Guyana Times - Friday, December 22, 2023.pdf

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 5591

THE BEACON OF TRUTH PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDED

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

Guyanese can expect increased disposable income from Budget 2024 – VP

WHAT'S INSIDE:

See story on page 3

P8 1 dead in Essequibo Coast head-on collision

Govt to resume international adoption by 1st quarter of P10 2024 23-year-old P busted with 11 ecstasy pills

Female Detective Sergeant is Region 6 P16 Best Cop

President Dr Irfaan Ali along with Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthoiny meeting with a team from the Sandals Hotel chain at the Office of the President. The team was led by its Chairman, Adam Stewart (Office of the President photo)

Over 14,300 GBV, 36 human trafficking cases reported this year Page 11

Dr Neville Gobin, Gynaecologist & Obstetrician, MBBS, DGO

2022 Audit Report

Sector “We see the Audit Private P urged to Report as a tool for aggressively support Govt to management” …says Finance Minister to take deepen Guyana’s – Jagdeo corrective action on adverse findings port facilities 12

See story on page 7

2 Guyanese icons die

Pages 13 & 15

Senior Counsel Rex McKay, OR, CCH

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

BRIDGE The Demerara OPENINGS Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, December 22 – 00:30h-02:00h and Saturday, December 23 – 01:30h-03:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, December 22 – 12:40h-14:10h and Saturday, December 23 – 13:30h-15:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.

WEATHER TODAY Thundery showers and sunshine are expected during the day, with light to thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to East South-Easterly to between 2.68 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 12:53h reaching maximum heights of 2.42 metres.

Guyanese can expect increased disposable income from Budget 2024 – VP

V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed that the Government has been actively working to announce an early 2024 budget, with a primary focus on policies designed to increase the disposable income and general quality of life of Guyanese.

Speaking during his weekly press conference on Thursday, he informed that the annual financial plan will put more money in the pockets of citizens, sharing, “We are currently engaged in the preparation for a 2024 budget. You… will see an early budget in 2024.”

The Vice President underscored that Budget 2024 will focus on the continuation of the economic

nanced in part by oil revenues and monies earned from Guyana’s historic carbon credits sale agreement.

It was the largest ever in the country’s history.

Government had said the national budget would strike a balance between addressing the pressing needs and irritants of today, while simultaneously investing in the future.

In July, a $31 billion Supplementary Appropriation Bill was endorsed by the National Assembly, paving the way for funds to be injected into climate adaptation measures and support for Indigenous communities.

Then in August, Government approached the National Assembly for an additional $61.013

Low Tide: 06:22 metres and 18:57h reaching minimum heights of 0.89 metre and 0.78 metre.

Budget 2024 will be presented early to the National Assembly

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2023

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$79.92/barrel

+0.67

Rough Rice London Sugar

$316.62/ton $590.00/ton

-0.20 0.00

Live Spot Gold Bid/Ask Low/High Change

USD Per Ounce $2049.80 $2038.50

$2050.20 $2054.88

+0.120

+0.00

and social infrastructural buildout of the country to enhance future growth. It will also bring greater comfort to citizens in the form of health, education, infrastructure, and other significant sectors.

The second prong will address increased disposable income through a menu of measures.

“Disposable income can come from several ways. It could be through increased salaries, reduction of taxes, more people being employed and all of these measures would be catered for. So, you can expand employment and get more disposable income at the gross level. That is national level because more people are working,” he explained.

According to Jagdeo, these elements are consistent with the 2020 People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto and are reflected through a series of projects, policies, and programmes that will be enshrined in the budget.

He disclosed, “You can look out for that goal, that is to keep our country safer; keep it vibrant; to keep the social and economic investments going; to generate more jobs; create more income for people through various means.

These would all be part of the budget next year. So, we're busy working at these measures.”

In 2023, the National Assembly approved a whopping $781.9 billion Budget – the first to be fi-

billion in supplementary funding, to be injected into several key sectors. A significant chunk of the money, to the tune of $33.37 billion, was for capital

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

projects under the Public Works Ministry.

This week, two financial papers seeking approval for $1.8 billion and $24 billion respectively were approved by the National Assembly.

These funds will go towards expanding the work programmes in various Ministries, agencies and regions. Specifically, money ($1.2 billion) was sought for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which is presently on high alert amid threats to Guyana’s territory of Essequibo from neighbouring, Venezuela.

Budget 2024 is the fifth to be presented since the PPP/C Government assumed office in 2020. The first budget, presented in September 2020, was an emergency one that nevertheless contained sweeping measures rolling back the heavy taxation measures inherited from the former

Government.

Among the measures the PPP/C Government has taken since coming to power were setting aside $5 billion in Budget 2022 to ease the rising cost of living on Guyanese and reversing over 200 taxes and fees imposed by the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Other policies include reducing the excise tax on fuel from 50 per cent in 2021 to 10 per cent in 2022.

The excise tax was ultimately removed in March 2022.

The Government also distributed a $25,000 COVID cash grant to every household, $1.7 billion to 220 Amerindian communities and $1.3 billion to severed sugar workers, bumped the old age pension up from $20,500 to $33,000 between 2020 and 2023, restored water and electricity subsidies for pensioners and provided over $200 million in electricity credit to vulnerable households.

Additional measures include increasing the income tax threshold from $65,000 to $85,000, increasing and extending the “Because We Care” cash grant, increasing public assistance, and providing billions in assistance to farmers.

For 2023, the PPP/C Government provided a 6.5 per cent increase across the board for public servants.

(G12)

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

Views

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Industrial Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Reflections and Resolutions T

here is just over a week left for 2023, and the advent of the New Year has always been a time when people reflect on the past year, perhaps what they have achieved in terms of their personal and professional goals, and what they intend to accomplish in the coming year. In Guyana, we have always treated the New Year as a time when we cleanse our houses and get our affairs in order, such as financial and business, and even familial; so that, for the rest of the year, we would be able to accomplish what we did not manage to accomplish in the previous year.

The New Year is also a time when we make resolutions.

Many have quipped that the New Year resolutions do not last for more than a week or so, but we have known examples of New Year resolutions being very creative and helpful, and we think that everyone could benefit from this experience. It is important that we set realistic targets/goals, and work hard towards achieving them.

In our New Year resolutions, we can do no better than to follow what the famous Roman Philosopher-Emperor Marcus Aurelius taught us. In his work, Marcus Aurelius tackled issues like how we should live our lives, what justice means, and how we can live with the knowledge that someday we will no longer exist. He taught us that we must treat every day as if it were the last day of our lives. This means that we must work to the optimum to make a positive difference in our communities and country, and maximise our time on earth. We believe that his reflections are still relevant, especially at this time of the year.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has been in office for just over three years, and has sustained its brilliant start, since it has determined never to allow dictatorship to return, following what happened in Guyana during the 2020 General and Regional Elections. It is providing relief to households, stimulating small businesses, negotiating with large foreign investors, and developing every sector.

The present political milieu in Guyana clearly indicates that democracy and development go hand in hand, and that Guyana has embarked on a period of development which would transform the country into one of the wealthiest, best-governed and most democratic countries in the world.

It is hoped that the citizenry: meaning all stakeholders, including the Government and other parliamentary parties, the business community, and ordinary citizens, would focus on moving the country forward. Our past experiences are enough to convince us that we cannot risk going through any period of instability.

That said, in spite of the present uncertainties as a result of the world’s economic hardships, and the lingering variants from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been stuck with us since 2020, this year should be seen as a year of renewed hope in our country and all that it has to offer.

With the growing oil sector, our leaders must use this resource to help create the right environment to allow citizens to be able to live in a free, happy, and prosperous country, where everyone could be given the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Our politicians should recommit themselves to working with each other for the benefit of the entire nation.

We hope that this new year which is just a few days away would bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to every Guyanese, both at home and abroad.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, along with Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, members of his Cabinet and staff of the Office of the President were on Thursday serenaded with live music and Christmas carols from the Guyana Police Force Band. The annual Christmas carolling, a tradition of the Police Band, generated a festive atmosphere at the office on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive. President Ali thanked the band for their renditions and the instrumental role they have played over the decades in bringing joy to the general public (Office of the President photos)

Let this Christmas be a time of new beginnings

By Dr Raulston Nembhard

Y

es, it is that time of the year and we are fully into the celebration of the Christmas season with all that it entails.

Most Jamaicans, if not most people all over the world, will agree that this is their favourite part of the year. It certainly is for me. There is hardly any Jamaican who does not welcome the season as it signals the end of a year which many may be anxious to see ended.

Whatever the year might have been up to December, the bells and whistles of Christmas signal a time of abandon when they can truly forget their sorrows. These can now be drowned in a sea of bacchanal, unrestrained pleasure, and religious indulgence.

It is certainly a time when they can truly relax and let down their hair, so to speak.

This is so even when the commercial demands of the season create levels of anxiety as we are forced to part with money that we do not have or to get indebted at levels that are bound to haunt us in the new year. Without real discipline and control of the urge to spend, we may find ourselves spending what we do not have only to wake up in the new year with a headache bigger and higher than the Blue Mountain peak. So it should be clear that while we enjoy ourselves we will restrain our worst passions and give ourselves over to a sobriety and patience, which, admittedly, may be hard to find at this time.

The more religious will turn on their religious spigots in celebration of Christmas. The season preceding Christmas, Advent, would have prepared many minds to embrace with patience the hope, love, joy, and peace which is summed up in the person of Jesus Christ, the real reason for their celebration. One does not have to be a Christian to enjoy the religious beauty of the season, summed up in the singing of carols, readings from familiar Bible passages, and connecting in worship with the God who they believe to be at the centre of their veneration. Even the professed atheist would admit that there is something really special about this time as they bask in the glory of the season.

This is the first Christmas after the COVID-19 pandemic that we can really celebrate Christmas without the existential threat of the virus cauterising our enjoyment.

In saying this one is mindful that the lingering effects of the pandemic are still with us.

There are many who are still suffering from long COVID symptoms, which indicate the extent to which their lives have been altered for good by the virus.

There are many families who will miss a loved one at the dinner table who was lost to COVID-19. There are children who have been orphaned who will not have the benefit of seeing the smiling faces of their parents at Christmas.

These are situations that have seriously affected their ability to cope or to bring a sound emotional construct

to deal with their presenting problems. We will not be spending time this Christmas evaluating the mental problems that are at the core of the problems we face as a society, but we should nevertheless be mindful that in the midst of our festivities and celebration, there are many who are hurting emotionally.

Concomitant with this, the virus of death by the gun is a reality that has become a deepening, evil force in our society. Just as with COVID-19, there are many families who will miss a loved one lost to the violent criminality that haunts our land. The social contract that is supposed to bind us together as a society has been severely torn. This is clearly mirrored in the anger that persists, in our inability to settle disputes amicably, and in a host of other social dysfunctions that have become far too normative in our society. We have grown very intolerant of each other, and anger has become the preferred mode of settling disputes.

So Christmas comes again not only as an opportunity to have fun, which we must, but to recapture the essential aspects of our being that makes us truly human; that qualifies us to have a brain power larger than that of a lizard; that gives us the capacity to interact with our fellow human beings in positive ways, if even to recognise that our common survival depends upon it. It is a call to a new beginning, to a hope in a future, which, while not easily defined, can help us to anticipate the dawning of a better tomorrow.

It is a call to a new kind of peace of which we would be capable if only we recognise the intrinsic worth in each person and treat each other with respect and dignity. It is a call to a new way of loving each other, wherein the social and economic barriers that separate us are removed and our swords of destruction can be broken down into pruning hooks of production. Finally, it is a call to a new kind of joy not found in the fleeting indulgences of pleasure and licentious living, but in the realisation that as a human being I am significant in the eyes of the one who created me.

You may ask, is he dreaming? Has he had too much to drink? Maybe yes on the dreaming charge, but I sincerely believe that these are the virtues that should stimulate our imagination to be a better person than we currently are. No one is irredeemable for no one is ever outside of his or capacity to be loved and to feel loved. Things can change for us and the society, but if there is to be new beginnings, it has to start with us right where we are.

So I wish for you a funfilled Christmas but also one of reflection on some of the deeper things of life that can lead you to a brighter and more purposeful new year.

(Jamaica Observer) (Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life's Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life, and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America.)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Chris Ram unknowingly exposed his shortcomings Dear Editor, In my letter on December 20, 2023, readers would recall, I sought to robustly challenge Mr Christopher Ram’s unsubstantiated assertion that the stability clause contained in the Petroleum Agreement (2016) ceded legislative sovereignty to ExxonMobil.

In that article, I manifestly demonstrated how Mr. Ram’s irresponsible aspersion is woefully and dangerously misplaced. To corroborate my contention therein, I cited the case of Venezuela versus ExxonMobil, a case which had detrimental implications for Venezuela, whereby ExxonMobil and their co-venture partner had invoked “international investment law and arbitration” to seek compensation from the Venezuelan Government to the tune of over US$40 billion.

