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AIETEUR NEWS

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Motorbike bandits killed after

Sunday Edition October 03, 2021 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

Online readership yesterday, 72,389

Price $140

pulling gun on cops

Unbelievable tax giveaways to oil companies reduces Guyana take from 12.5 to 9% - International Financial Expert, Tom Sanzillo

Senior Cop arrested with drugs, ammo after driving away from two road blocks

The protest continues for change of all Foreign contracts.

Fire flattens Brickdam Police Station - Vehicles, records, equipment destroyed

Guyana used ExxonMobil's choice instead of independent firms Industry source reveals reveals to review Liza project - Industry @ 11am, 4&7pm on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

Listen to how wealthy we are, but because of the silence of our leaders, you will never be able to reap your true value.

Gas plant and hydro deals are being put together in secrecy with govt. and private players. Who would be the secret partners?

Hear it from their mouths how Bora, Pepper, and Pumpkin, gon develop Guyana in this trillion-dollar oil sector - Pres. Ali & VP Jagdeo

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

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Unbelievable tax giveaways to ExxonMobil reduces Guyana's take from 12.5 to 9 percent - International Financial Expert, Tom Sanzillo

T

he unbelievably exorbitant tax giveaways in the 2016 Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) have more detrimental effects on Guyana's actual take than what meets the eye.

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and even the Inter-

American Development Bank have said for years that Guyana petroleum deal with ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, leaves the country with a 14.5 percent profit oil take.

But a recent analysis of the deal and the impact of its tax breaks to the oil

companies reveal this to be an illusion as the country's actual take is 9 percent.

This shocking disclosure was made by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), and its Director of Financial Analysis, Tom Sanzillo in its latest report titled: Guyana's Tax Giveaway: Country Pays Exxon, Hess and

Table 2 demonstrates that the impact of the tax payment by the Minister of Natural Resources to the Guyana Revenue Authority would reduce the actual take of the country from 12.5% to 9% of profit oil.

The specific income tax contract provision in the Stabroek PSA.

CNOOC's Annual Income Taxes.

In that report, Sanzillo examined the impact of the exorbitant tax concessions and waivers to ExxonMobil and its partners.

According to the Stabroek Block PSA, the Government of Guyana agreed to exempt ExxonMobil and its partners, from the payment of several taxes such as Capital Gains Tax that other local companies are made to pay. And in the instances

GYSBI looking to increase local content - To hire 150 locals at upcoming Career Fairs

T

o keep up with Guyana's rapidly expanding oil and gas sector and the growing labour demands, the Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) will be hosting three Career Fairs later this month with the aim of hiring some 150 locals.

GYSBI in a statement said the Career Fair will be held on October 9, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, on October 1; at Uitvlugt, on the West Coast of Demerara, and finally on October 16, at Enmore-Haslington, East Coast Demerara.

The Career Fairs will kick start at 10:00 am and run straight up to 5:00 pm.

GYSBI has already achieved 97% local content, with almost 500 employees on board.

“Our people take pride in their work and understand their impact on the local c o m m u n i t y, ” r e m a r k e d R a b i n Chandarpal, the Government Liaison Officer of GYSBI. “As one of the largest employers in oil and gas in Guyana, with a 97% local workforce, we are proud to showcase Guyanese talent.”

GYSBI is looking to fill the positions of Warehouse Supervisors,

Crane Operators, Operations Assistants, Equipment Mechanics/Technicians, and Fuel Storage and Dispensing Operators.

Interested applicants should walk with their resumes, any academic certificates, a copy of a valid form of ID, and one passport photograph.

Only persons with a vaccination card or a negative PCR test from within the last seven days will be allowed entry.

GYSBI is Guyana's premier Shore Base, supplying a range of integrated services for Guyana's emerging Oil and Gas industry. The Shore Base supports a range of clients across its 140 acres of development, with highly trained staff, and services compliant to international standards and best practices.

where the government has agreed to accept the payment of taxes, it has chosen to pay same on behalf of the oil companies.

In simple terms, the PSA outlines that income gained by the contractor and the other parties is taxable but would be handled by the Minister of Natural Resources.

And that tax would be paid over to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) from Guyana's share of the oil money, after which, the oil companies would receive a receipt stating that the said tax was settled.

This would be presented by the oil companies to the American tax authorities to prevent being taxed on their

profits which are shipped from Guyana to their head offices.

The one thing Sanzillo has done that financial institutions such as the World Bank, the IMF and the IDB have not done, is consider Guyana's actual take of profit oil in light of the tax giveaways.

Expounding further on the grave impact of the concessions, Sanzillo said one ought to understand how the terms of the Stabroek Block PSA allows for the calculation of profit oil between Guyana and the Exxon Mobil led consortium.

He explained that for every barrel of oil sold, 75% (continued on page 8)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

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

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

EDITORIAL

With right balance, Guyana can be the region’s breadbasket again For once, the thinking and word were not on oil, but on something else, that which could mean much for Guyana, regardless of what comes. This was what we carried on Wednesday: “Guyana’s future is with agriculture, food sustainability -Pres. Ali -Says Govt. will fully support massive soya bean, corn project in Ebini” (KN September 29). Now if only President Ali could go beyond words, and deliver, then there is no telling where this can lead, and how much it can do for us.

The oil is there in massive quantities, but we can neither eat it nor drink it. Sure, oil can and does make much possible, if and when the proceeds pass through government leaders hands, and cascade (not trickle) down to citizens. This has never been the case before on anything, not from the minds or the handiworks of any national leader, which is why this country remains stuck in poverty, living in misery in large sections of the populace. The latest example of the crooked manipulations of crooked government leaders has been the handling of this rare oil gift, one not given too many impoverished countries. It is why we need a fallback option, a plan of broad diversification, especially given that the developed world is sending powerful signals that the oil age is over, or soon to be.

Guyana, therefore, needs to be as multi-product country based as it is able to, and with a start made now, even as we sensibly push forward on the nation’s oil treasure. Certainly, we should drill and produce what is under the seabed, but with robust protections in place, and an eye on how the basket of potential is balanced. There is no great wisdom in discerning that a US$1B gas-to-shore project is one that is a step behind the new way that the world is leaning. Instead of committing that kind of funding/borrowing to something that already has the look, feel, and weight of a white elephant in the making, it would be much better to use some of that GY200B equivalent on agriculture and food sustainability.

Though a now tiring refrain of decades in duration, Guyana could finally live up to its potential, and expectation of being the breadbasket of the region. Instead of longstanding imaginary potential, this could be a concrete reality.

But only, if President Ali and the people he surrounds himself with are serious, and have what it takes to go beyond sweet words and sweeter public postures. Though we can’t say the same for the President and his cast of comrades, some in the investing group are well-known locally for their business success and strength. We identify Bounty Farm Limited and Edun’s Poultry Farm and Hatchery for special mention, since their records confirm that they can contribute to making this Ebini agriculture and food sustainability project deliver.

If handled and managed right, this massive soya bean and corn undertaking could set the standard for similar projects to get off the ground, and lead the way towards what has been an elusive goal. That is, the vision of the much-needed blanket of food security that could stretch even beyond the region.

There can and should be more of these projects for different agricultural products that generate investment, provide jobs and deliver rich returns, along with the added benefit of becoming the granary of a starving, insecure food world. This is so stark, that the UN head, Antonio Guterres, has been sounding warnings about where things stand currently, and how global food prospects look grim.

We have been thinking big and unwisely with the oil wealth that has come our way, and already there are classic signs of leadership corruptions and crony capitalism taking a tight grip on that blessing, and cursing it. Once our leaders can find it within themselves to go past the smart talk and clever features that have long haunted this country, a world of good can be realised with the right mix of vision, capital, and energy for food from the ground and exploiting natural resources. Then Guyana could do very well. Guyana could be the jewel of the Caribbean not just for natural resources, but for food resources too.

We need places of worship and fellowship more than ever during this time Dear Editor, The “new normal” … this is said almost like a dirty word these days, is it really a bad thing? Was everything in our world, in our lives, in our churches, perfect before this virus took hold? That’s not the way I remember it. We are all living in a time of great uncertainty.

Editor, where are you connecting with others during this time?

Traditionally, in times of crisis or distress, the church is the place that flings wide its doors and encourages the community to gather. Church is the place that invites you in when you don’t feel safe, or feel like you don’t belong anywhere else. For those of us who regularly attend a church, it is the place where we find family, connection, comfort and encouragement.

As a Christian, the majority of my community is found in church. Church is the place where I find peace,

where I enjoy deep, meaningful conversations, where I explore the bigger questions of life with others, and where I am re-charged and filled up with love by the people and my God. All of us still need connection. Many of us need to feel grounded. Where can we go to find meaning? As I write, it is Friday night, and I’m sitting in the Giftland Mall parking lot, and all of Guyana is at the mall. The food court is full. The stores are full. The parking lot is full. The movie theater is full. The bars, rumshops and the dance halls are full. The casino is full. There are crowds of people everywhere.

However, these days, the only place in Guyana that is not full is the Christian church. As a matter of fact, the Catholic Church has suspended all church services. On the other hand, even though my church is open, there are few people

attending. What interesting times we are living in! Even though we are going through a pandemic where hundreds of people are dying, the rum shops are full, and the church is empty.

How do you explain this?

How come the non-religious people are not afraid to go out and have a fun time, while the religious people are scared to go to church? Attending church is so important to me that when I was deployed to Iraq, I never missed a church service even though going to church made me vulnerable to being blown up, shot, or killed.

I can remember that there were times when I was in church in Iraq, I could hear explosions from bombs nearby, and it never deterred me from going to church, because the church is my lifeline. Hearing from God is more important to me than the fear of dying. Editor, since the bombardments and

bombings l witnessed in Iraq didn’t stop me from attending church, COVID-19 will not stop me from attending church.

Of course, I am fully vaccinated, and I encourage everyone to be vaccinated and keep attending church.

It’s my opinion that more than any other time now is the time to go to church. Now is the time to fellowship, pray with and encourage each other. Now is the time to go to church to hear from God. Now is the time that we need God more than any other time.

Now is the time we need a word of encouragement from God. The church was created

by God for such a time as this.

During a pandemic we should be going to church more, because we need God more.

Now is the time to turn to God, and not away from him.

Now is the time, we need to be comforted by God. Now is the time to keep the church open. Now is the time to go to church.

Anthony Pantlitz

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Remaining unvaccinated is a “suicide wish,” plain stupid Dear Editor, Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon said, “It is with a heavy heart that I…announce the ‘untimely death’ of our friend and colleague, Imran Khan, who served as Communications Director in the office of the Leader of the Opposition up to today.” Unfortunately, the popular Khan, just 43 years old, was not vaccinated.

Blogger Matthew said, “Mr. Harmon, that is a well thought out comment.... why do you not make such a well thought out appeal to your supporters

to get the vaccination?”

Blogger “Ashton” said, “Why can’t the APNU/AFC come forward and state that it joins with the Government for mandatory vaccination of all Guyanese? Many have fallen already, and a lot of blame is at the feet of the opposition. All lives matter, and we have the responsibility to accept scientific evidence-based facts in relation to the vaccines. We must all demand Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon to come out and lead the APNU/AFC on this

issue.” Mr. Harmon, what will it take for you to act in the national interest by encouraging your supporters to be vaccinated? Do you not care? Do you have Pharaoh’s hard heart?

There is another report of the popular Mr. CN Sharma battling, too. Former PM Nagamootoo also lamented the death of his best buddy, Imran. I say, “Friends don’t let friends remain unvaccinated.” With Covid, you can be “here today, gone tomorrow.”

Blogger “Borapork” said, while the

Steel sheets - was the bid security forfeited?

Dear Editor, Reference is made to “Agri. Ministry may have foiled a plan to exploit a wellknown loophole” by Robin Singh (Oct. 2). With regards to the sheet piling contract, the initial bid was below the engineer’s estimate. But attempts were made to award it at some $40 million more to a contractor who is renting his premises to a senior official of the Ministry.

When steel prices increased, this contractor withdrew from the contract that was already awarded by cabinet to him. Standard protocol required that the bid security be forfeited to the

benefit of the state. Since Mr. Robin Singh is so familiar with aspects of the tender, can he please tell us what happened to the bid security of this award? Further, the contract is a fixed price contract for order of sheet piles. There is no room for a contractor to ask for variations based on escalation of prices in world market. Is Robin Singh trying to defend the indefensible? Is he trying to salvage a lost ship?

Instead of giving justification for re-tendering, wouldn’t his time and energy be better served to look at allegations of fraud being perpetuated in that and other

ministries, and give guidance to restoring integrity and decency in governance that had existed under the Jagans?

May I suggest he talks to staff in this and other ministries to find out the level of approval of performance of ministers? If approval among staff at Agriculture is above 10 percent, I will concede Robin Singh is right.

Yours truly, Jillian Adams

vaccine is not a cure for the COVID-19 virus, it can offer relief from the serious effects of the disease by stimulating the creation of antibodies that in turn, minimise debilitating damage to the health of the infected… Many are refusing the vaccine for various reasons, mostly unscientific, but mainly purely political.

Many have begged for the vaccine, as their oxygen levels dropped, but it was too late.

Don’t join the ‘too late’ club.

Get your jab. Let the jab be part of your effort to remain alive….rest in peace Mr. Khan.”

The PNC, PNC unions that held protests and filed lawsuits against vaccination, some churches and other antivaxxers, must ask themselves

if they are in any way culpable for influencing the unvaccinated to court suicide by refusing the vaccine. If they think they are “sticking it to the PPP,” they are seriously misguided. It’s your own people, friends and loved ones who are dying “unexpectedly,” “untimely,” and “unnecessarily.” Blogger Col123 said, “…Some folks are just wishing for the health care system to collapse…as if that will bring down the government!”

COVID-19 has made widows and orphans in many families. Many moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas have died, largely because most were not vaccinated. Breadwinners of homes were wiped out in the

twinkling of an eye. Khan’s death - which was avoidable if he was vaccinated - is one of the over 150 that have occurred in September, the deadliest month since COVID-19 hit Guyana.

Infection rates have also been extremely high for September with 6,000 new infections. Our health facilities in our poor country are straining towards breaking point. Our Intensive Care Unit staff is tired. So, you wonder how can our Guyanese people see and hear all these things and don’t learn a lesson. What more education do they need, Dr. Carpen? I find it hard to disagree with Howard Stern that the “unvaccinated” are idiots. My friend Suresh said, (Continued on page 56)

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Kaieteur News

Opposition must get off negative platform Dear Editor, The Opposition has to get off that platform of negatives it is presently portraying, it is not doing them, or the nation any good. A campaign of negativity tells everyone that the party is bankrupt of ideas and, as such, wants its followers to be of that mindset also. Pretty soon that irresponsible behaviour would backfire on them and they would reap the rewards of their evil deeds.

A fledgling developing nation, such as ours, can illafford the backwardness and pessimism that is coming from the Opposition. The people are looking for an opposition that would come to the table with positive and progressive ideas, which would augur well in the co-governance of this country.

I am looking at the report card of the Opposition and what I see is a mountain of negatives, in agriculture, in education, in crime fighting, you name it and the PNC are there as an irritating annoyance standing in the way ready to block the peaceful and progressive path of the government. It is, as it were, an irreversible obstructionist stance, taken ever since they lost the last general elections; this is a vivid example of the subversive approach.

The high water mark or their stupidity comes across in the handling of the coronavirus issue. Their position has been most

unfortunate, especially when they keep pushing that slogan “My body, My choice” position. This has been the most reckless and irresponsible call to date, because it has succeeded in endangering the lives of so many people.

When a party can be so callous and heartless, it shows the depths at which it is prepared to go to score cheap political points. They do not care about people; they only care about themselves and in this regard, I view this as a crime against humanity factor.

People are dying while the political opposition postures with this foolishness of: “My body, My choice.”

But their efforts at obstructing progress will not succeed, I repeat, their efforts at obstructing progress will not succeed, because with every negative effort to derail the process comes another progressive alternative set out by the government.

Guyana is on the threshold of becoming the next Singapore of the world, with the fastest growing economy in the world.

We will not be bogged down by the retrograde thinking of a minority. We are on an upward trajectory and on this road, negative forecasters would not be accommodated nor would they be allowed to impede our progress.

Respectfully submitted, Neil Adams

Sunday October 03, 2021

Hate generates more hating Dear Editor, I have written on so many things that I have lost track.

But one of those that stick, is of the hate that rains and reigns in this land of many waters. I think it is worthwhile to address again, perhaps even more often.

I start out by saying that there is one thing that hate usually inspires. Hate generates still more hate in its spreading wildfire reach and devouring of all that stand against it.

I will make something clear: notwithstanding all the civil words and postures, one can detect the jagged prejudices beneath. We have gone past the state of disagreement, of principled contradiction.

What we deliver contains those strains of emotions that convulse us into closet monsters.

This is so no matter how

much our language is nuanced, how careful our verbal selections or our oral presentations. The true rankness of our deep-seated sentiments seep to the surface.

Like, I like saying, political correctness masks the hatreds that come from the firmest of beliefs of what could have happened, if a certain sinister undemocratic electoral way had succeeded.

Or, on the other side of the same coin, now that a different kind has prevailed and is ascendant, the visions of what will not be now rage and warp into paroxysms of frustrations, and the feebleness that is characteristic of such accompaniments.

We have been raging ceaselessly for the last 14 months since a new government assumed the reins thus, we still have

another five month interval of feel-good furies to vent to equal the calamitous 19 months that bookended the no confidence motion and swearing-in ceremony. In the 38-month span, an eternal three years and more, we still will not have sated the fires that burn deep inside.

For sure, one side waxes wonderfully about democracy, but some of its freedoms assaulted and denied I can attest to, if I were so inclined, with unbridled incendiaries of my own.

But it is in the crucible of individual tests, that we must be sober and sane. So, when I warn against hating, the first one cautioning must be the first practicing.

This is when there is discovery of what we are really made of, when the challenges of the day(s) come.

We have those challenges here by the armfuls that are

dumped daily in the media, some mainstream, others elsewhere in the public space. I hear them: who cheated, who stole, who is for, who is against, in endless cornucopia of paranoia, hysteria, and alleluia. I read of vaccine venoms, political poisons, and social sicknesses that incite more of the same hatreds.

From traffic interaction to daily conversation, there is this radioactive strain that spreads and attracts, that contaminates and excites.

Throughout there is this savaging crippling hating that winds us into the tautest of time bombs.

Oil and governance are not spared. And, as for those who dare to say ‘no clothes’ there are these hateful blows.

Some of us can weather those, but can this society ever?

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Reflections on Guyana’s recent UN presence Dear Editor, Nobody feels good having to say aloud or reflect on the thought ‘if I did know’.

Too many Guyanese both at home and in the diaspora are leaving themselves open to being faced at some time in the future with that kind of self-reproach – but this need not happen if due attention is paid to clearly visible current trends.

The last time I checked, on 30 September, 2021, the number of views of the address to the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly of Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, was significantly higher pro rata to population than all of the noteworthy countries I measured this against for comparison. There were 152,000 views of the speech of the President of the United States (pop. 333,416,000) making that number of views amount to 0.45% when measured against the population of the USA. In relation to the address of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (pop. 68,328,000) the numbers were 79,000 views and 0.11%. There were 4,500 views of the speech of Prime Minister Andrew Holness of sister Caricom country Jamaica (pop.

2,977,000) famed for its North Coast tourism, reggae music and athletics, giving a views measure of 0.15% against Jamaica’s population. Some 13,000 views were recorded against President Ali’s address, which measures at 1.64% against Guyana’s population of 791,000. I have used the Worldometer for all population measurements.

Those numbers indicate

very clearly that interest in transitional Guyana is massive. Guyana is now either punching above her own weight or already moved up a weight division! People from all corners of the globe are aware of this and are either looking at Guyana’s possibilities for themselves or are already here to carve out a piece of the action.

Guyanese are not quite so onthe-ball though. This could be attributed to our people having for generations heard about our country’s immense wealth in natural resources, yet have seen little benefit arise out of all the talk about this potential – but now it is on the cusp of happening for real. There will be jobs and business opportunities aplenty, also for nonGuyanese by default of necessity, and especially for persons who have a skill, qualifications or a good business idea backed up by true entrepreneurial spirit.

All of the speeches were good. After all, they were delivered by world leaders.

Two addresses stood out for me however: the address of the President of Ghana and that of our own President.

President Nana Akufo-Addo reflected that the key to the G20’s effectiveness is that it achieves representative coverage of the global population. The President of Ghana proposes the admission of Africa, to make it the G21, noting that the addition of just one seat and probably 10 minutes to discussions, would have the same galvanising effect within Africa as the EU’s participation in the G20 has within Europe – strengthening policy co-

ordination and coherence across the 54 African economies which comprise 1.3 billion people. The President of Guyana gave special attention to the very topical subject of climate change.

Our President noted boldly and properly that the world’s worst emitters have not kept their word and mistrust now prevails in the countries that contribute the least to climate change. I note in this regard that a similar sentiment also emerged from the recent Planet SOS Youth Conference in Milan where the expressed consensus of the world’s youths is that, their trust in world leaders’ commitment to curb climate change is in tatters. All talk but no action! President Ali said that the worst emitters must make binding commitments at the upcoming Glasgow conference to scale up their contributions, and thus help small economies build up their resilience, as the burden in respect of addressing climate change is currently not carried equally.

Our President reminded the Assembly that Guyana is a net carbon sink, despite being an oil producer, whilst we also continue to pursue the development of renewable sources of energy.

The Presidents of Ghana and Guyana had a meeting, whilst both were in

Washington for the 76th Session. This is excellent on several fronts.

It demonstrates a commendable maturity in the context of Guyana in that, the current Ghana-Guyana relationship was sparked by the Ghanaian President’s visit to Guyana during the term of President David Granger. This relationship will now be developed by Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo who will soon lead a delegation to Ghana for the purpose of enhancing co-operation between our countries in areas of mutual interest like oil and gas, capacity building and training and maybe about trade also, in light of the proposals made at the Africa/Caricom Summit held on September 7, this year, including the proposal to establish a weekly direct flight between an African country and one Caricom State. The spotlight is on Guyana for many good reasons. All Guyanese must pay attention and be ready for the tsunami of economic activity that will hit us very soon as sure as night follows day. No-one feels good finding oneself in the ‘if I did know’ boat. It must surely feel even worse if one knows deep down that one really should’ve known. The numbers do not lie. Look no further than Guyana for an exciting future.

