Guyana Times - Monday, November 7, 2022

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Region 6 teen cops GPF Spelling Bee championship Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 5185

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Over $252B in oil revenue deposited in NRF as of October 2022 – BoG See story on page 7

PRICE

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Man killed on ECD highway was struck by State vehicle

– Min Edghill meets with aggrieved family P2

COP27 Summit

Guyana will be vocal on need for just transition to renewable energy – VP P9 Jagdeo ...says Guyana doing everything possible to fulfil its climate pledge

– $18.5B in profit oil, almost $14B in royalties received in October

PPP vetting candidates for upcoming LGE – VP Jagdeo – reiterates Party’s readiness for upcoming polls

Page 3

Govt distributed Father of close to $5B in cash 2 brutally stabbed to grants to hinterland, death during riverine areas – more could be distributed based on argument at Page 14

assessment of needs, fiscal space

Lusignan

CANU finds $14.3M in ganja, shotgun & ammo off Corentyne Coast

– 2 Surinamese among 4 arrested

Page10

See story on page 11

Mother of P2 teenager beaten for stepping on schoolmate’s shoes wants justice

Region 6 P13 Chairman calls for "stiffer" penalties for errant road users – says road fatalities in region show a 150% increase from 2021

Burglar arrested after breaking into, stealing from church

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2 NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man killed on ECD highway Mother of teenager beaten was struck by State vehicle for stepping on schoolmate’s – Min Edghill meets with aggrieved family

Ramana’s body lying on the ECD Public Road after being struck down

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Dead: Anil Ramana

nil Ramana, popularly known as “Cake Man”, a 44-year-old baker of Logwood Enmore, East Coast of Demerara (ECD), who was killed along Foulis Public Road, ECD, on Saturday, was struck off his bicycle by a vehicle owned by the State and then run over by a second vehicle.

Police reports stated that the vehicle was proceeding west along the Foulis Public Road in a convoy that comprised four vehicles with

flashlights and sirens. At the time, Ramana was on his bicycle and attempted to cross the road.

And in so doing, the pedal cyclist came into the path of the pick-up PXX 8090, the third vehicle in the convoy.

This caused the rightside front portion of the vehicle to collide with the rear of the pedal cycle, which was then flung onto the northern carriageway into the path of motor car PAC 9344.

As a result, the pedal cy-

clist fell onto the northern carriageway, which caused motor car PAC 9344 to collide with the pedal cycle and subsequently run over Ramana.

EMT was summoned, where he was examined and pronounced dead. The body was then escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital's Mortuary and is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the driver of the State vehicle – a 30-year-old resident of

shoes wants justice

Sophia, Georgetown – as well as the driver of the second vehicle – a 24-year-old resident of Haslington, ECD – were both administered breathalyser tests and the results were negative.

A probe has since been launched.

Nevertheless, following the accident on Saturday, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill visited the reputed wife, brothers, sisters, and other relatives of Ramana after learning of the fatal accident.

This was followed by a statement from the Ministry which stated that the vehicle was carrying staff who were on official duties at the time of the accident.

“There is an active Police investigation underway and Minister Edghill has assured the family that there will be no interference or obstruction of this process,” the statement read.

T

he mother of 14-yearold Tyrique Benfield, a student of South Ruimveldt Secondary School (SRSS), who was beaten by his peer’s brother for stepping on her shoes is calling on the Education Ministry, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to investigate the matter.

The frustrated woman, Tandaseia Holligan Desir, claimed that on October 14, 2022, her son was physically assaulted by an adult following an incident that occurred at his school and involved a female student.

It was reported that the boy had allegedly stepped on one of his schoolmate’s feet and failed to apologise.

As a result, the young lady threatened to have her older brother intervene in the matter to have a resolution.

“Tyrique stepped on the

The student’s eye after he was beaten by the man

young lady’s foot without apologising, his classmate stated that she will bring her brother to him, my son said that he didn’t take her seriously, so he proceeded to go back to his seat and continue his assignment.”

TURN TO PAGE 10

NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Nov 7 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Tuesday, Nov 8 – No retraction.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Nov 7 – 15:30h – 17:00h and Tuesday, Nov 8 – 16:00h – 17:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be thundery showers and light rain showers during the day and night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: West South-Westerly to South-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 15:45h reaching a maximum height of 2.73 metres.

Low Tide: 09:22h and 21:43h reaching minimum heights of 0.59 metre and 0.46 metre.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS M

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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Change %

Crude Oil

$98.57/barrel

+3.96

Rough Rice

$318.15/ton

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USD Per Ounce

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Low/High Change

$1671.40 -10.90

$1683.70 -0.65

PPP vetting candidates for upcoming LGE – VP Jagdeo – reiterates party’s readiness for upcoming polls

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ith preparations already on the way for the hosting of the long-overdue Local Government Elections (LGE), the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that the party is in readiness mode and is currently in the process of vetting potential candidates to run in the upcoming race.

Last month, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall set Monday, March 13, 2023, as the date for the hosting of the long-overdue Local Government polls in Guyana.

This was the earliest date that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) indicated the elections could be held.

At a press conference on Friday last, Jagdeo, who is also the Vice President of the current PPP/C Government, was asked about the party’s preparation. He said, “We’re ready for elections.”

The General Secretary further reaffirmed the PPP’s commitment to having grassroots and new leadership participating in the upcoming elections.

“We have a kind of elaborate process and we allow people to work on the names from the bottom up but we give guidance about what we expect from people and the messaging. And so, we’ve done that and we’re in the process of vetting candidates.

So, we’re ready for elections whenever they come in March,” Jagdeo contended.

He reminded that the PPP has always been contesting in all the Local Government bodies – both at the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and township levels. According to the GS, even while in Opposition, the party had contested in all the Local Authority Areas (LAAs) across the country unlike the A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, which did not run at all the LAA areas despite being in Government at the last two Local Government Elections.

Jagdeo had long signalled the PPP’s readiness to contest the Local Government polls. In fact, as far back as August, he had indicated that the party is in preparation mode for LGE. “We’re already gone on an election footing. We’d be ready where elections are held this year or next year.

We don’t control when that happens, GECOM does but we’d be ready at any time,” the General Secretary had stated.

However, with LGE just months away, there has been much uncertainty regarding the Opposition’s participation in the polls.

Leader of the APNU/AFC Opposition, Aubrey Norton has said that they will not participate in and also threatened to block any elections

Citizens turning up to cast their votes at the last LGE

from being held if the voters’ list is not cleansed.

Since losing the March 2020 elections, the coalition Opposition has been claiming that the voters’ list is bloated.

This is despite GECOM already conducting Claims and Objections, a legally mandated method of cleansing the list.

The exercise captured more than 3000 new applicants who will be eligible to vote by October 31, 2022, with only 18 objections to names on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).

And based on a 2019 High Court ruling, GECOM cannot remove any person from the National Register of Registrants (NRR) – from which the voters’ list is compiled – unless they are dead or otherwise disqualified under Article 159 (2), (3) and (4) of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, there is also no confirmation on whether the AFC will seek to con-

test the LGE alone or in the coalition. AFC was famously forced to contest the 2018 LGE alone without its coalition partner and ended up securing just 4 per cent of the total votes cast.

At a press conference last month, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan had told the media that its National Executive Committee will decide the party’s position on contesting the LGE after consultations, which are slated before 2023.

Already, GECOM has designated December 12, 2022, as Nomination Day for the upcoming LGE. To this end, GECOM has called on parties wanting to contest the polls to submit their symbols by November 12, 2022, in accordance with Section 48 (1) of the Local Authority (Elections) Act, Cap 28:03.

Under Section 51 of the Local Authority (Election) Act, none can contest the election without submitting their

symbol.

The law requires that these symbols be submitted at least 21 days before Nomination Day. On Nomination Day, parties or organisations/groups or individuals running at the Local Government polls make their way to a designated location set by GECOM, where their representatives are required to submit their List of Candidates to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), as well as sign on to the required documents, such as a code of conduct, to contest the elections.

LGE, which is constitutionally due every two years, was last held in 2018.

At the last LGE in November 2018, the then PPP/C Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

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

Trust and society

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t is not hard to discern that trust is a commodity that is in very short supply among our people. Take, for instance, the reaction to the announcement by the Government of “One Guyana” as the guiding mantra of its vision for Guyana. President Irfaan Ali has literally taken the responsibility for being the “poster boy” to performatively demonstrate what such a vision means in practice. He has displayed a level of energy unsurpassed in the history of our nation to enter every ward, hamlet and village of our country to not only explain what is meant by the term but to roll out programmes in all facets of our national lives so Guyanese can experience its meaning.

But unfortunately, the Opposition has responded with hostility that betrays the abovementioned cynical lack of trust.

Such a posture appears to be in danger of becoming ingrained in our national psyche under the unrelenting dissemination of a dyspeptic and dystopian worldview by the Opposition. This eventuality does not bode well for the development of a more secure and harmonious society that all Guyanese so strongly desire. Trust is the cement that holds together any agglomeration of humanity. The very notion of “social” implies a recognition of predictability in the actions of people that has to be undergirded by trust. Absent this crucial element, we revert to the law of the jungle.

The Swedish-born philosopher and ethicist, Sissela Bok wrote, “Trust is a social good to be protected just as much as the air we breathe or the water we drink. When it is damaged, the community as a whole suffers; and when it is destroyed, societies falter and collapse.” As far as the life of nations goes, ours is still in its infancy. But surely the Opposition must recognise that as a people, it is not only our interests but our fates that are interwoven and intertwined. Whatever we may value – be it material, cultural or spiritual goods – we inevitably have to fall back on others to secure it or at least not to frustrate its acquisition. And this is where trust comes into the picture.

This is not to acknowledge that there is a certain element of risk is the matter of trust, which has been defined as "an individual's belief in, and willingness to act on the basis of, the words, actions, and decisions of another." As people go through life, a history of previous social interactions would have alerted them to the extent to which others can be relied on to keep their word and which experience may guide them in new, ambiguous situations.

But many studies have shown that too many of us summarise our experiences based on prejudices or slanted data that we are fed, especially nowadays on social media.

All of this leads to the formation of stereotypes that are often quite at variance with the reality in front of us. This, we fear, is happening with too great frequency in Guyana today by populist political postures. As a result, rather than give the Government the “benefit of the doubt” – which is all that is required in the realm of trust in the public arena – the Opposition automatically assumes that they are out to do them in. They expect the worst and take pre-emptive “defensive” steps. Quite frequently, and not too surprisingly, expectations have a self-fulfilling effect as followers respond in kind.

What we are suggesting is that this dour attitude has not taken us anywhere – except to become more frustrated in the Hobbesian, dog-eat-dog world that, ironically, we have helped to create. The Opposition has to jump off this carousel. Its supporters can begin by (maybe gingerly) giving the Government a chance. Be objective in how many times their trust is violated. More often than not, a deeper understanding of Government will be created among traditional Opposition supporters through repeated interactions. They will discover shared values and goals, allowing trust to grow as Guyanese to a higher and qualitatively different level.

XPENG AEROHT, an affiliate of XPENG, unveiled the latest version of the world’s first fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flying car on XPENG 1024 Tech Day. Designed for both air flight and road driving, the flying car conveniently features a sleek rotor foldaway system for seamless conversion between driving and flying. It is equipped with a new flight control system equipped with faulttolerant control functions and a dual-engine backup system to ensure safety

Homeownership transcends the physical realm Dear Editor, What a tremendous achievement! It is that the Government has thus far distributed some 18,000 house lots since coming into office, and it is now like ‘a given’ that the PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic) Administration will deliver their promised 20,000 house lots by year-end. I say this, as again the robust housing plan of the Government unfolded with another episode, giving some 700 more house lots to residents of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

The house lots were allocated during the second “Dream Realised” housing drive in the region for the year. As we can remember, the first phase was held earlier in the year, and this saw at least 400 persons receiving house lots.

Readers, this is huge, as we all know that on the socio-psychological level, a good home provides protection. Children are less at risk of violence and sexual abuse. They are also less likely to be forced into child labour, married off at a young age, or forcibly recruited by stealthy groups and persons, to be exploited. Then a home ensures that displaced people have better access to humanitarian aid. So, what is happening is that the housing sector is pre-empting these

evils from encroaching society.

According to the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, “… the land that is (currently) being developed was acquired by the Ministry back in May 2021 … (and just) several months later, we (the Government) are here to allocate 700 house lots to you the residents” Simply put, this is testimony “… to the expediency in which we (the Government) are working; this demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry to reaching its target of distributing 50,000 house lots by 2025.”