Unsurprisingly and disappointingly, in his response published on December 21, 2023, instead of addressing the substantive counterarguments put forward by this author, he diverted his attention to focus on an inconsequential aspect of the broader argumentations.

It begs the question as to whether Mr. Ram, by vir-

tue of his completely ignoring the substantive contentions on the subject, had exposed his inability to defend his position; and if so, why should the public take him seriously? More so, why should his students take him seriously?

Notwithstanding, since he’s opted to address only an inconsequential matter, it is imperative that this author address the specific matter he raised in a more substantive manner. To this end, Mr. Ram took issue with the expiration date.

Pursuant to the Petroleum Agreement (2016), the Contractor (ExxonMobil) and Co-Venturers (Hess and CNOOC) were granted two licences; namely, the Prospecting Licence, which is the license that governs the exploration activities, and the Production Licence.

In order to determine the expiration dates of both licences, it is not as straightforward as Mr. Ram makes it appear. One has to consult with the relevant provisions in the Petroleum Agreement to practically calculate the expiration dates, contingent upon other factors, such as whether there was any “force majeure” event, the date of issue of each li-

cence, and having to establish the effective date of the Petroleum Agreement, not the execution date.

Firstly, Mr Ram consistently refers to the June 2016 date of the Petroleum Agreement as the effective date. However, that date is clearly stated as the execution date of the Agreement, according to the “Affidavit of Due Execution” appended to the Agreement. In contract law, both dates have different implications.

Article 30 of the Petroleum Agreement establishes the effective date where it states that, “This Agreement shall enter into force and effect on the date in which the Petroleum Prospecting License in respect of the Contract Area is in full force and effect (the effective date)”. Therefore, the effective date of the Prospecting Licence is the date that the Prospecting Licence was issued, in accordance with Article 30 of the Petroleum Agreement.

Hence, while the Prospecting Licence is not in the public domain, this author, on both occasions, verbally confirmed with the “industry actors” the effective date: that is, the date the Prospecting Licence

was granted, to which the October date was revealed.

If perchance Mr. Ram has a copy of the Prospecting Licence and the effective date thereof is otherwise stated, he should publish same to remove any doubt whatsoever, in the interest of absolute clarity.

Secondly, one has to consult with Article 3 (Petroleum Prospecting License and Guarantee) of the Petroleum Agreement (2016) in order to establish the lifespan of the Prospecting Licence.

Article 3 states the following: a) On the date of this Agreement, the Minister, in accordance with the Act, the Regulations and the terms of this Agreement, shall grant to the Contractor the Petroleum Prospecting License for an initial period of four (4) years from the effective date over the area described in Annex A and shown on the map attached as Annex B hereto”. b) Subject to Article 4 and the other terms of this Agreement, such Petroleum Prospecting License may be renewed, but not more than twice, at the election of the Contractor for consecutive periods of up to three (3) years each, in accordance

GPF has taken a welcome step to combat extortion of Guyanese Dear Editor, In serving summonses on US citizen Rickford Burke in New York State, to appear in Guyana’s courts, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has taken a welcome step to combat the rising scourge of extortion of Guyanese by individuals residing in the US. In September 2022, the GPF had issued a wanted bulletin for Burke -- concerning the offence of conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01 -- in relation to the publication of defamatory libel allegedly to extort money from Afras Mohammed. Burke, no doubt feeling secure in the US, had mocked the law enforcement efforts of the GPF. However, now that the first step towards his extradition to face justice in Guyana has been taken, Burke will be laughing on the other side of his face.

And, more importantly, others who have been using social media platforms to openly run ex-

tortion schemes will understand that there is no escaping the long arm of the law; although the Wheels of Justice grind slowly, they grind exceedingly thoroughly.

Guyana’s biggest struggle in these extradition matters will not be with exposed arguments of “political persecution” by the defendants, but with the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It seems the social media predators (and some political operatives) have made wide use of cash transfer platforms such as Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, Pay Pal, Money Gram, Western Union, bank-tobank transfers et al without due reportage of income, as required by law. While funds for personal use require little or no reporting, those received for goods and services (including social media ads) do; US$600 per annum is the threshold. I do hope the bell-ringing politician takes note, and does not fall afoul of the IRS. The extortionists are going to have a rather dif-

ficult time explaining the sums they received. I am well aware of one case in which a mother paid US$15,000 to expose an affair being carried on by her son, and then a further US$15,000 was paid to ‘delete everything’ by the woman involved in the affair. The sum mentioned in the Burke-Mohammed case is more than US$100,000.

The IRS is going to go after their ‘pound of flesh’, and our revenue agencies should take note.

Guyana’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is responsible for requesting, receiving, analyzing, and disseminating information related to suspicious transactions, and other information related to money laundering, terrorist financing, or proceeds of crime.

Information on any suspicious transaction is passed to the Special Organized

Crime Unit (SOCU) of the GPF for investigation.

The Cybercrime Unit is also a repository of information on extortion schemes, as those who refuse to pay usually make reports of cyberbullying and/ or attempts to extort cash.

We have the system to combat overseas-based extortion, but it needs to work harder to protect our citizens. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) may also want to pounce early, before the IRS beats them to the punch.

It feels as if Christmas has come early, and in that spirit of giving, I have prepared a dossier to assist with names and evidence for our local authorities, but I also intend to share it with the US Embassy in Georgetown.

Sincerely, Robin Singh

with the provisions of the Act and the Regulations.

Thus, in accordance with Article 3 of the Agreement, as per the above reference therefrom, it can be established that the lifespan of the Prospecting Licence is ten (10) years, based on the initial period it is valid for, the (maximum) number of times it can be renewed (twice), and for what period (3 years).

It is also public knowledge that the Prospecting Licence was extended for a period of one year, since a force majeure event was invoked during the pandemic period.

This is how this author arrived at the year 2027 for the expiration of the Prospecting (exploration) Licence. Whether it is June 2027 or October 2027 is subject to confirmation upon verification of the issuance date of the Prospecting Licence, which is not in the public domain.

Thirdly, Mr. Ram confidently posited that the expiration of the Production Licence is in the year 2057.

It is virtually impossible for anyone, at this time, to determine the expiration of the Production Licences. In this respect, it must be noted that there are multiple Production Licences that are also not within the public domain to independently verify same. So, again, in consultation with the “industry players”, it was established that the lifespan for each Production Licence is for a period of twenty (20) years.

Of importance to note as

well is that each “oil field” or “Project Development Area” has its own Production Licence, since the developments are done in phases through multiple projects.

With this in mind, it is unclear how Mr. Ram arrived at the year 2057 for the expiration of the Production Licence; because even if he assumes that following the expiration of the Prospecting Licence in 2027, the final Production Licence(s) will be granted in the year 2027, this means that the final Production Licences will expire in 2047, and not 2057; except if he assumes that the Production Licences that follow the expiration of the Prospecting Licence will be granted 10 years thereafter.

On a more serious note, only when all the exploration activities would have ended -- wherein it is already established that, all things being equal, that will be in the year 2027 -- only thereafter, based on the future discoveries and development plans, can one, with precision, determine the expiration of the final set(s) of Production Licence(s) pursuant to the 2016 Petroleum Agreement.

Finally, in view of the foregoing, I hereby invite Mr Christopher Ram to update his awareness of all the current updated facts and other considerations before authoring any future missive (s) on the subject matter.

Yours respectfully, Joel Bhagwandin

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:05 13:30 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:45 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 22:00 23:30

(Sign on) Inspiration Time Cartoons Evening News (RB) Stop Suffering Guy's Grocery Games Grand Designs Paternity Court Divorce Court News Break Movie - Navigating Christmas (2023) A TVG Christmas The Tom and Jerry Show S3 E13 Indian Soaps Anthony Persaud – Season Greetings Sydney to the Max S3 E2 Austin & Ally S4 E6 The Young & The Restless Nesha's Feature CNN The Evening News Stop Suffering Movie - Holiday Road (2023) Movie - The Saint of Second Chances (2023) Movie - A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

Foundation ◄

Page

MATH QUESTIONS

By Sr Rose Magdalene

We are children of Guyana And we love our native land.

With rivers lakes and waterfalls Its mountains tall and grand We will strive to make Guyana.

A land so fair and free One people and one nation One single destiny

T

Leaf Paper Garland

his simple project is adaptable for kids of all ages. Parents can handle the scissors for smaller kids. You’ll just need construction paper in complementary greens, as well as glue. Cut the paper in the shape of leaves and shape together like a vine.

And a voila, you have a leaf paper garland. (goodhousekeeping.com)

We are children of Guyana And we proudly our eyes.

When we see the Golden Arrowhead flutter bravely in the shies.

For it tells us we shall ever more be free upon this earth.

God bless you dear Guyana the country of our birth.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

2022 Audit Report

7

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“We see the Audit Report as a tool for management” – Jagdeo …says Finance Minister to take corrective action on adverse findings

A

dverse findings flagged in the 2022 Audit Report will be handled through corrective action from Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh.

This was outlined by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday, who identified the report as an important instrument for proper management of the country.

Jagdeo disclosed, “I spoke with the Minister of Finance. He has assured that he is going to personally take corrective action against any adverse

finding. We see the Audit Report as a tool for management and that’s how we’re approaching it.”

Government is also considering Audit Reports from under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition administration, which spanned 2015 to 2020, in which glaring findings were not addressed.

He commented, “In the five years of APNU, none were considered. They didn’t even touch the Audit Reports and they didn’t meet the light of day…We don’t approach it this way.

We will take corrective ac-

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

tion.”

One such instance is from the D’Urban Park

project, where over $600 million was reported missing. Contained in the 2020

Govt in process of purchasing MV Hercules from local owner – Edghill …looking for fit-for-purpose vessels in US

I

n a move to further enhance water transportation in the Essequibo River, the Public Works Ministry is currently in the process of purchasing a private vessel, the <<<MV Hercules>>>, from its local owner.

Back in August, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had disclosed that the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) was testing out MV Hercules with the aim of buying the vessel.

After making several test trips to Leguan, Wakenaam, Supenaam, and Bartica, the Ministry was satisfied with the vessel’s running time, fuel consumption and passenger flow.

C o n s e q u e n t l y , Government decided to move ahead with the acquisition of the vessel, which will be operated under the T&HD to meet the growing demand of the travelling public.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

Edghill informed the Committee of Supply during Tuesday’s National Assembly sitting that the process to buy the vessel was in progress. He explained that this acquisition was a commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali to residents in Essequibo, who requested additional ferry service.

“The demand was great and we search, and we located that there was a fit-for-

purpose vessel available locally and we engaged that person on what we called a trial basis. So, we operated the service – so many trips to Supenaam, so many trips to Bartica – checking on boat timings, speed, fuel consumption and at the same time, during that trial, improving the service. We are at the stage now, having done those trials and based upon the arrangements during those trials, we are

looking now to properly acquire that vessel as a part of the Government of Guyana’s assets,” the Public Works Minister stated.

During that trial period, the Government footed the fuel bill and the cost of other “incidentals” of the vessel.

This matter was raised when Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul questioned the Minister about the vessel, enquiring also about the cost of purchasing the vessel. In response, however, Edghill noted that this figure would be disclosed to the House at the “appropriate time” when the negotiations with the vessel owner are completed and finalised.

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report were findings of a special audit conducted into the project since 2018, showing that $1.1 billion was spent. Even then, payment vouchers to account for how millions were spent were not provided to the auditors.

Another case of missing funds is for the purchase of tickets for concerts under the coalition.

It was reported last year that the Audit Office of Guyana (AOG), via the annual Auditor General Reports, had red-flagged more than 500 breaches of various laws between the years 2015 and 2018, most of which occurred while the APNU/AFC Government was in power.

Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira had cited a summary of the various breaches to laws such as the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA); the Procurement Act and the Stores Regulations of 1993.

Improvements

Strides have been made to take action on the current Government’s end, in securing and protecting the interest of the country.

It was reported that overpayments on contracts, which have been a sore issue for years for successive reports, saw a drastic change this year. Auditor General Deodat Sharma indicated in his 2022 report that the Government was able to recover over $50 million in overpayments, without dispute – a first in Guyana’s history. In previous Auditor General Reports, issues such as overpayment to

contractors and breaches to the country’s financial laws were flagged.

In the 2021 Auditor General Report, the Audit Office noted that over 70 per cent of recommendations that were made the previous year were implemented by the PPP/C Government.

Back in 2020, 548 recommendations were made.

According to the 2021 Auditor General Report, 397 or 72 per cent of these recommendations have since been fully implemented.

Meanwhile, 92, or 17 per cent of these recommendations were partially implemented, and 59 or 11 per cent were not implemented at all. It is a dramatic improvement in comparison with 2020, where only 38 per cent of the prior year’s recommendations were fully implemented.

In the 2019 report, a mere 17 per cent of prior years’ recommendations were fully implemented.

Auditor General Sharma also had cause to complain that a mere 24 per cent of the 454 recommendations made in 2017 were implemented by the then APNU/ AFC Government.