Yours truly, Ronald Bostwick

What happened to the culture and youth part of the ministry?

Dear Editor, Inaugural sports conference set to take place, (News Room Oct 1), but no conference on culture or youth

matters. Has the ministry been renamed Ministry of Sport with culture and youth being absorbed elsewhere?

Shamshun Mohamed

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

It is not Kaieteur News making the statement, or taking the position.

'Foreign companies get preference in Guyana's oil sector, while Guyanese lose out'.

That was the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).

The GCCI is not Kaieteur News.

Thank you GCCI for confirming what we have been publishing for the longest while.

Dr. Ali, Dr. Jagdeo: are you listening?

Do both of you understand? Will you leaders do something that benefits the true owners of this oil?

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Port Kaituma residents to get improved water service after contract signed with GWI, NDC Hundreds of Port Kaituma residents in the Matarkai subdistrict of Region One are set to benefit from improved water service.

This is due to the inking of a contract between the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the Martakai Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) for the upgrading of the Port Kaituma water supply system.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal presented the contract to the NDC Chairman Orlando Thorne, on Friday at the Port Kaituma Community Centre, in the presence of Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, GWI Director of Hinterland Services, Ramchand Jailall and other officials.

Minister Croal said: “The Ministry of Housing and Water, through the Guyana Water Incorporated has a responsibility to ensure that water services in the hinterland matches that of the coastland and this is a part of meeting that commitment.”

He explained that GWI recently completed the drilling of two wells and is in the process of activating the wells, through the installation of pumps and electrical components by a contractor.

Upon completion, the NDC will commence the installation of pipe networks on the first well, thereby connecting Port Kaituma waterfront and raising the water service from surface to ground level.

Meanwhile, the second well will be connected to Oronoque, where over three hundred (300) residents will enjoy first time access to potable water.

These areas are currently receiving water from a nearby river, which Minister Croal noted is not a reliable source for consumption.

“Under GWI's program we plan to minimize and eventually eliminate any source or supply of water for households from rivers,” Minister Croal affirmed.

The Regional Chairman (Continued on page 54)

Unbelievable tax giveaways to...

From page 3 of the revenue earned has to go towards covering expenses. The remaining 25% is what is deemed profit oil and is split equally between the State and the oil companies, leaving each party with 12.5% of gross revenue.

The IMF had said in previous analytical reports, that when one adds the meager two percent royalties, the country's take moves up to 14.5 percent. But what

Sanzillo exposed is this take does not consider the impact of the exorbitant tax concessions on that 14. 5 percent take.

After the Minister of Natural Resources pays the taxes owed by the contractor out of its share of the profits, Sanzillo said Guyana's take is reduced to 9 percent.

The financial expert noted that it can even be lower when one considers the other gaping loopholes for revenue leakage in the oil agreement.

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

PAGE 09

Guyana used ExxonMobil's choice instead of independent firms to review Liza project - Industry source reveals G u y a n a u s e d ExxonMobil's choice instead of independent firms to review Liza project –Industry source reveals If Guyana had the right experts in its corner, is it possible that it could have known even before oil production commenced in 2019 that ExxonMobil would have had cause to burn a significant volume of gas? According to reputable energy experts who have worked closely with the former and current governments, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” In fact, one of the industry consultants revealed in an interview with Kaieteur News that Guyana's use of a UK company that was recommended by ExxonMobil is what has the country in the flaring predicament it is now trapped in.

The company in question is Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants. This company, Kaieteur News understands, was selected in 2019 to review ExxonMobil's Field Development Plan for the Liza Phase One Project. It was selected in spite of the fact that it was a well-known client of ExxonMobil, and there being more than a dozen independent options to choose from.

In fact, Kaieteur News was reliably informed by the consultant with a deep

Dem

boys seh...

Nuff people who bin tek Sputnik V vaccine now vex.

Dem hear how America nah accepting dat as yet fuh go in de country.

And so dem seh de Americans put sanctions pun dem.

De advisor at de Ministry talk how some people might gat fuh get revaccinated if dem want guh America. A nd no sooner he seh dat, de PAHO man seh dat is not fair.

But is suh when Uncle Sam like flex it muscles. It bin buy out all dem vaccines and stockpile dem.

And nuff poor country

knowledge of the matter that Bayphase was actually recommended to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) by ExxonMobil. That recommendation was then passed on to former Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman.

This newspaper understands that Trotman was fully aware that B a y p h a s e w a s ExxonMobil's client, and so he solicited a list of alternative companies.

Despite having several independent, nonExxonMobil clients to choose from, Bayphase was still given the job to review the FDP in the interest of the State.

Following the award, several enquiries were made and the reliable source learned that Bayphase never reviewed Guyana's geological data independently during the FDP process.

Instead, Bayphase relied on ExxonMobil's interpretation of same. The oil consultant was keen to point out that Guyana's blunder during that time is what has it in the position it is in today.

The consultant said, “If Guyana had the right people in its corner, it would have known since before oil started pumping, that ExxonMobil's claim that it could reinject 100 percent of

its gas was pure hogwash.

When you are going to review any company's FDP you have to understand your reservoir, how it is going to produce, where you are going to drill the wells, how much gas you will get and what you will do with it.”

The expert continued, “All of that is taken into account when you examine an FDP. But you cannot do that in the interest of the State by analyzing a company's understanding of the data. The country needs experienced reservoir engineers in its corner to do this independently, then to check it against the interpretation provided by the company.”

The government advisor added, “When Bayphase was hired they never even looked at the seismic data Guyana has. They looked at ExxonMobil's data…”

The industry expert said too, that what remains frightening is the fact that Guyana at this point, remains without the experts or the technological resources needed to do independent analysis.

“So if ExxonMobil has been telling you a lot of BS on flaring since the inception, how do you know the same is not being done to you on the gas to shore project especially when you have to rely on their word on how much gas you have and what is possible with it?”

Guyana can also impose sanctions couldn't get.

Dat is why Guyana had to go and look fuh Sputnik V and de Chinese vaccine.

But now dat vaccine hesitancy hit Uncle Sam and nuff vaccines leff pun it hand, Uncle Sam trying fuh play nice.

It seh it gan donate hundreds of millions of doses to dem countries wah nah gat.

Dem boys wan know why it did not donate all along.

Why it wait until now dat it own people nah wan tek de vaccine before it doing so?

But Uncle Sam should

get a taste of its own medicine. Country like Guyana should not be complaining bout Uncle Sam not allowing entry to persons wah get vaccinated with Sputnik V. If Uncle Sam wan play hard card, Guyana should play de smart card.

Guyana should tell dem dat if dem can't accept de persons wah vaccinated with Sputnik V, we consider dat as sanctions and we gan sanction dem back.

If we can't guh deh, dem can't come hay.

Talk half and nah allow bullying!

EFFECTS OF FLARING Extensive research conducted by Kaieteur News over the years shows that gas flaring contributes to climate change, which has serious implications for the human security and wellbeing globally.

In fact, the Department of Mechanical Engineering

at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, outlined in one of its studies, that gas flaring is actually a major source of greenhouse gases, which accelerates global warming.It was noted that flaring releases Carbon Dioxide and Methane, the two major greenhouse gases.

Of these two, Methane is

actually more harmful than Carbon Dioxide.

It is also more prevalent in flares that burn at lower e f f i c i e n c y .

Of the greenhouse gases researched so far, Kaieteur News understands that the global warming potential of a kilogramme of Methane is (Continued on page 12)

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Senior cop arrested with drugs, ammo after driving away from two roadblocks Deputy Superintendent (DySP), Dexter Brown, was on Friday arrested, after driving away from police two roadblocks. DySP Brown first drove away from a roadblock along the East Coast of Demerara, but was cornered at a second one, where a large quantity of cannabis and ammunition for a 9mm pistol were found in the car he was driving.

At approximately 21:15 hrs, acting on information received, ranks erected a roadblock at the Helena #2 Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), where a silver Toyota Allion car registered PTT 3891 was The car Brown used to evade two police road-blocks.

directed to stop. Kaieteur News was told that the driver identified himself as DySP Brown.

However, while speaking with Brown a police patrol from Region Police Division Five arrived and indicated that the vehicle drove away from them at a previous roadblock in Region Five, and that it was suspected that the vehicle is transporting cannabis and ammunition.

Upon inquiry, Brown drove away from the second roadblock hitting down the roadblock materials and proceeded north along the Lima Dam, Jonestown,

The marijuana that was found in the trunk of Brown's car.

Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD); chase was given behind him and he was caught shortly after and a search of his vehicle was carried out.

In the presence of the police officers, three black bags containing several bulky, transparent plastic bags containing leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis were found. It was brought to the attention of Brown, but he remained silent.

A search was further conducted in the driver side of the vehicle and two pieces of 9mm ammunition were found on the floor of the car; this was also brought to the attention of Brown and he again remained silent. He was then escorted to the Cove and John Police Station where the contents in the black bags were counted and amounted to 10 bulky parcels.

The cannabis sativa was weighed and amounted to 9.4 kilograms; it was then sealed and lodged in his presence, along with the ammunition. Brown was arrested, and the vehicle placed in police custody. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Arrested, Deputy Superintendent (DySP), Dexter Brown.

The Cannabis Sativa, which was weighed and amounted to 9.4 kilograms, were in three black bags containing several other bulky, transparent plastic bags.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

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PAGE 12

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Distribution of one-off grant, 2022 pension books commences tomorrow The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security stands poised to begin the massive rollout of the one-off $25,000 cash grant for pensions, public assistance recipients, and persons living with disabilities come Monday, October 4, 2021.

Thousands from all across Guyana are expected to benefit with Pensioners being able to collect their books for 2022 at the same time. The one-off vouchers will be valid until November

30, and persons are advised to cash them before then.

Subject Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, and her team from the Ministry have been making every effort to enable a smooth distribution process and have been putting several systems in place to ensure that the recipients can uplift the g r a n t s i n a n e a s y, uncomplicated manner. This is following the announcement by President Irfaan Ali last month.

“I want to make this distribution safe, seamless and hassle-free for recipients and we are trying to avoid people having to make several trips to uplift these vouchers,” Dr. Persaud emphatically stated. She added, “The process will allow persons to cash their October month voucher and uplift their $25,000 voucher at the same time, and for the first time, Pensioners will be able to receive their pension books for the next year early,

because the 2022 books will also be distributed at the same time.”

Minister Persaud is urging persons to check the media and flyers, which will b e c ir cu la ted in th e ir communities, so that they will know where and when to turn up. The Ministry's social media pages are also regularly updated to reflect the schedules and other relevant, timely information that may be needed.

Dr. Persaud is advising persons to use the entire week identified for their specific region to collect vouchers.

She noted that perhaps overcrowding can be avoided if everyone does not choose to turn up on the first two days of the exercise.

Importantly, she has also reminded that the initiative captures only persons who are registered on the Ministry's Database. “If persons living with disabilities have not yet registered with the Ministry, because they are not receiving public assistance, they can do so through the Ministry's data collection officers based at their countrywide offices and NDCs. This data collection process closes on September 3 0 , ” M in is ter P er s au d explained.

Times for direct payments; remote and shutin, will be communicated to Pensioners by the officers in their regions. Shut-in

Minister Vindhya Persaud

Pensioners are advised that the officers will visit their homes to deliver the voucher, books and pension as usual.

Regional schedules which include post offices and alternate venues in villages/communities: Moneygram, Western Union and SurePay are as follows: October 4 -9 – Regions 4 and 7; Regions 1 and 9 will commence in some locations; October 1116 – Regions 5 and 6; October 18– 23 – Regions 3 and 10; and Region 8 will commence in some locations.

The Hinterland regions (1, 8, and 9) will be advised of specific delivery locations by the officers in their regions through the direct delivery system.

All pensioners who utilise the banking system are advised that the $25,000 will be deposited in their account

in October. These Pensioners are reminded that their life certificates must be presented every three months, utilising the WhatsApp call system to ensure continuity of their monthly bank deposits.

If persons miss the specified periods in October, pension books and one-off cash vouchers will still be available throughout the month of November at the Ministry's offices across the country, Minister Persaud pointed out.

Measures have been taken to have persons go to the Post Office or alternate venue closest to their address within their district. Large tents with seating, sanitisers, masks and other measures aimed at keeping persons safe will also be put in place at all venues, the Ministry noted in a release.

Guyana used ExxonMobil's ...

From page 9 estimated to be 21 times that of a kilogramme of Carbon Dioxide when the effects are considered.

The University of Ibadan study also noted, that flaring contributes to local and regional environmental problems, such as acid rain with attendant impact on agriculture, forests and other

physical infrastructure.

The acid rain results in environmental degradation, which includes soil and water contamination and roof erosion.

Furthermore, there have been over 250 identified toxins released from flaring including carcinogens such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2),

carbonyl sulphide (COS) and toluene; metals such as m e r c u r y, a r s e n i c a n d chromiu m ; s o u r g a s w i t h Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and Sulfur D i o x i d e ( S O 2 ) ; Nitrogen oxides (NOx); Carbon dioxide (CO2); and methane (CH4) which contributes to the greenhouse gases.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

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Fire flattens Brickdam Police Station - Vehicles, records, equipment destroyed A devastating fire yesterday has flattened the Brickdam Police Station and another business place close by on Hadfield Street. Apart from the rubbles that it left behind, the fire destroyed vehicles, office equipment and records.

According to the Guyana Police Force the fire reportedly began around 11:06Hrs in the upper part of an eastern building and spread to several other buildings in the compound.

On the scene Kaieteur News was told that the building in which the fire began is situated close to the lock-ups. One of the officers

who were there at the time recalled seeing thick smoke emanating from that part of the police station.

An alarm was raised and contact was made with the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).

Within minutes, Kaieteur News was told, the flames began to spread.

All prisoners from the lock-ups and occupants of the building were all safely evacuated from the building as they awaited the arrival of the GFS. When Kaieteur News arrived, it was a scene of total chaos as ranks stationed there tried to save documents.

Others were seen fetching out

They recalled him pleading with fire fighters to assist him.

“He tell them 'Please wet meh vehicle, nuh, suh I could bring it out'”. w eapons, ammunition and office equipment.

One rank had even fainted as others rushed to save vehicles in the compound. Ranks recalled that one man whose Toyota Raum was parked in the compound ran in to save his vehicle. They recalled him

pleading with fire fighters to assist him.

“He tell them 'Please wet meh vehicle, nuh, suh I could bring it out'”.

The blaze was too much, and ranks recalled that as he ran into the compound to save the vehicle they were forced to pull him back. He was left with no other choice but to watch as the fire damaged his vehicle.

A rank who was lucky to save his car said it was the first time in his life that he had run so fast. He recalled that when he entered his car it was not starting and he began to panic. Luckily, he said, it eventually started and he was able to drive it out of the compound.

GPF stated that a few police vehicles were slightly damaged, while a number of privately owned ones that were detained in relation to matters under investigation have been destroyed or damaged.

Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, told reporters at the scene that ranks were able to save some of the records, some equipment,

a long with weapons and ammunitions.

Many ranks were seen breaking the walls and fences in order to fetch out whatever they can. Some were also seen throwing out riot shields, documents and other office equipment, including monitors, key boards and other parts of computer systems. They were even successful in moving out a generator from the burning building. The force stated that some of them even received minor injuries while trying to save records and equipment.

Those injuries were minor cuts and bruises they received to their hands and faces and were attended and dressed at the scene by paramedics who were on standby with ambulances.

Paramedics were also seen attending to firefighters who were exhausted by the heat of the blaze.

The fire lasted hours and was eventually extinguished by fire fighters around 14:00Hrs. All of the buildings in the

compound were completely destroyed with the exception of the lock-ups, the impact base and the barracks.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn who braved the heat to inspect the damage, told reporters that the fire is a major set-back for the force.

Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee had also expressed in a Facebook post that he is deeply saddened by the destruction by fire of the Brickdam Police Station. He said that it is another building designed

by Cesar Castellani went up in flames.

“This is probably the most serious damage done to an important and strategic asset of the GPF in recent history,” Rohee stated.

He added too that many records of firearm licences, court documents, files belonging to the CID, n a r c o t i c s , a n d Tr a ff i c departments relative to Police 'A' Division might have been lost in the fire.

There were other government ministers who visited the scene to inspect the damage.

The force has since stated that, while investigations into the fire are ongoing, efforts are being made to relocate the affected offices and ranks. I the meantime, temporary police offices have been established at the St. Stanislaus College to deal with reports and other police

Sunday October 03, 2021

Before

Scenes from the fire yesterday

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

Af ter

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

The Minister should withdraw this statement T

he Minister of Finance made an absolutely bizarre statement during a ceremony to launch a project which will provide electricity to 30,000 hinterland homes.

The statement made by the Minister was reported in yesterday's edition and was also aired on television newscasts.

The Minister is reported to have said, “On a deeply personal level, to those 30,000 families, delivering electricity to their home for the first time will literally be the single biggest thing that will happen to them in an entire generation.” The Minister should immediately retract that statement, and if he does not the President should demand that he does so.

The statement is highly insulting to Guyana's hinterland persons, the vast majority of whom are indigenous. It suggests that the provision of electricity to their homes would be the best thing to happen to them in an entire generation – normally considered a span of 30 years.

So far there has been no

response from the indigenous communities over the statement. But coming, as it did, at the conclusion of the Amerindian Month is all the more disturbing.

How can the provision of electricity be deemed the best thing which will happen to 30,000 mainly indigenous hinterland families in 30 years? However way you look at this, it is an admission that those families do not have much to look forward to under the PPP/C. But Guyana is an oilproducing state and the President keeps harping about how every section of the Guyanese population will benefit from its oil revenues.

Yet, the provision of electricity is being designated as the single best thing that will happen to 30,000 hinterland residents in 30 years.

Electricity should not be an achievement; it should be a right of all peoples in the 21st century. Indeed there is a discussion taking place internationally as to whether access to energy – reliable and affordable – should not

be a contingent right under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which entitles persons to the life, shelter, education and health.

If access to electricity is the single best thing which will happen to these residents in 30 years then what is in store for these residents over the next 30 years.

Or if it will be the best thing which has happened to them over the last 30 years, then what really did the PP/C achieve while running Guyana for 23 years prior to losing the elections of 2015.

This is not to understate the significance of hinterland electricity. The hinterland is light years behind the coastland in terms of access to electricity but thus alone cannot be justifiable reasons for believing that access to electricity for 30,000 families is the best things which will happen to them in 30 years.

The PPP/C's hinterland electricity programme has been an insult to Amerindians. The PPP/C had provided under an IDB

programme with solar panels. It provided electricity for homes for a few hours each night but the light was no better than that provided by a kerosene lamp.

The PPP/C was in power since 1992 but it was only in 2005 that the hinterland residents really began to see the “light” under the PPP/C's Hinterland Electricity Programme. Fifteen years later, we are being told that there are still hinterland residents who are without access to energy and that for them this is the best thing which will happen to them for a generation.

It is not clear whether the PPP/C has the same plan now as it did then - that is the provision of home solar

power systems which run for only a few hours and provide limited illumination. Or whether the best thing to happen to them will be sufficient power to run a refrigerator, microwave and water pump – things which are now considered as basic amenities.

H o w e v e r, G u y a n a ' s indigenous peoples must be concerned. When the PPP/C assumed office in August 2020, it announced that it was procuring 25,000 solar units for hinterland communities.

If these are the same unit as was done under the IDB programme, the beneficiaries would be better off using kerosene lamps because those solar power lamps were no better than the

lamps.

The best thing that can happen to Guyana's indigenous peoples would be for them to be able to live in modern communities with modern amenities and have total control over the management of these communities.

However the tendency of all governments has been to offer incremental development to indigenous communities rather than empowering them and allowing them full control over the lands and the management of their own affairs.

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

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

No such thing as 'turns' for Commonwealth Secretary-General

By Sir Ronald Sanders

T

he announcement by the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta that his government has nominated the country's energy minister, Monica Juma, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General, has reopened the contention surrounding “turns” to hold the post.

However, there is no such thing as 'turns' in the rules of the Commonwealth.

And, the concept of 'turns' has never been used as a criterion for proposing candidates for the job.

'Turns' is a contrivance utilised by governments of countries in regions of the world that have not held the post.

But, the job of Secretary-General has

always been open to any Commonwealth citizen qualified for the consideration by Heads of Government.

Below, I set out the Secretaries-General of the Commonwealth from the inception of the job; the countries from which they came; the candidates who challenged them to demonstrate that 'turns' is a stratagem of recent vintage which, if slavishly followed, would deprive the Commonwealth of the best talents to carry out the vital duties of Secretary-General.

In 1965, when the Heads of Government elected the Canadian Arnold Smith as Secretary-General, there were five other contenders from Australia, New Zealand, Sierra Leone and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). In

1975 and again in 1980, Shridath 'Sonny' Ramphal of Guyana was elected unopposed, but he was unsuccessfully challenged by an Indian in 1985.

In 1990, Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria was elected, having fended off a strong contender in Malcolm Fraser of Australia, but term limits were then limited to two; he was re-elected in 1995 when the period of a term was reduced from five to four years.

In 2000, the New Zealander, Don McKinnon, was elected but he had to fight off a challenge from Farook Sobhan of Bangladesh. In 2008, the Indian, Kamalesh Sharma, was elected but faced a strong challenge from Michael Frendo of Malta. In 2014, the contenders were

Baroness Scotland nominated by Dominica and promoted by Britain where she had been AttorneyGeneral and continues to be a member of the British House of Lords; Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba of Botswana and me from Antigua and Barbuda.

The Secretary-General therefore has come from: Canada, Guyana, Nigeria, New Zealand, India, Dominica.

In terms of regions and the contrivance of 'turns', this translates into: Canada, Caribbean, Africa, Pacific, Asia, Caribbean.

But if 'turns' were really the criterion, after India (Asia), it should not have been the Caribbean's 'turn'; it should have been the turn of Europe (either Cyprus or Malta) and if Europe gave-up its 'turn', it should have gone to Canada at which point the cycle should have been re-started.

However, the reality is that there is no such criterion as 'turns' for the job of Commonwealth Secretary-

General.

And if there is, then the Caribbean jumped its turn in 2015, and it should now definitely be the turn of either Malta or Cyprus before returning to Canada. If not Europe and North America are being denied the chance of nominating candidates for the post.

The idea of regional 'turns' is limiting and self-defeating.

Some countries in the Caribbean are insisting that it is the Caribbean's “turn” to hold the post for two terms (eight years).

