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2 inmates dead; Sunday Edition NEWS Ministers pelted in Lusignan disturbance AIETEUR
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September 20, 2020
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com
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- 120 test positive for COVID-19 lief p. re h is tf a C 8
Enter bilateral agreements with extreme caution - Guyana should avoid pitfalls and pain suffered by T&T - Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul
Patterson raps Govt, Exxon on environmental damage p. 14
- says Guyana's health, safety and environmental well-being is worth any cost US$150M and counting... Crashed plane with cocaine, body...
Additional US$6.5M Pilot, passenger needed to complete charged for CJIA - Minister Edghill Illegal entry p. 64
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The most pertinent issue that the single Guyanese journalist saw fit to ask of US Secretary of State was about his say on Chinese aircraft swirling in Taiwan. To insult Guyanese further, this Guyanese journalist asked a softball question about EU observers in Venezuela. It is inexplicable and unexplainable that, given our own problems in getting a better deal for our resources, these were the questions asked. What relevance does Taiwan and Venezuela hold for Guyanese struggling to lift themselves out of poverty? How do Taiwan and Venezuela help us find out about the ownership of the lucrative Canje and Kaieteur oil blocks? Who gave them away and to whom? When we should be focused on the foreign scavengers exploiting our wealth, we lose focus and inquire about Taiwan and Venezuela. That was the trend throughout Mr. Pompeo's visit, when our leaders in government and opposition resorted to cowardly silence on these concerns. The government and opposition are on the same page when it comes to foreign investment. They refuse to secure a better deal for us or to reveal who were handed the Kaieteur and Canje blocks. Unless we get a better deal for our resources, our grandchildren will end up doing what we and our grandparents did: beating clothes with wooden beaters and mud water by the waterside. Our leaders are getting rich, while the masses get sick and tired of waiting on promises which never materialise. Mr. Pompeo goes home with a huge smile after getting what he came for, promising to let Guyana re-export catfish to America, so we can eke out a living. Instead of asking for help to obtain better deals for our resources, Guyanese leaders are content with catfish relief.
APNU+AFC broke record for Over 100 HIV test samples most constitutional breaches from babies left in lab for in Caribbean - AG Nandlall over a year - Minister Anthony p. 63
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New owner of AGM ditches local contractors, applies to bring in Five now hundreds of Chinese workers - sources in custody Gruesome murder of Berbice cousins...
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Who really owns the Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks, do the leaders of this land care to tell the nation?
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
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US $150M and counting...
Additional US$6.5M needed to complete CJIA - Minister Edghill T
he bill for the U S $ 1 5 0 M expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is one that continues to climb, as Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, recently disclosed that an additional US $6.5M is needed to complete the almost 10year-old project. Though the contract for these additional works has not yet been awarded, Minister Edghill highlighted during his second budget presentation that the works are “needed” since the current state of the $150M airport is heavily deficient and dysfunctional. Edghill related to National Assembly on Friday that the initial contract was reduced from 9,000 square meters to 4,046. Even with the reduction in the scope of works, the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company, still could not meet the deadline for the handing over of the airport—in fact, on several occasions. With this, he further explained: “This facility would have been able to land A380Airbuses and would have had eight boarding bridges as well as new arrival and departure terminals. After five years of thumbtwiddling by the APNU+AFC outfit, we have had the occasion to read the riot act to the contractors to complete the substantially reduced-scoped project, and to make provision in this year's budget to finance
The renovated terminal building that Guyana got as part of the US$150M-plus project at CJIA. It was supposed to be new. (Mike Charles' Facebook photo)
several critical interventions necessary to make the airport functional.” Notably, contention continues to grow over the cost of the airport, after in January of this year, recent invitations for bids advertised in the daily newspapers had indicated that the airport needed a new fence for its public car park and an access control security hut. These intended projects, which stand outside of the US$150M contract, are not alone. There are also plans for a new parking lot valued at $122M, a cargo facility, a commercial centre, an office area and a parking lot, all advertised last year. It has been argued, however, that the projects should never have been left out in the first place, as contractors have told Kaieteur News that the amount and quality of work
being done to renovate the terminal building since it began could have been done for US$5M – 30 times less than the US$150M (and counting), that taxpayers are expected to foot. T h e P u b l i c Wo r k s Minister emphasized that the airport, which was expected to be enough to transform the port into a regional transit hub, needs to be fixed to an advanced standard. The government maintains, however that the completion of the airport by China Harbour is the first priority. “That is one thing,” Edghill said, “but even if complete everything on that contract we still have to go ahead and do these additional works.” These new works, measured to be in 4,954 square meters, is estimated to cost $1,298,578, 239B, while
the supervision and the consultancy for the design of the new project will cost $69M. According to the Minister, the contracts were awarded for the design and supervision and it went to three consultancy firms—C&B Associates, E&A Consultants. BACKGROUND This contract was signed in 2011 under then President Bharrat Jagdeo, and then passed through the truncated presidency of Donald Ramotar. When the David Granger administration took over in 2015, it claimed a very defective plan needed adjustments. Minister of Public Infrastructure, David
Patterson had said that upon assumption of office, the APNU+AFC administration had found that only seven percent of the work was completed, with claims for US$90M (more than half of the contract sum), casting aspersions on the PPP/C's management of the project. Even with the substandard work, former Junior Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma had revealed that the contractor spent more on certain aspects of the project than was laid out in the contract. However, he wouldn't say, whether the contractor spent more than the contract sum. Sharma had also said that the former APNU+AFC government would have decided whether to penalize
the company for “breach of contract”. The previous government had also said that it would not spend a cent more on the project, but that proved not to be true, as a change order seen by this newspaper indicates that the administration made at least one additional disbursement of $6.8M for the “extra time delay and costs for the prolongation of the project” by 807 days. The order also indicates that it was a payment, not for the first, but the third claim made by the contractor. As the country waits on the completion of the project which fell way below expectations, taxpayers are still obligated to repay a loan of US$138M to China, which forms part of the contract sum.
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL - Tel: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Racial visions, racial solutions Race relations are all the rage now in this society. This includes presences and voices that are committed tribalists, with the victorious silent and smug, while the vanquished struggle to get footing and hearing. Traveling in lockstep with race agenda, race visions, and possible race solutions is justice and peace. It all makes for guarded interest, since anything that is positive regarding race matters in this country, is due some listening, much analyzing. We have some recommendations to put on the table for our fellow citizens to digest. Whatever comes up currently, and in the future, relative to racial tensions and hostilities, must not be about the convenience and pressure of present circumstances only. Instead, it must be about the convergence of understandings that flow from the firmest convictions-collective and individual-that many mistakes have been made, and that the same terrible mistakes and missteps occur frequently. And that when they do, they lead to journeying on the same disabling, unrewarding pathways. It is always regrettable-indeed, alarming and disgustingthat seasoned political presences seizing the moment represent nothing more than the patently superficial. The resulting issue and consequence are that this society and its peoples must live with more hypocrisy, more inactivity, and more of these farces that are repeated shamelessly and unconcernedly. The government people wax brightly about unity in one breath beginning with the declaration of elections results, for the record. Then, they turn right around and undermine the empty words about unity that are a penny a punt here in what they do. In its follow-up actions, the PPP/C has presented a sturdy image of what is calculatingly intended to maintain the searing disunities that are present. One example should suffice. In one of the recent parliamentary sessions on the budget, state television coverage is delivered far and wide when government speakers are inaction. But when an opposition member rose to make his presentation, the live TV coverage was switched off. This happened on at least one glaring instance involving opposition MP, Raphael Trotman. And, to emphasize that this was no accident or as a result of technical difficulties, no sooner had the Honorable Member of the House concluded his address, than the previously turned off coverage resumed live transmission again, when the government member responsible for Labour took to the microphone. We cannot talk about unity and be so petty and meanspirited. We cannot speak warmly about race relations and about working assiduously at improving the deplorable condition in which such relations exist when this degree of recrimination takes center stage to lock out and block out those who represent a significant segment of the voting population. For certainty, what happened in parliament last week was not on some remote and isolated desert locale but in the midst of an alert and engaged population. It is one that is on pins and needles and easily roiled by any rustling leaf, any misplaced phrase. Surely, leaders cannot speak out of one side of their mouths about unity, and then be so unthinking and uncaring as to the accumulating implications of his kind of attitude and action. It is what spells serious trouble this society, which no volume of platitudes and political shallowness could paper over or make disappear without incurring additional rancor. This is something that this country could ill-afford. Not when a segment of the population, and its elected representatives, are so demeaned and dismissed, since they, too, would be less than human if they were not to entertain instincts aimed at getting even. In such a context, any talk of enhancement of race relations and peace and justice amount to nothing more than so much hot empty air.
When leaders insist on perpetuating the passions that rage, then talk of unity is treated with scorn and instant disregard. Add also, deeds such as those involving witch hunts and humiliating public job purges, and these translate into exercises that drop by drop and one fateful misstep after another seal the destiny of this society. Racial harmony and racial unity, even racial tolerance and appreciation, are all reduced to the laughable and contemptible. So when the president speaks breezily about unity, it can be safely said that he is the epitome of hypocrisy-visible, audible, and palpable-and the transparency of his lack of potent intentions to heal this land. None should be fooled for a minute. In the same vein, opposition leaders and veterans-part of the vortex of seasoned racial campaigners-have shown remarkable skill with racial postures no less self-serving, no less one-sided, no less lacking in genuineness (just like the government) in their visions of what could be meaningfully inclusive. Boone opposition leader spoke of the unavoidable necessity of segments of society being subject to the “inconvenient” in the pursuit of justice. As that loaded word is sifted through, it brings back to another heavyweight phrase that has much meaning for victims and survivors in this country. The familiar phrase is ‘collateral damage’, which is justified. It isn’t; never is, never can be. Because, when Guyanese, be they supporters or their political leaders, or the unattached but severely troubled, step forward and speak about ‘no justice, no peace’ both vital elements anywhere, and especially the latter, cannot be as defined exclusively by any single side. It cannot and must not be about that which adds unwisely another layer to the onion of our existence, causing our eyes to become unseeing, thus obscuring inconvenient truths.
Peace in Guyana will be phony and not flourish, if it is held to ransom by the many political prejudices that proliferate. Or that which is cultivated by the shortsighted and the short-term thinking that shortchanges this society. If we are going to have peace with purpose, and of meaningful potency, then leaders from both sides of the divide have to commit genuinely to stop ushering people and plans down a path that intensifies political and racial perversities. If we are truly about peace and justice, and all that that embodies, then old skins must be shed, and the usual crafty racial conspiracies be things of the past. Otherwise, it is the tiring carousel of reciprocal accusations, condemnations, and crippling episodic convulsions. The dams of restraint are thin; there is a thinner sober and temperate middle to buffer the raging extremes. It cannot stand, does not hold. While we toy with rhetoric about justice leading to peace, there is only so much pressure that this frail society can withstand. Those pressures are relentless, and with sharp callousness that infuses the waking thoughts, words, and deeds of both sides. Government and opposition leaders, along with their intellectuals and elders, cannot continue to play these games without consequence. Rupture is bound to occur. Undoubtedly, peace as buoyed by justice is admirable, and an objective worth investing much in and pursuing zealously. Our leaders must manifest the depth of character and the strength of will if Guyana is going to get somewhere, anywhere. We urge wisdom. We insist upon sincerity and authenticity. We say: be about balance and about what is progressive for the betterment of environment and people. All of them, not just the group favored. Otherwise we fool ourselves and set ourselves up for grave troubles.
Sunday September 20, 2020
My words of guidance were from the perspective of an experienced security operative It is with much appreciation in my heart that I noted your article, “Ethnic Relations Commissioner Haji Khan,” in your editorial section dated, Friday, September 18, 2020. I am extremely humbled and impressed, not only because the feature concerned me but the article was very pertinent to the development of our country and ourselves. In general, your article highlighted the truth and realities in Guyana’s politics. In my opinion, this displays the character of a man I have known for decades. Always professional and a principal patriot of Guyana, whose heart and finger is truly on the pulse for Guyana’s development. Since March 4th, 2020, it is known that I created RK’s Guyana free media, In The Raw, without edits and touch up. Like Mr. Glen Lall and your n e w s p a p e r, I H a j i i D r. Roshan Khan, must speak the truth and only the truth, so help me God. The sentiment you expressed in your editorial, exhibits that unbiased heart and feel for justice. The opposition leader, Honorable Mr. Harmon intentionally tried to relieve the pressure off his back for the pronouncements he made. Personally, his behavior was tantamount to encouragements of what was taking place in West Coast Berbice. Look at how this thing started and you would realize that those people who were critiquing were merely trolls and maniacal supporters. Mr. Harmon and the former President, David A. Granger have much to answer for, as neither of them called for a stoppage of violence and
never told their people that they may protest but do so while respecting all Guyanese. And, they still have not done it, at least publicly! Your fourth paragraph, in which you said: ”Let us examine man and statement more carefully, in a more reasoned manner. We think that what Dr. Khan put out was what he felt should be embraced by the unattached and uninvolved in any developments that make those persons into targets of convenience and opportunity. In other words, if there is no senseless attacking, then there would be no need for alerting and defending. We believe that where we interpreted the ERC member was going, is either taking reasonable measures at self-protection, or the vulnerable communities resigning themselves to being passive sitting ducks, unable to resort to a basic that is due all human beings.” This shows the brilliance of your editor and yourself as the publisher of the newspaper, Mr. Glen Lall. Interestingly, it is strange that both Mr. Harmon and the Ethnic Relations Commission statements were in the same article. In my view, and the view of others in the Ethnic Relations Commission, as well as that of intellectual giants in the country, there seems to be an alliance between Mr. Joseph Harmon and elements within the Ethnic Relations Commission, as both their pronouncements and releases were done within minutes of each other. I am a member of that brilliant and dynamic commission and so at this juncture, I will not wish to point finger at it or any
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particular person – regardless of how much my heart pains. You were also not wrong when you mentioned the fact that particular people were being targeted. I was speaking to people being targeted, as I will continue to be vocal for any persons being targeted by any group, which will produce violence, hate, death, pains, trauma, economic woes, and destruction to people’s businesses as well. I will speak for everyone and anyone whenever the need arises. I must state also that some people seem to forget that I am a longstanding Security Operative in my own business for fortyone years and international experience for another ten years. The people who were under attack were requesting my guidance as to how to protect themselves and what to do. I told them exactly what I published, that they must never seek retaliation and vengeance because that can cause serious destruction, pain, and even lead to national civil war. I told them to be alert, keep lights on, be on the lookout, carry nothing more than batons or sticks so that people will not think they are trying to attack or hurt anyone, and to stay in their compounds. I went on to add that if they were in groups, protect all minorities and never be aggressive to anyone but protect yourself at all costs, and to not be sitting ducks waiting for slaughter. I carry many caps but my words and my heart is forever for love, harmony, peace, goodwill, and even forgiveness. Some of them told me that day, they can
bring guns from the bush and they can have their cutlasses and make spears. I told them “no” and decided to publish that message for people to protect themselves with sticks and batons only, but never be aggressive. Incidentally, batons and sticks are legal instruments for selfdefense and policing, defending, or protection groups. So my guidance was in the capacity of a Security Operative with the sensitivity for such protection without carrying items that could cause more destruction. I keep on saying, Guyana is our country and we must live as ‘One Human Family under God’. No one should allow politicians to confuse our minds and our thoughts and to make us puppets of violence and stupidity, while those who are pushing people to create pain and suffering are comfortable in their palaces. So, who are the foolish ones? As I end, I would like to say that I think protests are good and necessary in any nation that believes in the vagaries of democracy. However, if we step out of peaceful protest and become criminalized; hurting others, etc. then we are destroying our own lives with a criminal record and possible imprisonment. Our lives and our records are the most important things that we can possess, and our country Guyana is for all of us. Let us, as One People, One Nation with One Destiny stand up for justice but continue to live as One Human Family under God by being supportive and responsible for each other. Yours truly, Hajii Dr. Roshan Khan Snr
GWI doesn’t care a damn about broken Vryheid’s Lust water main Dear Editor, Please publish my letter so GWI may respond urgently. On August 13, 2020, I phoned GWI and report that the main pipe bringing water from Better Hope to Vryheid’s Lust was broken. I explained that because of the broken pipe, I am not getting water in my home. I phoned GWI at least 30 times, they keep telling me that they will forward my complaint to the engineer. They also said they are short of staff and that there were other complaints before me and I have to wait my turn, and my complaint was not urgent. I am a resident of Middle Street, Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara and my reference number from GWI is 1053387-51. The water from the broken pipe flooded the pasture so now people are unable to use the pasture as
a shortcut to go to Better Hope market, to Vryheid’s Lust Primary School, to teacher Amin’s private school, to Plaisance Market, to the drug store, to the supermarket, to the Chinese restaurant, to the butcher man, to the hardware store and many other places. That broken pipe is near a drain where everybody’s septic tank drains and whenever water cut off (two times per day), the septic tank water flows into the broken pipe, so the water pipe water becomes contaminated with raw sewage which other people have to use and GWI don’t care a damn. Yours truly, Mohamed Azad
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Ogle Airport Inc.’s Annual General Meeting riddled with inconsistencies Dear Editor, At the recently concluded 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM)held on August 26, 2020, with shareholders and board members of Ogle Airport Inc. (OAI), the Airport Operator for the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, several issues were raised which were outlined in a letter I wrote in the Chronicle on August 23, 2020 prior to the AGM. However, it becomes necessary that I raise public awareness of these issues because they provide clarity on why minority shareholders of OAI feel there is existing oppression at the airport, a public utility, private-public partnership enterprise. While there were forms of acknowledgements from OAI on the governance problems in need of redressing, there seems to be an absolute lack of effort, on the part of OAI, to move the process forward. The chairman, in an act of dereliction of his fiduciary duty, has permitted the
Recording Secretary, a fulltime employee of his company, to omit concerns of substantial and minority shareholders in the minutes, the legal record of the meeting. This indefensible act is used incessantly over the last two decades to silent dissenting voices; and it is used to window dress the affairs of the Airport in the eyes of the Government. Now, for there to be financial sustainability that would pave the way for equitable development of the Airport and better returns on investment, there needs to be the mandatory establishment of the Capital Replacement Reserved Fund. This requirement, enshrined legally as an obligation in OAI’s Master Lease with the Government of Guyana ,is to prevent the erosion of sizable portions from the annual income which goes towards certain capital expenditures for example, the $70M taxiway which was built last
year could have been built from such a fund had it been in place. However, in lieu of this fund, and as a way to get around it, OAI’s board crafted and implemented a burdensome initial fee structure onto new leases so as to raise separate funds to build certain types of infrastructures at the Airport. In other words, some capital work projects on the Airport are financed from the Airport’s revenue earnings while others are financed directly by the Air Operators/ Lease Holders – a clear breach of the financial framework of the Airport. OAI, though approved to sub-lease Airport lands, has an opaque land sub-leasing system in force. The giant oil company had taken advantage of it, in much the same way that company did with our previous Government, and thus negotiated a deal clandestinely with OAI for favourable terms and lower
Who speaks for the victims of violence? Dear Editor, On January 12th 1998, more than 200 IndianGuyanese were beaten, robbed and assaulted in the streets of Georgetown. These attacks were conducted in full view of the police, yet no arrests were made. The riots followed PNCorchestrated protests against the PPP’s victory in the Dec 1997 elections — the first one that followed the free and fair elections of 1992 that returned the PPP to office after more than two decades of rigged elections by the PNC. The Stabroek News of the following day, carried the headline ”Terror in the city.” CARICOM stepped in and brokered the “Herdmanston Accord”, which cut short the PPP’s term of office by two years. The PNC denied the attacks. The PPP did not conduct an official investigation into the event.
The task of investigating and documenting the attacks fell on the shoulders of a private group of Indian businessmen, the Guyanese Indian Foundation Trust (GIFT), which compiled a report after obtaining 228 detailed testimonials from the victims. GIFT also called for a “Peace and Reconciliation Commission”. That call fell on deaf ears. In the tragic aftermath following the brutal murders of the Henry cousins, a series of attacks on Indian Guyanese occurred in east and west Berbice, following irresponsible statements attributed to former President David Granger and Opposition leader Joseph Harmon. This resulted in the murder of another Berbician, Haresh Singh. We learn that yet another victim was killed by his own villagers after firing at protesters. Social media was lit on fire with eyewitness reports and videos showing the attacks, robbery and burning of homes. In his press statement, while condemning the brutal murder of Joel and Isaiah, President Ali also condemned “the brutality and unlawful behaviour of those who have inflicted i n j u r y, a n d r o b b e d a n d
damaged property of innocent Guyanese”. The attacks continued for four days, some in full view of the public, as well as law enforcement officials. African Guyanese have a legitimate concern, and fear, that with the loss of political office in our divided society, they will become peripheralized. Their genuine concerns must be addressed. It is not helpful when David Hinds and others continue to encourage Africans to use their “street power” to bring pressure to bear on the “illegitimate” government, instead of engaging in deep national dialogue. I hope justice will come for Joel and Isaiah Henry, and Haresh Singh. Kit Nascimento has called on President Ali to direct a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the attempt to steal the March 2 elections and the racial violence (SN, Sep 19). Wi l l j u s t i c e b e provided for those innocent victims who endured four days of psychological and physical pain and suffering in Berbice, and who continue to live behind barred windows and padlocked doors? More importantly, how is the government going to prevent the attacks on innocent victims (Indians) during “the fire next time”? Yours truly, Ravi Dev Salaudeen Nausrudeen Baytoram Ramharack
rental rates for lands it leased at the Airport in exchange for other personal business deals with some of OAI’s directors. The system uses criteria that are infringements on the Competition and Fair-Trading Act in that it applies dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage. A good case in point is the Small Air Operators, who have been marginalized at the expense of companies in the Oil and Gas sector; although a Light Aircraft Park was built in 2016, the promised hangar facility for their operations were never delivered. The majority group of shareholders, who belong precisely to the same group of companies, have exerted a death grip control over OAI’s board and the entire Airport operations, with the sole purpose of ensuring policy decisions benefit their business interests exclusively. This level of conflict of interest, groupthink and cabalism skews development in favour of those shareholders who are members of a board that lacks
gender balance, independence, adequate subcommittees and an alternating chairmanship - a flagrant violation in contradiction with the objectives of the Airport. However, many appeals to OAI to have a shareholders’ agreement which would regulate the relationship between OAI’s management, its ownership, and the protection of the shareholders were dismissed. Even though calls were made to change OAI’s External Auditors as it is not unusual to do so every five years, according to international accounting standards and financial experts, the board members with the majority control were stern in retaining the same External Auditors who have been there for nearly two decades. The internal financial controls and accounting are under the oversight of the dominant shareholders who also retain the same External Auditors for their own businesses. This obviously casts more than just doubt over the independence of the External Auditors in that the possibility of them being consumed by self-interest
and familiarity are not only high, but suspicious as they turn a blind eye on exposing strong allegations of insider trading. Nevertheless, in light of the transformative economic policies our new Government has implemented to benefit the Air Transport Sector, it is obligatory that the Airport Review Panel, a statutory body, be instituted since this will bring about balance, transparency and the necessary scrutiny through Government’s representation at OAI’s board level. Further, this will engender the muchneeded change that will restore confidence in the Airport by all stakeholders, especially the substantial and minority shareholders. Ultimately, what is at stake here is of national importance, and I assure the public that there will be a weekly expose in the media of the ongoing skullduggery that has made doing the wrong thing for so long seems right for Ogle Airport Inc. Yours truly, Capt. A. Mazahar Ally Substantial Shareholder of OAI for ASL, AMSL & GRSI
People are being threatened when complaining about illegal dumping in North Sophia Dear Editor, It is with great disappointment that I am addressing a situation that has been occurring for years in the North Sophia Community. It is a situation that I feel nobody really cares about. I have heard many persons within the community voiced complaints about this unpleasant act, yet these folks are all full of ‘talks’. There are pictures here I wish for the public to see of the atrocious state of a particular area in the
community, where persons from the village has made into a dumpsite. Stray dogs and goats would go there digging through all that garbage, making it worse when plastics, dirty diapers and bottles being dragged into the nearby trenches and even some debris left on the road. Most of the dumping of garbage occurs in the night, however the persons that are dumping during the day, When told not to dump there, verbal threats are being expressed like “I will chop and
kill you”, “Mind ya own business”, “This is Guyana”. Now my family has to live in fear because of speaking out about something that every person should have human decency! I am tired of this vile behavior. I wish that the relevant persons in authority can find a solution to this problem. I hope that shredding some light on this situation will bring some sort of order and end to this. Yours truly, A concerned citizen (Name and contact provided)
Sunday September 20, 2020
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None can effectively govern Someone must be watching over me at the exclusion of any group Dear Editor, It is almost two decades since “inclusionary democracy” was enshrined in the Constitution of Guyana as the “principal objective” of the “political system” as per Article 13. In the intervening period this nation has seen the Desmond Hoyte/Bharrat Jagdeo Agreement (May 2001) and the Robert Corbin/ Bharrat Jagdeo Communiqué (May 2003), neither of which saw implementation by the Jagdeo government. In 2015, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government moved to have engagement with the opposition, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C), on what the coalition referred to as a “unity government.” The government team was headed by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. Those talks got off to a rocky start because the PPP/C resisted engagement given who was the leader of the coalition’s team. President Granger acquiesced to the objection and agreed to head the coalition’s team. He took ill, the country went through the period of the no-confidence vote, election, and the rest is now history. The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and yours truly over the years have led the charge to give meaning to this consented form of governing, given that the nation’s ”objective” was arrived at after nationwide involvement in the Constitutional Reform exercise of 1999/2001. GTUC in March 2019 wrote President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo bringing to their attention the need to push ahead in giving meaning to Article 13 and outlined some areas the Congress felt are deserving of immediate
attention. GTUC went further. In an idea birthed by us, in 2019 we co-founded with some of civil society the Civil Society Forum (CSF) to advance the conversation on “inclusionary democracy” and realise its implementation. At that forum, our understanding of the principle was shared. Unfortunately, this grouping was overrun by others with a partisan political agenda to support the PPP/C in their 2020 election efforts. GTUC’s interest remains constant, unwavering. The fight led by the Father of Trade Unionism in Guyana, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, in 1926 for one man, one vote (universal suffrage) and self-government was to realise a political system where citizens exercise the right to vote, and have their elected leaders represent their interests in a system of government that is inclusive. In 2020 that interest has not changed but becomes more urgent given a series of recent events. No section of this society can continue to ignore or disrespect the constitutional right to freedom of association and concomitant protection from discrimination in exercising the said right. Government, Opposition, civil society, and citizens must understand the prevailing and just position that none can effectively govern at the exclusion of any group and their leaders having a seat at the decisionmaking table. Recent hate crimes, racial antagonisms and ethnic divisions which have resulted in violence (physical and verbal), whereas these may serve to the interest of some, they do the collective no good. Last Monday, when the Opposition in the National Assembly sought to frontally discuss racial strife in this
branch of government, it offered hope that our politicians can rise to the occasion for the good of Guyana. Those of us who lived through the racial conflicts of the 1960s, or lost loved ones because of, know how dangerously close we were/are to repeating an era best left in the past. Member of Parliament Raphael Trotman’s forceful address confirms the possibilities of deliberative decision-making at the political level. The call is being made here today to those Members of the House desirous of addressing our racial angst to lay before the Assembly a motion on the matter. We must commence frank, honest, and open discussions on race relations and governance. The constitutional right of every citizen and group to involvement “… in the management and decisionmaking processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their well-being” must no longer be ignored. Equally, it could no longer be accepted that any has the right to impose on the other or determine for the other what they will get or is good for them. This was not the aspiration of the trade union movement in 1926 when we laid the modern foundation, in this land, for a new system of government. The trade union’s aspiration for inclusivity remains the same. The urgency is even more pressing now. We must be able to do better as Guyanese not inspite of our diversity but because of it. We remain One People, living in One Land, and by virtue of the two are bonded by One Destiny. Yours truly, Lincoln Lewis
The nation cannot beg for what it owns Dear Editor, Whoopee! We are free of the dictatorial choke and rob strangulation from March 2020 to August 2020. In response to KN call for signatures to renegotiate oil contracts in favour of the Country, this is useless in light positions held by these invited companies. We cannot use the cliché about ‘take your knee off our necks’ when they have carte blanche to do whatever pleases them. This is a pattern and template which directs this sort of grab-bag mentality by foreign exploiters.
What is needed, indeed required is a new form of government for the purpose of efficient management of all agencies. Political offices have no handle to deal with specific industries which primarily improves country’s economy. This by itself is a very lengthy proposition and beyond the confines of news inserts. The matter of utmost concern at this moment is this: The government is now mandated to replace all present extraction quid pro quos with conditions and contracts amenable to the growth and development of
Guyana. In light of what is published in the matter of Kaieteur and Canje Blocks, why is there consternation as to who owns these properties? Government’s action is called upon without further delay to declare null and void any unauthorized interest in these assets. Those who repudiate and spit on this assertion of our dignity and rights can do the next best thing. We have reached the end of our patience. The nation cannot beg for what it owns. Yours truly, John De Barros
Dear Editor, Somebody up there is watching over me. I have always lived with that belief, even when going astray. As I observe the slowly emerging carnage from Elections 2020, there is even more conviction in the graces of divine providence. Early last week, I shared a few words of scripture with the assembly present, and the tech-enabled one at large. The first text was something about discarding the old, embracing the new, which I applied racially, politically, and socially. In this society, the old has been perpetually about dividing, disrespecting, and discarding, while the new should be about reaching for reconciling towards rehabilitating. As a people, as a nation. Words concerning the ‘racial’ and ‘political’ were never used; they didn’t have to be. It was sufficient to state that we are hurting and hating all the more for both. I heard that the cyber response was hospitable. Surprising, but welcomed. Editor, I am where I belong, where I can try to make a difference, to introduce the troubling, to massage the disturbing, to probe for any opening. I am at home close to the core that is more of me. Not as a preacher, but as messenger and helper. And of this more must be done. This is shared because of something that happened last year, and which instructs as to the choices made, the roads traveled and not traveled.
The story goes like this. In May 2019, through a media intermediary, I was invited for a chat with a total stranger. The crux of the 45minute discussion was I was being invited and urged to be the leader of a new political party to contest the elections of 2020. Unhesitatingly, my response was thanks, but regrets. Now here I am and there I was, a re-migrant, who stood by the deathbed of a loved one in New York and asked: please guide me to give back whatever I can to country and church. I have done both, and still do with the former, but on a vastly diminished scale, which is the way it should be. This is placed before the public because of what occurred during the elections’ hysterias and agitations, and now as the political chess pieces are being aligned and realigned, via political dispensations and considerations. Almost without exception, the newcomers and operators in the new parties (conceived as opposition) are part and parcel of the present victory parade. They are well placed, too, for future feastings. In their selfish calculations and overweening ambitions, they have achieved personal political nirvana, an opulent one. They are now wellpositioned on the inside track for sampling the plums that dangle (and were dangled) during the 5-month elections circus. The newcomers rightly scorned the PPP and the PNC before, but now jump feet first
in the bed of the PPP, which is crowded with them. I think of this Guyanese evil empire and I first shudder, then I breathe smoothly. I shudder because that bed could have included me, save that I have never been a seller. When in May 2019, that stranger offered the leadership of the new party envisioned, I mentioned that I must honor the public role held, and that there would be conflict. As I ponder where I could have been today, had I agreed, I am grateful for the guidance that comes. What is more important, is how I would have been in my own eyes. My roots are not of politics, where neither honor nor decency reside. Nor has it ever been about what is in it for me, as is so obvious today in the decisions and actions of others, those newcomers, mostly young, mainly hustlers, now exposed. As I look at the new faces now taken care of, through easy absorption into the state’s apparatus, and effectively nullified, peace comes. For that could have included me, and contrary to all that I stand for, if I were weak and venal. Like I said, somebody up there is watching over me. The others, who made such a preening stir, have to live with themselves. I am at home with a little media, some street outreach, and a lot of the spiritual. It is just as well. This I give readily to my fellow Guyanese. Yours truly, GHK Lall
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Enter bilateral agreements with extreme caution Guyana should avoid pitfalls and pain suffered by T&T- Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul
By Kiana Wilburg On the heels of a visit last week by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, Guyana signed onto a critical bilateral agreement that would pave the way for deeper involvement by the USA in the nation’s fledgling oil
sector. But industry experts are of the firm view that Guyana needs to approach this and all other bilateral agreements to come, with extreme caution. Specifically noting this salient piece of advice during an exclusive interview was Trinidadian energy strategist,
Anthony Paul. The Petroleum Geophysicist told Kaieteur News that Trinidad paid dearly for failing to be cautious, while noting that it would be in Guyana’s interest to pay keen attention to the mistakes made by a sister CARICOM member.
