Kaieteur News

LoopholeinStabroekBlockdealgivesExxon powertorevisegastermsformorebenefits

Exxon’s new focus on gas development has the potentialtoturnintoanother grave controversy, underscoringonceagain,the grave unfairness of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed in 2016 That lopsided contract allows the oil company to squeeze out fiscal terms that are even more lopsided than the currentterms.

The Stabroek block, perceived by many to be disproportionately in favour of oil giants ExxonMobil, Hess,andCNOOC,hasbeen under scrutiny for years. With ExxonMobil shifting prioritiesfromoiltogas,the controversial terms of this contractareonceagainatthe forefrontofconcern.

The crux of the matter is notjustaboutthediscoveryor extraction of gas, but about whetherthearrangementwill beequitable Thefiscalterms of the Stabroek Block

Production Sharing Agreement have long been contentious Key points like the 2% royalty rate, the 75% caponcostrecovery,a50-50 profit-sharingmodel,andthe effectivewaiveroftaxeshave been heavily criticized Furthermore, the stability clause hinders Guyana from independently seeking a renegotiation of these terms, making it even more contentious

The contract’s nonassociated gas clause may further complicate things. This provision allows ExxonMobilanditspartners a potential opportunity to negotiate even more favourableterms.

It states, “When the Contractor has provided NoticetotheMinister…ofa Non-Associated Gas discovery within the Contract Area that is of potential commercial interest,theContractorshall inform the Minister whether

theContractorbelievessuch discovery is potentially commercial under the currentAgreement terms, or if Contractor requires revised fiscal terms or contract terms under the agreementtoproceedwitha DevelopmentPlan.

“The Contractor shall propose revisions to the AgreementtotheMinisteras the basis for entering into good faith negotiations on revised terms that can provide the Contractor with a commercially competitive return on investment for development of the NonAssociatedGasdiscovery.”

In other words, this provision gives Exxon the power to bring the government back to the negotiating table to secure more benefits on gas exploitation that are in the company’s favour Unlike the Stabilization clause in

the contract, this leaves no room for the government to be in agreement or not. It also shows that the contract m a k e s r o o m f o r renegotiation, but only if it benefitsthecontractor

Given the criticism already surrounding the existing fiscal terms, such negotiations could exacerbate concerns about thecontract’sfairness.

The Government of Guyana has shown its willingness to tap into the country’s offshore natural gasresourcesbyworkingon its first-ever national gas strategy Meanwhile, ExxonMobil, after having discoveredanimpressive11 billion oil equivalent barrels offshore Guyana, has begun to redirect its focus from oil to the promising gas reserves.

Aclearindicationofthis shiftisExxonMobil’srecent

utilization of the Stena DrillMax for drilling at Haimara-2, aiming to validate the gas resources in the Haimara field This comes after the company’s significant discovery at Haimara-1 in 2019, where the company found a rich 207-foot high quality gas condensate-filled sandstone reservoir

With the Stabroek block holding an estimated 17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, industry stakeholders have already said it is clear whytheattentionisshifting. But as Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, warned, if ExxonMobilisnotproactive in monetizing these gas reserves,Guyanamightseek moreinterestedparties.

The focus on gas indeed reinvigorates the discussion about the Stabroek Block PSA’sfairness.Stakeholders believe it is crucial for

Guyana to ensure that the vast offshore resources are exploited in a manner that equally benefits both the nationanditsoilpartners.

On Sat, 30 Sept 2023, 15:35 Baron Amidala, <baronamidala@gmail com >wrote:

ExxonMobil’snewfocus ongasbringslopsidedterms of Stabroek Block deal squarelybackintofocus

In recent years, the Stabroek Block Production SharingAgreementhasbeen a central topic of debate in Guyana The agreement, perceived by many to be disproportionately in favour of oil giants ExxonMobil, Hess,andCNOOC,hasbeen under scrutiny. With ExxonMobil’s shifting prioritiesfromoiltogas,the controversial terms of this contractareonceagainatthe forefrontofconcern.

The crux of the matter is

notjustaboutthediscoveryor extraction of gas, but about whetherthearrangementwill beequitable Thefiscalterms of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement have long been contentious Key points like the 2% royalty rate, the 75% caponcostrecovery,a50-50 profit-sharingmodel,andthe effectivewaiveroftaxeshave been heavily criticized Furthermore, the stability clause hinders Guyana from independently seeking a renegotiation of these terms, making it even more contentious

The contract’s nonassociated gas clause may further complicate things. This provision allows ExxonMobilanditspartners a potential opportunity to negotiate even more favourableterms.

Itstates,“Whenthe Continuedonpage8

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

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

GDP growth, corruption, political discord

Theplussideisgrand,butthegreatweightsofcorruption and political discord tilt Guyana’s bittersweet realities into dangerousterritory Sweetbecauseofthelushrichesowned byallGuyanese,bitterduetothefatalpoisonsthataresucha hugepartoftheGuyaneseexperience.

GuyanesedonotneedaCNBCreporttoenlightenthem as to how things are here, they know because this has been their life since Independence. Corruption and political discord have been almost like close family members. The twosicknesseshavedominatedinseasonswheretherewas more,andothertimes,whentherewasalmostnothing. Like the jaws of a ferocious pitbull, corruption and political discord have latched on to Guyanese,andjustwouldnotlet go ButnowGuyanaisricherthanithaseverbeen Thereisthe CNBCreportcelebratingrealGDP(GrossDomesticProduct) projections for an incredible 115% growth in the next five years, which means the economy more than doubling Two students of Guyana’s explosive growth, one from Fitch SolutionsandtheotherfromtheUK-basedChathamHouse, didtheirlegworkandcameupwiththatGDPnumberthatis sound and solid. The Guyana Government agrees, and so alsodoestheInternationalMonetaryFund. Weatthispaper thinkthatthat115%GDPprojectionhasmerit. And,wealso agree that the two cancers of corruption and political hostility can damage national prospects, if both are not approachedurgently,honestly,andfrankly

Itislogicaltobelievethatwiththeeconomyestimatedto double in the next five years corruption could also double. Withsomuchactivityandmoneyinthelocalenvironment, andconsideringtherampantrateoflocalcorruption,thereis the first bone of contention. It is not just who cheats and swindles,butwhoisleftoutfromtakingpartinthelootingof theeconomyunderthecoverofmultimillion-dollarprojects. Insatiable greed and unending addictions to corruption unleash new animosities in those who are left out of the action Political discord feeds on, gains much strength from, the massive corruptions that are conspicuous by their size, frequency,processes,andthekindofhustlersaroundthelavish self-enrichments The lowly and the poor are the ones who feel the pain because they are outside the charmed circle of roguesandhustlers Thecircleispopulatedbycabalsinwhich manyarepolitical,otherscontractual,andtherestpartofthe hugesurroundingcastofself-dealersinthepublicandprivate sectors. This becomes an aggravating and self-fulfilling two-waystreetthatchewsontheconsciousness.

Political discord in Guyana, though ancient, gets a new leaseonlife. Allthetoxicingredientsarepresent:whogets andwhodoesn’t,whoisgivenachancetoparticipateintheir patrimony and who isn’t. Inevitably, there is this great, big slash in Guyanese society: the thin ranks of the haves, and the big and ballooning ranks of the have nots. There is an interconnection present, and no bright and inspiring GDP projectionnumberisgoingtomaketheantagonisticpolitical underpinnings (discord) go away or ease up. On the contrary,thebiggerandmorebeautifultheGDPprojections, the more likely that corruption will intensify, the more hostile, deep, and enduring the political discords that have foreverroiledthiscountry

GDP estimated to double in the coming five years is a wonderful development for Guyana. What would be even more wonderful is if the circumstances in which Guyanese live, especially those struggling with lean times, were to double in a positive direction. That is, they have spending power in their hands; they can afford more than today Additionally,theyarecomfortedbytheexperienceoffeeling the effects of GDP doubling because it touches their lives withgoodthings. Frompaytopensionstootherprovisions thatmakeallGuyanesefeelwhatitisliketobeprosperous.

Politicians owe citizens the duty to cleanup corruption, starting with themselves, and then looking at their own. Politicians must put their heads together to lift above the discord that cripples and retrenches. If not, the best GDP projectionsintheworldwouldnotbeworthmuch.

There is no discrimination in the service provided by the Ministry of Education

DEAREDITOR, Unfortunately for all of us, the political Opposition went to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, and embarrassed all of Guyana with their ineptitude

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Opposition’s own accounts, the Congressmen and women told the group to produceevidenceofanddata supporting their claims, clearly indicating that none had been forthcoming. Like theirtalkshowsandwhisper campaigns, their claims were, inter alia, of discrimination by the Government againstAfrican Guyanese.

Through the Ministry of

Education, the Government provides several services to schoolchildren,theirparents and teachers. And each and every such service is given equallyand,asfaraswecan, equitably Absolutely no discrimination happens in the provision of any service at this Ministry and indeed nonehasbeenclaimedbythe users of the system, the actual stakeholders. That is not to say several prompts and similar wild claims by theOppositionhavenotbeen made but the Citizenry has notsuccumbed.

Aspromised,werestored the ‘Because We Care’cash grant. Every single child whoattendsschoolandison

the register is eligible

Conversely, when the APNU/AFC abolished that grant they said they would replace it with one of the 5 Bs-breakfast.Youwouldbe surprised that not a single child from Region 10, Essequibo, or the East Bank receivedsaidbreakfast.

We launched the ‘Breakfast for SuccessEdutrition’ program and ALL Coastland Grade 6 students receive this In SouthGeorgetown,inCanje, in Region 10, Region 2 everywhere In the Hinterland, the children receiveaHotMeal.

We have printed and given a higher quality

exercise book than was ever given and we have bought more textbooks than our country has ever bought. Each child received those in thesamequantityregardless of which community their schoolresides.

We have begun to give school grants to each school to allow for independence and autonomy in the purchase of janitorial, office andfieldsupplies.

EVERY single school is getting this grant. In an aim for equity, the Hinterland schoolsaregettingmoreper child with each in the Hinterland and each school ontheCoastlandreceiving

(Continuedonpage06)

Is there Compensation Management in the Public Service?

DEAREDITOR, When one hears of the d i s p u t e s b e t w e e n Governmentsanda)Guyana Public Service Union, b) Guyana Teachers’ Union respectively, one has to wonder about the lack of sympathyoftheformer,who in the same breath endorses GAWU’s settlements of remuneration packages’ in newCollectiveAgreements.

I n a n y c o n t e x t ‘Remuneration” means more than just ‘Salary’ It implies the respective amounts bargained and agreed for the full collection of employees ie professional to unskilled While in the Private Sector organisationsitisnotnormal to bargain compensation packages, the more competentconsultantswould be expected to utilize certain principles of establishing logical relativities

Nevertheless,whilesuchskills would have obtained in some publicsectororganizations,the fact is that the current compensation structure for PublicServantswasestablished in 1999 by the Consultancy Peat Marwick Mc Lintock,

possibly unknown to any currentauthority

The most ambitious union leadership speaks of increasing (defunct) salary scales There is hardly substantive reference, on increasingly changing ‘job contract’ and consequently ‘job values’ There is minimal reference to the relationship to increased training and improved qualifications and experiences for example how does one reconcile the use of advanced technology withtheperennialdescriptor of ‘Clerk/Typist’ to ‘Typist/Clerk’?

Similarly,inthenextbreath “performance Appraisals’ is unmentionable, as there is no incrementintheallegedsalary scale that is utilized in recognition either for the year’s performance or for promotion There has been only annual increases impersonally awarded not necessarily every year of the lastthreedecades.

Then one wonders how ‘acting allowance’ is complicated, for example, in the cases of Chancellor of the

The Opposition in Washington on discrimination charges

JudiciaryandChiefJusticeand Justices respectively, is it pensionable, accountable for NIScontributions?Thefactis that ‘scales’constitute a most prevalent fiction in the life of thePublicServant

The ‘unmentionable is knowntothemoreinformed as‘Bunching’.Itmeansthat the employee remains at the same stage in his/her assigned scale as a direct result of the compulsive ‘annualincreases’.

In brutal terms, unless promoted/transition, who start at the minimum, beholds a future at the minimum, accompanied by new appointees at the same level All administrations have been proud of such consistency, or is it constipation from the Union’s perspective. Both parties however, seem resolved not to compare notes with their Caricom partners where our government is leading in infrastructureperformance.

It is within this compensation environment thatthepensionablepublic

(Continuedonpage09)

ThankyouforeducatingusGlennLall

DEAREDITOR, TherearemanyGuyanesewhoaretrying to sensitise this nation about what ExxonMobilisdoingtoGuyanabutnoneof them is more blunt and passionate as Mr GlennLall,theownerofKaieteurNews.

It’s because of Mr Lall that some PPP diehardsarenowrecognisingthattherewere connedfordecadesbythescamspecialistsof theworld.

Guyanese at home and abroad are informedofthebrutalrapecarriedoutonthis nation by a company known for hurting

developedcountrieswithoutmercy

I say to Mr Glenn Lall, a big thank you for educating this nation about one of the biggestfraudsofthe21stcentury Ihopethat the new government that should have men thatareunbribableandarepreparedtodiefor thesakeofthisblessedland,giveMrLall,the OrderofExcellence.Hemorethandeserves it.

Yoursrespectfully, WaveneyRampersaud.

Editor’snote:

Youaremostwelcome.

DEAREDITOR, TheOppositionparties–in and out of Parliament –andseveralaffiliatessuchas IDPADA-G, went up to Washington last week to a t t e n d a t w o - d a y “Conference on Guyana” hosted by the Brooklynbased GCID. Inter alia, the attendeesmetwithmembers of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) where they presented their case that the PPP government was practicing “rampant discrimination and nepotism” against African Guyanese in all sectors of nationallifebutespeciallyin the economic sphere. These accusations had been strenuously made sinceAug 2, 2020 when the PPP was finallyallowedtotakeoffice after five months of high political drama following their victory at the March, 2ndpolls.

But during the meeting, whentheCBCaskedfordata to substantiate the claims, the Guyanese supplicants were unable to do so to the former’ssatisfaction.Thisis rather surprising since Mr Nigel Hughes had produced a widely circulated Opposition dossier purporting to demonstrate conclusively with exactly such evidence that the vast majority of state contracts, commercial land transfers and other boondoggles had been given to Indian Guyanese while excluding African Guyanese. It would appear that the CBC agreed with the PPP government that discrimination was not proven since African

Guyanese companies had not submitted bids for the awarded contacts. Identical claims on awards of oil blocks would have also demanded“evidence”.

I am asserting that this lack of evidence to buttress claimsofdiscriminationwas “surprising” they have been made for decades – starting from 1992 after the free and fairelectionsofthatyearsaw the PPP acceding to office after two decades of rigged elections by the PNC. After violent street protests following the PPP’s win in 1997, Caricom-brokered Herdmanston Accord resulted in four bipartisan Parliamentary Sectoral Committees – Economic, Natural Resources, Social ServicesandForeignAffairs – created to “scrutinize” governmental activities in real time The rotating Chairs of the Committees were evenly split between the Government and the Opposition and the Committees had the power t o s u m m o n a n y governmental official to answer any question within itspurview

When I represented

ROAR in parliament between 2001 to 2006, we were very interested in the Government’s strategic plan for sugar and were able to havetheOppositionChairof the Economic Services Committee convene several meetings to which government and Gusuco officials were summoned to provide hard data on the industry’s performance I remember that Government members of the Committee Komal Chand, head of GAWU, and Donald Ramotar asking probing questions to the testifying officials I have often commented on the collegial relations between the members of the government andopposition,unlikeonthe floor of the National Assembly where the rules almost compelled an adversarialposture.

From another angle, because of our severely divided society was reflected in our politics (or vice versa) we have also persistently called for “Ethnic Impact Statements” (EIS) to be issued by the governmentasitcrafted and

(Continuedonpage06)

True development can only come to any country when there is peace

DEAREDITOR, President Irfaan Ali while in Britain for the coronation of King Charles III took the grand opportunity to meet with some of the heads of government of other countries, The Rwandan President,PaulKagamewas oneofthem.

Being a developing country like ours, there would have been many important things to discuss, things pertaining to the development of both countries.

Rwanda is a success story when it comes to the development of a Third WorldCountry

We are talking here about a Third World countrymovingawayfrom the backwater of under development, to one that can stand up and take its place as an honoured and developingcountry

Yes, we can truly identify with Rwanda having gone through those dark traumatic experiences of conflict and bloodshed, yet rising like a phoenix from the ashes, to renewed strength and future development

Now, there are a few

thingsthatIwouldlikeusto direct our attention to the violencefactorandsenseless killingsofpeople.

like Rwanda, we’ve had ourfairshareofviolenceand subversiveactivitiesthrough the years, speaking of, peoplepittedagainstpeople, political party against political party, race against race,thechiefobjectiveinit all,todivideanddestroythis country for the narrow political ambitions of a few For this same reason I took keen interest when mass murderer Rhondell Willams madehisdaringescapefrom prison.

What was in it for us, were we to see another periodofbloodshed?

As a former notorious member of Fineman’s b r a i n w a s h e d “revolutionaries,” were we again in to another episode of mass murders such as the Lusignan and Bartica Massacres?

Yes, we remember those days when it seems that this countrywasteeteringonthe vergeofacivilwar

We remember! We remember those fiery speechesofthosewhothrive on hate, division and the murder of those their

TheOppositioninWashington...

Frompage05 embarkedonprogrammes.

The rationale being that inevitably there will be accusations hurled of the t y p e w e h e a r d i n Washington.

opponentssaying,“turnyour guns in the right direction.”

Werememberthosedays.

S o , w i t h e a g e r anticipation we waited and watched the Lawmen’s response to the recapture of this the remnant of a mass murderergang?

Hewasrecaptured,dead ofcourse,afittingendtoone who believed in the ghastly deedofman’sinhumanityto man.

The usual suspects never savoured Lawmen recapturing this element, rather they were in cheerleader euphoria at his escape and in like manner gloatedintheviolencethat he was expected to carry out But that did not happen thanks be to The A l m i g h t y , t o Commissioner Hicken and Crime Chief Blanhum We w i l l k e e p t h e s e professionals in their post for as long as the constitutionaffordsus.

The point is our country must move forward in the spirit of peace and development, simply put true development can only come to any country when thereispeace.

RespectfullySubmitted

Neil Adams

The EIS could elaborate on steps taken to ensure the widest ethnic participation and identify reasons why certainskewedresultsmight stillensue.

Those reasons that militate against wider participation might then be the basis of governmental actionstomitigatesame.

While in Government, both major parties have stubbornly refused to accept this suggestion which could neutralizemuchoftheextant bitterdenunciations.

Another source of surprise to me was the representative of IDPADAGalsobemoaningthelackof statistics on the ethnic p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n governmental programs

Against the aforementioned long-standingaccusationsof PPP’s anti-African Guyanese bias, I have always assumed this would have been one of their priorities.

I believe that they had conductedasurveyoncash grants during the COVID outbreak that were allegedly skewed and felt this hand evidence would havebeenpresented

On the other foot, last year PM Phillips broke the PPP’s reticence on ethnic

impact statements when he addressed anti-African Guyanese discrimination claims by an Opposition affiliated “Institute for A c t i o n A g a i n s t Discrimination” (IAAD) that of 11,000 house lots then allocated, “more than 50%” – went to African Guyanese.

In my estimation, I do believe that we need more hard data from both sides of the aisle on the effects of governmental programmes or else the heat of the accusations might result in societalaccusations.

“Ifmendefinesituations as real, they are real in their consequences”.

Sincerely

Ravi Dev

serviceprovided..

Frompage4 the same amount of money perchild.

R e s u l t i n g f r o m conscious, deliberate action, forthefirsttimeeverthereis no limit on the number of teacherswecantrain.

We will graduate this year more than 2300 teachers, the largest batch evertograduateinanygiven year anywhere in the CommonwealthCaribbean.

ALL applicants who wereeligiblewereadmitted. Not a soul was turned away becauseoftheirethnicity

We have built, repaired and rehabilitated more than 1000 schools in the country in every area of this land. Indeed, only today I commissioned the HaslingtonNurserySchool.

As promised, we o ff e r e d G u y a n e s e opportunities to study to achieve degrees, masters and Ph D s in renowned overseas Universities on the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and on Get Ready For Opportunities toWork(GROW)

Not a single applicant was refused acceptance because ofethnicityandthe pictures of the several graduating classes will evidencethis.

We regularized the employment of sweeper cleaners in all schools moving them from being temporary workers to beingcontractualworkers with benefits of gratuity, l

certainty, etc Each and every sweeper - African, Indian, Amerindiancleaner was treated the sameway Editor,Icangoonandon andon.

I invite anyone who wishes to check for themselves to see whether anypolicyatthisMinistryor indeed any other, discriminates against any ethnicity

This service, with equality and equity, has beguntoshowrealresults.In two years under the PPP/C, there are more children living at the Amerindian Dorms in Turkeyen attending the National Schools (QC, Bishops’, St Stanislaus, St Rose’s, St Joesph’s) than there were for all five years before that which means that more children than ever before from the Hinterland are able to excel at the primary exit In the last NGSA result, there were more children from the public school system who earned the National schools than privateschoolchildren

At CXC more diversity was also seen in not only the top performers but in t h e p e r c e n t a g e matriculationofschoolsin variouscommunities

While the world continues to struggle with p e r f o r m a n c e i n mathematics,andwearenot exempt from that, Guyana r e c o r d e d b e t t e r performancesbyfarthisyear

with almost 700 candidates more than last year earning passes in Mathematics with Grades1,2and3.

In senior, impactful positionswehaveofficersof every ethnicity, and particularly of African heritage, who were hired or retainedbythisGovernment, who dedicatedly serve Guyanadaily

The APNU/AFC would neverbeabletomakesucha claim.Wemustbereminded also that it was the APNU/AFC who removed from their positions and postsMessrs.

Olatocumbo Sam and Marcel Hutson and others, including some ordinary secretaries and office staff, but all African Guyanese who were, in the first place, hiredorbroughtonintosaid senior positions by the PPP/CGovernment.

Editor, there is much to dointhisbeautifulland.

And if indeed there is discrimination we must all shoutitfromtherooftopand fixit.

But where there isn’t we m u s t d o a s t h e congresspeople did: firmly dismissthosewhotriflewith ourtimeandemotionsusing thetiredoldracecard.

This country, this generation won’t be pawns in that anachronistic game. Thereisnoplaceforthelazy, backward, bigoted, racebaiting politics of the PNC/APNU/AFC.

Sincerely,

PriyaManickchand MinisterofEducation

Thereisnodiscrimination inthe

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY!

In case you haven’t heard, please

Sunday September24,2023

WhenwilltheNatural ResourcesMinister facethemedia?

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has held several press conferences to address an array of issues, including breaking down his oversight role in the oil and gassector

Butthemanwhoactually hasday-to-dayresponsibility for the industry, Natural ResourcesMinister,Vickram Bharrat has been silent for overthreeyears.

For how long does he intend to hide behind the shadowoftheVicePresident, before coming to terms with the fact that he owes this nation due accountability on critical matters such as the running of the Petroleum Divisionunderhispurview

When will the Natural Resources Minister face the media on critical issues within the oil industry or must we mount a year-long protestforthattoo?

Grow a pair, Minister Bharrat!

Monday September25,2023

Singingfromthesame hymnsheet

To stand up against ongoingVenezuelanhostility

and potential aggression, all Guyanese need to be on the samepage,thinkandoperate asone.

Thisistheonlymannerin which the ambitions of our neighbour could be given an abruptwakeupcall.

Wemaybesmall,butwe will not be pushovers, as every centimeter of territory would be defended by whatevermeansittakes.

Tuesday September26,2023

GOVT.BYTHEPEOPLE

Guyanesetookmattersin theirownhands!

They gave themselves a holidayyesterday!

They didn't care what HomeAffairssay…

They didn't care what EducationMinistrysay…

They didn't care what Jagdeo Facebook page say aboutfakenews!

G u y a n e s e g a v e themselvesaholiday!

PowertothePeople!

Why not take matters in your own hands with oil wealth?

Wednesday September27,20

Runningracketwithour oilmoney

ItisobviousthatVice PresidentBharratJagdeois clutchingatstrawstodefend

whatcannotbedefendedpoliticaloversightbeing madesuperiortothatofan independentPetroleum Commissionstaffedby experienced,resourceful people.Yes.hesaidthatat hislastpressconference whenquestioned.

How did he come to his easy,self-servingconclusion that, “it would have gone through” if a Petroleum Commission was standing guardovertheaudit? Jagdeo is pushing what sells his position that political oversight is better than a Petroleum Commission, while pretending that those sitting on such a sensitive national protective body would be dummies, and giveaway the house without knowingit.

Jagdeoiscomingupwith allkindsofillogic,andvapid positions to justify not having a Petroleum Commission. It is to allow politicians and their flunkies to run rackets, as we now have with this precontract audit.

ThursdaySeptember 28,2023

Wherewerethechecks andbalances?

Amid the US$214M ExxonMobil audit fiasco, all fingers are now being

effort to channel positive

pointed to Ministry of Natural Resources personnel asthemainparticipantsinthe so-called “unauthorized” actions.

We are told that the ministry people were the ones who took it upon themselvestoclose-outdeals withExxonMobilforover90 percent in write-downs from the US$214 million, ostensibly without anybody knowing.

Where were the checks andbalances?

Who has oversight responsibilities over the employeesnowfallinginthe category of maverick (to put akindspinofit);orrogues,to call things as they are? Was the minister at sea during all this time? Was he asleep at the wheel when an ExxonMobil audit was the subject of uncertainties and uneasiness from the inception?

FridaySeptember 29,2023

Piginbag

Guyanese are being sold a pig in a bag, with the announcement that what unfolded at the Natural ResourcesMinistrytoreduce Exxon's inflated expenses from US$214M to US$3M was “unauthorized.” This

certainly stretches intelligence and credulity pastthebreakingpoint.

Somebodyatthisporous and errant ministry has to be particularly bold, extraordinarilyclever.

While the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was working diligently on one track with this audit to come to a satisfactory place, there were others at the ministry who had their own twisted ideas, possibly their own undocumented orders, with a different endpoint in mind.

SaturdaySeptember 30,2023

'Puttingcattowatchmilk'

LastweekVicePresident, Bharrat Jagdeo announced the Ministry of Natural Resources is conducting an investigationintowhatledto a decision to reduce ExxonMobil's questionable US$214M expenses to US$3M.

To put people from the Ministry of Natura Resources, or to have the ministry'semployees,near any probe of auditfiascois intelligence of people.

