel,

‘Joshua 1418’ when the pirates attacked them. The pirates told them they came to kill, he said. The survivor identified ‘Sanbad’ in court as one of the pirates that choppedhim,andtiedhimto an anchor and subsequently threwhimoverboard.

“Thefirstchopwahthem chop, dem put me inside the fish pen to sit down and after that them tek me out and tie pontheanchorandthrowme overboard,”hetoldthecourt.

A n o t h e r r i v e t i n g testimony came from Navin Balkissoon, he testified that he was acquainted with Monohar’sbrotherandknew him as ‘Paddy’in Suriname. He said he attended the

funeral service of ‘Paddy’ andthathewasstandingwith Manohar at the pyre, when ‘Fyah’ uttered that the pyre for those that killed his brotherwillhavetobelit.

Balkissoon said that ‘Sanbad’ was also at the funeral and said that he called his Sister and told her what ‘Fyah’ had said at the funeraltohim,butthathedid not want to be part of what ‘Fyah’ had planned Sometime after, he saw ‘Fyah’ and ‘Sanbad’ on the wharf where the crew was picked out to execute the attack and instructions were given to them He was approached by ‘Fyah’on the wharf and told that if he was

not a part of the crew, he will be killed but according to Balkissoon he got away and returnedtoGuyana.

Also testifying was C a p t a i n D e o n a r i n e

Goberdhan, who told the court that the pirates approached their boat in a fishingvessel.

He detailed that

Tilaknauth Mohabir called ‘Kaiman’ was a part of his fishing crew and that he was the first to see the incoming vessel.

He said the men asked whose boat it was and when he was pointed out as the captain, the men who were armed with guns and other weapons, demanded that

they go into the fish pen. Goberdhan relayed that ‘Sanbad’,whomheknewfor a few years prior to the attack, was sitting on the icebox and laughing G o b e r d h a n a l s o demonstrated in the witness box how they were put to kneel by the men who attacked them and said that they were beaten and chopped with cutlasses “Sanbadsitdownpontheice boxandalaughandIsay‘bai wah really going on budday?’ and he say ‘shut you (expletive) mouth’…” While he pleaded with the men to spare their lives and take everything else, those pleaswentunheard.

They all jumped overboard, he said, and he kept his head underwater for aslongashecouldsothatthe mencouldnotspothim.

He was rescued the following day by a boat. Several others testified in court and the Jury was not shy with their line of questioning The accused men were represented by Attorney-at-Law, Mursaline Bhaccus,whiletheStatewas represented by Attorneys-atLaw Nafeeza Baig and LatchmieRahamat

- says perpetrators will face full force of the

Nakool Manohar called Fyah

Premnauth Persaud called ‘Sanba

A Minibus Driver assaulting a Cop on Saturday

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, speaking with Traffic Ranks on Monday

Digicel rewards new customers with 10GB of any-use data until March 2023

Digicel Guyana on Monday announced that it is rewarding new customers with 10GB bonus data through its exclusive SIM offer

N e w c u s t o m e r s purchasing SIM cards from November 28 to December 31,2022willreceivea10GB bonus of any use data monthly for the next three months (January to March 2023) once a 7-day or higher Prime Bundle Plan is

offer activating a 7 Day or customers more this activatedmonthly more Prime Bundle, will Christmas, visit the website Customers can look receive 10GBof bonus any- at:https://www.digicelgroup forward to more data and usedata,onus.Forus,it’sall .com/gy/en.html more rewards and prizes about continuing to put our Digicel Group is a total with Pick & Win in the customers first, and communications and MyDigicelapp; more speed, rewarding them with more entertainment provider with reliability and coverage on for every interaction they operations in 31 markets the fastest network, and havewithus.” throughout the Caribbean, more savings and discounts Customers can also win Central America and Asia ondevicesandSIMs. more in the MyDigicelapp Pacific.

