Kaieteur News

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Saturday Edition Liza II FPSO is most AIETEUR NEWS environmentally friendly production ship globally September 11, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 34

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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

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Int’l acclaim for energy efficiency, mitigating emissions - SBM Offshore

Price $80

Online readership yesterday,

Self appointed gas experts cannot be trusted with US$900M project p.

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….Jagdeo, Brassington and Ashni Singh have abysmal records - Roopnarine Miner who travelled No Commissioner, from interior to sign for baby robbed and killed No ID Cards - GECOM p.

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“Pastor” remanded for murder

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10 Guyanese men, Alleged Ponzi schemer on bail for faking women are latest COVID-19 fatalities COVID-19 test results p. 18

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ExxonMobil to drill 52 more exploration wells in 5 years p.

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…nation still in the dark on prior, current costs per well They are proud to announce when they find oil, but they are not telling us the cost of the find. The most important aspect of the business includes operational 11am on Kaieteur costs and interest rates, but Exxon and Govt. remain silent on this. @Radio 99.1/99.5FM

Kaieteur News

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Saturday September 11, 2021

Exxon to drill 52 more exploration …nation still in the dark on wells in 5 years prior, current costs per well E

sso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)—ExxonMobil's subsidiary—will by the end of 2025 spud some 52 wells across the Stabroek and Canje Blocks in a five year period, having begun an aggressive campaign in late December 2020.

According to the schedule of exploration activities for the company for the Stabroek Block, the company is currently engaged in an aggressive 25 well exploration campaign that begun back in June of this year.

That drilling campaign is expected to last until the end of 2025. This is in addition to a separate 12 well campaign that had begun back in December 2020 in the Stabroek Block and ended earlier this year.

Furthermore, the company is currently engaged in a three-well campaign in the Canje Block that is expected to conclude

The Stena DrillMAX drill ship one of the vessels currently being used by EEGPL for its exploration programme offshore Guyana

this month.

Additionally, EEPGL is currently awaiting permission for another 12 well campaign in the Canje Block.

That five-year campaign is also expected to be concluded in February 2025.

It would mean that between December 2020 and December 2025, the company would have spud or plans to spud some 52 wells.

This is in addition to the drilling of the development wells in the Liza I & II fields.

EEPGL currently has six drill ships operating offshore, the Stena Carron, the Stena DrillMAX, the Noble Bob Douglas, the Noble Tom Madden, the Noble Don Taylor and the Noble Sam Croft.

The cost for and

oversight of the exploration wells by oil companies have been a bone of public contention for years given the fact that the expenditure is recovered from cost oil in any of the producing fields in the contract area.

This past week Minister of Natural Resources, Vi c k r a m B h a r r a t , i n welcoming the most recent discovery offshore Guyana at the Pinktail well had promised increased oversight with regards the oil operators' exploration programmes.

Minister Bharrat had stated in a public missive that “the Government of Guyana has mandated the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Petroleum Sector regulatory agencies to enhance the oversight and management of the exploration programmes of all operators as we seek to further expand the sector through advancing commercial discoveries.”

According to the subject Minister, while Government

welcomes these new discoveries offshore Guyana, it “remains committed to the sustainable exploration and development of Guyana's oil and gas resources.”

In this same vein, the Minister said, “I would like to reassure all Guyanese and stakeholders that this will be undertaken in keeping with international best practices for compliance and transparency within the petroleum sector and to ensure benefits are derived for all Guyanese.”

EEPGL has to date seen some 23 successful discoveries offshore Guyana the first being announced in May 2015 and the most recent on Thursday.

This publication understands that EEGPL prior to 2020 would have spudded some 80 wells but to date the nation remains in the dark as to the cost of any of the wells previously or the ones recently scheduled.

Saturday September 11, 2021

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Self appointed gas experts cannot be trusted with US$900M project ….Jagdeo, Brassington and Ashni Singh have abysmal records - Roopnarine

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he self-appointed oil and gas masterminds behind the proposed US$900M gas-to-energy project, cannot be trusted with its management given their records of abysmal failure with regards to other major infrastructural projects.

At least this is the view of prominent New York based Guyanese businessman, Leyland Roopnarine, who during a recent online discussion on the proposed project categorically denounced the involvement of the key players in such a multi-million dollar project.

He was at the time directly referencing the two key point men on the gas-toshore committee, namely

Vice President, Bharrat J a g d e o , a n d Wi n s t o n Brassington, in addition to Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

Speaking directly to the track records of the men

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s e c r e c y, R o o p n a r i n e reminded that all such largescale projects attract cost over runs and as such would not be realised at the projected price but in fact higher.

He further lamented, “If you look at the people who are in charge of this project,

…when you can see something in the day, don't take fire stick fuh look fuh um in the night.

involved, Roopnarine stressed, “…if you look at these people they haven't succeeded in any project they have built.”

Pointing out that the proposed US$900M project is already shrouded in

”

they have been in charge of several projects for the past 10 years.”

A c c o r d i n g t o Roopnarine, “…we can start with the Skeldon Sugar Factory where Mr. Jagdeo was an engineer in sugar, we

Gunman misses target in murder attempt

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eorgetown detectives are currently hunting a gunman who reportedly missed his target on Thursday.

According to police, the gunman being hunted attempted to commit the murder around 11:30Hrs at Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt Georgetown.

His target who was forced to run for his life is a 22-year-old man of south Ruimveldt.

The young man who is thankful to be alive told investigators that he is acquainted with the suspect and even knows why the individual wants him dead.

The target claimed that he had an old grievance with the suspect hence the reason for the attempted hit on his life.

He recounted to police that he was standing at the corner of Aubrey Barker and Christiana Road in the vicinity of the North

Ruimveldt Police Outpost when the gunman drove up in a green Toyota motorcar.

The victim recalled that the suspect pulled out a gun and shot twice at him.

Luckily, he was not struck and made good his escape.

The 22-year-old said the suspect gave chase but the fences he scaled helped to provide enough distance between the two.

His attacker reportedly aborted the mission and fled the scene soon after.

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo can start with the hydro project where he was an engineer in hydroelectricity, we go to the Surrendra Hospital where we were spending $800M, he became a health expert, we go to the Berbice Bridge where he became an engineer to build a bridge, we go to the Marriot Hotel where (there were) cost overruns and yet we have no accountability.”

Roopnarine added, “I give you these examples because this is what is going to happen to the gas-to-shore project.”

Seeking to elucidate in local colloquialism, Roopnarine was adamant,

Senior Minister in the Head of the Office of the President Gas-to-Energy Committee, with responsibility for Winston Brassington Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh “when you can see something in the day don't take fire stick fuh look fuh um in the night.”

He used the occasion to remind that both Dr. Singh and Brassington had been placed before the courts by the previous administration but these charges had since been dropped.

Meanwhile, another prominent Guyanese businessman, Dr. Turhane Doerga, added his voice to the debate and stated that while the gas project in principle appears to be a good idea, the feasibility still has to be worked out.

More importantly, he said the project cannot be left in

the hands of the government given its susceptibility to corruption.

A d a m a n t t h a t governments should not be involved in such types of businesses, Dr. Doerga stressed, “Everywhere governments get into business, you have a slew of corruption.”

He suggested instead, whenever the feasibility is determined there should then be an open tender process in the international arena where reputable companies can bid on building the gas pipeline and related infrastructure and not have a situation that obtains currently.

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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

9/11 20 years later There will be prayers and reassurances amid the sparkling new surroundings. Some forced cheer, too, against the backdrop of sobering developments elsewhere, even some jingoistic speeches about resolve and commitment to a cause now looking to be lacking both the necessary muscular energy and strategic direction.

The somber is most likely to prevail 20 years after that fateful second Tuesday in September 2001 on this Saturday in 2021 at the lower end of Manhattan.

It was once the scene of incredible destruction and carnage, with an icon of American power, a twin representation of it, caving in on itself in a high pile of smoke, rubble and death.

What was gained after wars and battles and more death and destruction, across a wide swatch of territory mainly in Asia and Africa? Did the fall of the World Trade Center, the destruction of a part of the Pentagon, America’s military nerve and command center, and a downed planeload of passengers and crew in a Pennsylvanian field prove anything?

And in the postmortems and handwringing following Iraq, and now Afghanistan, was there any visceral satisfaction for strategic gains, of victory in the war on terror?

How did what began with so much gusto and hearts powered with strong compulsions for some degree of psychic healing from mostly technologically inflicted violence peter out so divisively, so pathetically?

From the shock and awe of grand designs and grander beginnings, the world has not been remade, as envisioned by either Vulcans, this foundation, that heritage, or some other society, some secret.

There is no new world order, compliments of American economic might, military power, and advanced technological prowess. If there is some semblance of one, indeed, it is one carved out by the sheer resilience of overwhelmed foes.

Adversaries, who battened down the hatches, bided their time, as they have always done, and wore down and wore out all comers. They have arrived since time immemorial, with their great dreams of conquest and the great games they play. But always they are forced to return from where they came.

China is poised to strike while the iron is hot, and unless it tries the revolutionary, a combination of the never seen and never experienced before, it is sure to turn tail and head back in sad retreat, just like all the others that came before, and were forced to do the same. India is wondering where it goes from here, with its options extremely limited, and most points of the compass occupied by vigilant and determined enemies.

Pakistan is best positioned because of its still mysterious relationships, the invisible hands that it employs to keep as many chestnuts as it can get away with in the fire.

It did so successfully, and all at the same time, without getting fingers burnt, or losing any of those precious nuts in the process. Still, Iran appears best equipped to seize the moment to fill the vacuum, and for both fraternal and spiritual reasons. That is still a work in progress, and in keeping with traditions in that part of the world, it is neither for CNN nor Al-Jazeera.

Like the old USSR, now Russia, America limps away without much to show for its longest war, one of the more costly expenditure of its treasure. But what remains in those foreboding mountain peaks and craggy valleys is there to show the rest of the world one simple little thing: don’t come here. Go somewhere else where bombers and helicopter gunships and predator drones can be more effective, yield more staying power. Just don’t try that here.

Well over 100,000 Afghans died in their contribution to the global war on terror. In the grand scheme of things that amounts to a footnote called collateral damage; a cool and clinical, but chilling, expression if ever there was one. As Kabul Airport is clogged, some familiar names and faces come closer.

There is the Taliban in the driver’s seat. There is a, once lurking, now resurging ISIS returning to stake a claim in the spoils and record its name in the pantheon of heroes that weathered a long, brutal storm.

Twenty years after September 11, 2001, what was it all about?

Saturday September 11, 2021

Closure of Roman Catholic Churches for September Dear Editor, The decision was made to close all Roman Catholic Churches (‘the church’) in Guyana for September. I disagree with it; do not like it, but have to support it, because I understand what drives it. This is how my mind and standards work: there is an appreciation for the pros and cons that went into what I know to be a hard decision.

But it was made, after what I consider a frank and fair review of risks versus benefits; both the potential upside and the now lived with harsh flaring downside.

My first inkling, not wholly unexpected, came from a well-respected source outside of the Roman Catholic faithful; and she is a faithful one, too, in her part of the ecclesiastical sphere. From inside the church, the fallout has been a blowup and blowout. It is a storm that has to be weathered. I have heard sharp questions and concerns about ‘courage’ and ‘faith’ in the face of the ‘dictatorial.’ There has been

the necessity to endure some sharp earfuls, which makes me feel that I had a major role in this decision. As much as I am against it, I still support the decision.

