Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Monday October 21, 2019

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

The unnecessary haste on the roads Make haste when late. Many times, there’s no lateness, only the now reckless rush to get from one point to the other in the quickest possible time; the heavy surge that comes from adrenaline-pouring accelerating. Thrill brings tragedy, the fatalities of driver follies. Speeding. More than about sirens. About discipline. Whether for airport or for seniors or for self, cautions outlive caskets. With leaders, there is dignified pace, almost solemn crawling. Going for them or after finished with them conveys an appallingly, frighteningly dangerous pace. This is the new Guyana norm. It is for everything and to everywhere, even within a single city block. Hospital and court do not matter. Someone misjudged Friendship for South Dakota. To be found disagreeable, perhaps. But that five are dead is beyond such human post-mortems and the wisdom that comes from them. If we leave late, we will arrive late or not at all. When we leave late, then there is only space to floor the gas pedal. It’s as easy as that; and as final, too. If there is late departure, then speeding makes up for lost time. That’s how the reasoning goes, which by itself has some basis. But that is only as far as matters go; for making up for lost time could give an eternity of time when metal meets metal, and metal mauls man in full bodied collision. Invariably, man is made to meet his Maker in a rather untimely basis. It is merely a matter of the odds before mayhem and serious maiming results; life reduces to a roll of the dice. How can it be otherwise, given what prevails in broad daylight, as well as daily, if not hourly? In general, police drivers can be questioned for nonchalance in handling the property of the state. Another vehicle for the junkyard. They can be criticised fairly for recklessness and arrogance. Just observe them in more than a few places. Speed merchants are selling injury for those unlucky to be in the way. Breakneck speeds. Where are they going? To a serious accident scene? To a grave crime situation with a severely injured member of the public or colleague? From all indications, it is rarely one of those life-altering, possibly pardonable, set of circumstances, which necessitates maximum speed ahead. Yet lots of that have been observed. What is the justification? What can be, when there is this menacing that compels the men and women traversing in torturous traffic to take evasive action? There are procedures somewhere meaning something, we have heard many times before. There is training. There is trusting with an expensive asset, a powerful one that could so effortlessly become a weapon of some destructive capacity. Something is not registering. That is, other than on the speedometer. Give it more gas. This is where the rubber reaches the road: trusting to engineering, physics, roadway integrity, personal skills (including the oncoming) is one road to hell. Then there are other kinds of drivers. Private and official. A vehicle transforms into a viceroy; kings of the road, they are. Peasants clear the way, siren or no siren. Official drivers are in the thick of this crowd, not all of them, but more than enough of them. What is going on? What is going on in the head that makes men lose their heads, while taking those of others with them? Unsurprisingly, it is now automatic and comforting to blame drivers, taxis, minibuses, trucks, youths, and the rest not accounted for, whether fender benders or fatalities. There is much accuracy to such contentions. But there are others, who are not the innocents made out to be. Pedestrians are all over the road. In fact, they are the road. So there! A different breed of road hogs meandering like pigs. In countless daily instances, drivers are forced to navigate around them in narrow or crowded confines. Get used to it, as that wayward pedestrian programme is here to stay. It has metamorphosed into another constitutional freedom ferociously guarded. Without casting one iota of blame at anyone, drivers, particularly police ones, must not use the roads like getaway drivers. A recipe for disaster, like Friendship, is the result.

Cash transfer will not happen DEAR EDITOR, When Professor Thomas made his cash transfer proposal public, he knew he would be throwing the cat among the pigeons. After all, Professor Thomas is a walking, talking economics textbook. He is no uninformed professional, trying to sound intelligent but failing at it. As our general election approaches, I have pondered the issues that the cash transfer proposal brings to the fore and I have come to the firm conclusion that some things are not meant to happen and cash transfer is one of them. It is no mystery that our political leaders have shown no taste for it even though they have not rubbished the idea altogether. And it is inconsequential whichever party wins the next election, as cash transfer is a no-go, and for good reasons. Firstly, I do not think that our current cadre of political leaders have the appetite to gamble the “oil money” on a venture that Professor Thomas would call income subsidy, but which is so obviously high risk that it puts them in fear of the Chavez syndrome.

Professor Thomas would have more likely than not read countless articles and treatises on the subject of cash transfers. So he would understand that when we are discussing the utility of cash transfer, we need to consider whether the policy will help to make us richer or poorer in the future and whether the risk associated with this venture is worth taking. Yes, I agree it would it be nice to have cash transfers to the poor, but it is even nicer if the giveaway turns out to solid investment spending. Only then can meaningful poverty alleviation ever work. The promoters of the cash transfer policy know that the social and economic benefit formation is possible, but not impressively likely. In fact, no one knows with any reasonable certainty that the recipients of this largesse will use it to expand their farms, add livestock to the herd, engage in new start-up business, invest in their children’s education and health care. On the other hand, will they spend the oil windfall on rampant consumerism, leaving the country with a large import bill

and unprepared for the reckoning when the oil wells run dry? Professor Thomas would work his guts out trying to advance his case and make reliable predictions but he would not be able to sidestep the occupational limitation that economics is an uncertain science. Whenever our subject is human behaviour, our predictions will always run into certain divergences. Secondly, no government would want to be in a position where the oil money disappears and they have nothing to show for it. Cash transfer will not satisfy this criterion; mega spending on infrastructure will. Infrastructural spending leaves visible artefactspaved roads, bridges, ports, airports, schools, which serve as proof that the government did not just come into office and left with its arms swinging. There is also the expected positive impact of job creation on a big scale that infrastructure building creates. And when I think of it, politicians will also benefit greatly through the usual kickbacks. This is not an endorsement of corrupt

practices in government, but a mere acknowledgement of the realpolitik associated with the award of government contracts. Great infrastructure does not automatically translate into a great economy. But it creates a foundation that will attract the inward investment we need if Guyana is to move to the head of the pack in the Caricom region. For much too long, our economy has been embarrassingly too small to match our aspirations for a good life. Oil may help to get us there. Can the government do infrastructure, cash transfer, and big pay increases to government employees all at the same time? Frankly, it is not feasible, given the unfavourable royalty agreement the government inked with “Big Oil”. In fact, no blockbuster revenue inflow is going to nourish the public treasury- not now or anytime soon. The party that wins the government next March will have to focus. My bet is that it will focus on our physical and social infrastructure, and cash transfer will remain just a talking point. Wesley Hicken

Eradicate the cancer of racial prejudice DEAR EDITOR, The fact that a deep racial divide exists in Guyana between citizens of Indian descent and those of African ancestry is well known. However, unfortunately, the fact that Indigenous Guyanese have been the victims of racism has been largely ignored or overlooked. And, when indigenous citizens are attacked or otherwise victimised, such behaviour is often attributed to some other factor, such as religion, political belief, etc, rather than racial prejudice, even though there may be overwhelming evidence that racism is the driving factor. Racism is defined as the belief in the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. Modern variants of racism are often based in social perceptions of biological differences between peoples. And although scientists have found no biological basis for racial categorisation, the notion persists, even in the minds of the better educated. We recall that in December 2014, disparaging remarks made by a now

former president. The obnoxious remark was directed to Mr. John Adams, an indigenous Guyanese. While such disrespect directed against indigenous Guyanese may be blatantly racist, there are certainly more subtle forms of the disease. What of persons referring to Indigenous Guyanese as b*** people? What of the employer who will not hire Indigenous Guyanese? What of the worker who verbally or physically attacks an Indigenous Guyanese, yet, never disrespects any other colleague of his own ethnic background? Evidently, Editor, such matters should be addressed if we are to make progress as a nation. For years, under the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) reign, Indigenous peoples had been neglected. Of course, this sort of systemic racism has been eradicated by the APNU+AFC coalition government. President Granger has said that, social cohesion, which has been a key area of focus for his Administration, is rooted in respect for the racial, religious and social groups in society, particularly of minority groups. Unfortunately, the disease remains ingrained in the minds of too many. It is saddening that

racism of all types remains a problem. I am particularly disgusted, as an Indigenous Guyanese, that prejudice not only appears to persist against Guyana’s first peoples, but the problem is largely ignored and hidden. I

trust that as a people, we can, some day soon, grow up and eradicate the cancer of racial prejudice and the verbal and physical violence which it may cause. Sincerely, Mark DaCosta

Dissolving Parliament would render the Cabinet ineffective DEAR EDITOR, According to the Guyana Constitution under the Section 50, the Supreme organs of democratic power in Guyana shall be: (1) the Parliament (2) the President and, (3) the Cabinet Further, Article 106 (2) states that, “The Cabinet shall aid and advice the President in the general direction and control of the Government and shall be collectively responsible therefore to Parliament”. In my view, dissolving

Parliament would more or less indirectly trigger compliance to Article 106 (6) of the Constitution (the Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence) by rendering the Cabinet (council of ministers) ineffective and devoid of such parliamentary responsibility forthwith. Sincerely yours, Paul Ramrattan

