K
AIETEUR NEWS
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Sunday Edition Local Content provisions for Payara October 11, 2020
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
licence flout petroleum laws
Price $140
- PPP/C Govt. has done exactly what Trotman did with Liza Phase One - Chris Ram
Online readership yesterday, 100,505
Canje Oil Block award filled with red flags - Despite Guyana gets nothing from the US$ billions the oil block is worth, taxpayers owe G$100M pre-contracts costs to owners
Former director, Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang
Former director, Hewley Nelson
Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang and Hewley Nelson Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas that got the Canje Oil Block
Director and sole shareholder, Edris ‘Kamal’ Dookie
How Senegal lost US$ billions on gas fields…
Senegal Govt. was aware of obvious corruption red flags Expert but chose to ignore them - says - Admits to also Man confesses to rape and raping and killing murder of Venezuelan cook Bartica woman
Kaieteur News
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Sunday October 11, 2020
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
Political Theatre on Oil According to a Global Witness report, the APNU+AFC appears to have undermined serious efforts to reveal the true owners of the Canje and Kaieteur Oil Blocks. This confirms our unmoving beliefs that on our oil, the PPP and APNU+AFC are as one in holding the same head for handsome self-dealing, while cheating us and leaving us more mired in ugly poverty. They take the hog and leave for us what the hog leaves behind on the ground. We have frontally challenged players from both sides of the political divide to simply reveal who these people are, considering that, as we have calculated, even the most conservative estimate of revenue over the next decade would make a single owner of either block a billionaire. The logic here is simple – any political entity that is both competent and truly interested in protecting Guyana’s patrimony should be radical about transparency, whether it is in the Opposition or in the Executive. What we appear to have instead is complicity when it comes to the silence and obscurity surrounding the beneficial ownership of the oil blocks. Despite our campaign, despite our best efforts, we have been met with temporizing, dodging, empty promises and feigning of ignorance by people who otherwise try to sell themselves as the smartest minds in the room. When it comes to the APNU+AFC, there is either the pretence that they were not in power over the past five years or a very selective amnesia when it comes to the specifics of beneficial ownership. For the PPP, there is the pretence that they were not in power when the awards were given or a convenient amnesia on the particulars of the deal. In both cases, politicians with otherwise apparently prodigious memory on the errors of their ‘rivals’ across the aisle are somehow forgetful on what specific measures they took to ensure transparency as well as what those rivals did to breach it. Opacity with regard to the issue of beneficial ownership in the fledgling oil and gas sector is – unless it is explicitly proven otherwise – the most successful area of complicity, perhaps to the point of collusion, between the two political juggernauts in this country. This cannot stand. We can put every other public accountability measure in place from this point going forward, including as Vice President Jagdeo has proposed stringent transparency laws on oil revenues, but unless it is that we have transparency on everyone who has an ownership stake in every existing oil block, those measures are not only locking the barn door after the horses have escaped, but leaving a back door in the barn for newborn foals to run through. The Global Witness report tells the nation that the public squabbling and clashing of the PPP and APNU+AFC are a farce and a joke. Because privately, PPP and APNU+AFC leaders look out for one another, help one another, and protect one another when anything about Guyana’s oil is involved. Why would the coalition operate in this mysterious manner when it was in power, and not use the Canje and Kaieteur Oil Block awards to expose its political adversaries? Why did the coalition fight so strenuously during the elections to stay in power, but were so inexplicably weak, pathetic, and powerless when they had oil weapons in its hands to damage irreparably its political competitors? And why is the current opposition, the same APNU+AFC, saying absolutely nothing of substance on our oil and what the PPP did with it? From every indication, a lucrative political crime partnership is already in existence. No political group, when in government, could be so incompetent, so unknowing, and so unmoving as the APNU+AFC to not want to bring down its supposedly sworn enemy with what would have destroyed. This is where we believe all the oil roads lead. Now, we put this before the Guyanese people with this in mind: how can it be any other way? Why not decide for yourself whether both the PPP and the APNU+AFC are not unified on our oil to rob us?
Advertisement for a Head of an Internal Audit Department should contain the relevant requirements A current vacancy advertisement by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has motivated me to make the following observations as they relate to the practice of the internal auditing profession in Guyana. I do so as a founder member, and past president of the Institute of Internal Auditors – Guyana International Chapter IIAGIC which is affiliated to the Institute of Internal Auditors Global (IIAG) in the USA. Global best practices on internal auditing require that organisations be guided by the pronouncements by the IIAG which was established in 1941 in New York City. The observations are set out under the respective headings in this advertisement: (1) The position Internal Auditor (IA) & Risk Management Officer. The IA is also in effect, a
Risk Management Officer since he/she is required to “evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, controls and governance procedures as is correctly stated in the description of this position in the advertisement. Hence, this the position should be titled “Internal Auditor” or to be more specific “Chief Internal Auditor.” (2) On the Key Responsibilities, in his/her practice of the internal auditing profession, no mention was made on the IA’s complying with, as well as being familiar with the I I A G ’s I n t e r n a t i o n a l Standards which are twofold, - Attribute and Performance. They are included in the IIAG’s International Professional Practices Framework. The IA is required among others, to be very knowledgeable with, and to apply those Standards in the conduct of audits, hence this is a major
Key Responsibility which should be mentioned in this advertisement. O t h e r K e y Responsibilities, are for the IA to demonstrate his/her c o m p e t e n c e , professionalism and leadership qualities. Also, membership of the global body - IIAG should be a requirement, taking into consideration the substantial benefits which will accrue to the member. ( 3 ) O n t h e R e q u i r e m e n t s , (Qualifications) the emphasis is more on finance and accounting qualifications. They were applicable approximately three decades ago. Today’s IA is required to be certified by the IIAG with the designation - Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). From a global perspective, the IA and more so the Head, should possess the CIA designation. To mention it only ‘as an asset’ is less
emphasis, as compared with the accounting qualifications being the major requirement. The IIAG also provides certification on Risk Management. This designation is Certified Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) which should supplement the CIA designation. In the circumstances, the CIA and the CRMA designations should be highlighted above the accounting & other qualifications, the latter of which supplement the former (CIA). If one is guided by this Requirement in the Advertisement, then the IA’s emphasis may be focused largely on conducting audits on the Finance and Accounting Units(s), and not on all Units involved in the operations of the Entity. If this occurs, then the IA’s professional practice will not be complying with IIAG’s International Standards. (Continued on page 5)
Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
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...Advertisement for a Head of an Internal Audit Department From page 4 In closing, my motto is not to criticize NICIL’s advertisement but to suggest that it should follow the guidelines of the IIAG. This global body which takes pride in the
development and growth of this profession, wants to make a positive difference for the future. It is forward thinking and takes a stand for professionalism and competency.
Indeed, it is committed to elevating the growth and practice of internal auditing worldwide, and at the same time, in meeting the global best practices. That being said, an Advertisement for a
Head of an Internal Audit Department should contain the relevant requirements to meet the internal auditing goals of this profession. Yours truly, John Seeram
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 11, 2020
Sunday October 11, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Man confesses to rape and murder of Venezuelan cook - Admits to also raping and killing Bartica woman Believed to be a sex predator who stalks his victims before killing them, the prime suspect in the murder and rape of a Venezuelan cook on October 4 has confessed to the heinous crime. Dimas Emilia Lezama Fermin, 28, of San Felix, Ciudad Guayana, Estado Bolivar, was raped, beaten, strangled to death and thrown into a mining pit at Big Hope Backdam, Cuyuni, Region Seven. Cops had initially arrested two men, a dredge owner with whom she shared an intimate relationship and a miner who reportedly worked with him. According to police, the miner buckled under intense interrogation and admitted to killing Lezama. Hours before her the
death, Lezama was left alone cooking at the dredge owner’s camp while he, the miner and other workers headed to the Big Hope Landing to drink rum. During the drinking session, the miner reportedly left the group and headed back to the mining camp. He told his boss that he was going to take a bath. The man told police however that he had taken a pill at the camp site and became “delirious”. The man did not specify what kind of pill it was but detectives believe that it might have been a recreational drug that intoxicated the suspect. The miner claimed that he saw Lezama and asked her for sex but she refused. The man claimed that while under the
influence, he attacked the woman and began choking her until she became unresponsive. He then dumped her in the mining pit behind, located not too far from the camp. Lezama’s corpse was discovered the following day half naked clad in a blue jersey with its underwear missing. Detectives noticed that her body bore multiple black and blue marks. Evidence collected from the crime scene also suggested that Lezama was raped prior to her death. During the investigations, detectives noted striking similarities between Lezama’s murder and that of Rosella Smith, 28, of Bamford Point Bartica. Smith’s corpse was found
on May 15 floating in a mining pit at Karrau Backdam, Mazaruni. A subsequent autopsy revealed that she was manually strangled and submerged in the water-filled pit. Investigators grilled the miner about Smith’s death as well and he admitted to killing her too. He also told investigators that the circumstances that led to Smith’s murder was similar to that of Lezama. Pathologist, Nehaul Singh had however reported to police that there was nothing to suggest that Smith was raped. Kaieteur News had detailed that prior to Smith’s Demise, she was last seen in company with two men who goes by the alias of ‘Black Boy’ and ‘Rocky’. ‘Black Boy’ was identified
Murdered: Rosella Smith as the prime suspect and was seen leaving Karrau Backdam early May 15 with a bucket and a bag. Hours later, Smith’s body was discovered by a 23-yearold miner. According to re-
ports, the miner was heading to his worksite and had called for Smith while passing her camp. He got no response and while continuing his journey, he saw Smith’s body floating in the abandoned mining pit. Police had launched a manhunt for Black Boy and found out that he resided on the East Coast of Demerara. Ranks had turned up at his address but the suspect’s parents had told investigators that he never came out of the mines. Smith had reportedly headed to the Karrau Backdam to set up a mining camp, just days after visiting her three children and mother-in-law at Bartica. The suspect allegedly responsible for the death of both women is expected to appear in court on Monday.
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Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
Potable Water flows for the first time in Esau & Jacob, Mahaicony
I
Minister Susan Rodrigues at the commissioning of the potable water system in Mahaicony. Regional Executive Officer, Geneveieve Blackman.
n keeping with a prom ise to ensure that resi dents of Esau and Jacob on the Mahaicony River, Region Five have potable water, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues yesterday commissioned the first potable water system in the community. This is the first time that Esau and Jacob district in Mahaicony, has access to potable water.
The potable water system was made possible through a Private Public Partnership between the Government and Pure Harvest Inc. According to information released by the Region Five Regional office, residents were not required to pay any installation cost since all materials necessary for the connections were purchased by Pure Harvest Inc. Approximately 60 residents will be the beneficiaries of this project. The decision to connect the households followed complaints from several residents in the area about no access to potable water to Minister Rodrigues. Minister Rodrigues had asked for an assessment to be done before a decision was taken to connect the residents, the Central Housing
and Planning Authority (CH&PA) said in a statement. The statement outlined that once a source to supply these households with potable water was found, works in the area commenced immediately. “The project started about a week ago with a connection from the Strath Campbelle Pump Station at Branch Road Mahaicony. Some seventy-one lengths of pipes are being installed with a total of 15, individual service connections. The installation and connection to the main distribution network are expected to be completed within another week.
The project is being executed to the tune of some $2.6M and the works are being done by the staff of Guyana Water Inc., with assistance from Pure Harvest Inc.,” the CHPA had said in a previous statement.
Additionally, the CH&PA noted that within the coming months, a number of communities in the ten administrative regions will be served with potable water as the government continues to place emphasis on reaching unserved areas. A number of major water distribution projects have been budgeted for in the recently passed 2020 national budget. “Guyana Water Inc. has received an allocation of GYD $2.8B. Provisions have been made for sanitation interventions, drilling of new wells, water supply improvement projects on the Coastland and Hinterland as well as water
treatment plants for a number of communities,” the statement said. At commissioning of the water system, Regional officials present included Vickchand Ramphal, Regional Chairman; Rion Peters, Regional Vice Chairman; and Geneveieve Blackman, Regional Executive Officer.
Sunday October 11, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Local Content provisions for Payara licence flout -PPP/C Govt. has done exactly what petroleum laws Trotman did with Liza Phase One - Chris Ram Upon doing a preliminary review of the production licence, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) approved for ExxonMobil’s third development project, called Payara, chartered accountant, Christopher Ram said it is clear that the administration has failed the nation. In a brief comment to this newspaper, Ram – who holds a Masters of Laws in Oil and Gas – said his conclusion in this regard is based on what is contained in that the section of the licence called “Local Content and Participation.” That aspect of the licence states that not less than 60 days prior to the beginning of each year, the Licensee, ExxonMobil, shall submit to the Minister a yearly Local Content Plan which shall de-
tail the company’s objectives, utilization levels, activities, and programmes aimed at compliance with its obligations under the Petroleum Agreement, applicable law, and government policy. Ram was keen to note however that this is against the nation’s Petroleum Exploration and Production Law of 1986. At Section 36 of the Act, it clearly states that “A petroleum production licence shall not be granted to an applicant therefore unless - the applicant’s proposals for the employment and training of citizens of Guyana are satisfactory; (v) the applicant’s proposals with respect to the procurement of goods and services obtainable within Guyana are satisfactory.” Taking the foregoing into consideration, the attorney
Dem boys seh...
Spelling was not dem boys favourite subject in school De government sharing out masks. Yesterday, one of dem Minister been at one of dem out-of-town markets. Nobody nah bin recognize this Minister at fuss because she had on she mask. Dem boys nah even bin sure if she bin tek off de mask whether dem would have recognize she. Dem school children supposed to know de name of dem Minister. But de last government confuse dem children so much dat dem nah know de Ministries much less de Ministers. Dem had a whole set of Ministers wah had some portfolios that dem Common Entrance children cant’s spell – like Social Cohesion, Citizenship and Communities. And Soulja Bai nah been with around Ministers so often dat you don’t know who is minister for weh. And some of dem had some name hard fuh spell.Dat remind dem boys of back-in-de days when dem boys used to ride
bicycles without light. That was an offence in dem days. One night a police stop dem boys fuh riding without light. De police start to write de ticket but he didn’t know de name of the street wah he deh in. So he ask dem boys “Wah is de name of this street?’ Dem boys answer “Urquhart Street!” A confused look come over de police face.He grab dem boys by dem shirt collar and pull dem around de corner and seh. “Ok, I charging you here on Main Street instead.” Is then dem boys realize dat de man can’t spell “Urquhart” but he could ah spell “Main”. Dah mek dem boys remember wan time in school, de teacher had verbal spelling test. She tun to de dunce of de class and ask he fuh spell “mousetrap”. He answer “C-A-T” Talk half and nah ask dem children fuh spell Odinga Lumumba!
said that the law therefore requires that ExxonMobil’s local content plans should have been reviewed and deemed satisfactory before the production licence for Payara was awarded. He opined that to do otherwise would be against the grain of the law while adding that he had been heavily critical of former Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, for making the same grave mistake when he had approved the production licence for the Liza Phase One Project.
