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AIETEUR NEWS
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Wednesday Edition September 09, 2020 - Vol. 15 No.36
crumbs as Exxon makes 18th discovery
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80
Online readership yesterday, 151,196
Two houses flatten by fire
Berbice protest...
Gruesome murder of Berbice teens...
West Coast Berbice protests turn violent; drivers, passengers robbed, beaten and stripped Isaiah Henry, 16
Joel Henry, 19
Pres. Irfaan Ali’s visit No evidence of killing to family aborted after being “politically - Crime Chief security vehicle attacked motivated”-7 in custody - Joint Services urge residents to remain calm or face escalation in response
Relatives, friends of murdered Construction of St Rose’s High School... Corentyne carpenter block road School Board and burn debris in protest says contractor - file on case sent to DPP for advice abandoned job
Guyana rapidly approving - while still auditing US$ billions in oil US$ millions in pre-contract costs developments at a sloth's pace
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Kaieteur News
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
Ponzi Shemes and Schemers
It is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Dig a hole to fill a hole. And yet every time, smart people are made into suckers again and again, in a recurrence of the theme of no learning. Having made fools of the supposedly wise, and left them hanging by their greedy fingernails, the alleged Ponzi schemers have approached the courts to obtain some relief, this time under cover and operation of the law. Now the Ponzi schemers say they want freedom, so that they can take care of their alleged mystifying business dealings by making things right for those out of pocket, even that of a long lifetime of scrimping and saving. There is no such thing as guaranteed money, as many a loser in well-regulated markets, and with much more sophistication, has learned to their unending dismay. Many of those sure things promised are anything but, and carnage comes quickly. When the promise of investment is too rich for the blood, then sepsis usually is the result. Few of our fellow Guyanese have the wherewithal, the nerve, and the range of knowledge and experience to weather the likely financial storms that are now impending, with the wounding following. This is a game, this universe of investing for those who know what they are doing and can withstand the associated severe financial shock. Sometimes the gullible can be so insane as to gamble the mortgage or rent money in the hope of making a quick dollar in a quicker span of time. And one of the features of the classic Ponzi scheme is to create the appearance of furious activity. That is, handsomely enriching activity. The word to the wise and temped and incautious is simple: do not believe for a moment. To paraphrase Dante Alighieri, the greeting on the door to hell says it all: those who enter pass this portal surrender all hope. Now the alleged perpetrators say they want release, and access to, as well as authority over the mystery money. One time it is there, the next person and ranking authority, says ‘nothing doing’ nothing present. If nothing else, there is some smooth maneuvering of people, who are quick on their feet. They always have their head on and with fallback game plans in hand, as in if Option B does not work, then keep going down the alphabet. To be clear, like any other accused, those citizens charged are entitled to the fullest protection of all applicable laws, with every element of due process being fully followed. They want the long arm of the law and the judicial system to step back and let them control the flow. That would be the cash flow that has dried up, is now out of sight, cannot be accounted for, and which lured so many to their ruin. That is their get out of jail card, and it is most tempting, a wonderful bargaining chip. But there are misgivings, and they are not off the wall ones. They are real with the probability of flight risk being on the high end of the scale. So we must be bold and state for the record: That could be going too far, since we remind that a bird in the hand is better than a few more elsewhere. As we share this, we emphasize that due process must occur, because if there is any provision in the law for freedom, then it must be granted. Now we take a different tack, open a bank account in the state’s name, with government authorities appointed mandatory signatories to any activity-deposit, withdrawal, payments-conducted. This way there is the prudence of steward and gatekeeper. There is simply too much at stake, with many allegedly harmed. Sometimes, people must be saved from themselves. The last thing we wish to put out before the public is that there was some chatter in the early days about restitution. Why and for what? For if no wrongdoing was committed, as stated so strongly near the beginning, then there ought to be no offers of restitution placed on the table. There is reputation involved. There is name to be cleared from that which tarnishes. Simply not done.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Using social media for the wrong purposes DEAR EDITOR, Not everyone mourns the same way. Some choose to shout and wring their hands whilst others cry as if their very souls are gone, yet there are some who show total control with an inner sort of steely resistance, using the opportunity to strengthen this resistance against the negativities of the world. Similarly, in the use of Social Media different persons have different ways of dealing with issues. The horrific recent killing of the two youths from West Coast Berbice has shown us the entire gamut of emotions humans display and how we choose to portray those. For many on the different apps, but especially the Blue App of Facebook, there seems to be a great competition for attention. Many seem to want to take first place by posting the most or having the most popular post criticising different aspects of the killings. This is their right and no one should stop them because we live in a free world with little to no restrictions on social media. It is also the right of others to mourn peacefully in silence and for them to choose not to post on any matter. What is callous and totally uncalled for is the need for those who are looking for self gratification to try to belittle those who choose to mourn silently. I have seen many ex-
amples, especially those of some known political operatives trying to gain mileage by tagging persons who have chosen the route of silence and trying to pontificate to them just for likes or a following. Why the need? Are you so insecure in your own ability to effectively address the issue that you sheepishly seek the help of those much more capable but are not man or woman enough to come straight? Do you think by trying to belittle others that it will make persons see you in a better light? Is your voice and reach not enough? Can you not do your part and be satisfied? Some persons will try to make everything about politics in this unfortunate situation and that is their right. But is it right to politicize everything? For those who find justification in such actions, kudos to you. Yesterday we saw hundreds and even thousands of comments on the killing of the Henry Boys. Many have pledged to “not take it anymore” or that “enough is enough”, yet how are they addressing the deep underlying issue? Are they going to offer a sincere condolence to the family as I have seen some Christian Brothers doing yesterday? Are they helping out with the funeral expenses if they can afford it as one political party has offered to do?
Or are they helping the police in an active manner to bring the perpetrators to face justice? You see, talk is cheap and action is much harder. Many will find excuses as to why they cannot offer tangible help. Others just don’t care enough but want to be “in the trend”. But how can we really do our part? First of all, we must hold those in responsible positions, responsible. It is the duty of the law agencies to protect each and every citizen. The Guyana Police Force must be allowed to do their work. If anyone is in a position to assist them, the GPF should not even have to ask for help. Next, the Community leaders, both those elected and selected must play their part in offering guidance and counselling in these trying times. Village leaders, Religious leaders and Senior Regional Personnel must get involved. That is why they were given that mandate. Lastly and most importantly our Politicians, both Government and Opposition must be held responsible. All have had a chance to find a solution to heal our nation from this racial division yet all have utterly failed us. How much longer must we continue with such abject failures? How much longer must we the people suffer
putting up with leaders who seem to only care about themselves and their own well-being? When are we the people going to hold them truly accountable? The killing of the Henry Boys is the latest example in a long and sorrowful tale, but it will not be the last if we choose to sit back and pontificate from our social media pulpits while looking for likes and a following. It is time we force ALL our leaders to accept that there is a big problem named RACISM and commit all stakeholders to begin addressing it forthwith. We have to start. We have missed our opportunity for over 60 years so we are starting well behind schedule but start we must. This divide needs to be bridged. This enmity that silently exists needs to be brought to the open and broken down and destroyed forever. We the people must be the ones to do this. No more hiding in our houses, no more fake friendships, no more getting along well for four out of every five years. Why not all five years in every election cycle? Is that too hard or too much to ask? To the divisionists and those who chant, “Is we time now” every five years, you have had your time. You did not make use of it wisely. It is that very behaviour that has brought (Continued on page 22)
Cotton Tree – what can I say; what is there to be said?
DEAR EDITOR, I shake. I cry. For two young men struck down in their prime. Struck down by the hand of neighbours and strangers upraised with the wrath of Cain. I cry for them, too, in this land of so many of our mortally wounded in so many ways. A big, great part of me is ashamed, terribly ashamed by the folly of it all. There is so much I want to say, without knowing anything, even when I know not what to say. Yet, I feel that I can say so much, for there is so much in this place that is bottled up, and which all the angers in this world will neither conceal nor heal. I want to say something to all the involved families that are on the far slippery end of grievous loss. To communities rocked by the turmoil of so much clashing hates, ever-present conflicted politics. I hate myself for easing this into the mix, but how can I not. What should be the horror of two terrible murders contemplated from a distance and recoiled from, in the routines of human exchange, has resonated across hearts and town and country, and comes into the nearness of home in the pains that are palpable
and piercing, at the waste of it all. But this is what now spirals into the atmosphere and in every nook and cranny. There are no secret untouched places left in this society. All are numb with grief, too few with shame or contrition. If this is about coconuts, then we are all more than nuts, which sounds rather meager, given the circumstances, since we have clearly gone off the deep end. I am still to fathom the degree of depravity and venomousness that filters through in snippets of media releases. Nothing makes sense in the sheer inhumanity of the moments that enshroud those who killed and those killed for a bag of coconuts. This is savaging to the senses. It cannot help but wound some more the already tattered psyche of this stricken nation. I think that we are mortally stricken, only we don’t know it, as we pretend at the best imitation of dead men walking, and fail miserably at even that, too. Our country was a vale of violent contradicting voices for nineteen long months; today it is transformed into a vale of physical viciousness on the ground, and the overflowing madness of cyber
malice run amok, as spewed from one hateful set of lips after another. It is what is today, the mindless, endless cycle of insult hurled, and ire catapulted across electronic space, by people made to feel comfortable by the anonymity of their existence, by the joyless thankfulness of their excesses. How do we recover from this? How many undiscovered and waiting in the cobwebbed wings of men’s minds are those other Cotton Trees planted so firmly, yet so nakedly shakily in this uneasy, unhealthy, uncaring society? I may not know, but I know that I care. Not of who is right or wrong, but how do we go on to anywhere from here where we have been deposited by our politics? By our now settled and hateful mindsets? By our unrelenting and remorseless commitments to all that is disturbing and dangerous and destructive to our existence? I want to say a word to the families of those lost, but I don’t know how. I tremble and hesitate when those are not things with which I am familiar. But I must try, if only for my own sanity, my groping for a moment of spiritual succor and from which I gain
the confidence to share. I say to the family: your pain is Guyana’s pain. Your loss is ours to bear with strength and dignity alongside in true fellowship, though those feel in short supply currently, and threaten to flee at any moment. A long nightmare that began for this country not just over a year ago came to the doorstep of the hearth. It must not prevail, for there is a God and He takes of everything in His own time, and according to His will. Let Him be. To those hurt in passing and by reflex, not unpremeditated, there is that shame and pain and regret, too. I wish it were some other way this tribal justice of ours, but this is how we solve the mysteries and challenges of our time and our land. We look for objects and then we desecrate them. To my fellow citizens, I urge, let the madness recede. It must not gain potency and overtake. Not now, please. Not tomorrow or ever. May wiser and more sober heads be found in the midst that check the reckless rush to the abyss that always seem to be just a short step away from where we stand. Sincerely, GHK Lall
Wednesday September 09, 2020
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Laws and policies alone cannot work The media can help to liberate all of tween Hindus and Muslims. and silence elsewhere. DEAR EDITOR, mutilation of two teenagers is sectors of society to ensure Guyana Whatever may be our bePerhaps, a result of events All of us at Help & Shelter shocking in its brutality and that confidence-building meaextend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of Joel Henry and Isaiah Henry and condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific, brutal and senseless murders of these two young men. We stand ready to provide help in psycho-social counseling to the bereaved families and friends of Henry and Isaiah. We call on those in authority, including the Guyana Police Force, to ensure that those responsible for these heinous murders are swiftly brought to justice and receive full penalties for the crimes they have committed. We also call on the police and army to observe all protocols for the safety and security of members of the public while carrying out their duties. We understand the pain and anger of the communities affected by this terrible crime but we ask that the safety and security of the disciplined forces and the safety and security of communities and persons using the roads be also observed. Even as the murder and
as we mourn with the families and communities of Joel and Isaiah, we would like to suggest that one way to honour them is to ensure that such acts never happen again. We respectfully recommend that every single Guyanese, every Guyanese community, every public and private institution from the OP, OPM and ministries to private sector businesses both small and large, FBOs, NGOs & CSOs collectively condemn, advocate against and institutionalize enforceable policies and guidelines to address violence in all its forms and discriminations based on ethnicity, sex, geography, social and economic status, religion and sexual orientation. The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects and measures continue to put an enormous strain on the lives of the majority of Guyanese and as a result, interpersonal violence is escalating steeply. While we recognize the government measures announced to ease the financial burden of COVID-19, we call on those in authority and all