Monday October 21, 2019

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FOR THE YOUNG AND RESTLESS VOTER

DEAR EDITOR, Except for the elections of 1953 which marked the arrival of universal adult suffrage in Guyana, all subsequent elections were driven by ethnic-based hysteria. However, in 2015, a multiethnic coalition government emerged, thereby signalling a move towards equilibrium – a quantum and irreversible change in the political market. Read on to see how you can influence the rate and direction of this change. First, whence the ethnicbased hysteria, a good deal of strife had developed between Afro and Indo Guyanese on the plantation resulting in ethnicity, a survival instinct for the group, becoming a destabilising force for the nation. This happened because the constitution stipulated that the party with the most votes must occupy the seat of government. The resulting competition, therefore, resulted in the rise of a de facto feudal regime which, whilst ostensibly pursuing ambitious development plans, also spent a great deal of resources standing on the castle battlement looking out for vandals and villains from the rival ethnic group waiting to take over. At election time, barons in the castle merely muster the voters. After the elections, they abuse the power of the state in order to fortify their fiefdoms with castles, carriages, land grabbing, poorly regulated land uses,

sub-standard public services and bloody murders. Thus, every election season became one of mass hysteria as the voter, fearing a worse alternative, repeated his action under the watchful eyes of the castle and its thugs. Thus, the vote remained solidly ethnic and hostile to independent ideas as to how the franchise could be used to help stop the abuses described above and, consequently, free the voter from a life of perpetual serfdom. Observing early signs of this weakness on the part of the voter, the Colonial Office, in 1953, pulled the constitution, closed the gates of the political market, and laid down a policy of “marking time” to enable the voter to reflect on his actions. But he was too indoctrinated and terrified by the forces in the manor house. So, for 62 years he continued, in his learned state of dependency, to do their bidding. In 2015, however, a few independent thinkers prevailed and, as a result, a non-ethnic dominated coalition of parties was elected. Therefore, what is the likelihood of the economy following an expansive path along which increased public benefits, including ethnic security, will be equitably assured? Well, the answer rests largely on the coalition’s multi-pronged programme aimed at freeing the voter from the manor house and

Life without the main breadwinner DEAR EDITOR, The state vehicle -speeding, lights flashing, siren blaring - involved in the recent, deadly smash -up which claimed lives, was on official duties, though up to now we cannot learn what duty demanded the driver to resort to the employment of the above emergency measures. The CoI mandated to investigate the ‘shocking event’ should at the very minimum in its recommendations, among many others, incorporate mechanism(s) be devised for families of the deceased and those injured, particularly those with small underage children, to be considered in tangible, meaningful ways, as life without the main breadwinner will no doubt be difficult. My condolences to all who lost loved ones and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to those injured. Shamshun Mohamed

putting him in an environment in which he can cultivate and exercise his individual right of freedom of choice. His new level of understanding will be achieved under a local government system in which the electorate votes for enterprising local individuals capable of serving as intermediaries between the people at the local level and

the governmental machine at the center. The local representative will, in time, establish a track record on the basis of which he can seek election to the central level, a mode of choosing that emphasises development based on a popular and transparent agenda rather than on a script aimed at fixing the manor for another round of tense ethnic defence.

The proposed local government structure is complemented by a regional land use plan designed to further engage local leadership in the multi-faceted task of redistributing the population from the coast, its historical base, to the resource-rich hinterland, a long mooted scheme that has not, however, materialised because of the absence of an

efficient transportation network. This goal will, however, be made less challenging under a plan for the even distribution of towns/marketing centers across the country. Such a settlement pattern will reduce transportation costs by making everyday goods and services available within shorter commuting Continued on page 6

Usurpation of Local Business community DEAR EDITOR, The Granger administration initiated hostilities with the Private Sector immediately upon assumption of office in 2015; it is now 2019 and the local Private Sector Commission has been usurped as the representatives of business in Guyana. This position is now held by a group of Trinidadian companies, who have been ably assisted in their takeover by Granger’s Cabal. Oil in commercial quantity was announced days after the Granger administration was sworn in, any competent administration would have immediately commenced working on ways to ensure maximum benefit accrued locally from this new resource. Granger did not, the focus of the first year was the Independence Jubilee celebrations in 2016. While Granger was focused on making merry, the companies that feed off of Oil globally made their way onto our shores unimpeded, unheralded and under the cover of laws that offer no protection to Guyanese. Granger saw no danger and Schlumberger, Halliburton et al. set up operations without so much as a ‘by your leave’. Editor, I understand Guyana has given ExxonMobil all kinds of breaks as part of their overall contract. They took a chance and signed a deal in 1999 with President Janet Jagan to explore our deep-water zone

for Oil and they persevered after various costly setbacks, one should remember Shell walked away from the joint venture in the Stabroek Block in 2014. However, these oilfield service companies, worth billions have been given incredibly generous tax breaks and other concessions. In July 2019, well into its period of illegality (having failed to hold election by 21st March 2019), Granger sent a contingent of Ministers to Trinidad on an ‘Investment outreach’ where they “engaged with over 200 business magnates and investors, the Guyanese team detailed investment opportunities in Guyana and outlined Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy policy while extending a welcome to regional investors to Guyana”. No Guyanese businesses were invited to participate in this initiative . Events since this ‘outreach’ has led me to believe that there may have been the biggest ‘sellout’ of a country’s patrimony in the history of nations. Is the pending sale of the GNSC wharf to a Trinidadian company a harbinger of things to come? Has anyone told the Trinis of SARA? “Who got money got bargain” may not hold true in a new dispensation. On the 16th of October 2019, the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago hosted A ‘Guyana Safety Forum’ at

the National Conference Center and neglected to invite any Guyanese business service organisations. The local business bodies were insulted by the complete shut out from the event, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), The Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) all made condemnatory statements to that effect following the event. Present were the Kenson Group of Companies, a consortium of Trinidadian oil and gas companies; First Citizens Bank, a Trinidadian financial institution; Caribbean Tower Cranes Limited, Caribbean Safety Products Limited, HHSL Safety Systems Limited, the Hummingbird Group, IWES Limited, and Oshes Limited, ExxonMobil, STOW, Saipem, OPITO and the Houston Area Safety Council. None of these companies or organisations is Guyanese owned. Guyana was represented by the Ministry of Social Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), TVET Guyana, and the National Advisory Committee on Safety and Health. Not a single Guyanese owned or operated business was present. Guyanese must ask themselves whose interest this ‘foreign’ policy serves. Guyanese should also beware of any explanations by Granger’s defenders that

talk of adherence to the Treaty of Chagaramas and ‘international free trade agreements’. Treaties are mere guides, for example; Guyanese cannot sell eddoes to Trinidad, or even trans-ship honey to other destinations, is the Trinidad Government observing the letter of the Treaty? Or are they acting in the best interests of their citizens? Trade deals are renegotiated all the time, as circumstances change, for example, a patriotic stance by President Trump forced renegotiation of NAFTA to get a better deal for Americans. David Granger professes not to understand clear provisions of Articles in our Constitution that “require no gloss” but seems to be revel in the misshapen belief that Guyana must observe every iota of the Treaty to the detriment of locally owned businesses. Is it that Granger places the terms of the Treaty over the interests of the people of Guyana or is it that he (Granger) and his cabal are better served by the ‘investments’ made during the ‘outreach’? Guyanese are faced with a stark choice at the polls in 2020, to support local businesses and content; or live in the future as ‘secondclass’ citizens in our dear land of Guyana. Respectfully Robin Singh

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Monday October 21, 2019

Let’s continue to take care of our health and the health of those surrounding us DEAR EDITOR, Three years ago, I wrote an editorial piece titled “why pay attention to breast cancer during the month of October”. It was my first time writing an editorial piece, which may not seem to be a big deal but back then, it felt like a big deal. For my first piece, I wanted to write something that was honest and open to the topic of breast cancer. When I had this idea of writing a piece on breast cancer, I felt as if it would have been a perfect opportunity to interview a breast cancer survivor. This is not to be mistaken as a classic example of tokenism but I felt as if I needed a personal experience to relay the importance of empathy and how truthful stories of persons who can serve as a living testament can impact lives. I messaged Devika Tinsarran on Facebook after

reading countless articles on her work as a breast cancer awareness advocate. She was open with meeting me, which initially surprised me since I felt as if she would have felt as if I was “using her for the story”. However, I got the complete opposite reaction from her. She was a kind soul that willingly shared her story with me and I empathise with her struggles as it reminded me of how I felt watching my mother struggle with other health conditions. Therefore, in this article, I plan to honour a friend, Tia Tinsarran. Beloved by many, forgotten by none. One of the core points of my previously written article to which I alluded above was questioning the motives of the “pink ribbon” during this month. Many corporate enterprises adopt the pink logo on their company logo, staff uniform, office supplies

etc. Although, I personally cannot say whether this activity is done as their corporate social responsibility or a business move, the awareness is being carried out successfully as the general public can benefit from possible discounted or even free services to access mammograms or a doctor’s appointment. GRPA is an example of this since they have been utilising its collaboration with GTT to provide screening for not just breast cancer but other reproductive cancers including testicular cancer, prostate cancer, etc. Notwithstanding, the importance of awareness, but awareness must lead to action. The colour pink has already been established as the colour for breast cancer awareness month. Since its curation in 1985, October has been signified as the month to encourage screening for