The Audit Act prescribes that, “The Auditor General shall report at least annually, and within nine months of each fiscal year, on the results of his audit of the consolidated financial statements and the accounts of budget agencies in relation to that fiscal year.”

During the course of the year, the AG can also conduct special audits at his discretion and prepare special reports. (G12)

8 NEWS 1 dead in Essequibo Coast head-on collision FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Wheels…

Y

A

The two cars that were involved in the collision at Aberdeen on the Essequibo Coast

bdool Hakeem Ally of Lot 154 Anna Regina is now dead following a head-on collision between two cars at Aberdeen on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) on Thursday.

Reports are that on that fateful day, at about 13:00h, motorcar PSS 973, driven by a 54-year-old man of Maria's Lodge, Essequibo Coast,hi collided head-on with motorcar PAE 4651, being driven by the 58-year-

old Ally. Each car had one passenger, but each passenger escaped unhurt.

Police enquires have disclosed that motorcar PSS 973 was proceeding in a southerly direction along the eastern driving lane of the public road at a fast rate, while motorcar PAE 4651 was proceeding in a northerly direction. This driver alleges that the driver of PAE 4651 made a sudden swerve into the eastern lane, and that caused the

collision that damaged the front portion of each motorcar.

Following the accident, Ally was observed to be in a motionless state in his driver’s seat, with his eyes open. He was taken out of the vehicle by public-spirited persons, and was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital by the Police, but was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was later transferred from the Suddie Public Hospital to

the Suddie Funeral Parlour to await a post-mortem examination.

Police have said that the accident scene was visited by Commander Khemraj Shivbarran and a party of Policemen. Checks were made for CCTV cameras in the area, and the footage of those devices is being reviewed.

The driver of motorcar PSS 973 is presently in custody, assisting with investigations. (G14)

…within (US) wheels

our Eyewitness notes the US-Venezuela prisoner swap – ten Yanks for one Venezuelan!! Does that mean that a Venezuelan’s life is worth ten times that of an American’s?? Well, like with beauty, value is in the eyes of the swapper!! Mad Maduro feels that, to spring his guy, it was worth handing over ten Yanks and one fella named “Fat Leonard”. And if you’d thought that only Mafia hitmen had such monikers, then think again!!

But who was Mad Maduro’s guy, Alex Saab? He’d been apprehended on a US warrant in 2020, while making a fuel stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran. Mad Maduro swears he’s a Venezuelan diplomat, but, in reality, he’s a Colombian businessman who not only violated sanctions to ship food and building materials into Venezuela, but gave a whole new dimension to the old business saw: “buy low and sell high”!!

Pertinently, though, he dealt directly with Mad Maduro, and we can we sure the 1000% markups were shared with his buddy!! Yet Mad Maduro swears he’s for the small man – even as he conspired to deny them affordable food!! How low can one sink?? Clearly, not lower than Mad Maduro!

But what this exchange of prisoners shows is that venality knows no national boundaries. Fat Leonard’s from a Malaysian family that operates a huge shipping servicing facility in Singapore. Now, you may wonder what this got to do with the US, and why the US want him?? Well, with the US Navy projecting American power against the Chinese out in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, those ships have gotta be serviced. And what Fat Leonard did was to ensure HIS company benefitted in BILLIONS from those contracts by providing sex and other services to hundreds of US Naval Officers!! And he had tapes of their peccadillos to embarrass the Pentagon and the US Government!! With all that training, the flesh is still weak, innit??

But what does all of this have to do with us – apart from reminding us that our officials are also prone to weaknesses of the flesh, and we gotta watch them like hawks?? A lot, as it turns out; since the Yanks – whom we’re looking to protect us from big, bad Mad Maduro – are making nice with him!! As even Associated Press reported: “The deal represents the Biden administration’s boldest move yet to improve relations with the major oilproducing nation and extract concessions from the selfproclaimed socialist leader.

The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuela’s history comes weeks after the White House agreed to suspend some sanctions, following a commitment by Maduro to work toward free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.”

We gotta assume that, like good realists, the US are gonna be playing both sides against the middle to further THEIR interests!! …within the old revolutionaries The recent death of that old war-monger (war criminal?) Kissinger reminded us of the old revolutionary days, when Burnham and Jagan cozied up to leftist movements across the world – against the “rapacious, running dogs capitalists”!! Ah…they wore their ideals on their sleeves – which for Burnham was easy, since he could always point to Jagan if he annoyed the Yanks!

Jagan was his safety blanket!!

Your Eyewitness wrote about Burnham allowing Cuban planes ferrying troops to Angola to support the MPLA rebels – and being pulled up by Kissinger!! Well, look how things turned out!! After MPLA took over the Govt from the Portuguese imperialists in 1975, they were led from 1979 to 2017 by rebel leader José Eduardo dos Santos. The denouement is that his daughter Isabel dos Santos – who became Africa’s first female billionaire - just lost an appeal to freeze up to 580 million pounds ($735 million) of her assets in a lawsuit at London’s High Court.

So, who became the “running dog capitalists”?? …of power generation Even as some are still kvetching – rightfully - about the constant blackouts that threaten to make a mockery of our “festive” season, others are criticising the Government for not freezing the gas-fired generation plans on hold!!

Go figure!

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

9

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt to resume international adoption by 1st quarter of 2024

G

uyana will be resuming international adoption in first quarter of 2024.

In an interview with this publication, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud revealed that an average 200 children benefited from foster care services through the Childcare and Protection Agency, this year.

She also said that a central authority responsible for ensuring the inter-country adoption of children was seamless has been established and as a result, Guyana is prepared to handle overseas adoption.

“We have established the central authority; we have the bill which is now an act in place that would have been amended to be compliant with the Hague Convention, so we’ll be resuming international adoption early in the year and

also, we’ll be continuing our local adoption so that’s quite significant going forward,” Persaud stated.

Persaud explained that while the services will be operation in 2024, childcare and protection efforts will continue per normal.

In fact, she disclosed that Government was looking to increase the capacity of children shelters by constructing, remodelling and rehabilitating facilities.

“We are currently and in next year remodelling a number of our shelters.

We have rehabilitated the Sophia kitchen and we’re working on upgrading the whole Sophia complex and we are working on two programmes that [I] really am very passionate about and that is the parenting programme…we’re also working on the every child safe community programme where we’re going into communities and working with not only parents but people in the community and children to keep children safe,” Persaud explained.

At the time when the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act 2021 was passed, it was reported in the National Assembly

that some 247 children from Guyana were adopted by both non-Guyanese and overseas-based Guyanese between 2013 and 2020.

Moreover, in 2014 and 2018, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry recorded the highest rate of international adoption – 22 per cent – by non-Guyanese. And, in 2013 and 2018, it recorded the second highest rates of adoption by overseas-based Guyanese.

Guyana signed onto the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption in February 2019. However, the country had to update its local adoption laws in order to give effect to the tenets of the Convention.

The Hague Convention provides safeguards for children and families involved in adoptions between participating countries and also works to prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.

In August 2021, the passage of the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Bill 2021 brought Guyana’s laws into conformity with international best practices under the Convention.

NEWS

11

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Over 14,300 GBV, 36 human trafficking cases reported this year H uman Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud has said there are programmes in the pipeline to further address gender-based violence (GBV) and human trafficking in 2024.

Dr Persaud revealed that, for 2023, more than 14,300 reports of gender-based violence have been lodged through the 914 toll-free hotline. Of that number, 418 were related to domestic violence and 83 were sexual offence reports; however, only 150 of the GBV reports were significant.

In response thereof, 74 persons benefitted from shelter support and more than 1,000 persons received free legal advice through the legal pro bono project being run by the Ministry and the Guyana Bar Association.

As a result, 20 persons were represented in court, and about 10 per cent of the reports were resolved at the level of the judiciary.

Dr Persaud has said that while the number of cases resolved legally is relatively low, it is important to note that hundreds of women and men were provided with sums of money for home rental after leaving abusive living situations. Additionally,

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud

safe vouchers worth $15,000, survivor kits which contain necessities to maintain a healthy hygiene, and counselling services were made available to victims.

In an interview with this publication, Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud revealed that Government’s efforts to eliminate GBV would be amplified with commissioning of the Hope and Justice Center at Lusignan, ECD and with tabling of the Family Violence Bill in the National Assembly. She noted that

23-year-old busted with ecstasy pills

The pills that were found by CANU

J

oshua Josiah Mentore of Pattensen, Greater Georgetown has been arrested with a quantity of ecstasy pills in his possession following a recent operation conducted by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers at Dennis Street in ‘C’ Field Sophia, Georgetown.

During that operation, CANU ranks intercepted and searched the 23-year-old man, and discovered on his person 80 pills suspected to be ecstasy. He was escorted to CANU Headquarters with the pills, which weighted

Arrested: Joshua Mentore

34 grammes.

Investigations are ongoing.

while the act would be laid in the National Assembly early next year, Government is working to make the services of the Hope and Justice Center available before the end of 2023.

“So, we’re looking at

this, not just through narrow lenses; we’re looking at it comprehensively. So legislation, policy, services, and we have exceeded the number of Police men and women we’re trained. We’ve trained over 2000 Policemen through the COP squad initiative…and so every Police station right now in the country should have at least one to two persons at several levels trained through that initiative, which that Police station would benefit from case management, case reporting, and taking reports, and doing so in a professional manner,” Dr Persaud explained.

A mere 36 cases of human trafficking have been reported this year, and 317 alleged victims have been identified by the Trafficking in Persons Unit for psychosocial support. Also, 30 raids have been conducted, eight persons have been placed before magistrates’ courts, and three individuals have re-

ceived restitution.

Minister Persaud has said that a special taskforce will be developed in 2024 to eradicate human trafficking and ensure more perpetrators are brought before the courts.

“There is a new Counterin-Trafficking piece of legislation, and that mandates that the minister… will head a taskforce where we pull together all the stakeholders, develop a national action plan, move forward (that) action plan to ensure that actions are taken in such a way to reduce and eradicate trafficking in persons, and each of the ministries will have their own programme,” Dr Persaud has said.

GBV and human trafficking

The Spotlight Initiative aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through its six

pillars: legislation, institutional strengthening, prevention, services, data, and women’s rights and civil society.

Through this initiative, 2,688 persons were assisted through the Survivor Advocate programme, less than 1000 frontline personnel were trained to identify trafficking in persons, and 1,500 persons were trained through the Community Advocates’ network to assist with reporting, support, and identifying persons they believe are being abused.

Moreover, 2,456 GBV victims received crisis counselling, 1,851 received court support, and 100 social workers were trained in GBV. These efforts form part of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration’s 2020-2025 manifesto commitment to provide expanded access to Legal Aid Services for persons across Guyana.

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Private Sector urged to aggressively support Govt to deepen Guyana’s port facilities C

hairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Komal Singh, has sounded calls for stakeholders to work along with the Guyana Government in order to aggressively pursue the deepening of local ports to accommodate deep-draft vessels.

Speaking at the 31st Anniversary Gala and Awards Ceremony of the Private Sector Commission, Singh underscored the need to deepen Guyana’s port in order to facilitate large cargo vessels on a 24-hour basis. Currently, Guyana has only tidal ports.

“We cannot handle deep-water draft vessels 24/7. I want to call on the entire Private Sector and all the other organisations: we need (to) aggressively support His Excellency and the Government of Guyana, who have taken the initiative already…to start working on deepening our port. Those conversations have started, and we, from the Private Sector, are very thankful; and we will be working very closely with Government to make sure that project is realized, which will bring tremendous benefits to Guyana,” he noted.

According to the PSC Chairman, “Currently, we see our products [cargoes]

PSC Chairman Komal Singh

are being stuck in Jamaica and Trinidad for transshipment, and we lost a lot of time. Every time you’re stuck at a port, additional freight costs are passed to us as consumers. We can remove that by deepening our port.”

Over the past year, President Dr Irfaan Ali has been pushing a vision to make Guyana a logistics hub in the region. With work ongoing on a paved road through Lethem to connect to Northern Brazil, and with the Corentyne River Bridge to connect with Suriname pending, the aim is to use Guyana as a transshipment hub to get cargoes moved to neighbouring countries as well as to other nations in the region.

The PSC Chairman noted that making Guyana a

logistics hub in the region would also benefit local companies in getting their products to other countries.

“The regional logistics hub is so critical for us at this point in time…With the aggressive developmental strategy that Government and the Private Sector have, over the next three years, we will be producing so much stuff locally and we will be producing more than what we need in Guyana. As a result, it is so critical that we work aggressively to make sure we strengthen our [country as a] regional logistics hub, so that our goods and services can reach the countries in the region and outside of region easily and timely,” Singh posited.

Back in September, President Ali had told Stabroek News that a feasibility study would have to be done on building a deep-water container port here, and if that is found to be viable, then such a project would have to be undertaken by the Private Sector with support from the Government.

World class deepwater harbour

In October 2021, the Head of State had disclosed during a press conference that Abu Dhabi Ports, a United Arab Emirates-

Work ongoing at the Berbice Deep Water Port

based company that deals in industrial zones and logistics, has shown keen interest in establishing a world class deep-water harbour facility in Guyana.