Another factor here is that housing is a basis for taxation – often Local Government taxation, and this is a significant contributor to the fiscal health of Local Governments and their capacity to deliver basic urban services. Due to its size, the housing sector has a major impact on any country’s macroeconomy. Noting what has been happening, as far as housing in Guyana is concerned, great dividends, of a perpetual nature, will eventually descend on the economy. I need to add, that the actual building of these houses, with their relevant amenities, is also a boost to the workforce and the sale of building

materials.

Yes, monies are being spent (over $800 million on new infrastructure, upgrading existing housing schemes in Experiment, upgrading roads in Bath, and monies to develop the new site for the hospital etc). But the returns will be more than matching the investment, and long-lasting as well.

Editor, the conception of a ‘house as a home’ being a place of comfort and security is global. This established view of shelter reinforces the idea that many other qualities derive from the place we call home. In fact, the home has come to symbolise family, stability, and wealth. As the largest single investment for most families and the driver of

demand in enormous sectors of the economy, housing has therefore plays a huge role in the economies of many nations. It is nothing to be taken lightly.

On the contrary, being without homes or finding them unaffordable is stressful and creates negative tolls on people’s mental health. 33 per cent say housing costs cause stress and depression in their family, with 25 per cent being kept awake at night by the stress of paying their rent or mortgage.

Building a better life begins with a safe environment to call home.

All in all, the Government deserves to be lauded.

Yours truly, H Singh

We must be cautious!

Dear Editor, If history has taught us anything, it is that those who plunder come when there is wealth to be had. We must be cautious not to become 2nd class citizens in our own land.

Entrepreneurs are already losing business to Trinidadian firms. European companies are considering establishing exclusive foot holds that our citizens can only access as servants.

Our gold is leaving our shores and strengthening the currency and economy of Canada. Our oil wealth has

strengthened the few while a small number of unscrupulous officials filled their pockets. To date, no one has been charged with treason while the sale of our patrimony continues. We must not take a step backwards in our history.

Guyana is for Guyanese first and foremost. There is no reason for our citizens to be destined to a life of servitude in our own land while foreigners are given the best we have to offer in exchange for disrespectful behaviour and inadequate compensation.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

5

News

Govt to consult with co-op to address infrastructural issues in Dazzel Housing Scheme – Min Edghill

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill being accompanied by residents during a walkabout in the community

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n a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to reach out to every community to foster development, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Saturday met with residents of Dazzel Housing Scheme in Paradise on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

The Minister attended the community meeting following a request by a resident and representatives from the community’s management committee.

Residents said the most pressing concern was the deplorable state of the roads in the area, noting that efforts to make interventions proved fruitless since Dazzel is operated under a co-operative (co-op) body.

Minister Edghill in discussion with residents

Minister Edghill responded, “As a Government, we can’t stand on the outside and look on, and let the people suffer. As the Minister of Public Works, I will have to examine how

We must be...

we could intervene, and how we can engage in terms of bringing roads and improvements in the co-op.

Anything in the co-op will be done when I have my due diligence checked on what could be done.”

He said that the Ministry’s engineers will return to the area to conduct a conditional survey. Any

rehabilitation works on the roads will have to be included in the 2023 budget.

Other concerns expressed included drainage, garbage disposal, livestock, infrastructure, security of tenure, and regularisation.

Minister Edghill committed to reaching out to the relevant Ministers to address the concerns under their jurisdiction.

“I spoke to the Minister of Labour, who has responsibility for co-ops. He has indicated to me that this co-op has outstanding documentation. He is prepared to engage the co-op once the documentation has been submitted. I’ve also spoken to the Attorney General, and he reminded me that he had previously made a commitment to come and engage with you. So, Minister Nandlall will come and meet with you to deal with the legal issues,” he assured the gathering.

Additionally, Minister Edghill, in responding to concerns regarding garbage disposal, disclosed that, “Across the country, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, gave tractors and trailers to the NDCs to help with the movement of garbage. If that is not happening, I will have to engage the Minister of Local Government, for us to deal with the garbage disposal.”

He also encouraged the residents to form a

One of the deteriorated roads in the community

Community Development Council, emphasising that a collaborative approach to development is in keeping with the “One Guyana” philosophy.

“When you have a CDC, it’s the people from the community that are governing the affairs of the community, making representation for the community, and bringing the people together. The sooner you understand that there are things that Government can do by itself, but there are things that Government needs the support of people to do, you will see development in your community faster,”

Minister Edghill explained.

Moreover, the Minister assured residents that measures have been put in place to ensure local contractors are included in any rehabilitation works being conducted in the area.

“Whenever we award a contract, the contractors are advised that they have to employ locals to help to execute the work. It doesn’t matter where people live.

The PPP/C Government is going there and bringing value and development to people’s lives. And Dazzel Housing Scheme will not be forgotten, and will not be left out.”

FROM PAGE 4

At this stage of our development, it is best to continue an arms-length approach to our development through integration with foreign investors.

Utilising our people in the development of our economy must go beyond where it is today, and the opportunities must be protected so our local teams can capitalise on them. Bring on board the foreign firms that will make the training and development of our people a top priority in exchange for our people managing their businesses on our shores.

In Guyana, only Guyanese should be able to own land until our families are financially established. Foreigners should be allowed to lease, but only through the Government, with clear conditions in the contract over the mineral and subterranean wealth of the leased land.

Our land is not just a warehouse where anyone may take the goods within it while exhibiting no concern nor care for the warehouse and whether it is destroyed in the process.

Those we have placed in charge to safeguard that our land does not get destroyed

need to be financially audited on an ongoing basis to ensure that their integrity has not been compromised. Betrayal is too easy for those of low character when new wealth is tempting them to break the rules and turn their backs on our land and our people.

Comrades, our history has taught us that many have plundered our land and while doing so they regarded our people of little worth. We must remain cautious not to undo the rights and privileges that we have fought hard for over the years. Remember, a good guest is also a respectful guest who does not covet our homes and take that which is not offered.

No man nor woman allows a guest into their house to take control of it and become master over them. If this occurs, then eventually it will no longer be yours. We must prevent this from occurring in Guyana.

It is better to be content with what is ours than to be wanting of that which can destroy us over time and take away our freedom.

Sincerely, Jamil Changlee

Monday, November 7, 2022

06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 11:50 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 23:00 0:00

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

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Foundation

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he beautiful illustration of frieze patterns shown above is taken from Frank A Farris’ Creating Symmetry: The Artful Mathematics of Wallpaper Patterns (Princeton University Press, 2015), a Maths book that, unusually, makes an outstanding coffee-table book in addition to having deep mathematical content.

Lavished with many beautiful illustrations of this kind, Farris’ book is a joyful yet serious exploration of how Mathematics can create beautiful patterns and provide us with a deep understanding of symmetry, one of the underlying principles of great art.

“Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare,” wrote the poet Edna St Vincent Millay, and Frank Farris shows us what that means. His book uses the abstract, esoteric beauty of mathematical equations to create the universally appealing beauty of visual art. They merely skim the surface of the connection between Maths and art.

(Adapted from quantamagazine.org)

CONTINUED FROM SATURDAY

By The Brothers Grimm

TO BE CONTINUED

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NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Over $252B in oil revenue deposited in NRF as of October 2022 – BoG – $18.5B in profit oil, almost $14B in royalties received in October

By Jarryl Bryan

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s of October 31, 2022, Guyana had in excess of $252 billion in oil revenues sitting in the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) - a combination of money earned from profit oil and royalties since oil production began in 2019.

According to the latest monthly financial report from the Bank of Guyana (BoG), the fund had an opening balance of $219.1 billion at the start of October and a closing balance of $252.3 billion at the end of the month.

There were no withdrawals from the fund to the Consolidated Fund for the month. Instead, revenue came in from royalties ($13.9 billion) and profit from oil ($18.5 billion).

When it comes to investment, there was $621 million in interest income.

The third quarter of this year - July to September - was one of the most lucrative quarters yet for Guyana’s oil earnings, with inflows of over $100 billion being recorded entering the Natural Resource Fund.

According to the Bank of Guyana in its quarterly report for the third quarter of 2022, Guyana earned a total of $102.8 billion (US$493.1 million). This includes profit oil of $92.1 billion (US$442.1 million) and royalties of

Bank of Guyana

$10.6 billion (US$51 million).

The increase was attributed by the Bank to the additional Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Liza Unity, being in operation in the Liza Phase Two of the Stabroek Block.

“These funds were deposited into the Natural Resource Fund Account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As a result of an additional FPSO being in operation, more lifts were made and hence, more profit oil received compared to previous quarters,” it said.

It was explained that since oil production began in 2019, there have been 16 lifts of profit oil which have brought in $269.3 billion (US$1.2 billion) in profit oil

revenue and $31.9 billion (US$153.1 million) in royalty payments.

“Over the quarter the Federal Reserve increased its target range for the federal funds rate twice moving it from 1.5 per cent - 1.75 per cent to 2.25 per cent - 2.5 per cent and then again to 3 per cent - 3.25 per cent,” the bank further explained.

“As a result of these increases which caused interest rates on overnight deposits to rise significantly, and a higher account balance, the fund continued to earn a higher level of interest income on its overnight deposits than previous quarters.”

The fund currently has in place a Board, as well as the Public Accountability and Oversight Committee and the Investment Committee,

which have been appointed

by President Dr Irfaan Ali in accordance with the law.

The Natural Resource Fund Board is being chaired

by Major General (Retired) Joe Singh. Other members are Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett; former MP for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Dunstan Barrow; longstanding executive of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo; and former CDB President, Professor Compton Bourne.

These appointees will serve for a period of two years.

The Public Accountability and Oversight Committee is

meanwhile chaired by former Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Clement Sealey.

The other six members are Wendell Jeffrey, Abu Zaman, Ryan Alexander, Dawn Gardener, Teni Housty, and Aslim Singh.

When it comes to the Investment Committee, it is chaired by Shaleeza Shaw, who was sworn in back in August along with members Michael Monroe and Richard Rambarran.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). Exxon, through its local affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd (EEPGL), is the

operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

The company is currently undertaking four production projects – Liza 1, Liza 2, Payara, and Yellowtail in the oil-rich block. It is estimated that when the Yellowtail development project comes on stream, production will climb to 810,000 bpd by 2027. The US oil major anticipates at least six FPSOs in operation by 2030.

8 NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Attorney detained by SOCU sues State for false imprisonment

Attorney-at-Law Tamieka Clarke

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ttorney-at-Law Tamieka Clarke, who was arrested and detained by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on October 28, for reportedly advising her client to exercise his constitutional right to remain silent, has kept good on her promise to sue the State for false imprisonment.

On Friday, lawyers Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels, and Shawn Shewram, on her behalf, lodged a lawsuit at the Demerara High Court in which more than $300,000 is being sought in damages for, among other things, false imprisonment and violations of her constitutional rights.

The sum includes dam-

ages over $100,000 for her wrongful arrest and detention at SOCU’s Camp Street, Georgetown headquarters, damages in excess of $100,000 for false imprisonment, exemplary damages for the threat to arrest her for attempting to pervert the course of justice on the basis of advice she gave to her client and more than $100,000 in damages for breach of her fundamental rights and freedom as set out in Article 40 of the Constitution of Guyana.

According to Clarke’s attorneys, Article 40 of the Constitution entitles every person in Guyana to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual which include the right to personal liberty, the right to silence, the right to retain and be advised by an attorney, and the right to consult with and communicate with an attorney in private.

Clarke, who previously served as a State Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was only released after the intervention of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who has offered her a profound apology for what he described as an “unfortu-

nate incident”.

After inquiring about the circumstances surrounding the arrest of counsel, Nandlall said that in his capacity as the constitutional legal advisor to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), he immediately advised that she be released. SOCU is an arm of the GPF tasked with probing organised crimes.

In her lawsuit, Clarke is asking a Judge to declare that a lawyer admitted to practice in Guyana is entitled to advise a client of his/ her entitlement to remain silent when being questioned by members of any law enforcement agency in the country.

She further wants a declaration that “An attorney admitted to practice at the Bar of Guyana is entitled to consult with his/her client in private without the contents of the said consultation being recorded in any way including by means of audio/visual recording by any law enforcement agency in Guyana or elsewhere.”

In her lawsuit, the lawyer recounted that while she was in custody, she was wearing a Samsung smartwatch which allows her to make and receive calls and

that she observed she was receiving a call from her attorney, Hughes, which she answered.

According to her, she informed her counsel that she had been arrested by SOCU. At this point, she submitted, “Officer Alder demanded that I hand over my watch and she attempted to take my watch from me. I then observed that my phone became disconnected from my watch.”

