Kaieteur News

K

AIETEUR NEWS

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Despite higher Thursday Edition world market price... October 28, 2021 - Vol. 14 No.40

Gold revenue declines by US$86M p.13

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 88,718

“Superefficient” oil agreement with Guyana allows for quick recovery of over US$9 billion - Hess tells Yellowtail Project shareholders

p.

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Exxon dumping 35 tons of waste per day at Haags Bosch p.8

- to use landfill for next 10 years before building new one

Cops accused Cash strapped of deleting GWI owed bank data in fraud case, walk free $540M- Minister p.

13

p.

12

Protest to change all foreign es. contracts continu

GRA to auction vehicle Ministry purchased, left on wharf p.14

Guyana borrows 10 times more from IDB than it did in first 6 months of 2020 p.

2

In December 2018, VP Jagdeo, then Opposition Leader, said this to Guyana, “Our incompetent government trudged in there, unprepared and stuck us with a contract that would harm us for decades into the future. They sold our patrimony…” @11:00hrs on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

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Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Guyana borrows 10 times more from IDB than it did in first 6 months of 2020 G

uyana's public debt has been s t e a d i l y increasing in recent years and based on the nation's latest financial reports for the first half of this year loans from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) increased 10 folds over the corresponding period last year.

This information is contained in the mid-year financial report on the nation's accounts for 2021.

According to that document, disbursements from the IDB increased 10fold, from US$5.2 million in the first half of 2020, to about US$55.5 million for the corresponding period in 2021.

According to the report, about 75.2 percent of the latter amount was allocated to combating the economic and social ramifications of the pandemic.

The report was at the time addressing the nation's total debt stock and explained that the increase

The Bank of Guyana

“was largely due to positive net flows (disbursements less principal repayments) from the IDB, driven by disbursements, under two loans agreements geared at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the report, at the end of June 2021, multilateral creditors held

64.2 percent of external Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) debt, bilateral creditors 33.4 percent, and private creditors 2.4 percent.

Projecting forward, the report states that the external PPG debt stock is projected to increase by 3.9 percent from its mid-year position,

to US$1,407.5 million at the end of 2021, mainly driven by disbursements under several IDB funded projects.

Detailing the borrowing, the report reflected that in the first half of 2021, disbursements from external creditors amounted to US$61.6 million, more than three times that in the first half of 2020.

To this end, it was explained that “this increase

reflects higher disbursements from multilateral creditors, moving from US$10.3 million in the first half of 2020, to US$60.8 million in the first half of this year.”

Meanwhile, as key projects approached completion, the report highlighted that bilateral disbursements totalled US$0.8 million in the first half of the year, 89.1 percent lower than US$7.3 million during the same period of 2020.

Meanwhile, as it relates to domestic PPG debt, the report documents that, at the end of the first half of the year, this amounted to US$1,552.6 million, a 22.1 percent increase from the end of 2020 figure of US$1,271.4 million.

It was noted too that in June 2021, government securitised the inherited overdraft at the Bank of Guyana using 85 variablerate debentures, with tenors ranging from 1 to 20 years, totalling G$200 billion (about US$959.2 million).

“Consequently, the first half of 2021 ended with the

Consolidated Fund, as well as public deposits, reflecting a positive balance.”

According to the midyear report, “these moves were intended to bolster transparency and accountability in public debt management, and to restore the integrity of Guyana's fiscal accounts.”

As it relates to Guyana's total stock of public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) debt, that amounted to US$2,907.8 million (US$3B).

According to the report, total public debt accounts for the majority of that debt standing at some US$2,905.4 million, and total publicly guaranteed debt is responsible for the remaining US$2.4 million.

The report outlined that total PPG debt for the period increased by 12.2 percent when compared to the end of 2020 figure of US$2,592.2 million.

It was noted that external PPG debt grew by 2.6 percent, from US$1,320.8 million at the end of 2020, to US$1,355.3 million at endJune 2021.

Unvaccinated man is country's latest COVID-19 fatality

T

he Ministry of Health yesterday reported that a 64year-old unvaccinated man, who contracted the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, has died. As a result of this, Guyana's COVID-19 death toll has moved to 900.

According to the

Ministry, the man who resided in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) died while receiving treatment at a medical institution.

Meanwhile, in its latest COVID-19 dashboard the Health Ministry recorded 82 new cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases

to 35,252.

Presently there are 25 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, 73 are in institutional isolation, 2,926 in home isolation and five in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 31,328 persons who had tested positive have recovered.

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

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“Superefficient” oil agreement with Guyana allows for quick recovery of over US$9B Yellowtail Project - Hess tells shareholders E

By Kiana Wilburg

v e n a s ExxonMobil and its partners await government approval before going ahead with a final investment decision on the Yellowtail Project, the high estimated costs already has its shareholders concerned about the impact of inflationary pressures on the project. This specific concern was raised during the 2021 third quarter earnings call for Hess Corporation which has a 30 percent stake in the Stabroek Block.

During the earnings call yesterday morning, Executives of Hess Corporation field several questions about the massive Yellowtail Project which its partner, ExxonMobil, has said will cost over US$9B ($1.8 trillion).

Arun Jayaram, a Research Analyst at one of America's largest investment management firms, JP Morgan Securities LLC sought clarity during the call regarding the effects of inflationary pressures on future phases of the

COO of Hess Corporation, Greg Hill Yellowtail Project. He noted for example that one of the key subsea providers for the Stabroek Block partners recently noted that they expect future work for Yellowtail could be in the range of US$500 million to US$1 billion and may even go a little bit over US$1 billion for the development of Uaru, another significant find in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Corporation's Chief Operating Officer (COO),

Greg Hill acknowledged that there is inflation going on in the market but stressed that there are some important facts one ought to bear in mind. Hill said, “…ExxonMobil is doing an extraordinary job I think of utilising this 'design one, build many strategy', to deliver efficiencies. Now, on the Yellowtail, we still don't have the final numbers. So, once that project is sanctioned, we'll give the market colour on what the costs are.”

He added, “But I do think it's important to remember the nature of the PSC (Production Sharing Agreement) though…By the time you get the Yellowtail, the efficiency of the PSC is so rapid that any cost increases rapidly get recovered. So, the impact on overall project return is not very much at all, right, because of that superefficient PSC.” Adding to the comments proffered by Hill was the

“A jumbie hold on, on me” - man who broke neighbour's windows tells court

C

leveland Allen, a 40-year-old man, who was jailed yesterday for breaking his neighbour's sash windows, told the court that he committed the act because a “jumbie” had held onto him.

He made his court appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan.

Allen is accused of breaking 16 sash windows worth some $56,000, the property of his neighbour, Earl Price of Lamaha Park, Georgetown.

Price's windows were broken on Friday, October 22, last around 16:00hrs.

During his court appearance, Allen admitted to breaking Price's windows.

When asked by the magistrate, why he broke the windows, Allen replied, “A jumbie hold on, on me.”

Allen told the magistrate that he was willing to pay for Price's damaged windows.

However, he noted that while he is not currently employed, he is a mason and will find work in order to pay for the windows.

The magistrate in response told Allen that since “you're not working anywhere, so you can't pay back the man for his thing…one-month sentence.”

According to reports,

Allen and Price were not on speaking terms prior to the incident.

On the day in question, Price locked up his home and went out.

Later that day, one of his neighbours called him and informed him that Allen was “breaking up” his windows.

Price left where he was and went home only to find that his 16 sash windows were shattered. He lodged a report with the police and Allen was arrested.

Chief Executive Officer of the company, John Hess. He too noted that the development costs for Yellowtail are significantly high.

Be that as it may, Hess said, “I think everybody needs to realise that this FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel for Yellowtail) is going to have capacity (to produce) approximately 250,000 barrels of oil per day on a gross basis. It will be our largest oil development to date in Guyana.”

The CEO added, “And while its cost will be higher, the resource we are developing is significantly higher. And this development has simply outstanding financial

returns, some of the best in the industry, as Greg mentioned, and a breakeven cost between US$25 and US$32 per barrel Brent...”

TRILLION DOLLAR PROJECT

I t w a s o n S u n d a y, Kaieteur News reported that development costs for the Yellowtail project are poised to exceed US$9B or GY$1.8 trillion.

Exxon said the costs are expected to be higher since there would be a greater number of development wells and associated drilling costs when compared to its Payara project which will also cost Guyana $1.8 trillion.

Despite the astronomical

CEO of Hess Corporation, John Hess costs, Exxon believes that the project should be supported as it would generate benefits for the citizens of Guyana in several ways, which would otherwise not be there in the absence of the project. It said these benefits include revenue sharing with the Government of Guyana.

The oil giant stressed however, that the type and extent of the benefits associated with revenue sharing will depend on how decision-makers in government decide to prioritise and allocate funding for future programmes, which is (continued on page 16)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

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

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

EDITORIAL

Vaccinations and herd immunity - where do we stand?

The COVID-19 pandemic, very much present in Guyana, has brought many troubles with it, and most of which modern science and experts struggle to understand. The best defense that this country, the whole world for that matter, has currently is vaccination. It goes along with the now established COVID-19 protocols, sometimes largely ignored, and helps to give the vaccinated and those with whom they come into contact some limited protection. Or to say it differently and more accurately, better protection than not being vaccinated at all.So, where do we stand in Guyana right now, with regards to the virus in general, and vaccinations specifically? The caption of a recent news article in KN was “Guyana has enough vaccines to achieve herd immunity ‘Health Minister” (KN October 24). That is the good news, with other pieces of the same giving a little encouragement as to where we stand. As examples, seven of Guyana’s 10 Regions have reached a solid milestone: it is where close to or above 75 percent of the adult residents in those places have had at least one shot of one of the vaccines available locally. It is most welcoming news, and we commend our fellow Guyanese for being responsible citizens. They have given themselves, their families, their neighbours, their colleagues, and many others a better chance of overcoming severe infection from the virus.

We make it clear that, though vaccination is the best shield presently in hand, it is not bulletproof against assaults of the virus. There are Guyanese who have hard stories to tell of taking the vaccines, but still getting very sick from the effects of the virus. In the next instance, they are quick to point out that if they didn’t do the sensible thing and got vaccinated before, they would now be dead and gone. Retired Colonel, Egbert Field, and Guyana’s Civil Aviation Head, spoke publicly of his own recent viral ordeal. The central fact of Ret’d Colonel Field’s story is that if he had not taken the vaccine, he could have, would have, been history.

These are the good news stories; the ones that make us feel good. But then there are those other stories that leave us hanging. Yes, we have enough vaccines for herd immunity, as attested to by the Hon. Minister of Health, which is good. But we still have the bad news of too many of our fellow citizens not vaccinated at all, and choosing to exercise their right to remain in that state. The numbers of the unvaccinated are discouraging, in some respects, most alarming.In Region 10, a mere 1 of 3 residents are vaccinated (KN Oct. 23). This means that there is a greater likelihood for those who took the vaccination precaution, and put themselves in a stronger and safer position with the virus, encountering an unvaccinated individual, who is an everyday area neighbour. In some instances, this could neutralise and actually expose those who did the right thing by getting vaccinated. This is neither responsible nor neighbourly.

In Region 4, 82 percent of the population took at least the first dose, which is a solid start. However, because Region 4 is Guyana’s most populous administrative segment, a congested one also, the remaining 18 percent unvaccinated is a worrying figure. It means that too many Demerara (east and west and central) and capital city residents are without even a first vaccine shot. It easily translates to this cold fact: tens of thousands of Region 4 residents are totally unvaccinated. To restate the obvious, there is considerable danger to others, as posed by these reckless and selfish individuals. We have made a living by being frank to the point of bluntness, and it is now past the stage for us to change gears and be otherwise.