Gregory Dean, Chief throughPick&Win,thenew Digicel also runs a host Executive Officer (CEO) of gamifiedwaytoberewarded of community based Digicel, Guyana said, for any interaction with initiativesacrossitsmarkets, “We’ve said it before, and Digicel Whether it’s i n c l u d i n g D i g i c e l we’ll say it again, it’s the switching to join the Digicel Foundations in Haiti, Christmas that keeps on family and buying a Prime Jamaica, Papua New Guinea giving at Digicel, so we are Bundle or paying bills in full and Trinidad and Tobago also rewarding new and on time, customers will which focus on educational, customers for joining the getthechancetoPick&Win cultural and social fastest LTE network this lotsofcoolprizes. developmentprograms.Visit Christmas.Forthenextthree For further details on www.digicelgroup.com for months, all new customers how Digicel is giving moreinformation. from our Christmas SIM

ExxonMobil now seeking local...

From page 13 T h e G u y a n a contracts The current separation and gas injection. Government recently issued estimate for the Gas to It will include a flare tower, a no-objection for US-based Energy project is now safety system and power partnership CH4/Lindsayca approximately US$2 2 generation capability, and to construct the 300 billion Furthermore, the crudemeteringsystem. megawatts (MW) combined Government has selected The Yellowtail offshore cycle power plant and Engineers India Limited to development is expected to natural gas liquids (NGL) supervise the Engineering, start production between facility The Administration P r o c u r e m e n t a n d 2025 and 2026 and continue decided to build the two Construction (EPC) of the to be operational for at least plants in an integrated onshore plant facility and is 20 years. During that time, it facility, as it is expected to expectedtohireanotherfirm is expected to produce savecosts. tooperatetheproject. approximately 900 million CH4/Lindsayca had The Environmental barrelsofoil. t e n d e r e d a b i d o f ProtectionAgency (EPA) on THE GAS-TO-ENERGY approximately US$898 Friday last gave the project

PROJECT m i l l i o n I n e a r l i e r its blessings following a

The Gas to Energy is submissions to the EPA, review of an Environmental expected to come on stream ExxonMobil estimated its Impact Assessment (EIA) in 2024 and provide for the aspect of the project which submitted by ExxonMobil transportation of natural gas involves building the Guyana The approval from the Liza field in the pipeline would cost US$1.3 includes development of a Stabroek Block to the Wales billion.Ithadindicatedthata Natural Gas Transport Development Zone, where higher certainty estimate Pipeline, Materials the onshore plants are to be would be forthcoming after Offloading Facility and built. the negotiation of major NaturalGasLiquidsPlant.

Guyana attends 55th CFATF meeting...

From page 15 inrelationthereto. issues identified in their Draft Mutual Cooperation and the building of Evaluation Report countries that have institutional relationships for exchange of alreadybeenassessedunderthefourth-round informationthatmayassistinneworongoing process provide updates on progress made investigationsareenhanced. sincetheirevaluation;delegatesareprovided The meetings also allow delegates the updates on outcomes for the FATF various opportunitytobenefitfromthediscussionsof meetings, and on new and emerging money the mutual evaluation of two of its close launderingthreatsintheregion. neighbors, Suriname and Venezuela, whose

Further, the meetings provide Reports are currently being discussed and opportunitiesformemberstatestodiscussthe willbefeaturedprominentlyatthePlenary implementation of new recommendations Both countries have been flagged with and strategies and difficulties that may arise variousidentifieddeficiencies.

Gregory Dean, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digicel Guyana

Bunny Shaw continues hot scoring streak as Manchester City Women blank Sunderland 3-0 in FA Cup

SportsMax - Khadijah ‘Bunny’ Shaw was once again on the scoresheet as Manchester City Women blanked Sunderland 3-0 in the FA WSL Cup on Sunday.

In a match that City dominated Shaw scored the final goal in 59th minute to seal the victory.

Manchester City dominated the match with 64 per cent possession and taking 14 shots at goal, eight of them on target keeping Claudia Moan busy throughout.

The breakthrough came early when Julie Blakstad netted in the eighth minute.

Alex Greenwood’s corner was poorly cleared by Sunderland’s defence.

