Guyana Times - Thursday, April 6, 2023

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday received a courtesy visit from Baroness Valerie Ann Amos, LG, CH, PC at State House. The Guyana-born Baroness is a British politician and diplomat who previously served as the

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Taxi driver busted with $5M imported ganja

Ataxi driver was on Monday escorted to the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) headquarters after agents discovered a quantity of imported cannabis in his motorcar.

CANU related that on Monday, 51-yearold Pradesh Hardwar of Zeelugt Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo was driving taxi HB5990 when it was intercepted. A search conducted on the vehicle in Hardwar’s presence unearthed the cannabis in the form of 12 brick-like parcels.

Hardwar and the cannabis were taken to CANU Headquarters where the drug tested positive for im-

ported cannabis, also referred to as ‘Poppy’, with a total weight of 13.4kg, which has a street value of $5 million. Investigations are ongoing.

CANU intercepts Charity resident with narcotics

Twenty-three-yearold Corwayne Gomes of Grant Opposition, Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) is expected to be slapped with a possession of narcotics charge following a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit operation on Monday.

During that operation, conducted at Charity Stelling, the suspect was observed carrying a plastic bag, and CANU ranks requested permission to search the bag, which resulted in them unearthing

Essequibo location, where the cannabis was weighed

the cannabis in the form of a red brick-like parcel.

Gomes was arrested and escorted to the CANU

and amounted to 438 grams. He remains in custody pending arraignment before a magistrate.

Pradesh Hardwar

The cannabis that was unearthed during the search

The cannabis found in the plastic bag

Corwayne Gomes

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, April 6 – 04:15h-05:45h and Friday, April 7 – 05:15h-06:45h.

Companies exploring for oil offshore Guyana have to follow rigid timelines – VP Jagdeo

Thursday, April 6 –16:40h-18:10h and Friday, April 7 – 05:00h-06:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, with clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 4.02 metres and 6.25 metres.

High Tide: 04:41h and 17:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.73 and 2.75 metres.

Low Tide: 10:35h and 22:50h reaching minimum heights of 0.43 metre and 0.50 metre.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

The companies currently bidding for Guyana’s oil blocks will have to adhere to rigid timelines for the exploration and production of oil, if successful. This is in order to prevent companies from just sitting on Guyana’s oil resources for years without any developments coming to the country.

Making this pronouncement was Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during the local content summit on Tuesday. The Vice President explained that Government’s intent is to ensure activities are always ongoing in the oil and gas sector, and opportunities are constantly being generated for local content.

“We have said that all we are doing is to sustain the level, and we’ll do so aggressively and unashamedly to sustain high levels of activity for the next, at a minimum, 50 years. And that means licensing the new FPSOs consistently, and encouraging investments. It means going out, as we’ve done, to auctions in the manner that we’ve done so,” he said.

Jagdeo pointed out that there can be between five and 14 investors in the oil blocks currently on auction. This is because the blocks have been limited to no more than three per investor. One thing is clear, however, Jagdeo noted: whoever successfully owns and operates the block will have rigid timelines within which to start exploration and development.

“Because we’ve limited the allocation up to three blocks per bidder. So, you can potentially have a minimum of five persons or companies succeeding. They all have to be exploring at the same time, with very rigid timelines that will bump up activity levels in the country, which means a lot for the locals,” the Vice President further said.

The sizes of the 14 oil blocks on auction range from 1000 to 3000 square kilometres (sq.km). Among the fiscal terms for the blocks is a 10 per cent royalty and 50/50 profit shar -

ing after cost oil recovery.

Government’s extra steps to guard against companies keeping blocks for years without drilling them come in the wake of its experience with Canadian oil company CGX Energy. Both the Corentyne and Demerara blocks had been in CGX’s hands for some time without being drilled.

Earlier this year, CGX Energy announced it had completed what has been a month-long process to relinquish its stake of the Demerara and Berbice blocks, a decision that the company had said would allow “other interested parties” to explore for oil in the blocks.

The Guyana Government launched the current oil blocks’ auction in December 2022, putting

14 areas offshore up for grabs – 11 in the shallow area and three in the deepsea area.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had previously disclosed

that more than 20 renowned oil and gas companies have indicated their interest in buying oil blocks, and have already submitted bids.

TURN TO PAGE 7

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

...to ensure activity is always ongoing & generating opportunities for locals

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Family structures

Over the last four decades, developing Caribbean countries have been struggling to maintain law and order within their respective territories while simultaneously causing a reduction in the increasing levels of crime and criminality in their societies, which pose the most serious threat to their forward movement and the notion of national security.

While these countries have all approached the subject matter differently, most of them have failed in addressing the root causes of crime and criminality, so much so that their judicial systems have become ineffective and slothful in the dispensation of justice.

This is not as a result of poor management on the part of the Judiciary, or the lack of adequate resources in the form of magistrates or lawyers, but can be directly attributed to a breakdown in the traditional family structures within our societies; the changing socioeconomic, domestic, and regional environment; the shifting of gender roles; the emergence of new and complex gender identities; and the changing dynamics of a world now driven by newer forms of information and communication technologies.

While all of the abovementioned factors are important to any discussion on solving the proliferation of crime within our regional economies, many researchers and policy makers underestimate the role of males and boys in growth and sustenance of the Region’s crime problem. In fact, little or no effort is made to reform our boy children to ensure that they are able to contribute in more meaningful, progressive and productive ways to the societies in which they live.

The truth is that most Caribbean men and boys are being poorly socialised, and are many times not given enough attention during their early years of development at home, in school, and within the wider society from adults who still arguably have the ability to mould them into right-thinking, right-acting and upstanding menfolk who are employable, educated, and civilised men within their communities.

At an early age, boys within developing countries are told they must be tough, and that the burden to provide for their families still falls on their shoulders, despite the shifting gender roles and the advances made in gender equality. They are socialised to hide their weaknesses and sensitivities, and to shun anything that even slightly appears feminine.

We must re-educate our boys, therefore, and change how they perceive the importance of an education, despite the economic hardships and feminisation of this tool by the societies in which they dwell.

Renowned Jamaican educator Wayne Campbell offers a number of solutions for saving our boys and reducing their involvement in crime, which could see them moving from not populating jails, but universities and think-tanks that arrive at solutions for male empowerment and the economic advancement of the entire family as a unit. Campbell asserts that “there is also the need to urgently recast our current gender policy. One way of doing so is to incorporate more men in the discourse to shape our national gender policy. It’s ludicrous to think that women only, or a gender board dominated by women can advocate the needs of our boys and men. We also need to examine the possibility of creating so-called ‘boy-friendly’ curricula, assessment and pedagogical practices. We now know that boys learn differently than girls, and therefore we should use this knowledge to refashion teaching methodologies that speak to both sexes in the classroom.”

In Guyana, there is need to view the issue of male underperformance and underachievement with a sense of urgency and dispatch. If not, we are going to continue to witness the spread of a deviant strand of hyper- masculinity sweeping across the education system. This reconstruction of masculinity is already manifesting itself in all our schools. Our boys are wearing their school pants well below their waist, and at times exposing their undergarments. Those boys who wear the uniform correctly are teased and referred to as “old”.

We echo the call made by Dr Ralph Gonsalves on February 14, 2023 at the 2nd International Energy Conference and Expo in Georgetown, Guyana, when he called on regional leaders to focus on the importance of the unique family structure in today’s society.

A downward slide to irrelevance?

Dear Editor, Guyana’s newly-found oil wealth seems to be giving the world another kind of oil curse. Besides the ‘Dutch Disease’ and ‘resource course’, seems we can now add ‘Petro delusions’.

This new curse is a direct effect of three outcomes of our country’s 2020 elections. There was the failed attempted rigging, the need to get us to forget that ugly incident, and the PNC’s loss of control of the oil money.