We have done the safe thing, the sensible and right thing, and so should all Guyanese, other than those with health issues that give them an exception. For only 46.1 percent of Guyana’s adult population to be fully vaccinated is a vulgarity. For, no matter how it is looked at, the reality is that one of every two adult citizens is either fully or partially unvaccinated. Herd immunity will never be attained at such a level. This is alarming.

Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan sets the record straight DEAR EDITOR, In yesterday’s Kaieteur News (KN), October 27, 2021, I was the centre of attention of your daily columnist, Freddie Kissoon. Ordinarily, I would not have responded; everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, his missive, ‘From “War Break” to “Aluta Continua”, offers me the opportunity to inform your readers of the facts. In that regard, my response is limited to the part of the article dealing with war break.

Freddie said that while I was in Bartica, addressing a crowd, (circa March 2019) I shouted out “war break!” He went on to claim, further, “On to this day, no one knows what he was referring to.” (sic) Editor, I have sent to you

the unedited tape of my roughly 18-minute speech, which can be sourced from YouTube. But, for the purpose of this letter, here is the relevant, verbatim extract, which I have reproduced for the benefit of Freddie and your readers: “We are in a war; not the war using slings and arrows, or guns and bullets. But, we are in a war for the survival of ourselves; the survival of our children and the survival of the future generation of this country. We are in a war to execute the Green State Development Strategy using our bountiful resources that are expected to start flowing during next year [2020]. You got to understand this, comrade: nothing will be given to you;

and you had the experience of 23 years. Is not me who telling you this. You experience 23 years under the last government and you said you had enough. And you gave us a chance. And, despite all the odds, all the odds, and all the different people and constituencies that didn’t vote for us, we still made certain that development was allround. Some of our own … some of our supporters curse us out, buse us out, and said ‘we vote[d] for you and look at our communities. You leaving us to go to people who you don’t vote for.’ But, comrades, this is a government for all the people. We cannot, we cannot lower ourselves to those other people where partisan government, partisan

government … Partisan development … Are you going to make the mistake, are you going to make the mistake to make those people come back to power to put their hands on our oil money? Comrades, are you going to make that mistake? Well, from today, comrade, War Break!”

I make no further comment; the extract is very pellucid, even to Freddie I would hope. Be that as it may, I do not intend to engage him anymore on this matter. Now, I return to my slumber, where I have retired to gain peace from this maddening and decaying society of ours.

Yours faithfully, Winston Jordan Former Minister of Finance

HARMON’S CALL FOR 50% ROYALTY WHEN HIS GOVT. SETTLED FOR 2% IS COMICAL DEAR EDITOR, I pen this letter to you today in regard to something I saw plastered on the front page of the Sunday, October 24 edition of the Kaieteur Newspaper which I find quite laughable.

As I am sure many persons are aware, Kaieteur News would usually carry pictures in its publications of persons holding placards as part of their activism in support of their call for renegotiation of the controversial ExxonMobil oil contract signed by the APNU+AFC. In the Sunday edition highlighted above, the ‘protestor’ was none other than Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon, who wore a jersey with writing that called

for 50% royalty to be paid to Guyana. Editor, I found this to be hilarious and quite embarrassing for the Opposition Leader, hence, my decision to write to you today.

It is paramount that everyone is reminded that it was the APNU+AFC Coalition that negotiated and signed the very 2% royalty agreement which Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon is now ‘protesting’ against. In fact, a simple Google search will provide evidence of this.

As a matter of fact, I reference an article published in June 2017 by another section of the media headlined “ExxonMobil will pay 2% royalty in new pact with Govt”. This article provided a very detailed syn-

No grant for teachers DEAR EDITOR, A teacher, who in fact is a Headmistress, was much in stress.

She called and asked to be comforted about why, in the absence of any increase these last two years, teachers do not qualify at least for a ‘cash grant’ like farmers, and pensioners, amongst whom, are also retired teachers.

How come, she enquired, are teachers not considered as productive as farmers, and indeed as even the political decision-makers whom they must teach.

And yet the latter seem so unresponsive, indeed unmindful of the fact that their

we get to work, how we survive on such poor salaries; while boasting of the achievements of our products’ success at examinations.

Surely such results should earn us some recognition – a grant – in the absence of increments, which the miniaturised salary scales are supposed to provide as reward for performance.

How come the achievement of our students, rated as they are above those in the rest of Caribbean region, is

growth was due to the foundation teachers laid; forgetful that teachers are now teaching their children

citizens can be achieved without the very fundamental contribution of teachers, who must adapt to a changing educational environment?

Is farming then the option? Aren’t we all indebted to our teachers?

E.B. John

about whose achievement all can proudly boast.

The Headmistress pleaded ‘why don’t somebody ask us how we feel, how

not attributed to their teachers, who are summarily ignored?

How come the bright future being projected for our

opsis of the royalty agreement, which the APNU+AFC Coalition signed with Exxon.

With this in mind, I find it strange that the Opposition Leader would join the ‘protest’ for 50% royalty when it was his government that agreed for Guyana to receive 2% in the first place. It is either that the picture used on Kaieteur News’ front page of the Opposition Leader was photoshopped or it’s a case of the usual dishonesty from the APNU+AFC. At the same time, I found this whole thing to be even more comical when I flipped through the pages of the very edition of the Kaieteur Newspaper to find an article highlighting the APNU+AFC

Coalition’s incompetent handling of the oil and gas sector. In fact, the article revealed that Suriname was able to secure a US$30.8M signing bonus for a block measuring approximately 2,235km2. However, in the case of Guyana, the APNU+AFC Coalition agreed to collect US$18M for an area that is 12 times the size of the Suriname block.

Editor, the fact that the Opposition Leader is parading around saying that Guyana should demand 50% royalty when his government settled for 2% is evidence of how inept they are. I trust that all your readers would see the same.

Yours very truly, Anson Paul

Maybe we need an ethnic equation for the appointment of GECOM Commissioners DEAR EDITOR, As a nation, we hardly ever reach a consensus on any matter with the exception that a majority of us agree that our elections are ethnically driven. Given our overriding preoccupation with ethnicity, why not use it to our advantage and appointment our GECOM Commissioners on the basis of ethnicity.

Why not have five Commissioners representing each of our ethnic makeup comprising of an African, Indian, Chinese, Indigenous and Portuguese Guyanese. The appointment of these ethnic commissioners should be based on the following criteria: 1. Should have no known political affiliation or membership to a political party.

2. Should be of good character with a stellar public pro-

file and a respected member of their community.

3. Each appointed Commissioner must be approved by a two- thirds majority of Parliament.

4. A select committee comprising of one representative each of the political parties in parliament to manage the application and selection process.

5. From among the five Commissioners, they will choose the Chairperson.

6. Their period of appointment should be for 10 years with the option of being selected for one more five-year term.

This methodology of equal ethnic representation might very well remove the stigma of biases in the running of our elections.

Yours sincerely, Reggie Bhagwandin

Thursday October 28, 2021

Some Indians are only discovering their identity now DEAR EDITOR, The Freddie Kissoon’s Column (Oct. 26) seeks a response from Swami Aksharananda, but permit me to make a few comments.

Freddie’s answer to the “assault on” and “contempt” for things Indian is found in his last paragraph confession. In a Freudian twist, he symbolises Macaulay’s vision of the “Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect”.

Only in recent times has Freddie become Indian, but like others suffer from a serious inferiority complex and who in private exults in this identity but with shame. In minibuses, hire cars, and taxis operated by Indians with majority Indian passengers mostly/only non-Indian music is played.

Those who request Indian music are often ridiculed by these Indian conductors and drivers. Even the “dulahin” goes to the “dulaha’s” house after the wedding with a dress, having shed the sari, accompanied by Spanish, “Spanglish” and Creole music, among others hard to distinguish.

The self-contempt is pervasive but like in India, there is a self-examination that is painful and embarrassing. But the renewal is here, as evidenced partly by Freddie’s questionings. He may yet discover that he is a Charvaka Hindu, but Hindu, nonetheless.

And yes, Freddie is wrong about Narendra Modi.

He is obviously a victim (again!) of the military-industrial-Abrahamic complex that sees India as consumers of

western products, not as exporters of these products to the West (oh it’s alright to export experts, as CNN notes!). India is seen as the last bastion of the ‘pagan’ world, which must be subdued and saved. The last brigade of the Anglo-Indian empire (especially in media, academia like JNU, diplomacy) knows that its time is near and that Modi represents the new assertive Indian untying the knots of Macaulay.

That Muslims are joining Modi does not sit well with the complex and so the victimhood drama is in overdrive.

That Freddie has begun to untie the knots is a welcome move. The freedom can only be yours alone. Safe journey.

Thank you.

Yours truly, P. Lall

How families can better support children’s mental health DEAR EDITOR, Despite high rates of mental illness in Guyana, mental healthcare is still something that many do not see as important. There are many inaccurate ideas about what mental illness is, but amongst the most dangerous perceptions is that it is supernatural in nature, and that it is something one can easily overcome as long as they adopt the right mindset.

While mental health issues can begin at any point in life and can last for short or extended periods of time, it has been proven that early trauma puts one at significant risk of developing mental health issues later in life. Aggressive behaviour, thoughts of suicide, depression, PTSD, etc. occur at much higher rates for those who experience childhood abuse. It is amongst these reasons that we need to pay more attention to the importance of mental health and supporting children, who have experiences of abuse to access mental health support, as it can quite literally, save their lives.

Small ways in which we can build and maintain healthy relationships with children is by paying attention to their feelings and con-

cerns. They must be encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas, as this not only contributes towards a better relationship between you and your child, but will also aid in them becoming better and more confident communicators. In providing a listening ear and non-judgmental space in which they can explore various topics, parents will help to create an environment that promotes their child’s development and autonomy.

While it is understandable that, sometimes caretakers can become stressed under the pressures of providing for

and raising children, showing an interest in their child’s life can often make a world of difference. Children who feel as if they cannot speak to their parents or seek out advice are often more at risk as predators actively seek out children who are vulnerable and looking for guidance.

The home should be a safe place for children. A home, free of all forms of abuse will teach children about the ways in which they should relate to others. In addition, it can help them to develop healthy caring strategies for themselves. Given (Continued on page 6)

Passport Office Dilemma DEAR EDITOR, In the past week, I have heard of two experiences of people going to renew their passport at the Passport Office. I find this to be most ridiculous. Surely, we can do much better with the technologies and tools available to us in these present times. My nephew was there a morning before 6AM and was turned away to come back another day because they had reached the daily quota. Mind you, he is below 18 and his father took

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Kaieteur News

time off to take him there.

In another situation, a close friend of mine took her children at 4:30AM and was granted number 27. It is my understanding that people are there as early as 3AM waiting to get in for a renewal or new passport application.

I am not discrediting the efforts of the Passport Office staff, but indeed the policy makers and management of this institution got to do better than this.

Yours truly, T. Ram

Time to find solutions to protect worker DEAR EDITOR, The problems of the unprotected workers are wellknown to all of us.

Today, as we speak, thousands of people have been affected; no industry, no gender, no race is immune from this industrial plague of the 21st century.

The increasing use of outsourcing and temporary work has increased the nature of this unstable form of employment. Some governments and international institutions look to encourage these unregulated jobs as a way of creating more employment.

There is nothing new about workers being forced to work in dangerous and insecure conditions.

This is not an industry – in so many instances, this is unregulated exploitation of workers.

Some will tell you that work in this category represents no more than a structural evolution of labour market realities.