Therefore, even though English Baroness Patricia Scotland was elected, ostensibly as coming from the Caribbean because she was born in Dominica which she left at the age of two, for the term 2016 to 2020, it is contended by her Caribbean supporters that she is entitled to a second term, running from April 2020 to 2024.

The story gets complicated because, the Baroness' elected-term

Sir Ronald Sanders officially ended in April 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Commonwealth Heads of Government could not meet to consider candidates for the term 2020 to 2024.

Consequently, the Baroness was allowed to remain in the post until such time as the election could be held.

She has, therefore, not only served the term for which she was elected by a majority of one vote with several abstentions, she has also segued into a further year and six months, so far, into an unelected term.

This period has not been uncontroversial.

In February 2020, Boris Johnson, who has been serving as Chair of the Commonwealth since 2019 when he was elected Prime (continued on page 44)

Sunday October 03, 2021

Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety.

SUNDAY GUYANAWOULD BE DANCING WITH RESOURCE CURSE DEVIL IF IT IGNORES CONSEQUENCES OF SECRECY IN OIL SECTOR – RAM In light of the copious amount of data, which show secrecy and opacity in the global oil sector that have resulted in some of the most shocking cases of corruption, Chartered Accountant and Lawyer, Christopher Ram, says Guyana would be foolhardy to think it would not suffer similar consequences if it is not transparent in its dealings with the industry.

Ram provided this comment during an interview with Kaieteur News on the absence of key information by the Irfaan Ali-led administration. To date, Ali nor his Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, have ordered the release of ExxonMobil’s local content or production reports. These have remained hidden from public scrutiny despite calls by local and regional actors.

When asked for his perspective on the importance of having these documents in the open, Ram was keen to note that accurate, timely and relevant information is not only good for proper decision making but also to meaningful and informed debate and discussion involving the public at large.

The Chartered Accountant said the unavailability of such information is as critical an area as the hugely significant petroleum sector, is not only a negation of the principles fundamental to good and responsible government but can also have grave intended and unintended consequences for the country. “We must be acutely aware that the segments of the petroleum world characterised by opacity and secrecy are also associated with some of the most egregious cases of corruption and mismanagement. To ignore these possibilities in our developing petroleum sector would be like dancing with the Resource Curse devil,” expressed the lawyer.

Speaking to the press

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

statements ExxonMobil releases during the year on its local content spending and initiatives, Ram was keen to note that he finds it to be meaningless information if it is not verified via public scrutiny. He said too that it serves as a useful distraction from the oil giant’s violation, with support of the Petroleum Minister, of the law’s actual requirement on local content.

The Chartered Accountant said, “…The law and the 2016 Petroleum Agreement require the timely submission of a plethora of reports by the oil companies to the Minister. Arguably, some of these like the value of production and pricing statements of Crude Oil and Natural Gas can be considered of a confidential nature and protected by law.”

Be that as it may, the lawyer categorically stated that others can actually benefit from public sharing, such as the monthly and quarterly production statements and quarterly cost recovery statements.

It was only last week Sunday that Kaieteur News highlighted the extent of the Irfaan Ali administration’s transparency deficit in the oil sector.

It was noted for example that a few weeks ago, ExxonMobil disclosed that it submitted its local content report for the first half of 2021 to the Ministry of Natural Resources. This very report is yet to be released for public perusal.

Also hidden from public scrutiny are the results of the audit for the US$460M Exxon said was spent pre-2015 in

search of oil as well as the US$1B in expenses racked up on the development of the Liza Phase One operations.

The report that was done on the Payara Field Development plan by controversial Canadian politician, Alison Redford, also remains hidden from the public eye.

Below is a list of other key tasks in the oil sector which auger well for transparency but have not been completed by the Ali administration.

1) Completion of a Local Content Policy.

2) Putting in place appropriate and independent technology offshore to monitor the measurement of oil remotely.

3) Outlining of benchmarks for Corporate Social Responsibility.

4) Establishing a Depletion Policy in consultation with the citizenry.

5) Establishing a Decommissioning Policy.

6) Outlining a structure for what is to be expected in Field Development Plans.

7) Strengthening key auditing agencies, specifically the Office of the Auditor General.

8) Strengthening institutions that will be responsible for the expenditure of the oil moneyincluding the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Ministry of Health.

9) Improving Guyana’s capacity to monitor and record emissions offshore, particularly in the case of the Environmental Protection Agency.

10) Providing resources to the EPA so that it can make unannounced visits to the FPSOs while following safety standards.

11) Hiring technical experts needed within the Ministries of Natural Resources, EPA, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), etc.

12) Reviewing massive tax concessions/tax holidays.

Example: provisions in oil contracts that allow tax exemptions on capital gains tax, personal income tax and withholding tax.

13) Updating policies/ laws/regulations regarding direct and indirect transfers of interests in offshore blocks.

14) Establishing a Petroleum Commission.

15) Implementing software solutions for compliance monitoring and for operating requisite controls for expenditure of oil money.

16) Updating laws and regulations to address issues of ring fencing, transfer pricing (and other financial loopholes/issues), health and safety of workers, monitoring of the environment (regarding issues such as flaring and stiffer penalties for such infractions), pre-qualification criteria for oil blocks, etc.

17) Strengthening and increase systems for reporting on decisions in the oil and gas industry.

SECRECY OVERSHADOWS RESURRECTEDAMAILA FALLS HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT ...PARTIES TO SIGN ‘CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE’ BEFORE ACCESSING INFO The Irfaan Ali-led administration has made good on its commitment, to restart the process to construct the ‘controversial’ 165 megawatt (MW) Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, along with the related transmission line to the Sophia substation and the upgrading of 122 kilometres (km) of existing road, in addition to the construction of 85 km leading to the site.

The Office of the Prime Minister, which holds responsibility for the energy portfolio, Saturday formally advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP), for either a 20-year, Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) model, or a Design Build Finance (DBF) option.

According to the request by the Ministry, government is not bound to accept any response to the RFP and in fact, “reserves the right to

select any party(ies) for any specific element of the RFP and to annul the process at any time without further direction, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected parties.”

Additionally, according to the administration in its request, all pertinent information in possession of the government will be made available via a secured website upon completion of a Confidentiality Undertaking/Non Disclosure Agreement.

The RFP outlines that the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL) current Development and Expansion Plan for 2021 to 2025, projects total capacity required in 2025 as 465MW and energy of 2,9000 (gigawatt hours) GWH. As such, the government proposes an energy mix that will utilise both Natural Gas, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and renewable, namely hydro, solar and wind.

It was noted that in 2026, government expects the demand to be met by dispatching from its lowest cost of supply, “which is expected to be derived from gas up (to 300MW), Amaila (165MW) and other renewable and non renewable capacity, to make up any balance or serve as back up.”

Under the scope of the project which the Prime Minister’s Office said was last defined in early 2015, the successful proposal would see the start of works in mid 2022 and earmarked for commissioning in 2025, would include the 165MW installed hydro dam, plant and related works.

Additionally, the selected contractor will be required to install the related transmission line and structures along a 270 kilometre route from the Amaila Falls site to the Sophia Sub Station.

This is in addition to constructing 230 kilovolts (KV) substations in Linden and Sophia, the creation of a 23 square kilometres storage reservoir and the upgrades to the roads originally constructed by controversial contractor, Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall, in addition to the completion of some 85 kilometres of new roads leading to the site.

The Office of the Prime Minister noted that as it relates to the options provided, under the BOOT arrangement, the proposed ownership and repayment period would be 20 years, “with all the cost of the project from commissioning date, being borne by the developer, and the project reverting to the government at the end of the BOOT period

at no cost.

Under the DFB arrangement, government would take over the project and, once satisfied with it, will assume ownership and assume repayment obligations.

Potential interested parties have been given up to the end of this month to prepare and submit proposals to the national procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

The controversial Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project was first proposed to the administration Motilall, a Florida based grocery store and religious items retail store owner in Florida, at an initial cost of US$450M—a cost that escalated in ensuing years to more than US$1B. Having failed to secure financiers for the project, Motilall flipped the Licence for US$12M—a licence he secured for the development of the project—to an American, Firm Sithe Global, for US$12M, which was supposed to have proceeded with the project with the help of the Chinese funding and Contractor.

He was subsequently handed a US$12M to build the road, despite no proven experience and failed miserably in the attempt.

The project was subsequently pulled from Motilall and later retendered to a number of contractors’ executing different sections of the road—a road to nowhere that ended up costing the administration almost three times more.

Funding for the project at the time was supposed to have come from a variety of sources including US$100M in equity from the Guyana Government.

Guyana had committed US$15.4M for the construction of the access road as part of the equity, with the remainder of the equity coming from the LCDS initiatives such as the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Norway for some US$250M. The majority of the project (70 percent) was supposed to be had from the China Development Bank and the IDB. The IDB was being sought after for US$175M while the China Development Bank would have provided some US$413.2M, and US$152.1M from Sithe Global, would have brought the total project cost to US$840.3M, at the time.

The project cost ended up escalating for varying reasons, including the securing of US$100M in a bank account by GPL to (Continued on page 22)

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From page 21 ensure guarantee commitments.

The People’s Progressive Party Civic administration at the time had also moved to the National Assembly to raise the debt ceiling in order to satisfy the financiers of their repayments.

In 2013, the company opted to pull out of the project citing lack of political support when the political opposition voted against the project.

Sithe Global’s President, Brian Kubeck, at the time said, “the project was too large to continue without national consensus.”

Among some of the nonfinancial concerns that had accompanied the proposed project was the environmental impact to the immediate surroundings and the fact that the falls was prone to run dry at times during the course of the year which had required that GPL maintain its existing facilities at all times in order to serve as a backup.

MONDAY EPAGREEN LIGHTS EXXONMOBIL’S MAD RUSH FOR OIL IN KAIETEUR BLOCK ANOTHER 12 WELL CAMPAIGN PLANNED WITH NO NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTASSESSMENT The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently reported that an application for Environmental Authorisation has been submitted by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd., ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, to execute a 12 well exploration campaign on the offshore Kaieteur block.

In accordance with Section 11(2) of the Environmental Protection Act, the EPA said the application for the project was screened by the agency to assess the potential environmental impacts.

Following this, the EPA said it has been determined that the project will not significantly affect the environment or human health and therefore exempted from the requirement of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The agency said its decision was made following careful consideration of the review of existing environmental baseline information of the Kaieteur Block which was collected via two separate assessments in 2019 and 2020; and the conduct of similar campaigns in the Stabroek, Canje, and Kaieteur Blocks.

“Therefore, in the interest

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of sound environmental management, the agency will require the preparation and submission of an Environmental Assessment and Management Plan (EAMP) for this project. The EAMP will be guided by a Terms and Scope prepared by the Agency,” the EPA noted.

It further stated that Esso would be required to include a Cumulative Impact Assessment considering possible impacts on the environment and/or human health, and detail specific mitigation measures to be undertaken in order to ensure that the proposed project is implemented in an environmentally-sound and sustainable manner.

In keeping with the Environmental Protection Act and the Environmental Protection (Authorisations) Regulations, 2000, any person who may be affected by the proposed project may lodge an appeal against the Agency’s decision—to not require an EIA—with the Environmental Assessment Board before the end of October.

Kaieteur News understands that appeals and comments should be addressed to: The Environmental Assessment Board’s Executive Director at the Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown, Guyana.

This newspaper had previously reported that the EPA has since noted that no EIA is required for another 12 well programme Esso plans to conduct in the Canje block which borders the Kaieteur and Stabroek Block.

If both projects are allowed to push through, ExxonMobil will be drilling a total of 24 wells offshore

Guyana, starting this year.

This will be occurring alongside ExxonMobil’s aggressive oil exploration and development campaign in the Stabroek Block.

CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION For several years, this newspaper was at the forefront of calls for there to be a thorough, independent investigation into the award of two blocks, Kaieteur and Canje, since several industry stakeholders who examined the matter, concluded that they were awarded under suspicious circumstances.

With respect to the Kaieteur Block, this publication previously reported that it was awarded by former President, Donald Ramotar on April 28, 2015, just two weeks before the 2015 general and regional elections on the advice of former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud.

Two companies received the block with 50-50 stakes, Ratio Energy Limited (now Cataleya Energy Limited) and Ratio Guyana Limited.

Ratio Energy was incorporated in Gibraltar on April 15, 2013, and registered in Guyana on October 23, later that year. Independent watchdog, Global Witness, had said in its damning report ‘Signed Away’ (which was subsequently pulled by the organisation), that at the time of receipt of the block, the company was owned by an Israeli-based lawyer named Richard Roberts.

Ratio Energy’s name was then changed on August 3, 2017, after it received the Kaieteur Block. Its two directors are Canadian, Michael Cawood and Guyanese, Ryan Perreira, who have experience in mining.

Cawood’s LinkedIn page

lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Chief Executive Officer. Pereira’s LinkedIn page lists him as Cataleya’s Director and Co-founder.

Research also revealed that Perreira has a history of collaboration with Cawood’s Riva Gold Corporation. In 2010, agreements were announced meant to allow Riva the option to acquire the rights to certain groups of mineral properties in Guyana, specifically gold. Importantly, neither of these men had any experience in oil exploration to talk about prior to Cataleya’s receipt of the Kaieteur block.

The other initial owner of the Kaieteur block is Ratio Guyana, a subsidiary of the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum. The parent company has been active in the oil industry for decades.

S u b s e q u e n t investigations showed that when Cataleya and Ratio Petroleum got the Kaieteur Block, they quickly sold it off piece by piece to ExxonMobil and later on to Westmount, without doing any work. In fact, Cataleya and Ratio Petroleum each sold 25 percent of their Kaieteur Block ownership to ExxonMobil in March 1, 2017.

ExxonMobil then sold part of its stake to Hess in April, 2018. Global Witness had said it gathered from Ratio Petroleum’s website that the companies didn’t even conduct seismic work before ExxonMobil bought its share.

It was only months after Exxon bought into the block that the oil major started a seismic survey. Exxon’s work revealed that the Kaieteur Block has an estimated 2.1 billion oilequivalent barrels.

Further to the fact that the original owners quickly sold portions of the block despite

commitments in the Production Sharing Agreement to undertake several exploration activities, this newspaper had shown that the owners of the Kaieteur Block had set the stage for secrecy in their acquisition of the block by incorporating in a jurisdiction notorious for financial secrecy. The use of secrecy jurisdictions like Gibraltar is what allowed the companies to keep the details of their transactions with ExxonMobil under the radar.

In addition to the aforementioned, this newspaper had exposed that while Ratio Guyana’s parent company, Ratio Petroleum, has nearly three decades of experience in the industry, it does not have the capacity to conduct ultra-deepwater drilling, which is required for the Kaieteur acreage. Only a handful of oil companies have the capacity to drill in ultradeepwater, including ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP, and Total SE. Ultra deepwater has been closed to drilling for decades because companies just didn’t have the technology and the experience. Besides, there was a lot more oil and gas accessible in shallower waters.

Though the foregoing points among others were brought to the attention of Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, last year November, he was adamant that no corruption took place. He even stated that no laws were broken. Furthermore, he expressed confidence in former President, Donald Ramotar, who signed the Kaieteur and Canje agreements away in 2015, just before he was ousted by the David Granger coalition in that year’s election.

TUESDAY LAWYER URGES PRES. ALI TO DISCLOSE QUANTITIES OF FREE OIL USED BY OIL COMPANIES International Lawyer and staunch advocate for the protection of the environment, Ms. Melinda Janki, sent President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, a letter Monday urging him to disclose the quantity of free oil used by ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, from the Stabroek Block’s Liza Phase One Project.

In the letter seen by Kaieteur News, Janki noted that under Article 11.9 of the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), it states, “The Contractor shall have the right to use in any Petroleum Operations as

much of the production as may reasonably be required by it therefore, and the quantities so used or lost shall be excluded from any calculations of Cost Oil and/ or Cost Gas and Profit Oil and/or Profit Gas entitlement.”

Janki said it therefore means Guyana’s share of the oil, when calculated, is not from total oil produced. As such, she asked that the relevant Minister, being Vickram Bharrat, publish the following: The total amount of oil that has been produced in the Liza Phase One Development; a monthly breakdown of the total amount of oil that Esso, Hess and CNOOC have taken under Article 11.9 since 2019; the total amount of Cost Oil; and the total amount of Profit Oil. The lawyer said these figures should be readily available since Annex C, Section Five of the Petroleum Agreement, entitled ‘Production Statement’ requires the Contractor to submit monthly Production Statements to the Minister showing the gross quantity of crude oil and natural gas produced and the quantities of crude oil and natural gas used for the purpose of carrying on petroleum operations.

Janki further noted that the figures should be available up to last month, i.e.

August 2021. “If August is not ready, then up to July would be good enough,” noted the lawyer.

“The people of Guyana are entitled to know how much oil is disappearing under Article 11.9 so that they can make informed decisions about the future of oil in Guyana,” expressed the transparency advocate while adding, “Secrecy is one of the elements of the oil curse and undermines freedom and democracy.”

Similar sentiments were recently echoed by Chartered Accountant and Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram, during an interview with Kaieteur News. Ram was keen to note that he supports the release of key data in the oil and gas sector while noting that Guyana would be at risk of serious consequences which are known to arise when opacity envelopes a nation’s oil industry.

“We must be acutely aware that the segments of the petroleum world characterised by opacity and secrecy are also associated with some of the most egregious cases of corruption and mismanagement. To ignore these possibilities in our (Continued on page 23)

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From page 22 developing petroleum sector would be like dancing with the Resource Curse devil,” the lawyer expressed over the weekend.

OIL COMPANY CHASED OUT OF HOUSTON, CHANGES NAME, SETS UP CHEMICAL FACILITYAT MCDOOM A company that services the oil industry was chased out of Houston by residents in 2019, when it tried to set up a chemical facility near their homes. Now, that company has changed its name and has set up an operation at McDoom.

The company, now called Champion X, was Nalco Champion back then.

Nalco had wanted to set up its chemical facility on land owned by John Fernandes Limited at Area ‘K’ Houston, and construction had started by the joint venture.

Houston residents kicked up a ruckus about the use of the land for industrial purposes when they observed that a structure was being built. They said they were given the impression that the land there would only be used for commercial purposes. Additionally, no environmental impact assessment was done.

Following the uproar, a community consultation was held by the then Ministry of Communities at the Houston Secondary School.

During the consultation, a presentation was done by Nalco, with the hope of dispelling misconceptions about the proposed facility. The company said that the facility would be a chemical storage and transfer facility, not a chemical processing facility, as some residents seemed to think. It was stressed that there would be no chemical reactions or blending, permanent storage tanks, buried chemical tanks, vapour clouds/ steam, flaring, nor vent flumes.

The warehouse was intended to be used for the storage of products and equipment, repackaging and filtering of chemicals, office space, and transportation from the facility to a supply vessel to be taken offshore. All the chemicals were to be brought from the company’s manufacturing plant in Sugar Land, Texas.

Despite this explanation, residents pressed on with concerns about the effect a chemical spill would have on the surrounding communities. The company, during its presentation, detailed its plan for the containment of spills and fires.

The company went to lengths to explain that its experiences with these kinds of plants left negligible risk, and that its considerations found the Houston location to be the most convenient. It was not enough.

Nalco Champion had to pull out of the area. It told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it would move its operations to Trinidad and Tobago.

ExxonMobil has been making an effort to move its supply work from Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana, in

a bid to placate those who demanded more contracts and jobs be given to locals. The company’s Guyana President said recently that most of its supply work would be moved to Guyana by 2022.

Champion X’s McDoom facility was commemorated by a ceremony last Thursday in the compound. It was attended by Exxon’s production manager, Mike Ryan, as well as Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh.

Champion X’s country manager Keith Hicks, also the previous Nalco Champion’s country manager, gave the vote of thanks.

As had occurred in 2019 with the Houston facility, no EIA was done.

The EPA said that it was not required.

WEDNESDAY BY 2025, GUYANA’S PAYMENT OF EXXON’S TAXES WILL BE EQUIVALENT TO 2021 BUDGET - INT’L FINANCIAL EXPERT, TOM SANZILLO According to the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), the Government of Guyana has agreed to exempt ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, from the payment of several taxes such as Capital Gains Tax that other local companies are made to pay. And in the instances where the government has agreed to accept the payment of taxes, it has chosen to pay same on behalf of the oil companies.

By 2025, such an unbelievably sweet tax deal will cost the Guyanese people US$1.7B—the equivalent of its 2021 national budget.

This shocking revelation was made in a recent report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), and its Director of Financial Analysis, Tom Sanzillo. This latest report examines the impact of the exorbitant tax concessions and waivers given to ExxonMobil and its partners.

In his report titled: Guyana’s Tax Giveaway: Country Pays Exxon, Hess and CNOOC’s Annual Income Taxes, Sanzillo was keen to note that the PSA establishes that income gained by the contractor and the other parties is taxable but would

be handled by the Minister of Natural Resources. The tax would be paid over to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) from Guyana’s share of the oil money, following which, the oil companies would receive a receipt stating that the said tax was settled. This would be presented by the oil companies to the American tax authorities to prevent being taxed on their profits which are shipped from Guyana to their head offices.

Sanzillo estimates that Guyana may receive annual oil payments that amount to approximately US$6.8 billion in pre-tax revenue from 2021 to 2025. But of this amount, US$1.7B accounts for corporate taxes Guyana will pay for ExxonMobil and its partners. ”Using the current tax corporate tax rate of 25%, the Minister would be required to pay at least 25% of this amount, or US$1.7 billion,” he calculated.

Sanzillo pointed out that corporate tax concessions can be useful if the country granting them derives some benefit from them, but this cannot be said of Guyana’s agreement with ExxonMobil.

“This tax giveaway is just one more way that the public is being shortchanged,” he noted, adding it is one that is also “unnecessarily burdensome for Guyana.”

Further to this, Sanzillo drew attention to the “unwillingness” of the current administration to make public, the full details regarding tax compliance and payment, citing that it raises “even more questions about the fairness of this deal.”

And while the government under the leadership of President, Irfaan Ali, pledged on numerous occasions to be transparent about the details of the oil sector, many questions are still left unanswered.

IEEFA plans to publish additional details and analyses of contract provisions that benefit the companies at the expense of Guyana’s fiscal health.