In this support the position Leader of the

Mr AubreyNorton.

This foolishness by the PPPC Government has been triedbefore,anditistimethat itcomestoahalt.

WehaveseentheGuyana Police Force and other institutionsgoingthroughthe motions of investigating t h e m s e l v e s w h e n wrongdoings are alleged Whenthosecomeintobeing, they are not only exercises thataredoomedtofailureand endlesssecond-guessing,but theyalsomakeamockeryof Guyanese.

The PPPC Government really ought to think deeply andheavilybeforeitengages in these charades about probes that fool no one. Clearly,sometypeoftrickery occurred, so why add what comes across as more trickery to infested

Nurses, staff at Mahaicony Hospital decry poor working conditions

Nurses and other staff at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital are calling on the regional authorities toprovidemuchneededequipment forthemtoexecutetheirtasksinan effectiveandefficientmanner.

The frustrated staff told KaieteurNewsthattheyareunable toproperlyservecitizenswhovisit thehospitalforcareandtreatment.

On Saturday, angry employees told this publication that this situation has been affecting them forthepasttenyears,andthatlittle has been done by authorities to rectifythesituation.

Creditable sources at the institutionnotedthatinalmostallof the hospital's departments, they have suffered severely, and are unable to offer effective medical service to the public. They noted thatasaresult,theyarefacedeach day by irate patients, who are frustratedbythesituation.

At the Dental Clinic, staff are agonized because of the fact that equipment used for oral hygiene, teeth cleaning, and other mouth care,aredysfunctional.

A Kaieteur News reporter

visited the institution recently to have his teeth cleaned and was made to wait for three hours as the dentist struggled to get the equipment to work. Staff told this publication that repeated requests havebeenmadefornewequipment but,tonoavail.

KaieteurNewsunderstandsthat all departments are required to place requisition orders as well as

indicated the equipment that require servicing Despite the submissionofallrequirements,the staffatthehospitalcontinuetowait for the provision of the much neededequipment.

It was indicated that the orders are forwarded to the Region Five's Regional Executive Officer (REO) whointurnwouldconsultwiththe Regional Health Officer (RHO) at

theirannualbudgetmeetings.

Asimilarsituationoccursatthe Hospital's Rehabilitation Department. Sources told Kaieteur News that staff are expected to offer therapy to patients with disabilities, with a non-functional treadmill, and an exercise bicycle thatisoutoforder Thebicyclewas reportedlydonatedtotheinstitution afewyearsagobuthasbeenparked

duetobeingdysfunctionalformore thantwoyears.

Asaresultofthedysfunctional equipment,staffarerequiredtofind creativewaysofprovidingtherapy forthepatients.Severalrequestsfor the equipment to be serviced, repaired or replaced have apparentlyfallenondeafears.

KaieteurNewsunderstandsthat after a prolonged period, the staff were able to acquire electrical nerve stimulators and heat pads through an overseas donor Given the failure by the regional authorities to provide the much needed equipment, the staff have lefthopeindonors.

As a result of the deficiencies, the nurses and other caregivers have faced constant verbal abuse from patients who are frustrated because of the lack of “proper care”. They are pleading with the regional authorities to work earnestly to have the situation restoredtonormalcyandtaketheir needsseriously

Attempts to contact Region Five's Regional Executive Officer provedfutile.

be informed that as part of our continued

changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation.

The Mahaicony Cottage Hospital

Nothing will come of the Washington Conference

The APNU+AFC, Guyana’s main Opposition party, finds itself engulfed skepticism and mistrust. At present it is on a mission in Washingtontolobbysupport for good governance in Guyana.

Butismustnotbefooled byouterappearances.

While it may enjoy the normal courtesies associated with private Congressional engagements,thereisacloud of doubt hanging over its commitment to democratic politics The APNU+AFC attempts to benefit from rigged elections in Guyana have raised questions about their commitment to operate withrespectforthenormsof electoraldemocracy

The passage of three years since the dubious attempt to steal the 202 general and regional elections will not erase from thepublicmindstheattempts toderailthe2020elections,a development that raised serious concerns across the Caribbean

The attempt to frustrate the democratic will of the people was internationally condemned, including by international organizations andgovernments.

This episode hurt the credibility and legitimacy of the APNU+AFC and while politicalfiguresintheUnited States are likely to be courteous to them, they are not likely to be taken seriously

The hypocrisy of lobbying the US politicians could not be more glaring. It was the APNU+AFC which accused the United States government of ‘installing’ the PPPC government in office. Yet now it wants to lobbyUSpoliticianstoforce the government to practice goodgovernance.

Perhaps while it is the United States it would prepare its dossier as to the evidence it has about voter fraud in Guyana during the 2020elections.

The hypocrisy represents

astarkandconfoundingtwist in the narrative in which the US was vehemently accused of “installing” the PPPC government in Guyana. The same APNU+AFC which pushes this narrative now finds itself Washington, D C , lobbying for good governance.

The very allegations the APNU+AFC hurled at the U.S. government appear to have been forgotten or conveniently set aside in their pursuit of international support. This about-face raisesfundamentalquestions about the sincerity of their claimsandtheircommitment todemocraticvalues.

Itreinforcestheideathat political expediency, rather than principled conviction, may be at the heart of their actions.

Italsoraisesconcernasto theAPNU+AFC’smotives.

Those politicians in Washington are not easily fooled.

They will question whether the APNU+AFC is on a genuine quest for good governance in Guyana or whether the lobby efforts of theAPNU+AFCisdrivenby acalculatedattempttoregain politicalpower

The APNU+AFC’s efforts to lobby the Congressional Caucus for supportandgoodgovernance in Guyana appear somewhat ironic.

The Caucus, no doubt, will scrutinize the party’s claimsandintentionsclosely

Theywillbeawareofthe allegations against the APNU+AFC and will likely see through any attempts at manipulationorhypocrisy

The APNU+AFC has to first provide evidence and assurance that they are committed to democratic principles and free and fair elections.

The APNU+AFC cannot credibly speak about good governance when it is being accused of attempting to benefit from rigged elections,therebyattempting to derail the democratic

process.

For the PNCR, restoring credibility and transparency will be a long and arduous journey They must d e m o n s t r a t e t h e i r commitment to democratic principles before they can claim the moral authority to s p e a k a b o u t g o o d governance Nothing will come of the Washington Conference.

The APNU+AFC will find little traction for their c l a i m s o f e t h n i c discrimination.

They have already been told to go and get the evidence.

This is simply not the right time for a discredited Opposition to be lobbying Washingtonstillreelingfrom the political ramifications of thestormingoftheCapitol.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on that fateful day sent shockwaves across the political spectrum, both within the United States and aroundtheworld.

T h e i m a g e s o f insurrectionists breaching the heart of American democracy served as a sobering reminder of the fragility of democratic institutions.

In the aftermath of this unprecedented event, politicians of all stripes found themselves compelled to distance themselves from undemocraticforces.

This has forced many leaders in Washington to reevaluate their political alliances.

Many lawmakers who hadpreviouslyflirtedwithor tolerated extremist elements felt a renewed sense of responsibility to uphold the principlesofdemocracy.

The storming of the Capitolactedasacatalystfor a re-commitment to the peaceful transition of power and the rule of law, emphasizing the importance of distancing oneself from any movement or group that t h r e a t e n e d t h e s e fundamental democratic norms As such the

IsthereCompensationManagement...

Frompage5 servants succumbs to the preferential treatment brazenly dispensed to preferred ‘Contracted Employee’, without discussion between Government and Opposition, or withoutqueryfromanyunion.

But after all the fulmination it would be appropriate for the GPSU to seek authentic comparability of employment conditions between respective levels of a) permanent and b) contracted public servants in the alleged categories below: i.Administrative ii. SeniorTechnical iii.

Other Technical & Craft Skilled iv.

Clerical and Support Staff v.Semi-Skilled andUnskilledOperatives Exceptthatallthe

parties will have to agree to invite Peat MarwickMcLintocktoredefinethenewjob categories in this internationally oriented technological world, then apply new job valuesinthisOiledEconomy

In the process account will have to be taken of a) Years of Service b) Applicability of Qualifications c)Leave Conciliation d)Leave PassageAllowance e) Transportation f) HousingAllowance g) Gratuityh) Pensioni) MedicalInsurance

j)Safety/Protection Allowance k) Other Union Issues – Performance Appraisal, debunchingetc.

Yourssincerely,

EB

politicians in Washington will be cautious when d e a l i n g w i t h t h e APNU+AFC given its track record.

But that will be as good as it gets. (The views expressed inthisarticlearethoseofthe a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaperanditsaffiliates.)

Development in the midst of differences

“Development will only occur when we learn to get past our differences.” This was what a Guyanese shared with me the other day I totallyagree. ItiswhyIhave the interest, take the time, focus energies to contribute my two cents, or half a cent, totheurgentnationalneedfor getting to where we should developmentally, by overcoming what stands as the rigid differences inhibitingourway

Development for today's

purposes is defined as the national spaces and heights that Guyana should occupy, considering our cornucopia ofrichgifts.

Differences are that combination of negatives, handicaps, and limitations thatdilutenationalpotential, drag down individual and collective will. We can and will attain a state of development that sparkles, butfirsttheremustcomethe willingnesstolearnfromour past mistakes, our present

errors. Ihavemadethem,am almost certain that faltering willvisitagain.

One of the major differences that haunt and hurt badly is that we tell ourselves that the fount of knowledge and wisdom is oursexclusively Noticethat Isay'we',soallareincluded. Development will not occur with the quality, speed, and durability that it should, when what is seen are enemies in the midst Indeed, it is an almost

Guyanese Critic part of company which receives $865M pump station contract

insurmountable difference, for there is instant dismissal of any idea that clashes, no matter how slightly, with what is held as infallible. Because it comes from me, from this side of the social equation. Forexample,Isay to a leader of standing that this oil can be managed better, and the result is not j u s t m e r e l y h a r d disagreement, but attacks with weapons dripping and reekingofmaliceandvitriol. The acids within have corroded whatever ability there was to think expansively, cleanly, unselfishly, and nationally Truly nationally Therefore, narrow purposes are served by the willful abandonment of any ethos that lifts past differences, that holds the probability, however unlikely, to power us to the development mileposts that shouldbeoursforthetaking.

It starts with managing ourselvesbetter Icallonour leadersandgroups.

No idea should be too radical,ortooalien,thatitis swept off the table of consideration. Noindividual is so treacherous as to be detrimental to national progress.

No conversation is so contrary that it is instantly derided. Asasignofmyown expansiveness, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is very much part of any formulathatworks. So,too, is the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton. It is a sign that, despite the handiwork of Dr Jagdeo (andheknowsthatultimately thesumofitishis)hurledin this direction, I can still rise andencirclehimaspartofthe solution. Ipubliclytablethat as standard, a tiny value paradigm, for getting past grievous differences that

infest any one side. I totally disown any association with whatembitters.

We all know that raw bitterness haspoisonedussomuchthat wehavecometolovetodrink from that lethal cup. Our history hobbles Our punishing memories do not allow recalibrating and restarting Unless differences, whatever they may be, are worked through honestly, worked around constructively, they will foreverhauntthisnation,and dilute its raw development potential. Racialdifferences can be overcome, but they will not be, if we permit ourselves to be enslaved by the demons that twist thinking, warp spirits, cloud eyesight.

Politicaldifferenceswill never be given a chance to mend,butfedwithanyfuelto fester Leadership differences(theywithme,or vice versa [or with each other]),willperpetuatewhen grudges tarnish mentalities, make the environment radioactive I will not participate in the selfdestructive, what devastates nationally

The nourishment of wisdom rests with sincerity, plus a little humility, as bolsteredbyalotofintegrity, which can only provide us with the attributes that make us into masters of our own destiny The insights will come, and the courage of convictions.

This is neither concept nor of the abstract: apply all oftheseinoureconomicand political environments, and theresultswillconfirm.

About five years ago, I stated publicly that the oil contractisdisliked,butthatit

s infused with blood money, andtermstomatch. Nobody listened,everybodysmirked. Today, the Venezuelans speak about their fears [allegations] of American intervention on Guyana's side of its border dispute/controversy

The detested 2016 oil contract bonded Guyana to Exxon, which meant AmericaisboundtoGuyana. Itisthesteepestofpremiums, but today that genie fills the room I hope that our differences with Venezuela can be dealt with satisfactorily

Wecandevelop,butthere must be harder, really genuine,tryingatgettingpast our debilitating differences. It starts with developing ourselves,andinthequestfor self-improvement As thinkers. As writers. As leaders.

As a citizen, a neighbor, and a contributor The unselfish and self-sacrifice aremandatoryingredientsof anynationalsuccessstory

Itstartswithme,andnot the other man, must be my mentality It begins with what I can do today, with learningfromwhathappened yesterday

There is growing, with growing there is developing, andwithdeveloping,thereis theopeningfordifferencesto be overcome. Maybe there are many Guyanese who thinkthesameway

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this

Rum thief jailed for six months

A Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident was on Friday sentenced to six months in prison for stealingrum.

The resident, 40-yearold Kayum Khan of Grove, SeaDam,EBD,appearedat the Diamond Magistrates' Court before the Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce wherethechargewasreadto him.

Khan was accused of breaking into Trust Mart Supermarket, owned by Yu

21:00hrs on Monday and 07:30 hrs on Tuesday and stolerumandcigarettes.

Khan stole a case of Absolute Vodka valued at $48,000, one bottle Johnny Walker Black Label valued at$13,000,onebottleof12year-old El Dorado Rum valued at $7,200 and 25 cartonsofcigarettesvalued at$100,000.

Khan did not waste the court's time and admitted immediately to stealing the supermarket's rum and cigarettes.

i

Week-in-Review during the first six months of the year

SUNDAY

During the same periodJanuary to June 2023- Guyana

Guyana’s first US$1.6B oil received a measly share of its audit sets dangerous precedent wealth from the Stabroek Block, a for US$40B in bills still totalofUS$658million. to be checked-APNU

According to the report, “The capital account recorded a lower

Guyana’s first audit of oil deficit of US$238.7 million from expenditure, racked up by US$939 0 million at end-June ExxonMobil for exploration 2022. This was the result of net activities in the Stabroek Block outflow of US$658.4 million in oil between the period 1999 and 2017, revenue to the Natural Resource has erupted into chaos with the Fund (NRF) and US$4,033 8 country now at loss for what may million in cost recovery lieahead. (withdrawal of equity) by the oil

With the industry rapidly and gas sector despite higher developing, with over 33 inflows to the private sector in the discoveries made in the Stabroek formofForeignDirectInvestments Block alone, some industry experts (FDIs).” believe Guyana is grossly

The report also highlights a unprepared to manage the 98 4 percent growth of the resources offshore. In fact, Guyana petroleumandgassectorduringthe has been struggling to keep apace halfyearperiod. with its rapidly developing

According to the Central Bank, petroleum industry as billions in “The industry recorded crude oil bills submitted by Exxon and production of 68.7 million barrels, partners are yet to be reviewed, anincreaseof98.3percentfromthe whilethecountryisnowlookingto corresponding period last year The import labour to meet the human Low told Kaieteur News that operationalised, no one has been uploads of procurement average daily production for the resourceshortage. withthereductionofthecostsfrom updating the section on well opportunities and oil production period was 379,334 barrels, an

With some U$$214 million in US$214 million to US$3 million, activities.Thelastwellinformation data; no one seems to have been increase of 96.1 percent when costsflaggedbyaBritishauditoras Guyanese are now left to fear what availableonthewebsiteisaboutthe entrusted with the job of compared to the daily average of questionable, for US$1.6 billion in may be the outcome of the audits Turbot-2 well, where ExxonMobil maintaining the information flow 228,880 barrels for the b i l l s r e v i e w e d f o r t h e yettobeundertaken. announced a discovery in on the website, to keep the corresponding period in 2022, due ExxonMobil’s activities, the He said, “With this audit September2021-twoyearsago. Guyanese public and the industry to the additional FPSO (Floating Opposition believes this has set a controversy,oilcompaniesmustbe Since then, ExxonMobil has in-the-know Production Storage and Offloading dangerousprecedentofthereviews wondering whether they can drilled more than 15 exploration Even with respect to oil Vessel).” still to be undertaken. In an invited potentially bypass the Guyana and appraisal wells, and continues production data, the Ministry of Guyana’s second FPSO, the comment earlier this week, Revenue Authority and Guyana’s to execute a very active campaign. Natural Resources is yet to fix its Liza Unity, achieved first oil in Economic Advisor to the laws.”

CGX Energy’s Kawa-1 and Wei-1 problematic user interface.About a February 2022, while the country’s Opposition Leader, Elson Low told The Economist pointed out that wells are not reflected on the site. month ago, all of the data had first FPSO commenced operations this newspaper that with the first with the British auditor flagging Neither is Repsol’s Beebei-Potaro disappeared from the site. After inDecember2019. reviewmarredwithcontroversy,oil over US$200 million in costs as well,whichwasdrilledlastyear.As Kaieteur News reported the issue, Both vessels have been companies must be taking notes to questionable from the US$1.6 forwellsinwhichdiscoverieswere thegraphswerereturnedtothesite. optimized by the operator of the plottheirfuturemoveshere. billion exploration costs, Guyana made, there is no indication of the Butitsfunctionalitywassoreduced Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil Guyana recently concluded an could expect inflated costs sizeofthediscovery that the oil production data became Guyana Limited (EMGL) to auction for 14 of its oil blocks with amountingtobillionsofUS-dollars Apart from a heap of missing unreadable. producebeyondtheinitialtargets. eights of the spots attracting the fromfutureaudits. information on well activities, Several days ago, the Ministry The Liza Destiny is designed to attentionofinvestors.

More importantly, Low noted several other sections of the added oil production data for the safely produce 120,000 barrels per

In the meantime, ExxonMobil that failure by the government to website are missing crucial month ofAugust 2023, but it was a day (bpd), however the GoG in its anditspartnershavebeeninvesting contest those costs or to allow a information from the past two useless upload because of the Mid-Year Report recently released billions of US-dollars to develop reduction from the oil companies years. format in which it has been said that production has been the resources already discovered in can deprive the country of much- One section is for uploads of presented The Ministry had rampedupto153,000bpd. the Stabroek Block. These costs neededrevenuetoboostthequality Monthly and Quarterly reports of acknowledged several weeks ago Meanwhile, on the second whichmustberepaidby Guyanain oflivesforitscitizens. the Natural Resource Fund (NRF). that there were issues, but up to FPSO, which was designed accordance with the 2016 He added, “Accurate audits are However, the last report uploaded September 23, the graph interface accordingtoitsEnvironmental Production Sharing Agreement vital to ensure Guyana can project was for September 2021 The was not returned to its previous (Continued on page 13) (PSA) must be reviewed through revenue and therefore service its website is therefore missing more interactivestate. the audit process to ensure the debts as well as deliver on than 30 NRF reports from country was not billed for items or developmentgoals.” subsequent months and quarters.

MONDAY services outside of that which was

Nevertheless, the updated NRF agreed. Guyana’s oil website missing reports are available on the website ExxonMobil recovers

A consortium was hired by the two years of well drilling data, oftheBankofGuyana. US$4B in costs while Guyana People’s Progressive Party (PPP) other critical info One section for Events, lists the collects US$658M in first administration to undertake a latest event as a Guyana Oil and half of 2023 - BoG Report second audit of the company’s G u y a n a ’s P e t r o l e u m Gas Summit from July 2021, ...as oil sector expands by 98% expenses incurred between 2018 Management Programme has been despitenumerousotherhighprofile and2020isstilltobefinalized.The falling short of fulfilling its oil conferences and forums With an almost doubled auditors were tasked with transparency mandate in multiple organised and/or attended by the performance of the oil and gas reviewing the costs racked up by regards, as two years of well government. sectorinthefirsthalfof2023when the company, amounting to some drilling data have not been Another section of the website, compared with the year prior, US$7.3billion. uploadedtothesite. established for Ministerial Guyanacontinuestoseeatrickleof

To date, the Government of The Ministry of Natural speeches and presentations, itsoilwealth. Guyana (GoG) has approved five Resources which manages the includes only two pieces from The Bank of Guyana (BoG) in developments for the Stabroek website had pointed out last year Minister of Natural Resources, its recently released Half-Year Block. These carry a price tag of that it was up since 2021, for the Vickram Bharrat, from September Report has indicated that aboutUS$40billionwhichGuyana purpose of informing the public 2020. ExxonMobil and its partners have must scrutinize to make sure it is aboutdevelopmentsinthesector It The website, altogether, is in a deducted a whopping US$4 billion notbeingovercharged. appears that, since the website was sorry state. Apart from periodic in revenue from Guyana’s oil

President of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Alistair Routledge

From page 12 female boss said that she cannot the man then suddenly became Impact Assessment (EIA), to have a pregnant woman working aggressivedemandingthatshetake produce up to 220,000 barrels per forher offherclothes. day, production has been pushed to As a result of her challenges, The woman said that he then about226,500bpd. she was left homeless and jobless. grabbed her, held her down, and

Even though the developer has Subsequently,shemanagedtobook threw a white substance in her taken measures to ramp up a room at Sunflower Hotel and it mouth before stripping off her productionwiththeblessingsofthe was there while scrolling through a clothes. government,revenuetothecountry f a c e b o o k g r o u p c a l l e d “ He then raped me,” The hasnotincreased.

‘Venezuelans in Guyana’ that she pregnant woman said while

Thisisasaresultofthelopsided sawanadvertisementpostedbythe relating that he also sodomized her agreement signed with the suspect looking for live-in cleaners brutallyleavingherbleedingandin Stabroek Block consortium in andpainters. pain.

2016. The deal allows for 75 Desperate for a job she “Itwashorrible,”sheadded. percent of the revenue earned to be immediately made contact with the She alleged too that he wanted deducted to recover the suspect via a whatsapp number he to keep her against her will but she investmentsmadeintheblock. hadpostedinthead. managed to convince him to take

The remaining 25 percent is Kaieteur News was shown her to a location to buy food then split between Guyana and the screenshots of the exchange because she was hungry He partners,withatwopercentroyalty between the two and it was quite complied and when she got there, being paid to the country This clearthathetrickedtheVenezuelan she exited the car and ran with the means Guyana receives a meager woman. money he gave her to buy food and distrust in the unfair market that is again that the introduction of more 14.5 percent of the earnings from He asked, “Ok you work to leftherpursebehind. being created by the PPP/C stringent terms is not to be blamed theblock. paint road already?” and she She took a taxi and went to bar Government, says Opposition fortheresultsoftheauction. responded “ Yes I need a job where she worked to seek help but Parliamentarian,DavidPatterson. UnlessExxon’sStabroekBlock

Pregnant Venezuelan urgentlyandsomewheretosleep.” itwasclosed.

The Executive Member of the is brought in line with the new woman raped, sodomized

ApregnantVenezuelanwoman, EastBankDemerara(EBD). station where she made a report. the fact that an ExxonMobil-led ofanunfairmarket.

Thesuspectagreedandoptedto She managed to contact a Alliance For Change (AFC) fiscal terms, Patterson articulated during job interview pick her up from her hotel for an friend and that individual picked expressed the firm conviction that that companies winning blocks interview at a location in Eccles, her up and took her to a police oil companies have taken note of from the auction would be victims

24, was on Sunday evening She recalled a short light skin Shewaslatertakentoahospital. consortium gets to enjoy a tax-free Following the close of bid reportedly raped and sodomized man in complexion picking her up Investigationsareongoing. ride along with the payment of a submissions on September 12, the during a job interview at Eccles, in a white Hilux with black stripes mere two percent royalty on the National Procurement and Tender EastBankDemerara. attheside.

TUESDAY

The alleged rape took place The Venezuelan woman said Patterson said companies have no office revealed that six companies around 19:00hrs at the suspect’s they talked about work all the way Govt.’s refusal to impose doubt taken note of government’s submitted offers for Guyana’s home after he tricked her into toayellowtwo-storeyhousewitha 10% royalty, taxes on refusal to ring-fenced projects inaugural auction for 14 offshore believing that he is a businessman smallwhitecarintheyard. Exxon’s Stabroek block creates within the oil block, thereby oil blocks According to the seekingpaintersandcleaners. According to the victim at one unfair environment for allowingExxontochargeexpenses NPTAB, the firms bidding for the Speaking with Kaieteur News, point she became suspicious but newcomers – Patterson says from non-producing projects Ministry of Natural Resources the young lady said that she was brushed her fears aside and entered againstproducingones. project are: Total Energies EP recentlykickedoutbyherguyanese thehouse.

The fact that Guyana’s maiden

expansive Stabroek Block Administration Board (NPTAB)

Meanwhile, newcomers would Guyana B V, Qatar Energy boyfriendafterherefusedtoaccept “He offered me something to oil blocks auction attracted bids for have to abide by a more stringent International E&P LLC, & the pregnancy. She also lost her job drink and I did not accept it,” she only eight of 14 blocks on offer is a framework with fiscal rules that Petronas E&P Overseas Ventures as a waitress at a bar after her said in tears while explaining that direct reflection of oil companies’ includethepaymentofa10percent SDNBHD(Malaysia);DelcorpInc royalty and a 10 percent corporate – Guyana, Watad Energy, Arabian tax. “Exxon is having the best time Drillers (Saudia Arabia); Exxon of its life in Guyana because we MobilGuyanaLimited,HESSNew have a government that is bending Ventures Exploration Limited, and over backwards for them CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Government has refused every call Limited; Liberty Petroleum to have Exxon subscribe to the new Corporation (USA)and , Cybele terms but they want new players to Energy Limited (Ghana); Sispro doso,”Pattersonsaid. Inc (Guyana), and lastly

He said this is one of the main International Group Investment reasons why Guyana’s first auction Inc.(Guyana),injointventurewith only managed to secure interest in MontegoEnergy SA(London). eight blocks. The parliamentarian Prior to the auction being held, said it has nothing to do with Vice governmentwaskeenonhavingthe President, Bharrat Jagdeo’s Petroleum Activities Law in place contention that the results of the and it has finalized the new Model auction stems from the inability of Production Sharing Agreements companies to secure financing for that will govern future awards of fossil fuel activities given the deepwater and shallow water globalmovetonetzeroemissions. concessions Kaieteur News

Patterson also dismissed previously reported that 11 of the Jagdeo’s position that the outcome oil blocks on auction are located in canalsobelinkedtothefactthatthe theshallowareaandthreeareinthe government introduced more deepwaterzone. stringent fiscal terms and perhaps They range between 1000 this scared away some investors. square kilometres to 3000 square Patterson reasoned that if Exxon kilometres with the majority of was made to follow the same rules, them being close to 2000 square theindustrywouldhaverecognized kilometres.Governmenthasnotyet the government’s intent to level the disclosed the details of the bids playingfield. submittedbutpledgedtodosoafter

He said this would have done careful evaluation of those the country well. He also pointed documents. Winners of the new out that Exxon is also one of the blockswillbeexpectedtopaya10 biddersintheauction,provingonce (Continued on page 14)

Opposition Parliamentarian, David Patterson

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

From page 13

the coastline in Regions 1 and 2 percent royalty and a 10 percent couldpotentiallybeimpactedinthe corporatetax. unlikelyeventofaspill.Bethatasit

The cost recovery will be may,themodelsuseddonotpredict cappedat65percentinagivenyear, whatthelikelyportionsofthecoast while profits will be shared 50/50 that can potentially be impacted between the parties. For shallow are. It also did not list any of the water blocks, companies have to resources on the coast that may be pay a minimum of US$10 million impactedasaresultofaspill. whileaminimumofUS$20million

The EIA states that unplanned issetfordeepwaterconcessions. events, such as an oil spill are unlikely to occur because of the Jagdeo still denying Exxon’s preventative measures employed operations impacting fish even by the project developer, EMGL, though company says opposite however it did not shy away from thefactthataneventispossible.