The control of the oil money meant staying in office, even if by rigging. According to the failed riggers, Guyana has suddenly become rich, and the money is in the hands of the evil PPPC Government. They would have shared it with everyone (as with the US$18M signing bonus). But according to them, PPPC are using it only to make their “friends, family, and favourites” rich. They don’t see the Government as managing the earnings for the country’s development. These ‘Petro delusions’ have sparked a raging race-hate campaign by the Opposition coalition partners. They claim to be fighting for the freedom of “black” Guyanese at roadside meetings and on social media, but the newly self-appointed freedom fighters are really fighting for the right to rig elections and control our country’s oil wealth. They want the freedom to break the law, preach racism, and obstruct the development of our country.

The PNC, after eventually getting power in 2015,

used the years in office trying to fix themselves permanently in power, only to lose it in 2020. It made them realise that rigging is now difficult. And so started the desperate delusional campaign to discredit the elections and the duly elected Government.

The campaign uses delusions of Governmental racism against “black” Guyanese. They see corruption with the Government having vast oil riches sharing with “family, friends, and favourites”.

Also, stemming from the failed rigging attempt and loss of control of oil funds is the delusion that dead and migrated people voted; that the PPPC rigged the elections to cheat them out of office.

They also claimed that the Americans installed the Government; that the President and Government are illegal. So, for them, the President is the “installed president”, and the Government is “the installed regime”. Based on the PNC and partners' narrative, the role of the electorate is non-existent. The only acceptable outcome of the 2020 elections should be the rigged results concocted by the then-CEO.

The Opposition's delusions are driven and made more intense by hate for the PPPC and its supporters. So, they feed their supporters the narrative that the elected Government is racist, undemocratic, corrupt, lawless, and an evil dictatorship. The PPPC Government oppresses Afro-Guyanese;

those who join the PPP are bribed to do so. They say PPP pays Afro-Guyanese members to keep quiet about the Government's evil acts, or they are controlled by fear of victimization, so they can’t speak out against the evils they experience, as imagined by the Opposition partners.

The racist campaign spurred by the 2020 loss sees the PNC claiming sections of the population as “our people”. And the PPPC has no right to go into “our areas” to bribe “our people” to support them. The thinking is that their fellow AfroGuyanese can’t think for themselves and make intelligent choices. So, they insult Afro-Guyanese who support or work for the Government as being house slaves. They say that the Afro members of the PPPC are “black ornaments” in that party. Those who call out their racism are deemed slave catchers. They denigrate and insult anyone who dares to express a view that contradicts their delusions.

New racist terms such as ‘jagabats', 'trench crappos’, and other demeaning words not normal in decent, democratic societies are used to describe Government officials. Seems they pride themselves on building their image by using the most demeaning and insulting terms to describe opponents to attract supporters.

Also, there is masking the racism with terms like “non-PPP supporters”, “non-African supporters” and “poor Indo-Guyanese”.

The failed rigging at-

tempt and loss of control of the oil money continue to feed the delusions of the PNC and its partners. They seem intent on not allowing democracy to work in Guyana. For them, the normal Government functions are the excesses of a dictatorial regime. The plan seems designed to fool and lead Guyana into another pre-1992 dictatorship. They have abandoned any Opposition partnership in Guyana’s development. Instead, they focus on finding and highlighting negatives. That will help them to deceive the Guyanese people that the Government is an evil dictatorship intent on inflicting suffering.

The Opposition and partners are consumed by their Petro-delusions. They use undignified outbursts on social media platforms both from home and abroad. Their outbursts only show their bitterness from the failed rigging attempt and loss of control of the country’s oil money.

Guyanese are intelligent, and the divisive hate campaign can only result in the Opposition’s slide into irrelevance. Decent, intelligent Guyanese will not be led back by their delusions of the past, and prevent benefits from our country’s development. The time may be right for the emergence of a new progressive opposition party; one that sees its role as a partner for Guyana’s development in or out of office.

Sincerely,

Art Foster

Guyana-born Baroness Valerie Ann Amos signing the Visitors Log at State House on Main Street, Georgetown on Wednesday when she met with President Dr Irfaan Ali

Agricola – a redemptive community

Dear Editor, Agricola is historically one of the earliest villages in Guyana. Having been known for its troubles and its sordid past in the early 2000s, Agricola, as a community, has turned a new leaf. The village is essentially redemptive and spiritual, rather than political and physical.

After Emancipation and Indentureship, 177 plots of land were purchased by the newly-freed Africans on the southern boundary of Plantation Rome, later known as Agricola. The streets of the new village: Remus, Romulus, Caesar, Cato, Titus and Brutus, were named after outstanding Roman Conquerors.

After its establishment, it is said, Agricola had a good community spirit, which aided in its growth and sustained development.

The village thrived socially, economically and culturally. The village grew and became diverse, welcoming a rainbow of ethnicities, which obtains to this day.

In the 1970s, the community was incorporated into Greater Georgetown, and due to migration and Guyana’s economic travesty, the once-thriving village started experiencing unem-

ployment and instances of crime, which plagued the community for generations. However, while the community is not without its social issues today, crime, and its association and involvement therewith, have significantly decreased to an almost non-existent state.

The village is considered as being on the rise. Last month, Agricola received its first-ever visit from a Head of State, with President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali meeting with residents to address the concerns of the villagers to better their lives. Promises were made, and we await their fulfillment.

The Government has vowed to work alongside the village and its residents to accelerate their development. The President has also promised to promote opportunities that would foster a future that would give the young people of the community the best possibilities as well as transforming the community is concerned. We look forward to this, and hold President Ali to his word. We desire opportunities, in particular for the training of our young people in construction as well as the development of technical skills. We have skillful athletes across all the sport-

ing disciplines. The Agricola Red Triangle football unit remains a heavyweight in the East Bank Demerara Football Association from the under-13 to the senior levels. More assistance is needed to better develop the village’s talent.

This new generation of young people has been completing school, passing with good grades. We, the future of this community, strive to aggressively find solutions to our social problems, as we strive for self-empowerment and social development through much-needed incentives. We implore everyone with a willingness to partner with us as we strive for better.

We are keeping our faces to the sunshine, thus we cannot see the shadows of the past. We look to the future being productive and prosperous.

As a community, we believe firmly in the words of Barack Obama, who said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Sincerely,

Nkosei Williams Resident of Agricola

Mistreatment of minorities in the PNCR must be challenged

Dear Editor, We have breaking news that the General Secretary of the PNC/R, Dawn Hastings-Williams, was denied entry into the party’s headquarters in Sophia. If true, this is a troubling development, because recently, minorities in the PNC/R have been treated with alarming disrespect. Leader Aubrey Norton should make every effort to clarify what is happening in the party, because the public has a right to know.

In December 2022, the General Secretary of the PNC/R was apparently prevailed upon to resign. According to media reports, Geeta ChandanEdmond “endured” a lot in the PNC/R since Mr. Norton became Leader. The Guyana Chronicle also reported that Ms. Chandan-Edmond “resigned after growing concerns that she was not allowed to fully function in her capacity as GS” (15/12/2022).

Only a month later, in January 2023, another minority-related scandal broke out. This time, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Treasurer Faaiz Mursalin resigned, apparently in protest against hav-

NY Group objects to disinvite from meeting with State Attorney General Letitia James

Dear Editor,

The New York-based Guyana Democracy Project (GDP) issued a release on Wednesday morning, April 5, vehemently protesting the disinvite of prominent Guyanese community leaders to a meeting in Queens to engage New York State Attorney, Hon. General Letitia James. The engagement stems from a statement issued in Brooklyn by the AG last October, relating to allegations of racism in Guyana.

Several members of the Indo-Guyanese community in Queens were invited to a session a few days ago with the AG in Queens. The invitation came through the office of Richmond Hill’s elected District Democratic Leader Mr Richard David, an IndoGuyanese American. No representative of the Guyana Government was invited for the discussion.

The private meeting was slated for Wednesday at 4:30pm at the Guyaneseowned Starlite Pavilion at 101 Ave and 130 Street in Richmond Hill, Queens; but on Wednesday, several of them received a memo that they were disinvited. The number of invitees was restricted to 25, and included some of the most active and grounded leaders in the community. Lo and behold, several individuals who have their grounding (good knowledge and track record) in the community in New York, as well as about issues in Guyana, learnt late Tuesday, April 4, that the AG had disinvited them.

ing to sign blank cheques. A taped telephone conversation between PNCR Executive Member Ganesh Mahipaul, PNCR Executive Member Roysdale Forde, and Faaiz Mursalin basically confirmed that the blankcheque issue was central to the latter’s resignation from the PNC/R.