DIGICELGUYANAOWES GOVT. $1B IN FEES UNAUTHORISED SPECTRUM USAGE DISCOVERED BYTELECOMSAGENCY U-Mobile Inc., which trades as Digicel, has recently come under

scrutiny with the Government as rapid moves are apace to maximise the benefits of a liberalised telecommunications sector.

Documents seen by this publication confirmed that, within weeks of liberalisation, the Irish company headed by Dennis O’Brien occupied spectrum without being issued with the requisite frequency authorisation. Such use of spectrum would hinder and restrain the ability of other licenced entrants to utilise their duly authorised spectrum fully.

The issue has since escalated with the recent discovery that the company has again started to occupy additional spectrum without the requisite authorisations, even before the Government could review the new frequency band.

Digicel has also approached the courts seeking to halt the Government’s spectrum issue and if successful, could delay the deployment of services by competing carriers, which would consequently impact the access of the public to these services. In its suit, Digicel claims to have a legitimate expectation to the unauthorised use of spectrum.

But this approach appears to be thwarting the process and the benefits of liberalisation to consumers.

GTT has indicated that it will be deploying a 4.5 G Network and has already been legally granted spectrum to begin this process.

However, GTT has already written to the Telecommunications Agency, stating that it will expeditiously transition to the assigned spectrum, but may be prevented from doing so because of unauthorised use in one of its spectrum bands. It therefore asked the Telecommunications Agency and the Ministry, to take the necessary steps at enforcing the law to prevent any such unlawful use. E-Networks have also written to the agency about interference in its licenced band, which is causing delays in its countrywide expansion.

This unauthorised use of spectrum is not the first time Digicel has been accused of bypassing the legal process. In March 2017, GTT alleged that Digicel was facilitating an “illegal, unlicenced trans-border link between Guyana and Suriname,”

an operation which Digicel has acknowledged on several occasions, and which amounted to “remarkable arrogance and disregard for rule of law in Guyana” according to GTT. In 2017, GTT claimed that Digicel has never provided any specific information in relation to this illegal bypass activity, which it believed deprived the national coffers of billions of dollars in tax payments.

To date, Digicel has not made public whether it made any payment of the tax assessments alleged by GTT. Similar to the present case, GTT expressed its frustration that Digicel avoided any responsibility for its illegal activities but instead, “[made] excuses or [launched] new and unfounded claims that are meant to distract the public and the media.”

Moreover, the operation of the bypass also entailed the use of valuable spectrum by Digicel, which GTT had claimed was “simply taken as its own, without payment.” The company believed that Guyanese had “a right to know whether this spectrum has, in fact, been stolen

by Digicel.”

Further revelations have also indicated that Digicel has not paid its licence fees for at least five years, an amount estimated to surpass $1 billion dollars. The Telecommunications Agency has recently billed Digicel for these outstanding fees, requesting that they be paid within thirty (30) days.

Notably, companies related to Digicel have disclosed financial constraints in the past with Digicel Group, the parent company of Digicel, filing for bankruptcy in 2020.

On October 5, 2020, the telecommunication sector in Guyana was liberalised when the Telecommunications Act No. 18 of 2016, and the Public Utilities Commission Act No. 19 of 2016, were made effective.

The orders, which occurred within two months of the Government assuming office, ended a 30-year anti-competitive telecommunications monopoly that had left the local sector underdeveloped compared to the rest of the Region.

Earlier this year, the Telecommunications Agency (Continued on page 24)

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From page 23 confirmed plans to issue additional spectrum licences, which would start the process to enable providers to offer expanded and upgraded telecommunications services.

THURSDAY SIX YEARS LATER… GUYANA HAS NO INDEPENDENT OIL SECTOR REGULATOR; TRANSPARENCY LAW CONTINUES TO BE DEFANGED - RAM Six years after the discovery of oil, Guyana remains without the legislative and regulatory framework essential to protect the oil industry against mismanagement and corruption. One of the key regulatory pieces that remain in limbo is the passage of the Petroleum Commission Bill that would pave the way for the appointment of an independent regulator.

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram, recently pointed to the importance of this crucial regulator while bemoaning the seeming unwillingness of the current government to get the ball rolling on this matter.

In a brief note to Kaieteur News recently, Ram said, “The Government seems unwilling to set up an independent Petroleum Commission and thereby remove the possibility of further secret deals and collusion between the politicians and the oil companies.

One must not forget that the oil companies played along with (former Natural Resources Minister) Raphael Trotman in hiding from the public the so-called (US$18M) signing bonus and the 2016 (Stabroek Block) Production Sharing Agreement.”

Ram is of the firm conviction that this state of affairs, along with the absence of critical reports on ExxonMobil’s local content performance and its production offshore, do not auger well for transparency and accountability as promised by the Ali administration.

He was keen to note as well, his disappointment in fact that the nation’s Access to Information Act has been defanged while adding that it is not taken seriously by the Government or the public.

“Moreover, with ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Limited operating as a monopoly, there is no incentive for the oil companies to enjoy a social licence or popular legitimacy. The Guyanese public do not factor into their equation,” expressed Ram who reiterated his call for Guyana to urgently have its Petroleum Commission in place.

Earlier this year, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, had said that the Bill is under active consideration by the Legal Department of the Natural Resources Ministry.

“That Department is working closely with the Chief Parliamentary

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Counsel attached to the Attorney General Chambers and I know that the changes that we would like to see in the bill are being looked at right now, and examined with a view of incorporating them,” he stated as noted in an OilNOW article published January 8, 2021.

Last year, Guyana received a US$34M loan from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), a portion of which was dedicated to fast tracking activities related to the speedy passage of the Bill and its implementation. The PPP/C Government has provided no update on the status of this loan and its use to date.

NEW BILL NEEDED In December 2020, the IDB had released a brief pointing out the glaring loopholes in Guyana’s legislative framework which essentially weakens the shield of protection that is needed for the oil sector.

According to the Bank, the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and the Petroleum Commission Bill, in their current state, do not contain any clauses that guarantee the independence of any regulator that is appointed for the sector nor do they ensure adherence to industry norms.

The financial institution said that a new Petroleum Commission Bill is

urgently needed to address these gaps that avoid or reduce control over technical and procedural aspects of the regulator. Expounding further, the IDB had said that the current Petroleum Commission Bill leaves the Commission at the behest of the Minister of Natural Resources or in strictly an advisory or supporting role to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Cabinet.

The Bank pointed out that this situation impacts the approval, amendment, and rejection of information submitted by international oil companies for petroleum prospecting and production licences; preparation and management of bid rounds for licence grants; and approval, amendment and rejection of petroleum operators’ budgets, work programmes, field development plans, production forecasts and decommissioning plans.

In addition, the Bank said that the current Petroleum Commission Bill does not assign to the Petroleum Commission functions such as receiving and fully processing applications for petroleum prospecting and production licences and proposals for Petroleum Agreements, and negotiating Petroleum Agreements, or preparing model contracts for the petroleum sector.

The financial institution said it is important to attain the required level of independence and fiscal autonomy for the Petroleum Commission that can be achieved through a new bill. It also noted that a review of the old petroleum law is necessary to protect the industry as well.

CRUCIALPARTNER Since the emergence of the oil and gas sector, the IDB has been one of Guyana’s key development partners, especially as it relates to strengthening its capacity to govern effectively.

Towards this end, the IDB has approved a Policy-Based Loan (PBL) labelled Strengthening the Energy Sector (4698/BL-GY) for US$11.64 million in 2018; and technical assistance programmes, including four under execution: Guyana’s Emerging Oil and Gas Sector: Getting Institutions Right (ATN/OC-16532-GY) for US$580,000 in 2017; Strengthening the Capacity of the Department of Energy (ATN/ OC-17100-GY) for US$1 million in 2018; Strategic Communications and Knowledge Sharing Support for Guyana’s Oil & Gas Sector (ATN/ OC-17165-GY) for US$582,682 in 2018; and Strengthening the Technical Functions of the Department of Energy (ATN/OC 17844-GY) for US$606,062 in 2019.

The Bank’s support follows the immediate need of building an entirely new oil and gas regime which requires the strengthening of the nation’s governance framework in order to streamline planning interventions, regulatory reforms, and the general needs of an evolving sector. The design of this operation considered lessons learned from IDB-financed operations, including the importance of close collaboration and coordination with other agencies geared towards building the capacity of the government to manage the sector.

FRIDAY CONTROVERSIAL CHINESE COMPANY REBIDS FOR AMAILA FALLS HYDRO PROJECT Controversial Chinese construction company, China Railway Group Limited, which was blacklisted by the World Bank in September 2019 for allegedly breaching procurement guidelines, is one of four companies which submitted proposals for the 165 megawatt (MW) Amaila Falls Hydropower Project. The procuring entity was the Office of the Prime Minister who holds responsibility for the energy portfolio.

Construction of the Amaila Falls Project is expected to commence next year after being stalled for years from when it was first proposed. The project did not commence back then due to issues of feasibility and lack of transparency.

Specifically, the project was stalled in 2013 after the Oppositioncontrolled National Assembly refused to pass key environment legislation required for the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB)

to approve part of the required financing.

China Railway was founded in 1950, and is part of the China Railway Engineering Group (CREG), which is one of the largest construction companies in China. The PPP/C Government had intended, years ago, to have this company develop the project with money coming from Norway, China and the IDB. However, a Norwegian Ethics Council had raised questions about the involvement of the Chinese firm in a significant corruption case.

Another company, which submitted a proposal was Sinohydro Corporation Limited, which is another China-owned construction company. This company was awarded the US$31.03M IDB Project for the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue expansion in December 2017. In 2019, the IDB had stopped payments to the Chinese contractor for several infringements.

A third China-owned Company that submitted a proposal was China Gezhouba Group Company Limited.

It is a construction and engineering company based in Wuhan and was founded in 2006.This company was one of the nine companies that were shortlisted to build the new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The last company to bid was Rialma S.A, a Brazilian owned company. This company was founded in 1998 and has operations in the construction sector and power generation projects.

SATURDAY LOCAL BUSINESSES BEING NEGLECTED; FOREIGN COMPANIES GIVEN PREFERENCE - BUSINESS CHAMBER COMPLAINS Local content, at its core, involves companies utilising as much as possible, indigenous goods and services for their operations as well as the transfer of skills, knowledge and technology. Since assuming office, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government has pledged to ensure local content is achieved especially in the infrastructure and petroleum sectors.

However, local private sector organisation, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has aired complaints about what it deems as the preference of foreign companies and the bypassing of local companies when it comes to executing projects in the oil sector.

In a statement to the press Friday, the business chamber noted the “overwhelming number” of infrastructure work that is being executed by foreign-owned companies. Further to this, GCCI highlighted the “high volume” of trucking, logistical and other support services, which are being operated by foreign-owned companies, particularly as it relates to the oil and gas sector.

Against this background, the chamber wrote, “The GCCI has been in receipt of several complaints from (Continued on page 25)

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Representatives of the Chinese company signing the new $515M contract with the Ministry of Education last From page 24 its membership of cases in which they are being bypassed for work in favour of the aforementioned category of companies. This occurs in spite of the indigenous Guyanese enterprise being both commercially competitive and having the technical capability.”

While the Chamber reiterated that it remains supportive of foreign investment in Guyana, it was quick to note that this should not be done at the expense and displacement of indigenous Guyanese companies.

“The Chamber has been encouraged by the posture of the government as it relates to local content and calls on the government to table Local Content legislation before the end of the year,” the GCCI said.

President of the GCCI Timothy Tucker has been militant about local content both in his professional and social media life. Almost daily, Tucker calls for the Government to enshrine into law the local content legislation.

Earlier this year, the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said that the government is carving out entire sectors for Guyanese in the oil industry. In other cases, where Guyanese do not have the capacity to supply all of the services, the Vice President said that the government will impose quotas.

Multiple Ministers of Government have told the private sector that while the government is doing its own studies to determine how Guyanese can service the needs of the industry, the business service organisations, such as the GCCI and the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), the private sector should do independent studies.

However, the studies and quotas cannot be of much use if they are not enshrined in law. Multiple experts have warned Guyana that a local content policy, without enshrinement in law and enforceable penalties, has no teeth. And for the past six months or so, all the government has been saying that it is “finalising” the local content legislation before it goes to Parliament. The National Assembly is currently in recess, which comes to an end this month. ExxonMobil has said in the meantime that it is not waiting for legislation to make use of Guyanese talent and services.

Exxon’s Country Manager, Alistair Routledge said it will be moving almost all of its supply work from Trinidad & Tobago to Guyana come 2022.

CHINESE COMPANY AWARDED CONTRACT DESPITE BIDDING HIGHER THAN LOCAL CONTRACTORS Despite bidding higher

Screenshot from the minutes of the bids submitted for the St. Rose’s High School Project on July 2021

A drone shot taken by Kaieteur News a year ago of the St. Rose’s High School under construction. than local contractors, a Chinese company, Shandong Degian International, was still awarded a contract to build the St. Rose’s High School located on Church and Camp Streets, Georgetown.

The contract for the construction of the school, which totals $515M was signed between the foreign company and the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday last.

MOE in a press statement boasted that a legal tendering process was conducted for the project before it was awarded to Shandong Dergian International. The commencement of that tendering process took place on July 20, 2021 and the Chinese company submitted its bid for the project alongside five other local companies.

Those local companies were: R. Bassoo and Sons Limited, Eron Lall Engineer Works, Nabi Construction Inc., Kares Engineering Inc. and L’Heureuse Construction Service.

Three of those companies, R. Bassoo and

Sons Limited, Kares Construction Inc. and L’Heureuse Construction Service had bid millions less than the Chinese company.

According the minutes of tendering process published on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s (NPTAB) website, Shandong Degian International submitted a bid to construct the school for a total of $518M while the three local companies, R. Bassoo and Sons Limited, Kares Construction Inc. and L’Heureuse Construction Service, placed bids of $487M, $445M and $459M respectively.

The bids placed by Kares Construction Inc. and L’Heureuse for the school project were even lower than that of the engineer’s estimate of $467M. Although there were lower bids made by the local companies, it was eventually awarded to the Chinese Company.

The MOE had stated that the St. Rose’s High School Project is expected to last for 19 months with a defects

period of one year. The $515M that will be paid to the Chinese Company, according to the MOE is for a threestorey building, a sanitary block, modern classrooms, a canteen block, modern data facilities, laboratories and a lift which will have the capacity to accommodate 350 to 400 students.

This is not the first time, however, that a contract was awarded to build the St. Rose’s High School. In fact, the construction of the school should have been completed already. In 2018, the former Coalition Government had awarded a contract carrying a price tag of $352M to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited to construct a brand new, state-of-the-art St. Rose’s High School (SRHS).

An advance of $60M was handed over to the company and works were scheduled to commence in August 2018. It was agreed that the new state-of-the-art building would have been completed in 18 months.

However, two years went by and only a few piles were

driven into the ground for the foundation.

In May of 2019, Chairman of the SRHS Board of Governors, Kenrick Thomas, had indicated that an alteration in the school’s design had resulted in the delay of construction. A year passed after then and still nothing was done.

No other excuse by the chairman or the company was given since then as to why no significant progress was made in construction.

The St. Rose’s School Board had broken the silence in September 2020 claiming that Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited had abandoned the project.

Two months later, the current administration terminated the contract with the company and shortly after in 2021, the Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed a lawsuit on behalf of the State against the contractor for a total of $400M. The project was retendered in July 2021 and it is still unclear whether the $60M advance paid to the previous contractor was ever recovered.

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Short-cycle progs. can help boost employment and economic recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean - World Bank report Short-cycle higher education programmes (SPCs), such as technical degrees, tertiary careers and advanced vocational training programmes, can be a highly effective tool in times of

crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, when millions of people across Latin America and the Caribbean need to acquire the training and skills to urgently join the formal job market,

according to a new World Bank report. The pandemic hit the region severely, causing an unprecedented economic downturn and a sharp drop in employment and production at a time of

important transformations in the world of work. In this

context, SCPs, which are usually two or three-year programmes oriented to the labour market, could help boost employment by offering a path to relatively quick and well-paid job opportunities, according to the report “The Fast Track to New Skills, Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean”.

Countries in the region should promote the expansion and quality of these programmes in order to benefit a greater number of people and generate rapidly the human capital necessary for economic recovery and growth.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed an unprecedented crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean, pushing millions into poverty. Short-Cycle Higher Education Programmes can play an important role in the recovery by helping overcome the employment crisis and preparing individuals for today's world of work," said Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, vice president of the World Bank for the Latin American and Caribbean region. "In this context, countries across the region need to promote the transformative potential of SCPs." According to the report, the salary benefits of technical level careers are clear. For example, short programmes graduates generally earn - as expected lower salaries than bachelor's programmes graduates, but on the regional average the former earn 25 percent more than the large percentage (54 percent) of dropouts from bachelor's programmes, considering student characteristics. The difference ranges from a low of -4 percent in Peru, 8 percent in Argentina, 22 percent in Ecuador and 42 percent in Paraguay to maximums of 58 percent in Bolivia and 74 percent in El Salvador. Similarly, on the regional average SCP graduates earn 60 percent more than high school graduates with no higher education. In this case the salary difference ranges from lows of 32 percent in Peru and 36 percent in Costa Rica,

to 44 percent in Mexico, 48 percent in Chile, and maximums of 100 percent in Bolivia and 110 percent in El Salvador.

SCP graduates also fare well in terms of employment.

Not only do they outperform high school graduates; they also outperform dropouts from bachelor's programmes.

Relative to the latter, they have a lower unemployment rate (3.8 versus 6.1 percent), and a higher formal employment rate (82 versus 67 percent). Particularly in the current context of unemployment and i n f o r m a l i t y, t h e s e a r e important results. The report also shows that SCP students graduate at a higher rate than bachelor's students (57 versus 46 percent), which is especially relevant given that bachelor's dropouts account for about half of all the individuals that start higher education in LAC and that, on average, SCP students come from more disadvantaged backgrounds than students from bachelor's programmes.

"Short-cycle higher education programmes have significant strengths, including an ability to respond fast and flexibly to labour market needs. They also benefit from a fluid relationship with local businesses and often assist students in their job searches," said María Marta Ferreyra, a senior economist at the World Bank and one of the authors of the report.

However, the offer of short programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean is not yet as well developed as in other regions and the quality of their offer is uneven. In the last two decades, enrolment rate in higher education in LAC grew from 23 to 52 percent, but the greatest increase occurred in bachelor's degrees. As a result, currently the share of SCP students in higher education enrolment is only 9 percent, lower than in most other regions (34 percent in East Asia and Pacific countries, 30 percent in North America, 21 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, 18 percent in Europe and Central Asia). And while (Continued on page 44)

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Sunday October 03, 2021

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THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The David Patterson email, civil society and Shakespeare C

ivil society now has a few appointees on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). If William Shakespeare had to do a play on Guyana, it would arguably be the best one he would have written using the English language. I guess some lines would have gone like this: “Out, out, the ghost of hypocrisy.

It poisons the fruit of ambrosia. It nestles in the bosom of necromancy. The seeds of evil lie buried deep in the heart of strife. It germinates on the face of life.”

This poor attempt at poetry describes Guyana. So, we read that civil society has some representatives on EITI. The fireworks of EITI lit up the night and the moon falls on the face of the word, “transparency.” Who or what is civil society in Guyana?

Who speaks for civil

society and why is it still alive after suffering more stabs than Julius Caesar received? Let's see how civil society gets murdered and who the assassins are.

I reproduce here an email that David Patterson sent me when he was Minister of Public Works.

It is about a story that is emblazoned on the walls of my soul. Reading it again, you would know it haunts me because I have written so many times about it.

After I learnt that the leaders of AFC had contacted a complete stranger and asked her if she wanted to be the minister of the environment, I cited that insane immorality in one of my columns.

Here is Patterson's reply in email form to me of Friday, April 15, 2016: “Freddie my brother we have to meet and discuss these matters, h o w e v e r t h e o ff e r t o (redacted) Thomas was discussed and agreed as a

principled position. In the Accord we made provision for civil society to be part of cabinet, knowing full well that our partners would not be so minded towards such a position.

Our position was that we would give up one of our positions just to ensure that we live as close as possible to the Accord we signed.

When the ministry of environment was proposed we decided to go for a civil society placement plus a woman”.

There is one problem here and it is larger than the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal in March this year. In that room, when the decision was made the AFC leadership did not postpone its decision and consult Guyana on who represents civil society and who does so credibly.

Were ACDA, the Bar Association, the UG Unions, Guyana Press Association, FITUG, the 1823 monument

organisation, Indian Arrival Committee, among others solicited for their views?

Who in that room among the AFC bigwigs decided that this lady even belonged to civil society much less represented it?

So, who decided that Vanda Radzik and Mike McCormack truly represent civil society?

So the moon fell on the word transparency. But how transparent are many of these civil society groupings?

Mike McCormack is now on the EITI, but how transparent is his group – the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA)?

The GHRA in a response to me recently (see my column of Saturday, July 24, 2021, The GHRA and the indecency in and of Guyanese society) noted that it has a board of 12 members. But the 12 names have never been made public.

They will never be made public for obvious reason.

If we are going to appoint Guyanese to sit on important bodies Frederick Kissoon like EITI then the v yardstick has to be the attitude of Guyanese to the o five months of election ice against election rigging.

Why? Because of the rigging.

T h i s w a s s u c h a length of time the fraud took frightening moment in place. Every Guyanese in and Guyana's existence that it out of this country had an was a challenge to every enormous amount of time to Guyanese to openly display see what was taking place. t h e i r c h a r a c t e r a n d They had five months.

From March 3 until July patriotism.

Mr. McCormack and the 30, it was one absurdity after GHRA put anti-PPP instincts the other.

The riggers even before country. Where is Ms. Radzik's record on the appealed a court decision of election rigging? Here is my Guyana's highest appellate court. For those who were frenetic point.

If you cannot condemn silent, Shakespeare would the assault on democracy that h a v e o b s e r v e d , “ O h went on for five months, then conscience, lost in the wild, what qualifies you to search Hope cries in fear for the for lack of transparency in the growing child.”

(The views expressed in extractive industries and this article are those of the highlight such a lack?

The criterion to judge a u t h o r a n d d o n o t who is committed to civil necessarily reflect the society in Guyana has to be a opinions of this newspaper.)

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Sunday October 03, 2021

>>> ENCOURAGING EVENTS, DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS <<<

GRA revenue increase, climate emergency, and T&T oil wreckage

By GHK Lall

I

t is encouraging to read that the GRA revenues increased by 166 percent in the last four years.