In an affidavit, she deposed that when she attempted to leave the room, the exit was blocked by a Police Sergeant. Besides damages, Clarke is asking the court to award her costs, and interests on any sum awarded and such further or other orders the court deems just.

Among those criticising Clarke’s arrest is the main parliamentary Opposition APNU/AFC, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Jamaican Bar Association (JBA), the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), the Organisation of Caribbean Commonwealth Bar Associations (OCCBA) and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL).

Dog and bone…

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…LGE politics

hen we were wee tykes, we all heard the story of the “dog and bone”, right?? There’s this dog who found a bone and snapped it up in his jaws.

While going to a shady spot to enjoy a good, satisfying and leisurely chew, he had to cross a bridge over a stream. But as he did so, he saw his reflection in the water; thought it was another dog with a luscious bone and attempted to grab it.

But, of course, being a dog, he had to open his mouth to do so – and his real bone dropped into the water!! And was lost forever.

Now, even if the PNC Opposition types had heard the story, it looks like they didn’t realise that it had a moral that was supposed to teach them a lesson for life. To wit, don’t be too greedy lest they lose “corn and husk”, to mix a metaphor!! Right now, whether they scream “illegalinstalled-regime” from now till Kingdom come or not, they’ve lost the 2020 General Elections and the Central Government. Nothing they do will change that!!

But the PPP Government has scheduled Local Government Elections (LGE) for next March – which can gives them some power at another, albeit lower level – the 10 towns and 70 NDCs. Yet the Leader of the Opposition (LoO) has been playing a “hold me, loose me” game as to whether they’ll participate. Why?? They claim the electoral list – which they used to win the 2015 election and capture the Government – is “bloated”!! And the PPP’s gonna be using the dead and migrated folks they snucked in to win the 2020 elections to do the same with the March 2023 LGE!!

Can you believe that?? They’re CERTAIN the PPP’s gonna rig, but can’t use the present and soon-to-be-introduced mechanisms to prevent them?? Maybe they don’t deserve to be in politics!!

So what will they do?? The PPP’s been rolling into their traditional communities doling out largess like it was perpetual Christmas – and signing up residents to run for LG office on THEIR tickets. So the Opposition’s gonna sit back and have the PPP take over municipalities like Georgetown they’ve NEVER CONTROLLED?? They think that once the PPP gets their foot into THAT door, then deliver services like they’ve never been delivered before – with the unprecedented Oil Money at their disposal – they’ll be dislodged??

No way, Jose!! So we hope that the Opposition Brain Trust is more than one brain and they’ll decide to keep the bone in their mouths – their “safe” municipalities and NDCs – and not be greedy. At least some loyalists can be rewarded.

One, one dutty build dam. They need all they dutty they can collect for 2025!! …in Parliament One of the Opposition leaders complained that the Parliamentary Sectoral Committees aren’t meeting because of the PPP Government’s intransigence!! What the heck is your Eyewitness hearing?? He’s been raising his hands to the skies and calling for these Committees to meet and put the Government’s feet to the fire for the last two years!!

These Committees – Economic, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, Social Services – cover every aspect of governmental activities in real time unlike the Public Accounts Committee that deals with history!!

Now half of these Committees are chaired on an annual rotating basis by a member of the Opposition!! So, if the Committees haven’t been meeting, what have those Opposition Chairmen been doing since 2020?? Sleeping??

They should’ve been screaming bloody murder to the Guyanese electorate!! All of the complaints – discriminatory handouts, houselot distribution, jobs, contracts, land, “emerging apartheid government” etc, could’ve been investigated by summoning officials of the administration to give testimony on penalty of sanctions!!

It's clear the Opposition just haven’t gotten their act together!! …with development Now most Opposition leaders – like those in the Government also – are comparatively well-off. So when the Opposition demand their ordinary supporters leave their jobs to picket the GECOM Chair, etc, they shouldn’t be surprised no one shows up!!

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

NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COP27 Summit

Guyana will be vocal on need for just transition to renewable energy – VP Jagdeo ...says Guyana doing everything possible to fulfil its climate pledge

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The Amaila Falls Hydro Project

just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, one that does not leave the developing world behind while the developed world continues to exploit its resources, will be a position articulated by Guyana at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

The conference takes place from November 6 to November 18, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. According to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana will be standing with the developing world on the need for a just and equitable transition to renewable energy.

“We will be represented at COP. We will be speaking out, in solidarity with the developing world. There is one thing that is important. And

we have to support the developing world on this. A just transition to clean energy.”

“Because we’ve seen some agencies, like the United Nations, have been calling for a ban on oil and gas production. And some other places,” the Vice President explained.

Jagdeo noted that these demands usually come from multilateral organisations who, unable to force the developed world to follow these directives, then try to stop the developing world from producing oil.

“We’ve had our battles here and our position is clearly outlined in our Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Ultimately (decisions on fossil fuel) must benefit our people, as well as the world. It must be globally responsible.

I think we’re practicing both.”

“We’re one of the few countries that have put a carbon tax on the oil and gas industry, flaring… and we’re pushing the countries to explore cleaner technology with every successive FPSO (Floating Production and Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel,” he said.

Jagdeo detailed other measures the Government has been pursuing, to ensure that Guyana can fulfil its climate change commitments.

Guyana’s revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), envisions a plan to cut its emissions by 70 per cent by 2030.

“We’re working here, aggressively, on trying to make that happen. And hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll see progress on that front. So, we’re not sitting down and waiting for progress at COP. We’re doing our bit, on climate change,” he said.

At the 26th session of COP last year, Guyana committed to reducing carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030. The cleaner energy mix to be undertaken involves the use of natural gas through a 250-megawatt plant, reducing the use of fossil fuels.

This is in combination with the Amaila Falls Hydropower

The power plant component of the gas-to-shore project

Project (AFHP) and solar farms.

The scope of the US$900 million gas-to-shore project consists of the construction of 225 kilometres of pipeline from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where Exxon and its partners are currently producing oil.

It features approximately 220 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore that will run from the Liza Destiny and Unity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Vessels (FPSOs) in the Stabroek Block to the shore.

Upon landing on the West Coast Demerara shore, the pipeline will continue approximately 25 kilometres to the

NGL plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara.

The pipeline would be 12 inches wide and is expected to transport some 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mscfpd) of dry gas to the NGL plant, but has the capacity to push as much as 120 mscfpd.

The pipeline’s route onshore will follow the same path as the fibre optic cables and will terminate at Hermitage, part of the Wales Development Zone (WDZ), which will house the gas-toshore project.

The Guyana Government has invited interested parties to make investments in the WDZ, which will be heavily industrialised and for which

approximately 150 acres of land has been allocated.

Those lands were previously used by the Wales Sugar Estate.

Meanwhile, the revival of the 165-megawatt AFHP was one of the promises made by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic in its manifesto. The project was initiated under the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration but was scrapped by the coalition Administration which had controlled the National Assembly by a one-seat Opposition majority.

AFHP is expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy that is affordable and reliable and is envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.

It is expected that the AFHP will be based on a BOOT model, wherein the company would supply electricity to Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh, and wherein the company would provide the entire equity required by the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.

10 NEWS CANU finds $14.3M in ganja, shotgun Mother of teenager beaten for stepping on... & ammo off Corentyne Coast MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FROM PAGE 2

– 2 Surinamese among 4 arrested

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The shotgun with ammunition and marijuana found on the two vessels

anks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) have unearthed a quantity of marijuana and a shotgun with matching ammunition in two vessels off the Corentyne Coast in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The discovery was made on Saturday along the coast of No 47 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to CANU, its ranks with support from the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Coast Guard intercepted two vessels early

Saturday morning on the suspicion that they were transporting cannabis.

Despite the rough seas and inclement weather, CANU said the team boarded both vessels to conduct searches, during which they discovered one shotgun, a

quantity of ammunition as well as suspected cannabis on one of the vessels.

Several bags containing suspected cannabis were also discovered on the other vessel.

The total weight of the cannabis found is 117 kilograms or 257.9 pounds and it carries a local street value of $14.3 million.

Four suspects were arrested on the two vessels.

They are 44-year-old Adrian Hetmyer and 20-year-old Daniel Persaud, both from Sheet Anchor, Berbice, as well as Surinamese nationals, 41-year-old Suren Mohan and 48-year-old Imami Fizal.

The men were escorted to CANU headquarters with the suspected narcotics, shotgun, and ammunition.

The suspected cannabis was tested and weighed at CANU Headquarters.

On the first vessel that was intercepted, which was carrying the two Guyanese nationals, a total of 105.8 kg or 233 pounds of marijuana was found.

Onboard the second vessel, which was carrying the two Surinamese, was another 11.2 kg or 24.6 pounds of cannabis along with the shotgun and ammunition.

She said the following day after school was dismissed, her son and his two friends were walking out of the school’s compound when the female classmate and a man whom she claimed to be her brother approached them.

“When my son saw him, he stated that the young lady came in between him and his friends in order to separate them from each other and she pointed him out to the big man who was with her. My son proceeded to say ‘uncle let me explain uncle, let me tell you exactly what happen’, but the man did not want to hear what my son had to say so he started punching him in his face which cause him to bleed through his nose and have a swollen face,” she explained.

The woman also noted that even though plans were made by the Ministry of Education’s Welfare Department to have the girl transferred to another school and have her son offered counselling, it was not acted upon.

She related that following the incident, the welfare officer in charge of the matter never made contact with her to provide any updates.

“This is unacceptable…

no one should be beating on another person’s child like this… this man who did this to my son needs to be arrested for assaulting a minor,” she said.

The mother said that since the incident, her son is still having difficulty seeing from his left eye. She said that the matter seems to have been swept under the carpet, and she is not going to allow such to happen.

Meanwhile, when Guyana Times contacted an official of the welfare department, she refused to divulge any information. Attempts to get a comment from Chief Education Officer Dr Marcell Hutson and other officials from the Ministry proved futile.

NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Father of 2 brutally stabbed to death during argument at Lusignan It was then Joseph dowsed the couple with gasoline and set them alight. They were both hos-

By La Wanda McAllister

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construction worker and father of two is now dead after he was stabbed and left on the road to die on Saturday night along the Lusignan Prison Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Dead is 27-yearold Delon Hendricks of Buxton, ECD. Police said that a resident of Lusignan Prison Road told investigators that he was at home watching television when he heard loud arguments from outside his home and as such, he went to enquire and it was then he observed a male lying motionlessly on the roadway.

The body was clad in pair of yellow three-quarter pants and a jersey, with what appeared to be stab wounds to the left side neck. The body was reportedly in a pool of blood.

The resident said he immediately made contact with the Police. At about 00:20h on Sunday, emergency medical technicians (EMT) from the Melanie Fire Station arrived at the scene and pronounced the victim dead.

The area was canvassed for CCTV, and cameras were seen in close proximity. Investigators are in the process of reviewing the footage.

Hendricks’s body was taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem.

However, on Sunday a relative of the now dead man told Guyana Times that Hendricks left home to go out on Saturday evening with his brother-inlaw and never returned. It was after hearing about a murder on Sunday morning, they went to enquire.

“From what we know is that he and his girl brother were out drinking and his brother-in-law left to go home, leaving him there.

After he never came home his girl started to get worried and early this morning [Sunday] after hearing an Amerindian man got stabbed and died, she got worried and that’s when she went to the station and stuff to figure out what’s going, and it was him that died,” the relative added.

She noted that it is sad

Dead: Delon Hendricks

Dead: Sheldon Harry

that Hendricks had to lose his life at such a young age, leaving his reputed wife to raise his two children and unborn child.

“She [his reputed wife] is about four months pregnant and his daughter is four and his son is around two years old. It’s just heart-breaking to see him go like this. He was always the social type of person, stayed to himself, and enjoyed time with family and his friends. He was a very hard worker as well.”

The family is hoping that the killer(s) face the full brunt of the law. “…nobody was arrested as of right now, the security footage is still being reviewed as they weren’t clear enough, so hopefully they can find who did this.

It is messed up knowing we just lost our nephew at the hands of someone and now losing him the same way.”

“We got to know who did this because it’s way too many murders happening and nothing is being done about it. The same way we fought for Sheldon; we’re going to fight for him. He’s family,” the relative expressed.

In June, Hendricks’s nephew, 22-year-old Sheldon Harry, a miner, died after he and his 30-year-old Venezuelan girlfriend were both set on fire by a friend during a row at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni River (CuyuniMazaruni).

It was reported that the duo was set on fire

by Christian Joseph, also known as “Son Son” of Kitty, Georgetown.

At the height of the argument, Joseph had

threatened to hurt his fiancé during an argument.