Based on a media interview with Mr. Mahipaul, the public learned that Mursalin “…informed (these) two party members of a number of eyebrow-raising concerns, including that he was called to Congress Place on many occasions and ordered to sign numerous blank cheques, as party Treasurer” (Guyana Times, 16/1/2023). Further, Mursalin, “who is of East Indian descent, detailed in the letter that he was subjected to racial abuse by a well-known PNCR member” (Ibid).

Things got even worse in mid-March, when the PNC/R tolerated the racially-charged call by WPA Executive Member Tacuma Ogunseye to turn the guns in the right direction. What was implied is so diabolical it should not be repeated here.

The sad but alarming

thing is that it took the East Indians, and only them, to condemn Ogunseye’s inflammatory discharge.

Had Ganesh Mahipaul, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Daniel Seeram, and Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine not spoken up against Ogunseye, no one in the PNC/R would have. The minorities in the PNC/R were ‘thrown under the bus’. I expected at least the Hon. Annette Ferguson to say something, given her frequency in the press about discrimination.

After all of these glaring instances of mistreatment of minorities in the PNC/R, one would think the party leadership would be extra careful. But here we are again, only one month later, with yet another case of disrespecting another minority woman in the PNC/R.

The PNC/R have very low ratings with the public, and these glaring instances of disrespecting minorities would only push them further down. As for minorities in the PNC/R, they should stand up and be counted. Stand up for your right!

Sincerely, Dr Randolph Persaud

speculation that it has to do with clarifying statements about the socio-politico situation in Guyana, and to advise the AG accordingly.

The release states: “The Attorney General, who is close to a top Brooklyn-based opposition-aligned operative in New York, does not have a favourable view of Guyana Government. We believe that the meeting is to clarify misconceptions. In addition, she needs to neutralise differences with Guyanese community leaders in Queens, since she recognises that her margin of victory in the November 2022 election was narrow. It should be noted that the incumbent James was running against an unknown candidate who had no name recognition”.

The GDP statement adds: “We worry what such a meeting could accomplish, when the most active and prominent Guyanese community leaders in Queens have been excluded. We do not wish to besmirch those Guyanese leaders who will attend the meet to engage the AG, but we are not confident in how they may present the socio-economic and political conditions in Guyana”.

Dr. Singh, one of NYGDP, queries whether the participants would present evidence to the Attorney General debunking her claim that the PPPC Government practises racism and margin-

alising of Afro-Guyanese. The NY GDP statement says “it is concerned that this meeting with the AG that excludes legitimate stakeholders could end up giving legitimacy to previous unsubstantiated statements attributed to the Attorney General on the Guyana situation”.

The NY GDP says it hopes “the outreach with the small number of Queensbased Guyanese is not a publicity stunt to make the Attorney General look good, in that she is reaching out to the Guyanese community in Queens. She knows of our (Queens-based) growing political strength, where we can make a difference in statewide elections”.

The GDP asks rhetorically: “How a top Democrat, number three in statewide office, could embrace exclusion when she disinvited the main Guyanese community leaders in Queens”.

As a result of publicly launched pressure, it is learned that the planned meeting has been converted into a dinner, so that the organizers now reserve the right to invite whomever they want. However, says the GDP, “the goal remains the same, with the AG not being able to get a true description of the factual situation in Guyana.”

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

They are Pt Ram Hardowar, President of Federation of Hindu Mandirs; Fazal Yusuf, President of ICD; Dr Tara Singh, President of NYGM; and Dr Dhanpaul Narine, President of Trimurti Bhavan, among others. The disinvite also came through Mr. David.

Those disinvited feel very dishonoured and disrespected, and are at a loss for words on why they were suddenly excluded from the meet. It appeared that the attendees to the meet were pre-selected, and that the meet had a predetermined agenda.

The AG is not known as someone who fears engaging even her worst critics. She has had a long history of engaging Indian-Guyanese and Indians in the diaspora when she was Brooklyn Councillor in the City Council, thus it is inexplicable why she would exclude some of the most veteran Guyanese activists in the community.

In protest, the NY GDP says “the action is extremely disrespectful to these authentic community leaders, who have always had a strong abiding interest in our Queens community affairs as well as in Guyana”.

The agenda of the meeting is not known, but there is

NGSA Math Questions

Question23 refers to the following diagram which shows 12 identical circles.

How many more circles must be shaded so that 2/3 of the total number of circles is shaded?

GRA working with British firm to clear up cost-oil audit queries

–

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), in whose hands rest the audit done on ExxonMobil’s 1999 to 2017 cost oil claims, say they are working along with operator ExxonMobil to clear up various queries raised in the audit report.

In a statement, GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia sought to assure the public that, contrary to reports, it is diligently reviewing Exxon’s cost oil audit. In fact, the agency also promised that once the review of the final report is completed, the findings will be released to the public.

The cost oil audit was done by British firm IHS Markit back in 2019, and according to GRA, there were issues with the report that needed clearing up. According to Statia, IHS did not submit an intermediate report as was required, which would have been submitted to the operator of the Stabroek block for feedback. Instead, IHS submitted a final audit report on July 31, 2020, that had not allowed the operator, Exxon Mobil, the right to reply. This is at

review of cost oil audit will be made public

variance with the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) the Government has with Exxon, which explicitly states that when an audit is concluded, a written report must be issued to the contractor within 60 days. When the report is issued, the contractor then has 60 days to reply in writing, either accepting or rejecting the queries with an explanation.

“Through the (Department of Energy), it was related to IHS Markit that a Final Audit Report cannot be compiled until the contractor (or Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, in their capacity as the operator of the Stabroek Block) is issued with a ‘Written Report’ in conformance with Annex C Section 1.5(B) of the PSA),” Statia pointed out.

In the meantime, Exxon was given the audit report to respond to in 2021. Between July 2021 and March 2022, there was ongoing correspondence between the Government, operator and auditor over the report. Subsequently, Statia said, IHS submitted two fur-

ther reports that were reviewed.

However, he claimed that these reports contained, among other things, inconsistencies. According to Statia, GRA’s issues with the IHS’ subsequent reports included “the lack of recommendations in the report; Failure to refer to Industry Standards and good prac-

Companies exploring for oil...

He had also indicated that, given the overwhelming interest in the auction, the Government is mulling an extension of the April deadline for submission of bids. This has since become a reality, as the Government subsequently confirmed that it would be amending the bid round schedule.

Previously, Government had been aiming to keep the competitive bidding round open until April 14, 2023, after which evaluations

and negotiations would follow. The Government had set a timeline for awards at May 2023. However, this will now be extended.

Government also revealed that all 14 blocks have received Expressions of Interest (EOI) from bidders.

“The indicative Guyana 2022 Licensing Round Schedule will be updated at www.petroleum.gov. gy/guyana-offshore-licensing-round-2022 and www. nre.gov.gy which will reflect the new timeline for

FROM PAGE 3

the publication of the finalised Terms and Guidelines, Model Petroleum Agreement and process of bidding — all adjusted to facilitate maximum participation from global interest.

“Official Expressions of Interest (EoI) have been received for all fourteen blocks for tender of the Guyana 2022 Licensing Round, demonstrating global interest in Guyana’s shallow and deepwater offshore acreage,” the Ministry further explained.

tices for specific findings; Inaccuracies as it relates to analyzing and reviewing the financials; General inconsistencies and deficiencies; and failure to adopt suggestions and recommendations, as well as address concerns emanating from Government of Guyana representatives.”

As of now, Statia explained, an active review of the final report is still continuing between them and the Ministry of Natural Resources. According to him, GRA will release its findings when that review is completed.