Shaw’s back header then found Steph Houghton, whose clever pass found Filippa Angeldahl, who

squared for Blakstad to tap home.

Manchester City went into the break leading 1-0 but added a second early on the resumption when once again poor defending saw Hayley Raso run through to slot past Moan.

Shaw’s goal came when Houghton’s defence-splitting pass was slid home by the Jamaican striker.

The Jamaican will have a chance to add to her eight league goals this coming Sunday, when Manchester City take on Brighton Hove Albion, a team with the worst defensive record in the WSL.

Top horses among over 40 already entered for Port Mourant Turf Club meet

Most of the top horses in the country have already taken entry as excitement continues to mount for the Port Mourant Turf Club Horse race meet set for Sunday 11th December at the club’s entity, Port Mourant, Corentyne Berbice. The day’s meet is expected to be a riveting affair with close to $10M in cash trophies and other incentives up for grabs.

The venue, Known as the “big yard”, is the only one in the country that has some amount of government control and is quickly returning to its once prestigious self as the top location for horse racing in the country.

Intention and Coup d’ Etat already entered to be a part of the day’s action.

The winner will race away with a massive $2M and trophy over 8 furlongs.

Another feature event on the day’s card is for all West Indian bred horses in Guyana. The winner will take home a hefty $1M and trophy over 1mile.

The other events which will all be run over 6 furlongs and will be for H and lower horses; Two years old Guyana and West Indian bred horses; J and lower horses; J non-starter and horses that placed second and lower in J3 non-starter/ earner events

and one for K and L animals.

Sponsors already on board include Banks DIH Limited, Delmur Company Limited, KP Jagdeo General Contractors, Jumbo Jet, Kascon Engineering and Archway Snackette among others.

Interested persons can contact Therbhuwan “Gingo” Jagdeo, Dennis DeRoop and other members of the PMTC for information and emtry.

The day’s event will be conducted under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA). The coordinator is Therbhuwan “Gingo” Jagdeo.

Race time is 12:00hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

Tuesday November 29, 2022

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Your usual lazy attitude is apt to receive a burst of energy tonight, Aries. It's in your nature not to want to lift a finger, but for some reason you may be compelled to get up and get moving.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You may find your emotions difficult to deal with, Taurus, especially later in the day. Consider taking an intellectual instead of emotional approach.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Communication with others could be extremely rewarding, Gemini, especially later in the day. Project more of your energy outward and join others in projects.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Make sure you solidify your affairs early in the day, Cancer, because the sparks are going to fly after sunset. People might try to throw you off balance with fast talk and fancy ideas.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Things are looking up for you, Leo, especially later in the day. Pieces should be coming together and things flowing into place naturally. You will find that your outward-directed energy is better balanced now.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

The energy is apt to pick up in your life today, Virgo. You may be asked to report to duty. Don't make promises you can't keep. Your words will be taken seriously.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

There's extra aggression in your world today, Libra. Realize that this is probably due more to your reaction to a situation than to the situation itself. It could be that you're in conflict.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

There may be a bit of aggravation in a part of your life that's urging you to get up and do something, Capricorn. It could be that you're getting overly emotional about a certain issue.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Things are going to get better and better for you as the day progresses, Sagittarius. Try to get your grounded, practical, and logical self collected during the day.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) There may be a bit of aggravation in a part of your life that's urging you to get up and do something, Capricorn. It could be that you're getting overly emotional about a certain issue,

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You may feel a bit stodgy today, Aquarius, but things are going to pick up tonight. There will be a great deal of air to fuel your fire, and you're ready to burn.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Get things taken care of in the morning so you can be carefree and laid back in the evening. It's important for you to square things away in your head.

The management committee is also putting in the works and is leaving no stones unturned in their quest to make the venue the number one location for horse racing in Guyana.

Entries close on the 6th December and already there are over 40 entries and a number of sponsors on board as owners and sponsors hurry to get on board in what is expected to be an exhilarating day of racing.

Seven races are listed for the day with a number of feature events on the card.