sures are immediately put into effect, including educational messages from a wide crosssection of society about violence and all forms of discrimination. Laws and policies alone cannot work. We need to be able to reach out across the divides of ethnicity, gender, politics economic and social status, geography and governance to ensure respectful dialogue and actions even as we disagree. We call on the leaders of all political parties and regions to take action now to ensure peace, safety and security in affected West Coast Berbice communities and inclusivity and respect for Guyana’s diversity at all levels throughout Guyana, and to lead by example so that Guyana can make progress towards One People, One Nation, One Destiny. Yours faithfully, Danuta Radzik Josephine Whitehead Colin Marks Pamela Nauth Linda Hustler Gaitrie Shivsankar For Help & Shelter
Police must crack down on praedial larceny DEAR EDITOR, Praedial larceny, or theft of produce, is a serious crime affecting agricultural development and it could lead to physical violence or ‘taking the law in your own hands’. Praedial larceny discourages farmers from planting since they are unable to harvest that which they plant whether it is coconuts, pumpkin, ochro, squash, baigan, bora, or other crops. Farmers are entitled to that which they cultivate. Government must take measures to end farm theft or else farmers will not grow foods and the country will experience a serious shortage of fruits and vegetables. When I was a child growing up, I remember bandits stealing our cattle by the dozens and moving them from Corentyne to West Berbice. Cattle of others were also stolen. The police did nothing about it even when the bandits were identified. When ranchers went to West Berbice to recover their cattle, they were beaten. The police refused to accompany them to recover their animals. They had to assume the losses discouraging raising animals. Cattle theft is still a big problem in Guyana. Similarly, praedial larceny
has been a persistent problem going back for decades. It was also a source of communal tensions since the 1950s. But the White man used to deal seriously with criminals who stole produce from farms easing tensions. In his study on communal relations, the eminent Sri Lankan anthropologist, Chan Jayawardena, highlighted cases where White magistrates imposed heavy fines, prison terms, and lashes on criminals to deter praedial larceny. In one particular case, a harvester told the judge that he did not know the rice crop he harvested from a farmer belonged to him. He said he saw the crop ready and thought it grew by itself and belonged to the public. So he “cut the rice”. Rice don’t grow by itself. I grew up in a rice community. Rice needs tender care and hard work. The judge ‘cut’ his behind with fines, six months jail and lashes. I don’t think he ever ‘tief’ again or mistook private property for
public property. Because crops are on the ground and are not being harvested or picked up does not give anyone the authority ‘to harvest’ them. Plant your own crops on your own land! The police need to strictly enforce the law as happened during colonial rule. This would help to ease communal tensions. Separately, I must condemn the gruesome killing of the two youngsters. No matter what the kids did, they should not have been savagely murdered. Who would commit such an act? Police must pursue the right suspects. We need an expedited investigation. I support the call by Nigel Hughes for a quick forensic investigation. Justice must be served. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram
DEAR EDITOR, The full tragedy, if not travesty of our situation in Guyana came to me starkly. My wife has re-migrated after spending over a decade overseas. To assist her re-settlement, we visited several government and non-governmental agencies, including the police traffic and other departments. In the majority of cases, we had to deal with senior Indo-Guyanese Officials, and in one case, a senior official of Portuguese extraction. In each and every case, these Officials were courteous, helpful and the quintessence of professionalism. In fact, in one case, a senior Indo Guyanese Official came down to the vehicle during a slight drizzle, when he learnt of our presence in the compound. The hallmark of compassion, decency and care. I said to myself, why are we allowing certain political leaders and sections of the media to drive a wedge between the two largest groups in Guyana, Afro and Indo Guyanese. I grew up in the south of Georgetown and the kindness and decency of those Indo Guyanese Officials reminded me of the many days spent in my father’s drugstore and my days in school, when there was no tension between the races.In fact, oft times, my father had to make peace be-
taking place in India at that time. That experience gives me, and I hope the majority of Guyanese, an expectation that we will overcome and be true to our motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”Having said that, I note with interest, Page 1 comment, Stabroek News, September 8, 2020, which observes, “Those seeking to make political hay from these heinous killings should desist from doing so.”The comment quite properly requests the Police Force to employ all means to bring the perpetrators to justice; no problem, however, the front-page comment continues to accuse certain groups of using the tragedy for political purposes. I agree absolutely, that we must respect the rule of law, but I ask the authors of Page 1 comment, what should grieving family members, friends and the community do when it is perceived that our law enforcement agencies are being used to carry out a vendetta against those groups who were declared losers in the March 2 General Elections.What must lawabiding citizens do when there is lopsided and bias reporting when acts of violence are done to certain sections of our society, when people at Bath Settlement and other areas stoned school buses, threatened members of the Police Force, there seemed to be inaction in certain quarters
liefs and religious persuasion, we must know that justice and equity must apply to all everywhere and at all times. In our circumstances, we must avoid the appearance that when certain groups stand up and demand justice, that they are called all sorts of derogatory names. Reminiscent of when certain Europeans, including the American colonies, stood up against injustice and sacrificed lives, they were respected and deemed Freedom Fighters, while those, as we saw in Southern Africa who employed similar methods, were deemed terrorists, and were incarcerated. While we, of course, support the lofty sentiments expressed in the Page 1 comment of Stabroek News, September 8, 2020, we should ask the media to use their influence to support the lawful and constitutional rights of citizens to lawfully protest when there is injustice directed against a particular group of citizens. Let us put an end to this charade that certain people are bad when they stand up for their rights. History is replete with the demonstration of people who because they stood up for their rights changed the landscape of the world we know today.I can remind them of the Netherlands - 1585, England – 1642, America – 1776, (the Boston Tea Party is now a (Continued on page 6)
A TIME FOR RECONCILIATION DEAR EDITOR, CRG extends its condolences to the family of the Henry young men. It is unfortunate that some political actors are taking advantage of this very unfortunate and sad situation to increase the racial and political divide in our society. CRG urges the new Government to operate in a bipartisan manner to foster reconciliation in our country. Since the 1960’s, there has been
underlying tension building in our country and we must work together to move towards a more peaceful path. For this reason, CRG is asking for the establishment of a national memorial against racial violence to be erected that will provide an opportunity for the beginning of the reconciliation process between our races and major political parties.No father nor any mother wants an environment filled with hate and despair
where neighbours are viewed with suspicion and continual fighting becomes the norm. May the Henry young men and all others that we have lost due to the lack of compassion and lack of regard for our fellow man or woman find peace upon our land. Once again our deepest condolences. Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
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Kaieteur News
given a political twist and flavour COVID-19: Prevention versus Cure Crimes DEAR EDITOR, ciety’. He made it plain that if present an ‘opportunity’ to
DEAR EDITOR, The Minister of Health has been working assiduously to resolve the issues with the COVID-19 Hospital, securing increased testing capacity and turnaround, access to vaccine and improved therapeutics for the treatment of persons infected with COVID-19. These are all praiseworthy efforts. As a result of his efforts, more persons who get infected will survive the ordeal; in other words, less will die. Effectively, his efforts will save lives. Now that he has dealt with these issues, I am calling on the Minister of Health to now focus his ministry on preventing/restricting the spread of the virus. Both WHO and PAHO have clear
guidelines for Contact Tracing and Isolation. By rigorously employing Contact Tracing and Isolation Strategies, he can take control of the infected and the pre-infected persons and prevent them from spreading the virus. Curative Therapeutics is good but prevention is better. It is a fact that we cannot open up the economy unless we get the virus under control. The spreaders in this country makes up less than 1 (one) percent of the population. How hard is it for the authorities to understand that identifying this 1 percent and controlling them is the only way to reduce the spread? It is the only means by which we have to get to an open
economy. Given that the virus spreaders make up only about 1 percent of the population, masks and social distancing are 99% (ninety nine percent) ineffective; in other words, it achieves nothing 99% of the time. It is not the most effective way to control or prevent the spread. It is good to know that in the event of infection, we will have good therapeutics for treatment. However, I think most people would prefer not to get sick with Covid-19. I call upon the Ministry of Health to improve prevention (reduce virus spread) by implementing widespread Contact Tracing and Isolation Strategies. Yours respectfully, Sase Shewnarain
The main opposition party is not the enemy DEAR EDITOR, As I read this article, I hope that members of the government preferably keep a steady eye on the big picture and key priorities. By no means is the main opposition party the enemy. They have by their own doing, rather undoing, made themselves, with few member exceptions, totally irrelevant. The past regime was given a chance to leave a long lasting positive impact on this small country called Guyana, but failed miserably. Instead, it appears we have been left with fiscally
mismanaged people and resources, among other things. All this should have been predictable with a military mindset at the helm of a civilian population. Historically, these “leaders” generally lack the needed abilities, obvious necessary skills, including administrative skills to govern and manage officials beneath them effectively. Those with military backgrounds are remembered more for the shambles they left behind rather than the progress they made. That background alone should
have been a red flag, but we were perhaps too giddy. That’s over, finished, and is now for the history books. We have to remember who we really need to keep an eye on. It’s those foreigners, predominantly men under the age of 50 (that should signal something), who over multiple years have landed in Guyana in their expensive shoes and even more expensive suits, exploited our resources and rolled over us. Mind you, in most instances, we have (Continued on page 22)
In April 2019, the former Minister of Public Security met with residents and was adamant that the high rate of murder is as a result of ‘interpersonal rate of violence, alcohol abuse, dysfunctional families and to reduce or eradicate this we must read ‘the classics, the Quran, the Bible and the Mahabharrat’. I agreed with him to some extent then since it is impossible for the police to anticipate and prevent murders and interpersonal violence, which can be a spur of the moment act, sometimes induced by drugs and alcohol. However, he failed to mention that by providing employment and adequate wages and salaries many of our social ills can be reduced. For instance, stealing and domestic violence due to lack of financial resources. It must be recalled that when the Coalition were in the opposition, they blamed the then PPP/C government for every social ill under the sun. Ramjattan’s statement at a meeting on the Upper Corentyne highlighted the two faced nature of the Coalition. When the Coalition was in government, crimes were not given a political twist and flavour but now they are. Today, the APNU+AFC is once again in the opposition and the statement by Granger and Harmon under the pretext of mourning the brutal murder of the Isaiah and Joel Henry must be condemned. This barbaric and senseless act must be condemned by all but it is a gross disappointment to listen to the barefaced politicking by these two PNC leaders. On one hand, Granger promoted ‘vigilante’ styled justice which he called the creation of ‘self-defense so-
residents do not protect themselves then no one will protect them. Has the Coalition failed the Security during its just concluded 5-year term? He added that the violent protest is the correct response to such crimes. Was it the correct response when his Coalition was in government? He then went on a full blown political speech of the current government’s ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to ‘pressure the government’. He inadvertently admitted that the aim of such protest is to ‘pressure the government’. On the other hand, Harmon clearly tried to link the murders to the government calling for a ‘forensic’ investigation by an independent since the investigative arm of the police has been ‘infiltrated’ but yet called on the police to ‘do their work’. In other words, Harmon is implying that the murders have a political link. This is such a barefaced attempt at distortion aimed at poisoning the minds of the PNC supporters. This kind of speech must be condemned. He also lauded the violent protests as ‘the correct response’. He also echoed Granger’s statement calling for the community to be ‘vigilant’ to keep it safe. Harmon seemed to forget the PNC backed ‘freedom fighters’ which wreaked havoc on this nation. Does he want another such gang? Harmon then said that he will ‘take this opportunity to take care of the burial expenses’ whilst exhorting the residents not to accept any assistance from anyone else, implying the government. Imagine the PNC saw the murders as an ‘opportunity’, there is no doubt that the deaths now
Would the cousins want this? DEAR EDITOR, Of course people have a right to express their hurt, anger and anguish. That is non-negotiable. But to do so in the name of protests where peoples’ rights are trampled upon, roadways blocked making ingress and egress impossible; robberies; extortion, vehicles damaged and other illegal activities being seized upon in the name of protest as a people and community mourn is not protest but using a sad, grievous situation for outcomes unrelated to this core issue. That is reprehensible. Would the cousins want this? Shamshun Mohamed
push its political agenda to destabilize the duly elected government. Harmon has exposed the true agenda of the PNC. Granger and Harmon’s statements have escalated the level and spread of violent protests in other areas as well which resulted in robberies, threats to life and property and extortion of monies. Temporary ‘toll gates’ as were installed a few days ago at Belladrum forcefully extracted monies from vehicle owners to pass and now that has spread to the other villages. Sometimes, an area, with three blockades has three such ‘tollgates’ with vehicle owners paying from $1,000 to $2,000 per blockade. Instead of condemning such violent protests, these two failed riggers of the 2020 Elections have deemed these to be the ‘correct response’. What a shame! Are we to believe that these people would want to be the next government? However, the pronouncements of this duo should not surprise us a bit, if we just recall what transpired since March 2 and the five months, which followed. Violent protests like these must be condemned and it is totally abhorrent for political leaders to fan the flames of racial violence just for political mileage. In conclusion, this is not the
first time where murder of persons of one race or another has occurred but it is sad that just after several devious attempts to rig the Elections, the Coalition has once again embarked on a racially divisive tactic to cause this nation to bleed once again.