However, in many countries, like Guyana, this socalled reality means an all-out attack on the social fabric of communities, workers, and their families. We all know that the struggle to represent and protect workers has always been a difficult one.

But the real challenge of our time is to find an adequate response for those workers trapped in what is defined as unprotected work.

As trade unions, we say, whenever work is performed – formal or informal – both trade unions and the states have a role to play.

The states must provide legal protection and trade unions should deliver the collective bargaining. Yes, we understand that work is a survival strategy for workers, who cannot find work in property-protected, secure employment.

No worker wants to work in unprotected sectors of any economy. But as trade unions, we cannot accept that any worker should be outside basic social protection.

As trade unions, we believe that any worker working in the oil and gas industry is a worker.

And, as trade unions, we have a responsibility to offer solutions to their problems.

We can start by looking at our structures and our organising strategies to see: How we can support workers in unprotected jobs to ensure that governments extend proper social protection to them.

We have the responsibility to see how these workers can be organised, so that they can fight for basic employment rights, without undermining the terms and conditions of organised workers.

For us, as trade unions, it is, without a doubt, the organising challenge of our time. No one suggests that it is an easy task, but it must be done.

In our response, we must be prepared to work with community organisations – formal and informal. Community organisations are not the problem.

We must make them part of the solution.

We are here to look and listen, and we must learn from them. We must develop new organisational approaches that recognise the realities of workers’ lives, and which involve the workers themselves in the solutions. We have to reach out to these new groups of workers because, as work itself becomes more

and more casual and informal, more unprotected, the future of the trade union movement itself may very well come to depend on our capacity to meet this enormous demand.

That the only way to stop exploitation and secure social justice for workers is to fight back.

But, first, we must identify the real enemy against whom we have to fight back.

If globalising, organising solidarity means anything, it must mean practical engagement.

Building a constituency for practical change to fight back...building international solidarity. So, in our response, we must help the victims to fight back. Sharing the struggles of exploited workers and feeling their pain.

Educating our members, our families, and communities to understand the need for sacrifices. Radicalise their politics and challenge the status quo.

If you fight back, you will not win them all, but, if you don’t fight back, you will surely lose them all.

What is now required is real leadership. Go back to your workplaces; Go back to your communities, go back to your governments and, the cause of globalising, organising solidarity; start fighting back.

Yours sincerely, Sherwood Clarke General President, CCWU

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Far more than meets the eye DEAR EDITOR, Minister Rodrigues hit the nail on the head, when she commented on ‘land ownership’ becoming a reality for 37 low-income families in Berbice, in Balthyock Housing Scheme, MahaicaBerbice Region Five. In her charge to the recipients, she noted that providing housing solutions for low-income and vulnerable groups is a major priority for the government.

She stated that, “We know how much it means to the ordinary Guyanese to be able to own a plot of land and to own a home.” What the minister said needs some elaboration, as too many are still taking for granted what is happening in Guyana, as regards home ownership.

Dr. Megan Sandel, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, at Boston University School of Medicine, stated a few years ago that, “A safe, decent, affordable home is like a vaccine.

It literally prevents disease.

A safe home can prevent mental health and

developmental problems; a decent home may prevent asthma or lead poisoning; and an affordable home can prevent stunted growth and u n n e c e s s a r y hospitalisations.”

This is like ‘wow’. So, outside of the actual physical home, what is happening is that people’s overall wellbeing is given quite a shotin-the-arm.

We know that on retaking leadership of Guyana in August 2020, the government did make a promise to deliver 50,000 house lots during its five-year tenure, and all seems more than okay in terms of the fulfilling of this commitment.

The latest word is that the government is set to “… not only deliver on its promise of 10,000 house lots … by year end, but may exceed it.”

This was the word of Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues just recently.

When she said this, the figure stood at 8,000, and she noted that “We have at least 3,000 more to be allocated for 2021,” and so this Balthyoch event backs her drive-in terms

of surpassing the target. Then for added impetus, the minister announced the development of another area close by, which will yield another 300 house lots for residents. She detailed that, “There are over 3,500 outstanding applications in our backlog, so we have to work assiduously to make house lots available for this region.”

Let me add that home ownership helps citizens build wealth. According to the Census Bureau, homeowners on average have a net worth that is 80 times higher than that of renters.

Some of this is because people who are in a better financial position tend to be more likely to buy a home. The implication here is that “earnability” is getting better for the average Guyanese, as they start to own their own homes. So, there is ‘far more than meets the eye,’ as in getting a home, the entire mental and physical wellbeing of people are truly enhanced.

Yours truly, Alvin Hamilton

Homeownership changed my life DEAR EDITOR, Let me first say that I am not a fan of this government, but recently they gave me a house lot that I had applied for since 2016 during the tenure of the APNU+AFC Coalition. I was shocked that this PPP Government was so professional and non-discriminatory with how they handled my application because of how I would campaign against them.

Now I have to say publicly, that I was wrong, and stand corrected about the PPP Government’s house lot policy. I was led to believe that the PPP was inherently discriminatory to AfroGuyanese and would only

give their own supporters the house lots. I fed into the lies spoken by Annette Ferguson and the rest of the folks about the PPP. It is not true! Not everything is perfect with this government, but I am saying today that the opposition is wrong and must stop dissuading Guyanese who are their supporters and mostly Africans from having faith in the process.

I must say that receiving a house lot has changed my viewpoint on life and politics in general. I was able to own something of value for the first time in my life. As a young professional, I was able to break the chain of pov-

erty and proudly show my family, who are all AfroGuyanese that they can, too.

If you know me, you should know it is a big deal. I must say that I am ashamed of the APNU+AFC Opposition for seeking to hold back the development and progress generally in the area of house lot distribution, land ownership, and other special schemes that the Government wants to pursue.

Specifically, for AfroGuyanese, go down to the Ministry of Housing and apply for a house lot or check on the process. I have not been discriminated against.

Yours truly, Adron Pires

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Thursday October 28, 2021

Let there be genuine caring for children, and not the usual politics DEAR EDITOR, I read with great concern a letter penned by one Miss Niamatali about children roaming around the streets of New Amsterdam begging for food and money. This letter is of great concern to me seeing Berbice is the county of my birth and as such holds an important place in my heart.

Indeed, the writer is spot on with her comments, as am I too, because here we have young minds that are being wasted, which is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, some of them have been known to be engaged in petty crimes, which if not curbed would lead to greater and more dangerous breaches of the law.

I have noted these grave concerns myself while I was in Guyana recently, where children were found roaming all over - without face masks, of course - doing all sorts of odd things, when they should have been otherwise engaged in meaningful learning. This is my main concern for our next generation, that is, what are we really doing for our youngsters, are we looking out for them with the due care and concern that

they deserve, are we taking care of future Guyana? And the answer comes back again we are not. And when I say “we”, I am talking about those of us who are genuinely concerned about the nation’s youth, not those who have a political axe to grind.

In that same group, you would get the crass nonsensical argument, then what is the government doing to curb this situation, you mean the government can’t see that the people are suffering?

These and other foolishness is being put forward as a solution; it is always the government’s fault. Well, the government is playing its part in putting this situation right in the reopening of schools and a return to the classroom.

There is also a vaccination programme to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a robust school feeding programme to take care of those vulnerable groups who can’t afford it.

So, what’s the problem of those naysayers, and here’s the point, the moment the minister announced a reopening of schools and placing the children in a safe environment where learning can take place,

those opposing this move suddenly sprang into action.

They are now “overly concerned” for the children’s safety and the risk of them becoming infected. Utter hogwash! Where were they when those very same children were roaming the streets, weren’t they concerned then?

And here’s my point, these so called concerned groups who claim that they care, when you really get to the bottom of it, you get the clear idea that they are not concerned at all, they are just in it for the political mileage, which they can make at the expense of our children’s future.

Then, it behooves me to conjure up the thought that they are not in the least interested in a progressive Guyana, their objective is that we bring up a generation of citizens who are illiterates and ‘hustlers’, all to their political benefit. But this is not going to happen, because the government of the day needs to move ahead with its programme to educate future Guyana. I say let nothing or no one impede your progress.

Respectfully submitted, Neil Adams

GUYANA IS SILENT TODAY DEAR EDITOR, I look around and listen.

There is no one, no sound.

Guyana is a lonely place. A democratic wilderness, with so-called Guardians of Democracy, elections petitioners, Arthur Chung Conventioneers, and GECOM and Ashmin’s protestors now all conspicuously absent, and silent as tombs. What happened to all of them?

Last year, they could not be kept away, or be quiet.

That was a good thing. For many long months, the rafters shook with the vibrant: ‘free and fair’ and ‘democratic process.’ It doesn’t get any better than those. Guyanese - the rank and file, rank partisans and bigots, academics of some rank, and people just rank from other things - all piled into tight spaces and bellowed themselves hoarse, after whipping themselves into tumultuous frenzies. They peeled back every layer of the onion, took out the seeds of blazing jalapeno peppers with their bare hands, and weathered every storm to get to the bottom of truth and speak it. Loudly. They wouldn’t take any of the

party’s, any of the leader’s SoPs, without dispute, the closest piercing scrutiny, the quickest dismissal. Where are they now?

What happen to these idealists and visionaries today, when there are so many abominations going on in the government? The secrecies that conceal skullduggeries (just like in the elections).

Why are they so quiet, so blindly and dumbly accepting, with anything that is shoveled down their craw, and that they swallow wholesale and regurgitate, as willing participants in a national deceptive propaganda scheme? Why have Guardians of Democracy and other elections petitioners lost their vigilance and have neither interest nor energy-indeed, the care-to go beyond the numbers? To probe below the surface, than accept everything at face value? They fought for free and fair, but are now fearful of losing out on prized relationships, and the personal rewards that they glean. It should be obvious that nobody gave a damn about democracy, but only of becoming part of the corrupt

plutocracy promised by whichever side emerged victorious.

Men and women who waxed loudly about nobility and altruism are now noticeable for the bargains that they made, which feather their beds. They were performing on the national elections stage, while craftly managing self-enriching sleeper roles; now they sleep well, thanks to PPP occupational and financial narcotics. All legal, of course and all part of the same sleazy local political game, of course.

Thus, all the new political parties have blended comfortably into the PPP framework. It is a tangled web of deception, which started before March 2, 2020, now blooms prettily. The new political groups have demonstrated that they are as craven and grasping as the old PPP/C and PNC. Nothing is new under the sun in Guyanese politics. Today, the effusive have become defensive; the selfproclaimed truthful mutated into a bellyful of the dreadful and shameful. They have no voice; take no position. Not on corruption or discrimination or governance criminalisation. Speechless, clueless, and gutless are their new free and fair and democratic ideals and pursuits.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

Guyana has a brave new world to expect with its liberated telecoms industry.

Guyana is a real mother country, since its peoples are expectant all the time.

When the telecoms companies deliver, then our expectancies will be over.

How about stable and real race car speeds for internet?

What about cheaper landline and cell phone charges?

PAGE 07

PAGE 08

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Exxon dumping 35 tons of waste …to use landfill for at least 10 daily at Haags Bosch years before building new one H

aving expressed a desire to dump its waste at the Haags Bosch Landfill (HBL) in the Eccles Industrial Site area on the East Bank of Demerara, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana L i m i t e d (EEPGL)—ExxonMobil Guyana—sees using the facility for at least 10 years into the future as its operations expands locally.

This is even as the company uses the facility to dump some 30 to 35 tons of residual waste daily from its operations. This much is

documented in the company's latest Cradle to t h e G r a v e Wa s t e Management Analysis which had identified the landfill as a possible dumping ground for some of its waste.