According to Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, this was due to “rigid measures” put in force. This means that more money than would have normally been collected went into the public coffers.

It also indicates that business entities and individuals were held to tighter standards, and made to pay their fair share of what is due to the national treasury.

As is well known, whether it is taxes, or duty on goods,

citizens the world over, look for ways to game the assessment and collection system.

In this regard, Guyana is no exception, and when those who owe fairly and squarely are made to honour their obligations, then that can only be good for wider society, and all the things that robust measures and tax collections facilitate.

Though there is the belief that corruption - meaning, under collection of monies due - is still an issue of concern, there is also some progress made, and this material spike in the GRA's revenues confirms that some improvements have taken hold.

This can only be encouraging, which sets the stage for other state agencies to make a start to clean up their act, and deliver what is better for all Guyana.

The second issue of note, and focused on today, is what

keeps making the news in concerns about the state of global climate.

The world no longer speaks in fractured voices about climate change. In fact, the United Nation's Secretary General himself is pounding the pulpit and taking matters to another level, by emphasising that leaders must recognise that the world is now in the middle of a climate emergency.

There is a huge difference between climate change and c l i m a t e e m e r g e n c y.

It encourages that a world leader of the calibre of UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, could sound the alarm bells, and place this kind of urgency, on a disturbing issue that impacts all of us.

I t would be still more encouraging for leaders in the current PPP Government to get on the same page, and with the same zeal.

This is about going beyond saying the right things, and actually taking those concrete steps to show that we are also serious, and that we

will do our part with the rest of the world to make this planet a livable place.

I must emphasise that this does not mean that Guyana gives up on its newfound oil wealth, and leave all of it in the ground in response. Nobody should be calling for such a radical step. I certainly am not of that mind.

I would be encouraged to learn that we manage our production carefully, and that runaway exploring and drilling not become the marching orders.

My thinking is that the multiyear gas-to-shore project could be studied, so we have all that we need to know about feasibility, while going slow (holding off) on any commencement date on such an expensive project that could collide with what the UN Secretary General is calling for, and leave us holding a product that has missed the boat.

Though it is doubtful that this position will gain either reception or traction, I still put

it on the table for all to digest.

It would be very encouraging if the President and Guyana's leading oilman, the Vice President, would listen and show some signs of adjusting their positions.

Last, I read of the wastage and wreckage that is T&T's oil and gas industry, and shudder to think that such a terminal could be where we are heading. I have been one of the persistent voices (pens) that have called for more transparency and accountability not just on oil and gas matters, but in every area of our governance.

For when we have those two, then citizens can rest a shade more comfortably that their interests are being handled the way that they should be, that political and commercial corruptions are more tightly managed, and that the kind of returns due end up with the people.

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

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Cardiac Sonographer, Ramona Chanderballi From page 18 education. And they were the biggest fans of me and my cousins' educational advancements,” she shared.

IMAGING TECHNOLOGY Cardiac sonographers also known as echocardiographers or echocardiography technologists, are health care professionals specially trained to use imaging technology to help physicians diagnose heart problems in patients. They operate ultrasound equipment that provides moving 2-D or 3D images of the heart and its chambers.

A c c o r d i n g t o C h a n d e r b a l l i , “ We a r e involved in nearly every disease process and help doctors to make critical decisions like how soon patients will need surgical interventions like heart valve replacement.

We track patients with congenital heart defects from their initial diagnosis to their pre-op clinic to their post-op follow up and then their annual check-ups.

We also provide ultrasound guidance for minimally invasive interventions like pericardiocentesis where the doctor would drain fluid from around the heart. We are a part of the team you'll see when you come in with a heart attack or stroke. We're involved in tracking oncology patients through their chemo and radiotherapy treatments, as well as dialysis and kidney transplant patients.”

With the arrival of COVID-19, Chanderballi was required to become a dedicated member on the Post COVID19 care team.

In this capacity she helps post-acute COVID-19 patients recover so that they can return to their normal lives. Added to this, she is able to see “Heart Clinic patients return and do well.

Seeing our cardiac surgery patients, like valve replacement and bypass surgery and corrective congenital heart surgery patients, come in for their echos that were delayed because of the pandemic and having excellent results because they were following doctor's orders over the phone.

S e e i n g o u r oncology/cancer patients be able to resume their chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments after they've had their cardiac clearance from us and seeing our patients come in for their transplant pre-op work up so that they can finally get their surgery.”

GAME CHANGER According to Chanderballi too, COVID-19 has been a game changer when it comes to adaptability. She recalled, “We went to bed one night with one patient testing positive for COVID-19 and woke up the next day in a pandemic." Being in medical imaging and working with ionizing radiation has helped her to adjust to wearing PPE. And since this has been one of the first global pandemics in recent times to depend heavily on medical imaging for treatment and management, she said "as medical imaging professionals we've had to learn to become advocates for our field.”

A c c o r d i n g t o Chanderballi, who has been a Cardiac Sonographer for the past three years and worked as an X-ray Technician for about five years prior, it is important that efforts are made to ensure that patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome are dealt with in an efficient and effective manner.

“If we don't get a handle on this, we'll end up with a large portion of our population who are ill from post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. And it does have significant cardiac manifestations such as arrhythmias and myocarditis which we are seeing in the data.”

But even as efforts are employed in this regard, a disappointed Chanderballi confessed, “It was shocking to learn how very little the world knew about us and how even less they understood what we did. We do not simply take pretty pictures of the body. We aid with medical diagnosis, treatment and management, and in some cases, image guided interventions.”

However, she is not fazed by this but is rather focused on what must be done to cripple the ever-evolving COVID-19 virus. In so doing, Chanderballi was among the first local health workers to be vaccinated and is eager to receive a booster shot to add to her layers of protection.

Even as she waits and encourages others to be vaccinated, she continues to faithfully, “wear my mask when I'm out in public and especially around people.

I sanitise and wash my hands as often as I can. I wipe down my phone when I get home with a disinfecting wipe. I reduce the number of persons I'm in physical contact with to smaller circles and I've used video calling because many of the persons I talk to don't live in Guyana, so making more video calls versus meeting up was an easy transition.”

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Wine of the week: The RASPBERRY SPARKLETINI Raspberry Sparkletini is a naturally flavored sparkling beverage imported from Italy.

Deliciously light and sparkling, it has a soft and fruity flavor. Lush and persistent flavors of sweet

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

raspberries, it also carries a light bubbly that finishes with a hint of sweetness.

The patented resealable cork closure keeps the product sparkling for up to 7 days after opening! To truly appreciate its balanced, clean, and delicious flavor, serve chilled. This special selection is distributed by AnsaMcal Trading Limited and available country wide.

Lessons from a Lashpreneur!!!

Make up Extraordinaire Vincent Shelto launches new studio

By Latoya Zephyr Twenty-six year-old Vincent Shelto began doing makeup in 2017, starting first by practicing on himself. He always had a fascination with makeup. So it was due to this and the advice from his family and friends that he decided to attend a Master class in New York hosted by Mario Devonovic, Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist.

It has truly been a rollercoaster since, but Vincent is holding tight and enjoying the ride. He recently held the opening of his new makeup studio which is now at a new location on 58 David Street between Alexander and Vlissengen Road.

The store holds a have a variety of products, all makeup products and skin care products, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and pink products and so much more. Vincent is also offering Makeup classes and providing face beats for all different occasions.

Vincent invites you to come down to his new studio to have a look at the products we have and also to book your appointment for that face beat. Vincent may be contacted on +592-690-6253.

Some of the products available at Vincent Shelto’s new studio

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

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Coronavirus: This is how you prevent yourself from dying from COVID-19

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

Ever so often, as the data changes, I would do updates on options that decrease one's risk of dying from COVID19. While some factors were obvious from the initial stages of the pandemic, others have become evident as the virus evolves.

Deaths in Guyana are its highest, and many could have been avoided if we had practiced the measures I will mention today.

Minimise the “dose” of the virus you're exposed toIt is obvious that if we avoid the virus altogether then we wouldn't have to worry about getting sick or dying from it. However, this virus has evolved and is making it more difficult for us to avoid it while carrying out daily activities. Data has

shown a correlation between severe disease or death and the amount of virus (viral load) an infected person was exposed to. We should therefore practice following measures to ensure that we avoid the virus or decrease the load that we are exposed to in the event of us coming in contact with it: ● Proper mask wearing: Ensure you and those that you are interacting with, all wear your mask. Also, using two masks (cloth or surgical) or an N95 mask when you are in high risky settings. ● Avoid high risk settings: Choose spaces that are large and open, have good air circulation and are not crowded to carry out daily interactions. The best environment to carry out interactions is therefore the outdoors. ● Time spent around others: Limit the time you

spend close to others especially those that you do not have certainty of their status.

Get Vaccinated: If you look at the data in Guyana, more than 95 percent of the COVID-19 deaths are persons that were unvaccinated. As a doctor that works in the frontlines, I can also tell you that the vaccinated persons are faring very well with the disease when compared with the unvaccinated who undergo long bouts of intense suffering.

The evidence is in front our eyes to see, vaccines are doing what they were designed to do; saving lives a n d d e c r e a s i n g hospitalisation. Do not let a post on social media drive fear in you and prevent you from getting vaccinated.

Following a post from a disreputable site can cost you

your life like it has for so many others.

Begin early treatment: While the treatment options I will mention below may be controversial in some parts, I am sticking by it because of my personal experience with close to 100 patients that has fared well with it, and because of the data in many countries that has shown its effectiveness.

We are in a world where profitability often determines which treatments get more attention.

Ivermectin and Azithromycin are drugs that have been around for decades and are no longer patented.

They are therefore cheap and are likely to not get the attention that the more expensive, patented drugs get. However, when used within the first three days of COVID-19 infection, the disease did not progress to

the severe form but rather regressed. I will therefore continue to advocate for their use EARLY in the disease along with vitamins C and D and zinc supplementation.

Ensure your immune system is primed: The virus thrives on the weak and data has shown that it is more likely to kill those that have weakened immune systems than those that do not.

We should therefore ensure that our body is ready for battle and ensure we practice the following to ensure that our immune system is primed in the event that we come into contact with the coronavirus: ● Eat healthy and ensure we meet our daily vitamin requirements' ● Minimise stress and ensure we get enough sleep ● Exercise and try to keep our weight in check

● Use food rich in antioxidants ● Avoid social activities that weaken our bodies (smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.)

I am optimistic that if we practice these measures, we can beat COVID-19 and be able to finally turn the tide against this dreaded disease.

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Is It Okay To Have Cheat Days?

Adhering to an intense diet plan for weight loss can be quite stressful at times, especially when you are going through a phase of anxiety and cannot indulge in your favourite food items to cheer yourself up. Cheat meals or entire cheat days can be an effective way to relax and take a break from such a diet plan. But if not done properly, it can offset all your weight loss goals and prove to be counterproductive.

What is a Cheat Meal?

A cheat day diet is essentially a diet for a single day where you give yourself the freedom to eat your favourite food items that are not part of your strict regular diet. Such a day can act as a motivator for you to stay on diet for the rest of the week. It is a reward-based strategy that gives you a brief period of leniency so that you do not get stressed out from adhering to a strict diet throughout the week.

For example, if you follow a keto meal plan from Monday to Saturday, you can afford to cheat on your Sunday brunch where you indulge yourself in some carbohydrate-rich food like multigrain bread, kidney beans and maybe a dessert or two.

But the biggest hindrance to such an indulgence is the popular belief that it can negatively impact your metabolism and diet patterns.

Cheat Meals and Metabolic Changes Consuming a wellplanned and calculated cheat meal on your cheat days can lead to the regulation of a hormone produced by the fat cells of your body, known as Leptin. Leptin is responsible for maintaining energy balance in your body and sends signals to the brain so that your body understands the right time to stop eating.

There is quite a lot of debate in the scientific community about Leptin but

one particular research has suggested that temporarily increasing your calorie intake allows Leptin levels to shoot up in your body by 30%.

Since higher leptin levels make you feel full and satisfied, it can be considered beneficial for weight control.

Cheat Diet – A Motivator in Your Weight Loss Challenge Besides the metabolic benefits of a cheat meal, there are mental health benefits too. While some people are well aware of their need for a strict diet and are easily able to control their urges, others may not. If you know that you have a cheat day coming up in a day or two, you are more likely to not give in to momentary urges of deviating from your diet meal plan. In this way, you can stay less stressed and more motivated throughout the week knowing that there is a cheat day at the end of it.

Can Cheat Meals Encourage Binge Eating?

While cheat meals can be an effective motivator, not planning them in advance can, in fact, be counterproductive.

Influenced by social media personalities and popular fitness models, you may sometimes consider indulging in an extravagant cheat day diet. But this may not be right for your body.

You need to consider several factors like your body weight, body fat percentage, metabolic rate, regular caloric intake, etc. to plan the best meal for you on your cheat days.

For example, if your daily caloric intake is 2000 calories and your intake on cheat days increases to 4000 or 5000

calories, then, despite the increased leptin levels and metabolism, you are bound to put on weight.

More importantly, such an unplanned and unregulated cheat diet plan can also get you into the habit of binge eating.

Conclusion Cheat meals can definitely be a way for you to unwind and take a brief break from a week-long weight control diet but they should also be planned.

Going overboard with such meals can be counterproductive and achieving the right balance is key to weight loss and an overall healthy lifestyle. The best way to go about this is to consume small indulgent yet calculated meals throughout the day on your cheat days so that you can keep better track of the calories consumed and also escape the dangers of binge eating. (https://pharmeasy.in/ blog/is-it-okay-to-havecheat-days/)

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

The Guyana Cancer Foundation helps to inspire hope for the terminally ill T

he Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF) has for over 16 years provided, supported and helped inspire hope in those affected by cancer through early detection, education and awareness.

Hundreds of Guyanese have benefited from the list of support services that the foundation has to offer. This week as part of the Cancer Aw a r e n e s s M o n t h ' s sensitization efforts, Kaieteur news will be highlighting the work of the foundation that helped countless souls deal with the news of being terminally ill.

From providing free screening for breast, cervical and other types of cancers to helping fund medical checkups for the terminally ill, spreading awareness and providing other types of services, the mission of GCF is to provide free medical screening to the medically underserved, low-income and uninsured population.

The organisation's ultimate goal is to be a beacon of hope to those diagnosed with cancer.

Kaieteur News recently caught up with the President/Founderof GCF, Ms Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Hassan who explained the commitment to fight cancer is stronger than before. Hassan knows from personal experience, how much the service is needed. She was her mother Amelia's caregiver, when she was diagnosed with cancer.

At present, the organization has joined the local push to eradicate breast and cervical cancer in Guyana by 2025.

Though the feat is ambitious, Hassan is optimistic.

She said: “We can make a difference in saving lives, and while our goal may seem enormous, we want to eradicate breast and cervical cancer in Guyana by 2025, if not the whole or even a half of the country, at least in one community or area, where we

can say women are free from cancer.”

However, the cancer awareness advocate stressed that the success of this task, depends on partnership with the government, international funding institutions, nongovernmental organisations, the private sector and all of society.

AWARENESS/SUPPORT In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness this month, the Foundation and its Partners, will host a list of activities; such as the candle light vigil on October 15 which is for persons who lost their battle to cancer, National No Bra Day held on October 13 and a National Mammography Day/Wear It Pink Friday, on October 20 and October 22 respectively.

Hassan explained that events like these are aimed at promoting awareness and offering support for cancer patients and survivors.

She noted that the Cancer Foundation continues to grow with members and volunteers while it remains committed to inspiring hope to those affected by cancer through early detection, education and awareness.

“I can tell you, almost every day I get messages or texts from persons looking for support of some sort.

We can't count the number of people that Guyana Cancer Foundation has offered support to, in some way, shape or form,” she said.

Hassan added that the work with cancer awareness is culminated “when people understand how important screening and screening regularly is.”

“The faster people get this and put it into practice the less work we have to do.

Since early detection saves lives and you can only detect something early if you are looking for it,” she emphasised.

Throughout this month the GCF will be collaborating with the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital to provide

mammograms and sonograms to members of the public---at no cost to them.

In the meantime, to assist with its efforts, the Cancer Foundation has received the support of almost 20 corporate entities including GTT, King's Jewellery World, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, Scotia Bank, N&S Mattai, Kissoon's Furniture Store, Skahur Trading, Toolsie Persaud, Digicel, MediCare Pharmacy, Survival and Deluxe Trading, ExxonMobil, Guyana Unity Movement and the Guyana Medical Relief.

HISTORY Hassan has been with the GCF since 2005, when a

journey started with the fund to create awareness, and e d u c a t i o n . T h e Av o n Community Help Fund and its Representatives started to raise funds through the business community and with the help of their close friends, they started their education and awareness programme.

Over the years, the Fund has been conducting Breast Cancer Awareness activities through a number of initiatives, particularly sessions on how to do the breast self- examination at home.

Given their awareness and advocacy programmes, five years after its inception, they came up with the

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President of the Guyana Cancer Foundation, Ms Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Hassan.

Avon was dissolved in the Caribbean and the Fund couldn't use the name “Avon Community Help Fund” anymore.

Later in April 2015, Hassan received a call from M s S i n g h o f Av o n Community Help Fund, who was and still is the CEO of Beauty and Home Innovations Guyana, asking Hassan to take over the Avon

step with her mother, being her caregiver, going through chemo and hair loss sessions.

Since then her mother inspired her to assist women to fight this disease, because early detection can help save lives.

As such, the Foundation also provides counselling to patients and their families and guides them to treatment options and facilities.

Ms. Hassan joins First Lady Arya Ali and another supporter at a breast cancer awareness activity, last October.

small group of Avon PartTime Representatives was selected by the CEO of Beauty and Home Innovations (BHI) Guyana, Ms. Ann Singh, who also helped to set up the Avon Community Help Fund to start breast cancer awareness in Guyana.

Hassan was selected by the committee to be Treasurer of the fund. From there on her

initiative to provide access to screening services including mammograms and sonograms for high-risk women, including the medically underserved and underinsured women.

This intervention would motivate more women to take action to fight this disease and create opportunity for them to seek early medical care.On January 29, 2015,

Community Help Fund because she had a vision for it.She took up the challenge and with help from others, she changed the name to Guyana Cancer Foundation.

She is truly passionate about this cause because of her own personal encounter when her mother became a breast cancer survivor in the year 2008.

She was there at every

Outreach with screening and support services were done in areas such as Georgetown, Berbice River, Charity, B a r t i c a , M a h a i c o n y, Moraikoba and Linden.

“Early detection is crucial and that is why we offer the mammogram, sonogram and pap-smear and we encourage women to make use of these free screenings,” Hassan added.

A Spoon's Life

By Terry Sanville The mother, Shanice, liked Lilly the best. But then, no other spoon looked as beautiful. She rested in a plastic bin on the kitchen counter along with the other spoons – big ones used for serving, round soup spoons, and other one-of-a-kinds that the father, Andres, used to stir his morning coffee and scarf down oatmeal.

Lilly's slender silver body shown brightly after being washed and rubbed dry

by Shanice. The father and children, Nia and Deion, seldom got near the kitchen sink, even though Shanice asked them often to help wash the dishes.

Mornings, after the father left for work and the children for school, Shanice and Lilly spent an hour at the kitchen table. Shanice read a book and used Lilly to ever so slowly stir her hot tea. The mother drank green or black teas, depending on her mood, with honey to sweeten. The green stuff didn't stain the teacups as much, nor tarnish Lilly's silver skin. But Shanice liked the black tea better.On a cold winter's morning with frost on the windows, Shanice woke earlier than usual and dressed in a business suit.

For breakfast, she drank ginger tea, to “settle my stomach” she told her husband. She chewed on a piece of dry toast, then left the apartment. Andres poured cereal for the children and helped them get ready for school. He fixed his own coffee and oatmeal, using Lilly to stir gritty sugar into his black coffee. Ugh! Before leaving the apartment, Andres washed the dishes and silverware and left them to dry in the racks and bins on the kitchen counter. He had a rough touch that Lilly didn't like, and he didn't dry her off with the soft towel before dumping her into the bin. But worst of all, he didn't return her to her family of spoons but wedged her in with the KNIVES AND FORKS! Lilly thought she would die.

“What're you doin' here?” a knife with a dangerous-looking wavy blade asked.A fork with long prongs chuckled. “Yeah, aren't you afraid you'll get all scratched being with us?”

“You spoons always think you're so hot,” the knife said, “so much better than us stickers and slicers.”

Lilly shivered and cowered in a corner of the bin.Another fork joined in.

“There are good reasons why I'm used the most at supper.

Sticking sliced carrots is so much easier than chasing

Sunday October 03, 2021

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them around the plate with a spoon.”

Hearing all their criticism, Lilly couldn't stay quiet. “Oh yeah, I've seen you forks trying to spear green peas – what a joke. Can any of you stir coffee or tea the right way and let Shanice or Andres taste a sample?

Has Shanice or Andres ever tried eating soup, pudding, or ice cream with a knife or fork?”

The wavy knife laughed.

“Actually, I once saw Andres try eating Jello with a fork.

Talk about hilarious.”

A butter knife with a crooked blade spoke up.

“Look, sister, I know how you feel. I cut only the softest things – but I'm good at slicing bananas and spreading peanut butter or mayonnaise. And when Shanice needs to pry open a pickle jar, or even tighten a loose screw, she comes for me.”“You're the one with the screw loose,” the wavy knife cracked. “I'm the only one that can cut food into bitesized chunks. Without me, the whole family be eating nothing but tofu.”

A shudder went through everyone in the bin, even Lilly, who had only touched the stuff once. The chatter continued off and on among the silverware until Shanice came home in the afternoon.

By that time, Lilly no longer feared the knives and forks.

Shanice seemed nervous and began pacing the kitchen floor, muttering to herself.

Lilly had never seen her like that and couldn't tell whether she was happy or sad.

Shanice stopped pacing and boiled some water for chamomile tea. She searched the spoon bin for Lilly, but couldn't find her. She looked around the kitchen for the wayward utensil. Finally, she checked the knives and forks bin and rescued her.“Adios, doll face,” the wavy knife called after Lilly. “Stop by again.”“Yes, please do,” said the kind butter knife. “We should do a soup and sandwich lunch sometime.”

That night the whole family seemed excited.