As such, in a bid to escape the man’s threat, the woman left her mining camp and went over to Harry’s where she stayed the entire day.

However, the suspect went over to Harry’s camp and continued to threaten the woman. Harry reportedly attempted to calm him down but instead, he left the camp and returned with a cutlass, and advanced toward the woman.

Gracey, Harry’s girlfriend, intervened but this angered Joseph and she was pushed out of the way.

Harry then became angry and an argument ensued between him and the suspect.

pitalised and Harry succumbed to his injuries two weeks later. The suspect was arrested sometime lat-

er after being on the run and was charged for the offence.

12 NEWS Trial for photographer accused of being “Mudwata” commences today N MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ow that Magistrate Sunil Scarce has ruled that there is no issue regarding the statute of limitation, he will begin hearing evidence today in the trial of photographer Keron Bruce, who is charged with a cybercrime offence over the social media cartoon character “Mudwata”.

Bruce, 35, a father of two, of 295 Soesdyke Back Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), is facing a charge contrary to the Cybercrime Act at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

He is accused of being the person behind the social media cartoon character “Mudwata”, which according

to the Police, has made slanderous publications about several persons.

It is alleged that on January 25, 2021, at Soesdyke, EBD, he used a computer to disseminate information about a journalist, Leroy Smith, knowing same to be false. Police are alleging that the information subjected Smith to public ridicule, contempt, hatred, and embarrassment.

The charge was filed earlier this year and Bruce was released on $100,000 bail after pleading not guilty. However, his lawyer, Bernard Da Silva, had raised issues regarding the statute of limitations—the

Journalist Leroy Smith

law prescribing a period of limitation for bringing the charge. But his submis-

sions were overruled by Magistrate Scarce.

Bruce was arrested and subsequently charged after Smith alleged that he was being relentlessly attacked by the cartoon character on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Back in January, Police arrested Bruce and several other persons on allegations of the cartoon character slandering persons.

Police Headquarters said that ranks seized several pieces of equipment from a DD Eccles, EBD house.

In addition, several voice messages were also collected, which, when analysed, matched with the “Mudwata” commentary, the Police Headquarters had said.

His arrest came days after Smith, owner and managing editor of the online media outlet BIG SMITH News Watch, offered a $1 million reward for reliable information that would lead to the proper identification of the cartoon character.

Smith had made this offer after a video aggressively attacking him was posted by “Mudwata” on Facebook and YouTube.

After Bruce’s arrest, Smith stated that several persons had come forward with information about the cartoon character. As such, a court order was issued to search Bruce’s house for any evidence that would pin him to the character.

The Police are obliged under the provisions of the Cyber Crime Act 2018 – a legislation that was passed under the previous APNU/ AFC Government – to inves-

Keron Bruce

tigate any report made with respect to cyberbullying.

Meanwhile, in February of this year, Bruce filed a $101 million libel suit against Mikhail Rodrigues, better known as the “Guyanese Critic”, whom he has accused of slandering him.

In that lawsuit, filed at the Demerara High Court, Bruce claims that, on January 29, Rodrigues, via a Facebook Live which attracted 761 comments, 933 reactions, 33,000 views, and 91 shares, Rodrigues made several false and defamatory statements about him being the person behind “Mudwata”.

Insisting that he and the “Mudwata” character are not “one and the same”, Bruce said Rodrigues had not presented any credible evidence to the contrary, and therefore this could not be a “matter of fact”, since this had not been proven in a court of law.

He alleged that Rodrigues’s utterances were for the sole purpose of in-

The animated “Mudwata”

character

creasing views, financial gains, followers, reactions, and for his own personal clout.

According to him, Rodrigues’s comments have caused irrevocable damage to his reputation, have subjected him to public ridicule, contempt, hatred, and embarrassment, and have also brought his career into disrepute.

The photographer told the High Court that he is so fearful for his life that he has hired a 24-hour security service to protect himself and his family because Rodrigues has threatened to “show up” at his home and go live on Facebook.

Apart from the monetary award for damages, Bruce is asking the court to order Rodrigues to publish, or cause to be published, an apology to him. He is also seeking a permanent injunction restraining Rodrigues from publishing, or causing to be published, the posts or similar words which are defamatory to him.

NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 6 Chairman calls for "stiffer" penalties for errant road users – says road fatalities in region show a 150% increase from 2021 have passed and the anguish and the pain, suffering, grief and trauma to the families of those who would have lost their loved ones on the roadways.”

The Chairman stated that some never recover from the emotions of losing a loved one as a result of a road accident. The economic blow it brings to some families, he said, is also severe and sometimes irreparable.

He stressed that education is needed to change the culture of road users while stressing that this should start at a very young age.

“The highest impact of education is when a student

Regional Chairman David Armogan at the launch of National Road Safety Month

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egion Six Chairman, David Armogan has challenged the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to implement ‘stiffer’ penalties against errant road users.

His call comes as the Government is moving to update laws to clamp down on road users with the aim of ensuring that the roadways are safe, which would ultimately lead to fewer fatalities.

Armogan, who was at the time delivering an address at the official launch of National Road Safety Month in New Amsterdam, highlighted that road deaths in the region are 150 per cent more when compared to 2021.

“The word in the streets is that the increase in road fatalities is a result of the Police not doing enough…but I would say that the Police can only do so much and I believe the Police are doing

enough on our roadways to ensure safety.”

This year Road Safety Month is being observed under the theme “Safe Driving Saves Lives”.

As such, the Regional Chairman stated that road safety month should be of prime importance not only to those who use the roads on a daily basis but to every single Guyanese.

“I join with others in remembering those who would

Guyana Supplier Forum packed with opportunities for locals – Reg 3 Private Sector body This is according to the Head of the region’s private sector body, Halim Khan. The event, which is scheduled for November 8 and 9, will be kept at the Leonora Track and Field Centre. It will start with an opening ceremony from 9:00h and will continue forum activities until 17:00h.

Khan said, “The goal of the forum is to provide Guyanese businesses with valuable insights and access to the activities Head of Region Three Private Sector that exist and are upcoming in the oil and Inc, Halim Khan gas sector.”

Also, at the venue, he Guyana Supplier a booth will be available Forum 2022 will to provide assistance with provide a unique all queries. platform for Guyanese He disclosed that suppliers and businessExxonMobil (Guyana) es to receive up-to-date and its co-venturers information on the proin the Stabroek Block curement process, key have teamed up with the contacts, and upcomCentre for Local Business ing tenders for 2023 from Development (CLBD) to ExxonMobil (Guyana) and host the Guyana Supplier its leading prime contracForum 2022. tors.

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is at a young age and once you can inculcate that in the heads of those little children, after a while they will know this how we have to use the roads.”

Further, he pointed out that when persons become disabled it puts a dent in the economics of the country. Those persons, he noted, would have been able to make a contribution to the country's development.

“People who would have been able to work and support their families; people who would have been able to create wealth for our country, these are people whose lives have been snuffed out –

young people who had many more years to contribute to our country.”

Earlier this year, the Government tabled several Bills in the National Assembly, all aimed at curbing road fatalities. These legislative amendments include clamping down on bar owners who sell alcohol to drivers as well as to those drivers who drive under the influence.

The changes will also see drunk drivers now being charged with motor manslaughter and their licences being initially suspended and ultimately revoked for repeated offences.

14 NEWS Govt distributed close to $5B in cash grants to hinterland, riverine areas MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– more could be distributed based on assessment of needs, fiscal space

Several hinterland residents after receiving the cash grant

Persons queue to uplift their grants

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ince its return to office, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has distributed billions of dollars in cash grants to ordinary people. In this year alone, they’ve already distributed almost $5 billion to people in the hinterland and riverine areas.

This was revealed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during his recent press briefing. Guyana Times understands that

the money was distributed to over 40,000 Guyanese and that a further 8000 people are slated to benefit from the remainder.

“With the hinterland and riverine allowance that was given out the cash grant, it should bring it close to the $5 billion. Right now, there are no further plans, that we have, to give out any… once we complete the pensioners one that is ongoing, we don’t have any further plans,” Jagdeo said.

“But that can change anytime, based on an assessment of the fiscal.

We’re reviewing the fiscal now. Only a few days ago I got from the Minister of Finance framework, to see how we’re doing for the year so far. He has to go back to Parliament to seek supplementary for some unforeseen expenditure.

So, we’ll make a determination about that in the future.”

He also made reference

to the “Because We Care” cash grant that is distributed annually to parents of school children. Under the “Because We Care” initiative, each child in the public and private school system receives $30,000 – $25,000 as a cash grant and $5000 as an allowance for school uniforms.

“Under us, since we got into office, this year about $6.3 billion has been paid out to the children of our country. So, they’re over $6 billion richer than they were when we got into office. And that’s per annum.

And it will go further,” Jagdeo said.

Back in June, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced a series of ground-breaking measures, ranging from cash grants to households in the hinterland and river-

ine communities to the provision of free fertilisers for farmers, which are aimed at improving the lives of citizens.

Among the announcements was the distribution of a one-off $25,000 cash grant to every household in the riverine and hinterland communities of the country. This measure, according to Ali, would result in $800 million being pumped into the economy and would cushion the impacts of the rising cost of living.

President Ali had also said at the time that Government would continue consultations, and would, in the future, make more announcements that are aimed at bringing further relief to the public.

Then, in October, the President announced a one-

off cash grant of $28,000 for all old-age pensioners across Guyana – a move aimed at assisting senior citizens to have a better quality of life.

This is not the first time the Ali-led PPP/C Administration distributed a cash grant to pensioners. In fact, last year, a one-off grant of $25,000 was paid to all old-age pensioners across the country.

That initiative alone placed an additional $1.6 billion in the hands of pensioners.

This is in addition to the annual increases of the old age pension, he pointed out.

Upon assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C Government raised the old age pension from $20,500 to 25,000 in 2021 and from 25,000 to 28,000 in 2022.

NEWS

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Attorney Clarke’s arrest

Bar Association chastises Nandlall for “water under the bridge” comment …AG says his remark was “misunderstood”

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he Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has criticised Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall’s recent comments concerning the arrest and detention of Attorney-at-Law Tamieka Clarke by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU)—an arm of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Clarke, who has been practicing for seven years, was arrested by SOCU on October 28 for allegedly advising her client, who was under probe by the unit, to exercise his constitutional right to remain silent.

She was only released after the intervention of Nandlall, who has already offered her a profound apology for what he described as an “unfortunate incident”.

Following a picketing exercise outside of SOCU’s Camp Street, Georgetown headquarters last Friday, decrying the GPF’s slothfulness in investigating the matter, Nandlall said that having advised that the lawyer be released, he thought this matter “water under the bridge”.

With the lawyers, however, protesting, he noted that an “aggressive agenda” is being pursued and he is not sure to what end. He said he wanted the matter to be settled amicably.

Lack of awareness

In responding, the GBA said that Nandlall’s comments “demonstrate a lack of awareness of the endemic and systemic abuse of pow-

Guyana Bar Association President Pauline Chase

er, disrespect, and disregard for the fundamentals of the rule of law displayed by the GPF in their interaction with members of the public and legal profession”.

“It might just be that as Attorney General, many of these Police practices and actions must have been hidden from him, as opposed to the Bar Association having a “hidden agenda”. As more and more of these practices not only towards members of the Bar but to the public come to light, we trust that the veil which separates the actions of the organs of the State from the advisors of the State is pierced and eventually lifted,” the GBA said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the Bar, the Attorney General is improperly ascribing a “hidden agenda” in its protest. It said, too, that he is also conflating the separate issues of the lawsuit being pursued

by Clarke and the wider issue of the Bar Association of

the break-down in the rule of law through the actions and attitude of the GPF towards attorneys-at-law and the public at large.

The Bar maintained that the arrest of a lawyer in Guyana in the execution of his/her professional duties is unprecedented and a frightening development that has received widespread concern and condemnation locally, regionally, and internationally.

“In the circumstances, we wholly reject any allegation or insinuation that the Bar Association has any agenda other than the upholding of the rule of law as our Constitution mandates us to do. It is not “water under the bridge” unless and until the appropriate remedial action is taken.”

Misunderstood

Hours after the GBA denounced his comments, Nandlall, via his Facebook page, expressed that his chambers consider the legal fraternity, as one of its most important strategic partners, in working to create a modern legal system and in ensuring that the rule of law reigns supreme.

In this regard, he pointed out that he has always made himself as accessible as possible, to both the GBA and the members of the legal profession by putting systems in place to ensure that there are constant consultations with the Bar and the Legal Affairs Ministry on policy and on every piece of major legislative change

which impacts the legal system.

“It is my hope that this level of collaboration and cooperation will continue, if not intensify, in the future as our fundamental objectives will hopefully remain aligned.”