In fact, the company had even sent technical teams to Guyana to work on, and look at, the possibility of developing the facility here.

“The interest is great in this project…they will have a second team coming with a follow-up on the evaluation. And they are looking at a modern, state-of-theart port facility, operated with cutting-edge technology focusing on efficiency, safety, and security… Their initial assessment is one of great optimism. That’s how they described it. They believe that this is a project that can happen; that (it) is a project that is viable. They are now working on the nitty-gritty, the finer details in terms of this project,” the Head of State had noted.

He had further explained that while this would be a Private Sector investment, it would see the involvement of Guyana’s immediate neighbours: Brazil, Suriname, and even French Guiana, since the project would be across borders.

There has since been no update on this venture, and it is unclear whether Abu Dhabi Ports is still going ahead with the project.

On the other hand, Canada-based oil company CGX Energy Inc is currently constructing a port facility in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

However, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had previously explained that while the project is dubbed a “deep-water port”, it is just a regular port facility to support oil and gas activities.

The Berbice Deep Water Port (BWDP) project is being undertaken by

Grand 2 Canal Industrial Estates (GCIE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CGX. Back in January, the company had said it had spent over US$22 million on the BDWP project thus far. GCIE had also previously reported that there were some minor setbacks with the project, due to revisions that were needed to the design of its wharf and trestle in the Berbice River.

As the lowest bidder, GAICO Construction and General Services Inc., owned by PSC Chairman Komal Singh, was selected to construct the access trestle and wharf, and to perform the required dredging operations for the BDWP facility.

Singh had told Guyana Times in May that the trestle was slated to be completed in a couple of weeks, which would then pave the way for other major work to commence. There has since been no further update on the project.

The port facility is intended to serve as an offshore supply base for the oil and gas industry, and as a multi-purpose terminal to service agricultural import/ export, containerized and specialized cargoes, including aggregates for construction purposes.

The BDW Project is aimed at enabling provisioning of operators and vendors in the territorial waters of both Guyana and Suriname. (G8)

NEWS

13

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Managing Director of Woodlands, Dr Neville Gobin passes … “Dr Gobin was a devoted Guyanese patriot” – Pres Ali

M

anaging Director of Woodlands Hospital and Resident ObstetricianGynaecologist, Dr Neville Bhagwandeen Gobin has passed away at the age of 75.

The hospital announced his passing on Thursday, sharing that he served in his capacity as Managing Director for over three decades, where he worked tirelessly to ensure that patients visiting the hospital were provided with the best possible care.

“The Woodlands Team remains committed to continuing his legacy,” the hospital penned in their an-

nouncement.

For decades, Dr Gobin has been a renowned OBGYN, saving the lives of many and delivering thousands of babies. After his death, there was an outpouring of condolences, with many sharing his contributions during their pregnancies.

In offering his condolences, President Dr Irfaan Ali expressed, “Dr Gobin was a devoted Guyanese patriot who served the country's medical field for decades.

His selfless dedication to his work has left a significant void in the health sector.

May his soul rest in peace.”

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry also issued a statement, describing his passing as a huge loss to Guyana.

Gobin was regarded as a distinguished medical professional and a true pillar of the healthcare community, who has left an incredible legacy of compassion, innovation, and unwavering commitment to the field of medicine.

His early education in India culminated in the achievement of his MBBS, after which he returned to Guyana and commenced his career as an intern at the public hospital in Georgetown.

In the early 1980s, driv-

Govt in process of purchasing ...

FROM PAGE 7

The MV Hercules during one of its testing voyages (Photo: Guyana Chronicle)

During the questioning, there was a back and forth between the Minister and the Opposition MP about the operations of the boat, which Edghill assured was currently running the Parika-toSupenaam route.

Based upon further questioning by the Opposition MP regarding the operations of the vessel, Minister Edghill committed to produce to the House, the dates on which MV Hercules sailed during the trial period. This was after Mahipaul claimed that the vessel had been out of operation for several weeks.

In fact, the Public Works Minister disclosed that recent report from T&HD revealed that the MV Hercules departed the Parika Stelling for the Supenaam Stelling at 09:38h on December 19 with a total of 102 passengers, including six children and six pensioners.

Additionally, there were 42 vehicles on the vessel. The total revenue earned from that trip was $379,608, that is, $35,400 in passengers’ revenue, $120,000 in vehicle revenue, and $224,203 in freight revenue.

MV Sabanto

Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s sitting, there was also questions posed to the Public Works Minister about the operations of MV Sabanto , which has been malfunctioning recently thus resulting in a longer journey time.

Edghill explained to the House that MV Sabanto had

encountered “a difficulty” with its only engine, and a trip that would usually take 90 minutes from Parika to Supenaam now takes longer.

“While the MV Sabanto is sailing, MACORP (Machine Corporation of Guyana Ltd) is on the boat working to fix the engine. We had a choice of taking the boat out of service and park it until it is fixed or we go with the boat that is not as fast as it used to be but continue to provide the service because the trucks with gas, the trucks with the provisions, the trucks with the coconut water, the trucks with all the products need to get out and the supplies to get into the Essequibo need to go [there]. So, we made a decision that we will continue to sail while work is being done,” he stated.

However, the Public Works Minister added that there were some spares needed that were not readily available in Guyana and had to be procured from overseas.

He stated that the workers are currently onboard the vessel fixing the issues with the engine since the spare parts have arrived.

He went onto dismiss claims by Opposition MP Sherwayne Holder, that the vessel had been having issues for the past six months.

According to Edghill, it has been just over six weeks that the MV Sabanto has been experienced issues with its engine.

Moreover, he added that another one of the vessels currently plying the Parika-

to-Supenaam route needs to go into drydock for critical repairs but this could not be done now during the holidays.

“We have to time these things. When we take [the vessel] out of service to have it fixed, we have to do rearranging of the other vessels… to make sure that we keep the service going. The bottom line is that we are happy to tell the people of Guyana that, with all the challenges of these aging vessels and the difficulties of [getting] spare parts, we have kept the service… ensuring that they can get to their destinations and in many instances improving the efficiency of the service,” he stated.

Acquiring fit-for-purpose vessels

Nevertheless, the Minister pointed out that this situation further justifies the need to acquire the MV Hercules.

“Because every time there is a difficulty [with one of the vessels plying that route], there is a build-up of traffic,” Edghill noted.

Moreover, the Public Works Minister disclosed that during the recent visit of a trade mission from the United States, he requested their help in finding fit-forpurpose vessels that might be available for auction in the US market.

According to the Minister, acquiring new vessels takes years. To this end, he noted that Government is looking to procure fit-for-purpose vessels that will improve fuel consumption, travel time and prioritise safety.

“The issue here of age is something that all of us in this House must recognise.

At this time, fit-for-purpose is what is required while you go to the next level… The Government of Guyana has had to be engaging in two things since we came to office – fixing while we are modernising… We gotta keep the old ferries sailing while we buy new ferries, and that is what we have to do,” Edghill asserted. (G8)

en by a thirst for knowledge and excellence, Dr Gobin returned to India to complete his post-graduate diploma in obstetrics and gynaecology. Upon returning home in 1984, he became a private doctor at Woodlands Hospital, where he would go on to shape the healthcare landscape in Guyana for nearly four decades.

“Dr Gobin's leadership at Woodlands Hospital was transformative. Serving as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for the majority of his tenure, he successfully propelled the hospital from a small private facility to one of the leading medical institutions in the Caribbean. His commitment to innovation was evident in the introduction of pioneering medical services, including the first comprehensive ultrasound service, ultrasound-guided surgery, MRI, CT scan, and the first fully automated laboratory in Guyana,” the Ministry said in its statement.

The late doctor was also a trailblazer in the medical field, performing numerous surgical interventions for gynaecological cancers.

In early 2023, he introduced Guyana's first stem cell

Dr Neville Gobin

therapy for patients, which marked a significant milestone in the country's medical landscape.

As Chairman of the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, he played a pivotal role in improving maternal health services in the public sector. His commitment to addressing systemic issues and enhancing antenatal care demonstrated a profound dedication to the well-being of mothers and infants in the community.

“Beyond his professional achievements, Dr Gobin was a compassionate community activist. He volunteered for various medical outreaches and served as the President of the Family

Planning Association of Guyana, contributing to the formulation and enactment of progressive legislation, including the Termination of Pregnancy Act in 1996. Dr Neville Gobin's life was characterised by an unyielding commitment to improving healthcare in Guyana. His legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched, the students he inspired, and the advancements he spearheaded,” the Ministry added.

Dr Gobin was bestowed with the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) in 2020 for his tireless efforts in advancing maternal and child health, as well as his contributions to the overall improvement of healthcare services in the country.

14 NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Senior Counsel Rex McKay dies …“McKay was a legal colossus” – AG Nandlall

S

enior Counsel Rex McKay, OR, CCH, has died at the age of 95 in the wee hours of Thursday at a private hospital in Georgetown.

According to reports, the veteran Guyanese attorney had been suffering from a prolonged illness.

During his illustrious career, McKay, who had been appointed Senior Counsel in October 1975, had appeared in many high-profile cases in this country.

Conferred with the Order of Roraima – Guyana’s second highest national award – in 2016 for his long, dedicated and outstanding service as a legal practitioner in the country, he had also been awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour – the second highest award in the Order of Service of Guyana.

Founder of the law firm McKay and Moore, McKay had also owned WRHM TV Channel 7.

Back in October, in the third instalment of its Eminent Caribbean Jurists series, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Academy of Law had honoured eight Guyanese among 48 outstanding Caribbean lawyers. McKay had been among those honoured. He was considered a giant of the legal profession, representing historical, transitional, and contemporary epochs of law and development in the region.

The other lawyers honoured were: Professor JOF Haynes; Ashton Chase, OE; Dr Mohamed Shahabuddeen; Sir Lionel Alfred Luckhoo; Sir Fenton Ramsahoye; Clarence Hughes, and Dr Claude

Denbow. McKay was one of two Guyanese lawyers from that list who was still alive at the time. Dr Denbow is now the only one remaining alive. Ashton Chase died back in July at the age of 96.

Distinguished and sterling legal career

In a tribute to McKay, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, said his distinguished and sterling legal career spanned approximately six decades. He was admitted to practice law in British Guiana in the year 1956, having completed his legal education at the University of London and at Lincoln’s Inn, from where he graduated as a Barrister-at-Law. Almost immediately upon his return to British Guiana, McKay, through his industry, his ability to do research, and his impeccable style of writing, began to make an impact in the legal profession. These were traits which obviously only improved immeasurably with the passage of time. So much so that, nearing the end of his career, McKay’s knowledge of the law was almost encyclopedic.

Legal colossus

AG Nandlall said that both in physical stature and learning, McKay was a legal colossus. “He used both his imposing physical frame and his vast knowledge of the law to his strategic advantage. He acquitted himself with distinction, initially in Criminal Law, and then Civil Law; when Constitutional and Public

Law began to assume prominence in the early 80s and onwards, he loomed large in that area of the law as well. Very few lawyers, not only in Guyana but the entire Commonwealth, were able to achieve such distinction in all these various and varying branches of the law,” AG said in his tribute.

He added that McKay appeared in most of the leading cases of his time in Guyana in all the aforesaid areas of the law. The Law Reports of British Guiana, the Guyana Law Reports, the West Indian Reports and the Commonwealth Law Reports are adorned with the many leading cases in which he appeared, both in Guyana and in the Caribbean.

In Criminal Law, he appeared for both the defence and the prosecution.

He prosecuted some of the most high-profile and politically controversial cases in the 1970s and 80s, including the murder charge filed against Arnold Rampersaud and the arson charges filed against Dr. Walter Rodney and Dr Rupert Roopnarine in respect of the burning of a building on Camp Street which housed an office of the People’s National Congress.

From the 1990s, up until he retired, he appeared in every leading political case filed against the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government, including several Elections Petitions, for example, Ester Pereira’s.

McKay also appeared in several political cases in Antigua and St. Lucia.

He also served as a Justice of Appeal in the Court of

Appeal of Grenada that heard the Maurice Bishop assassination case.

In practice, AG said, McKay was a fierce competitor, always extraordinarily prepared, and was exceptionally tenacious.

“If there was ever a case law authority to support the position which he advocates, notwithstanding if it is reported in a most obscure source, he would find it and draw it to the Court’s attention.

I appeared against him in many cases, particularly in political cases, as he was always on the opposite side. It was never an easy task. He reduced sledging at the Bar Table into a fine art, and dished it out to opposing counsel with seamless and uncanny ease. Like every counsel who appeared against him, I endured my fair share.

Notwithstanding, you knew that you were facing one of the best, and that realisation propelled excellence. I enjoyed the challenges and learned greatly from them,”

Nandlall added.

McKay’s aggression to win was another motivating factor, the AG said, adding that if the ruling is ever against him, rest assured a Notice of Appeal will be filed and served in the shortest possible time.