Trinidadian Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul Paul, who is currently advising the Government of Mozambique, noted that he recently participated in a Nigerian Summit which aims to improve local content and the same sage advice was provided. The Energy Strategist said: “Interestingly, I gave a feature presentation at the Nigerian Content Summit 2020 this (last) week. (https:/ /nigeriancontentsummit.com/ ) on ‘Trinidad and Tobago’s Experience’…My presentation demonstrated how T&T approached oil and gas historically, while highlighting some of the successes, challenges and lessons learnt. We had been very successful until Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
came along.” Paul noted that, because the US Company in T&T (Amoco) was hesitant to invest in LNG, the T&T government gave multiple incentives and assurances for them to build the first LNG train. This included a bilateral agreement between governments to ensure this was possible and that its interest was protected. This agreement was called ‘Treaty between the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Government of the United States of America concerning the encouragement and reciprocal protection of investment.’ As a result of the fact that TT authorities did not pay attention to how US trade actually works, the CARICOM nation paid dearly for this. Paul noted that local companies had been doing all the operations and maintenance support for the industry for years effectively, cheaply and safely. Instead of using them, British Petroleum which had bought Amoco, an American company registered in Delaware, brought in UK companies to take over the work and the workers, as the UK North Sea was in decline. BP, Paul said, was able to convince the TT Prime Minister at the time to allow it to displace locals since the Treaty that was signed, contained provisions which protected US investments.
Since Amoco was still registered in Delaware, it was covered by the treaty. In fact, the oil company was able to convince the PM to allow this to happen before he really understood the far-reaching economic implications for his people. BP also convinced the Prime Minister to rapidly expand LNG production, the result of which is that the local suppliers were overwhelmed and so deemed to not be able to meet the demand. As a consequence, the upstream (exploration and production) companies started bringing in their people. Further, the gas reserves were quickly depleted, leading to plants being shut down or reducing production for lack of gas since 2018. “We had put a local content policy in place to bring them in line… but then they complained to the Embassy that we were in breach of the bilateral agreement which provided for the protection of their investment.” In the end, Trinidadian businesses were displaced rather than enhanced and the industry was essentially managed in the interest and benefit of the USA and the UK and their companies. Paul said that Guyana stands to lose much more than Trinidad if it is not cautious in avoiding this pitfall, since T&T at least had some good governance in the years from Independence to the early 2000s.
2,000-plus land transports, titles to be distributed in next 4 months The Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) will be distributing over 2,000 land transports and titles within the next four months. Minister Collin Croal said the processing of these documents had slowed tremendously under the previous administration, reducing the rate of Security of Tenure and land title distribution. “In 2014, under the PPP/ C, 4,079 transports were processed. At best, the Coalition did 2,556; and at worse 1,207 during the period 2015-2019,” the Minister said. The Security of Tenure gives the applicant the right to occupy the land, and a delay could result in significant losses and other implications for applicants and restrict developments in the housing sector. A new board was installed at CH&PA to reduce the backlog. Minister Croal also recommitted to the allocation of 10,000 house lots per year,
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal during the 2020 National Budget Debates over the next five years, in line with the PPP/C manifesto promise. Citizens can also look forward to seeing bolstered measures to improve water service, transportation networks, and to ensure affordability through access
to sustainable financing options and mortgage relief. Budget 2020 spotlights the importance of these and other initiatives, with plans to inject over $3 billion into the housing sector and $2.8 billion for Guyana Water Incorporated.
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APNU+AFC broke record for most constitutional breaches in Caribbean - AG Nandlall
Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall
By Shikema Dey If one is to examine the style of governance adapted by the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition regime, one would discover that they hold trophy for being the only government in the Englishspeaking Caribbean who has shown such blatant disregard for and trampled upon Guyana’s Constitution. It was Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall who, on Friday, painted this picture to the National Assembly at the 2020 Emergency Budget Debates. It is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center. APNU+AFC’s journey down the “unconstitutional” road commenced, according to Nandlall, mere days after they took office back in 2015. To the National Assembly, Nandlall presented a long list of Constitutional transgressions he claimed the
Coalition placed their stamp on. Starting off, the AG highlighted that on May 28, 2020, then Minister Simona Broomes acting on instructions from then President David Granger, wrote a letter to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to cease all promotions. According to Nandlall, that letter was quashed by the late Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang after finding it was “unconstitutional and unlawful”, violating Article 226 of the Constitution. “That is how the abuse of the Constitution begun and it never stopped until they left office in August 2020,” the AG told the National Assembly. Referring to their actions on the “runaway train”, he said APNU+AFC smashed into the Constitution and attempted to “wreck” the rule of law. Breaches
The AG said that the Ministry of Housing under the Coalition’s grip seized people’s transported and titled core homes. The Court, he added, later ruled that they had violated citizens’ constitutional right to property. He also pointed to President Granger’s action where he revoked leases from Region 5 rice farmers. Again, the court ruled that the then President violated the Constitution. Acting on Granger ’s instructions, Nandlall reminded that then State Minister Joseph Harmon wrote a letter to Police Service Commission to halt promotions but the court later ruled that the Constitution was violated. Nandlall said: “President Granger attempted to seize Red House from the Cheddi Jagan Research Center and revoked a 99-year Lease. The Court ruled that he violated the Constitution. The President refused to constitute the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) after it expired in 2017, again
Former President, David Granger
Dem boys seh...
Guyana pocket done get pick Pompeo come hay and only one local reportah get fuh ask he question. This mek dem boys vex, vex. Dem boys seh we local reportahs should be able to ask mo questions. But dem limit de questions even though Pompeo seh he prepared fuh answer question. Dem boys nah know whether was Pompeo dem shielding from de questions or was de Prezzie.To add insult to injury, dem boys seh wan foreigner get fuh ask questions. But he mo interested in Tik Tok than about de purpose of Pompeo trip to Guyana. De one local reportah wha get fuh ask question was Neil Off-De-Mark. De man waste he chance. Instead of asking Pompeo about de lack of transparency and de poor deal wha we get in de oil sector, he ask about de International Contact Group and about airplane flying over Taiwan. Dem boys de want hear wha Pompeo would ah seh about whether de country should get a better deal from ExxonMobil and whether Pompeo support secrecy about de oil blocks.
De boss man of de Waterfall paper seh Neil get like Freddie. He asking de wrong questions. Vincent Adams nah sign oil deal. De boss man seh if Freddie wan increase in salary den he should be asking who get we oil blocks so dat it gun get repossessed and allow de country fuh mek mo money so that he gun be better off.Dem boys seh dem question is important to Guyana because de infrastructural investment wha dem American hoping fuh nah gun materialize if we nah get a better deal which would make us de Dubai of the Caribbean. And dem boys believe America paving de way fuh get a greater share of we oil revenues by having de government give preference to American companies.Dem boys want Pompeo fuh know dat Guyana pocket done get pick. And it looks as if mo American want come hay and push dem hand in we pocket. Is time we control wha deh in we pocket. Is time we people stop beating clothes and scratching a living. Talk half and find out how come dem only see Neil hand put up fuh ask questions.
violating the Constitution. The President summoned the Chairman of the Public Service Commission and requested that he resign, again violating the Constitution.” Added to this, Nandlall said then Attorney General, Basil Williams threatened a
sitting Judge during a hearing in the High Court, showing a blatant disregard of the Constitution. Another flagrant attempt by the previous administration in the violation of the Constitution was President Granger’s act of unilaterally appointing
Justice(ret’d) James Patterson as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “When the Government was defeated by a noconfidence motion in December 2018, they violated the Constitution by the (Continued on page 69 )
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Gruesome murder of Berbice cousins...
Five now in custody As the probe continues into the gruesome slaying of two West Coast Berbice cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, has confirmed that five persons are currently in custody. Providing an update as to the status of the investigations, the Crime Chief said that while no motive has been outlined, the individuals arrested were said to be last seen with the slain cousins. He also revealed that
among the persons in custody were suspects who were detained in the initial stages of the investigations but later released. Just days ago, the Force had revealed to the public that the teen boys were killed elsewhere and their bodies then dumped in the Cotton Tree backdam. Police had encountered difficulties accessing the crime scene due to the several days of deadly protests by the people of West Coast
Berbice. However, after the chaos subsided, investigating ranks were able to access the scene and only then could have determined that the boys were not killed at the spot where they were found. In a recent press release, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) revealed that a full fledge team that consisted of 75 police ranks, the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters along with ranks from the
Dead: Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh on Thursday conducted a “methodical”, eight hour search in the backlands with the hopes of finding anything of evidential value to the investigations. “Ranks on the ground also received aerial support via a helicopter from the Guyana Defence Force (GPF),” the release said. The team led by Regional Commander, Edmond Cooper unfortunately failed to unearth any evidence to aid their investigations. Notwithstanding this, the
Force said “the probe continues as the investigators pursue to exhaust all leads in search of two suspects and anyone else behind the murders.” Police are also seeking two additional suspects. Forensic evidence at the scene where the bodies were discovered were obtained, preserved and sent to the Forensic Laboratory for DNA analysis to be conducted. DNA samples were also taken from the suspects who were in custody and sent for a comparative analysis to be conducted against the foren-
sic evidence collected from the secondary crime scene. Those results are expected within three weeks, police said. Isaiah and Joel Henry were discovered in the Cotton Tree backdam with chop wounds about their heads and bodies. Notably, on one of the boys head, an X or a star was carved on the side of the head. Post mortems conducted on their remains revealed that they died from haemorrhage and shock, due to multiple incise wounds, compounded with severed spines from the neck.
Teen arrested for robbing water truck
Police have arrested a boy, 15, for the alleged robbery of a water truck on Thursday last along a street at Kaneville, Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Kaieteur News had reported that at around 07:00hrs on that day, three young bandits were caught on camera robbing the occupants. One of them was seen throwing a bicycle into the path of the water truck forcing it to stop. They then surrounded the vehicle on both sides beating and robbing the occupants. A report was later that day lodged with police by Joel Kisram, 35, of Cummings Lodge, a driver and salesman employed with Demerara Crystal Water.Based on a tip received by investigating ranks, police were able to apprehend one of the suspects, the teenager.
Kisram told investigators that he was delivering water in the Kaneville community early that morning when one of the three suspects rode past him and threw his bicycle in the path of his vehicle. This caused his vehicle to stop abruptly.The suspects then encircled his vehicle and launched a brutal attack on him. One of them dealt him two stabs on his left hand with a sharp object, relieving him of his cell phone valued $45,000 along with $13,000 in cash before they all escaped. In a video seen by this newspaper it appeared as though the suspect who threw the bicycle in the vehicle’s path had instructed Kisram to reverse so that he can retrieve his bicycle from underneath the truck. He then hopped onto the bike and rode away with the others.
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
FRONT PAGE COMMENTS RECAP
As we continue on our mission to enlighten the nation about what Guyana deserves from its massive oil wealth, we at Kaieteur News have published a series of front page comments in hopes of having our leaders take the necessary actions in order to realize the desired outcomes. Today we recap the front page comments of the past week to bring you up to speed.
Sunday Protests for justice are always justified when conducted peacefully and lawfully. Protests arise because of injustice. People will protest when they feel they are wronged or treated unfairly. The root cause of protests is poverty. Poverty breeds hunger and hunger leads to criminality. No one in Guyana needs to be poor or hungry. The country has tremendous wealth, but our leaders are not allowing the people to get their fair share of that wealth.
Why do people protest? Instead, incompetence is rife and secretive deals are being made while the people go hungry. Just take a look at what our leaders are doing to the country’s bauxite, timber, gold and now oil. Leaders lie to the people and lead them down a loser’s path. In time, when emotions boil over and can’t be contained anymore, people take to the streets. And in Guyana, this sometimes means that the anger and frustration are vented violently on neighbours and strangers, most of whom are
usually of a different race or political complexion. The people will remain poor and have to protest all their lives, so long as the country does not obtain fair deals for its resources. Kaieteur News has been exposing the ‘sweetheart’ deals made in the oil sector, etc. Yet, none of our political leaders have come out and condemned these agreements or called for their renegotiation. Are these leaders really interested in ending poverty and protests?
The nation must know who are the owners of the Canje and Kaieteur Oil Blocks THURSDAY
We welcome United States Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, to Guyana. We thank him for his role in ensuring that the democratic will of the people was respected in relation to the elections of 2nd March, 2020. America stands for democracy and America stood by Guyana during the attempt to steal the elections and revert Guyana to a state of political dictatorship. For this, we are grateful! America also stands for transparency and accountability in government. American companies should not be doing business in a country where deals are being kept secret. American companies should not be involved in investing in oil blocks, the owners of which are concealed from the public.
We are concerned about reports that an American company ExxonMobil has bought-in to oil blocks owned by persons, the bona fides of whom are not known but who are believed to be part of secret arrangements involving local politicians. The public knows that ExxonMobil is the owner of the Stabroek Block consisting of 6.6 million acres. But there is haziness over the awardees of the Canje and Kaieteur blocks, which, combined, consist of 4.8 million acres, ExxonMobil had bought-in to portions of these blocks. Global Witness reported that it had interviewed the former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, under whose tenure the Canje and Kaieteur blocks were given out. He is reported to
have told them that he “did not know who the beneficial owners are” and that it was not necessary for him, as a minister, to know. He did, however, say he knew some of the people who had signed documents for the companies. The Guyanese public is entitled to know the owners of the Canje and Stabroek blocks. A feature of democratic governance is transparency, something that is sadly lacking in Guyana. As we welcome Mike Pompeo to Guyana, a country which is being touted as a potential investment hotspot in the western hemisphere, we remind him of the need to impress upon Guyana’s leaders, the need for transparency when dealing with the country’s resources.
Mr. Mike Pompeo, you defended democracy, will you promote transparency? FRIDAY
For the second day running, we welcome US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and urge him to ensure that US investments are not commingled with dubious and secretive deals. We are concerned that the lack of information on the bona fides of the ownership of the Canje and Stabroek blocks can deter US investment in Guyana’s oil and gas sector or can encourage illegitimate deals which can tarnish US reputation in the Region. It is for this reason that we emphasize that the US has an interest in demanding that a
transparent regime be established to facilitate US and other investments in Guyana. The revelation of those who are the principal beneficiaries of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks would lend to the sort of transparency necessary to create an enabling environment for investment If there is one lasting benefit that can emerge from Mr. Pompeo’s visit, it would be to advocate for the disclosure of the identities of those behind the lucrative Canje and Kaieteur blocks.
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What did the Guyanese people get from Pompeo’s visit?
SATURDAY
Mr. Pompeo came and got all that he wanted. What did the Guyanese people get? What did we, as citizens, get? Let’s make this personal: what did you as Guyanese get from this visit? Absolutely nothing! The US Secretary of State came and left with his maritime agreement. He left just the promise of a few pennies, some for Guyanese and some for the Venezuelan refugees coming into Guyana. Once again, Guyanese got nothing, and are left emptyhanded. Here we are, caught in the middle, between Exxon and Venezuela and we have nothing to show for it. We Guyanese don’t even know the full details regarding oil deals conducted on our be-
half, by our political leaders with Exxon.We could not even get a peep out of Mr. Pompeo about the oil-rich Canje and Kaieteur blocks, which are long shrouded in secrecy. Everybody benefits handsomely, except Guyanese who are forced, yet again, to be contented with poverty. Look carefully postPompeo. America benefits. Exxon continues to benefit. Guyanese political leaders benefit because their deceptions are concealed. Only citizens come out poorer. We ask about Canje and Kaieteur and a wall goes up. We talk about oil and the man comes and talks about terrorism and drugs and the sea - the things that matter to America. He
protects his own, delivers to his own. Meanwhile, Guyanese leaders in government will maintain silence about Canje and Kaieteur. What did you get? More falsehoods, foolishness and frauds that cheat you out of your birthright and future!
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Patterson raps Govt, Exxon on environmental -says Guyana’s health, safety and environmental damage well-being is worth any cost By Kemol King
Member of Parliament (MP) of the Alliance for Change and presumptive shadow Energy Minister, David Patterson, on Thursday criticised ExxonMobil for the environmental damage
proliferating at its Liza Phase One operations, as a result of flaring of natural gas and dumping of produced water. During his address to the National Assembly, the politician urged the government to act swiftly and decisively on these matters.
Patterson said that the government’s strategy for petroleum shows no commitment to safe and environmentally sound operations. ExxonMobil has been flaring natural gas at the Liza Destiny- the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading
(FPSO) vessel all year long, with the volume flared amounting to about 11 billion cubic feet so far. The oil major has turned Guyana into one of the highest flaring countries per capita in the world, a phenomenon that has dampened internationally Guyana’s proud stewardship and care for the environment. ExxonMobil should only have flared at startup to commission the equipment on the vessel, but it is content now to exploit a loophole in the permit to continue its pollution of the environment. “Exxon seems to be resisting closing the loophole in the environmental permits,” Patterson said, “which allows for too broad an interpretation of startup operations. To continue to claim that they are (Continued on page 64)
AFC’s Member of Parliament, David Patterson
US, Guyana agree to jointly monitor, protect local maritime space
Guyana Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd [left] and US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo The United States of America and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana have signed a bilateral agreement to come into force tomorrow, aimed at monitoring the local maritime space and suppressing the trafficking of illegal narcotics and other threats to security in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The agreement was signed between President Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, during the US official’s brief visit to Guyana. The two held a joint press conference under State House’s Baridi Benab on Friday. Called the Shiprider
Agreement, programs are intended to be established to streamline communications between law enforcement officials of the two nations for joint patrols at sea. Law enforcement aircraft from the US will have their over-flight clearances expedited when combating illegal drug trafficking. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stressed that the agreement is based on principles of international law, respect for freedom of navigation principles, and for the sovereign equality of states. The Government said that operations will not be carried out in Guyana’s waters unless permission is granted by the
government. Similarly, it is expected that over-flight requests for law enforcement activities will be granted once reasonable notice and communication channels are provided to local authorities. “This [agreement] will also allow us to improve our technical and human capabilities in monitoring Guyana’s exclusive economic zone.” President Irfaan Ali said on Friday. In an interview with the National Communications Network (NCN), US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo put a spotlight on Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro who (Continued on page 70)
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Coalition knew about free online courses since April…but never followed through - Manickchand
During her presentation to the National Assembly on Friday, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, informed the House that the previous coalition were invited to access thousands of free online courses since April, but failed to follow through with them. “Our young people were starved for training when we provided this opportunity. This country got the invitation to this programme at the end of April but they were too busy fighting for power to serve the people. They were even reminded in July, but nothing.” N o n e t h e l e s s , Manickchand says, some 31,438 Guyanese are currently registered in the Ministry’s recently launched virtual learning initiative in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning. The collaboration provides free access to 4,000 certified online courses offered by Ivy League and other reputable universities through Coursera. More than 13,000 persons are actively pursuing courses with 368 set to graduate on Tuesday with others across the Caribbean. Statistics show 307 registrants are from Region One;
1,062 from Region Two; 4,699 from Region Three; 18,592 from Region Four; 1,532 from Region Five; 2,918 from Region Six; 3,003 from Region Seven; 65 from Region Eight, and 278 from Region Nine. More than 400 people have already received their certificates. Minister Manickchand said the tremendous interest being shown by young people countrywide encourages the government to continue such initiatives. “The Opposition speaks about the benefit for young people in this Budget well, approximately 12,992 persons between the ages 0-25 registered while 11,087 persons between 25-35 and even two persons between the ages of 75-102,” she said.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand
The Ministry also plans to assist people in the hinterland communities who lack internet access or devices.
The deadline for registration has been extended to October 31. Interested persons can register at the
w e b s i t e : www. e d u c a t i o n . g o v. g y / upskill.com The certificates pre-
sented upon completion will be recognised by the Ministry. The initiative runs until December 31
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Life after kidney transplant
Kidney Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Kishore Persaud By Rehanna Ramsay
I
t has been five years since Kiran Hardyal underwent a lifesaving kidney transplant operation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Since then, Hardyal, 31, has been enjoying a quality of life, which he says would not have been possible if he hadn't benefitted from that surgery. During a recent interview, Hardyal said he is nothing short of grateful to be alive today. Hardyal, who resides with his mother at Wallers D e l i g h t , We s t C o a s t Demerara has been taking
life in strides. He said that being diagnosed with the life altering illness gave him a different outlook on life. “My life is basically back to normal now—I am able to assist my mother and do most of the things I used to do before I had kidney problems. For instance, I cook, play cricket and travel to see new places; I can do that now, since I am off dialysis,” Hardyal stated. “All I need is to have my medication at hand,” Hardyal said, noting that he is still on the road to full recovery. “My medication is basically my life. It's what's keeping my kidney working and I continue to be monitored. I have to check with the doctors and drink lots of water to take care of my kidney but it's easier than being on dialysis,” he added. “To those who played a part in helping me go through the operation, I am extremely grateful and I want to help others who are going through what I went through in any way I can,” he said. Prior to the operation, Hardyal explained that he was plagued with incessant pain and was subject to dialysis. The dialysis – a treatment for kidney failure –
- a survivor shares his story
Surrounded by the transplant team after his surgery five years ago he said, took over his life. “I was not in a good place at all. I was in my 20s but I basically couldn't do anything for myself. I had to stop working because my sickness had taken over my life,” he said. Hardyal said that by the time he was diagnosed, his kidney failure could not be corrected by treatment. He recalled that when he started feeling sick on the job at the (continued on page 61)
In a better place: Kiran Hardyal Is living a full life after kidney transplant
Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Frontline Worker of the Week is...
Dr. Javid Imran Aziz
Dr. Javid Imran Aziz With his colleagues on the Region Six COVID-19 taskforce
By Malisa Playter-Harry
A
s the world continues to change and adapt drastically to the new way of living and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to linger, the role of medical
professionals to combat the disease in order to help save lives has been never-ending. Working long hours, sacrificing personal time and bravely waking up to face another day has become the new norm for health workers, especially those in the heat of the battle on the
country's frontlines. Over the past few months Kaieteur News has featured several amazing and selfless health care workers who go beyond the call of duty during this difficult phase of our lives. The country will forever be indebted to those valiant workers who
continue to be dedicated to the job using their skills to help fight COVID-19. Today we feature Dr. Javid Imran Aziz of Crabwood Creek, Upper Corentyne, Berbice. Born to Deowattie Aziz, a housewife, and Abdul Aziz, a taxi driver, the young and brilliant doctor was born in Rampoor, Skeldon and later moved to his current place of residence. He is the elder of two children born to his parents. During a recent interview he spoke of attending the Springlands Nursery School, then the Corriverton Primary School where he graduated as valedictorian in 2004 before heading to the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School where he performed exceptionally well and again graduated as valedictorian. During one of his many surgeries
Suited up to battle COVID-19
He later pursued studies in Havana, Cuba at the Escuela Latino Americana De Medicina (ELAM) and subsequently the University of Juan Gutierrez Gener ain Matanzas, Cuba. FASCINATED Dr. Aziz told Kaieteur News that his desire was to always become a doctor and that was the only career choice throughout his life that he was serious of making a reality one day. He said he was fascinated by the human body and how it performed, his curiosity had him performing examinations on teddy bears and other toys he had, he said amidst a chuckle. “There was this one time I fitted my grandmother's blood pressure cuff around a cat to take its blood pressure. And I always played doctor and patient with my friends. As time shuffled by, my fascination only grew, and putting a smile on people's faces became a hobby. I (continued on page 62)
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
This week's beauty is the enhanting Miss Emerald Guyana 2020, Arian Dahlia Richmond. This vibrant and humble Guyanese beauty enjoys travelling, reading, and helping others. One of her favourite quotes says, “It is not the length of life, but depth of life.� Her photograph is provided by Missosology Guyana.
Arian Richmond
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Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Defying the odds to become a phenomenal make-up artist…
Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh is a 'Special Person'
Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh is a 'Special Person'
Some of his handiwork
“
It's not likely that I will let go of make-up, not in the near future at least. I am Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh, and make-up is my cardio. I hold it very close to me, it's something I cherish. And it's not likely that I will give that away for anything in the world.
By Romario Blair
“
It took a lot of bravery for me because it is challenging to go into the make-up business in this society,” said Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh of his decision to embark on a career as a make-up artist. This, he said, is owing to the fact that “we live in this judgmental society where people think doing make-up is only for girls.” But this has not deterred Baksh one bit simply because “I find happiness in it and I love doing it.” For this reason, he continues to defy the odds as he steams ahead with his dream of becoming a phenomenal make-up artist. The 18-year-old Baksh recently completed a Master Class in Make-up Artistry and has already been making a notable impact. Though he is now trying to gain a firm foothold in the business, he has already been working
with a few models as he awaits the perfect breakthrough opportunity. This young make-up artist hails from Lima, which is located within the Anna Regina Township on the Essequibo Coast. In fact, he is arguably the first male make-up artist within the Pomeroon/Supenaam area [Region Two]. Baksh is the youngest of three children born to Nazurdeen and Shameeza Baksh. Speaking of his upbringing recently, he revealed, “I had a very nice childhood, everything I desired I had; my parents weren't rich, but they provided and I was happy.” It was since he was a young boy, Baksh said, he had a liking for make-up and was known to dabble in it, though experimentally. He comically went on to say, “I used to practice all type of stuff on my second sister, sometimes I use to bring out some really ugly looks just
for fun. I nevertheless always use to persuade her into allowing me to do something funny to her face. And I enjoyed doing that.” In reflection mode, Baksh said, “I did realize that I was good at it because I was able to bring out various looks and I just became passionate about it from that moment onwards.” He graduated from the Cotton Field Secondary School in 2018 and is presently working part-time at a supermarket in his home town. But this did not in any way diminish his passion for his art. In fact, he became all the more determined to sharpen his talent and as a result decided to start a make-up artistry course. The course, he disclosed, was being offered by a prominent make-up artist on the Essequibo Coast. JUDGED BY SOCIETY Some may no doubt share the opinion that make-
”
up should be left to girls, but in a world where gender inclusivity is now incorporated into society, those opinions often shift. Baksh said that before signing up for the course, he was hesitant. His indecisiveness was based primarily on the thought of how he will be viewed by society. In explaining what it was like making the decision to delve into this arena, Baksh said, “I was at a cross-road; I had to decide whether I was going to please society, or reach out for the thing I love and enjoy doing.” After signing up for the course, a photo of Baksh and the other participants was posted to the Glam by Trimacie Facebook page. Baksh was the only male participant and as expected this realization immediately sparked some criticisms. “Somebody messaged me and asked me, 'do you know what you call a guy that does make up?' The person went on to say make-up is a girls'
thing,” Baksh recounted. But he was certainly getting enough support to keep him focused on his passion. Baksh spoke of idolizing local make-up artist, Trimacie Frederick, whose work he admired, and that made it especially easy for him to pursue the course.
According to Baksh too, Trimacie was remarkably supportive throughout his course. “When I started, Trimacie, my make-up idol, said go ahead and start doing what you love to do, because no matter what you do, society will always judge. I (continued on page 59)
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
PAGE 23
The govt. is failing the people L
et us be frank! Dr. Frank Anthony cannot solve the high incidence of coronavirus cases and deaths. But the problem is not about his ability. The problem is ideological. He is part of a government which is committed to the neo-liberal economic model. Donald Trump of the United States and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil are no different. They were keen to reopen their economies because their ideological stance led them to conclude that the cure for the pandemic would be worse than the cost of keeping the economy closed. America as a result has lost 200,000 persons and Brazil is 135,000 so far. All these deaths resulted because the economy was considered more important than human lives. Guyana must not commit the same cardinal error. It must not place the economy above that of the health of the people. The life of a person cannot be compared to economic indicators. People will suffer during a pandemic. And businesses will go bust and thousands of jobs will be lost. But lives will be saved. And it is better to pay the price of failed businesses and jobs than lost lives. A great many people punished during the first five months of the pandemic in Guyana. Not only were non-
essential businesses asked to remain closed for almost three months but monies were not available to provide relief to those affected. Those who wish to dispute the fact that some Guyanese went hungry during the pandemic should have a chat with Bryan Max who was part of a group which distributed cooked meals to the needy. The rich and well-off managed to survive without much trouble but the majority of the workers in Guyana live week-to-week, month-to-month and day-today. For these persons, it means if you are not working, you cannot put food on the table. This column has on two occasions related the story of a young man who went walking around begging for work. He was so desperate that he was willing to take any job because, as he explained, he had no means to feed his family. One kind man gave him a job even though he had no need for an additional worker. This kind man was moved by the man's plight. That same man distributed more hampers than the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). That man is Glenn Lall, the publisher of this newspaper. A woman from the East Coast who “walks and sells” snacks related how difficult it was for her. She was not doing any business during
the period when nonessential businesses were closed. People were not buying because they were not working. The PPP/C, then having to wait five months for the APNU+AFC to concede defeat in the elections, had been doing what the then government had failed to do. It had established a national task force which was making and distributing face masks and relief hampers to thousands of Guyanese. Glenn Lall was sharing out his hampers without seeking publicity even though he owns a newspaper, and Bryan Max and his group were cooking meals and distributing daily, including to the orphanages. A total lockdown of the country will lead to hardships and economic losses. But people will not die of starvation. The government may not even need to give out any household grant or food hampers. Private individuals, including persons from overseas, will come forward to offer assistance. We are not a totally cold and uncaring society even though we seem to be getting there. But we must to ask ourselves an important question: “Are people more important than businesses?” Most of our leaders will answer in the affirmative. Each day for the past week, we have had persons dying as a result of the
coronavirus infections. We are heading for a tsunami of deaths. Yet the government refuses to revert to the situation in April where only essential businesses were supposed to be open. And the reason why the government is not reverting to tighter social restrictions is because the government feels the economy will flatline. Based on the present scenario, hundreds of persons are going to die unless the exponential spread of the virus is halted. If, as was once projected, Guyana attains as many as 20,000 cases – which is not inconceivable – more than
1,000 are going to die from complications of the virus. The country's health system is going to be overwhelmed and it will mean that thousands more will die because they will be unable to source the type of medical treatment which is needed to treat other diseases and ailments. The government, therefore, should shut the country down, establish a national task force and leave this body to mobilize relief through the many kind souls who stepped forward to assist between March and August. The government cannot be speaking about peoplecentered development when
it refuses to place lives above profits. Twice as many persons have died from complications of the virus over the past six weeks than the preceding 20 weeks. This is already a monumental tragedy. Th e g o v er n men t is failing the people. And it is doing so because its ideology is no different from Trump or Bolsonaro. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Has the time come for Caribbean Republics? By Sir Ronald Sanders
I
n 1994, shortly after Antigua and Barbuda and Cuba established diplomatic relations, Fidel Castro and Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Lester Bird, had a memorable conversation in Havana. The conversation is worth recalling in the context of the third announcement by a Government of Barbados that by November 2021, it intends that Barbados should be a Republic, shedding monarchical status and
Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. The conversation between Lester and Fidel, at which I was present as a member of the Antigua and Barbuda delegation, started with the revolutionary Cuban leader asking Lester (now Sir Lester) what big plans he had in mind for Antigua and Barbuda. Lester told Fidel that he was contemplating moving to make Antigua and Barbuda a Republic, relinquishing the monarch as the country's Head of State. Fidel's response stopped Sir Lester and the entire
Antigua and Barbuda delegation in our tracks. “Why?”, asked the legendary revolutionary. “Does she interfere with your government?” Sir Lester explained that she did not and that, in a real sense, while Antigua and Barbuda like many other Caribbean countries was one of the Queen's realms, her role in the government of the country was performed by a local representative and, apart from assenting to legislation which could not be withheld, was only ceremonial, having no executive authority.