“Against this backdrop, I am disappointed that the [Bar] Association misunderstood my recent remarks in respect of the Tamieka Clarke fiasco. I thought that my position on this matter was clear. I intervened.

I apologised to Ms Clarke and expressed the view that the incident was unfortunate and regrettable and the same should be amicably resolved,” Nandlall said.

The GPF, the only lawful authority to deal with the conduct of the Police officers, he added, has indicated that a probe has been activated. He said it is the rule of law that underscores the functional autonomy of the GPF, including the processes by which its members are disciplined.

The Attorney General stressed; “For the record, I never ascribed any “hidden agenda” to the Guyana Bar

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

Association. The video of what I said remains publicly accessible. Neither have I trivialised what transpired in Clarke’s incident. Indeed, the speed and nature of my intervention, without more, ought to have illustrated the seriousness with which I view the matter. I also made it crystalline that there is no policy at the level of the Government or the Guyana Police Force intended or designed to subvert either the Constitution or the rule of law.”

Nandlall, a Senior Counsel, nevertheless assured that the Attorney

General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Legal Affairs “will continue to champion the cause of the rule of law and constitutionalism and will continue to work with the Guyana Bar Association and indeed every other person and entity in this country with the same or a similar agenda.”

Meanwhile, the GBA is calling on the acting Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken, to forthwith apologise to Clarke; compensate her for unlawful imprisonment; launch a full inquiry into the matter with such necessary disciplinary action enforced swiftly including charges being laid against the offending officer(s), there are no lawful grounds for the arrest, and to exercise disciplinary action including termination of any officer(s) who were aware of and allowed this type conduct.

The GPF, on Friday, stated that it has completed investigations into the lawyer’s arrest and detention and has forwarded a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

16 NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Port of Spain, Georgetown become sister cities O

n Friday, the Mayors of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Georgetown, Guyana, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a sister-city relationship.

The signing took place at City Hall and Georgetown was added to Port of Spain's sorority of sister cities – the second in two weeks.

Other sister cities include: St Catherine in Ontario, Canada; Atlanta in Georgia, USA; Morne-A-L'eau in Guadeloupe; Kingston in Jamaica and Yeosu in South Korea.

On October 28, Port of

Spain mayor Joel Martinez agreed to a similar MoU with Kumasi, Ghana.

Martinez said the MoU with Georgetown had been in the making since 2019.

Both cities possess similar cultures and goals, he explained, and the MoU will benefit citizens of both cities in areas including health, education, trade, tourism, and culture.

Both Mayors met on October 21 at a mayor's forum in Argentina. Martinez said, "We joined four other Caribbean cities in signing an agreement to collaborate on a plan for elevating our population's quality of life. "

He pledged Port of Spain's continued support to the building of bilateral ties with Guyana.

Georgetown's Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine agreed that Port of Spain and Guyana shared many commonalities. He believed that the signing of the MoU could bring both cities closer in a working relationship.

"Guyana now has an oil and gas sector. We need the specialists and the specialists are right here in T&T. I believe this MoU will bring that oneness between the cities and the countries by extension.

"In Argentina, it was the

Mayor of Port of Spain's idea to work together to form a community of Caribbean cities and we signed an agreement."

Cities included in the Argentina agreement are: Georgetown, Port of Spain, San Fernando, Belize City and one in Dominica.

Martinez had been appointed President of the group, Narine said.

"Ideas are good, yes, but action is necessary. Let this MoU that we sign today do not be an instrument of just words and talks, let us put it in action," Narine said.

It was noted that the MoU did not create legally-binding rights or obligations and its terms cannot be adjudicated before local or international courts.

Narine thanked the Port of Spain Corporation for the opportunity and acknowledged the Council's extended term of office. (Trinidad Newsday)

Region 6 teen cops GPF Spelling Bee championship

The winners show off their prizes at the completion of the final

F

ourteen-year-old Jaya Roopnarain of Regional Police Division No 6 won the final of the Guyana Police Force's (GPF) National Spelling Bee competition which was held

on Saturday.

Roopnarain was competing in the Spelling Bee competition for the first time, which was held at the Officers’ Training Centre at Eve Leary.

Second place went to Chavelle Solomon, 12, of Regional Police Division No 2 while coming in third was Shakeina Dublin, 14, of Regional Police Division No 10. The spell-off followed

14-year-old Jaya Roopnarain of Regional Police Division No 6

several heart-stopping rounds.

The other participants that reached the final were

Shania Walcott, 13, of Region No 3; Janiya Thomas, 14, of Region No 4C and Colvis Innis, 13, of Region 5.

Some of the prizes handed over to the participants included medals, trophies, and bicycles for the first, second and third-place winners.

The final of the Spelling Bee was chaired by Head of the Police Community Relations Department Superintendent Cristal Robinson.

Among those present were Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram; Commander of Regional Police Division No 5, Kurleigh Simon; Commander of Regional Police Division No 2, Khemraj Shivbaran; Commander of Police Regional Division No 10, Hugh Winter; Head of IT, Senior Superintendent Jermaine Johnson, and other senior and junior officers, ranks and special invitees.

Burglar arrested after breaking into, stealing from church

O

ne man is in Police custody after he allegedly broke into a church at Number 53 Village on Friday evening and stole several items.

He was reportedly arrested after he was seen with a bulky bag filled with items that he could not have given an account for.

On Saturday, Pastor of Union Village Harvest Assemblies visited the Number 51 Police Station and reported that the place of worship was burglarised. At that point, he was informed of the arrest and the recovery of the stolen items.

According to Pastor Welch, the building was secured with all the electric lights turned off but whilst in the area on Saturday he realised that the bulbs were alight.

He said upon investigating, he discovered that the stage was ransacked.

According to him, a laptop computer, a drop cord, and small electrical items were missing.

The pastor related that the perpetrator gained access to the building by climbing onto the roof and going through a small opening be-

The Union Village Harvest Assemblies

tween the rafter and the zinc sheet. He said it would appear that the intruder tried to break the lock on the door from the inside but failed.

“The hammer he used broke and he left the handle in the church.” At the time of his arrest, he was carrying the hammer without the handle.

Welch is of the belief that the perpetrator was attempting to remove more items from the church but because he could not get the door open and had to leave the same way he entered, he could have only taken small items.

Several items in the

building were also damaged.

The laptop computer was donated to the church by Godin Harbhajan in August.

Harbhajan has noted the increase in breakages and robberies on the Upper Corentyne.

Only Sunday Police said that a 35-year-old labourer of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice was in custody assisting with their investigations of an alleged armed robbery committed on a businesswoman at Number 59 Village, Corentyne.

The robbery reportedly occurred on Saturday evening.

NEWS

17

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

24-hour water supply, housing development for Mahdia

A Mahdia resident raising concerns during Sunday’s engagement with the Ministers

R

esidents of Mahdia, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), are slated to benefit from improved water access and housing development as part of the Government’s plans to develop the township.

This was revealed by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal during a visit to the municipality on Sunday. He was accompanied by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, to engage residents on sever-

al Government programmes and policies which will develop their communities.

During the meeting at the Mahdia Secondary School, Minister Croal announced plans to enhance the water supply for households through the provision of 24hour water services. He also discussed plans for housing development in Mahdia.

Residents were also given the opportunity to raise a number of concerns with the Ministers.

Since taking office in August 2020, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government has injected some $1.5 billion into its hinterland water programme in its quest to increase hinterland water coverage by 100 per cent by 2025.

This money has resulted in the drilling of new well systems and upgrades to existing systems in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight and Nine (Upper Takutu-

Upper Essequibo). Several riverine Amerindian communities within the coastal regions are being looked at for upgrades to the systems.

Minister Croal had said back in September that these investments are based on an assessment done on water coverage across the hinterland. Based on that assessment, he noted the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) crafted a five-year strategic plan to guide the hinterland and coastal water programme.

The Housing and Water Minister explained that while the focus is on coverage, an important component of the programme is to ensure residents are receiving water of acceptable quality.

Therefore, emphasis is placed on those communities that depend on the creeks or rivers for water for domestic use, he stated.

“Many of the riverine communities, for example, their main source of water is from the river, as the years go by the quality of that water gets bad because of the number of mining activities, the amount of movement within the river…so, we have been putting more and more systems in those areas as well as seeking to tap into the natural flow if there’s spring water as well as using from

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

the mountains,” the Minister had noted.

According to Croal, these initiatives are aimed at providing a better quality of life to the citizens. It is also in keeping with the Government of Guyana’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six – water and sanitation for all.

In the Ministry of Finance’s 2022 Mid-Year Report, it was disclosed that of the $394.5 million allocated for hinterland water sup-

ply systems, $164.3 million was expended.

New wells and distribution networks will be completed by the end of his year at Itabac, Sand Hill, Maikwak and Kaman in the Potaro-Siparuni region Currently, about 61 per cent of the hinterland population has access to potable water, and once the projects are completed, the Administration’s 2022 target of 70 per cent will be well in order.

Lethem Health Centre gets new ATV to expand vaccination coverage

The newly-acquired ATV on a test drive

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh hands over the key to the ATV to Regional Chairman Brian Allicock

T

he Maternal and Child Health Department of the Lethem Regional Hospital in Region Nine (Upper

Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Saturday received a new All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to boost its current expanded vaccination programme.

The $3 million automobile was purchased through the Government of Guyana, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

loan.

The key to the ATV was handed over to the Regional Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock, by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Ministry of Health, Dr Narine Singh. This was done in the presence of the Director of Family and Primary Health Care Services, Dr Ertenisa

Hamilton; Regional Health Officer (RHO) of Region Nine, Dr Cedel Mc Watt, and Hinterland Coordinator, Michael Gouveia.

According to Dr Hamilton, the purchase was made possible through the Maternal and Child Health Improvement Project of which Region

Nine was a beneficiary among other regions.

“This vehicle will be used to continue to provide services for women of reproductive age, neonates and children,” she explained. Saturday’s short handing-over ceremony was held in the compound of the Lethem Regional Hospital.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Haiti gang leader says Lula hopes to unite rainforest nations, tap funding at COP27 fuel distribution can resume as blockade ends A

H

aitian gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier said on Sunday that fuel trucks can approach the Varreux terminal without fear for their safety, days after Police broke up a blockade that had halted fuel distribution for nearly two months.

The G9 coalition of gangs led by Cherizier in mid-September dug trenches and put up barricades at the entrance to Varreux, leading to crippling fuel shortages and creating a humanitarian crisis as Haitians struggled to find food and water.

"Once again, the drivers and employees of the

Varreux terminal can come down without fear," Cherizier said in a video circulating online. "We've decided among us ... to allow for the gas to be released."

Haiti's Police on Friday said they had retaken control of the terminal after confronting the gangs in the area. Heavy shooting continued on Saturday, said one source familiar with the situation, adding things had calmed down on Sunday.

It was still not evident when fuel would begin flowing.

"Our government is working hard on getting our

citizens back to everyday activities," said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who declined to comment on Cherizier's statement.

"We appreciate the efforts of the national police forces. We need schools to reopen. We need to go to elections so our country can have legitimate institutions."

The blockade created a humanitarian crisis so severe that the United Nations last month discussed sending a strike force to take back control of the terminal. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Thousands march in Peru, demanding resignation of leftist President Castillo

T

housands of people took to the streets across Peru on Saturday to demand the resignation of embattled President Pedro Castillo, a leftist whose Government is under investigation for corruption.

Carrying the Andean nation's vertically striped redwhite-red flag and signs with anti-Government slogans, protesters marched towards the Oppositiondominated Congress in the capital Lima.

Castillo has called those who oppose his Government "reactionaries" and "the enemies of people".

Police with helmets and plastic shields launched several tear gas canisters in an attempt to disperse the crowds. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Castillo, who took office in July last year, has already survived two impeachment attempts. Opposition legislators are seeking a fresh trial against the President even though Congress recognised it would not gather sufficient votes.

new alliance of rainforest nations – sought by Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – could be key to unlocking conservation funding and bolstering a flagging global forest pact at the COP27 climate summit, environmentalists say.

Before narrowly winning Brazil's run-off election vote on October 30, Lula began reaching out to Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about forming a united front of tropical forest countries, according to a top aide of the leftist leader.

In the run-up to the COP27 UN climate summit, taking place in Egypt from November 6-18, green groups urged Brazil and other forest nations to team up to increase their bargaining power during talks with potential donors over rainforest protection.

"An alliance of countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the DRC – who all face similar threats – can put pressure on richer coun-

J

tries to accelerate efforts to stop deforestation," said Annisa Rahmawati, head of Indonesian conservation group Satya Bumi, noting Lula's pledge to put forest protection at the heart of his economic plans and policies.