Former Minister, Raphael Trotman In conclusion, the attorney-at-law said, “After all the
Current Minister, Vickram Bharrat talk and talking, the so-called condition, ‘Local Content and
Attorney-at-Law, Chris Ram Participation’ is patently inconsistent with the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act. This can neither be explained nor excused and for me, this is a major, major disappointment.”
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Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
Lone witness in friend’s murder reappears -Tells police he can’t remember shooter
E’bo mystery shooting…
A
s investigations into the “Essequibo mystery shooting” continues, Cordell Grimes, the only witness to the murder of his friend Reeaz Khan has reappeared but reportedly told cops that he can’t remember seeing a shooter.
Khan and Grimes were victims of an ambush which occurred at around 19:30hrs on September 29, in the vicinity of a hotel and bar establishment at Aurora Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two. Grimes had sustained a gunshot to the arm while
Khan was shot to the face. Khan was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital alive but succumbed six days later. Doctors told his relatives that the bullet had struck him in the region between his nose and forehead. Grimes was also admitted but had reportedly took self-
discharge and vanished. Kaieteur News had reported that he was wanted for questioning, after which according to a top police official of the Region Two district, Grimes reappeared subsequently to give an official statement. However, he told detectives that he cannot remember seeing any one shooting at them. This newspaper learnt that on the day of the incident, Grimes had asked Khan to pick him up in Supernaam. Khan had reportedly left his home, picked up Grimes’ car and drove to the location. On their way back, Kaieteur News was told that they stopped briefly at a wake before heading to the hotel. Grimes who was driving at the
Lone witness: Cordell Grimes
Murdered: Reeaz Khan
time reportedly parked the car at the side of the road and exited while Reeaz remained inside.He entered the restau-
rant section of the hotel, paid off a food bill and left soon after. Grimes had told (Continued on page 12)
Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 11, 2020
Lone witness in friend’s murder reappears -Tells police he can’t ... From page 10 detectives that he and Khan came under gunfire as he existed the business establishment. He reportedly jumped into his car and drove off to escape the attack. Grimes claimed that two more shots were also fired behind them as they fled. He further told ranks that he looked over at Khan and noticed that he was bleeding from the face while he too was bleeding from his left arm. Instead of slowing down, he managed to drive to the hospital where they both were admitted. Sources told Kaieteur News that no one other than Grimes had witnessed the shooting. In fact, nearby residents and even those at hotel did not hear any gunshot explosions or recalled observing any strange movements in front of or close to the hotel. Kaieteur News had reported too, that there were no CCTV cameras installed at the hotel to aid investigators. Nevertheless, detectives managed to recover one spent shell that matches a .32 caliber weapon. Two bullet holes were also seen on the car doors- one to the driver’s side and the other to front passenger’s side. Reeaz’s spectacles and slippers were also recovered from the vehicle but his wallet, driver’s license and two cellphones were missing. Family members said that don’t know if he had cash on him that day but are aware that he always carries with him, his Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note10 phones.
Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
FRONT PAGE COMMENTS RECAP
As we continue our mission to enlighten the nation about issues of importance to this nation, we at Kaieteur News have published a series of front page comments in hopes of having our leaders take the necessary actions in order to realize the desired outcomes. Today we recap the front page comments of the past week to bring you up to speed.
Who Is Inheriting Our Wealth? Sunday
O
ur parents died and left ten properties for us, their seven children. Dickey, the eldest child, was left in charge of the family estate. Six months after the death of our parents, Dickey informed us that he had sold one of our prime properties for 10 million dollars. We were surprised and asked him if that was the best deal he could have gotten. He replied saying, “Yes, that was the best offer.” A few days after, the brothers and sisters found out that the property he sold was valued more than 100 million dollars. What would you do or say to Dickey if you were one of his brothers or sisters? A few weeks later, we saw
people occupying two other properties, next door to the one that Dickey sold. Dickey was asked “What are those people doing in our properties?” He replied that he had transferred the two properties to a local and an international company. But no money was paid. We asked him “Who are the people behind the companies?” He told us he does not know, and that he never met them. Days passed, weeks and even months passed, and Dickey was still not saying anything about our properties. What would you as a brother or sister do? Guyana, this is the exact scenario with our oil blocks. The government struck a deal with ExxonMobil for the Stabroek Block. Experts said
we got robbed. They claimed that we left US$55B on the negotiation table and that it was THE WORST oil deal they had ever seen. When questioned, the political elites agreed that it was a bad deal. They accepted that they made mistakes. But lo and behold, we were yet again told that two other oil blocks: Kaieteur and Canje, with similar values, were transferred to companies and no monies were paid for those blocks. Now, the nation is asking the leaders to say who are the owners of the two oil blocks. But they are telling us they do not know or never met these owners. Are they that stupid or ignorant? Or, like Dickey, are they as crooked as barbed wire?
Legalizing Stolen State Assets Sunday
C
unning politicians use crooked middlemen to hold, receive or transfer stolen state assets. For example, politicians would have some of their shady friends establish shell companies, information about which the public cannot access. These companies would then be handed oil blocks or given other state assets. In the past, bribes were paid into politicians’ secret bank accounts or that of their relatives. With stricter antimoney laundering and transparency laws, these bribes are now easily detectable. Corrupt politicians therefore have devised more elaborate schemes to legalize the proceeds of corrupt dealings. One of the ways in which they do this is through secret,
pre-arranged deals in which foreign oil companies would buy in to the state assets held by the shell companies of the friends of politicians. The proceeds of these ‘buy-in’ transactions then become legal income for the politicians and their shady friends. This is how dirty money is made clean. In the process, stolen state assets are disposed of and the earnings become legitimate money, while the public remains clueless. State assets, such as land, can also be given out to middlemen who are either agents or fronts for crooked politicians, for them to execute Stage 2 of the scheme. This occurs when the lands are put on the open market and sold at a staggering profit. The proceeds of these land sales make billionaires out of the politicians and their
cronies, while ensuring that the monies earned are cleaned. Just like a drug kingpin with his dirty money and a helpful bank, Guyanese politicians legitimize stolen property through the shell companies established by their cronies. This is the massive Ponzi scheme which is being operated using state assets. The PPP/C has handed out the oilrich Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks. The people of Guyana are clueless as to the identities of the persons behind the companies which have been given these blocks. The owners of these blocks reportedly sold a 35% share of each block to Exxon. Not one blind cent of this multi-million dollar transaction is going to be seen, touched or shared with the ordinary man. It will remain within a closed circle.
Time To Be Blunt On Our Oil Deals Monday
W
ho do the mo rons that we have masquerading as politicians believe they are fooling? They have allowed Guyana to be robbed of hundreds of billions in US dollars. Yet, they go around begging all around the world for loans to build bridges, roads and schools. We alert all Guyana that Kaieteur News will raise the bar on our leaders when it comes to our national wealth.
WE WILL BE VERY BLUNT! We will be blunt about Guyana’s gold and diamond. We will be blunt about our bauxite, timber, and, most of all, we will be extremely blunt about our oil. Who owns it secretly? Who is cheating and stealing from us? Who is lying to us, avoiding answering us, tricking us and covering up? We want our Guyanese brothers and sisters to be enlightened and made wiser so that they can judge for themselves who is depriving them of their BIRTHRIGHT to have a comfortable life.
The priority right now is to get to the bottom of who is cheating and robbing our country of its fabulously rich oil wealth. This is what all of us, who are being deceived, should be outraged about, and about which we should be ready to do something. We have been patient and courteous with government after government and one
political leader after another. We promise that we will be blunt. Whoever doesn’t like it can do something about it: they can come clean with the real truths about our oil.
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Reforming Guyana’s Libel Laws TUESDAY Is Long Overdue Libel laws are a holdover from a time when the powerful protected their persons, practices, and turf against undesired intrusion, exposure, and truths that embarrass. It is time that they go, which should be given the highest priority. In today’s Guyana, the offended powerful is best represented by the governing political establishment of the day. Its members do not wish to be questioned, they resent scrutiny, though there is grand talk about transparency. Apparently, conveniently forgotten is that transparency is enhanced by honest and constant scrutiny. It is instructive that far fewer libel suits are brought by offended individuals in the private domain, with the overwhelming majority of these
cases being brought by people close to government as a means of intimidating and silencing. Among the things wished to be kept quiet are public monies spent in enormous amounts under shabby and criminal circumstances. It is public knowledge in Guyana that massive amounts of the taxpayers’ money have been mishandled, unaccounted for properly, simply vanished. Or the work done does not match the amounts reportedly spent. When revealed and pressed for answers, none are forthcoming from those appointed as stewards. When pressed too hard and too sharply, political participants in the local arena resort to filing libel suits to do two things. To distract and deter
continuing revelations of serial costly wrongdoing. The second objective, the primary one, is to muzzle the independent private press, through court action. Powerful men seek to hide behind the shield of libel laws to prevent expensive truths from reaching the public. Clearly, our libel laws do more harm than good; they protect wrongdoers, they handcuff seekers of concealed truths. These laws are ancient and need comprehensive overhaul. It is time that the public be privy to every truth that impacts its welfare expensively and negatively. It is time that these antiquated libel laws of Guyana be thoroughly modernized and be brought in line with 21st century realities and standards.
Instead Of Putting Us On The Frontline, Foreigners Throwing Us On The Breadline
WEDNESDAY Our governments keep drumming into our heads that foreign direct investment creates jobs and supports local businesses. Yet, they have failed to make it mandatory for these foreign companies to hire local companies which have the capability to supply goods and services required by foreign investors. When Aurora Gold Mines (AGM), a Canadian entity, decided to downscale its operations, it fired hundreds of local workers and terminated the contracts it had with many local firms that were supplying it with goods and services. Instead of placing our people on the frontline,
the company put them on the breadline. AGM then sold its operations and the rights to our gold to a Chinese firm, Zijin Mining Group. This deal allowed AGM to walk away with US$238M. The new owners also inherited all the dutyfree and tax concessions from which AGM benefitted. To add insult to injury, instead of utilizing the services of a local company which had previously done business with the AGM, Zijin instead contracted a Chinese firm to provide the same services. Local firms instead of benefitting from foreign investment are being shunted aside. These practices defeat the justification for foreign direct investment – creating jobs
WEDNESDAY
and supporting local businesses. Foreign companies come here and benefit from generous tax concessions. They rape our resources and exploit our workers. They profit handsomely by reselling the rights to these resources and concessions to other foreign firms, which then snub local workers and businesses. This is the reality of foreign direct investment in Guyana. Wake up Guyana! It is time we bring an end to this crude and cruel exploitation of our workers and local businesses and the plunder of our resources. It is time for us to take back control of our country’s wealth.
Political ‘Wood-Ants’ Are Eating Out by biting off chunks Our House erties THURSDAY and carting them away under Political wood-ants have infested the national house. As Guyanese know too well, ‘wood-ants’, if not detected and exterminated, can cause untold damage. This is exactly what is happening with our oil wealth.
Guyanese political ‘woodants’ (leaders) and their helpers (cronies) are swarming all over this country’s oil properties. They are eating into our wealth to satisfy their insatiable greed. They diminish the worth of the oil prop-
secretive corporate deals. It is time Guyanese take action to rid the country of its political ‘wood-ants’ who have eaten away at our oil prospects, leaving the national house shaky and tottering.
Poor People Snatching Phones, Politicians Snatching Oil Blocks FRIDAY
F
rom top to bottom, Guyanese society is riddled with those who snatch what belongs to others, especially from the poor and the helpless. Snatching is so chronic that this country is now a snatcher’s paradise.
Young men on bicycles in the streets, snatch purses with nothing inside, snatch cheap cellphones, snatch empty shopping bags. Poor citizens are so alarmed that they leave handbags home and walk with an umbrella only. Those are also snatched. Snatching, though never condoned, allows feeding fami-
lies, paying the light bill, buying medicines. This is how bad things are in this richest of lands, where the poor are forced to snatch from their fellow poor. At the top from, comfortable in their duty-free vehicles or their high decision-making offices, young and old Guyanese men (and women) (Continued on page 14)
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Education Ministry awaiting CXC review before releasing examination data The Ministry of Education (MOE) is currently awaiting the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) review of the 2020 Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results before publicly announcing examination data. This was stated by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand in another section of the media last week. Manickchand stated that many schools and students have sought to appeal their CXC grades, so the Ministry thought that it was imperative to wait until those results arrive before announcing official results. She further explained that there may be a student with 20 Grade Ones, while another student may have 17 Grade Ones and four Grade Twos. If these grades are announced before the review, a student deemed as the top performer may have that title taken away if the review comes back with different results. Manickchand contended that her Ministry does not want to have people disappointed. The Minister previously contacted the Registrar of CXC, raising concerns over their poor grading system and discrepancies that were highlighted by students, teachers, and parents countrywide. Among these discrepancies were students receiving ungraded marks despite sitting their exams and submitting their School-Based Assessments (SBAs) in a timely fashion and students who
Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
would have excelled in their year one CAPE scored low grades in year two. After Manickchand engaged with the council, the Ministry pledged to aggressively pursue the matter and ensure that there is an acceptable resolution.Last month, the Council had announced that steps will be taken to review and possibly revise the results of the examinations. A statement was issued by CXC’s Chairman, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, who said that the Council would have noted the concerns that were raised regarding the 2020 regional examinations all around the public domain including Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, and Barbuda, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat and other countries, concerning the efficacy of procedures and systems used by the Council in its computation and declaration of student performance.“There will be ongoing dialogue with regional Ministries of Education based upon the official gather-
ing of data relevant to all ventilated concerns. Each and every formally reported case will be reviewed and where remedies are required, they will be applied,” the Chairman said. Beckles claimed that the data were of significant importance to his Council; hence, the current review process is being administered. The review of the examinations is being conducted by an Independent Review Team who will then present a report for discussion with relevant stakeholders.
FRONT PAGE COMMENTS RECAP Poor People Snatching Phones... From page 13 join with foreigner exploiters to snatch our gold and timber and bauxite. PPP and PNC ‘leaders’ partner with the outsiders to snatch the biggest prize of all, our fabulous oil wealth. And after these leaders have conspired with foreigners to rob us, they snatched a sweet and rewarding piece of the oil action for themselves. What they snatch will
afford them to live like kings for generations to come.We could be the richest country in the world per person (capita), but here are our hungry brothers forced to snatch the little that we have from us, so that they can survive. What would the right-thinking citizens of any country do with leaders like these, who snatch away birthright and leave us starving and hopeless?
GIVE GUYANESE A CHANCE! SATURDAY
A fourth group has returned prime lands in Ogle to NICIL. We commend all four groups and the people behind them for doing the right thing, the honourable thing. We recognize and applaud them for what could be costly but shouldn’t be.The other groups that received similar parcels of those Ogle prime lands should take shame off their faces and return those lands without further delay. President Ali should, through NICIL, welcome the return of those pieces of prime real estate and then do something more.We call upon His Excellency to take those same returned lands and offer them to Guyanese, who are interested and have the financial wherewithal, to make the best use of those plots for the betterment of their families, fellow citizens, and this nation. We remind President Ali that charity begins at home, and that we Guyanese should have first chance to choose these kinds
of lands. Give us the opportunity to do right for ourselves by doing right by us, Mr. President.This is why we applaud the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Zulfikar Mustafa, for courteously and skilfully parrying the overture from the Chilean Ambassador looking for an outlet here for his country’s exports of fruits and other agricultural produce. We heard Minister Mustafa loudly and clearly: help us with expertise but allow us to develop our agricultural base and stand on our own feet.This is what we believe this government should be looking to do in every area of our endeavours, so that we can explore and exploit to our satisfaction the many rich gifts that have been given to us. This means our prime lands; it means all our mineral wealth. And, most of all, it means our oil. Give Guyanese a chance to prove themselves and prosper in their own space and their own terms.President Ali: are you listening? How do you, Sir, plan on responding?