“In which case”, Fidel responded, “you might consider remaining as you are. The Queen doesn't interfere with your government and she provides to foreign investors and others a level of confidence in the constitutional arrangements of your state”. The surprising conversation did not go much beyond that. It was staggering to the Antigua and Barbuda delegation, but it demonstrated the practical sense of Castro, which might account, in part, for the survival of Cuba despite the punishing embargo by the United States. That 1994 conversation between Fidel and Sir Lester took place at least nine years before Owen Arthur, as Prime Minister of Barbados, first proposed Republican status for Barbados in 2003; eighteen years before Jamaican Prime Minister, Portia Simpson suggested it in 2012; twenty-one years
prior to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart echoed the proposition in 2015 for Barbados; twenty-two years before Andrew Holness as Prime Minister repeated it in 2016 for Jamaica; and twenty-six years before the latest announcement by the Barbados government of Prime Minister Mia Mottley on September 15. So far, none of the countries in which this proposal has been made, has gone through with it. While the Throne Speech, in which the most recent Barbados announcement was made, referenced Barbados' first P r i m e M i n i s t e r, E r r o l Barrow, cautioning against “loitering on colonial premises”, there would be many who would draw a distinction between seeking independence from the colonial authority of the British (which was the context of Barrow's remarks) and retaining Queen
Sir Ronald Sanders Elizabeth II as Head of State. Both Owen Arthur and Freundel Stuart might have retreated from the idea not because they did not believe it to be right, but because within the Barbados society, including the business community, a great value is placed on the Queen as a symbol, if nothing else, of stability and maybe even of unity above the fray of politics. This is probably true, too, in the case of the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and the five other independent countries of the Eastern Caribbean where the Queen is still head of state. In the event, the present government of Barbados has the greatest chance of success in achieving the (continued on page 58)
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
M. Artz pays emotional tribute to BlackLives Matter movement Marcus Harwood, who goes by the moniker M.Artz, has been making waves with an emotional spoken word video that pays tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. The video seeks to highlight the oppression Africans face, not just in Guyana, but internationally as well. In the video he showcases deep-rooted African culture in Guyana, utilizing various landmarks and picturesque sceneries from all over the country. The entire video was shot in Guyana and is visually captivating. Born in London England to a Jamaican father and *St. Vincent, mother, M.Artz grew up on the streets of London. He has been honing his craft over the years. At 45 years of age, today he is considered a seasoned writer/ performer who has been into things poetry for the past five years or so. M.Artz started coming to Guyana about 10 years ago to conduct business but he recently came back in January to spend a few months. However, he ended up stuck here due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprised that
M.Artz kneeling in the St George’s Cathedral
racial tensions are predominant in these parts, he believes that the video can help to bring about some much needed change. In describing his video, M.Artz said, “It’s brutally honest and takes on the constant harassment and brutality dealt out to members of the black community. It touches on the vicious beating Rodney King received some 30 years ago (from police in the US), suggesting nothing has changed as we continue to be oppressed.” The video, M.Aartz said, was inspired by the murder of GEORGE FLOYD in the USA at the hands of law enforcement officers. Having grown up in the inner cities of London, he had had his fair share of dealing with police there. “George’s story is one of years of prolonged unjust discrimination and oppression,” he noted. The video was directed and filmed by local videographer and photographer, Keon Hector and its sound track was
PAGE 25 A clip of the video that has been making waves on social media platforms.
composed by local producer, CFanatic. The spoken words are by M.Artz himself. It is visually captivating and makes the words being spoken even more poignant and extremely thoughtevoking. His objective is to have the video shown across the world on as many media platforms as possible. M.Artz maintains that the #BlackLivesMatter movement does not serve to only highlight police brutality against African Americans but it highlights the marginalization of black minorities across the world. “It does not mean every life does not matter. We are simply saying that black lives matter too and when certain things occur we see why that slogan has to be there,” he added. The video can be found on all of his social media pages: Instagram - @m.artz on, Twitter -@martzpoetry, and Facebook - M-Artz. It can also be found on YouTube using the link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lUk1s8_CD34.
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Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to add a few more pages to our newspaper to recap, in their entirety, some of the major stories carried during the past week. SUNDAY EXXONMOBIL TO WIPE OUT HALF OF PAYARA RESERVES IN SIX YEARS ON POOR CONTRACT TERMS ExxonMobil is set, following approval of the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP), to extract half of the Payara reserves in just six years, under the terms of an internationally condemned Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) set to cost Guyana billions in losses. This was revealed by Senior Upstream Research Analyst for Rystad Energy, Palzor Shenga in July, who was commenting on delays in approval for the project. Shenga is quoted as saying: “Despite recent delays, the Payara-Pacora development is still in a position to produce more than half of its reserves by 2030 if it is able to commence production by 2024.” The Payara reservoir amounts to an estimated 500 million oil-equivalent barrels, or about six percent of proven Stabroek Block reserves. The company announced the find in July 2017. It is located just 12 miles away from the Liza Phase One project, which is already on stream. The Prosperity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel is set to produce at a maximum capacity almost twice that of the Liza Destiny. While Liza Phase One can produce as many as 120,000 barrels per day, Payara, like Liza Phase Two, is set to produce 220,000 barrels per day at peak capacity. At that rate, ExxonMobil and its Stabroek Block coventurers, are set to walk away with billions of United States dollars in a short period. Guyana would hope for some of that if it managed to renegotiate the Stabroek Block agreement into a fair deal. With the current deal, value leakage is significant, with internationally respected anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness declaring that Guyana is set to lose US$55B over the life of the agreement. It is for reasons like this that former Presidential Advisor on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, has advised Guyana
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
to renegotiate the deal before it approves the Payara project. ExxonMobil would have the government believe that a delayed approval would cost Guyana billions. However, international lawyer, Melinda Janki, said that it is important for Guyana to take all the time it needs to scrutinize the Payara FDP if it is to seriously consider the project. Janki said that Guyana must ensure that all risks to Guyana associated with this project are done away with. Dr. Mangal had said that, “oil companies always want to pump everything as fast as possible.” He had explained that unfavourable contract terms for the country are part of the reason why oil companies rush to produce as much as they can, as quickly as they can. Mangal said that oil companies would rather “scare Guyanese into thinking that they have to pump everything now, and they will accept whatever rubbish contract terms ExxonMobil is offering.” It is his view that if a country constrains production, implements depletion strategies and allows production to be longer sustained (over generations), it will have a fighting chance to develop its competence to manage the sector more wisely. In this regard, a depletion policy is believed to be pertinent. Government had decided in 2018 that it would accept funding from its development partners, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to fund projects for the strengthening and management of Guyana’s oil sector. Part of this funding is meant for Guyana to produce a depletion policy. ExxonMobil has been producing oil for nearly nine months, and Guyana still does not have a depletion policy. POLICY TO CONTROL EXXONMOBIL’S RATE OF EXTRACTION HAS FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE DESPITE US$11.6M LOAN TO IMPLEMENT MECHANISM TO PROTECT GUYANA In December 2018, Guyana had taken a loan from the Inter-American-Development Bank (IDB) to improve its capacity to effectively manage the oil sector. A portion of the US$11.6M loan was dedicated to developing a depletion policy, a crucial document that slows or puts a break on
the aggressive rate at which ExxonMobil is extracting Guyana’s oil offshore in the Stabroek Block. To date, the public is yet to see a draft for consultation. In the meantime, ExxonMobil is pumping approximately 87,000 barrels of oil from the Liza Phase One Project, which will soon reach peak production of 120,000 barrels of oil per day. Just recently, the oil giant disclosed that it is already on track to producing oil from the Liza Phase Two Project by 2022. As for the third development Project called Payara, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Hess Corporation, John Hess, has expressed great confidence that Hess and its other Stabroek Block partners, ExxonMobil and CNOOC/ NEXEN, will get the required government approval before month-end. In doing so, it will be on track for production by 2023. These projects are part of the five ExxonMobil hopes to have on stream by 2025-2026. In all, the trio will cost Guyana over US$15B. On more than two occasions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had supported the move to implement a depletion policy, which would help to slow down the rate of extraction and give Guyana the time it needs to effectively audit those costs. It would also give the nation more time to develop the rules and implement the relevant mechanisms to effectively monitor and manage the sector.
If the expenses for other projects continue to be added on before the audit for Liza Phase One is finished, the IMF warned that Guyana would ultimately end up accepting costs as reported by the oil companies, even if those expenses are inflated. Also compounding this state of affairs is the fact that Guyana has accepted auditing timelines that are relatively short by international standards. LONGEVITY Trinidadian Energy Strategist, Anthony Paul, had advised Guyana that a depletion policy would be key to ensuring the longevity of its oil industry. In pursuing this document, Paul had told Kaieteur News that Guyana needs to have a proper understanding of the geology of the basin. The Chatham House Advisor had said, “You need to understand the quality of your reservoirs. This means that you need to have good seismic data, good technology to acquire that data, and the experienced people who can read that data for you. Those people can tell you without relying on the oil companies, what wells have oil and which have gas. They will also advise on what should be developed now and how fast…” The energy expert added: “You must also bear in mind that these companies will stumble on gas and most would not want to bring it up because economically, it is more profitable to bring up oil rather than gas. So if there is a reservoir that has more gas than oil, the company would
not drill to complete it. It will stay in the ground…” Taking this scenario into account, Paul stressed once more that Guyana needs experienced industry analysts who can put together a policy that will seek to tie those gas finds to proper development strategies. The Trinidadian said, “It, therefore, means that Guyana needs a regulator who can interpret reservoir performance and make sure you have the right economics around the development plans too. Only then can you say to the company, “Fine, we understand field by field what is going on but let us look at the country’s perspective, what the country needs”. What is the right level of production for this country given the capacity we have to manage it.” At the same time, the energy advisor cautioned that a depletion policy is in stark contrast to the company’s interest which is to extract the resources as fast as possible. “Remember, these companies want to make quick money so there will be a conflict with the interest of the government. This is where you need skillful negotiators to manage that conflict in interests. And it can be done,” the official concluded. MONDAY EXXONMOBIL SLAPPED WITHANOTHER LAWSUIT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DECEPTION The City of Charleston,
South Carolina (SC), has slapped ExxonMobil and 23 other fossil fuel giants for their deception on climate change, the contributions of their operations to this global phenomenon, and the inherent costs to now deal with the consequences of increasing floods and rising temperatures in that American city. Other companies being sued in this regard include royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Hess Corporation, and Conoco Phillips. The 144-page court document filed by the City of Charleston notes that the defendants which are major corporate members of the fossil fuel industry, have known for nearly half a century that unrestricted production and use of fossil fuel products create greenhouse gas pollution that warms the planet and changes the climate. The City stated that these companies have known for decades that those impacts could be catastrophic and that only a narrow window existed to take action before the consequences would be irreversible. The plaintiff said that the fossil fuel companies have nevertheless engaged in a coordinated, multifront effort to conceal and deny their own knowledge of those threats, discredit the growing body of publicly available scientific evidence, and persistently create doubt in the minds of customers, consumers, regulators, the media, teachers, and the public about the reality and consequences (Continued on page 27)
Sunday September 20, 2020
From page 26 of the impacts of their fossil fuel pollution. At the same time, the City accused the defendants of having promoted and profited from a massive increase in the extraction, production, and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas, which has in turn caused an enormous, foreseeable, and avoidable increase in global greenhouse gas pollution and a concordant increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (“CO2”) and methane, in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Plaintiff claimed that those disruptions of the Earth’s otherwise balanced carbon cycle have substantially contributed to a range of dire climate-related effects, including, but not limited to, global atmospheric and ocean warming, ocean acidification, melting polar ice caps and glaciers, more extreme and volatile weather, drought, and sea level rise. Accordingly, the Plaintiff said that the defendants are directly responsible for a substantial portion of the climate crisis related impacts in Charleston and to the City. As a direct and proximate consequence of defendants’ wrongful conduct, the plaintiff said that the environment in and around Charleston is changing, with devastating adverse impacts on the City and its residents. In this regard, the City highlighted that average sea level has already risen and will continue to rise substantially along Charleston’s coast, causing flooding, inundation, erosion, and beach loss; extreme weather, including hurricanes, drought, heat waves, and other extreme events that will become more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe; and the cascading social, economic, and other consequences. As a direct result of those and other climate crisis-
caused environmental changes, the City said it has suffered and will continue to suffer severe injuries, including, but not limited to: injury or destruction of Cityowned or -operated facilities critical for operations, utility services, and risk management, as well as other assets essential to community health, safety, and well-being; increased planning and preparation costs for community adaptation and resiliency to the effects of the climate crisis; decreased tax revenue due to impacts on Charleston’s tourism- and ocean-based economy; and others. Accordingly, the City said it has brought this action against the defendants to ensure that the parties who have profited from externalizing the consequences and costs of dealing with global warming and its physical, environmental, social, and economic consequences, bear the costs of those impacts on Charleston, rather than the City, taxpayers, residents, or broader segments of the public. MINERABANDONED BY TAXI DRIVER AFTER BEATEN, ROBBED BY PROTESTERS A miner who was oblivious of the West Coast Berbice riots over the gruesome slaying of two teenagers, Isaiah and Joel Henry, was on Monday beaten and robbed by protestors and then left for dead by the taxi driver he hired to transport him home. His story is among the many horrors experienced by Guyanese who attempted to travel through the West Coast Berbice area during the violent protests which started initially as a demand for justice for the killings but later descended into days of chaos. The victim, John Fernandez, told Kaieteur News that he was in Bartica, Region Seven, for the past
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Kaieteur News
three weeks and on the evening in question, he was travelling home to spend time with his family. According to Fernandez, he was alone in the car with the driver when they came to Burma Road, Mahaicony that was blocked with protesters. They managed to pass safely through that block, he said, but a few meters up was where the trouble started. “When we go up lil more, them boys stop the car and tell the driver I hope you ain’t get nobody different in the car. I didn’t know what was going on. I come from Bartica, just from the backdam so I didn’t know so them pull me out of the car and start lashing me all over me body. They push they hands in me pocket and tek out me money and gold and go away with me bag too.” The miner explained that he had in his possession over $300,000 in local currency and a undisclosed amount of raw gold along with other important documents and his cell phone. The taxi driver, he said, could not intervene and made no move to do such. When the protesters made good their escape, he managed to get back into the taxi but to his dismay, seconds later, he was thrown out. “I go back in the taxi and I tell the man help me get a phone call because them man tek way all me money and phone and stuff and he tell me come out. So I said them man tek way everything, just help me but he tell me get out he car.” Fernandez explained to Kaieteur News that the driver then sped off, leaving him at the mercy of the night. He wandered along the public road until later being rescued by a stranger who saw his bruises. “The man tell me come inside and he give me food and water and I called home and tell them what happened. I had to stay there till next morning and is only then I get to go to the hospital and then go home.” The man expressed his thanks to the stranger who helped him, stating that if it were not for his kindness, he may not have been safe today. TUESDAY WITH TWO-YEAR DEADLINE… GUYANA RUNNING OUT OF TIME TOAUDIT LIZA ONE AND TWO – WILL BE FORCED TO ACCEPT US$10B COSTS – IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
warned Guyana since 2016, that one of the most critical challenges it faces is conducting effective cost audits, especially when it is taken into account that the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil only gives the nation a two-year window to contest unreasonable and/ or inflated costs. With such a timeline, it would mean that the country has to act swiftly or else, those costs as reported by the oil giant would have to be accepted, the IMF cautioned. The Liza Phase One Project which was approved in 2016 is said to cost US$3.7B while Liza Phase Two will be approximately US$6B, bringing the total close to US$10B. In spite of the IMF’s advice to get the audits done as quickly as possible, Guyana is yet to audit a cent expended by ExxonMobil since 2016 for Liza Phase One or Two. To compound this situation is the fact that the PPP/C Administration is expected by month-end to grant approval for ExxonMobil to expend billions of dollars more on another project called Payara. That development is likely to cost another US$6B. Given the nation’s capacity deficiencies, international transparency bodies have strongly contended that the two year deadline the government has accepted, along with the fact that it can only do one audit per year, is not sufficient. They have stressed that the timeline should be extended. Specifically making this point is Oxfam America. The entity is a confederation of 20 independent charitable organizations, which seek to fight some of the factors that lead to poverty, one of them being the poor governance of extractive wealth. Oxfam America noted that the expiration periods for audit rights are set out in petroleum contracts and tax laws. It stressed, however, that these deadlines differ from one country to the next. It noted that in Ghana and Kenya for example, the authorities there retain the right to complete audit companies within seven years. In Peru, the limit for audits is four years. Even in the USA, the transparency body highlighted that audits are allowed to be completed within three years. Oxfam warned that even a three-year deadline is not advisable for developing countries such as Guyana given the limited financial and human resources that are likely to delay the audit
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat process. Further to this, the organization said that it is equally important to keep an eye on record-keeping provisions in the petroleum contracts and tax laws. It said, “Oil companies should be required to keep all their records in-country for easy access by the auditors during the audit period. But once that period expires, it becomes very costly to access records and therefore practically impossible to audit them…” Oxfam warned that Guyana needs to take the auditing timeline for these costs as a matter of grave concern as it could cost the nation billions more. GOVT. MUST BE PART OF COST NEGOTIATIONS FOR OIL DEVELOPMENTS – PAYARA PROJECT SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC – OIL & GAS GOVERNANCE NETWORK In order for Guyana to get as much value as reasonably possible from the extraction of its petroleum resource, the Government must be part of negotiations of costs for the development of its oil fields. This is the urge of the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN). The pressure group, formed to ensure good governance of Guyana’s oil sector, insists that Guyana must not allow itself to be saddled with costs it cannot verify. “To ensure we are not being saddled with an unfair 75 percent of oil revenues going towards expenses, since Guyana is sharing the cost and the profits,” it stated, “the government must be a part of all cost negotiations and implementation with all
sub contracts (such as FPSO, etc.). The contract with Exxon must be broken down by activities, items of work, a bill of quantities, with the costs as unit rates, lump sum, etc., so that government can verify that costs are appropriate. This would avoid possible overbilling such as a US$6,000 plane ticket from Miami to Guyana where a fair price may be US$800. This is one of the reasons why the present contract is unfair.” Several members of the OGGN signing on to this statement are Ramnarine Sahadeo, Dr. Jerry Jailall, Rajendra Singh, Joe Persaud, Mike Persaud, Charles Sugrim, and Darshanand Khusial. They are civil society professionals who have displayed a sustained interest in the management of Guyana’s oil and gas industry. Overbilling, the issue they are championing today, could cost Guyana billions of United States dollars if it is not well handled. This is because Exxon and its partners have to recover all of their investments from the sale of the oil, and the more oil companies recover, the less Guyana gets from profit oil. For instance, if all of the recoverable oil in a field is worth US$20 billion and oil companies claim $6B, in a simple scenario which doesn’t factor in interests on loans, Guyana’s profit would be about US$7.5 billion. However, if Guyana involves itself diligently in negotiations and finds that it could save on US$1 billion by striking out overstatements, it would receive an extra US$500 million in profit over the life of the field development. That’s more than a third of Guyana’s 2019 budget. Rystad Energy (Continued on page 28)
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From page 27 recently said that Exxon could field as many as 10 FPSOs in Guyana’s Stabroek Block before the decade is out. That would amount to 10 projects Guyana could lose billions of United States dollars from if it does not take a vested interest in the money Exxon and its partners claim they will be spending on the developments of Guyana’s oil fields. Guyana has already approved two field developments at Liza Phases One and Two, and it is yet to properly delve into the costs ExxonMobil claims will be expended for the duration of these projects, which currently amount to US$9.5 billion. The company may even claim another US$6B to develop the Payara field. Meanwhile, the pace at which Guyana is moving through the audit of Exxon’s US$460M pre-contract costs has already set a worrying precedent that indicates it may not be able to keep up with Exxon if it continues to approve field developments as quickly as it has. The pre-contract audit started late last year, and it still has not been completed. When it comes to publication of field development plans, it was evident that the former APNU+AFC government was not amenable to the prospect. Kaieteur News had pointed out that Trinidadian Local Content Expert, Anthony Paul, and University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro, both supported the prospect of FDPs being made public. Mitro had said that it was unfortunate that, in many cases, these plans are not made public because companies argue that they contain geological or engineering data and analysis that are proprietary and could benefit their competitors. He, however, argued that since the field developments would have such a far-reaching impact, the company’s concerns should be overridden by the interests of the public. He further argued that the government could simply remove whatever is sensitive/proprietary from the FDP, and publish all else. Paul had noted that Norway is a good example of a country that has led the way in this regard. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which is that country’s regulator, publishes this information. Local Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram, had argued too that FDPs should be made public, as therein lies information which could inform the public about costs. Former Petroleum Advisor to the President of Guyana, Dr. Jan Mangal, had also argued that the release of these plans to do well to ensure that ExxonMobil and its subcontractors, like SBM Offshore, do not cut corners while doing their work, in ways that could cost Guyana dearly. The Petroleum Consultant said that Guyana would not have a leader that could fix everything, but that the Guyanese public needs to take an interest in the ownership of their destiny.
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Kaieteur News
NICIL TRANSFERS 130 ACRES OF LAND; ONLY TWO FULLY PAID FOR — MINISTER INDAR TELLS PARLIAMENT In the space of one day, Kaieteur News had reported in June that the National Indu s t r i a l and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) had transferred some 130 acres of prime lands to private investors. However, only two have been fully paid for. This was revealed by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat I n d a r, d u r i n g h i s m a i d e n presentation to the National Assembly, Monday. According to the Minister, of the 23 transactions of prime, commercial lands in the villages of Ogle, Earl’s Court and Le Ressouvenir on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), nine have been vested, with only two paid in full. With the total acreage being 29.96, these two plots of lands are valued at G$614,438,000, Indar said during day one of the budget debates. Minister Indar went on to say that the total acreage and value of the nine that were vested is 1 3 0.556 acres and valued at G$3,355,318,000, while the total sum collected in respect of the nine vested is GY$614,438,000. The lands were handed over to Supergraphics (5.058 acres); GUYOIL (1.500 acres); the Residences at Earl’s Court Incorporated (10.281 acres); Navigant Builders Incorporated (30.000 acres); Premier Sales and Services Incorporated (5.015 acres); Trinuyana Investments Incorporated (19.678 acres), Caribbean Marketing Enterprise Incorporated (21.096 acres), American Marine Services Incorporated (20.000 acres) and Cardiology Incorporated (8.000 acres). One of these companies, Navigant Builders, was gifted 30 acres of land by NICIL, despite refusing the government’s offer on three separate occasions. In fact, on June 23, the housing developer had emphatically stated that, “Due to an uncertain business environment, Windsor Estates/Navigant Builders, a US-based real estate developer will hereby be postponing its plans for the proposed Ogle project.” Notably, this was verbatim to a statement initially published on March 6 from the developer expressing concerns surrounding the then unconcluded March 2, General and Regional Elections. On July 2, the company issued another statement disclosing that there had been a Gazetted Order indicating a transfer of 30 acres of prime lands to Navigant Builders in the Ogle/Sparendaam vicinity dated June 11 and published in the official gazette on June 30. What is alarming is that this agency, which is a subsidiary of Windsor Estates, had no prior knowledge of receiving the land, even with no payments to date. With these concerning details, anti-corruption advocate, Christopher Ram, is of the view that
NICIL should be investigated for its conduct and its forceful bid to sell off acres of prime lands to private developers despite not collecting full payments. “The conduct of NICIL,” the Attorney-at-Law told Kaieteur News on July 7, “raises serious questions of legality and legitimacy which warrant not an explanation but investigation and probably prosecution.” Ram said that the manner in which these deals are done, run the risk of Guyana losing “unquantifiable sums of money” which the country cannot afford. “The Directors of NICIL,” he added, “can hardly justify their action as being in the public interest… NICIL seems like another untethered animal that appears completely oblivious to the lame duck nature of the government and the Minister it serves.” NICIL had sought to absolve the former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, of blame for the deals, positing that he had no involvement in the selection of the investors, “is not a member of the NICIL Board nor is he involved in the day to day business of NICIL or the SPU.” However, Jordan’s signature appears on all of the vesting orders. Of the former Minister, Ram had said, “The troubling thing is not only that the subject Minister is doing nothing to prevent such behaviour but that the actions may actually have the support of and may have been directed by that Minister.”
WEDNESDAY FINDINGS OF PAYARA PLAN REVIEW WILL BE MADE PUBLIC – MINISTER BHARRAT Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, has given all assurances that the findings of the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP) will be made public. He told this newspaper that a few technical issues are still being discussed between the Energy Department and the ExxonMobil teams while noting that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are also involved. The Minister said, too, that the FDP is likely to be approved by month-end. During his participation in the Budget 2020 debates Tuesday, the Minister informed Members of Parliament that since the new administration has been in office, President Irfaan Ali mandated that in the interest of transparency and accountability, the Payara Developmental Plans has to be reviewed through a technical assessment before granting the license. The review was initially conducted by ExxonMobil’s client, Bayphase Oil and Gas Consultants, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Instead of retendering the job to review the Payara FDP, the government chose instead, to hire a team using a Canadian High Commission grant,
to review what was already done by Exxon’s client. The team is being led by Former Premier of Alberta, Canada, Alison Redford, an expolitician who resigned in 2014 for inappropriately spending Canada’s tax dollars. Bharrat noted that the assessment of the works by Bayphase has been completed which paved the way for a draft license. He disclosed that the technical and legal teams are currently engaged in on-going discussions on this license with the aim of finalizing an agreement that will benefit Guyanese. UGANDADELAYS PRODUCTION FROM 2006 OIL FIND TO 2022 UNTIL FOOLPROOF SYSTEMS IN PLACE It has been 14 years since Uganda first discovered commercially viable oil reserves, and it still hasn’t started producing oil. Why is this so? The country saw the need to ensure that all systems are in place before first oil. Uganda realized that if it rushed ahead with production with a regulatory framework that left too much to be desired, the result would be significant value leakage for the millions of Ugandans to whom the resource belongs. So it placed a significant amount of effort into bridging gaps and ensuring that negotiations resulted in sound agreements between oil companies and the government. It expects first (Continued on page 29)
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From page 28 oil to come on stream by 2022, according to a Reuters report. The publication also reported that production has been repeatedly delayed by disagreements with oil companies over taxes and development strategies. At this juncture, only 1.7 billion barrels of Uganda’s oil is recoverable, while Guyana’s recoverable estimate stands well over 8 billion barrels. However, while Guyana boasts more recoverable reserves than Uganda, the African nation’s growing regulatory capacity and negotiating power have put Guyana to shame. Timeline Here are some of the major developments the Ugandan government achieved within the past 14 years. Two years after its 2006 discovery, the Uganda Cabinet approved the National Oil and Gas Policythe document intended to guide the development of the sector. It was produced after an extensive consultative process, as well as a review process of the policies of other petroleum producing countries. Pursuant to the objectives of that policy, the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development set out a strategy for its implementation. In 2013, a new Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Act was enacted. By that time, the country started to receive applications from oil companies for production licenses for the more than 16 discoveries made at the time. In 2014, A Memorandum of Understanding on Commercialisation was signed between Government and licensed oil companies which underpinned principles governing crude export, refinery and crude for power. In 2015, the country established a sovereign wealth fund called the Petroleum Investment Fund, under the Bank of Uganda. The Fund was established with advice from Norway, which has been hailed internationally for the excellent stewardship of its own. Uganda’s Sovereign Wealth Fund has been hailed by several global groups interested in transparency and better management of natural resources. In 2016, Uganda appointed the Board of Directors for the Petroleum Authority of Uganda. It then had the first competitive licensing round for several oil blocks in the region in which the first commercial discovery was made.
The Petroleum Regulatory Authority states that an Executive Director was appointed in 2016, and several production licenses were issued. In that year, several sets of upstream and midstream regulations were issued as well. Earlier this year, the Parliament passed Local Content Legislation. A 2018 document released by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, the African nation’s Senior Petroleum Geologist Felix Bob Ocitti explained why it is necessary to wait. “Typically,” Ocitti said, “around the world, the period between when a commercial oil discovery is made, and the start of production ranges from 5-15 years… For sustainability, it is important for developing countries to address four key aspects prior to production.” The first aspect is the sector’s Institutional Framework. Ocitti said that this framework should clearly define the roles of the public players (government regulators) and private players (oil companies). “Whereas international oil companies are driven by desire to maximize profit, Government is driven by the need for sustainable exploitation of natural resources, with the benefits lasting longer than the life of the resources.” In this regard, the scientist said that the framework would have to ensure the roles of public players ensure checks and balances exist for the efficient management of the sector. The second aspect of the sector which needs to be addressed, according to Ocitti, is the Human Resource Capacity. He noted that the need for skilled Ugandans to fill positions in the industry
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was great, and that more needed to be done to place them in programmes to adequately prepare them for the jobs that the industry would create. The same could be said for the capacity of Ugandan businesses and their participation in the sector. He said that it is important for the pace of the industry’s development to match the pace of the development of Uganda’s skill and enterprise. Otherwise, the industry would run away and leave the people of Uganda in its dust. The third aspect of the industry Ocitti noted is the Legal Framework. While Uganda had laws in place governing the sector before the first discovery, they were in dire need of modernization. Ocitti said that the legislation, as the “blueprint on which the sector is governed”, should promote good governance and ensure activities that are well regulated. As for the fourth aspect, Ocitti said that Uganda’s physical infrastructure needed to be prepared for the sector, and that meant investments needed to be made into the country’s roads, ports, etc. In Uganda’s case, it needed to come to agreements for the export of the onshore oil via pipeline. Ocitti did not worry himself with criticisms that the country was inching too slowly to first oil. “The question as to whether the journey to commercial oil production in Uganda has been slow is one I will leave for all to judge, but from a technical point of view, there is no short cut for a country whose agenda is sustainable exploitation of natural resources in order to create lasting value for society.”