For the young and restless... From page 5 radiuses. In the long run, barriers like long distance, traffic jams and inadequate parking, far too common today, will be problems of the past. And who but the young, the educated and the restless should, armed with this policy weapon, want to lead the assault on the ethnic manor. They would have read history and known that it took centuries for the castle walls to tumble and give way to the orderly and expansive forces of trade guilds, trade courts, and universities. They would also have read how the 100 year wars between the fiefdoms of Europe restricted development, but how ideas advanced in Westphalia, venue of the world’s first diplomatic effort led to the opening up of the market for world trade, one in which Demerara sugar is still a popular brand. Convinced by such evidence that ideas are the seeds of development, they would want to immediately go out and, using the policy as a ploughshare, cultivate every surrounding square mile of young and fertile minds. And they would hardly want to wait to begin campaigning electronically / peacefully against the morass of stereotypes, entitlement, chronic dependency, and

favouritism that accumulated under the wall of racism during our sojourn in the sugar vineyard for close to three hundred years. They will then, by turning their backs on it, tackle the wall itself, that visible symbol of a moribund feudalism that has fenced in the country’s development for too long. In addition, they want it completely demolished because they want to be able to walk to the coming oil and gas labour market with only their qualifications and experience, without having to stop at the manor house for a recommendation. The goal next polling day is to elect the architect of social cohesion; a government in which the constitutionally mandated “the largest number of votes” reflects the ethnic make-up of the country; and to end ethnic tension by rejecting the single party model with its ageless agenda, as naked as the king in his new suit, for exploiting the emotions of its followers whilst alienating the rest of the population, especially that restless youth. So, embrace a higher level of understanding; boycott or expel racism; vote for science’s quantum shift, and put your country on a higher and more sustainable development path. Fitzroy Collins

breast cancer while providing the necessary information for people to learn how to properly screen themselves for any abnormal lumps in their breasts. However, information on breast cancer shouldn’t be just limited to October or to its representation by a colour. When we talk about breast cancer, we need to fully understand that breast cancer isn’t easy to live with. For this reason, we often refer to patients diagnosed with breast cancer as “survivors” or “warriors”. It’s important to avoid using a word “victim” to describe a person who was diagnosed with breast cancer since it perpetuates a negative feeling of oneself. Breast cancer is a dreadful medical condition that affects physical, mental and even sexual health. There’s no reason to cover up what this medical condition truly is. By pretending that it is just about sharing pink items and going on a morning walk in October, you are minimising the experiences of millions of breast cancer survivors across the world. Personally, this monthly observance can sometimes paint the image of how persons who are not directly or indirectly affected by lack of empathy. Now I know that may seem bold to reply to my letter but just hear me out. When you see a person post about the pink ribbon, do you think they are posting to make people aware of breast cancer or is this another situation where everyone seems to follow the crowd? By the way, I’m not encouraging any sort of hate toward people who “follow the crowd in posting ribbons or any breast cancer awareness material for the sake of likes” but I’m actually encouraging people to think

before you post something that isn’t genuine. A little introspection can go a far way from you being a person who doesn’t understand to a person “who just gets it”, you know. Let’s see how many words I can use to replace the word “breasts”- jugs, mugs, balloons, boobies, boobs, tits, Sally (or whatever name you call yours or others). After reading all of these words, I can assume your facial expression was either a surprised look or you may have even giggled. I felt like adding humour to this article before highlighting one of the treatment options. It’s actually one of the most commonly known one that we see photos and videos of. “Mastectomy” is one of those words that not many people want to hear directed to them by a doctor. Mastectomy is the process of surgically removing one or both breasts either partially or completely. As I’ve stated before, this is not the only treatment option for breast cancer but I felt like highlighting it for just one main reason. Whatever name you call your own breasts or the names someone (like your partner/ s) calls your breasts, ultimately they are yours. Women understand that as a child, these along with your vagina are yours to protect. As a result, you develop a sense of motherly affection toward them. When a girl gets her first period, she is told that she becomes a “woman” and one of the ways to define a woman is by noticing that she has breasts. Whether your breasts are small, medium or large sized, at a very young age, you are convinced that this defines you as a woman. I could imagine that some of you who are reading this may know or may have known someone who had a mastectomy. It is

devastating to hear that this is your treatment option. Even if, this treatment option saves your own life, it will feel like a loss, which is why it is so important for breast cancer survivors to have psychosocial support. Whether you receive counseling from your religious place of worship, family, friends, coworkers, fellow breast cancer survivors, etc, breast cancer warriors need to feel supported during this period. Actually not just during this period but throughout the entire process. People need other people. No matter how hard we try to deny this simple human nature, we all need someone or something that believes in us, that supports us, that loves us. Another aspect of breast cancer that isn’t as publicised as the ribbons are the high treatment costs. With the activities surrounding breast cancer pulling millions of Guyanese dollars into the cause, do the actual patients and their families receive the money to continue their treatment? Majority of us are unable to answer that question. However, there are some publicised instances whereby patients have access to essential health services without worrying about their possible financial hardship. Nevertheless, breast cancer survivors have to not only deal with having this condition but also the cost attached to treatment. Depending on the stage of cancer, your treatment options will vary. Due to this fact, it’s so important to get screened along with receiving medical advice from your doctor on how many times periodically you should book your appointment. In closing, I want to say that we can all play a role in this conversation for breast cancer. Whether you are a survivor, a family member, spouse or child grieving, your pain matters. Your happiness matters too. Positively genuine support systems that comprise of family members or friends are just one positive coping mechanism that can help you to manage your grief in a positive way. Even though, October will be finished soon, let’s continue to take care of our health and the health of those surrounding us. Warm regards, Juliana Lopes, Social Programming Coordinator, ASPIRE Youth Network Guyana

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Guyana’s poor sleep on planks while Govt. waives $$$ billions in taxes to rich oil companies – Engineer website, the current tax rate for commercial enterprises is 40 percent. “One cannot help but notice the irony of small Guyanese businesses struggling to pay 40% taxes but wealthy multinational companies having to pay no taxes,” he wrote. “Guyana is helping the rich foreign shareholders get richer while its poor sleep on planks with cardboard sheets.” The Engineer wrote that ExxonMobil has paid US$110B in taxes to the

A homeless man sleeps outside Parliament Building. Guyana has exempted the operators of the Stabroek Block from a series of taxes, and it will cost the people dearly, according to a Canadian Engineer, Darshanand Khusial. The Lead Operator on that block is ExxonMobil subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), with 45 percent interest. Its partners are Hess Guyana Exploration Limited (30 percent interest) and CNOOC Petroleum

Guyana Limited (25 percent interest). In a letter to the editor, the professional wrote that as taxes are fundamental to developing the social, physical and economic infrastructure of a country, the waiver granted by Government to these companies is unfair, especially when compared to what commercial enterprises in Guyana are made to pay. According to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)’s

DEM BOYS SEH

Don’t corner a cat Life is nice when things going good. But when things bad don’t talk. People read nuff things bout jealous women and de things dem do. Some woman had a birth night party and when she enter de party and see couple woman talking to she fella, all hell break loose. Dem boys don’t know who was doing de cooking but dem know dat when a woman vex, she don’t have brakes pon she behaviour. Dis particular woman pick up de pot of hot cookup rice and throw it at everybody who been in de vicinity. People who see de action scatter but some had to get ketch. People had cook-up in dem weave. But dat is de lighter side of de life. Anger does mek people do strange things. A man do a woman all kind of things when dem was living together. He beat she when she talk. She claim how she was living wid him when he suddenly change. She start to wuk away from home and send money to build a home and furnish it. De woman seh she and de man was legally married but some time during de marriage, de man tek anodda li’l gyal and put she in de woman house. Dem boys seh when de woman see red, she lose it; cutlass talk and passion fly. It was like when you corner a cat in a room. She bruk up everything in de house. Things get so bad dat de man get scared to stay in de house. He think de woman would kill him. But de woman seh when he use to beat she, he didn’t think dat she was afraid he would kill she. De woman hiding because de police want lock she up fuh chopping up de li’l gyal. But she want to come out and tell she story. She tell dem boys, de police never use to listen to she when she was on de receiving end. Cutlass pass and is now de police serious. De woman seh police does only act when death happen or when it near. Talk half and run if you do bad.