My fear is that people inside and outside of the church are asking, most critically, what has become of the church, that today it has no backbone to stand up and lead the way against what is being branded ‘draconian’ and ‘dictatorial’ and ‘totalitarian.’

The critical are wondering why the difference today versus yesterday. Once it was concerned, vibrant, and active, now it is passive and distant. As an aside, I had forewarned several months ago that I am alarmed at what I detect to be increasing signs of creeping totalitarianism.

Well, many have amplified this mandatory vaccination matter into that dark, dangerous corner. For, no matter how polished over, how skillfully rationalised, vaccination is now

mandatory; that is my interpretation. Naturally, this opens the floodgates of choice, personal rights, the highest priority for sacred personal safety, and at broader spans, human rights.

Editor, I am aware that I may be taking this into far territory, but one should hear some of what have come my way from sober and sound citizens. I have good regard for their words and postures.

What I am leaving unsaid, but where I must go, is that things distill and concretise where everything terminates in this society. That is, politics; and where there is politics, there is that other arsonist in waiting, which is race. I recall some words I shared right here sometime back: in some respects, our gruelling elections are not over, may never be. My position is that vaccination has proven the wisdom and prophetic nature of my words. It is now confirmed that anything and everything in this country inevitably snakes to politics and race. We are not simply

partitioned mentally and emotionally, which might indicate some chunks of sanity in the midst. Instead, we are irreparably fragmented into smithereens, without the faintest hope of assembling any specks and shards back together.

I would never have thought that something as essential as a vaccine could deteriorate (or spiral) into such a groundbreaking issue of life and death significance.

Meaning, the fearful existential.

It should be noted in all of this that I have refrained from resorting to anything that could be remotely associated with partisan political taint.

This is solely and primarily what a position and decision has generated and, as much I disagree with it and dislike it, I must support it.

And this is because I understand the wider sweep of the composite of clashing underlying considerations.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

I am available for the serving of any court documents - MP Annette Ferguson Dear Editor, On June 22, 2021, I read an online article carried by Newsroom, “$20M Lawsuit: AG sues Ferguson for slander over claims he distributed ID cards on E’Day.” At the time of preparing this missive for publication in your letter column, September 9, 2021, I have not received nor have been served any court documents from a Marshal or any other Officer from the Supreme Court of the Judicature.

I appeared on several media platforms; HGP Channel 67, News Talk Radio Guyana (NTRG), 103.1 FM and Capitol News, where the hosts or reporters, while interviewing me on issues of national importance,

requested updates on this matter. The appropriate responses were provided and publicly aired subsequently, “I have not been served any documents by the courts…”

Editor, exactly two weeks ago on August 25, 2021, I appeared on a programme, “BEYOND THE SURFACE,” hosted by Mr. Wendell Badrie of HGP Channel 67. I was asked to provide information and updates on this matter. Again, my responses remained similar, since nothing had changed.

Further Editor, I am a public official, currently serving as a Member of Parliament and my address is well known. May I remind you that Mr. Nandlall was

integrally involved in matters (Annette Ferguson vs Bharrat Jagdeo), currently engaging the High Courts. Therefore, he is well aware of my address, since documents in his possession have my address. Consequently, at all material times, I have made myself available to be served and ready to provide responses to the claims brought against me.

Additionally, there were several sittings of the National Assembly; after the publication of the article on June 22, 2021, where I attended on all occasions.

August 9, 2021, was the last sitting for the First Session of the National Assembly, prior to the Assembly going into recess

on August 10, 2021. The session started just before 11:30hrs. on August 9, 2021, and ended just before 05:00hrs. on the morning of August 10, 2021. I attended in person and participated in several debates during the period, in which Mr. Nandlall was present and actively participated in several debates, too.

The question one should and must be concerned about, “why has Mr. Nandlall failed to make the necessary arrangements for me to be served on the days of the National Assembly, where he is fully cognisant that my presence will be there?”

May I draw attention to Officers of the Courts, (Continued on page 6)

Govt. should encourage foreign investment for energy conservation and environmental protection Dear Editor, Upon reviewing the 14th 5-year plan of China, the Chinese have stated that the country will be encouraging more foreign direct investment in energy conservation and environmental protection.

These two areas should also be of importance to the Guyanese Government as we develop our economy during President Ali’s administration.

Establishing a strong technology sharing agreement with China would provide an opportunity for significant gains in these two

areas.

Our current level of development in energy conservation is admirable when considering the limited resources that we have been able to access over the last 50 years. Many First World economies are now beginning to embrace rainwater harvesting, which has been a standard practice in Guyana for decades. The impact on energy usage is significant and GWI should be appreciative of the contributions made by each Guyanese citizen that has

eased their burden by having such a system in place.

The use of inverters as a backup energy system has allowed Guyanese to not only find innovative solutions to power shortages, but has also allowed for a cultural shift towards making the most of a little. This “culture” of our country helps drive innovation and the development of Iwokrama has created a great mix of important values that brings forth fertile ground for Guyana to be a

developmental hub for energy conservation and environmental protection.

Our comrades from China have set their focus on strengthening these two important pillars of human existence and, as a partner in economic development, we should also work in solidarity with them to strengthen these two pillars within the Guiana Shield.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

Saturday September 11, 2021

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Kaieteur News

A cry from the lost and lonely, the left behind and suicidal Dear Editor, I’m a young adult with a story to tell. I’ve always had the worse at expressing my feelings. At a very young age, I learnt to suppress at a point where I hurt people by being silent, but I bet there is no point of keeping it in anymore. I grew up in a very poor family, where the older I got, life gets even tougher.

When I started nursery school, I didn’t even know the beginning of the alphabet, I went to school without any fancy shoe or bags. I wasn’t privileged with any money to go to school.

For eight years, I walked to and from school every day (Nursery and Primary).

I began to struggle with depression and nightmares at a very young age because I had a dysfunctional family. I was a victim of domestic violence. My childhood was filled with fear and pain, but I kept hanging on, praying and believing it would get better.

I hoped to grow up someday and become someone with a purpose, but reality kept coming back. I was born as a dark-skinned girl, which seem to be one of the biggest mockeries of today’s society.

I was mocked and laughed at several times as a child because I was black (they said).

I didn’t have any friends or anyone to talk to. I was called several nicknames and even some of the teachers looked down on me because I was firstly, dark-skinned and secondly, poor. I was strong and never broke down in front of anyone.

Every night I would cry myself to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be better. I went to school with one uniform and one shirt. I never knew what an iron was until I was a teen; I started to wash my own clothing at the age of five. I, however, worked hard with my studies and was the top student for the

various levels of education.

While everyone was happy with it, I was still struggling within my head, mainly because my situation didn’t change. I said maybe if I keep doing better people would start liking me, but it only lasted a while before people started looking down on me again.

Then came adolescence and I started high school. My parents were poor, but they tried their best to get me clothing and books to go to high school, which I’m very thankful for, since my other siblings never had the opportunity to finish high school. I had one uniform and one shirt again with one pair of socks and one shoes. Every day I would wash my clothing after school hoping it would dry the next morning, but it didn’t always dry completely. Hence, I wore wet and dirty clothing many times. I didn’t iron my clothing at times, and my parents never had the interest, either. At times, teachers would ask what happen to my clothing and I would lie and say it got mashed up in the bus because of too many persons sitting in one seat, the kids often laughed at me. My hair was always messy, since I never had any fancy hair product or oil to put in it, so people started judging me by my physical appearance.

School was a handful but being home was even worse with all the chores, parents nagging at you, hatred from siblings because I wasn’t their biological sister. It got to a point where suicide was my answer, but I remember my dreams and kept going. I kept fighting my depression and nightmares. I don’t remember if my mother hugged me, I don’t remember the time she ever said it would be okay, I never express to my parents because they never had the time, life was such a struggle words aren’t enough to explain.

I wrote nine subjects at CSEC and became the valedictorian of my school. I often heard I couldn’t do it, I was pulled down and discouraged more times than I was encouraged, but I worked hard enough to prove I can, as well as hoping the end results will change my life. I believed that my success at secondary would’ve made my life better, but it just got worse. I started looking for jobs since I couldn’t afford to go to any university, nor be supported.

It has been years since I graduated and I’m still jobless. I’ve applied to so many private and public places, but no one ever responded.

They say people often break through the struggles and become successful, so again I kept holding on, hoping to see the light through my darkness.

I’m often seen as a burden to my parents because I’m a girl child.

There are so many bitter parts of my life that I can’t even put into words. I’ve always had dreams of being independent, so I decided to reach out to the ones in higher authority because I couldn’t handle it anymore; Minister of Education, Minister of Agriculture, managers of various institutions, the MP of my region, the Chairman of my region and many others.

I’ve written endless applications and literally begged to have a job to support myself, and not being forced into marriage, and being subjected to domestic violence all over again, but I kept getting no as an answer or no response at all.

I felt dejected, hopeless; my depression took a hit for

the worst. When I heard the Government announced the GOAL initiative, I felt happy and got my hopes up again and I applied and waited to see if I’ll be one of the awardees. When the list was released, I eagerly searched for my name, but there again reality broke me into pieces; my name wasn’t on the list of awardees. I felt like a failure again. I wasn’t able to break through the darkness and decided to choose suicide, because I didn’t want to go through this suffering, but one person kept pushing me, kept saying it would be okay, kept saying the light would shine, keep holding on. I’m thankful for that individual, who always listened and understood me.

I’m still here today struggling with depression, without a job, with my dreams becoming just dreams every passing day. Sometimes it’s our expectation, which breaks us. Some of us choose to be patient and believe in the system, but day after day, week after week, month after month, the very system we believe and had so much faith in, keeps failing us. My heart yearns for other females out there, who like myself keep doing every possible thing they can; keep trusting and believing in the system; hoping that one day, they’ll be blessed with an opportunity to change their life. Life isn’t always fair, and like life, the system will only cater for a select few (those who have links, as we say), but don’t lose hope, maybe one day, things will change for the better.

If you’ve read this far, I

thank you for time and hope that my story inspires you to not give up. Below is a piece I wrote in one of my darker days.

“She the type of girl that will give you the whole world but her mental health makes her want to die sometimes.

She is the type of girl that forgets about herself. She always tries to smile even when she wants to cry. She is the type of girl that will never ask for help but she will always give advice if you’re talking suicide. She is the type of girl that wants to be someone else.

So, she covers all her scars now, she’s ready for the fight. She takes a lot of selfies, but she doesn’t know herself.

She’s very down to earth, but she wants to leave the world.

She feels like life is over because she’s always overwhelmed, and I just hope she gets help. People see her scars, but they don’t understand the battles, just like people see the stars, but they don’t know how far they travelled. From a kid, she was an adult, she had to learn to battle. She’s hiding in the shadows of the trauma she can’t handle.

Smiles on all her socials but cries behind her photos.

If only you could see the things that she doesn’t post, but look a-little closer you can see that she is broken.

Always posting like she’s coping, but inside she’s dying slowly.

Cause she hates the way she feels, over thinking makes her ill, now she’s drinking every weekend cause she’s trying to numb the feelings, but nothing seems to work,

nothing numbs the hurt because when she wakes up in the morning every day, she’s still her. She’s got a heart of gold, but she suffers in her soul.

Self-esteem is broken but she fights it on the low, she’s always on her own or she’s always on the phone but she just doesn’t say hello.

She can’t do this by herself, she’s not rude, she’s just not well, she’s just afraid to get help. There isn’t anyone she can tell, not even the girls, so she keeps it to herself, and she smile to the world. She’s tired of all her flaws and insecurities that haunt her. Trying to deal with trauma in her head, she’s got some walls up.