Uganda is yet another lesson for Guyana, which rushed to produce oil a mere five years after the first discovery. Guyana did not upgrade a single piece of legislation, except for the introduction of a Natural Resource Fund Act to collect the crumbs Guyana would receive, due to a lopsided Stabroek Block agreement and weak regulation. For Guyana, there is much more to build and learn. THURSDAY CANJEAND KAIETEUR OIL BLOCKS GIVEN OUT UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES Controversy continues to surround the suspicious giveaway of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C)’s Donald Ramotar administration just before the 2015 General and Regional Elections and ExxonMobil’s announcement of its first oil discovery in the Stabroek Block. It has been over a year since former government officials, including former President Ramotar and former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, were questioned by Kaieteur News about their involvement in the signing away of the oil blocks to companies who appeared not to have the sufficient track records or wherewithal to conduct deepwater drilling activity in those blocks. As if they recognised they were in over their heads, those companies sold stakes in the two blocks to oil major, ExxonMobil. This raised even more red flags about the situation, as ExxonMobil – now the operator – appears to have disregarded a policy which
required it to conduct its due diligence before assuming control of the licences. BACKGROUND The Canje and Kaieteur blocks were signed away on March 4 and April 28 respectively, according to Global Witness (GW). The Kaieteur Block stakes were split 50/50 between a company called Ratio Energy, then represented by an Israeli-based lawyer named Richard Roberts, and Ratio Guyana, owned by the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum which has some natural gas drilling experience, Global Witness said. The anticorruption watchdog said that Ratio Energy was sold in February 2017 to Cataleya, a company run by two miners, the Canadian Mike Cawood and the Guyanese Ryan Pereira. It noted Pereira’s earlier involvement in the Kaieteur licence as the Guyanese representative for Ratio Energy in April of that year, when the company received the block. The NGO said that Exxon bought 50 percent of the Kaieteur Block in March 2017, paying US$455,000 to Ratio Guyana. GW said that Ratio Petroleum reported that Exxon also paid US$350,000 to Ratio’s joint venture partner on the block. Since Ratio Energy was bought over, GW believes that the money went to Cataleya which notably, bought over Ratio Energy just a few weeks before Exxon’s purchase. In its report ‘Signed Away’, the watchdog said that the deal between Exxon and Ratio was in the works since July 2016, shortly after the lopsided Stabroek Block production sharing agreement (PSA) was finalised by disgraced former Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman. When GW sought explanations from the owners of Cataleya with questions about their histories in oil and their obtainment of the Kaieteur Block, Cataleya and Cawood appeared to skirt
questions, insisting that they acted in compliance with the law. Pereira did not respond. Roberts, who represented Ratio Energy before it was bought over, did not take kindly to GW requesting a comment. He said that the “assumptions” in its report were “unfounded” and that his law firm plays by the rules. The other shareholder in the block, Ratio Guyana, and its owner Ratio Petroleum, said that the Ratio group has been active in the industry for decades and touted assets in several countries in Asia, Europe and South America. The statement also pointed to its position on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and its “excellent reputation and corporate ethics”. As for the Canje Block, it was signed away to a company called Mid Atlantic, said to be run, at the time, by Guyanese businessman, Edris Dookie who went on to become the sole shareholder of the company in 2016. Later on, JHI Associates acquired a stake in the Canje Block. JHI’s website lists a Canadian, John Cullen, as the CEO and Director. GW said that Cullen founded the company. It also noted that public documents from JHI do not list its shareholders. However, GW did state that Dookie and Cullen “have a history together of holding Guyanese oil licences, but not a history of finding any oil in the country.” JHI said that it purchased seismic data packages on the basin after it acquired its share of the Canje Block, though 35 percent of the licence was sold to Exxon less than a year after Canje was awarded, GW said. The anticorruption watchdog is unaware how much Exxon paid for the share. It said that no such information is available. As with the Kaieteur Block, GW wrote to Mid Atlantic, JHI, Dookie and Cullen about their history in oil and their obtainment of the (Continued on page 30)
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From page 29 Canje Block. They coordinated responses that pointed to their “transparent” operations which they said was played by the rules, when acquiring the block. CORRUPTION RED FLAGS & EXXONMOBIL GW said that the awards exhibit red flags, when it considers the way ExxonMobil went about acquiring the stakes. It said that the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) published in a guide for identifying potential corruption in extractive licences, that such would include unqualified companies obtaining licences and quickly selling them to third parties without doing substantial work themselves. In this regard, Ratio Petroleum had said that no seismic work was done in Kaieteur before Exxon bought its share. GW wondered whether Exxon did sufficient due diligence before acquiring interests in the blocks, and insisted that Exxon should have known who owned Kaieteur and Canje to ensure compliance with Guyana and US anti-corruption legislation. In its report, the NGO stated, “Exxon’s AntiCorruption Legal Compliance Guide states that the company should undertake careful due diligence when acquiring certain licences.” When it reached out to the oil major for a comment, Exxon did not respond directly to the specific issues noted but rejected the “accusations” made by GW as unfounded and baseless. Also, as it tends to do in such situations, the oil major said that it is committed to the highest standards of business, and that it plays by the rules wherever it operates. ROBERT PERSAUD AND DONALD RAMOTAR Persaud and Ramotar were two former officials who took the spotlight when this issue emerged in 2019. Persaud, as Minister, was legally responsible for the awards. Though it was Ramotar who signed the deals, he insisted that he did so based on Persaud’s advice. Persaud told GW that the awards were made based on “briefing reports” prepared by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)’s lawyers, but that he did not remember the lawyers’ names and could not provide the documents, since he was not in government at the time of the 2019 interview. Notably, Persaud is quoted as saying that though he knew some of the persons who signed documents for the companies, such as Dookie, he did not know who the beneficial owners are, though it was necessary for him as a Minister to know. He is also
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reported as saying he cannot provide the reports, which informed the decision. Global Witness said the information it has published on the owners and directors of the companies named in its report, is publicly available. The anti-corruption watchdog is of the view that Persaud will have had access to more detailed ownership information, as the law required the applicants to list the beneficial owners. “It would be extraordinary,” GW said, “if the reports upon which Persaud made his Kaieteur and Canje awards did not include this critical information. In a published letter following Kaieteur News’ expose last year, Ramotar insisted that the awards, which he said dated back to applications made for the Kaieteur and Canje blocks in 2012 and 2013 respectively, were transparent and above board. He said that GGMC processed and approved the applications in accordance with the law around late 2013, and that all fees were received by the regulator. He said that the delays in the signing of the agreements were owed to the Venezuelan navy’s seizure of Anadarko’s contracted seismic vessel offshore Guyana in late 2013. Ramotar, he claimed, did not know Guyana had oil when he signed away the Canje and Kaieteur blocks. Yet, an advertisement appearing in the newspapers on May 8, 2015, published by the party, had specifically headlined “ …U.S. OIL GIANT EXXON STRIKES OIL IN GUYANA…” There is a photo of Ramotar in the ad, smiling and shaking hands with staff onboard a drill ship, Deepwater Champion, as it conducted hydrocarbon exploration in the Stabroek Block. Ramotar claimed that there was no confirmed commercial discovery in the area at the time of approval of the licences, though the advert was published days after he approved the Kaieteur licence. In May 2019, the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) announced that it would investigate the awards. It said that it had first decided to do so after former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal, said that the awards amount to daylight robbery. Nearly a year and a half later, SARA has nothing to show for it. OVERTURNED TRUCK CAUSES MAJOR TRAFFIC JAM ON EAST BANK CORRIDOR It was madness Friday,
after hundreds of commuters were left stranded for hours in a major traffic jam along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). The traffic jam was caused by an overturned truck on the Diamond Public Road. According to police, the truck, overladen with a cargo of wood, overturned at around 10:30hrs in the vicinity of the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). The truck was reportedly heading towards Georgetown when the incident occurred. Police said that the driver had sustained minor injuries and left to receive medical attention. Nevertheless, the overturned truck had blocked the entire western carriageway and caused a major traffic build up which stretched miles. Traffic ranks were forced to use a lane from the eastern carriageway to facilitate traffic flow towards the city. The traffic jam lasted for almost six hours leaving many trapped. Some missed meetings, other missed appointments, while others were unable to turn up for work on time. FRIDAY KAIETEURAND CANJE BLOCK OWNERS SET THE STAGE FOR SECRECY BEFORE SELLING MAJORITY SHARES TO EXXON Transparency is important to Guyana, but the
companies that sold the Kaieteur and Canje blocks to ExxonMobil made sure to hamper full disclosure of information before they conducted those transactions. They decided to register their businesses in countries notorious for being secretive tax havens, requiring no disclosure of vital financial information. The Kaieteur block was split 50/50 by Ratio Energy and Ratio Guyana (owned by the Israeli company, Ratio Petroleum) on April 28th, 2015, when it was awarded by the Donald Ramotar administration. The ownership remained that way until stakes were sold to ExxonMobil in March, 2017. Global Witness said that Exxon bought 50 percent of the block from the Ratio group. Because Ratio Energy was sold a month earlier to a company named Cataleya, GW believes the money went to Cataleya, a company run by two miners, Canadian Mike Cawood and the Guyanese, Ryan Pereira. Some countries, like the United Kingdom, require financial disclosures. So if a company is registered there, it will be required to report the financial details if it makes a purchase. Both Ratio Energy and Ratio Guyana were registered in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory known as a tax haven, at the time of the sale to ExxonMobil. So they were
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not required to make disclosures which would tell Guyana, among other things, how much money passed hands in the transaction, and who benefitted. The only information publicly available is that which Ratio Petroleum chose to make public. It was later announced in April 2018 that Hess acquired a 15 percent stake in the Kaieteur block from ExxonMobil. As of today, the Kaieteur block is split between four companies: ExxonMobil (35 percent), Ratio Guyana (25 percent), Cataleya (25 percent) and Hess (15 percent). The Canje Block was awarded to Mid Atlantic on March 4th, 2015. The application for the block was made in March 2013. The company was incorporated in Guyana in April of 2013, which means Mid Atlantic made an application for a block when it was not even formed. JHI Associates registered in Guyana on May 4, 2015 and farmed into the block just over a week later, on May 15. JHI’s website was created after it bought into the block, on June 10, 2015 and bears limited information on the company and its purported employees. JHI’s website says it is run by the Canadian, John Cullen. Public documents, however, do not list the company’s shareholders. According to documents held by the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Secretariat, JHI was only incorporated on June 17, 2015, in the British Virgin Islands. BVI is a tax haven, like Gibraltar. The Canje block is the only asset owned by these two companies. Additionally, JHI and Mid-Atlantic, which participated in Guyana’s EITI reporting process, failed to submit their audited financial statements for review. JHI also failed to submit information on its beneficial owners. An EITI report lists Dookie as the beneficial owner of Mid-Atlantic. Less than a year after the Canje award in 2015, a 35 percent stake was sold to ExxonMobil. There is no public information about how much was paid. Total announced it farmed into 35 percent of the block in February, 2018. Currently, four companies have stakes in the Canje block: ExxonMobil (35 percent), Total (35 percent), JHI Associates (17.5 percent) and Mid Atlantic (12.5 percent). When it comes to secrecy, one should look no further than the company to which stakes in both these blocks were sold to. ExxonMobil has had its own involvement in controversial secrecy in Guyana. Apart from the suspicious awards of the Canje and (Continued on page 31)
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From page 30 Kaieteur blocks, the oil company’s kinship with secrecy had placed Guyana in a scandal over the US$18M signing bonus it gave to the Guyana government for the Stabroek block deal. The government had hid the bonus from the Guyanese public for more than a year after it was awarded. . This could have been avoided if ExxonMobil was required in the US, at the time, to make timely disclosures of payments to governments. A section of the US Dodd Frank Act had required companies to declare their payments to governments, but oil companies like ExxonMobil fiercely advocated against the implementation of the provision. ExxonMobil, however, made the disclosure in Europe through its Luxembourg subsidiary, where it is required by an EU directive. But, Global Witness said that the payment was published in Luxembourg 18 months after the Stabroek block agreement was signed. LOCAL CONTENT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A FAIR DEAL – DR. JAN MANGAL Petroleum consultant, Dr. Jan Mangal, is of the view that while local content is important and necessary, the Irfaan Ali administration cannot expect it to be a substitute for a fair Stabroek block deal with ExxonMobil. Mangal said that the money locals will get from local content is peanuts compared to the US$55B the country can get back if it renegotiates the controversial production sharing agreement (PSA). The former Presidential Advisor on petroleum appeared on last Tuesday’s edition of Kaieteur Radio’s Petroleum 101 during which he discussed issues of
governance in Guyana’s petroleum sector. When it comes to governance, Dr. Mangal is yet to be convinced that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government is demonstrating prudence. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has repeatedly refused calls for the renegotiation of the deal, widely condemned as lopsided and unfair by local and international commentators. It was Global Witness that put out a scathing report, which noted that Guyana is set to lose about US$55B over the life of the agreement due to its value-leaking provisions. Dr. Jagdeo agrees that the deal is bad, but insists that there are other ways to claw back value. He has touted local content as one of these. Mangal said that local content is a red herring for the government’s refusal to get a better deal. “Countries don’t make their money from local content.” He said: “If that was the case, we should just give away all the oil; say “Exxon, we don’t need royalty… [or profit share]… We’ll take zero percent.”” “But countries don’t do that because the value for a country is in the production sharing contract, is in the royalty, is in the production sharing, and is in tax. That’s where countries make billions and billions, and that’s where we’re losing US$55B.” In this regard, Guyana’s royalty is a paltry two percent that is all the way at the lower end of the spectrum of royalties examined by Kaieteur News for a series of oil producing countries. As for taxes, ExxonMobil and its partners are paying none. What is the result of such an agreement? Guyana is set to get 14.5 percent of the revenue from the sale of its
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crude, while its neighbour to the east, Suriname is set to rake in nearly three times that share, 36 percent. Mangal said that the reason the PPP/C is pushing for local content is that local businessmen, who are largely supporters of the party, will “make a killing” when this issue is championed, even if Guyana gets peanuts from the oil deal. In its six weeks of being in government, the administration has already appointed an advisory panel on local content which has gotten mixed reviews from Dr. Mangal. One appointee, Trinidadian local content expert, Anthony Paul, had worked on earlier drafts of Guyana’s local content policy, before the former David Granger administration replaced him with an ExxonMobil affiliate, Dr. Michael Warner. Mangal commended Paul’s reappointment as the only good placement on the panel. “He is an actual expert in that,” Mangal said. “He goes around the world. He is well respected by governments.” However, Mangal had less kind words for former Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, whom Mangal had fiercely criticised for positions he took on the Stabroek block deal under the former government’s tenure. Dr. Jan Mangal noted concerns that Greenidge may be a mouthpiece for ExxonMobil. He suspects the former Minister was placed on the advisory panel to rein in Paul, who has demonstrated his ability to ensure maximum local participation in the sector. As for Kevin Ramnarine’s appointment, Mangal said: “He doesn’t add any value. He has been knocking around Guyana for years looking to get involved.” Mangal said that the former Energy Minister of Trinidad & Tobago has no demonstrated track record in local content, nor could he boast the same respect as Paul, in this regard. SATURDAY PRESIDENT IRFAAN ALI SKIRTS US JOURNALIST’S QUESTION ABOUT FAIRNESS OF EXXON DEAL When correspondent Shaun Tandon asked President Irfaan Ali whether the deal is fair, the Head-ofState sidestepped the question and proceeded to tell the Agence France-Presse
(AFP) journalist about other plans his administration has for the oil sector. “The arrangement itself,” Tandon asked Ali, “Do you feel that it’s equitable? Do you feel that it’s fair for Guyana?” Fielding questions under the Baridi Benab at State House, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the President only offered that his administration is reviewing the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP), Exxon’s third intended development. Despite lambasting the former David Granger administration for the poor terms in the Stabroek Block agreement on several occasions, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C), now in government, refuses to renegotiate the deal. “We have said even prior to the elections that there are issues that we’ll have to review,” Ali stated, “and as you’re aware, we have at the moment a review in terms of the Payara licence that is being done, and we have subjected ourselves to professional guidance. At the end of that review the government, of course, will have to make an informed decision.” The government had hired a World Bank advisor and former Alberta Premier, Alison Redford to spearhead a review of the project, as well as to assess the work of Bayphase, the company hired by the former government to review the project. The Stabroek Block agreement, including the intended Payara project, has been widely criticised for its lopsided provisions, some of which Guyana’s laws don’t even allow. The PPP/C government has been challenged to bring the deal into conformity with the law, and to ensure its terms give Guyana a suitable share of the revenue. Global Witness had said that it is such an unfair deal that Guyana will lose US$55B over the life of the
agreement. Tandon having also asked about managing risks in the sector, the President quickly pivoted from his brief comment on Payara, to the administration’s plan to establish a Petroleum Commission, moving the conversation well away from a discussion on the deal. “We’ve also committed ourselves to arm’s-length relationship with the management of the sector from a political perspective,” Ali said. “So you would not see, for example, the petroleum commission that is controlled by politicians. The management of this resource must be done by competent, qualified, technical persons who can ensure that we get the best output from our oil and gas resources.” This Commission is a promise the PPP/C has touted for some time now. There is no timeline yet for its establishment. The President continued, “For us, oil and gas is a great impetus for the macroeconomic vision for our country.” He said that it will allow the government to build and expand other sectors, transform the country’s infrastructure, and foster a competitive “knowledge economy”. “So oil and gas, I can assure you, will be managed by technically competent people,” he said, alluding to the Petroleum Commission again, before moving on to mention the administration’s plans for the Natural Resource Fund. “Of course, we are now re-looking at the sovereign wealth fund to take away – there was legislation that was passed that added tremendous powers onto the minister who was responsible.” The PPP/C has criticised the Act, passed by the former government – not only for its provisions, but because it was passed after the government fell by the December 21, 2018 motion of
no confidence. “We have to remove that,” he said, “remove the overwhelming power that is assigned to the Minister so that we can have greater transparency and accountability in the management of this sector.” Finally, the President referred to the recently appointed advisory panel on local content. “We are committed to supporting investment in this sector,” President Ali, “and we are committed in ensuring that Guyanese benefit from these investments. That is why we’ve established a technical taskforce to look at local content and to see how we can not only support the local private sector, but how we can build a capacity and ensure that they benefit from local content.” This is an issue that the new government has made a show of and its appointment of Trinidadian local content expert, Anthony Paul has been lauded. However, the government is reminded that local content cannot be a substitute for a fair deal, as it does not rake in enough to recover the US$55B Guyana is set to lose from the Stabroek Block agreement’s current terms. Former Presidential Advisor on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal has said that local content is a red herring for the government’s refusal to get a better deal, as oil producing nations do not make the bulk of their revenue from local content. US MOVES TO INCREASE INFLUENCE IN GUYANA’S ENERGY SECTOR Following his engagement with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, President Irfaan Ali announced Friday that the USA and Guyana will be deepening bilateral relations in the energy sector. Expanding further, the Head of State said that a framework (Continued on page 32)
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From page 31 agreement towards this end was signed between the U.S. Government and the Government of Guyana to strengthen energy and infrastructure finance and market building cooperation in the context of the Growth in the Americas initiative. Ali said this agreement will stimulate the enhancement of the business environment for U.S. private sector investment in Guyana, particularly in the fields of energy, both unrenewable and renewables, and infrastructure. Ali said, too, that the agreement will pave the way for the U.S. private sector to expand their investment portfolio and partner with the Guyanese private sector. Ali said, “This partnership will help to meet our broader infrastructure and downstream development needs and, by extension, drive economic growth and development as well as job creation.” The oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major sectors: upstream, midstream and downstream. The upstream sector includes searching for potential underground or underwater crude oil and natural gas fields, drilling exploratory wells, and subsequently drilling and operating the
Kaieteur News
wells that recover and bring the crude oil or raw natural gas to the surface. While Guyana is still at this stage, the Ali administration has signaled by way of this agreement with the USA, that it will be taking Guyana into the downstream sector too. This industry includes the refining of petroleum crude oil and the processing and purifying of raw natural gas as well as the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas. Research also indicates that the downstream sector reaches consumers through products such as gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, fuel oils, lubricants, waxes, asphalt, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as hundreds of petrochemicals.
POMPEO SAYS CHINA’S MONEY COMES WITH STRINGS BUT THAT US WANTS TO GROW GUYANA - DON’T SPREAD FAKE NEWS – CHINESE EMBASSY US State Secretary, Michael Pompeo Friday said that China’s investments come with strings, but that the US brings Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that is clean, drawing the ire of the Chinese Embassy in Guyana, which urged Pompeo not to spread fakes news. Making his case under State House’s Baridi Benab, the Secretary rejected any assertion that US investments are a threat to Guyana’s sovereignty. “The United States model is to build out on the best things of your country,” He said. “We’ll show up, we’ll
bring capital, we’ll bring resources, we’ll often bring technological capabilities that are much needed to develop resources, develop infrastructure for your country, but we don’t do so with political strings tied to them. We don’t operate the way other regimes do, who might show up with money and then demand political retribution, or worse yet, engage in activity that is corrupt.” In a separate interview with Leeron Brumell of the National Communications Network (NCN), Pompeo said he talks to American private sector leaders all the time about how they can invest in overseas markets in a manner that is fair and transparent, so they can in turn build their business in the United States. The Secretary posited that he thinks countries understand that America doesn’t ask for much, besides a fair shot at the competition, rule of law, enforceable contracts and a set of property rights. He opted not to comment on Guyana’s deal for operations in the Stabroek Block, as one journalist had asked whether the deal could be considered fair. Pompeo said the negotiations are between Guyana and Exxon, and that he and the President didn’t even discuss ExxonMobil. “We don’t apply political pressure connected to our commercial enterprises. There are other nations that operate very differently.”
Sunday September 20, 2020
He pointed to China, in this regard. “China operates very differently. The Chinese Communist Party shows up with its military and commercial deeply intertwined.” He noted that China expects countries to accept Chinese tenders for projects, and opined that it’s a form of pressure on governments. The US, on the other hand, hires local skill, Pompeo said, adding that American companies are great environmental stewards. The two economic powerhouses appear locked in a battle over who should extend more aid and influence in the Caribbean region. While the US and Guyana signed bilateral agreements signaling heavy US investments into Guyana’s energy and related sectors, the People’s Republic of China already received Guyana’s signature in 2018 on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for participation in the controversial Belt & Road Initiative. In a statement just hours after Pompeo made his remarks, the Chinese Embassy condemChned him, urging that he make no further utterances which could tarnish his image. The Embassy said that China develops relations with Caribbean countries like Guyana under principles of mutual respect, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation. “China attaches no political strings in bilateral
pragmatic cooperations,” it stated, “which bring tangible benefits to countries and peoples in the region. This is an objective fact that anyone without prejudice will admit.” As for the US, China said the country has abused the concept of national security to oppress foreign companies, alluding to recent action by the US to suppress the Tik Tok smartphone application, which it worries is Chinese spyware. “The US has not only violated market principles and international rules,” China said, “but also negated the principles of market economy and fair competition that it has been priding itself on. We hope that all countries work together to promote a fair, just, open, nondiscriminatory business environment.” A Reuters report notes that a similar exchange was made between Pompeo and China during his earlier visit to Suriname. “ We ’ v e w a t c h e d t h e Chinese Communist Party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear,” Pompeo is quoted as saying. The Chinese Embassy there responded swiftly, saying that Pompeo is attempting to sow discord between China and Guyana’s immediate neighbour to the East. It urged Pompeo to stop spreading rumours about China.
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Coronavirus: The protests are over; now we wait to see the consequences
By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center ver the past two weeks, there have been protests for the unfortunate deaths of youths who were murdered in Berbice. While the murders are unsolved, it is disheartening that such barbaric acts are being committed on youths in a once peaceful society. I chose to live in West Berbice because of the peaceful nature of the place. Within the past two years, I have seen this district transform from a passive environment to one with racial disunity, gruesome murders, constant interpersonal violence and robberies, and the hub for disruption of roadway traffic. What is also worrying, is the fact that there were large gatherings during the protests which cannot augur well for us given the nature of this pandemic. The virus thrives in such environments I had pleaded previously for us to not gather in crowds to celebrate or protest the outcome of the elections. My
O
plead was because of what I knew and what I’m seeing daily with this pandemic. The virus loves gatherings as it’s the best medium for it to spread and cause a quick surge in cases. Persons tend to find it difficult to wear masks in the heat during protests and yell loudly to get their voices heard. Others tend to wipe their faces of sweat given the high temperatures and tense nature of the surroundings. All of these are factors that hasten the spread of the coronavirus from person to person. I worry that we will be seeing a surge in infections this week from the places
where the protests occurred. This surge will spill over and hasten the spread of the infection throughout the country. Should this happen at an unprecedented rate, I fear that it will break our medical system and many more lives will be lost. Who’s at risk? It’s fair to say that everyone that gathered at the protests are now at risk of having COVID-19. While most may have a strong immune response and have a milder form of the disease, others will not be so lucky and may have the severe form and even die. Persons that returned home with the virus will
expose their relatives and friends to it. The elderly and those with other medical conditions will fear worse with the infection and may become the indirect casualties from COVID-19 infections acquired during the protests. Is it too late for us? That is a question I battle with every day. I do not have a clear answer, but I fear that it may be coming to such a scenario, given the reckless behaviours that I see daily. The protest actions especially in Region 5, were the most reckless acts thus far. While we were all aggrieved, our demonstrations were reckless
and irresponsible and we only have ourselves to blame should this pandemic get out of control in Guyana. The experiences over the past two weeks caused more separation and destruction to our nation. We still have to live and coexist no matter our race, culture or political inclination. If we continue to destroy the environment that we depend on for survival, then there will come a point where each and every one of us cannot thrive. A sensible person will realize that we can only sustain our livelihood if we work together
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Dr. Zulfikar Bux to build our nation and fight this virus together. Let’s be responsible and sensible and do what matters; Guyana matters!
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The GHK Lall Column
Encouraging events, disturbing developments
By GHK Lall
T
he media has been awash with the visit by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to Guyana. Earlier, Guyana's Foreign Minister, Hugh Todd, said that Venezuela was not on the agenda. Contrastingly, in an article dated September 16 in the Miami Herald titled, “Pompeo makes history as first U.S. secretary of state to visit Suriname and Guyana” the position of a political and regional security expert was that “Venezuela will certainly be part of the agenda, there is no way that one cannot see that.” The Guyanese media, on Thursday, confirmed Venezuela features significantly. Now I bite the bullet for a bold position. This is both encouraging and disturbing. It is
encouraging because of assistance the US can provide to Guyana in vital areas where it is severely lacking. A US State Department official spoke of Venezuela “harbouring terrorists, harbouring narco-traffickers” and of continuing efforts to “interdict drugs.” Guyana has a heavy share of drug trafficking, a national plague with community and institutional wreckages inflicted. Any help to stem this terrible tideand its white-collar sibling, money laundering-should be welcomed by all Guyanese. There is familiarity with reports of forays by paramilitary criminal squads across our wide-open border with Venezuela, which targets Guyanese engaged in the mining sector, resulting in loss of life and property. If this can be reduced, through American assistance, I can only stand in support of such encouraging actions that help immensely. Also, according to the Miami Herald, after the conclusion of his Suriname stop Secretary Pompeo “will then head across the border to a volatile Guyana, where he will hold talks with representatives of oil companies. ”It is encouraging that Mr. Pompeo's agenda includes engaging oilmen, which must mean ExxonMobil, the tottering American corporate giant. It holds Guyana in
a strangling contractual bind that leaves it in an embarrassing and impoverishing state. It seems that Exxon gets almost everything, while Guyana gets next to nothing, in what is one of the most one-sided oil contracts anywhere. I have always believed that the Venezuelan monster is what compelled surrendering to Exxon, and paying through the nose, as part of the protective bargain against Guyana's powerful neighbour. I still think so. Exxon had us over a barrel, and the chokehold followed. But the point to be emphasized is that wherever Guyanese turn, Venezuela features prominently, and even more so with oil making the news in one discovery after another. It is enough to make even the most benevolent neighbour covetous and harbour hostility to the interests of the Guyanese people. Meanwhile, the US and Venezuela are locked in this struggle over ideology and governance, capitalist visions and priorities, and American geopolitical and geostrategic interests.
These cannot be made to disappear under the cover of celebrating democracy in Guyana; though, I am heartened to hear that “inclusive and transparent governance” is to be tabled. I hope for reception and traction. Hopefully, the foreigner would fare better than locals in what disturbs intensely. But I return to this touchy reality: the enemy of my sworn enemy is among my stronger and better friends. It comes with a price over which Guyana labour and agonizes. How much is too much to give up? How to pay electoral debts due? It had to be known then, and as is surfacing now (no matter how sanitized), that payback had to come. Here is where I am: if my neighbour desires with unswerving keenness to seize two thirds of my rich homestead, then I would welcome any strong friend, who helps level the scales in my favour. This is what both encourages and disturbs. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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g ts in s... re ture e t In rea C
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The
Feral Pig
(Sus scrofa)
T
he feral pig (from Latin fera, "a wild beast") is a pig (Sus scrofa) living in the wild, but which has descended from escaped domesticated swine in both the Old and New Worlds. Razorback and wild hog are American colloquialisms, loosely applied to any type of feral domestic pig, wild boar, or hybrid in North America; pure wild boars are sometimes called "Russian boar" or "Russian razorbacks". The term "razorback" has also appeared in Australia, to describe feral pigs there. A feral pig is a domestic pig that has escaped or been released into the wild, and is living more or less as a wild animal, or one that is descended from such animals. Zoologists generally exclude from the feral category animals that, although captive, were genuinely wild before they escaped. Accordingly, Eurasian wild boar, released or escaped into habitats where they are not native, such as in North America, are not generally considered feral, although they may interbreed with feral pigs. Likewise, reintroduced wild boars in Western Europe are also not considered feral, despite
the fact that they were raised in captivity prior to their release. Feral pigs can be extremely dangerous to people, particularly when the pigs travel in herds with their young, and should be avoided when possible. Feral pigs living in the United States have been known to attack without provocation and fatally injure human beings. There have been over 100 documented attacks by feral pigs on human beings in the United States between the years 1825 and 2012. Of these attacks, five have been fatal. Three of the five fatal attacks were by feral pigs wounded by hunters. Both male and female feral pigs are known to attack without provocation, and attacks by solitary males, as well as group attacks have been documented. On November 26, 2019, a 59 year old Texas woman named Christine Rollins was attacked and killed only a few feet away from the front door of her workplace by a herd of feral pigs in the town of Anahuac, Texas, which is 50 miles east of Houston. This incident was the fifth documented fatal feral pig attack in the United States since 1825. Chambers County Sheriff
Brian Hawthorne in a formal statement to news media stated that "multiple hogs" assaulted Rollins during pre-dawn hours between 6 and 6:30 a.m. when it was still dark outside. The victim died of blood loss as a result of her injuries. In South America, during the early 20th century, free-ranging boars were introduced in Uruguay for hunting purposes and eventually crossed the border into Brazil in the 1990s, quickly becoming an invasive species. Licensed private hunting of
both feral boars and their hybrids with domestic pigs was authorized from August 2005 on in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, although their presence as a pest had been already noticed by the press as early as 1994. Releases and escapes from unlicensed farms (established because of increased demand for boar meat as an alternative to pork), however, continued to bolster feral populations, and by mid-2008, licensed hunts had to be expanded to the states of Santa Catarina and
SĂŁo Paulo. Recently established Brazilian boar populations are not to be confused with long-established populations of feral domestic pigs, which have existed mainly in the Pantanal for more than 100 years, along with native peccaries. The demographic dynamics of the interaction between feral pig populations and those of the two native species of peccaries (collared peccary and white-lipped peccary) is obscure and is still being studied.