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n 2012, BBC News re vealed by way of a Panorama documentary, how the Senegalese government signed away two offshore gas blocks that cost its people billions of US dollars. The sweetheart deals were struck with a company called PetroTim which was registered in the Cayman Islands on January 17, 2012. PetroTim, however, was then and still is an industry unknown. So unknown was the company that it did not exist at
Kaieteur News
the time the deals were struck with company owner, Frank Timis. Two years after creating the first shell company, the Romanian-Australian businessman – who has a well known history of fraud, corruption, and misleading investors, created another firm which he called Timis Corp. It was registered in the British Virgin Islands. Timis transferred the 90 percent stake he had in the two offshore concessions, Saint Louis and Cayar, to this
Expert on Oil Sector Corruption, Alexandra Gillies
Romanian-Australian businessman, Frank Timis
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President of Senegal, Macky Sall new company. Following this, Timis hired the brother of Senegal’s President Macky Sall, to run Timis Corp and paid him US$25,000 per month. The BBC also reported a secretive payment from Timis Corp to an offshore company owned by the president’s brother, though the company and the brother deny the payment ever existed. Less than two months after registering the new company and hiring the President’s brother to run the show, Timis Corp, sold 60 percent of the shares to American oil company Kosmos in 2014. That same year, Kosmos found major natural gas reserves. The United Kingdom (UK) oil giant British Petroleum (BP) subsequently joined the partnership which saw Timis getting more than US$200M. In 2017, BP bought out Timis Corporation and agreed to pay Timis billions of US dollars in royalties over 40 years. Following the release of the damning BBC documentary, many industry analysts
have sought to examine the red flags which were ignored and led to Senegal losing hundreds of millions of dollars in rights to the blocks which are estimated to contain as much as 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and a billion barrels of oil. One such international watchdog that has taken a closer look at this case is the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). According to its Expert Advisor on Oil Sector Corruption, Alexandra Gillies, the controversial sale of the Senegalese blocks holds critical lessons that all oil producing nations and civil society activists must pay keen attention to. Gillies noted that the Senegalese case sounds sev-
eral alarm bells, the first one being that PetroTim, was an unqualified company. She said that it had no exploration experience or track record in the industry and was only incorporated after the contract
Aliou Sall, the brother of Senegal’s President
was signed for the oil blocks. In light of this, Gillies said it is important to ask: Why did the Senegalese government choose PetroTim, an unqualified company to begin with? Why did it then let Timis Corporation, a shell company registered in a tax haven, acquire the rights? And, why did two major oil companies, Kosmos and BP, choose to partner with the Timis Corporation? Gillies said that these questions expose that the challenge is not one of in-
adequate due diligence by the Senegalese authorities, but ra ther, low standards which ultimately led to billions of dollars in gas wealth
being lost through corrupt means. She said, “Most of the red flags were observable well before the BBC’s investigation. Savvy and experienced com-
panies such as Kosmos and BP surely saw them, and the government of Senegal likely did too. The government award process failed to weed out PetroTim as a suboptimal candidate.” The expert added, “The later decisions by Kosmos and BP to move ahead with the deals suggest that they found their legal risks to be acceptably low, such as with respect to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act. So, it’s not that the parties’ due diligence systems failed to uncover the red flags; it’s more likely that they noted, assessed the risks and decided they were worth taking.”
Gillies noted that unless governments and companies adopt stronger standards, the natural resource wealth of developing countries will continue filling up the pockets of the “Timises of the world”, instead of transforming the lives of the true owners of the nation’s patrimony. (More details on this massive giveaway will be published in subsequent days…)
Sunday October 11, 2020
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 add a few more pages to our newspaper to recap, in their entirety, some of the major stories carried during the past week. SUNDAY DEMANDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT… EXXON MUST COMPENSATEANY NATIONAFFECTED BY PAYARA OIL SPILL Whether it is Guyana or one of its regional neighbours, ExxonMobil will have to ensure proper compensation for the damage or loss caused by any unmitigated oil spill from the Payara project which gets underway by 2024. This is one of the key provisions that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration was able to secure during recently concluded negotiations for Payara’s environmental permit. This clause was specifically outlined under section 13.0 of the permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The section which deals with Liability for Pollution Damage says at 13.7: “The Permit Holder shall compensate any party who suffers any loss or damage as a result of the attributed project, in accordance with Section 19 (3) (e) of the Environmental Protection Act Cap. 20: 50, Laws of Guyana.” The permit also goes on to state that ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), its servants and/or agents, shall be held liable jointly and/or severally for environmental damage due to pollution from its activities within Guyana, its territorial waters, contiguous zones, continental margins, continental shelf, and Exclusive Economic Zone, inclusive of damage to the marine environment, biodiversity, protected species and natural habitat. With respect to the relevant insurance coverage for any possible damage or loss, the permit notes that it has to be in such amount as is customary with international petroleum industry norms. The EPA also made it clear that it reserves the right to request documentary evidence that the insurer is authorized to provide such insurance in the jurisdiction as well as to see evidence of the insurer ’s financial
strength. The EPA will also demand to see legally binding documents that EEPGL’s parent company, being ExxonMobil, and its partners in the Stabroek block, being Hess Corporation and CNOOC/NEXEN, will undertake to provide adequate financial resources to ensure all environmental obligations by their subsidiaries will be met. Since last year, Kaieteur News would have advocated for national discussions as well as for the government to put safeguards for compensation in place especially when one considers the possible reach of an unmitigated oil spill from the Payara project. These calls were premised on revelations contained in EEPGL’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Payara. This document states that while EEPGL would be taking all precautions, there is a possibility for an oil spill to occur in a number of scenarios. One instance that was considered indicated that an unmitigated oil spill from the Payara field could affect many of Guyana’s neighbours including Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao; the southern Lesser Antilles; and the Greater Antilles. The EIA in particular notes that an unmitigated oil spill from a loss-of-wellcontrol during the DecemberMay season would take a west-northwesterly route through the Gulf of Paria and across the southern edge of the Caribbean Sea. Comparatively strong easterly winds in the December”May season would expose the northern coast of South America and the southern Lesser Antilles to the bulk of shoreline oiling risk. It was further noted that an equivalent spill during the June–November season would be exposed to lower wind speeds, allowing the surface oil to be transported to the north of Trinidad and Tobago and swept into the Caribbean Sea. The EIA states that the plume would track slightly more to the north, across the central Caribbean Sea and the central and southern portions of the Lesser Antilles, to the Greater Antilles. Significantly, the EIA notes that due to its location at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago is the only island that would have the potential to be affected by the transboundary effects of any unmitigated loss-of-wellcontrol event, regardless of season.
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It states that the probability of oiling at least a portion of the coast of Trinidad and Tobago and/or its coastal waters is approximately 90 to 100 percent for any of the unmitigated loss-of-wellcontrol event scenarios. With the exception of the Gulf of Venezuela, oil spill modelling indicates a five to 60 percent probability of surface oil reaching the Venezuelan coastal zone, depending on location and season. Further, it was outlined in the report that Venezuela has numerous marine turtle nesting beaches, mangroves, important bird areas, coral reefs, and shallow coastal lagoons that would be at risk of oiling. As for Trinidad, it was noted tha t t h e r e a r e numerous fishing areas which could be impacted by a large spill from a lossof-well-control event. Additionally, the EIA notes that the economies of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are dependent on tourism to varying degrees but especially so in Bonaire, which is known internationally as a destination for recreational diving. Considering this, the EIA states that an oil spill would have economic effects but the extent of this would depend to a large degree on the scale of the spill and how rapidly they would recover.
DEMANDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT…EXXON MUST INSTALL METER TO RECORD ALL TOXINS FROM FLARING Even as it begins major development works for the Payara project in the Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil will be required to have a metering system in place that will record the volume of all toxins released from instances of flaring. This requirement is clearly outlined in its Environmental Permit that was perused by Kaieteur News. The rigid provisions state that ExxonMobil would be required to calibrate and maintain a flare metering system in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and maintain a consolidated record of all flaring events, regardless of size and duration, including beginning times, end times, volume. The permit for the Payara project also notes that there should be detailed reports on the quantity of specific pollutants emitted from flaring including but not limited to carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide (CO), methane and ethane, benzene, hydrogen sulphides (H2S), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulphur oxides. Many of these toxins are well known as cancer-causing agents.
ExxonMobil is expected to upkeep this recording system for six years and have the records available on the Payara Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for inspection for a period of two years. Kaieteur News also understands that the permit holder, that is to say ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), will only be allowed to flare or burn gas during the start up or commissioning stage of its operations. That period, according to the permit, shall not exceed two months. Except where unplanned and required for safety the permit states that EEPGL would have to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency within 48 hours for approval for flaring. It was further noted that approval for flaring shall not be issued for a period exceeding two months. Should more time be needed, the EPA can only grant permission on a month by month basis after taking into account, a study of the circumstances and a detailed report for requiring same. The foregoing demands would draw from the lessons learnt from the Liza Phase One operations which have seen the flaring of over 11 billion cubic feet of gas as a result of the malfunctioning gas compressor system for the Liza Destiny vessel. This state of affairs started
since December 2019 and continues to date. Since assuming office, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had categorically stated that the People’s Progressive Party / Civic (PPP/C) Government would not allow flaring and has since made this known to ExxonMobil during its engagements. Kaieteur News would have reported since January to now, on the deadly effects of flaring as well as its contribution to climate change, while citing several international studies to support same. ALL OIL COSTS TO BE AUDITED; ONLYA MATTER OF TIME – VP Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said that all the costs being claimed by ExxonMobil and its Stabroek block partners will have to be audited, and that it’s only a matter of time before Government moves beyond the pre-contract audit. “There’s an audit ongoing,” he reminded on Friday, during a press conference, “but that covers only the period up to 2017.” The audit of Exxon’s precontract costs is being undertaken by UK firm, IHS Markit. In this case, the precontract costs range from 1999 to 2015, as well as additional costs from January (Continued on page 26)
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From page 25 to October 2016. The 1999 to 2015 costs are US$460M, and the rest is estimated by International Lawyer Melinda Janki to be about $500M. Pre-contract cost includes contract costs, exploration costs, operating costs, service costs, and general and administrative costs and annual overhead charge as those terms are defined in the 1999 Petroleum agreement. ExxonMobil intends to recover all of it from the sale of Guyana’s oil. Jagdeo said that the audit is essential, as it is one of the things that can affect Guyana’s share of the revenue. “Assuming we find some costs that are not acceptable to us, we’d have to bring them to ExxonMobil, that could change the cost oil and therefore, the share of profit oil.” Jagdeo said. He said it will be important to go through, not just these but all costs claimed by ExxonMobil. In this regard, ExxonMobil intends to charge Guyana billions of dollars for its developments in the block, from development costs to operating and decommissioning costs. For Liza Phases One & Two, and Payara, the development cost estimates alone exceed US$18B. The Vice President said that these audits will be done by international experts who have experience and knowhow, especially when it comes to oil industry costs. He said he is very concerned at the pace at which the costs are being audited, since the former government allowed almost five years to pass before it commissioned an audit for the pre-contract costs. “We wanna move on that quickly because that could hopefully bring in some more resources…” he told Kaieteur News. “It’s just a matter of time.” MONDAY NIGERIA’S FAILURE TO REVIEW LOPSIDED DEALS LEAD TO LOSS OF US$28.6 BILLION Although it may be Africa’s largest oil producing nation, Nigeria is losing billions of dollars due to lopsided deals with companies such as ExxonMobil, Total, and Petrobras. In fact, a recent study on this state of affairs shows that in the last decade, Nigeria lost approximately US$28.61 billion due to its failure to review the poor Production Sharing Contract (PSC) terms that govern
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Kaieteur News
seven deepwater fields in the country. This projection was made in a policy brief released by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) titled “1993 PSCs: The Steep Cost of Inaction.” The seven deepwater fields considered in the report are Abo (OML 125), AgbamiEkoli (OML 127 & OML 128), Akpo & Egina (OML 130), Bonga (OML 118), Erha (OML 133), Okwori & Nda (OML 126), and Usan (OML 138). The field operators include, but are not limited to Eni, Total, Shell, Chevron, Famfa Oil, Exxon Mobil, Petrobras, South Atlantic Petroleum and Addax petroleum. Based on the empirical evidence provided in its policy brief, NEITI said that the billions of dollars in lost revenue could have been used to fund long-standing capital projects to deal with the nation’s infrastructure deficit. More significantly, the transparency body stressed that the money lost could have supported 99 percent of the federal government budget for 2019. The US$28.6B loss is also 19 times Guyana’s 2020 budget. As a result of the loss recorded, the government was forced to resort to borrowing in its struggle to fund the capital projects outlined in its 2019 budget. Taking the foregoing into consideration, NEITI charged the federal government to use relevant agencies to “immediately” review the PSC terms with oil companies. The NEITI brief noted that the oil companies “have expressed willingness to negotiate better terms.” Jagdeo commits to releasing oil permits APNU+AFC kept hidden Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said that the government would release the oil permits the former David Granger administration granted to ExxonMobil but did not release. These are the permits for the first two field developments, Liza Phases One and Two, as well as the corresponding environmental permits. Jagdeo made this commitment during a press conference, and urged the media to critically analyse the differences between the Payara permit and the Liza permits. When informed that the media did not receive these documents, the Vice President said that he will ensure they do. He is of the view that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C) has significantly improved upon the mistakes of the