Family doesn’t support her, but support their other daughters. She’s alone inside her mind and she just doesn’t feel important. Depression in her mind, poison in her blood, anxiety in her heart and she’s screaming to be loved.

She ain’t got no selfesteem and what you see is just a front. She’s always on the run but she doesn’t know what from, but help it hurts!”

Traumatised and left behind

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Kaieteur News

Saturday September 11, 2021

The smallest population consistently produced a pantheon All stakeholders should of the greatest cricketers, first-rate performers, all be involved in the Dear Editor, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.

There could be no argument that the West Indies Cricket team has historically been selected from the smallest population of any test cricketing country in the world. The individual greatness of players goes back to the days before there was a category described as ‘professional.’ There certainly was no commercial promotion, so that there was the consistent white uniform that, except for the colour of the headgear and ‘blazer’ (coat), did not identify the national nor, indeed, international team.

Fast forward to an age when the ‘customer,’ not necessarily required to sit in ‘pavilions’ or ‘stands,’ is confused – misinterpreting ‘SANDALS’ for ‘Holder’ - by outfits colourfully trademarked from neck to shoes, while the statutory ‘headgear’ of batsmen seems to have anticipated the COVID-19 eruption. However, the bareheaded bowler is barely recognisable, along with the rest of fielding team, except for the man/woman behind the painted stumps. Actual performance is however colourless and indeed painful. In our time of national and international success, matches lasted from three days at the local level up to five days at test level. So that there was clear need for concentration from batsmen against bowlers, who had the stamina to focus on bowling up to 40 overs in one

innings of a test match.

In Guyana, such concentration began in our school days – not only at Queen’s, St. Stanislaus and Berbice High, but also in private secondary schools’ competition. To our national side there emerged from ‘Stans’ Brian Patoir, Steve Comacho, the Wight brothers (Leslie and Peter), Charlie Stayers; from ‘Queen’s Bruce Pairaudeau, Arnold Gibbons, Leroy Jackman, Aubrey Bishop, Cecil Pilgrim, and later Roger Harper. The other Caribbean countries replicated similar educated cricket productivity – Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica – each in turn producing West Indies Test Match captains.

However productive were then club, national and West Indies players, there was the accepted culture of ‘concentration’ - from beginning to end. Of course, one very supportive motivation, in those days, was that the team/s played for country and region, regardless of financial remuneration. So that no one is forced to ruminate on what individually and together drove the consistently high achievement of Clive Lloyd’s and Viv Richards’ teams’ imperious performances over the extended years of success.

Two factors would have been ambition and selfconfidence. These could only have been fruitful as the batsmen and bowlers, in turn, concentrated on vindicating their skills and competencies – in numerous centuries –

Worrell, Weekes, Walcott, Sobers, Rowe.

Fast forward again, no one can claim that Twenty Twenty initially, (abbreviated to T20), inspires the critical habit of concentration – except perhaps in playing injudicious strokes, albeit to innocuous ‘dot balls’. One wonders how the Lloyds, Holdings, Richards, Ambrose and others of that generation feel about their history being debased by persistently overpaid underperformers, who refuse to reflect on, and copy their examples.

How do current spectators feel about having to endure the insistently disappointing results? What pride do fans (and organisers) now take in the fact that even for the lowest representative level – T20 – they have to import ‘talent’ not only from one another’s country, but ‘mediocrities’ from other continents?

From an aging distance, one recalls when commentators/calypsonians poeticised and sang about Ramadhin, Valentine, Sobers, Hall, Griffith; and later Lara.

Now, one cannot help but wonder what results sponsors obtain from identifying with West Indies cricket’s persistent underperformers.

It all seems that an argument can be made for a very fundamental reconstruction of West Indies Cricket. It is time to foreclose on the perpetual embarrassment to the: § Management of Cricket West Indies

§ National Team Officials § West Indian Cricket Commentators § Former West Indian Captains § West Indies Cricket Historians § National Coaches § West Indies Coaches § Sponsors § Recent West Indies Captains (of all levels) Together, they must organise a most comprehensive caucus: to agree first of all on how they can arrange groupings to formulate components of a development strategy for cricket nationally and internationally - for the future of our societies’ highly motivational sport – beginning once more in the schools. The exercise should involve the establishment of performance standards, and the formulation of a complementary disciplinary code.

The objective must be to make citizens proud again about West Indies Cricket, tired as they are of the daily (ir) rationalisations of demotivating defeats. To those Guyanese who do not recall, heed this plea on behalf of Kanhai, Butcher, Solomon, Kallicharran, Fredericks, Gibbs, Lloyd, Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Christiani, Madray, and Trim, amongst others.

When next can we look forward to regular centurions and their double and triple batting partners? Asks this school cricketer!

E. B. John

review of Electoral Reform amendments

Dear Editor, While we wait to be included in the widespread consultation on the muchneeded Electoral Reform, we are told by the Attorney General that “amendments are still under review by the executive of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic.” How does this revelation give satisfaction to non-PPP/C supporters that their fears and expectation of our Electoral system will be genuinely considered?

Would it be wrong for people to think that the PPP/C executive is hijacking the reform process? Would it not

be better, if from the start, all stakeholders including members of the PPP/C executive, share the job of coming up with suggestions which would then be reviewed before an amendment bill is drafted?

Our experience with elections over the many decades makes it vital that we are all given meaningful say in the reform of the system.

Opportunities to share our opinions at the start of the process seem to be the best way to go. Our input should not be an afterthought.

Yours faithfully Muhammad Alli

Govt. and Opposition must unite against Venezuelan threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity Dear Editor, I have enclosed a photograph of an event some years back in Main Street, Georgetown. A collaborative effort between the Guyana United Artists and a member of Civil Society, Dennis Atwell, on Venezuela’s aggression and claim to our Essequibo.

It was a three-day activity to which the media houses paid no attention. In contrast, had that event taken place in Central Caracas by a group of artists, it would have hit the front page of every newspaper and hundreds of Venezuelan Nationalists would have turned up. The event was undertaken with the little financial resources we had put together, as we got no support from the Government

or the Private Sector.

The Venezuelan Government and Opposition unite as a real threat to our sovereignty and territorial integrity. What will be the common ground upon which the PPP/C Government and the OppositionAPNU+AFC unite in defense of our Sovereignty? Will the PPP/C rescind its tyrannical COVID-19 measures, which have made unpopular the nature of its rule, so as to ease the racial and political tension that is spreading like wildfire throughout this country?

Yours sincerely, Desmond Alli (General Secretary Guyana United Artists GUA) (Please use photo saved as not a blade)

Time for Gayle to go, give youngsters a chance Dear Editor, I do not support the inclusion of Gayle in the West Indies T-20 squad and am in full agreement with Philo Wallace’s take and stance on this matter. Gayle will always be revered in the cricketing world, none more so than our

own. But he had his time, and it is over. Time to move on from him. Young blood is waiting to be discovered and the chance to prove themselves. They deserve that chance.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

...I am available for the From page 4 including Chief Justice, Hon. Roxanne George-Wiltshire, CCH, and other Judges of the High Court that I have not been served any documents from the Court, and trust that there is no

surreptitious motive to indicate that I cannot be located, or I have avoided services.

Yours in service, Ms. Annette Ferguson Member of Parliament – APNU+AFC

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Saturday September 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

Exxon now wants more land, 5 acres on the West Dem to be exact, so as to expand.

What remains clear is that Exxon does not care in any way or form about Guyana, other than what we have to offer – our oil resources.

This company is never satisfied; it is always craving more and more of our precious wealth and has our leaders bowing to its will.

When will our leaders wake up and fight for what Guyana deserves? Or is it that our leaders believe we deserve what Exxon brings to the table?

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Kaieteur News

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Saturday September 11, 2021

Liza II FPSO is most environmentally friendly production ship globally T

he Liza Unity F l o a t i n g Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel has set sail for the Stabroek Block in Guyana's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and according to the ship builders, the vessel is the most 'environmentally friendly' of such vessels currently in operation worldwide.

SBM Offshore, the Dutch floater specialists that had been contracted to supply the vessel for production from the Liza II oil field, in announcing that

the vessel is en route to Guyana, disclosed that the FPSO has also been awarded the SUSTAIN-1 notation by ABS, the Classification Society.

According to SMB Offshore, “this means that the design and construction of the unit is assessed against and adheres to the requirements of the ABS Guide for Sustainability Notations, aligned with the applicable UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Liza Unity is the world's first FPSO to achieve such recognition for sustainability for its design,

documentation and operational procedures.

It was noted that examples of features recognised by the SUSTAIN-1 class notation include, energy efficiency management, mitigation of ozone depleting substances and management of hazardous materials throughout the life cycle of the vessel.

The Liza Unity FPSO started its voyage to Guyana on September 3, 2021, having departed from the Keppel shipyard in Singapore.

The FPSO is expected to

arrive in Guyana in November.

Once the FPSO arrives at the Liza field, the vessel will be hooked up to the seabed, which will then be followed by installation of umbilicals and risers, allowing the next phase of operations to start.

SBM's Managing Director of Floating Production Solutions, Olivier Icyk, following the departure noted, “…we are pleased to see that the Liza Unity FPSO is ready for the next phase and we look forward to cooperating closely with our client ExxonMobil to ensure that the start-up is a success.”

According to Icyk, “we are also very proud to see Liza Unity obtaining the SUSTAIN-1 class notation, the world's first FPSO to do so.”

He was adamant, “at SBM Offshore we work closely with our clients and our supply chain towards the goal of reducing emissions from our products.”

This, he said, “is an important step in our journey to deliver safe, sustainable and affordable energy from the oceans.”

The vessel is expected to commence production from the Liza II oil field by early next year with a capacity to produce approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day. With the Liza Unity producing, it would bring total production from the Stabroek Block next year to some 340,000 barrels of oil daily by the ExxonMobil-led consortium.

The Liza Phase II breakeven is estimated at US$25 per barrel, while the

first FPSO—the Liza Destiny—produces at about US$35 per barrel.

The Liza Unity FPSO is also designed to have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day.

The FPSO will be spread moored in water depth of about 1,600 meters and will be able to store around 2 million barrels of crude oil.

There are total of 19 topsides modules.

The vessel also represents SBM Offshore's first Fast4Ward® design, benefitting from standardisation of the project`s execution plan and using a fully completed and commissioned MPF hull, which sets the benchmark for future FPSO projects.

AG argues High Court cannot grant interim injunctions against implementation of Govt's COVID-19 vaccine mandate

A

ttorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, S.C. on Wednesday argued that the law prevents the High Court from granting interim injunctions against the implementation of government's COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

The AG was at the time making oral submissions in the case filed by the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU), Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) against the recently gazetted mandatory vaccine required for public servant workers.

The “no vaccine, no entry” requirement has resulted in unvaccinated workers, who fail to provide a weekly negative PCR test, being denied entry into their place of work.

The unions are therefore asking the High Court to declare that the COVID-19 health emergency guideline that was originally implemented by former President, David Granger, and the Presidential declaration of current President, Irfaan Ali, to be deemed ultra vires and in breach of constitutional rights of the workers.

The Unions claimed that

Granger exceeded his authority when he issued the first COVID-19 emergency measure back in March 2020 under the public health ordinance and that Ali did the same thing when he enhanced the order by issued guidelines for mandatory vaccination.

The Unions are contending that the President, along with his Minister of Health, did not contact/consult with the Central Board of Health for a d v i c e a n d recommendations as is required by the Constitution.