What would have been the response of the Coalition to this cruel murder if they were still in government? Would they have encouraged such protests? Would they have blamed themselves? Would they have taken responsibility? The GPF must be allowed to do its job to bring the perpetrators to justice and our legal institutions must be allowed to function. There will be no victor in this type of racist politics being practised by the Coalition, the collateral damage will be too costly. Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf
The media can help to liberate all of ... From page 5 celebrated event in the United States). How can we forget the popular uprisings of Russia – 1905, Mexico –1910, Hungary – 1956 and one that is closest to us, Cuba in 1958 and South Africa. This month marks the anniversary of the start of World War II. It was a war waged against the excesses and ambition of Adolph Hitler, who tried to gobble up Europe, while pursuing the extermination of Jews and Black people - the true martyrs of that period. World War II was a struggle for freedom, human dignity and that elusive concept of democracy.World War II waged between
highly civilized nations took fifteen (15) million military lives, forty-five (45) million civilian deaths and left twenty-five (25) million injured.Again, I fully support respect for the rule of law, but this must not allow sections of our population to be re-enslaved and become second-class citizens in the country, which they helped to build.I hope, Dear Editor, that you have no difficulty in publishing this letter, since, I believe, it points to the truth and supports my contention that today, the media has the vital role to educate and, where necessary, agitate so that we can truly liberate all of Guyana. Hamilton Green
Wednesday September 09, 2020
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Kaieteur News
GPHC records first successful abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery
GPHC’s Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey. The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has successfully conducted its first Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) surgery. The surgery was conducted on a female patient of GPHC on August 27, 2020. Prior to this, patients needing the operation would have to access it overseas with a heavy price attached. The operation was led by the General and Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Carlos Martin, and his team: Surgical Resident, Dr. Kapil Tiwari; Surgical, Transplant and Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Kishore Persaud; Anesthesiologists Dr. Arturo Marrero, Dr. Yvette Martin and Dr. Youlanda Hendricks, Nurse Simone Henry (Anesthesia student), Dr. Maxine Parks and Scrub Nurse, Shamin Leila. Dr. Martin explained that an aneurysm as an abnormal dilatation (swelling) of the body’s main blood vessel –
the aorta, which transports blood from the heart to all other body parts. Generally, arteries have strong and thick walls, but certain ailments within someone’s DNA can result in the arteries weakening, which causes the force of the blood to constantly push against the enfeebled walls triggering them to swell, and subsequently, an aneurysm. According to Dr. Martin, AAA is present in about 1 to 5 percent of the population on autopsy. Most AAAs are asymptomatic (showing no symptoms), but can be detected through physical examination, with proactive repair being the best way to manage AAA. “For an aneurysm, proactive care is highly needed, and thanks to teamwork and trust, we were able to effectively complete the surgery at GPHC,” Dr. Martin stated. High blood pressure,
GPHC team – From left, Dr. Kapil Tiwari, Dr. Kishore Persaud, Dr. Carlos Martin,
Dr. Arturo Marrero, Dr. Yvette Martin and Dr. Youlanda Hendricks, Nurse Simone Henry, Dr. Maxine Parks and Scrub Nurse Shamin Leila (kneeling). blood vessel diseases, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) infection in the aorta and trauma are a number of factors than can contribute to the development of AAA.Dr. Martin cited surgery as the only fix for AAA, and noted tobacco use, age (65 and older), being male, family history, being Caucasian, hypertension and connective tissue disorders as AAA risk factors. Meanwhile, GPHC’s Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey, explained that the administration attributes the successful operation to the continued training and management of the staff. He disclosed that in fact a
total over 7,000 surgeries were performed at GPHC for 2019. This year due to the COVID19 pandemic, the hospital has had to find new ways and means of performing its functions, GPHC has conducted just over 1,000 surgeries this year. He praised Dr. Martin and
his team for ensuring the successful completion of the surgery. The GPHC official also highlighted that the institution has significantly developed over the decades in the clinical and surgical management of its patients. “GPHC has come a long way since in the 1980s. We
have seen changes where patients were required to travel overseas for various surgeries that couldn’t have been done in Guyana. Now, we see the GPHC advancing massively in medical care and production, and I am very happy to be a part of this today,” Dr. Jeffrey emphasised.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Lawyers file defence in case to quash Senior Counsel appointments Two attorneys have filed affidavits in defence to the case challenging their appointments as Senior Counsel by former President David Granger. The case against the appointments was filed by A New and United Guyana (ANUG) Chairman and Attorney-at-law, Timothy Jonas. In the matter, Jonas is seeking an Order of Certiorari to be directed to the Attorney General to quash the decision by the former President to
appoint Attorneys-at-Law Jameela Alli, Roysdale Forde, Mursaline Bacchus, and Stanley Moore as Senior Counsel (S.C). Jonas is contending that the President, in making the appointments, acted ultra vires or outside the realm of his functions. During a virtual hearing of the matter yesterday, High Court Justice Nareshwar Harnanan outlined case management directions on how the parties involved in the
matter are expected to proceed with filing their written submission. The Court also granted the requests of the two lawyers, Bacchus and Forde, to be listed as respondents in the matter. The two lawyers also filed affidavits in defence to the Fixed Date Application (FDA) and are expected to file their written submissions by September 28. The Court gave directions for all parties involved to file their submissions by
Attorney-at-law Timothy Jonas that date. Oral arguments in the matter are expected to commence sometime thereafter. According to the grounds of application drafted by Attorney Teni Housty, Jonas contends that the status of SC is fundamentally important to legal practitioners. He noted that the appointment of Senior Counsel by the judiciary and the bar at large lies within the inherent discretion of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature. The attorney explained that there is no statutory or other power conferred on the President of Guyana whether
Respondents: Attorney-atlaw Roysdale Forde, S.C as President or otherwise, to make any such decision to appoint an attorney-at-law to the dignity of Senior Counsel. As such, he called the decision by the President to be deemed entirely void and of no effect. Jonas stated further that as the President and a member of the executive, Granger’s decision to appoint Senior Counsel trespasses into the realm of the judiciary and violate Article 122 of the Constitution of Guyana. The lawyer noted too that the power and discretion to admit persons to practice at the Bar of Guyana, to preside over such persons, to disci-
Respondent: Attorneyat-law Mursaline Bacchus, S.C pline, suspend and disbar such persons is conferred by the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act and common law on the High Court, the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana. Jonas explained that the dignity of SC or its equivalent counterpart, ‘Queen’s Counsel’ (QC), is one which is recognized throughout the Commonwealth as being conferred on practising attorneys-at-law who have sufficiently earned the respect of the Court by the quality of their practice and personal integrity to warrant the (Continued on page 27)
Yog Mahadeo appointed as Head of Chronicle Board Former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), and co-host of the highly successful ‘Room 592’, Dr. Yog Mahadeo, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at the state-owned Guyana Chronicle. Yog holds a Doctorate Degree in Finance from the Swiss Management Centre University, Vienna, Austria. Also joining Mahadeo on the Board are former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C), Member of Parliament, Harry Gill; former Chief Reporter at the Chronicle, Vanessa Narine; Jason Abdulla, Raul Aaron, Indira Badal and Nicole Williams. The General Manager will serve as an Ex-officio member. Moshamie Ramotar is currently acting as General Manager. The appointments will remain in effect for one year from September 3, 2020 to September 02, 2020. Mahadeo resigned from GTT in 2012. On September 4th, 2020, Dr. Mahadeo and Kaieteur News’ Senior Journalist/Editor, Leonard Gildarie, brought down the curtains on Guyana’s biggest prime time radio show, ‘Room 592’. The show commenced in
New Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Guyana Chronicle, Dr. Yog Mahadeo. March in the height of the elections standoff and was lauded for asking the tough questions with a range of local and international guests, including President Irfaan Ali. Mahadeo had been extremely critical of the operations of the Guyana Chronicle, criticizing its subsidy and heavy political slant that were mostly untruths. He described it several times as ‘The Rag’. Last Wednesday, it was announced to the dismay of
thousands that the show has definitely made an impact but with democracy ensured with a legitimate government and functioning parliament in place, it is time to bring it to an end. Dr. Mahadeo underscored the role of Gildarie and lauded Kaieteur News’s Publisher, Glenn Lall, and Kaieteur Radio for making its studio available, free of costs. The radio station is currently working on its next prime time flagship show.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
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Kaieteur News
The politicization and criminalization of the protests
T
he protests which are taking place in West Coast Berbice began as an expression of outrage and pain over the killing of two teenagers. The PNC/R has affectively politicized these protests resulting in its extending to parts of the Corentyne. The initial protests were understandable though not acceptable. Villagers were outraged by the deaths of the two teenage lads. The death of the two teenagers sent shockwaves throughout the country. The gruesome manner in which they met their deaths has stunned the nation. The hurt has been felt throughout the country. The protests over the teenagers’ deaths, however, have been manipulated by political operatives of the PNC/R and have been turned into a political explosive. The protests have escalated and turned violent. The blocking of roads in villages which have overwhelmingly given their support to the PNCR, is evidence of an orchestrated plot to use the death of these teenagers to gain political capital. The comments made by PNC/R officials during a meeting with the parents of the deceased boys were incendiary. Such irresponsible statements have the potential to fan the flames of further protests and to lead to grave
problems in the country. There is no justification for what was done to these boys but calls for self-defence is reckless and inflammatory and so too are comments indicating to the protesters that what they are doing is right. This is not responsible leadership; it is evidence of political backwardness. The spread of the protests suggest that political forces are at work. It is highly unlikely that the spread of the protests are spontaneous. All of the areas where persons are protesting are PNC/R strongholds. This is unnecessary and disruptive muscle flexing and perhaps a demonstration of what was meant when it was said that the party would give the PPP/C government a hard time. The protests are an attempt to regain credibility and deflect from the goodies which the PPP/C is about to announce in its Budget. The PNC/R is using the deaths of the two teenage cousins. In order to regain political credibility after their disgraceful attempt to steal an election. The protests are part of an attempt to regain support following their disreputable conduct from March to August this year. Other organizations, known to have sympathies with the PNC/R, have now come out with statements which infer that the killings
are race-related. Not a shred of evidence has been provided to justify this premature conclusion. This is equally reprehensible and reckless. The protests, sadly, have also been infiltrated and criminalized. As this newspaper reported, yesterday a car was attacked and vandalized. Its occupants assaulted and robbed. Three paddy trucks and their stocks were destroyed yesterday. The politicization and criminalization of the protests are an attempt also to deflect attention from the upcoming Budget where the PPP/C has telegraphed a number of its budgetary measures. It has signalled a G$25,000 per household COVID-19 assistance relief grant, a G$15,000 per schoolchild cash grant and a doubling of the uniform allowance, the removal of VAT from water, electricity and medical supplies; free water rates for pensioners, the removal of corporate tax on private education, a two-week tax bonus for Joint Services, the removal of taxes on mining and agricultural equipment and G$150M to be allocated to frontline workers – doctors and nurses and first responders. The protests serve as a distraction. The PNC/R is embarrassed by these measures since many of the taxes which are now removed were imposed by the PNC/R-domi-
Dem boys seh ...
Eye to eye can lead to juk eye People running helter skelter shouting, “Hess strike oil. Is 18 oil fields now, 18 oil fields!” What Hess should be telling the people is what dem giving we the Guyanese people. What sense it mek dat you find more fields which means more money fuh dem oil companies but we still gat to content with de miserly 2% royalty and de 12.5% profit oil. Papau New Guinea say they want 65%. But if you find mo oil, then you tap up de signing bonus. We gat de biggest oil find fuh de decade and yet de signing bonus less than dat which Barcelona paying to Lionel Messi. Dem boys can’t see eye to eye with dat!
Dem boys read how de PPP/C seh how dem nah see eye to eye yet with Exxon. It remind dem boys about de Rig-adier who wan meet he supporters eye to eye. Dem boys know he kant watch dem boys in dem eye after wah he bin do. He let a lot of people hand fall. Dem boys bin like he but what he try fuh do, disgrace he self and shame de country. Is dat is why dem oil company does tek advantage pon we. Dem look eye to eye at we leaders and den dem wink. Dem boys seh Exxon and Hess nah only wink, dem eye twinkling. Talk half and look fuh see who gan blink fuss!
nated APNU+AFC Coalition. The timing of the protests just happened to coincide with the Budget presentation. The right to protest is a protected right. But it is not a right to be manipulated in the manner in which the PNC/R is doing. They have taken the outrage and are threatening to turn it to muscle-flexing exercise. As Desmond Hoyte learnt so bitterly, it is easy to start and stir-up protests but more difficult to bring it to an end. When the people do not get what they want, they end up
turning against the very people who were egging them on to protests. The PNC/R now claims that action should not be taken which would hinder the police investigation. They are calling also for an independent investigation. But how does spreading the protests help the police investigation when senior officers and junior ranks have to be working, virtually around the clock, to control the situation on the ground, a situation which is causing inconvenience and losses to persons who had
nothing to do with what took place. But do not tell that to the PNC/R. They may have something more sinister up their sleeve! (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The Vincent Adams controversy continues to expose hypocritical minds
I
n many powerful coun tries in the world, a per son can lose his/her important job through the brief mention of a derogatory word in relation to homosexuality or race. It has happened literally countless times and as recent as last week in the US. People are not expected in this country to vilify others using the N and C word. In a young population like this, those emanations can affect youthful, pliable minds. Those who say approving things about slavery, the Holocaust, etc and echo nasty sentiments about the race of others, indicate what type of character such humans are made of. The Dr. Vincent Adams controversy is still swirling and each time I read words of support for him, my mind is lacerated by the total contempt his supporters have for moral obligations in society. If there are people in this
country who do not place emphasis on the evil of rigged elections; then they are damn fools who have no right to speak on any issue at all. It is as simple as that. Having an unelected government ruling a country is bound to destroy it. What can be more destructive and dangerous than that? People who care about freedom, justice and life itself, cannot treat the rigging of national elections anywhere as just another routine act of human failings. Look what is happening in China and Russia. The Chinese president has inserted into the constitution his words of wisdom and his thoughts on life. Why should the constitution, a priceless, sacred document of country, be amended to incorporate the words of its leader? If China had electoral competition, maybe that would have been an issue in the campaign and could have determined
the outcome. In Russia, Vladimir Putin is going to rule that country longer than any king or queen or any prime minister or president has ruled his/her country in the recent past. Putin sees himself as the reincarnation of the Russian Tsar. He is going to kill anyone who presents formidable challenges to him. If there were free elections in Russia, Putin would not have behaved as a tsar because the fear would be that he could lose to his competitor. Does it seem to bother those who support Dr. Adams that Guyana has just passed through one of the most terrible periods in its entire history and made headlines around the world in the most prestigious media organizations, about the attempt to rig the national election that took five months to conclude? What took place from March to August has to sit upon the mind of those who live in this
country and it must weigh heavily on their minds because of the frightening consequences if the world did not intervene. Dr. Adams has support from some quarters for continuing in the post of executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after being asked to take his leave. But who is Dr. Adams? Dr. Adams is not a professional public servant who holds public office through years of service as the Vice Chancellor of UG; Manager of NIS; Director of Prisons; Commissioner of Police, head of the army, Chief Education Officer; Governor of the Bank of Guyana, and we can go on. Dr. Adams got his EPA posting while he was a politician active in politics, sitting in the executive committee and management committee of the AFC, the two decisive decision-making compartments in that party. Dr. Adam