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited

It said that the types of (EMGL) has admitted that its resources that would potentially be operations offshore daily can impacted and the extent of the impact marine species, including impacts on those resources would fishandotherbenthiccreatures,but depend on the volume and duration Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, in of the release, as well as the time of shrugging off a question of year at which the release were to compensation to fisherfolk as a occur

It however pointed out that result of reduced catches, concern given that a “rapid” study To this end, Jagdeo said, “as I equipment The Consultant impacts would tend to be most dismissedthisrevelation. between a limited time was used to said before, this is assessed by the explained that the equipment will significant for a well-control event

During his most recent press reach such a conclusion. See more FAO about fishing stocks in the most likely be left in place after withlossofcontainmentduringthe conference at Freedom House, i n t h e l i n k b e l o w : country and they found it not to decommissioning as it can drillingandinstallationstageofthe Robb Street, Georgetown, the VP https://www kaieteurnewsonline c affect the fishing stock…” He then ultimately provide a substrate for project. was asked who would compensate om/2022/05/25/fao-says-rapid- assured that discharges from the recolonization of the impacted The Whiptail development is fishermen for their livelihoods, study-available-data-determined- company’soperationsaretreatedto areas. expected to produce an average since the company has said its low-fish-catch-not-as-a-result-of- a higher standard to minimize Meanwhile, as it regards 263,000 barrels of oil per day activities will endanger such oil-production/ impacts to marine resources irreversible damage from an oil (BoPD). It seeks to develop the s p e c i e s With the eminent danger to the Accordingtohim,“Therearemany spill, the EIA noted that even if a resources discovered in the https://www kaieteurnewsonline c fishing industry, fisherfolk have parts of this world where water is large spill were to occur, it would Whiptail, Pinktail and Tilapia om/2023/09/19/fish-eggs-could- become concerned about their not treated to the standard; we are not cause great permanent losses. fields Current plans include be-lost-daily-during-oil- future and livelihoods. VP Jagdeo treating it before its discharged “Even in the unlikely event of a drillingviadrillshipstoproduceoil production-exxonmobil- who manages the petroleum back into the ocean and many parts large marine oil spill, little from approximately 40 – 65 consultant/ industry from a policy perspective of the world where they just irreversible damage would be production and injection wells, Jagdeoinrespondingexplained said that to date the Environmental throwing it back in an untreated expected, although it could take a commencing as early as the fourth that the United Nations Food and Protection Agency (EPA) has not fashion.” decade or more for all resources to quarterof2027. Agriculture Organization (FAO) conducted a study on the migration Only on Monday, this fully recover, depending on the ERM said Exxon conducted oil had conducted a study in Guyana patterns of fish stocks, which could newspaper reported that the Bank volume and duration of the release, spillmodelingtoevaluatetherange which concluded that the startup of be used to inform policy decisions of Guyana (BoG) signaled an 8.7 aswellasthetimeofyear,”theEIA of likely spill trajectories and rates oil and gas activities were not to be intheindustry. percent decline in fish catch during explains. of travel. It explained, “The blamedtothereducedcatches. In the meantime, he explained the first six months of the year. It must be noted that during the offshore location of the Project, He said, “When there was a that the developer of the Stabroek According to the BoG Half-Year recently concluded stakeholder prevailing northwest currents, the claim by Glenn Lall and the others Block, EMGL has submitted Report, fish production moved consultationshostedbyExxon,this light nature of the Whiptail field that all the fish ran away from E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t from 7,404 tonnes in 2021 t0 7,477 newspaper asked ERM to specify crude oil, and the region’s warm Guyana because of the oil and gas Assessments (EIAs) to the EPA tonnes in 2022 during the what portion of the coast could be waters would all help reduce the industry, they (FAO) said that that which outline “worst case assessment period (January to exposedtoirreversibledamageand severity of a spill. Accounting for was not supported by scientific scenarios” and measures for June). However, the figure dipped the resources that could potentially these factors, modeling of an fact,thatithadtodoalotwithfresh mitigation. “What the EIA would to 6,827 tonnes in 2023, during the suffer The team however said this unmitigatedsubseareleaseofcrude water going further out into the sea do, is the EIA would say what are sameperiod. wasnotassessed. oil from an unmitigated loss-ofin the period of heavy rainfall theworst-casescenarios,soifthere

“There is a probability that a well-controleventwouldresultina etcetera; so salinity or fresh water is a spill, what would be the worst- WEDNESDAY spillwouldreachcertainsectionsof 5 to 40 percent probability of oil when you have heavy rainy season case scenario, it would potentially shore so whether it’s a 5-10% reachingtheGuyanacoast,without can affect the fish stock and the have an impact on our fishermen, ExxonMobil study did chance, or a 10-20% chance that taking into consideration the migration patterns along the coast- navigation waters, flora and fauna, not assess how an oil spill that shoreline would be affected. effectiveness of any oil spill thatwastheirconclusion.” a whole range of stuff and how do will affect Guyana’s coast For irreversible, irremedial response measures as outlined in BackinMay2022,theMinister you minimize or how do you damage, I’m not sure that that’s the OSRP (Oil Spill Response of Agriculture told this newspaper mitigate.” An oil spill that occurs at something (we studied or) that’s Plan).” that the international organization Jagdeo was keen to note that ExxonMobil’s sixth planned partofouranalysisthere.No,wedo It continued to point out, found climate change to be the such likely impacts must not project, the Whiptail development look at things like reversibility and “Although the likelihood of an oil cause of lower fish catches. Calls prevent the development of the can cause irreversible damage to remediability in the planned events spill occurring and reaching the for the document to be released sector. Instead, he pointed out, “So the country’s resources located because we have a lot more Guyana coast is very small and any were ignored, causing stakeholders you have to mitigate against offshoreandonshore. information on the planned events such spill would be mitigated, toquestionitscredibility potential impact, you have to Thisinformationiscontainedin in terms of the process of going modeling of an unmitigated subsea The body however in response demonstrate that should this the 3636 paged Environmental through those impacts,” ERM’s release of crude oil from a loss-oftoaletterfromaGuyanesemember happen, I have the capability to Impact Assessment (EIA) Socio-economic Resources / well-control event indicates the of civil society explained, “The address it and I will address it conducted by the company’s Stakeholder Engagement spill could impact coastal habitats technical analysis in question was through these measures and that is Consultant, Environmental Specialist,AnnaSundbyexplained. andprotectedareas.” requested by Guyana to contribute whattheEIAwoulddo.” ResourcesManagement(ERM). The lack of this information ERMthereforenotedthataspill to its understanding of these He was told that a Biologist According to the Chapter 3.5 of could potentially raise questions as would likely impact any marine complex catch issues and support from Exxon’s Consultant, the study, which provides to why, if such a danger exists, it resources found near the spill, decision-making It is a rapid Environmental Resources information on the ‘Degree of was not studied to properly inform whichcouldincludemarineturtles, assessment of reported issues Management (ERM) had informed Irreversible Damage’, some 257 theGuyaneseauthoritiesofwhatto marinemammals,andmarinebirds related to fisheries catch between a recent meeting that the daily oil hectares of offshore benthic habitat expectorprepareforinthefuture. that may be transiting or inhabiting 2020 and 2021 and is based on production activities could impact will be permanently lost to Based on oil spill modeling theareaimpactedby aspill,as well availabledata.” fish eggs, and dangers to the sector facilitate the installation of wells, conducted for the Whiptail asmarinewaterqualityandmarine This however sparked further werenotlimitedtoaspill. flowlines, and other subsea Development Project, portions of (Continued on page 52)

The shores of Shell Beach, Region One, could potentially be impacted from a spill at Whiptail.

Local company imports registered purebred cattle to support breeding programme

ADH Abary Rice and CattleInc.hasannouncedthe t r a n s i t i o n a n d

c o m m e n c e m e n t o f operations of its Purebred Brahman Breeding Station locatedontheleftbankofthe Abary River This coincided withthearrivalofthesecond groupofregisteredpurebred Brahman breeding cattle in Guyana on September 19, 2023.

Significantly, the arrival of this second group of purebred Brahmans to Guyana from the Circle F Ranch in Georgia, USA is occurringatthesametimeas the offspring of American Brahman bulls imported last yearandhavenowsurpassed 50andcounting.

Those bulls were selected, sourced, and purchased from the JD Hudgins Ranch and V8 RanchinTexas,USA,whose genetics and registered Brahman cattle are r e c o g n i z e d a n d acknowledged as amongst the best in the world. A further shipment of select registeredpurebredbrahman heifersisscheduledtoarrive inOctober2023.

The Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)

and the Ministry of

Agriculture provided g u i d a n c e f o r t h e development and cultivation of improved pastures that is ongoing, the issue of the necessarypermitsanduseof their cattle transport, and most importantly facilitated the seamless release, delivery and transit of the animalsuponarrivalatCJIA by ensuring the requisite approvalswereinplace.

ADH Abary Rice and Cattle Inc, through its principals and directors, have a history of breeding and supplying quality Brahman cattle to various farms and farmers over the yearsincludingtheGLDAin 2014andwithinrecenttimes Fairfield Rice Inc in 2023 with whom it collectively sourcedandobtainedthebest quality Brahman genetics availablefromtwoofthetop Brahman ranches in the world for use in their breedingprogrammes.

ADH Abary Rice and Cattle Inc., in keeping with theGovernmentofGuyana’s aggressive agricultural policyandvisionofreducing the nation’s food import bill by 25 percent by 2025, has expanded and brought into operation,itspurebred

Continuedonpage16

This screenshot shows Circle F Farms extending appreciation toADHAbary Rice and Cattle Inc.

This is the location on the left bank of the Abary River where the Breeding Station is.

The purebred Brahman Cattle

Local company imports registered purebred...

Frompage15

Brahmancattlebreedingstationfortheexclusivepurposeof supplyingfarmerslocallyand,withinfiveyears,regionally, withqualityBrahmanbullsandheiferswithoutthenecessity inthefuturetoresorttoextraregionalsourcesortosettlefor lesserqualityanimals.

With this Breeding Station’s robust foundation and dedicationtoexcellence,KaieteurNewswasinformedbythe company that there will be a reliable source of purebred Brahmanbullsandheifersavailablelocallyatanaffordable costfortopqualitygeneticscommencingin2024.

This is a significant step to reach the goal of having biannualcattlesaleswherefarmerscansourceandpurchase qualityreplacementbreedingstockataffordableprices.

The ADH Abary Rice and Cattle Inc. Breeding Station willnotonlymeetthedemandforsuperiorlivestockbutalso elevate Guyana’s livestock position as a source of purebred Brahman cattle and will make a significant and lasting impactonthecattlebreedinglandscapeinGuyana.

Waterfalls The Waterfalls

charms local art lovers at inaugural exhibition

‘Beyond the Brush’ ‘Beyond the Brush’

Asection of the new US$5M West Central Mall

Adana Dorrick

Wrappedin thethreadsof heritage,isthelovely AdanaDorrick,an 18-year-oldaspiringmodel andfirstrunnerupofMiss GuyanaTeenScholar2023 pageant. Adanahailsfrom Kamarang,CuyuniMazaruni. Sheisafitnessenthusiastwho loveswritingpoems.The gorgeousteenaspirestobecome adoctor.Herfavoritequoteis byEleanorRoosevelt,“The futurebelongstothose whobelieveinthe beautyoftheir dreams”.

The recent intimidatory and aggressive statements issued from Venezuela

BySir.RonaldSanders

Recent intimidatory and aggressivestatementsissued from Venezuela in the name of President Nicolas Maduro, the Government of Venezuela and the National Assembly concerning Guyana, have raised alarms in the regional, hemispheric a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l community

The Commonwealth, the Organization of American States, and CARICOM have objected to Venezuela’s behaviour toward Guyana, particularly as the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro alleges, without any substantiation, that the Guyana Government is allowing the UnitedStatesofAmerica(US)to construct a military base on its territory “against Bolivar’s Venezuela” In a UN statement, theGuyanaGovernmentrejected Venezuela’sallegation,statingthat “thisallderivesfromVenezuela’s grotesque claim to two-thirds of Guyana” HistoricalContextThe backgroundtotheseeventsisthatin 1899, Venezuela agreed to an international arbitration that established the boundaries betweenGuyanaandVenezuelaas a‘full,final,andperfect’settlement

However, in 1962, just as Guyana was on the brink of gaining independence, Venezuela reversed its longstanding acceptance of the 1899 settlement. Without providing any evidence, the government claimed that the settlement was nothing more thanacovertpoliticalagreement thatinfringedonitsrights

Based on this unfounded allegation, Venezuela has stakedaclaimtotwo-thirdsof Guyana, specifically the Essequiboregion Thisclaim, togetherwithintermittentacts of belligerence by Venezuela includingitsnavalforces,have cast a shadow over Guyana’s economicdevelopmentforall 57 years of its independence, deterring investors and causing instability in the country

In February 1966, three months before Guyana’s independence from Britain, representatives from

Venezuela, Britain, and Guyana convened in Geneva. There, they signed an agreement endorsed by the governments and parliaments of all three nations, aiming to resolve ‘the controversy’ This agreement outlined several steps towards resolution, includingaprovisionforthe UN Secretary-General to select a means of resolution

as specified inArticle 33 of theUNCharter Thisprocess isarticulatedinArticleIVof the1966GenevaAgreement which Venezuela fully endorsed. Therefore, after the failure of initial resolution steps, UN Secretary-General António Guterres decided on 30 January 2018 that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would be the avenueforresolution.

The path of peaceful resolution

Accordingly, in March 2018, Guyana applied to the ICJforjudicialadjudication.

In response, Venezuela refused to recognize the ICJ’s jurisdiction, abide by itsdecisions,orparticipatein its proceedings This response was a direct infringementofArticle93of the UN Charter, which clearlystates:“AllMembers of the United Nations are ipso facto parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice”. However, the ICJ adjudged that it had jurisdiction to hear the case. Venezuela appeared twice before the Court to object. Onbothoccasions,theCourt rejected the Venezuelan objections. Therefore, the case has continued much to the disquiet of Venezuela which has clearly always been fearful of the Court’s decision.ThehostilepathIn 2020, Guyana started producingandsellingoiland gas offshore, boosting its economy.The IMF declared Guyana to be the fastest growing economy in the world with GDP growth of 62.3% in 2022 and 59% in thefirsthalfof2023.

In the wake of these spectacular riches, an immediate response was sparked from the Venezuela government when, on 13 September2023,theGuyana President, Irfaan Ali, updated the public on bids for 14 new offshore oil blocks, which had been opened for exploration and development. Ali said that immediatebidson8ofthem had been received from oil giants such as ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation, China National Offshore Oil CorporationandTotal.

On 19 September 2023, the Venezuela government described the bidding process as “illegal” and issueda“warning”toallthe participating companies that itwould“applyallnecessary measures to prevent the illegitimate exploitation of

the natural resources that belongtoournation”.

Thiswasfollowedbythe unsubstantiated allegation on23September2023atthe UN General Assembly that the US is seeking “to establish a military base in the contested territory, with the aim of creating a spearhead in its aggression against Venezuela and consolidating the plunder of ourenergyresources”.

Attempt to divide CARICOM In an open message,postedonhisXpage, MaduroproposedthatGuyana shouldabandontheprocessat the ICJ for “a meeting promoted by CARICOM to retake the Geneva Agreement of 1966”. It is a misleading proposition becauseitisclear,fromeven a cursory reading of the Geneva Agreement, that Guyana has followed its termstotheletter President Maduro had previously sought, unsuccessfully, to divert CARICOM from supporting the ICJ process He has not succeeded in this further attempt Although many CARICOMgovernmentsare friendly with the Maduro Governmentandhaveurged the US to drop sanctions against it, on 22 September 2023, CARICOM publicly supported Guyana’s sovereignty and right to develop its resources Promoting Nationalist Venezuela sentiment On 21 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 , Venezuela’s National Assembly,decidedtoarouse nationalist sentiment at the urging of the government. It decidedtoholdareferendum on the claim to Essequibo “so that the people strengthen the defence” and “the inalienable rights of Venezuela” It is a referendum hardly worth holdingsince,infurtherance of their unsubstantiated claim, for 61 years successive Venezuelan governments have indoctrinated their people from primary school in the belief that Essequibo belongstoVenezuela.

When the Venezuelan political parties met in Mexico in August 2021 in one of the failed attempts to find a way out of the many political, economic and humanitarianchallengesthat the country faces, the only thing on which they could agree was the claim for the Essequibo International InvolvementandResponse

Inthewakeofallthis,the internationalcommunityhas made its position clear: it favours ICJ adjudication as theappropriateandpeaceful means to settle the controversy, adhering to the Charter of the UN and internationallaw

This resolution path not only serves justice but also underpins the stability and development prospects of bothGuyanaandVenezuela,

fostering an environmentwhere mutual respect and cooperation can flourish. (The writer

is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.

Sir. Ronald Sanders

and Massey College in the UniversityofToronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses a n d p r e v i o u s commentaries:www.sirrona ldsanders.com)

Bob Marley’s ‘Legend’ is the first reggae album to chart on the Billboard 200 for 800 weeks

Bob Marley has released by Island Records on the map, a reissue of the made history asaGreatestHitsrecord. pivotal record will be made again after his The album – which available on November 3

1984 compilation album features Marley’s classic thisyear ‘Legend’ became the first songs ‘No Woman No Cry’, Fans can pre-order the reggae album to chart for ‘Three Little Birds’, and special edition 3CD set and 800 weeks on the Billboard ‘GetUp,StandUp–hasbeen 3LPvinylsethere. 200. reissued three times since its

In July, a trailer for the

Earlier this week original release; including a upcomingBobMarley:‘One (September 25), Forbes special edition to celebrate Love’ biopic was unveiled. confirmedthefeat,revealing the 30-year anniversary of Themovieissettodepictthe that ‘Legend’ is also the the record with never- life of the prolific Jamaican second-ever album to do before-heard versions of icon, from his rise in fame to this. The first to hit this ‘Easy Skanking’ and Punky his death in 1981 with actor milestone was Pink Floyd’s ReggaeParty’. Kingsley Ben-Adir starring 1974 classic, ‘Dark Side of ‘Legend’ is widely asMarley theMoon’. regarded as the best-selling

The film is directed by

The achievement comes reggae album of all time, Reinaldo Marcus Green 42yearsafterMarley’sdeath having gone multi-platinum (King Richard) and written in 1981, passing away from in 10 countries. In America by Zach Baylin, Frank E. cancerattheageof36. alone, ‘Legend’ is 15 times FlowersandTerenceWinter.

T o h o n o u r t h e platinum, selling over 15 ‘One Love’ is set to be revolutionary reggae million copies since it

The news comes three anniversary of Bob Marley album, ‘Catch A Fire’. Seen released on January 24. pioneer, ‘Legend’ was dropped. days after the 50th and The Wailers’fifth studio as the album that put reggae 2024.

New couple alert: Taylor Swift is Travis Kelce’ new beau

TaylorSwifthasanewbeau.KansasCityChiefstightend Travis Kelce seems to have won the singer’s heart. The two were spotted together for the first time on Sunday at NFL gamewhichtheKansasCityChiefswon.

Grammy-winning pop star and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end are clearly two people comfortable with each other asTaylor was pictured with her arms draped around the NFL stud’sneckfollowingthegameonSunday

Travis Kelce must have taken some notes from Taylor Swift’s Midnights track, “Mastermind,” because after just two months of shooting his shot with the multi-Grammy winning superstar, the “Anti-Hero” singer was spotted cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs tight end at his football game.

While the duo haven’t confirmed whether they’re dating or not, fans are loving the unexpected pairing, and Swifties have even started a hilarious trend on TikTok telling their malepartnersthatSwiftputKelce“onthemap.”

However, for the casual entertainment consumer, the potential coupling between Swift and Kelce seems random, but Billboard has got you covered. We’ve compiled a full timeline of the duo’s relationship, from the football player trying to get a friendship bracelet to Swift during her Eras tour,tothesingerattendinghisfootballgamewithhismother andbeyond.

The football star was spotted Swift’s Eras Tour stop at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium in July, marking the first publiclinkingbetweenthetwo.

During an episode of his New Heights podcast, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end recounted his foiled plan to begin wooing the “Karma” singer Inspired by the lyric “So makethefriendshipbracelets/Takethemomentandtasteit”

(Continued on page 38)

Jamaican Reggae Superstar Bob Marley

Majah Hype’s major backlash for ‘Guyana is not Caribbean’ comment

(JamaicaObserver) keep showing the world

times so you know how Guyanese

You can call it a spat over ignorance!!! They disrespecting 3 get when sh** go down. Stop geography and cuisine, but countries Jamaica Trini & Grenada playing victim and own up to what comedian Majah Hype has found and still #majahhype #jokesallday you said,” one social media user himself in the growing eye of a # O N E C A R I B B E E A N said. firestorm over comments he made #WESTINDIESUNITED.” “Now pressure got and yuh recently on the Talkthatshhhh Majah Hype, who is a popular beetee Bunin you coming crying to podcast.Thecommentsappearedto comedian known for his hilarious the media. Keep the same energy disparage Guyana’s legitimacy as a impersonations of Caribbean youhadinthepodcast.”

‘Caribbean country’ because of its people, seemed a little bit

Another social media user geographyandculture. flabbergastedbytheonlinevitriol. urgedthecomedianto“throwaway “It’s definitely curry “Out of the ten+ years of that bright-colored cereal and get chicken...the only person that you representing Guyana I never somegoodcornmealporridge.” gonna hear say that is Guyanese expectedthelevelofdisrespectand Theycontinuedtoheapcoalsof One social media user appealed establishedCaricom,thehostofthe people, and they not Caribbean,” threats based off a comedic fireontheheadofMajahHypewith forsolidarity,saying: inaugural CARIFESTA in 1972, Majah Hype said in response to a conversation which many only saw scathingposts.

“As a BORN GUYANESE I one of three original signatories to questionaboutcuisine. a 15sec clip but all things happen Another wrote: “@majahhype was wondering how you were the Caribbean Court of Justice as “...because it is in South for a reason!!! I want the rest of the Champ you still deflecting and gonna respond. Truth is! We can the region’s court of final appeal America, we show dem love, we world to witness it!!!! I’ll be acting like this is about curry or debate our heritage all day long. and the site of the Caricom accepted them, but they not posting the messages also,” he geography, it’s the bottom feeder There’s NO DIFFERENCE IN Secretariat. Caribbean...that is like the only said.\ language that came after, you’re WEST INDIAN/CARIBBEAN Guyana has also been a major English speaking country on the The online users dragged him, very crafty at what you do but It PEOPLE except for where the contributor to the most celebrated continent,”hecontinued. despite his attempt at self- ain’t gonna wrk, you can’t SLAVE SHIPS LANDED West Indies cricket team, under its

The comedian posted a video deprecation. manipulate this situation like you CONTINUE BLESSINGS MY most successful captain, Sir Clive clip of himself Wednesday “Accept you’re wrong & move didtheKirbything!”

GOOD MAN… WE ALL NEED Lloyd, and produced outstanding listening to sides of a humourous forward. You weren’t joking when The Kirby reference was LAUGHTER.” players like Carl Hooper, Basil raging debate with impersonations you said what you said. The issue directed at an incident when the Guyana is a member of the Butcher, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, of Guyanese people disrespecting wasn’t you saying we in South comedian was jailed in Georgia Caribbean Community (Caricom) Colin Croft, Roy Fredericks, and him, while he is seen munching on America, it was the fact that you over charges for simple battery and of sovereign states, and was one of LanceGibbs. Fruit Loops or Rainbow Cereal. took God out ya thought to say ‘We felony charges in relation to a the founding members of Majah Hype was born in New The post got over 9,000 likes and Accept them’ like sir you been domestic abuse incident The CARIFTAin1968. York. His comedic career has been over1,800comments. using Guyanese accent to forward alleged victim in the case was The SouthAmerican country is fueled by his skits using accents

He captioned the post: “Me your lame ass career for years, Kirby,withwhomMajahHypehad one of the signatories to the Treaty and mannerisms of various reading my dms for the last 6 days you’ve been to Guyana multiple arelationship. of Chaguaramas in 1973 that Caribbeannationalities.

Chloe Bailey Reveals Michael B. Jordan Is Her ‘Celebrity Crush’

PEOPLE.com her,towhichshereplied,“No.” headdownfromthemicandgiggle. “Sadly, I have not been seeing

Never miss a story — sign up

The singer Chloe Bailey is When asked why, Bailey “Wow look at you blushing like anybody for almost a year now,” forPEOPLE’sfreedailynewsletter getting candid about her celebrity explained, “I don’t shoot my shot.” he’s in the room,” Amplify Dot Baileytoldtheoutlet.“Yourgirlhas to stay up-to-date on the best of crush. Chloe Bailey Says She’s Been addedasBaileycontinuedtolaugh. just been working on herself, and I what PEOPLE has to offer, from

The “Have Mercy” singer, 25, Singlefor‘almostayear’andwants “That’s crazy, just from thinking wish I was lying. I tell myself, juicy celebrity news to compelling made the revelation on the latest tolearnher‘worth’beforedating abouthim.That’scrazy.” ‘God, I know what you’re doing. humanintereststories. episodeofAppleMusicradioshow AmplifyDottoldthesongstress The Praise This actress’s You’re sifting out the BS, so I can The “Pray It Away” musician

The Dotty Show that a certain that she should “DM” Jordan now revelation comes after she told findgoodlovin’.’” alsoopenedupabouthowshetakes Black Panther actor was at the top or else she could be “blocking” her Cosmopolitan earlier this year that She continued, “When you on romantic relationships and ofherlist. “blessings.” she is trying to “work on herself” don’t know your worth and when describedherselfas“amushball.”