The main event is open to all racehorses in Guyana. Most of the top horses in the country have already entered to be a part of the day’s affair. The likes of Alado, Our Stuie, Looking to Heaven, Ariana’s Vision, Vera’s Finally, Regal

From page 22 sixes in an over in professional cricket?

1968 - Sir Garfield Sobers (for Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan)*

1984 - Ravi Shastri (Bombay v Baroda)*

2007 - Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa v Netherlands, World Cup)

2007 - Yuvraj Singh (India v England, T20)

2017 - Ross Whiteley (Worcestershire v Yorkshire, T20)

2018 - Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends, T20)

2020 - Leo Carter (Canterbury v Northern Districts, T20)

2021 - Kieron Pollard (West Indies v Sri Lanka, T20)

2021 - Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka Army Sports Club v Bloomfield, List A)

2022 (seven) - Ruturai Gaikwad (Maharashtra v Uttar Pradesh, List A) *first-class cricket

Khadijah Bunny

Ruturaj Gaikwad: India batter hits...

Casemiro goal downs Switzerland to take Brazil into World Cup last 16

AFP A Brazil side lacking spark without the injuredNeymarneededalate strikefromCasemirotoedge out Switzerland 1 0 yesterday as the five-time winners secured their place intheWorldCuplast16with onegametospare.

The Brazilians had been

frustrated by an obdurate Swiss side at Doha’s Stadium974anditlookedas if they would have to settle for a point after a Vinicius Junior strike in the second half was disallowed for offside following a VAR check. But then, with seven minutes remaining, Bruno

Guimaraes flicked the ball on to Casemiro just inside the box and the Manchester United midfielder’s volley flew into the net with the help of a slight but significant deflection off Manuel Akanji. Tite’s side are just the second team to qualify for the last 16 after

France and the only side apart from the holders to have won both group matchessofarinQatar

With six points they will betemptedtorestplayersfor their final Group G game againstCameroononFriday, when a draw will secure themtopspot.

Switzerland, meanwhile, failed to muster a shot on target but remain on course to qualify too, with the 3-3 draw between Serbia and Cameroon earlier meaning a win against the Serbians will take Murat Yakin’s side through and a draw may also suffice. They have made a habit of making at least the firstknockoutroundatmajor tournaments, while Brazil are in Qatar to win a sixth World Cup and nothing less willdo.

TheSelecaowerealways going to miss Neymar, although coach Tite has said he is confident the Paris Saint-Germainsuperstarwill recoverfromhisankleinjury to play a part again at the finals. After the class of Richarlison made the difference in their opening

win over Serbia, this was a reminder for the Brazilians ofthestrengthindepthinthe Europeangame.

Four years ago, before being dumped out by Belgium in the quarter finals,theywerealsoheldby Switzerland in the group stage.-FredinforNeymar Yakin’s side therefore had no reason to fear Brazil, who introduced Manchester United midfielder Fred into their line-up in place of Neymar As a result they were set up in a 4 3 3 formation, with Fred and Lucas Paqueta either side of Casemiro, while Eder Militao habitually a centre-back for Real Madrid -– stood in for the injured Danilo at right-back. There were only flashes of what Brazil could do in a frustratingfirsthalf,withthe loudest cheers from the masses of supporters in yellow and green in the stands coming when the big screen showed two time World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo in the stands Vinicius had the best chance of the opening period when

he connected with a

Raphinha cross at the back post in the 27th minute, but Yann Sommer tipped the Real Madrid winger’s effort behind Switzerland were without one of their main creative sparks in Xherdan Shaqiri, who was missing due to an apparent thigh problem and replaced by Fabian Rieder ThatTite was not satisfied with Brazil’s first-half showing was clear when he hooked Paqueta at half time and sent on Rodrygo. The 21-year-old was involved when Brazil thought they had taken the lead just after the hour mark, helping gain possession in midfield before Casemiro released Vinicius to run through and beat Sommer Butthecelebrationswerecut shot as the goal was disallowed by VAR for an offside against Richarlison. Tite turned to his bench and sent on more fresh attackers in Gabriel Jesus andAntony, but the goal finally arrived from one of the least likely sources in Casemiro and Brazil saw out a deserved victory

Brazil injected some life into their performance during the second half with Vinicius Junior showing his class.