was trusted with leading the AFC’s delegation into the dialogue with the PNC to renew the Cummingsburg Accord. For five months in 2020 – March to August – Dr. Adams’ leadership colleagues in the APNU+AFC tried to rig the national election. While his colleague, Dominic Gaskin, came out against the fraud, to date Dr. Adams has said not half a word. After losing power, Dr. Adams’s party, the AFC, has been speaking wildly that betrays the depraved mentality of the AFC. He has a strong, moral obligation to tell the nation if he endorses and supports the pre-August deportment of the AFC and its current wildness. If Gaskin can do it, then what prevents Dr. Adams from speaking out? If Dr. Adams feels that his life is transformed and he is finished with politics and wants to help Guyana through the EPA,
Frederick Kissoon then that is completely acceptable. He has my support for continuing as EPA head but not unconditionally. Dr. Adams must tell this nation if he thinks the ruling party committed fraud during the election and therefore it did not win. He must tell us if he supports the election petition. But more importantly, will he continue to sit in the leadership of the AFC? Be a man Dr. Adams; talk to Guyana! (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Ponzi scheme investigation… SOCU now involved; six under
radar for money laundering The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) is reportedly now involved in the investigations of a alleged multi-billion Ponzi scheme that has landed a couple in jail facing dozens of charges and which has left thousands without their money. SOCU, a special arm of the police which specialized in handling financial crimes, is seeking information on an additional six persons in relation to the alleged Ponzi scheme operators. According to a document seen by this newspaper, SOCU has launched an investigation into money laundering and other offences, allegedly committed by the officials of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc., Yuri GarciaDominguez and his wife Ateeka Ishmael, and several other persons- one of whom was convicted for fraud. SOCU has written to several financial institutions, requesting information whether or not the persons on the list conducted business with the institution between January 2014 and present. The list comprise of eight names -four men and four women. They are all from the East Coast Demerara. One of the men on the list was earlier this year sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty for omitting $145M from the company that he was working for. However, the man’s attorney appealed the
sentencing and he was released on High Court bail. In addition to the couple, the other names being investigated included Peter Ramcharran, Ariel Joann Callender, Aubrey Bolton Hugh Norton, Martina Seepersaud, Deomatee Chinapen and Fazal Ishmael. Garcia- Dominguez and his wife are currently facing a total of 66 fraud charges. The couple appeared before five different Magistrates within the past 13 days. However, the duo was remanded to prison on six fraud charges by one of the Magistrates, when they made their first court appearance. On Monday, fourteen fraud charges were read to Garcia-Dominguez and his wife. They made their appearance before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Courts, with their attorneys, Glenn Hanoman and Dexter Todd. The defendants denied the allegations, which stated that between May 2020, and June 2020, they obtained $9M under false pretense. Magistrate Azore granted the defendants bail in the sum of $800,000, each and the matter was adjourned to November 2, 2020. On Thursday last, the couple was arraigned before Magistrate Dylon Bess in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where 11 fraud charges were read to them. They denied the allegations,
which stated that they obtained $75M under false pretense. Magistrate Bess granted the defendants bail in the sum of $200,000, on each charge and the matter was adjourned to October 7, 2020. On Tuesday last, the couple made an appearance before Senior Magistrate Azore in the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. They denied the allegations, which stated that they obtained cash under false pretense and Magistrate Azore granted the defendants bail in the sum of $300,000, on each charge and the matter was adjourned to September 21, 2020. On Monday, August 31, 2020, Garcia-Dominguez and his wife made a virtual appearance before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where they were made to answer to 10 fraud charges. They denied the charges, which stated that between May and July 2020, with intent to commit a felony, they conspired with persons known and unknown to obtain a total sum of over $60M from 10 persons under false pretense. After reading the charges, Magistrate Daly granted the defendants bail in the sum of $1M each and adjourned the matter to October 5, 2020. On Thursday, August 27, 2020, the defendants made their first court appearance at
Remanded: Yuri Garcia- Dominguez and his wife Ateeka Ishmael the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Melissa Mittleholzer with their attorneys. Garcia-Dominguez and Ishmael were slapped with 19 fraud charges appearing before two separate magistrates. Magistrate Mittleholzer read 13 fraud charges to the defendants, which allege that between May and July 2020, the couple obtained a total sum of $24.7M from 13 victims under false pretense. Magistrate Mittleholzer granted the defendants bail in the sum of $3.9M each and the matter was adjourned to September 18, 2020. However, the duo then made
a virtual appearance before Magistrate Alisha George of the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate George read six fraud charges to the duo – those charges allege that they obtained over $1M from the victims under false pretense. Magistrate George remanded the defendants to prison and the matter was adjourned to September 21, 2020. The Government recently announced a multi-sectoral investigation against GarciaDominguez and Ishmael, who are officials of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc. The investigation was launched after the authorities
said they received a number of complaints against the company. Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, recently disclosed that the company has little or no assets in Guyana. According to a letter from the AG to one of the defendants’ lawyers, as a result of multiple complaints received and reports to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), a team of state agencies has been assembled to inquire into the operations of Accelerated. Reports revealed that over 17,000 Guyanese were in limbo, after investing over US$20M. A number of the persons reportedly sold their properties or gave their life savings to the company. Authorities said that they found little evidence of money leaving Guyana via the normal channels for overseas. Accelerated told investors that it was actively involved in the foreign exchange trading and promised as much as 40 percent returns every few weeks. However, authorities, including the Guyana Securities Council, the Bank of Guyana and the Financial Intelligence Unit had warned about the o p e r a t i o n s . In fact, Accelerated had been operating for about two years but only applied for a broker’s licence a few weeks ago. There are details emerging that pastors and other religious leaders were actively involved in recruiting clients or new “investors” for Accelerated.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
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hat started out as a protest for justice to be served for 16-year-old Isaiah Henry and 18-year-old Joel Henry, the cousins whose butchered bodies were found in the Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice backdam, turned out to be absolute chaos and horror for drivers, passengers and people living in Region 5 yesterday. Roads throughout Bellevue, Number 40 Village, Number 28 Village, Number 30 Village, Hopetown, Burma, Number 3, 4 and 5 Villages were blocked since Sunday night and hundreds of persons who were either heading to Region 6 or heading to Georgetown were stuck in traffic. However, despite heavy police presence, people who were stuck in the lines waiting for the road to clear became victims of robbery and racially fuelled attacks. Several reports reaching Kaieteur News have since revealed the extent of the attacks as many are now suffering from injuries about their bodies including chop wounds. There were also multiple reports and pictures that surfaced showing
Kaieteur News
car windscreens smashed in, vehicles hijacked, and paddy trucks set alight. This publication was told that people were attacked physically and verbally with racial remarks thrown at them, including several who were stripped of their clothing, beaten and robbed before being set free. According to a 30-yearold truck driver from Bushlot Village, West Coast Berbice, he was stuck in traffic with his truck on Sunday while his uncle who was driving a Toyota Voxy was also in the line. He stated that his uncle was pulled out from his car at Belladrum Village and beaten. He disclosed that his uncle’s car was then taken away from him and until now, they do not know where the vehicle is. The truck driver stated that up to late yesterday afternoon, they received reports that a car was burning in the Number 28 backdam, but they could not go since the situation was hostile and the roads were still blocked with debris and fires. He added too that while the Guyana Defence Force soldiers arrived to assist the po-
“No Justice! No Peace!” Cuffy Square protestors demand justice for slain West Coast Berbice cousins With bent knees and pumped right fists, hundreds of protestors gathered yesterday at Square of the Revolution dubbed “Cuffy Square” imploring for justice over the brutal killings of West Coast Berbice teens Isaiah and Joel Henry. The mutilated body of the teens were discovered on Sunday afternoon with the images spelling out the horrific death they met. Their deaths sparked a national outcry with the demand being “justice”. Yesterday, protestors stood around the recently painted “Black Lives Matter” mural, the majority adorned in black sporting placards that said “Justice for the Henry boys”. “Their lives are worth more than coconuts” and “Mothers are crying for their black sons” were just among the other slogans carried on the placards held by the persons who stood in the blazing sun calling for justice to be swift. One mother moved to
tears over the gruesome treatment that the Henry boys faced at the time of their demise and said that she too has a son and noted that no human deserves such treatment. One young man, Ray, when asked why he decided to show his support said: “I went inside and looked at my chest and said yo, this could happen to me and I don’t want to grow up in this world where stuff like this happens.” Another young man, Christopher said: “We are out here to let persons know, let the system know that we are not going to tolerate being murdered, we are not going to tolerate being taken advantaged of and we are definitely not going to settle for injustice.” The protest was also attended by officials from the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition members but the majority included young Guyanese from all walks of life, standing in solidarity to condemn the brutal slaying.
lice, “they were driving fast and clearing the road but no soldier or police stayed behind to ensure everyone pass so when they drive up ahead, the people start blocking back the road and people were trapped in between again.” He stated that the roads had blockades at Burma, Eldorado, Belladrum, Paradise, Seafield, Litchfield, Kingly, Ross Village, Number 30 Village, Number 28 Village, Lovely Lass Village, Number 22 Village, Hopetown and Numbers 5, 3 and 4 Villages. Meanwhile, three persons who were attacked in the vicinity of the Burma blockade had to be rescued by a public spirited citizen and given shelter and clothing. A woman who wanted her identity sealed stated that an old man who was heading home from work with his bag was stripped of this clothing and beaten about his body and head. His bag and wallet with money were stolen the woman said, adding that “this man was rescued naked because they stripped all of his clothes, robbed him and beat him so bad and then they told him to walk, so our lives don’t matter anymore.” The woman stated that shortly after another man had to be rescued, after he was beaten about his head with a hammer and gashed on his arms with cutlass, with blood all over his face and body when he was rescued. Another man who was in a bus with other passengers was said to be returning to Berbice
from an interior location and he had with him a large sum of cash, all of which was stolen. One driver told this publication that the protestors smashed the windows of vehicles that were parked since Sunday night and pulled out occupants from the cars and buses. They then proceeded to beat the passengers and the drivers and take whatever they could from them. In addition to the string of attacks on people, at least three paddy transport trucks were set on fire. One of the owners told this publication that she only bought her truck last year at a cost of $5.5 million and was paying monthly instalments for it, but all of her hard-earned money and investment went up in flames yesterday. Her truck was set on fire leaving just the burnt out shell; the driver and porter had to be rescued. According to the truck driver, he had a cutlass to his neck and a hammer placed on his head and was directed to park the truck across the roadway and hand over the keys. He stated that he complied, “until I turn the truck and jump out the truck, they demanded for the keys. They told me because I am a black man, they na gon do me nothing but this is a coolie truck. They lit the truck first, out it and break it up and burst the fuel tank so the fuel can drain out and then light it back.” He said he was given money by the persons who
Wednesday September 09, 2020
rescued him so that he could catch public transportation and return home to Region 6. “I felt bad that I was attacked by my own,” he said, “They are depriving me of my money; we all are doing this thing wrong. I tried to run from these people, but it didn’t work. Cars were destroyed, Indians’ car. I slept at the people that rescued us and they gave us passage, I saw police and I ask that they give us a lift at Cotton Tree, and I went and made a report about the truck burning.” Meanwhile, the other two trucks that were burnt, were set alight in the presence of GDF and GPF ranks who did not attempt to stop the protestors from setting it on fire. During a live video streamed on Facebook, a resident was seen trying to extinguish the blaze. The trucks were transporting paddy and according to an eyewitness, the truck drivers were told to empty the paddy on the roadway before they set the truck on fire. Protestors were seen bagging the paddy on the roadway for themselves. The driver of a Bakewell truck was also attacked. He said in a Facebook post, “I can understand that justice is needed, but ain’t there another way to get it done. [D]o we really need to be this stupid, the truck that brings the bread to the Berbician, one of the best breads that the whole country is familiar with, y’all going to damage and destroy
the property? [A]nd call that seeking justice. The same bread that everyone buys to eat, the truck that delivers the bread, we will damage the truck. Is this justice? Is this wise to do? Come on people, we are better than this.” Police in a joint statement with the Guyana Defence Force yesterday said that they continue to view with serious concern on the ongoing “illegal protest action” being carried out by residents. They made it clear that the protests are illegal and represent a threat to the public safety of Guyanese traversing the roadways and “the robbing of citizens and damaging public property will not result in a solution to the problem but rather cause unnecessary and unwanted tension and anger. This will most certainly distract attention from a proper and professional investigation intended to bring those responsible for these heinous crimes to justice.” They also noted that the gatherings are in breach of the COVID-19 guidelines and as such are reminded that should the situation persist further, “the GPF will have no alternative but to escalate its response to have the roadways cleared and ensure the return of law and order in the affected communities”. They are calling on residents to remain calm as the investigations intensify into the deaths of the two boys. See photos on centre spread
GHRA wants UN’s forensic intervention
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has joined in expressing its horror and revulsion being felt across the society at the murders last Saturday of Isaiah Henry, 16, and Joel Henry, 19 in West Coast, Berbice. “The prevailing poisonous political atmosphere has penetrated the society to the point where public trust in an impartial investigation is virtually non-existent. In view of the circumstances, the GHRA is preparing a formal request to the UN Resident Representative for a visit to Guyana of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, accompanied by a forensic pathologist.” According to the body, this call is not intended to cast doubt on the capacity or impartiality of local investigators, so much as a response to the deep distrust accompanying the political polariza-
tion of the society. “Both of the main political parties are still operating in elections mode regardless of the cost to the national interest: the APNU coalition refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the elections and the ruling PPP fixated on making them pay for the past five months.” GHRA said that the callous murders are not seen as isolated. “Both sides are quick to see them as a continuation of earlier ethnic upheavals –the ‘Fine Man’ gang murderous massacres on the IndoGuyanese side and the large number of young AfroGuyanese males killed in the decade of 2000. Both sides feel accumulated bitterness towards a system that has accommodated such turmoil.” The body said that the harsh dimension of the problem is that the more insecure
each group becomes, the less capable they appear to be of appreciating the extent to which they share the same fears and insecurity. “This incapacity does not reflect an unwillingness to recognize identity of pain and suffering, so much as how to do so as ethnic groups. Individual Guyanese are not naturally disposed to hate people of other races. Indeed as a small multi-cultural nation, we mix more easily than is the case in most societies. However, we have failed spectacularly to translate this gift from individuals to group relat i o n s . ” GHRA believes that at present there is a vacuum of community leadership, for which responsibility must be shared by both civic and political organizations – the mediators of our interactions beyond the individual level. “We can all call for swift
apprehension and punishment of the killers. While such calls are inevitable and correct, politically we have nothing else to offer the families and groups most affected by these deaths. We can only put hope in a judicial solution.” The GHRA said it is confident that the two major parties have the capacity to bring this crisis to an end and will do all in their power to ensure an impartial, transparent investigation into the recent atrocities that occurred in West Coast, Berbice. “The GHRA also appeals to those Governments and international organizations which sustained an extraordinary interest in the electoral saga that precipitated this tragic event, to sustain their concern by supporting the call for international forensic expertise to accomplish this goal.”
Wednesday September 09, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Construction of $352M St. Rose’s High...