Cutting down forests has major implications for global goals to curb planetary warming, as trees absorb about a third of the climate-heating carbon emissions produced worldwide, but release the carbon they store when they rot or

are burned.

Forests also provide food and livelihoods, clean the air and water, support human health, are an essential habitat for wildlife, regulate rainfall and offer flood protection.

But as forest-rich countries grapple with energy and food price pressures linked to Russia's war on Ukraine, on top of fiscal pain from the COVID-19 pandemic, tapping into natural resources is seen by many as a solution. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Antigua and Barbuda to be represented at Regional Crime Symposium

A People carry a Peruvian flag, during a protest against the Government of Peru's President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru, November 5, 2022 (Reuters/Sebastian Castaneda)

"We see a Government involved in corruption and Congress doesn't react," said Lucas Ghersi, a conservative lawyer who is one of the organisers of the march, called Peru Reacts.

In October, Peru's attorney general filed a constitutional complaint against Castillo with Congress that the right-wing Opposition hopes will end in his removal from office.

Discontent has been rising in Peru. "I come for my children, for my grandchildren, because this

Government is becoming hell," said Maria del Pilar Blancas.

"They want us to become one more Venezuela," she said, referring to the South American neighbour that went into an economic freefall.

Similar protests were held in other cities across the country, including Arequipa, Chiclayo, Cusco and Trujillo, according to reports and images broadcast by local television channel Canal N. (Excerpt from Reuters)

contingent from Antigua and Barbuda will join with other forensic specialists from across the Region in Jamaica later this month to take part in the Caribbean Crime Symposium.

The symposium is being organised by the Caribbean Association of Forensic Sciences (CAFS) and will focus on highlighting the importance of forensic science in crime fighting, along with identifying different tools and methods that can aid in improving the services which have been plagued with a number of issues, the biggest being lack of resources.

Various experts from across the Region are expected to speak at the con-

aboard.

With this development, Johnson Smith said boat owners and fishers need to be mindful that countries in the region have changed their laws regarding how they deal with non-nationals caught fishing in their territorial waters.

Based on this, she said boat owners must obtain insurance and not simply rely on their Government.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also revealed that the Government has contributed to the repatriation of close to 5000 Jamaicans over the last two years.

She said during the pandemic there was an increase in the need to secure the country’s nationals and more than 3000 were returned from ships across 10 lines in seas and oceans around the world. (CMC)

ference.

The CAFS was initiated in 2012 by Dr Alfredo Walker and Inspector Gregory Williams, and the Founding Executive was established November 18, 2015 at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus in Jamaica.

The CAFS is a registered charity since November 2018 and is the only forensic science association in the Caribbean.

It represents a variety of forensic disciplines to include Fingerprint Examination, Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Firearms Examination, Forensic Photography, Forensic Laboratory Analysis, Questioned Documents, Firearms and Toolmark

Examination, Digital Evidence, Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Nursing, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Accounting, Forensic Pathology, Forensic Psychology, Criminology and General Forensics.

The President of CAFS, Inspector Williams, explained that a symposium like this one is imperative, not only to help the public to get a better understanding of the role forensic specialists play, but to help strengthen the regional ties with these medical professionals in the fight to limit lawbreaking. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Former Petrobras executive asks Brazil court to block dividend payment

Jamaican fishermen held in Colombian waters G amaican Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith says the Government is currently discussing plans to repatriate several Jamaicans who were reportedly caught fishing illegally in Colombian waters.

Speaking in Senate on Friday, Johnson Smith said that the vessel was seized with 34 Jamaicans

Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

uilherme Estrella, former Director of Brazil's Statecontrolled oil giant Petrobras, filed a lawsuit in court to block the payment of dividends by the company.

In a late Friday filing, Petrobras reported that Estrella, a former director of exploration and production, requested the blocking of 32.1 billion reais (US$6.6 billion) in dividends that would be paid in advance to the Federal

Government, as approved in July.

Estrella asks for studies to be carried out to prove that the distribution of dividends does not compromise the company's competitiveness.

Petrobras did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

The move represents another question faced by the company over its generous payout policy this year amid rising profits fuelled

by higher oil prices.

On Friday, Prosecutors from Brazil's audit court TCU asked to suspend dividends of around 43.7 billion reais announced by Petrobras last week on the back of a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit.

According to Reuters calculations, the amount represents more than double the average shareholder benefit paid by each of the five biggest Western oil producers. (US$1 = 5.0557 reais) (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS OPEC: Higher oil investments are needed to avoid rampant volatility

T

he oil industry needs to increase investment in capacity and new production so that the oil market can avoid high volatility in the future, OPEC’s Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said this week.

Al Ghais stressed the importance of increasing investments in the oil sector in an exclusive interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi.

The significant decline in investments in the oil industry, which began with the price crash of 2015 and then again in 2020 with the first COVID wave, is exacerbating volatility in the oil market, OPEC’s secretary general said.

Before 2016, investments in the oil industry topped $500 billion per year, but have declined since, leading to lower production capacity, Al Ghais told WAM. Spare capacity globally is currently very low and in the hands of two of the major OPEC producers, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

OPEC’s Al Ghais reiterated recent comments from Saudi Arabia and other major producers that have said that the current energy crisis was years in the making with underinvestment in oil and gas.

Years of underinvestment in oil and gas production is the leading cause of today’s energy crisis, and when the global economy rebounds from the current slowdown, the little spare oil production capacity that’s left will be wiped out, Saudi Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said in September. Investment in oil and gas more than halved between 2014 and 2021, Nasser said, adding that “The increases this year are too little, too late, too short-term.”

“These are the real causes of this state of energy insecurity: under-investment in oil and gas; alternatives not ready; and no back-up plan,” Saudi Aramco’s CEO said back in September.

This week at the ADIPEC conference, OPEC launched the 2022 edition of its World Oil Outlook, which says that “all forms of energy will be needed to address future energy needs,” and that oil is expected to retain the largest share in the energy mix through 2045, accounting for almost a 29 per cent share then. OPEC’s outlook also showed that the global oil sector will need cumulative investment of US$12.1 trillion in the upstream, midstream, and downstream through 2045, equating to over US$500 billion per year. (Oilprice.com)

US Powerball jackpot climbs to recordbreaking US$1.9B

A

n already record-breaking US Powerball jackpot grew to a whopping US$1.9 billion one after no one secured a winning ticket in Saturday night's drawing, according to lottery officials.

The estimated US$1.6 billion that was up for grabs on Saturday had been the largest lotto prize ever offered, Powerball said.

To win the big prize, a player must guess all six lucky numbers, including the final "Powerball." The winning numbers drawn on Nov 5 were 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and the Powerball 20.

The next chance for ticket buyers to clinch the jackpot will be today's draw, although they would have to

overcome the steep odds of 1 in 292.2 million to secure a win.

No one has won the jackpot since Aug 3, when a lucky ticket holder from Pennsylvania took home over US$200 million, according to Powerball.

The prize money has since mushroomed, generating lots of business at gas stations and newsstands around the United States, where Americans buy Powerball tickets for US$2 a pop.

Winners may decide to receive their money as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum cash payment.

Both types of winnings are subject to federal and local taxes. (Reuters)

Passenger plane crashes into Lake Victoria in Tanzania, 19 dead

A

t least 19 people died when a passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday while trying to land at a nearby airport, the Prime Minister and airline said.

Flight PW494, operated by Precision Air, hit the water during storms and heavy rain, the state Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) reported.

Rescuers in boats rushed to the wreckage, which was almost fully submerged, to pull out trapped passengers, local authorities said.

"All Tanzanians join you in mourning these 19 people ... who have lost their lives," Prime

Rescuers attempt to recover the Precision Air passenger plane that crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania

Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in the lakeside city of Bukoba, close to the scene of the crash.

Investigators were looking into what happened, he added.

The plane left the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and "crash-landed" at 8:53 am (0553 GMT) as it was approaching Bukoba airport, Precision Air - Tanzania's largest privately owned airline said in a statement.

The plane was carrying 39 passengers, including an infant, as well as four

crew members, the airline added. It initially said 26 of the 43 people on board were rescued but later said 24 survivors were reported by emergency services at the scene.

Video and pictures on social media showed the plane almost fully submerged, with only its green and brown-coloured tail visible above the waterline of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake.

The two pilots survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers from the cockpit before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling, Albert Chalamila, chief administrator of Tanzania's Kagera region, told Reuters. They were dead when rescue workers reached them, but the two flight attendants survived, he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukraine war: Kyiv Mayor Klitschko warns of evacuations if power lost Standoff as Italy stops male migrants from disembarking rescue ship

Kyiv residents fill up water bottles after their homes were left without water due to Russian missile strikes

K

yiv residents should be prepared to leave the city if there is a total loss of power, its Mayor has said.

In recent weeks millions of Ukrainians have intermittently been left without electricity and water, as Russian air strikes target vital infrastructure.

Rolling power cuts are also in place to avoid overloads and to allow for repairs.

Some 40 per cent of Ukraine's energy system has been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks on power plants and lines.

Another city official has warned that, in the case of a total blackout, water supply and sewage would also stop working.

The Geneva Conventions, which outline humanitarian standards for treatment in war, state that attacks should not be carried out against "civilian objects".

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko branded Russia's targeting of infrastructure as "terrorism" and "geno-

cide".

Russian President Vladimir Putin "doesn't need us Ukrainians. He needs territory, he needs Ukraine without us", the former heavyweight boxer said.

"That's why everything that is happening now [strikes on infrastructure] is genocide. His task is for us to die, to freeze, or to make us flee our land so that he can have it."

In winter in Kyiv, the average temperature is below freezing and drops even further at night.

Klitschko said that while authorities are doing "everything" to keep the lights on and water flowing, he was ensuring preparations were in place for different scenarios.

He added that the authorities were stocking up on fuel, food and water, and residents should do the same. At least 1000 heating shelters are being set up across the city where people will be able to get warm in an emergency. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Some 35 men remain on the ship after they were not allowed to disembark

A

migrant rescue ship is refusing to leave an Italian port after authorities prevented 35 men from disembarking.

Children and people with medical issues were allowed to leave the Humanity 1 in Sicily after it spent two weeks requesting port access.

Two other rescue boats remain at sea.

The new Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has promised to crack down on migrants travelling across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

Italy is one of the main entry points into Europe and since the start of the year 85,000 migrants have arrived on boats, according to the UN. Many of the migrants set sail in small boats and are rescued by charity vessels during their journey.

In total 144 people were allowed to disembark the Humanity 1, which sails under a German flag, on

Sunday morning.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said those who did not qualify as vulnerable would have to leave Italian waters and should be taken care of by the "flag state".

However, the ship's captain is refusing to leave the port in Catania "until all survivors rescued from distress at sea have been disembarked", said SOS Humanity, the German charity that operates the ship.

In a series of tweets, the charity added that "the law of the sea obliges him [the captain] to bring all those rescued from distress to a safe place.

"Survivors have the right to an individual protection check, which can only be done on land. Rejecting the 35 people seeking protection aboard Humanity 1 from territorial waters is a form of collective refusal and is therefore illegal."

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

An activity that gets your blood flowing will improve your stamina and help you finish what you start. Refuse to let anyone push you in the wrong direction.

Put your energy to work for you.

(March 21-April 19) Draw on your resources, and you'll discover ways to make your life easier.

Take care of your responsibilities before you tackle tasks that don't belong to you.

Strive for perfection.

DILBERT (April 20-May 20)

Set your sights on what you want, and don't stop until you are confident you have reached your destination of choice. It's nice to help others, but before you do, help yourself.

(May 21-June 20) Embrace change, approach life with a positive attitude and share information with others. You will find peace of mind and happiness. Take the initiative -- you have nothing to fear!

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

You'll need discipline and energy to overcome the obstacles you encounter.

Refuse to let sudden changes disrupt your plans. Take precautions to avoid arguments, injury and illness.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Go on an adventure, try something new, switch things up and see what develops. Be open to suggestions, but don't let anyone bully you into something that benefits them more than it does you.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take it easy, don't get worked up over trivial matters and pay attention to self-improvement instead of trying to change others. Fitness and personal growth will help you put things in perspective.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take what you've got and do your best. Anger and impulse will get you in trouble. Change doesn't always make things better. Slow down and consider the outcome of your decisions.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Get your act together, stick to the truth and question anything that doesn't sound right. Take responsibility for your words and actions. Keep your life simple.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Making your space comfortable and convenient will turn your place into the perfect drop-in center for friends, family and peers. Mixing business with pleasure will pay off.