Shanice had found a job in a lawyers' office, working three days a week. Andres ordered take-out food from an Italian restaurant. Shanice set their tiny kitchen table with a white tablecloth and their best plates. She polished each piece of silverware and placed the forks on the left side of the plates next to fancy cloth napkins. Andres took down two wine glasses from a top cabinet along with a dusty bottle of Cabernet. He lit candles and set them in the table's centre.

“Wow, it's been a long time since they've had us all on the table,” the wavy knife said. He rested next to Lilly on the right side of the plate.

The butter knife rested on a dish with crunchy Italian bread and a container of margarine. “Yes, this meal should be fun. And we'll all be a part of it.” “ Ye a h , ” t h e l o n g pronged fork said, “we can all be heroes tonight, each one doing what we do best.”

The food disappeared quickly. Lilly worked with the fork to serve long slippery noodles to Shanice.

By the end of the meal, tomato sauce spotted the entire table and the children's grinning faces. Their excited voices filled the kitchen but quieted to a dull rumble after Andres served up yummy gelato for dessert.

As they all sat back in their chairs, Shanice picked up her fork and tapped her wine glass. The ringing quieted the children.

“Okay. My new job will help pay the bills, will let us have more fun, and maybe, just maybe go on a vacation.”

Nia and Deion clapped their hands.“But since I'll be working three days a week, you will need to help me take care of the apartment, fix meals and such.”Andres and the kids groaned.

“I know, it means chores for all of you, but I'll ask each of you to do things that I think you can do best.”

“I'll help,” Nia said. “Me too,” said Deion. Andres nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the kids cleared the table and dumped all of the silverware into the sink. One by one, Deion scrubbed each knife, fork and spoon with a sponge and handed it to Nia who dried it with the soft towel and placed it in the proper bin.

Lilly enjoyed their touch and liked it when Nia placed her in the correct bin with the other spoons.The kitchen lights clicked off. The children went to their room to do homework, then joined their parents to watch TV or play on the computer. All felt right with the silverware, and Lilly rested easy, waiting for the morning and a new meal to feed the family

Junior page TWIG SPIDER CRAFT The first step is to cut apart the egg carton. Cut out the individual cells of the egg carton, ours ended up being quite short.

Next, paint the egg carton pieces black. Set them aside to dry.

To make the legs for the spiders, sort through sticks and branches to find the pieces that have a natural joint.

This joint will become the spider's “knee”.

Use your hands to snap down the twigs to the correct size.

Use the utility knife to cut 6 small holes in the side of the spider body – this is a job for a parent or an older child – be careful.

Make sure the hole is large enough for your twig leg.

Slip the leg inside

HOW TO MAKE * cardboard egg carton * black paint and paint brush *scissors * thin twigs * utility knife * googly eyes the hole. We found that our legs were secure enough without needing any additional support.

However, feel free to use a dab of white glue or a glue gun on the inside of the spider's body, to premanently adhere the legs in place.

Use craft glue to adhere the googly eyes in place.

To h a n g t h e spider from a spider web poke a hole in the back of the spider and feed a piece of string inside the hole.

Tie a knot inside the spider's body and hand her up.

Make time for Work and Play All boys and girls need time to play To keep them smart and happy, But we know that we should also find the time For the things that are our duty.

So always remember to share the time, You have each and every day, Between the things you love to do, And those that are your duty.

The work you do at school and home Will help to make you succeed, And create a brighter future With all that you will need.

by Uncle Roy

PAGE 42

Dental care - adult Tooth decay and gum disease are caused by plaque, a sticky combination of bacteria and food. Plaque begins to build up on teeth within a few minutes after eating. If teeth are not cleaned well each day, plaque will lead to tooth decay or gum disease. If you do not remove plaque, it turns into a hard deposit called tartar that becomes trapped at the base of the tooth. Plaque and tartar irritate and inflame the gums. Bacteria and the toxins they produce cause the gums to become: Infected Swollen Tender By taking good care of your teeth and gums, you can help prevent problems such as tooth decay (caries) and gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis). You should also teach your children how to brush and floss from an early age to help them protect their teeth.

Plaque and tartar lead to a number of problems: Cavities are holes that damage the structure of teeth.

Gingivitis is swollen, inflamed, and bleeding gums, Periodontitis is the destruction of the ligaments and bone that support the teeth, often leading to tooth loss.

Bad breath (halitosis).

Abscesses, pain, inability to use your teeth.

Other health problems outside the mouth, ranging from preterm labor to heart disease.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH Healthy teeth are clean and have no cavities. Healthy gums are pink and firm, and do not bleed. To maintain healthy teeth and gums, follow these steps: Floss at least once per day. It is best to floss after brushing.

Flossing removes plaque that is left behind after brushing from between the teeth and on the gums.

Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Brush for at least 2 minutes each time.

Use fluoride toothpaste. The fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel and helps prevent tooth decay.

Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months or sooner if needed. A worn-out toothbrush will not clean your teeth as well.

If you use an electric toothbrush, change heads every 3 to 4 months as well.

Eat a healthy diet. You are less likely to get gum disease if you eat healthy foods.

Avoid sweets and sweetened drinks. Eating and drinking a lot of sweets increases your risk of cavities. If you do eat or drink sweets, brush your teeth soon after.

Do not smoke. Smokers have more teeth and gum problems than non-smokers.

Keep dentures, retainers, and other appliances clean. This includes brushing them regularly. You may also need to soak them in a cleansing solution.

Schedule regular checkups with your dentist. Many dentists recommend having the teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months for optimal oral health. Seeing the dentist every 3 to 4 months may be needed if your gums become unhealthy.

Regular teeth cleaning by a dentist removes plaque that may develop, even with careful brushing and flossing. This is very important for getting at areas that are hard to reach on your own.

Professional cleaning includes scaling and polishing. This procedure uses instruments to loosen and remove deposits from the teeth. Routine exams may include dental x-rays. Your dentist can catch problems early, so they do not become more serious and expensive to fix.

WHEN TO CALL THE DENTIST Call your dentist if you have symptoms of a cavity that include:Pain in the tooth that occurs for no reason or is caused by food, beverages, brushing or flossing Sensitivity to hot or cold foods or drinks Get early treatment for gum disease. Call your dentist if you have symptoms of gum disease that include: Red or swollen gums,Bleeding in the gums when you brush your teeth,Bad breath, Loose teeth, Drifting teeth https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001957.htm

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

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The Court Matters before the court Journal involving GPF ranks

By Renay Sambach

A

total of 29 ranks are presently before the court on various criminal charges and this has been confirmed

by Commissioner of Police (Ag), Nigel Hoppie.In this edition of The Court Journal, I will highlight some of the criminal matters that have brought members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) before the court.

In January 2021, a cop was charged for hosting a private party. The officer, Timothy Morrison, who is attached to the impact base at the Brickdam Police Station, was charged with Breach of Restriction on Social Activities.

The cop was without legal representation when he appeared in the Leonora Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Zameena AlliSeepaul. He had denied the charge which stated that on November 14, 2020, at Fellowship, West Bank Demerara, he hosted a private party.

Officer Morrison was placed on bail in the sum of $15,000, pending the outcome of the matter.

The following month, a member of the GPF was taken to court for causing death by dangerous driving.

The Police Constable of the Tactical Service Unit had appeared in the Providence Magistrate's Court before Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman.

The defendant, Steffon Ramsay, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on January 5, last, he drove minibus PWW 7172 owned by the GPF in a manner dangerous to the public, causing the death of Dulmatie Deochand called 'Aunty Dolly', 59, of Section 'C' Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Ramsay was released on $600,000, bail for the offence.

It was reported that the accident occurred at 07:26hrs on the Nandy Park Public Road, East Bank Demerara, while the rushhour three-lane system was in place.

According to reports, before the mother of four met her demise, she was heading to her workplace, M.S. Hack 7 Sons Supermarket.

Reports are that the minibus driven by the police constable was heading north along the western side of the eastern carriageway. At the

Deputy Commander of Division 4 'B', Superintendent Lorraine Saul.

Police Finance Officer, Superintendent Marcelene Washington.

Charged, Michael Corbin. t i m e , t h e t r a ff i c w a s converted into a three-lane system heading to the city.

Ramsay reportedly told police that he was driving at a slow rate when he saw the woman approaching the pedestrian crossing. He further stated that as he was about eight feet away from the crossing, the woman started to cross the road on the pedestrian crossing.

Upon seeing this, Ramsay claimed that he tried to swerve to avoid a collision, but ended up hitting the 59-year-old.

Deochand fell as a result of the hit. She was picked up in an unconscious state and

Former Deputy Finance Officer, Assistant Former Deputy Finance Officer, Deputy Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams. Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg.

Charged, Jermaine Fraser.

Charged, Police Constables, Jenneka Carmichael (left) and Tatyana Smith. rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

When this publication had contacted the family, they related that the woman suffered a broken neck, broken arm, and bruises to her face. A hole was seen on the left side of her face too.

POLICE MULTIMILLION FRAUD Before the court too are several members of the Force who allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars that were entrusted to the GPF's Finance Department.

The Special Organised

Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the GPF, had charged and placed before the court those believed to have had a hand in the misappropriation.

A total of 11 members of the Force were charged and their matters are being heard in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan.

The ranks who are facing fraud charges are: Deputy Commander of Division 4 'B' - Senior Superintendent Lorraine Saul, Police Finance Officer Superintendent Marcelene Washington, former Deputy Finance Officer - Deputy

Charged, Former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis.

Charged, Rawle Haynes.

Superintendent Frank J a c k m a n - Wi l b u rg , a n d former Deputy Finance Officer - Assistant Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams. When the matter was heard in court Saul and Washington were out of the jurisdiction.

Other ranks that were charged are: Officer-inCharge at the Police Finance Department (ag), Assistant Superintendent Kurt Smith; former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis; Sergeants Jermaine Fraser and Michael Corbin; Corporal Rawle Haynes and Constables, (Continued on page 44)

Assistant Superintendent, Kurt Smith.

Police Corporal, Omale Damon.

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No such thing as 'turns' for...

From page 20 Minister of Great Britain, stated in a letter to all Commonwealth Heads of Government that a majority of them had indicated to him rejection of a plan “to offer Lady Scotland another four years in office”. The leaders agreed only to a short threemonth extension of her contract which ended on 31 March, 2020.

As it turned out, the Heads of Government meeting, slated for Rwanda in June 2020, was postponed twice, first to June 2021 and now to later this year. The Government of Kenya now feels that, in so far as it believes 'turns' exist, the Caribbean has had its turn, and now it is Africa's turn.

Significantly, African

countries did not support the British Baroness at the 2015 election in Malta; they stood solidly behind the Botswana candidate, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, in the second round of voting. I was eliminated in the first round because promised African votes went to Masire-Mwamba.

In reality, the notion of 'turns' was never a criterion for the job, and persons are only elected for one term at a time. The criterion for the job was – and should be – a Commonwealth citizen with a proven track record of knowledge and experience of Commonwealth affairs; a deep commitment to its values; a vision of the role it can play in effectively serving the interests of each

of its 54 states, especially its 32 small members; and a d v a n c i n g t h e Commonwealth as a force for good in global affairs.

There should be a contest for the post, and outstanding candidates from anywhere in the Commonwealth should contend without restriction.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com

Short-cycle progs. can help boost employment...

From page 26 some programmes offer excellent labour market outcomes, others do not.

In order to increase the number of short programmes and improve the quality of their educational offer, it will be crucial to implement the appropriate policies. This will allow short higher education programmes to reach their full potential. Examples of these policies are providing and disseminating information on outcomes, costs and returns

for all programmes; correcting funding inequities among students and programme types; holding programmes accountable based on student outcomes; and facilitating the accumulation of credentials and flexible academic pathways. \ According to the report, with the right policies, institutions can offer better programmes, students can make more informed career decisions, and individual, businesses and economic needs can be met.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Matters before the court...

From page 44 Jenneka Carmichael and Tatyana Smith.

S a u l , Wa s h i n g t o n , Jackman-Wilburg, GriffithAdams and Kurt Smith were charged for conspiracy to commit fraud, in relation to the falsification of meals payment.

Adonis, Haynes, Fraser and Corbin were slapped with allegedly stealing millions of dollars that were allocated for ranks who performed extra duties.

While, Tatyana Smith and Carmichael were charged for erasing critical data in one of the fraud cases.

The most recent matter is that of Saul, Washington and Griffith-Adams. The trio was slapped with one joint conspiracy to commit a felony charge and Saul was slapped with an individual falsification of the account charge.

The charge involving, Saul, Washington and Griffith-Adams, was laid indictable and they were not required to enter a plea.

According to facts of the aforementioned charge, Saul was stationed at the Felix Austin Police College Mess, as the officer-in-charge, and on the date mentioned in the charge, she created feeding accounts for ranks that were performing fixed point duties. It is alleged that the account that Saul prepared was for duties that never existed.

It is further alleged that Saul conspired with Washington, JackmanWilburg and GriffithAdams, who approved and processed the accounts at the Police Finance Department.

Another case involves Saul, Washington and Jackman-Wilburg. They were slapped with two joint conspiracies to commit felony charges. Saul was also slapped with two individual counts of falsification of accounts.

A week before those charges were filed in court, a matter that involves Saul and Kurt Smith was called. For that case, both charges allege that the duo conspired with others to falsify meals payment.

According to the police facts, Saul was the officer-

in-charge of the Brickdam Police Station's Other Ranks Mess before she was moved.

The Mess provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to ranks stationed at various stations and locations within Regional Division 4A. M o r e o v e r, J e n n e k a Carmichael of Lot 121 Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice, and Tatyana Smith, 21, of Lot 43 Third Street, Alberttown, on April 21, 2021, appeared before Chief Magistrate McLennan and was placed on $150,000 bail each for allegedly deleting electronic data relevant to one of the fraud cases.

They denied the charge which alleges that between January 28, 2021 and February 4, 2021 at the GPF's Headquarters, Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown, they intentionally and without lawful excuse or justification, deleted electronic data from the GPF's computer that was in the administrative office of the Felix Austin Police College Mess.

According to the facts of the charge, Carmichael and Smith are clerks at the Felix Austin Police College. They were charged by SOCU. Last year, an investigation was launched into the alleged misappropriation of $150M from the Police Finance Department. SOCU carried out the probe and several senior officials were either sent on leave or relocated. A few officers were already placed before the court for fraud charges.

However, it is alleged that before SOCU could have accessed the computers with the related data, the women had deleted the data.

The women are said to be the only persons with access to the computers.

On March 26, 2021, former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis of 95 Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, and three other members of the GPF, made their first court appearance after they were slapped with a $19M fraud charge.

Also charged were: Rawle Haynes of Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo; Jermaine Fraser of 4116

Phase One West Minster, West Bank Demerara, and Michael Corbin of 315 First Av e n u e , L a P a r f a i t e Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. The four men appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts.

Fraser, Haynes, Corbin and Adonis were slapped with a joint charge, while Corbin and Haynes were slapped with individual charges. They were not required to plead to the indictable charges after they were read to them.

In August 2021, a Corporal was remanded for extorting over $400,000 from a suspect's relative The cop, Omale Damon, was caught in a sting operation collecting money from the suspect's relative. It is alleged that Damon swindled over $400,000 from the woman claiming that he could get her relative released from police custody.

Damon had appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, where he was slapped with three counts of corrupt transactions. He denied the charges which allege that in March, 2021, he collected a total of $400,000 for the release of a person in custody for the possession of firearm. He was also charged for collecting $80,000 for the release of the motor vehicle the suspect was driving.

The court heard that shortly after receiving the first $200,000 the defendant requested another $200,000 which was given to him after he told the woman that the other officers involved wanted more money.

The woman later requested that Damon release the motor vehicle the suspect was driving when he was arrested for the illegal possession of firearm, and in return the defendant requested another $200,000.

However, the woman informed him that she did not have any money and later sought help from the girlfriend of the person that w a s i n c u s t o d y. T h e girlfriend then reported the matter to the police and a sting operation was carried out.

This led to Damon being caught in the act receiving $80,000 from the girlfriend – the $80,000 was later recovered.

The defendant was arrested and subsequently charged for three counts of corrupt transactions. On his second court appearance before a different Magistrate, Damon was granted bail.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Sunday October 03, 2021

g ts in s... re ture e t In rea C

L

Kaieteur News

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a i y m o z t u L

utzomyia is a g e n u s o f phlebotomine sand flies consisting of nearly 400 species, at least 33 of which have medical importance as vectors of human disease.

Species of the genus Lutzomyia are found only in the New World, distributed in southern areas of the Nearctic and throughout the Neotropical realm.

Lutzomyia is one of the two genera of the subfamily Phlebotominae to transmit the Leishmania parasite, with the other being Phlebotomus, found only in the Old World.

Lutzomyia sand flies also serve as vectors for the bacterial Carrion's disease and a number of arboviruses.

Evolution The genus, named after Adolfo Lutz, is known from the extinct Burdigalian (2015 mya) species Lutzomyia adiketis found as a fossil in Dominican amber on the island of Hispaniola.

It is thought that species in the genus Lutzomyia all

originated in the lowland forests to the east of the Andes mountain range, and that their radiation throughout the Neotropics was sparked by dry periods of the Pleistocene, driving colonisation further north and west to areas of higher humidity and leading to reproductive isolation.

Systematics The classification of species within the genus Lutzomyia is largely unresolved, and relies on often controversial divisions based on morphological taxonomic characters. Such analyses can suffer from polymorphisms within a species, the existence of cryptic species and the frequent lack of distinct morphological characters amongst females.

Research has begun in an attempt to resolve evolutionary relationships between species in the genus, using molecular methods to create phylogenies based on ribosomal DNA sequences.

Biology The Lutzomyia sand flies are small, biting insects with a body length of up to only 3mm. They are hairy insects with their colour ranging from a near-white to nearblack.

Feeding Only the female Lutzomyia sand flies are blood-feeding, requiring the bloodmeal to provide the nutrients for the maturation of eggs. Therefore, it is only the females who have medical importance as vectors of disease. Both males and females require carbohydrate food as adults, the source of which remains unclear.

The most medically important species for human disease transmission are those which predominantly favour humans as a source of bloodmeal. These species are known as anthropophillic and tend to feed at around dusk. However, there are examples of anthropophillic species that will attack in the daytime. The majority of anthropohillic Lutzomyia

species in the Americas are exophillic, which means that they favour biting outside of homes.

Resting The resting behaviour of Lutzomyia sand flies, like many other aspects of their biology, is important to understand for targeted, vector-based control methods to reduce transmission of

Leishmaniasis. For example, residual spraying of insecticides can be targeted at known resting sites to increase effectiveness.

Lutzomyia sand flies generally rest outdoors, with the type of resting site varying between species and in response to the seasons and the availability of particular microhabitats.

The largest resting

microhabitat is the forest floor, but sand flies will also rest in a variety of other areas, such as in the nests and burrows of mammals, within the trunks of hollow trees and inside bat caves.

The resting position adopted by Lutzomyia sand flies is characteristic to the genus, with wings angling above the abdomen.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Miss Sarah Jameel

Sunday October 03, 2021

This week's feature is Miss Sarah Jameel, a breathtaking beauty who enjoys exercising, yoga, and hiking. One of her favourite quotes states: “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Hicken “pulls up” rank for driving pick-up recklessly

A

midst the rush, yesterday, to save records and equipment from the burning Brickdam Police Station, Deputy Commissioner of Police Clifton Hickens “pulled-up” a rank for driving one of the force's

pick-up trucks in a reckless manner.

Hickens was at the time assisting his colleagues at the scene of the fire that destroyed almost all of the buildings in the station's compound.

Kaieteur News was

present when a police pickup with ranks and a prisoner inside drove off speedily from in front of the station.

The rank drove the vehicle west along Brickdam towards the Stabroek Market Area, but as he was approaching

Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken yesterday assisting his colleagues yesterday at the scene of the fire that flattened the Brickdam Police Station.

Manget Place, Hickens flogged him down and stopped the vehicle.

He then said to the rank in a loud tone of voice “How many times do I have to tell y'all to stop driving these

vehicles like this?”

After pulling-up the rank for driving the force's pickup in a reckless manner, there was a brief discussion between them before Hicken allowed him to go.

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

GNBS IN FOCUS

B

asic conditions and activities are necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain; from cultivation to the provision of safe endproducts for human consumption.

As Guyanese observe Agriculture Month under the theme:“Transforming our food system, achieving food and nutrition security,”the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) will be hosting its first Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training for those in the sector.

Good Agricultural Practices is one of four global Food Safety Prerequisite Programmes (PRP), and as we look to transform and enhance the sector, consideration for food safety is becoming more and more critical.

In response, the GNBS' Business Development Department is offering a two-day training programme on GAP as an important aspect of food safety, following the “farm to fork” approach outlined in the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System Standard.

This approach sets out the essential practices to ensure that primary agricultural products are produced in a safe, wholesome and sustainable manner.

The training is crafted for crops and livestock farmers, agro-processors, vendors of agriculture produce, and any other person involved in food manufacturing or production processes.

Participants of the training would be given the opportunity to learn the best practices to be applied on their farms, in their processing facilities and even while vending or selling the foods produced.

Implementing good

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PROMOTING GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE AND STANDARDS AS PART OF AGRICULTURE MONTH

agriculture practices will ensure that your products are not only safe for consumption but are acceptable by more distributors, retailers and even consumers. By extension, this will increase customers and profits for your business.

Moreover, improved product quality will allow it to compete with those produced locally and internationally by meeting the requisite requirements.

Aside from the GAP, there is a list of other training and technical assistance which can be accessed from the GNBS. These can lead to the certification of agriculture organisations and businesses to national and international standards such as the GYS 170 (National Laboratory Standard), I S O 9 0 0 1 (Quality Management Standard), the ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management System S t a n d a r d ) o r Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP).

Additionally, the GNBS has over the years worked with stakeholders in the agriculture sector to develop a variety of National Standards to ensure good practices, conformance to quality and labelling requirements and the optimization of services to consumers. Some of these standards are also CARICOM Standards, which allow local producers to export their products to countries in the CARICOM Region.

Available standards include those related to the grading of fruits (lime, lemon, pineapples, etc.), vegetables and ground provision.

There are also National Standards for by-products including coconut water, fruit juices, rice, sugar and

more.

Stakeholders within the sector can access other customized training on these standards.

In closing, the GNBS aims to assist individuals and businesses in this crucial sector towards building capacity to realize the

country's potential of becoming a major producer and exporter of agriculture produce and by-products.