According to the document, at present, the HBL is the only engineered landfill in Guyana for the disposal of municipal solid waste and non-hazardous commercial/industrial wastes.

The original cell (Cell 1) started receiving wastes in 2011 and is currently at 99

A section of the Haags Bosch landfill

percent capacity. It was noted that Cell 2 became operational in March 2021 and that the landfill currently receives approximately 500 tonnes of waste per day, including about 30 to 35 tonnes per day of residual wastes generated from EEPGL projects.

It was noted however, that with an increase in offshore activity expected, along with potential for growth in other industrial and commercial sectors, the quantity of wastes going to the HBL will increase going forward.

To t h i s e n d , i t i s calculated that at current disposal rates, Cell 2 is expected to last for approximately four to six years.

“This estimated life span of Cell 2 depends upon how much the waste volumes received at the landfill increase with the expanded economic development expected in the Georgetown area over the next five years.”

The report documents that there remains two additional cells at the site (Cell 3 and Cell 4) for future development.

Each of these cells is 6.5 hectares in size and could be anticipated to last for five to six years each. As such, the company indicated that the current available landfill capacity certainly appears sufficient for the short term between two and three years, with Cell 2 having begun operations in March 2021 and considering the forecasted growth in waste volumes from industrial use.

According to EEPGL, presuming Cells 3 and 4 would be brought into

operation, the future HBL landfill capacity appears reasonable for the long term, at least up to 10 years.

It was noted however, “there are several development aspects related to the HBL that may impact future operations.”

These include, new housing, commercial, and industrial developments which continue to be developed in the Eccles area in the vicinity of the landfill site.

Additionally, it was noted that in general, landfills and residential development are not perceived as compatible land uses in light of the potential pollution of odours, traffic, and smoke from fires.

At HBL, the nearest residences are currently 500 metres away and further along a new roadway is currently under construction near the landfill site which will serve as a main connector to the East BankEast Coast Road Linkage Project.

The new roadways are expected to create new access for housing and other economic activities in the nearby areas that were previously inaccessible.

It was noted too that the new roadways will also increase traffic in the area.

As such, “these competing land uses and expansion of residential and commercial areas create uncertainty as to whether the HBL will be a sustainable location in the future.”

According to EEPGL, “consequently, new landfill development in the region may be appropriate for consideration going forward.”

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

A meeting will not end the impasse I

t is not as simple as Lenox Shuman thinks. The appointment of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice of the judiciary is not simply a question of the President meeting with the Leader of the Opposition.

Nor is such a meeting as simple as Shuman would like to believe. He is wrong when he suggests that the fact that Harmon has accepted the post of Leader of the Opposition means that he accepts Irfaan Ali as President.

The APNU+AFC to which the Leader of the Opposition belongs insists that President Ali was fraudulently elected and he has not indicated whether he accepts Ali as the de facto or de jure President. And until he does so, little progress can be made in attempting to convince Ali that the Leader of the Opposition should be entertained for formal consultations.

But even if the President meets with the Leader of the Opposition, the issue of the appointment of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice remains outstanding.

Guyana has not had a substantive Chancellor for decades. And this is because the Opposition and the Government cannot agree on choices. They could not agree on Carl Singh and they could not agree on the judge

whom Granger wanted to appoint and who worked in the Bahamas.

A former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Dennis Byron, had weighed in on the issue. He had suggested that the failure to make substantive appointments to the top two posts in the judiciary had, “…moved well beyond what ought to be acceptable in a modern democracy, where respect for the rule of law is maintained. The constitution envisages the Judiciary of Guyana to be headed by officials who are substantively appointed and enjoy all the legal and institutional mechanisms to secure their tenure. Anything otherwise is, to my mind, a violation of the spirit and intent of the constitution.”

The PNC/R's position has been consistent, regardless of who was the Leader of the Party. Every PNC/R leader, up to the time had refused to approve of Carl Singh as Chancellor. Ian Chang suffered the same fate as Chief Justice. His nomination was never approved by the Opposition and so he could not be appointed. Both Singh and Chang ended their illustrious legal careers as acting Chancellor and acting Chief Justice respectively.

The last time then President Granger met with then Opposition Leader

Bharrat Jagdeo, they failed to reach agreement on the appointment of a Chancellor and Chief Justice. Granger's choice had been the former Chief Justice of Belize, Kenneth Benjamin, and Yonette Cummings as Chief Justice.

Even after calls were made for Justice Yonette Cummings and Justice Roxanne George to be confirmed as Chancellor and Chief Justice respectively, Granger stuck with Kenneth Benjamin as his choice for the top post. Both the Guyana Bar Association and t h e G u y a n a ' s Wo m e n Association had called for the confirmation of both Cummings and George.

When questioned as to why he was not keen on nominating both Cummings and George for the two tops posts, Granger was quoted as saying “I cannot go outside the constitution…All of my actions have been in accordance with the constitution”.

But there is no constitutional impediment to Granger nominating Cummings as Chancellor and George as Chief Justice.

It would have been problematic for Jagdeo to have resisted such nominations had they been made.

As expected, the meeting between Granger and Jagdeo, at which the former

Dem

boys Only in Guyana! seh...

D

is country is becoming wan big joke.

Imagine during de afternoon peak hours for traffic, one of de major exists out of de city to de East Coast of Demerara was close.

Dem close de roundabout and gat dem drivers head swinging.

How could de police entertain such a brilliant idea to close off such a major exit during peak afternoon hours, and fuh diya light-up? Only in Guyana bai!!

De organisers shoulda been told in no uncertain manner dat dem diya lightup should guh somewhere else. De traffic restrictions cause confusion in de town

and it give de traffic police headaches.

But dis is Guyana and whatever some people want to do, dem does do because dem know dat dem nah gan get reject. But dem boys nah kay who vex, dem boys know wah happen wrong.

But is nuff odder wrong things happen. A few nights ago, dem had wan large gathering at a strip club in de city.

De COVID-19 Task Force and de 'ormy' big bus ain't bin nowhere in sight despite de large line of park cars leading to and from de entrance of de club after de curfew.

And to mek matters wuss, most of de people who bin exiting de Club didn't

even have on masks. De whole COVID-19 regulations is wan big joke because people nah tekking de rules seriously, and de authorities too slack with dem implementation.

Yesterday afternoon, dem people wah trying fuh drive home had to tek all kind of side streets fuh ketch de East Coast Public Road. Is enough fuh stress yuh out.

But who dem boys really feel sorry fuh is dem passengers wah does gat to wait by de roadside fuh ketch minibus. Some ah dem had to stand up fuh hours because dem bus hardly coming back when dem mek a trip.

Talk half and tell de police nah close major roads during peak hours.

nominated Kenneth Benjamin as Chancellor, did not lead to an agreement.

The Constitution requires agreement by the two leaders as a condition for making substantive appointments to the posts of Chancellor and Chief Justice.

It is not likely now that the PNC/R is going change its mind. And it is not likely also that the PPP/C will also change its mind. What therefore exists is political gridlock and it would appear that a new mechanism, other

than the present one which requires consensus on these appointments, will eventually have to be enacted to break this gridlock and to avoid future gridlock.

The positions of Chief Justice and Chancellor have effectively become the victim of political differences between the APNU+AFC and the PPP/C. And no end is in sight.

The two parties are in no mood to find agreement.

Their political tug-of-war is likely to continue well into

the distant future.

A meeting between the Leader of the Opposition and the President is not likely to resolve this issue. Some new suggestions will have to be made to break the gridlock.

Lenox Shuman's suggestion therefore for the President and the Leader of the Opposition to meet is not likely to yield any resolution.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Thursday October 28, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Harmon's victory will lead to the transformation of the PNC I

thought that David Granger was strategising by not announcing his candidacy then doing it at the last moment. But with the entry of Joe Harmon, it looks like Granger is riding away.

I have done many pieces on Granger and will probably continue to do so as

he slowly fades from the political limelight. He just did not possess leadership qualities. Now the contest looks like a three-way race because Volda Lawrence is not competing. If she keeps waiting, she cannot do so at the last moment.

The battle will be between Aubrey Norton and

Joe Harmon. Dr. Richard Van West Charles isn't going to get votes. Dr. Van West Charles belonged to a world long gone. He has to know two things – he hasn't had a presence in Guyana for a long time so delegates do not know him. Secondly over 70 percent of the population is over 40 years old. As a spin

off from number one, Dr. Van West Charles will not be a name that evokes memories in the delegates.

Norton will be a better candidate than Harmon but I think Norton knows what is coming. Norton knows how Harmon is going to become leader of the PNC. When Harmon assumes the top

post, I think the PNC is going to lose both Norton and Lawrence.

If the process is not transparent, Norton will kick up a fight but he will lose and there will be knives out for Frederick Kissoon him after the dust is settled. Norton's fate not a racially driven party. will be that of Vincent Alexander's after Alexander Whatever drives the PNC it loss to Robert Corbin. surely is not a multi-racial Norton is out of favour with soul.

I point Forde to two Granger, Robert Corbin, articles I have done, looking Harmon, and many others.

Here now is what Norton at strategic placements of told me at a “watering hole” Africans in the PPP without a on Thomas Street, North corresponding reality in the Cummingsburg that we use PNC. They are: Thursday, t o p a t r o n i s e o n t h e September 30, 2021, “The weekends. In discussing the death of Imran Khan: A congressional defeat of l o s s t o m u l t i - r a c i a l Alexander by Corbin, politics,” and Saturday, Aubrey told me whoever October 23, 2021, “I insist controls the accreditation that the PNC did not have a committee decides who Rohee and a Luncheon equivalent.” becomes leader.

Those two articles are We may be seeing the last of Lawrence. When Harmon arguments for the PPP becomes leader, he will not having more claims to a embrace Lawrence. Granger multi-racial character than may be an active, invisible the PNC. I think Forde voice behind the scene for cannot come up with a useful years to come. If that mechanism to support his happens, Lawrence's assets contention that Joe Harmon is will decline. I doubt whether not racially active but Norton there is going to be a culture is. Forde cannot confuse of accommodation after street antics with direct Harmon becomes numero statements that incite people.

Forde in backing uno.

I thought Roysdale Forde Harmon has and must stood a chance but he is not address Harmon's conduct in in the contest. So the die is t h e a f t e r m a t h o f t w o cast. Harmon will be homicides in Cotton Tree anointed. It is not too late to last year September. I can tell h a v e a c o m p r o m i s e Forde that Harmon's candidate. If ever there is emanations along with need for a PNC leader to Granger's, who sat next to have a new face without him when they spoke to baggage and a visage that A f r i c a n G u y a n e s e will cause people to want to supporters, have virtually give him/her a chance, the k i l l e d a n y s p a c e f o r accommodation among the time is now.

Forde is backing Harmon Guyanese Indians.

There must be an annual for reasons that may have to do with when they both had event to commemorate what state authority and the time happened there so memories spent together during the a r e k e p t a l i v e . W h a t election imbroglio. But happened there almost Forde cannot be serious pushed Guyana to the brink.

I conclude by expressing about the tainted politics of Harmon that makes Indians some thoughts on Guyanese politics based on more than boil with rage.

Forde had to know that 50 years of experience. The Harmon went to Region PNC needs a leader other Five, with his leader, than Harmon and Norton.

Granger, in September last But Norton is a far better year and spoke words that politician.

(The views expressed in Guyanese of all classes and ethnic make-up should never this article are those of the utter. Forde must have a u t h o r a n d d o n o t embarrassed himself when necessarily reflect the he observed that the PNC is opinions of this newspaper.)