His zeal was exceptional, and his dogged determination inspiring, and sometimes infuriating.

“No doubt, Rex Herbert McKay has etched his name in the annals of our country as one of the greatest lawyers Guyana has produced. Not surprisingly, he was awarded silk in the mid-70s, and was also bestowed with two national awards, the Cacique's Crown of Honour and the

Senior Counsel Rex McKay, OR, CCH

Order of Roraima. Most recently, he was fittingly recognised by the Caribbean Court of Justice Academy of Law and honoured among 48 outstanding Caribbean

Nandlall said McKay SC, OR, CCH, had nothing short of an illustrious career in the legal profession, and would have impacted the lives of hundreds of

lawyers and jurists.”

McKay, he added, was also a sports enthusiast as well as an entrepreneur. He was a national cyclist and first division cricketer of the Malteenoes Sport Club.

“His knowledge of cricket, football, basketball, boxing, horse racing and other sports disciplines was perhaps comparable with his knowledge of the law. He was always ready to update you on any ongoing international sports event, or any sports personality. As a businessman, he was engaged in a number of commercial ventures, including the airline and television industry, owning and operating the once popular WRHM TV.”

lawyers over his marathon 60-year-long span of practice.

His contributions will continue to guide lawyers, judges, and future generations in many years to come. The void left will certainly take a long time to fill.

“To his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, the Attorney General’s Chambers, and Ministry of Legal Affairs, and personally, I offer my most profound condolences.

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un,” AG said in his condolences to McKay’s family. McKay will be buried today. (G8)

NEWS

15

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Command lunches continue across various GDF bases

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rmy Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, along with other key members of the Force leadership team, continues to join ranks for command lunches and breakfasts at various base locations.

Ranks at Base Camp Stephenson were treated on Thursday to their command lunch, where Brigadier Khan shared a meal and engaged in meaningful conversations with the

soldiers, the GDF said.

Over at the Air Corps, things took a delightful twist with a special command breakfast also on Thursday, which also saw staff receiving incentives.

Meanwhile, at location Kaikan, Colonel General Staff, Colonel Kenlloyd Roberts, joined ranks for another heartwarming command lunch, fostering a sense of unity and camara-

derie.

On Wednesday, the GDF in a social media post said that during the holiday season, it remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a vigilant posture in fulfilment of its role as well as in support of the other disciplined services.

“In a heartening display of camaraderie and appreciation. Command lunches have been or-

ganised for ranks across the Force, reinforcing the bonds that hold the military community together,” the post read.

The GDF added that these command lunches serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by military personnel and fosters a positive and supportive environment and underscores the resilience and adaptability of the Force in fulfilling its duty at any time. (GDF photos)

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Female detective sergeant is Region 6 Best Cop for 2023 …‘do not involve yourselves in corrupt transactions’ – Commander to ranks are at a minus. However, when we looked at some other categories of crimes, such as break and enter and larceny, those are also minus,” he disclosed.

The Commander highlighted an increase in reports of noise nuisance, with 313 reports; but he said only six of those cases have been prosecuted this year.

“The reason for that is because we are not having the follow-up, or statements from the reporter, to support our cause for a successful prosecution,” he revealed.

Traffic

Region Six Best Cop Keisha Dean-Smith receiving her prize from Divisional Commander Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus

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emale Detective Sergeant Keisha Dean-Smith is Region Six’s (East BerbiceCorentyne’s) Best Cop for 2023. The announcement was made on Thursday at the Region Six Police Division's Annual Luncheon and Awards Ceremony held at St. Francis Community Developers building at Port Mourant.

Detective Sergeant Keisha Dean-Smith joined the Guyana Police Force on December 1, 2005. She works in the Number Two sub-division in the region, and has been instrumental in solving a series of high-profile matters, including murders and robberies among other crimes. She has successfully given evidence while being subjected to rigorous cross examination, thus the region has benefitted hugely from the conviction of sever-

al persons who are currently behind bars.

The runner-up Best Cop is Inspector Vickram Looknauth, who has, over the past year, been involved in several drug eradication exercises wherein millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana have been destroyed.

Dean-Smith and Looknauth have each been given a trophy and monetary prize.

While addressing ranks at the event, Divisional Commander Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus has encouraged the ranks to get themselves academically qualified. He noted that the region has recorded an 11 per cent reduction in crime, and pointed out that the GPF is today better than before with the number of highly qualified persons in its ranks, including many who have gradu-

Deputy Commander Superintendent Ravindra Stanley giving runner-up Best Cop Inspector Vickram Looknauth his prize

There has been a 19 per cent reduction in serious accidents; but, so far for the

Ranks at the Awards Ceremony on Thursday

ated from the University of Guyana recently.

“I am using this opportunity to encourage all others who are not there as yet to get themselves academically qualified,” he declared.

Commander Bacchus pointed out that most of the

murders in the region over the past year have been solved. There have been 19 to date, and according to the Commander, most were domestic violence-related.

“Our domestic violence report, our trafficking-in-persons report, they

year, 19 persons have died on roads in Region Six. This figure is similar to that for the corresponding period last year.

“It therefore means that the Traffic ranks are doing what they ought to do,

and are following instructions…,” he explained.

Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) Commander, Assistant Commissioner Kurleigh Simon, also attended this event, and he applauded the efforts of the ranks in Region Six. He noted that the success the region has experience this year could only have been achieved because of their commitment and dedication.

“We are not living in a perfect world, things will go wrong; but even in trying times, you need to hold your head up high and keep driving forward. Law enforcement cannot afford to fail, because if we fail, the country is going to be in total (anarchy),” he advised.

Simon pointed out that Police officers have a mandate to ensure peace and stability is maintained in the country.

“When there is peace and stability, there will be economic growth. You play a key role in ensuring that our country goes forward, and you should see yourself in that way,” he told his audience.

Several ranks have been transferred out of Region Six during the year because of corruption. Commander Bacchus said some were involved in malpractices.

“I am urging the remainder who are here with us, and ranks of the Guyana Police Force in general, not to involve yourselves in corrupt transactions. You are to serve the citizens of Guyana in a professional way, and do the right thing the right way,” he admonished. (G4)

NEWS

17

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

250 more cattle to undergo Massy sends embryo transplant next executive on leave year – Mustapha

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s Guyana continues to intensify efforts to promote sustained growth in the livestock industry, another 250 cows are expected to undergo embryo transplants at the Ebini farm in the Tacama area next year. This was disclosed by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha during an interview at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), on Tuesday.

The initiative, a DPI report stated, would enhance Guyana’s efforts to ensure food security locally and regionally and contribute to the growth of the nation’s cattle industry.

Mustapha noted that

Guyana had signed a contract with a Brazilian company that is helping the nation to conduct artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transplants.

“This year, we did 50 of those embryo transplants which was very successful and we have another 250.

By next year, we should complete those. So, that would help us to have a better breed of animal, have more cattle in the industry both for dairy and beef,” the Minister stated.

With the Government currently constructing a $600 million state-of-theart abattoir at Onverwagt in Region Five, the Agriculture Minister stated

that there is a great need to have more cattle.

To this end, he reiterated that Guyana was continuing discussions with a Brazilian company that wants to bring 1000 head of cattle for dairy production here.

“I am looking forward to that. The project can be successful and we can intensify our dairy and beef production in the country,” he explained.

The AI initiative, which is spearheaded by the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA), is also progressing well since more than 200 cattle in Region Nine are expected to undergo AI by year-end.

Convicted child rapist’s jail-time reduced by CoA C onvicted child rapist Omadat Persaud on Thursday had his jail-time of 45 years reduced to 25 years by the Court of Appeal.

In January 2018, Persaud had been found guilty of sexually penetrating a child between August 1 and 31, 2015, when the child was only five years old.

The jury had returned the unanimous guilty verdict after a little more than two hours of deliberation, and the sentence was imposed by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall who, in sentencing the convict, had taken into consideration the nature of the acts, the fact that they involved a child relative, that penetration was involved, that

Sex offender Omadat Persaud

Persaud had breached a position of trust, the prevalence of sexual offences, and the public’s concern over such acts.

The Judge had ordered that Persaud, who has proclaimed his innocence, must serve 35 years of his 45-year sentence before he

was eligible for parole.

Justice Morris-Ramlall, at the sentencing, had explained that she did not impose on the convict life imprisonment — the maximum penalty — because he had been ill-advised.

Justice Morris-Ramlall had also noted that Persaud had displayed a “lack of remorse” and disregard for the jury’s verdict.

“Perhaps you were ill-advised; you are not being sentenced to life imprisonment, on the conduct of your counsel,” the judge had said.

Persaud’s lawyer then filed an appeal in a bid to convince the CoA to overturn his client’s 45-year jail sentence for engaging in sexual activity with a child family member.

he board of Massy Holdings Ltd has sent its Executive Vice President of Business Integrity, Angelique ParisotPotter, on administrative leave until January 12, Massy sources told Guardian Media.

The reason she is being sent on leave is because of her conduct at the group’s 100th Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held at the Hilton Trinidad on Monday, the sources said.

Parisot-Potter, who is also group general counsel at Massy and a shareholder of the company, told the meeting that she felt obliged to speak up about significant governance and fiduciary concerns, as detailed in a 13-page document, including audio evidence, that had previously been shared with the Massy CEO and President Gervase Warner.

In a written statement that she read out at the AGM, Parisot-Potter said, “Among other matters, one alarming issue is the so-called executive leadership programme, Delphi, which has been present in our organisation for over a decade.

“This programme involves frequent travel to Fort Myers, Florida, and weekly commitments for over a year at a cost per participant of tens of thousands of US dollars for which there were over 11 participants last year, alone.

“Their bizarre rituals include that they can train Massy employees to communicate with the dead and that attendees can self-heal with ‘white light energy’.”

She said Massy’s engagement with Delphi was “a matter of grave concern to shareholders because the couple leading this programme appear to exert disproportionate influence over our executive team.”

She also told the Massy AGM that in the middle of a foreign exchange crisis, “Massy cannot be spending scarce resources on highly-dubious activities, and contracts awarded cannot be pushed through without prudent due process. This is not just a governance issue; it’s a blatant disregard for shareholder interests.”

On Monday afternoon, a few hours after the meeting, Warner was asked by a Guardian Media Journalist whether Parisot-Potter’s job was in jeopardy.

“Not because of what she said at the AGM,” he said in the interview, which was held following a private luncheon hosted by Massy at the Hilton.

Asked whether the fact that she wrote the 13-page letter of complaint to him means that Parisot-Potter was not aligned with the rest of the Massy executive management, Warner said, “That’s an interpretation that I cannot expand upon because that would be for her to speak to.”

In the interview with Guardian Media on Monday, the Massy CEO did not deny the claims made by ParisotPotter three hours earlier at the AGM. Instead, he said there was a direct link between Massy’s success and the training received by the group’s executive management and board directors from Delphi Sphere Consultants.

But on Tuesday night, the Board of Massy issued a press statement in which it said it was appalled at Parisot-Potter’s conduct at the AGM. In the statement, the Massy Board described her comments as “patently untrue and scandalous”.

The Board said it takes all allegations seriously and had initiated an independent process to look into each of Parisot-Potter’s allegations.

“The Board, however, is

Angélique Parisot-Potter

concerned that Ms ParisotPotter used the occasion of the company’s 100th AGM to follow up on her submission with public disclosure of a matter confidential to the company. The board has initiated a disciplinary process to review Ms Parisot-Potter’s conduct at the AGM against her duties as the general counsel to the company and will follow due process to determine how this should be handled responsibly yet decisively,” according to the Board’s Tuesday press statement.

The emailed letter to Parisot-Potter, Massy sources said, indicated that the Board of the group had decided to initiate the disciplinary process to consider her conduct at the AGM. (Trinidad Guardian)

18

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

24 Venezuelans released Central American Minister, as part of US prisoner Judge, Prosecutors added swap – Opposition to US corruption list

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w e n t y - f o u r Venezuelans have been freed as part of this week's prisoner exchange deal with the United States, Venezuelan Opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday.

The United States announced on Wednesday that President Joe Biden had granted clemency to Colombian businessman Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, in exchange for the release of 10 Americans, at least 20 Opposition-linked Venezuelans and the extradition of a fugitive Malaysian businessman from the South American country.

US Prosecutors had accused Saab of siphoning off some US$350 million from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan Government officials. He denies the charge.

Machado, posting on social media, gave no more details about who had been released within Venezuela and cautioned the Opposition still had a difficult path ahead.

"The electoral path to-

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Freed American prisoners who were released in Venezuela arrive at Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, US, December 20, 2023 (Reuters/Kaylee Greenlee Beal photo)

ward liberty is complex and faces multiple threats," she said.

The deal, the result of months of negotiations mediated by Qatar between Venezuela and the United States, came after the White House said it would need to see progress on prisoner releases in order to continue with energy sanctions relief for Caracas.

The relief was unveiled in October in response to an agreement between the Venezuelan Government and the Opposition which laid out some conditions for

2024 elections.