F o r f u r t h e r

information on this subject, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 219-0065 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Despite rise in COVID-19 cases, emergency measures approves reopening for Brazil/Guyana border Despite a rapid rise in cases of COVID-19 cases, the new National Emergency COVID-19 measures have approved the reopening of the Brazil/Guyana border crossing in Lethem.

This is according to information from the newly updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures that have been published in the Official Gazette.

National Emergency COVID-19 measures have allowed for the Lethem Crossing to be open on Fridays to facilitate the movement of people between Guyana and Brazil.

Further, it is stated that the crossing would remain open on Thursdays only to facilitate the transport of

essential goods and services.

Apart from these two days, the Takutu Bridge would not be open to traffic.

Notwithstanding, the Emergency measures (No.23) added that, “The Minister of Health may determine any other day and time when the crossing may be opened for any purpose.”

Other travel restrictions mandate that the Moleson Creek crossing between Guyana and Suriname shall be opened three days per week and the Ministry of Public Works shall determine the days and times when it shall be opened. No flights are permitted to and from Brazil.

Before any person is allowed to enter Guyana,

whether by land or sea, that person shall present to the relevant authorities a negative Molecular PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival, along with proof of vaccination.

The measures have been renewed, and will be in effect from October 1, 2021 until October 31, 2021, unless terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Health Minister after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions.

The measures come even as Guyana is battling with a spike in cases.

The country has had 32, 292 cases since the first case was reported here in March 2021.

Meanwhile, Brazil has recorded an increase in

The Takutu Bridge, at the Brazil/ Guyana border crossing in Lethem. the cases; 24,611 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported, and 648 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday.

The South American country has now registered

21,308,178 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 592,964, in the world's third worst outbreak behind the United States and India and its second-deadliest after the United States according to

Ministry data,.

As vaccination advances, the rolling 7-day average of COVID deaths has fallen to less than one fifth of the toll of almost 3,000 a day at the peak of the pandemic in April.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Predo Baby launches ' 'Million Dollar Baby Promotion'' Predo Baby Diapers is thrilled to announce our Million Dollar Baby Promotion. With Christmas just three (3) months away, this exciting promotion earns you the chance to WIN a Million Dollars.

That's not all, the second prize winner will be getting six (6) months worth of Predo Baby Diapers, wipes and Shampoo! What's more?

We will be giving away twenty (25) consolation hampers consisting of Predo Baby products.

From their first hug to their first step, Predo Baby Diapers has got you covered! The new diaper of the new generation is available in stages newborn through size 7. This premium quality diaper carries strong and flexible side bands to facilitate the steady movements of your babies.

The skin of your baby remains dry with the extra green layer, which keeps the wetness away from your baby's skin with its high absorbency capacity; which was driven by contemporary market trends whilst assuring parents that their babies skin remains clean and dry!

Aside from being cottony soft and breathable, the textile exterior surface protects the skin of your baby day long.Over the years, it has been a privilege by Predo Baby, to give back to our customers in tangible ways. In 2019 we were able to sponsor a set of triplets with a year supply of Predo Baby Diapers and other products,

following that in the year 2020, the grandprize of a 2016 Toyota Axio Motor Car was given to another lucky winner. Moving into the top of 2021, Predo Baby once again sponsored another set of triplets with a year supply of Predo Baby diapers and other products. Finally, a few weeks ago, we made a donation to the Children's Oncology ward at the Georgetown Public Hospital with a commitment to make further donations over the next twelve (12) months.This promotion welcomes participants, countrywide!

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER: HOW TO ENTER - Buy two (2) or more packs of any Predo Baby Diaper, keep your receipt.

-Take a photo of your baby wearing any P r e d o B a b y D i a p e r (be as creative as you'd like).

- Submit the baby's photo, photos of your Predo Diaper Packs and receipt, along with the name of the baby,Parent/Guardian and contact number, by sending a private message to Predo Diapers South America & Caribbean Facebook Page or WhatsApp N u m b e r 5 9 2 - 6 0 8 - 4 4 9 7 or Email us at suritrading2021@gmail.com.

- Your baby's photo will be uploaded to o u r F a c e b o o k p a g e for sharing.What are you waiting for? Start submitting your photos now! *Conditions apply, see press for more details.

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Motorbike bandits killed after pulling gun on cops The two suspects in the murder of the 19-year-old electrician, Joshua Denny, were shot dead yesterday by police ranks during a stakeout operation along the U nivers ity of G uyana Access Road, East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

This is according to a statement sent out by the Guyana Police Force last evening. Kaieteur News learnt too, that the ranks conducting the operation were forced to open fire on the suspects identified as David Smith, 21, also known as Burlyn, and Quacy Jupiter, 20, called “Ding

Docker”, after they had pulled a gun on them. The Ranks have since recovered that weapon along with another gun both loaded with live ammunitions The suspects were killed sometime around 17:30Hrs. Ranks had reportedly picked up their trail in the Cummings Lodge/ Sophia Area.

They had initially attempted to escape the ranks but were reportedly cornered along UG Access Road.

Detectives had previously tried to arrest them at a location in

Albouystown on Friday, but the bandits managed to elude the ranks.

The detectives however had recovered the motorcycle along with other items of evidential value linking them to the murder of Denny on Thursday.

Denny was fatally shot around 06:15Hrs for his gold chain.

Two motorbike bandits had attacked the electrician a corner away from his home located at 2109 Nutmeg Street, F e s t i v a l C i t y, N o r t h Ruimveldt.The teen was at the time rushing around the corner to catch a bus to head The two suspects that were shot dead by police, David Smith and Quacy Jupiter. to work, when the bandits snatched his gold chain, shot him and rode away.

Ranks had got their first glimpse of the delinquents from a CCTV camera in the area and began trailing since then.

The now dead suspects are no strangers to the law, Jupiter was charged in 2019 for robbery under arms and possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. He

had even spent two years in jail for the offence.

Meanwhile Smith was charged on May 8, this year

for robbery under arms and discharging a loaded firearm. It is believed that he was out on bail.

Joshua Denny the electrician that was shot dead for his gold chain.

Port Kaituma residents to....

The motorcycle that was recovered linking the dead suspects to Denny's murder.

From page 8 and NDC Chairman hailed the project, as they stated that such collaborations are important for the development of hinterland communities. The overall project is valued at $15 million. In addition to the improved water service, this investment is expected to stir substantial employment and economic activity in the areas, through the community's participation.

As part of the water company's expansion program, several new wells are also expected to be drilled in the Moruca and Mabaruma sub-regions.

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

STATEMENT ON THE COMMEMORATION OF THE ARBITRAL AWARD OF OCTOBER 3, 1899 [Today marks the 122nd anniversary of the 1899 Tribunal Award which demarcated the boundary between Guyana and its We s t e r n n e i g h b o u r , Venezuela.

Below is a statement from the Ministry of Foreign and International C o o p e r a t i o n commemorating that anniversary.

October 3, is a special day to Guyana and to Venezuela. It is special to the rule of law internationally. It is special to peace and justice worldwide.

122 years ago, on 3, October, 1899 - on an autumn day in Paris - the Anglo-Venezuelan Arbitral Tribunal which had met there (in the halls of the French Foreign Ministry) in the preceding three months – delivered its Award fixing the Boundary between Venezuela and British Guiana?

It was no ordinary Tribunal. It had been established under a Treaty the Treaty of Washington of 1897 between Britain and Venezuela – whose purpose was to settle for all time the boundary between Venezuela and Britain's colony of British Guiana.

Venezuela and Britain undertook in solemn terms in that Treaty “to consider the results of the proceedings of the Tribunal of Arbitration as a full, perfect and final settlement of all the questions referred to the Arbitrators”.

It was no ordinary Tribunal in another sense. It was the time of the Monroe Doctrine and Venezuela coopted the full patronage of America. It nominated the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court as a member of the Tribunal, and a former American President as its chief Counsel – Benjamin Harrison. Its members invited Professor F. de Martens - Professor of

International Law at the University of St. Petersburg, perhaps the most eminent international lawyer of that time - to be the President of the Tribunal. An assemblage of more distinguished judicial minds and offices it would be hard to match at any time.

The verbatim records of the work of the Tribunal fill 54 printed volumes – with arguments four hours each day, four days each week, for nearly 3 months. On 3, October, 1899 – 122 years ago today – the Tribunal gave its decision. It was unanimous. In announcing it the President, Professor de Martens, stressed its significance for the development of international law: describing the boundary established by the Tribunal as a “line based on equity and law”.

Ve n e z u e l a ' s Ambassador to Britain - the then President's brother, Jose Andrade - hailed the Award: “Greatly, indeed, did justice shine forth. …

We were given the exclusive dominion over the Orinoco, which was the principle aim we sought to achieve through arbitration”.

Reporting to the US Congress (on 5 December 1899) President McKinley reported “The decision appears to be equally satisfactory to both parties'.

And for 63 years that was the official Venezuelan position.

The boundary as determined by the Tribunal's Award of 3, October, 1899 was jointly surveyed, marked on the ground, and formally mapped and agreed to in the 1905 Boundary Agreement between Venezuela and Great Britain.

In a special moment of regional accord in the 1930s Venezuela, Brazil and British Guiana met and marked on the summit of

Cover of the commemorative publication, Imperial Ambition.

Mount Roraima the point where that British Guiana Venezuela line of 1899 meets the boundary with Brazil. They called it the 'Tri-Junction' point – and erected a monument that defines it – a pyramid that marks were the sun sets on Guyana's western border.

But there were cabals in Venezuela that ever craved for more; and as an imperial Britain faded in the 1960s an imperial Venezuela arose.

For the first time, in 1962, as the people of Guyana exercised their right of selfdetermination, the Government of Venezuela laid claim to two-thirds of our country – the entire Essequibo region.

In commemoration of this day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has released a booklet entitled 'IMPERIAL AMBITION: Venezuela's Threat to Guyana' which

lays out the whole squalid s t o r y o f Ve n e z u e l a ' s unworthy efforts to undo what unfolded in Paris 122 years ago.

Today, the Government and people of Guyana: Stand by the Geneva Agreement of 1966; Stand by the Secretary General of the United Nations for his actions under it; S t a n d b y t h e International Court of Justice for its decision on Jurisdiction in the matter; And stand by the whole judicial process which upholds the rule of international law.

Together, they show the futility of Venezuela's e ff o r t s t o e r a s e t h a t boundary 'line based on equity and law' – our western boundary that this day commemorates.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

WANTED Fitter/Machinist,Welder Fabricator, Mechanic, Apprentice. Apply in person at:Technical Services, Industrial Site Eccles.

Experience Taxi driver at Princess Hotel Providence.

Call:265-7075/616-5419.

VEHICLES FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Spacio, Blue Bird, Field Wagon, 212, Carina, RZ, Pit Bull and Canter.

Tel#650-7501.

Domestic- live-in or liveout,cashiers. Contact: 6236383.

FOR RENT 2 and 3 bedroom apartment house unfurnish and furnish, Vreed-en-hoop, Providence, Diamond. Call:604-6664,2162299.

Workers for Land dredge to work in Interior.Tel:699-3857.

Two bedroom house for rent in Parfaite Harmonie,West Bank Demerara. Call:6840159.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 House plan drawing and estimate. Call K.Lakeram, Building Contractor 2160671,692-8464/Whatsapp 622-0267.

Appliance repairs/service for Refrigerator,Washing Machine, Stove, Treadmill, Dryer, Pressure pump, Oven, Deep Fryer.Call:694-9733.

Appliance/equipment repairs and service to Bakery, Restaurant,Hospital equipment, Remote gate, Backwash & filtration system. Call:6949733.

1-2 bedroom flat 92 Prince William Street,Plaisance E.C.D.Contact:220-0322/6535607.

Vreed-En-Hoop junction, place to rent for Office, Bond,Hair Salon other.

Call:603-6400.

2017 Toyota CH-R,low mileage. Excellent condition.

Call:657-9237.

Sale!Sale! One mini Yacht 20"feet, 140 single engine works with gasoline $3,000,000 negotiable 6766238.

Inboard Fishing for sale (Complete in good working condition. Contact:615-3237/ 227-0399.

Dobermann and German Shepherd mix puppies,if interested contact Devi on 6392828 or 225-3721.

Enmore mall commercial space for medical facility. Call centre and any other type of business 609-7675/674-1705.

Persons to assemble bicycle.

Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

Carpenters & Painters.Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

WANTED TRUCK DRIVERS TO WORK WITHIN THE INTERIOR. MUST KNOW TO OPERATE BEDFORD TM TRUCKS. CONTACT 2235273,223-5274.

Vacancy exist for maintenance workers and labourers.

Contact:621-6969/ 615-7784.

For a porter,truck drivers/ salesman.Experiences will be an asset.Contact:661-1000.

Hardware & Home Decor Sales rep at Innovations America. Contact Rohan #226-9416/19. Experience will be an asset.

Security officers Male & Female 18+ Lamaha St,between Waterloo & Parade. Call:2234172.

Vacancy exist for cashier at Innovations America. Contact Rohan #226-9416/19.

Wanted land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie or anywhere on the West Coast.

Tel:673-7087.

Vacancy exist for bond delivery personnel/porter at Innovations America. Contact Rohan #226-9416/19.

Professional,polite,neatly attired license riders with or without bike for a delivery service.Call:642-6832.

Porters,TM log Truck drivers, Chainsaw & Mill operator. Call:609-7675/674-1705.

Seeking person to wash and clean at a hotel in the interior Call 677-3891 One male able bodied clerk.

Call:225-2313,226-1497.

One male clerk. Call:2312029,616-5957. Genuine.

Live in general domestic must know to cook $25-35000 wkly & live in waitress $20,000 wkly. Call:610-3974.

One experience Arc/Acetylene welder.Mature persongood rates offered.Tel:2271813.

TO LET

Driver & Porter to travel in and out of the interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call:231-2250.

Trained grade 1 & 2 teachers needed. Payment will commence with experience and will be in 6 digit, 623-1615.

Male & Female worker for car wash in town.Call:669-4676.

FOR SALE

VACANCY

Males for interior to work,female for bar & 1 live in domestic for Georgetown over 18. Call:687-7638/6913942.

Vacancy for: 1.Skilled Mason 2.Skilled Carpenter. Contact:602-9469,657-5800,6662887.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age 25-45, Car/ Van licence. Call 642-9823.

One clerk for Eccles office , grade 1 or 2 in Maths & English knowledge of Quickbooks. Call: 642-9823 oremail:techserigy @yahoo.com.

2 Stock clerk.Must have English & Mathematics. Must be computer literate, proficient in Microsoft Word & Excel at Builders Lumber.

1 lumber clerk,prior knowledge in the lumber industry.

Contact Mr.Salim on 6396622.

...Remaining unvaccinated is a “suicide wish,” plain PROPERTY FOR SALE South Ruimveldt Park.

Tel:667-7659/649-8159.

1-(2) story house 3 1/2 bedroom.9 St Cummings Lodge.

Tel:622-8748/684-3561,negotiable.

From page 5 “Ignorance can be educated, and crazy can be medicated, but you can’t fix stupid.”

Former Minister Ms. Cathey Hughes and Dr. Somar from the “dead meat” party are to be commended for encouraging vaccinations.

Mark DaCosta said, “… It is time for the kid-gloves to come off. It is time for vaccination to be made mandatory.

It is time for all politicians to openly and clearly explain to their constituents the

importance of being vaccinated. It is time for vaccine-refusers to be pointedly informed of the selfishness of their decision.

It is time for Guyanese to get serious about this pandemic, and put a stop to a crisis that is entirely within our power to contain.” We have already lost almost 800 persons. Let’s all get vaccinated now! The rush to get the Sputnik second dose is commendable!

Sincerely, Dr. Jerry Jailall

Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Six arrested during Pomeroon River drug bust

A

n operation conducted over a two-week period by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) agents along with Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard (GDFCG) ranks, led to the seizure of 1007.2 pounds of local and foreign marijuana, three Go-Fast vessels, and six

outboard engines.

The drug bust was made on Friday night along the Pomeroon River in Region Two. CANU stated in a press release that six persons have been arrested and are in custody assisting with investigations.

CANU had reported that they gathered critical intelligence on the drug

operations by a local drug trafficking organisation from Guyana to other Caribbean territories; CANU agents conducted the operations in Regions 4, 5, 6, and 7, which resulted in the drugs being confiscated.

CANU stated that the marijuana carried a street value of US$2.26 million at its final destination.

Drugs found during CANU operations.

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

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BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCY! I

n case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about on-going indecency in our of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our entire nation.

SUNDAY The Natural Resources Minister says his Government is committed to net zero emissions by 2050.

But Guyanese already know that commitments by Guyanese Governments mean nothing – simply a pack of politicians making empty promises that they never intend to keep.

Net zero emissions by 2050 is the latest farce.

Meanwhile, the oversight EPA is useless, Exxon is flaring, and Guyana's politicians are laughing, while they gamble our wealth away and try to deceive us into believing it is all for our good.

MONDAY The Minister of Labour hauled in oil companies and read them the riot act: abide

by Guyana's Constitution and Labour Laws.

That is commendable.

But is it for the show of doing something? We are watching at what both the Minister of Labour and the Union (GAWU) do for follow-up actions. That is where proof of compliance and penalties will indicate who is doing what, and who is genuinely protecting Guyanese workers.

We will know if it is a case of more hot air, or white, hot heat applied to the oil companies.

TUESDAY The Minister of Health says that over US$5000 (more than GY$1M) is being spent for each hospitalised COVID-19 patient. If all that million plus is spent on patient care, we would applaud it.

But because Guyana has this long dirty history with money when politicians and bureaucrats are involved, we listen out for any whispers of skullduggery with the people's money. If spent totally on patients, which sounds reasonable, then we applaud.

But since patients and the public have long been shortchanged and shafted by Guyanese Governments, we find it hard to trust what politicians say in public.

What is usually in private is a different story.

WEDNESDAY Crime is so bad that the bandits are even brutalising police officers. Cops are waylaid in and out of uniform, and robbed of personal property.

On occasion, they are injured. If police officers are not safe, then no one is. And no statistics intended to soothe will change the perceptions of citizens.

Widespread insecurity is a national reality.

THURSDAY

More and more, Guyanese are becoming bystanders and onlookers, and nothing more.

As shocking crime incidents occur, with increasing frequency, right before their eyes, they stand by and look on. Nothing more: not a step, not a word of protest.

Sometimes, not even a helping hand.

Political leaders speak of law and order. Guyanese live with fear. Let us restate that: Most Guyanese go about their daily existence cowering in fear.

When will Guyanese be able to live in peace in their homeland?

FRIDAY The 'new and improved' Amaila Falls Hydro Project is back in business.

The new is the same as the old: secrecy already, leadership vulgarity and stupidity at the ready.

It is to mislead and deceive Guyanese with what is sure to benefit insiders and cronies.

PPP/C leadership attempted to sell Guyana this trap before. They are preparing to do the same again. Do these people have a single honest bone in their body? The answer we are inclined to believe is: NO! NO! NO! SATURDAY

Nigeria is begging for billions to survive. Guyana could be Nigeria in a couple years, despite also having fabulous oil wealth.

Nigerian leaders went on

a borrowing binge and pocketed many billions.

Guyanese leaders also bingeing with billion-dollar borrowings, and will leave us scrambling to borrow more

for survival, too.

Who will lend us then, when the oil is gone? Who will want anything to do with Guyana, other than to use it as a doormat?

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

Sunday October 03, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Israeli soccer fans face antisemitism at stadium built by the Nazis

Israeli soccer fans face antisemitism at stadium built by the Nazis.

Sunday October 03, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your practical skills should be operating efficiently, Aries. A creative or intellectual discipline that fascinates you might require some intense concentration today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you might spend a lot of time on the phone with friends, some of them seniors. Your conversations will be loving, informative, and revealing, Libra.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Practical matters involving home and family might need some attention today. This isn't anything alarming, just a few tasks that you may have put off, such as house cleaning or yard work.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today you could resolve to work harder than ever on whatever it is that brings the results you hope for. This is likely to involve nothing more glamorous than practical tasks, such as getting paperwork out of the way.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Matters involving your community might require your attention. This is likely to involve communication in some way.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Financial matters might need attention today. Bills may need to be paid, checks deposited, and budgeting worked out.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Some projects might require practical attention today, getting irritating little details cleared up and out of the way. Your natural efficiency is at a peak, Leo, so you will probably be able to get these matters done before you get too bored.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Relatives or old friends, who visit you today are likely to awaken childhood memories that you'd long since forgotten. Some of them might come as a shock, but they will all release hangups that you've been trying to expunge for a while.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Pursuing intellectual interests may be on hold today because of career matters.

Your ambitions, whatever they are, could get a shot in the arm through some new information, possibly from far away.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Memories of past events that caused traumas that you're still dealing with could come to light today.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today you might see old and new friendships and romantic involvements reach a new understanding.

This creates a stronger commitment between you and those who care for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) An important project could require intense concentration today, Pisces, and you're in the right frame of mind. You could be pleased with the results and so could others whose opinions matter.

CBS News - Berlin — Israeli soccer fans who came to support their team as it took on a German side at a Berlin stadium built by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime for the 1936 Olympics were subjected to antisemitic abuse. The Thursday game was the first time an Israeli team had played at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, and the abuse directed at the Jewish fans drew an immediate backlash.

The German-Israeli Society Youth Forum said fans were threatened and insulted at the match between Berlin’s FC Union and Maccabi Haifa, from Israel.

The abuse was directed at Haifa fans who had been seated in a mixed section of the stands, with supporters of both sides.

“In the mixed block, we were threatened by Union fans, pelted with beer and insulted as ‘shitty Jews,’ among other things,” the group said in a post on Twitter.

One Union fan reportedly tried to set a female Haifa supporter’s Israeli flag on fire but was prevented from doing so by civilian security staff.

The Youth Forum note that some Berlin fans did speak out against the antisemitic behavior during the match, but that the fans in the mixed seating block

decide to relocate to the section reserved for Haifa supporters “to be on the safe side.”

On its Twitter account, FC Union Berlin called for authorities to hand over the seat numbers of the perpetrators of the abuse.

Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against AntiSemitism, told local media outlet Funke that the incidents at the soccer match demonstrated “that hostility towards Jews is still widespread in football.”

“I am dismayed that instead of fairness and respect, hatred and violence emanated from German fans, especially at this historicallycharged venue,” Klein said.

Hitler’s Nazi regime had the Olympic Stadium built to host events in the 1936 Summer Olympics, and then the Third Reich used the Games as an opportunity to showcase Nazi propaganda to

the entire world.