In its final report, IHS Markit had flagged contested expenses of US$214.4

million which ExxonMobil had claimed under cost oil.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said on Tuesday that if Exxon is unable to justify these expenses, they will not be allowed.

“It has to go through a procedure. In the preliminary (audit) finding, you have the contested costs. You have to get the company to respond. You have to send it over, and the company is required to submit additional documentation. If they can’t submit additional documentation, then the cost is disallowed. So, it comes out of the cost bank and goes towards profit oil. So, a greater share… the adjustments

would have to be made to profit oil,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice President had noted that they hire the technical expertise necessary to review these cost oil claims. And noting the backand-forth nature of these matters, Jagdeo could not give a timeline for completing the audit and review process.

The audit of cost oil claims is critical to ensuring that Guyana does not lose out on millions in oil revenue. ExxonMobil’s pre-contract costs were inherited by the current Government when it entered office in 2020. US$460 million in pre-contract costs were already written into the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement.

According to the contract, the pre-contract cost “shall include four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and thirty-seven hundred thousand and nine hundred and eighteen United States Dollars in respect of all such costs incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015.”

There is an additional sum of approximately US$400 million from 2016 to 2017, which is believed will also come under the rubric of cost oil. The previous Government had received much criticism for agreeing to these costs without an audit being done.

assures findings from

The Guyana Revenue Authority

18 matters completed at Essequibo, Berbice criminal assizes

cases, both accused were found unanimously guilty by jury verdict. One was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years, while the other was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment.

ln the one matter for the offence of attempt to commit murder and simple larceny, the accused was found unanimously guilty by jury verdict, and was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

The February Criminal Assizes is in progress, with State Counsel

Facing the music...

…in the US of A

The October 2022 Criminal Assizes of the Essequibo High Court has seen the completion of 12 matters, eleven of which were heard by Justice Sandil Kissoon. The other matter was presided over by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, who sat from January, closed the October Assizes, and then opened the February Criminal Assizes.

The accused in the one murder case before Justice Barlow was found unanimously guilty by jury verdict on the lesser offence of manslaughter, and was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment.

Of the 11 cases heard by Justice Kissoon, two were for sexual offences, eight for the capital offence of murder, and one for attempting to commit murder and simple larceny.

ln one of the two sexual offences cases, the complainant testified that she did not wish to proceed with the matter, and the trial Judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

The accused in the other matter, who was a juvenile, pleaded guilty to the offence of rape of a child under 16 years and was sentenced in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act to three years and six months at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), until he attains the age of 18 years. The court ordered that he must complete serving

two years and six months before he is released from custody.

ln six of the eight murder cases, the accused all pleaded guilty. Two of the accused pleaded guilty as charged; one was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and the other was sentenced to 22 years in prison after deductions were made for time spent on remand. The other four pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

One of them was also sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after he would have served 25 years. The three others were sentenced respectively to 25 years’ imprisonment; six years, five months, and 20 days’ imprisonment; and 20 years’ imprisonment.

ln the two other separate murder

Taneisha Saygon having presented two matters for the offence of murder before Justice Kissoon.

ln one case, the accused pleaded guilty as charged and has been sentenced to life imprisonment. He must serve 30 years before becoming eligible for parole. The other accused, who pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, will be sentenced on April 18.

Meanwhile, seven matters were nolle prosequi by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) because the complainants submitted written statements that they did not wish to proceed with their matters. The Essequibo February Assizes remains in progress until May 15.

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Here it is that in Guyana we got a fella calling on the armed forces to turn their guns on the Government and their supporters - whether they were breaking the law or not!! Now he and his pals have their bucktas in knots, ‘cause he was charged for “inciting public disorder”!! Now, wha’d he think would happen if the armed forces started shooting people all over the place?? While some ah dem guh hallah and some ah dem guh bawl, ALL of them would be running for their lives as they scramble to get out of the way of the bullets!! That’s public disorder, baby!! And this ain’t no theory, dear readers!! We, in dear mudland, have sixty years of experience of the armed forces turning their guns on ordinary folks. But what’s ironic is that the same folks calling for the slaughter were on the receiving end in the past!! Back then, the authorities dubbed some folks from places like Tiger Bay and Albouystown as “centipedes” – then had the Police read them “the Riot Act” and mow them down. The same fella who’d made the call at Buxton a month ago had also done it in 2011, when he was “read the Riot Act”. He fully well knows what those words mean in Guyana.

Now, you may say it was the authorities who read the Riot Act back then, and having the authority, the Armed Forces would obey. And, as such, the geriatric fella was just pissing in the wind, since he had no such authority. But we know that in real life there’s official and then there’s unofficial reasons for people to obey calls for such acts. In the Buxton call for turning their guns, the fella reminded the Armed Forces they were “kith and kin”, and we know how such relationships have powerful influence on people responding to your call. Who wouldn’t come to the side of “kith and kin”??

Back during the heyday of the Buxton Mayhemlaunched after Feb 23, 2002 by the Jailbreak 5 – they issued a handbill insisting they were African-Guyanese “Freedom Fighters”. The same fella, however, made the fine distinction that they were actually “Resistance Fighters” – which made their massacres OK!! The army had been posted to camp out in Buxton, but on several occasions refused to go in “hot pursuit” after the “Resistance Fighters” committed atrocities. Kith and kin trumped their legal duty.

But in the USA, ex-President Trump’s being charged with 34 felony counts emanating from hush payments to a porn star!! This is how the Rule of Law works – no one’s too big to face the music. You do the crime, you gotta do the time!!

We in Guyana can do no less!!

…on puffery

The letter pages of the newspapers never fail to be packed with missives – some amounting to treatises – on every subject under the sun and then some!! Problem is, almost none of these folks are qualified to pronounce - even tentatively - on the subjects they pontificate on so dogmatically!! Now, you might say they have the RIGHT to their opinions: right to free speech and all that!! But your Eyewitness didn’t see them advise those foreign doctors who recently performed ten open heart surgeries at GPHC!!

And why not?? Thank God, they recognised they knew squat about the subject. But they have no qualms about weighing in on the operations of, say, the global foreign exchange markets that are all seamlessly intertwined!! And involves the US Fed, our central bank, the commercial banks with correspondent relations with foreign banks, investment banks and brokerage firms, etc that may be intermediating our forex. It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect, and occurs when persons don’t know enough to know they don’t know enough!!

…for greed

US pharma giant Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday proposed a US$8.9 billion settlement to resolve decades-old lawsuits claiming that its famous talcum powder products caused cancer. Can you imagine the baby powder’s still sold in our country??

The High Court in Essequibo

The High Court in Berbice

8 Guyanese engineers internationally trained to support Prosperity FPSO

– now serving in key roles in support of Guyana operations

they worked alongside, this impressive team of graduates displayed zest for the training opportunities they were presented with,” she said.

Prosperity FPSO

Project Director Boudewijn Ledderhof commended the graduates for their proactive approach to the training and the vigour with which they undertook their daily tasks, while adding, “You have shown that with the right attitude and with the right mindset, you can grow rapidly into roles that SBM Offshore needs and the industry needs. You are all textbook ambassadors for all the cohorts to follow, and you should be very proud of that.”

Natural Resources

Minister Vickram Bharrat congratulated the young engineers on their achievements, and commended SBM Offshore for their capacity-building efforts.

“In saying that, we must recognise the work of SBM Offshore; we must commend SBM [Offshore] as well for taking this initiative to ensuring that they build ca-

pacity among young people in Guyana,” Minister Bharrat said.

A new batch of Graduate Engineers has been recruited as the second cohort of the programme, in alignment with SBM Offshore Guyana’s ongoing initiatives to build local capacity and expand its Guyana workforce.

Eight young Guyanese engineers are now internationally trained to support the vessel Prosperity, the third floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that SBM Offshore is delivering to Guyana.

To commemorate this historic occasion, a graduation ceremony was held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel for these engineers, who formed the first cohort of the programme.