School Board says contractor abandoned project By Mikaila Prince The complete construction of a state-of-the-art building to house St. Rose’s High School (SRHS), which attracted a price tag of $352M, has been further delayed. The disclosure was shared by the school’s Board of Governors which indicated that the contractor, Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited, has abandoned the project. The Boards of Governors shared this and other details yesterday in a statement to the press in which they sought to respond to an ar-
lization period to accumulate the number of piles, equipment and the relevant personnel and that the variation piling works of the said contract was set to commence early in 2020, which did occur. It should be noted that in late 2019, the Auditor General (AG), Deodat Sharma, had advised the then A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) regime to terminate the multi-million dollar contract and to recover whatever monies were advanced. This well-intended advice
project, which had readily accepted and agreed to those vital safeguards while executing their works. Those two entities were P.D. Contracting Incorporated, which had executed the demolition works aspect and Bynoe, Rowe and Wiltshire, which had executed the building design aspect of works. In compounding issues, the Board further stated that it had observed that the consultants who were initially hired to overlook the construction process on behalf of the MoE, were not retained for the variation stage of
Aerial shots of the construction worksite of the St. Rose’s High School, Church Street. ticle published on the school by Kaieteur News last Saturday. The article had highlighted that little work was completed on the two-year old contract, despite the contractor receiving a $60M advance. The Board stated that it was aware that the contract for the reconstruction aspect of the building was awarded through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited, in August 2018. It was, however, pointed out that the redesign and approval process for the variation to that contract to facilitate the new piling foundation works took over a year before it was approved by the Ministry. The Board further stated that it had then tasked the contractor with installing approximately 220 timber piles in late in 2019, following the completion of the variation process. The Board was informed by the Ministry that the contractor had requested a mobi-
was issued after the AG recorded that little to no work had begun on the construction site, even after a year had passed. Notwithstanding, as the variation process of pile installation unfolded, the Board observed that the contractor, in “a peculiar move”, refused to make their work plan public. In fact, the contractor had also refused to share their work plan with the School Board, despite numerous formal attempts made to do so. “Further the contractor,” the Board wrote in their statement, “sought to prevent the contracting entity (the Ministry of Education) from holding regular stakeholder consultation update meetings with the Board or any other stakeholders, which is vital for a project of this nature, size and complexity, as it allows for smooth execution of works, while keeping all informed of the issues and concerns arising from construction.” The School Board juxtaposed this with the two other contracting services in the two previous states of this building redevelopment
the contract execution as they chose to conduct that daily monitoring exercise internally from within the ministry. “All of the above made it increasingly difficult for the Board to adequately consult, monitor, facilitate and safeguard the interest of the students and staff of the school, the Alumni, the Convent and the many other stakeholders at large,” it related. Since the variation piling works began earlier this year, the Board detected that approximately 85-90% of the piling works had been completed by the contractor “in a relatively short space of time”. However, recently it was observed that Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited had removed all of their construction pile driving and other equipment, and the remaining piles and all construction personnel from the site. “It is an indication to the Board that the site has been seemingly abandoned by the contractor,” it said. Kaieteur News confirmed this during a visit to the Church Street site last Thurs-
day. It was discovered that the site seemed abandoned, with bushes, discarded pieces of logs and no personnel, not even a security guard present. Very little materials were on site, except for an unmanned Bobcat machine. Kaieteur News has made several attempts to contact
the supervisor responsible for the construction of the school under Courtney Benn. When contact was made, the reporter was informed that the supervisor was unavailable, and when this publication requested a mobile number, the employee refused to provide one.
With the only direct contact being with that of the MoE, the Board says it now awaits their direction since the variation piling works have not been fully completed by the contractor, and further no aspect of the main building works has been approved nor has begun.
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Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
Pres. Irfaan Ali’s visit to family aborted after security vehicle attacked Gruesome murder of Berbice teens…
- protestors reject visit from PM, Ministers, other Govt. officials Outraged protestors yesterday shunned attempts made by the Prime Minister, Mark Phillips; Social Services and Human Affairs Minister, Dr.Vindhya Persaud, Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, and other government officials to engage them with a plea of peace as actions escalated over the brutal killings of West Coast Berbice teens, Isaiah and Joel Henry. With several points blocked, the government envoy reached Belladrum, West Coast Berbice and met with angry protestors who did not take lightly to their presence. From video footage seen by Kaieteur News, members
of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were forced to form a tight circle enclosing the government officials as residents piled around them, calling for their departure. Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, managed to stitch a few words in over the loud chants of the protestors. He pleaded with the residents for peace but these were not received kindly. “No justice, no peace,” protestors screamed, demanding that the Ministers leave the area. President Irfaan Ali had scheduled a visit to the family members of the slain teens but that plan was quickly
aborted after his one of the vehicles in his convoy was reportedly attacked and damaged by protestors. In a subsequent statement, the President condemned the actions stating that: “seeking justice for Isaiah and Joel cannot be associated with the level of criminality, destruction of property and robbery committed on innocent Guyanese; this behaviour is an injustice to the case of these two victims.” He further reiterated his plea for Guyanese to act responsibly. Protest actions continue to heighten on the West
Coast and yesterday saw the deployment of members from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Fire Service along with ranks from the Tactical Service Unit (TSU). Roads through Bellevue, #40 Village, #28 Village, #30 Village and Hopetown Village were blocked and while the Joint services ranks make attempt at clearing the debris, the determined residents piled more. Earlier, Minister Benn stated that the combined units were dispatched to bring support to persons who were affected by the blockage. “Unfortunately, there have been repeated instances where persons and their vehicles have been attacked, damaged…there have been robberies of those persons and other unlawful and unruly incidents which in occurring do not bring any calm to the situation and runs the risk of descending into lawlessness on the area,” Minister Benn further said. He noted, with regret,
Minister Benn attempting to talk to the protestors statements emerging from top political leaders along with a few “agitators” who are branding the incident as one that was racially motivated. “I find this very unsettling and unfortunate that some of these statements have been made. I want to call on those
persons to lend their efforts to communities in which they have influence,” he added. Minister Benn urged all law-abiding persons in the area and beyond to lend support and to execute the task of restoring order to the area so that commuters are safe.
ExxonMobil facing $66B shortfall, must cut staff and projects H o u s t o n (Straitstimes.com)- Ill-timed bets on rising demand have ExxonMobil facing a shortfall of about US$48 billion (S$65.7 billion) until the end of next year, according to a Reuters tally and Wall Street estimates, a situation that will require the top United States oil company to make deep cuts to its staff and projects. Wall Street investors are even starting to worry about the once-sacrosanct dividend at Exxon, which in the 20th century became the world’s most valuable company using global scale, relentless expansion and strict financial controls. Exxon weathered a series of setbacks last decade, and under chief executive Darren Woods sought to return to its past prominence with big bets on US shale oilfields, pipelines and global refining and plastics. It also bet big on offshore Guyana, where it discovered up to eight billion barrels of oil - six years of production, at its current rate. But Exxon’s ability to finance that global expansion is no longer assured. This year, the company borrowed US$23 billion to pay its bills, nearly doubling its outstanding debt. In July, it posted its first back-to-back quarterly losses. It faces a full-year US$1.86 billion loss, according to Refinitiv, excluding as-
set sales or write-downs. The looming shortfall of about US$48 billion was calculated using cash from operations, commitments to shareholder payouts and costs of the massive expansion programme Exxon had planned. Now the company is embarking on a worldwide review of where it can cut expenses, and analysts believe the once-unthinkable dividend cut has grown more likely. This year’s sharp drop in oil demand and pricing has shredded Mr Woods’ plan to spend at least US$30 billion a year up to the end of 2025 to revive production and earnings by expanding oil processing, chemicals and production, and by taking a commanding role in US shale and liquefied natural gas, markets that then looked promising. Instead, he must prepare Exxon to operate in a world of weaker demand for its oil, gas and plastics. The company has been dropped from the Dow Jones index of top US industrial companies after 92 years. It is exposing up to 10 per cent of US staff to harsh reviews that could push thousands out of the company, and is taking away lavish retirement benefits that had career employees staying 30 years on average. Exxon declined to make an
executive available for an interview, and a spokesman said details of cost cuts would be disclosed early next year. “We remain committed to our capital allocation priorities - investing in industry advantaged projects, paying a reliable and growing dividend, and maintaining a strong balance sheet,” said spokesman Casey Norton. A review of projects now under way aims to “maximise efficiency and capture additional cost savings to put us in the strongest position” as energy markets improve, he said. Oil prices have dropped 35 per cent from the start of this year as demand collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic. BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Repsol and others have cut billions of dollars off the value of their oil and gas properties, something Exxon has yet to do. The European majors are also adding renewable energy and electricity to their portfolios, a hedge against permanently reduced oil and gas demand. BP plans by 2030 to reduce its fossil fuel production by 40 per cent. Exxon’s cash from operations - estimated at about US$17.4 billion this year - is US$20 billion below the funds needed for this year’s investment plan and (Continued o0n page 24)
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
Relatives, friends of murdered Corentyne carpenter block road and burn debris in protest -file on case sent to DPP for advice
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Orlando Jonas - dead
“We are out here because we need justice Relatives and friends of Orlando Jones, the carpenter killed on Saturday night, yes- for Orlando Jonas, that is my nephew”, he terday took to the Number 1 Village, said. When told that the two persons who Corentyne, Berbice public road early yester- have been arrested for the murder are likely to day morning to set fires and erect blockades, be charged soon, the he responded saying having traffic come to a complete halt and forc- that, “We are not satisfied because the sysing hundreds of persons who were heading tem is a vampire and dem use that assertion that dem in power.” He was asked when the to work to turn back. Jonas was stabbed to death on the Albion assertion was made but he responded, “Girly, yesterday dem seh da and a fellow that pass Restaurant furnished Bar Public Road Saturday night after an altercahere yesterday seh it”. He was asked further Street Kitty,Diamond & tion with two men who are now in custody, what justice he and the family are seeking alwhile his friend who was with him at the time, Pearl.Business space in though the suspects are in custody, but he Mahendra Ramnarine, was also slashed along Hadfield & Saffon Street. could not say. his cheek but survived. Ray's Realty:#627-9685 Meanwhile, a woman who was eight Yesterday, dozens of sugar workers were 2 bedroom bottom flat. stuck and forced to walk from the western side months pregnant and was heading to the highTel:#694-3421 of the blockade to have an estate lorry pick risk clinic at the New Amsterdam Hospital with them up on the eastern side. Workers attached her husband could not pass the blockade. She to the various business places in New stated that she travelled from Skeldon from as WANTED Amsterdam, nurses heading to work, bank em- early as 6:00 am yesterday to reach to her clinic Honestdriver salesman.Must ployees were among the many forced to turn early but was instead stuck in traffic. have lorry licences,experience back home or walk across the blockade. SeThe road was blocked until after noon in sales and work flexible lected persons who appeared to be acquainted when Guyana Defence Force ranks arrived and hours.#233-3512 with the protestors could pass while the oth- an excavator was provided to the police to Lathe operator, welder and ers were not. The villagers also placed tables clear the road. Only then was the traffic alhandyman at S.S machine and benches across the road, imbibed in alco- lowed to pass freely while the protestors rehol and cooked food while others threw kero- mained on the roadways. There was a picketshop.Contact:#645-9333 sene and set the debris on fire while the Com- ing exercise at Number 53 Village (Union) yesExperienced male sales atten- mander of Region Six and other senior offic- terday morning as well but that did not last dant with stocktaking & ers watched on without intervening or stop- long. Kaieteur News has since been informed Porter.Handwritten applica- ping them. by police sources that one of the suspects in tion at Key Food in McDoom When Kaieteur News arrived at the loca- custody confessed to stabbing Jonas and disVillage. tion, persons were reluctant to speak but a carding of the knife in the nearby trench. The 1 coconut estate farm relative of Jonas told this publication that they second suspect said he threw his bicycle at m a n a g e r ( p o m e r o o n were protesting for justice to be served be- Jonas and Ramnarine but they both stated (Continued on page 24) river).Knowledge of cause he was “innocently killed”. coconuts,plantains etc. Accommodation provided, Rohan:#226-9416 From page 4 issue by itself; no one president has the One diesel mechanic to work us here. It is that very behaviour which took answer. No one religion can address it efin the Interior.Interested per- the lives of the two kids and it is that same fectively. We all must play a positive role sons can make contact on: behaviour that is causing the robbing and loot- in addressing this problem, our problem, a #625-5136 ing of the vehicles that are passing each block- Guyanese Problem, RACISM. If you want to know my personal view Minibus Driver for route 42 ade on the West Coast Road. 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Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Guyana rapidly approving US$B in oil developments From page 3 developed for the oil to be produced and sold. Much of the costs will go to buying a floating vessel to be stationed at the field, and its accompanying development infrastructure. The initial cost estimates for Liza Phases One and Two – both already approved – total about US$9.7B. It became concerning when ExxonMobil revised the cost estimates for the Liza Phase One project on multiple occasions. The cost was drastically revised by nearly US$1B over the years. During Hess’ fourth quarter earnings call for 2019, Chief Executive Officer John Hess had specifically stated, “…Liza Phase One was budgeted at US$4.4 billion gross, including the purchase of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel (Liza Destiny)… We now ex-
pect the gross cost for the development to be approximately US$3.5 billion or 21% below the sanctioned estimate.” The initial estimate was published by ExxonMobil in 2017, and revised a first time in 2018 by US$700M. Hess’ announcement is the second revision, taking the cost down by $200M more. That’s a total reduction of US$900M. Speaking at a press conference earlier this year, Jagdeo said as Opposition Leader, “If you could make such a [nearly] US$1B error, that is worrying, without oversight from the government.” Presently, no firm has been hired to audit the billions of dollar in costs that Exxon intends to claim for the Stabroek Block project. But Liza-1 is already on stream, and is set to pump an estimated 450M barrels.