United States Government in the decade to 2015, and that it has probable paid more than US$500B in taxes in its history. In Guyana’s case, he wrote “We know that Exxon has stated Guyana will receive revenues of US$7 billion for Liza Phase 1 which contains 450 million barrels of oil. The oil companies’ profit will be slightly less than that, let’s assume US$6.5 billion.” Scaling up that figure from 450 million barrels to six billion barrels, he calculated that ExxonMobil would earn

at least US$87B from extracting the current discovered reserves. If they were required to pay taxes at the commercial rate, Khusial pointed out that those reserves would secure Guyana almost US$35B for the Guyanese people. “That is more than enough to provide world class services to our 775,000 citizens.” Khusial stated. He asked, “Why is it fair for Exxon to pay U.S. government hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars in taxes

on oil profits but none to Guyana? Shouldn’t our citizens have reliable electricity like the Americans? Don’t our citizens deserve world class healthcare like the Canadians? “What about social safety nets like affordable housing for our poor? Not to mention, reinforcing the sea wall to reduce floods? Or do the foreign oil companies view us as a ‘shithole country’ to be exploited for the benefit of rich foreign shareholders?”

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ExxonMobil commits to handle costs to clean up spills from Guyana operations that affect T&T, Venezuela & others below the sea floor. It said that each well will be drilled using a floating drill ship. Also, each well will be directionally drilled to specific reservoir targets generally 4,000 to 5,500 meters (m) below the sea level. Further, EEPGL said it will install some of the oil production facilities on the

According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that was done for ExxonMobil’s third Stabroek Block project called Payara, an unmitigated oil spill can affect Guyana’s Continental and Caribbean neighbours such as Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. In light of this, ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has committed to taking a number of steps to help safeguard these nations. The EIA notes that EEPGL will work closely with representatives of the respective countries that could be potentially impacted by a large oil spill. It intends to do this by coordinating operations and communications between different command posts;

creating a transboundary workgroup to manage waste from a product release, including identifying wastehandling locations in the impacted regions and managing commercial and legal issues; and identifying places of refuge in the impacted region where response vessels could go for repairs and assistance. EEPGL said it will also take steps to determine how impacted regional stakeholders can work together to allow equipment and personnel to assist in a spill response outside the region while still retaining a core level of response readiness within the jurisdictions. It would also work on determining financial liability and establishing claims and/ or livelihood remediation processes during a response

to a transboundary event. The company also committed to working with local communities within the impacted areas to raise awareness of oil spill planning and preparations. PAYARA PROJECT OVERVIEW According to documents in the possession of the Environmental Protection Agency, EEPGL’s Payara development will be located in the eastern area of the Stabroek Block which is approximately 190 km (118 miles) from Georgetown. The operator notes that oil production from Payara is expected to last at least 20 years with startup of the facilities expected to occur approximately in mid-2023. EEPGL noted that it will drill approximately 35 to 45 wells offshore to support extraction of the oil from

Law says six-month warranty on applicable goods - CCAC Director Dawn Cush, Attorney-at-law and Director of Guyana Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC), has disclosed that if there is no expressed warranty on the product, then the law implies a warranty of six months. She said out that such products include electronics among others. The law states, “Goods sold by a supplier to a consumer shall, in the absence of an explicit warranty, be deemed to have a warranty of six months on parts and labour.” In an interview with Kaieteur Radio on the programme, Legal Mind, the Director explained that in the case of a product having an attachment of small period of warranty, for instance, three months is not applicable as it relates to the law. Cush advised that if there is an issue with a product within the period of time that the warrant permits as some would constitute longer periods, then the consumer should take the product back to the supplier. She explained that the warranty becomes void if the consumer tries to fix it on his/her

own cost. According to Cush, there has not been a substantial amount of complaints made to CCAC for reasons being perhaps people are not aware of their rights as it relates to warranties. During the interview, Cush further added that other rights of consumers include the right to product information, right to a receipt among others. The Guyana Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) is a statutory body that is established to deal with the Competition and Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Affair Act. According to the Director, the CCAC only handles complaints regarding “durable goods and services”. She pointed out that food and drugs comes under Food and Drugs Administration, while the Public Utilities Commission deals with utilities. She further explained that the law does not provide the CCAC with the jurisdiction to deal with other complaints.

sea floor at approximately 1,500-1,980 m (4,900-6,500 ft) water depth. It said that these subsea facilities include various types of pipes and hardware. Kaieteur News understands that the subsea facilities allow the oil from the wells to be gathered and moved to the surface of the

ocean for further processing. EEPGL will then install other oil production facilities on a vessel which floats on the surface of the ocean. The vessel is called a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) facility. It will be moored on location in approximately Continued on page 22

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Ramjattan admits to crime increase

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Speaking with Kaieteur News on Thursday, after the commissioning of the new “fire boat”, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan said, that there has been a “spike” (rise) in crimes recently. He said that the level of criminal activities in Guyana fluctuates sometimes. Ramjattan explained that there are times when the crime levels would decrease and then all of a sudden, there is an increase. The Minister also highlighted that sometimes, the rise in criminal activities is seasonal. “For example, as we approach year end, crime levels tend to rise,” he continued. Also in agreement with the Minister is Commander of ‘D’ Division, Linden Lord. He claimed that it is quite true that as we approach the

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Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan Christmas Season, crime levels do rise. Reasons for this, he says, is because at year end there is normally a large influx of foreigners and Guyanese who live abroad. The Commander also said that there are also increased business activities due to large scale shopping. Finally, he said that it is the time of the year when a lot of recreational events such as parties are held. Lord said that as a result of the increase in activities, robbers, thieves, and gunmen are attracted. Recently, Kaieteur News has been reporting on a number of criminal activities that occurred over the past two weeks. It can be safely said that apart from the recent road accident that occurred at Friendship, at least 10 persons have died as result of gun-related robberies and cold-blooded murders. Guyana has witnessed the recent attempted robbery that left prominent businessman and gold miner, Deon Stoll dead.

Further, the body of an 18year-old soldier was found dead with a gunshot wound at the Tucville Squatting Area. A man was also chased, beaten and strangled by another man who tried to rob him on Church Street. He died in front of the office of the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). In addition, a businesswoman who operates a pawn shop at the Harbour Bridge Mall was also shot in her leg and relieved of her hand bag. Moreover, a lone bandit was caught on CCTV camera with a handgun attempting to rob a furniture store. These are just some of the serious crimes that occurred during the past week. Kaieteur News had reported of the increased criminal activities around the Stabroek Market Area. It was also reported that the police operating around the Stabroek Area are a bit lenient with known criminals and in their response to criminal activities. Commander of the of the East Coast Division RoystonAndries Junor told Kaieteur News Saturday that even though his nights and days are normally quiet in terms of frequent criminal activities. There has been number of firearms and narcotics seized due to intelligence cordonoperations. He also added that there have been a few encounters with undocumented motorcycles. However, like the Minister, both Commanders Lord and Junor said that the most they can do is increase the intelligence operations, road blocks and patrols.

ExxonMobil commits... From page 21 1,800-1,980 m (5,900-6,500 ft) of water depth and will remain on location throughout the life of the facility. EEPGL said that oil production facilities on the FPSO will further process the oil extracted from below the sea floor. The operator also stated that the FPSO will have the capacity to

produce up to approximately 180,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. During the early stage of production operations, the FPSO is anticipated to produce up to an average of approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month. These estimates are preliminary and are subject to change. It was noted that the Project is expected to employ up to 600 persons during development well drilling, approximately 600 persons at the peak of the installation stage, and up to about 140 persons during production operations.