Maduro, who celebrated the return of Saab, will likely use the swap to bolster his political strength ahead of those elections, analysts and Biden critics have said.

Saab will now form part of the Government's negotiating team at its infrequent talks with the Opposition, the lawmaker who heads that team, Jorge Rodriguez, told a press conference on Thursday.

Saab was symbolically listed as a member in 2021 after his detention. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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In the latest release, four Nicaraguans, four Guatemalans, three Salvadorans and three Hondurans entered the list.

Targets include current Honduran Strategic Planning Minister Ricardo Salgado, along with three Prosecutors and a former Guatemalan Supreme Court Justice.

Salgado, a member of the Cabinet of Honduran leftist President Xiomara Castro, was singled out by Washington for allegedly directing "coordinated efforts" by the ruling party to

suppress dissent by violently intimidating opposition.

Salgado said later in a statement that he feels "proud" to have been included in the list, as the US tends to align with the ruling party's corruption and impunity.

In Guatemala, prosecutor Leonor Eugenia Morales Lazo "led a politically-motivated investigation to cast doubt on certified election results to disrupt the presidential transition," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. (Excerpt from Reuters)

1st protests in Argentina against Milei's austerity plan

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wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, have targeted clerics for speaking out against their rule, jailing some and expelling others.

There were 12 priests among the 222 jailed Opposition figures deported from Nicaragua to the US in February this year.

Rt Rev Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, refused to go into exile at the time unless ordered to do so by the Pope.

A day after his refusal, he was sentenced for treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news.

Isidoro Mora, who is bishop of the diocese of Siuna, had mentioned the Rt Rev Álvarez during a homily on Tuesday at the cathedral in the city of Matagalpa.

The Rt Rev Mora said that Nicaragua's Episcopal Conference, the official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in the country, "was always united, praying for Monsignor Rolando".

It is this remark which is thought to have triggered Bishop Mora's arrest on Wednesday.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

housands of people have taken to the streets of Buenos Aires in the first big protest against the new Argentine Government's economic shock policies.

President Javier Milei announced measures that include spending cuts and a drastic currency devaluation.

He also signed an economic reform decree that will end limits on exports.

The march was led by groups that represent the unemployed. Police were deployed in large numbers to stop the protesters from blocking roads.

President Milei, who took office less than two weeks ago, has promised tough action against any groups that try to thwart his plans with disruptive protests.

The Government said on Monday that people who blocked streets could lose their right to receive state benefits.

"It is a peaceful mobilisation," said Eduardo Belliboni, who leads leftist

a trial that had been going on for several years.

In 2017, Bouterse, along with 23 co-defendants, appeared in the military court after the Court of Justice had earlier rejected a motion to stop the trial. The former military officers and civilians had been charged with the December 8, 1982 murders of the 15 men that included Journalists, military officers, union leaders, lawyers, businessmen and university lecturers.

The prosecution had al-

leged that the men were arrested on the nights of December 7 and 8 and transferred to Fort Zeelandia, the then headquarters of the Surinamese National Army. They said the men were tortured and summarily executed.

While no order for his immediate arrest has been announced, Justice Dinesh Sewratan said that the 15 men were murdered without conscience and that there was indeed premeditation.

He said he had considered that all facts the 78-year-old Bouterse proven and that since 20 years was the highest sentence at the time the offences were committed and given Bouterse’s age, he sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

The Suriname Government urged citizens to regard the verdict of the Court of Justice “as an important moment of healing”.

(Excerpt from CMC)

Nicaragua arrests 2nd bishop in crackdown on Church

olice in Nicaragua have arrested a bishop who expressed solidarity with a fellow bishop found guilty of treason.

Isidoro Mora was taken away by Police after he had told his congregation that Nicaragua's Bishops were "united in prayer" for Rolando Álvarez.

The Rt Rev Álvarez is serving a 26-year prison sentence imposed after he criticised the Government of President Daniel Ortega.

The move is the latest crackdown on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

President Ortega, and his

he US State Department added 14 officials from Central American countries, including former and current Ministers, Judges and Prosecutors, to a list published on Thursday of "corrupt and undemocratic actors".

The US periodically updates the so-called Engel list with foreign officials it deems to have engaged in actions that undermine democracy, are suspected of serious corruption, or obstruct investigations of justice.

Argentines protest the austerity plans of President Javier Milei

protest group Polo Obrero, which first called the demonstration, in an interview with local radio.

"We do not want any type of confrontation. We do not want any type of clash."

In a speech broadcast on radio and TV, President Milei detailed some of 300 measures, marking what he called only a first step towards reconstruction.

They include privatising State companies and deregulating mining and other in-

dustries. The President said he would cancel the law regulating property rent.

He explained what he hoped the measures would achieve: "The goal is to start along the path to rebuilding our country, restore freedom and autonomy to individuals and begin dismantling the vast array of regulations that have hindered and stalled economic growth in our country."

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Brazil congressional “An important moment of healing”, committee approves 2024 budget bill Bouterse’s 20-year jail sentence

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he Court of Justice Wednesday imposed a 20 year-jail term on former President Desi Bouterse, who was implicated in the murder of 15 men on December 8, 1982.

Bouterse, who was not present when the Court issued the ruling, had appealed against his conviction that had been handed down in August 2021, when the Court Martial of Suriname upheld the 2019 military court ruling of a 20-year-jail term following

B

razil's congressional budget committee approved on Thursday the country's 2024 budget bill, with a shallower-than-expected spending cut in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's growth acceleration programme.

The bill now needs to be voted on by both the Lower House and Senate in a joint session of Congress, expected to take place today.

The lawmaker in charge of the bill, Luiz Carlos Motta, backed down from

earlier drafts and scaled back a reduction in expenses earmarked for the Government's "growth acceleration" programme, known as PAC, according to the Senate news agency.

On Wednesday, he announced a cut of almost a third of the 61.3 billion reais (US$12.55 billion) initially proposed by the Government for the programme. On Thursday, however, he revised the budget slash to 6.3 billion reais. (US$1 = 4.8844 reais) (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Prague shooting: Gunman dead after killing 14 at Charles University

Angola leaves A OPEC oil cartel in output quota row

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ngola has announced it is leaving the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) over a dispute on output quotas.

It follows last month's decision by the 13-member cartel and 10 allied nations to further slash oil production in 2024 to prop up volatile global prices.

Angola currently produces about 1.1 million barrels per day, of the 30 million from the whole of OPEC. Oil prices fell on the news, with Brent prices down over US$1 to US$78.5 a barrel by 12:50 GMT, Reuters reports.

Angola's decision to withdraw from OPEC came at Thursday's cabinet meeting.

"We feel that at this moment Angola gains nothing by remaining in the organisation and, in defence of its interests, it decided to leave," Mineral Resources and Petroleum Minister Diamantino Azevedo said afterwards.

"If we remained in OPEC... Angola would be forced to cut production, and this goes against our policy of avoiding decline and respecting contracts."

The Minister added that the decision was not taken lightly.

Angola and Nigeria are the two biggest oil exporters in sub-Saharan Africa.

The AFP news agency reports that both countries have been unhappy at being asked to cut production at a time when they need to increase their foreign currency earnings.

Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves, and its economy is among the fastest-growing in the world – but economic growth is highly uneven.

Much of its oil wealth lies in its separate Cabinda province, where a decades-long separatist conflict simmers.

Angola – which had been an OPEC member for 16 years – is not the first country to leave the cartel. Ecuador, Indonesia and Qatar have all done the same.

OPEC is a grouping of oil producers which decides how much crude oil to sell on the world market, along with an expanded group called OPEC+.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, oil prices soared, hitting more than US$120 a barrel in June last year.

They fell back to a little above US$70 a barrel in May this year – but have steadily risen since then as producers have tried to restrict output to support the market and after recent attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea.(BBC News)

Israel intensifies Gaza strikes, Hamas fires rockets amid truce talks

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ighting in the Gaza Strip escalated on Thursday with some of the most intense Israeli bombardment of the war and Hamas demonstrated its ability to rocket Tel Aviv, even as the foes engaged in the most serious talks for weeks on a new truce.

Israeli bombing was at its most intense over northern Gaza, where orange flashes of explosions could be seen from across the fence in Israel in the morning hours.

Later, Israeli planes roared over central and southern areas, dropping bombs that sent up plumes of smoke, residents said.

In Israel's commercial capital Tel Aviv, sirens wailed and rockets exploded overhead, intercepted by Israeli defences. Shrapnel fell on a school, but the children were in shelters and there were no reported casualties, Israel's Ynet news site said.

The armed wing of Hamas said it had fired the salvo in response to Israeli killing of civilians. But with the group's leader in Cairo for truce talks, the attack seemed timed to send a message that nearly 11 weeks of war had failed to destroy the militants' strike capability.

Both sides remained far apart in public. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed again to fight on until the eradication of Hamas, the Islamist group that sent fighters over the border into southern Israel on October 7, taking some 240 hostages and killing 1,200 people.

"Surrender or die," he told Hamas in a video address.

Hamas said Palestinian factions had taken a united position that there should be "no talk about prisoners or exchange deals, except after a full cessation of (Israeli) aggression". (Excerpt from Reuters)

gunman has shot dead 14 people and injured another 25 at a university in Prague, officials say, in the deadliest attack in modern Czech history.

Police say the 24-year-old gunman was also "eliminated" following the shooting at Charles University in the historic centre of the capital.

University staff were told to barricade themselves in rooms during the attack.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he had cancelled upcoming engagements in light of the "tragic events" on Thursday.

The shooting started about 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the university's Faculty of Arts building on

Police have urged any witnesses with photo or video footage of what happened to send it in

Jan Palach Square.

Dramatic footage later emerged on social media showing some people jumping to safety from one of the building's ledges several storeys up, and gunshots are

also heard.

In a separate video, terrified crowds are seen fleeing the area popular with tourists.

At a briefing on Thursday evening, the country's Police

Chief and the Interior Minister said the gunman had been a student at the faculty.

They said he was from a village 21 kilometres (13 miles) outside Prague.

The suspect's father had been found dead earlier on Thursday. The gunman's motives were not immediately known.

Preliminary information suggested that no Police Officers were injured in the attack, the authorities said.

The Police said they were also working on the theory that the gunman may have been responsible for the deaths of two people last week in a forest near Prague.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Ukraine war: Male Social media platform X back up citizens living abroad after global outage to be asked to join army

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A screen capture of Twitter's official page with an "X" on the profile image is seen on July 23, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media website via Reuters

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ocial media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was restored globally early Thursday, with over 77,000 US users facing issues at the peak of the outage.

Users in Canada, Britain, France and other countries reported issues with accessing both X and X Pro, earlier known as TweetDeck.

Over 7000 users in Canada and Britain experienced issues with the platform, according to Downdetector data.

Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users.

The cause of the outage, which began a little after 12 am ET(0500 GMT), is not yet known, and emails to X's communications and support teams bounced back.

Users on X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, experienced an inability to view posts, receiving a "Welcome to X!" message. X Pro users encountered a message that said "Waiting for posts."

The social media platform faced upheaval and uncertainty following Musk's $44 billion acquisition, leading to layoffs, including nu-

merous engineers responsible for fixing and preventing service outages, sources have previously told Reuters.

Users took to rival Meta's app, Threads, to discuss the outage, citing difficulties in accessing posts, replies and profiles on X. (Excerpt from Reuters)

krainian men between the ages of 25 and 60 living abroad will be asked to report for military service, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has said.

He described this as an "invitation" – but seemed to suggest anyone who did not comply would be sanctioned.

However, a spokesman later clarified that no callup was being considered.

President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday that 450,000500,000 new soldiers were needed, but achieving this was a "sensitive issue".

This comes as Ukraine's recent counter-offensive appears to have stalled.

Kyiv has also seen setbacks in provisions of aid, with US Republicans blocking a US$61 billion) military package and Hungary stopping an EU financial deal

worth €50 billion (US$55 billion).

In an analysis of figures from EU statistics agency Eurostat in November, BBC Ukrainian found that some 768,000 Ukrainian men aged 18-64 had left the country for the EU alone since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The figure does not include citizens living outside the EU, or those resident anywhere abroad since before February 2022.

In an interview for the media outlets Die Welt, Bild and Politico, Umerov described the recruitment drive as "not a punishment" but "an honour".

There are no recruitment centres outside Ukraine, and the Ukrainian authorities have no means to force anyone to attend them.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy after US$148M defamation verdict

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udy Giuliani, a longtime associate of former President Donald Trump, has filed for bankruptcy just days after he was ordered to pay US$148 million in a defamation case.

He was ordered to pay the sum after a judge found he defamed two Georgia election workers over false claims they tampered with votes in 2020.

The filing shows he owes millions of dollars in legal fees and unpaid taxes.

A spokesman said the move should "be a surprise to no-one".

In a statement, the spokesman for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, said "no person could have reasonably believed that [Mr Giuliani] would be able to pay such a high punitive amount".

Rudy Giuliani

He added that Thursday's bankruptcy filing in New York would give Giuliani the "opportunity and time to pursue an appeal, while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court".