As such, the Unions submitted that the Presidential declaration a m o u n t s t o a n unconstitutional delegation of the President's powers and infringes on the Constitution. They have therefore called for the measures to be quashed. In the interim, they are asking the court to grant injunctions preventing the State from implementing the vaccination requirements and ordering the government to stand the cost for regular COVID-19 testing for all public servants.

However, the AG argued that the reliefs being sought in the application cannot be granted against the State.

As it relates to the laws and facts of the case, Nandlall said that the court ought not to grant the interim declaration being sought by the applicants against the March 16, 2020, directions of the president's implementation of the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.

He cited Section 16 (6) of the State Liability and Proceedings Act. Among other things, the AG said that according to Section 16 of the said act “the court shall not in any civil proceedings grant any injunction or make any order against an officer of the State if the effect of granting the injunction or making the order would be to give any relief against the State which would not have been obtained in proceedings against the State.”

However, in response, the unions' attorney Dane Elliott-Hamilton rejected the AG's arguments and said that the court has the power to grant injunctions against the State.

Nandlall was given time to file written submissions with the court and the applicants' attorney was given time to reply. The case was adjourned until September 17.

Saturday September 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

The financial gurus are outsourcing Guyana's development strategies

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uyana's financial gurus are so accustomed to farming out its economic development strategies that it has requested assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to help it decide how to spend the oil revenues.

Guyana has approached the IDB for a loan, which translates to about G$400M to fund the four components of a project aimed at developing and implementing a mediumterm development strategy.

The strategy will focus on the identification of growth poles, encouraging business development and identifying large-scale infrastructural projects, which could be established in partnership with the private sector.

It is appalling that Guyana has to go to an international financial institution to produce a medium-term development strategy to decide how the oil revenues are going to be spent. The present project proposal leaves little doubt who will be the prime beneficiaries; it will be the private investors, which rewards of such investment in large-scale infrastructural projects.

The trend of outsourcing Guyana's national development strategies is surprising considering the

Dem

boys seh...

“

Good day and we are coming live to you. This is a live stream direct from the Essequibo Coast where the President is on the ground … doing what I am not sure as yet.

But he is here with his Ministers and they are here with their senior officials who are here with their technical staff.

It seems as if the entire government is here so do not blame the teachers strike if things seem a little slow elsewhere in the country. It is hectic here on the Essequibo Coast.”

“I am seeing a lot of Ministers around and they

foresight of our financial gurus. We have financial gurus who can determine that a gas-to-shore energy project is feasible and will reduce energy costs by 50 percent without a feasibility study specific to this project.

Yet, these same financial wizards have to farm it out to the international organisations?

The PPP/C was elected to office in 1992 and was encouraged by the Carter Center to develop a National Development Strategy (NDS). This strategy benefitted from the inputs of hundreds of Guyanese experts. It was the closest Guyana ever came to an indigenous development strategy.

However, by the time it was finished, Desmond Hoyte, still smarting from his election defeat and suffering from the mental aftershocks of losing power, criticised it because the Carter Center was involved.

A compromise was brokered in which Dr. Kenneth King was asked to prepare a revised version. By the time he was finished with it, it had outlived its usefulness. He made a mess of the exercise.

The original strategy, however, could have still be redeemed, except that the international financial institutions which were providing support for

Guyana's development, wanted to implant a neoliberal and so the NDS was abandoned.

The international financial institutions came up with their own focus; it was called Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) and in essence was about mitigating the effects of neo-liberal economic policies on the poor. The PPP/C utilised the expertise of an international expert in developing this.

However, the PPP/C ignored its own strategy. But no one could identify the link between the PRSP and the PPP/C's Budget policies. For all intents and purposes, the PRSP was not taken seriously even by its architects within the PPP/C. There has been no attempt since the production of the PRSP to measure the reduction in poverty in Guyana. And when the United Nations decided on Millennium Development Goals, there was constant r h e t o r i c a b o u t mainstreaming these goals in national development.

Then at the turn of the first decade of the 21 st century, the PPP/C launched into another adventure, called the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). But there was mismatch between the projects in that strategy and

De Govt. gone outreach and de rest of de country out ah reach! will be fanning out across this Region to listen to your complaints and to solve them.

So let us try to talk to some of these Ministers and find out where they will be going and what they will be doing. Here I have one Minister. Good Morning Minister! Where will you be today and what can the people expect?”

“Well, this is a Cabinet outreach and we are here to listen directly to the problems of the people. We are also here to let them know what the government will be doing in 2022.”

“Not cutting you,

Minister, but where will you be going today and what can the people expect?”

“Well, I myself don't know where I am going. In fact, I am not sure where I am at present. I don't know what the people should expect but I expect to be hearing a lot of problems over the next two days.”

“So where is lunch today?”

“Now even that I don't know but there are lots of restaurants around.”

"Thank you Minister. I hope you find your bearings!"

Talk half and enjoy de reaching out.

the planned low carbon economy.

The APNU+AFC came in and Granger came up with the idea of a Green State. It was a simple and sound concept. But the mistake, which his government made, was to invite the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to write the Green State Development Strategy. The resulting document destroyed the concept of a green state and was so voluminous that it became unwieldy and unworkable.

The PPP/C returned to power in 2020 and said that it was resurrecting the LCDS. It said it would revise the LCDS to include environmental services, water resources management, climate

resilience, biodiversity, and the Blue economy.

Now, the PPP/C is back to its well-honed ways of making up things as its goes along. Instead of the revised LCDS, we are learning about a medium term strategy for spending the oil revenues, including on major infrastructural projects.

The PPP/C clearly does not need any help in identifying such projects. It did not need any help to decide to locate the gas-toshore project at Wales and for the major road works, which it is undertaking. Even without any engineering studies, it is planning to spend billions on four major drainage canals. It is back to its ways of plucking projects out of thin air.

It has now handed the

task to the IDB. Of the four components of the proposed support, which the IDB is examining, two will require having to hire economic experts.

Component 2 requires the hiring of a strategic advisor on economic development.

Component 3 will see the hiring of an advisor on public-private partnerships.

Indeed, the prime motivation for this loan application appears to be to create highpaying consultancies for consultants whom the PPP/C will favour. We call its highpaying jobs for the boys and gals.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Saturday September 11, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

“Justice: The struggle for Democracy in Guyana” by Father Andrew Morrison T

here is only one book on the long reign of President Burnham. It is titled, “To Survive Sensibly or to Court Heroic Death: Management of Guyana's Political Economy, 1965 - 85 by Tyrone Ferguson.”

Ferguson's book is good but its title can be misleading if you are interested in a profound analysis of the political degeneracy of the p e r i o d i n w h i c h M r.

Burnham literally stamped his rule on the face of the nation. Ferguson does not dissect the hegemony of the PNC government and the ruthlessness that accompanied the totalitarian impositions.

The only book to date

that young Guyanese can read to understand the period of Forbes Burnham's control of Guyana is the superb writing of Jesuit priest, Father Andrew Morrison, the then editor of the Catholic Standard, the official paper of the Catholic Church in Guyana.

The book came out in June 1998 and my dedication to myself was to highlight the contents of the book each time its publication date came around. I never got around to doing it since 1998. I knew I wanted to do it last June but the date came and went.

Father Morrison's excellent publication is extremely relevant given the five-month election fiasco

this country endured. Since over half of Guyana's population is under 25 then the long dictatorship associated with the rule of Burnham is not something they would be familiar with.

I thought that after the election drama ended, it would have been a superb idea to have reprints of the book. Any Guyanese that haven't the faintest clue of what a government in Guyana looks like that cannot be removed has to read Father Morrison's creation. It remains compulsory reading for those who fought for free and fair elections from March to July in 2020.

I had the enormous privilege of being edited by

Father Morrison as a columnist for the Catholic Standard for six years. In those years I did journalistic work for the newspaper. It was a gift to have known this humane human. He taught me some of the priceless values of journalism, the memories of this journey I will always cherish.

His magnum opus is 415 pages divided into four parts, each having their own chapters. Part 2 and 3 relate to the tenure of Burnham.

Together they are made up of 21 chapters, though not very long ones. These are priceless writings for which this country should forever be grateful.

M a y b e s o m e d a y, a researcher will capture the period 1968 to 1985, the year Burnham died with sound analysis. But until that time comes, Father Morrison's book remains the material to be used on how unelected governments can destroy the heart of a nation.

I don't know if given the circumstances we witnessed during the attempt to rig the national election last year, some person or group will decide to have reprints of the book. But it should definitely be done. If you are living in Guyana and you saw what happened in March last year,

Frederick Kissoon when you read Father Morrison's book, then you would see the great escape this country made.

One lesson that must be internalised about unelected governments is that they have no hesitation in the repressive direction they go because they cannot be voted out.

Do you know how different our history would have been if President Burnham knew he would have lost the next general election for denying a job to one of the most learned minds Guyana produced – Walter Rodney - and thus back off?

Most persons who lived through the seventies I believe often wonder what politics would have been liked if Rodney was made a professor at UG. Would he have still become the

nemesis of Burnham with the tempestuous confrontations between the two men that almost drowned Guyana? What if as a professor at UG, Rodney was in receipt of huge sums of money from foundations around the world to write books and thus would not have been so emotionally intertwined with the politics of bringing down Burnham?

Rodney was not allowed to work at UG because the government of the day that did that to him did not have to face the electorate in forthcoming elections. It rigged it and stayed in power.

The lowest point in unelected government in Guyana was in 1975 when at the PNC congress at its head o ff i c e i n S o p h i a , t h e congress declared the doctrine of paramountcy of the party, meaning that the PNC had more state authority than any state institution.

I hope you get a copy of Father Morrison's book though that may be difficult but this is essential reading to get a glimpse of how an unelected government can destroy a country.

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

Saturday September 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Minister Mustapha tells conference…

Saturday September 11, 2021

Strengthening of sectoral linkages, use of climate technology can reposition Caribbean agriculture A

griculture Minister, Z u l f i k a r Mustapha, recently stated that for agriculture to be effectively repositioned in the Caribbean, a number of actions must be taken.

The Minister was at the time addressing the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2021, which was hosted by

the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) earlier this week. The two-day conference saw Ministers of Agriculture from across the region meeting to discuss matters relating to improving agriculture relations across the Caribbean.

While presenting on behalf of the Caribbean

region, Minister Mustapha said several actions must be taken to reposition agriculture in the Americas.

He said this must include strengthening linkages between the agri-food, tourism and health sectors; establishing public-private partnerships in local food production and processing; implementing climate-smart technologies; and

transitioning towa rds digital agriculture.

He said therefore that financing for mitigation and adaptation to climate change is more critical today than ever before and is necessary to protect and transform Caribbean food systems.

Minister Mustapha also said that support from international institutions such as the Food and

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), international financial institutions, and bilateral partners will be critical to ensuring a more resilient agricultural sector and that an immediate priority for the Caribbean is the creation of a vulnerability fund.

So far, Member States have identified poultry, niche vegetables, corn, soya bean, rice, coconut, and meats from cows, sheep, and goats as priority commodities for the advancement of the agrifood systems.

Minister Mustapha told the participating officials that, so far, IICA has been providing support for the bio-fortification of rice project, which is on the cusp of releasing a new variety.

This, he noted, will be the first such initiative for the Region.

Guyana is now playing the lead role in agriculture in the CARICOM. His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, earlier this year presented a strategy to the CARICOM Heads of Government outlining ways to advance the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Agenda in order to transform the agriculture sector in CARICOM. Since then, Minister Mustapha, who serves as chairman of the Ministerial Taskforce set up to advance the agenda, has been meeting with other serving Ministers of Agriculture in the region to discuss the necessary steps to advance the agri-

food system.