Brazil needed a late strike from Casemiro to edge out Switzerland 1-0.

Still champ!

- North Georgetown holds on to ‘Nationals’ Swimming C/Ship title

ByRawleToney

The National Aquatic Centre at Lilliendaal was buzzing yesterday, where for the first time since 2019, some of Guyana’s best student-athletes gathered to compete in the swimming category of the National SchoolsChampionships.

Over 1500 athletes and officials wil represent 15 districts at one of the most prestigioussporting events in Guyana w h i c h i s celebrating its 60th edition.

After the final splash yesterday, North Georgetow (District 11) once again claimed the swim overall title scoring a 418points.

North Georgetown usual rivals, District 10 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani), finished 67 points adrift in second place (351 points). District 7 (Cuyuni Mazaruni) was third (215 points).

East Georgetown (187), Essequibo Coast &

Pomeroon (174), Rupununi (162), East Coast Demerara (94), East Bank Demerara (94),SouthGeorgetown(77) and West Demerara (58) rounded off the top ten districts.

It’s no secret that the North Georgetown district is blessed with the gift of havingsomeofGuyana’stop swimmers attend schools within their educational zone.

And as usual, District 11’s prominent swimmers

didnotdisappoint.

Swim twins Paul and PatriceMahaicawerealmost flawless in their respective categories.

While Patrice swam unbeaten, leaving her tion in the distance, only blemish was ualification in the oys 18 and Under 50M backstroke event.

That race was won by Flavio Thomas of the Rupununi (37.41 seconds).

Both Paul and P a t r i c e r e p r e s e n t e d Guyana at the 2022 o m m o n w e a l t h es in Birmingham,

Vladimir Woodroffe was enjoying a smooth run at the championship until he was beaten by his fellow Dorado Speed Swim Club t e a m m a t e , E l l i o t t Gonsalves

G o n s a l v e s , representing the East Georgetown District, won the Boys 18 and Under Breaststroke in a time of 34 14seconds

Woodroffe swam 35 75 seconds, and Malachi T h o r n h i l l ( E a s t Georgetown) was third (48.10s).

Sekhel Tzedeq, another swimmer who competed at t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h Games,was alsounbeaten

Tzedeq won the 100m backstroke, 50m butterfly, and 50m breaststroke and teamed up with Woodroffe, Mahaica and Stephon Ramkellawan to win the boys’200mfreestylerelay

Maiya Francois Ifill, another outstanding swimmer for North Georgetown, turned in a superb performance to win the girls’ 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle and was part of the victorious 200m freestyle relay with Patrice Mahaica, Ariel Rodrigues andMoniqueWatson.

Part of the action at the National Schools Championship swimming event at the National Aquatic Centre. (Rawle Toney photo)

Maiya Francois Ifill came second in the girls’ 50m freestyle race which was won by Sea Otters’ Shareefah Lewis who was representing East Coast Demerara.

Ronika Lambert was third

Caribbean Games bronze and silver medallist Z a r a C r a n e w a s overpowering in the pool yesterday, winning all her races in the Girls U16 category

Crane, representing East Georgetown, first won the 100m backstroke,

50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke

While the focus was o n t h e c o u n t r y ’ s prominent swimmers, t h e r e w e r e s o m e o u t s t a n d i n g performances in the junior categories

David George and Shemeara Joseph were outstanding in the U10

categories forDistrict10 Stephan Lyckerish, also from District 10, in the U12 category, end the day undefeated in the 50m f r e e s t y l e a n d 5 0 m backstroke.

Eon Mc Lean and AndellaFranceofDistrict10 also turned in some eyecatchingperformancesinthe U14category

District 10 swimmers, David George, Shemeara Joseph, Stephan Lyckerish, Eon Mc Lean and Andella France after winning their respective races at the National Schools Championships. (Rawle Toney photo)

Twins, Paul and Patrice Mahaica were outstanding for North Georgetown (Rawle Toney photo)

Vladim ir Woodroffe (Rawle Toney photo)

Portugal 2-0 Uruguay: Fernandes double sends Santos’side through to last 16

Cup last-16 place with a 2-0 win over Uruguay at Lusail Stadium.