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Secondary School for Yarrowkabra

After years of pleading by residents, the construction of a secondary school in the community of Yarrowkabra along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway is in the making as the Ministry of Education is seeking bids from reputable contractors. In a notice published in the daily newspapers, the Ministry said that bidding for the construction of the school will be conducted

through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures specified in the Procurement Act 2003 and Regulations 2004. A bidding security is required for the project and, among other things; all bids must be delivered on or before 09:00hrs on Tuesday, October 29. As it is, the community which has about 800 residents only has a primary school which also serves

neighbouring communities. Works commenced on the school in December 2015 and were completed several months after. The government in its 2018 budget set aside $52.4 billion for the education sector. Of that sum, $5.4 billion is allocated for the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of educational facilities across the country. In June,

Group created to prevent African Swine Fever from reaching Guyana A Standing Group of Experts on African Swine Fever (SGE-ASF) has been created to maintain the status of Guyana being free from the African Swine Fever (ASF). This comes as a result of the spread of ASF in Europe, and more recently in Asia. The ASF virus is a large, double-stranded DNA virus in the Asfarviridae family. The virus causes a haemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs; some isolates can cause death of animals as quickly as a week after infection. Given the gravity of the situation, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has launched a global initiative for the control of ASF. The objective is to control the disease, strengthen countries’ prevention and preparation efforts, and minimise the adverse effects on animal health, animal welfare and international trade. It was noted that a lack of precautions by professionals, hunters, travelers, farmers, or anyone unaware of its

transmission pathways could result in the emergence of ASF. The SGE-ASF is focused on preventing the introduction in the region, and, if ever it happens, being prepared to contain its spread and devastating consequences are of the utmost importance. Moreover, developing measures specific and adaptable to the region is essential to prevent the entry of the disease thanks to the definition of priority actions oriented to local needs and complementary of the global initiative. Internationally recognised ASF or swine

Public Procurement Commission hosts open day for... (From page 19) the procurement process, procedure to address irregularities in public procurement, among others. The requirements for the submission of procurement plans as well as quarterly procurement expenditure reports from procuring entities were discussed, the statement said. It added that the Open Day was informative, successful and fruitful by the participants. The Public Procurement Commission has the role to monitor procurement procedures undertaken by Ministries, public agencies and bodies. As such, it ensures that the procurement of goods, services and execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent, sustainable and cost-effective manner. The Commission also investigates complaints received from suppliers, contractors and public entities, and propose remedial action.

disease experts with experience w o r k i n g i n Europe or Asia will be included in the group on an ad hoc basis on agreement of the SGE-ASF. Some of the economical impacts of ASF based on poultry farming are high morbidity and mortality in animals, import and export bans and movement restrictions while some of the environmental impacts are contamination with products, ingestion of contaminated pork products by feeding pigs swill, waste, garbage and carcasses. The virus can be transmitted through fomites, clothing, vehicles, equipment, blood, diarrhoea, faeces vectors; bites from soft ticks, insects, mosquitoes and biting flies. To prevent the virus, persons can decrease contact with feral or wild hogs, keep newly acquired pigs separate from the herd for at least 30 days to assure health, do not feed uncooked pork products to pigs, swill, garbage and waste. Persons can also disinfect vehicles, equipment, footwear, clothing and use appropriate disposal of manure and carcasses. Furthermore, avoid hunting wild hogs prior to contact with domestic pigs.

the government commissioned four new

schools in Regions Five and Six. These included the Perth

Nursery School, Calcutta Nursery School and Champagne Primary School and the No. 36 Primary School. It was also revealed that the cost to construct the Perth Nursery School was $40M, the Champagne Primary School - $13M and the Calcutta Nursery - $33M. Last month, it was announced that three schools—a nursery and two primary, are to be constructed in Region 10.

Driver in No. 76 Village fatal hit-andrun arrested; car found at spray shop Police in Springlands, Berbice have arrested a 33year-old hire car driver for his involvement in a fatal hit-andrun accident that occurred at Number 76 Village, Upper Corentyne Saturday afternoon. In police custody, along with his car, is Yadesh Rooplall. The victim of the accident has been identified as Parmanand Harripaul, an unemployed 27-year-old of Lot 62 Section A Number 69 Village. Police sources have since indicated that Rooplall was arrested yesterday morning in Line Path, Skeldon, while the vehicle he was driving was found at a bodywork and spray paint establishment in Crabwood Creek around 21:00 hrs Saturday. The incident reportedly took place Saturday afternoon. Reports are that the police acted on information given by an anonymous caller that a body of a male was on the parapet of the Number 76 public road.

Parmanand Harripaul, Hit and run victim

Yadesh Rooplall, Driver of the car

Upon the ranks’ arrival, they saw blood on the victim’s neck and torso along with a gash on his neck. Small fragments of glass were also noticed about three feet away from the body. Subsequently, contact was made with Leelawattie Hemraj, who identified the body to be that of her son. The body was transported to Skeldon Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is at Skeldon Public Hospital

Mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination. Meanwhile, a relative of the deceased, Chetram Harry, told Kaieteur News that his nephew left home Saturday afternoon but did not say where he was heading. It was not long after that they were informed by the police that Harripaul’s lifeless body was found on the road. He had no children and was never married. Investigations are ongoing.

Truck driver found dead in overturned truck A truck driver was found dead, yesterday, in an overturned oil tanker. According to reports, 34year-old Etto DeFreitas, of Kuru Kuru Village, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, who was the driver of an oil tanker, left Buck Hall, Essequibo Islands, to go to the Aurora Gold Mines. A passerby who was also travelling along the same road noticed the overturned truck. The passerby said that he knew the oil tanker and the owners as well. He then alerted the security forces of the owners that one of their trucks overturned. Security personals then rushed to the scene where DeFreitas’s body was discovered under the truck. Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, the dead man’s father, Lawrence DeFreitas, said that his son has been working in the

Dead Truck Driver: Etto Defreitas interior for some years now with “Trail boss”. Trail Boss, he said, normally uses his trucks to transport mining equipment, fuel and machine into the “backdams”. He told reporters that his son was home but reported for work three weeks ago.

The saddened father said that at around noon, yesterday, they received the gruesome news that their son met his demise. Lawrence highlighted that he understands that his son was travelling without a porter, which is against the norm. Normally, he said, while driving these heavy-duty trucks porters are on board. He also said he was told that his son’s boss would normally “send drivers without a porter”. Some commentators told this publication that it is unsafe to send drivers, especially with loaded heavyduty vehicles, into the “backdams” without a porter. DeFreitas’s body was transported to Georgetown and taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour. Investigations into the accident are ongoing.

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Navin Param’s unbeaten 72 gives Singapore victory in final-over thriller ESPNcricinfo - On the opening day of tournament play, Singapore won a thriller by defending seven off the final over against Scotland. Tasked with scoring nine in the last over against Bermuda, they only needed three deliveries to clinch another dramatic affair in Dubai. Navin Param was the hero with his unbeaten 72 off 41 balls. Param entered with Singapore in serious trouble at 41 for 4 in the ninth over chasing a target of 150 after Bermuda grabbed momentum thanks to a pair of stunning one-handed catches in the space of nine deliveries. Aritra Dutta’s cut off Rodney Trott was intercepted by a salmon leap by Kamau Leverock at backward point before 44-yearold Janeiro Tucker knifed a scorching drive in his followthrough to dismiss Singapore’s star batsman Tim David. But Param and Manpreet Singh kept their cool to construct a 79-run stand. After scoring 11 off his first

Navin Param is carried off the field after his unbeaten 72 off 41 balls took Singapore home Peter Della Penna.

12 deliveries, Param started to open up against Malachin Jones in the 13th over, scooping him over fine leg to the boundary. It became his go-to shot throughout the chase - Param said afterward that he drew on his skills as a former hockey player for the unorthodox wristwork contributing to a chunk of his seven fours and four sixes. It also forced a costly mental error from Bermuda.

With 30 needed off the final three overs, Manpreet was done in as he charged at Bermuda captain Dion Stovell and the game was back in the balance. Only, after a single by Janak Prakash put Param on strike on 48, Stovell moved Rodney Trott from backward point to backward square leg when there was already a deep backward square and short fine leg in place. The next ball was reverse

Wales beat France 20-19 to reach Rugby World Cup semi-finals in thriller

Wales’ players react after Ross Moriarty scores the match winning try to beat France in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final. BBCsport - A dramatic late Ross Moriarty try booked Wales a World Cup semi-final place at the expense of 14-man France as Warren Gatland’s side came from behind to win 20-19 in Oita. France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina was sent off after 48 minutes for a blatant elbow on Wales flanker Aaron Wainwright in a decisive moment. France were leading 19-10 at the time and Wales scored 10 unanswered points. Gatland’s side play South Africa next Sunday in Yokohama. Wales overcame the loss of centre Jonathan Davies just before kick-off to reach a third World Cup semi-final to follow their exploits of 1987 and 2011. Vahaamahina, Charles Ollivon, and the brilliant Virimi Vakatawa scored France tries in a relentless first-half display, while Wales responded through Wainwright and Moriarty tries and 10 points from Dan Biggar’s boot. France won the only other previous World Cup meeting between the two nations in the 2011 semi-final when then Wales skipper Sam Warburton was red-carded. This time it was a French sending off that proved pivotal. Wales will be relieved after producing a

disappointing and disjointed performance but again resilience and character took them to victory in a game where they trailed from the fifth minute until the 74th. Moriarty shrugged off a first-half yellow card to score the decisive try with the ball adjudged not to have gone forward in the build-up from a rip by replacement scrum-half Tomos Williams. Wales fans woke up to the news they did not want to hear but feared when key centre Davies was ruled out just before kickoff with the knee injury he suffered against Fiji. Davies initially had been cleared to play and was selected in the team before being pulled out 75 minutes before kick-off. The Scarlets centre aggravated the injury in Wales’ final training session on Saturday and was officially ruled out on Sunday morning. Owen Watkin was Davies’ replacement for the biggest game of his career with full-back Leigh Halfpenny coming in on the bench. France had defeated Argentina, Tonga and USA but not played for two weeks after their Pool C decider had been called off because of Typhoon Hagibis, but they made a blistering start in Oita.