Giuliani, 79, said earlier this year that he was having financial difficulties because of his increasing legal fees and expenses.

Last week, an eight-per-

son jury ordered him to pay US$20 million to Georgia poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

The pair said Giuliani's false claim that they tampered with votes had a traumatising impact on their lives. Freeman said she would "always have to be careful" because of lingering fears she might be recognised publicly.

Freeman and Moss were also awarded more than US$16 million each for emotional distress. Another payment of US$75 million in punitive damages was ordered to be split between them.

Addressing reporters outside the court after he was ordered to pay the sum, Giuliani said: "I don't regret a damn thing." (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

DAILY HOROSCOPES Set a steady pace and keep going until you are satisfied with your achievements.

Don't expect to get much help or to please everyone. Make a point to take care of your needs.

(March 21-April 19) Take notes, make a list and get organized, and everything else will fall into place. You can improve a meaningful relationship through steadfast support. Love and romance are in the stars.

PICKLES

(April 20-May 20) Refuse to give in to temptation and break your budget. Don't go shopping at places you cannot afford or try to take on more than you can handle. Use your imagination.

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS

(June 21-July 22)

Call on those you know you can trust when you're in a tight spot, and something good will transpire. An emotional plea combined with enthusiasm and an innovative idea will help solidify your plans.

Be careful; something that sounds too good to be true probably is. You can't buy love, but your actions and gratitude can make a difference to someone special.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Spread your wings and fly. Making travel plans, visiting old friends or doing something special for a loved one will spice up your life. Embrace the spirit of the season.

CALVIN AND HOBBES (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Let your actions speak for you.

Refuse to let anyone take advantage of you or talk you into something you don't want. Stay active and reach out to people who enjoy the same things you do.

Find ways to improve your life. It's up to you to lead the way and to build enthusiasm to ensure you get the backup you need. Opportunity is within reach.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take time to find out what others like and how you can do something thoughtful for loved ones this festive season.

What you do for others will far exceed anything you purchase for them.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Aim to please yourself. Comfort, convenience and love are the roads to contentment. Think creatively to come up with a cost-efficient, exciting plan.

Romance is favored.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Emotional matters will escalate with the stress of a busy schedule or trying to please too many people. Pick yourself up and work to lower your expenses and your stress.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A creative and disciplined attitude will get you through the day. Handle money matters with care and refrain from making shortsighted purchases.

Romance is favored.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

21

15 players secure ‘future roster’ spots with YBG G

uyana's premier youth basketball organization, YBG, brought the curtains down on its year of activities last weekend with a two-day developmental tournament for under-14 and under-16 teams.

In this tournament, six under-16 teams, namely: the YBG Academy, Marian Academy, Queen’s College, The Bishops' High School, Covent Garden Secondary, and North Georgetown Secondary, competed against each other, and four under-14 teams competed in an adjusted format of the game, with each team play-

ing up to four games.

Following two days of tough competition, Bishops’ High and Queen’s College qualified to oppose each other in the finals of both categories of competition.

In the under-14 finals, Bishops’ edged Queen’s by 16 points to 14 points in an evenly contested game.

Quasie Newtown was awarded MVP for his allround play throughout the tournament.

In the under-16 finals, Bishops’ dominated Queen’s by 21 points to 1 point to take home the trophy.

Kyrell Butters was awarded the MVP for his play

throughout the tournament, which included a memorable half-court game-winner to take out Covent Garden in the semifinals.

With their phenomenal basketball skills, and based on their recently displayed talents, fifteen players have made the ‘future stars’ roster: namely, Kyrell Butters, Quasie Newtown, Jared Boucher, Abeva Jones, Nathan Morrison, Mekhi Ritchie, Sean Duncan, Khafani McAllister, Malik Williams, Amol Pickering, Chazaiah Bernard, Emmanuel Odonatan Yusuff, Gladwin Brandi’s, Alan Patterson.

The Bishops’ High School U14 Team

India take series win off Samson ton, Arshdeep 4-for India vs South Africa: 2023 ODI Series, Game 3 of 3…

The India players reacting after a successful review that dismissed Tony de Zorzi

A

statement-making maiden ODI century from Sanju Samson, followed by a tidy bowling partnership between Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar, sealed the three-match ODI series in India's favour, as the visitors won by 78 runs against South Africa at Boland Park.

Samson's first century in India colours lifted the team to a strong 296 for 8 in the first innings, but the total seemed within reach of South Africa while Tony de Zorzi batted. He crunched 81 in 87 balls to keep the hosts on course, keeping the runs flowing even as South Africa lost Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen early.

He smacked six fours and three sixes before Arshdeep's yorker ended his stay in the 30th over.

Arshdeep, who dismissed Hendricks with the new ball, and then Keshav Maharaj and Lizaad Williams in his final spell, finished with 4 for 30 after a clinical bowling display. He made up for his initial lack of control with the new ball by later getting the ball to effectively nip across to the righthanders.

Washington, playing

the final ODI for the rested Kuldeep Yadav, bowled tidily on a surface that assisted spin, and accounted for Wiaan Mulder; but, more importantly, he had Aiden Markram caught behind for 36 in attempting a reverse sweep.

Markram's wicket in the 26th over, four overs before de Zorzi's dismissal, effectively started the slide the hosts never managed to correct.

Washington finished with 2 for 38 - even outperforming his senior spin partner Axar Patel (1 for 48) to complement Arshdeep's match-winning spell.

Earlier in the day, India were inserted by Markram at the toss, and were in a spot of bother when debutant Rajat Patidar, his fellow opener B Sai Sudharsan, and the #4 KL Rahul all fell

Sanju Samson celebrating his maiden ODI hundred With Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan also picking off David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen respectively soon after, South Africa went from 131 for 3 to 192 for 7 in the space of 12.1 overs.

for relatively low scores.

Patidar had impressed with a spunky 16-ball 22, but was bowled by Nandre Burger as he tried to attack.

Sudharsan was gone lbw by Beuran Hendricks, while

Rahul was out while trying to flick Mulder off a twopaced delivery.

India were at 101 for 3 in the 19th over when Samson promoted to #3 for the decider - and Tilak Verma joined hands to anchor the middle overs. Their 116-run stand in 136 balls held the innings together through a difficult period, when the slow surface and accurate spin bowling from Maharaj and Markram made run-scoring tough.

In the first ten, India had gained the early momentum by hitting 59 in the batting powerplay, but appeared to lose it when Tilak, in particular, was strangled by spin.

Their scoring rate dropped significantly between overs 11 and 30, as the pair built a score at a slow pace, adding only 73 runs in that 20-over period.

Tilak's struggles also starved Samson off strike in the initial stage of the partnership, but Samson did not lose patience as he built the innings, easing the overall pressure with the occasional boundary to keep India moving.

Once Tilak got his first boundary, in his 39th ball, to move from nine to 13, the floodgates were suddenly opened, and runs came more frequently. The 71 runs the pair added between the 31st and 40th overs brought India on track, with big hitters to follow; but Tilak fell to Maharaj for 52 soon after hitting his maiden ODI fifty.

Samson, though, who played relatively risk-free cricket, keep India's score moving. He brushed past his previous ODI high score of 86 comfortably, and in the 44th over, he reached his maiden century by driving down the ground for a single. His 110ball century was followed up with a flex of his muscle.

Samson eventually went for 108 in the 46th over, with a strike-rate of almost 95, in

Reeza Hendricks was caught behind off Arshdeep Singh

trying to hit Lizaad Williams out of the ground; but his century meant the stage was set for some late fireworks.

That was provided by Rinku Singh, who muscled 38 in 27 balls, and some able assistance from Washington and

Arshdeep, who together contributed 21 in 11 deliveries.

That pushed India to a score of 296 for 8 - including 164 in the last 20 overs - to post a total that appeared above par, given the surface on offer. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD India (50 ovs maximum) BATTING R Rajat Patidar b Burger 22 Sai Sudharsan lbw b BE Hendricks 10 Sanju Samson c RR Hendricks b Williams 108 KL Rahul (c)† c †Klaasen b Mulder 21 Tilak Varma c Mulder b Maharaj 52 Rinku Singh c RR Hendricks b Burger 38 Axar Patel c Mulder b BE Hendricks 1 Washington Sundar c Markram b BE Hendricks 14 Arshdeep Singh not out 7 Avesh Khan not out 1 Extras (b 1, lb 5, nb 1, w 15) 22 TOTAL 50 Ov (RR: 5.92) 296/8 Did not bat: Mukesh Kumar Fall of wickets: 1-34 (Rajat Patidar, 4.4 ov), 2-49 (Sai Sudharsan, 7.3 ov), 3-101 (KL Rahul, 18.5 ov), 4-217 (Tilak Varma, 41.2 ov), 5-246 (Sanju Samson, 45.3 ov), 6-255 (Axar Patel, 46.3 ov), 7-277 (Washington Sundar, 48.5 ov), 8-293 (Rinku Singh, 49.3 ov) • BOWLING Nandre Burger Lizaad Williams Beuran Hendricks Wiaan Mulder Keshav Maharaj Aiden Markram

O-M-R-W 9-0-64-2 10-0-71-1 9-0-63-3 7-0-36-1 10-2-37-1 5-0-19-0

South Africa (T: 297 runs from 50 ovs) BATTING R Reeza Hendricks c †Rahul b Arshdeep Singh 19 Tony de Zorzi lbw b Arshdeep Singh 81 Rassie van der Dussen b Patel 2 Aiden Markram (c) c †Rahul b Washington Sundar 36 Heinrich Klaasen † c Sai Sudharsan b Avesh Khan 21 David Miller c †Rahul b Mukesh Kumar 10 Wiaan Mulder c †Rahul b Washington Sundar 1 Keshav Maharaj c Singh b Arshdeep Singh 14 Beuran Hendricks c Samson b Avesh Khan 18 Lizaad Williams lbw b Arshdeep Singh 2 Nandre Burger not out 1 Extras (lb 1, nb 2, w 10) 13 TOTAL 45.5 Ov (RR: 4.75) 218 Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Reeza Hendricks, 8.2 ov), 2-76 (Rassie van der Dussen, 14.4 ov), 3-141 (Aiden Markram, 25.5 ov), 4-161 (Tony de Zorzi, 29.4 ov), 5-174 (Heinrich Klaasen, 32.2 ov), 6-177 (Wiaan Mulder, 33.2 ov), 7-192 (David Miller, 37.6 ov), 8-210 (Keshav Maharaj, 42.6 ov), 9-216 (Lizaad Williams, 44.1 ov), 10-218 (Beuran Hendricks, 45.5 ov) • BOWLING O-M-R-W Mukesh Kumar 9-0-56-1 Arshdeep Singh 9-1-30-4 Avesh Khan 7.5-0-45-2 Washington Sundar 10-0-38-2 Axar Patel 10-0-48- 1

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

Caribbean powerhouses battle for KFC Championship today

…President Ali to donate first and second prizes

A

figurative Armageddon between two Caribbean giants in the world of school football awaits today, as the final of the KFC Goodwill International Series is contested at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown.

Jamaica’s Clarendon College and Trinidad and Tobago’s St. Benedit’s College will be opposing each other in today’s final for a chance to clinch a $2500 USD prize.

During a pre-final press conference at the title sponsors’ Vlissengen Road Head Office on Thursday, Organizer Troy Mendonca detailed his expectations for tonight’s feature game.

“I always believe, in my years of administration, the two teams that reach to the finals in any tournament of this nature, it’s very unpredictable as to who will be the winner. They might reach there in different style, different results; but two finalists, we would always anticipate a very keen competition. And so I don’t expect anything different, come tomorrow; and I also think that the two teams in the final deserve to be there,” Mendonca expressed.

KFC Marketing Manager

Jamaican Coach and player, Kemar Foster and Deandrae Gallimore (left); and Trinidadian Coach and Player, Randolph Boyce and Jeremiah Joseph (right), looking at the Championship Trophy in the presence of KFC’s Pamella Manasseh

Pamella Manasseh, expressing the entity’s satisfaction with how the competition has thus far unfolded, shared,

py for the way the organizing has gone so far, and (we are) hoping that the stakeholders can learn from this experience

KFC Marketing Manager Pamella Manasseh

PETRA Co-Director Troy Mendonca

“We, KFC Guyana, are again pleased to have sponsored this event, and look forward to a grand final tomorrow (today). We are extremely hap-

and see where we could do better when given exposure. Good luck to all tomorrow, and may the (better) team win.”

Players Deandrae

Gallimore and Jeremiah Joseph, of Clarendon and St. Benedict’s respectively, promised a good showing in this highly-anticipated final.

“I want to thank the organizers, sponsors, for inviting us to Guyana’s competition. I am very thankful and grateful for this experience.

For tomorrow’s (today’s) game, I hope it would be competitive, as I think it should be against St. Benedict’s College.

Put on a show for the crowd and their fans,” Clarendon’s Gallimore related.