FRIDAY'S WORD -- RENEGADE

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take a moment to go over what's happening before you make a move.

Understanding the dynamics will enable you to make wise decisions. Channel your energy with care and be disciplined.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Move money around, make investments and update documents. Don't waste time arguing with someone. Focus on health, wealth and legal issues.

Ignore those who have unrealistic expectations.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

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uryakumar Yadav’s astonishing death-overs hitting launched India to a commanding 186 for 5 – Suryakumar’s share being 61 not out off 25. India’s quicks then shut the game down quickly, reducing Zimbabwe to 28 for 3 by the end of the powerplay, then 36 for 5 soon after.

There were patches of Zimbabwe resistance. In India’s innings, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza combined to take a wicket in each of the 12th, 13th, and 14th overs. Then Raza and Ryan Burl put on 60 off 35 for the sixth wicket, though Zimbabwe’s run rate never really caught up to the requirement.

But otherwise, India crushed it.

KL Rahul hit his second successive fifty, making 51 off 35. Virat Kohli reclaimed his spot atop the tournament run-getters’ list with his 26 off 25.

Then Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar used swing beautifully to take a wicket in each of their first overs, before Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya also got among the wickets.

R Ashwin finished things off, taking 3 for 22 from his four overs. The result was a 71-run victory.

Where do you bowl to Suryakumar? England will now have to try to figure this out before

Hardik Pandya celebrates a wicket with his team-mates

their semi-final on Thursday.

There was a gorgeous six over extra cover off Tendai Chatara to close out the 18th over, but the more impressive shots came over fine leg. Zimbabwe stacked the off side and tried to go full and wide to Suryakumar. The batter, though, kept throwing his front leg away to the offside, sometimes as far as the wide markers on the crease.

Then he swept two of those balls with such immense power as to almost defy physics, all the way over the fine-leg boundary.

Last ball of the innings was another wide full toss, but because fine leg was back for this, Suryakumar went with more of a scoop, shovelling it over his left shoulder, the ball carrying just over

the rope once again.

Rahul gets India humming It had been Rahul who did most to give Suryakumar the platform, though. Having batted out a maiden against Richard Ngarava first up, he hit a six way over deep square leg midway through Ngarava’s next over, and seemed in good touch from then on.

There were two more sixes, both down the ground, the second of which brought up his halfcentury. But in between, plenty of smart running, particularly in the company of Virat Kohli.

Zimbabwe’s brief squeeze Despite Rahul’s fifty,

Zimbabwe did launch a fightback, between the 12th and 15th overs.

Williams first got Kohli out, having him caught at long-off. Next over, Raza dismissed Rahul, slowing the ball up, and having him give a high catch to long-off again, when Rahul had tried to repeat the six that had taken him past fifty, previous ball.

The third wicket was down to an outstanding running catch from Burl, who was at long-on to lefthander Rishabh Pant. Pant nailed one flat and hard off the bowling of Williams, but Burl sprinted full tilt along the boundary to get both hands to it, completing the catch with a dive.

After India had hit 83 runs off the last six overs of their innings, India’s seamers made a Zimbabwe win all but impossible inside the powerplay. A late-swinging Bhuvneshwar delivery was almost middled by Wessly Madhevere, but not far away from Kohli at short cover, who took a sharp catch diving low to his right.

Next over, Arshdeep swung one through the defences of Regis Chakabva. Then late in the powerplay, Williams slashed one to deep third. When Hardik Pandya had Craig Ervine caught and bowled in the seventh over, and Shami nailed Tony Munyonga in front the over after that, the

T20 World Cup: Pakistan beat Bangladesh to seal semi-final spot

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haheen Afridi’s four-wicket haul has helped Pakistan clinch a semi-final spot at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup with a fivewicket victory over Bangladesh in Adelaide, Australia on Sunday.

At the start of the day Pakistan needed plenty to go right just to be in contention for a semi-final berth and Babar Azam’s side had everything go exactly how they wanted as they clinched what looked to be an unlikely spot in the final four.

The Netherlands’ stunning victory over South Africa earlier in the day left Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh as a virtual quarter-final and the contest between the two Asian sides kept everyone on the edge of their seat right until the gripping climax.

Afridi looked back to his brilliant best with impressive figures of 4/22 at Adelaide Oval as Bangladesh could manage just 1278 in good batting conditions and Pakistan found the victory target with two overs remaining despite a few wobbles in reply.

Babar (25) and Mohammad Rizwan (32) are arguably the best opening pair in T20I cricket, but up until Sunday’s match neither player had done much at the T20 World Cup. The pair had put on 57 for the opening wicket and it looked like they were going to propel Pakistan to an easy victory, until both were

removed in quick succession as Bangladesh found a glimmer of hope.

That hope was built upon when Litton Das threw down the stumps of Mohammad Nawaz to send the Pakistan all-rounder packing as nerves began to set in for Babar’s talented side.

But that was as good as it got as Bangladesh’s campaign came to an end and Pakistan’s continued on to the knockout stages in the semifinals.

Shakib Al Hasan was a frustrated man during much of Sunday’s clash and it all began when he was given out lbw for a golden duck as Bangladesh’s strong start inside their batting powerplay was suddenly halted.

The experienced Bangladesh leader was given out lbw first ball

by South Africa umpire Adrian Holdstock and he immediately sent the decision to be reviewed as he was convinced he had edged the ball onto his pad.

Shakib’s frustration grew when the TV umpire confirmed the onfield decision, and it was further confounded during Pakistan’s innings when he wasn’t allowed to review an lbw decision against Nawaz due to the time having elapsed. It wasn’t meant to be for Shakib or for Bangladesh, but the Asian team can hold their heads high for the way they have performed at the tournament.

(ICC)

SCOREBOARD Bangladesh (20 ovs maximum) Najmul Hossain Shanto b Iftikhar Ahmed 54 Litton Das c Shan Masood b Shaheen Shah Afridi 10 Soumya Sarkar c Shan Masood b Shadab Khan 20 Shakib Al Hasan (c)lbw b Shadab Khan 0 Afif Hossain not out 24 Mosaddek Hossain b Shaheen Shah Afridi 5 Nurul Hasan †c Mohammad Haris b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 Taskin Ahmed c Babar Azam b Shaheen Shah Afridi 1 Nasum Ahmed c Mohammad Wasim b Haris Rauf 7 Mustafizur Rahman not out 0 Extras (b 2, lb 3, w 1) 6 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 6.35) 127/8 Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Litton Das, 2.5 ov), 2-73 (Soumya Sarkar, 10.4 ov), 3-73 (Shakib Al Hasan, 10.5 ov), 4-91 (Najmul Hossain Shanto, 13.2 ov), 5-107 (Mosaddek Hossain, 16.2 ov), 6-107 (Nurul Hasan, 16.5 ov), 7-109 (Taskin Ahmed, 18.1 ov), 8-126 (Nasum Ahmed, 19.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-0-22-4 Naseem Shah 3-0-15-0 Mohammad Wasim 2-0-19-0

Haris Rauf Shadab Khan Iftikhar Ahmed

4-0-21-1 4-0-30-2 3-0-15-1

Pakistan (T: 128 runs from 20 ovs) Mohammad Rizwan †c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Ebadot Hossain 32 Babar Azam (c)c Mustafizur Rahman b Nasum Ahmed 25 Mohammad Nawaz run out (Litton Das) 4 Mohammad Haris c Nasum Ahmed b Shakib Al Hasan 31 Shan Masood not out 24 Iftikhar Ahmed c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Mustafizur Rahman 1 Shadab Khan not out 0 Extras (lb 7, nb 2, w 2) 11 TOTAL 18.1 Ov (RR: 7.04) 128/5 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Babar Azam, 10.3 ov), 2-61 (Mohammad Rizwan, 11.2 ov), 3-92 (Mohammad Nawaz, 14.4 ov), 4-121 (Mohammad Haris, 16.5 ov), 5-126 (Iftikhar Ahmed, 17.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Taskin Ahmed 3-0-26-0 Nasum Ahmed 4-0-14-1 Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-35-1 Mustafizur Rahman 4-0-21-1 Ebadot Hossain 3.1-0-25-1

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road was too steep.

Even Burl and Raza’s excellent stand never really threatened.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD India (20 ovs maximum) KL Rahul c Masakadza b Sikandar Raza 51 Rohit Sharma (c) c Masakadza b Muzarabani 15 Virat Kohli c Burl b Williams 26 Suryakumar Yadav not out 61 Rishabh Pant †c Burl b Williams 3 Hardik Pandya c Muzarabani b Ngarava 18 Axar Patel not out 0 Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 6) 12 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 9.30) 186/5 Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Rohit Sharma, 3.5 ov), 2-87 (Virat Kohli, 11.5 ov), 3-95 (KL Rahul, 12.2 ov), 4-101 (Rishabh Pant, 13.3 ov), 5-166 (Hardik Pandya, 19.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Richard Ngarava 4-1-44-1 Tendai Chatara 4-0-34-0 Blessing Muzarabani 4-0-50-1 Wellington Masakadza 2-0-12-0 Ryan Burl 1-0-14-0 Sikandar Raza 3-0-18-1 Sean Williams 2-0-9-2 Zimbabwe (T: 187 runs from 20 ovs) Wessly Madhevere c Kohli b Kumar 0 Craig Ervine (c) c & b Pandya 13

Regis Chakabva † b Arshdeep Singh 0 Sean Williams c Kumar b Mohammed Shami 11 Sikandar Raza c Yadav b Pandya 34 Tony Munyonga lbw b Mohammed Shami 5 Ryan Burl b Ashwin 35 Wellington Masakadza c Sharma b Ashwin 1 Richard Ngarava b Ashwin 1 Tendai Chatara c & b Patel 4 Blessing Muzarabani not out 0 Extras (lb 3, nb 1, w 7) 11 TOTAL 17.2 Ov (RR: 6.63) 115 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Wessly Madhevere, 0.1 ov), 2-2 (Regis Chakabva, 1.4 ov), 3-28 (Sean Williams, 5.6 ov), 4-31 (Craig Ervine, 6.4 ov), 5-36 (Tony Munyonga, 7.3 ov), 6-96 (Ryan Burl, 13.2 ov), 7-104 (Wellington Masakadza, 15.1 ov), 8-106 (Richard Ngarava, 15.5 ov), 9-111 (Sikandar Raza, 16.4 ov), 10115 (Tendai Chatara, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-1-11-1 Arshdeep Singh 2-0-9-1 Mohammed Shami 2-0-14-2 Hardik Pandya 3-0-16-2 Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-22-3 Axar Patel 3.2-0-40-1

Sri Lanka’s Gunathilaka arrested in Australia on sexual assault allegations

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ri Lankan cricket authorities said on Sunday that Danushka Gunathilaka, a member of their team for the T20 World Cup tournament in Australia, had been arrested in Sydney over an alleged sexual assault.

Gunathilaka is due to face charges in court today, Sri Lanka Cricket said. It said in a statement it would closely monitor court proceedings and, in consultation with the International Cricket Council (ICC), launch an inquiry into the matter.

Australian Police said they had arrested a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national at a Sydney hotel shortly before 01:00h on Sunday over the alleged sexual assault of a 29-yearold woman, and charged him with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

Police said the alleged assault occurred on Wednesday evening after the two had

communicated for a number of days over a dating app.

“The pair met up in Sydney at a prearranged meeting. They had drinks and went for something to eat before going back to the young lady’s home,” said Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty at a press conference.

“Police will allege that whilst they were in her home, the male assaulted the female a couple of times whilst performing sexual acts upon her.”

The 31-year-old batter played a first-round match against Namibia at Geelong in Australia but was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup with a hamstring injury.

The Sri Lankan team were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup. They lost to England on Saturday night in their final match of the tournament. (Reuters)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Shock defeat ends South Africa's T20 World Cup as Netherlands script famous win T hat sinking feeling! The all-too-familiar 'c' thing, which will reverberate – again – for a while to come.

And the despondency, knocked out of yet another World Cup despite having everything under their control…

South Africa will have to deal with all of that and more after their horror run in Adelaide culminated in yet another heartbreak, this one perhaps bigger than anything they have endured in recent times on the cricket field.

But Netherlands, they will celebrate long and hard after scripting a seminal moment in their cricket history. If qualification into the Super 12s was big, victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites on Sunday could be even bigger, for a top-four finish in the group will guarantee them automatic qualification for the next edition of the T20 World Cup, in 2024.

Along with Netherlands, all of Pakistan and Bangladesh

Quinton de Kock is out cheaply

would have celebrated, too.

The match between those two teams later in the afternoon – which could have been dead had South Africa won – was turned into a knockout contest to decide the second semifinalists from Group 1, because Netherlands' win also meant India qualified for the final four.