swept through the newly created gap on the off side for four to bring up Param’s 31-ball fifty. The umpires finally caught on to the field in the subsequent delivery and called a no-ball - teams can’t have three fielders behind square on the leg side - and Param whacked the free hit straight down the ground for another four. A misguided slower bouncer from Leverock was flat-batted for a straight six by Param in the 19th over before the bowler overstepping gave Singapore one more bonus run. On strike to start

the final over against medium pacer George O’Brien, Param executed one more scoop for six over fine leg. A single put Prakash on strike, who ended the match with a straight drive over the now crowded infield for four. The match-clinching boundary capped a brilliant day for Prakash. Having been hit in the head by a Kyle Coetzer drive two days ago, he took the field again with his head bandaged up and took three wickets in the final overs. Bermuda started the day with a maiden after choosing to bat at the toss and played out two more scoreless overs later in the innings as they struggled to get singles around their ability to clear the ropes. The ageless Tucker lifted Bermuda out of early trouble with an unbeaten 50 off 34 balls at No. 5. Combined with his one-handed catch to claim David, it looked like enough to galvanise Bermuda to victory before Param’s heroics stole the show. Scores: Singapore 152 for 5 (Param 72*) beat Bermuda 149 for 7 (Tucker 50*, Prakash 3-44) by five wickets. Aamir Kaleem, Khawar Ali spin Oman to second

straight win - Oman moved to the top of the Group B table in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier with a resounding seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. This was their second straight win after they started the tournament by beating UAE by the same margin. Scores: Oman 106 for 3 (Ilyas 37*, Kinchit 1-18) beat Hong Kong 102 (Nizakat 31, Kaleem 3-14, Khawar 3-24) by 7 wickets. PNG crush Namibia after Tony Ura, Assad Vala set platform with century stand - PNG’s biggest partnership in T20Is, between Tony Ura and Assad Vala, left Namibia battered and bruised and without an escape route, as they slid to an 81-run defeat at ICC Academy Oval 2 yesterday. Ura and Man of the Match Vala added 125 in just 12.2 overs as they punished poor lengths from Namibia, who cycled through eight options with the ball but found little success. Scores: Papua New Guinea 197 for 7 (Ura 71, Vala 48, Frylinck 3-18, Viljoen 2-37) beat Namibia 116 (Vala 3-19) by 81 runs.

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The Hundred: Rashid Khan goes to Trent Rockets, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc at Welsh Fire BBCsport Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan was the first pick in yesterday’s inaugural The Hundred draft. The legspinner will earn £125,000 after being picked by Trent Rockets. Australia teammates Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc will play together at Welsh Fire while David Warner was drafted by Southern Brave. However, West Indies opener Chris Gayle, South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga all missed out on selection. The BBC will have live television coverage of 10 men’s matches from The Hundred next summer and up to eight live matches from the women’s tournament, including both finals. Rashid, 21, will play alongside England Test captain Joe Root, who described him as “one of the best players in the world”. “It’s going to be great to have Rashid join us at Trent Bridge next summer,” Root said. “I’ve played against him and I know he’s a fierce competitor and one of the best players in the world.” In total 96 players were selected in the first major player draft in British sport, with 474 going unsold. Lancashire and England batsman Liam Livingstone was drafted by Birmingham Phoenix, joining Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy on the maximum £125,000 contracts. Domestic players Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory, Sam Billings, Phil Salt, Alex Hales, James Vince, Adil Rashid, Tom Banton, Tom Abell and Ravi Bopara also picked up six-figure

The Hundred Draft was held in London on Sunday evening. contracts. Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent said the opportunities for domestic players is the “most exciting” thing about the new tournament. Ryan Sidebottom, the former England bowler, added: “It’s absolutely brilliant for this game that the homegrown players have been selected. “It happens in the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash so to get the English players getting picked up for big prices is amazing.” The second £125,000 pick was West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, who was signed by Southern Brave. Australians Aaron Finch,

Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short (all £125,000) were signed by Northern Superchargers, London Spirit and Trent Rockets respectively. Rashid’s Afghanistan team-mate and fellow spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman, 18,was also signed by the Superchargers - another £125,000 pick - while allrounder Mohammad Nabi (£100,000), was signed by London Spirit. Nepal’s 19-year-old legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane (£100,000) was picked by Oval Invincibles as was West Indies allrounder Sunil Narine (£125,000). Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir

(£100,000) was signed by London Spirit while New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (£100,000) will play for Birmingham Phoenix. The teams have one last chance to add to their squad with the ‘wildcard’ pick next summer. The centrallycontracted England Test players were already assigned to teams prior to Sunday night’s draft, along with two ‘local icons’. Women’s marquee players announced - Australia captain Meg Lanning is one of the eight marquee players for the women’s Hundred competition, which also begins in 2020. Lanning, who led Australia to an Ashes victory in England this

Andre Russell will play for Southampton-based Southern Brave, alongside Jofra Archer, James Vince and Chris Jordan. summer, will join her international coach Matthew Mott at Welsh Fire. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, the number one-ranked T20 player, will join Southern Brave, while Australia wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy will represent Northern Superchargers. England limited-overs opener Tammy Beaumont will link up with her international captain Heather Knight at London Spirit. Two England women’s centrally contracted players have already been attached to teams, and head coaches have until 31 May to complete their 15-strong squads. When is The Hundred? In

an effort to attract more families to the game, the competition will be played in the school summer holidays from 17 July to 16 August, 2020. Teams will play each other once, apart from their paired ‘rivals’, whom they meet twice (home and away). There will be 32 league matches in total, with the top three finishers competing in the Finals Day (top team automatically reaches the final, with second versus third for the other spot in the final). The paired rivals (play each other twice) are: Leeds and Manchester, the two London teams, Birmingham and Nottingham and Southampton and Cardiff.

Monday October 21, 2019

GTT National Indoor Hockey C/Ship

GBTI Tigers regain, Hikers retain first division titles

YMCA Old Fort Hot Shotz – Over-35 Veterans’ champions. Pepsi Hikers edged YMCA Old Fort Delta Force 4-3 last night to retain their National Indoor Men’s First Division title in a clash at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) that saw no love lost between the two teams. Up to half time, Hikers lead 3-0 but one field goal (FG) each from Jason Dos Santos and Omar Hopkinson brought Old Fort back into the game before Robert France scored the second of his brace one minute from full time. Old Fort managed a third goal in the dying seconds of the game but they never really

threatened the champions. Andrew Stewart of Hikers won the MVP award while his teammate Aroydy Brandford netted the most goals (13) and Old Fort’s Paul D’Andrade was awarded the Best Goalkeeper. On the distaff side in the First Division, MVP and leading goal scorer, Marzana Fiedtkou banged in a hat-trick to spearhead GBTI GCC Tigers to a 6-3 victory over GBTI GCC Spice in the final. Forward Sonia Jardine found back her goal scoring edge when it mattered most with a brace while Gabriella

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Xavier netted once in the win for the Tigers. The runners-up had Sandy Roopnarine bagging a brace while Shebiki Baptiste added the third. GBTI GCC Tigers’ Briawna Gordon was awarded Best Goalkeeper. Bounty GCC Pitbulls won the Men’s Second Division and their star player, Kareem McKenzie was awarded MVP while Omar Hopkinson of YMCA Old Fort Top Form scored the most goals (16) and Paul D’Andrade was awarded Best goalkeeper. YMCA Old Fort Hot Shots edged Bounty GCC Vintage 10-9 to usurp them as

Bounty GCC Pitbulls - Second Division Champions.

champions in the Over-35 Veterans’ Division. Aderemi Simon was awarded the MVP of the division while Kevin Spencer scored the most goals - 16. The GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships was organised by the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB). The next senior indoor hockey tournament on the GHB’s calendar is the Diamond Mineral Water International Festival which is scheduled to play at the same venue from November 28 to December 1 with teams from Trinidad & Tobago already confirming their participation.

South Africa rocked after Rohit Sharma 212, Ajinkya Rahane 115 ESPNcricinfo - It’s difficult to see this Test match developing any differently to the previous two in this series. India have done what they did in Visakhapatnam and Pune, piling on the runs, although they declared when the total was under 500 in Ranchi. South Africa have done what they did at those venues too, by bowling inconsistently, conceding heavily and then being handicapped in response. At 8 for 2, this is their worst start yet and, barring something truly special, it appears only a matter of time before they are whitewashed. Rohit Sharma, the star of India’s innings, enhanced his reputation further after scoring two centuries in his first Test as an opener in Visakhapatnam. Rohit doubled up in Ranchi, to become the third doublecenturion in the series for India, surpassing 500 runs for the series. He also took his batting average at home up to 99.84, just above Don Bradman’s 98.22. Shining alongside him were Ajinkya Rahane, who brought up his first hundred at home since 2016, Ravindra Jadeja, who added a second half-century at No.6 and Umesh Yadav, whose 31 off 10 balls allowed Virat Kohli to declare in time to let India’s quicks loose on South Africa’s openers.