“Seven of the graduates – Malik Lewis, Andy Sattan, Tanisha Selby, Paula Ceres, Raymond Luckhoo, Kishaun Lall and Daniel Troyer – received training in the Netherlands and then Singapore for six months each, where they gained hands-on training on the Prosperity FPSO. The eighth graduate, Maryam Nasir, was trained in Monaco and the Netherlands, where she participated in the creation of a Digital Twin for the Prosperity FPSO – a digital replica of the vessel, designed to enable information management.

“Following completion of the training, the graduates were awarded official placements within the company,” SBM stated in a release to the media.

These graduates, the company has stated, now serve in various capacities.

Malik Lewis serves as a Vendor Callout Coordinator; Andy Sattan as a Reliability and Optimisation Engineer; Tanisha Selby as an Instrument and Controls Engineer; Paula Ceres as a Facility Engineer; Raymond Luckhoo and Kishaun Lall

as Planning Engineers; Daniel Troyer as a Facility Engineer, and Maryam Nasir serves as a Data Scientist.

During the graduation ceremony, the General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana, Martin Cheong, noted that the activity is in keeping with the company’s Local Content Master Plan, and indicated that this is just one of the capacity development programmes SBM Offshore Guyana offers.

“SBM Offshore is committed to building local content and providing capacity-building opportunities for Guyanese to play vital roles in the management of our country’s oil and gas resources,” he declared.

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, stated, “What an exciting day to celebrate the beginning of such bright careers at the beginning of a blossoming industry here in Guyana. You all are, as you’ve heard, the first cohort; you are the leaders breaking the ground. You are the future of SBM Offshore; you are the future of the industry, and you will lead the way for years and years to come.”

In her remarks, Human Resource Manager Onecia Johnson pointed to the resilience of the graduates, who commenced training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They are committed and resilient. From weathering unfamiliar climates and being away from their families as they underwent training, to absorbing the teachings of the industry experts that

The engineers with Project Director for the Prosperity FPSO, Boudewijn Ledderhof; Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat; Human Resource Manager Onecia Johnson; President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge; General Manager Martin Cheong, and Operations Readiness Manager for the Prosperity FPSO, Karla Coimbra

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pensioner killed after being struck by minibus on son’s birthday

As the carnage continues on Guyana’s roadways, an accident along the Rupert Craig Highway on the East Coast of Demerara corridor on

Tuesday evening has claimed the life of a pensioner. Dead is 69-year-old Kissoondai Sewratan of La Bonne Intention (LBI) Housing Scheme, ECD.

Based on reports received, the accident occurred at about 18:20h in vicinity of the MovieTowne mall, and involved minibus BAD 1832 which was at the time being

way. Emergency services were called, and an ambulance arrived at the scene shortly after the accident. Unfortunately, a doctor from the Georgetown Public Hospital was unable to save the victim, and pronounced her dead on the scene.

driven by a 39-year-old businessman of Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

Police preliminary investigations revealed the driver claimed he was proceeding along the East Coast Highway, and while in the vicinity of Movie Towne, Sewratan ran across the road and into the path of his vehicle. As a result, the woman sustained injuries to her body, and fell on the road-

After the accident, a breathalyzer test was conducted on the minibus driver, and the results showed no trace of alcohol in his system. However, he was taken into custody by the Police, and is currently assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Kissoondai Sewratan’s body has been taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home to await a post-mortem examination. Her son, Avinash Sewratan, told sections of the media that his mother had attended the Dream Realized Housing Drive at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), and was heading home when

tragedy struck. The young man was also celebrating his birthday on the day his mother met her demise. He said his mother would always hug and kiss him as a form of a birthday wish, but she was unable to do so on Tuesday morning, since she left home early to attend the housing drive. He recalled, however, that his mother called him while at the Conference Centre to wish him a happy birthday. And he said she called again later in the day to inform him that she was running late and, as such, he should go ahead and make arrangements to prepare dinner.

A few hours later, he received the devasting news that his mother was involved in an accident. Without hesitation, he rushed to the scene, but she was not there. He later learnt that she did not survive the accident.

$200k bail for businessman charged with possession of gun, ammo

21-year-old businessman Joshua Taylor, also known as 'Chiney', has been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence.

He was arrested on Monday, but appeared in court on Wednesday, when the charges were read to him. During his court appearance, Taylor pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the magistrate granted him bail in the amount of $200,000. The case was adjourned to May 12, 2023, for further proceedings.

It was reported that

Charged: Joshua Taylor

the businessman was taken into Police custody after he was found to be in possession of an illegal firearm and several rounds of ammunition at a Police roadblock at Triumph,

East Coast Demerara (ECD). Police have said that a white, heavily-tinted Toyota Rumion motor car was stopped and searched, during which a .40 Glock pistol (serial number unknown) with four matching rounds of ammunition was found in the pants crotch of the young businessman. The suspect was immediately informed of the offence and cautioned. He was then escorted to the Beterverwagting Police Station, where he is currently in custody. An investigation is underway.

Dead: Kissoondai Sewratan

Guyana among countries to benefit from CDBfunded study on transporting agri-products – study aims at boosting “25 by 2025” vision

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be funding a maritime cargo service study that is aimed at coming up with strategies to boost agricultural trade in the South-East Caribbean, and will benefit a number of countries in the region, including Guyana. This was announced by the bank on Wednesday.

According to the CDB in a statement, they will be funding a consultancy that would explore the establishment of a maritime cargo service between Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago - primarily for the movement of agricultural products.

“The initiative is part of the CDB’s pledge to improve food security within the Caribbean, and to promote regional cooperation. It also demonstrates the Bank’s support for the imperative announced last year by CARICOM Heads of Government to achieve a 25% reduction in the Region’s food import bill by 2025,” CDB explained.

According to the bank, the Caricom heads had identified a lack of adequate regional transportation as a major obstacle to the movement of agricultural products within the Region, and a major contributor to food insecurity.

According to CDB Director of Projects, Daniel Best, the establishment of such a system can go a long way towards removing obstacles to food security.

“Policymakers in Caricom have established that intra-regional agricultural trade can balance food deficits and surpluses, contribute to price stability, and increase the diversity of food supply; all of which can achieve greater food and nutrition security for the Caribbean,” Best explained.

“CDB is aware that improving intra-regional trade in agriculture will require interventions across the ecosystem; however, the provision of efficient and sustainable transportation to move agricultural goods will go a far way in achieving 25 by 25,” he added.

It was explained that the project would explore options for addressing a range of factors affecting the transportation of agricultural products by sea, including management and operational systems; onshore facili-

ties; food safety provisions; and customs and plant quarantine operations.

“The main objective of the initiative is to identify opportunities for urgent improvement in maritime transportation capacity, recommend transportation modalities, and provide solutions which utilize existing shipping assets.

“A technical working group will be established to provide oversight of the study. The body will include representatives from Governments of the participating countries, the Caricom Secretariat, the Caricom Private Sector Organization, and the CDB,” the bank further explained.

The Government’s focus on agriculture is down to the vision of making Guyana the bread basket of the Caribbean and reducing the regional food import

bill. Last year, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had declared that his Government would be pursuing an aggressive campaign to dismantle regional barriers to agricultural trade; and that, in the next four years, with the assistance of more diversified crops, Guyana would aim to reduce Caricom’s food import bill by 25 per cent.

It was reported in February that member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have collectively achieved a sig-

nificant 57 per cent of the target set to realize “Vision 25 by 2025”. This announcement was made during the first Caricom Ministerial Task Force (MTF) on Food Production and Food Security meeting for 2023.

A statement from Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture had stated that countries submitted reports detailing their production data for 2022 for targeted commodities, as Caricom moves towards lowering the regional import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

It was reported that products such as cocoa, dairy, meat, root crops, fruits, and poultry have already reached 96.13 per cent; 84.36 per cent; 72.28 per cent; 70.91 per cent; 70.77 per cent, and 70.19 per cent respectively for the targeted production volumes set for 2025.

Moreover, countries such as Guyana, Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Dominica, and Jamaica have made significant advances in the production of commodities such as

ginger, turmeric, corn, soya bean, root crops, fruits, cocoa, poultry, meat, fish, table eggs, and dairy.