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Cash strapped GWI owed bank $540M - Minister M

inister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, on Monday night stated that the Guyana Water Incorporation

(GWI) had two bank overdrafts which resulted in the company owing the bank a total of $540M. The Minister was appearing on a Globespan

programme when she made this disclosure. According to the Minister, the company was in a financial crisis when her government assumed office last year.

In response to comments that were made by former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GWI, Dr. Richard Van West Charles, Minister Rodrigues said, “When we left

GWI in 2015, the staff complement was 600, when we took over in August 2020, it had more than doubled that.” She added that the company's bank accounts

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues decreased by $1.8B and it had two bank overdrafts of $279M. The company, the Minister revealed too, owed its suppliers and creditors over $800M. Minister Rodrigues had made similar comments when she appeared on Kaieteur Radio earlier this year. She had revealed that GWI was found in a state of crisis and was fraught with mismanagement and corruption.

During that interview she said, “When we took office, GWI was in crisis, it was bankrupt, it had not received a subvention for five years and so it owed the Guyana Power and Light over $7B…The bank balance for GWI was reduced by $1.8B in five years.

From August 2015 to 2020, the operational costs had increased by $1.1B and this was regardless of the two tariff increases, one in October 2018 and October 2019, almost 100 percent it increased by.”

Additionally, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), the current CEO of GWI, Shaik Baksh, had stated that the agency reduced its debts to suppliers from $800M to $260M from September to December 2020.

He noted that these debts were incurred during the period 2017 to 2019. “We owed a lot of money to suppliers and GWI was finding it very difficult to access credit to source important equipment and materials for its day-to-day operations…So, indeed, this is a big achievement. Many suppliers have been paid and we still have some outstanding current year debt, which is 2020,” he said.

The CEO had told DPI that this means that the company is now in good standing with its creditors and is able to procure much-needed materials to conduct its work in a timely manner.

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Guyana's draft Local Content Bill to be presented in Parliament before year end - AG G

uyana's draft Local Content Bill is on schedule to be presented in Parliament before the end of this year. Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, SC, disclosed on Tuesday that the document is receiving the attention of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel and team within his Chambers.

The AG noted that the team is making the finishing touches to the draft bill before it takes it to the next parliamentary session.

During a recent press engagement, the AG stressed that local content is an important strategic issue in the oil and gas industry. As such, he noted that the government and other stakeholders are seeking to secure greater local benefits from oil and gas production.

Nandlall said these expectations are important factors in the way the government determines which companies gain access to hydrocarbon business opportunities.

In this regard, the first schedule of the draft bill notes that the Government of Guyana will work with local companies to realise a range of additional business benefits in terms of building sound relationships with project-affected communities; establishing and maintaining a social licence to operate; capturing the performance and efficiency benefits of a qualified local workforce; and developing costeffective, efficient, and responsive supply chains.

The document notes that local content must be a means to promote economic development by creating opportunities for the Guyanese labour force and business sector in defined area of work where the skills are available. Thus, Guyanese company must mean any company incorporated under the Companies Act with at least 51 percent of its equity shares are issued to Guyanese Nationals or

Guyanese companies.

As it relates to some services such as cementing services, directional drilling services, tools and wireline logging that are currently being implemented by International Tier 1, the document states that Guyana is moving towards an encouragement of more joint ventures and partnerships through technological adaptation and skills transfer.

“This would allow for our local labour force and business to better participate in the provision of these services,” the AG noted.

In this regard, the draft document explains that there are two categories of services: “Well watch services that refer to partnerships (where necessary) between international and local companies to employ and locate Guyanese nationals and fluid or bottom whole sampling service which refer to partnerships (where necessary) to provide

opportunities for locals to be employed.”

During the first half of the year, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had announced that efforts are underway for the Local Content Bill to be in Parliament before the year ends.

“We are moving swiftly.

We're hoping before the end of the year that we have a draft legislation that we can put before the Parliament to deal with local content and driving more business and jobs for our people,” added the Vice President.

Jagdeo noted too that efforts are also underway to engage industry experts on how to best achieve this, with the new Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, indicating that provisions for local content targets will be in place so that

Guyana can see measured growth in the number of Guyanese trained and hired and the services and goods procured on an annual basis.

During an interview on Kaieteur Radio programme, Guyana's Oil and You, Minister Bharrat said, “…with regards to the local content policy, I would prefer that there are specifics with regards to how much business will come to Guyana, how many people will be employed…”

In order to achieve the targets for local content, the Minister stressed that there would be a great need for capacity building. In this regard, he said that while there may be a provision, which says, for example, that 10 percent or 50 percent of the workforce should be Guyanese, if locals are not trained or they lack the

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC. necessary technical proficiencies, then those desired targets would not be met.

“So, while we will be making demands for a percentage of the workforce to be Guyanese, we ought to equip them to work too and to deliver at the same time,” he said.

GTT, STEMGuyana launch Pinktober Cancer Awareness Chatbot - aims to provide accurate information on cancer

GRA to auction vehicle Ministry G purchased; left on wharf

An example of the vehicle that was purchased and left on the wharf by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

T

he Guyana R e v e n u e Authority (GRA) is preparing to auction a number of vehicles that would have been imported by a number of individuals and companies and left on the wharves for various reasons, including the nonpayment of taxes.

Such vehicles are sold 'for want of entry' and notably among the vehicles

listed is one purchased by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. The information is documented in the October 23 publication of the Official Gazette and lists the vehicles for auction as “want of entry as at August 31, 2021.”

The vehicle intended for the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, according to the description in the Official Gazette, is said to be a 'Toyota Hilux Double Cab,

CC-2693'.

According to the description as outlined in the Official Gazette it is a 2003 model—white.

The vehicle imported by the Ministry is among 58 set to be auctioned off by the GRA, according to the Order signed by Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia. A number of other vehicles are also listed to be auctioned off as 'unentered'.

T T h a s collaborated w i t h STEMGuyana to launch its Pinktober Breast Cancer awareness chatbot that will allow locals to have access to concise and comprehensible information on different types of cancer.

This is according to a release issued by the phone company, which noted that a chatbot is a computer programme designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet.

GTT's Pinktober Coordinator, Diana Gittens, explained that the company has contributed some G$300,000 to create the Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot. “In addition to contributing funds towards testing and treatment for breast cancer patients, GTT noted that it is happy to sponsor a permanent and innovative solution for our community members. Early detection saves lives and the service the breast cancer chatbot will provide will help our citizens to get the information they need, to quickly access medical services that can in turn save their lives,” she said.

STEMGuyana Director, Karen Abrams, said that her

Karen Abrams, Director of STEMGuyana team is elated to join GTT at the hip in innovating for all of Guyana. “What is truly amazing is that the AI engine upon which the chatbot is

Diana Gittens, GTT Pinktober Coordinator built allows it to learn more as it interacts with users, so over time, the system will become even more useful to (continued on page 17)

Performance statistics for each NGSA school now...

From page 11 students in schools countrywide,” the release added. Steps to accessing the information: Step 1: Visit the Ministry of Education's website https://education.gov.gy Step 2: Click on the "More" tab on the homepage Step 3: Select “Grade Six

Reports” Step 3: Select the school you are interested in reviewing.

A school can be reviewed by each gender or using the entire student population.

Schools can also be viewed

by Region, whether they are on the coast or located in the hinterland.

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

PAGE 15

Performance statistics for each NGSA school now available to the public - Ministry

T

he Ministry of Education has now made public the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results for every primary school in Guyana for the last four years, as part of its plan for improved quality education and greater accountability.

In a release the Ministry noted that “Our stakeholders in education including parents and teachers could now access this information for the first time in the country's history.”

The public, it noted, can now access the performance of all primary schools in Guyana at the NGSA via the Ministry of Education's website.

Currently, information is available for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, but the site will be populated with data from other years.

The information can be obtained by school (public, private), by region, by locale (coastal, hinterland, riverine) and by gender. This means that educators and researchers can now assess the performance of schools

and implement necessary steps to improve or maintain the quality of education in a particular school or region.

Additionally, parents can now review the performance of any primary school in Guyana and be fully informed and engaged in their children's educational pursuits.

This open and transparent system, according to the Ministry, will provide all stakeholders in the education sector with access to the examination's statistics for each school.

This bodes well for the sector's development because programmes can be designed and actions can be taken to build on what is already in place in terms of education delivery, thereby improving the sector's overall performance.

The online reports show the percentage of students who achieve 50 percent (30 marks) or higher in each subject area (Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science). This information is graphically represented so

A screenshot of the webpage where persons can access the information

that all stakeholders can understand it. This move by the Ministry of Education augurs well for accountability because parents and other

stakeholders will have access to such information on a public platform.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, i t i s expected that all Caribbean Secondary Education

Certificate (CSEC) results will be added over the next few weeks.

“The Ministry of Education is proud of this moment in the sector's

history and looks forward to the information being used constructively so that strategies can be developed to improve performance by (continued on page 14)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News VACANCY Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles,age 2550, Car/ Van licence. Call 6429823.

Auto Electrical apprentice age 19-25 yrs. Apply in person, Lot 120 Forth Street Two bedroom apartment to Albertown G/Town or call: rent on E.C.D.Tel:601-2515.

610-0340.

FOR RENT

Exist for cashiers & supermarket helpers at Nirva Super Store. 49 Sheriff & Craig Street.

Must be vaccinated.

VEHICLES FOR SALE Toyota Pitbull bus for sale.

Call: 669-1852. AC-CD magrims 2.7, negotiable.

WANTED One cook and one kitchen assistant for interior locations. Call: 698-6200 SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040

1 full time Industrial mechanic to manage workshop at JFWW Network Outlet.

Call:622-1957, 671-9015, 2336997.

Exist for Security Officers, Male & Female. 18yrs & above. Contact: 223-4172/6320099.

1 Graphic Designer (IC) & 1 IT Network Engineer. To apply, visit:facebook.com/ bbwisp.internet.guyana or call: 647-7875.

Three bedrooms, two toilets & baths. Water included, $75,000 monthly. Available Nov 1st 2021.Tel: 667-4570.

Cook/baker, Kitchen Assistant, Servicemen & pitmen for interior location. Applicants Night watchman, age 50-60. must be experienced. Call: 618Work 5pm-5am. Liliendaal 2020 or 231-2250.

Area. Contact:623-4242, beOne general domestic.Must be tween 9am-4pm. able to prepare vegetarian meal.

Experienced cashier needed. Apply at Alabama Trading,65 Apply with application at Robb Street Bourda.

American Variety Store, 140 Senior accounts clerk,Sales Regent & Light Street. clerk & Cashier.Apply at AlaOne or two bedroom Apt or bama Trading, 65 Robb Street flat, around Albertown, Bourda.

Queenstown or Bourda.

Trained grade 1 & 2 teachers Tel: 669-6623. needed. Payment will comFemale ages 25-40 to take mence with experience and will care of elderly male in be in 6 digit.

Trinidad. Accomodations provided. Call: +1 (868) 489- Persons to assemble bicycle.

Apply at Alabama Trading, 65 4087 Robb Street Bourda.

Armed & unarmed Security One female cleaner. Apply at Officer with Military & pre- Alabama Trading, 65 Robb vious experience. Day & Street Bourda. night shift coverage. ConExperienced & Qualified Mantact: 231-6052 ager/Supervisor for Food ReCustomer Service Rep/ tailer. Send CV to Alabama Dispatcher, must be familiar Trading, 65-67 Robb St. with locations around Bourda.

Georgetown. Call: 621-9356. For truck drivers, must know how to operate Hiab & have Mnibus & Taxi drivers to knowledge of Georgetown. work & keep. Call: 225-3234/ Call: 223-5273-4/621-5907 628-1183.