St. Bendict’s Joseph said, “Thus far, the tourna-

ment has been a great experience. The boys have been settling very well in Guyana. I just want to thank the sponsors, Petra Organization, for allowing us to come a second year to represent Trinidad and Tobago. I know that the game is going to be very entertaining tomorrow against a great and well-put-together side of Jamaica, Clarendon College.”

Both coaches have shared what a tournament victory would mean to their schools in their respective circumstances.

“If we could win, it would show that the development had take place and we have bring the football up to a certain standard, and we could now come and try and repeat what they have done. But it would also be a historic moment for our college to be able t o achieve such a task, and we would really appreciate that,” St. Benedict’s Coach, Randolph Boyce, said in alluding to the last Trinidadian team which won the tournament, Shiva Boys Hindu College, back in its first iteration in 2018.

Jamaican Coach Kemar Foster shared what an international win would mean at this juncture, after picking up two titles in Jamaica over the past few

Jason Holder sets sights Panko Steel Golf Tournament and on T20 World Cup Village Day set for Christmas Eve

– After skipping Australia tour …Opts to increase earning potential

I

n a not-so-surprising turn of events, former West Indies Test captain Jason Holder and compatriot Kyle Mayers have chosen to forego the upcoming West Indies Test tour to Australia in January.

Despite this decision, Holder has emphatically asserted that it does not signify the end of his Test career. He cites this as a strategic move to maximize his earnings and prioritize participation in the T20 format, specifically targeting the T20 World Cup. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Holder explained the rationale behind his decision: "By no means is this me turning my back on Test cricket. It's not curtains for me in Test cricket by any means. It's my first time going through something like this, and I felt that it was necessary to be as honest and as open with CWI as I possibly can. It was a very difficult decision: I just feel as though this is the right cricketing decision for me at this time."

Already grappling with the absence of Shai Hope, t h e West Indies team now faces the challenge of incorporating seven untested players into the

15-member squad set to confront one of the world's best Test teams in Australia.

Holder has highlighted the opportunity present-

ed by participating in the IPL T20 league in the UAE in January in emphasizing the need to give himself the best chance of playing in the T20 World Cup. "I will probably sleep a little bit better knowing that I've given myself the best opportunity to do that," Holder added.

The decision also comes as a consequence of Cricket West Indies' directive requiring players to make themselves available for both the ongoing series against England and February's T20Is in Australia in order to be considered for World Cup selection. That has compromised Holder's availability for the Big Bash League, and he will miss the end of the ILT20.

Expressing his desire to feature in the T20 World Cup, Holder said, "I've never played a World Cup at home. I really, really want to be a part of it, because I love playing in front of the fans in the Caribbean."

As Holder navigates the evolving landscape of international cricket, he acknowledges the increasing prevalence of players prioritizing franchise cricket by stating, "It all depends on what a player wants in terms of his career. It's a profession, and there's a massive window in terms of franchise cricket early in the year."

Holder's decision reflects a calculated move to align with the changing dynamics of the cricketing world, balancing professional considerations and personal aspirations as he sets Jason Holder has opted out of the Test his sights on the T20 World Cup and maximizes his earnings in tour of Australia the upcoming IPL T20 league. to pursue T20 (Sportsmax) franchise options

…Tournament sponsored to the tune of $3M

P

anko Steel Fabrication and Construction limited will be hosting a golf tournament and Village Day event at the Lusignan Golf Club on Sunday, December 24, 2023. The sum of $3M has been set aside to host this event, and play will be over 9 holes.

Many of Guyana's top golfers will be participating in this inaugural event. The tournament, which will become a regular event on the LGC calendar, is a pairs competition in which participants can either choose their own partner or have one provided for them.

The event would be coordinated by experienced golfer Ayube Subhan, who has said, "It is not a

golf tournament per se, but it is being held to celebrate the Christmas period, by aiming to bring smiles and absolute happiness to the children and the less fortunate in the community through the provision of good food and beverages for everyone in attendance."

According to Subhan, the initiative is Mr. Ramsundar's (Panko) way of fulfilling his corporate social responsibilities. "Panko himself is a passionate golfer, who developed his love for the sport as a caddy. Today he has honed his skills, and is an accomplished player. He feels that this is the least he can do to contribute to the growth and improvement of the game of golf in Guyana," Subhan has shared.

Panko will be awarding the first

weeks. Foster said, “We won DaCosta Cup and the Olivier Shield. To bring home an international trophy would be great for our school, and also for the country as well. It’s a great booster for the players as well, the Coaching staff, the Management staff. So, it’s a great feeling to bring home this trophy.”

Aside from this expectedly epic final showdown, Guyana’s Chase’s Academic Foundation and Suriname’s VMO 4 will meet in the third-place playoff.

The teams will be rewarded with $2500 USD ($500,000 GYD), $1500 USD ($300,000 GYD), $1000 USD ($200,000 GYD) and $500 USD ($100,000 GYD) for first to fourth respectively.

The tournament is sponsored by KFC Guyana, ExxonMobil, Ansa McAl’s Lucozade brand, Pacaraima Golden Suites and MVP Sports; with support from the Ministries of Education and Culture, Youth and Sport.

Organizers have confirmed that President Dr. Irfaan Ali has committed to sponsoring the first and second prizes for the tournament. The Head of State will reportedly be donating $4000 USD for this purpose. (Jemima Holmes)

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Caption: Evin Lewis and Rashid Khan were teammates at St Kitts & Nevis Patriots last season

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

WI vs England: 2023 T20I Series, Game 5 of 5…

23

WEST INDIES WIN SERIES 3-2 – after Motie contains England, Hope scores run-a-ball 43

T

he final game of England's tour ended much like the first: with Shai Hope clinching victory for West Indies with a match-winning six. His unbeaten run-a-ball 43 was the highest score of a tense low-scorer in Tarouba, and his clean strike over cover off Chris Woakes sealed the series-decider with four balls remaining.

Something is brewing in the Caribbean. Since their ignominious first-round exit at last year's T20 World Cup in Australia, West Indies have won three T20I series out of three under Rovman Powell's captaincy.

In August, they beat India 3-2 in Daren Sammy's first T20I series as white-ball

the covers, then conceded back-to-back boundaries in his second over: the first through point, the second straight back down the ground.

Jos Buttler fell early, scooping Jason Holder to short fine leg for 11 in the fourth over, while Will Jacks's innings summed up his series: a glimmer of promise, crunching Akeal Hosein over long-on for a straight six, then brought back down to earth when cramped for room by an arm ball which scuttled into his stumps.

By the time Salt launched Gudakesh Motie over long-off for six, to take England to 60 for 2 after three balls of the sev-

et, did he concede a boundary.

Moeen fell for 23 to an excellent relay catch between Andre Russell and Powell at long-on and longoff, having added 40 in 6.2 overs for the fifth wicket.

Liam Livingstone hit two towering leg-side sixes - one off Thomas, the other off Holder - but chipped a catch back to Motie to give him his third wicket.

England's lower order offered little resistance: Russell cleaned Chris Woakes up with an inch-perfect yorker, then reacted quickly to take a fine catch off his own bowling when Rehan hit a full toss back at him.

Adil Rashid ran himself Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford put on a vital stand

England tried to replicate West Indies' spin squeeze, and Rashid - celebrating his ascent to the top of the ICC rankings in this format - struck in his first over. The breakthrough came thanks to the worst ball he bowled, a loopy full toss outside off stump that Charles slapped straight to short cover.

Sherfane Rutherford provided a vital cameo of

They added 41 off 38 balls for the fourth wicket, before Rutherford crunched Rashid's googly to Curran at short extra cover, breaking the game back open.

As the game went deep, the chase became frantic. Powell dumped Rehan down the ground for six to take the required rate below six, but then steered Topley to short third; and Russell swung like a rusty gate be-

one run off the first five balls of the 19th over.

Holder was nearly run out off the final ball of the over, but Curran's closerange attempt to deflect Rashid's throw onto the stumps went wide. When Holder's inside-edge off Woakes's first ball of the 20th left six required off five balls, Hope decided to finish it with a single blow: he crashed Woakes over the off

Shai Hope finished the game with a six

coach; in December, they beat the defending world champions by the same margin.

This finale was played on the same strip at Trinidad's Brian Lara Cricket Academy as the one used in England's 75-run win 48 hours previously, but the games could hardly have been more different: after 459 runs in 35.3 overs on Tuesday evening, Thursday's game saw just 265 runs in 38.5 overs, and culminated in a scrap for the finish line.

In pursuit of 133, Hope soaked up 31 balls for his first 23 runs, before finally shifting gear when he squeezed Rehan Ahmed away for his first boundary.

West Indies made things difficult for themselves, but England's late collapse after being sent in - they lost their last six wickets for just 22 runs - proved decisive. They will fly home empty-handed on Friday, after losing both the ODI and T20I legs of this tour.

enth over, he had broken Mohammad Rizwan's record for the most runs in a men's bilateral T20I series. But he fell to the next ball he faced, which angled in then spun past his outside edge - a sign of what was to come through the middle overs.

Spin smothers England

Buttler bemoaned the time it took England to realise that this was not the belter of two nights previously, which allowed Motie and Hosein to thrive. Harry Brook fell to his sixth ball, gloving Motie behind as he shaped to scoop; only

out while getting Curran back on strike, but Curran could only pick out long-on.

From 67 for 3, England were bowled out for just 132.

Hope drops anchor

Johnson Charles, replacing Kyle Mayers at the top of the order, made an early dent in the target: swinging Woakes over square leg for six, before steering him away through point. But England's bowlers picked up the early wickets they craved.

Brandon King swung Reece Topley straight to mid-on, and Nicholas

Gudakesh Motie celebrating the wicket of Harry Brook

30 off 21 balls, slugging Rashid down the ground for six and pulling Curran over

side, prompting celebrations that would continue long into the night. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

A pinch of Salt

Phil Salt hit a century in both the third and fourth games of this series, and looked in pristine touch in the Powerplay. Oshane Thomas, who replaced Matthew Forde for West Indies, saw his first ball of the night crunched through

fore heaving Curran's full toss down long-on's throat as West Indies managed

Phil Salt looked back to see his stumps disturbed

once more, when Moeen Ali dragged one over midwick-

Pooran chopped Woakes onto his own stumps.

long leg, as Hope steadied the ship from the other end.

England (20 ovs maximum) BATTING R Phil Salt † b Motie 38 Jos Buttler (c) c Thomas b Holder 11 Will Jacks b Hosein 7 Liam Livingstone c & b Motie 28 Harry Brook c †Pooran b Motie 7 Moeen Ali c Powell b Hosein 23 Sam Curran c Rutherford b Holder 12 Chris Woakes b Russell 2 Rehan Ahmed c & b Russell 0 Adil Rashid run out (Powell/Holder) 1 Reece Topley not out 0 Extras (lb 3) 3 TOTAL 19.3 Ov (RR: 6.76) 132 Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Jos Buttler, 3.2 ov), 2-39 (Will Jacks, 4.6 ov), 3-60 (Phil Salt, 6.4 ov), 4-70 (Harry Brook, 8.1 ov), 5-110 (Moeen Ali, 14.3 ov), 6-121 (Liam Livingstone, 16.3 ov), 7-125 (Chris Woakes, 18.1 ov), 8-125 (Rehan Ahmed, 18.2 ov), 9-132 (Adil Rashid, 19.2 ov), 10-132 (Sam Curran, 19.3 ov) • BOWLING O-M-R-W Andre Russell 4-0-25-2 Oshane Thomas 4-0-36-0 Akeal Hosein 4-0-20-2 Jason Holder 3.3-0-24-2 Gudakesh Motie 40-2-4-3

West Indies (T: 133 runs from 20 ovs) BATTING R Brandon King c Buttler b Topley 3 Johnson Charles c Buttler b Rashid 27 Nicholas Pooran † b Woakes 10 Shai Hope not out 43 Sherfane Rutherford c Curran b Rashid 30 Rovman Powell (c) c Rashid b Topley 8 Andre Russell c Livingstone b Curran 3 Jason Holder not out 4 Extras (lb 5) 5 TOTAL 19.2 Ov (RR: 6.87) 133/6 Did not bat: Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Oshane Thomas Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Brandon King, 2.1 ov), 2-33 (Nicholas Pooran, 3.4 ov), 3-54 (Johnson Charles, 7.6 ov), 4-95 (Sherfane Rutherford, 14.2 ov), 5-113 (Rovman Powell, 16.3 ov), 6-123 (Andre Russell, 18.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Reece Topley 4-0-17-2 Chris Woakes 3.2-0-28-1 Rehan Ahmed 4-0-36-0 Adil Rashid 4-0-21-2 Moeen Ali 2-0-13-0 Sam Curran 2-0-13-1

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023

Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business

WI vs England: 2023 T20I Series, Game 5 of 5…

WEST INDIES WIN SERIES 3-2 – after Motie contains England, Hope scores run-a-ball 43

15 players secure ‘future roster’ spots with YBG Pg 21

Pg 23

Caribbean powerhouses battle for KFC Championship today Pg 22

…President Ali to donate first and second prizes

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