The report also indicated that, for 2022, Guyana produced some 20,195 metric tonnes of ginger and turmeric; 144,289 metric tonnes of root crops; 21,870 metric tonnes of fish, and 40,749 metric tonnes of coconuts.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

The study is aimed at coming up with strategies for maritime transport of agri-produce

Border controversy…

“ICJ's decision unlikely to create any surprises” – Greenidge …ahead of today’s ruling on Venezuela’s preliminary objection

means of negotiation with Venezuela and the failed Good Office Process between the two South American neighbours, Guyana had moved to the World Court for a final and binding ruling on the October 3, 1899 Arbitral Award settling the land boundary between the two countries.

Guyana’s Agent on the Border Controversy case with Venezuela, Carl Greenidge, says that the local side is not expecting any surprises at today’s judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Spanish-Speaking country’s objections. After exhausting all

Venezuela had initially refused to participate in the proceedings, and had even challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the matter. But on December 18, 2020, the ICJ established that it has jurisdiction to hear the substantive case – something which Venezuela did not accept.

Consequently, the Spanish-speaking nation, in June 2022, filed preliminary objections challenging the admissibility of the case before the ICJ, a move which has since delayed the substantive hearing of the border case. Venezuela is claiming that the case is improperly before the court,

and that such a case should not have been brought by Guyana, but by the United Kingdom – the then Great Britain, which had signed the 1899 Arbitral Award with Venezuela to demarcate Guyana’s boundar-

ies. Guyana had been one of Britain’s colonies; it was known as British Guiana at the time.

Both Guyana and Venezuela had presented submissions on this matter before the World Court in November 2022.

On Monday, the ICJ announced that its President, Judge Joan E Donoghue, will deliver the court’s ruling on Venezuela’s preliminary objections today. “This impending decision is unlikely to create any surprises, because the Court is being invited by Venezuela to create chaos on, or add to, Venezuela’s mischief,” Greenidge told Guyana Times in a brief comment on Wednesday. Greenidge, along with Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, and Guyana’s Co-agent, Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, will be representing Guyana in court, along with the country’s team of international lawyers. Greenidge, and by extension the Guyana Government, had previously contended that Venezuela’s objections are a blatant attempt by the Spanishspeaking country to delay the substantive border controversy case.

On November 18, 2022, Guyana presented arguments before the ICJ, rejecting Venezuela’s contention that the United Kingdom (UK), and not Guyana, is the proper party to approach the court for a final and binding ruling as “incoherent, legally misconceived, and factually baseless”.

Venezuela’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had advanced that her country was not disputing the court’s jurisdiction to arbitrate the matter, but instead asserted that Guyana is not the proper party to file the claim.

Guyana’s Agent on the Border Controversy case, Carl Greenidge

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

6 persons receive new vehicles from Mohamed’s Enterprise

In keeping with the spirit of Ramadan, Mohamed’s Enterprise donated new vehicles to six persons, including three of its staff members on Wednesday. This charitable donation will aid in bettering the lives of these citizens and their families.

The vehicles were handed over by business tycoon, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed at the company’s Lombard Street, Georgetown headquarters.

The beneficiaries include three employees of the company: Joel Hercules, Nicko Junior Braithwaite, and Emroy Owen Anthony Musa. Hercules and Braithwaite have been working with Mohamed’s Enterprise for the past five years but Musa has been with the company for over 20 years.

According to Musa, it has been a pleasure working for the Mohameds while highlighting that he treats his staff exceptionally well and also does a lot of char-

itable work. Musa shared that this is the first time he has acquired a vehicle and it will be of great benefit to his family.

Hercules shared that his return home will be surprising to his family as he did not tell them he would be given a car. The excited young man shared that

transportation is very hard and this car will bring great relief to him.

“Owning a vehicle is very important right now because I’m a family man and transportation…is very hard. I would like to thank Mr. Mohamed and entire family for presenting me with this brand-new vehi-

cle, I really appreciate it.”

Braithwaite also shared that this care will benefit him greatly as it is usually difficult to take get transportation to and from work sometimes. “Sometimes you knock off late, transportation does be hard sometimes. So, I’m really thankful…it come in real good,”

he said. The other beneficiary, Sheik Imran Hassan of Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was gifted a motorcar and he assured that it will assist him in transporting his mother for regular medical treatment and assist his sister Bibi Hassan, director and founder of Guyana Cancer Foundation in conducting her outreaches.

“I have a sickly mother who…has to go to the hospital steady. She’s a breast cancer survivor plus she’s a diabetic and it would help me to take my mother to the doctor…as well as my sister who [has] the Guyana Cancer Foundation to assist her in medical outreach as well to take the doctor and nurse them to wherever we go to do the medical outreach.”

Additionally, Umar Mohamed of Queenstown, Georgetown was given a minibus to ply his trade in order to take care of his family. Previously, Mohamed rented a minibus which he worked to transport passengers to make a living for his five children.

“I was working about two to three years now since I came back from Venezuela, renting people vehicles [and]…I used to pay weekly $30,000 to $35,000. I appreciate this action that Brother Mohamed has done for me.”

Finally, Lloyd Anthony Hastings, who is a father of seven from Danielstown, Essequibo Coast was gifted a car so that he can continue to ply his trade to provide for his family. He too worked a third-party car for which he was obligated to pay a rental as a taxi driver.

“I would be able to better provide for my family and make life much easier and better for me. In this way, I’ll be able to provide because I don’t have to pay anybody else, so everything I earn will be towards my family,” Hastings shared.

However, speaking at the handing-over ceremony, the senior Mohamed shared that during the month of Ramadan, 2.5 percent of his earnings is being used for charitable work. These include assisting orphanages, and homes, helping the needy, and sponsoring feeding programmes.

“Usually in Ramadan, we are more generous than the other months, and so in Ramadan as a Muslim, we usually have to pay out 2.5 percent of whatever money we have acquired over the year or over the many years. And so today we have decided to buy six vehicles and to give [them] over to some…people so that they can improve their lives,” Mohamed remarked.

He further added that “It feels good to give back to the public with an open heart…I just want the beneficiaries to use the gifts for the intended purpose and in return help those who are in need.”

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection, and prayer for Muslims. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran and is considered the holiest month of the year for followers of Islam. It is a month that brings harmony, peace, and goodwill amongst families and friends and encourages charity in all forms.

18 matters completed at Essequibo, Berbice...

The Berbice October 2022 Criminal Assizes had continued with State Counsel Nafeeza Baig completing six matters before Justice Navindra Singh, who first sat from the October Assizes, closed it, and then opened the February 2023 Assizes.

Of these six matters, two were for the offence of murder, three for sexual offences, and one for attempt to commit murder, felonious wounding, and robbery under-arms.

ln one of the murder trials, in which two accused were indicted together, both accused pleaded guilty as charged and were each sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. ln the other case, the accused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, and was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with the eligibility for parole after serving 15 years.

ln one of the three sexual offences matters, the accused who was indicted on three counts of sexual activity with a child family mem-

ber was found unanimously guilty on all three counts by jury verdicts, and was sentenced to life in prison on each count. His sentences will run concurrently.

One other accused who was indicted on five counts of rape of a child under 16 years was unanimously acquitted by jury verdicts on all counts. And in the one other matter, the trial Judge upheld a no-case submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. The State has served notice of intention to appeal this acquittal.

ln the matter of the offence of attempt to commit murder, felonious wounding, and robbery under arms, the three complainants testified that they did not wish to proceed with the matter, and the trial Judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

One matter was nolle prosequi by the DPP because the complainant could not be located. The Berbice February Criminal Assizes will continue until June 19.

Businessmen Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed with the proud owners of the vehicles on Wednesday

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

UNICEF donates solar-powered equipment towards Guyana’s immunisation programme for children

UNICEF on Wednesday handed over several pieces of equipment to the Health Ministry to ensure the safe storage and delivery of vaccines for the immunisation of children in Guyana.