The subject Minister also told the conference that the inputs and contribution of CARICOM Member States to the global voice for sustainable and resilient food systems is important.

“Given the prominence of these integrated food system challenges for the Region and the longstanding commitment to the transformation of its food systems, it is important for the voices of CARICOM Member States to be added to the global position for sustainable and resilient food systems.

As is well known, the Caribbean region is amongst the most vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change impacts and has been identified as the second most hazard-prone Region in the world,” expressed Mustapha.

He added, “Just recently, economies and food systems were impacted by the eruption of volcanoes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, affecting Barbados and other neighbouring Islands; Hurricane Elsa left wind and flood damages in Barbados and other islands in the eastern Caribbean; Haiti with the recent earthquake and Guyana and Suriname experienced unprecedented flooding that resulted in tremendous loss of crops and livestock...”

It should be noted that Mr. Manuel Otero was also re-elected to serve as the Director General for IICA for the 2022-2026 period.

Other participating nations included Haiti, the Dominican Republic, G u a t e m a l a , P a r a g u a y, Mexico, United States of America, and Ecuador.

Saturday September 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Saturday September 11, 2021

Govt. piloting several initiatives to significantly reduce suicide cases T

he Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Thursday evening noted the significance of this year's World Suicide Prevention Day theme, which states, “Creating Hope through Action,” while adding that “We stand with Guyana and the rest of the world in recognising the importance of tangible intervention to save lives.”

Worldwide, the Ministry noted that one in every 100 deaths caused by suicide happens every 40 seconds.

For every death, the Ministry pointed out that there are 25 attempts.

In the release, the Ministry further stated that recent studies show the COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on mental health wellness among adolescents and adults.

Most worrisome in Guyana it said, is the fact that there have been 147 suicides for 2020, with 120 being men. Nineteen of those were persons in the age range of 519 years while 109 were between 20 and 60 years.

Regions Three, Four and Six accounted for the largest numbers of those deaths, the

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, and others during a pre-COVID-19 suicide vigil Ministry of Human Services stated.

H o w e v e r, w h a t i s perhaps most startling is the fact that during the first half of 2021, 30 children attempted suicide with 25 being females. The Ministry said, “Reports revealed that approximately 30 percent of children aged 15-19 years could not share their problems with anyone. This

alarming trend signals the need for adults to recognise the pre-emptive signs, identify the triggers and offer critical support through listening in a nonjudgmental or understanding way.

This, the Ministry noted, helps to create a support network while at the same time being proactive in getting young persons

professional help if necessary while developing a trustworthy relationship that invites confidence.”

It added, “Suicidal thoughts are often the result of difficulties coping with mental health. Persons may turn to alcohol, isolate themselves from others, and demonstrate irritability. The effects of being persistently alone and worried may have

forced some into drug use, self-harm, disturbing thoughts, withdrawal and depression.”

Moreover, the Ministry noted that the call to action to stimulate hope is a pertinent reminder to everyone that suicide is preventable.

What is required is collectivity in awareness, accurate information dissemination and the

concern for each other to not dismiss any person when they express suicidal intent or exhibit signs of depression or other mental health issues, the Ministry stated.

“Anyone who attempted suicide will tell you the stigma surrounding mental health and illness is demoralising, crippling and (continued on page 14)

NAREI distributes 59,000 seedlings to Region Five farmers

C

onsumers can expect an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables on the local market by September month-end, thanks to the National

Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) that recently distributed seedlings to farmers in Region Five.

This will most likely result in the reduction of the

Some of the seedlings, which were distributed to the farmers

high prices currently being charged for these fresh commodities, says Mr. Jagnarine Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension

Institute (NAREI).

The floods of 2021, inundated hundreds of farms in all Administrative Regions. Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmlands were affected.

Fortunately, some farms being used for other crops production were not affected, and for others the floodwaters drained off quickly and farmers were able to plant crops. The limited supply of fruits and vegetables on the market resulted in the high prices.

Extension Officers of

NAREI had conducted assessments of affected farms across the country.

Floodwaters have receded and with direction from the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, NAREI has commenced distributing about $20M in planting materials and about $5M in small implements to affected farmers.

“Distributing planting materials, especially seedlings, to farmers is a jumpstart in the cultivation p r o c e s s . We r e c e n t l y distributed about 59,000

seedlings (sweet peppers, celery, and tomatoes) to farmers operating in several communities namely Naarstighed, Bath Settlement, Seafield, Belladrum and Mahaicony, Region Five. Shortly, we will distribute seedlings to farmers of Mahaica and surrounding communities,” Mr. Singh stated.

Farmers operating in other Regions will also receive seedlings, seeds, and fertilizer in addition to the financial flood relief assistance.

Saturday September 11, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday September 11, 2021

“Pastor” remanded for murder

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Appliance/equipment repairs and service to Bakery, Restaurant,Hospital equipment, Remote gate, Backwash & filtration system.

Call:694-9733.

FOR SALE Sale! One Yacht merchandiser 140 single engine, works with gasoline. Price $3,000,000.Contact:676-6288.

Jet & Marack men needed to work on Land Dredge in Interior. Tel: 639-2219.

WANTED Delivery, Lorry license driver. Tel:621-9356.

Able body porters needed.Apply@Why Pay More Trading,7 Public RD Houston E.B.D with application.

Cleaner needed for Central Georgetown area. Please call 600-7433.

One female accounts clerk,knowledge in POS system would be an asset.For more info.Contact:227-3580.

NB:Proof of vaccination card or a negative PCR test will be required before entering premises.

Live in general domestic $30,000 weekly experienced waitress 19-25yrs from around Ogle $20,000 wkly.

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2 truck driver for interior, must have knowledge about Foden Trucks $200,000 monthly.Call:642-2359.

FOR RENT Apartment for rent.Peters Hall & Albertown.Tel:6481391/698-5800.

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workshop.

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Tel:#692-5525/ 660-0483 One bedroom apartment for working couple/single person,$35,000 monthly,light & water.Call:623-0076.

Self contain rooms to rent in Prashad Nagar.Tel#227-2993.

WANTED Live in couple,husband driving car/Van Licence & wife sales. Apply 23 Saffon St.Call:227-1813.

Installation, Repairs and parts for AC,Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc.Call Nick#656-0110.

Appliance repairs/service for Refrigerator,Washing Machine, Stove, Treadmill, Dryer, Pressure pump, Oven, Deep Fryer.Call:694-9733.

A man popularly known in Linden, Region 10, as “Pastor” was yesterday remanded for the execution style killing of Delroy Mackenzie on July 17, last.

The defendant, Samorea Mitchell, 26 of Lot 1376 Phase 1B, Wisroc, Linden, appeared via ZOOM before Principal Magistrate, Sherdel IsaacsMarcus, at the Georgetown Magistrates Courts.

He was charged with the murder of Delroy Mackenzie, which took place at Sunflower Street, Wismar, Linden.

Mitchell was not required to plead to the indictable charge and is expected to return on October 8, 2021.

His defence attorney, Dexter Todd, has since claimed that his client is innocent. Todd noted, however, that Mitchell knows who Mackenzie’s killers are

One male able bodied clerk.Call:693-8462/231-2029.

Laboureres to work at Ice House, $3500 per day.

Tel:223-7165.

Domestic,Operator,MechanicDoosan.Tel:223-5273/74.

Salon assistant,female age 24-40, no experience required however would be a plus 500-6008 between Wed-Sat 9AM-4PM. Experience salesperson needed at Courtney's Boutiques. Stall B Bourda Market. Tel:227-3407.

VACANCY One salesman,5 subject cxc.

Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

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Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age 25-50, Car/ Van licence. Call 642-9823.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank.Call:615-9132.

Domestic Housekeeper. Job located in Georgetown. Attractive salary. Call:609-2995.

AM/PM Shift cashiers.

Math & Eng required. Send apllication to 173 Sheriff St, Campbellville,Georgetown.

Poultry/Livestock Farmers.

Live in accomodations, contact 609-2995. Send application to 173 Sheriff St, Campbellville, Georgetown.

Cook/Baker,Pitmen & Porter for interior location. Applicants must be experienced.

Call: 231-2250.

Labourer carpenter & mason.Contact:602-9469/ 657-5800/666-2887.

Vacancy for night helper (Cleaner). Call:637-6700.

Vacancy for 1 professional and experience hairdresser located on East Bank Demerara Grove Market Street. Call:652-5800.

Remanded for Mackenzie’s murder, Samorea Mitchell, popularly known in Linden as “Pastor” but has refused to give investigators their identities.

According to reports, Mackenzie was gunned down sometime after 21:00hrs. on Saturday July 17. He had travelled to Linden that day along with his friend Calvin Daly to meet a woman.

Daly had told the cops that the woman had directed Mackenzie in a cellphone

Murdered Delroy Mackenzie conversation to Sunflower Street. When they arrived there, she notified Mackenzie that she is sending a silver grey wagon to pick them up.

A car matching the description did show up and as Mackenzie and Daly approached the car, a gunman emerged from the back seat opened fire on them.

Mckenzie was riddled with nine bullets while Daly escaped alive with two gunshot wounds to one of his arms.

Cops during their investigation had located a burnt out car similar to the one used in the murder but had told Kaieteur News that they had no clue who the female caller who directed Mackenzie to Sunflower Street was.

In early August, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) issued a wanted bulletin for Mitchell identifying him as their prime suspect. A month later, September 3, 2021, he was arrested.

Miner who travelled from interior to sign for baby, robbed and killed Two days after a 36-yearold father travelled from the interior to sign for his newborn baby, that opportunity was taken away from him as he was robbed and killed the night before he had planned on going to sign for his only child.

The miner, Nelson Thomas called “Nelo,” was killed sometime around 21:30hrs. on Thursday night at Kaneville, East Bank Demerara. He was reportedly killed during a robbery after he left his Fourth Field, Kaneville home where he resided with his wife, his newborn son and his mother.

The man had left his home to visit his uncle who lives at Second Street, Kaneville.

A resident told investigators that around 21:30hrs. he was aroused by the voice of someone calling for him and upon checking, he saw Thomas lying motionless on the eastern side of his yard under a shed attached to his house with what appeared to be blood about his body.

The resident then called the police and the matter was reported to the Grove Police Station. The police reported that Thomas was allegedly robbed and killed by unknown suspect(s).

During an interview with this publication, Thomas’

Dead, Nelson Thomas relatives related that the deceased’s wife had given birth to her baby boy sometime last week. As such, they stated that Thomas who spends most of his time in Cuyuni, Region Seven, travelled out so that he could sign for his son. However, that opportunity was taken away from Thomas by robber(s) who reportedly killed him in the process of taking his cell phone and a gold chain.

“He left home to go by his uncle because his uncle had promised him something, he only came out this week and today [yesterday] he had planned to go sign for his one and only child,” Thomas’ aunt said. She further stated that after he left home, his wife had called him to inquire when

he would return. It was at this point Thomas reportedly told his wife that he is 15 minutes away and that he will be home soon. They noted that minutes later they got the news that Thomas was found dead with a knife wound to his chest.

When they went to the scene, they saw Thomas lying on his back in a pool of blood with his eyes and mouth open. The miner’s body was then escorted to Diamond Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was then taken to Memorial Gardens Funeral Parlour for a post mortem examination.