Mohammed Shami and Umesh only got an over each in fading light but bounced out South Africa’s openers to put the visitors under pressure immediately. India had the luxury of allowing their quicks to go full tilt for a short spell, having declared with a s e s s i o n i n t h e d a y, b u t knowing the weather would allow for much less. Shami and Umesh hit the deck hard and seemed to catch Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock by surprise. Both gloved behind, Elgar off a Shami delivery that found extra bounce and de Kock to an Umesh snorter that climbed on him steeply. And those losses might well be the least of South Africa’s problems. On a dry surface, debutant Shahbaz Nadeem has already extracted more turn in two overs than South Africa’s spinners did in almost two days, and R Ashwin has yet to get going. The upside is that there’s an opportunity for some of South Africa’s bench to come good. Zubayr Hamza is batting at No. 3 and Heinrich Klaasen at No. 6, and we don’t need to go over how important it is for Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma to score runs. South Africa 9 for 2 (Shami 1-0, Umesh 1-4) trail India 497 (Rohit 212, Rahane 115, Linde 4-133) by 488 runs.

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane embraces each other © BCCI.

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Monday October 21, 2019

Kaieteur News

New York Business Group U19 50-overs Tourney

Albion whips Rose Hall Town Pepsi to become 2019 champions Being rewarded for a job well done.

By Samuel Whyte Albion Community Center Cricket Club (ACCCC) are the 2019 New York Business Group U19 cricket champions after defeating double defending champions

Rose Hall Town Pepsi (RHT Pepsi) in the final on Saturday at the No. 69 Cricket Ground, Upper Corentyne. Albion scored an emphatic 125 run victory to take their first lien on the

trophy in this the third year of the competition which is organised in collaboration with the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and the Albion Community Development Center (ACDC).

With both teams missing key players due to their involvement in the Franchise Inter Zone cricket competition, Rose Hall Town won the toss and decided to invite Albion to take first

strike and they lost three quick wickets before reaching 40, but they were able to rally and reach 204 for 9 in their allotment of 50 overs. The ACCCC recovery was led by a hard hitting 75 from Antonio February (7x4 3x6). He got support from Jethendra Outar 17, Tameshwar Mahadeo 16 and Surendra Ramcharitar 15. Bowling for RHT Pepsi, Tyrese Sealy picked up three wickets while there was two each for Lucas Arthur and D. Mahadeo, Nigel Lawson took one. In reply RHT Pepsi was never in the hunt and was bundled out for 89 in 31.3 overs with Lucas Arthur 24 and Nigel Lawson 15 getting into double figures. Off spinner Bisham Surujnarine led the bowling for ACCCC with four wickets. The new champs, ACCCC received the NY Business Group trophy, $100,000 and 15 medals. RHT Pepsi collected the runner-up trophy and $50,000. Man-of-the-match was Antonio February and he was presented with cash, trophy and a new cricket bat. February also got a trophy for the batsman scoring the most runs in the final. The best bowler in the final was Surujnarine, he too

received a trophy. Some other prizes for outstanding players in the competition went to National U19 player Junior S i n c l a i r, B e s t b o w l i n g Kelvin Omrao, the Best wicketkeeper was Riad Karrim of Albion. Speaking to the media, Rajendra ‘Boyee’ Mahase stated that the New York Business Group decided to go into the venture in an effort to give back to Guyana. He said that they are all businessmen in NY and are members of the Galaxy Cricket Club. He noted that there are talented players in Guyana especially Berbice and they are pleased to be able to contribute in a positive way. Another member, Shiek Hassan stated that one of their aims is, to build leaders for the future. Also speaking at the presentation ceremony was Simon Naidoo on behalf of the BCB and Vemen Walter for the Albion Community Center. Teams from throughout Berbice took part in the competition. The organisers congratulated all the teams for participating. They also thanked the BCB and Albion CDC whilst committing to sponsor the competition again in a bigger way, next year.

Johnson century boosts Georgetown; wins for Upper Corentyne and West Demerara Georgetown, Upper Corentyne and West Demerara registered victories when play in the Cricket Guyana Inc. / SBF Petroleum 50-over Franchise League continued yesterday. At Bourda, Georgetown led by a century from skipper Leon Johnson, defeated East Bank Demerara by 141 runs. Batting first, Georgetown piled up 292-6. Johnson slammed nine fours in a top score of 104 off 111 balls and got valuable support from Christopher Barnwell who made 49 with three fours and three sixes. Raymond Perez contributed 27, openers Winston Forrester made 25 and Joshua Persaud 24. Krsna Singh claimed 2- 52. In reply, East Bank Demerara managed 151-5. Vishaul Singh struck 60 off 121 balls with two fours while Yudistir Persaud made an unbeaten 40 off 86 balls with a solitary boundary. Trevon Griffith scored 20 and Sachin Singh 17. At Bush Lot - Upper

Corentyne beat West Berbice by 79 runs. Upper Corentyne took first strike and scored 194-8. Alex Algoo and Kandasammy Surujnarine put on 39 for the first wicket before Surujnarine was lbw to Kevin Sinclair for nine while Algoo slammed eight fours in scoring 52. Jonathan Rampersaud and Anthony Bramble added 69 for the sixth wicket to steady the innings fairly after their team lost a few quick wickets. Rampersaud made 35 while Bramble scored 22. Demetri Cameron assisted with 17 as Andrew Dutchin and Keon Joseph took two wickets each. In reply, West Berbice never recovered after they were reduced to 18-3 and eventually fell for 115 in 29 overs. Dutchin made 31 while Joseph chipped in with 29 not out. Shawn Perreira bagged 651 from 10 overs while Eon Hooper had 2-11. At Enmore - West Demerara defeated East Coast Demerara by 84 runs. Openers

Shawn Perreira collects the man-of-the-match award from Arleigh Rutherford. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Ronaldo Renee handed West Demerara a solid start with a first wicket stand of 78 before Renee departed for 30 while Chanderpaul stroked 75. West Demerara lost some

quick wickets, but Romario Shepherd beefed up the total with an attacking 41 which contained three fours and two sixes as Asif Singh took 2-52. East Coast Demerara were sent packing for 114 in

Leon Johnson accepts his man-of-the match prize from Selena Bacchus. 39.5 overs in response. They never recovered after being placed on 15-3. Robin Williams and Amir Khan added 19 for the fourth wicket before Williams was bowled by Keshram

Seyhodan for 18. Khan was caught off Malcolm Hubbard for 35 while Alex Sital made 29 not out. Hubbard was the main destroyer with 5-32 while Seyhodan had 3-15.

Monday October 21, 2019

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Kaieteur News

Citizen’s Bank/LGC Cancer Awareness Golf

Philanthropist Patanjilee Persaud excels

From left, Julie Stevenson, Satrohan Tiwari, Club President Aleem Hussain, Patrick Prashad, Patanjilee Persaud, Maxim Mangra, Banks PRO Troy Peters, Jonathan Mentore, Mauro Remiro, Guillermo Escarraga and a Citizens Bank Rep. It was a fabulous day of golfing on Saturday last as some international competitors, here for the premier Guyana Open International Invitational Golf Tournament teamed up with many top locals to compete and at the same time promote the awareness for cancer and the search for a cure. T h i s y e a r, C i t i z e n ’s Bank, a sister company of Banks DIH, teamed up with the LGC to host Saturday’s event as part of a joint Citizens Bank / Banks DIH weekend of great golf leading to the Guyana Open of October 26-27, next. And what a tournament it was... with a battle for the top position being won by Patanjilee ‘Pur’ Persaud of Crown Mining who shot a net tournament low of 64 to win the Overall Net title along with first place in the 10-18 Category. There was a three way tie for second in the highly contested 10 -18 category between Aasrodeen Shaw of GWI (70/13), William Walker of Oasis Café (70/11) and Satrohan ‘Robin’ Tiwari (70/ 16) was won by Tiwari on the count back tie breaker. In the 19-28 flight, a magnificent performance was turned in by Nirmaldeo Sarwan who scored a net 66 (off h/cap 24) to edge out Guillermo Escarraga of Macorp who came in second

with a great 67 (off h/cap 22), beating out his co-worker Jordi Pinol, who played the best round so far of his golfing career at the LGC, with a net 69 (off h/cap 28). In the championship 0-9 flight, veterans Patrick Prashad, Mike Mangal, (both with h/cap 9) defending Guyana Open Champion Avinash Persaud (h/cap 2) and LGC President Aleem Hussain (h/cap 9) all shot 80 gross but it was Prashad who emerged the net winner with Mangal second, on the back nine countback. Avinash Persaud carted off the Best Gross Overall with a better back nine of 36. The Nearest to The Pin was won by Maxim Mangra and once again, it was Avinash - smashing a monster drive –who won the Longest Drive for the 6th consecutive tournament. A special prize for the Most Improved Golfer of the tournament went to Mauro Gamargo Remiro who shot a net 76 playing in just his 5th tournament. Another special prize, the Youngest Golfer prize was awarded to young Jonathan Mentore, (son of veteran golfer Georgetown Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore) who was playing in his first tournament and performed admirably under the pressure of playing with the more seasoned golfers. On hand to distribute

prizes was the Banks DIH PRO, Troy Peters ably assisted by Ms. Julie Stevenson, one of the top female golfers from

Barbados. Ms. Stevenson is in Guyana to participate in the Guyana Open, this weekend. President of the LGC Aleem Hussain thanked the

players - who all wore pink ribbons – to show their support for the Cancer Awareness cause. “This is another step in ensuring that

the LGC and its corporate sponsors fulfill their obligations to social involvement and giving back to our community,” he stated.