Granger administration. “So look at the petroleum licence for Liza that Trotman signed, and do a comparison with the petroleum licence for Payara that we signed.” He said. “And therein, you will see the massive improvements and how we have moved to protect our patrimony.” He said that these improvements are there to ensure that the third development, Payara would be executed in a more environmentally safe manner, among other critical considerations. “Not necessarily from the fiscal perspective,” Jagdeo stated, “because that is subject of another agreement, but definitely in terms of making sure that we can adequately manage this area through information flow, to see that we’re getting our fair share of the deal… in terms of production; secondly, to see that the development offshore is done in an orderly fashion; thirdly, that we do it in an environmentally safe manner; fourthly that liabilities are not accrued to the state.” The Liza Phases One and Two projects were approved by the Granger administration. Not only did the former Government keep the permits hidden, it also refused to conduct sufficient due diligence checks to ascertain the integrity of Exxon’s developments. This is evidenced by the fact that the Granger administration approved the Liza Phase One permit on the same day that it received the 1,500-page environmental impact assessment from ExxonMobil. The Payara permit was approved by the Ali
administration at the end of September, after contentious review processes, which spanned two governments. Kaieteur News is currently reviewing this permit. GRUESOME MURDER OF BERBICE TEENS… WEST COAST BERBICE VILLAGERS PROTESTAGAIN Tensions are rising again over the murder of cousins, Joel, 19, and Isaiah Henry, 16, after villagers Sunday burned tyres and blocked roads with debris at Number Five and Number Three villages, West Coast Berbice (WCB), demanding justice. The teenagers’ bodies were discovered, on September 6, butchered and dumped in clumps of bushes next to a coconut estate at Cotton Tree Backdam. Their deaths had gained nationwide attention and had sparked intense protest actions marred with violence. These protests had lasted for days and had affected businesses and left numerous commuters stranded-some for hours and others for days. Almost one month after the teens’ deaths, protest scenes surfaced again in West Coast Berbice. This time, according to police, the protestors voiced concerns over the seeming delay in the ongoing investigations. In live videos seen by this newspaper, burning tyres were seen across the bridge with a small passageway for vehicles to pass. A protester was seen attacking a motorcyclist as he passed by. He kicked at the man’s motorcycle as it was passing the blockage. Within minutes, the bridge was completely blocked off with other debris
such as old gas stoves and other scraps of metal. In its press statement, the Guyana Police Force stated that a police patrol vehicle arrived shortly after to calm things down but had to request backup in order to contain the situation. With the arrival of additional ranks, they started to clear the bridge and were successful in having all debris removed at around 13:15hrs. Despite their success, ranks were immediately forced to respond to a similar situation at Number Three Village. Based on the videos that were posted on Facebook, angry protestors were seen in verbal confrontation with police ranks. As the ranks attempted to clear the road for commuters to pass, some were seen kicking and replacing the burning debris across the road. Others threatened to block the road with logs as they told police that they are taking too long with the investigations into Joel and Henry’s murder. TUESDAY GUYANA HAS POWER TO DEMAND THAT FIELD DEVELOPMENT PLANS ENSURE EVOLUTION OF LOCAL CONTENT CAPACITIES – EXPERT If Guyana wants to ensure there is early consideration of local content, then it would be wise to request that oil companies embed opportunities for maximum use of indigenous goods and services as well as the training and hiring of Guyanese in their field development plans (FDPs). Making this assertion recently was Dr. Valérie
Marcel, an Associate Fellow of Chatham House for its Energy, Environment and Resources Programme. Dr. Marcel made the foregoing comment in relation to questions premised on a Chatham House policy paper titled, “A Local Content Decision Tree for Emerging Producers.” That document notes that integrating local content objectives into procurement and engineering strategies for a company’s field development plans can significantly increase the impact of efforts to benefit the local economy. During discussions on this recommendation, Dr. Marcel acknowledged that indeed, it is a critical area that could be used to maximize local content capacities. During her most recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s show, Guyana’s Oil and You, Dr. Marcel said, “It’s interesting that you look at that because the moment where the government is about to sign off on field development plans is not always noticed as the really critical decision gate in the project, and it is the moment where the government has a lot of power.” The Chatham House Associate Fellow added, “Once the FDP is signed, the balance of power kind of swings back to the companies. So it is a really good moment for the government to emphasize on what it needs to create long term value in the country; to maximize the value of the asset in terms of the geology and reservoir management.” The industry expert said too that it is also the moment where the government gets (Continued on page 27)
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From page 26 to decide connecting different projects so that costs can be reduced. But on the local content front, Dr. Marcel who has advised governments in subSaharan Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, South America and the Caribbean on petroleum sector policy and governance, articulated that the approval process for FDPs, does provide golden opportunities for the authorities of the day to make long term plans on exploiting a resource over many years while making a commitment to ensure the evolution of the local capacities in the process. AGM REPLACES LOCAL CONTRACTOR WITH CHINESE COMPANY When foreign company Zijin Mining Group secured ownership of Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) in August, it had laid off a significant number of local business, and by extension, hundreds of Guyanese workers. With their dismissal locals lost out on several contracts — to transport fuel and explosives, food, hydrated lime; trucking and the stripping of the soil, haulage of water, and stripping in the open pit. This was not encouraging for local businesses and many had aired their displeasure with the decision to dismiss. However, the displeasure did not stop there, as when the mining group had the opportunity to rehire some local businesses they instead chose to obtain the services of a foreign Chinese company. In fact, Japarts, a local heavy-duty machinery and equipment supplier had been ditched by the new AGM owners for Sinohydro—a Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and
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was unarmed, was shot by Bascom as he escaped from detention at the Bourda Market Outpost. The Tiger Bay resident, who was described as mentally ill, was shot in his mother’s presence as he ran out of the Outpost where he was being detained on allegations of simple larceny, assault, and for assaulting a peace officer. WEDNESDAY
construction company. Despite welcoming the new changes, a senior representative of Japarts told Kaieteur News Monday that no reasons were provided by AGM for the local contractor’s dismissal. “If it was an issue of new training for our workers then we were open to bringing in a specialist to conduct that. If there was an issue with our equipment and capacity to handle the operations then we would have asked for time to retool so that we could get the right equipment to go underground. Instead, AGM decided to bring in this foreign company,” the representative related to this publication. The contractor’s dismissal has brought to the fore the importance of a Local Content Strategy between Guyana and foreign investors, the representative added. He indicated that with such a policy, companies could tender for projects in a competitive bidding process which is in line with the law. CITY COP COMMITTED TO STAND TRIAL FOR KILLINGMENTALLY ILL MAN IN 2018 A City Constabulary
Lance Corporal, who allegedly shot and killed a mentally ill prisoner in 2018, was Monday committed to stand trial in the High Court for murder. The accused, Gregory Bascom, 52, of Lot 340 West Ruimveldt, Housing Scheme, Georgetown, Monday made his appearance before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. When the matter was called the Magistrate ruled that based on the evidence presented to the court, a sufficient case was made out against the accused for him to stand trial at the next practical sitting of the Demerara Assizes. Bascom was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on January 14, 2018, at Regent Road Bourda, Georgetown, he unlawfully killed Marlon Fredericks. On his first court appearance, Bascom was granted $800,000 bail with conditions — that he lodge his passport at the Court registry and report every Friday to the Alberttown Police Station. According to reports, Marlon Fredericks, 34, who
AS THE WORLD FIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE, EXXON PLANS FOR MASSIVE INCREASE IN POLLUTION – BLOOMBERG EXPOSÉ An expose by the New York based publication, Bloomberg, shows that ExxonMobil is playing out a US$210 billion seven-year investment strategy it knows will cause a steep surge in carbon dioxide emissions. The publication’s analysis of leaked internal documents from the oil major shows it knows its emissions levels will rise 17 percent by 2025. Bloomberg says this is “setting one of the largest corporate emitters against international efforts to slow the pace of warming.” The report states, “A chart in the documents lists Exxon’s direct emissions for 2017—122 million metric tons of CO‚ equivalent—as well as a projected figure for 2025 of 143 million tons. The additional 21 million tons is a net result of Exxon’s estimate for ramping up production, selling assets and undertaking efforts to reduce pollution by deploying renewable energy and burying carbon dioxide.” This increase is pegged as more emissions than the entire nation of Greece. Due to the company’s
method of considering only greenhouse emissions from its direct operations, Bloomberg said that the company’s internal estimates only account for five times less than the company’s full impact on the global climate. Most other emissions, it said, would come from other end uses like customers burning fuel in vehicles. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically reduced oil production, thereby emissions the world over, Bloomberg pointed to public statements by Exxon that it is merely delaying its projects, instead of cancelling them. ExxonMobil tends to make a show of the measures it is taking to reduce carbon emissions, but the expose shows that the increase in emissions planned by the energy company far outweighs its reductions. Without factoring in Exxon’s emissions lowering measures, Bloomberg said that Exxon’s increase in emissions would actually be 25 percent at 154 million tons of CO‚ equivalent. Journalists, Kevin Crowley and Akshat Rathi noted that Exxon’s European counterparts are quickly moving to reduce the negative impacts of their operations on the environment, with many quickly moving to renewables. Exxon, however, has not publicly committed to reducing its emissions or become carbon neutral by some date; nor has it disclosed its forecasts for its own emissions. Even some of its own employees are reportedly beginning to question its commitment to reductions. In a response, Exxon called the Bloomberg story inaccurate and said that the reported projections are
“preliminary” and do not consider “mitigation and abatement measures that would have been evaluated in the planning process.” However, Bloomberg noted that Exxon declined to provide any details on the new projections. HESS SELLS OUT LUCRATIVE GULF OF MEXICO OILFIELD FOR GUYANA Hess Corporation has announced that it has entered an agreement to sell out its stake in a producing Gulf of Mexico oilfield to raise capital for its Guyana investment opportunities. The move is just one of many signals of the enviable position of Exxon, Hess and CNOOC offshore Guyana. Together, the joint venture partners enjoy the world class Stabroek Block, with crude at extremely low breakeven prices, and a lopsided contract in their favour. “Proceeds will be used to fund our world class investment opportunity in Guyana,” Chief Executive Officer of Hess, John Hess said. “This sale is aligned with our strategy to preserve cash and preserve the long term value of our assets in the current low oil price environment.” The sale, once completed before year end, would have an effective date of July 1, 2020 and will grant Hess US$505M. Hess is selling its 28 percent stake in the lucrative oilfield to the Australian operator, BHP Billiton. The operator already has a 44 percent stake in the block, alongside Repsol with 28 percent. The Shenzi oilfield is one of the most successful fields in the Western Atwater fold belt area of the Gulf of Mexico, (Continued on page 28)
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From page 27 under the jurisdiction of the United States. Spread across four blocks, the operation has a namesake capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil per day. It has been producing an average of 11,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day for the first eight months of 2020. While the Shenzi oilfield is lucrative, Hess has placed Guyana at the top of its portfolio. The company has stakes in two blocks in Guyana, Kaieteur (15 percent) and Stabroek (30 percent). The Stabroek Block has thus far grown in success, with 18 discoveries by ExxonMobil proving the area to have over eight billion oilequivalent barrels. Guyana has approved three developments in the block: Liza Phases One & Two, and Payara. Liza One came on stream in December 2019, ahead of schedule. The Liza Destiny Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel operating there has the capacity to produce as many as 120,000 barrels of oil per day, but production has been curtailed due to flaring. Exxon claims the reason for the flaring is a defective gas compressor. First Oil for Liza Two and Payara are scheduled for 2022 and 2024 r e s p e c t i v e l y. T h e t h r e e developments will take Guyana to peak production capacity of 560,000 barrels per day. Following government approval of Payara late last month, Hess announced that it made a final investment decision to plug US$1.8B into the development. As for the Kaieteur Block, exploration started recently in the Tanager-1 well, which is estimated to hold 256.2 million barrels. The entire Kaieteur Block is estimated to have 2.1 billion oil-equivalent barrels. GECOM DEPUTY CEO ROXANNE MYERSARRESTED FOR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE The Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers, was Tuesday arrested after she turned herself in at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, in the company of her attorneys. This happened less than 24 hours after it was made public that Myers was wanted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for questioning in relation to the investigation into the alleged fraud of the
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March 2 General and Regional Elections. Kaieteur News Tuesday contacted attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes who is one of the lawyers representing Myers. Hughes said that his client was arrested for obstructing the course of justice. During a phone call, Hughes told this newspaper that early Tuesday morning his client was informed via the press that she was wanted by the GPF. As a result, Myers contacted her attorneys and they agreed to visit the CID headquarters at 11:30hrs. “When we arrived, we had to wait a bit and then she was arrested… she exercised her right to remain silent when the allegation was put to her and she was then taken into a room where a video recording interview was being conducted with her,” Hughes added. The lawyer said that his client was then placed in a vehicle and taken to the Beterverwagting Police Station, East Coast Demerara, where she was put in a cell. Hughes then stated that he contacted the police and asked if his client will be placed on bail but he was told that the police are awaiting instructions. “I then asked for my client to be put before the court tomorrow [today] if bail is not granted tonight [last night] given the nature of the offence,” Hughes said. However, the police refused to grant Myers bail and she remains in custody assisting with the investigation. The Guyana Police Force announced in August 2020, that they will be conducting a c o m p r e h e n s i v e investigation into criminal conduct of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Returning Officer of Region Four Clairmont Mingo, and others in relation to the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections and the events that followed. Lowenfield and Mingo are currently before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts facing separate electoral fraud charges. Lowenfield is facing three charges alleging fraud, misconduct in office and breach of public’s trust, and Mingo was slapped with four charges alleging that he misconducted himself in public office. Mingo is also before another court facing a joint electoral fraud charge, with former Health Minister and PNC/R Chairperson, Ms. Volda Lawrence, for
conspiracy to commit fraud. Lowenfield is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Friday, October 9, 2020, and Mingo’s next court dates are November 16, 2020, and December 15, 2020. DIGICEL, E-NETWORKS WELCOME LIBERALIZATION OF TELECOMS SECTOR Digicel and locally-owned operator, E-Networks, have expressed their delight with and welcomed the government’s move to liberalize the Telecommunications Sector, thereby ending the 30 year monopoly by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT). In statements to the press Tuesday, both operators highlighted that with the completion of the protracted process, it now paves the way for the delivery of advanced ICT and communication services—two features that GTT heavily lacked in. E-Networks, which currently operates Guyana’s fastest internet network and recently introduced 5G services, wrote that, “As a 100% Guyanese owned and managed company, we welcome this liberalization as a further catalyst to introduce new services on our current platforms, including voice, which has been stunted due to the monopoly.” The company went on to say, “This move will undoubtedly enable our country to unlock the transformational power of the digital economy as we embark on our new journey as an oil