The equipment, which included 10 solar refrigerators, four solar freezers, eight electrical refrigerators, one Ultra-Low Temperature freezer, and associated equipment were handed over to subject Minister, Dr Frank Anthony by UNICEF Deputy Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Irfan Akhtar.

“Vaccines protect and save lives. To ensure the safe distribution of vaccines where they are needed, a high-quality cold chain is essential. The equipment being delivered will ensure that COVID-19 and other important vaccines reach communities safely, even in remote villages in Guyana’s hinterland,” Akhtar stated.

He further added, “These

are some of the most reliable cold-chain equipment available. The solar-powered technology means that the solar direct drive equipment will operate without the cost of additional power or fuel.

This is extremely important.

It means we can reach more people in some of the most

remote communities across the country, including those at the last mile.”

Akhtar, however, thanked Dr Anthony and all health workers for working relentlessly over the last three years to ensure the population was knowledgeable about and protect-

ed from COVID-19 and vaccine-preventable diseases.

Ahead of World Immunisation Week later in April, he also encouraged persons to “get vaccinated and get boosted”.

In welcoming the donation, Minister Anthony said the equipment supported the Ministry’s priority to equip all health centres and ensure vaccines were stored properly. He said the areas where the equipment would be installed have already been identified. Minister Anthony said there has been a slight decrease in immunisation in Guyana, and the Ministry is working on an intensified programme. He thanked UNICEF for continuously working to mo-

bilise resources for Guyana and supporting the health sector.

The provision of the equipment was supported by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the COVAX Facility. The solar direct drive refrigerators and freezers will be deployed to hinterland regions and will ensure that vaccines are available in areas that do not have a regular electricity supply.

Solar direct drive refrigeration systems are a new generation of solar-powered refrigeration systems that do not require a battery to store energy. All associated equipment, including solar panels, has been provided while installation and transportation costs are covered, which will

allow the equipment to be made fully operational immediately.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has supported the Health Ministry to strengthen its cold-chain capacity, providing solar direct drive refrigerators, more than 450 vaccine carriers as well as capacity building. The cold chain is the system for the safe storage and transport of vaccines.

Cold-chain equipment is essential to ensure that vaccines are stored at the right temperature in order to maintain vaccine quality. The latest donation is part of UNICEF’s ongoing support to enhance national capacities in the health sector.

UNICEF Deputy Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Irfan Akhtar and Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony at the handover of the cold-chain equipment

UNICEF Deputy Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Irfan Akhtar and Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony with staff of the Maternal and Child Health Unit at the handover of cold-chain equipment at the Health Ministry’s bond on Wednesday

APA hosts women’s conference, youth workshop

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), in collaboration with the North Pakaraimas District Council (NPDC), recently hosted a four-day Women’s Conference and Youth Capacity Building Workshop aimed at strengthening capacity to support decision-making and understanding of the issues faced in the region.

The activity, which was funded by the European Union, saw more than 50 persons from 15 villages participating in the workshop, which was held in

Kurukabaru Village, Region Eight from Monday, March 27 to Thursday, March 30, 2023. The sessions were facilitated by APA’s Policy and Administrative Officer Don Stoll, Governance and Rights Coordinator Laura George, Sherlina Nageer, Judy Winter, Rehana Thomas, and Surujani Robinson.

During the four-day exercise, participants discussed a large number of issues and came up with recommendations to address them. The women and youths came up with and presented recommendations to address the loss of culture and traditions

Woman sues Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital over unauthorised removal of organs

A45-year-old woman has filed legal action against the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), over the unauthorised removal of her cervix and ovaries.

The lawsuit, filed by Attorney-at-Law Sajeev Datadin on behalf of Wonder Kellman-Hall, accuses the private medical institution of surgically removing the woman’s organs without her permission.

Kellman-Hall, a mother of two adult children, is seeking damages in excess of $5 million from the hospital and its CEO for negligence, exemplary and aggravated damages of more than $1 million, and special damages in the sum of $659,500 – a total of $6,659,500.

In her Statement of Claim (SoC), Kellman-Hall (the claimant) said that on or around June 2021, she encountered problems she believed were connected to her reproductive organs, and she visited the hospital.

There, she met a gynaecologist, who advised her that she had fibroids attached to her womb and an umbilical hernia. After further consultation, the claimant said, it was agreed that at an estimated cost of $650,500, she would undergo a surgical procedure to remove her womb and a second surgery to remove the hernia. According to KellmanHall, after discussions with the doctor, she decided to have the surgeries done, and expressly stated that she did not want her cervix and ovaries to be removed.

“On June 8, 2021, the claimant went to [hospital] where she signed a consent form for the surgeries, and expressly wrote on the consent form that she did not want her ovaries and cervix to be removed during the surgeries,” the woman’s claim reads.

On June 9, 2021, Kellman-Hall said, she was admitted to the hospital to undergo the surgeries and had to pay the hospital the full $659,500. She said she was discharged on June 11, 2021. Sometime after the

surgeries were performed, the claimant averred, she visited the gynaecologist and she never indicated to her that her cervix and both ovaries had been removed.

According to KellmanHall, she made a follow-up visit to the hospital on August 23, 2022 to have an ultrasound, and after the procedure, the gynaecologist advised her that everything was normal with her body. Being concerned, she was deposed, and about a week later, she visited the Cancer Institute of Guyana, where she performed another ultrasound. Based on the results, she said, the oncologist advised her that her cervix and both of her ovaries had been removed.

The lawsuit added, “The claimant began experiencing various changes in her body, such as extreme sweating during the nights, pains when standing too long, hot flashes, chills, lack of energy, lack of concentration, and changes in her mood.” And these, it noted, have severely affected her ability to work as a travel agent.

It was only during a subsequent visit to the hospital, the woman noted, that the gynaecologist explained to her that she had bleeding in one of her ovaries, and that

one of the organs was removed during the surgery.

The claimant averred that she later re-examined her discharge summary from the hospital and noticed that it included a TAH with unilateral oophorectomy + B/B Salpingectomy; the latter two procedures she never consented to have done on her.

Kellman-Hall further said that she has requested all the documentation from the hospital concerning the surgery, but has not received any such information to date.

In addition to damages, the claimant is seeking interests such as further or other reliefs the court deems just, as well as costs.

in Indigenous communities as well as mechanisms to preserve the Indigenous way of life. They also shared their knowledge of environmental protection and conservation.

Additionally, the participants examined the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and how it impacts the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples in Guyana. During their examination of the LCDS, participants also recommended that systems be put in place to ensure that Guyana’s forest is managed by Indigenous people, pointing out that part of the Indigenous way of life is respect and care for the environment.

The women and youths

also examined the education system and discussed whether it addressed the delivery of the curriculum to indigenous children. During this session, the youth participants highlighted the fact that English is not their first language and the Ministry’s assumption of their understanding of English sets their learning back.

Additionally, they pointed out the fact that the curriculum was not tailored to address the way of life of Indigenous peoples. One of the many examples given is the fact the Ministry of Education does take into consideration that many Indigenous children have not seen what the seawalls look like or that traffic lights are not relevant to their

communities or that many Indigenous communities do not know what Diwali is or even part take in those celebrations.

The participants also documented social issues plaguing the communities and came up with recommendations to address them. They identified drug and alcohol abuse along with teenage pregnancy as the most prevalent issues affecting young people in their respective communities. In their recommendations, they called for regular awareness sessions to educate them on how to address social issues. Additionally, they proposed the establishment of training centres within the district to develop the skills of women and youth so that they could actively participate in the development of their communities.

Recommendations on how to get women and youths to participate in the leadership of Indigenous communities more actively were also proffered.

The women and youth participants also wrote to the NPDC requesting the formation of a Women’s and Youth Arm of the District Council so that they could better address and represent the issues affecting them.

Wonder Kellman-Hall, the claimant

The group of women and youths during the conference

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Corentyne woman chopped, left for dead by lover

– suspect allegedly left threatening messages for victim

ACorentyne woman is now in critical condition at the New Amsterdam Hospital after being chopped several times by her lover on Wednesday.