“I’llsayit.MichaelB.Jordanis “I’m big on blessings, but I’m and find love for herself before you haven’t mastered the art of “I love cuddles. I love showing my celebrity crush,” Bailey like, ‘God will bring my blessings offeringittoanyoneelse. loving yourself, you question why my passion through our physical admitted on the show “I’ve been to me when they’re supposed to be Chloe Bailey attends the Chloe otherswouldloveyou.” beings,” Bailey said. “I’m such a said that in interviews, even like, here,’” Bailey said, adding that xHalleandVSPINKCelebratethe Thesingeraddedthatshethinks physical touch and words of years ago.” “But have you told when blessings are “forced,” other LaunchofDesignCollaboration. she is currently single so she can affirmation type of girl, and I want him?,” British host and rapper blessingscouldbe“blocked.” Chloe Bailey Opens Up About “grasp that concept a little more” someonetobejustasmadlyinlove Amplify Dot — who was born “What is it about Michael B. Her Battle with Depression: ‘It’s because she can’t expect someone withmeasIamwiththem.” Ashley Dorothy Charles and also Jordan?” the host then asked as the Never Going to Be a Steady to love her “wholeheartedly” when She added, “I’m 1000% a goesbyA.DotandDotty— asked Swarm actress appeared to turn her Course’ she’s“notthereyet”withinherself. hopefulromantic.”

Singer, Chloe Bailey

Actor, Michael B Jordan Actor

VeraWangRevealstheBiggestMistakeBrides CanMakeWhenBuyingTheirWeddingDress

PEOPLE.com

In 2020, the designer shared says, “because frequently you have

away all that stuff and started from Christmas. I traveled all over the Vera Wang is one of the most scratch and there were always world.” iconicbridaldesignersintheworld. headpieces.” For Wang, putting together a As the creative mastermind behind She continues: “And then I bridal look includes many different beautifulweddinggownsforGwen started putting veils just on combs elements including some that Stefani, Ariana Grande, Jessica because it could stick into the hair bridesmaynoteventhinkof. Simpson, Victoria Beckham, and and it would look way more “To see the whole wedding Kim Kardashian she is modern, and it would focus on the pictureintotaliswhatIsortofwish renowned for her one-of-a-kind bride’sfaceanddress.” every bride could think of,” she bridalcreations.

The fashion designer, 74 talked memories from her nearly two- a wedding where you have a party exclusivelytoPEOPLEaboutwhat decade-long career at the fashion planner and a florist, they don’t to look for when shopping for a magazine where she started at age ever really connect with you wedding dress and how to avoid 23 and became one the normally at fittings or when you’re buyingthewronggown. publication’syoungesteverfashion bridalshopping.”

“I don’t think you should try to editors. She left in 1987 to join “If you don’t know what they transform who you are on your RalphLaurenasdesigndirector have in mind for you, and wedding day,” the iconic designer

During her time as an editor, sometimes you can’t even control tells PEOPLE. “You are your own Wang continues: “I don’t think thatbridesshouldtakeintoaccount Wang worked with fashion legends them because you’re so busy, you bestadvocate” you should try to transform who thefullbridallook. includingGraceMirabella,Richard don’t even think of it,” she adds.

“The biggest mistake is not you are on your wedding day I’ve “You’re probably going to have Avedon and current Vogue editor- “So a bouquet can make or break a feeling comfortable in the dress,” always said that you are who you a bouquet of some sort,” she adds. in-chief Anna Wintour (whom she dress.I’veseenit.” Wang tells PEOPLE. “And by that, are, you’re an individual, you have “I held on to a Bible with a sprig of is still friends with today) She continues: “I’ve seen some I don’t mean just fit,” she says, your own sense of style. And I flowers for my own. But you’re Speaking with the magazine last girls buy a really beautiful ornate adding, “feeling is very important always encourage people to really going to usually carry something yearaboutherexperience,shesaid, dress, and then she looks like she’s to me in clothing, probably follow that, listen to their own that’smeaningfulinyourhand,and “I worked for great women [at carrying a centerpiece, which is because I’m a woman designing voice, and sometimes they don’t. I think that weighs into the veil, Vogue].” way too much,” Wang adds. “I for other women, and I experience Their mother’s involved, their whether to veil or not to veil, and “The DevilWears Prada is kind thinkwhenthedressismoreornate, clothing Men bring an abstract sister’s involved. I’ve had that. I wheretoweartheveil.” of a sanitized version of what life probably what you hold should be freedom But I think women can’t name names — but really “When I started, the veil was was like at Vogue; I mean, there moreminimal.Ithinkifthedressis designers bring a certain sense of famous, sometimes even the only worn in one place,” she werenohours,”shereflected.“And more minimal, you can afford reality and I think being groom, believe it or not—and recalls. “It was sort of the era of I traveled a great deal; I think one something more complex than the comfortable is really important. sometimesabunchofbestfriends.” Cher and that kind of thing when I year I was only home maybe flowers. But these are the things Not only physically, but The designer notes, “you are started in bridal and having come between September and Easter two that I think escape brides when psychologically.” your own best advocate,” adding from Vogue, I mean, I just threw weekends—and one of them was they’reshopping.”

Vera Wang

Interesting Creatures...

The vampire squid

- A sea creature that can change sides

The vampire squid is a ‘inside out.’ This change in arms. When exhibiting this creaturewithauniqueability appearancemayhelpitavoid posture, this species looks to turn itself “inside out” to beingattackedbypredators. rather intimidating, but it is avoid predators The These creatures live in actually quite harmless. It is vampire squid has 8 long the deep ocean with millions not predatory Instead, it arms, and a long curly strand of other species, some of depends on food particles that serves as a sensory which are little-known and that it captures using sticky filament. on which little study has cells on its long, filamentous

It has a unique ability to beendone. tentacles. In this way, it react when it is startled. It When disturbed, the opportunistically feeds on can curl its web and arms vampire squid inverts its plant and animal matter that around the rest of its cape, displaying large spines sinksfromthesurfaceocean. body turning sort of that line the underside of its Somelargefishesanddiving predators are known to eat vampire squids Unlike shallow-water squids and octopuses, vampire squids do not expel black ink to In addition to the light they reproduce when given With continued exploration escape predation In the produced during their the chance, and females are of the deep ocean, scientists darkness of the mesopelagic defense response, vampire known to store the sperm will hopefully find out more zone, black or dark purple squids produce light at the from males for long periods about this unique and ink would not be effective. tips of each of their arms. before using it to fertilize interestingspecies. Instead the vampire squid This light may be used as a theireggs. Source of information: expels a colorless substance form of communication. As Like most deep-sea (https://oceana org/marinethat contains numerous this species is naturally rare, organisms, it is very difficult life/vampire-squid/, particles of bioluminescent encounters between males to study vampire squids in https://www nationalgeogra (light-producing) material and females likely do not theirnaturalenvironment,so phic com/science/article/10 These twinkling lights happen very often. For that little is known about the 0203-squid-vampireconfusepotentialpredators. reason, it is important that behavior of these animals. threatened-video)

The Vampire Squid

Yogaexercisesfor strokerecoveryandprevention5

In this week’s Fit-Nest, we explore some of the benefits of Yoga.

Yoga, is a mind and body practice that can build strength and flexibility while improving the body’shealth.InGuyana,strokeaccountsforthe second leading cause of death according to 2019 statistics providedbytheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO).

Hindustan Times (HT) in an article published on September 25, 2023 highlighted the benefits of yoga for strokepatientsandthoselookingtoavoidit.

Itsaidnumerousstudieshaveshownthevalueofholistic practiseslikeYogaforstrokepatients’recoveryandtoprevent relapse.Itisadvisedthatthosewhohavehadastrokeorareat risk of having one do mindfulness-based exercises like Tai Chi,Yogaandmeditationastheircholesterol,bloodsugarand blood pressure can all be lowered, which are risk factors for stroke.

In an interview with Zarafshan Shiraz of HT Lifestyle, Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, Founder of Akshar Yoga Kendraa, shared, “Foods strong in potassium, such as sweet and white potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melon, and soybeans, are encouraged for stroke patients to eat because theycanhelpyoumaintainappropriatebloodpressure,which isthemainriskfactorforstroke.

Foods high in magnesium, including spinach, are also associated with a lower risk of stroke.Additionally, keep an eyeon your dietby focusing on leanproteinsand high-fiber

Vajrasana

:

Startbystandingstraightwith yourarmsbyyoursides.•Lean forwardandslowlyloweryour kneesontoyourmat.•Place yourpelvisonyourheelsand pointyourtoesoutward.•Keep yourheelsclosetoeachother Placeyourpalmsonyourknees facingupsitwithyourbackup straight.

foods.Avoidtransandsaturatedfatsbecausethey might cause artery blockages. Reduce salt intake and steer clearofprocessedmeals,whichcanraisebloodpressure.”

SuggestingYogatherapyforrehabilitation,herevealed, “Youcanincreaseyourchancesofrecoveringfromastroke by incorporating yoga therapy into stroke rehabilitation Yoga is a holistic practise that combines physical postures withbreathingexercisesandmeditation Yogamayalsoaid elder stroke survivors in gaining better balance and

Adomukhi Svanasana: Begin in Cat Pose, wherethepalmsarebeneaththeshouldersandtheknees arebelowthehips.Pushhipsup,straighteningtheknees and elbows, and form an A’ shape. • Try to push your heelsallthewaytothefloor

increasing their level of activity” He recommended the following asanas (postures/ poses) for stroke recovery and prevention

Vrikshasana:•

PlaceyourselfinSamasthithi.

•Raiseyourleftlegandplace footontheinsideofyour raisedthigh.Tokeepyourfoot inposition,youcansupportit withyourpalm.Joinpalms andliftyourhandsup.Dothe samewiththeotherleg.

Sukhasana –

HappyPose:Placeyour palmsontheknees whilesittingerectwith yourspinestraightin Dandasana.Foldthe leftlegandtuckit insidetherightthigh. Thenfoldtherightleg andtuckitinsidethe leftthigh.

Dandasana

:

Situprightandextendyourlegs infrontofyou.Joinyourlegs, bringingyourheelstogether Maintainastraightback. Tightenyourpelvic,thigh,and calvesmuscles.Inorderto supportyourspine,placeyour palmsonthefloornexttoyour hips.Also,relaxyourshoulders.

This week in History

Gandhi’s birthday

October2

India’s global figure, Mahatma Gandhi whose full name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born October 2, 1869, Porbandar

Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against theBritishruleofIndia.

As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of non-violent protest (satyagraha) to achieve hecouldhardlyworkduringthedayorrestat politicalandsocialprogress. night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he

In the eyes of millions of his fellow wrote,“areknownonlytotheMahatmas.” Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great His fame spread worldwide during his Soul”).Theunthinkingadorationofthehuge lifetime and only increased after his death. crowdsthatgatheredtoseehimallalongthe The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of routeofhistoursmadethemasevereordeal; themostuniversallyrecognizedonearth.

OJ Simpson acquitted of wife’s murder

October3

O.J. Simpson trial, criminal trial of former college and professional football star, ex-wife and Goldman were stabbed to death O.J.Simpson,whowasacquittedOnOctober outside her condominium in Los Angeles, 3, 1995 of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and Simpson quickly became the prime Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald suspect. Rather than surrender to police after Goldman. It was one of the most notorious being notified of impending charges, on June criminaltrialsinAmericanhistory 17 Simpson hid in the back of a sport-utility

dictator President Rafael

Dominican

Trujillo, order the execution of more than 20,000 Haitians

On the night of June 12, 1994, Simpson’s vehicle driven by his friend A.C. Cowlings. AfterbeingtoldthatSimpsonhadaguntohis own head, law-enforcement officers followed the vehicle at low speeds for more than an hour. The attempted “escape” was televised live nationally seen by an estimated 95 million viewers—and hundreds of Simpson’s fans lined the streets in support of him. It ended at Simpson’s home in Brentwood, California, where he was placed underarrestandtakenintopolicecustody Simpson was formally arraigned on July 22, 1994, entering a plea of not guilty The trial began on January 24, 1995, with Lance Ito as the presiding judge. The Los Angeles district attorney’s office, led by Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, emphasized the domestic violence that had occurred prior to and after the Simpsons’ 1992 divorce as a motiveforthemurders

Breakfast at Tiffany’s release

October5

Holly’s past—is especially

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, moving. Mickey Rooney’s American romantic comedy caricature of a Japanese film, was released on neighbour, however, later October 5, 1961, that was drew much criticism. Henry based on the novella by Mancini’sscore,whichwon Truman Capote and an Academy Award, is featured the critically widely regarded as one of acclaimed performance of the all-time greats AudreyHepburnasthefree- Ironically, when Paramount spiritedHollyGolightly executives first saw

Audrey Hepburn played free-spirited Holly Golightly in the film, Breakfast

Outfitted by Hubert de Breakfast at Tiffany’s, they Givenchy, Hepburn’s argued that “Moon River” character Holly became had to be cut because it s y n o n y m o u s w i t h slowed the film’s pace Hollywood glamour The Hepburn objected and charm of its cast The film may seem sentimental prevailed.The song became sequence between Hepburn by modern standards, but a hit, and it won an Oscar in and Buddy Ebsen—as Doc many continue to cite the 1962. Golightly, who reveals

On Oct. 2, 1937, under the armed forces when the origins, and for his youthful the orders of U.S.-backed American troops left in exploitsasapettythief. Dominican dictator 1924, a time of relative Turmoil in Europe PresidentRafaelTrujillo,the prosperity resonated both with the execution of more than It was not long before he Dominican Republic’s 20,000 Haitians began in toppled an aging caretaker g r o w i n g e c o n o m i c what is now known as the president, and in 1930 he difficulties and with Parsley Massacre at began a thirty-one-year Trujillo’s own obsessions MassacreRiver Inheressay, dictatorship during which he withraceandstatus.

“The River Massacre: The renamed mountains and By 1937, the Dominican Real and Imagined Borders cities after himself and Republic was practically of Hispaniola,” Michele embellished his own name broke, its sugar exports Wuckerexplains: with the honorific Great fetching only a penny a

A former sugar cane BenefactoroftheNationand pound, one twentieth of the plantation guard, Rafael Father of the New price during the boom a Trujillo began his ascent to Dominion. decadeearlier powerintheNationalGuard, He wore pancake make- In late September of that where he was trained by up to lighten the traces of year, weeks before the

m e r i c a n M a r i n e s c o l o r h i s H a i t i a n massacre, the Dominican occupying the Dominican grandmother’sbloodhadleft presidentpubliclyaccepteda Republic. in his skin. Yet Dominican gift of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, He quickly rose through society still snubbed him for whose racial theories he the ranks, becoming head of his working-class family clearlyembraced.

English Actress Kate

Winslet’s Birthday

Born 5 October 1975, was appointed Commander Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an of the Order of the British English actress. Known for Empire(CBE)in2012. her work in independent Winslet studied drama at films, particularly period the Redroofs Theatre dramas, and for her School Her first screen portrayals of headstrong and appearance,atage15,wasin complicated women, she has the British television series r e c e i v e d n u m e r o u s Dark Season (1991). She accolades, including an made her film debut playing AcademyAward, a Grammy a teenage murderess in Titanic (1997), which was Award, two Primetime Heavenly Creatures (1994), the highest-grossing film at Emmy Awards, five BAFTA andwentontowinaBAFTA the time Winslet then Awards and five Golden Award for playing Marianne e s c h e w e d p a r t s i n

Globe Awards Time Dashwood in Sense and blockbusters in favour of magazine named Winslet Sensibility (1995). Global critically acclaimed period one of the 100 most stardom followed with her pieces, including Quills influential people in the leading role in James (2000)andIris(2001). world in 2009 and 2021. She Cameron’s epic romance

Mahatma Gandhi

OJ Simpson on the day he was acquitted

Actress

at Tiffany’s

Actress Kate Winslet

Optique Vision Care, one of Guyana’s trusted optical companies celebrated its 10th anniversary on Friday and announcedthatplansareenroute to establish the country’s first privatespecialtyeyehospital

The announcement was made byDhaniNarine,ChiefExecutive Officer (CEO) and one of the cofounders of the company Narine told attendees who gathered at a reception held at Herdmanston Lodge that Optique Vision Care was established with the aim of helping Guyanese from all walks oflifemaintainhealthyeyeswhile ensuring that the provision of the best eye care services are available.

“We are always pressing forward to bring a sense of ultimatesatisfactiontothosewho relyonourservices,”hesaid.

Thefirstphaseoftheprojectis currently under construction at 350 New Market Street and is

Optique Vision to open specialty eye hospital in 2024

slated to be opened in August 2024.

Mr Narinedisclosedthatupon completion, the hospital will provide eye care surgeries to complement the existing services to better serve the needs of Guyanese and citizens of the CaribbeanBloc

“As a company, we are proud to be part of and to embrace the country’s national development plan which includes medical tourism,” he said noting that the newchapterinOptiqueVisionCare will allow for the employment opportunitiesforGuyanese.

Meanwhile, the CEO, while reflecting on the company’s achievement said that while there were many successes there were alsochallenges.Notwithstanding, the challenges has pushed the company to expand its service to thepeopleofGuyana.

According to Narine, Optique Vision Care is the first to provide employmenttoOptometristsfrom

the University of Guyana’s Optometry Program in 2013/ 2014; the first to establish an Optical Chain in Guyana, which has now developed to five franchises (stores) with the sixth one currently under construction; the first to introduce Crizal lens technologytoGuyana;thefirstto implement and use an Electronic Health Record System (EHRS) within the Optical industry in Guyana,startingsince2019.

As such, the businessman lauded the members of staff –family,andteam.Hegavespecial recognition to the Consultant Ophthalmologist and Medical Director, Dr Sugrim, who was unable to attend the reception due toworkduties

“They are pivotal in the process of fulfilling Optique’s mission to be the preferred eye care provider by delivering professional eye care, value, continuous innovation and exceptionalcustomerservice,”Mr Narinestated

The team’s vision has always been to make Optique a brand that its customers are proud of;

and to stand firm on its core valueswhichcompriseofpatient care, customer service, integrity andcommunity”.

Optique Vision Care was launched with the first Store at Helena No. 1, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and subsequently, at various stages, brancheswereestablishedatGrove (thereafter moved to Amazonia MallatProvidence),Giftland,East StreetandMovietowne.

The management of Optique VisionCaretakesprideinthefact that it was created to not only deliver a consistent brand e x p e r i e n c e t h r o u g h comprehensiveeyecare,buttoalso offerqualityproductsandservices to patients across the country, Narineadded.

Inkeepingwiththecompany’s 10th anniversary celebration, cofounderandoptometristMadonna Narine spearheaded eye tests for over200childrenfromEssequibo, Demerara and Berbice The children were also provided with spectacles

According to Narine, these activities are in keeping with community and fulfilling the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR)objectives

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Optique Vision Care, Dhani Narine

Attendees at Optique Vision Care’s 10th anniversary ceremony

ABlueprintofthenewlyconstructed privatespecialityhospital

opensinRegionThree WestCentralMall US$5M

ByDavinaBagot

Boastingaoneofakind, fine dining restaurant and the first movie theater to grace Region Three, the West Central Mall has finally opened its doors to the public, following two years of construction.

With the region already abuzz with economic development stemming largely from the oil and gas activities, a Meten-Meer-Zorg family responded to the needs for an all- inclusive recreational

facility that offers a memorable experienceforeveryone.

Fromgettingyourbillspaid,to purchasingdredgingequipmentor supporting a small business, the West Central Mall at Leonora, WestCoastDemeraracaterstothe needsofall.

The US$5 million facility officially opened its doors on Saturday, following a humble ceremony on Friday The Waterfalls caught up with the ManagingDirector,BhabitaAlbert yesterday, who is the daughter of HemrajAlbert, Developer ofWest CentralMallInc.

She said when the family

acquired the land about two and a half years ago, they brainstormed ideas to bring a fresh product to their home Region. “We recognized the gap for a Mall but weneverimaginedwewouldhave hadafacilityofthiskind,butwith the help of architects, stakeholders and other supporters, we were able to finallyopentheWestCentral Mall,”shesaid.

Itwasn’tlongafterthatthe family began raising capital with the aid of local financial institutions and private investorstobeginconstructing thefacility

Continued on page 48

Developer of the West Central Mall, HemrajAlbert cut the ribbon on Friday with his family. Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond (third from left) and Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo (fourth from left) offered well wishes to the family on their achievement.

The movie theatre offers a unique experience with love seats and recliners.

Fast food favourites are now available at West Central Mall

Afew of the stores in the Mall

Carlvin Burnett is Digicel’s newest brand influencer

Digicel has announced its latest partnership with recording and performing artist from Guyana, Carlvin Burnett.

In a release to the media on Thursday, Digicel explained the collaboration marks a significant milestone in Digicel’s ongoing commitment to celebrating the arts and connecting withdiversecommunitiesthroughthepowerofmusic.

Burnett is a household name in the music industry, renowned for his exceptional talent as a recording and performingartist.

With a career spanning over a decade, he has consistently delivered chart-topping hits and mesmerizing performances thathavecaptivatedaudiencesworldwide.

His artistic contributions have earned him a dedicated fan baseandnumerousaccoladesthroughouthiscareer

Burnett expressed his excitement about the partnership, saying, “I am beyond excited to partner with Digicel, a brand that shares my commitment to connecting people and fosteringmeaningfulrelationships.Asanartist,Ihavealways believed in the power of communication through music and theabilityofmusictobringpeopletogether

With Digicel, I look forward to creating unforgettable experiencesforfansandcustomersalike.”

Communications Manager at Digicel, Gabriella Chapman, said as a brand influencer for Digicel, Burnett will be involved in various marketing campaigns, initiatives, and events that showcase the company’s dedication to providing cutting-edgetelecommunicationsservices.

“His dynamic presence and passion for music will undoubtedly bring a fresh and vibrant perspective to the brand’s communication strategy Thus, we are thrilled to welcomeCarlvinBurnetttotheDigicelfamily

Hisimmensetalent,charisma,andculturalinfluencealign perfectly with our brand’s values and commitment to deliveringexceptionalcustomerexperiences.WithCarlvinon board, we look forward to exploring exciting new avenues to connect with our audience and positively impact the world of telecommunications.”

This partnership between Digicel and Carlvin Burnett marks the beginning of an exciting journey that promises to bring even more value and entertainment to Digicel customers.

Together, they aim to redefine the boundaries of telecommunications and music in a way that resonates with globalaudiences.

Carlvin Burnette signed as Digicel’s brand influencer

Singer: Carlvin Burnette

Increasing Awareness Around Inflammatory Breast Cancer

CURE.com

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive type of breast cancerthatisoftenconfused with skin-related conditions because of its rash-like appearance, and health care professionals and advocates alike are emphasizing the importance of increasing awarenessinthisspace.

According to the

A m e r i c a n C a n c e r Society, inflammatory breastcanceraccountsfor 1% to 5% of all breast cancers

It has some different symptoms compared with other breast cancers i n c l u d i n g b r e a s t inflammation with redness and swelling, which is associated with cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin The disease is known to progress quickly, and patients are often d i a g n o s e d w i t h inflammatorybreastcancer ateitherstage3or4

Sharon ElmoreAnderson,aretiredUnited States Postal Service employee from Houston, received a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer in May 2013, which she said she found out “on accident ” She started having heart palpitations while working at the United States Postal Service, which sent her to the emergency room After an overnight stay to perform tests and to monitor her symptoms, she was released with directions to follow up with her cardiologist

Later that week, she was preparing to undergo knee surgery, which required a

visit to her orthopedic doctor. Elmore-Anderson toldthedoctorabouthertrip to the emergency room, so her doctor requested to see her medical records before proceedingwithsurgery

Elmore-Anderson recalled, “I went to meet with (my orthopedic doctor) and she said, ‘Did they tell you anything?’I said, “Yes, they told me to follow-up with my cardiologist.” And shesaid,“Youhaveenlarged lymphnodes.”

AndIsaid,“Iwasn’tsure what that meant, enlarged lymph nodes ” She said, “You need to go get that checkedout.”

Shewenttoherdoctorto undergo more exams and to assess her medical records. Elmore-Anderson told her doctor she hadn’t felt any lumps or bumps in her breasts, but upon examination, he noticed a small, thumbnail-sized rash with “an orange-peel look,” she said, in the crease of her breast.This rash is often the indicator of inflammatory breastcancer,buthealthcare professionalsmayconfuseit withotherconditions.

“I never thought that little thing could have been an indication of anything, becauseif(mydoctor)would have told me to put some ointment on it, I probably would have,” ElmoreAndersonsaid.

This led to further testing, including a mammogram, an ultrasound andabiopsy,allofwhichled to her diagnosis in May 2013.

“WhenIcamebacktoget those (biopsy) results read, they told me I had cancer,” she said. “I was shocked because I felt fine at that point.Ifeltfine.Andhesaid,

‘You’re in stage 4.’ That really shocked me and my husbandbecauseIdidn’tfeel any lumps. I didn’t feel any bumps.Hedidn’t.Ifeltfine. Ididn’tconnectwiththeNo. 4becauseitdidn’tfeelrealto me.”

The oncologist she was sent after the diagnosis confirmedthatshehadstage 4 metastatic inflammatory breastcancer

“Ihadcanceron theleft, right side of my neck; left, right side of my collarbone; through my lymph nodes, leftbreast,”shesaid.“AndI justcouldn’tbelieveit.”

Treating Inflammatory BreastCancer

Treatment for ElmoreAnderson included Taxotere (docetaxel), a mastectomy onherleftsideandradiation. She noted that she experienced fatigue with some of her treatment, in addition to losing her hair and nails with Taxotere These side effects occurred atanextremelytoughtimein her life, when her mother became sick and died after E l m o r e - A n d e r s o n underwentthemastectomy

“Iwasatherfuneralwith drainage bags,” she said.

“Actually, as we were walking to the church, my best friend came with me to be with me, my toe nail fell off I mean, it was like, a lotofstuffwenton And I don’t know how I made it through all this. But that was tough, going through her death and dealing with my possible death, because that’s what I was thinking, because I didn’t know anything about how the treatments willrespondtome ”

The treatments she underwent all led her to no

although she “was still considered stage 4 because of the metastatic and the inflammatory disease,” she said So, she continued treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab).