Exists for Porters. Call: 223Office/Accounts Clerk to 5273-4/621-5907 work in Meadow Bank, preferably with previous experi- Experienced carpenter & apprentice. Contact: 624-9507/ ence. Call:227-5222.

624-9509/624-9508.

One male security night guard. Tel: 225-9304/226- Vacancy exist for delivery driver, E.C.D. Tel:692-6768/6760772.

1363.

1 private security person to work at People's Choice Maintenance workers & Restaurant. Tel: 679-9449 labourers to work with Manager, Dollar Stretch P.S.G.C.S. Preferably from E.B.D. Store. Lot 16 Robb Street, Call: 621-6969/615-7784.

Georgetown. Tel: 656-1234.

Furnished house to rent, Republic Park Phase-1. Contact: 610-0910.

Drivers & Office Clerk. Apply at lot 10 Vlissengen Road, Newtown, Kitty.

FOR SALE Transported house lots for sale.Gated community,4Mil per lot.Call:671-9015/6221957.

Used household furniture & wares. Good condition. Tel: 669-6623.

D o b e r m a n & Germanshepherd mix pups for sale. Contact Devi: 6392828, if interested.

Restaurant equipment for sale: Freezer, chiller, refrigerated showcase, tables, chairs, etc. Whatsapp: 608-7452.

Prices negotiable.

FOR RENT Vreed-En-Hoop junction, place to rent for Office, Bond, Hair Salon other.

Call: 603-6400.

Shop for rent opposite StewartvilleSecondary School.Contact: 649-2179.

1 two bedroom concrete house to rent at Diamond.

E.B.D. Call: 680-6194.

3 bedroom, upperflat & lower flat. Newly renovated, in residential area with parking. 266 New Market Street.

Call: 610-5472.

TAXI SERVICE Infinity 24 Hrs taxi service. Bath settlement, W.C.B. Tel: 6553037/ 687-0352/ 328-7998. Troy: Maid to cook and clean for 609-8105, around Georgetown, East Bank area.Call:615-9132. Airport, etc.

VACANCY

Thursday October 28, 2021

“Superefficient” oil agreement with Guyana...

From page 3 unknown to the company and outside the scope of the EIA. Apart from the revenue sharing, Exxon said Guyanese stand to benefit from the procurement process that will follow for goods and services from local businesses in alignment with the Petroleum Agreement and the EEPGL Local Content Plan approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources in June 2021.

According to project documents, Yellowtail will

consist of drilling approximately 41 to 67 development wells (including production, water injection, and gas re-

injection wells); installation and operation of Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines equipment; installation and the operation of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel in the eastern half of the Stabroek Block; and— ultimately—project decommissioning.

The FPSO will be de-

signed to produce up to 250,000 barrels of oil per day.

The initial production is expected to begin by the end of 2025-early 2026, with operations continuing for at least 20 years.

The project is expected to employ up to 540 persons during development

well drilling, approximately 600 persons at the peak of the installation stage, and 100 to 140 persons during production operations.

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

GTT, STEMGuyana launch...

From page 14 Guyanese as it learns the local vernacular and is able to comprehend and dispense useful, even critical information to Guyanese from all walks of life,” she said.

Sharing similar sentiments on the AI chatbot creation, STEMGuyana Team Manager, Arianna Mahase, said, “We wanted to go beyond Pink and innovate a technology solution for Pinktober that would help women with early detection, testing resources and general information they would need to improve their chances of survival of breast cancer.”

“The chatbot we have built will provide

responses that are tailored to be supportive, comforting, comprehensible and concise. The responses will also encourage users to get screened not only during breast cancer awareness month, but whenever persons utilise it,” she added.

The breast cancer chatbot will be hosted on STEMGuyana's website and can be accessed via www.stemguyana.com/ breastcancer. It will target Guyanese and Caribbean women.

Reports revealed that breast cancer is the main cause of cancer deaths among women in Guyana and the Caribbean.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

PAGE 19

Cops accused of deleting Despite higher world market price… data in fraud case, walk free Gold revenue declines by

US$86M

Constable Jenneka Carmichael (left) and Constable Tatyana Smith

Y

esterday, two female police ranks, who were c h a rg e d f o r a l l e g e d l y deleting electronic data relevant to a fraud case in which millions were misappropriated from the Guyana Police Force's (GPF) Finance Department, walked free.

The women, Jenneka Carmichael of Lot 121 Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice, and Tatyana Smith, 21, of Lot 43 Third Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, both police constables, made their first court appearance in April 2021. They were released on $150,000 bail each.

They had denied the charge which alleges that between January 28, 2021 and February 4, 2021 at the GPF's headquarters, Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown, they intentionally and without

lawful excuse or justification, deleted electronic data from the GPF's computer that was in the administrative office of the Felix Austin Police College Mess.

They were on trial in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Magistrate Annette Singh.

A t t o r n e y - a t - l a w, Bernard DaSilva, who represented Smith, had made a no-case submission to the court in which he highlighted that the prosecution failed to prove key elements of the charge against his client.

Magistrate Singh had set yesterday's date for ruling on the submissions that were made to the court. In handing down her ruling, the Magistrate upheld the nocase submission and as such the charge was dismissed against Smith and Carmichael.

T

It was reported that the duo are clerks at the Felix Austin Police College. The charge was brought against them by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the GPF. L a s t y e a r a n investigation was launched into the alleged misappropriation of $150M from the Police Finance Department. SOCU conducted the probe and several senior officials were either sent on leave or relocated. A few officers were also placed before the court for fraud charges.

However, it is alleged that before SOCU could have accessed the computers with the related data, the women allegedly, had deleted the data. The women are said to be the only persons with access to the computers. They were arrested and subsequently charged under the Cybercrime Act.

Barber stabbed in own shop

A

32-year-old barber was stabbed during an argument in his barber shop.

The incident took place on Tuesday at the barber shop located at Belle West, We s t B a n k D e m e r a r a (WBD) around 21:00hrs.

Kaieteur News understands that the victim, Deokumar Lakhan, was at his barber shop when the suspect, a 23-year-old man, who was armed with a sharp object, ran into the building and an argument ensued between the two.

After the confrontation, the suspect stabbed the victim several times about his body which resulted in him collapsing to the ground in an unconscious state.

According to police, Lakhan was picked up by public spirited citizens and taken to the West Demerara

Regional Hospital where he was examined by a doctor. He was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he remains in a serious condition.

The suspect, according to police, was contacted and

was told of the offence and cautioned in accordance with the judge's rules during which he remained silent.

He was then arrested and taken to the Wales Police Station where he was placed in custody pending further investigations.

he country's gold export earning as at the end of the first half of 2021 has declined by US$86.4 million when compared to the same period last year.

This is according to the recently released Bank of Guyana (BoG) Half Year Report which states that this year's revenue amounted to US$438.1 million while in 2020 it amounted to US$524.5 million.

According to the BoG, the total export earnings increased by 63.6 percent or US$786.9 million to US$2,024.3 million from US$1,237.5 recorded at the end of June 2020.

In its 186-page report, the Bank indicated that the revenue in gold dropped because of a decline in the volume of gold exported despite having improved prices.

“The volume of gold exported reduced by 22.0 percent or 72,018 ounces to 255,750 ounces as a result of

lower declarations,” the report explained.

In its 2020 report, the Bank noted that gold export revenue climbed because of an increase in the volume exported as a result of higher declarations as well as improved prices.

It noted too that export volume increased as a result of higher declarations.

The Bank stated that the average export price per ounce of gold was higher by 7.1 percent or US$112.93 moving to US$1,713.13 per ounce from US$1,600.20 per

ounce one year ago.

Further in the half year report, the Bank revealed that in the total earnings from all other exports, which include re-exports, were US$102.4 million, 14.4 percent more than the value for the same period last year.

The increase was primarily on account of higher receipts in the subcategories of rum and other spirits, beverages, diamonds, re-exports and wood products by US$8.7 million, US$8.2 million, US$5.1 million, US$4.9 million and US$0.1 million, respectively.

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Thursday October 28, 2021

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Thursday October 28, 2021

Thursday October 28, 2021

Football for Schools launched...

From page 24 toward achieving the dreams of children throughout the country.

I have seen the dedication shown by the coaches who will deliver Football for Schools, and the genuine excitement from the children. It is clear, there is a very bright future ahead for India, a very important country for the FIFA Foundation. ”Thank you to Dr Samanta, and Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Pattnaik, who have done so much toward establishing this region as the Indian sporting capital. It was also fantastic to visit the Indian Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Thakur, in New Delhi.

I was able to share at length some of the work the FIFA Foundation and FIFA are doing in India to change the

lives of millions of children and young people, and offer greater opportunities to get involved in football.”

Football for Schools beyond boosting participation.

The global project also builds the capacity of stakeholders, such as schools, member associations and public authorities, to deliver Football for Schools, while strengthening the cooperation between governments, MAs and participating schools, to promote effective, collaborative alliances.

AIFF general secretary, Kushal Das, said: “It is a great initiative to launch Football for schools by FIFA in Odisha which is the sporting capital of India. I am extremely happy and grateful to FIFA that India has been chosen as one of the first countries to launch this pioneering program.”

Bowlers, Roy make it two in...

From page 27 Liton Das who fell to him first.

Das used his feet to come down the pitch and strike back-to-back fours in the first over, but fell to a straighter delivery when Moeen returned for his second.

Attempting a slog sweep, he top-edged to be caught at deep backward square.

The very next ball, Mohammad Naim skipped down the track but failed to middle the ball, handing midoff a simple catch. Moeen’s new-ball partner Woakes then sent the in-form Shakib Al Hasan back, when Adil Rashid ran back from short fine leg to take an excellent catch.

Short-lived recovery Bangladesh were firmly on the back-foot after the first six overs at 27/3 when Mushfiqur Rahim and skipper Mahamud

Thursday October 28, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You have a strong sense of self. You take charge of situations instead of letting them take charge of you. But this sense of independence and self-confidence may threaten other people.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Just when you slow down, simplify, and plan, things start to pick up again. Your imagination starts to fly. Stabilization hinders your creative spirit. The last thing your artistic mind wants to do is slow down.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may feel like a mediator between two camps, or you may be the one in a struggle that needs mediation. The big problem with the tension today is that one side could be headstrong and bound to the facts and the truth.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your sense of play might get you into trouble. This sort of attitude could run up against someone who's trying to stay on task and take things seriously. It may be difficult for you to know how far to push a situation.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be careful about taking everything as a personal offense. Others' inconsiderate actions may hurt you emotionally, but they don't have to.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Gadgets and new devices that are supposed to make it easier to accomplish certain tasks may actually cause more confusion.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Difficult tension may be frustrating for you to handle.

You may wonder why everyone can't just get along. The answer may seem simple to you, with your easygoing attitude.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Tension may arise among friends when someone suddenly feels like an ignored third wheel. People tend to pair up.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your lively, imaginative spirit is in tune with the collective. The need for a worldly consciousness and evolving humanity has become more obvious to you as time goes by.fused.

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Kaieteur News

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Be careful about going overboard with your sarcasm.

Some people take your comments seriously. Not everyone understands your humor. This could make communication unclear at times.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) If you're trying to learn a computer program, you might obsess about it. In fact, it might even haunt your dreams.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Self-image could be a difficult issue for you. Perhaps you've painted a false picture of yourself lately. In an effort to cover your insecurity, you may not have expressed how you feel to some people.

Ullah provided the Tigers a period of stability. Mushfiqur was especially strong behind square and the duo enjoyed a couple of good overs against the seamers, to add 37 in 22 balls.