producing nation.” Digicel, an Irish-owned company, shared similar sentiments, and expressed that it is getting ready to bring a new era of connectivity and opportunity to the people of Guyana. Gregory Dean, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digicel Guyana, articulated, “To say that this day has been a long time coming is an understatement. For 16 long years, we have asked, requested, pushed, lobbied and pressured. Today, finally, that day is here. At Digicel, we firmly believe that access to broadband is a basic human right. Now, the people of Guyana can look forward to a brighter future with affordable access to worldclass connectivity solutions that can catapult them to the forefront of the knowledge and digital economy.” Meanwhile, with the death of its monopoly, GTT says that it wants to renew its commitment to technology advancement for its customers. GTT’s CEO Justin Nedd Tuesday commented that, “We expect that with our planned service enhancements, our customers will not be able to discern a difference in service whether they are in New York or Guyana.” Tuesday, Prime Minister (PM) Mark Phillips handed over operational licences and accompanying documents to Digicel, E-Networks and GTT. Agents of the Public Utilities Commission and the Telecommunications Agency also received copies of the documents. Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Dela Britton, speaking at the event, added that her
commission is ready to help take the sector to the next level. “I would like to assure all the service providers present,” Britton said, “that we at Public Utilities are open for business and we are willing and ready to engage you, and we are going to adhere to the adage of regulation must not impede innovation because in truth and in fact, this is perhaps the first steps towards innovatory things that will be going on in Guyana.” Notably, the Telecommunications Bill was first introduced in the National Assembly during the ninth Parliament by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government in 2011, and it was then reintroduced during the tenth Parliament in 2012 after extensive consultations with both public and private operators. According to the Prime Minister, it is inexplicable as to why the former administration denied Guyanese the full benefits of liberalization by only enforcing small sections of the Act in 2018 and 2019 respectively, although the Bill was enacted since 2016 with bipartisan support. THURSDAY HAVEAPUBLIC VOTE ON EXXON DEAL – NICHOLAS DEYGOO-BOYER – ‘GOVT. CANNOT RUN FROM THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE’ Government should put the Stabroek Block agreement
to referendum, and let the people decide what should be done with the contract, suggests Nicholas DeygooBoyer. The businessman, who currently serves as Chair of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), appeared on last Tuesday’s edition of Kaieteur Radio’s Petroleum 101.Invited to comment on the deal, the National Hardware owner said that it would benefit Guyana to do a comparative analysis of Guyana’s Stabroek Block deal and other contracts across the region, such as from its neighbour to the East, Suriname. Sharing the Guyana-Suriname basin, the Dutch-speaking country has managed to secure a deal with the developers of its very lucrative Block 58 that would allow the State to take home 36 percent of the revenue from the sale of the crude. Guyana, on the other hand, is taking home 14.5 percent of the revenue from the sale of the Liza crude currently being produced in the Stabroek Block. The rest is going to ExxonMobil, the operator, and its partners, Hess and CNOOC.To many in Guyana, the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed by former Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, is lopsided and should be renegotiated. To ExxonMobil and its joint venture partners, paying a mere two percent royalty and benefitting from a permanent tax holiday, among other enviable terms, the deal is a steal. The companies have boasted (Continued on page 29)
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From page 28 about Guyana being a priority in their portfolios. While Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has criticised the deal, he has refused to renegotiate it, only offering that the Irfaan Ali administration will seek to renegotiate every other deal. He even recently acknowledged that the deal is bad, but rebuked propositions to have it renegotiated. There were advocates for the approval of the Payara development permit to be used as a bargaining chip, so Exxon and its partners would come to the negotiating table. Jagdeo said that proponents of that were engaged in wishful thinking. Deygoo-Boyer said that that the government of Guyana is a representative of the voice of the people, and that if the people say they want the contract renegotiated, the government will have to act in accordance. “If you talk to the average man on the street,” he said, “they’ll say let’s renegotiate the contract.” “What you want to [say] to the international investors,” Deygoo-Boyer explained, “is that if the population of Guyana wants the government to do something, they have to act. They cannot run from the fact that, that is what the people of Guyana want them to do.” In February, DeygooBoyer had expressed his disapproval with the contract, on Petroleum 101. He had said that the government negotiators let Guyana down. The businessman has stressed the importance of hiring expert negotiators who are able to represent Guyana’s interests well. A report released earlier this year revealed that there wasn’t much negotiating done, to speak of. Global Witness said that Trotman negotiated the deal in 2015 in an unusually short period,
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ignored expert advice and left US$55B on the table, while in Texas on a luxurious Exxonpaid trip. Kaieteur News has been on the forefront exposing over the years various provisions in the Stabroek Block deal which render it sub-standard and outdated. The agreement governs the likely development of more than eight billion proven oilequivalent barrels, said to be Guyana’s ticket to prosperity. Referenda have been used to decide matters of national interest. In 2016, the United Kingdom allowed the public to vote on whether the country should leave the European Union. A slim 52-48 vote in favour of leaving, set a series of processes in motion for Britain to eventually leave the EU. Other high profile referenda include the 2015 Irish vote to allow same sex marriage, and the recent Swiss vote to set the minimum wage at the equivalent of US$25/hr, believed to be the highest in the world. ROBERT PERSAUD THREATENS JAN MANGAL WITH US$2M LIBEL SUIT Former Minister of Natural Resources, now Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, has threatened to sue former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal, over various statements he made about the signing away of the Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks in the weeks leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections. In a 38-page document prepared by Attorney-at-Law Devindra Kissoon, Persaud reveals that he will sue for US$2M plus lawyer fees if Dr. Mangal does not immediately retract and apologise for 36 listed articles in various newspapers, public videos, and social media posts which altogether give the public the
impression that Persaud intentionally signed away the Kaieteur and Canje blocks in a fraudulent and corrupt manner. Dr. Mangal has been on the forefront of speaking out against the lack of transparency surrounding the awards. It was his words on the matter which alerted the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) to start an investigation into the matter, in 2018. “[Mangal’s] statements,” Persaud’s lawyer said, “have impacted Mr. Persaud personally and professionally by damaging his credibility, causing much distress and damage.” He added that Dr. Mangal’s statements impugn his client’s integrity and constitute actionable libel per se. Seeking to clear Persaud’s name of wrongdoing, the document states that it was not he who awarded the blocks in 2015, but former President and Minister of Petroleum, Donald Ramotar. Kissoon also noted that Global Witness, the nongovernmental organization that looked into the matter, reported it found no wrongdoing on Persaud’s part. This would make the second lawsuit to be filed in relation to the signing away of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks, next to that which was filed by Ramotar against Kaieteur News. The circumstances under which the blocks were awarded has gotten international attention, including when Global Witness reported on this matter and pointed to Persaud as a person of interest. While the NGO said it found no wrongdoing on Persaud’s part, it suggested that investigators look in his direction if they wanted answers. The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s Donald Ramotar administration had awarded the blocks just before the elections, as well as before ExxonMobil’s announcement of its first oil discovery in the Stabroek Block. It has been over a year since former government officials, including Ramotar and Persaud, were questioned by Kaieteur News about their involvement in the signing away of the oil blocks to companies who appeared not to have sufficient track records or wherewithal to conduct deepwater drilling activity in those blocks. The Kaieteur Block was awarded to Ratio Energy and Ratio Guyana on April 28, 2015. Those companies did no work on the blocks, but have instead sold stakes to
other companies. Presently, the Block is owned by four companies: ExxonMobil (Operator – 35 percent), Hess (15 percent), Ratio Guyana (25 percent) and Cataleya (25 percent). The Canje Block was awarded to Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas on March 4, 2015. JHI Associates farmed in shortly after. Those companies did no work on the Block. JHI only claimed that it purchased data on the Canje Block after it farmed in. Presently, the block is owned by four companies: ExxonMobil (Operator – 35 percent), Total (35 percent), Mid-Atlantic (12.5 percent) and JHI Associates (17.5 percent). Kaieteur News has demonstrated how the circumstances of the awards raise several major corruption red flags to look out for in awards in the global extractives industry, according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). Kaieteur News reached out to Dr. Mangal Wednesday, who opted not to comment at the time. PRIVATE SECTOR WILLBEADEQUATELY CONSULTED FOR LOCAL CONTENT LEGISLATION – PSC CHAIR Chair of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, assures that the private sector will be consulted adequately for the upcoming legislation for local content. Appearing on Kaieteur Radio’s Petroleum 101 on Tuesday, Deygoo-Boyer said that he has been in contact with the Governmentappointed Chair of the local content advisory panel, Shyam Nokta. Deygoo-Boyer was responding to concerns that the private sector did not have enough representation on the panel. With six members on the panel, Nokta is the only private business service leader. He heads the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).
Senior Vice President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Timothy Tucker, had said in September that there needed to be representatives from more business service organizations on the panel. Deygoo-Boyer said that he has confidence in the panel to deliver, and that it doesn’t matter whether he sits on the panel, once its output considered the voices of leaders in the sector. He said too that he has a relationship with Nokta, with whom he will liaise to make sure the various business service organizations are heard. Deygoo-Boyer is President of the GCCI. As Chair of the PSC, he is well connected with other business service organizations. “I’m expected,” DeygooBoyer said, “to marshal the troops of all the business service organizations who I sit down cross table with to get their feedback. So, that consultation process is going to happen.” “I’m not going to go soft on the panel,” he said. The National Hardware owner said that while he is not particularly concerned about the panel’s ability to deliver, he will not shirk the responsibility of representing the interest of Guyanese businesses, so the panel understands that they must capture as much value as they can. The recommendations of the private sector were largely ignored in the current local content policy, according to President of Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), Maniram Prashad. The government has committed to reviewing and building the capacity of Guyana’s regulatory framework, including updating and introducing legislation. Another of the City Chamber’s former Presidents, Deodat Indar, had advocated for local content legislation, and the Chamber had even demonstrated that it could easily be done by releasing its own draft local content legislation. Deodat is
now Minister of Public Works. FRIDAY APNU+AFC MAY HAVE OBSTRUCTED SARA’S PROBE INTO CANJE, KAIETEUR AWARDS – GLOBAL WITNESS REPORT The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government may have deliberately stonewalled the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) in its probe of the awards of the Kaieteur and Canje Oil Blocks in the weeks leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections. In a February 2020 report titled Signed Away, Global Witness stated, “According to a source close to the government, one reason why SARA has not been effective is because some officials may have stonewalled investigators’ record requests.” The investigation started in May of 2018. Two years later, SARA has nothing to show for it. While in office, APNU+AFC was in the best position to assist the State investigator to complete the investigation with haste. Yet, even now, its leading officials claim not to know who the true beneficiaries are of the suspicious giveaways. During an October 2 virtual conference, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon claimed that he did not know who the real owners of the Canje and Kaieteur Blocks are. He had said that he has some information on the matter, but that he did not want to put out information into the public, which was unverified, as he said this is information, which he received from someone overseas who reached out to him. The Coalition had no need to rely on outside sources to close this case, as the two oil blocks changed hands several times under its tenure. As the People’s Progressive (Continued on page 30)
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From page 29 Party Civic (PPP/C) should have done when it awarded the blocks, every time the blocks changed hands, the Coalition was in a position to determine who the beneficiaries are. The government has to know the hands, which the stakes are leaving, and the hands to which they will go. Harmon only offered that he would endeavour to find out the information and to relay questions about the matter to the Coalition’s Members of Parliament who carry the portfolio of oil & gas. The Kaieteur Block was initially split 50/50 by Ratio Energy and Ratio Guyana (owned by the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum) on April 28, 2015. As of today, the Kaieteur Block is split among four companies: ExxonMobil (35 percent), Ratio Guyana (25 percent), Cataleya (25 percent) and Hess (15 percent). The Canje Block was awarded to Mid Atlantic on March 4, 2015. Currently, four companies have stakes in the Canje Block: ExxonMobil (35 percent), Total (35 percent), JHI Associates (17.5 percent) and Mid-Atlantic (12.5 percent). The Coalition has had its own controversy to deal with, given that its Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman also raised suspicion for signing a lopsided contract with ExxonMobil while on a luxurious trip, which the company paid for, to its Texas headquarters. Both major parties’ stewardship of the petroleum sector has been marked by global standard corruption red flags. LOCAL CONTENT POLICY MUST BE HINGED ON REALISTIC ASSESSMENT OF COMPANY’S NEEDS VS. WHAT NATION CAN SUPPLY – EXPERT As Guyana continues its efforts to develop a robust Local Content Policy, Chatham House Associate Fellow, Dr. Valerie Marcel has cautioned that the document would not be effective if it is not hinged on a realistic assessment of what the oil companies and its subcontractors need versus what the nation can supply. During her most recent appearance on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, ‘Guyana’s Oil and You’, Dr. Marcel said that this step is one that countries do not do diligently. The industry expert offered that, “There are challenges in doing it because to get a good visibility of what
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the company will require, the company first has to share that information with the government. Many times the companies don’t; they don’t share a gradual view of precisely how many welders that they will need by year.” Dr. Marcel added, “So, it’s difficult for the government to prepare, to tell universities that we will have 300 welders in this year of the project so get them ready with this kind of qualification.” Even though there may be difficulty in bridging the gap, Dr. Marcel strongly advised that there has to be very good communication between the company, the vocational centres and the universities while adding that there needs to be a platform of some kind for that to happen. She has also noted that the assessment for skills in country as well as for the supply chain should not be a one-off activity before the policy is drafted, but, rather, a continuous one. “I emphasize this,” Dr. Marcel said, “because the situation will be evolving. I think it is an ongoing commitment to having a good picture of what’s available in Guyana, so the government can turn to the companies and say, ‘I think you can do more.’ Or, ‘I understand that this target would have been too ambitious and we’re not quite there yet.’ How can we get there? How can we bridge that gap?” The Chatham House fellow said that there needs to be a commitment to an ongoing analysis of supply and demand while finding a way for the company to give key information on its needs. “They may not want to give a very detailed view of what they’ll need if they haven’t yet made the final investment decision; and further, contacted the service companies to find out who can do what. So, they may not want to commit too much information on that. But I think that the more they give, the better it is for the governments,” she concluded.