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K O
BO
Book Review... Book: New Voices Selected by Lorna Goodison - Poet Laureate of Jamaica 2017-2020 Critic: Glenville Ashby, PhD 'New Voices' is a wellcrafted work of defining aesthetics and a literary statement that clamours for meaning. Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison selects twenty six poets - twenty six ingenious voices that echo complementary themes. They are reflections of angsts, spirits harried by history and troubled by realities, spirits moved by days gone forever, but still piqued by possibilities. These poets must forge identities, stand their ground a n d p r o n o u n c e
Sunday September 20, 2020
Time
unwaveringly as they ingest from the past. And we listen. Khadijah Chin's 'Let It All Hang Out,' invokes bygone days when grandma held sway, her spoken word gospel, commanding, reassuring and soothing. Chin recalls in rich argot, “And my granny woulda cry shame a di way, yuh lef yuh bed didn't mawnin cause yuh mus always chant two psalms an kneel fi journey mercy just in case bad blessin' tek yuh. But to avoid all the ring Marilu I smile and say 'To each his own.”' 'Easter Sunday' by Jovante Anderson is loud and obdurately resistant. She rallies her resolve against those that have drained the blood from her turf, trampling on her birthright; those that render her people
Echoes of
voiceless. “I the fish you feed on and embalmed in vinegar and thyme, resting silent in the ceramic grave gasping as if I died fighting, daring to claim Kingston...seasoned in the quietness of genteel c o m p a n y. . . h o w d a r e I breathe even as murderous tongues make a meal of me.” Lauren Delapenha's 'The Dark Room' veers into a tortuous, inescapable past. Metaphorically rich, she describes the self as constrained by its own imagination and left bound by deeply rooted memories. “Tumorous, tumultuous it grew in the bowels of a house without a basement. I needed room without a view to grow,” she bemoans. “Shooting models, drawn to their exquisite symmetry but also to deformity...Well, I don't take photos - only photographs. Today I lock the darkroom door from inside. My negatives stay negatives. I spread them all out on the floor - what for? I close my eyes and try to see
nothing. Instead there is mother, drinking tea.” Trevann Hamilton's 'Old Clothing Store,' explores the labyrinth that is the mind. “The air inside is heavy and choking Warning you not to venture more deeply inside But the homeless...have taken on the challenge They have taken residence. She is uninhabitable Condemned. But she has not crumbled to the ground No, not yet.” And Kiseon Thompson's 'The Backslider Remembers Baptism,' is one of many remembrances. Here, the island sways with religiosity, God-fearing islanders boasting of their selfordained exceptionalism. “White linen and black skin Invisible cuffs, rattling making a noise so familiar and desperate I remember how we prayed away our bodies to the lords come into us to fill us and expunge our souls...I vomited them out easy like exorcism. I am hotter than any white ghost holy or not.” Thompson's second offering, 'Healing in the Greenhouse,' recalls the nurturance and magnanimity of nature. “As time passes, some of us hug ourselves and forget to let go Our roots nestle themselves to sleep Because they are tired of holding bus And are wrinkled being our servants We hum a spiritual to appreciate the sun in which we wish to live, Through the moon. And this house you built in wood and rusty iron bars and black mesh is a sanctuary.” 'It was my Fault' by Romardo Lyons signals the death knell of a relationship and the searing pangs of guilt. “Dropped it; splinters still, marbles rolling around like pool balls Tried grabbing her, but it was as if I was moulding oil. Cherry went round and round 'till the sink was lonely...” And Jovante Anderson's Velvet resounds with the same
personal fissures. “You are never alone him don't ever need to find you You don't ever need to come out.” In Rozan Levy's 'Kingston Yard,' we perceive 'home' as a balm to be conjured at will, its presence felt with immediacy. He pens, “I should have take more walks in the yard to see colours of cars that honk their horns, to observe the building blocks now aged and green, bed rest for rusty steel, to hear neighbours' chatter to see them and say good morning. One day I will leave home and need these memories.” In like vein, Kaleb D'Aguilar's 'Thinking on The Green I See in Transit,' juxtaposes the unique and verdant abundance of the tropics with the coldness of the metropolis. “We ride over this land lost my in the bleak terrain called England...Home from Kingston to St Elizabeth looking out my dad's pickup I see carrot, tomato, chocho, jackfruit, orange, otahiti, banana though we don't see fall, we see colour all year around...” Gail Hoad's pens the highly interpretative, 'Migrant,' a poet's cries of d i s p l a c e m e n t , circumstantially forced to undergo the unthinkable, against the strongest of wills. Here, the intersectionality of
enslavement and migrancy, and its overriding psychological evil are real; but somehow, the flame of life is inextinguishable. “I am not one of those who left the land Tenuous ties pull taut here stronger than ever A tug on the heart strings A sting in the eye This aching never-ending hollow-hurting Good bye.” Poems unfold flowingly, their cadence soothing like running water. 'New Voices' brims with evocative, nostalgic musings. There is longing and an unfiltered celebration of culture and personhood. With soulful depth, every poet delivers a testament of truth, their truth and, in many ways, our truth. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or f o l l o w h i m o n Twitter@glenvilleashby The University of the West Indies Press, Kingston, Jamaica Copyright 2020 by the National Library of Jamaica ISBN: 978-976-640785-8. Available at Amazon Ratings: Recommended
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THE
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STORY Public schools WITHIN THE
and traffic
By Leonard Gildarie
I
left home earlier this week for work and got caught in traffic at Diamond. It took one hour from the Diamond access road to the DDL turn. There it was an unbelievable sight. A truck laden with lumber was sprawled obscenely across the western carriageway opposite the DSL supermarket. Lumber was strewn across the two lanes. Another part of the truck was across the median effectively also blocking one of the lanes of the eastern carriageway. Three of four lanes blocked. For several hours, traffic crawled on one lane as traffic police battled to control the flow. It appeared the truck was overladen. For the last few days, the traffic was beyond believable on the East Bank of Demerara. The West Bank traffic also suffered. The reality is that there are more vehicles taking the road after the new government took office. Everything was at a standstill during that five months of stalemate for elections. The traffic situation would signal a growing confidence in the economy and of course, a clear desperation by our people to get back to work after imprisoned by the pandemic measures since March. The authorities would do well to pay attention to the traffic situation especially on the East Bank and West Bank of Demerara. Valuable man hours were lost in the congestion. We are not even talking about gas and the wear and tear on vehicles. There are some priorities for this government. A new bridge across the Demerara River would be the foremost. That alternative road bypass linking the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara would be high on the agenda also. It is unthinkable that in this day and age, God forbids, that a protest could shut down the East and West Bank. It could derail traffic to the airport, and ambulances and fire trucks which are on emergencies. We can go on and on, but you catch the drift.
There is another major development which is affecting all of us. Education. More than a week ago, public school restarted. We won't say that the doors of the schools have been reopened. Rather, it started with online classes via Zoom, a video-conferencing app. It is a lovely app that allows person to interact on video even if one is in the Alaska and the other in Guyana. There is a major problem which is recognized by the Ministry of Education. Not every family has access to internet. In some areas, the use of data internet is not enough or too expensive. About a third of the students on the coast, it was estimated by some teachers and other educators, are not able to participate on the Zoom classes. The ministry has unrolled a hybrid system of schooling. It involves online, printed lessons, and classes via television (The Learning Channel) and radio. There are also reportedly materials in the daily newspapers. There are major problems. We should never be in this position. Our failure to ensure that a significant portion of our country is adequately served with proper service has been exposed. We cannot continue with one telephone company w h i c h h as t a k e n o u t shamefully its profits without ensuring that its mandate to the people has been fulfilled. Because of the country's terrain it will be impossible to have coverage all over. We h a v e f a i l e d miserably. The second point that must be made is that the ministry and government have both recognized that it is impossible to have schools remain closed. However, how does one re-open schools and not have students mingle? Children love to touch and sit close. On the flip side, to not have a hands-on approach by
Leonard Gildarie teachers will be a challenge. The classroom and schools are there and it lends to the atmosphere of learning. It is difficult for teachers to pay attention in a Zoom setting to 20 faces and guess what mischief the students may be up to. Teachers will be out of their depth. A senior education official told me she caught her child playing dolly house during a class. There are very little options available to the ministry and the technical experts who have been battling to come up with initiatives. Guyana, like the rest of the world, has entered uncharted waters. The sad reality is that many students will slip through the cracks. The ministry will take time, or need time, to play catch up. The harsh reality, based on what I learnt, is that many families do not have computers or laptops or even a tablet. Even if there is one, there is not enough. What happens if there are several children in the home who need to take classes at the same time? It is a pressing issue. T he reality is that COVID-19 will be with us for a while. The reality is that our way of life will probably not be the same for a number of years to come. We can't go to the malls or sea wall or creeks as we like. Parties and bars will never be the same. Working from home or Zoom meetings will become a way of life. An entire middle management of supervisors and foremen will likely be wipeout, affecting our organizational structures. Do we adapt? It has been decision time for several months now‌months we wasted fighting among ourselves. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
A resource to help Christian Churches to navigate their present challenges (A Review of David Granger’s The Church’s Mission. Anglicanism and change in East Berbice, 1839-2019.) The Anglican Church is the established Church of England and is the mother church of the international Anglican communion. The Church in the Province of the West Indies is one of forty member provinces in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Province comprises eight dioceses spread out over much of the Guianas and West Indies. It is from its English base that the Church’s missionary branches spread throughout the British Empire, with the support of the Crown. One of the places to which the Anglican Church migrated was British Guiana which formed part of Britain’s extensive territories in the Caribbean. The British government initially established two Sees of the Church in the British West Indies. The first was the See of Jamaica, which catered for that island, the Bahamas and British Honduras (now Belize). The second was the See of Barbados, which incorporated the Leeward and Windward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago and the colonies of Berbice and Essequibo-Demerara, which were amalgamated in 1831 into British Guiana (now Guyana). Anglicanism became one of the largest Christian denominations in the world through this process of transplantation. While Guyana was no exception, historical circumstances – including limiting religious education for the enslaved population and the introduction of indentured immigrants and their religions and denominations – meant that the Anglican Church never achieved supremacy in the colony as, perhaps, elsewhere in the West Indies. David Granger’s The Church’s Mission. Anglicanism and change in East Berbice traces the fascinating history of the Anglican Church in East BerbiceCorentyne Region of Guyana. The story began two centuries ago during the Napoleonic Wars and continued through to Emancipation to present-day Independence in Guyana, where he, as President, marked the 180th anniversary of the All Saints Anglican Church of New Amsterdam last year. The book constitutes the text of this address on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the All Saints Anglican Church on 30th June 2019.
All Saints Anglican Church holds a special place in local Anglicanism and in the country’s religious history, as the former President notes. He credits All Saints with reflecting the country’s multicultural and egalitarian character, bringing together people of all races, strata and backgrounds. The Church also provided succor to the poor and was a source of religious and secular education for Africans. More importantly, he argues, the Church expanded Christianity and Anglicanism in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region. The book explores the evangelical tradition of the Anglican Church in Berbice. It examines its role in shaping the lives of the 19th century Guyanese ¯ including African-Guyanese, whose membership increased in the Church particularly after Emancipation. He locates the Church’s history within the broader themes of Emancipation and the country’s emerging multiculturalism. Granger is not content, however, with merely memorializing the Church. He describes the Anglican Church in Guyana as an institution with a mission ¯ to save souls and preach the Gospel. It has a spiritual and social mission, one which the former President sees as being integrated rather than separated. Granger’s deep, personal reverence for the Anglican faith and his sincere belief in its Mission can be sensed in this text. He admits that the Anglican Church is dear to him, pointing out that he was baptised, confirmed and married and will die as an Anglican. “Anglicanism,” he says, “…has shaped my personal, professional and political outlook. Anglicanism is my intellectual inspiration and spiritual sustenance.” For this reason, he can be forgiven for overlooking the Church’s role in perpetuating the social and racial inequities during the colonial era. He mentions the mingling in the Church’s congregation of both ex-slaves and the great and the good of Berbice, pointing to it as an example of the Church’s egalitarianism but fails to mention how racial segregation and stratification infected the division in seating arrangements in the Church’s pews. Anglicanism also cannot be divorced entirely from the colonizing experience. The Anglican Church was part of the process of implanting English values, of defending the status quo, of supporting the Crown and the planter classes and, thereby, of being an
agent of colonial hegemony. Granger makes an interesting observation. He says that many of the Anglican Churches in East BerbiceCorentyne bear the names of Saints, most of whom were born, lived and carried out their work in Europe, thousands of kilometers away from Guyana. The Church’s original mission, therefore, was shaped by a missionary outlook aimed at spreading the word of God and converting souls. It was this imperative which led to the establishment of churches on the coastland and missions in hinterland regions. This was arduous, painstaking work which often resulted in setbacks. The Church’s missionary outlook influenced its social doctrine. It asked the faithful to accept their lot since a better future awaited them in the afterlife. Its social works were ameliorative rather than transformative. Even in the field of education, the Church was seen as helping primarily to prepare citizens for integration into colonial society. Granger acknowledges that the Church today has changed, noting that the institution itself is a creature of change and is not immune to the changing character of society. He concludes that All Saints Anglican Church has been faithful to Jesus’ commandment by bearing witness to Jesus and, through this witness, by providing spiritual and material nourishment to the East BerbiceCorentyne. He ensures that the role of All Saints Anglican Church is not diminished by the passage of time. The Church was an important foundation stone in the expansion of Anglicanism in East Berbice-Corentyne. It assumed an important place in the town’s and Region’s history. The Anglican community will find this book a useful and insightful source of information and interpretation of the Church’s history. All Saints Anglican Church was part of the process of a Euro-centric church developing strong local roots and becoming acculturated. The Anglican Church adapted to change during the first 100 years of its existence in Guyana. Its experiences – both achievements and setbacks – as exemplified by All Saints Church are instructive for the entire Anglican Diocese. They confront the challenges of remaining relevant and reviving its declining congregations. The Church’s Mission. Anglicanism and
change in East Berbice sends the message that the seeds of evangelization will fall on fertile ground if they are responsive to the social conditions of the time. As All Saints Anglican Church was 180 years ago! Christians will find David Granger’s book not just an inspiring commentary on All Saints Anglican Church but, also, a resource to help Christian Churches to navigate their present challenges. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 20, 2020
The Do’s and Dont’s of Accessorizing Accessories can be your friend or your enemy. Too much can make you look like a Christmas tree and too little can make you disappear in a crowd. The wrong selection of accessories can spoil even the most jaw-dropping ensembles and the right pieces of accessories can make a simple dress appear to be more than what it is. That said, finding the right balance to make you an exemplary standout is the aim but it is no easy feat. But not to worry; the Guyana Inc Magazine has you covered in this regard. In this special edition, you will learn some of the key ways in which you can personalize and complete your look. And since the first rule of accessorizing is occasion appropriateness, below are some guidelines for three events. Accessorizing for a Party When you are accessorizing for a party, there is scope to choose your dress and accompanying pieces to
achieve different looks. But once you have selected your attire then you have to decide on what becomes the showpiece. Ask yourself, “Is the dress a flashy one?” If it is, then there is no need to go overboard with the embellishments. For example, let’s say your dress is a short, shimmering gold sequin number with long sleeves and a plunging V-neckline. In this case, the dress can speak for itself; it without question becomes your showpiece. Therefore, there is no need to accessorize with bracelets, a watch, a bedazzling chain and earring set. A simple pair of gold earring be it studs or hoops would do the trick. Remember, the key when it comes to flashy dresses is your accessories must be subtle, they should never look as though they are trying to overpower your already showy dress. However, if you were to choose a similar dress, this time with no sleeves and a different colour, perhaps, then
there is more room to have fun. In this regard, you get to choose if your showpiece will be the accessories. Considering that it is a party, you can wear an elaborate necklace that falls comfortably into your cleavage with small studded earrings to suit. As for your shoes, they
should either balance or contrast with the selected attire. Let’s say you have decided on wearing a simple black dress. In this regard, you can choose shoes that set the colour theme. However, if the dress is shimmering, opt for shoes that have a similar colour and style. Remember, delicate shoes, like strappy sandals, add elegance to an outfit, while chunkier shoes with wedges for example, create a more casual look. When it comes to bags, it is important to bear in mind that small bags or clutches give an elegant finish to your attire while a big or broad bag gives a casual feel. Also, be mindful to not wear a large bag when the size of your accessories is small. That distorts the structural theme of your outfit as well. Accessorizing for an Interview Accessories are just as important as the attire you
select for a job interview. In this regard, there are several important rules you must pay attention to. 1) Earrings can either be a distraction or add a touch of elegance to your persona. Therefore be sure to avoid dangling earrings which are more suitable for an evening look. Instead take a classic approach by using studs that are either, metal, pearls or gemstones. 2) Necklaces are always a charmer. Be sure to select a piece that is small, simple and yet classy. It is recommended that you choose a necklace with one focal point such as a pendant. Avoid necklaces that trail to your breasts or midriff. 3) Handbags play a great role in completing your look. It is advised that you use a handbag that is without much detail and not bright in colour (Black or White works perfect). In short, avoid a handbag that has the
potential to steal attention away from you. Mistakes to avoid when accessorizing 1) It is possible to wear a jewellery set. However it must be with small pieces. Large matching pieces of jewellery adorning your body makes you look clunky. 2) If you are wearing a pink pair of high heels with a black dress, there is no need to accessorize with a pink purse. It is actually a fashion sin to have matching shoes and hand bag. The fashion rules dictate that with bright coloured shoes, lighter toned bags are required to give a better contrast. 3) If you are going to wear a colourful ensemble then hold the colourful jewels. It is either one or the other. 4) Do not wear watches with evening dresses, whether it’s long or short. Just don’t!
Sparkling Wine of the Week: The Cavicchioli 1928 Rosé This bright and pale pink candy” coloured Rosé features white evanescent foam, fine and lingering perlage when poured and tasted. The wine has a fresh, fruity aroma, and a slightly spicy aromatic taste with red fruit notes and a lingering aftertaste. Cavicchioli 1928 Rosé is excellent as an aperitif with sweet and sour pairings. You can also pair it with risotto, tortellini, seafood dishes, and fresh fruits. It can be had at Ansa McAL’s Twee Gourmet Shoppe at the Giftland Mall. Do enjoy and remember to drink responsibly.
Sunday September 20, 2020
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Kaieteur News
PLACING THE SPOTLIGHT ON DIABETI EYE DISEASE A vast majority of persons living in Guyana above the age of forty suffer from some form of elevated blood sugar or Diabetes Mellitus. Additionally, a fraction of these have poor control over it, which leads to a number of issues, one being diseases affecting the eye and vision. Diabetic eye disease is actually a group of conditions due to symptoms of diabetes. These can take two major forms: 1. D i a b e t i c retinopathy- which affects blood vessels in the retina (the light sensitive area that lines the back of the eye). It is the premier underlying cause of visual impairment and blindness in adults suffering from diabetes. 2. Diabetic macular edema or DME- this is a consequence of diabetic retinopathy, and is basically swelling in an area of the retina called the macula. Diabetic eye disease also includes cataract and glaucoma. What exactly causes diabetic retinopathy? When blood sugar is chronically high from diabetes mellitus, there is widespread damage to the tiny blood vessels in the body, including the retina, leading to what is known as diabetic retinopathy. The retina works in the capacity to detect light and converting it to nervous impulses that are sent via the optic nerve to the brain. Diabetic retinopathy can further lead to blood vessels in the retina to leak fluid or bleed after blood vessel destruction, thus enhancing the distortion of vision. When in the advanced stages, new abnormal blood vessels grow back and increase in number on the retina’s surface. This leads to scarring and cell loss and thus further vision loss. It goes through four stages: · Mild nonproliferative retinopathyThis occurs when small areas in the blood vessels in the retina begin to swell and may leak fluid into the retina. · Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy. As there is progression, there is also swelling and distortion of the blood vessels that bring nutrients to the cells of the retina. This loss in ability to transport blood causes a characteristic change in the appearance of the retina and can lead to DME. · Severe nonproliferative retinopathyThe progression leads to many more blood vessels being blocked, preventing blood from reaching certain areas of the retina. These
specific areas compensate for this by secreting compounds known as growth factors that stimulate the retina to grow new blood vessels. · Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)At this stage, the growth factors secreted by the retina triggers the growth and multiplication of new blood vessels, which grow along the inside surface of the retina and into the vitreous gel, which is the fluid that fills the eye and gives it its shape. These new blood vessels are very fragile, and are more likely to break and bleed. Scar tissue that has developed can contract and cause retinal detachment. This leads to permanent vision loss. What is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)? DME occurs when there is a build-up of fluid in a part of the retina known as the macula. What makes the macula so important is the fact that it is necessary for the sharp, straight-ahead vision that is used for reading, facial recognition and driving. A little known fact is that DME is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetic retinopathy. Also, approximately half of all people with diabetic retinopathy will develop DME. It also occurs at any stage but is more prominent in the latter stages. What are the risk factors? · Diagnosis of either type1 or 2 diabetes. · Diagnosis of diabetes at an earlier age · Females are at a higher risk than men · Age 40 and above · Obesity · Hypertension · Pregnancy What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy and DME? The early stages of diabetic retinopathy are usually asymptomatic, notwithstanding symptoms of diabetes and some small amount of blurred vision that occurs on and off and is often confused as being normal eye shifts. The illness usually gets worse and is not noticed until vision is constantly affected. Due to bleeding of the retinal vessels, persons may complain of seeing numerous floating spots in their visual fields. These may dissipate but if not treated there is always a recurrence, thus increasing the risk of blindness. If DME simultaneously occurs, it can lead to blurred vision. How are diabetic retinopathy and DME detected? The diagnosis of these two diseases must actually be
done using a comprehensive dilated eye exam that includes each of the following components: 1. Visual acuity testing- We all know this as the eye chart test that measures how well a person sees at different distances. 2. Tonometry- This test is done to measure the pressure inside of the eye. 3. Pupil dilationWhen a specific type of drop is placed on the eye’s surface, it causes the pupils to widen, thus allowing a doctor to look at the retina and the optic nerve. 4. Optical coherence tomography (OCT)- As complex as the name sounds, the technique used is very similar to ultrasound but uses light waves instead of sound to capture images of body tissue. OCT helps to provide detailed images of tissues that can be penetrated by light, such as the eye. If there are suspicions of DME or severe diabetic retinopathy, a fluorescein angiogram may be done to ascertain the presence of damaged or leaky blood vessels. How can people with diabetes protect their vision? Prevention is always better than cure, especially when the damages are irreversible as in the case of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy. It is important to detect the disease early so as to treat it early and because the early stages are so asymptomatic, everyone with diabetes should be screened or get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once yearly. Of course, people diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy will need eye exams more frequently. Also, pregnant women with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. How is DME treated? DME can be treated using several different therapies. These could be used solely or in conjunction with each other. · Anti-VEGF Injection TherapyThese Anti-VEGF drugs are injected into the vitreous gel to block a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which can stimulate abnormal blood vessels to grow and leak fluid. Thus by blocking VEGF, the growth of abnormal vessels could be reversed. Some of these include Avastin, Lucentis, and Eylea · Focal/grid macular laser surgery- In this form of surgery, just a few to hundreds of small laser burns are made to leaking blood
vessels in areas where there is edema near the center of the macula. These laser burns for DME help to slow the leakage of fluid, reducing swelling in the retina. It is a one session procedure but some persons may need more than one. · CorticosteroidsThese common drugs can either be injected or implanted into the eyeand may be used
in solitude or in conjunction with other drugs or laser surgery. The Ozurdex (dexamethasone) implant is done for short-term use, while the Iluvien (fluocinoloneacetonide) implant is longer lasting. How is proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) treated? Laser surgery is the mainstay of treatment and it
has been very successful given the fact that it has vastly remained unchanged for many decades. The treatment involves making about 1,000 to 2,000 tiny laser burns in areas of the retina away from the macula. These are done in an attempt to cause abnormal blood vessels to shrink.
Kaieteur News
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The Golden Touch
Sunday September 20, 2020
Junior page
Leaf Bowl DIY
[madewithhappy.com]
Supplies Leaves
A Balloon White Glue or Modpodge A sponge paint brush Scissors (optional)
How To Make A Bowl out of Leaves
The moral
Greed will always lead to downfall.
There once was a king named Midas who did a good deed for a Satyr. And he was then granted a wish by Dionysus, the god of wine. For his wish, Midas asked that whatever he touched would turn to gold. Despite Dionysus’ efforts to prevent it, Midas pleaded
that this was a fantastic wish, and so, it was bestowed. Excited about his newlyearned powers, Midas started touching all kinds of things, turning each item into pure gold. But soon, Midas became hungry. As he picked up a piece of food, he found he couldn’t eat it. It had turned
to gold in his hand. Hungry, Midas groaned, “I’ll starve! Perhaps this was not such an excellent wish after all!”Seeing his dismay, Midas’ beloved daughter threw her arms around him to comfort him, and she, too, turned to gold. “The golden touch is no blessing,” Midas cried.
Blow up the balloon. In the case there are leaves still on branches, use the scissors to cut the leaves off. For those that are using glue. In a separate bowl, mix equal parts water and glue. For those using mod podge, you can simply pour it into a usable bowl.Using the sponge paint brush, apply the glue solution to the balloon.Then add each leave and liberally apply the glue on top of the leaf to hold it down. *Continue around the bottom of the balloon till you have the whole bottom covered. *Let it dry completely for 24-48 hours. * Pop the balloon and carefully peel the balloon off the bowl.Viola – You have yourself a great leaf bowl.
WORD SEARCHES Word searches are fairly straightforward. You're given a list of words to find within a grid of seeminglyrandom letters. Every word in the list appears once and only once in the grid, though they can be placed horizontally, diagonally, or vertically, and can read either lefttoright or righttoleft (and toptobottom or bottomtotop). Above Canoed Clever Closed Clumped Cower Disembar kation Doubt Dunce Duplexes Flats Fonds Frost Funnels Gaits Glazed Hailed Havoc
Hikes Isles Locker Loping Padding Pears Peruse Plumbers Polar Popped Portend Prance Professio nally Proper Provable Quest Refuel Steps
Stern Stuns Thief Tirade Togas Treadmill Ushering
by Uncle Roy
Why go to school? I sometimes wonder why I have to go to school – You have to do so much work, And follow so many rules. But then I look at people, With no education you can see, They often seem to be so poor That they never could be happy. And then there are those, Who you know are educated – They most times have the best jobs, And by all others are respected. So now I have made up my mind To work hard for my education; I know it sometimes can be tough, But in the end I will gain satisfaction.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 20, 2020
Determine and pursue your Goals diligently to make the best of yourself
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TEEN TIME Anyone who sincerely wants to make the best of himself/herself should see the necessity to taking some time to consciously decide the goals he/she wants to achieve, and take the necessary action to keep on the path to achieving these. Most teenagers do not take the trouble to look ahead and determine what they need to do to be successful, both on a long-term and short-term basis. As a result they go through life drifting along, and most times not only waste energy and time in activities not beneficial, but end up moving in the wrong direction and doing things that can get them into trouble. This can be readily seen when we realise that world is in such a turmoil that it is now very hard to identify the right way by which people should be conducting themselves. In a world where children are exposed to all sorts of indecency and violence, we need to determine our own course of action so
as to reap the lasting success and happiness we are all striving for. From the actions for the legalisation of drugs and same-sex marriages to the killing of innocent people so that others may live abundant lives, it seems that it is now more urgent than ever that we establish the things we need to do to make the best of ourselves. In this effort to determine your goals, both for the short time ahead and for the long term, you will be more successful if you take some time and assess your special skills and talents and what you really need from life. You will find that when you do this, even when you are not deliberately working to achieve your goals, your subconscious mind will be always keeping you on the path to your dreams. It will also help if you attune yourself to become passionate about these dreams. When you are excited about pursuing the goals that will
make these possible, your energies will be most directed to this effort It will also be necessary in this effort to have patience. Remember always that “Rome was not built in a day”. This means that everything worth getting takes some time in the making. Therefore, we always need to be patient and not expect the exact results we want to be accomplished in a short time. As long as you know that you are doing your best, the results will come in good time. By practising patience, you are also developing your personality in many ways that will prove a help to you in other efforts. This to my mind also encourages us to have faith in an Almighty Creator who will help us to achieve all the good things we desire, as long as we have faith in His power to do all things. After all, He created the Universe, and so must have the means to do anything we ask, as long as we develop this faith in Him.
Chart your Course
(This poem is the first in the book “Shape up your Personality” by Roy Paul (Uncle Roy) which will soon be published in Guyana) Is there a ship that goes to sea by Uncle Roy That has no stated port of call, Without a means of staying on course, Where wind and tide dictate and chance befall? Is there a bird or fish or beast That has no purpose to its being? Nay, each is counted and serves its aim, In the Good Lord’s reckoning. Why then should a man live on this earth With no set goals to meet, To pitch and toss in the sea of fate, And thus end his life in defeat? A life thus lived is worth much less Than any of God’s dumb creations, If man should claim a higher destiny, He must seek his given mission. So each of us need take the time To form the goals we cherish, To give true meaning to our lives, And thus gain fulfillment and happiness.
Failing to plan is the same as planning to fail.
Cryptograms Cryptograms are simplesubstitution ciphers where every letter of the alphabet has been switched. Your task is to use pattern recognition and your grammar and vocabulary abilities to decipher the hidden quote. Hint: start with the 1, 2 and 3 letter words, and remember that the most common letters in the English language are ETAION, in roughly that order. Good luck! DC WME BEMZ QLZ ZLWME JPNN KQM KDWM ZQME KQMX PVM PALEM, KQMX'H EMFMV WPVVX. — O. Henry LY'W J ZVAAS YMLAF JHNVY RLZC: LZ SNV QCZVWC YN JEECGY JASYMLAF HVY YMC HCWY, SNV DCQS NZYCA FCY LY. — Somerset Maugham FL OVIHVYTX VTVYXAF OLQLXYVQYAI YA QYMD SVKMYXT BH V FKDD FEVF EVA VQKDVCP SDDX OBF CLZX. — Andrew Cohen QVXI VXY MRTO JVCMA CT NPP ON TJVNNM, QX ANI'O QRIO OVX ORMXIOXA QNZRI QRTOCIB VXY OCZX CI QNYD PRY WXMNQ VXY JRHRJCOE. QX QRIO VXY ON JNZX NSO YSIICIB. — Mary Ingraham Bunting
Solutions to last week’s
Acrostic "I mean, when the world comes for your children, with the knives out, it's your job to stand in the way." — Joe Hill, Horns
Drop Quotes "The advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world."