The Liza Phase Two project is estimated to cost US$6B, and that will have to be audited too. It is slated to come on stream in 2022, and will pump an estimated 600M barrels. Canadian-based engineer, Darshanand Khusial, had noted that there are worrying cost anomalies which exist between the Liza Phases One and Two cost estimates, which must be explained before the Government approves any other project. The former APNU+AFC Government approved the Liza Phase One project in June 2017, despite there being hundreds of millions of dollars in pre-contract costs to audit. Then, it approved Liza Phase Two in April 2019, just two years after the first. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, said during a Monday press conference that the government intends to ag-
gressively pursue costs, as it does not agree that some of the expenditures made out to be cost recoverable, should be so. Yet, the new PPP/C administration appears ready to further the APNU+AFC’s trend by approving Payara soon, and adding billions in unaudited costs for a government that is unprepared to provide ample scrutiny. Rystad Energy, an energy research and business intelligence company, projects that ExxonMobil will be able to place one Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel offshore Guyana, every year for the next 10 years. The Norwegian firm projected that, to do so, ExxonMobil would be expending around US$50B in projects over the period. These projects, however, would be subject to government approvals.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Relatives, friends of murdered... From page 22 that the now deceased and his friend were the ones that approached them and attempted to rob them. Ramnarine had however said that he and Jonas were riding past when the two men taunted them, causing them to turn back and confront them. Surveillance seen by this publication showed Jonas and Ramnarine passing on their bicycles while the two suspects were on the other side of the road talking. Seconds later, Jonas and his friend turned around their bicycles and rode up to the two suspects. Jonas was
seen pointing his fingers at one of the men while Ramnarine appeared to be exchanging words; it was then that Jonas got off his bicycle and rushed towards the men, an altercation ensued, and arms were flung in the video at each other. Both suspects then walked over to the Albion Police Station and Jonas stumbled on his bicycle and Ramnarine rode off. Jonas afterwards collapsed on the road with his bicycle and was later picked up and taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
ExxonMobil facing $66B... From page 20 shareholder dividend, a Reuters analysis showed. The company’s stock price closed last Friday at US$39.08, off 56 per cent since Mr Woods became CEO.Exxon must cut its divi-
dend if the share price remains depressed, said Mr Mark Stoeckle, senior portfolio manager at Adams Funds. “Something has to give. Wherever the give comes, (it) hurts management credibility,” he said.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Wednesday September 09, 2020
Guyana to get more crumbs as ExxonMobil makes 18th discovery in Stabroek Block
US multi-national, ExxonMobil, announced yesterday that it made its 18th discovery offshore Guyana at the Redtail-1 well in the Stabroek Block. The exploration and production giant said this will add to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of more than eight billion oil-equivalent barrels. The company noted that Redtail-1 encountered approximately 232 feet (70 meters) of high-quality oil bearing sandstone and was drilled in 6,164 feet (1,878 meters) of water. The well is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) northwest of the Yellowtail discovery. In addition to the Redtail1 discovery, Exxon said that drilling at Yellowtail-2 encountered 69 feet (21 meters) of net pay in newly identified, high quality oil bearing reservoirs among the original Yellowtail1 discovery intervals. It said that this resource is currently being evaluated for development in conjunction with nearby discoveries, all of which are tied to a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that sees it walking away with the lion’s share of the oil profits. In July 2019, Kaieteur News had done an extensive review of 130 PSAs to better understand the extent to which the GuyanaExxonMobil deal is fraught with unfair provisions. For example, according to the PSA, the government is paying the contractor’s income tax out of the country’s share of the profits. However, none of the 130 PSAs examined by this news agency shows such an arrangement. Further, Guyana’s PSA is the only one out of 130 PSAs which has no ring-fencing provisions to prevent costs of unsuccessful wells being carried over to that of successful wells. There is also no sliding scale for royalty to increase as production improves. And that is not all. Guyana’s PSA is the only one out of 130 that allows insurance premiums to be fully recovered as well as interest on loans and financing costs that are incurred by the contractors. The 130 PSAs examined are part of a register on www.resourcecontracts.org. ( h t t p s : / / resourcecontracts.org/ search?q=Production+ Sharing+Agreement+) That website offers over 620 PSAs from around the world for perusal. Below are other anomalies that were found when Guyana’s PSA
was compared to others. Stabilisation Clause In the PSA between Mauritania and Kosmos Energy, it specifically states that the contract is governed by the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, supplemented by the general principles of the laws of international commerce. It notes that the contractor shall be subject, at all times, to the laws and regulations in force in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The foregoing is in stark contrast to what is obtained in Guyana’s PSA with ExxonMobil. In that arrangement, Guyana has accepted that changes to its laws in the future cannot affect the ExxonMobil PSA. If it does, the government would have to compensate the Stabroek Block operators for any loss incurred. Decommissioning Decommissioning refers to the safe removal of all the pipelines and other oil production equipment once the oil project comes to an end or is nearing its end. In Liberia, if the government decides not to accept all or part of the assets involved in the oil projects, it may, no later than 90 days following the date specified in the agreement, require the contractor, in accordance with good international petroleum industry practice, to perform abandonment operations and to remove at the cost of the contractor, the facilities relating to the surrendered area. The contractor can recover some of these costs but not years before it is time for decommissioning. In Guyana’s case, however, the costs will not be borne by the operator. According to Section 20.1(d)(gg) and Accounting Procedure Section 3.1 of the Guyana-ExxonMobil deal, the American oil king can tabulate a budget for abandonment, and recover a portion of that budget in the form of oil, years before it is time for decommissioning. It is able as well to recover the full costs of abandonment too. Ring-Fencing In Uganda’s PSA with Tullow, it explicitly states that for purposes of cost recovery, ring-fencing around each contract area shall apply. In the event that a licensee has more than one contract area, the calculations shall be done on a contract by contract basis. There shall be no consolidation. Guyana’s PSA with Exxon and all other offshore operators speaks nothing of this. Tullow is also an operator in Guyana’s waters.
Audit Rights According to a PSA between Iraq and Western Zagros Resources Ltd, the Government reserves the right to an independent audit at the contractor’s expense, of its accounts and records, which must be kept within that territory. The Government can also do its own annual audit. The agreement specifically states that the contractor must fully and expeditiously cooperate with the government in this regard. The contractor is also expected to use its best endeavours to ensure its affiliates comply with auditing requirements while taking care of all costs. This, however, is not obtained in Guyana. The Government accepted terms, which see the country standing the costs of all audits. It can do audits via the revenue authority or an independent firm of its choice. Importantly, it cannot go af-
ter records held outside of Guyana, which would support its audit as well. Payments According to the PSA between Mongolia and DWM Petroleum AG, the contractor is required to pay signature and production bonuses based on certain circumstances. They are: 1) The sum of US$ 500,000 as a Production Bonus if average daily quantity of Contract Crude Oil for any Calendar Month is equal or less than 5,000 barrels 2) The sum of US$600,000 as a Production Bonus if average daily quantity of Contract Crude Oil for any Calendar Month equals to or exceeds 5001 barrels but is less than 10,000 barrels. 3) The sum of US$ 700,000 as a Production Bonus if average daily quantity of Contract Crude Oil for any Calendar Month equals to or exceeds 10,001 barrels but is less than 15,000 barrels. 4) The sum of US$ 800,000
as a Production Bonus if average daily quantity of Contract Crude Oil for any Calendar Month equals to or exceeds 15,001 barrels but is less than 20,000 barrels. 5) The sum of US$1M as a Production Bonus after average daily quantity of Contract Crude Oil for any Calendar Month exceeds 20,001 Barrels.Guyana’s contract with Exxon speaks nothing of a production bonus, much less one that is subjected to a sliding scale. Measurement of Petroleum In a PSA Kenya has with Camac Energy Ltd, it speaks to the measurement of petroleum. It clearly notes that the volume and quality of petroleum produced and saved from the contract area shall be measured by methods and appliances customarily used in good international petroleum industry practice and approved by the Minister. It goes on to state that the Minister may inspect the appliances used for measuring
the volume and determining the quality of petroleum and may appoint an inspector to supervise the measurement of volume and determination of quality. Further to this, it was noted that where the method of measurement or appliances used therefore, have caused an overstatement or understatement of a share of the production, the error shall be presumed to have existed since the date of the last calibration of the measurement devices, unless the contrary is shown, and an appropriate adjustment shall be made for the period of error. The Minister and the Contractor are also allowed in the PSA to determine the measurement point at which production shall be measured and the respective shares of Petroleum allocated. Kaieteur News was unable once again to make any comparison since in the GuyanaExxon PSA; such a provision does not exist.
Gruesome murder of Berbice teens…
No evidence of killing being - Crime “politically motivated” Chief
-7 in custody
Seven persons in total have now been arrested as inves-
tigators swiftly progress their probe into the brutal slayings of West Coast Berbice teens and cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry.
The two new suspects were said to be coconut vendors. Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent, Wendell Blanhum, during a virtual joint press briefing with the Police Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie, and Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Godfrey Bess, yesterday disclosed that evidence will soon be dispatched to the Forensic Lab for testing. “We have recovered some evidence from the crime scene and we are in the process of packaging them and we will be submitting those evidence to the Guyana Forensic Laboratory at the earliest opportunity,” he told the press. While it is integral to revisit the crime scene where the mutilated bodies of the teens were found, Blanhum noted that the continued protest action by furious West Coast Berbice residents are hampering that task. Nevertheless, he assured that a “comprehensive” investigation is being conducted, adding that investi-
gators from the Major Crimes Unit are on the ground working assiduously to bring the killers to justice. Teams from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) along with members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) were dispatched to the area with the aim of quelling the unrest. While public outrage mounted as the days go by, theories of why the teens were killed float around with the central being that the crime was politically motivated. But the Crime Chief when asked whether this was a possible motive ruled it out. “There is no absolutely no evidence whatsoever to
support that contention…” He declined to reveal what the other possible motives are. “At this point in time, we would not disclose anything pertaining to motive to the public. We have a very tense situation and I will want to appeal to members of the public to allow the investigators to conduct the investigation,” Blanhum disclosed. A murder weapon is yet to be recovered. In addition, police are also on the hunt for three other suspects. The Major Crimes Unit took over the case on Sunday last after the bodies of the boys were found butchered in the Cotton Tree backdam. Police had stated that bloodstains found on the rice land located in close proxim-
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum ity to the land the teens’ bodies were found on, had led to the arrest of the rice farmer. It was during his time in police custody, that one of the farmer’s sons and his handyman were also picked up and taken in custody. Members of the Major Crimes Unit arrived in Berbice earlier yesterday but were met by protesters who blocked the roads and refused to let them pass. It wasn’t until former President, David Granger, arrived that the unit managed to pass. It was late Sunday afternoon that the bodies of the boys were found, with their throats slashed, in the backdam. The t-shirt of one of the boys was pulled over his face, while the other was lying face down. Their bodies bore visible marks of violence including chop wounds across their heads and faces. The post mortems are slated to be conducted on the teens’ bodies sometime today.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
Mining Association told that sector will not be neglected for oil and gas Members of the GGDMA meeting with President Irfaan Ali and others at State House yesterday.
President Irfaan Ali yesterday assured members of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) of his Government’s commitment to ensuring the sector is strengthened and advanced. The Head of State gave these assurances during a meeting with the association’s members at State House. “We are hoping that over the coming years, we can strengthen the sector, that we can work with the sector in technological improvement and transfer so that we can support more modern ways of doing things, build stronger partnerships and work out an investment regime that can give the sector more access to cheaper capital,” he stated. Ali, according to a statement from the Office of the President, pointed to the importance of the consultative engagement to the advancement of the sector. “I think it is through engagement and consultation that we can have the best possible results for our country and for every sector. After all, you are the ones who are not only providing the leadership but the ones who know what is happening in the sector from a practical perspective. Policy-makers understand what is happening from a practical perspective but they are more concerned with the overarching policies to guide the sector.” He also outlined the recently announced range of budgetary measures for the mining and productive sector. “Yesterday you would have heard a number of announcements in terms of measures not only for your sector but for the entire productive sector. I want to say to you that I wish we could do more at this time. I am not going to regale you with the current situation of what we met but just to give you one
example, from the capital programme alone, we have to deal with more than $20B of liabilities that is expenditure incurred by the Government that has not been paid for [and] that is there that has not been budgeted for. Even in bringing these incentives to the Productive Sector and the people of the country, it required the reprogramming of resources and some borrowing,” President Ali explained. The Head of State said his administration’s efforts will be geared towards giving miners back the ability to return to the sector, to re-capitalise machinery, equipment and to remove the bureaucratic measures which cost them money and reduce their efficiency. ”We are aware that over the last couple of years, a lot has been done that was not positive, that has resulted in a lot of idle assets and de-accumulation of capital assets. Right now, you need a lot of recapitalisation. As a result, many of the medium and small operators are left non- operational. Even though they still have an interest, they are not operating at the moment,” the President said. He assured that his Government’s intention is to increase production, to work on securing the environment as well as encouraging investments in other sectors of the economy. The Head of State said, “We have to do what is right
for our country now and in the future. We can only do so if we work together. There is no sense for half of the sector to be doing the right thing and half not to, because it is the entire sector that is penalised at the end of the day. I want us to not only work on these measures but to see how we can ensure that we have true declarations, to ensure that productions go up to make use of the process that are on the market now and then how I can help you miners to invest in other areas of the economy. When you get windfall resources, you need to redirect resources into more stable, long term sustainable types of investment in the economy.” President Ali thanked the participants in advance for their openness, objectiveness and frankness as they continue to collaborate towards the advancement of the sector. Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharat, noted that his Ministry will work with everyone to address all issues raised to boost productivity. He also assured that the administration will not neglect the traditional sectors for oil and gas. The President of the GGDMA, Andro Alphonso thanked the President for the recently announced measures on behalf of the members of the Association.
Lawyers file defence in... From page 8 honour, and the conferral of such status. According to the document in support, Jonas was prompted to take legal action after he observed a counsel appearing in the litigation with him in June of this year, whom he believed to be junior, describing himself as ‘Senior Counsel’.Consequently, Jonas said that he investigated, and discovered that on or around 31st December 2019, the President had communicated to the public via the Ministry of the Presidency his purported decision to confer the four lawyers with the prestigious title. It is this move that Jonas emphasized that was outside the statutory or other power conferred on the President.