This publication understands that no suspect has yet been apprehended, but the investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Moreover, residents of Kaneville complained to this publication about the horrifying crime rate in the area. As such, they are pleading with the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to look into the situation. “It has been months since they promised us to have a police outpost in the area and we are still waiting,” a resident stated.

Another resident said, “Imagine living in fear every day of your life, you can’t walk this road alone or you will probably get rob. I don’t even want my children on the road because of what can happen in here with these criminals.”

Saturday September 11, 2021

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Saturday September 11, 2021

Father of two gets bail on 10 Guyanese men, women are latest COVID-19 fatalities robbery with violence charge The Ministry of Health, yesterday reported that 10 more persons who contracted the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, have died. Because of this, the country’s COVID-19 death toll has moved to 669.

According to the Ministry the latest fatalities are that of seven women: a 67year-old from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supernaam); a 64year-old from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); a 56-year-old, a 66year-old, an 85-year-old, a 79year-old and a 60-year-old all from Region Four; (DemeraraMahaica) and that of three men, a 50-year-old, an 82-yearold and a 58-year-old all from Region Four.

The Health Ministry reported too that all 10 persons died over a four-day period (September 7 to 10) while receiving care at a medical facility.

Further, via its daily COVID-19 dashboard the Ministry recorded 218 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 25,519.

Presently there are 30 patients who are admitted into the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 143 persons

in institutional isolation, 2,624 in home isolation and 17 in institutional quarantine. To

date, a total of 24,053 persons who tested positive for virus have recovered.

A twenty-eight-year-old security officer who was arrested for stabbing and robbing his drinking buddy last month, was released on $120,000 bail after he was charged for the offence yesterday.

Making his first court appearance was Seon Issacs, a father of two, of Lot 21 ‘C’ Field, Sophia. He was arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly.

Issacs pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that on August 23 at Guyhoc, Georgetown, he robbed Tavel Brown of two cellphones valued $60,000 and $700,000 in cash and at the time of or immediately after, used personal violence towards Brown.

The court was told that the accused and Brown are known to each other and on the day in question, Brown had in his possession the cash and was consuming alcohol with Issacs and several others. There, Issacs reportedly became highly intoxicated and an argument erupted between him and Brown. Issacs then armed himself with a knife and while

Charged, Seon Issacs Brown was trying to walk away, Issacs launched his attack and dealt him a single stab to his abdomen before relieving him of his phones and money.

After listening to the

facts, Magistrate Daly granted Issacs bail on the ground that he report to the East Ruimveldt Police Station every Monday. The matter was then adjourned to November 5, for next hearing.

Saturday September 11, 2021

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Newly installed Law Reform Commission urged to be proactive in amending outdated legislation

T

h e n e w l y installed Law R e f o r m Commission (LRC) is being urged to be proactive rather than reactive in tackling amendments to the outdated pieces of legislation.

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, held his first meeting with the sevenmember commission, which officially commenced its work on Wednesday and made the said statement among others.

Following the meeting at Attorney General (AG) and the Commission's Middle Minister of Legal Affairs, Street, Georgetown office, Anil Nandlall, SC the AG told reporters that while we have had law reform in Guyana being revision exercise when we reactive, “we will try to get consolidated the laws in t h i s L a w R e f o r m 2012 … We want to now Commission to be proactive, revise the laws from 2012 to so that we have legislation in 2021.

That means we have to anticipation of issues, and not as a reaction to when incorporate into the laws, all something happens, [then] the amendments that we you go and pass the law to would have passed since 2012 in the National correct it.”

Nandlall told the media Assembly and also all the however that at present, the new laws that we would have Commission's first duty is to p a s s e d a n d p u t i n t o correct all errors and consolidated volumes, that amendments made to the will be the updated laws of laws between the period of Guyana,” Nandlall said of the impending efforts to 2012 to 2021.

To do this, the Law conduct a thorough law Reform Commission will revision exercise.

The discussions were work in tandem with the Law Revision Commission; a unit held at the National Sports Commission building in which is headed by the AG. “Firstly, [they will have] Middle Street, in which the to correct all of the errors and operations of the LRC will omissions that we would be housed, focused on the have made during the last agenda and work of the

committee going forward.

According to the Minister of Legal Affairs, the Law Reform Commission has a long and arduous task a h e a d . “ We a r e s t i l l grappling with the mammoth nature of the agenda that the Commission has to execute,” he said.

According to Nandlall, it is only after the law revision is done that process of holistically reviewing the Laws of Guyana with a view of reforming them, especially those that are archaic can commence.

The AG noted that the work would require the seven-member Commission conducting public consultations on “thorny issues” such as decriminalising suicide, the removal of the death penalty and decriminalisation of marijuana.

“So the Law Reform Commission will be dealing with thorny issues and make recommendations to the Government… It is the Law Reform Commission that must go out now and have the consultations, trash out the thorny issues and then come back with reports and recommendations based upon their consultations which will be taken into account by the Government of the day,” AG Nandlall stated.

The body will be working closely with the Regional Director of the IMPACT Justice Project,

Professor Velma Newton, from Barbados.

The Commission was sworn in last month by President Irfaan Ali, who charged them to modernise the Laws of Guyana to reflect societal and economic changes taking

place in the country. The current Law Reform Commission, which is the first of its kind in Guyana, will be in effect for three years.

The Commission, which is being chaired by Retired Justice of Appeal, B.S. Roy,

and includes the other Commissioners, such as attorney Teni Housty, Clarissa Riehl, Deenawati Panday, Brian O'Toole, Emily Dodson and Roopnarine Satram, is required to meet four times monthly.

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Saturday September 11, 2021

Alleged Ponzi schemer on bail for faking COVID-19 test results Y

uri GarciaDominguez, a Cuban National, who gained citizenship in June 2020 and is accused of running a Ponzi scheme in Guyana, was yesterday placed on $200,000 bail for allegedly faking his COVID19 test results.

Garcia-Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael, both officials of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc. (ACF), have been in the spotlight for quite some time now in relation to allegedly using their company to lure thousands of Guyanese to invest their money by promising them a 40 percent profit on their investment – this led to them being slapped with over 100 fraud charges.

Thirty-five-year-old Garcia- Dominguez, yesterday appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown

Magistrates' Courts to answer to a charge which alleges that on Tuesday July 27, 2021, at Georgetown, he conspired with his wife and other persons to commit a felony where they attempted to pervert the course of justice, in that they forged one COVID-19 test results to show that he had tested positive for the virus, while knowing same to be false.

The defendant denied the charge and he was placed on bail. He is expected to make his next court appearance on October 5, 2021.

Last month, the defendant's wife, Ateeka appeared before a City Magistrate and was charged for allegedly falsifying a positive COVID-19 test result. She had made her appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly.

Ateeka was slapped with

the same charge as her husband. Ishmael denied the charge, which alleges that on July 27, 2021, she conspired with her husband and others to forge a COVID-19 test result to show that she was positive. She was placed on $200,000 bail and yesterday made her second court appearance.

Kaieteur News had reported that the couple was slated to appear in the Sparendaam Magistrate's Court to answer 60 additional fraud charges.

However, when the matter was called, the couple's l a w y e r, D e x t e r To d d , presented to the Magistrate two medical certificates, on their behalf, purporting that they both tested positive for COVID-19.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) however, was not buying any of it and suspected that the medical certificates were fake. An

Yuri at court yesterday

No Registration Commissioner, no ID cards - GECOM

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he Guyana Elections Commissions (GECOM) announced this week that it has temporarily suspended the production of national Identification (ID) cards due to there being no Commissioner of National Registration.

This was outlined in a public notice.

The national ID card is used as a proof of identity, and citizenship in the conduct of business transactions, if such proof is required.

According to GECOM, the suspension of production of ID cards will remain in force until a new National Registration Commissioner is appointed and a signature is obtained for use on the cards.

In the interim, the elections commission apologised for the inconvenience caused, and requested the patience and understanding of the public as it works to resolve the issue in the shortest possible time.

investigation was then launched to determine the authenticity of the documents. In a subsequent release on the matter, the police stated that, “The investigation has confirmed that the medical documents tendered were falsified.”

Ishmael was first charged and her husband was subsequently charged for the same offence.

Moreover, earlier this However, government appointed GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, told Kaieteur News yesterday that the vacancy has not even been advertised as yet because the Commission needs to go over the requirements and determine the terms of hiring a person to fill the position.

week the couple was slapped with 38 charges of conspiracy to defraud, when they appeared in court. The matter was called in the Sparendaam Magistrate's Court before Magistrate, Rochelle Liverpool.

The couple denied the charges after they were read to them and Magistrate Liverpool placed them on self-bail. The matter was adjourned to October 26,

2021.

According to reports, the couple is accused of bilking thousands of Guyanese out of millions of dollars and is currently before three different courts facing 100 plus fraud charges and two charges under the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act. They were released on $30M bail after spending over a month in prison on remand.

The charges were brought against the couple by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and represented the first time that SOCU had instituted charges under the AML/CFT Act. The AML/CFT Act, Chapter 10:11, prohibits businesses from operating as financial institutions without the necessary registration for regulation and supervision by the Regulatory Authorities, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and Guyana Securities Council.

Moreover, in June 2021, two agents/marketers for Garcia-Dominguez were slapped with money laundering charges. Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud of Lot 242 Track 'A' Coldigen, East Coast Demerara, were slapped with two charges under the A n t i - M o n e y Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act. They too were charged

by SOCU. The duo was not required to plead to the charges that were read to them and were placed on $200,000 bail each.

Govt. piloting several initiatives...

From page 13 pushes them further into an abyss of hopelessness.

Unless we can stop treating it as a taboo subject and peel away the layers of societal insensitivity and treat attempts for what they are, a cry for help, we will continue to see the relentless surge of self-harm,” the release added.

In 2016, subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, piloted a motion in Parliament to decriminalise suicide in Guyana. Unfortunately, this was not supported. She believes that this is an important step that must be taken, which will tangibly recognise the need to treat and support persons who

grapple with myriad mental health issues that may lead them towards suicide.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has rolled out a series of programmes that target the core of vulnerable communities to equip them with the necessary tools to face the world and play a valuable part in society.

Recently, the Ministry u n v e i l e d i t s Wo m e n Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) to empower women and girls and provides hope for a promising future, through meaningful careers and financial independence.

Furthermore, the

Ministry is rolling out its skills training programme for persons living with disabilities to provide them with the practical skills that will afford them the opportunity of finding employment or becoming entrepreneurs.

The toll-free 914 hotline is available for persons to call and report acts of domestic and sexual violence. Here, they can speak to trained social workers or survivors advocates who will assist them.

Additionally, through the Child Care and Protection Agency, the Ministry also offers support to children who may be having a hard time coping.

Saturday September 11, 2021

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Saturday September 11, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Williams and Kazmirek win 2021 World Athletics Challenge - Combined Events

Kai Kazmirek

WorldAthletics - USA’s Kendell Williams and Germany’s Kai Kazmirek topped the end-of-season standings in the 2021 World Athletics Challenge – Combined Events. Williams, who finished third in the 2019 edition of the series, won the overall title for the first time, tallying 19,574 points.

Kazmirek, winner of this series back in 2016, landed his second title with a score of 24,500.

Rewarding season-long consistency at the highest level, the scoring system takes each athlete’s three best marks from the series and combines the points into an overall score. Prize money is awarded to the top eight finishers at the end of the challenge.