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Beauty Habits You Should Be Doing Now 1. Remove your makeup (all of it!) If you wear makeup and aren’t cleansing your face twice before bed, you’re probably leaving a good bit of impurities on your skin. Cleanse first to remove makeup and a second time to deep clean the skin. You can use any cleanser for both steps, but if you’re able to splurge a little we recommend the Colleen Rothschild Radiant Cleansing Balm for removing makeup. This thick (and delicious smelling!) balm completely dissolves face and eye makeup as soon as you massage it on your face. Next, wet a muslin cloth with warm water and gently place it on the skin to remove the balm. You’ll be left with balanced, soft, and radiant skin. Just don’t forget to follow up with an additional cleansing! 2. Exfoliate everywhere Removing dead skin cells from all over the body is so very important because it allows moisturizer to really absorb into the skin. Plus, it increases body circulation and texture of the skin allowing you to get a closer shave! Keep forgetting to exfoliate? Leave a loofah or a great scrub (like the ACEQUIA Mineral Body Scrub) in your shower as a reminder. 3. Visit a dermatologist It may seem unnecessary unless your skin is particularly problematic, but having an expert create a scientifically proven treatment plan just for your skin is priceless. Also have your doctor do a full body skin check to look for suspicious moles as a sign of skin cancer. This exam should be done at least once per year. 4. Switch up your shampoo Think of your hair the way you think about your skin. Depending on the climate and your own body chemistry, your skin can range from dry and rough to oily and smooth. Well, hair is the same way. Just as you would use different products on your skin during these times, you should do the same for your hair. There are great options at the drugstore too, but the point is to keep a few different formulations on hand to address your hair’s ever changing needs.Tip: Don’t be afraid to mix and match the shampoo for one concern and a different conditioner for another! 5. Moisturize + SPF It’s no secret that repeated sun exposure can cause premature aging and even skin cancer so make applying SPF a daily habit now so that you will love your skin later. Even if your foundation contains SPF, don’t rely on just that to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. To keep the process as hassle-free as possible, look for a moisturizer that has SPF built in (we like Murad Balancing Moisturizer with SPF). 6. Set your liner You may have a love/hate relationship with eyeliner because by midday it has moved clear away from the original line and is now smeared underneath your eyes. To keep your liner looking fresh all day, try setting it with a similar colored eyeshadow right after drawing it on your upper or lower lash line. Although this alone will freeze it into place, we love the bareMinerals Long Wearing Eyeliner for it’s long lasting no-smudge properties! 7. Use a serum If you don’t have a serum in your skin care arsenal, you’re seriously missing out. Serums provide a lightweight, yet extremely concentrated dose of active ingredients that are quick to absorb into the skin. With so many options, it shouldn’t be hard to find one to suit your skin needs. 8. Clean up your diet Caffeine, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol and even environmental pollution are all toxins that can wreak havoc on the skin. Your best bet? Cut out what you can and limit exposure to the rest. Continued use will eventually show up on your face. 9. Gear up You know all of those skincare devices that kind of resemble something you’d see on Star Wars? We totally get it. The price of these tools may leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed. Not to mention using them correctly may seem like a daunting task, but we’ve found a few that are worth the learning curve. 10. Clear it out Makeup doesn’t last forever. Chances are a good bit of your makeup collection has seen better days. Know when to toss your makeup and do it regularly! By clearing out all old makeup, you’re removing that risk of transferring harmful bacteria to your skin. https://theeverygirl.com/10-beauty-habits-you-should-bedoing-now/
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 20, 2020
Sunday September 20, 2020
Quick and Fascinating Facts About the Human Body https://brightside.me/article/100-quick-and-fascinating-facts-about-the-human-body-38305/
· The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea of the eye. It receives oxygen directly from the air. · The human brain has a memory capacity which is the equivalent of more than four terabytes on a hard drive. · A newborn child can breathe and swallow at the same time for up to seven months. · Your skull is made up of 29 different bones. · Nerve impulses sent from the brain move at a speed of 274 km/h. · A single human brain generates more electrical impulses in a day than all the telephones of the world combined. · The average human body contains enough sulphur to kill all the fleas on the average dog, enough carbon to make 900 pencils, enough potassium to fire a toy cannon, enough fat to make seven bars of soap and enough water to fill a 50-litre barrel. · The human heart pumps 182 million litres of blood during the average lifetime. · 50,000 cells in your body died and were replaced by new ones while you were reading this sentence. · The human embryo acquires fingerprints within three months of conception. · Women’s hearts beat faster than men’s. · A man named Charles Osborne hiccupped for a total of 68 years. · Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people. · About two thirds of people tilt their head to the right when kissing. · The average person forgets 90% of their dreams. · The total length of all the blood vessels in the human body is about 100,000 km. · On average, a person’s respiration rate is one third higher in spring than in autumn. · By the end of a person’s life, they can recall, on average, around 150 trillion pieces of information. · We lose 80% of our body heat from the head. · When you blush, your stomach also turns red. · A feeling of thirst occurs when water loss is equal to 1% of your body weight. The loss of more than 5% can cause fainting, and more than 10% causes death from dehydration. · At least 700 enzymes are active in the human body. · Human beings are the only living things which sleep on their backs. · The average four-year-old child asks 450 questions a day. · Not only human beings, but also koalas have unique finger prints. · Only 1% of the bacteria can result in the human body becoming ill. · Everyone alive on Earth could comfortably be placed into a cube with sides 1000 meters long. · The scientific name for the belly button is the umbilicus. · Teeth are the only part of the human body which cannot heal themselves. · On average, a person needs seven minutes to fall asleep. · Right-handed people chew most of their food on the right side of their mouth, whereas left-handed people do so on the left. · Only 7% of people are left-handed. · The fragrance of apples and bananas can help a person to lose weight. · If allowed to grow for their whole lifetime, the length of someone’s hair would be about 725 kilometres. · Out of all the people who can move their ears, only one third of them are able to move just one ear. · During their lifetime, a person will on average accidentally swallow eight small spiders. · The total weight of the bacteria in the human body is 2 kg. · 99% of the calcium contained in the human body is in one’s teeth. · Human lips are hundreds of times more sensitive than the tips of a person’s fingers. · A kiss increases a person’s pulse to 100 beats per minute or more. · The total strength of masticatory muscles on one side of your jaw is equal to 195 kilograms. · A person passes on 278 different types of bacteria to another person when they kiss them. Fortunately, 95% of them are not harmful. · Parthenophobia is a fear of virgins. · If you collected all the iron contained in the human body, you would get just a small cog, big enough only for use in your watch. · There are more than 100 different viruses which cause a cold. · If someone kisses another person for a certain amount of time, this is much more effective in terms of hygiene than
using chewing gum, as it normalises the level of acidity in your oral cavities.
To be continued
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Has the time come for Caribbean... From page 24 objective of becoming a Republic by next year. Unlike the remaining independent countries of the Caribbean of which the Queen is head of state, the Barbados constitution allows for this significant change in constitutional status by “votes of not less than twothirds of all the members of the House”. No referendum of the electorate is required. Given that the present Mottley Government controls twenty-nine of the thirty seats in the House of Assembly, achieving the vote should be easy. The one obstacle would be how intense, if at all, will be resistance by elements of the Barbados society and the business community against the idea, and how much it threatens to divide the country. This was a matter that clearly influenced both Arthur and Stuart, during their premierships, not to press ahead with the idea. Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and the other six independent Caribbean countries require not only a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, but also a majority vote by the electorate in a referendum. Winning referenda in the Caribbean has proven to be as difficult as pushing a boulder up a mountain. In 2009, a referendum in St Vincent and the Grenadines rejected the proposal to oust the monarchy and substitute it with a republic. And, several referenda have failed in other Caribbean countries to alter the Constitution to allow the Privy Council to be replaced by the Caribbean
Court of Justice, signifying a reluctance by the majority of the electorate for radical change. While becoming a Republic is regarded by Caribbean intellectuals as “rounding the circle of independence”, the argument is not as much about the head of state not being a white woman living in a distant former colonial power; it is more about confidence in good governance when institutions perceived as beneficial are changed. That argument can only be won by political parties in every Caribbean country, demonstrating that they will maintain the rule of law, civil and political rights, and democratic principles, i n c l u d i n g n o n discrimination particularly in race and religion. However much ruling political parties might wish to join the Barbados government in pursuing republican status, “the matter is really in the hands of the Caribbean people” as the Queen said in 2012 when Portia Simpson declared: "I love the Queen, she is a beautiful lady, and apart from being a beautiful lady she is a wise lady and a wonderful lady. But I think time come". (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the U.S. and the OAS. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The view expressed are entirely his own.) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh is a special person From page 22 have been using those words and those words have been moving mountains for me,” Baksh noted. FAMILY SUPPORT Apart from the support of his make-up idol, Baksh said that the support his family showed, and continues to show, has been immense. Although his mother passed away some five months ago, Baksh said that his father continues to be supportive.
With his two sisters
Other family members have also showed tremendous support, he related. “My family, including my aunts, they have been very supportive, both financially and morally. After the criticisms, three of my aunts called me that same night, and said 'you have a far way to go, don't let that bother you'. With all the moral support that I have been receiving, all the criticisms just died away. I have been hated by some of the people I least expected to hate me and
PAGE 59 With his idol Trimacie (left) and one of his models
I have been loved by some of the people I least expected to love me as well.” Baksh said that following the criticisms he faced, he decided to keep his circle small. “I'm a very easy-going person; I don't have many friends. I try to keep my circle small and try to avoid as much negativity as possible…By keeping my circle small, the negativity is less,” he asserted. VERY AMBITOUS
Although Baksh is relatively young in the make-up business, his dream is to one day own his own
Our Special Person with his late mother
studio. “I'm currently working on acquiring more utensils, eye shadow pallets and brushes. I want to have my personal studio with everything, and I want to do some more classes, and look at some more videos to improve my techniques,” said the ambitious Baksh. When asked to describe the feeling when doing a client's make-up, Baksh said, “The feeling is unexplainable, it's like happiness to a new level when I'm working on someone and just working that brush.” He explained further, “There are different looks an artist can bring out when doing make-up, there's a simple three-colour eye shadow, there's cut breeze and half cut breeze, halo eyes and even the carnival look… with the cut breeze you just use your brush to get a neat cut… though it's being done with a brush and concealer, it's very technical because if
you miss, you have to go again…it takes me about 45 minutes to one hour to complete a really elaborate look. A simple look could take about 20 minutes or a little longer,” he was eager to explain. Our 'Special Person' is currently busy refining his talent by working with models. But he expects to soon be landing a number of clients because of his unique touch. Some of his outstanding work can be found on his Facebook page: Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh. When asked where he sees himself in the next few years, he quickly replied, “It's not likely that I will let go of make-up, not in the near future at least. I am Reyaz Shahabudeen Baksh, and make-up is my cardio. I hold it very close to me, it's something I cherish. And it's not likely that I will give that away for anything in the world.”
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Sunday September 20, 2020
F-1 M-1 Students Taking Full Online Courses in Fall 2020 Cannot Remain in U.S. By Attorney Gail S. Seeram
O
n July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to a temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. In summary, F-1 M-1 students taking full online
courses cannot remain in U.S. - they must attend inperson classes full-time for the fall 2020 semester. Temporary exemptions for the fall 2020 semester include: 1. Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to
students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States. Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to
remain in lawful status. If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings. 2. Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools operating under normal inperson classes are bound by existing federal regulations. Eligible F students may take a maximum of one class or three credit hours online. 3. Nonimmigrant F-1
students attending schools adopting a hybrid model—that is, a mixture of online and in person classes—will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online. These schools must certify to SEVP, through the Form I20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” certifying that the program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load this semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree program. The above exemptions do not apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or M-1 students pursing vocational degrees, who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses. Schools should update their information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) within 10 days of the change if they begin the fall semester with in-person classes but are later required to switch to only online classes, or a nonimmigrant student changes their course selections, and as a result, ends up taking an entirely online course load. Nonimmigrant students within the United States are not permitted to take a full course of study through online classes. If students find themselves in this situation, they must leave the country or take alternative steps to maintain their nonimmigrant status such as a reduced course load or appropriate medical leave. Due to COVID-19, SEVP instituted a temporary exemption regarding online courses for the spring and summer semesters. This policy permitted nonimmigrant students to take more online courses than normally permitted by federal regulation to maintain their nonimmigrant
Attorney-at-law, Gail Seeram status during the COVID-19 emergency. Orlando Immigration Lawyer Gail Seeram advises F-1 and M-1 students to seek guidance from their school counselor. If the F-1 M-1 students taking full online courses at current school then maybe the student may want to transfer to another school that has in-person classes so not to violate their F-1 M-1 status. NOTE: Immigration Law Offices of Gail S. S e e r a m o ff e r s a f r e e consultation to discuss related fees for a process and explain options. Our office will NOT tell you how to complete the legal process on your own. If you seek legal representation, then legal fees will be due to our office. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) Copyright ©Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2020. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Gail Seeram, LL.M., J.D., BBA Call | text 407-292-7730 WhatsApp 407-3531363 E m a i l : Gail@GailLaw.com L i v e c h a t : www.GailLaw.com Download FREE App: Gail Law
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Life after kidney transplant From page 19) Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) estate at U i t v l u g t , We s t C o a s t Demerara, the nurse at the facility recommended that he checked with the doctors at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. “I started having some terrible headaches and could no longer be in the heat without feeling bad. I w e n t t o B e s t [ We s t Demerara] hospital but they couldn't find the problem, so my family took me to Woodlands Hospital where the doctors found the problem-- my kidney was failing. So, they immediately recommended that I go on treatment,” Hardyal related. As a result, Hardyal met Dr. Dunia Nunes Arguelle—a Cuban specialist attached at the GPHC, where he started receiving treatment. He was soon after placed on dialysis. “Dr. Dunia tried her best to help me,” he recalled. However, he said that his condition worsened. “I was told that I needed to do the transplant
operation but that it would cost over $5M. With that heavy cost attached, I wasn't sure it was going to happen for me. I was basically living on a prayer,” the transplant patient explained. Hardyal's prospects for surgery only changed once he was told about Dr. Kishore Persaud, a transplant surgeon who was just returning from his studies at the University of Calgary, Canada. “I met with Dr. Persuad like one year after the diagnosis and he told me that he can perform the operation at GPHC but all I needed was a donor,” he stated. He recalled that in a matter of weeks, he was able to undergo the tests to find a donor that was compatible. “The tests were done on my mother, father and brother but they were not a match, but my aunt, Satyam Inderdeo who is like my second mother, volunteered to give me a kidney as she was my match,” Hardyal said. As a result of finding a
donor, Hardyal is the first patient to successfully undergo a kidney transplant operation conducted by Dr. Persaud and his team at the GPHC. Dr. Persaud has since completed over 28 successful operations – giving many patients with renal failure, the opportunity to return to the normalcy of life. Dr. Persaud noted, however, that so much more can be accomplished if the necessary legislation is in place. “If we get legislation we can help a l o t m o r e people. About 80 percent of the patients with kidney failure die in two years. We have over 100 renal failure patients in Guyana on a waiting list for kidney transplant with no donors,” said Dr. Persaud. He however added, “If we get legislation, this can be done through cadaveric transplants, where organs are harvested from braindead patients and donated to others and then many people lead lives like Kiran Hardyal.”
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Phase 2 construction of Eccles dump-site halted for flawed designs - contractor ordered to construct cells with HDPE liner The HDPE liner now being placed on the new cells
K
aieteur News h a s b e e n r e l i a b l y informed that a contractor hired to complete the Phase 2 of the Haags Bosch Industrial Landfill site at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, has been instructed to halt construction after reports surfaced that the new cells were being built without the HDPE liners. A c c o r d i n g t o
information received, the contractor was ordered to construct the new cells using the protective liner as excluding that integral component could pose a serious health risk to nearby environs and the country's water system. Already, one cell had been constructed without the liner after reports indicated that the previous A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change
( A P N U + A F C ) administration approved the previous design excluding the HDPE liner and, instead, forged ahead with construction. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later got wind of this and instructed that the project be halted and the contractors were sent back to the drawing board to include the protective liner. With the construction of
the new cells, the protective liner was included in the designs. However, the contractor, Kaieteur News understands, was instructed to revert to the old design. “Because we got oil and gas now and waste would be coming there, it would be ridiculous to construct the new cell without the liner. What happens if that toxic water seeps into our water system and people get sick? Who would get blamed?” the
source had said. For reference, the HPDE liners or “Landfiller Linings” are physical barrier systems intended to prevent the escape of poisonous water and gases out of the body of the landfilled waste. The Landfill Liner is placed at the bottom and sides of modern landfills and are continuously welded to provide a watertight seal. This lining is integral in the construction of landfills
as they secure the environment and protect the natural underground water system from being contaminated with the harmful materials that come from waste. These protective liners also prevent the movement of leachate (toxic liquid from landfills) along with the escape of poisonous dissolved by-products, which would otherwise infiltrate the environment.
Dr. Javid Imran Aziz
From page 20 loved helping people. But I also knew that being in the medical profession was very prestigious, and I wanted to be respected! I knew that a lot of times, people are constantly being disrespected and thrown aside for being less fortunate and I wanted to make a difference,” he said. POSITIVITY The doctor said that he was once told that he could never become a doctor, but he quickly turned those brutal words of discouragement into something positive. It was the fuel of positivity that drove his motivation “to rise up and prove people wrong”. He said that he decided to apply for a scholarship to study in Cuba since the finances were not available to him. “It was free and that was all my parents and I could afford at that time,” he confided, adding, “it was a
decision that I have not regretted to date.” Sharing a bit of his exhilarating experience while studying in Cuba, Dr. Aziz said the opportunity provided to him allowed him to experience other cultures
Upon completion of studies in Cuba in 2017, the doctor mentioned that he served as an intern under the Cuban Brigade at the Suddie, New Amsterdam, Skeldon and Port Mourant hospitals. He then began working as a
We need to protect ourselves and loved “ones by taking all necessary precautions. But being on the task force brings on a certain adrenaline rush that I love and, so far, it has been a great experience working with the best team and helping our communities.
”
and lifestyles and fostered friendships that remain even today. “It was such a beautiful place with so many selfless people who would invite you into their homes and give you the last plate of food they can afford. Cuba has made me so much more openminded and made me a better person inside and out,” he said.
Government Medical Officer. He is presently at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital and is one of the doctors on the Region Six COVID-19 Task Force. FEARLESS His role on the task force is to execute daily surveillance, diagnosing and treating patients with the
deadly Coronavirus. While sharing his experiences, Dr. Aziz said although he volunteered to be on the taskforce, at first he was “a bit nervous”. However, after thinking it through he realised that “this is what I signed up for and this is my chance to help my people recover and help flatten the curve of COVID19.” Such thoughts have propelled him to a place of fearlessness. He continues to work with the mindset that “we swore an oath to protect, serve and heal and we should do that with pride and dignity”. The fearless doctor also mentioned that he volunteered in Region One during the early stages of the disease outbreak there. He added that while he is not fearful of dealing with patients with COVID-19 his biggest concern is for his parents, grandparents and persons who are more susceptible. “We need to protect ourselves and loved
ones by taking all necessary precautions. But being on the task force brings on a certain adrenaline rush that I love and, so far, it has been a great experience working with the best team and helping our communities,” he said. DEDICATED
The doctor stated that he got involved in the task force because of the impact the pandemic has had on everyone, and he believes that help is desperately needed to eradicate COVID19 so that the lives of people can return to some sort of normalcy. According to Dr. Aziz, “as a frontline worker, I had to distance myself to a certain extent from my family and friends in order the keep them and myself safe. Sometimes work might be both physically and mentally strenuous, especially because of the working hours.” In order to distract
himself, he said, “I would usually watch movies and read books. I also love to cook and try new recipes, which is very therapeutic for me. I see cooking as an art, and it helps to take my mind off work for a bit.” He believes that the work that the COVID-19 team plays is vital to flattening the curve and reducing the disease spread. “Prevention is always better than cure, and our main aim is to prevent this virus from spreading any further and saving the lives of persons who are infected,” he said. According to the doctor too, “As much as we are working out here tirelessly, we need the public to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines to stay safe and protected. By doing so, our job becomes much easier. Remember, you can save a life just by washing your hands and wearing a mask,” the d e d i c a t e d D r. A z i z reminded.
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Over 100 HIV test samples from babies left in lab for over a year - Minister Anthony
For months now, more than 100 HIV tests taken from newborns were left sitting without being processed. This was revealed by Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, during his 2020 Budget debate last week. Explaining more about that shocking disclosure, the minister told Kaieteur News last evening that he discovered that the samples have been sitting in the lab for over a year and no efforts were made to have tests run on them. The test samples are usually done on babies born to HIV-positive mothers to confirm whether or not they may be carrying the virus. Anthony explained that due to the previous administration’s inability to carry out the tests, they have hampered mothers and the new government from knowing the status of those children- something that is a major concern for the parents and the health system. Guyana was expected to be evaluated this year to see whether it met the criteria for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The Minister stated that the abandonment of the samples has hampered this evaluation from being executed. Despite the inconvenience, the Minister assured that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be working assiduously to see what can be done to rectify the issue. He stated that a technical team will be conducting assessments to see if the
samples can still be tested. He further added that the government will have to reengage with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) for future evaluations and talks about the initiative. Guyana was listed among 13 Caribbean territories, in 2014, that were on track to be certified as having eliminated the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children in 2014. Guyana was able to obtain that certification by introducing anti-retroviral medicines to women during their pregnancies. Since 2010, Latin American and Caribbean countries, Guyana included, have been working to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis as public health problems through the Strategy and Plan of Action for Elimination of Mother-tochild Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and Congenital Syphilis, coordinated by PAHO. Further, in 2017, The Ministry of Health officially asserted that the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCTC) program will be used to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Guyana. The announcement was made by former Minister of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings. The program ensured that all mothers enrolling in Antenatal Clinics (ANC) are
Major works to repair downed West Dem landlines underway
A
s part of the pro cess to restore full
telecommunication services to Region 3 (West Demerara), the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) says it has received authorization to commence underwater repairs to it submarine fiber-optic cable, damaged by suspected sabotage a few weeks ago. “Having received the necessary approvals from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), divers are scheduled to map the points of the damage and begin splicing, with major works to be completed by Monday,” said GTT’s PR Manager, Jasmin Harris. On September 8th, 2020 suspected sabotage to a fi-
ber-optic cable belonging to GTT impacted over 25,000 customers in West Demerara – but within 24 hours, mobile and internet services were restored. GTT, said however, that several communities are still without landline service. “GTT condemns these acts of sabotage to its network and encourages the community to be vigilant, in an effort to prevent service disruptions that negatively impact a range of customers including children reliant on telecommunications for their learning. Persons can report acts of sabotage by calling 0908 or emailing tips@gtt.co.gy; a 2 million dollar reward is being offered,” the telephone company said in its statement.
offered the HIV test as part of their care. She also announced that
rapid testing of ANC mothers will also be done on the labour and post-natal
wards for those mothers who did not have HIV testing done.
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Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony
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Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Crashed plane with cocaine, body...
Pilot, passenger charged for illegal entry Two of the three foreign nationals detained Sunday last along with two planesone of them found crashed
with cocaine and a body inside, at Nine Miles, Issano, Middle Mazaruni, Region Seven, were on Friday
charged for illegal entry. Charged under the Immigration Act are Juan Ivan Fortool, 29, a Venezuelan pi-
lot of Tumeremo, Estado Bolivar, and Manoel Edson Pinheiro Costa, 35, an internet technician of Manaus, Brazil. The men appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court, West Bank Demerara to answer to the charge which read that on September, 13, 2020 they arrived in Guyana illegally. The men pleaded not guilty and were remanded to prison until September 30th, 2020. With regards to the other foreign national, police informed media operatives that he is currently hospitalized following a surgery conducted on him for his injuries. According to reports, on September 13th, Joint Ser-
vices ranks had received information of a strange aircraft at the Nine Miles Airstrip, Issano. The ranks swooped down on the airstrip and found the men- one injured with a 206 Cessna aircraft, registered in Brazil. The men were detained and had reportedly told investigators that were heading to Suriname and had encountered some mechanical issues which forced them to crash land. They also told the ranks of another plane that they believed had crashed somewhere in the Issano jungle. The following day, ranks located the wreckage of that plane, a crashed Beechcraft containing some 390 kilograms of cocaine and a body.
Police were led to believe that the injured foreigner, who identified himself as a Brazilian pilot, might have been the one piloting the crashed Beechcraft. The cocaine and the body along with Cessna plane and the three detainees were later transported to Georgetown. In the city, investigators were assisted by Brazilian authorities and International Police (Interpol) to identify the body and ascertain who the foreign nationals were. The body has since been identified as a Brazilian national, 49, and it was discovered that the injured pilot had been previously charged for drug-trafficking in Brazil. Investigations are still ongoing.
The two charged foreign nationals along with the injured pilot (to the extreme right) who remains hospitalised following a surgery.
Patterson raps Govt, Exxon on... From page 14 still in startup mode is ridiculous.” The company blamed its continued flaring on what it says is a defective gas compressor, currently undergoing repairs in Germany. Patterson explained that a process to effect the cessation of flaring had started under the former APNU+AFC government, with the goal of rewriting the permit in a manner ExxonMobil cannot exploit. The firm that administration had hired to review the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP) had not flagged the loophole, but it was Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, who pointed out the issue. The energy scientist continued to champion the issue when the PPP/C administration took over, but he was recently sent on leave, effectively removing him from the
critical review. Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has said that the government does not want flaring, but did not disclose the government’s final negotiating position in its talks with ExxonMobil for the Payara permit. As for ExxonMobil’s dumping of produced water, APNU+AFC is to be blamed for that, according to Patterson. The MP said that the coalition erred in allowing the oil major to dump the “contaminated” water, which amounts to about 4,000 barrels a day, into the ocean. Exxon’s Country President, Alistair Routledge, had said that the dumping poses no damage to the environment, but the company has given no proof to back up that claim, as no studies were done. Patterson said that his words are not consistent with the views of experts. The former Minister iterated that the produced water
should be re-injected into the reservoir. The Irfaan Ali administration does not appear to have a position on whether the water should be re-injected or dumped into the ocean. Jagdeo had told Kaieteur News that no matter how the produced water is discharged; the handling must be in-keeping with international standards.Patterson is adamant that ExxonMobil should foot whatever cost is necessary to mitigate these environmental hazards. “The health, safety and environmental well-being of citizens of Guyana is worth any cost – this is standard international practice. Guyana cannot afford a disaster like those of international acclaim.” The MP recommended that government include fines and penalties in the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP) and all future permits. In this regard, he urged the government to act urgently.
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Engineer falls to death through hole in 4-storey construction
P
olice say they are investigating the death of Keith Scipio, age 69 years, an engineer of Lot 12 Kissoon Scheme, Good Hope, East Coast Demerara. The death occurred around 11:30hrs at Lot 112-113 Happy Acres, another village along the East Coast. Police said that they learnt that Scipio left home and went to work at the construction site where the four-storey steel and concrete building was being built. About 10:35hrs, he held a meeting with all the workers on the fourth floor, after which everyone went back to work. Subsequently, the deceased was observed walking towards a hole, which is located at
the centre of the building and he “fell through downwards to the bottom”. One of the workers, who witnessed the incident, and who had tried to alert the deceased to the danger but was unsuccessful, raised an alarm. He went to the bottom floor where he saw the deceased lying motionless on the concrete surface of the ground in a pool of blood and with injuries to his head. The body was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by co-workers, where he was pronounced dead by a doctor on duty.Police said that investigation are in progress.
Repairs ongoing to GPL’s submarine cable
Workers of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) were yesterday working on the 13.8 kV Submarine Cable across the Demerara River. The idea, according to GPL, is to fix a number of faults on the cable which links the power stations on East and West Demerara. “GPL’s technical team is currently conducting a “Fault Finding Exercise” on the company’s 13.8 kV Submarine Cable across the Demerara River between Princess Street, Georgetown and Transport and Harbours Department - Ferry Stelling Vreed-en-hoop, West Bank Demerara,” GPL said in a Facebook post. “The purpose of this exercise is to identify the fault, repair damages and repower this Submarine cable link.”
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
DISPOSAL OF PLASTICS IS DANGEROUS
By Pat Dial The invention and widespread use of plastics has provided human beings with an accessory of life which is extraordinarily useful and cheap. Modern man regard plastics as an indispensable amenity of life. Plastics are produced from crude oil and as such, plastics are described as a fossil fuel product. Plastics provide the world with thousands of useful products, some of which have become so essential a part of human life that to remove them suddenly would diminish the quality of human life. In commercial activities worldwide, the bags are used to store, deliver and sell goods, whether they are foodstuffs or hardware, are plastics. In the restaurant and food catering business, the crockery and cutlery are usually plastic and very often, so are the furniture and decor of restaurants. Even some kitchen utensils and kitchen tools are of plastic. Many machines are now built with plastic parts. Motor cars, for instance, have most of their interiors made of plastic. Plastics are, however, not bio-degradable and could survive indefinitely unlike iron or paper which with the effluxion of time would again be re-absorbed into the earth’s surface. Though some effort has been made to recycle plastic waste, this is comparatively expensive and it is only about one percent of such waste is recycled. Such waste is not burnt since it would pollute the atmosphere to a dangerous degree. Accordingly, plastic waste is thrown into rubbish dumps and a good deal of it finds its way into the rivers and oceans and along the
coastline. Much of this waste derives from single use plastics such as wrappings and bags used in commercial activity or from the restaurant and fast foods industries where millions of plastic spoons, knives, forks, plates and table covers are disposed of every day. This irresponsible disposal of plastic waste negatively affects biodiversity and upsets the balance of nature. Everything in the environment, everything in nature is in the web of life and is related to each other though such relationships may not be immediately obvious. Trees, birds, animals, mountains and rivers, the oceans, fishes and marine animals and humankind are all linked in this web of life and if any part of the web is wantonly harmed, it would eventually negatively affect mankind. We will give a few examples of this interdependence of the various parts of the environment : Some years ago in New England in the United States, the apple orchards were being attacked by swarms of insects. The farmers succeeded in eliminating the insects and reaped a good crop. Next year, however, the orchards produced poor crops since the insects to pollinate the blossoms were absent having been eliminated. Or the tourism sector being negatively affected by plastic debris washing up on the beaches with governments and hoteliers forced to undertake costly, ongoing clean-ups. It is estimated that 40% of the world’s oceans are covered with plastic waste and this is growing at three to four percent per year. Since plastic is such a buoyant material, it floats both below and above water forming micro-plastics. Sea
birds mistake such plastics for food thus reducing the storage space in their stomachs resulting in their dying from starvation. Turtles mistake plastics for jellyfish and when they eat them they choke and die. Or sometimes drinking straws become lodged in their nostrils, suffocating them. Entanglement in various types of plastic waste such as abandoned nets has proved a threat to marine species and even birds. An example of this is the 40,000 fur seals which die each year from entanglement. The report of the UN Environmental Coral Reef Unit sums up this situation: “Marine plastic litter pollution is already affecting more than 800 marine species through ingestion, entanglement and habitat change”. In confronting this enormous problem of working to save the environment from plastic waste and to protect biodiversity, every segment of society has a part to play. The state has to take action; industry and the private sector has to take action; and the individual citizen has an important part to play at the ground level. The individual citizen could help by b e i n g a n environmental steward where he/she could volunteer to physically clean up the environment; donate funds to help the cause; lobbying state authori t i e s ; and educating the public. On the individual level, he/she could minimize use of single use plastics by a variety of activity such as using cotton shopping bags or buying reusable bottles and food containers. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Vendor killed in hit-and-run following birthday celebrations
A vendor was yesterday killed in a suspected hit-and-run along the Mon Repos Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD), mere hours after celebrating his 23rd birthday. Dead is Devanand Bansie, 23, of lot 27 Mon Repos, Railway Embankment. According to police reports, Bansie might have been struck down between the 02:00 and 04:00hrs. Details are sketchy as to how Bansie met with the accident. However, investigators revealed that after his birthday celebrations, he went to his home at around 02:00hrs and reportedly
found his door locked and that he was unable to enter. It is believed that Bansie might have left as a result and ventured onto the Railway Embankment ro a d w a y w h e r e h e w a s struck down by a speeding car. At around 04:00hrs that morning, a resident awoke to the sight of Bansie’s body lying on the southern side of the Railway Embankment. Paramedic and police were called to the scene to examine the man’s body and it was subsequently transported to the Lyken’s Funeral Home. Investigations are ongoing.
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
Guyanese mom drowns while fishing in St. Maarten A Guyanese mom died tragically yesterday in St. Maarten, a Dutch oversea territory while fishing. Her husband, also a Guyanese, was saved but he was dashed to a hospital for injuries. Dead is Andrea Singh, said to be in her 30s and a mother of two young children. She hails from Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Berbice. She had been living in St. Maarten for about two decades. St. Maarten is located next to St. Kitts and Nevis, in the Caribbean According to a statement from the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, it yesterday morning received a notice from the St. Maarten police that persons were “in a drowning situation in the water at Back Bay”. The woman reportedly fell into the water after a wave surge swept her away. She had gone fishing early with her husband, Vish Singh, also said to be from Guyana. Her partner jumped into the water in an attempt to help her but was unable to get near her. A fisherman who was nearby saw what happened and contacted authorities. He threw his cooler into the water and the husband managed to use it to scramble back to safety. The Coast Guard vessel was dispatched to the location where they found the woman
Died: Andrea Singh along with her husband,Vish, and two children in happier times. She drowned yesterday. unconscious in the water. According to the Coast Guard, they took the woman to the pier at Great Bay where an ambulance was waiting. “There the paramedics and Coast Guard personnel gave CPR to the victim, but sadly she had already passed away. The St. Maarten Sea Rescue patrol had also sailed to the site to assist the Fire Department personnel with retrieving her wounded partner to an area where paramedics were able to treat him and where the ambulance took him to the Sint Maarten
Medical center.” The woman and husband, a contractor, were said to be doing well and involving in the apartment rental business on the island, a popular tourist destination. The Daily Herald reported that St. Maarten is under a small craft and high surf advisory until 6:00am Monday. According to the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS) morning forecast on Saturday, the seas were expected to be between six and 10 feet high.