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Djokovic’s breakaway players body has blindsided ATP council: Anderson MUMBAI (Reuters) - The launch of Novak Djokovic’s breakaway players body just before the U.S. Open completely blindsided the ATP player council and could undermine the structure of the men’s tour, acting president Kevin Anderson told Reuters. Djokovic sent shockwaves through the sport last month when he stepped down as head of the ATP council along with members Vasek Pospisil, John Isner and Sam Querrey and announced the formation of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). “From the council standpoint, especially the timing, the communication, the way this came to be, it’s not something we had discussed or communicated so I feel like we were blindsided by it,” Ander-
son said in a phone interview from the United States. “I don’t agree with how they’re going about it and the method. I will always respect their effort to help the players, I think that’s a great thing. But that’s what we’ve done in the council and what we continue to do.” Djokovic has described the PTPA, which has already attracted the support of more than 150 players, as a platform for the views of the athletes that can co-exist with the ATP. Tennis governing bodies have, however, opposed the move and called for unity now that the sport has just resumed after a lengthy shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Player council members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have echoed those senti-
ments, while some other top names in men’s tennis have asked for more clarity. Djokovic had voiced his frustration at that opposition before he was sensationally disqualified from the U.S. Open on Sunday. “I sort of don’t agree with Djokovic’s premise there on what he defines as opposition because I feel it makes it sound like we’re against this idea of helping players,” said Anderson. “We’re all players ourselves, we’re in this together. It’s really important that we stick together, because when we are united we are strongest.” TOURNAMENTOWNER REPRESENTATION The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was set up by players in 1972, but
Wednesday September 09, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You like to be honest with those you care about, but today you're likely to be a bit too honest. Don't be too quick to take offense and watch the tendency to be too blunt. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) It might feel like your home has turned into Grand Central Station. Lots of family members present, deliveries made and phones ringing, and you may just want to watch TV or read a book. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You might have to do a lot of running around when you probably want to stay home. Obligations to friends and family are likely to come up, and even though you're a bit tired you'll want to help out. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't be surprised if lots of people contact you today. Perhaps you're in the mood to gossip or neighbors have news of changes nearby. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You could be feeling a bit antsy today and may want to spend time exercising or trying a new sport or game that you've never played before. This is great. . VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22) An exciting communication could inform you of an advancement opportunity that you should explore. While you'd be quick to act under normal circumstances.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A friend could ask for a loan and you might hesitate to give him or her the money. Follow your instincts. The person probably isn't too savvy about money. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today you're likely to experience a powerful burst of energy that may temporarily turn you into a workaholic. Chores may have piled up around the house that desperately need to be done. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Frustration may be the word for today, Sagittarius. You could be experiencing a bit of wanderlust. Distant states and foreign lands may beckon to you, but circumstances could make it hard for you to get away. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You've probably had a busy week, Capricorn, and may feel out of sorts today. Perhaps you had too much good food last night, stayed up too late, or both. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) There might be a lot of work to do at home today. Since certain family members are conveniently absent, you may feel that the burden falls on you. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Too much indulging may leave you with a headache or stomachache to the point where you may want to spend most of today sleeping. The stress of this condition could cause you to snap at family members.
its board now includes equal representation for tournament owners. Anderson, who has played two Grand Slam finals, failed to see how the PTPA could co-exist with the ATP under the current structure. “If we do go down this path of players wanting to have sole representation, the tournaments also are going to have sole representation,” the 34-year-old said. “And if this happens, I feel that the whole ATP structure will come apart and we will have to come up with a new structure, and we have no idea what that will look like.” The number of players pledging support for the PTPA had been “illuminating”, Anderson said. The South African accepted that issues relating to prize money and pensions have been frustrating for players but said he thought real progress had been made in the eight years he had been on the council. “If you look at the PTPA agenda, 75%-80% of that was already being discussed at the ATP level within the coun-
Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a forehand against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain (not pictured) on day seven of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports) cil,” he said. “We have meetings with our management, we’re pushing them very hard, we hear other players’ voices loud and clear. “I know the work and ef-
fort that’s gone on behind the scenes to get us here, but there’s still more work to be done.” New ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi presented a plan to the players in January addressing a number of key issues, including collective TV rights across the sport and bringing all governing bodies closer together. “At that time the full council, including Djokovic and Pospisil, decided to give the new management time to put this plan into motion,” Anderson said. “And then at the U.S. Open, Pospisil and Djokovic decided for their own reasons that now’s the time to create this PTPA.”
Semenya loses... From page 31 the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born.“I know what is right and will do all I can to protect basic human rights, for young girls everywhere.” Semenya has already indicated that she would focus on the shorter 200 metres sprint event, which falls outside of the regulations, at the Tokyo Olympic Games that were postponed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.But Semenya’s lawyer, Greg Nott, suggested this was far from the end of the road.“This setback will not be the end of Caster’s story,” he said. “The international team (of lawyers) is considering the judgment and the options to challenge the findings in European and domestic courts.”World Athletics told Reuters they would release a statement on the ruling in due course.
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Dominant TKR one win away from perfection CPL - The Trinbago Knight Riders spinners blasted a hole in the Jamaica Tallawahs top order to set up a cruise to a sub-par total with a full five overs to go, and leave themselves one win away from completing the first perfect season in Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) history. Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard had enough faith in his opening bowlers to start with himself at short leg, and Akeal Hosein repaid that faith by bowling Jermaine Blackwood. The Tallawahs sprung a surprise sending Mujeeb Ur Rahman in at number three, who just about played out a wicket-maiden. The Tallawahs were rocked further when Glenn Phillips cut Khary Pierre to Ali Khan. Nkrumah Bonner finally hit the game’s first boundary, easing Hosein through cover, but the Mujeeb experiment failed as he edged a reverse sweep onto
his pad and was caught at slip, and the Tallawahs had slumped to 10/3 off three overs. Five wides from Pierre and a straight four by Bonner more than doubled the Tallawahs tally, but while Asif Ali got off the mark with a four over Hosein’s head he fell next ball cutting to Pollard at point. Pollard immediately went back into short leg, and kept himself there for the returning Sunil Narine who went for just three to close out a dominant Powerplay for the Knight Riders, after which the Tallawahs were reeling at 28/4. Bonner continued to resist he cut Fawad Ahmed powerfully for four, a misfield gave him another off Narine to take him to 30, and he pulled Fawad to take the Tallawahs past 50. Pierre returned with a tight over that went for just three, and at the 10 over mark the Tallawahs were 55/4. Hosein bowled out with an
over of just five, and Fawad ended Bonner’s resistance with a quick googly. That finally brought Andre Russell to the crease, but Narine put an end to his innings before it got going. Russell was beaten in the flight, the ball looped to DJ Bravo at slip and the umpire adjudged it came off bat and pad. The Tallawahs had lost their biggest weapon, and were 68/6 in the 14th. Three more boundary-less overs came and went. Rovman Powell had now faced 32 balls for his 26 runs, Carlos Brathwaite had managed only one off his 10 balls, and something had to give off Pierre’s last over. Powell hit one Hero Maximum, the first of the innings, but picked out Pollard at deep mid-off trying to repeat the shot next ball. Even with that six, he finished under a run a ball, and the Tallawahs were 92/7 off 18. Brathwaite was lucky not to be run out first ball of the 19th,
bowled by DJ Bravo whose three overs didn’t contain a single boundary. Ali Khan got the unusual job of bowling only the 20th over, and while Brathwaite finished the innings with a Hero Maximum that was only the third boundary in the last 11 overs of the innings. Lendl Simmons steered then pulled Fidel Edwards for consecutive fours to end the first over, but Narine wasn’t able to provide his usual powerful start, bowled by Mujeeb’s arm ball. Powell followed Pollard’s aggressive lead by putting himself at short leg, but Tion Webster was not intimidated, slapping Veerasammy Permaul through cover then slicing him for four to ruin a tight start to the over. After three overs, the Knight Riders were 23/1.Webster was confident enough to cut Mujeeb’s googly for four, and with wickets a must Powell for the first time in Hero CPL 2020 went to Sandeep Lamichhane in the Powerplay. Simmons paddled him for four first ball and then pulled Mujeeb to the fence, and the Knight Riders closed the Powerplay at 42/1. The required run rate was already under five an over. Simmons marred a good over from Lamichhane with a slog-swept Hero Maximum, bringing up the Knight Riders’ 50. Simmons and Webster were able to work Lamichhane
Lendl Simmons led TKR with an undefeated half century to the final set for tomorrow. (CPL) around as no-one had all tournament, and though Permaul’s second went for just two and his third was a maiden, at halfway the Knight Riders were comfortable at 61/1, needing just 47 more to win. Russell was called on to bowl, but Simmons pulled him for a Hero Maximum and, when Russell bowled a second short ball which was called a no-ball, helicoptered the free hit for four. Permaul bowled out with another economical over, but Simmons again pulled Russell for six to take 10 off the 13th over. The Knight Riders were now 90/1 and needed just 18 more. Webster guided Lamichhane through cover for four to end the Nepali’s only wicketless spell of an excellent tournament, and Simmons became the leading 50-maker in
the tournament’s history, overtaking Chris Gayle with a cover drive for four off Brathwaite, and Webster finished the job that same over. Simmons needs just three more runs in Thursday’s final to overtake Gayle as Hero CPL’s all-time leading scorer. Much more importantly though, the Knight Riders have a chance to do what last year’s Guyana Amazon Warriors could not, and in doing so win a fourth Hero CPL title. The victors in the second semi will have a mighty task to deny them. Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 111/1 (Simmons 54*, Webster 44*; Mujeeb 1/18) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 107/ 7 (Bonner 41, Powell 33; Hosein 3/14, Pierre 2/29, Narine 1/13, Fawad 1/29) by 9 wickets.
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Semenya loses appeal against CAS ruling over testosterone regulations South Africa’s Caster Semenya wins the women’s 800m at the Diamond League in Doha. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari/File Photo)
South Africa’s Caster Semenya before the women’s 800m at the Diamond League in Doha. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari/File Photo)
Windies Women should use England series to seek World Cup redemption - Hayley Matthews SportsMax - Windies Women opener Hayley Matthews believes the team should use the upcoming series against England to find redemption for their poor showing at the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup earlier this year. At the World Cup, the West Indies Women, champions in 2016, failed to play to expectations, losing two of their four matches thus failing to advance from their Group B that contained Thailand, England, Pakistan and South Africa. Matthews’ form was equally poor with scores of 16, 0, and 10 as the West Indies fell to Pakistan and England. Their match against South Africa was rained out. Their only win came against minnows, Thailand. The Barbadian sees the coming England series as an opportunity for the team whose players are eager to set right the wrongs of February 2020.“I think as a team we are going to want to come out here and redeem ourselves and be able to show that we are not the team that played that World Cup, that we are a lot better than that,” she said. The 22-year-old allrounder said the break that followed the World Cup debacle was a welcome one. “It was a difficult World
Windies Women opener Hayley Matthews. Cup. It was good that everyone got that mental break and had a look at what we weren’t doing so well,” she said during an online interview session on Monday from the United Kingdom where the team is preparing for their fivematch T20 series that is set to begin on September 21. On a personal level, Matthews said she used the time off to work on her game. “I was able to get back in the nets and work really hard at my game, was able to sort out some stuff that I saw going wrong technically and hopefully I am able to go out and execute those skills that I have been working on over
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the past couple of months,” she said. The team that arrived in England last week, has been preparing well, she said, and being in isolation has allowed the players to focus on their game and the series ahead. “I think it’s been pretty comfortable. From the first day we came in we know what the protocols were. We were told and given everything we needed so it was just a matter of coming down here and getting into the training,” she said. “(The conditions) are a bit helpful, kind of limits distractions and you get to focus on the cricket a bit more.”
(Reuters) - Double Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya has lost her appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) to set aside a 2019 Court of Arbitration (CAS) ruling that female athletes with high natural testosterone levels must take medication to reduce it. But the South African has indicated that she may continue her battle in the European and domestic courts ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo next year, vowing to “fight for human rights”. Semenya approached the tribunal in May last year after
CAS, sport’s highest court, had ruled that the regulations of the sport’s governing body World Athletics were necessary for athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) in races ranging from 400 metres to a mile to ensure fair competition. The tribunal found the requirement of subjecting certain female athletes to drug or surgical interventions as a precondition to compete does not amount to a violation of Swiss public policy, Semenya’s lawyers said in a statement yesterday. Testosterone increases
muscle mass, strength and haemoglobin, which affects endurance.Some competitors have said women with higher levels of the hormone have an unfair advantage. “I am very disappointed by this ruling, but refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am,” Semenya said in the statement.“Excluding female athletes or endangering our health solely because of our natural abilities puts World Athletics on the wrong side of history. “I will continue to fight for (Continued on page 25)
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‘Just wow’: Brady, Rogers join Osaka in US Open quarters Yulia Putintseva, of Kazakhstan, reacts after defeating Petra Martic, of Croatia, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Shelby Rogers, of the United States, returns a shot to Petra Kvitova, of the Czech Republic, during Jennifer Brady, of the United States, reacts after the fourth round of the US Open tennis champion- defeating Angelique Kerber, of Germany, during the fourth round of the US Open tennis championships, ships, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) NEW YORK (AP) — Jennifer Brady clasped her hands, threw back her head, closed her eyes and soaked in the biggest moment of her tennis career. ‘’Wow,’’ she said, describing the moment. ‘’Just wow.’’ The 25-year-old led a contingent of players - two of them Americans - into their first U.S. Open quarterfinals on Sunday, beating former champion Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 with a dominant serve and forehand. Shelby Rogers later joined her with a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (6) victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. It’s Rogers’ second Grand Slam quarterfinal overall and first at Flushing Meadows. ‘’It’s so special,’’ Rogers
said. She now plays two-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who won the U.S. Open two years ago and advanced to the quarterfinals by beating No. 14 seed Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday night. Rogers has beaten Osaka all three times they’ve played. A bracket lacking six of the top eight women in the rankings because of injuries and coronavirus concerns has given up-and-comers a chance to seize the moment. Nobody has done it better than Brady, who has yet to drop a set and has lost only 19 games in her four matches. For Kerber, it was an abrupt end to a resurgent week. The three-time major champion, including at the
2016 U.S. Open champion, couldn’t make headway against the American, whose biggest challenge came leading 3-2 in the second set. Brady took a medical timeout and returned to the court with her upper left leg wrapped. ‘’My leg was bothering me and I wasn’t serving well,’’ said Brady, who is based in Florida and ranked No. 41. ‘’I was glad to close it out.’’ Brady had never reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her impressive week - as good as anyone’s - has provided a breakout moment. ‘’She’s hitting the ball really fast,’’ Kerber said. ‘’She’s playing well. She has confidence. Let’s see how far she can get here, but for sure she can get far.’’
Brady will play Yulia Putintseva, who threw her racket to the ground after dropping the second set in her match - an outburst that became a turning point. The 35th-ranked player recovered for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over No. 8 seed Petra Martic and her first berth in a U.S. Open quarterfinal. ‘’Before the third set I said to myself, ‘Whatever happens, you just make it difficult for her, you’re not going to make any mistakes, you’re going to move her around the court as much as possible,’’’ Putintseva said. Serena Williams plays her fourth-round match Monday against Maria Sakkari, who beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion less than two weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open. TRY NO. 57 Alize Cornet of France reached the fourth round of
the U.S. Open for the first time, giving her another chance for that elusive first berth in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. It’s her 57th chance to finally get that far. The 56th-ranked player has played in the last 54 Grand Slam tournaments, the longest active streak and tied for fourth-longest in the Open era. Japan’s Ai Sugiyama played in 62 consecutive majors. ‘’I’m pretty proud of this record, let’s say, because it just means that my career has been very consistent since I’m 17,’’ said Cornet, 30. ‘’It’s not easy never to be injured, never to win a Slam, not to drop in the ranking. I’ve been between (No.) 10 and 90 for my whole career, so it’s quite
a good consistency, I’ll say.’’ She’ll face Tsvetana Pironkova in her fourthround match Monday. ‘’I’m not a player that gives up,’’ Cornet said, adding, ‘’I’m proud of this resilience.’’ STREAK ENDS AT 13 With top-seeded Novak Djokovic defaulted, a streak will be broken. The last 13 Grand Slam men’s titles have been won by Djokovic (five), Rafael Nadal (five) or Roger Federer (three). Nadal, the 2019 champion in New York, chose not to play the U.S. Open, citing concerns about international travel during the pandemic, and Federer is recovering from two operations on his right knee.