SATURDAY EXXONMOBIL MADE TO ADHERE TO INT’L BEST PRACTICES ON DECOMMISSIONING FOR STABROEK BLOCK When the life of an oil project nears its end, the operator engages in a process called decommissioning. This calls for the plugging of wells along with the removal of equipment and other special materials that would have been attached to the sea floor for the extraction of the oil. The cost of this activity can run into billions of dollars for the operator and in the absence of any proper safety standards to guide the process; the environment could be left with significant damage. To ensure that Guyana is not left in this predicament from a financial and environmental perspective, the People’s Progressive Party / Civic (PPP/C) demanded that ExxonMobil adhere to international best practices regarding decommissioning for the Stabroek Block. This was clearly outlined in the provisions of the Production Licence that was approved for ExxonMobil’s third offshore project called Payara. According to the terms of the production licence, the Minister and his representatives along with ExxonMobil are expected to meet and discuss the principles that would be addressed in the Stabroek Block Decommissioning Security Agreement. That discussion is expected to take place 30 days after the licence has been awarded, that is to say, from September 24, 2020. Thirty days following the discussion between the parties, ExxonMobil is required to submit to the Minister, a draft Stabroek Block Decommissioning Security Agreement. That draft is expected to contain information on the timely posting of security for the anticipated costs for the safe removal of the infrastructure
in place in the Stabroek Block. The costs are expected to be laid out following the United Kingdom Industry Model Form Decommissioning Security Agreement or be consistent with international best practice standards. One month after receiving and reviewing this document, the Minister is expected to provide ExxonMobil with the relevant feedback and host discussions on same. The licence goes on to state that no later than March 31, 2022, ExxonMobil is expected to present the Minister with the final agreement which would be signed at least 21 days after it is reviewed by the Minister. CHURCH OF ENGLAND DUMPS EXXON’S STOCKS OVER POOR CLIMATE RECORD The Church of England, one of ExxonMobil’s investors, has dumped all its stocks in the company over its poor record on climate change. A spokesperson is quoted as saying the proceeds were moved to an initiative which aligns with the objectives of the Paris Climate pact. The Church manages US$3.6B in funds. Bloomberg said that the Church of England indicated it frequently reviews the holdings of its multiple investing bodies in line with ethical principles. This news agency yet again underscores the urgent need for Guyana to develop a strong regulatory framework to keep ExxonMobil in check, as it operates three oil blocks here. Guyana’s recent and ongoing issue with ExxonMobil’s flaring indicate that the company is willing to let its operations be as lax as the regulator would let it, given that Exxon has opted to exploit a loophole in its permit so it could continue to flare. What has happened recently with the Church of England is not the first occurrence of its kind when it comes to Exxon and its climate record. Last year, one of Exxon’s top European shareholders, Legal
and General Investment Management Limited (LGIM) came out shaming the oil company for how it addresses climate change. Then, it voted to dump shares its Future World Funds has in Exxon. It had noted that the initiative is there for clients who maintain a commitment to environmental, social and governance themes, and Exxon had failed on that account. The company had released a report, which found that Exxon is a ‘laggard’ as it has failed to meet climate reporting obligations. The asset manager stated that ExxonMobil has not met some of its key minimum requirements, including on emissions reporting and targets. This is very similar to the reasoning given by the Church of England for its divestment. ExxonMobil’s poor response to the risks of climate change was one of the top issues raised at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders in May. Some among the Church of England had tried to get shareholders to pass a motion requiring Exxon to give details on its lobbying disclosures, among other action to respond to what appears to be a lack of ambition on climate change. In this regard, the bold Executive Director of Corporate Governance for the New York State Common Retirement Fund, Liz Gordon had said “Exxon is a laggard in addressing climate risks. Our company has no enterprise-wide targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction from its own operations, does not even disclose the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of its products, much less articulate any ambition to reduce those emissions and (it) invests to grow its hydrocarbons production at a rate that is clearly inconsistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.” An article done by Bloomberg recently could give insight as to why. It stated that ExxonMobil is playing out an investment strategy that it knows will result in a massive increase in emission by 2025. ExxonMobil called the article inaccurate but did not release the numbers it said considered its “mitigation and abatement measures that would have been evaluated in the planning process.” The publication said that this is “setting one of the largest corporate emitters against international efforts to slow the pace of warming.” HARMON CONTINUES TO CLAIM IGNORANCE ON AWARD OF KAIETEUR, CANJE BLOCKS Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, continues to claim ignorance when
Kaieteur News questioned him about the giveaway of two lucrative oil blocks in the weeks leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections. Despite it being that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) signed away the blocks, the coalition which Harmon leads is just as complicit. It had approved several transfers of interests for the blocks in its governing term, but is likely to have stonewalled efforts by the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) to get information vital to its investigation. Internationally respected anti-corruption watchdog, Global Witness said in its February 2020 report, Signed Away, that a source close to government informed it of this likelihood. When asked to respond to the claim during his weekly press conference Friday, Harmon avoided answering directly. “Let me say that I am not in a position this week to indicate to you. But I did say in my press conference last week that we will have a special conference on the question of oil and gas. That has not happened as yet. I will inform you when that will take place. But it is something that the team is looking at carefully. I am not in a position to say to you anything on those blocks, beyond what I have said and beyond what is published in the media, Kaieteur News in particular.” The Opposition Leader gave a similar answer in the previous week’s virtual conference when asked to reveal the identities of all the beneficial owners of the blocks. He only offered that he would endeavour to have information provided later, during an oil-specific press conference. For the entirety of the coalition’s term in government, Harmon was a key figure at the helm of the Ministry of the Presidency. He was Minister of State, then Director General. Throughout that period, the Ministry of Natural Resources fell under the Presidency. The coalition would not have had to rely on information from outside sources, since it should have already been in possession of such information while in government. This is because, every time stakes were transferred in the two blocks, the government is responsible for approving the transfer. In this regard, when signing deals, the government has to know the hands the stakes are leaving, and the hands to which they will go.
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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
From Burnham to Granger: Aspects of African Guyanese political sociology
I
f a researcher comes from another planet and follows the writings of people like David Hinds; UG’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Melissa Ifill; Dr. Alissa Trotz, Barrington Braithwaite, the Red Thread Organization, ACDA, Vincent Alexander, Eusi Kwayana, just to name a few, on the five months election crisis, that visitor would conclude the above names were/are concerned with African Guyanese coming under perpetual Indian domination. There have crucial changes in Guyana’s political sociology. The PPP and PNC do not have sufficient ethnic numbers to win an exclusive racial victory. The fact is that with changing demographics, election victory can alternate between the PNC and PPP which is what has been happening since 2011. The PNC gets its vote from Africans whose presence is 29 percent. Indians are 39 percent. It means Guyana has other race groups that constitute 32 percent of the population. It is that 32 percent that caused the PPP to lose in 2011 and 2015 and to win in 2020. Importantly, there is small crossracial voting among Indians and Africans and ethnic abstention that can determine victory. Ravi Dev has spent years arguing that the PPP cannot perpetually win elections because they don’t have the ethnic numbers therefore the fear of Africans that they will forever be in the opposition cannot stand. Dev argues that the African security dilemma has evaporated because the PPP lost two elections. I cannot
see how any theorist writing on Guyana’s political sociology can ignore the theoretical value of the defeat of the PPP in two elections. Those losses are graphic indicators that ethnic election victories are a thing of the past. Why then did the PNC not concede in 2020 and regroup to win in 2025? Using all the charts, diagrams, statistics and data available, such a possibility existed before the PNC went into selfdestructive directions between March and August 2020. There were two attitudes by African Guyanese in and out of Guyana to the rigging of the 2020 elections by a combination of GECOM and APNU+AFC. The first group wanted the PNC to remain in power because it is an emotional thing for them. They see the election defeat as Jagdeo coming back and he will run the presidency from behind the scenes mistreating Africans and doing unorthodox things that are anathema to democracy. This group did not put an intellectual spin on the rigging. Their position was banal and ordinary – we prefer the PNC to Jagdeo; we accept the rigging. The second school was/ is far more dangerous. Within this grouping are the PNC itself; African organizations, the remnants of the WPA; middle class Creole intellectuals in the diaspora; certain well known African rights individuals like Lincoln Lewis. This conglomeration has a historical and intellectual polemic that they offer for justification for election rigging. One half of the reasoning
goes like this. Africans came here as slaves and in working as slaves they contributed in far superior ways to any other cultural and racial community that came after. This historical theory posits that there is an African entitlement which Guyana should recognize.The other half of the submission is that since the possession of resources by non-Africans are billions of miles ahead of Africans, Guyana should be fair and just and allow Africans to have state power to even out the resource disparity. This second part of the discourse was literally shaped by Forbes Burnham. He saw election as a hindrance to African state power and treated it flippantly. He also was contemptuous of the rule of law which he saw as another hindrance to African state power. Two persons who literally worship Burnham are David Granger and Vincent Alexander, the latter being the president of the Forbes Burnham Institute with the former being its patron. Both of these men came to power in 2015. Both of them decided to re-enact the two horizons Burnham invented with damning autocratic impulses and cunning Machiavellian instincts. The two pathways were rigged election and permanent state power. From the moment victory came in 2015, the re-enactment began. Three manifestations were clear to see. One - control all levers of the state, through the ministry of the presidency with the concomitant curtailment of prime ministerial powers. Two
– maximize the presence of African Guyanese in the totality of the state. Three – rig the election through the chairmanship of Justice Patterson and the three PNC commissioners. In the end the Burnhamite framework of Granger and Alexander were extirpated through an institution Burnham hated – the rule of
law. The PNC and its surrogates lost permanent power because of the rule of law. Guyana’s highest court first removed Patterson then outlawed the subterfuge of Mingo, Myers and Lowenfield. The rest is history. (The views expressed in this article are those of the
Frederick Kissoon author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Coronavirus: What you can do to help yourself and help minimize the spread By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center s you should be aware, we are hav ing a surge in COVID-19 infections in Region Four and the hinterland regions. We all need to be strategic, responsible and keep ourselves informed so that each of us can contribute in a greater way to help mitigate this surge. With this in mind, I have decided to compile the best evidence available thus far so that you can be able to make the right decisions and help us curb the spread before it becomes a national disaster. Prepare your terrain (immune system) The stronger our terrain, the better are our chances of overcoming a bout of the COVID-19 infection. We therefore need to prepare our immune system for the battle by “arming� it ahead of time. I had mentioned in a previous article how we can prepare our immune system. I will therefore list the interventions below that science has proven to boost your immune system and studies are now confirming their importance in the battle against COVID-19. Zinc Vitamin C
A
Vitamin D Avoid stress If you need more information on how to prepare your immune system against the COVID-19 infection, you can web search using this link: h t t p s : / / www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ 2020/05/10/coronavirus-astrong-prepared-immunesystem-is-our-best-bet/. Everyone wears a mask Regular readers of my column will know how much I have emphasized mask wearing. If all of us wear our mask when we are out and about, we will break this surge and rid ourselves of this menace. While everyone is not compliant with mask wearing, those that comply and wear mask are at a lower risk of catching the disease and also at a lower risk of getting the severe form of the disease if they do get it. Social Distancing When we speak, sneeze, cough or open our mouths, particles come out and can spread to others. While mask wearing minimizes this, we can decrease our risk further by distancing from others when we have to interact. At least six feet is the best distance but the further you can be from each other the better. Those who are in closed spaces are at higher risk so we should avoid closed spaces with others as much
as possible. Keep yourself and others informed There are too many myths about COVID-19 and too many persons who do not believe in the disease in Guyana. As a result, there is lesser adherence to guidelines which increase the risk of this disease spreading. We all therefore need to spread the word about the reality of this disease and keep ourselves informed about it so that we can make the correct decisions. Try to know the hotspots and avoid visiting those areas as much as possible. Ensure you get your information from reliable sources and educate others about this disease. Get tested if you suspect you are ill The stigma about the disease and the fear of being isolated should not deter you from getting tested if you have symptoms suggestive of the disease. The earlier you get tested, the faster you can be placed on treatment which can help save you. You will also be able to know if you have the disease and protect your loved ones by avoiding them and getting them tested so that they can also get early care. The option of you getting isolated at home is being
implemented so you do not have to fear that you will be taken away from home. Be honest and help authorities One of the most effective way to curb the spread of this disease is for health authorities to know who has the disease and those who were exposed to it. The more information you give to authorities, the better are your chances of getting help and helping authorities to help others who may be at risk. Once they are aware of everyone who are at risk, authorities may be able to prevent them from getting infected and avoid those that were not exposed from becoming exposed. Early Hydroxychloroquine
and Ivermectin use is key If you do get the disease, ask your doctor if you can be placed on Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine as soon as possible. There is strong evidence from studies showing patients that use these two drugs early having better outcomes from the disease. These drugs seem to prevent the virus from entering your cells and therefore prevent the progression of the disease to the severe form of the disease if used early. There are of course other treatment options available but they are for the hospitalized patients. The goal of this article is to help you make the correct choices to prevent you from getting the disease and if you
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Dr. Zulfikar Bux do get it, to prevent you from getting hospitalized with the severe form. We are all in this together, if one of us gets sick, all of us are at risk. We need to be responsible and fight together and not each other. I have provided the best available evidence to you; be responsible, take action and encourage others to do same.
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Understanding the potent threat posed by natural disasters to hemispheric security (A Review of David Granger’s Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin.) Security and the environment have been central concerns to David Granger’s intellectual, governmental and political pursuits. Granger establishes the link between the safety of Caribbean populations and the security of the natural environment in his Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin. Granger, before being elected to the Presidency, had authored books and articles on national and regional security. Granger provides a framework for examining security within the Caribbean in a more comprehensive book – Caribbean Geopolitics: security, stability and sovereignty in small states. As President, he piloted the country’s Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040. Security and the environment have been common themes in numerous addresses which he delivered while President. Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin constitute the text of an address delivered by Granger at the Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, DC, in September 2017. Granger, formerly an adjunct professor at the Centre, argued that environmental hazards were deadly, if not deadlier, threats to regional security than traditional security threats such as civil disorder and terrorism. He was not overstating his case. The Caribbean has suffered innumerable deaths and immeasurable damage and destruction as a result of natural disasters. Each hurricane season, for example, renews the ceaseless cycle of catastrophe. Natural disasters, according to Granger, not only threaten human safety but also heighten the Caribbean’s vulnerability to both traditional and non-traditional security threats. Noting that it is the common interest of both the United States and the Caribbean to recognize the effects of environmental damage and degradation, Granger urges that security cooperation be re-engineered to take into account the special environmental needs of small-island developing and low lying-coastal states in the Caribbean basin. This monograph highlights the often overlooked security implications of natural disasters – especially hurricanes and other tropical storms – which wreak havoc on regional economies. But they also weaken state security and make states more vul-
nerable to transnational criminal activities such as narcotrafficking, human trafficking, illegal migration and gun running. The Caribbean is particularly prone to natural disasters. Granger notes that the Region’s hurricanes originate in the warmer waters of the
when the USA began to intensity its interdiction and eradication efforts in Central and South America, especially in Colombia. Transnational threats – narco-trafficking, human trafficking and gun running – became the USA’s principal security concerns in the Re-
and Guyana – was not without significance. US security concerns about narco-trafficking seemed to be foremost on the agenda. The US government entered a Shiprider Agreement with the Government of Guyana which would allow for joint patrols, supposedly to combat narco-trafficking. The agreement between the two countries ignored the security threat posed by environmental hazards. Both countries missed the opportunity to reengineer security cooperation to address this
threat, as has been suggested by Granger years earlier. The idea that environmental destruction has become a threat to national security is not new. In the Caribbean, however, it has assumed greater traction than elsewhere primarily because the people of the Caribbean have an actual endured experience, often annually, of the devastating impact of natural disasters. Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin deepen public understanding of the
potent threat posed by natural disasters to hemispheric security. It is an insightful publication which should be required reading by those with an interest – academic or strategic – in ensuring that security cooperation, particularly between the United States and the Caribbean, becomes more responsive to environmental threats than is the case at present. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) >>> Image saved as security
Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast and wend their way westwards to the Caribbean Islands. They have often threatened the East Coast of the United States. Granger also establishes a link between climate change and global warming and the frequency and ferocity of these storms which are influenced by oceanic temperatures during the warmer months of the year. The Caribbean, historically, has been an arena of fierce inter-state warfare. In the imperial era, the Caribbean became the ‘cockpit’ of European empires which waged wars against each other for the possession of colonies and the control of sea lanes in their quest to strengthen their strategic spheres of supremacy. The United States of America, in its quest to heighten its hemispheric hegemony, became concerned with the maintenance of independent and friendly states as a means of containing so-called socialist or communist regimes which were perceived to be threats to its own national security. According to a US Special Intelligence Estimate 80-62 of 1962, the Caribbean was the link between USA and the larger American republics in Central and South America. The USA was concerned with “…keeping its southern flank free of hostile military power, and with maintaining the unrestricted operation of the Panama Canal and of other US installations.” The Caribbean emerged as a major transhipment zone for trafficking in narcotics
gion with the end of the Cold War. As Granger notes in this monograph, Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin, environmental hazard emerged as a threat – one that is costlier than conventional warfare. Environmental hazards now pose a formidable threat not only to Caribbean countries but also to USA’s national interests. According to Granger, “Environmental hazards – cyclones, hurricanes, tornados or typhoons – threaten human safety. They result in death and destruction comparable to any battlefield of conventional warfare.” Granger notes that the recovery effort from Hurricane Harvey was estimated to exceed US$100 billion, a sum that is one sixth of the military budget of the richest armed forces in the world – those of the United States of America. A stronger case could hardly have been made as to why US security concerns about the Caribbean Basin should include environmental threats. Granger explains why environmental security should be of common interest to both the United States and the Caribbean and why there is a need for security cooperation to take account of this emergent threat. Security cooperation between Guyana and the United States, unfortunately, continues to be biased narrowly in favour of US national interests. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s whirlwind visit to some selected states in the Region – including Suriname, Colombia
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Minister Dharamlall instructs staff to contract company ...