Fast-forward to 2015, she was having an unusual amount of pain in her back, so she went straight to her oncologist to undergo an MRI,whichledtoaCTscan andabiopsy

In December 2015, she learnedthatshehadcancerin the bone, particularly her spine.

Thistime,sheunderwent treatment with Kadcyla ( a d o - t r a s t u z u m a b emtansine) She was supposed to undergo six roundsoftreatment,butafter receiving her fourth round, she experienced severe neuropathy

“It was so bad that I couldn’tsleepinmyownbed because every time I would lay down, it would trigger the neuropathy in my feet,” she said. “I ended up in a wheelchair because I couldn’twalkwithoutsevere pain. Itoldmyoncologist Ican’tdoitanymorebecause myqualityoflifewasgoneat that point. And they agreed to stop the treatment at that point.”

Her cancer team then started her on Perjeta (pertuzumab), in addition to Herceptinandanastrozole(a type of hormone treatment). This switch in treatment helped the neuropathy resolved enough for her to walk, but she still had balance problems every so often because she couldn’t feeltheground,shesaid.

Elmore-Anderson currently receives treatment w i t h P h e s g o

(pertuzumab/trastuzumab/h

yaluronidase-zzxf),which is a combination injection of both of the treatments she waspreviouslyreceiving.

“Thatwasonegoodthing tohappen,soIdon’thaveto go in for infusion, and that made things a little better,” shesaid.

She also receives steroid and epidural injections to managethepaininherspine.

Increased Awareness

Needed

B e f o r e E l m o r eAnderson received an inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis, she had never heardofthecondition.

“(My oncologist) was doing a lot of talking, but I didn’t even know what (questions) to ask. And that was a problem when you don’t know what to do,” she said.

Her care team gave her literature about the disease and provided her the opportunity to connect with them on MyChart with any questions she came across. She also tried researching inflammatory breast cancer on the internet but was unable to find a lot of information.

Sincebecomingapatient advocate, Elmore-Anderson has spoken to many patients and family members of patients who have died because the signs of the diseaseweremissed.

“They would have enlarged breasts, and (doctors) would treat them for rashes and all types of things,” she recalled. “They wouldsay,‘Youjusthavean inflamedbreast.Justputthis creamonthereandyou’llbe fine.’Andtheydon’tmakeit, or it just makes it that much worse for them. It spreads fast to other organs and everywhere.”

Elmore-Anderson said she first went to her OBGYN, with whom she had been seeing for a while already She believed that’s whythedoctor“tookthingsa step further,” she said, to read the results from the emergency room and proceedwithfurthertesting.

Susan G Komen recently released an InflammatoryBreastCancer Scoring System, developed to help health care professionals better identify inflammatory breast cancer with common diagnostic criteria.

“I believe that would help doctors to look at the little rash, the swollen breasts or something that looks odd in the shape or leakage, all these things c o u l d e q u a t e t o inflammatory breast cancer, not just an infection,” she added.

She advised patients to ask all the questions they can to learn more about their diagnosis or even about anything suspicious that may be occurring with theirbody

“There is no dumb questionbecauseattheend oftheday,itcouldbealifeor-death situation,” she said “Mention anything that’s going on with you Sometimes we don’t mention things because we don’t think it’s a big deal Thatlittlerashofminewas a huge deal and I tell them that. I said that was just a thumb-sized rash, (and) that wasthebeginningofstage4. I tell them, whatever it is, if it’s not healing, if it looks suspicious,ifitfeelsfunny,if youthoughtyoufeltalump, letaprofessionalcheckitout and determine what it really is.”

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive type of breast cancer

TaylorSwiftisTravisKelce’...

Frompage21 from Midnight’s “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” fans have been trading homemade jewelry at eachErasTourstop,andKelcetriedtogetinon thetrend.

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk beforeorafterhershowsbecauseshehastosave hervoiceforthe44songsthatshesings,”Kelce said, “so I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to handheroneofthebraceletsImadeforher.”

He went on to explain that the bracelet he wanted to give her had his phone number on it. Evidently,Kelce’splanwasnotsuccessful.“She doesn’tmeetanybody,oratleastshedidn’twant tomeetme,soItookitpersonal,”hequipped.

Doneby, L‘OrealParis

Want a thinner-looking face? How about more prominent-lookingcheekbones?Orasmallerlookingnose?Whataboutbigger-lookinglips? Youcanhaveitallwiththehelpofalittlecontouring.Agood contour can mimic the look of shadows and can make just about any part of your face seem slimmer. Understanding how, where, and with what to sculpt your face can be overwhelming—but these eight easy hacks make it a nobrainer Whetheryouwanttoachievenaturalshadingorlook super-glam,keepreadingforthetrickstogetyouthere.

ContouringHack#1:ChooseaMatteShade

One of the most common contouring mistakes you can make is to use a product intended for bronzing.While some shades may be able to work double-duty, many bronzers contain shimmer and are meant to create a tanned or sunkissedlook.Theseshadesserveadifferentpurposethanthose createdforcontouring.So,makesuretochooseacontouring product without shimmer—this will help you care shadows ratherthanabronzedglow

ContouringHack#2:

OnlyUseCool-TonedColours

ContouringHacks ThatCanHelp YouSculptYour FaceEasier

ContouringHack#5:AddHighlightertotheMix

While contouring creates shadows, highlighting imitates thelookoflighthittingtheskin.Andinordertobalanceyour face, you need both shadow and light. After using a darker shade to add depth, sweep a lighter color above for added dimensionandbalance

ContouringHack#6:CreatetheIllusionofFullerLips

Thelipsareoneoft-forgottenspotthatcanbenefitfroma bit of contouring. For those looking to plump up the look of theirpoutswithmakeup,thesimplesttrickistocontourunder your bottom lip. Use a small amount of contour powder or cream at the top of your chin to copy the shadow a fuller lip wouldcreate.Togivethesametreatmenttoyourtoplip,grab

your highlighting powder and place it on your cupid’s bow (thedipabovethecenterofyourlips).

ContouringHack#7:UtilizeStickyNotes

For a dramatic night look, try a more defined cheek contour Easily get the angled cheekbones of your dreams withthehelpofyourfavoriteofficesupply—thestickynote. Place the note (sticky side down) with one corner starting at the top of your ear and the other going down your cheek. Brush color along your cheek, blending into the top of the paper before removing to reveal a distinct line. Pretty neat right?

Before and after contouring nose

Before and after contouring face

Inasimilarveinasoptingforamatteshade,usingacool toned product with a slightly gray undertone (think about what colour shadows really are) can help to create naturallookingcontours.

ContouringHack#3:ApplyProducts withaMakeupSponge

When it comes to applying your contour, use a sponge insteadofabrush.Yep,yourtoolsarejustasimportantasthe products you use—and a sponge can more easily help you createthesubtledefinitionyouwant.Optforonewithpoints andangles

Contouring

Hack#4:SculptYourFacewithConcealer

Using a concealer stick that’s two to three shades darker thanyourskintone,drawquicklinesalongcheekbones,down thesidesofyournose,andonyourtemplesbeforeblending. Patinwithyourfingerstomakethisasingleproduct,notools trick.

GNBS IN FOCUS GNBSPROVIDINGSTANDARDS ANDSERVICESTOBOOST THEAGRICULTURESECTOR

Today marks the

beginning of Agriculture Month Celebrated in October every year, Agriculture Month 2023 will be observed under the theme“AcceleratingVision 25 by 2025:Investing in Agri-Business and Food Security.” The theme is in keeping with the vision of CARICOM to reduce the regionalfoodimportbillby 25%by2025andGuyana’s goaltomeetthedemandfor foodwithintheregion.

As Guyana and the region collectively work towards achieving thesegoals, the Guyana National Bureau of

Standards (GNBS) is encouraging stakeholders withintheagriculturesector to utilize standards that are readilyavailableintheareas of the production, grading, packaging and labelling of food and other items

Utilizing these standards can significantly enhance the production efficiency, presentation and quality of foodsweproduce.

For farmers, the GNBS hasoverforty(40)National Standards which include standards for poultry production, poultry meat, the labelling of animal feeds, the grading of table eggs, and the grading of fresh agriculture produce.

Grading standards also includethoseforgradingof green plantains, limes, sweet oranges, cucumber, ginger and watermelons

These requirements aim to helpfarmers,regulatorsand buyers to classify produce based on colour, size, freshness, and other characteristics Other agriculture standards availableattheGNBSrelate torice,sugar,andfertilizers.

For agro-processing, therearestandardsthatoffer guidancefortheproduction of jams and jellies, coconut oil,saltedfish,spices,achar andmore,whichprocessors canutilize.Thesestandards cover labelling, packaging, storage, hygiene, and sanitation requirements for products, and offer the requisite guidelines and specification to ensure the manufacture wholesome products for consumption.

Many of these standards were adopted from the CODEX Alimentarius Commission(CAC)andthe CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards a n d Q u a l i t y (CROSQ).Hence, they help agro-processors to capitalise on value-added benefits in the local and exportmarkets.

Apart from standards, stakeholders in the agriculture sector can take advantage of the GNBS voluntary certification schemes which help to make their products more marketable and desirable.

Local producers and agroprocessorscanalsoapplyto the GNBS for the permit to use the ‘Made in Guyana’ Certification Mark; this mark is a signature of quality for authentic Guyanese products Already, thirty-four (34) companies inclusive of many agro-processing companies are certified underthisprogramme.

Meanwhile, farmers, agro-processors, caterers, regulators and other interested parties in the food/agriculture sector can also sign up for GNBS training programmes such as HazardAnalysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Food Safety Prerequisites, Good Storage Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices, ISO 22000, Food Safety ManagementPrinciplesand others.

Lastly, as the National Measurement Institute, the Bureau offers reliable measurementservicesinthe form of verification and calibration to farmers, millersandotheragriculture relatedbusinessesoperating inthesector Theseservices promote accurate measurements in trade to protect consumers and promotebusinessgrowth.

To purchase a copy of the standards available for the agriculture sector, stakeholders can visit gnbsguy.com or to access our other services, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 2190065 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627.

APA hosts Ina Maimu Yetatokon - a panel forum

WiththeaimofprovidingIndigenousvoiceswithaspace freefromfearorfavour,theAmerindianPeoplesAssociation (APA) hosted Ina Maimu Yetatokon – a panel forum at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday, September26,2023.

Ina Maimu Yetatokon is a Patamona phrase that, when translatedmeans‘ListentoOurVoices’.Itisalsothenameof APA’sannualsocialmediaHeritageMonthseriesthataimsto promoteIndigenouscultureandtraditionalknowledgewhile examiningissuesaffectingourpeople.

This year, the APA moved Ina Maimu Yetatokon from online to a physical space with a diverse lineup of panellists from various backgrounds. The panel discussion featured Indigenouspeopleswithlivedexperiencestospeakaboutand share their knowledge of a wide cross-section of topics relevanttotheirrealities.

TheforumopenedwithaddressesbyAPA’sPresidentand Toshao of Kamarang Mr Lemmel Benson and the Association’sWomen’sRepresentativeMs.AlmaMarshall.

The formal discussion was started by APA’s Executive Director Ms. Jean La Rose who presented on the status of Indigenous Peoples in Guyana while APA’s Youth RepresentativeMr KemalRobinsonspoketotheimportance of the protection of Indigenous territories and customary lands.

TheotherpanelistsincludedMarineBiologist,Ms.Felicia Collinswhospokeaboutenvironmentalconservationandthe impact on the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples; South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) Communications Officer,Ms.ImmaculataCasimerodelvedintothechallenges ofindigenouswomenandgirlsintheprotection,preservation and promotion of their rights; and Law Student, Ms. Judy Winter tackled the challenges in accessing education for Indigenousyouths.

ChineseLandingyouth,Mr MichaelMilleraddressedthe situationinhiscommunityasitrelatestotheimpactofoutside minersandtheinvasionoftheirterritory.

The attendees had the opportunity to interact with the panelistswheretheyposedquestionsandsoughtclarifications on the statements presented. The discussion was skillfully moderatedbyMr GrahamAtkinsonandMs.SharidaReuben.

Ina Maimu Yetatokon provided a unique space for unhindered conversations and sharing of the Indigenous experiences by the very persons who are living those experiences.

BackdropArtwork was done by Mr Nigel Butler ofThe NineNationsgroup.

APA hosted a panel discussion called Ina Maimu Yetatokon translated as ‘listen to our voices’

Danruff: diagnosis and treatment

The itching and f l a k i n g o f dandruff can almostalwaysbecontrolled. For mild dandruff, first try regular cleansing with a gentleshampootoreduceoil and skin cell buildup. If that doesn’thelp,tryamedicated dandruff shampoo. Some people can tolerate using a medicated shampoo two to

have light-colored hair, this type of shampoo may cause discoloration. It can also make the scalp more sensitivetosunlight. These products help eliminate scaling. Selenium sulfide shampoos Head & Shoulders Intensive, Selsun Blue, others). These contain an antifungal agent. Use these products as directed

diet. A diet that provides enoughzinc,Bvitaminsand certaintypesoffatsmayhelp preventdandruff.

Developahairandscalp careroutinethatsuitsyou.If you tend to have an oily scalp,dailyshampooingmay help prevent dandruff. Gently massage your scalp to loosen flakes. Rinse thoroughly.Ifyourhairtends

to be dry and your scalp is sensitive, shampoo less frequently and condition your scalp between w a s h i n g s ( D e s i g n Essentials, Melanin Haircare,ScalpBliss). Get a little sun. Sunlight may be good for controlling dandruff. But because exposure to ultraviolet light damages your skin and

increases your risk of skin cancer, don’t sunbathe Instead, just spend a little timeoutdoors.Andbesureto wearsunscreenonyourface andbody

Limit hair-styling products Hair-styling products can build up on your hair and scalp, making themoilier.

Teatreeoilisincludedin

a number of shampoos, but thereisnostrongevidenceto support its use for dandruff control. It comes from the leaves of the Australian tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and has been used for centuries as an antiseptic, antibiotic and antifungal agent. The oil may cause allergic reactions in some people.

three times a week, with regularshampooingonother days if needed. People with drierhairwouldbenefitfrom less frequent shampooing and a moisturizing conditioner for the hair or scalp.Ifyoudevelopitching orstingingfromanyproduct, stop using it. If you develop an allergic reaction — such as a rash, hives or difficulty breathing—seekimmediate medicalattention.

Pyrithione zinc shampoos (DermaZinc, Head & Shoulders, others). These contain the antibacterial and antifungal agentzincpyrithione.

Coal tar slows how quickly skin cells on your scalpdieandflakeoff.Ifyou

and rinse well after shampooing, as they can discolorthehairandscalp.

Ketoconazole shampoos (Nizoral Anti-Dandruff) This shampoo is intended to kill dandruff-causing fungi thatliveonyourscalp.These products contain a corticosteroidtohelpcontrol itching, flaking and irritation.

If one type of shampoo works for a time and then seems to lose its effectiveness, try alternating between two types of dandruff shampoos. Once your dandruff is under control, try using the medicated shampoo less frequently for maintenance andprevention.Eatahealthy

The Witch Who Was Frightened Of Halloween

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Katie. Katie was seven. She lived in nice housewithhermumandadog calledMuffin.Itwasallquite normalreally,Exceptforone thing, They were witches. Well,exceptforMuffin,who was a D-witch, which is a dogwhocastsspells.

Anyway being a witch wasn't so bad. Mum would just twitch her nose and all the cleaning would get done.Dadwouldwavehisstick, and the lawn would cut itself. Muffin would click his paws, and a few dog treats would tumble out of the sky They'd even taught Katie some magic. She knew how to make her homework do itself. Her room got tidied just by twitching her ear Buttherewasjustonething Katie really didn't like and that isHalloween.

Once a year, when the leaveswerefallingoffthetrees, and the nights were getting longer, all the children in her school and along her street wouldgetterriblyexcitedabout Halloween They made costumes of horrible looking witches With long pointy noses, and spots, and nasty black hats, and broomsticks.

Katie said in school: “Witches aren'tlikethat,really Mymum looks quite nice.” And all the othergirlsfellaboutlaughing.

“Katiethinksshe'sawitch,” they laughed. “She's ugly and horrible,justlikeawitch.”And whenKatiewenthomethatday, shewasreallyupset.

She cried and cried and cried.Andwhenhermumasked her what the matter was, she said: “Everyone hates witches. Andtheyespeciallyhatethemat Halloween.”Andhermumtried to explain that although some peopledidn'tlikewitches,itwas also quite useful sometimes, like when the washing up got doneallbyitself.

“I don't ever want to have anything to do with witch-craft again,” said Katie angrily But onHalloweennight,allthegirls fromherschoolwereorganising atrickortreattourofthestreet. Katiedidn'twanttogo,because she'ddecidedshedidn'twantto haveanythingtodowithwitchcraft.

Never, never, never…. But hermumsaidshehadtobecause a witch can hardly stay in on Halloween.And she whispered somethinginKatie'sear

Do you know what it was? Well, I'll tell you in a minute. Katiewenttojointheothergirls and some of them started laughingather

“Katiedoesn'thavetodress up, because she's already a witch,”theylaughed.

And Katie felt cross, embarrassed but she decided to remainquiet.Atthefirsthouse, they got a load of sherbet lemons.Atthesecond,ajumbo pack of sweeties. At the third, loadsandloadsofcrisps.Andat the forth, a giant packet of chocolate biscuits.When they reached the fifth house, there lived a man called Mr Bones who didn't like children. He certainly didn't see why he

givethemanytreats.

“Buzzoff,youstupidkids,” he said when they knocked on thedoor

“Trick or treat, trick or treat…”criedthegirls.

“Yes, well, I think I'll take the trick, if it's all the same to you,”saidMrBones.

And a horrible smile creaseduphisface.

“Because you're just a bunch of stupid little girls, and youdon'tscareme.”

“But one of us is a real witch,”saidAmelia,thebiggest ofthegirls.

“Yes, yes, Katie's a real witch,”theyallcried.

But Mr Bones just laughed andlaughed.

“That'sthestupidestthingI everheard,”hesaid.

“Go on, Katie,” said Amelia. “Let's see if you really areawitch.”

And so Katie stepped forwards.

“You don't look scary to me,” said Mr Bones. “You're justastupidlittlegirl.”

ButKatierememberedwhat her mum had whispered in her ear Doyouknowwhatitwas?A special spell. So right then, Katie recited the magic words. And she wriggled her ear All the girls gasped in amazement. Because suddenly Mr Bones wasn't Mr Bones anymore. He

FUNWITHPOETRY

PumpkinMasonJar

Kim:10/21/22 SuppliestoMake PumpkinMasonJars

Orange and Black EnamelGlassPaint

Optional: You can add a brush-onglitterpaintontop – Mod podge/glue that driesclear

w a s a little brown, fluffy hamster Insideacage.Running around and around on a wheel. All the girls laughed and laughed.

Katie leaned into the cage.

“Isitfunbeingahamster?”

Thelittlecreaturesqueaked and shook its head. And Katie spunthewheel,sothathehadto run faster and faster And then sherecitedthemagicwordsand MrBoneswasturnedbackintoa managain.

“I'll get you some treats, girls,” he said very quickly and nervously

Andhecamebackwithtons of chocolate bars, fizzy drinks, biscuits,andevenanewBarbie DVDforeachgirl.

“Please come back next year girls,” he said. “I'll have evenbetterstuffforyou.”

He went back inside, looking very nervous. As they wentdowntherestofthestreet, everyone had heard that there was a real witch out trick and treatingtonight,sotheyallgave the girls even more sweets and biscuits than usual, and even some toys. Katie was now the mostpopulargirlinherclass.

“You know, maybe it's not so bad being a witch after all,” she said when she got home.

“AndIthinkI'mgoingtoenjoy H alloweenfromnowon.”

IWANTTOBEGOOD

Ithinkitisonlyright ThatImustalwaystrytobegood, Tosayanddothecorrectthing, AndbehaveaswellasIcould.

Iwillalwaystrytobehonest, InwhateverIhavetodo, Nottotakewhatbelongstoothers, Andalwaysspeakwhatistrue.

Iwilltrytobealwaysfair, WheneverIworkorplay, AlwaysmakesureIdonotcheat, Anddowhatisrightineveryway. way

Aboveall,Iwillnotbeselfish, Especiallywiththosewhohavelessthemme; Thiswillmakemefeelsogood, Astheybecomegratefultome.

1. First, paint the mason jars.

You may need to do 2-3 coats depending on the type ofpaintyouareusing.Paint until it does not look transparent.

You can also do a base coat in white which will cut down on the number of coloredcoatsyou'llneed.

Optional:Oncethecoats of orange are finished, you canbrushonacoatoforange glitterpaint.

2.Onceallthebasecoats of paint are dry, the final touchisaddingyourJack-olanternfaces.

Make them as silly or as

traditionalasyou'dlike!

3.Thefinalstepistoadd acoatofmodpodgeontopto sealthepaint.

The mod podge will dry clear ThesecuteHalloween jars would make a cute Halloweengiftthisyear!

For the past weeks we have been sharing the tips thatarenecessarytosucceed in your studies, which will help you to improve your qualificationstofurtheryour career However, to ensure thatyouarebestequippedto makethebestofyourlifein the future, you will need to try to develop your various personalqualities.

To start in this

endeavour,yourfirsthaveto be clear on the various aspects of your personality, and make a sincere and determinedefforttodevelop these qualities. We will therefore be dealing with theseinthecomingweeksto assistyouinthiseffort.

First of all, your personality includes your Body, Mind, Spirit and Emotions, each of which

you need firstly to be very clearonwhatitis,whatyou need to do to make the best ofit,andhowyoudealwith itaffectsyourgeneralliving.

Your body entails the various parts of your physique, including the innerandouterorganswhich youcanseeandfeel. Italso includes the five senses whicharevitaltoyourbeing aware of what is going on aroundandwithinyou.

Yourmindisresponsible for the mental processes of which you have to be in control so as to make the mostofyourlife. Itincludes the thinking processes you use in your daily activities, your memory, and the

CROSS FIGURE

Across-figure (also variously called cross numberpuzzleorfigure logic) is a puzzle similar to a crossword in structure, but with entries that consist of numbers rather than w o r d s , w h e r e individual digits are entered in the blank cells Clues may be mathematical ("the s e v e n t h p r i m e number"), use general knowledge("dateofthe Battle of Hastings") or refer to other clues ("9 downminus3across").

A Place For Me

Thereisaspecialplaceinlife, thatneedsmyhumbleskill,

AcertainjobI'mmeanttodo, whichnooneelsecanfulfill

Thetimewillbedemanding, andthepayisnottoogood AndyetIwouldn'tchangeit foramoment--evenifIcould

Thereisaspecialplaceinlife, agoalImustattain,

choicesyoumake,whichare facilitatedbythebrain.

Yourspirit,orsoul,isto lead you to develop your relationships with your Creator, and with all other persons and things that you meetinyourlife.

Your emotions, or feelings, function to make you aware of what is going on around you, and make a judgement about its nature. It serves as a guide in your relationshipswithothers.

Inthecomingweekswe willbeexpandingoneachof these qualities, and offer adviceonhowtoensurethat theyfunctionattheirbestto lead you to success in your life.

AdreamthatImustfollow, becauseIwon'tbebackagain.

ThereisamarkthatImustleave, howeversmallitseemstobe, Alegacyofloveforthose whofollowafterme

Thereisaspecialplaceinlife, thatonlyImayshare,

Alittlepaththatbearsmyname, awaitingmesomewhere.

ThereisahandthatImusthold, awordthatImustsay, AsmilethatImustgive fortherearetearstoblowaway Thereisaspecialplaceinlife thatIwasmeanttofill Asunnyspotwhereflowersgrow, uponawindyhill

There'salwaysatomorrow andthebestisyettobe, Andsomewhereinthisworld, Iknowthereisaplaceforme

Solutions to last week’s

Binox

Bridges

Your studies will bring about success in your life when you move onwards to build your personal qualities.

Success in your Studies are just a part of what is necessary to succeed in your greater Life

Dryscalp &dandruff

Whatisdryscalp?

Dryscalpcanoccurwhentheskinonyourheadlosestoomuch waterormoisture.Theconditioncancauseitchingandflaking.The skinonyourscalpgetsirritatedandflakesoff.Therearevarious reasonswhyyourscalpmaybedry.Somehaircareproductscandry outandirritateyourscalp.Weatherandagecanalsoaffectyourscalp. Butmoreseriousskinconditionscanalsocausedryscalp.

What'sthedifferencebetweendandruffanddryscalp?

Dryscalpanddandruffcanbothcauseanitchy,flakyscalp.This cansometimesmakeithardtotellthedifference.However,excessoil causesdandruff,andlossofmoisturecausesdryscalp.

Whenyouhavetoomuchoilonyourscalp,yourskincellscan buildup.Yourscalpmayappearred,oilyandscaly Thescales quicklyflakeoff,andthendandruffappears.Dandrufflookslike largerpiecesofdryskinflakingoffyourscalp.Itfrequentlycomes andgoesandisaverycommoncondition.

Seborrheicdermatitisisthemaincauseofdandruff.Seborrheic dermatitisisaskinconditionwithvariouscauses.Yeastthatliveson yourskin,stressoryourhealthcanallcauseseborrheicdermatitis. Babiescangetseborrheicdermatitis,too.Ifyourbabyhasascaly,dry scalp,it'scalledcradlecap.

Whileadryscalpcancauseitchingandflaking,it'sdifferentthan dandruff.Ifyouhaveadryscalp,therestofyourbodymay experiencedrynesstoo.Inaddition,thecauseoftheconditionis different.Thelossofmoisturecanbeduetomanyfactors,including variousskinconditions.

PossibleCauses

Whatcausesdryscalp?

Ifyou'rewonderingwhyyourscalpissodry,you'llneedto considerseveralreasons.Theproductsyouuseonyourhaircouldbe causingcontactdermatitis.Contactdermatitisisareactionto somethingthatcausesitchinessandirritation.Manyhaircare productsdryoutyourhairbystrippingitofitsnaturaloils,whichcan leaveyourscalpirritated.

Theweathercouldalsobecausingyourcondition.Environments withlowhumidityandareaslocatedincoldclimatescandryoutthe skinonyourscalp.Inaddition,asyougetolder,yourskinstartsto dryout.However,theconditioncanoccurformoreseriousreasons. Theseconditionsmayinclude:

Psoriasis-isalong-term(chronic)skinconditionthatcausesyour skincellstogrowtooquickly Thisrapidgrowthmakesyourskin cellspileuponthesurfaceofyourskininpatches.Thesepatchesare calledplaques.Psoriasishasmanygeneticcomponents,butother factorsmaytriggeritaswell.Thesefactorsincludeinfections, injuriesandmedications.Italsoincludeslifestylefactorssuchas drinkingalcoholorsmoking.