The athlete with the highest score wins US$30,000 and a wildcard entry to the

Kendell Williams World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

Williams, 26, started her season with her first ever podium finish at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in Götzis, scoring 6383. She followed it with a lifetime best of 6683 to take second place at the US Olympic Trials in

Eugene. She went on to place fifth at the Olympic Games with 6508 – her highest ever score at a major championships.

Williams has now secured a wildcard entry for next year’s World Championships on home soil, so won’t have to compete for a place on the

...Messi overtakes Pele as leading Saturday September 11, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The fast-paced frenzy of the day is just what you need to jump-start your brain and get it moving in the right direction. Take control of the fire within and keep it strong all day.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) While you're on a crusade for peace and diplomacy, Taurus, you may find that other people seem to be on a crusade for war. Do your best under the prevailing trends.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) There's action to be taken, so make sure you get up early to make a fresh start. You may be on stage today in more ways than one.

CANCER(June21–July22) Be yourself and you can do no wrong. This is one of those days when you barely need to make any effort to go a long distance. You'll find power at your disposal and confidence in yourself.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) There may be a bit of restlessness due to strong forces urging you to take action, Leo. A dynamic feeling is in the air and calling on you to get up and get moving.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Charge ahead and use your emotions to fuel your fire, Virgo. You have plenty of mental acumen today that can help break through any puzzle.

New beginnings are underway in many areas of your life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Be a bit selfish today, Libra.

You have every right to look out for number one. Sensitivity to other people's emotions and issues is noble, but it may leave you emotionally drained.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your mind is going to be sharp today, and you should be certain of all your words. Take pride in who you are and what you believe.

This self-confidence will radiate from you.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Much of your focus is internal, but today it would behoove you to turn some of that energy outward. Take this opportunity to make a leap of faith in the right direction.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) There's no need to walk around with a frown on a day like this. You have a special spark in your eye and spring in your step that you should make great use of today.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You might feel a bit rough around the edges today.

There's a bite to the day that could leave you feeling upset and unnerved.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your thoughts are emotionally charged, Pisces, but you'll find that this can be used to your advantage.

You have a great deal of knowledge at your disposal.

From page 22 arrived,” Messi wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of the team with the trophy after the match. I don’t have words to thank you for all the love I’ve received. What a beautiful night, I enjoyed it so much - unforgettable.”

Messi’s 29-year-old Paris St Germain team-mate Neymar has scored 69 goals in 113 appearances for Brazil. Argentina are second to Brazil in the South American World Cup qualifying table after winning five and drawing three games.

Marta holds the record for most goal scored by a South American player, having notched 109 for Brazil’s women’s team.

team at the US Trials. Spain’s rising combined events star Maria Vicente finished second in the standings, following her national record of 6304 to win at the Multistars meeting in Lana, along with her 6274 score in Arone and 6117 performance at the Olympics.

Germany’s Vanessa Grimm and Ratingen winner Georgia Ellenwood of Canada were close behind Vicente in the standings with just 60 points separating the trio. Benin’s Odile Ahouanwanou, runnerup in Ratingen with a national record of 6274, was fifth.

Kazmirek’s top score of the season came in his first decathlon of 2021 when he tallied 8190 to place seventh in Götzis. He came close to matching that when winning in Ratingen with 8184, a performance which effectively sealed his place on Germany’s Olympic team. He went on to place 14th at the

Olympic Games in Tokyo with a score of 8126.

As he is one of two German athletes with a wildcard, along with world champion Niklas Kaul, it will be down to the German Athletics Federation to decide which wildcard entry to accept for the 2022 World Championships.

Adam Sebastian Helcelet of the Czech Republic achieved runner-up finishes in Lana (8025) and Arona (8058) before placing 16th at the Olympic Games in Tokyo with 8004, giving him second place overall in the challenge standings.

Norway’s Martin Roe beat Helcelet in Lana to take victory with 8055, then placed fourth in Arona (8016) and 19th in Tokyo, finishing third overall in the standings.

Sweden’s Fredrik Samuelsson and Estonia’s Taavi Tsernjavski took fourth and fifth respectively.

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NSC host three-day Cricket Coaching Camp for youths in Wakenaam

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he National S p o r t s Commission (NSC) recently held a threeday Cricket Coaching Camp for Under-17 youths in Wakenaam, Essequibo. The camp which was held at the G Square Cavaliers Ground, Belle Plaine, commenced on September 1 and concluded on September 3.

T h e s e s s i o n s commenced at 09:00hrs and lasted until 15:00hrs daily under strict covid-19 guidelines. The objectives of the programme were to empower youths with the basic skills of cricket through fun and learning.

To identify, improve and develop youths both mentally and physically for future tournaments and to encourage collaboration, team spirit, leadership and togetherness within schools, clubs and communities.

Twenty-two (22) youths participated in the camp and were exposed to practical and theoretical sessions in batting, bowling, fielding, wicket-keeping, umpiring signals, fielding positions and ways of dismissal, among other areas of the game.

The sessions, which were conducted by Coach Latchman Yadram with

assistance from Coach Nandkishore Andrews, concluded with a limited overs match. In the final session, Coach Yadram explained the importance of discipline while Coach Andrews spoke about the value of education and urged the youths to refrain from the use of illicit drugs and alcohol.

Yadram said group work was also done to encourage the youths to work together.

Captain of the G Square Cavaliers U19 team Mohandass Surujpaul thanked the National Sports Commission and both Coaches for the venture.

Saturday September 11, 2021

Rising Stars go down by 9 wickets as England maintain lead West Indies Rising Stars U19s went down to England Under-19 as the home dominated and won easily as the tour moved from the County Ground, Beckenham to the Polo Ground in Canterbury for the second half of this six-match series.

West Indies got first use of the new surface and were bowled out for 135 off 40.5 overs yesterday.

The home side easily erased the target as they sped to 136-1 off 17.5 overs to take a 3-1 lead with two matches to be played.

In the West Indies

innings wicket-keeper Rivaldo Clarke top scored with 37 off 42 balls with seven boundaries. He fell with the score at 58-5 in the 17th over after a solid partnership of 39 with Vicecaptain Giovonte Depeiza, who made 32 off 52 balls with two fours.

Later in the innings, allrounder Sion Hackett was watchful and patient in his debut innings. He scored 28 off 72 balls with two fours before he was the last man out. England’s bowling attack was again led by new ball bowler Sonny Baker,

who took 3-37 off his 10 overs while seamer Thomas Aspinwall ended with 3-28.

England eventually cruised to their target in 17 overs and their chase was built around half-centuries by openers Jacob Bethell (67) and Greg Thomas (59).

The two teams will return to the same venue on Tuesday for the fifth match of the series where the West Indies will be aiming to pull a victory back and increase their chances of drawing the series. First ball is 10:30am ( 5 : 3 0 E a s t e r n Caribbean/4:30am Jamaica).

Kaieteur News

Saturday September 11, 2021

PAGE 25

Jaskaran Malhotra hits six sixes in an over, becomes USA’s first ODI centurion

E

SPNcricinfo Having spent close to two years out of the national team after being dropped following USA’s first ODI series on home soil in September 2019, Jaskaran Malhotra marked his return to the national team with a bang in Muscat striking USA’s first century in ODI cricket and finished the historic day with a cherry on top in the form of six sixes in the 50th over to finish with an unbeaten 173 off 124 balls in the second ODI at Al Amerat.

Papua New Guinea medium pacer Gaudi Toka began the fateful over bowling over the wicket aiming for wide yorkers.

However, he misfired on his

Jaskaran Malhotra plays a lofted drive straight down the ground for six © Peter Della Penna

length each time as Malhotra smashed him over long-on, extra cover and long-off.

Switching the angle to come around the wicket for the fourth ball, Malhotra took a guard a foot outside off stump, then heaved another full delivery over wide long-on. Toka returned over for ball No. 5 and was driven back down the ground over long-off.

A waist high full toss on the final ball was clubbed high over square leg to put Malhotra in the record books alongside Herschelle Gibbs in ODI cricket as well as Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard in T20Is as the only men to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket.

E n t e r i n g t h e d a y, Malhotra’s List A average for

USA was just 19.70 in 25 innings, with a best of 80 against Guyana during his debut tour for USA at the CWI Super50 tournament in Antigua in February 2018.

His performances on that tour, where he finished as USA’s leading scorer, earned him selection in the 2018 CPL Draft by St Lucia Stars (now known as the Kings), but he never made it into the XI and was not retained for the 2019 season. Malhotra more than doubled his List A career-best on Thursday afternoon, though with a bit of good fortune along the way.

Malhotra benefitted from some uncharacteristically poor fielding from Papua New Guinea after entering the middle in the 10th over

with USA struggling at 29 for 3 having lost the toss and been sent in to bat.

Among the other records Malhotra set on the day, he surpassed AB de Villiers for the highest ODI score by a player entering at No. 5.

He also helped set a mark for USA’s highest 10th wicket partnership in ODI cricket alongside Saurabh Netravalkar, who contributed one run in their unbroken 55-run stand which spanned 17 balls.

Papua New Guinea were eventually bowled out for 137 as USA won by 134 runs to sweep the two-match ODI series. USA begin the first of four ODIs as part of a Cricket World Cup League Two ODI tri-series against Nepal and Oman on September 13.

Italian Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas beats Lewis Hamilton for F1 Gambia breaking down barriers ‘sprint’ race front row for girls to play football “My life is my life. I know what is good and what is bad and football has been good.” Gambian teenager Sira Bah had a job convincing her parents that football could offer a path as viable as anything she could learn in the classroom.

But FIFA’s partnership with adidas to aid the GFF Women’s Football League Development programme had a big part in helping her make a compelling argument at home and in school.

“People kept asking me, why can’t you follow your education? So I told them no, education doesn’t mean it is all about in the class. Extra curricular activities are important too for your education. I tried to convince my parents and it is my life.

“They told me I had to stop it but I told them, no, I cannot stop. It is my hobby and I cannot stop now. I started to join an organised team. My Mum told me to stop playing football again but my step-mum is a coach.

My Mum still told me to give it up but I convinced her.

“I am now Head Girl. I am very proud of myself. I would like to thank FIFA because you have been so innovative and have visualised so I thank you for your care and attention.”

There has been a clear strategy implemented in Gambia in order to facilitate regular participation in structured U-17 leagues to help grow the game at grassroots level while also helping communities where the social-cultural issues can be significant.

Adidas will offer practical assistance through the donation of equipment that will sustain 14 teams.

There will also be financial help in place with a $50,000 contribution in the opening year of the FIFA/GFF Girls Football League. Expert support will also be provided.

The opening league kicked off this year with 14 teams involved but the ambition is to continue to build on that. By 2022 the aim is to increase that to 20 teams, a number that will rise

to 28 the following season.

The anticipation is that higher number of players will create opportunities for 50 coaches to continue the development of grassroots football.

This will create a pathway towards the national team with all 7 regions contributing to the development of women’s football with higher numbers of players, coaches, administrators and referees who will all be absorbed into the national team structure.

FIFA Women’s Football Expert, Thuba Sibanda has been enthused at the extensive development that has gone to offer clear opportunities for girls to access a football pathway.

“The work being done in Gambia and the incredible stories of Gambian girls and women who fight every day to play the sport that they love, is a strong reminder of why football matters. A strong reminder of why it is important to make football accessible to all and inspire girls to chase their dreams.

Cars were piled up in the pit lane during qualifying

BBCsport - Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas beat team-mate Lewis Hamilton to qualify fastest for today’s Italian Grand Prix ‘sprint’ race. The Finn beat Hamilton by 0.096 seconds, with Hamilton’s title rival Max Verstappen third, 0.411secs behind.