SERVICES Repairs,Services,Spares to Wa s h i n g M a c h i n e Refridgetor Store, Treadmill, Deepfryer,Cooler,Dryer, Grains mill. Call: 694-9733 First aid / cpr/ aed and home nursing courses st. John Association Tel# 225-9082 to register. REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIR CONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINE, FREEZER, SALE OF AC'S. TEL#629-4946,225-4822 Cash King Pawnshop best value great terms for jewellery vehicles & more Tel#628-0460 For Doctoring fits, problems. Asthma, Burns or stroke, Clean your whole body by "Urinary Tract & General cleaner medicines" Bush Doc Tel#633-3353,231-9020.
VACANCY School teachers are invited to submit applications. Attractive salary based on qualification and experience: educationgy3@gmail.com Looking for one professional hair dresser and two nail techinican, Grove Market Street. Contact 652-5800 Pitmen for interior location. Applicants must be experienced. Call 618-2020 Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area call 615-9132. RA Soda factory 242 Dindyal Street Rosignol W.C. B Male & Female workers Accountant Drivers 330-2852/ 3302399/ 692-2985/ 656-7456
FOR SALE New Pulp egg trays for Sale.Tel:#688-4264 House lots @ Blankenburg W.C.D & Schoonord W.B.D Available @ Schoonord 3/4 bedroom houses for sale contact# 650-0402/ 603-1402 New home sea view, four bedroom, three toilet & bath Tel#675-1510 VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Nissan fronter 2002 pickup van (left hand) R2WD, 2400cc, back wheel drive 1.1Mil Neg Transferrable 6487536
CAR RENTAL AIDAN'S CAR RENTAL & TOW TRUCK SERVICE:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE#698-7807.
LEARN TO DRIVE N.Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square.Affordable Package.Call#644-5166/6912561/681-2808.
219-5000 225-7878
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FOR RENT Store available for rent @ Bartica Contact #603-1402 / 650-0402 2 and 3 Bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments to rent.Long and Short term. Tel:#682-2585 One two bedroom house to rent at soesdyke back road call#626-1027 or 627-1050
WANTED Excavator operator with experience in the gold mining sector.Contact:#223-5273/ 223-5274 Security Guard - ideal age between 30 - 50. Contact 2235273/74.
One Bedroom fully grilled apartment in Grove New H/ Sheme , EBD Tel#660-4612/ 693-1418. 158 Regent st, Bourda 1 two bedroom apartment to rent Tel # 610-7312/ 227-5071 Call from 9am to 4pm. Apartment for rent in Peter's Hall Tel#698-5800/ 648-1391
Either a one bedroom or two bedroom apartment in residential area unfurnished. Call 227-0885/ 657-4431. During working hours.
1 Commercial building 3 Story prime location $1.25 US per square foot Contact: 6183026
1 Night Graud for liliendaal are Call: 623-4242 Charlie From 8am to 5pm.
Residential house in Eccles furnished 4 bedroom, 3 toilet & bath, 2 kitchen. $2000 US Contact: Tel#618-3026
1- Captain to ply from Bartica - Georgetown contact #6031402, Truck driver Contact# 650-0402/ 603-1402
EDUCATION
Live in Couple, Husband: drivinng machining welding skills, Wife: sales Private and modern living quaters Tel: 227-1813 Wooden dwelling home 1 or 2 bedroom for purchase and removal within Region #3, call# 604-1010/ 693-9379
LAND FOR SALE GR TAXI. CALL: 24 HRS
From page 18 yesterday, “Tariq Dharamlall has no proprietary interest in Designz Unlimited. Tariq Dharamlall does not benefit from any of the proceeds from Designz Unlimited.” On the issue of the quotations, Sharma confirmed that her company was requested by the Ministry of Local Government to submit a quotation for a print service and acquiesced. “We have not since been awarded any contract and in fact, have not been informed of any development in relation thereto,” she highlighted as she noted the Designz Unlimited has been a “trusted supplier” to the Ministry over
33 Acres Prime Land Dalgin Soesdyke/ Linden Highway, Public Road Demerara River Contact: Ray's Realty 6279685
Attention grade ten students! want to work last ten years paper contact Sir on Tel#649-5881 Handmade Jewelry training course fom 14 years up beginners intermediate and advanced classes. Call 645-3236 PROPERTY FOR SALE Bond with office space, Public Road, East Bank Demerara & Georgetown, house Diamond & Pearl. Contact Ray's Realty 627-9685 Three bedroom home for sale located at Tuschen new housing scheme, opposite the health centre. Tel#690-6874
the past four years, Despite maintaining that she had nothing to hide, Sharma refused to answer whether she shared any relation to Tariq. In fact, she became annoyed with the reporter’s questions and proceeded to abruptly end the call. Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall has refuted all claims, which assert that he instructed his staff to procure the services of Designz Unlimited. “It’s not my job for me to instruct the
Permanent Secretary with the procurement of services and goods,” the Minister commented. “That is not even my handwriting”, he added when asked about the handwritten note on the document. He confirmed that the business’ founder is his son, but denied that he shared any relation to Monica Sharma. Notably, when the same question was posed to Sharma, she refused to answer. Designz Unlimited has
since demanded that Mahipaul’s post be withdrawn and an apology to be issued within 24 hours, or they will consider legal ac-
tion. Minister Dharamlall, however, is emphatic that Mahipaul, who is currently employed under the Local Government Ministry, will be hearing from lawyers for what he labels as “unfounded allegations”, “defamatory, injurious and malicious” statements on the side of the opposition MP.
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Multiple charges for GDF rank caught on camera beating cop A lance corporal of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is now facing multiple charges after he was on Friday evening caught on camera brutally assaulting a police officer. Currently recovering from injuries is Constable 24030 Wilson. The attack on Wilson by the GDF rank took place just around 20:00hrs at the western end of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Kaieteur News was told by Guyana Police Force Commander of Region Three, Errol Watts these charges include assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest. According to police reports, Wilson was conducting anti-crime patrol duties at the western end of the bridge. While directing the east bound traffic, which had two lanes that merged into one on the Meer-Zorgen Public Road, he observed a dark grey motorcar trying to change lane and in the process causing congestion to traffic. The constable approached the driver of the car, who he later learnt to be a lance corporal of the GDF, Coast Guard Section and of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, to inform him of the offense committed and then instructed him to pull to the corner of the said road. Observers say that driver of the car became annoyed, exited the vehicle, and “chuck the rank”. The constable then warned the driver about his behaviour and asked him to desist, which he ignored and proceeded to further assault the officer. In a video seen by Kaieteur News, the assailant was observed choking the officer and cuffing him repeatedly to the face and body. Persons were heard in the background advising the officer to call for back-up and labeled the attacker’s action as disrespectful. The GDF
Injured: Constable Wilson rank then threw Wilson to the ground and reentered his car, at which the video ended. Constable Wilson, with assistance from other police ranks eventually managed to arrest the suspect and escorted him to La Grange Police Station. Meanwhile, Wilson was taken to the West Demerara Hospital where he received treatment for the injuries he sustained during the attack. The GDF officer is expected to appear in court on Monday to face the charges.
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CONSUMER CONCERNS By Pat Dial Gold and Guyana have been associated for centuries and Sir Walter Raleigh, the great Elizabethan nobleman and explorer named the Guyana area ‘El Dorado’, the City of Gold. Though no such city was ever found, Guyanese people, in their psyche, always felt that their country was on the threshold of great wealth and that Guyana was blessed with rich natural resources of every kind awaiting development. There was indeed great amounts of gold in Guyana but it was not in a city of gold, rather, it was under the earth. In the last quarter of the 19th century, this truth became widely known and gold deposits were discovered in such areas as the Mazaruni and North West District and this resulted in a gold rush mostly from the Afro-Guyanese community of the coastal villages such as Buxton. Indo-Guyanese were not permitted to leave the Coast since they were regarded as necessary labour for the British sugar plantations and the few who joined the gold rush were those who happened to live in the villages or in Georgetown. These gold seekers were known as porknockers and among the very few well known Indo porknockers were Bullah Khublall from
Albouystown and Hanuman Bheir and Bullah
Vera who, from porknocking, opened an Interior shop and became a rich man. Vera’s name came to be spelt Veira (Portuguese) and he was often called a Goan. He was the first Guyanese to own a sugar plantation and was the progenitor of a well-known and distinguished family. These porknockers were mostly simple folk who did not know the geography of the country or of the dangers of
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REFLECTIONS ON THE GOLD INDUSTRY
the forests and rivers and many were lost in the wilderness or drowned in the rivers and rapids. But they persevered and overcame and soon were able to master the geography of the interior. Many mined enough gold to make them rich men but unfortunately no one advised these simple folk as to how they could invest their wealth and they pathetically squandered it in a very short time.Three to four decades ago, foreign mining companies became interested in Guyana and several established themselves here. They brought modern equipment and machines and were able to extract large quantities of gold in a fairly short time. Ironically, the areas where these companies exploited were the same as the
earlier porknockers had located. Recently, one of the larger mining companies, the Canadian Guyana Goldfields Inc, sold its Aurora mines to Zijin Mining Group, a Chinese company. It was rumoured that the Chinese company would dismiss the entire Guyanese workforce and replace them with Chinese. The rumour proved to be false but it brought to the fore, the foreign companies’ treatment of local workers which was believed to be less than the Guyanese labour standards. The State and the Trade Unions must ensure that the Labour Laws are adhered to and be not infringed and the Unions must have a steady surveillance since mining workers are particularly vulnerable.Safety is of paramount concern and workers should be protected against the effects of chemicals, which may be used in mining operations. Such requires not merely protec-
tive clothing but training in the processes using such chemicals. There have been many incidents of land caving in and burying work-
ers. Necessary precautions should be taken against such landslides and no risks should be taken in this regard. Also first aid and medical help should be available at short notice.There has been much talk of underground mining. This form of mining is different from surface mining and has its peculiar risks and dangers. For example, it would require oxygen supplies, lighting facilities, safe transportation down shafts, particular care to strengthen walls of shafts to ensure no landslides and so on. Guyana may be able to secure help and guidance in underground mining from friendly countries such as South Africa and Britain. No company should be permitted to embark upon underground mining except such conforms to best practices.As mentioned above, proper medical fa-
cilities should be provided by the mining companies for their workers. Such could be done in collaboration with the State. The companies should insure their workers against death
and disabilities and must be in contact with next of kin in the event of any accident the worker may suffer. Companies must have the responsibility of ensuring that their workers are registered with the National Insurance Scheme.Mining companies worldwide have a reputation of paying little regard to the environment. The State must ensure that they do not
use dangerous chemicals in their operations; they do not destroy the forest cover; they do not destroy or weaken the banks of rivers; and do not unnecessarily harm the flora and fauna in the areas in which they operate.The State, the Trade Unions, the Environment Agency and the population at large must ensure that the Labour Laws and Cus-
toms and the Environment Laws are not infringed by the mining companies, both local and foreign. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
GPL to provide improved electricity with US$50M power ... From page 3 two decades old. It was also reported that there was enough space for additional plants and there were additional transmission lines to take more power to the sub-stations. There have been cases in the past where several engines went down simultaneously, forcing GPL to cut power during scheduled outages. Additionally, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO)– Strategic Operations, Mr. Samaroo Ramtahal who was also at the
tour, explained the four phases of the project; the first component being the construction of the engines by Wartsila, which is 60 percent
complete, and the other 40 percent is expected to be finished in mid-November.The next component will be the construction of below zero civil works. The DCEO said that it is about 36 percent completed and the remainder when the engine ar-
rives for commissioning in April 2021. The third phase will feature the construction of the above ground civil works which is set to start this month and is scheduled to be completed by April 2021. The last component will deal with the transportation of the transmission and other key equipment for the project.
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BLUNTNESS ON Elderly woman takes COVID-19 INDECENCY! death toll to 103
In case you haven’t heard, please be informed that as part of our continued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall, has dedicated our page seven to be blunt on ongoing indecency in our land that should matter, not only to us at this publication, but the entire nation.
753 tests were conducted so far. As it relates to the de-
T IN FOCUS STANDARDS
MONDAY TIME TO BE BLUNT ON OUR WEALTH Who do the morons that we have masquerading as politicians believe they are fooling? They have allowed Guyana to be robbed of hundreds of billions in US dollars. Yet, they go around begging all around the world for loans to build bridges, roads and schools. We alert all Guyana that Kaieteur News will raise the bar on our leaders when it comes to our national wealth. WE WILL BE VERY BLUNT! We will be blunt about Guyana’s gold and diamond. We will be blunt about our bauxite, timber, and, most of all, we will be extremely blunt about our oil. Who owns it secretly? Who is cheating and stealing from us? Who is lying to us, avoiding answering us, tricking us and covering up? We want our Guyanese brothers and sisters to be enlightened and made wiser so that they can judge for themselves who is depriving them of their BIRTHRIGHT to have a comfortable life. The priority right now is to get to the bottom of who is cheating and robbing our country of its fabulously rich oil wealth. This is what all of us, who are being deceived, should be outraged about, and about which we should be ready to do something. We have been patient and courteous with government after government and one political leader after another. We promise that we will be blunt. Whoever doesn’t like it can do something about it: they can come clean with the real truths about our oil. TUESDAY GOVERNMENT LEADERS You do NOT fool anyone on the Canje and Kaieteur blocks. Cut the Crap. Tell the TRUTH! Disclose fully.
Who is getting the billions on those blocks? WEDNESDAY POLITICIANS STOP THE BULL$#/+! It’s not that you don’t known who the Kaieteur, Canje Block owners are. It’s that you have something to hids. Tell us who the damn beneficiaries are! Guyanese have a right to know who is benefitting from the billions that belongs to us. THURSDAY When politicians have something to hide, it is then they refuse to provide information. The more skullduggery is involved, the less transparent our leaders become. All over the world, there are laws which allow for persons to know the beneficial owners of companies. But in Guyana, trying to find out who are the beneficial owners of the fabulously oil-rich Kaieteur and Canje blocks is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Guyanese have a right to know who got these blocks. And more importantly who are the politicians who will benefit from these deals. We are providing these politicians with a chance to come clean. The people are entitled to know. FRIDAY Mr Robert Persaud – rather than threaten lawsuits, tell the nation the truth about Canje and Kaieteur Oil Blocks that is worth US billions $$$. Share the facts about who owns those rich oil blocks, and who ultimately benefits from them. Put them in the court of public enlightenment. SATURDAY Why threaten lawsuits against those who are providing a public service by exposing rotten and secretive oil deals? Why not sue those oil companies which have colluded with our corrupt politicians to rob our people of their birthright?
he Ministry of Health (MOH) has recorded yet another COVID-19 fatality. According to a release from the MOH the 103rd COVID-19 fatality relates to a 61-year-old female who died at her home in Region One (BarimaWaini). The new death is recorded even as the MOH confirmed 47 new COVID-19 cases bringing the overall total to 3,405. According to the dashboard released yesterday, of the new cases, Region Four
recorded 25 cases, Region One recorded four new cases, Region Two recorded one,
Region Three recorded seven new cases, Region Five recorded one more case, Regions Six three more, Regions Seven and Ten recorded one case each while Region Eight recorded three new cases. At the interim, 16 persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit. So far, 2,304 persons have recovered while 983 persons are
in isolation, 55 persons are in quarantine while a total of 15,
ceased, the MOH has said that it will make every effort to provide all the necessary support during this difficult time to render any assistance needed. The Ministry is also appealing to the general public to respect the confidentiality of the deceased and her family, and to allow them to mourn their tragic loss in peace. In the meantime, the MOH wants all Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures (no. 9),
which are in effect until October 31, 2020. This order emphasizes; the need for correct and
consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 or visit us at www.health.gov.gy.