The introduction of the spin of Liam Livingstone broke the stand, with an England review confirming that Mushfiqur was trapped in front trying to sweep.

Mahmud Ullah soon became Livingstone’s second victim when he was caught at backward point.

Amid of flurry of wickets, Nasum Ahmed (19* off 9) targetted the short boundary to smash Rashid for a couple of sixes and a four to add vital runs.

But a tight final over from Mills re-established England’s supremacy in the game.

Openers take on left-arm bowlers - England were never under pressure in the chase.

Teams have targetted their opening pair with left-arm spin. However, the strategy didn’t work too well for Bangladesh.

Roy got going first ball with a cut shot for four off Shakib, before punishing Mustafizur Rahman for two fours on either side of the square. Jos Buttler went over Shakib’s head for the first six of the innings, but fell to Nasum Ahmed attempting another big hit.

That did little to affect Roy’s flow, though, as he and Dawid Malan motored along.

England 126 for 2 (Roy 61, Malan 28*, Shoriful 1-26) beat Bangladesh 124 for 9 (Mushfiqur 29, Mills 3-27, Livingstone 2-15) by eight wickets.

JRL director...

From page 25 and on the back of that we nearly won the game, we certainly can take a moral victory from the draw.”

Monteith said the team had to overcome a lot and the victory was a positive catalyst heading into 2022. “The result does a lot for our confidence, it reinforces our belief that we are on the right track despite the many challenges we face. We had two of our staff members quit just before we played these games, we had 8 players unavailable due to one thing or another, we couldn’t get domestic players or staff to England due to Covid, so to face all these challenges, and end the year with a tie against Scotland, we can build on this moment,” he said.

The Reggae Warriors are currently ranked 20th in the world and defeated Canada and USA in 2018 to become the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a Rugby League World Cup. The postponed 2021 Rugby League World Cup takes in 2022 from October 15 to November 19.

Kaieteur News

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Thursday October 28, 2021

GFF Inter- Academy Boys U-13 Challenge Wins for Bartica, Georgetown & East Trophy kicks off Demerara; East Bank & Rupununi draw

T

he GFF InterAcademy Boys U13 Challenge Trophy began last weekend with four matches and saw victories for Bartica, Georgetown, and East Demerara with the other match ending in a draw.

On Saturday last, two matches were played, with the first between the lads from Bartica Academy Training Centre (BATC) which hosted their counterparts from Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon Football Association, the former winning, 6-0.

Leading the Barticians to victory were Ezekiel Baldeo who netted a hat-trick while Jadan Christian and Alex Roopwah each scored one with an own goal from Essequibo. The second match was played at the Saint Ignatius ground in Rupununi where the home team and the East Bank Football Association (EBFA) battled to a thrilling 1-1 draw.

The Rupununi Football Association ATC took the lead through Danile John’s strike but the East Bank lads fired back to earn an equal share of the points when Seon Grant found the back of the nets.

The other two games were played on Sunday with the first between the Georgetown Football Association up against

Berbice; the City boys defeated their counterparts from the East, 4-0 thanks to goals from Chadish Nurse, Jeorman Miller and Omarion Lewis along with an own goal from Berbice.

The second match saw Upper Demerara Football A s s o c i a t i o n ( U D FA ) traveling to the Melanie Community Centre ground to confront the East Coast team and were edged out 2-1 by the host ATC which got goals from Shaquan Frank and Brandon Gonsalves.

UDFA’s lone response came from Azizi David.

The tournament will see all nine Regional Associations fielding a team from their U13 ATCs, along with the National U17 Girls team participating as a guest team.

The primary purpose of the tournament is to identify players to participate in the Caribbean Football Union Boys U14 tournament that will be held in 2022.

Apart from talent identification for the CFU tournament, the U13 Challenge Trophy tournament will also provide an opportunity for the GFF to assess the quality of work being done by the ATCs in all nine Regional Associations, as well as provide an opportunity to test the logistics for the InterAcademy and InterAssociation tournaments, which will be a key feature in

The East Demerara Football Association ATC squad and Coaches. the 2022 national football season.

The GFF Inter Academy Boys U13 Challenge Trophy continues this weekend with the Rupununi travelling to West Demerara to take on the WDFA team, Bartica taking on the East Bank at the GFF NTC Providence, and Berbice travelling to Linden to face the UDFA team.

This tournament is part of the GFF’s ground-breaking ATC programme, the first of its kind in the Caribbean that was launched in 2017.

The ATC is an elite and selective national youth development programme to give girls and boys ages 619 a weekly, structured

training curriculum that is anchored in the GFF

football philosophy and delivered consistently

across the nine Regional Associations.

Football for Schools launched in India India’s ‘capital of sport’ has played host to the launch of Football for Schools in the w o r l d ’s s e c o n d - m o s t populous country. The FIFA Foundation selected sportloving Odisha as the perfect location to launch the new programme, which aims to make football more accessible to both girls and boys throughout the world.

Empowering boys and girls with valuable life skills and competencies, the programme provides coacheducators with the training they need to deliver education through sport.

Unveiling the new project at the Kalinga Institute for I n d u s t r i a l Te c h n o l o g y (KIIT) and the Kalinga Institute for Social Sciences (KISS), Foundation CEO and France legend Youri

Football for Schools launched in India.

Djorkaeff, KIIT and KISS founder, Professor Achyuta Samanta, KIIT’s Dr Varun Suthra and the Indian Football Federation (AIFF)

general secretary Kushal Das, welcomed 100 children and 60 coaches to the event.

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, sent his best

wishes for a successful launch. ”This is a landmark occasion. I congratulate you all for having taken on the

first pilot project in India, opening doors for the launch of the project throughout the country. The State of Odisha is perfectly positioned to

lead us forward, thanks to the valuable support of the Government of Odisha. ”Thank you to Professor Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS for hosting this event and for contributing to empowering tribal children through sports and education. It is Professor S a m a n t a ’s v i s i o n a r y guidance that KIIT and KISS have been nurturing athlete talent since 2005, and I was delighted to hear two KIIT students participated in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”

Youri Djorkaeff, meanwhile, reflected fondly on his time in India. “Being here to launch Football for Schools in India, one of the first countries in which we are launching the programme, represents a huge step (Continued on page 23)

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

JRL director Romeo Trumpelmann, Smit help Namibia Monteith praises Reggae keep dream World Cup run going Warriors following ESPNcricinfo - After t o r e g r o u p a h e a d o f an attacking brand of cricket. success with the ball lay in countless clashes played in potentially three of their At 2 for 3, could they really being boring and robotic sensational rally to relative obscurity, two toughest clashes, against take a chance though? with their tactics: stump-toAssociates gunning to go one New Zealand, Pakistan and Matthew Cross and Michael stump, cutters into the pitch, up on the other came head to I n d i a . Tr u m p e l m a n n ’s Leask weathered the early pace off and trying to bowl draw 30-30 with Scotland head in low, slow Abu Dhabi early magic - Late inswing: storm and saw off the away from hitting arcs. It’s a

SportsMax - Jamaica Rugby League head coach Romeo Monteith was full of praise for the Reggae Wa r r i o r s a f t e r t h e i r sensational rally to draw 3030 with Scotland in their international match at the Millennium Stadium in Featherstone on Sunday.

The Reggae Warriors, trailing by 20 points, scored six tries to five and came back from 30-10 down two minutes into the second half, superbly led by Ashton

them down and Scotland hit back with Emslie’s first – from a fine pass by Bell – and further tries from Ross Oakes on the overlap, Ben Hellewell diving on a loose ball and Dale Ferguson, all converted by Lachlan Walmsley on his first international start – to lead 24-10 at the break.

Emslie’s second from a spilt high kick seemed to have the Scots firmly in charge, but Jones-Bishop grabbed his brace, Joe Brown went in on

Reggae Warriors battling Scotland.

Golding - starting at loose forward for the first time and Izaac Farrell on debut. ”Today we created history again, everyone should be proud of this team. We showed great character to come back from 20 points down and get a result against the ninth-ranked team in the world,” Monteith told S p o r t s m a x . T V. ”It was a game of two halves; the last 40 we really showed the toughness and resilience we are made of. We will continue to build towards the World Cup in 2022, and this was the perfect boost for the p r o g r a m m e . ” Scotland was excellently served by St Helens-bound J a m e s B e l l , B a r r o w ’s Charlie Emslie posting a try double for them on his international bow. Jamaica raced into a 10-0 lead with tries from Jymel Coleman and an 85-metre pick up by Ben Jones-Bishop after Sam Luckley had lost the ball, the Bravehearts then holding out Golding and Izaac Farrell and preventing Mo Agoro crossing in the corner with some outstanding goal-line defence.

Keenan Tomlinson was sin-binned in the 25th minute as Jamaica’s discipline let

the hour and Jordan Andrade crashed to the posts with 15 m i n u t e s t o g o .

Ferguson was sent to the bin with five to go for a high tackle and, switching play on the last, Jamaica’s Alex Brown powered into the corner to level, Izzac Farrell’s conversion attempt just falling short.

In the final minute, Ryan Brierley’s drop goal attempt for the Scots was touched in flight and the Reggae Warriors held on from the resulting dropout. ”It was a tough game, Scotland played really well.

The momentum shifted in the middle of the game when we had Keenen Tomlinson sent off. We started fantastic and stuck to what we wanted to do early on, but our kick finishes were a bit poor,” said Reggae Warriors coach Jermaine Coleman. ”We came out in the second half and showed commitment and togetherness that will be the main thing to get us through the World Cup. Our talk at halftime-e focused on what can control such as our tackles, our finished and our energy. Ultimately that showed in the second game (Continued on page 23)

on the world stage. The setting may have been slightly unfamiliar, but the same couldn’t have been said about the compelling nature of the contest.After being blown away by Afghanistan spinners two nights ago, Scotland were snuffed out by a succession of left-arm swing and medium pace that Namibia threw up on Wednesday. But they made a terrific fist of it courtesy their spin trio, before JJ Smit and David Wiese put together a crucial partnership to eke out a tight win.Namibia now have three wins on the bounce, having started the Super 12s in a thumping fashion. Scotland will need

check. Ball holding its line across: check. Short ball into the ribcage: check. Hard length into the pitch: check.

An assortment of these combined to deliver three wickets in the first four balls of the match. George Munsey was out chopping on, Calum MacLeod nicking one he poked at and Richie Berrington, standing in for the injured Kyle Coetzer, taken out by late inswing. It made Ruben Trumpelmann the first bowler to take three wickets in the opening over of a T20I game.

Cross, Leask revive Scotland - Over the past three weeks, Scotland have often spoken about playing

eventful powerplay that Scotland finished on 22 for 4, the second-lowest this World Cup behind Papua New Guinea’s 17 for 4 against Bangladesh.

Cross was far from fluent but dug in to give Leask support and the two added 39 to move on from that seismic shocks early on. Much of the runs in the stand came from Leask, who used the long handle effectively to pepper the short straight and legside boundary on one side.

Cross, in trying to follow suit, perished to Jan Frylinck after missing a straight length delivery he backed away to slap over cover.

The secret of Namibia’s

different matter that the batters weren’t able to attack enough because of the early m e l t d o w n . N a m i b i a ’s excellent death bowling courtesy Wiese and Frylinck - they didn’t concede a single boundary in the last 25 balls meant Scotland, despite Leask’s enterprise and the odd big hits from Chris Greaves, ended with a below-par total. They managed just 13 off the last t h r e e o v e r s .