The Manchester United midfielder broke the deadlock in a scrappy Group H clash when his 54th minute cross, which was aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo, nestledinthefarcorner

He then wrapped up the points with a stoppage-time penaltyandalmosthadahattrick as Fernando Santos’ sidejoinedFranceandBrazil insealingtheirpassagetothe knockout stages with a game tospare.

The win saw Portugal avenge their 2-1 defeat by Uruguay in the last 16 of the 2018competitioninRussia.

Chances did not fall freely during the opening

half-hour, with neither side registering a shot on target.

William Carvalho’s sweetly struck volley was just too high, while Jose Gimenez sent a looping header narrowlyoverthecrossbar

The game’s first attempt on target in the 32nd minute almost provided one of the goals of the tournament when R o d r i g o B e n t a n c u r embarked on a jinking run through the Portugal defence

But the Uruguay midfielder’s finish let him

down, as he shot straight at Diogo Costa when clear on goal.

L a C e l e s t e w e r e aiming to become the first nation to record six straight clean sheets in the World Cup group stages, but they were given a warning when Joao Felix hitthesidenettinginthe51st minute.

Fernandes then opened the scoring three minutes later when his attempted centre, which Ronaldo initially appeared to faintly connect with,

evaded Sergio Rochet Uruguay looked to respond as Maximiliano Gomez rattled the post and Luis Suarez hit the side netting, but Portugal

sealed victory when Fernandes calmly slotted home from 12 yards after VAR penalised Gimenez for handball.

Fernandes twice went close to completing his hat trick in the dying moments, Rochet saving his volley before he rattled the woodwork from 20 yards

Ruturaj Gaikwad: India batter hits seven sixes in one over

BBC Sport Ruturaj Gaikwad has become the first cricketer to hit seven sixesinoneoverinalimitedoversmatch.

The India batter, 25, broke the record in a Vijay HazareTrophy quarter-final, playing for Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh in Ahmedabadyesterday

Left-arm spinner Shiva Singh was the bowler hit for seven sixes - the fifth of which came off a no-ball, earning Gaikwad an extra delivery

The 43 runs conceded also equalled the record for mostrunsoffanover

That record was set in Hamilton, New Zealand in 2018 by Northern Districts batters Joe Carter and Brett Hampton, who hit Central Districts’Willem Ludick for six sixes, a four and a single inanovercontainingtwonoballs.

Gaikwad, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League,

smashed 220 off 159 balls, including 16 sixes and 10 fours - going from 165 off 147 to 207 off 154 after his sevensixes.

The opener’s unbeaten 220 helped Maharashtra to post 330-5 from their 50 overs,onthewaytoa58-run win. In 1990, former New ZealandcaptainLeeGermon hit eight sixes in an over which went for 77 during a first-class match, albeit in

Gaikwad made his debut ODI appearance for India in October against SouthAfrica. (Getty Images)

contrivedcircumstances.

West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers was the first batter to hit six sixes in an over in professional cricket, and Gaikwad is the 10th playertodoso.

Gaikwad also equalled the record - held by three men - of hitting the highest number of sixes (16) in a single List-A(limited-overs) innings.Whohashitsix

SportsMax Bruno Fernandes scored both goals as Portugal secured a World

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Portugal’s midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes celebrate after they won the a 2022 World Cup Group H match against Uruguay. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his side’s opening goal .

(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Young West Indies face daunting Test task T against Australia

AFP - A young West Indies side head into the first Test at Perth this week without a win on Australian soil for 25 years, but Pat Cummins’ number one ranked team insist they will nottakethetouristslightly

The Caribbean side won by 10 wickets in 1997 on the back of a magnificent century from Brian Lara, coincidentally in Perth, but have not won a Test in Australiasince.

Lara will be back this week as a commentator and he called on the West Indies toputupafight.