Olympics must go ahead at any cost in 2021 - Japan’s Olympic minister BBC Sport - The rearranged Tokyo Games must be held “at any cost” in 2021, says Japan’s Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto. The Games, which had been due to start in July, were postponed for a year in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the International Olympic Committee said the event will go ahead “with or without Covid”. “Everyone involved is working together to prepare and the athletes are also making considerable efforts towards next year,” said Hashimoto yesterday. “We have to hold the Games at any cost. I want to concentrate all our efforts on measures against the
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March. (Getty Images) coronavirus.” Olympic organisers are looking at over 200 proposals on how best to deal with Covid-19, including easing travel restrictions for athletes, anti-virus measures at
the athletes’ village and how to cope with spectators. Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto has already said the Games will be “simplified” and “not be done with grand splendour”.
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Zouks smash Warriors to reach CPL final CPL - An inspired St Lucia Zouks skittled perennial finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors for the second lowest team total in Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) history and blazed to victory in just 27 balls to complete one of the most dominant performances in T20 history. In doing so they booked their place against the Trinbago Knight Riders in Thursday’s final, the first in the St Lucia franchise’s history. Zouks captain Daren Sammy put the Amazon Warriors in, but even he could not have seen this coming. Brandon King toe-ended to keeper Andre Fletcher and Shimron Hetmyer inexplicably left his first ball to let it crash into offstump. Nicholas Pooran denied Scott Kuggeleijn a hat-trick, but only a single and a wide followed, and Mohammad Nabi followed up with a maiden to leave the Amazon Warriors 2/2 after two overs. Pooran immediately counterattacked, slashing Kuggeleijn over the slips then dismissively driving him down the ground for back-to-back fours, but he fell trying to loft Nabi down the ground thanks to a wonderful catch by Mark Deyal diving forward from long-off. Chandrapaul Hemraj and Ross Taylor cautiously played out the rest of the Powerplay, at which point the Amazon Warriors were 21/3.
Taylor, so often the rock around which recoveries are built, fell LBW essaying his favoured sweep off Roston Chase, who anticipated the stroke well and bowled accordingly. Deyal almost pulled off another amazing catch at long-off as Hemraj drove Zahir Khan aerially, but it just fell short, and a fifth straight over with only three runs off it passed, leaving the Amazon Warriors 27/4 off eight overs. The extent to which the tension was pressing on the Amazon Warriors was obvious. Hemraj got a friendly full toss from Chase but only pushed it for two, nearly holed out next ball, and then Keemo Paul did hole out with a swipe down the throat of Kesrick Williams at deep square leg. Hemraj finally hit the innings’ first Hero Maximum off its 56th ball, slamming Zahir over deep midwicket, but at halfway the Amazon Warriors had crawled to 42/5. Chase’s first over after the chase was quiet, but the next was anything but. Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green smashed Javelle Glenn’s first ball for a Hero Maximum, and seemed to have done so off his second ball but Nabi pulled off a brilliant balancing catch at the boundary’s edge. With spin so dominant, Sammy went to Deyal who answered the call emphati-
cally with two wickets in two balls - Hemraj inside-edged onto his stumps via his pad, and Romario Shepherd first ball pushed a simple catch back to the bowler. Again there was no hat-trick, but the Amazon Warriors innings was not long for this world. Fletcher showed sharp glovework to stump Kevin Sinclair off Zahir, and even sharper moves in celebration, and the Amazon Warriors’ ignominious innings ended next ball as Rakheem Cornwall plunged forward to take a sharp slip catch off Imran Tahir. All six Zouks bowlers had taken a wicket, and the innings had lasted just 13.4 overs.Cornwall showed that a low target wasn’t going to temper his belligerent instincts, launching two Hero Maximums in Green’s first over, whipping Tahir for four through short fine leg and nearly breaking the stumps at the non-striker ’s end with a straight drive. Deyal hit fours off each of his first two deliveries, and the Zouks were almost halfway to their target after two overs. Naveen-ul-Haq was visibly furious with h o w t h e evening had gone for his team, bowling a bouncer that sailed even over the towering Cornwall for five wides. Cornwall continued his merry mayhem by walloping Naveen through long-on for four, and Deyal picked up
St Lucia Zouks ran through the Guyana Amazon Warriors to advance to tomorrow’s final against TKR. (CPL T20 Ltd.) a Hero Maximum for himself with a gleeful mow over midwicket. Cornwall blasted Tahir over long-on for his
Celtics demolish Raptors for 3-2 series edge Six Celtics scored in double figures, led by Jaylen Brown with 27 points, as Boston dominated the Toronto Raptors 111-89 Monday night to take a 3-2 lead in their bestof-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series near Orlando. Kemba Walker added 21 points, Jayson Tatum had 18 with 10 rebounds, Brad Wanamaker and Daniel Theis scored 15 apiece and Marcus Smart 12 for the Celtics, who rebounded from two consecutive losses after they had blown a 2-0 lead in the series. Boston will get the chance to clinch a conference-finals berth with a Game 6 victory today.Fred VanVleet had 18 points to top the Raptors, who never led in the contest and trailed by as many as 30 points. The Celtics ran away early as the Raptors endured one of their worst scoring playoff quarters in franchise history. Boston was up 18-5 after 8 1/ 2 minutes as Toronto began 2-of-14 from the field.
third Hero Maximum, Deyal closed the fourth over with his third four, and captain Green went down with his ship by bringing himself on for the fifth with just three runs to w i n . The Zouks dugout were loudly chanting for Cornwall to finish the game in style, and although a toe-end through third man wasn’t quite what they had in mind, by winning in just 4.3 overs they had completed the fastest chase in the history of T20
franchise cricket anywhere in the world, and the whole game was done in just 17.1 overs. If the Zouks can take anything like this energy into tomorrow’s final, they might just challenge the so far invulnerable Knight Riders. Scores: St Lucia Zouks 56/0 (Cornwall 32*, Deyal 19*) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 55 all out (Hemraj 25; Deyal 2/2, Zahir 2/12, Kuggeleijn 2/12, Chase 2/ 15, Nabi 1/6, Glenn 1/8) by 10 wickets.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker (8) reacts before game five of the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) The Raptors ended the quarter shooting 4-for-20, and they trailed 25-11. They hit one of nine shots from 3-point range.Boston’s advantage hit 46-25 on a Tatum 3-pointer with 4:55 to go in the second. The lead reached as high as 28 before halftime, and the Celtics entered the break up 62-35 after Walker beat the buzzer with a floater. Brown led Boston with 16 first-half points, Tatum added 12 and Smart and Wanamaker
each had 10. Meanwhile, no Raptors players were in double figures. Toronto shot 13 of 43 (30.2 percent) in the half and 4 of 18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent). The 27point halftime deficit tied the largest ever faced by a defending NBA champion during a playoff game, according to STATS. The Raptors began the third with a 6-0 run, Pascal Siakam making a trio of shortrange buckets, but the Celtics’
lead never dropped below 20 in the quarter. At 4:23, Boston’s advantage reached 79-49 on a Brown step-back jumper. The Celtics led 87-63 after three, and the Raptors emptied their bench by midway through the fourth. For the game, the Celtics outshot the Raptors 49.4 percent to 38.8 percent. Boston hit 24 of 27 free throws while Toronto made 11 of 13. (Field Level Media)
Lusignan Golf Club calls for calm Dear Sports Editor, In response to further developments that have befallen the Upper East Coast and West Coast Berbice villages, we the Lusignan Golf Club would like to says, we can feel your pain and we hear your anger. We share the same disgust at the horrific way these boys were mutilated. We also wish to state that as Guyanese we must realize that hurting other innocent Guyanese will only tear the fabric that unites us. Let Peace and Unity prevail in our beloved land. Kind regards, Lusignan Golf Club
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Fati breaks 95-year record to become Spain’s youngest goalscorer
Spain’s Ansu Fati is airborne as he attempts to control the ball during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Spain and Ukraine at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Goal - Ansu Fati became Spain’s youngest goalscorer in history with his strike in the first half of Sunday’s clash with Ukraine in Madrid. The Barcelona forward marked his first international start with a fine effort to make it 3-0 before half-time in the Nations League match being played at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Aged 17 years and 311 days, Fati became the youngest player to net for Spain. The rising star broke the record that was set in 1925 by Juan Errazquin, who was 18 years
and 344 days old when he struck three times against Switzerland. It was the culmination of a fine opening period for Fati, who also won the penalty for Sergio Ramos to open the scoring, with a looping header from the Real Madrid defender then doubling Spain’s lead. Fati made his senior international debut off the bench in Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Germany. The Guinea-Bissau-born winger was 10 when he joined Barcelona’s youth system and made his senior debut in Au-
gust 2019. He then became the club’s youngest ever scorer when he struck against Osasuna less than a week later. He ended the season with eight goals from 33 games in all competitions for the Camp Nou side. He is currently tied to the club until 2022, but president Josep Maria Bartomeu said last month that he would like to hand him a contract for life. “He’s essential for the future of the club. Ansu is not for sale. He represents the academy the players come
out of, learn from and consolidate themselves in the first team,” he said . “He’s unique because he jumped from the youth team to the first team. There are not many players like him and Barcelona cannot sell him, even if it would be an economic solution for the club in the times of this pandemic. “At no time have we considered selling him. On the contrary: what we have to do is help him in his growth and get him to sign a new contract in the future, so that he plays here for life.”
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis keeps the ball out of reach of the Rockets’ James Harden during Sunday’s playoff game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press) suspensions of greater severity. The Rockets have had several instances of opponents’ hitting their players in the groin area during the playoffs. “It would be greatly appreciated if opposing players
George, Clippers retake series edge over Nuggets
Ansu Fati (left) became Spain’s youngest goalscorer in history at age 17 years.
NBA issues Anthony Davis a flagrant 1 foul for incident in Game 2 vs. Rockets Los Angeles Times - The NBA has determined that two incidents during Game 2 of the Lakers’ series against the Rockets deserve further discipline. One was committed by Anthony Davis, and the other was committed against him. Officials determined Davis deserved a flagrant 1 foul for contact he initiated with Houston’s Jeff Green with 15 seconds left in the first half. Green doubled over after Davis drove by him, with apparent pain in his midsection or groin area. As the quarter expired, Green lay on the ground for several minutes while medical personnel observed him. During postseason play, flagrant fouls are assigned points, one for flagrant 1 fouls and two for flagrant 2 fouls. If a player’s point total exceeds three, he will be suspended for one game. Additional flagrant fouls would result in
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Kaieteur News
would stop punching our players in the balls during the game,” Rockets CEO Tad Brown said Sunday on Twitter. “Seems to be a thing lately, not sure why.” The other play the league reviewed happened with 4:35 left in the first quarter. James
Harden drove by Davis and elbowed him in the chin. The league determined that Harden’s play deserved a dead-ball technical foul. Davis went to the locker room not long after that incident but returned to the game soon afterward.
LA Clippers guard Paul George (13) makes a jump shot against Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant (9) in game three of the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
P
aul George scored 32 points and Kawhi Leonard added 23 as the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the Denver Nuggets 113-107 on Monday to grab a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series near Orlando. The Clippers trailed by as many as 12 in the first half but were able to move two victories away from a berth in the Western Conference finals. Leonard grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and added a team-best six assists. Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while Michael Porter Jr. added 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Nuggets. Jokic became the first player in Nuggets history with 14 career playoff games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored 50 points twice in the first round against the Jazz, was held to 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting. However, he logged a game-high nine assists. The Clippers trailed 97-90 before going on an 8-0 run over a 1:28 stretch midway through the final quarter to grab a 98-97 advantage. Los Angeles extended the run to 14-4, taking a 104-101 lead with 4:27 remaining on a step-
back jumper by Leonard. When Lou Williams made a driving layup with 2:04 remaining, the Clippers held a 109-103 advantage, their largest of the game to that point. George, whose shooting troubles in the playoffs have been well noted, went 12 of 18 from the field - including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. It was his second-highest scoring game of the playoffs after a 35-point outing in a Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Marcus Morris Sr. scored 12 points, Montrezl Harrell had 11 and Williams added 10 for the Clippers. Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant each had 11 points for the Nuggets while Gary Harris had 10. The Clippers got off to a better start in Game 3, taking a 33-32 lead after one quarter a game after falling behind 4425 after the first quarter of Game 2. George scored 10 points in the opening quarter Monday on 4-of-7 shooting. The Nuggets went on a 19-7 run to take a 55-43 lead in the second quarter, but the Clippers went into halftime on a 12-2 run to trail 59-57 at the break. George led all scorers at halftime with 17 points with Leonard contributing 14. Jokic also had 14 at the break for Denver. (Field Level Media)
Wednesday September 09, 2020
Lloyd Ruplall receives the plaque from Mike Singh in the presence of several softball cricket players.
Wellman Masters honour batsman Ruplall
D
espite a halt to softball cricket due to the COVID 19 pandemic, city side Wellman Masters have recognise the performance of middle order batsman Lloyd Ruplall. Ruplall who celebrated his 50th birth anniversary on Monday last, was given a plaque by owner of Wellman Masters, Lakeram Singh at the GNIC SC. Ruplall has over the years been one of the most consistent batsmen in the Wellman Masters team and has led them to many victories. Singh has expressed appreciation to Ruplall’s on his contribution to the team and wished him well. He added that while the teams are eager for a return to the sport, he urges the players to practice safety during this time.
Kaieteur News
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Zouks smash Warriors to reach CPL final
St Lucia Zouks celebrate during their demolition of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in yesterday’s semifinal of the CPL T20 tournament. (CPL T20 Ltd.)
rt o p S
Dominant TKR one win away from perfection
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