The usual second Friday (yesterday) practice was replaced by an hour-long qualifying session to decide the grid for Saturday’s ‘sprint’ race qualifying. Hamilton trails Red Bull’s Verstappen by three points in the title race.

Bottas, however, will take an engine

change this weekend and as a result start the main race tomorrow from the back of the grid, regardless of where he finishes today. His lap comes days after it was announced he will be replaced at Mercedes next season by Briton George Russell. Bottas will drive for Alfa Romeo in 2022.

Bottas shouted over team radio after he crossed the line: “Oh yes - boom! Thanks.”

He later added: “It feels so good when you get a nice lap. I had a bit of a tow. I feel good and relaxed now everything is sorted for the future.”

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Saturday September 11, 2021

Tallawahs keep hopes Leylah alive with win over Kings Fernandez CPL - The Jamaica Tallawahs made it two wins in two as they defeated the Saint Lucia Kings by 55 runs at Warner Park, St Kitts on Thursday night last. This win means the Tallawahs move into a qualifying spot for the knockout games next week but all six teams still have a mathematical chance to reach the latter stages.

The Kings remain in third place in the table with all teams having two more group match left to play. The Tallawahs got off to a lightning start thanks to another brutal innings from Kennar Lewis who smashed 56 from just 24 balls.

Lewis was well supported by Shamarh Brooks as the Tallawahs reached 78/1 off their PowerPlay overs. While wickets fell throughout the Tallawahs innings they managed to maintain a fast scoring rate throughout with contributions from the middle order.

It was Imad Wasim who pushed the Tallawahs past 200 with a 10-ball innings worth 27 runs including three consecutive sixes off the 20th over. The Kings chase started just as quickly with Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal both making quick fire scores as they

beats Aryna Sabalenka to reach New York final

Jamaica Tallawahs Kennar Lewis on the go.

reached 79/1 off their first six overs.

Roston Chase and Deyal put on 66 runs in just 32 balls but both fell in the space of two balls to Carlos Brathwaite to bring the Tallawahs back into the match. Those two wickets gave the Tallawahs a lot more control as they squeezed the Kings in the middle overs with Brathwaite keeping things very tight.

The Tallawahs took two wickets in two balls twice

Emma Raducanu.

(Getty Images)

more as the Kings chase petered out and the Ta l l a w a h s e m e r g e d victorious.

Jamaica Tallawahs 211 all out (Lewis 56, Brooks 34; Royal 3/37, Royal 3/53) beat Saint Lucia Kings 156 all out (Deyal 33, Chase 30; Imad 3/34, Brathwaite 2/13) by 55 runs. Matches on today - Saint Lucia Kings V Barbados Royals, Warner Park, 10:00 am and Jamaica Ta l l a w a h s V G u y a n a Amazon Warriors, Warner Park, 02:30 pm.

Argentina belatedly celebrated July’s Copa America win with 20,000 home fans after beating Bolivia

BBCsport - Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez shocked another highranked opponent in second seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the US Open final where she will face 18-yearold Briton Emma Raducanu.

Unseeded Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, won 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 to edge a tense semi against the Belarusian. Fernandez, ranked 73rd, had already beaten defending champion Naomi Osaka and fifth seed Elina Svitolina. Raducanu awaits after she beat Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari l a t e r. A f t e r R a d u c a n u continued her own dream run in New York, the pair set up the eighth Grand Slam final in the Open Era between teenagers. It is the first since the 1999 US Open when S e r e n a Wi l l i a m s b e a t Martina Hingis.

Fernandez clinched her place in today’s final after showing all of her nerve and

skill once again to beat 23year-old Sabalenka. On a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium, Fernandez fell to the baseline in shocked celebration before giving a heart sign with her fingers as she lapped up the acclaim of the pro-Canadian crowd.

“My mental toughness has come from years and years of hard work and blood. On-court and offcourt sacrifices,” Fernandez said. I just I really wanted to be in the final. I fought for every point.”

Fernandez showed great resilience having fallen a break down early in the first set and having seen Sabalenka instantly wipe out a break in the final set.

Meanwhile, British teenager Emma Raducanu reached the US Open final as her meteoric rise continued with a stunning straight-set win over Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari in New York.

Raducanu, 18, extended

Leylah Fernandez her dream run with a 6-1 6-4 victory in which her dominance again almost defied belief.

She is the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final and will play another teenager Leylah Fernandez today.

Raducanu is the first British woman in a major singles final in 44 years.

Watched on by Virginia Wade - the last woman to achieve that feat at Wimbledon in 1977 Raducanu produced another fearless and ruthless victory that stunned those watching on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After confidently swatting away a volley on her first match point, Raducanu immediately dropped her racquet on the court and covered her mouth with both hands. Quickly she broke out into a beaming smile before lapping up the acclaim of a rapturous crowd on the world’s biggest tennis court.

National Youth & Junior C/Ships to return this month

Messi overtakes Pele as leading South American men’s goalscorer BBCsport - Lionel Messi has overtaken Pele as the leading South American m e n ’s g o a l s c o r e r i n international matches with a hat-trick in Argentina’s World Cup qualifier win against Bolivia. Scoring all the goals in the 3-0 win in Buenos Aires brought Messi’s total for Argentina to 79 in 153 games. Brazil legend Pele finished his

career on 77 international goals in 92 games.

Messi’s 14th-minute goal from outside the box put him level with Pele and he broke the record in the second half. The 34-year-old dribbled past a defender for his second goal before completing a hat-trick from a rebound two minutes before full-time.

After the match,

Argentina captain Messi and his team-mates celebrated with the Copa America trophy in front of 20,000 fans at the Monumental Stadium.

He led the side to that title, his first major trophy in international football, in July, beating Brazil in the final.

“I dreamed about this day a lot and thanks to God it (Continued on page 19)

By Calvin Chapman The head of Athletics Guyana (AG), Aubrey Hutson, has revealed to Kaieteur Sport that Guyana’s flagship Under23 Championships is set to return this month for the first time since the last championship held on May 5-6, 2019, at the National Track & Field Center (NTFC) Leonora.

T h i s y e a r ’ s championships is scheduled to be held at the same venue located on the West Coast of Demerara with the up and coming stars relishing this opportunity to compete after missing out on last season’s edition of the track meet due to the rampaging Covid-19 disease.

Hutson, who was re-

elected President of AG (formerly Athletics Association of Guyana), explained that the National Youth & Junior Meet will be contested on the weekend of September 18th and 19th.

The South America Under-23 Track and Field Championships which was scheduled to be hosted in Guyana, but was given up by the local body to Ecuador is scheduled for next month and the National Youth & Junior Meet will be the final push for those youngsters desirous of a making a final shout to be included on Team Guyana to that championship.

Currently, Stefan Roach of Mercury Fast Laners

Track Club is the only athlete to qualify for the S . A . U n d e r - 2 3 Championships after winning the male’s triple jump with a distance of 15.47m last weekend when AG held their trials for the competition behind closed doors at the NTFC. However, Huston has revealed that if no other athlete makes the qualifying standard, the AG will consider lowering marks so that Guyana can be represented by a decent amount of athletes.

Ultimately, the South America Under-23 Championship will be the qualifying event for the first ever Panam Youth Games, scheduled for Cali, Colombia, this November.

Kaieteur News

Saturday September 11, 2021

PAGE 27

2021 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Qualifiers draw rescheduled for September 17 GFF to conduct Trials in Florida, Sept. 24-26 M

iami, FL Concacaf has announced that the 2021 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Qualifiers draw will now take place on September 17 at 11:00 am ET. The draw was initially planned for yesterday, September 10 but has been rescheduled to a new date following a change in the number of teams participating in the tournament.

The 2021 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Qualifiers will now include the participation of 19 Concacaf Member Associations (all ranked 17 and below based on the current Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Ranking).

The confirmed teams are (in alphabetical order): Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, Nicaragua,

Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten and US Virgin Islands.

The new pots for the draw are as follows (based on the participating teams ranking and listed in ranking order per pot): Pot 1: Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Curacao and Nicaragua. Pot 2: Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Guyana. Pot 3: Dominica, Cayman Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize. Pot 4: Barbados, Saint Martin, US Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten. Pot 5: Anguilla, Montserrat and British Virgin Islands.

Teams will be placed into Groups A, B, C and D according to the order in which they are drawn, with no more than one team of each pot per group. At the conclusion of the draw, Group A, B and C will be composed of five teams each and Group D of four teams.

GFF Men’s National Team U20 Head Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover (3rd right) addressing players in the presence of fellow Technical members including GFF Technical Director, Ian Greenwood, right.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from November 514.

The four group winners will advance to the 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship, joining the top 16 ranked teams. Further details regarding the championship stage will be published in due course.

The victorious Assassins team strike a pose with the trophy.

Assassins win CSCA knock-out tournament Former Berbice Inter-County and Guyana youth player Riaz Kadir produced an excellent all-around performance to lead Assassins to championship honours in the one-day Canadian Softball Cricket Association (CSCA) limited-over knock-out tournament.

On Saturday in Mississauga, Kadir grabbed two wickets for eight runs from one over to help restrict Titans for 52-6 from their 5 overs and returned with the bat to hit an unbeaten 36 as Assassins reached 59-2 with six balls remaining.

He received support from opener and another Canada-based Guyanese, Avish Rukhram who made 19. Cassius Waithe took 2 for 12 from his one-over. Kadir, the Berbician, also got good assistance from the experienced Rajesh Willie who claimed 2 for 12. In the preliminary round, ex-Guyana player Naresh Roopnarine scored 101 when the action was 10-overs. According to President of CSCA, Rishi Mohan, the day was very successful with the participation of seven teams. Part of the funds raised will be donated to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Football Federation has already commenced its quest to arrive at the best possible team by conducting trials in a number of areas, locally.

Successful sessoions were held on the weekend of August 30, 2021 at the GFF National Training Centre where over 90 players from eight Regional Member Associations competed for

places in the provisional squad.

The GFF will embark on the North American Diaspora talent ID segment as the body seeks to add to the provisional squad.

The Technical Department will conduct the Florida trails from September 24 -26, next in Miramar. In its open letter of invite, the GFF has advised

that all attendees must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCT test on arrival. To register interest or to request further details, persons can contact: techdept@guyanafootball.o rg.

Leading the Florida initiative would be Men’s National Team Under-20 H e a d C o a c h , Wa y n e ‘Wiggy’ Dover.

Malteenoes mourns the loss of its member Godfrey Edghill The Thomas Road based Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) which has been in existence for the last 119 years, was plunged into shock at the news of the death of one of its members Godfrey Edghill who died last week in the USA. Edghill was the father of the Club’s only Olympian; Table Tennis player Chelsea Edghill who represented Guyana at the last Olympics in Tokyo. The 62-year-old Edghill would have assisted Malteenoes on many fundraising projects and helped in the management of the club’s finances.

The club’s President Deborah Mc Nichol, who only this year became the first female President of a First Division Cricket Club in the Caribbean, said, Mr. Edghill’s untimely death has left a big impact at a club known for producing National and International Cricketers before Chelsea became the only Table Tennis player from the Caribbean at the Olympics.

The late Godfrey Edghill is flanked by his wife (left) and daughter.

“Godfrey and his wife were true friends of Malteenoes even before their daughter gained global prominence and his loss will be felt by Malteenoes, the Edghill family and many others whose life he has

touched in various ways over the years” informed Mc Nichol.

On behalf of the Malteenoes Sports Club I extend profound condolences to Chelsea, her two siblings and her mom.