Coast Guard officials bringing the woman to shore.
APNU+AFC broke record for most... From page 9 Cabinet refusing to resign and by refusing to hold an election within three months. In fact, they refused to recognize the validity of the no-confidence motion.” That case, he said, “embarrassed Guyanese on a global scale” as the Coalition tried to argue that that 33 is not a majority of 65. But the Coalition did not stop there, he said. Nandlall highlighted that they attempted to remove “tens of thousands” of registered electors in the House-to-House registration case. Again, the Judiciary was forced to rule that they acted in violation of the Constitution, he said. The biggest Constitutional transgression of them all, according to Nandlall was 2020 General and Regional Elections. “An election,” he noted “that they first
claimed that they won, but which they subsequently tried to rig and after that failed, they spent the next five months trying to denigrate and render those elections incredible and fraudulent.” The AG highlighted that during this period, the entire world witnessed an a mixture of “manifest vulgarity, a series of nonsensical litigation, vitriolic abuse of the diplomatic, regional and international community, nonstop comical propaganda, and a mountain of the most asinine political argumentations.” What that period did, he said, ended the political careers of many but “it should have ended the careers of all involved.” Nandlall stressed: “Unfortunately, vestiges remain with us and now want to lecture the Guyanese people about democracy and the rule of law – the sheer audacity!”
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STANDARDS IN FOCUS
GNBS VERIFIES AND MONITORS FOR TRANSPARENCY DURING Legal Notice THE SALE OF PADDY
VACANCY SERVICES Visa Forms Preparer. Tel#626-7040, Publish your Death Annoucements & In Memoriams online. Email: dthmemo@gmail.com PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Repairs,Services,Spares to WashingMachine Refridgetor Store, Treadmill, Deepfryer,Cooler,Dryer, Grains mill. Call: 694-9733 For all your Building Construction or Renovation needs call Quantum Investments Inc on 5926115236,503-0457. Guidance for Prospecting Mining Block, Calm for Mining Road, Boundary Line, Ranger Hasp 674-4492
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVECAR RENTAL: CARS & SUV’S CALL : 656-0087 /643- 5122 E M A I L : pro_autorental@yahoo.com VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion,Primo,Spacio Axio, FieldWagon,Sienta,Raum,212,Pit Bull R2 and Canter.Tel: 6507501 Pitbull BRR579.Call:#6820433
Vacancy for an experienced Domestic Maid. Serious Candidate only Call: 627-1154 after 8am only. Diesel Mechanic.Contact: 223-5274 Maid to cook & clean. Call:#615-9132 Truck Mechanic to work in the Interior. Contact:#223-5273/74 School teachers are invited to submit applications. Attractive salary based on qualification and experience: educationgy3@gmail.com One experience person to assemble bicycle.Apply at Alabma Trading 65 Robb Street,Bourda Porters.Apply at Alabma Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda One Clerk for Eccles Office.English & Mathematics, Grade 1 or 2.Email a p p l i c a t i o n t o techserigy@yahoo.com Mechanic,Fitter/ Machinist,Welder fabricator & Male cleaner.Apply in person at 18-23 Industrial Site,Eccles. 1 computer experienced legal clerk in Georgetown. 1 Cook/ washer at Mahaica/ Mahaicony. #624-7087,2580213,husainsaphier@ yahoo.com.
FOR SALE House and Land available at Parfaite Harmony, Providence, Enmore 77 Village and more:#223-6035,2278274,604-7920 House and Land for Sale at Agriculture E.C.D.Tel:#6398076 Organic Manure, Organic Mulch, Mixed Soil in packets. Tel:#643-4305
LAND FOR SALE Bachelor's Adventure, Paradise East Coast, Middle Road La- Penitence, Kuru Kururu Dalgin 33 Acre Contact Ray's Realty 627-9685
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 2 and 3 Bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments to rent.Long and Short term. Tel:#682-2585 Fully grilled one(1) bedroom Apartment in Section 'A' Grove,NewH/Scheme, E.B.D.Tel: #693-0418 Beautiful fully furnished 2b/ room Apartment Master Room,Wifi,AC etc.Foreign worker $1,200 US monthly. #674-5019 Residence: Diamond & Pearl East Bank. Business: Kitty for Restaurant, Hadfield & Saffon Stret. Graden of Eden (Office & Bond) Ray's Realty 6279685 Apartments/Office Space.Apartments:$85,000$95,000 & Office :$200,000 neg.16 Ketley Street, Charlestown G/Town.#2276551/687-6008
WANTED Land to buy in Parfaithe, Harmony or anywhere on the WestCoast. Tel:697-6311,6421252 Wanted experience Baker, Pastry Maker & Handyman.Apply 112 3rd & Albert Street, Albertown. Tel:#226-9000 or 225-6255 Willing,able and courteous handyman.Hermanston Lodge,65 Peter Rose & Anira, Queenstown.#225 0808 Experienced cashier Roti/Puri cook,sweet meat maker.Apply Hack's Halaal,5 Commerce Street.
Learn to Drive N.Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square.Affordable Package.Call:#644-5166/6912561/681-2808.
WANTED Live in couple Husband: S k i l l e d i n We l d i n g , M a c h i n i n g , Wife:Sales duties. Modern living quarters.Tel:#227-1813
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Two experienced Housekeepers, to work unsupervised for family in Montrose E.C.D. Hauler driver needed.Call: Contact:#503-0359 #611-7088 One diesel mechanic to work 1 coconut estate farm in the Interior.Interested permanager(pomeroon sons can make contact on: river).Knowledge of #625-5136 coconuts,plantains One able bodied male etc.Accommodation proclerk.Call:#231-2029,616-5954 vided, Rohan:#226-9416
Waterloo, Broad & Durban Street, Georgetown, Enterprise & Paradise East Coast Zeelot West Coast ContactRays Realty 627-9685
One able bodied male clerk. Experienced K-9 trainers wanted.Experience Call:#225-2313,226-1497 necessary.Please send your Body workman ark welding. CV and information to Tel:#668-7033 info@SIAG-security.gy
Food Truck for Sale.All cooking equipments $3.8M. Call:#658-9117 Banks DIH Shares ($4,260) in bulk.Tel:#669-0957 Lot 8 Tuschen New Housing Scheme,3 bedroom concrete. Tel:#682-1069
GR TAXI. CALL: 24 HRS 219-5000 227-2100 225-7878 227- 1982
FOR RENT
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), under the 1981 Weights and Measures Act, conducts the verification of all measuring devices used in trade countrywide. This is to ensure the accuracy and traceability of measurements. The GNBS recognizes the rice industry as crucial to the agriculture sectors as it provides an important staple, needed foreign exchange to the economy, and directly and indirectly affects many livelihoods. Hence, verification and monitoring by the GNBS usually intensify before and during the harvest of paddy, twice yearly. All weigh-bridge scales, platform scales, laboratory scales, and moisture meters used at rice mills, are checked to ensure transparency within the industry. The effectiveness of this mammoth task, however, needs to be supported by both farmers and millers who must demonstrate vigilance and ensure adherence to established guidelines and procedures during the sale of paddy at mills. These guidelines are outlined in the following: To ensure transparency and accuracy when buying paddy from farmers, millers must ensure that: 1.Their devices (scales, masses, and moisture meters) are verified by the GNBS before use. Failure to have devices verified could result in the seizure or prohibition of their use. 2. Only verified devices are used by competent per-
sonnel. 3. The determination of moisture and dockage is done using moisture meters and dockage machines and are not estimated. 4. The acquisition of samples from the truck/trailer is done correctly, to obtain representative samples. 5. Farmers can witness the weighing of their paddy and the determination of the moisture and dockage contents. 6. All transactions are conducted in the metric units of measurement. 7. They promptly address queries raised by farmers to ensure transparency. When selling paddy to millers, farmers also have their responsibilities. They should ensure: 1.They are present at mills to oversee their interest or be properly represented by a suitable individual who is knowledgeable of the buying operations at mills. 2. The indication on the scale and the moisture meter is at zero before weighing or measuring commences. 3. To carefully observe the weighing or your paddy, by ensuring that the tare weight of your truck is taken after the paddy is weighed and offloaded. Subtract the tare weight of the truck from the total weight of the truck and the paddy previously obtained, to determine your actual weight. Record the value obtained. 4. Witness the determination of your moisture content, by ensuring that the samples tested are those obtained
from your truck/trailer and record the value indicated on the moisture metre. 5. Carefully observe the determination of your dockage content, by ensuring that the samples tested are the samples obtained from your truck/trailer and record the value obtained. 6. Check the values indicated for the weight, moisture, and dockage on the document given to you to ensure that they correspond with the values previously obtained and recorded. 7. They are in full agreement with the values obtained for the weight, moisture, and dockage before signing any document provided. Importantly, the determination of the moisture content and dockage contents must be done with a moisture meter and a dockage machine, respectively, and should not be estimated. During the harvesting period, Weights and Measures Officers in the regions and inspectors of the GNBS will spontaneously visit rice mills across the country to witness the various weighing processes and to address the complaints and concerns of farmers and millers. For further information on this subject, call the GNBS on Telephone number: 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit the Bureau’s website: www.gnbsgy.org (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
US, Guyana agree to... From page 14 the Secretary said engaged in narco-trafficking at an unpredented level in South America. He said the US will do “everything we can to reduce the risks to the people of every one of those countries from the threats of arms trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and all the criminal elements that come alongside of it.” The United states has had more than enough reason to increase its presence in Guyana’s EEZ, as there
have been multiple incursions by Venezuela of vessels owned by US oil companies in the past decade. Pompeo praised the agreement as an opportunity for the US to understand Guyana’s EEZ, and to help the country enforce its sovereign rights. Specifically, he noted that the agreement, “with the consent of the Guyanese Government,” would ensure the two countries “work together to reduce the risk from those who might want to invade Guyanese sovereignty from maritime [areas].”
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New owner of AGM ditches local contractors -applies to bring in hundreds of Chinese workers- sources
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has written to President Irfaan Ali asking for his intervention in a case involving Aurora Gold Mine (AGM). The company was fully taken over by Chinese-owned Zijin Mining Group Company last month and already the signs are not encouraging for local businesses. According to officials, the company has applied to bring in over 200 Chinese workers for that Region Seven mine, the biggest gold mining operations in Guyana. In the meantime, several local contractors who were working with previous Canadian owners, have been let go. Between them, almost 300 workers have been affected.
According to a letter sent by the PSC to President Ali, the issue is one concerning local content. A complaint has been filed with the Commission. It was pointed out that AGM’s new Chinese owners abruptly terminated the contracts of local contractors despite no breaches or issues. A number of the companies have hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment lying idle. The PSC called on the President to intervene. It was pointed out that the country stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue as well as local employees losing jobs. Kaieteur News was told that another major Chinese company, China Harbor Engineering Company, which
The AGM mines in Cuyuni, Region Seven
ran into trouble with the construction of the US$150M Timehri airport, has been
Pompeo finishes Latin America tour with focus on Venezuela
In this photo released by Colombia’s Presidential Press Office, Colombian President Ivan Duque and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bump elbows before their meeting at the presidential house in Bogota, Colombia, yesterday. (Photo: AP) BOGOTA, Colombia “You are a true leader for cluding torture and killings (AP) — US Secretary of State the region and the dignity of carried by security forces. Mike Pompeo yesterday all of its people,” he said at a “The situation there is wrapped up a tour of four news conference. unsustainable,” he said. South American countries — In a separate statement, Shoring up support for the three of them neighbours of Pompeo announced an addi- Trump administration’s VenVenezuela, whose socialist tional $348 million in aid for ezuela policy was a key focus government is under intense Venezuelans, including the of the trip, which included US pressure. some 5 million who have left stops in Guyana and Brazil, After a meeting with Co- the crisis-wracked nation. His where he emphasised US calls lombian President Iván office said that new funding for a presidential election to Duque yesterday, the two now brings the total amount replace Maduro. He also vowed to deepen ties — in- of US humanitarian and devel- stopped in Suriname, like cluding US investment in the opment assistance toward the Guyana a budding oil country’s struggling Venezuela crisis to more than exporter.Colombia has been economy — and Pompeo $1.2 billion since 2017. flooded with migrants fleeing praised Colombia’s tough Pompeo’s three-day trip Venezuela’s increasing ecostance against Venezuelan to the region comes as the US nomic crisis while accusing its leader Nicolás Maduro. presidential election nears, neighbour of backing armed Pompeo said Colombia’s with Florida — which has groups on Colombian soil. backing of opposition leader hosted an expanding VenezuDuque said he is hoping Juan Guaido “and the demo- elan Diaspora — a key to attract more US investment cratic transition for a sover- battleground.Duque high- to Colombia and he hailed a eign Venezuela free of malign lighted a report by the UN’s US government initiative influence from Cuba, from top human rights body accus- aimed at enhancing private Russia, from Iran, is incred- ing Maduro’s government of sector investment in infraibly valued. crimes against humanity, in- structure.
earmarked for taking over the contracts. The contracts which
locals lose out on include transporting of fuel and explosives, food, hydrated
lime, trucking and the stripping of the soil, haulage (Continued on page 72)
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2 inmates dead; ministers pelted in -120 test positive Lusignan disturbance for COVID-19
With more than a 100 inmates testing positive for COVID-19 now, unrests at the Lusignan Prisons yesterday escalated, resulting in the death of two prisoners, and with five others injured. Two government ministers who visited were also pelted, forcing them to leave. Dead are inmates, Earl Graham, 51 and Winston Herbert, 21. Pelted with objects and running for safety were Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn. According to a press release sent out by the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) things got out of control sometime after 13:00hrs as the ministers were having discussions with inmates housed in Holding Bay One. The unrests come just four days after inmates refused meals and pelted prison officers following the announcement that two of their fellow prisoners were positive with the novel Coronavirus. Sources had told Kaieteur News that the actual number of positive cases in the prison stood around 10. The prisoners were quite concerned and aggressively protested for speedier trials and the granting of bail for those with minor offences. The disturbance had only lasted for a while and ranks from the Joint Services along with the relevant heads of the Lusignan prison, were able to calm the inmates down. Yesterday, however, Kaieteur News was informed by sources that the number of inmates now infected with COVID-19 is almost 120 and for the second time in four days, unrests erupted. GPS stated in its release that at around 07:30hrs the inmates began refusing their meals. The facility administrators immediately engaged them to hear and address their concerns. The prisoners refused to engage the administrators and demanded to see Minis-
ter Benn. Their protests continue until after noon with the refusal of the midday meals and continuing demands chance to speak with the minister. As a result, Benn and Dr. Anthony decided to visit the holding bay at around 13:15hrs. Upon the ministers’ arrival they were cheered by the inmates and a discussion commenced with representatives of prisoners concerning court hearings and remands, among other issues. During the discussion, according to GPS, the men remained calm and the ministers committed to address issues that are within their powers but reminded the inmates that matters that are within the remits of the courts are beyond their jurisdiction. GPS said that the initial response from the ministers was very well received but things began turning ugly during a subsequent discussion between the ministers and prisoners from Holding Bay One. Inmates from the other holding bays within the prison became aggressive and began throwing missiles at prison officers and the ministers. In a video seen by this publication, inmates could be heard telling others not to pelt. “Aye don’t pelt don’t pelt,” they shouted. The calls were ignored and chaos erupted. It was further stated in the press release that the ministers were forced to end their discussions and run to safety, exiting the confines of the compound. A source told this newspaper that one of the ministers received some hits to head from objects thrown at him. Things began to go from bad to worse after the ministers exited the main gate. The situation was described by GPS as a massive disorder as prisoners rushed
New owner of AGM...
From page 71 of water, and stripping in the open pit. The issue of local content has been dominating the news in light of the oil and gas production. There has been increasing calls for local companies to benefit. AGM started commercial production in 2016 but there were questions over their seemingly excessive concessions. The company ran into financial problems and was eventually sold to the Chinese buyer. The company has been planning, under the Canadians, to venture into underground mining, the first for the country. It has not been the first time that the Chinese has been accused of not employing locals. There was accusations while the Marriott Hotel was constructing and of course, at the CJIA.
The scene in front of the Lusignan prison yesterday.
During the unrest in the prison yesterday.
Minister of Health, Frank Anthony to break open the gate. Some scaled fences while others entered the restricted area launching attacks on the prison officers forcing them to flee. Others reportedly set mattresses on fire and ranks had to take up positions within the tower and discharged rounds in the direction of those who attempting to break open the gates. In a live video seen by this publication, loud gun shots could be heard coming within the walls of the prison. A fire truck was seen at the scene along with an ambulance which arrived shortly after.Men in uniform were seen running into facility with stretchers and running out again with injured individuals.In a press release, it was stated that shots fired resulted in the injury of several prisoners. After some amount of order was restored, four of the injured were picked and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) while three others were treated by medical personnel on the ground. At GPHC, two inmates, Earl Graham and Winston Herbert, were pronounced dead on arrival while the others were admitted. Graham was serving a three month sentence for malicious wounding, assault and resisting arrest. Herbert was in custody for rape.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn
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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
Zone of rigging, zone of fear, zone of Pompeo
I
was tempted to ask my editor if for this edition of the newspaper, I can republish my Friday article titled, “Zone of peace, zone of Mia Mottley, zone of the dangerous mind.” That column dealt with a long letter published in the Stabroek News last Thursday, signed by 75 organizations and individuals - essentially women activists. It bemoaned the visit of the American Secretary of State and was certainly not complimentary of the Guyana Government. It hoped that Mike Pompeo’s visit would not endanger the Caribbean’s pledge to be a zone of peace. My Friday piece was a contemptuous dismissal of that letter and its signatories both of whom I found repugnant and sickening. My disgust centered on the fact that the zone of peace these hypocrites desire was almost derailed by five months of systematic, bestial, and evil attempts to deny the Guyanese people their right to vote. I inform you again, if you do not know, that this ghoulish event lasted for five months. During those five months not one government from any part of the world used even one sentence in support of the riggers. Not one eminent or prestigious international organization in any part of the world uttered even one word of endorsement for the incumbent that was involved in the rigging. On the contrary, there was universal condemnation of the fraudulent processes that characterized those five months. By what twisted, sick, logic could those 75 signatories see a threat to the Caribbean as a zone of peace by Pompeo’s visit when those very signatories refused to see the instability that the crisis in Guyana could have engendered in the Caribbean? There no longer could have been a stable, peaceful Caribbean once an illegal regime was accepted in Guyana. The pattern would have been simple to understand. No loser of an election would
have conceded and would have cited CARICOM’s acceptance of electoral fraud as their bulwark. I was so repulsed by that letter and its signatories that I was very tempted to try to persuade my editor to repeat my Friday article in today’s edition. I have never made such a request after 32 years as a columnist, so I didn’t go through with it. But here are a few dimensions of the fivemonth horror show which I will offer as further responses to those who penned that infamous letter. I would walk my dog almost daily at the back of Giftland Mall just in front of the private, residential housing scheme, Demerara Estates. Because of the COVID19 restrictions, the afternoons would be lonely, and a few times persons driving out of Demerara Estates would pull over to discuss the election impasse. Every one of them asked the same question –
“Freddie how do you think it will end?” My answer was standard - “They are not going to come out and they don’t care what happens to Guyana.” I know from reliable sources within the PNC and AFC that the firm, inflexible decision was that they will not come out. In that zone of rigging, I saw a zone of fear. I encountered faces of fear, sadness and depression everywhere I went during those five months. Guyanese just felt it would not end nicely and there would be a civil war and destruction. The words of Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, reverberated all over Guyana, expanding the zone of fear. Dr. Rowley told the Caribbean media, he thinks it wasn’t going to end nicely. In the end it concluded without devastation. This was because there was born a zone of Pompeo. If there wasn’t the intervention of
Pompeo on Friday, July 31, the Caribbean would have lost its physiology as a zone of peace. I repeat here what was the plan of the PNC and AFC. There was preparation for the resignation of the three GECOM commissioners from the PNC should the Court of Appeal rule that the CARICOM observed recount must be used as the results. The court did that on Thursday, July 30. On Saturday, August 1, the three Commissioners would resign if Jagdeo rejected an offer from GECOM chair, Claudette Singh, to
meet with Granger for a peace settlement. Once the resignations occur before a statutory meeting of GECOM was called, then there could not have been a declaration because there would be no functioning GECOM. On Friday, July 31, Jagdeo refused Granger’s offer. On that same day, Pompeo spoke by phone with Granger and insisted he respect democratic norms in the Caribbean. Granger called off the GECOM resignations and Singh contacted the Chancellor to swear in Dr. Irfaan Ali.
Frederick Kissoon Pompeo created a zone of peace in Guyana. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
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Six new Learning Channels to be established - $200M allocated for expansion - $15M set aside to establish an Education Radio Station - allocations also made for masks, sanitation service at schools Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, on Friday said that six new learning channels will soon be established to allow students across Guyana to access programmes, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some $200 million was allocated in the Emergency 2020 Budget for the expansion of the Guyana Learning Channel. It will target students from Nursery Year One through to Grade Eleven. The Education Minister told the National Assembly on Friday, during the emergency budget debates, that the initiative was in keeping with the Government’s vision to utilise technology to boost education delivery. “This budget that you [the Opposition] said does not provide anything for anyone is giving $200M for the expansion of the channel [allowing us to have] six learning channels at the same time. We can even start programmes from 10 to 3 … that is the vision of this government. That is putting your money where your mouth is because we want to serve the people,” Minister Manickchand said. The Learning Channel forms part of the Educational Sector Strategy Plan (ESSP) to use technology to push distance education countrywide. “The learning channel was launched by the PPP/C in 2011 by the then President Bharrat Jagdeo with the vision to provide education to all parts of this country, especially for the children in the hinterland communities and that is what we aim to do,” the Minister said. She stated that the Opposition’s unwillingness to support this year’s Budget was unreasonable. “You are taking away from the children of this country, the ability to get the teaching that they desire and deserve,” Minister Manickchand stated. So far, the Guyana Learning Channel has been operating on a timetable teaching
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand schedule from 8 am to 6 pm. It provides at least two hours of programmes for the nursery to Grade 11 students. Additionally, Minister Manickchand said $15 million was allocated for the establishment of an Education Radio Station. This initiative, she said, would allow the Ministry to provide daily educational programmes, instead of using other radio stations for a mere two hours or less to do the same. The Budget also allocated money to provide masks for teachers and students when they eventually return to their schools. Sums have also been earmarked to install sinks and water service in schools to ensure the safety of students and teachers. (DPI)
Man who starts fight ends with broken shin bone
A pedal cyclist riding along a street in La Parfaite Harmonie A construction worker, 23, on Saturday had his shin bone broken during a fight he reportedly started with a mason. Nursing the broken shin bone is Devon Ally of La Parfaite Harmonie, West bank Demerara.According to police reports, the brief altercation between Ally and the mason who hails from Westminster, a nearby community, took place at around 21:30hrs. Investigators were told that Ally was riding along the La Parfaite Harmonie roadway on his bicycle when he saw the mason with whom he had a dispute three years ago. Ally reportedly hopped off his bike, parked it and approached the mason. He exchanged
a few words with the mason and then put up his hands to fight. Police stated that the mason armed himself with a wood. However, this did not deter Ally and he proceeded to kick the mason. In retaliation, the mason dealt Ally one blow to the right leg and ran away. Ally fell to the ground and could not move, he had to be picked up by a passerby and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.There, doctors discovered that Ally had sustained a broken tibia (shin bone) and admitted him. The matter was later reported to police and the mason was later arrested.
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66 more COVID -19 cases recorded
The MoH dashboard The Ministry of Health (MoH)has confirmed that Guyana has recorded 66 new cases of the COVID-19 disease bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,168. Of that number, the Ministry’s dashboard released yesterday confirmed that Region Four has 42 new cases; Region 10 has four; Region Seven with one while Region Nine has two new cases; Region One with 11 and
Region Three recording four. The number of persons who have recovered is 1,331 with 64 persons have died. An additional 59 persons are in institutional quarantine. Additionally, there are now 15 persons in the COVID-19 ICU; 82 in institutional isolation and 676 in home isolation. The numbers were drawn from 11, 913 tests done to date.
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Sunday September 20, 2020
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World-leading run gets Thompson-Herah Injured Dwayne Bravo likely to excited for next year’s Olympic Games be unavailable for one more SportsMax - Elaine Thompson-Herah said Thursday’s 100m win at the Diamond League meeting in Rome revealed what she needs to work on for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Thompson-Herah ran a world-leading 10.85s in a dominating performance at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. She was metres clear of the USA’s Aleia Hobbs (11.12) and the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, the bronze medallist from last year’s 100m final at the Wo r l d Championships in Doha,
Qatar. Thompson, who finished fourth in Doha in 10.93, said her performance on Thursday told her all she needed to know. “I leave here with the world-leading time, I’m super excited,” she said. “This tells me where I am at the end of this season, and tells me how I can prepare for next year. I am super excited.” The Covid-19 pandemic enforced a lot of changes to the track season and Thompson-Herah admitted that it has been challenging. H o w e v e r, s h e h a s
managed to find the motivation she needs while looking forward to the Olympics where she intends to defend her Olympic double from Rio 2016. “This year required more adjusting, and my goal was to push back and to motivate myself,” she said. “I am a double Olympic champion, so I want to be in my top form next season. We h a d s o m e competitions in Jamaica, but obviously, the field was not as strong as it is here.”
Sunday September 20, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Have you been feeling less than your normal self, Aquarius? If so, today you may suddenly regain your strength and be raring to go. You might even be tempted to start a rigorous exercise program.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Inspiration could hit today. It's a beautiful feeling, but you might not be sure how to channel it. It could represent a spiritual breakthrough, artistic inspiration, increased understanding of others.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) An exciting phone call or email could come from a friend who has some great news for you. Love, romance, and success in the arts are all highlighted now.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You might have the chance to speak with new people in interesting fields, perhaps from foreign lands, Scorpio. Your conversational abilities are at an all-time high.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) An online group could form today, Gemini, perhaps friends who are involved in the arts or meditation or spiritual studies.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You might have the chance to speak with new people in interesting fields, perhaps from foreign lands, Scorpio. Your conversational abilities are at an all-time high
CANCER (June 21–July 22) Communication involving romance could come unexpectedly today, Cancer. You may get a loving message from a romantic partner. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A chance to increase your income by participating in an artistic project of some kind could come your way today, Leo. You might take part in the creative work or you could promote it in a business capacity. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Have you been feeling stagnant lately, as if your life is going nowhere? What happens today could change that. An unusual group event could put you in touch with people who open new intellectual, career, or spiritual doors for you.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A passionate encounter with a love partner might cement the bond between you so thoroughly that you start talking about commitment or even a wedding. A romantic haze may permeate your interactions. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Have you been feeling less than your normal self? If so, today you may suddenly regain your strength and be raring to go. You might even be tempted to start a rigorous exercise program. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Love and romance aren't just part of your life today, Pisces, they're your whole life. If you're single, an exciting potential partner could have you reeling.
game for Chennai Super Kings
ESPNcricinfo - Dwayne Bravo is injured and will probably miss at least one more game, Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming said after his side made a winning start to the IPL season by beating the defending champions Mumbai Indians. Bravo didn’t bowl in the CPL final on September 10 either because of his knee injury. Sam Curran, chosen in place of Bravo, turned out to be an inspired selection as he backed up his bowling effort of 4-0-28-1 with a six-ball 18 at the business end of the chase. “Dwayne was injured so he is probably out for the first two games,” Fleming said. “But Sam’s performance was a big positive. His attitude is quite infectious. His performance today was quite outstanding. Straight off the plane yesterday. “If Dwayne was fit, it would have been a toss-up if he [Curran] had played at all. So he has taken this opportunity and put some pressure on.” It wasn’t necessarily a toss-up between Curran and Bravo, though. Lungi Ngidi was the other quick the Super Kings used. He went for more runs, but he too staked a claim for an overseas spot with three wickets. Fleming didn’t rule out both Curran and Bravo playing together, but he said they were yet to assess all the conditions they will encounter in the UAE. The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, continued their trend of a surprise pick in the season opener, choosing James Pattinson this time for his first match for any franchise outside Australia. This was the first T20 he was playing outside Australia since 2012. He, too, returned impressive figures of
...VAR drama as Zaha double From page 74 take the spot kick but De Gea made a fantastic save. The VAR drama was not done there, however, with Atkinson informed that De Gea had come off his line and the penalty was retaken, with Zaha converting this time. New signing Donny van de Beek came off the bench to get the home side back in the contest with a goal on his debut, but former United forward Zaha had the last laugh as he made sure of a deserved win for Palace with a fine finish late on.
Dwayne Bravo has been a star performer for Chennai Super Kings for a long time. (BCCI) 4-0-27-1, but he, too, was more a forced pick than an inspired selection. At the toss, Rohit Sharma revealed that Nathan Coulter-Nile had a niggle, which is why he wasn’t
available for selection. There was no update from the Mumbai Indians on the nature of Coulter-Nile’s injury and when he might become available.
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Uncertainty surrounding volleyball restart continues to hurt players SportsMax The onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic led to sports coming to a standstill in March. Since then quite a few have restarted. Horse racing restarted back in June. The first Test cricket match between the West Indies and England began in early July.
The Jamaica synchro team started recruiting and training swimmers last month. For some, however, the silence surrounding their immediate future is deafening. And, in the meantime, athletes continue to suffer significant losses from a lack of opportunity. As
of now, volleyball is one of those sports. Middle blocker for the Venus Volleyball Club, Rojey Hutchinson, is an athlete who finished university recently and was hoping to gain more from sports competitions right after. Hutchinson graduated
from the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, in late 2019, and secured his diploma in mechanical engineering. He attended the university on a volleyball scholarship and has never forgotten that fact. “Volleyball got me where I am today. It gave me the opportunity to travel, experience different cultures, and gave me the opportunity to attend university on a volleyball scholarship,” Hutchinson explained. After completing his studies at UTech, Hutchinson looked forward to competing in the Venus International tournament that was scheduled to take place on March 20 – 22. However, due to the onset of the virus, the tournament was cancelled.
The cancellation of the event that would have featured seven male and eight female teams— from Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, and Jamaica, adversely affected Hutchinson. Admittedly, he looks forward to the tournament every year and knew he could have readily exploited the opportunities presented to him during this time since school was out of the way. He explained, “The Venus International Tournament is something we as volleyballers look forward to every year. We get to meet people and see the way they play volleyball. The tournament is played at a higher level than what we are used to in Jamaica with our local teams.”
“It helps me to be more selective with my shots and it also helps me to be more disciplined on the court. We are playing against some of the top clubs in countries that are very good at volleyball and some of these guys played in the pro league and also on their national team.” The volleyballer, who has been playing with the Venus Volleyball Club for five years, says he hasn’t been training and has “no idea when volleyball will resume.” And neither does the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA). According to JaVA, they cannot say for sure when volleyball competitions will resume since they’re still having discussions with the Ministry of Sport.
Jamaican Volleyball players like many others around the world are facing severe challenges in getting the game played in current conditions.