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...World No 54 Iga Swiatek From page 77 like in other rounds. Today was stressful for me.’ Swiatek came into the final having lost just 23 games in six matches and she began in the manner of someone playing with that kind of confidence. She raced to 3-0 lead against an edgier opponent, who took fifteen minutes to settle down and break back for 3-2. Like everyone the American, playing before a sparse and government
limited crowd of 1,000, was struggling to absorb the easy power of the Pole’s ground strokes, which were interspersed with delicate drop shots. Swiatek broke for 5-3 but was hesitant in closing it out, netting a straightforward backhand on her first set point. She made amends in the next game by breaking at 1540 when Kenin swept a backhand wide. The American began the second set by breaking serve,
but then lost two games and called the trainer for a medical timeout to have strapping administered on her upper left thigh, leaving the court for the second time. Rather than stewing on it the Pole smiled at her few vociferous fans in the crowd and then after the resumption walloped a succession of winners to break again for 3-1. There was no looking back after that, playing as carefree as if she was in a public park.
Sunday October 11, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Get on the fast track and use your powerful words and creative mind to make quick decisions that are mindful yet spontaneous. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Start the day with some vigorous yoga and then some meditation to help clear your mind. Stretch your body and get the blood flowing through all of your limbs. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Do something for the community today, , and really consider how your talents and skills can best be put to work. Consider volunteering at a school or library. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you're having trouble tackling a giant problem, Cancer, don't get discouraged or overwhelmed. They key for you is to break things down into smaller chunks, analyze them, and figure out their role within the greater whole. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you're having trouble tackling a giant problem, don't get discouraged or overwhelmed. They key for you is to break things down into smaller chunks, analyze them, and figure out their role within the greater whole. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Imagination and fantasy play a big part in your thinking today, Virgo, and you shouldn't hesitate to embrace this frame of mind.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Engage more of your rational mind today, Libra. If your mind continues on its track into a fantasy world, you might consider enlisting the help of people who can help you bring some discipline to your situation. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Suppose you were someone else for a day, Scorpio. How would it feel to be treated the way you normally treat other people? This is a good time to put yourself in someone else's shoes and experience life through their eyes. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today your thoughts may turn to fashion and the different ways in which you can improve your wardrobe. Don't be afraid to create a look that reflects your true inner spirit. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The amazing thing about your nature is that, like a good politician, you have just the right tone of voice and catch phrase for every situation. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You're apt to get the feeling that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence today, Aquarius. Try not to get too hung up on this. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your mind may wander to a fantasyland full of castles, wizards, and magic dragons today. You could find that you're putting yourself in the robes of a beautiful or handsome figure.
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Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
...Butler out-duels James for a hard-fought, 111-108 win, to force From page 79 closing moments were simply a duel between Los Angeles’
LeBron James and Miami’s Jimmy Butler, the latter of whom helped stave off elimination with
the two most crucial free throws of his career. In the end, the Lakers were
denied a 17th NBA title with a 111-108 loss as the Heat kept their dreams of a fourth league crown alive until Sunday’s Today) Game 6. ‘Every young player coming into this league should study footage on Jimmy Butler,’ said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who previously won a pair of titles with James in Miami. Butler finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the series while hitting all 12 of his free throw attempts including four in the final minute of play.
But despite his performance, Miami’s victory wasn’t cemented until LA’s Danny Green missed a wide-open threepointer in the game’s final seconds. Lakers star Anthony Davis, who has averaged 28.2 points a game in the playoffs, appeared to injure his right leg at the end of the first quarter when his feet became entangled with Heat guard Duncan Robinson’s. He initially stayed on the Lakers’ bench before going into the locker room to allow trainers a closer look. Ultimately Davis did return
in the second quarter and finished with 28 points on Friday, but appeared hobbled coming down the stretch in the fourth. Duncan Robinson had 26 points for Miami, which used seven players. Kendrick Nunn had 14 points, Bam Adebayo 13, Tyler Herro 12 and Jae Crowder 11. The seventh player, Andre Iguodala, didn’t score. They had enough. James, meanwhile, had 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who seemed entirely reliant on the four-time MVP in the fourth quarter.
Sunday October 11, 2020
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Kaieteur News
French Open 2020: Britain’s Alfie Hewett completes double by winning singles title BBCsport - Britain’s Alfie Hewett won his second title of the 2020 French Open by beating Belgium’s Joachim Gerard in the wheelchair men’s singles final. Hewett, who won the doubles event with Gordon Reid on Friday, won 6-4 4-6 6-3 to seal his fourth singles Grand Slam. He trailed 3-1 in the decider, received treatment for a left shoulder issue but returned to take the next five games. It is the second time he has won the singles title at Roland Garros and his 13th Slam win in singles and doubles.
“I hope to get a good pizza in tonight to celebrate,” Hewett, 22, said. “It’s amazing to come here today and get the double. Me and my left shoulder are ready for a break.” As Hewett served for the match there was a lengthy delay at 15-15 because of a mechanical issue with Gerard’s chair. When play resumed Hewett won the next three points, sealing the match after two hours 36 minutes with a volley at the net. Hewett’s win with Reid on Friday meant the British pair completed a clean sweep of the
doubles titles in the three Grand Slams available this year. He also reached the singles final at the US Open last month. Hewett - who has Perthes disease which affects his hip and femur - had been told earlier this year that 2020 would be his final year on the circuit because his disability is not severe enough to meet new classification criteria but he was given a 12-month reprieve last month. There were defeats, however, for Britons Andy Lapthorne and Jordanne Whiley in the men’s quad singles final and women’s
wheelchair doubles final respectively. Lapthorne was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Dylan Alcott of Australia, while Whiley and
partnerYui Kamiji lost on a match tie-break 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 10-8 to Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot.
After his defeat Lapthorne, 29, said he would take a break from tennis because of mental health issues.
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Sunday October 11, 2020
Kaieteur News
GFF Referees Recruitment Campaign takes aim at Coomacka The nationwide Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Referees Recruitment Campaign under the theme, #GetInvolved which was launched last month has taken aim at the village of Coomacka. GFF President Wayne Forde, Coomacka United FC President Renison Rawlins and GFF Referees Technical Instructor/Assessor Abdullah Hamid shared a significant moment when promotional flyers were handed over two Sundays ago. Also [resent was President of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), Terrence Mitchell. It was done when for the first time in
the history of the game a sitting GFF President paid a visit to this community. Forde in brief remarks following the handover said that the aim is to target an equal amount of female and male officials. “Former players or even those who may not have played at any level but would like to officiate in the game of football. Mr. Hamid will work towards ensuring that training is ongoing and that we can start integrating these new referees not only in tournaments at the UDFA level but also at the national level.” Forde noted that this initiative forms part of the Federation’s grand plan for the development of the game in the
hinterland communities. “We’ve used that same strategy to bring about the support that we are going to bring to your community. We want to see hinterland football and football that has a strong indigenous representation to be given more material and financial support, more capacity building support like coaching education and administration, among others. We believe that those are fundamental building blocks that would help the game to grow in these small tightly knit communities.” Forde said that he is of the belief that the Coomacka community will band together and ensure that they succeed
with this initiative noting that the Federation cannot do it all. “We can go so far but it is the people in the community that would have to step up and get the work done. I want to assure you that we are going to pay keen attention to the developmental trajectory in your community through the Upper Demerara Football Association.” The experienced Hamid, a former FIFA Referee said that he is assured that the GFF is going in the right direction, in launching this recruitment programme, countrywide. “Its’ very important to develop Referees, male and female, at the same time you would be developing
male and female football players and coaches as they both go hand in hand.” Hamid has indicated that he already has persons waiting to be a part of this programme but its commencement is all dependent on the lifting of the covid-19 pandemic restrictions as implemented by the Ministry of Heath to stem the spread of this deadly disease which has rocked the world. “Having Referees coming out of these areas would surely be a huge boost for football in the country not only in the UDFA but all those other Regions in Guyana. I am ready to get started as long as the go ahead is given by the relevant authority.”
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 11, 2020
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Kohli’s 90* leads RCB’s demolition of Super Kings World No 54 Iga Swiatek stuns fourth seed Sofia Kenin to win French Open Final
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MailOnline - Tennis welcomed a new star to its firmament as 19 year-old Iga Swiatek eased her way to the French Open title with an imperious display. The Polish teenager took only an hour and 23 minutes to sweep aside Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-
1 with a wonderful display of hitting, ignoring the scale of the occasion. She looks to be part of the new world order in the women’s game, and continued her record of not dropping a set in the fortnight. For her trouble she earned £1.45 million, the first Pole to win in Paris.
‘I’m so happy and glad that my family was finally here. It’s crazy, two years ago I won a junior Grand Slam and right now I’m here,’ said the former junior Wimbledon winner. ‘I was mentally consistent and wanted to play aggressive (Continued on page 73)
SPNcricinfo - Virat Kohli made a superbly paced 90 not out off 52 balls, and Washington Sundar continued to bowl unhittable lengths in the powerplay, as the Royal Challengers Bangalore brushed aside their old rivals the Chennai Super Kings in Dubai. After choosing to bat on a two-paced pitch, the Royals Challengers quietly saw off the early swing and moved to 103 for 4 in 14 overs. Having set the platform himself, Kohli launched from there, claiming 46 of the 66 runs they amassed in the last six overs, finishing with 169 for 4. Sundar then removed both the in-form
Super Kings openers Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson, limiting them to 26 for 2 their lowest powerplay score this season. By the time MS Dhoni came out to bat at No.5 in the 15th over, the asking rate was hovering around 15. A fit-again Chris Morris and Isuru Udana eventually closed out the game with their assortment of cutters, helping the Royal Challengers climb to fourth on the points table. Royal Challengers Bangalore (Kohli 90*, Padikkal 33, Thakur 2-40) beat Chennai Super Kings 132 for 8 (Rayudu 40, Jagadeesan 33, Morris 3-19, Sundar 2-16) by 37 runs.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday October 11, 2020
Veteran Sports Administrator, Joe Chapman resigns from LABA By Calvin Chapman Experienced Sports Journalist Joe Champan has revealed that he is no longer the General Secretary of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) which is led by President, Lawrence Simon. In an invited comment, Chapman, who had held various positions on the LABA executive and the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) since the 1980s, cited his inability to perform his duties effectively as the main reason for his resignation. In addition, he divulged that persons within the executive
committee of the LABA are not pulling their weight. Chapman’s resignation only became known after he was contacted to comment on the state of basketball in Linden by Kaieteur Sport this past week and it was discovered that the decision by the former Secretary to resign was done since January 2020 but only LABA, its affiliated clubs and the GABF were informed of this decision. He cited that, “In any organisation, it is important that there is proper delegation and that everyone does their duties to ensure
that when it is all added together, we can achieve our goals.” The experienced journalist highlighted that throughout the years he has been working assiduously to ensure that the burden of the organisation is not shouldered by one person or a fraction of the executive committee. However, in the recent past, “I’ve realised that only a small group of people pull their weight in organising basketball in Linden.” Chapman, who still remains as Assistant Secretary of the GABF, shared that it is his view that LABA President Simon, “Is a good
youngster and has the qualities and potential of a very good leader but I think he is involved with too many organisations”, which has prevented him from serving basketball in the Bauxite Mining Town to the best of his ability. Chapman suggested that the clubs believed that Simon was not serving LABA to the best of his abilities as well which resulted in a mutiny that led to his resignation. “There was a mutiny in the body and I realised that very late. I was calling general meetings and no one was showing up… it doesn’t make sense (that) I continue in that
capacity and can’t get to function properly,” Chapman posited. He continued that if the clubs are not satisfied with the work of the executive that the best place to voice those concerns would have been at General Meetings and they could’ve gone a further step to have a no-confidence motion and have new representatives that would’ve been able to better serve them, which is in keeping with the constitution of LABA. Chapman concluded that, “I am still open to serving the game in Linden once there is seriousness by all concerned.”
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 11, 2020
Sports Minister committed to resuscitating Three-stage Cycle Road Race - Fourth stage to be added
From left GCF President Linden Dowridge, Sports Minister Charles Ramson Jr., GCF Treasurer Inga Peters and GCF First Vice President, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. has committed to resuscitating the ThreeStage Cycle Road Race; this was disclosed by Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) President, Linden Dowridge. During a meeting with members of the GCF yesterday, it was disclosed by Dowridge that the Minister said he wishes to expand the event by adding another stage, a suggestion the GCF is amenable to. Over the years, this event has been the most high profile race on the local cycling calendar, but for some reason the event was halted since 2016. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, President Dowridge said the next edition of this event is scheduled for May 2021. He indicated that he has submitted a budget for the showpiece which will be held over two days in Berbice, Georgetown and Linden. Dowridge further informed that he has
requested of Minister Ramson Jr. the support to restart competition with an Individual Time Trial. “I was asked to forward a letter requesting same, however, the Minister indicated that he would discuss this with the covid-19 Task Force.” Dowridge stated that cyclists have been doing personal training and are eager to get back on the track. “The Time Trial will encourage a different style of riding and we can see more aggression from the cyclists.” He noted that the GCF is happy to have met with the minister and moreso to learn that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Cycle Road Race will be back. “This is the premier event on our calendar. All of our local and overseas based cyclists look forward to this event which usually attracts riders from South America and the Caribbean.” The GCF head has also congratulated the minister on his appointment
Butler out-duels James for a hard-fought, 111-108 win, to force Game 6 tonight
The closing moments were simply a duel between Los Angeles’ LeBron James (left) and Miami’s Jimmy Butler (right). MailOnline - Game 5 of the NBA Finals was technically a Lakers-Heat
matchup, but to anyone watching Friday night, the (Continued on page 74)
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World No 54 Iga Swiatek stuns fourth seed Sofia Kenin to win French Open Final
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Iga Swiatek beat Sofia Kenin to become the youngest French Open female winner in 43 years. (EPA)
GFF President Wayne Forde (2nd right) hands over a promotional poster to Coomacka United FC President Renison Rawlins in the presence of Abdullah Hamid.
GFF Referees Recruitment Campaign takes aim at Coomacka
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