Ironically, it was Johannesburg-born Roelof van

SCOREBOARD Netherlands Innings Stephan Myburgh c Rossouw b Markram 37 Max O’Dowd c Rabada b Maharaj 29 Tom Cooper c †de Kock b Maharaj 35 Colin Ackermann not out 41 Bas de Leede b Nortje 1 Scott Edwards (c)†not out 12 Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 7.90) 158/4 Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Stephan Myburgh, 8.3 ov), 2-97 (Max O’Dowd, 12.4 ov), 3-112 (Tom Cooper, 14.6 ov), 4-123 (Bas de Leede, 17.1 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Wayne Parnell 4-0-32-0 Kagiso Rabada 3-0-37-0 Lungi Ngidi 3-0-35-0 Anrich Nortje 4-0-10-1 Keshav Maharaj 4-0-27-2 Aiden Markram 2-0-16-1 South Africa (T: 159 runs from 20 ovs) Quinton de Kock †c † Edwards b Klaassen 13 Temba Bavuma (c) b van Meekeren 20 Rilee Rossouw c

O’Dowd b Glover 25 Aiden Markram c Myburgh b Klaassen 17 David Miller c van der Merwe b Glover 17 Heinrich Klaasen c van Beek b de Leede 21 Wayne Parnell c † Edwards b Glover 0 Keshav Maharaj c O’Dowd b de Leede 13 Kagiso Rabada not out 9 Anrich Nortje not out 4 Extras (nb 3, w 3) 6 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 7.25) 145/8 Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Quinton de Kock, 2.4 ov), 2-39 (Temba Bavuma, 5.6 ov), 3-64 (Rilee Rossouw, 9.3 ov), 4-90 (Aiden Markram, 12.3 ov), 5-112 (David Miller, 15.2 ov), 6-113 (Wayne Parnell, 15.4 ov), 7-120 (Heinrich Klaasen, 17.3 ov), 8-141 (Keshav Maharaj, 19.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Fred Klaassen 4-0-20-2 Paul van Meekeren 3-0-33-1 Colin Ackermann 3-0-16-0 Roelof van der Merwe 2-0-19-0 Brandon Glover 2-0-9-3 Logan van Beek 3-0-23-0 Bas de Leede 3-0-25-2

der Merwe, who represented South Africa in two editions of the tournament [2009 and 2010], who put a dagger in South African hearts with an incredible catch to turn the game around.

With South Africa needing 47 off 29, van der Merwe ran nearly 20 yards back, from short fine-leg towards square leg, to latch on to a catch from David Miller off Brandon Glover.

Having covered all that ground, while looking straight into the sun all along, he put in a dive as he pulled off a blinder with the ball swirling in the air.

The man who had been standing in the way of Netherlands and an unlikely win was gone. What followed was mayhem and magic in equal measure. South Africa imploded, Netherlands swelled with passion and pride. It was a victory to savour for the team in orange, a bitter pill to swallow for the men in green.

The Myburgh boost at the top The Netherlands' charge started with Stephan Myburgh's big hitting up front. In the second over, he hit Kagiso Rabada on the up twice to the extracover boundary to make his intentions clear. Over the course of the next 20 minutes, he gave a fine exhibition of aggressive batting, seemingly unperturbed by the reputation of Rabada and Anrich Nortje, as he pulled, whipped, cut, and drove his way

The Dutch pulled off a famous win

to seven boundaries. At 56 for no loss in eight overs, he had set a firm base. Even as Myburgh went hell for leather, Max O'Dowd was happy to turn the strike over and play the perfect second foil.

Cooper cranks it up Netherlands lost Myburgh to a slog sweep, but Tom Cooper, with all his experience of playing in the BBL, kept up the tempo. Let off on 11 when Aiden Markram put down a tough return chance, Cooper used the shorter boundaries to his advantage as he punished Markram and Rabada. But it wasn't just the pull that he profited from. With fields set for the shot, Cooper reverse-swept Keshav Maharaj for six over deep point where there were no boundary riders. He was beginning to look dangerous, but South Africa hit back with the wickets of O'Dowd and him in quick succession.

The big finish Going into the last four overs, Netherlands were in a slowdown with Colin Ackermann struggling for timing. He was on 9 off 11 and simply had to

find his hitting range quickly.

The wickets of Cooper and Bas de Leede didn't help. But Netherlands managed to wrest back the momentum in the 19th over when Rabada was hit for three fours, including a neat reverse scoop by Scott Edwards.

Ackermann then kicked up the perfect finish by muscling two sixes in the final over, bowled

by Wayne Parnell, to finish with 41 not out off 26. The last two overs brought Netherlands 31 and all the momentum heading into the break.

Quinton de Kock crashed a cover drive off the second ball, but left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen stuck to his strengths – varying his lengths and being deadly accurate – to string up 12 dot balls in his first three overs, all of them in the powerplay.

The bonus was the wicket of de Kock, who nicked behind while charging down the track. Temba Bavuma, who had been under pressure to score every time he's batted, was the next to go for a run-a-ball 20 when he played all around a full delivery after shuffling a long way across.

He saw his leg stump flattened and South Africa slipped to 39 for 2.

Nedd credits previous Super50 experience after Player-of-the-match performance

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uyanese left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd credited his previous knowledge of the West Indies Emerging Players after his Player-of-theMatch effort against Jamaica Scorpions in the CG United Super50.

Nedd claimed 3-33 in seven top overs during an important spell for the West Indies Academy on Saturday.

After the match, the 21-year-old Guyanese said it was a great feeling for the team. "Having a big heart when the captain asked for me. I have been here before, bowling in this type of format. The arm-ball worked pretty well."

"I feel great. After the first over, I was thinking Rovman (Powell) is a quality player, he played a lot of cricket. He jumped me in the first over, and that was playing on my mind. I always kept believing in myself," Nedd said.

In pursuit of 183, Jamaica looked firm for victory with West Indies players in the batting order. The likes of Powell,

Brandon King, Nkrumah Bonner, and Jermaine Blackwood could not dominate as per usual. Nedd said the West Indies Academy players kept on believing.

"After Rovman and McCarthy put on a good partnership, we were out of the game for a moment, but we pegged one, and we kept believing from there. We played a few practice matches before this one and we lost two, then came into the competition down two, so we gave it our all in this one," Nedd explained.

Summary of match: WI Academy: 182 all out in 44.5 overs. Kevin Wickham 46, Kevlon Anderson 33. Dennis Bulli 4-32. Scorpions: 170 all out in 39.4 overs.

Rovman Powell 42, Brandon King 28, Andre McCarthy 28. Joshua James 3-22, Ashmead Nedd 3-33.

The West Indies Academy will be in action on Wednesday, November 9 against Leeward Islands at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. (Brandon Corlette)

The Glover and van der Merwe show Six years ago, seamer Brandon Glover debuted for Boland in First-Class cricket, hoping to earn his stripes with South Africa. Fate would have something else in store. Three years after debuting in T20Is for Netherlands, Glover made his most impactful contribution yet, nipping out three big batters, including the set Rilee Rossouw and dangerman Miller – to that van der Merwe catch – to tilt the scales in Netherlands' favour. In between, Netherlands also had the wicket of Markram when Myburgh, who had let off Miller only a short while earlier at backward point, held on to an excellent catch at extra cover.

The wheels had truly come off for South Africa. Glover and de Leede stuck to their lengths to ensure no late dramas as Netherlands sealed a historic win. (ESPNcricinfo)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Looking to Heaven stands tall for the presentation photo after clinching the feature event Story and Photos By Brandon Corlette

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uyana's champion jockey, Colin Ross piloted Looking to Heaven to a crushing win in the feature event of the Port Mourant Turf Club

claimed the one-million-dollar prize dominating the field to finish ahead of Coup D' Etat of Jagdeo Racing Stables.

Jessica's Pride (third) and Golden Blue Echo (fourth) were the other top

A section of the crowd

horse meet on a cool afternoon in the Ancient County of Berbice.

The Jumbo Jet horse,

finishers in the feature event, which ran at a distance of one mile. The race had a slight delayed start

as two-time Guyana Cup champion, Vera's Finally was refusing to enter the starting gate.

The thrilling day began under clear skies with the J3 Non Starters. Tiny finished first ahead of Lord’s Gift l, Perfect Progressive and Republic 2 in that order. The opening race, which saw the top horse bagging $200,000, was sponsored by KP Jagdeo General Contractors and stakes was presented by Sandeep Poultry Supply.

The second race of the day was the J Class event which saw Red Star pipping Cash Return to claim the $300,000 cash prize.

Perfect Storm finished third while Skittles came fourth. In the third race of the day, Princess Stefan’s got the better of American Traveller in the G&Lower event. Amicable Kate and Memories finished third and fourth respectively.

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Red Ammunition claimed the win in the two-year-old maidens race

In the fourth race, which was the two-year old maidens, 13 starters took centre stage. Red Ammunition left the competition in the dust, finishing first to claim the $400,000 first prize.

Hayley finished second while Legacy and Rough Ride rounded out the top four.

The next race is billed for Sunday, November 27 at Rising Sun Turf Club. Banks DIH are

the major sponsors, while KP Jagdeo, AJM, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Anil Sawh Contractor, Kascon Engineering, P&P Insurance Brokers, and Delmur Company Limited are the other sponsors.

Owners and officials making the presentation after Red Ammunition’s win

Star-studded JC Chandisingh Secondary are Fyah Friday champions

By Brandon Corlette

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aptained by discarded national player Jonathan Foo, JC Chandisingh Secondary (JCSS) emerged as victors in the Fyah Friday T10 tournament played over the weekend at Albion Sports Complex.

This tournament ,which was organised by the Port Mourant Secondary School, saw JCSS defeating the New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMS) under lights in the T10 contest.

Former national youth player Javed Karim was the star of the final, claiming 2-11 and scoring an unbeaten 19. Batting first, NAMS posted 54-6 in 10 overs, with Devendra Ramkishun scoring an unbeaten 15 and Suresh Dhanai contributing 12. Karim, one of two guest players for JCSS, claimed two wickets, and was supported

by Foo, who had 2-18 in two overs.

The NAMS side was baptised by the fiery national fast bowlers Keon Joseph and Demetri Cameron, who got the fair-sized crowd at Albion abuzz. In the chase, JCSS ended on 55-3 in 8.5 overs, with Karim scoring an unbeaten 19 along with Jonathan Rampersaud, who made 13 not out, as JCSS won by seven wickets. Dhanai had 2-18 for NAMS. Earlier, in the semi-final, NAMS defeated the Berbice High School by six wickets.

Berbice High School posted 63 all out in 10 overs with Kevon Jawahir scoring 20 and Alex Algoo contributing 13. Former national youth off-spinner Seon Glasgow, who had a hat-trick in the earlier game, claimed 3-8 in two overs for NAMS. Dhani had 2-7. In response, NAMS reached 64-4 with Seon Hetmyer, the elder brother of Shimron Hetmyer, scoring

13 not out. Jawahir had 2-10 in two overs of leg-spin for Berbice High School.

The one-day tournament, which featured six teams, began in grand style when NAMS beat hosts Port Mourant Secondary in a super over. NAMS posted 71-6 in 10 overs, with Garfield Benjamin scoring 31. Former Test player Devendra Bishoo had 1-9 bowling for Port Mourant Secondary.

In response, Rampertab Ramnauth led the Port Mourant school to 71-7 in 10 overs, after the left-hander scored 25. Glasgow starred for NAMS with 3-10.

The powerful Glasgow returned with bat in the super over, and helped NAMS chased down 10 in the next over, hitting Bishoo for a maximum.

BHS also knocked out the Junior Sinclair-led Lower Corentyne Secondary.

Berbice High School defended their total of 60-9 in 10

JC Chandisingh Secondary School are 2022 Fyah Friday champions

overs. Algoo made 35 for his side, while Ishwar Singh, the brother of current USA player Gajanand Singh, bowled Berbice High School to victory, restricting Lower Corentyne to 56-8 in 10 overs.

Singh had 2-2 in two top overs.

JCSS, who drew a bye

to the final, had also defeated Corentyne Comprehensive by 15 runs. JCSS posted 828, with Foo scoring 21 and Karim scoring 15. Turbo Jagdeo had 3-17 in two overs. In response, Jason Sinclair's unbeaten 28 failed to take Comprehensive to the total of 83, as they end-

ed on 67-5. Former Test player Sewnarine Chattergoon made eight as JCSS had a collective bowling effort.

The tournament, which featured mostly past students of the respective schools, was hailed as a success by the organisers after its return post COVID-19.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022

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

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