“I am not going to say thatifweplayatourbest,we canbeatAustralia,butIwant us to show resilience,” Lara told the Herald Sun newspaper ahead of the twomatch series, which moves to Adelaide next week for a day-nightTest.

“Get the games going five days. You never know I have in the back of my mind the thought that these youngsters are up for a fight.”

S k i p p e r K r a i g g Brathwaite said they were notfocusingonpastresults.

“Obviously, past history shows it’s a long time since getting wins inAustralia and stuff, but we are focusing on ourowngoals,”hesaid.

“What is the big focus is that we have 10 days of Test cricket, and we want to be playingagood,solid10days ofTestcricket.

“We just want to make people in the Caribbean proud.”

Brathwaite is set for a new opening partner for the clash starting Wednesday in exciting left hander

TagenarineChanderpaul,the son of retired batting great Shivnarine.

He was handed a maiden call-up to the squad after John Campbell, who opened with Brathwaite against Bangladesh in June, was slapped with a four-year ban for violation of an antidopingrule.

Chanderpaul showed his mettle in a warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, hitting 119 and56.

Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and the experienced Jason Holder spearhead a dangerous pace attack, with Lara pointing to Joseph as a keythreat.

“IbelieveJosephisgoing tobespecial,andAustraliais going to know a lot more about him by the end of the series,” he said of the 26year-old.

-Mountainofruns

Despite their poor record in Australia, the West Indies will take confidence from winningbothTestseriesthey have played this year — against England and Bangladeshathome.

But they will have to be at their best to upset Australia’sstar-studdedside, who top the Test rankings aheadofIndia,withtheWest Indiesonlyeighth.

A key threat could come from Steve Smith, who has reverted to a more orthodox batting style which saw him score 94 and an unbeaten 80 inAustralia’s recent one-day seriesagainstEngland.

Former captain Greg Chappell predicted at the weekend that Smith would “make a mountain of runs

this summer” Brathwaite andhisteamwillalsoneedto tame one of the most potent paceattacksintheworld,led b y C u m m i n s , J o s h Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, and also deal with the spinofNathanLyon.

Starc is just 13 wickets away from the 300-mark w i t h p a c e f r i e n d l y conditions in Perth set to assisttheleft-armer

He is looking forward to “a good contest between bat and ball”, and said the West Indies should not be underestimated, pointing to theirhomeTesttriumphover EnglandinMarch.

“Definitely not taking any teams lightly. We know what the West Indies can serve up at their best,” Starc said.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey,

Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman K h a w a j a , M a r n u s Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc,

David Warner West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt),JermaineBlackwood, Nkrumah Bonner,

No68TurnTeamhavebookedtheirspot in the final of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) / Vishnu Super Store 50 over cricket competition for teams in the UpperCorentynearea.

In their semifinal game against No73 CutandLoad,theywonby34runsinahigh scoringencounter

Battingfirst,No68TurnTeamrattledup 204 in 34.3 overs with Anthony Dourjodan cracking 75 (1x4, 8x6), he was supported fromTotaram Persaud 44, Jason Houlsie 33 withextrascontributing33.

Bowling for No73 Cut and Load, there were 3 wickets each for N. Edwards and D.

Ramdatm, while T Assad took 2. They in reply tried gamely but fell for 168 in 34.2 overs with S. Chatterpaul 54, and N. Edwards29beingthemaincontributors.

Bowling for the winners, Persaud and Dourjodan had a good all round outings with Persaud returning to snare 4 wickets, while there were 2 each for Dourjodan and D.Sookdeo.

The second semifinal is between No73 YoungWarriorsandNo70MYO.

Thecompetitionisbeingcoordinatedby former National wicketkeeper batsman SydneyJackman.

(SamuelWhyte)

Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase,

Joshua Da Silva), Jason Holder,Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, DevonThomas

A young West Indies side head into the first Test at Perth this week without a win on Australian soil for 25 years.

Casemiro

The triumphant District 11 swim team, which won the title yesterday, take time out for a photo. (MOE photo)