Maccabi Haifa had not issued any comment on the abuse of its fans as of Friday afternoon, but praised what was generally a peaceful atmosphere at the game.

“Thank you very much for the great hospitality. It was an exciting game in front of your crowd and also in front of ours, and also in this stadium, which has its importance. Thank you and here’s to seeing you again in Israel,” the Israeli team wrote on Twitter.

The mood in the stadium on Thursday was largely euphoric, as the 23,324 spectators, including about 1,000 Haifa fans, cheered for their teams.

A high-ranking delegation from Berlin welcomed the Israeli guest team to the German capital earlier in the day, and representatives of Maccabi Haifa visited the city’s Holocaust Memorial and laid flowers there.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. (C), with representatives of the various sports associations and officials of the ministry.

PM Mark Phillips opens inaugural Sport Academy to be Sports Conference launched in two weeks Ye s t e r d a y , a t t h e National Cultural Centre, Guyana’s Prime Minister Hon. Brigader (Ret’d) Mark Phillips officially opened the first ever Sports Conference in the 55-year history of Guyana.

The conference which was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport, began at 8:30am and ended just after 3pm and was divided in three segments.

The retired Military Officer informed the gathering which included heads of the 12 Associations, Boards, Federations and the Guyana Rugby Football Union, Government Officials, the Director of

Sport, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, special invitees and the media, that he was honoured to share the historic moment with them.

Prime Minister Phillips promised Government’s contribution in as much ways that it can.

“The government has made it possible for more sporting activities to be held since we know how important sports is to Guyana. Our budget for sports is the largest ever in the history of Guyana,” said the Prime Minister.

He spoke about the Stadiums being built at Albion in Corentyne

Berbice, Linden in Region 10 and at Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast and added that the National Stadium at Providence will become a multi-purpose facility with the construction of Volleyball, Basketball and Lawn Tennis Courts in addition to a football field to the north of the compound before you enter the Stadium.

“We are rehabilitating the Colgrain Swimming Pool just behind my office,” noted the PM who stressed that Sports was a very big business.

Minister Ramson said that those present were witnessing history being

‘You can’t beat experience’ - Pollard confident veteran players will make big difference at World Cup SportsMax - West Indies captain Kieron Pollard believes the team’s overall experience will be a critical factor in the bid to successfully defend its World T20 title.

The final 15 selected to represent the West Indies, for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, has stirred up considerable debate in the Caribbean, with several questioning the age of the squad. At current, the team boasts four players over the age of 35, with an average age of 30.6.

Pollard, however, sees the likes of Chris Gayle, Ravi Rampaul, and Lendl Simmons in the squad, several of who have won multiple World Cups, as a major advantage, particularly in tight situations.

“It’s great to have all these guys and myself playing together again,” Pollard told India.com.

“This hasn’t happened in a very long

time. No matter which way you look at it you can’t beat experience because we have seen different scenarios time and time again,” he added.

“We react (to those scenarios) and we get the other players to react and understand the magnitude of what we are in and what we are about to do. Having guys like that to lean on is great, and guys that can get you out of situations where people might think, or you might think as well, that you can’t get out of.

“The younger guys get to learn and get to understand some of the things that are needed to be successful, especially from a T20 aspect. As I’ve said before, we would have seen it time and time again all over the world, different situations, different conditions, different bowlers – having guys like that to help the younger guys, I think you can’t ask for anything better than that.”

made for the future of Guyana’s sports development and spoke about the concept for sports Academy which he said will be launched in the next two weeks.

“The Sports Academy is not a building, it’s a programme which will be run by the NSC in collaboration with the 12 Associations who will receive one million dollars each to stage tournaments,” stated the Sports Minister.

He explained that other Sports disciplines will be added to the list of core sports in the future while saying a sport discipline may be far ahead of the others but the aim of this programme is to produce improved quality teams and professionally run Associations.

The main aim of Coaches at the formative level is to identify sports person’s talent or natural skill and teach them how to improve on that talent by constantly practicing it.

“What is talent?” asked the Minister, who said when you ask most people what is talent they say it’s something you are born with (God given gift).

But according to the 36year-old Minister who took up a Chevening Scholarship to pursue a Msc degree in oil and gas enterprise management in the UKin 2016, he also thought that talent was ‘God given’ but changed his view on talent during that scholarship programme.

“I was the worst possible batsman… my best scoring stoke was off the edge to third man. But I read a book about talent and I worked on what I had read for six months.

I scored a century in a Lawyers game and batting at

number three for my University in England,” said the Minister who was a decent left arm spinner at first division level for Everest.

Minister Ramson is correct when he says that talent could be learned.

However, in some cases talent is natural born.

A talent (or gift, or aptitude) is the skill that someone has to do something very well that people usually like and that is difficult.

“We have to develop talent which is a skill by practicing. The more you do it the better you will get,” said Minister Ramson who said many times coaches look for someone who is tall to play a sport like basketball and of a particular size to play in the NFL. He gave examples of some players not fitting that criteria being the best in their sports. Minister Ramson explained that the Sports Academy is three-tier; Nursery (12-25), Tournaments and Elite, while the training camp in the Academy will run for 4-8 weeks.

The tournaments will show if the players graduate to the elite group who be paid a stipend to focus on their respective sports exclusively, training all day…morning, afternoons and evenings each day.

Minister Ramson said that the elite athletes will need elite Coaches and in addition to the certified Coaches and we (the NSC/respective Associations) could use former players or overseas coaches.

He said that this programme can only be successful if all work together as one since many

hands make light work.

“Many hands rowing together will take us where we want go faster,” posited Ramson, who informed that all of his Ministry’s projects will be completed this year.

After the ‘Coffee break’ four ‘closed door’ sessions were held with Newsroom’s Akeem Greene being the moderators for topic 1, Governance/Responsibilitie s, nurturing talent and mindset.

Athletics (Aubrey Hutson), Cricket (Bissoondyal Singh), Squash (David Fernandes) & NSC (chairman Kashif Muhammad) attended the first session.

The second session dealt with Revenue, Sponsorship & Media and the Moderator was NCN’s Rawle Tony and Basketball (Mike Singh), Hockey (Phillip Fernandes), Volleyball (Levi Nedd) & NSC (Chateram Ramdial) attended.

After a break for lunch, the third session was held w i t h t h e N e w s r o o m ’s Avinash Ramzan being the moderator discussing Nutrition, Injuries & Psychology.

Present were Football (Wayne Forde), Rugby (Godfrey Brooms), Tennis (Cristy Campbell) & NSC (commissioner Dellon Davidson).

In the final session dealt with Tournaments, Elite Training & International competitions and had Kaieteur News’s Frankie Wilson as the Moderator.

Those in attendance were (Godfrey Munroe-Table Tennis), (Emilia RamdhaniBadminton), (Dwayne Scott-Swimming) & (NSC’s Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle).

Each session lasted 45 minutes. (Sean Devers)

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

PAGE 63

Avesh and Axar set the stage for Capitals before Iyer and Ashwin ace tricky chase E

SPNcricinfo Mumbai Indians threatened to defend 129 on a sluggish Sharjah track, but Shreyas Iyer dented their playoff chances and strengthened Delhi Capitals’ own chances of a top-two finish with a smart innings in the company of R Ashwin.

Iyer absorbed the pressure created by the fall of three wickets within the first five overs of the chase and ushered Capitals home with five balls to spare.

Despite the defeat yesterday, Mumbai Indians could still sneak into the final four, but in addition to needing to win their remaining two games against Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, they must also rely on favours from other sides.

It was Capitals’ depleted attack that set up the victory.

While Avesh Khan and Anrich Nortje defied the slowness of the pitch with a hair-raising display of pace and guile, left-arm

fingerspinner Axar Patel thrived with his more subtle variations.

Not a favourable matchup? No problem for Axar The Capitals left out offspin-bowling allrounder Lalit Yadav to welcome back Prithvi Shaw, which meant they had only five bowling options at their disposal. It proved enough, with the seamers dovetailing beautifully with Axar.

I t w a s Av e s h w h o produced the first breakthrough when Rohit Sharma - believe it or not miscued a pull to deep third man.

Axar then ran into two left-handers and trumped both of them. He first dangled one away from Quinton de Kock’s reach and had him carving a catch to backward point. Then, he zipped one away from Saurabh Tiwary from around the wicket, drawing a top edge. Axar also had Suryakumar Yadav holing out later with a dipping fulltoss, ending with 3 for 21 in

Shreyas Iyer showed off his T20 smarts as he helped Capitals pull off a tricky chase with a measured innings. (BCCI)

his four overs.

Nortje and Avesh wreck Mumbai’s middle order Mumbai’s middle order largely strolled through the middle overs, not managing to score even a single boundary for 35 balls between the 11th and 17th overs. After pounding the deck with heavy lengths in the early exchanges, Nortje cut his pace down to 123kph

and had Kieron Pollard chopping on in the 15th over.

Avesh yorked both Hardik Pandya and Nathan Coulter-Nile and although the last over, bowled by Ashwin, went for 13 runs, Mumbai were kept to a sub130 total.

Iyer and Ashwin get the job done That total, however, looked a whole lot bigger

once the Capitals lost their top three early. It was Pollard who had launched a familiar Mumbai comeback when he swooped in from mid-on and nailed a direct hit to run out Shikhar Dhawan for 8.

Rishabh Pant then chanced his arm and swung his way to 26 off 22 balls before Jayant Yadav - specifically picked, ahead of legspinner Rahul Chahal, to counter the lefthanders in Capitals’ line-up bested him.

There might have been jitters in Capitals’ camp when Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult also struck to reduce them to 93 for 6 at the start of the 14th over. Iyer and Ashwin, however, settled them by calmly knocking off ones and twos.

Iyer, who had arrived in the powerplay, didn’t hit a boundary until the 17th over, when he swiped CoulterNile over midwicket. He meted out similar treatment to Bumrah in the 18th to effectively get the dirty job done.

Scores: Delhi Capitals

Avesh Khan celebrates after dismissing Hardik Pandya. © BCCI

132 for 6 (Iyer 33*, Ashwin 20*, Coulter-Nile 1-19) beat Mumbai Indians 129 for 8 (Suryakumar 33, Avesh 3-15, Axar 3-21) by four wickets.

Frustration for Ronaldo as United drops more points in EPL A

P - Grumbling to himself and shaking his head, Cristiano Ronaldo went straight toward the tunnel at the final whistle of Manchester United’s latest slip-up at Old Trafford.

He had plenty to be aggrieved about.

Not only had his team dropped more points at home in the Premier League, the 36-year-old Ronaldo had been given barely a halfhour on the field against Everton after being relegated to the bench following two 90-minute displays in the past week.

Perhaps adding to Ronaldo’s frustration, the scorer of the goal that denied United a victory had the temerity to copy the Portugal star’s famous celebration.

In what he said was a tribute to his “idol,” Everton winger Andros Townsend performed a Ronaldo-style pirouette after his equalizer in the 1-1 draw as United failed to win at home for the second straight Saturday in England’s top division.

A week after a 1-0 loss

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo looks on during the Premier League match at Old Trafford.

(Getty Images)

to Aston Villa, United was sloppy and ill-disciplined against Everton in a performance that hardly

showed off its title credentials and perhaps will increase the scrutiny on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about

whether he is the manager to get the best out of United’s star-studded squad.

Chelsea, another title contender, also looked like dropping points at home until Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell scored late goals to seal a 3-1 win over Southampton.

The turning point came in the 75th minute when James Ward-Prowse, who equalized for Southampton from the penalty spot in the 61st, slid dangerously from behind into the ankle of Jorginho and was sent off after video review with the score at 1-1.

Chelsea dominated the final minutes at Stamford Bridge and Werner tapped home in the 85th before Chilwell added a third in the 89th. The win put Chelsea in first place ahead of Sunday’s game at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City, who came into the seventh round as the top two.

Leeds claimed its first league win of the season by beating Watford 1-0 at home, while South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan scored twice for Wolverhampton in

a 2-1 victory over Newcastle.

Burnley and Norwich drew 0-0.

Ronaldo’s cameo Ronaldo started among the substitutes with Solskjaer looking to manage the striker’s minutes given the effort he had put in over the last seven days, including scoring the stoppage-time winner against Villarreal on Wednesday.

The game against Everton came less than 72 hours later so Solskjaer made five changes — and one of them scored the o p e n e r, w i t h A n t h o n y Martial powering home a first-time finish from the left after an exquisite touch and pass from Bruno Fernandes.

Everton was always

dangerous on the counterattack and scored from one of those breaks. In fact, it stemmed from a corner that was cleared by Everton.

United midfielder Fred twice failed to regain possession, leading to Abdoulaye Doucoure playing in Townsend for a low shot from the edge of the area.

“These last two games at home was not good enough in the Premier League,” Fernandes said. “If we want silverware at the end of the season, we have to do much better.” Ronaldo only had one chance to add to his five goals since moving to United for a second spell, but he lashed a left-foot shot wide from a narrow angle.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday October 03, 2021

Ruturaj Gaikwad century Chelsea seize top spot after dramatic win over Southampton in vain as Rajasthan beat Chelsea’s Timo Werner scores their second goal. (REUTERS/David Klein)

A

FP - Timo We r n e r f i r e d Chelsea to the top of the Premier League as the German’s late goal inspired a controversy-filled 3-1 win against 10-man Southampton yesterday.

Thomas Tuchel’s side ended a frustrating week on a high note thanks to Werner’s contribution to a dramatic finale at Stamford Bridge.

After successive 1-0 defeats against Manchester City and Juventus, the Blues were in danger of another disappointing result with just minutes remaining in rainsoaked west London.

Trevoh Chalobah’s early opener for Chelsea had been cancelled out by a James Ward-Prowse penalty in the second half.

But Ward-Prowse was sent off for an ugly lunge on Jorginho and Chelsea took full advantage as Werner restored their lead with six minutes left before Ben Chilwell wrapped up the points.

Chelsea sit two points clear of second-placed Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp’s side able to regain pole position if they beat champions Manchester City today.

Failure to defeat a Southampton side still seeking their first league win this season would have raised serious questions about the European champions.

So it was a huge relief for Tuchel to get back on track heading into the international break as

Chelsea put one of their rare blips of the German’s reign behind them.

“After two defeats we had to be careful that we didn’t start being too sad or too worried,” Tuchel said.

“It was important to have a better performance than the last two games, that we sharpened our mindset so that we are not afraid to lose.

“It was nice to play the way we did and get a deserved win.”

Frustrated by what he labelled a “strange display” against Juventus on Wednesday and an equally lacklustre loss to City last weekend, Tuchel made five changes in a bid to shake up his “tired” team.

- Midas touch For a man who has hardly put a foot wrong since taking charge in January, Tuchel showed he had not lost his Midas touch as three of the players he brought into the team combined for the ninthminute opener.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek towered above the Southampton defence to flick Chilwell’s corner to the far post, where Chalobah dived to head home from close range.

Werner thought he had doubled Chelsea’s lead just before half-time when he rose above two defenders to head in from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross.

But, with both teams back in position to kick off, a late VAR intervention convinced referee Martin Atkinson to rule that Cesar Azpilicueta had clipped Kyle Walker-Peters’ heel much earlier in the build-up to the goal.

It was a debatable decision and Tuchel was incandescent with rage, waving his arms in protest as he briefly marched into the

pitch — an incursion that earned a booking as boos cascaded down from the stands.

“I was very angry because I could never believe this could happen in the Premier League. It was a 50-50 that wasn’t even in close connection to the goal,” Tuchel said.

“I understood before the season that we didn’t want soft fouls, that we wanted a contact game.”

Shaken by that controversial moment, Chelsea lost their grip and Southampton equalised in the 61st minute.

Teenage right-back Tino Livramento, who left Chelsea in the close-season, made an incisive raid that forced a panicked foul from Chilwell in the penalty area.

Atkinson pointed to the spot and Ward-Prowse stepped up to send Edouard Mendy the wrong way with the penalty.

But Ward-Prowse could have no complaints when Atkinson sent him off for nasty foul that left Jorginho writhing in pain with 14 minutes left.

That proved the turning point and Chelsea went in front in the 84th minute.

Ross Barkley sprayed a fine pass out to Azpilicueta and his half-volleyed cross was perfect for Werner to drill home from closerange.

Five minutes later, Lukaku and Azpilicueta hit the post in quick succession before Chilwell steered in the rebound.

Saturday 2nd October 2021 Results: Man Utd 1 – Everton 1 Burnley 0 – Norwich 0 Chelsea 3 – Southampton 1 Leeds 1 – Watford 0 Wolves 2 - Newcastle 1 Brighton 0 – Arsenal 0

Chennai

BBC Sport - Rajasthan Royals kept alive their Indian Premier League playoff hopes with a sensational chase of 190 against alreadyqualified Chennai Super Kings.

Yashasvi Jaiswal hit 50 off 21 balls and Shivam Dube 64* off 42 as Rajasthan won with 15 balls to spare.

Earlier, Chennai made 189-4 with Ruturaj Gaikwad hitting a maiden T20 century from the final ball.

Rajasthan are now sixth in the table, but will likely need to win their final two games to earn a play-off spot.

They are one of four teams on 10 points, with net run rate looking more likely to decide who progresses.

Chennai have already qualified, but a place in top two, which means playing in the qualifier and having two chances to reach the final, is no longer in their own hands.

Brutal hitting sees Rajasthan home Faced with a required run-rate of 9.50 an over, Rajasthan had little option but to go out and attack.

They did just that, motoring to 75-0 after five overs. Jaiswal, who left home at the age of 10 to pursue a career in cricket, hit his first IPL half-century, with him and Evin Lewis, who made 27 off 12 balls, both hitting over mid-wicket and straight down the ground with alarming frequency.

Both fell in the space of five balls, to leave Rajasthan - who made five changes, including dropping England’s Liam Livingstone - 81-2, but that did not affect them.

Captain Sanju Samson took the anchor role, and allowed Dube to attack and he obliged, including hitting Moeen Ali for successive

Yashasvi Jaiswal surged to a 19-ball half-century. (BCCI)

sixes over mid-wicket.

When Samson fell for 28 his side needed just 20 from 4.2 overs and the game was practically over, and allowed Glenn Phillips to chip in with an eight-ball 14.

It was a bad day for Chennai’s overseas pace bowlers with England’s Sam Curran going for 55 from his four overs and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood 54.

‘One of the best IPL innings’ - Gaikwad continues impressive march Gaikwad is the latest b a t t e r o ff t h e I n d i a n production line. Such is their depth, that despite averaging 50.85 in the IPL, he has only played twice for India and that was when a secondary squad toured Sri Lanka this summer, with their regular side in England.

His IPL career has not always been plain sailing, but he, CSK captain MS Dhoni and their head coach Stephen Fleming are now reaping their rewards for their trust and continued faith in the 24-year-old.

As is his norm he started patiently, scoring 20 off 19 balls in the powerplay, and reaching his half-century off

43 balls, before he exploded, moving to 101 not out in just 17 balls.

The right hander, who hit nine fours and five sixes, was strong over the covers and mid-off, showing a natural talent to play in to out, but also latched on to any length to pull and flick over square and mid-wicket with an effortless ease.

One of his sixes went a massive 103m, and he now has the two highest scores in this second phase of the tournament.

Former England allrounder Ravi Bopara, who was commentating on the game on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, said: “This guy is a proper player. It surprises me how far he can hit the ball because there is nothing on him - he is just pure timing and classy.

“It was probably one of the best innings I’ve seen in the IPL for a long, long time.

How is he not playing for India?”

Scores: Rajasthan Royals 190 for 3 (Dube 64*, Jaiswal 50, Thakur 2-30) beat Chennai Super Kings 189 for 4 (Gaikwad 101*, Jadeja 32*, Tewatia 3-39) by seven wickets Ruturaj Gaikwad tees off © BCCI

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 03, 2021

PAGE 65

It is important to understand the importance of trust - Sports Minister Ramson

By Zaheer Mohamed

M

inister of Culture, Yo u t h a n d Sport Charles Ramson Jr. told the gathering at the inaugural Guyana Sports Conference which was held at the National Cultural Centre, yesterday, that it is important to understand the importance of trust.

The conference, which was attended by Government Officials, representatives of various sporting organisations, special invitees and the media, was seen as a stepping stone towards enhancing the sporting landscape in the Guyana.

Ramson Jr. who has been very proactive since his inauguration said it is important that sports administrators become more professional so they can attract more support from the business community.

“It’s important that you understand the importance of trust. You have to become more professional about what you are doing as part of your function as sports administrators, and keep doing it more often so that the people who you are looking for support from will start to understand who they are dealing with,” he added.

The Ministry will be launching a sports academy shortly and the Minister stated that that they have started to compile a list of

corporate sponsors who they have started to engage for support.

Ramson touched on promotion and revenue earning. He stated that this is an important building block and urged the sporting organisations to connect with the business community. “You have to appreciate how important the fund raising element is. I recommend that you try to get on to those people who are part of the business world and sometimes you may have to cherry-pick persons to be on your committee, who knows how to use their fundraising capability,” he posited.

The minister explained that broadcasting is another important aspect of promoting sports. “ We h a v e b e e n promoting our page as a streaming page and there is very few local networks that can offer the kind of views the ministry page can offer.

Is it intended for the sports associations to have a national tournament which will be broadcasted and all the sports associations will be able to broadcast their final national tournament every year through our facebook page so sponsors will be given mileage,” he related.

The minister said that they have developed a relationship with the media so they are able to get their messages across and the

associations need to appreciate what the media is about, noting that the media helps to attract support from sponsors.

Minister Ramson jr, said that the conference was held to ensure that everybody is on the same page.

“When we move forward we move forward together, that we understand where are going and how we are going

there.

The resources are not going to be available in our next budget, the resources are available now.

This is based on a manifesto promise that we had,” he posited.

Failure is not an option for the Minister. “Standing still is not going to take us anywhere, so this is a plan that we all have to be a part of

because failure is not going to be an option.

It is something that I am serious about, something that the ministry, something that the National Sports Commission is serious about and that is why I took my time in putting together the resources for the academy. I am very excited because of the support that I have seen from the associations,” he

pointed out.

Fruitful discussions were held on vital sports related topics such as nutrition, nurturing talent, mindset, i n j u r i e s , p s y c h o l o g y, tournaments, elite training and international competition Journalists Akeem Green, Avinash Ramzan and Franklin Wilson were the moderators.