Tineacapitis(scalpringworm)-isafungalinfectionoftheskin onyourscalp.Tineacapitisspreadsveryeasily Youcangetitthrough directcontactwithotherpeopleandanimals.Youcanalsogetitby sharingobjects,suchashatsandbrushes,andbytouchingsurfaces thatharborthefungus.Tineacapitiscanliveforalongperiodoftime oninfectedsurfacesandobjects.

Actinickeratosis(AK)-orsolarkeratosis,isatypeof precanceroussundamagecausedbyunprotectedsunexposure.It's mostcommoninpeopleassignedmaleatbirthwho'veexperienced hairloss,becausetheyhavelessprotectionfromthesun.Actinic keratosisisalsocommoninpeoplewhoareage50orolderwho spendalotoftimeoutdoorswithoutsunprotection.Geneticsand familyhistorycanalsoplayarole.

Dryscalptreatmentdependsonthecauseofthecondition.Ifhair productshavecausedthecondition,youmayjusthavetodoabetter jobrinsingoutyourshampoo.Shampoothat'sleftbehindafteryou showercouldbeirritatingyourscalp.

Ifthatdoesn'twork,youmaybeabletotryhomeremediesfor yourdryscalp.Ifahaircareproductiscausingcontactdermatitis, youmayhavetostopusingthatproduct.Youcanusuallygetridof dryscalpbyswitchingtoanon-medicated,gentleshampoo.A shampoofordryscalphelpsstopthedrynessandflakes.

Ifamoreserioushealthissueiscausingyourcondition,callyour healthcareprovider Adermatologistcandiagnoseyourconditionand helpfixyourdryscalp.

Thereareseveralwaysyoucanpreventadry,itchyscalp.Tryto worksomeofthesetipsintoyourroutine:

*Switchtoagentle,moisturizingshampoo.

*Washyourhairlessfrequently

*Manageyourstress.

*Drinkmorewater

*Quitsmoking.

*Addmoremoisturetoyourhomewithahumidifier https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23326-dry-scalp

US$5M WestCentral Mall...

Art lovers and enthusiasts were treated to a beautiful display of fineartthisweekendat‘Beyond theBrush’hostedbySadeBarrow-Brownat theMarriottHotelGuyana.

The inaugural exhibition hosted by FineArt.gytookplaceonSeptember29and 30,2023.

Artist and founder of FineArt.gy, Sade Barrow-Brown said that the initiative showcased the work of 40 talented local artists.

From captivating paintings like Dillon Craig’s ‘Land of the Giants’to handcrafted steel artifacts done his uncle and senior artist, Winslow Craig, visitors were enthralled by the moving work of local creatives.

Barrow-Brown said the exhibition displayed the work of both renowned and emergingartists.

She said her business; FineArt.gy is an innovative online business that helps to exposelocalartiststothewidermarket.

According to Barrow-Brown, ‘Beyond theBrush’createdauniqueopportunityfor local and visiting art enthusiasts to own a pieceofartisticbrilliance.

Shenotedthat,“Itexposestheirworkto potentialbuyersglobally,butwhilewehave anonlinespaceitisstillveryimportantfor ustohavethatface-to-faceinteractionwith potentialbuyers.”

“We have a good balance of renowned and emerging artists …the idea is for the

the Brush’ ‘Beyond the Brush’

worldtoknowthatwehaveourculturehere andourcultureshowsthroughourart,”she added

The gallery featured work from talent artists including Abigail Marks, Akeem King, Alvina Nughton, Alyce Cameron, Anthonio Butts, Anna Joao, Bissoonnauth Bacchus, Christina Izbaa, Cosmata Lindie, CourtneyDouglas,DarryWilson,Delancia Semple, Dillon Craig, Dominique Hunter, Jamel Denny, Junior Hytmiah, Keno George, Leon Hardowar, Lisa Thompson, Maharanie Jhillu, Merlene Ellis, Mariah Lawrence, Mary Fung-A-Fat, Michael Griffith, Ransford Simon, Roberta Nicolls, RobertoTeekah,RonVerwey,RyanMcKay, Samara Siland, Selena Ramnarine, Tammy Walker, Travon Barker, Winslow Craig, Christopher Killkelly, Vibert Dummett, Halcyon Doris, Joshua Macey, Akeem King,AckeemThomasandArielaAzaire.

Barrow-Browne noted that supporting local artists is not just about investing in theirwork;“it’saninvestmentinthesoulof ourcommunity”.

“By uplifting our local artists, we preserve cultural identities, inspire creativity, and foster a sense of belonging that enriches our lives in countless ways. Theirartreflectsourstories,traditions,and aspirations,creatingatapestrythatbindsus together,”shesaid.

FineArt.gy is an online art gallery on Facebook The exhibition was partly sponsoredbyImpressionsBranding.

‘Beyond

charms local art lovers at inaugural exhibition charms local art lovers at inaugural exhibition

with ExxonMobil to deprive current and future

Successive governments spinelessly conspired generations of their patrimony-ChrisRam

Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram has accused successive governments of “spinelessly” conspiring with ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, to deprive current and future generations of their patrimony

Inaletterrecentlypublishedin the Stabroek News, the columnist said both the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government and the Coalition regime which consisted of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the AllianceForChange(AFC)cannot escape blame for the poor management of the oil and gas sector.

In the case of the Coalition, Ram reminded readers of three damningincidentsthatcontributed to current and future generations beingsaddledwithanunfairdeal.

He recalled that following Exxon's announcement of Guyana'sfirstoildiscoverybackin 2015, a team from the Petroleum Unit of the Guyana Geology and

Mines Commission (GGMC) headed by Commissioner Newell Dennison had conducted a visit to Exxon'sHeadOfficeinTexas.This was done to discuss a range of issues pertaining to the developmentofthediscovery

“…(But)thebulliesfromTexas inhospitablytoldthemthattheonly thing to be discussed was a new Agreement (which would replace the 1999 agreement that was alreadyinplace),”Ramrecounted. When Dennison complained to formerNaturalResourcesMinister, Raphael Trotman in a written Memo of being “confronted” on a new Contract for the Stabroek Block, Ram said Trotman did nothing. “In fact, his Ministry started working towards the infamous 2016 Petroleum Agreement – shockingly, with the help of Exxon's top lawyers,” the Chartered Accountant wrote. To give legitimacy to the new Agreement, Ram said a Bridging Deed was concocted to make the 1999 Agreement part of the 2016 Agreement.

Another scandal he cited was

the US$18M signing bonus which the APNU+AFC regime had accepted from Exxon, hid from public scrutiny and denied its existence until the truth was exposedbyRam.

“By Trotman's own admission in his recent book, the so-called signing bonus was not a signing bonusatall,butasumtopaylegal fees partly to protect Exxon's interest,”theCharteredAccountant wrote. He added, “Trotman of coursehaddeniedanysuchsigning bonus until the veracity and his duplicity were exposed in the media. To this day, he has been unrepentant.”

Additionally,Ramrecalledthat Trotman had commissioned an independentinvestigationbyaUK law firm, Clyde & Co, “into the circumstances leading to the execution of the 2016 Petroleum Agreement”. Ram said that report is a damning indictment of Exxon. Whathealsofoundtroublingisthat neither Trotman nor his successor, Vickram Bharrat, made the report public.

Despite the incriminating

information of Trotman's and the APNU+AFC's conduct in the execution of the Agreement, Ram said the PPP/C administration has refusedtoholdaninquiry.

Hepresumedthisisbeingdone to protect Exxon from public scrutiny and the discovery and exposure of their accounting shenanigans.

Ram said indeed, Trotman has suffered the lion's share of blame and ignominy for the giveaway of the country's patrimony However, Ram said the PPP/C is no less culpable,arguingthatitcommitted

its fair share of transgressions where Exxon and partners are concerned He flagged, for example, the government's mishandling of the audit into Exxon'sUS$1.7Bexpenses.

Thatmatter is said to be under investigation for the unauthorized reduction of ExxonMobil's questionable expenses from US$214MtoUS$3M.

With the foregoing considered, Ram said it is clear successive governments are depriving current and future generations of their rightfulpatrimony

Mahipaul accuses NPTAB of rampant corruption, calls for immediate investigation

Op p o s i t i o n Member of Parliament(MP) and member of the Public AccountsCommittee(PAC), Ganesh Mahipaul has accused the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) of being at the helmoframpantcorruption.

In a statement to the pressonSaturday,Mahipaul said, “The pervasive corruption allegations surrounding the PPP/C governmenthavecastalong and ominous shadow, and at itsepicenterliestheNational Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).”

He explained that while theProcurementActof2003 mandates that contracts be awarded to the lowest, most responsive bidder, the agency seems to have gone rogueinitsapplicationofthe law

According to Act at 39 (2): “The Evaluation Committee shall, using only the evaluation criteria outlined in the tender documents, evaluate all tenders, determine which tenderer has submitted the

lowestevaluatedtender,and convey its recommendation totheprocuringentitywithin a reasonable period of time, but not longer than fourteen days.”

Itgoesontoexplainat39 (9): “If the lowest evaluated tenderer is requested to demonstrate again its qualifications in accordance with subsection (5) (1) (i) and(vi)butfailstodoso,the Evaluation Committee shall reject its tender and determine which of the remaining tenders is the second lowest evaluated tender...”

Mahipaul said that the legislation explicitly u n d e r s c o r e s t h a t responsiveness pertains not only to the conformity of submitted documents but also the vital criterion of offering the most economically advantageous p r o p o s a l t h r o u g h competitivepricing.

To this end, he said a strangeandalarmingpattern has emerged where the lowest bidders, in several recent projects, seem strangely bereft of responsiveness when the NPTAB bestows contracts

uponthem.

As such, Mahipaul said, “This glaring inconsistency raisesprofounddoubtsabout theinstitution'sadherenceto the law Consequently, it is not only justifiable but imperative to call for an i m m e d i a t e a n d c o m p r e h e n s i v e investigation into the operationsoftheNPTAB.”

TheMPwaskeentonote that these sizable contract sums seem to grease the wheels of favoritism. He added, “Even more distressing is the suspicion that political influence looms large, manipulating the procurement process to favor friends, family members, and political favourites ” Mahipaul however argued that the distortion of the system not only undermines the principles of fairness and equity but corrodes the very foundations of a just and accountablegovernment.

He said that the fight against corruption must encompass a holistic approach,commencingwith ameticulousexaminationof the NPTAB's activities Further, the MP noted that

restoring confidence in the procurement system is paramount, necessitating a resolute commitment to transparency, legality, and ethicalgovernance.

Accordingtohim,“Only through unwavering resolve in addressing these issues, can we hope to embark on a path toward cleansing the system of corruption, ensuringthattheinterestsof the public are safeguarded andupheld.”

SilentPPC

Mahipaul lashed out againstthedeafeningsilence of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in the faceofwhathedescribedas “egregious wrongs perpetratedbytheNPTAB”. He argued that it is not just sad but “an abomination” to the very principles of t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountability that it was entrustedtouphold.

“This despicable silence lays bare the painful truth that the commission, which should be a bastion of integrity, has been compromisedandreducedto a pawn in the hands of the PPP/C. It is an affront to every hardworking taxpayer

who watches helplessly as their hard-earned money is shamelessly funneled into the pockets of government cronies,”hesaid.

Possiblebreaches

Meanwhile,inaninvited comment, the MP told this newspaper that the recent contract awarded to a company affiliated with Mikhail Rodrigues, popularly known as “Guyanese Critic,” is a prime example of 'breaches' totheProcurementAct.

Hereasoned,“Letustake for example this pump station that I see this Tepui Group Inc got. When you look at that award, you see thattherearecompanieswho bidlowerthanthatgroupbut they did not get it so it begs the question as to how that evaluation was done and howisitthatthisawardwas made.”

He said besides that award, a number of other contractorsreachedoutto (Continuedonpage55)

CharteredAccountant, Christopher Ram

Opposition MP, Ganesh Mahipaul

From page 14 disbursements from the China enteredintoanewcontractwiththe at the lowest possible cost with a sediments. In the meantime, it said EXIM Bank and United Kingdom ChinaExportImport(EXIM)Bank prudent degree of risk, Guyana’s other physical and biological ExportFinance(UKEF)andhigher for a US$172 million loan to public debt remains sustainable resources such as air quality, multilateral debt to the facilitate the construction of the with a moderate risk of debt marine fish, and marine benthos International Development new Demerara River crossing. The distress.” could also be impacted, to a lesser Association (IDA), in the first half Ministry of Finance announced the extent because the duration of of2023. completion of the electronic THURSDAY impacts would not be long would Meanwhile, the finance signingofthe€160.8millionloan. bereversible. ministry attributes this increase to Guyana has primarily sourced Exxon’s US$460M

The study highlighted that a positive net flows (disbursements the majority of its bilateral loans pre-contract costs spill could also potentially impact minus principal repayments) from from the People’s Republic of inflated by US$92M Guyanese fisherfolk if commercial bilateral creditors such as China, with reports indicating that - “If that is not fraud, fish and shrimp resources were Eximbank of China, China CAMC thebulkofthecountry’sloanswere I would like someone to impacted. “The magnitude of this EngineeringCo.,Ltd.,andUKEF owed to the China EXIM Bank in tell what is,”- Chartered impact would depend on the On the contrary, obligations to 2021. Accountant, Chris Ram volume and duration of the release, the Inter-American Development TheChinaEXIMBankplayeda as well as the time of year at which Bank (IADB) and Caribbean significant role in financing the Chartered Accountant, the release were to occur.” Again, Development Bank (CDB) modernization of the Skeldon Christopher Ram highlighted in a the Consultant assured that decreased slightly due to debt Sugar Factory, intended to boost recent letter published in the effective implementation of the servicepayments. s u g a r p r o d u c t i o n , b u t Stabroek News that ExxonMobil’s OSRP would reduce this risk by In the first half of the year, total unfortunately, it contributed to the US$460M in pre-contract costs reducing the ocean surface area external disbursements amounted industry’s decline. In 2017, the opportunities for economic growth being charged against Guyana’s oil impacted by a spill and thereby to US$99.9 million, representing a Ministry of Finance contracted two buthavealsoraisedconcernsabout isactuallyinflatedbyUS$92M. reduce the exposure of these substantial increase compared to loans for the Skeldon project, one thesustainabilityofitsdebtburden. RamrecalledthatinAnnexCof resourcestooil. the first half of 2022. The finance from the Export Import Bank of Notably, President Irfaan Ali’s the Production Sharing Agreement ministryintheirreportstated,“This China (repayment ending in 2025) administration recently raised the (PSA) governing the Stabroek Loans from China, year-on-year expansion reflects and the other from the Caribbean country’s debt ceiling by US$3 Block, ExxonMobil Guyana UK rack up Guyana’s higher disbursements from Development Bank (repayment billion, allowing for more Limited which leads a consortium external debt - BoG report bilateral and multilateral creditors, ending in 2033). The government borrowing. This decision, taken in in the concession includeda charge whichalsototaledUS$99.9million pays a total of US$3.8 million per August, expanded the domestic for US$460M in costs. It said these Guyana has witnessed a in the first half of 2023, up from year (principal and interest) for public debt ceiling to $750 billion, expenses were incurred from 1999 significantsurgeinitsexternaldebt US$25.6 million in the first half of theseloans. and established a new external to the 2015. The agreement states levelsinrecentyears. 2022.” Another project, funded by borrowingceilingof$900billion. that this cost must be covered by

Last month, it was reported that Notably, projects such as the loans from China, is the expansion The country’s previous debt Guyana’soil. Guyana’s total public and publicly East Coast Demerara Road Project of the Cheddi Jagan International ceilings were last increased by the However, Ram said his own guaranteed (PPG) debt reached a Phase 2, Guyana Pediatric and Airport, Timehri The airport Government back in January 2021. examination of the records for substantial US$3 9 billion, Maternal Hospital, and the expansion contract, originally According to the Ministry of Exxon and its partners, Hess marking a substantial 7.2% Regional Hospitals Project signed in 2011, underwent Finance, given Guyana’s economic Corporation and CNOOC increase compared to the end of received external disbursements in adjustments during the David outlook, these revisions to the Petroleum Guyana Limited, show 2022. thefirsthalfofthisyear. Granger administration. It was external and domestic public debt that they only expended at a

The recently unveiled report In the private creditor category, ultimately awarded to China ceilings are consistent with the maximum, US$368M. “If that is from the Bank of Guyana (BoG) total obligations decreased by Harbour Engineering Company country’s long-term debt not fraud, I would like someone to Half-Year Report, reveals that the 1.3%,mainlyreflectingareduction (CHEC)forUS$150million,witha sustainability. tell what is a fraud!” the Chartered outstanding PPG external debt in liabilities to Republic Bank significant portion funded by the Notably, fuelled by a ramping Accountantwrote. escalated by 3 8%, reaching (T&T).

China EXIM Bank and taxpayers’ up of oil production and the Ram’s flagging of US$92M in US$1,631 million from the Notably, external PPG debt is money resurgence of the non-oil economy, alleged inflated expenses appear to December2022figures. projected to increase by 31 6 Kaieteur News has reported the country registered real Gross be reflected in an audit carried out

At the end of June 2023, percent from its mid-2023 position thattheriseinGuyana’sdebtcanbe DomesticProduct(GDP)growthof by IHS Markit, a British multilateralcreditorsheld67.8%of to US$2,146.0 million at the end of attributed, in part, to significant 62.3 percent in 2022, making it the Consultancy Group.That company the external public guaranteed debt 2023, mainly due to expected borrowing to finance critical fastest-growing economy in the was hired back in 2019 by the portfolio which increased slightly positive net flows from both infrastructureprojects,includingin world. As such, it was noted that David Granger administration to by to US$1,106.5 million, while multilateralandbilateralcreditors. theoilandgassector this appreciable growth examine a larger set of costs. It bilateral creditors held 30 3%, Additionally, on December 30, While the country’s newfound performance and the country’s audited the US$460M incurred as primarily due to higher 2022, the Government of Guyana oil resources have offered robust economic outlook underpin well as an additional US$1.2B in Guyana’s sustainable absorption of bills Exxon and its partners racked thenewdebt. up from 2015 to 2017. In total, the

In sum, the Government said it auditors found US$214M in is committed to harnessing questionablespending. Guyana’s debt-carrying capacity to TheGuyanaRevenueAuthority accelerateitsdevelopmentagenda. which functions as the

The Ministry of Finance’s Mid- government’s advisor on audit Year Report highlighted that, as of findings perused the IHS Audit June 2023, Guyana’s total public Report and gave its no-objection to and publicly guaranteed debt stood the US$214M flagged It at US$3,916.9 million, with total subsequently advised the Ministry public debt accounting for ofNaturalResources,anotherparty US$3,914 5 million, and total in overseeing the audit process, to publicly guaranteed debt for the bringtheaudittofinality Insteadof remainingUS$2.4million. doing so, the ministry’s Petroleum

Notably, when compared to the Unit engaged Exxon in separate end of 2022, when debt stood at talks which reduced the US$214M US$3,654 9 million, a 7 2% figuretoUS$3M. increase was recorded. To this end, Questions raised by Kaieteur Government said this was mainly News about the confusion over attributed to a positive net flow what is to be the final disputed sum from both the external and led Vice President, Dr Bharrat domestic debt portfolios. In the Jagdeo to categorically state that recently published report it was government will stand by GRA’s stat

d, “As a result of decision Dr Jagdeo said the Government’s continued effort to ministryshouldnothaveengaged ensure that financing needs are met (Continued on page 53)

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

From page 52 Tuesday evening, Mr Exxoninsuchtalksandeven Patterson went to the Cheddi revealed that President, Dr Jagan International Airport Irfaan Ali has called for a forthepurposesoftravelling probetobelaunchedintothe to the United States to unauthorizedreduction. deliver a presentation on

Following a review of Guyana to the Black the report from the Congressional Caucus on investigation, Dr Jagdeo Capitol Hill. Hughes said said the appropriate action after Mr Patterson had would be taken by Cabinet. cleared Customs and He also clarified that Exxon Immigration, he was wouldnotbecalledinduring approached by Immigration the probe since anything it officers who informed him hastosayonthereductionof that he was not permitted to the disputed costs would not travel “Mr Patterson be relevant The Vice contacted his Attorneys, President said he is Hughes, Fields and Stoby, interested in who within the who informed him that the ministry authorized the magistrate had expressly diversion from GRA’s permitted him to travel for adviceandwhy business and professional

F o l l o w i n g t h e reasons when he was announcement of a probe, recently charged, provided

travel

Another company in the The well was reported as Exxon issued a statement heattendedthecourthearing prevented from travelling. and all are likely to be block, Cataleya Energy an oil discovery which is outlining that it has acted in eithervirtuallyorinperson.” “This act of preventing the consumed. The AFC firstly Limited, also holds a 20 currently considered to be good faith with the audit The attorneys-at-law then freemovementofacitizenis demands a public apology to percentinterestintheblock. noncommercial as a process Government has engaged the Immigration illegal, unconstitutional, and be issued by the President,

Once the Guyana standalonedevelopment. said that the audit report on officers and inquired in the context of a 2023 IrfaanAli,forthemisuseand Government approves the Guyana is currently Exxon’s US$1.7B expenses whether they were in world,downrightbarbaric.It abuse of his office against a application for Hess and considered the world’s is in the process of being possession of any order of has noplaceinamodernand citizen, and secondly, a full Exxon to withdraw, Ratio fastest growing economy on finalized and gave no Court restraining Mr democratic society,” the investigation that names and Cataleya will each hold a per capita basis due to the objection to GRA releasing Patterson from travelling. AFCsaid. who ordered this atrocity, 50percent. accelerated oil and gas thereport. “They responded indicating The party said the PPPis why it was done, and to be

T h i s n e w s p a p e r activities in the Stabroek that they did not have any showing even to an invited followed with a report on understands that Ratio Block located 120 miles Without court order, such order neither were they guest of the US Congress, what corrective actions will would also become the away from the country’s police blocked Patterson aware of any such order but and to all citizens, that it betaken.TheAFCintendsto operator of the block but it is coastline. The concession is from leaving country - there was “something in the alone sets the agenda, and register a formal complaint already in talks with other operated by ExxonMobil later issue apology, saying system” which said Mr. decides who gets to go to withtheUSGovernment,the major oil companies to take G u y a n a L i m i t e d i n it was a mistake Patterson could not travel.” what meetings, and who CARICOM Secretariat, and overthatposition. partnership with Hess The attorneys invited the does what. “These are the t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h

Westmount Energy Corporation and CNOOC

Former Minister of officers to engage the Head unmistakable actions of a Secretariat about the PPP’s Limited, a UK based firm Petroleum Guyana Limited. Public Infrastructure and of immigration immediately despotic regime. Obviously, actions against an elected which holds shares in Thus far, the Exxon-led current APNU+AFC a s M r P a t t e r s o n ’s apart from his strident official. Also, legal advice Cataleya and Ratio, said it consortium have five Member of Parliament constitutional right to travel criticism of PPPpolicies, the will be sought on what has taken note of the sanctioned projects, two of David Patterson was on would be violated if he was symbolism that he is an actions can be brought by development along with the which are already producing Tuesday night blocked from preventedfromtravelling. A f r i c a n G u y a n e s e Mr Pattersonforbreachesof fact that Exxon would not be about 400,000 barrels of oil travelling by Guyanese “The officers asked that representative, and not hisfundamentalrights.” drilling a second well in the perday immigration officials, which theattorneyscallbackinfive coincidentally, enroute to a Kaieteurconcession. Before the end of the effectively disrupted his minutes. On the return call, meeting of the Black FRIDAY

I n a s u b s e q u e n t year, Guyana is expected to travel to the United States to the attorneys were informed Congressional Caucus, in statement, Exxon not only see another oil project meet with the US Black that they were unable to Washington, D.C, cannot be Owners of Kaieteur confirmed that it is leaving brought online, thereby CongressionalCaucus. contact the Head or Deputy missed,” theAFC said. “The Block looking for new the block but noted that its increasingthedailyoutputto

TheGuyanaPoliceForce Head of Immigration and in PPP, no doubt, intended to operators as Exxon walks withdrawal has no impact on over 600,000 barrels of oil has since apologized to the light of the fact that there make a statement here about away to accelerate works its commitment to seeking perday Patterson, saying that his was “something in the its views on race relations in Stabroek Block further exploration and Over 11 billion barrels name had “inadvertently system”Mr Pattersonwould and about Afro-Guyanese development opportunities have been unlocked in the remained on an Immigration not be permitted to leave the causes in particular Moreso, ExxonMobil Guyana and to generating additional Stabroek Block. Exxon and Department’s watchlist.” In country.” Hughes said Mr it sent a strong statement of L i m i t e d a n d H e s s value for the government partners have been granted a terse statement, the police Patterson has since rebuke to the Black Corporation have walked and people of Guyana. “This permission by the country’s said that Mr Patterson’s instructed that constitutional Congressional Caucus, in away from the Kaieteur includes our accelerated environmental regulator to name was placed on the proceedings for damages be particular, and the US B l o c k t o f o c u s o n development and production drill 35 wells in hopes of watchlistinJuly2023during commenced against the Government, in general. It is accelerating exploration and in the Stabroek block, where finding more multi-billion an ongoing investigation by State. ironic that the act that was production operations in the we are targeting six FPSOs barreldiscoveries. the police into accusation of Meanwhile, the Alliance meant to embarrass and Stabroek Block where over (floating, production, indecent exposure “The For Change (AFC) also punish Mr Patterson, and 33 significant discoveries storage and offloading Venezuelan girl Guyana Police Force has condemned “in the strongest prevent his attendance at the havebeenmade. vessels) by the end of 2027, identifies vehicle used internal SOPs to deal with and harshest manner, the important gathering, has in M a k i n g t h i s b r i n g i n g G u y a n a ’s during rape ordeal such issues, and a full probe puerile act of victimization fact, openly exposed the lies development known to the production capacity to more is underway by the Office of a n d d i s c r i m i n a t i o n and very nature of the market was Ratio Petroleum than one million barrels per T h e p r e g n a n t Professional Responsibility commuted against its monstrous PPP, and the Energy Limited which holds day,”Exxonsaid. Venezuelanwomanrapedon (OPR) as to why Mr representative, and elected lengthsitispreparedtogoto a25percentworkinginterest

The first well in the Sunday during a job Patterson’s name was not MemberofParliament,Hon. subjugateitsopposition.” intheKaieteurBlock.