Namibia 115 for 6 (Smit 32*, Williams 23, Leask 212) beat Scotland 109 for 8 (Leask 44, Greaves 25, Trumpelmann 3-17, Frylinck 2-10) by four wickets.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Thursday October 28, 2021

Hinterland-focused Guyana U17 Female squad departs for Concacaf Qualifiers

Face Anguilla today in opener

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he Guyana U17 female national squad will open its account in the qualifiers for the 2022 Concacaf W o m e n ’ s U 1 7 Championship this week, kicking off against Anguilla i n F l o r i d a , t o d a y.

The 18-strong squad for the qualifying tournament includes 16 Guyana-based players from across the nation, including five players from the Orealla community in Region 6, five from Georgetown and four from Region 7.

Region 1 is also represented in a squad boasting a significant proportion of talent from hinterland communities.

“It’s exciting for both coaches and players to be able to once again take the

pitch to do what we love after being faced with the pandemic, and it’s an honour to be a part of the progress being made in the women’s game,” said Head Coach Akilah Castello. ”Preparations have been going well,” Castello said. “I can admit that it was a challenge putting together this team to participate in this Concacaf U17 girls’ competition, but we are happy to be able to participate and it’s always a pleasure to represent our country.”

The Concacaf qualifying tournament has been rescheduled and reconfigured on numerous occasions this year due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving 10 teams to compete for four places in

the final championship. The selection possibilities available to the coaching staff in Guyana have been limited by injury or illness and a lack of domestic competition over the past 18 months due to the pandemic.

As well as Anguilla, Guyana will face Honduras on Saturday and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday next in Group C of the qualification rounds. The winner of each of the three groups will progress to the finals, along with the best ranked second place finisher. ”We are very excited to be participating in the U17 Concacaf Championship,” said Paul Beresford, GFF D i r e c t o r o f Wo m e n ’s Programmes. “This shows the commitment the Federation, the GFF

International Support Group, its partners and supporters have to all age groups in the women’s national team program.” ”Putting together this team was extremely difficult given the number of players who aged out of the team, the fact that most of our international players are in the midst of the school year, the specific age range imposed on teams by Concacaf, and missing a few critical players to injuries, “Beresford revealed. “We look at all competitions as developmental opportunities and we will treat this one the same. Coach Akilah and her staff have been working tirelessly to prepare and we are all proud to represent Guyana and the Lady Jaguars.”

IFAB advisory panels recommend making five-substitute option permanent Various key footballing matters and proposals for potential Law changes were the focus of discussions at yesterday’s FIFA-chaired virtual meeting of The I FA B ’s F o o t b a l l a n d Technical Advisory Panels ( FA P - TA P ) , a t w h i c h particular attention was devoted to the temporary amendment to Law 3 – The Players.

In May 2021, due to the ongoing effects of the Covid19 pandemic on global footb ll, The IFAB Board of Directors approved a further extension to the temporary amendment (introduced in May 2020) giving all top domestic and international competitions scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2022 the option of allowing teams to use up to five substitutes.

Following a number of r e q u e s t s f r o m confederations, associations, leagues and other key stakeholders for this option to be introduced permanently in the Laws of the Game (2022/23 edition), FA P - TA P t o d a y recommended that competitions should be able to decide on increasing the number of substitutes according to the needs of their football environment,

The five-substitute rule was first introduced last year in response to the covid-19 pandemic© Twitter

Team Guyana First Name Last Name Naomi Paul Sandra Johnson Rashona Edwards Shameen Russel Edelsa Daniels Karen Jupiter Reona Morris Myrlie Jack Anostasha Coppin Sue Edwards Ciara Sarius Sara Matthias Nakasi St Jules Jalade Trim Akeelah Vancooten Sidney Facey Anaya Willabus Alyssa Blake

Club Kamarang Fruta Conquerors FC Orealla FC Waramadong Kamarang Fruta Conquerors FC Orealla FC Orealla FC Orealla FC Kamarang Orealla FC Fruta Conquerors FC Fruta Conquerors FC Kwakwani FC Georgetown ATC Unionville- Milliken Soccer Club Gottschee Soccer Club Albany Alleycats SC

Technical Staff: D i r e c t o r o f Wo m e n ' s Programmes - Paul Beresford, Assistant Technical Director - Bryan Joseph, Head Coach Akilah Castello, Assistant Coach - Gavin Fredericks,

Goalkeeper Coach - Jersild Wright, Fitness Trainer Sherwyn Ceasar, Physiotherapist - Teniesah Cort, Team Manager Naseya Brewster, Equipment Manager Nichola Argyle.

Ragnauth’s 64 leads Caribbean Sports Club to victory in ESCL tournament

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while the current number of substitution opportunities (three plus half-time) should stay the same. Another matter discussed at today’s meeting was a clarification for the next edition of the Laws of the Game, namely, to confirm that a goalkeeper must be on the goal line before a penalty kick (or kick from the penalty mark) is taken but is not penalised for then having one foot behind the goal line at the moment when the kick is taken.

Members also received an update on the early results of the global trial with additional permanent concussion substitutes,

including initial statistics. As concussion incidents have occurred very rarely since the beginning of the trial in January 2021, it was recommended that the trial be extended beyond the initial end date (August 2022) to be able to gather more relevant data.

Furthermore, FIFA provided FAP-TAP with an update on future video assistant referee (VAR) innovations that could allow competitions with limited budgets to a c c e s s a n d u s e VA R technology (VAR Light), and on the latest developments with new electronic performance and

tracking system (EPTS) devices. CONMEBOL’s request to consider an increase of the half-time interval from 15 to 25 minutes, several members shared their concerns, particularly regarding the potential negative impact on player welfare and safety resulting from a longer p e r i o d o f i n a c t i v i t y.

Feedback from the meeting will be presented at The IFAB Annual Business Meeting on 25 November 2021, where the agenda will be set for the Annual General Meeting on 4-5 March 2022, to be held in Zurich, Switzerland.

ary Ragnauth hit an attractive 64 t o s p u r Caribbean Sports Club to comfortable 30-run win over Sunrisers last Sunday at Cullen Beach where action continued in the inaugural Essequibo Softball Cricket League (ESCL) over-40, 20overs competition.

Caribbean Sports Club raced to 184 all out in the final over while Sunrisers were left at 155-5 at the expiration of the 20-overs.

Apart from Ragnauth, Kumar Budram also played a well to contribute 35.

Seepersaud Sankar snatched four wickets for 31 runs from four overs bowling for Sunrisers.

In Sunrisers’ innings, Shivsankar Bisson hit a fighting 64 while Ta m e s h w a r S a n c h a i r e scored 58. And in the other fixtures, Queenstown Tigers claimed a walk-over from Reliance Hustlers while the match between Invaders Masters and Ravens Sports Club was rained out.

The competition will continue on Sunday with three more matches.

Gary Ragnauth

Thursday October 28, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 27

Regional #7 Chairman J’s Supermarket sponsors Anniversary Challenge full colour booklet for BCB Cup set for this weekend

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total of six football clubs inclusive of two females are set to bring a high level of energy to the Bartica Community this weekend when the inaugural Regional Chairman Anniversary Challenge Cup kicks off from tomorrow.

Regional Chairman K e n n e t h Wi l l i a m s i s celebrating his first anniversary in office with a football competition that will see Fruta Conquerors, Rising Stars, Beacons, Middle Mazaruni Warriors, GT Panthers Females and Bartica Females all matching skills at the Bartica Community Centre Ground, under lights.

All covid-19 regulations would be in effect and additionally, Williams has indicated that members of the public wishing to get their covid-19 jab would be able to do so on both days and members of the Health Ministry would be on hand to administer the jab.

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) will soon launch another publication as it pushes ahead with plans to develop cricket even further. The proactive Board would be publishing a 30page booklet which will highlight its outstanding work over the past three and a half years since current President Hilbert Foster and his executive body took office.

Foster, who was elected in a fierce contest in February, 2018 has led a complete over haul of Berbice cricket and the BCB is today considered the most vibrant Board in the Caribbean. Foster stated that his administration had no honeymoon period as Berbice cricket was in the gutter when they took office; it was on the verge of a total collapse.

He recalled that on the same day that he was elected, several sponsorship deals were secured including one from former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and current GCB President Bissoondyal Singh.

Since then, the Board has organised over 70 cricket tournaments at all levels and

Kenneth Williams - Chairman Reg. #7

Jason Sripal of J’ Supermarket hands over sponsorship to BCB President Hilbert Foster raised over 50 million dollars worth of sponsorship in cash and kind. The tournaments were organised at the junior, senior and female levels while dozens of developmental programmes were also organised.

Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu who is the editor of the booklet, stated that they would be distributed free of cost across the Country, the Caribbean and North America. He expressed thanks to the m a n a g e m e n t o f J ’s S u p er mar k et f o r th eir support especially Managing Director Jason Sripal.

Sripal, a former Berbice and Guyana junior cricketer stated that he was very impressed with the current state of Berbice cricket and expressed confidence in the leadership of Foster. He noted the importance of documenting the history of the game in the county for the next generation to build on the success of the current leadership.

Js Supermarket has been one of the main supporters of the BCB over the past year and has sponsored several programmes and a cricket tournament for teams in New Amsterdam.

Bank of Baroda, Montra Restaurant & Bowlers, Roy make it two Lounge support Guyana Open Golf tourney in two for England ICC - England’s bowlers produced their second stellar performance of the tournament to restrict Bangladesh to 124/9, before Jason Roy, in his 50th T20I, made short work of the chase. Roy’s half-century helped England complete the chase in 14.1 overs with eight wickets in hand at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Spinners Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone shared four wickets between them, while Chris Woakes, who took the new ball, was economical with 1/12 and Tymal Mills scalped three at the death.

England dictate the Powerplay - Just as in their opening game, Eoin Morgan’s decision to throw the new ball to Moeen, the off-spinner, in the Powerplay worked well after

Maxim Mangra (right) of the LGC accepts the cheque from Jayadev Peruthanath of Bank of Baroda in the presence of Chandan Kumar.

Tymal Mills, Jason Roy @ Getty Images Bangladesh chose to bat first. While Moeen matches up better against the lefthanders, it was right-hander (Continued on page 23)

Bank of Baroda along w i t h M o n t r a Restaurant and Lounge have supported the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) for the highly anticipated Guyana Open tournament which is set to commence at 06:00hrs on Saturday.

Both presentations took place yesterday and the LGC

has expressed gratitude to the sponsors.

Bank of Baroda is located at 10 Avenue of the Republic while Montra Restaurant and Lounge is situated at 83 Lamaha Street.

The competition will be played over 36 holes within a two-day period. Each day, a total of 18 holes will be

Kumar Sarran (right) proprietor of Montra Restaurant and Lounge presents the cheque to Maxim Mangra. played and this will determine the best golfer, male and female.

Over 60 players have registered so far and players from countries such as Canada, USA and Colombia have also shown their interest in the lucrative tournament.

Golfers will be placed in

flights which will range from 0-9, 10-18 and 19-28 handicap in the men’s category, while in the female category it will range from 036. Guyanese Avinash Persaud and Julia Stevenson of Barbados are the defending champions in the male and female categories respectively.

Hinterland-focused Guyana U17 Female squad departs for Concacaf Qualifiers Face Anguilla today in opener

The Guyana U17 Female National Team and Management

This Bartica ATC player is fully focused in attack in their match against their Essequibo Pomeroon FA counterparts.

rt o p S Ruben Trumpelmann is mobbed by his team-mates Getty Images

GFF Inter- Academy Boys U-13 Challenge Trumpelmann, Smit help Namibia Trophy kicks off keep dream World Wins for Bartica, Georgetown & East Demerara; East Bank & Rupununi draw

Cup run going

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