BCB/RHTY&SC 6th Annual Naeem Nasir Mem. T20

Six schools to participate The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) with support from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) would be hosting the 6th Annual Naeem Nasir Memorial T20 tournament at the Area ‘H’ Ground on the 30th of October. The tournament would be contested by six Secondary Schools in Berbice as the Club pays homage to Mr. Nasir, the late Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Bakewell, the popular bakery with headquarters at Triumph Village, East Coast Demerara. Club Secretary/CEO and President of the BCB, Hilbert Foster stated that this year, it was decided to play the tournament with Secondary Schools in an effort to develop youths. The first five years of the tournament was won by the Rose Hall Town Bakewell Team. Noting that Nasir was a passionate promoter of youths in sports, Foster stated the best tribute to late Bakewell Founder would be a youth tournament. The

Bakewell General Manager, Rajendra Ganga hands over sponsorship cheque to RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO, Hilbert Foster. schools that would be participating are Lower Corentyne, Port Mourant, Corentyne Comprehensive High, Berbice High and Berbice Educational Institute. Several of Berbice’ top players including Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall, Jeremy Sandia, Gourav Ramesh, Matthew Pottaya, Rampersaud

Ramnauth, Leon Cecil, Zeynul Ramsammy and Abdul Ramsammy would be part of the tournament. The top schools and players would receive a collection of prizes including a 32" TV, water dispenser, five gallon water pitcher and educational packages. Each player in the competition would also receive a youth

information booklet and an anti suicide poster. The organisers would also use the opportunity during the day to promote the RHTY&SC highly successful Say No/Say Yes message, which advises youths to Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Crime, Alcohol, Tobacco, PreMarital Sex and Yes to Education, Life, Sports, Culture and Religion. Foster stated that it is an honour to pay respect to Nasir as he was a role model, mentor and inspiration to youths across Guyana and also a strong supporter of Sports especially, cricket, football and tennis. Bakewell, since 2000 has been an official sponsor of the RHTY&SC and has played a major role in the development of numerous players who have gone on to play for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies. Foster and General Manager of Bakewell, Rajendra Ganga would speak at the presentation ceremony and hand over prizes.

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Monday October 21, 2019

Kaieteur News

CGI’s SBF Petroleum Jaguars 50-over League

Foo (86 & 2-20), Smith (4-54) break E’bo winning streak

Kemol Savory took his runs tally to 205 at Cumberland yesterday. Story and photos by Sean Devers in Berbice Watched by a fair size crowd which included President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Hilbert Foster, Johnathon Foo and Nial Smith conspired to propel Lower Corentyne to a twowicket win over Essequibo at the Young Warriors ground in Cumberland, Canjie in the fifth round of the CGI’s SBF Petroleum Jaguars 50-over League, yesterday. The 29-year-old Foo staked a strong claim for a National 50-over recall with his second half-century of the tournament after picking up 2-20 to help restrict the defending champions 195. The 23-year-old Smith continued to impress with his pace and captured 4-54 to take his tally to 16 wickets for Lower Corentyne who

reached 199-8 with 21 balls to spare. Anthony Adams who made 50 from 46 balls with five fours and a six and was supported by Quinton Sampson whose 37 included five fours, Kevin Boodie who five fours in 34, Kemol Savory 32 and Ronsford Beaton 22. At the half way stage Essequibo seemed to have enough runs on the board to extend their winning streak to five and remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament. But Foo who blasted seven sixes and four fours from 92 balls in an entertaining 86, had other plans as executed an array of pugnacious shots. Seon Hetymer who made 30 on a ground which he and his younger brother Shimron

MoM Jonathan Foo accepts his trophy.

(who missed yesterday’s round to go to Church) call home, shared in a halfcentury fifth wicket partnership with Foo before Smith, with a cameo unbeaten 21 saw their team to their fourth win. Essequibo, also with four wins and a loss, lead the points table by virtue of getting more bonus points. And with two rounds to go it could be a two-horse race between these two teams for the title. Earlier, Essequibo won the toss in sweltering heat and opted to bat on a slow track with a bit of preparation moisture on a fast but rough outfield. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul bowled Parmesh Parsotan (5) with one that gripped on the surface as played back to leave the score on 10-1. David Williams (0) soon edged Smith to the Keeper as the defending Champions slipped to 15-2 before the consistent Savory and Boodie steadied the ship by taking the score to 53. Savory demonstrated excellent temperament while Boodie was the aggressor after the pair had added 88 in their stand against West Demerara at Bourda on Saturday. Boodie on-drove, offdrove and disdainfully cut Smith for three boundaries in the eighth over to post the

Nial Smith was again impressive yesterday in Berbice as he had 4-54 to take his tally to 16 wickets. 50 while Savory slug swept Permaul over mid-wicket for six. Boodie skied Foo and the ball fell between three fielders and went for four before he lofted Foo to long-off at 53-3 while Foo was on a hat-trick when Ricardo Adams was caught in the deep for a first ball duck. Anthony Adams was forced to retire hurt due to an ankle injury when on three. Sampson joined Savory who

played an array of audacious shots which included backto-back back foot punches past cover for boundaries off Kelvin Umroa before was caught behind off Smith at 111-5. Adams returned to bat at the demise of Sampson but Savory soon edged Smith to Jason Sinclair behind the stumps for him to hold his third catch at 121-6. Adams and Ronsford

Beaton took the score 161 before Beaton was run out but Adams kept going before was ninth out; bowled by Umroa at 192-9. The competition continues tomorrow when Essequibo face East Coast at Lusignan, Lower Corentyne battle West Demerara at Albion, West Berbice oppose Georgetown at Everest while East Bank face Upper Corentyne at Bourda.

No team will take Windies for granted, says Lara Mumbai, India, CMC – Former West Indies batting maestro Brian Lara believes the Caribbean side remains a feared side in the shortest format but will not be among the favourites for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. West Indies are reigning T20 world champions following their conquest at the last World Cup in India three years ago but have since endured a run of poor results, leaving them ninth in the ICC rankings only above the likes of Bangladesh and Scotland. “Whatever tournament the West Indies are going to, they’ll never be favourites at this point in time … even when we won the two tournaments in the past,” the former West Indies captain pointed out. “What we do have is the shorter version of the game. A lot of young players that are coming into the team, [Shimron] Hetmyer, [Nicholas] Pooran, they are

Brian Lara very very good in the T20 version, in the limited-overs version of the game.” He continued: “The talent is there, and I’ve always said in the past that the West Indies have some of the best talents in the world coming through. What we do with that talent, how we harness that talent is the most

important part. “I reckon that the next eight, ten months before the World Cup there will be a lot of planning. You may even see some new faces coming through. If you listen to any other teams in the world or captains, they’re very wary of the West Indies. They never ever take us for granted, which is a good thing. “So hopefully we will make a good showing coming to the World Cup.” The T20 World Cup is set for October 8 to November 15 and West Indies will hope to make their mark especially after producing a hugely disappointing showing at the 50-overs World Cup earlier this year in England. In the wake of that debacle, Cricket West Indies have made several changes, among them appointing Kieron Pollard as white-ball captain and announcing former Test batsman Phil Simmons as the new head coach.

Their first assignment will be a three-match one-day and T20 series against minnows Afghanistan in India next month, and Lara said it was critical the Windies adjusted quickly to conditions on the subcontinent in order to be successful. “To be successful anywhere in the world you have to adapt very quickly. If you’re playing in Australia, India, South Africa, West Indies …they’re all different conditions,” he explained. “First and foremost, everyone that plays international cricket has a certain level of skill and talent to play the game. How you approach with your mental strength is key, adaptation of the environment you’re in is key. “Learning all these important things to be successful … to be a step ahead, not having any excuses. I think those things are key to making sure that you’re successful playing anywhere in the world.”