Kaieteur Block was drilled interview, has reportedly removedearlierfromthelist. DavidPatterson.” According to the AFC, T h e G u y a n a in 2020 by Exxon. Dubbed identified the vehicle used to Mr Patterson’s name has The AFC said further the action against Patterson Government would have to Tanager-1, the well transport her to and from the sincebeenremovedfromthe information received i s a f r i g h t e n i n g give its approval for Exxon evaluated a number of plays, suspect’shouse. watchlist,” the statement revealedthataseniorelected development,“awakeupcall and Hess’ application to encountering 16 metres of It was initially reported ended. Government and PPP to all Guyanese, and to the withdraw Hess currently net oil pay in high-quality by Kaieteur News that the Meanwhile, Patterson’s official, operating out of the world, that despite the glitz holds a 20 percent working sandstone reservoirs of vehicleusedwasawhite lawyer,NigelHughesalsoin Office of the President, and glamour, things are interest in the block while Maastrichtianage. (Continued on page 54) a statement said that on orderedthatMr Pattersonbe rotten in the state of Guyana Exxon has 35 percent

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

David Patterson at the Departure Lounge of the CJIA last night on his way to the USA after he was cleared by Immigration to

David Patterson at the Departure Lounge of the CJIA on his way to the USA after he was cleared by Immigration to travel

From page 53 at a bar after her female boss substance in her mouth made over 33 significant getting a fair deal for the 2023 by weekly publication, Toyota Hilux with black said that she cannot have a before stripping off her discoveries, unlocking over exploitation of those LatinAmericanAdvisor, Dr stripes but according to pregnant woman working clothes.“Hethenrapedme,” 11 billion barrels of oil resources ought to be the Mangal said, “The recent security footage seen, it was forher The pregnant woman said resources. To date, the oil government’s focus instead auction in Guyana was not aWhiteFordpick-uptruck. As a result of her while relating that he also gianthasreceivedregulatory of distracting the citizenry necessary because Guyana K a i e t e u r N e w s challenges, she was left sodomized her brutally approvals for five projects with the hosting of an does not need to find more understands that the suspect homeless and jobless leaving her bleeding and in which will produce over 3 auction for 11 shallow water oil.” has been searching for the Subsequently, she managed pain. billion barrels of oil with the concessions and three He said a small country victimtosettlethematterbut to book a room at Sunflower “It was horrible,” she lion’s share going to Exxon deepwaterblocks. like Guyana with less than a could not find her He has Hotel and it was there while added. anditspartners. While a transparent million people can be reportedly been alleging that scrolling through a facebook She alleged too that he Overthelastsevenyears, auction is the best way for transformed with a fair share he is innocent of the groupcalled‘Venezuelansin wanted to keep her against industry experts have urged countries to benefit from of the revenue from 500 allegations and wants her to Guyana’ that she saw an her will but she managed to authorities to change some their natural resources, Dr million to 1 billion barrels of withdraw the police report advertisement posted by the convince him to take her to a of the lopsided provisions of Mangal posited that the oil from the Stabroek Block made against him because it suspect looking for live-in location to buy food because the contract which include a recent auction in Guyana over 25 years of production. coulddamagehisreputation. cleanersandpainters. she was hungry He meretwopercentroyaltyand was not necessary In “There is no need for 11 He reportedly alleged too Desperate for a job she complied and when she got a tax free ride. Dr Mangal in stinging commentary billion barrels to be burned thatafterpickingherupfrom immediately made contact there, she exited the car and his latest critique, said published on September 29, and further exacerbate the the hotel, she asked him to with the suspect via a ran with the money he gave climate crisis,” the energy take him to a location to buy whatsapp number he had her to buy food and left her consultantsaid. food and after she stepped posted in the advertisement. purse behind. The matter Further to this, Dr out the car, he never saw her Kaieteur News was shown was reported to the police Mangal said, “Why are again However, footage screenshots of the exchange who have commenced their politicians not focused on seen by this media house has between the two. He asked, investigations. getting a fair deal for the provedotherwise. “Ok you work to paint road

Venezuelan girl identifies vehicle used during rape ordeal

T a g s : P r e g n a n t country by negotiating a fair

Meanwhile, the victim already?” and she responded Venezuelan woman, raped, shareoftherevenuefromthe continues to live in fear. She “ Yes I need a job urgently suspect,identified Stabroek Block? The had alleged that after raping andsomewheretosleep.”

Lead: The pregnant royalty should be increased her, the suspect threatened The suspect agreed and Venezuelanwomanrapedon from two percent to 10-20 that if she should tell anyone optedtopickherupfromher Sunday during a Job percent, and the oil about what happened to her, hotel for an interview at a interview has reportedly companiesshouldpaytax.” he will find her She claimed locationinEccles,EastBank identified the vehicle used to D r M a n g a l a l s o thatthesuspectsaidthatheis Demerara(EBD). transport her to and from the questioned why Guyana’s a very important and well Sherecalledthathewasa suspect’shouse. politicians have not created connected man in the short light-skinned man independent authorities to country with security guards dressed in black that picked SATURDAY m a n a g e r e s o u r c e watchinghisback. her up in the white pick-up. exploitation in the interests

According to reports, the The Venezuelan woman said Govt. distracting citizens of the country, as opposed to pregnantVenezuelanwoman they talked about work all with oil blocks auction the current situation, which was raped on Sunday night the way to a yellow two- instead of demanding 20 favors the foreign oil during a job interview at storey house with a small % royalty, taxes from companies. Eccles, East Bank Demerara whitecarintheyard. Exxon– Fmr. Petroleum He also remarked, (EBD). The alleged rape According to the victim Advisor Dr. Jan Mangal “…Why are politicians not took place around 19:00hrs at one point she became f o c u s e d o n f i n a l l y atthesuspect’shomeafterhe suspicious but brushed her

Former Presidential transforming Guyana into tricked her into believing fears aside and entered the Advisor on Petroleum, Dr being well-governed and that he is a businessman house “He offered me Jan Mangal recently equitable, and reverse their seeking painters and something to drink and I did impressed upon the need for track record of 50 years of cleaners. not accept it,” she said in the Guyana Government to mediocrity, mismanagement

Speaking with Kaieteur tears while explaining that be laser-focused on andcorruption?” News, the young lady said the man then suddenly rectifying the unfair

Dr Mangaladded,“Most that she was recently kicked b e c a m e a g g r e s s i v e provisions in the Production politicians in Guyana, on all out by her Guyanese demanding that she take off Sharing Agreement (PSA) sides, are driven by selfboyfriend after he refused to her clothes. The woman said governing the ExxonMobil- interest and power, and are accept the pregnancy She thathethengrabbedher,held led Stabroek Block. In that quitehappytotakeorders alsolostherjobasawaitress her down, and threw a white concession alone, Exxon has (Continued on page 55)

From page 54

Winners of the new blocks will Reshma Mahabir and Diego from foreign players, instead of be expected to pay a 10 percent Calderon also of the financial doing their job of representing the royalty and a 10 percent corporate institution. peopleofGuyana.” tax. The cost recovery will be The Opposition said Shadow Guyana’s first oil blocks cappedat65percentinagivenyear, Minister of Natural Resources and auction was launched last year while profits will be shared 50/50 Alliance For Change (AFC) December by President, Dr Irfaan between the parties. For shallow member, David Patterson was Ali. Following the close of bid water blocks, companies have to scheduled to be part of the meeting submissions on September 12, pay a minimum of US$10 million butwasunabletoattendafterbeing 2023, the National Procurement whileaminimumofUS$20million unlawfully prevented from leaving and Tender Administration Board issetfordeepwaterconcessions. Guyana. (NPTAB) office revealed that six Transparency in oil sector

During the meeting, it was companies submitted offers for underthreat-NortontellsIMFteam noted that Norton raised a number Guyana’s inaugural auction for 14 inWashington of issues, including the notable offshore oil blocks. According to Leader of the Opposition, threat to transparency in the the NPTAB, the firms bidding for Aubrey Norton on Tuesday told management of the nascent the Ministry of Natural Resources representatives of the International petroleum industry According to project are: Total Energies EP the statement, Norton told the IMF Guyana B V, Qatar Ene thatgoodgovernanceisvitalforthe International E&P LLC conomic development of the Petronas E&P Overseas Ventures country To this end, he committed SDN BHD (Malaysia); Delcorp toworkingwiththeIMFtoimprove Inc – Guyana, Watad Energy, the quality of governance in Arabian Drillers (Saudia Guyana when elected to office. Arabia); Exxon Mobil Norton said this was in contrast GuyanaLimited,HESSNew to the current government’s Ventures Exploration “insistence on secrecy and lack Limited, and CNOOC ofaccountability”. Petroleum Guyana Limited; He told the IMF, “That the L i b e r t y P e t r o l e u m oil and gas sector must be Corporation (USA)and , governed with these principles Cybele Energy Limited o f t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d (Ghana); Sispro Inc. (Guyana), accountability to ensure Guyanese and lastly International Group receive what they are rightfully Investment Inc. (Guyana), in due, and this obligation is currently venture with Montego Energy question given the serious (London). concerns about accountability

International Energy Consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal

Prior to the auction being held, raised in Guyana’s first cost-oil the economic conditions in oninternationalbestpracticeaimed governmentwaskeenonhavingthe audit.” Guyana.Thepersistenthighcostof at eliminating poverty and Petroleum Activities Law in place

He was referring to the fact that living was also discussed economic insecurity, and at and it has finalized the new Model an audit of the US$1.6 billion in Monetary Fund (IMF) that According to the Opposition, the ensuring a good quality of life for Production Sharing Agreements costs racked up by ExxonMobil transparency and accountability in IMF team expressed deep interest allcitizens.” that will govern future awards of during the period 1999 to 2017, Guyana’soilsectorisunderthreat. and sought clarifications on a few

The Opposition recommitted to deepwater and shallow water found that US$214 million were Norton is presently in the issues. swift poverty eradication, based on concessions. questionable sums. Though this United States with a delegation of

The party said Norton also took a guaranteed livable income for Kaieteur News previously was pointedly highlighted by the OppositionMembersofParliament the opportunity to outline his households, and a nationwide reported that 11 of the oil blocks on British auditor, IHS-Markit, it was (MPs) who travelled for a meeting party’s people-centered national economic diversification strategy auction are located in the shallow revealed that the sum was reduced to Washington D.C, for talks with development vision He Norton handed over a brief to the area and three are in the deepwater to US$3 million, with government Democratic Leader, Hakeem emphasized, “Human capital IMF that provided more details on zone. They range between 1000 blaming staff at the Ministry of Jeffries. development is just as important as hisparty’sanalysisandsolutions. square kilometres to 3000 square Natural Resources Petroleum Unit

In a statement to the media infrastructure development and the According to the Opposition, kilometres with the majority of for engaging in “unauthorized” yesterday, the Opposition said next Coalition government will “The meeting was productive and them being close to 2000 square activities. Norton and his Economic Advisor, ensure Guyanese benefit from provided the opportunity for the kilometres.Governmenthasnotyet Norton also pointed out that the Elson Low, met with the IMF team world-class social programs and Opposition to present a different disclosed the details of the bids government’s reluctance to publish on September 26, 2023. Leading e d u c a t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g vision for Guyana’s development, submittedbutpledgedtodosoafter surveys such as the Guyana Labor the IMF delegation was Economist opportunities;thathispartyseesthe in sharp contrast to the PPP’s careful evaluation of those Force Survey and National Census and Guyana Mission Head, Alina need for a comprehensive and u n p l a n n e d , w a s t e f u l , documents. prevents an accurate assessment of Carare who was accompanied by structured social safety net based discriminatoryandcorruptefforts.”

Mahipaul accuses NPTAB of rampant corruption,calls for immediate...

From page 51 urged the need for the PPC to operate; however, the PPC, however in recent him indicating their tobestrengthened. NPTAB has reportedly times the manner in which displeasure with the manner “ T h e s e P u b l i c d i s r e g a r d e d t h e the PPC has been operating in which contracts are being P r o c u r e m e n t instructions, thereby and the fact they have awarded by NPTAB but are Commissioners are in operating as a “rogue expressed a laisser-faire not comfortable exposing receiptofover$1Mamonth entity” in the award of attitude amidst these their identities, since they as their salary. Five people contracts. concerns,is“sad”andbegsa fearlosingmorebusiness. occupy that office as Mahipaul told Kaieteur “thorough investigation” by Mahipaul said that to commissioners receiving in News that he believes a independent persons address the situation, excess of $5M from tax competent Commission of appointedtoaCoI. amendments to the payers to be the watchdogs Inquiry (CoI) should An official of the ProcurementAct are needed of corruption at NPTAB,” investigate the recent award Ministry of Finance for there to be specific Mahipaulargued. of contracts by the informed Kaieteur News criteria as it regards the H e s a i d h e w a s Procurementbody that its request for a evaluation of bids and the informed that the PPC has He said the legal response to MP Mahipaul’s composition of NPTAB’s issued a number of authority to investigate accusations have been Board Additionally, he circulars to NPTAB on how malpracticeattheNPTABis forwardedtotheMinistry

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Govt. removes August oil production data from website with no explanation

In the era of digitization, where timely access to information is not just expected but demanded, the Ministry of Natural Resources seems to be falling short on its commitments. Recently, with no explanation provided, the August oil production data vanished from the Petroleum Management Program Oil Production Data Centre, leaving stakeholders and the public baffled.

Stakeholders believe the recent introduction of an in-

teractive interface displaying oil production data is indeed commendable. It has resolved the previously criticized userinterface issues, allowing Guyanese citizens to view data spanning from December 2019 to the present. The charts, including both individual and combined oil production volumes from projects operating offshore Guyana, Liza Phases One and Two, offer a more comprehensive insight than ever before. However, stakeholders have said timely updates remain a glaring concern.

teractive visuals could cater to the broad demographic of Guyanese society, ensuring that every individual, regardless of their education level, understands the information.

few. Despite being a relatively new platform, established in 2021 under the current governing administration, the website’s maintenance is grossly neglected.

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With data from August missing and September data yet to be uploaded, the lag has reached an alarming two months. The lack of timeliness is not a new complaint. Historically, oil production data would only be updated at the end of the subsequent month, creating a three to four week lag. While stakeholders appreciate the interactive data presentation, there is an urgent call for diversifying how this data is presented. Simpler graphs, tables, and more in-

The issues don’t stop there. Well Drilling Activities, another section on the website, is notably missing data on over 15 wells drilled in the past two years. The last update, dating back to September 2021, was about the Turbot-2 discovery by ExxonMobil. Despite subsequent drillings by ExxonMobil, Repsol, and CGX Energy, these remain unlisted.

Furthermore, there is a concerning lack of updates on other sections of the website. The Natural Resource Fund’s monthly and quarterly reports are absent post-September 2021, although they are available on other government websites. The events section is outdated by two years, and the section designated for ministerial speeches has seen no new addition since September 2020. Just to name a

Intended to inform the public about Guyana’s most valuable sector, the oil and gas industry, stakeholders say the lack of upkeep is more than just an oversight— it is a disservice to citizens and the industry.

This is the very website that hosts information for interested parties when Guyana held its first offshore licensing round.

This newspaper highlighted many of these concerns a week ago, and the silence from the Ministry is deafening. There has also been no attempt to rectify the issues stated, apart from the oil production data visualization section. Transparency advocates continue to issue a clarion call for the Ministry to rectify these glaring issues and uphold its commitment to transparency and accountability.

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Govt. makes 5th withdrawal from NRF

The Ministry of Finance onFridayannounceditsfifth withdrawalfromtheNatural Resource Fund (NRF) for thisyear

It said a furtherUS$50 millionwaswithdrawnfrom the NRF in September, equivalenttoG$10.4billion, in accordance with the NRF Actof2021.

Senior Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh in the announcement said, “It would be recalled that in August and September, amounts totaling US$200 million, equivalent to G$41 6 billion had been transferred from the Natural Resource Fund to the Consolidated Fund to f i n a n c e n a t i o n a l development priorities and in February and May of this year, the Government made withdrawals amounting to US$400 million equivalent toG$83.2billion.”

So far, US$650 million, equivalent to $135.2 billion was withdrawn from the oil accountfortheyear

Notably, as part of the budgetary process, Parliament approved a total of US$1 002 billion for transversal during the fiscal year2023.

Inthestatement,theMoF s a i d , “ T h e P P P / C Governmentwillcontinueto work aggressively through sound and transformative investments of oil resources fromtheNRF,utilisingthese resources in a clear and transparent manner, to the benefit of present and future generations.”

Despitethiscommitment totransparentuseofrevenue from the NRF, the government has been not definedwhatprojectswillbe funded through this source. In fact, Auditor General, DeodatSharmarecentlytold Kaieteur News that the transferstotheConsolidated Fund from the NRF allows fortherevenuestreamstobe mixed, thereby preventing proper accounting for the funds.

He explained, “What we are doing is the Bank of Guyana has the Natural Resource Fund (report to show) how much money is received so once the money goes there and is gazetted, it goes into the consolidated fund The government now has it as budgetsupportsotheydon’t have it specifically to say well they are doing x school or x road- it’s just budget support- so that’s what we areauditing.”

The AG added, “We therefore can’t say well Bishops’ High School repairs were done by the oil money or St. Rose’s School wasbuiltbythatmoney We are unable to say that becausetheyarenotspecific intheBudget.”

A key concern for Guyanese was transparency inthegovernanceanduseof the revenue that flows into the account from the oil and gas sector Stakeholders were especially disturbed that the legislation features nopenaltiesformisuseofthe funds.

Section 16.2 of the NRF Act explains that “All withdrawals from the Fund shall be deposited into the ConsolidatedFundandshall be used only to finance- (a) national development priorities including any initiative aimed at realizing aninclusivegreeneconomy; and(b)essentialprojectsthat are directly related to ameliorating the effect of a majornaturaldisaster.”

Government has not identified what are the “national development priorities” being funded by the oil revenue. This then begs the question as to how exactlythemoneygenerated from the nation’s natural resourceisbeingputtouse. With little transparency regarding the use of Guyana’s oil wealth, International Financial Analysts worry that the

revenue may not be used to develop the country and improve the lives of its poor citizens.

For instance, Director of Financial Analysis at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Tom Sanzillorecentlypointedout that the government has not been prioritising saving the funds generated from the industrylikeNorwaybuthas instead embarked on a massive infrastructural and energydevelopmentscheme whichmayverywellbenefit its partner, ExxonMobil more than the citizens in the country He reasoned, “It may work to Exxon’s benefit to put in new roads, it may be Exxon’s benefit to build a newgasplantbuttheydon’t need that kind of electricity system in Guyana and who

knows if they actually need theroadsthatarebeingbuilt because there is no public processsowhatyouhaveisa planandtheplanistousethe money to keep the existing political structure in power andthat’swhatisgoingtobe done.”

Meanwhile, Director of Energy at Americas Market Intelligence, Arthur Deakin, during a recent panel discussion on Guyana’s oil wealth shared the view that government lacks a clear structure on how the resources from this sector willbeusedtotransformthe livesofGuyanese.

Deakin was asked to share his views on why Guyana still has high levels of poverty and why he was optimistic about the situation.Inhisresponse,the InternationalEnergyAnalyst explained that the

Government of Guyana has made “fruitful decisions” which led to investments from the ExxonMobil-led consortium in the Stabroek Block.

He noted that Guyana’s oilsectorhasbeenmovingat one of the fastest paces known in the industry; however when it comes to translatingthatwealthtothe population, this has been takingsometime.

In fact, the specialist pointed out that for the wealth to benefit the population, it would require structural planning by the administration.

Tothisend,Deakinsaid, “The government lacks a clear vision, a clear plan on how it’s gonna spend the money it’s receiving from the oil revenue so I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”

US Congress poised to narrowly avert government to shutdown with just hours to go

The government is expected to enter a shutdown at midnight if a last-minute budget deal is not reached by the House on Saturday [Nathan Howard/Getty Images viaAFP]

A shutdown, which would place tens of thousands of federal employees on furlough without pay and suspend various government services,wasslatedtobegin at00:01ET(04:01GMT)on Sunday

But in a dramatic turnaround on Saturday

a f t e r n o o n , H o u s e Republicans scrambled to pass a temporary funding measurethatwouldkeepthe government open for 45 more days and make no major concessions on spendinglevels.

Republicans who have held up negotiations in the chamber with unyielding demandsforspendingcuts.

However, with a majority of lawmakers keen to avert a shutdown, one of the faction’s key demands - no more US funding for Ukraine’s defence against its invasion by Russia - is reflectedinthebill.

single seat, any funding measure needs buy-in frombothparties

Repeatedeffortstopass spendingbillsintheHouse have been thwarted in recent weeks by rebel right-wingers

BBC-Withjusthoursto go before the US government is due to shut down, the House of Representatives has agreed toashort-termfundingdeal.

A bill that keeps the

government funded until mid-November but includes no new aid for Ukraine was approvedinthechamberbya voteof335to91.

The measure has to be approved by the upper

congressional chamber, the Senate, but is expected to pass.

Once signed into law, it will avert a disruption of federal services

It was backed by more Democrats than Republicans, with as m a n y a s 9 0

Republicans voting againstit.

Themovewasablowtoa small group of right-wing

Shutdowns happen when both chambers of Congress are unable to agree on the roughly 30% of federal spending they must approve before the start of each fiscal year on

1October What happens in a US governmentshutdown?

With Republicans holding a slim majority in the House and Democrats holding the Senate by a

The group has opposed short-term spending measures and pushed for making cuts by passing long-term spending bills with agency-specific savings, even though such bills stand little chance of advancing through the Senate.

S p e a k e r K e v i n

McCarthy had been extremely reluctant to rely on Democratic votes to pass the House’s bill until the last minute, given this would anger these hardline conservative members ofhisparty

Cuisine Culture

ByRenaySambach

In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the sudden onset of the Covid19 pandemic, Kentae Myers found himself facing an unexpectedturnofevents.A seasoned chef, he had been working diligently in a bustling restaurant, perfecting his craft and serving delicious dishes to eager patrons. But when the pandemic hit, everything changed.

Duringaninterviewwith The Waterfalls, Kentae sharedthatonMay22,2020, his life took a remarkable twist. Like countless others, he was asked to stay home, unable to work in the restaurant due to the restrictions on face-to-face dining. However, Kentae is not one to sit idle. His determinationtoprovideand his unwavering work ethic fueledaremarkabledecision - he would start his own culinary venture right from the heart of his home kitchen.

Kentae called it ‘Elite Taste’, a name that would soon become synonymous with mouthwatering flavors a n d u n w a v e r i n g commitment As he embarked on this new journey, he quickly realized a fundamental truth: consistency was key Even onthedayswhenexhaustion threatened to take over, he persevered He took on every role, from chef to marketer, and learned to create multiple income streams to support his dream.

The road was far from smooth, especially in the early days of building his

The Pandemic birthed a Culinary Dream: Kentae Myers’s ‘Elite Taste’ Journey

culinary empire But Kentae’s determination was unyielding. He knew that every challenge was just a steppingstonetohisultimate goal. As he liked to say, “New level, new devil,” but hisdeterminationensuredhe wouldconquerthemall. His vision for ‘Elite Taste’ was grand. Kentae dreamt of a 24/7 exotic restaurant, a place where anyone could satisfy their cravings, be it breakfast, lunch,dinner,oralate-night snack.Hischefswouldwork around the clock, ensuring that every visit was a delightful culinary adventure.

‘Elite Taste’s’menu was a testament to Kentae’s creativity and passion. With arangeoftantalizingdishes, it was a culinary haven for food enthusiasts. While he believedthatallitemsonthe menu were popular, there was one star - the “crunchy chickentenders”-atastethat leftpatronsspeechless.

But Kentae’s ambitions didn’t stop at his kitchen’s door

He and his team were known to cater to events of all kinds, from weddings to birthdays and even small family gatherings Their dedicationtodeliveringtopnotch service made them a sought-after choice for memorableoccasions.

Located on Lot X DurbanStreet,Lodge,‘Elite Taste’ has become a local treasure.

Its doors were open every day, welcoming patronsfrom2pmto11pm.

Kentae Myers, at the helm of this culinary adventure, is a young and

energeticchefwithadecade ofexperienceunder His commitm quality and passion for food evident in every dishthatlefthis kitchen.

A t 2 9 years old, Kentae is well on his w a y t o realizing his dream. ‘Elite Taste’hadalso made its mark on social media, withapresenceon Facebook TikTok, whe enthusiasts could follow theirdeliciousjourney.

Kentae’s story was more thanjustthatofachef;itwas a testament to resilience, determination, and the pursuit of a culinary dream.

‘Elite Taste’ has become a symbol of his unwavering commitment to providing the best quality food service toallwhocrossitsthreshold.

As Kentae Myers looks to the future, he sees the glow of a 24/7 exotic restaurant h horizon, rea cater to cravings of hungry world, o n e delectable dish at a time.

T o s u p p o r t Kentae’s business you can check the b u s i n e Facebook TikTok@EliteTasteor call+(592)680-4428.

Pregnant Venezuelan identifies doctor as rapist

The pregnant Ve n e z u e l a n woman who was raped last Sunday night has identifiedaprominentdoctor asherrapist.

On Saturday, the traumatized woman trembled and cried after she saw a photograph of the doctor, who she positively identifiedasherrapist.

In tears she said, “Ay (mentionsaname)porfavor Qnadieledigaaesehombre dondeyoestoy,quenosepa, tengomiedo(aypleasedon't let anyone tell him where I am,Iamafraid”.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understands that this is not the first time the doctor has been fingered in sex crimes. He has been accused of molesting others and has reportedly used his “connections” to have the investigations launched ducked or he would reportedly bribe his victims with money to settle the matters.

On Friday, Kaieteur News reported that the suspect in the rape case has beensearchingforthevictim tosettlethematterbutcould notfindher

The man has reportedly

allegedthatheisinnocentof theallegationsandwantsthe victim to withdraw the police report made against himbecauseitcoulddamage hisreputation.

The man reportedly allegedtoothatafterpicking thewomanupfromthehotel, sheaskedhimtotakehertoa locationtobuyfoodandafter she stepped out the car, he never saw her again However, footage seen by thismediahousehasproved otherwise.

Meanwhile, the victim continuestoliveinfear She had alleged that after raping her, the suspect threatened thatifsheshouldtellanyone about what happened to her, hewillfindher

She claimed that the suspectsaidthatheisavery important and well connected man in the countrywithsecurityguards watchinghisback.