VAR drama as Zaha double earns Palace shock 3-1 win at Man Utd
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha scores their second goal from the penalty spot after the penalty was retaken due to Manchester United’s David De Gea coming off his line. (Pool via REUTERS/Martin Rickett) MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester United’s season got underway with a shock 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace as Wilfried Zaha grabbed a late double for the visitors in the Premier League yesterday although VAR was once again the centre of attention. United looked off the pace early on as Andros Townsend put Palace in front after seven
minutes, with the home side’s campaign starting a week later than initially scheduled due to last season’s Europa League commitments running into mid-August. Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay went close as United chased an equaliser but the hosts could have gone in two goals behind at halftime, with only a brilliant David De Gea save keeping a
goal-bound Jordan Ayew strike out. United brought Mason Greenwood on at halftime but their task was made more difficult when the VAR decided that referee Martin Atkinson should consult the pitch-side monitor and he awarded Palace a penalty for handball against Victor Lindelof. Ayew stepped up to (Continued on page 73)
Sunday September 20, 2020
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Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews feared women’s cricket had ended for the year ESPNcricinfo - West Indies allrounders Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews believe that having a “strong mindset” proved pivotal in keeping themselves motivated through the Covid19 pandemic-induced off season. It helped them overcome fears that “we wouldn’t have any women’s cricket for the rest of the year” after the T20 World Cup in Australia ended in early March. The 2021 Women’s World Cup has been postponed by a year. That along with the cancellation of several bilateral women’s series, even after international men’s cricket resumed in July, threatened to leave the women’s calendar vacant for the rest of 2020, outside of Australia’s home series against New Zealand which begins September 26. However, the ECB successfully drew up contingency plans to make up for India and South Africa’s withdrawal for tours in JulyAugust by inviting West Indies. Their first T20I against England in Derby tomorrow is set to mark the return of top-level women’s international cricket 196 days on from the T20 World Cup final at the MCG. “The whole time in the pandemic I just thought that that was it for the year for women’s cricket,” Dottin, the West Indies vice-captain, told ESPNcricinfo. “I think this pandemic [has taught] that mentally you’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to have a strong mindset. It [is] something that you can’t easily give up. “I actually thought we wouldn’t have any women’s
Deandra Dottin and West Indies Women are looking to bounce back on the tour of England. (Getty Images)
Hayley Matthews leaves the field after her dismissal. (Getty Images) cricket for the rest of the year. I just kept training and doing things here and there and kept motivating myself in all ways. I started playing cricket with my cousins, the boys, just to keep active and keep that work up: of playing cricket.” Matthews echoed her team-mate’s apprehensions. She was, like Dottin, part of West Indies’ 2016 T20 World Cup-winning side. She has also been a sought-after name in domestic T20 competitions, plying her trade in the WBBL, the now-defunct KSL and the Women’s T20 Challenge. “It’s obviously something very challenging,” said Matthews, who will play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the
WBBL later this year. “You have to have a strong mentality to go out there, still be training, and putting in all the hard work, not knowing if you’re going to be able to be playing again this year. I’m just really glad we are able to get back over again and that Cricket West Indies and ECB have [made that possible] for us to play. “We also see the Women’s Big Bash League; it seems it’s going to come off as well. It’s really good to see these boards are stepping up at this point and get cricket played - not only for the men’s sides but the women’s sides as well.” West Indies have lost (19) more times than they’ve won
(17) in their 37 T20Is since their 2016 T20 World Cup victory. Like the side, Matthews, the Player of the final in that tournament, too, has struggled to replicate the abandon that became a hallmark of the side’s maiden world title triumph four years ago. In her last 15 T20I innings, she has reached 30 only thrice, her maiden T20I hundred in May last year included. In the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Matthews, who opens for the side, made only 26 runs in three innings as eventual semi-finalists England knocked West Indies out in the league stage with a game to go. Their poor performance prompted then head coach Gus Logie to describe their performance in the world tournament as “timid” and possessing a “fear factor”. Matthews, however, was hopeful the upcoming fiveT20I series against England could be a starting point for West Indies to make up lost ground. “Probably of late, the
pressure [on us] has eased off a bit,” Matthews said. “If you look at our performances [from the recent past], because they probably weren’t the best, the expectations from us for a lot of people aren’t as high. “I don’t necessarily say that as a bad thing, though. Coming back after the pandemic and being given the opportunity to start afresh, especially against a team like England, we’re going out there knowing we’re the underdogs. I think it kind of gives us that freedom to really be able to go out there and play our natural game and play freely and express ourselves as players and as a team as well.” With Logie’s tenure having ended with the T20 World Cup, Andre Coley, who was West Indies women’s head coach in 2012, has stepped in an interim capacity. He’s overseeing the tourists’ 18-member squad, which will be based in a biosecure environment in Derby throughout the tour and is without Anisa Mohammed,
the veteran offspinner who declined the invitation to tour, with uncapped Guyanese leftarm spinner Kaysia Schultz included. Matthews, 22, underlined that the opposition’s lack of familiarity with the West Indian rookies could hold them in good stead as would the experience of the seasoned campaigners in the likes of captain Stafanie Taylor, legspinner Afy Fletcher, Dottin and herself. “We have a lot of versatility,” Matthews said. “We have a lot of different players that have stepped in, including the new players. Obviously, there wouldn’t have been much footage on them out there and stuff, so it definitely brings something new to the table when we face up against England. “We also have a lot of experience within the team: people have been playing for the last five, ten years now, so that makes our combination pretty good, and hopefully it will win us some games as well.”
Neymar, Silva and Coutinho get Brazil calls as World Cup campaign starts Omnisport - Neymar and Thiago Silva featured in the Brazil squad selected by head coach Tite on Friday for the World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru. The five-time World Cup winners had been due to get their campaign underway in March, but the coronavirus pandemic forced a delay until October. Tite named a 23-man pool including seven Premier League-based players, with veteran Chelsea recruit Silva among them following his move from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. PSG superstar Neymar featured among a squad of attacking players including Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, Manchester City striker
Gabriel Jesus, Everton’s Richarlison and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo. Barcelona winger Philippe Coutinho, whose Camp Nou future is unclear following Ronald K o e m a n ’s a r r i v a l a s Quique Setien’s successor, was also called in for the October games. Brazil face Bolivia in Sao Paulo on October 9 before travelling to tackle Peru in Lima four days later, as their bid to reach Qatar 2022 begins. Palmeiras defender Gabriel Menino and Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes will be involved for the first time in a Brazil squad gathering. Brazil squad: Alisson
(Liverpool), Santos (Athletico-PR), Weverton (Palmeiras); Rodrigo Caio (Flamengo), Danilo (Juventus), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris SaintGermain), Gabriel Menino (Palmeiras), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Alex Telles (Porto); Casemiro (Real Madrid), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Fabinho (Liverpool), Bruno Guimaraes (Lyon), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo); Everton (Benfica), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Richarlison (Everton), Rodrygo (Real Madrid).
Neymar (pictured) and Thiago Silva featured in the Brazil squad selected by head coach Tite.
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Pogacar poised for Tour glory after stunning Roglic RONCHAMPS, France (Reuters) - Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar pulled off a major upset at the Tour de France by stunning compatriot Primoz Roglic to claim the overall leader’s yellow jersey with a monumental victory in the final individual time trial yesterday. The 21-year-old won the 36.2-km solo effort against the clock as Roglic, who had started the day with a 57second lead in the general classification, cracked in the uphill section, a 5.9-km climb at an average gradient of 8.5%. “I think I’m dreaming. I feel like my head is exploding,” said Pogacar, who leads second-placed Roglic by 59 seconds going into Sunday’s final stage, the traditional procession into Paris where only the final sprint on the Champs Elysees is contested. “I was happy with the second place and now I’m here with the yellow jersey. I don’t know what to say, it’s unbelievable. “I’m really proud of the team. They did such a big effort over three weeks. I feel sorry for Primoz Roglic. “He had done a very good Tour de France so far and he had a bad day today. For me, to wear the yellow jersey on the final day, it’s just a dream and a big achievement.” Pogacar, who is set to become the youngest winner of the Tour since Henri Cornet in 1904, clocked 55 minutes 55 seconds — the perfection of the numbers matching his performance. Roglic only took fifth place, 1:56 off the pace after what appeared to be a cautious start turned into a major meltdown. The 30-year-old, who had controlled the whole race with his dominant Jumbo-Visma team, imploded on the climb and crossed the line with a
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
“Mecca 6 a definite no in 2020” - Mike Singh - No basketball club C/ships since 2018
UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, wearing the white jersey for best young rider, reacts after finishing. (Pool via REUTERS/Christophe Ena) livid face before sitting down on the road. Pogacar has finally been rewarded for his aggressive tactics in the mountains, where he regained some of the time he had lost in crosswinds on a flat stage. REGRETS His upcoming victory is all the more remarkable in that, for most of the race, he was without his two lieutenants in the mountains, Fabio Aru and Davide Formolo after the Italians pulled out. More astounding still was that Roglic had the service of the most formidable squad in the race. The 30-year-old will also have to live with regrets, having ridden very conservatively once he won the yellow jersey in the Pyrenees. A raw talent who holds no fear, Pogacar, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Monday, now holds three distinctive jerseys — the yellow, the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider and the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification. The upset echoes that of the last day of the 1989 Tour de France when American Greg LeMond won the race by eight seconds over France’s
Laurent Fignon after starting the time-trial 50 seconds off the pace. “It’s incredible, it’s one of the best Tours I’ve ever seen,” Lemond said on French television. “I think Roglic panicked on the climb. You could see that at some point he could not spin his legs.” It also marks a spectacular return in the spotlight for team CEO Mauro Gianetti and team manager Matxin Fernandez who were sports directors at Saunier-Duval when the whole team left the 2008 Tour after Italian Riccardo Ricco had failed a dope test. There was another major change yesterday as Australian Richie Porte leapfrogged Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez into third place overall by finishing the 20th stage in third spot. After losing all hope of victory following an opening day crash, Frenchman Thibaut Pinot rode through impressive crowds and smoke in his hometown of Melisey, where the roads had his name and that of his goat Kim painted all over them, adding to the sense of surrealism on the day.
By Calvin Chapman What many basketball fans and players have feared since the elongated lockdown period due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Guyana has finally been confirmed by head of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Mike Singh. Speaking exclusively to Kaieteur Sport, the administrator with much regret indicated that the National Club Championship, which is usually dubbed Road to Mecca or Mecca, will not be contested this year, which will see the usual 12team tournament being contested at least three years after the lucrative Mecca 5 that was run off in 2018. He stated that, “It’s a definite no in terms of Mecca 6. We have some alternatives we would like to close the year out with but we have to take into consideration the safety of our athletes and officials. The fight against the deadly virus is still ongoing locally and we are urging everyone to follow the guidelines of local health officials.” Singh contended that when Mecca 6 is finally hosted again, it will have the same energy or even surpass the fanfare of previous tournaments. In Mecca 5, eleven teams (one club from Berbice, four from Linden and six from the capital city) were unsuccessful in dethroning the Georgetown based Bounty Colts as the national champions as they played
2017 and 2018 Mecca MVP Shain Webster of Colts. undefeated to win a historic third consecutive National Club Basketball Championship. Even Ravens that lost in the final couldn’t stop the Stanton Rose lead team even after acquiring Semi-pro player Anthony Moe. The 2018 competition had 34 games, competed over 11 playing days, and capped off with the grand finale that included an entertaining prefinal performance by Guyana’s own recording artiste Timeka Marshall, who engaged and had the entire Sports Hall on their feet. In addition, performances by Tiffani Bonner and Euphoria Dance Group along with the GABF cheerleaders did a splendid job. Singh shared with
Kaieteur Sport that Guyana’s overseas based players inclusive of Moe, Rose and Kevon Wiggins have all indicated their willingness to contest in the Mecca 6 next year which will definitely raise the level of competition of the premier local basketball event. E v e n m o r e e x c i t i ng, Singh disclosed that talks are being held with other CBC territories to host a ‘Champion of Champions’ basketball tournament, annually, which will allow the next winner of the Mecca to represent the ‘land of many waters’. Suriname and Guyana are the frontrunners of the initiative, while Turks & Caicos and some other small islands have show interest.
...Bagnaia hands second successive From page 78 went off at turn 15 in FP4 and repeated that error in Q2, wrecking his second bike of the race week and leaving him to settle for 12th on the grid. Provisional classification 1. Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha) 1:31.077s 2. Jack Miller (Pramac
Racing) +0.076s 3. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha) +0.145s 4. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.231s 5. Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) +0.236s 6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +0.312s 7. Valentino Rossi
(Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.359s 8. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha) +0.489s 9. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) +0.497s 10. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) +0.504s 11. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.540s 12. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +1.207s
Raiders’ Keon Cameron attempts a jump during Mecca 5.
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Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis help CSK break Mumbai Indians jinx ESPNcricinfo - The IPL is back. This particular season might be unusual to the point of being surreal, but the start had elements that fans back in India will find most comforting in their predictability: an openinggame defeat for the Mumbai Indians - who last won their season-opener back in 2012 dew, and a tactically intriguing chase finished off with MS Dhoni at the crease. Dhoni only faced two balls, though, and didn’t score a run. He made a more significant impact with his batting order, promoting the left-hand pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran above himself to exploit an unusually limited Mumbai attack. Before that, though, the chase had been given stability and impetus by Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu, respectively, after the Chennai Super Kings had lost both openers inside the first two overs against Trent Boult and James Pattinson, who got the new ball to nip around under lights in the brief window before dew turned conditions back in the batsmen’s favour. Rayudu and du Plessis added 115 for
Faf du Plessis leaps to take a brilliant catch © BCCI the third wicket before a superb 16th over from Rahul
Chahar brought a sense of balance back into the contest,
leaving the Super Kings needing 42 off 24 balls with Rayudu back in the dressing room. We’ll return to the finish later. A rapid start, and two quick blows Dhoni won the first toss of the season, and inserted Mumbai, citing dew (which did materialise) and the possibility of early moisture in the pitch (which didn’t prove to be such a factor) as his reasons. Rustiness showed in the opening spells from all three Super Kings fast bowlers, and Rohit and Quinton de Kock, in particular, took full toll, moving Mumbai to 45 for 0 after four overs. Piyush Chawla came on for a change of pace and struck immediately, extending Rohit’s curious run of misfortune against legspinners in the IPL - 120 balls, 131 runs, nine dismissals since IPL 2017 without bowling a particularly wicket-taking ball, Rohit spooning a half-hearted lofted hit into mid-off’s hands. De Kock swatted Curran straight to midwicket in the next over, and the Super Kings were suddenly testing the one
big weakness in Mumbai’s line-up - the bridge between their openers and their endovers hitters. The calm before the non-storm Suryakumar Yadav and Saurabh Tiwary - playing ahead of Ishan Kishan and getting his first IPL game since 2017 - did that bridging job adequately, putting on 44 in 5.5 overs, the kind of partnership that crops up from time to time in T20 games, somehow pleasing both teams at the same time. The partnership was a prelude to the arrival of Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers, and when it ended, at the end of the 11th over, Mumbai were 92 for 3, with enough time and resources left for a push towards a total in the 180-200 range. Mumbai seemed well on course when Pandya hit two sixes, off Jadeja, in his first five balls, and Tiwary muscled back-to-back fours in the next over, off Lungi Ngidi. They were still well placed, at 121 for 3, after a quiet 14th over from Chawla, who used his googly cleverly and kept the ball just short of a safely hittable length.
But two perfectly judged catches from du Plessis right on the edge of the boundary - at long-on for Tiwary and long-off for Pandya - sent both batsmen back in the 15th over, bowled by Jadeja. The boundaries in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are considerably longer than the ones at the Wankhede and in most Indian grounds, and this was the first bit of evidence of how that might influence this tournament. Then, at the start of the 17th over, Krunal Pandya tickled a harmless delivery from Ngidi for a catch down the leg side, and Mumbai suddenly had just Pollard and the lower order at the crease. Without any grand plans from the Super Kings, and without the batting team doing anything egregiously wrong, the innings was unravelling. Only 26 came off the last 24 balls of Mumbai’s innings, and only 41 off their last 36, for the loss of six wickets. Scores: Chennai Super Kings 166 for 5 (Rayudu 71, du Plessis 58*) beat Mumbai Indians 162 for 9 (Tiwary 42, de Kock 33, Ngidi 3-38, D Chahar 2-32, Jadeja 2-42) by five wickets.
Pushed to the limit, Djokovic finds a way to win in Rome Associated Press - ROME — Novak Djokovic was being pushed so hard in the first set by Filip Krajinovic that he urgently needed somewhere to sit down and catch his breath. Since it was 5-5 and not time for a changeover, he plopped down on one of the new boxes installed behind the court for players’ towels – which are there because ball kids are no longer providing towel service amid the coronavirus pandemic. It would take Djokovic quite a bit more work before he finally closed out the first set in 1 hour, 28 minutes and went on to finish off a 7-6 (7), 6-3 victory for a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals for the 14th straight year on Friday. “It was a great battle,” said Djokovic, who is playing his first tournament since being defaulted from the U.S. Open. “Definitely one of the longest sets I’ve ever played. We went toe to toe. It could have gone a different way.” Nine-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal faced much less resistance in beating Dusan Lajovic 61, 6-3 in more pleasant evening conditions. His next opponent will be eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman, who got past
Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-2, 64. I t ’s N a d a l ’s f i r s t tournament in seven months after skipping the U.S. Open due to travel concerns amid the pandemic. E a r l i e r, w i t h t h e temperature on Campo Centrale soaring to 32 degrees C (90 F), Djokovic said “we both struggled physically in that first set.” The set was so close that the players won the same number of points – 61 – and Djokovic didn’t close it out until his fifth set point when Krajinovic’s forehand sailed long. Shadows moved across the court in the second set. “That allowed us to feel b e t t e r, ” D j o k o v i c s a i d . “But I’m very pleased with this first set. There were some very long rallies. This is what clay tennis is all about.” Djokovic, a four-time Rome champion, will next play German qualifier Dominik Koepfer, who beat 18-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 60. Also at the Foro Italico, 15th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov ended the run of Italian teenager Jannik Sinner by 46, 6-4, 6-4. Sinner, who beat thirdseeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in
the previous round, missed an easy overhead smash into the net on Dimitrov’s fifth match point. “A loss like that hurts. But I’ll try to take the positive aspects out of it,” Sinner said. “That wasn’t the end I wanted.” Dimitrov’s quarterfinal opponent will be Denis Shapovalov, who rallied past Ugo Humbert 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4. Matteo Berrettini, the bigserving Roman who reached last year ’s U.S. Open semifinals, beat Stefano Travaglia 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1). He’ll next meet Casper Ruud, who defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-6 (6). In the women’s draw, topseeded Simona Halep improved to 7-0 in tennis’ restart after defeating Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-4. Halep, who is actually on an 11-0 run overall stretching back to February, recovered an early break in the opening set and then overpowered her 29th-ranked opponent. “It gives me confidence that even in these conditions with a big hitter I could win in two sets,” Halep said. Halep, who lost two straight finals in Rome to Elina Svitolina in 2017 and 2018, will next face 10thseeded Elena Rybakina, who overcame Yulia Putintseva 46, 7-6 (3), 6-2. U.S. Open runner-up
Novak Djokovic
Victoria Azarenka advanced when Daria Kasatkina retired injured at 6-6 in the first set after she got her right foot caught on a line and fell. Azarenka next plays Garbine Muguruza, who beat last year’s finalist, Johanna Konta, 6-4, 6-1. Also, defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Russian qualifier Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 and will next play Elise Mertens, who eliminated Montenegrin qualifier Danka Kovinic 6-4, 6-4. The tournament has been played without fans so far because of the pandemic, although Italy’s sports minister said on Friday that up to 1,000 spectators will be allowed in to watch the
semifinals and finals. “It comes as a bit of surprise midway through,” Dimitrov said. “But there is a lot of things that we have control of and some things that we just got to go along with.” The event was
rescheduled from its usual slot in May because of the pandemic. “I would have preferred to have fans from the start,” Berrettini said. “But 1,000 people isn’t a small number and they will make themselves heard.”
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Kaieteur News
FIFA extends deadline We Stand United CC mourns the loss of for United TTFA to former national cyclist, Wilbert Benjamin withdraw claims before TT High Court SportsMax - FIFA has extended its deadline for the TTFA to withdraw all claims against them currently before the Trinidad and Tobago Supreme Court. On August 26, FIFA threatened to ban Trinidad and Tobago from international football should the ousted leadership of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) fail to withdraw their claim currently before the Trinidad and Tobago High Court by September 16. The deadline has been extended to September 23, next week Wednesday. On May 18, lawyers for the William-Wallace executive had filed an application in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court seeking a permanent injunction to prevent FIFA from interfering or seeking to override the “fair and transparent democratic processes of the TTFA and/ or preventing them from
removing the executive of duly elected officers from office.” FIFA filed an appeal that was dismissed by the High Court. The ruling is being appealed by FIFA on the grounds that the judge made several errors in arriving at her decision. In another letter dated September 18, to Robert Hadad who heads the normalisation committee, who is running the association after the elected administration was dissolved, FIFA also called for the ousted administrators to comply with “all their obligations under FIFA Statutes”. This basically means that FIFA wants the ongoing dispute to be resolved before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Should William Wallace and his executive fail to meet these demands, then FIFA will refer the matter to the relevant bodies to decide on the suspension of the TTFA.
‘I was scared of the power of the shot’ - Australia spinner Hogg recalls IPL clash with Pollard SportsMax - Former Australia bowler Brad Hogg has admitted to being left afraid of the awesome hitting power of Kieron Pollard when the two came face to face in the Indian Premier League (IPL). After a successful Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign, where he captained the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to the title, the West Indies skipper is currently involved in the tenth IPL season with Mumbai Indians which got underway yesterday. With 2755 runs and a healthy strike rate of 146.8, displays of Pollards awesome hitting powerful have been plentiful in the IPL. Hogg, however, got a firsthand demonstration, while playing for the Rajasthan Royal in 2012. “It was game 12 in the IPL 2012 and we were playing the Mumbai Indians in the Wankhede Stadium. Rayudu and Pollard had been building a partnership and I had been brought into the attack. I was concerned about Pollard’s
big muscles and the power with which he hits straight down the ground,” Hogg recalled on his Podcast. “I didn’t want to overpitch because I wanted to preserve my body. So, I just wanted to bowl back of a length and use the wrong-un to beat the outside edge. Well, I was a little too short and he pulled me through midwicket for four,” he added. So, I’m going, get those courage pills, go fuller with the wrong-un because you know he is susceptible to it. So, I did, came in a little fuller, a little overpitched, and Kieron Pollard absolutely loved it. He got on top of it and smashed it straight back down the ground head height down the wicket. Instead of coming to me, it went to his mate Rayudu who was backing up. He’s put his bat up to preserve his body. It’s come off the bat, I’m there backtracking because I’m afraid of the power of this shot. The ball just drops right in front of me, I could have caught it.” Pollard went on to make a half-century as Mumbai won the game.
The President, executive and members of We Stand United Cycle Club (WSUCC) is extending sincere condolences to the wife, children, relatives and cycling fraternity of the late Wilbert Benjamin who is being described as an unsung hero of the sport. WSUCC stated that, “The nation has lost a true son whose life was a blessing to so many cyclists.” “Wilbert, did not keep his blessings to himself, he always looked out for his fellow Guyanese cyclists especially the young riders. Once any one cyclist was in need and he knew, they were sure to get assistance from Benjie, as he was familiarly known.” His passing has left a void in the sport even in these challenging times. The quiet but affable Wilbert, himself a former National Cyclist who would have, like so many, been a part of the annual Summer ‘Teach Them Young’ cycling Programme in the National Park, run by National Coach Hassan Mohamed, ensured that whenever he was in Guyana he not only competed but was present at races when not riding. He was very much a part of the gathering when the inaugural Bartica Cycling Challenge was held last March. Former President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) Horace Burrowes described Benjamin as a
Wilbert Benjamin seen with His Worship, Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall (left) and former Guyana Cycling Federation President, Horace Burrowes at the Bartica Cycling Challenge. personal friend who loved the sport and had a burning passion for the development and empowerment of youths. The late Wilbert Benjamin was also a young businessman who owned Benjamin Sports and Fitness Centre located in the village of Fyrish, Corentyne, Berbice. He would allow many sportsmen and women to utilize his Gym free of cost as a way of encouraging them in their particular endeavor. He also owned a cycle
store in Canada where he lived with his wife and five daughters. His love for Guyana resulted in him setting up business here as well. The club also notes that the legacy Wilbert Benjamin has left is one of unselfishness, showing love and care for his fellow Guyanese, especially those in need. His death has rocked the cycling fraternity coming mere months after the passing
of another young cyclist and businessman, Jude Bentley, owner of The Bike Shop in Robb Street, Georgetown. Both riders died from injuries sustained as a result of vehicular accidents. In the case of Bentley, he died on the spot. There are growing concerns for the safety of cyclists using the roadways as they continue to feel unsafe. May the soul of Wilbert Benjamin rest in peace and rise in glory.
Bagnaia hands second successive Misano pole to Vinales with costly late error Omnisport - Maverick Vinales claimed his second successive pole position at Misano as an error from Francesco Bagnaia saw him miss out on the front row in a dramatic qualifying session for the Emilia R o m a g n a a n d R i m i n i ’s Coast Grand Prix. Bagnaia, who smashed the Misano lap record in third practice, found searing pace as the Pramac Racing rider attempted to deny Vinales. He crossed the line in one minute and 30.973 seconds, which would have seen him take a first career pole and set the first 1:30 lap at the Marco Simoncelli circuit. However, his lap was immediately expunged as Bagnaia exceeded the track limits on the final turn,
Maverick Vinales claimed his second successive pole position at Misano. handing pole to Vinales after his lap record of 1:31.077. Bagnaia dropped to fifth, with Jack Miller and Fabio Quartararo completing the front row behind Vinales.
The KTMs of Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder were fourth and sixth r e s p e c t i v e l y, while championship leader Andrea Dovizioso will have work to do to hold on to his six-point lead over
Quartararo. Dovizioso was 10th behind Ducati team-mate Danilo Petrucci, the fourth row completed by Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami. LCR Honda’s Nakagami (Continued on page 76)
Sunday September 20, 2020
Kaieteur News
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BCB assists twenty young cricketers with the Singh brother’s assistance - Coaching sessions to restart shortly at club level
T
he Berbice Cricket Board u n d e r t h e leadership of Hilbert Foster MS continues to work behind the scene as it seeks to develop cricket in the ancient county despite the ongoing corona virus pandemic. The board on Thursday last handed over a piece of cricket gear to twenty young cricketers drawn from across Berbice as part of its youth development programme. The donated gears included batting gloves, batting pads, wicketkeeping pads, wicketkeeping gloves and helmets. Players were drawn from clubs like Albion, Port Mourant, RHTYSC and Rose Hall Canje among others. BCB president Hilbert Foster stated that the donation was part of an effort to assist players to fulfill their talents in spite of their financial situation at home. Foster stated that finance for the project was made possible from funds donated
to the BCB early in 2020 by Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh and Dr Puran Singh, two overseas based Guyanese. Dr Tulsi Dyal had sponsored a comprehensive coaching programme for young players but the programme was placed on hold in the later part of March, while his brother Dr Puran Singh had supported the annual National Players stipend scheme. Under this scheme, every Berbice player who gained selection to the national team at the junior and female level would receive ten thousand dollars. The Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching programme has been on hold for five months after a busy first three months start to the year. The programme was responsible for the preparation of the Berbice under 15, under 17 and Female teams and also the hosting of several trial matches to select the best possible teams. Several coaching clinics were also organised, while visits were
made to over twenty clubs for coaching sessions with their members. The financial scheme never got off the ground for 2020 as all the C r i c k e t We s t I n d i e s tournaments have been cancelled and as such the BCB decided to invest the funds in assisting promising players, who have the potential to develop into national under 15 players in 2021. Foster handed over the gears to three of the players at a simple presentation ceremony at the Area H Ground and stated that the BCB would continue to invest in young players as the board intends to make sure that the legacy of Rohan Kanhai and Basil Butcher lives on. He urged the players to remain focused and to continue training at home. He stated that once the pandemic was over, the BCB would hit the ground running with numerous junior and female tournaments, while the coaching sessions would
Some of the cricketers poses after receiving their gears from the BCB.
be expanded in 2021. The 2020 Dr Tulsi Dyal Coaching sessions, would be restarting in October with strict guidelines due to the coronavirus crisis. BCB Head Coach Winston Smith would be visiting clubs to conduct sessions with groups of ten players below the age of ten. Clubs to be visited includes RHTYSC, Albion, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Canje, Blairmont, Achievers and Edinburg. Plans would be put into place
for the checking of players’ temperature, social distancing and washing of hands etc. The BCB also shared out one hundred and fifty food hampers as part of the programme with each of the players receiving one, while several clubs also received several hampers, compliments of the Singh brothers for distribution to their membership. The board in partnership with the RHTYSC has shared out
over 5300 food hampers to less fortunate families across Berbice, while over a total of one hundred and forty two youth cricketers have so far benefitted from donations of cricket gears in 2020 with more to receive later. The BCB President hailed the Singh brothers as dedicated supporters of the county’s cricket and pledged that as long as he remains the head, Berbice cricket would continue to be the beacon of the game in Guyana.
GBBC’s President clears the air on Vivian Harris’ comments - Harris explains what he meant by ‘Boxing officials’ By Sean Devers In Friday’s issue of this newspaper (Sept 18, 2000) in a story headlined ‘Never got money given by GOG for World Title’ Vivian Harris, the third Guyanese Boxer to win a world title, was quoted as saying, “When I became World Champion I came back home for the celebrations but have not gone back since then because they (boxing officials) robbed me of my money that the Government give me.” Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) President Peter Abdool, who replaced outgoing President KD Persaud in 2017, cleared the air yesterday on Harris’ comments. “The Boxing Board does not receive any money from the Guyana Government. Only Amateur Boxing gets money from the Government,” informed Abdool, who is also the Managing Director of the Abdool & Abdool Insurance
Peter Abdool Agency. The GBBC had taken issue with comments which had suggested the GBBC was somehow responsible for Harris not receiving all of his funds provided by the Government for winning the WBA junior Welterweight title in Texas in 2002. Abdool said that when Clive Atwell suffered a head injury on October 24, 2015 against Dexter Gonzales at the Giftland Mall for the vacant FECARBOX World Boxing Council’s (WBC) lightweight title, he paid $3 million the same night for
the life-saving emergency surgery. “Steve Ninvalle (President of the Guyana Boxing Association) and I have spent huge sums of money on local boxing but some reporters gave the impression that we do nothing for boxing. What Vivian Harris is saying is far from the truth and more research should have been done to verify the facts,” lamented Abdool, an avid supporter of Sports in Guyana. When contacted yesterday Harris, who owns a Restaurant in Florida where he lives with his wife and three kids, explained what he meant by using the term ‘Boxing Officials’. “Nowhere in the story did I say Guyana Boxing Board officials robbed me…..I said Boxing officials….which meant officials who are apart the boxer’s team. I was only sent US$5,000 of the (G) $5 Million I was given by the
Government after I was already back in the US,” informed Harris. He added that when he spoke about Atwell’s issue in Mexico, he was talking about the low amount of money he was paid by the promoters for that fight. A b d o o l w a s disappointed that Harris would encourage young boxers to leave Guyana but Harris said he stood by his views. “Those officials, who are a part of a boxer’s team including the manager and at times the promoter, are corrupt and only think about how much money they can make and don’t care about their boxer,” Harris stated. When contacted Harris’ father and boxing promoter Herman Harris confirmed the GBBC is not given any money for Boxers who win titles. He added that Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite and his son won World Titles in the space of two weeks. Their respective teams
Vivian Harris (Saddo boxing) negotiated on their behalf for their reward money from the Government. Kaieteur Sports apologizes if the GBBC
viewed the story as if they were responsible for Harris not receiving his money from the Government which was not the case.
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Pogacar poised for Tour glory after stunning Roglic
Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis help CSK break Mumbai Indians jinx Ambati Rayudu goes for the big one. (BCCI)
UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia reacts after finishing the time trial stage. (Pool via REUTERS/Marco Bertorello)
Ravens’ Anthony Moe jumps through hapless Colts defenders before scoring a layup. (Calvin Chapman photo)
“Mecca 6 a definite no in 2020” - Mike Singh
No basketball club C/ships since 2018 GBBC’s President clears the air on - Harris explains what he Vivian Harris’ commentsmeant by ‘Boxing officials’ Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.