Accordingtoreports,the pregnantVenezuelanwoman was raped on Sunday night during a job interview at Eccles,EastBankDemerara (EBD). The alleged rape took place around 19:00hrs atthesuspect'shomeafterhe tricked her into believing that he is a businessman

seeking painters and cleaners.

Speaking with Kaieteur News, the young lady said that she was recently kicked out by her Guyanese boyfriendafterherefusedto accept her pregnancy She

alsolostherjobasawaitress atabarafterherfemaleboss said that she cannot have a pregnant woman working forher As a result, she was left homeless and jobless Subsequently, she managed

to book a room at a popular hotel and it was there while scrolling through a Facebook group called 'VenezuelansinGuyana'that she saw an advertisement posted by the suspect looking for live-in cleaners andpainters.

Desperate for a job, she immediately made contact with the suspect via a WhatsApp number he had postedontheadvertisement. Kaieteur News was shown screenshots of the exchange between the two. He asked, “Ok you work to paint road already?” and she responded”Yes I need a job urgently and somewhere to sleep.”

The suspect agreed and optedtopickherupfromher hotel for an interview at a locationinEccles,EastBank Demerara(EBD).

Sherecalledthathewasa short light-skinned man dressed in black that picked her up in the white pick-up.

TheVenezuelanwomansaid they talked about work all the way to a yellow twostorey house with a small whitecarintheyard.

According to the victim at one point she became suspicious but brushed her

fears aside and entered the house.

“He offered me somethingtodrinkandIdid not accept it,” she said in tears while explaining that the man then suddenly became aggressive demanding that she take off herclothes.

The woman said that he then grabbed her, held her down, and threw a white substance in her mouth before stripping off her clothes.”

“He then raped me,” the pregnant woman said while relating that he also sodomized her brutally leaving her bleeding and in pain.

“It was horrible,” she added.

She alleged too that he wanted to keep her against her will but she managed to convincehimtotakehertoa locationtobuyfoodbecause shewashungry

He complied and when she got there, she exited the car and ran with the money he gave her to buy food and leftherpursebehind.

The matter was reported to the police who have c o m m e n c e d t h e i r investigations.

LoopholeinStabroekBlock dealgivesExxonpowerto...

Frompage3

Contractor has provided Notice to theMinister…ofaNon-Associated Gas discovery within the Contract Areathatisofpotentialcommercial interest,theContractorshallinform the Minister whether Contractor believes such discovery is potentially commercial under the current Agreement terms, or if Contractor requires revised fiscal terms or contract terms under the agreement to proceed with a DevelopmentPlan.Contractorshall propose revisions to theAgreement to the Minister as the basis for enteringintogoodfaithnegotiations onrevisedtermsthatcanprovidethe Contractor with a commercially competitivereturnoninvestmentfor developmentoftheNon-Associated Gasdiscovery.”

Given the criticism already surrounding the existing fiscal terms, such negotiations could exacerbate concerns about the contract'sfairness.

The government of Guyana has shownitswillingnesstotappinginto the country's offshore natural gas resources by working on its firstever national gas strategy Meanwhile, ExxonMobil, after

havingdiscoveredanimpressive11 billion oil equivalent barrels offshore Guyana, has begun to redirect its focus from oil to the promisinggasreserves.

Aclearindicationofthisshiftis ExxonMobil's recent utilization of the Stena DrillMax for drilling at Haimara-2, aiming to validate the gas resources in the Haimara field. This comes after the company's significant discovery at Haimara-1 in2019,wherethecompanyfounda rich 207-foot high quality gas condensate-filled sandstone reservoir

WiththeStabroekblockholding anestimated17trillioncubicfeetof natural gas, it is clear why the attention is shifting. But as Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, warned, if ExxonMobil is not proactive in monetizing these gas reserves, Guyana might seek more interestedparties.

The focus on gas reinvigorates the discussion about the Stabroek Block PSA's fairness. Stakeholders believe it is crucial for Guyana to ensure that the vast offshore resources are exploited in a manner thatequallybenefitsboththenation anditsoilpartners.

The pick-up truck used in the rape ordeal

Courts Optical Pee Wee U-11 Football Tournament 2023…

Enterprise, St. Pius record comfortable wins in second round

The second round of the Courts Optical Pee Wee Under-11 Schools’ Football Tournament took place yesterday at the Ministry of Education Ground, where the defending Champion and the 2022 runner-up flexed their muscle with impressive wins.

Enterprise claimed another three points in their title defense following their walkover victory in the first round, when they convincingly defeated Collaco, 5 – 1, yesterday.

Dontay Kowlessar (1’, 2’, 7’ & 33’) was responsible for the majority of goals while Dalzell Fernandes accounted for the other as Meshach Pantlitz

scored the consolation goal for the opposition.

The 2022 runner-up, St. Pius, also made a bold statement with a massive 10 – 0 win over Winfer Gardens.

Aaron Vasconcellos (19’, 21’, 23’, 27’ & 33’) contributed half of the goals with a fantastic five while being supported by a double from Octain Moore (1’ & 13’) along with a goal each from Ezekiel Lynch (11’), Daniel Chesney (17’) and Akeem Young (37’).

St. Aloysius romped to a 4 – 1 win over Annandale as Raymali Vankenic (3’, 4’, 20’, 29’) produced a helmet-trick while Kareem King ruined the opposition’s clean sheet.

This week’s 16-match card featured fourteen (14) wins and two drawn encounters.

In other results, St. John the Baptiste defeated Kabakaburi 3 – 1, Potaro defeated Sophia 3 – 1, Den Amstel needled (1 – 0) Rosignol, Smith’s Memorial defeated All Saints 2 – 0, Friendship won against One Mile 2 – 1, Marian Academy defeated St. Gabriel’s 2 – 0, North Georgetown needled Tucville, Redeemer needled St. Stephen’s and West Ruimveldt sank St. Ambrose

3 – 0.

Enterprise’s scorers were Dontay Kowlessar (left) and Dalzell Fernandes

Soesdyke and Belladrum were the recipients of walkover victories at the expense of Tuschen and Westfield, respectively.

Meanwhile, Tapakuma and Leonora played to a 1 – 1 draw and Ann’s Grove battled to a nil-all stalemate with F.E Pollard.

Sunday October 01, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

People are apt to try to hit you square on the head with their ideas and thoughts today, Aries, so be ready for the onslaught of information that may come your way. There's a distinct advantage.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Anchor yourself in practical matters before you try to prove your point to others. There's a great deal of primal energy rising within you today and searching for some sort of outlet.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Don't take no for an answer today, Gemini. Know what you believe in and stick with it. There's a distinct advantage to holding true to your inner nature.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Be a pioneer thinker today, Cancer. There's a noble courage in your thoughts, so don't let this quality go to waste. You will be surprised at how cutting edge you can be when you put your mind to it.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Be aggressive and forceful when it comes to exerting your will, Leo. Let others know that you won't be a pushover. Your opinions are extremely important,

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22) Today may be one of those days in which you come to a four-way stop and no one knows whose turn it is. Don't sit and wait for everyone else to go first, Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

People would be foolish to challenge your thinking now, Libra. The power behind your words is volatile, and you may find yourself going to extremes in order to get your point across.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Your old ways of thinking have carried you quite far, Scorpio, but you may now find that it's time to seek a new platform for your ideas. Look for more adventurous ways to express yourself.

.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

One quick phone call to a friend may turn into a long discussion about the meaning of life, Sagittarius. Be conscious of the fact that there's a great deal of momentum building in your mind now.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

It could be that you feel a bit of pressure today to start or create something that you aren't quite ready for, Capricorn. There is hesitation on your part that indicates you should take it slowly .

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Move forward with your plan of attack today, Aquarius. There's an anxious rumble within you that's urging you to get going with a current plan. You have all the facts you need,

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

Add spark to your life today, Pisces. It could be that things are getting stale and boring. If so, consider the possibility that you simply aren't challenging yourself.

The tenth edition of this tournament commenced on September 23 and is still in its Group stage.

This tournament is sanctioned by the Guyana Football Federation with support from the MoE, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Sterling Products Limited and MVP Sports.

St. Pius produced a magnificent combined effort as Aleem Young, Octain Moore, Aaron Vasconcellos, Daniel Chesney and Ezekiel Lynch all found the back of the net.

From page 64 second round, resulting in his loss due to abandonment.

In another exciting match, Zidhan Wray, representing the GDF, faced off against Leandrea Abrams from the Police force.

Wray’s longer reach played a significant role as he defeated Abrams with a match-winning jab that sent Abrams to the canvas just 1 minute and 20 seconds into the second round. Unfortunately for Abrams, he couldn’t recover from the blow, granting Wray a well-deserved victory and a place in the semifinals of the Super Heavyweight division (90 kg and over).

The evening concluded in an electrifying manner as Rayan Harry triumphed over Oswald Yaw from the Republican team. Harry secured the win 2 minutes and 34 seconds into the second round, as the referee had to stop the contest when Yaw failed to recover from a second eightcount.

The excitement continued yesterday and culminates today at the same venue with more thrilling bouts. Action starts at 18:30 hours.

GDF dominates opening day of Andrewa...

Holder, Smith take National 100m titles

ByRawleToney

T h e A t h l e t i c s Association of Guyana (AAG) is set to conclude its senior championships today at the National Track and

Field Centre in Edinburgh, WestDemerara.

The championship commenced on Friday, delivering riveting competition over the course

oftwoaction-packeddays.

On Friday, Keliza Smith impressively clocked in at 11.66s to seize the women’s 100m title, defeating Cassy Small (11.93s) and quarter-

mile sensation Tianna Springer, who momentarily switched to sprints and secured third place with a timeof13.04s.

IntheMen’s100mevent, Nolex Holder stole the spotlightwithablazingtime of 10.36s, narrowly besting Akeem Stewart (10.68s), while Shamar Horatio claimed the third position withatimeof10.42s.

Meanwhile, Marlon Nicholson dominated the men’s10,000m,crossingthe finishlinein35minutesand 52.25s. Cleveland Thomas (37:02 93) and Odida Parkison (37:36.97) trailed behind to secure second and thirdplaces,respectively

The women’s 5000m unfoldedwithJeliciaWright taking the crown in 22 minutes and 40.6 seconds, leaving Sheama Tyrell (23.22.5) and Kezra Murray (24.12.7) to follow in her wake.

Returning yesterday, Anthony Williams, representing the Police Progressive Youth Club, soaredtovictoryinthemen’s Long Jump, achieving an impressiveleapof7.26m.

Williams’ teammate, EronLeitch,finishedsecond place with a jump of 7.05m, whileNicholCrandonofthe Guyana Defence Force (GDF)claimedthethirdspot withajumpof6.90m.

In the women’s Long Jump, Annali Redmond’s 5 46m outshined Tasnica

Lovell (5.00m) and Tonya Rawlins(4.54m).

The Women’s Discus event was a showcase of GDF athletes, with Ameka Eastman winning the event with a throw of 34 8m; Tanisha Cort (34.6m) and JameiciaScott(32.44m).

In the men’s Discus, Jemaine Simmons of the GDF emerged as the

champion with an impressivethrowof43.11m, outperforming clubmate Joshua Jones (40.3m) and Police’s Kleon Spellen (37.4m). Today, the men and women’s 200m and 400m are expected to be the highlightoftheday,withthe 16-year-old Springer expectedtotakecentrestage.

GFF signs MOU with BSCNA to establish International Player...

Frompage63 noted that with BSCNA’s wealth of football knowledge, experience, “we believe that togetherwecanachievegreatthingsthrough our shared commitment to lifting the profile of our national teams on the international stage.”GFFandBSCNAarefullycommitted to the successful realisation of the shared objectivesoutlinedintheMoU.

BSCNA President Peters said the agreement is a tangible step towards maintaining a competitive talent pool of footballers for the purpose of representing Guyana.

“Iwouldliketocommendthepresidentof theGuyanaFootballFederationandhisstaff forenteringintothisagreement.

It represents a tangible step towards addressing the ever present and constant requirement to upgrade and maintain a

competitivetalentpooloffootballersforthe purposeofrepresentingGuyana.

As the oldest and most successful Guyanese football club in the diaspora, Blackpool Sports club of North America (BSCNA)eagerlylooksforwardtoplayinga part through a coordinated, transparent and focused effort to identify eligible football players, wherever they may reside to representGuyana.”

He added: “We expect that these efforts will be a component in the resuscitation, progress and enthusiasm for this wonderful gameamongGuyaneseasGuyana’sfootball seekstoattainnewheightsandtakeitsplace onthelandscapeofinternationalfootball.”

The MoU unites the expertise and resources of both organisations to bolster player development and advance the global promotionofGuyanesefootball.

Keliza Smith won the AAG’s National title in the women’s 100m.

GCB Senior Inter-County 50-Over Tournament 2023…

Sinclair’s 7-wicket haul stuns Demerara in 7-wicket low-scoring opening battle

A breathtaking spell of spin from all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, who snapped up 7 wickets to inspired a grand heist as Berbice surged to a 27-runwinoverDemerarain the opening round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Inter-County 50-Overtournament.

Blairmont Ground in Berbice as well as their fans were treated to some excitement from the home team, who defending 132 runs, despite a slowish start astheykeptDemerarato105 allout25.5overs.

Demerara did well to keep the Powerhouse Berbice team to under 150 all out in 32. 4 overs. Fresh of his CPL title win, allrounder Romario Shepherd was the lone significant scorer with 26 off 42 balls,

hitting4fours. The Demerara fastbowlers thrived as former Windies U19 pacer Qumar Torrington (2-22) and T20 starSherfaneRutherford(218) ran through the toporder The void was enough for Steven Sankar who was the difference, snagging 322withhisspin.

A wicket each from the slow-bowling pair of AkshayaPersaud(1-16)and Richie Looknauth (1-9) provided extra proficiency forDemerara.

Berbicestruggledat90-5 at one point, following the assault from the pacers, which left much work to do forthemiddle-order West Indies all-rounder

Sinclair hit one 4 and a 6 in his score of 19, opening the batting but lost his partner

Rampertab Ramnauth (0)

and Guyana Amazon Warriors batsman, Kevlon Anderson(7)inashortspace oftime.

Seon Hetmyer (18), olderbrotherofthedynamic Shimron Hetmyer, Seon Glasgow (15), Pestano (10) and Motie (11) propelled Berbice to a decent enough t o t a l w i t h t h e i r contributions.

Sinclair then singlehandedlybowledhisteamto victory, snagging 7-15 from 9.5 overs. The off-spinner was on show from the introduction, wreaking havoc during his opening spell, knocking over West Indies Test opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 1 Mathew Nandu (21), Akshaya Persaud (00) Looknauth, Rutherford(6),

Boxing Stars set to shine in November at Everest

Guyanawillonceagainbeinthespotlight as two major WBC boxing championship fights are scheduled for November 11 and willbeheldintheheartofGeorgetownatthe Everest Cricket Ground thanks to Honourable Speaker of the House Manzur Nadir, who has transformed the Everest Cricket Club into a major events venue over thepastfewyears.

WBC International SuperFlyweight

Ronaldo Alimohamed (4) and Bernard Bailey (6) all succumbed to the guile and class of the Right-arm spinner.

To p - s c o r e r f o r Demerara, Looknauth hit 7 foursinhisdefiantknockof 36 while his captain Tevin Imlach was unfortunately run out for (4), further adding to the downward spiraloftheirside.

Amazon Warriors breakout pacer Shamar Joseph grabbed 1-18 alongside the veteran, skipper Veerasammy Permaul who had figures of 1-12. Round 2 continues today with the GCB Select XI taking on the boys the from Cinderella County, Essequibofrom9:00hatthe Bourda Cricket Club Ground.

GFF signs MOU

with

BSCNA

to establish International Player Scouting Network

The three-year MoU was signed on September 28 between President Forde’s and BSCNAPresident

Renaud Peters

inwhatpromisesto

ChampionEltonDharrywilldefendhistitle, whichhewoninahardfoughtbattlelastApril at the Providence National Stadium, in front of a packed audience which included President Irfaan Ali and Ministers of the Cabinet. Dexter Marques will fight for the WBCFECARBOXtitle

bethemarqueeboxingeventoftheyear

The fight is sanctioned by the WBC and the Guyana Boxing Board of Control and being brought to you by Nexgen Global Promotions and Jack Bharat in association withtheEverestCricketClubandMinistryof Sports.

Dharry, who is one of the most prolific fighters in his class is the top ranked contender for the world title and hopes that thisfightwillshowtheworldthatGuyanais ready to host a world title fight. “This is my timeandwiththeGuyanagovernmenthaving demonstrated its commitment to sports and tourism, there is no bigger draw than a championship fight to focus the world’s attentiononGuyana!” DexterMarquesisno slouchwhenitcomestotheringandplanson a dominant performance to secure a victory, “I am a great fighter who is now getting the opportunitytoshowtheworldmytalent.This willbeafighttoremember!”

AccordingtoJackBharat,“EltonDharry isoneofourgreatestfightersandweareone

step away from securing another world title for the country I want to thank the government of Guyana for their unwavering supportforthesportandIknowthatraisingis afightthatfanswon’twanttomiss!”

PresidentoftheGBBCPeterAbdoolsaid, “Boxingistheonlysportthathasbroughtan Olympic medal to our country and we have produced5worldChampionssofarandhave thepotentialformanymore.

Iamexcitedtoseethisevent,alongtime inthemakingcometofruitionandexpectthat another world title fight will soon be on Guyana’ssoil.”

Tickets for this double title fight are limitedandareinextremelyhighdemandso contacttheGuyanaBoxingBoardorEverest CricketClubbeforethey’resoldout.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde has signed a g r o u n d b r e a k i n g M e m o r a n d u m o f Understanding with Blackpool Sports Club of NorthAmerica (BSCNA) to establish an International Player Scouting Network (IPSN)toprovideGuyanese players with unparalleled opportunities for global exposure in diverse football environments.

Thethree-yearMoUwas signed on September 28 between President Forde’s and BSCNA President RenaudPeterstoestablishthe GFF’s first International Player Scouting Network (IPSN) for the structured identification, recruitment, andretentionofplayers.

Thenewpartnershipalso facilitates the seamless coordination of international scouting camps to foster strongerconnectionswiththe global Guyanese diaspora footballcommunity

BSCNA is a Guyanese football club established in the late 1960s in the United States with the primary objective of promoting and popularising Guyanese football within the diaspora community Founded by passionate individuals who

were once members of the localyouthteamSt.Sidwells Rovers,BSCNAisadriving force in advancing the sport andrepresentingthespiritof Guyanesefootballacrossthe UnitedStatesandbeyond.

GFF President Wayne Forde said the federation

continues to foster collaborationandengagement with the Guyanese diaspora

worldwide through

partnerships with organisations that share a commongoalofshowcasing the incredible talent and

potential of Guyanese footballplayers.

“The GFF continues to explore new opportunities to collaborate and engage withtheGuyanesediaspora in every corner of the planet The Blackpool organisation has a deep repertoire of football knowledge, experience, coupled with a wide network of Guyanese who maintainanactiveinterestin Guyana’s football.” The President

(Continuedonpage62)

Dexter Marques

Kevin Sinclair receives his man of the match trophy from Match Referee Moses Rampal

GDF dominates opening day of Andrew Lewis Novice C/ship Andr

GDF’s Rayan Harry after winning the Super Heavyweight semi finals matchup with OswaldYaw (Republican Boxing gym)

Linden Mayor’s Cup U-21 Schools Basketball Playoffs…

LTI victorious against Mackenzie High

Action in the 2023 Linden Mayor’s Cup U21 Schools Basketball Playoffs

The2023AndrewLewis National Novice Boxing Championship commenced on Friday at the National Gymnasium, located along Mandela Avenue, featuring seven thrilling bouts. The defending champions from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) made a powerful statementontheopeningday of the competition, securing animpressivesixvictories.

Theeveningcommenced with an electrifying first match, as Lennox Harvey, known as “the upper-cut master, ” skillfully outmaneuvered Anthony SandersfromtheGDF Inthe later part of the first round, Sandersfoundhimselfonthe receiving end of an eightcount, signaling the

dominance of Harvey After three rounds of intense pugilism, Harvey, representing the Police Boxing Gym, emerged victorious.

The second bout of the evening pitted Christopher Henry against Shawn Rodney. Both fighters wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of power punches from the outset. Just 55 seconds into the second round, Rodney decided to abandon the contest after sustaining a critical blow Henry secured thewininthe66-71kgLight Middleweight semi-finals through the judge’s scorecard.

Meanwhile, the match between Alex Butcher and

his gymmate Jamal Booker saw Butcher emerge triumphant.The contest was halted 2 minutes and 58 seconds into the first round, with Butcher declared the winner by Referee Stopped Contest(RSC).

Thestagewassetforthe light heavyweight clashes between Malachi Clarke versus Joseph George, and SherwinGravesandeagainst Kevin O’Neil. George prevailed over Clarke, earning him a spot in the semi-finals of the 75-80 kg division. While, in the light heavyweight semi-finals contest between O’Neil and Gravesande, O’Neil was unable to continue 1 minute and23secondsintothe (Continuedonpage61)

By virtue of their 50-34 victory on Friday, Linden Technical Institute has forced the defeated MackenzieHighintoamustwinsituationwhentheyface Christianburg Wismar Secondary ‘Multi’ next Wednesday in the second game of the three-team playoffs being played at the RetrieveHardCourt.

ThejumpstartbyGroup A’s top team Linden Technical Institute with that win over Group B’s top school Mackenzie High, means that a loss would eliminate any hopes Mackenzie High has come nextWednesday Neil Marks (Jr.) was the

spearheadalongwithMinian Vincentastheybothnotched up 13 points with support from Akan Alleyne for the winning Linden Technical Institute side as Jamain McCalman with 11 and Shemol Jackson with seven were the best shots for MackenzieHighSchool.

This means that MackenzieHighfaceGroup C winners Christianburg Wismar Secondary ‘Multi’ nextWednesday Adefeatfor Mackenzie High would automaticallymeanthefinal game between the ‘Multi’ unit and Linden Technical Institute next Friday will be the decider of this tournament.

However, Mackenzie High School with a win can still emerge as winners, dependent on Linden Technical Institute losing also Christianburg Wismar Secondary, thus forcing the FIBA Classification Clause todeterminethetopteam. This tournament was organized in observance of Education Month through theDepartmentofEducation of Region 10. It was done through the Brusches Basketball Foundation and the Kings Basketball Cub in conjunction with the Linden MayorandTownCouncil. Trophies, replicas and medals are at stake for the variouswinners.

International cricketers Kevin Sinclair and Nial Smith remembers Alma Mater

BySamuelWhyte

Two former students of the Canje Secondary School (CSS) in East Canje , who are now International cricketers, have certainly remembered where they camefrom.

The two former students West Indies allrounder Kevin Sinclair and Guyana Fast Bowler Nial Smith have made significant financial donations to their former schools

S i n c l a i r a n o ff spinning all-rounder and Smith - a tear away fast bowler, both hail from NewAmsterdamBerbice

Sinclair, who now resides in East Canje, began from humble beginningsandworkedhis way up from the junior level where represented Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies He has now graduated to the senior l e v e l a n d i s n o w considered as one of the top all-rounders in the WestIndies. Smith, who is a regular fixtureontheGuyanaSenior Team is knocking on the doors of the West Indies seniorteam.

The two former students made the financial donation towards the Physical

EducationDepartmentofthe school.

The contribution will aid in the successful execution of the School’s Inter house Athletic Championship and preparation for their participation in the Inter School participation

The head teacher, staff and students of the Canje Secondary School are taking the opportunity to extendgreatappreciationto Sinclair and Smith for their contributions to their Alma Mater

The school also wishes them well in their future engagements.

West IndiesAll rounder Kevin Sinclair (left) and Guyana Fast Bowler Nial Smith (right) hand over their donation to a teacher of the school.

GFF President records positive outreach in Bartica Bar

…focused on Grassroots and Female Football

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde recently completed a successful twoday outreach in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) where he engaged in productivediscussionsabout the ongoing grassroots programmeswiththeBartica Football Association (BFA) ExecutiveCommittee.

Accompanied by GFF Competition Director Troy Peters, President Forde held meetings with Bartica Mayor Anthony Murray, BFA President Alden Marlowe, local clubs, and other key regional stakeholders between September22ndand23rd.

The GFF top executive commended BFA President Marslowe and his dedicated team for their exemplary implementation of the MFAP-funded GFF Summer Grassroots and Academy Training Centre (ATC) programmes, as well as the

ongoing success of the seniormen’sleague.

TheM-FAPinitiativehas played a crucial role in driving positive change, nurturing grassroots talent, and providing essential football gear and funds for senior programmes across Guyana.

President Forde indicated “The Academy TrainingCentreinBarticais experiencing a steady increase in children attending the Saturday morning grassroots programme. The increased number of young girls attending these sessions are an encouraging sign of the progress the BFAis making inexpanding theparticipationlevelsat the Academy and this is exactly what the M-FAP programme was designed to achieve.”

The purpose of the official two-day visit to RegionSevenwastoreview

the BFA’s M-FAP funding usage and to also strengthen collaboration between the GFF and the BFA, with a specific focus on youth footballinitiatives.

The inaugural GFF

Summer Grassroots programme was launched nationwide by President Forde in August, and saw a successful rollout in Bartica with nearly 100 young boys andgirlsbetweentheagesof fiveandtwelve.

The summer sessions, aimed at cultivating a passion for football and providing valuable developmentalopportunities for aspiring young footballers, ended in early September with an exciting football festival which was attended by parents and membersofthecommunity

Duringthetrip,President Forde also distributed football equipment to local clubsinBartica,recognising their valuable contributions

to the senior men’s league. The current league features eightclubscompetingforthe title.

“The BFA is playing a two rounds Senior Men’s League which gives each team 16 competitive games inthe2023season.

This is a remarkable achievement that was only possible because of the hard work, leadership and dedication of President

Alden Marslowe, his Executive Committee and theClubs.

It was therefore important for the GFF to reward these Clubs with the full compliment of football development equipment

Each Club was tasked with the responsibility of establishing their own grassrootsprogrammeandat least one female youth team to compete in BFA

competition.”

The GFF remains committed to working closely with the BFA and other regional associations to foster the growth and development of football throughout Guyana through M-FAP in the areas of Administration and Operations, Equipment and Material, Competition and TechnicalDevelopment,and InfrastructureDevelopment.

GFF President Wayne Forde engages some of the youngsters during his visit to Bartica.

SuperFlyweight Champion Elton Dharry (left) will headline the card with a title defense.

GFF President Wayne Forde along with executives of the Bartica FootballAssociation.