The injured woman has been identified as 36-year-old Sandy Persaud, also called ‘Baby’, of No. 69 Village Corentyne, Berbice. The incident reportedly took place at the home of the victim’s mother at No. 55 Village at about 5:00h.

During the early morning attack, Persaud’s mother was also lashed with a cutlass. This is the second attempt to harm Persaud in one week.

Parbatie Dyal, an aunt of the victim, recalled hearing screams at her sister’s home, and knew that her niece was in danger. She immediately rushed over to the house, but by then the suspect had already left the scene.

She, however, found her niece with chops to her shoulders, forearm, back, head, and feet. She was also stabbed to the abdomen.

The aunt said that Persaud, while in the hospital, asked that they say a prayer for her. “That is all she tell me in the emergency, but when I went to the house, she tell me that ‘Wire’ chop she

and he get away,” she said.

The suspect is said to be a barber of No. 69 Village who goes by the name “Wire Barber”. The suspect and the victim started to see each other when she ended her marriage with her husband four years ago.

The barber is reportedly married, and his wife, who now resides overseas, was making arrangements to have him join her, but later learnt of his relationship with Persaud.

According to the injured woman’s 16-year-old daughter, her mother was living in an abusive relationship, and was not allowed to contact them. She said on many occasions her mother had marks of violence on her body. In

February, the suspect had forced Persaud to move out of the district, but she returned last week.

The barber reportedly made several threats to Persaud, some of which were sent via voice notes. In some of the voice notes, the suspect is heard making threats, while in others he is appealing to Persaud to return home, while at the same time promising not to harm her.

One of the voice notes seems to suggest that the man has no intention of killing Persaud, but just harming her. “If you don’t come back home, I will cripple you…You see how people ah kill dem wife? If you want murderation, stay way you dea; and if you don’t want murderation,

Tucville men granted $40,000 bail on robbery charge

Two men have each been released on $20,000 bail for allegedly robbing another man. The accused persons: Tucville, Georgetown residents Neville Dundas, 29, a construction worker, and 19-year-old Earl Grant, a mason, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.

It is alleged that on April 4, at Tucville Terrace, Georgetown, they robbed Joseph Inniss of a leather pouch, two cell phones, and cash valued at $415,000. The pair have denied the charge.

According to the facts related by the Police Prosecutor, on the day in question, Inniss’s wife was involved in an accident with Dundas and Grant, who were riding a motorcycle. The trio decided to settle the matter, and so the woman called her husband to the scene. But when Inniss arrived there, he was allegedly attacked and robbed of his belongings by Dundas

and Grant, who subsequently escaped on foot. As they attempted to jump a fence, Dundas cut his hand, resulting in him dropping the stolen items.

A Police report was made, and it led to the arrest of both men and the retrieval of Inniss’s pouch.

The Police prosecutor, in his address to the court, objected to the duo being released on bail, citing the serious nature and prevalence of the offence. The objection was, however, overruled by the Chief Magistrate, who ordered the two accused to post bail in the sum of $20,000 each.

come to the house.”

In another note, he accuses her of infidelity, but says he forgives the woman. He even makes threats to post private and personal pictures of the woman on social media if she did not return to his house.

There are reports that some inappropriate pictures were posted on social media, but were subsequently removed.

“You coming back babes, let me come and collect you. Me ah beg you again – this is the last time babes. Me serious. Please come to the house babes…One more chance; last chance babes,” another voice note that was heard by Guyana Times said.

But in another message, the suspect seemed to be serious about reuniting with Persaud. “Me done tell you what me gone do, me ah go and sign one bond at the station or the court. Me tell you that me want you. Me want you to make a life with. Please, you want me, yes or no? Decide your mind and tell me what you want to do.

Whatever happen done happen,” it said.

According to the aunt, Wednesday’s attack was the second time within the past week that her niece was attacked. “Last week she went to pay dem internet bill, and she tell me that when she went to pay the bill, he see when she come out the car and he go to she with a knife and when he pull the knife, she push him and he fall

down and she phone also fall down and he grabble it…by the time, the car driver run out with a piece of iron bar and run he, but he run and getaway.”

Family members have expressed concern that the suspect could turn up at the hospital calming to be a family member and further harm Persaud. Police are on the hunt for him. (Andrew Carmichael)

“ICJ's decision unlikely to create...

Her position is that because the UK, which she described as a “land grabber” and accused of a “cover-up”, was a party to the Arbitral Award which saw Guyana being “given” territory, and owing to Guyana being a former British colony, it was the UK that ought to have asked the ICJ to resolve the border controversy.

Having been decolonised since May 26, 1966, Guyana has rejected this argument, with Professor Philippe Sands, a Professor of International Law at University College London, submitting that the UK “has no legal skin in this game” as Guyana is now a self-governing state.

UK, along with its colony of British Guiana. When Guyana gained independence three months later, it joined the agreement as an independent nation alongside the UK and Venezuela, fully taking over the United Kingdom’s former position in talks with Venezuela regarding the border dispute, he had argued.

Professor Sands had further told the ICJ that this preliminary objection is totally offensive against the Law of State Succession and the Law of Decolonisation.

jurisprudence on the indispensable third party.”

Then United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, in January 2018, decided that the case should be settled by the ICJ, after exercising the powers vested in him to decide how the controversy should be settled by the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom.

While out on bail, they are required to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters every Friday.

The matter has been put off until April 26.

Back in 2015, Dundas was placed on $150,000 bail after he was charged with assaulting a man. The charge read that on September 20, 2015, at Guyhoc Park, Georgetown, he wounded John Beresford with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or cause him grievous bodily harm. Guyana Times is unaware of the legal status of this matter.

Professor Sands had said that when Guyana became independent, the UK gave its consent to the United Nations (UN), and by extension its judicial arm — the ICJ — by way of negotiating, signing and bringing into effect the Geneva Agreement (1966), the power to settle the border controversy between the two nations. That Agreement, signed on February 17, 1966, is a treaty to resolve the conflict between Venezuela and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the border between Venezuela and British Guiana, and at that time was an active treaty between Venezuela and the

Venezuela simply alleging fraud or some other horrendous act against the former colonial power, and relying on the Monetary Gold Principle, he had contended, “is not so much of a case”.

Professor Sands, a King’s Counsel, had also argued that Venezuela’s preliminary objections have ignored the fundamental precepts of state succession: equalisation and self-determination. In light of this, he had deemed that country’s case “totally hopeless”.

He had declared that the “United Kingdom has no legal skin in this game. Venezuela’s preliminary objections are incoherent, legally misconceived and factually baseless. The preliminary objections ignore the realities of the 1966 Agreement and the Court’s

He resorted to judicial settlement after the Good Offices Process between Guyana and Venezuela failed. Within the framework of the 1966 Geneva Agreement between the two countries, the Secretary General conducted Good Offices from 1990 to 2017 to find a solution to their border controversy.

The Spanish-speaking nation is laying claim to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, Essequibo, and a portion of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in which more than nine billion barrels of oil have been discovered over the past six years.

Guyana, among other things, is asking the ICJ to declare that the 1899 Award is valid and binding upon Guyana and Venezuela, and that Venezuela is internationally responsible for violations of Guyana’s sovereignty and sovereign rights, and for all injuries suffered by Guyana as a consequence.

Chopped: Sandy Persaud

Suspect, “Wire Barber”

Robbery accused Neville Dundas

Robbery accused Earl Grant (News Room photo)

Guyana remains fastest growing economy in LAC region – World Bank report

…with GDP poised at 25.2% for 2023

Driven mainly by its burgeoning oil and gas sector, Guyana is pegged to once again lead the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region with the fastest growth rate.

This is according to a new World Bank report – “The Promise of Integration, Opportunities in a Changing Global Economy.

Zeroing in on the Growth Outlook for the LAC region, the report highlighted that Guyana was slated to record 25.2 per cent growth in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year. The country is the only one with double-digit growth for 2023, while St Vincent and the Grenadines came in second with a projected six per cent growth rate.

Guyana’s economic outlook for this year followed its consistency of being the fastest-growing country in the LAC region since 2020. This trend is expected to continue over the coming years with estimated growth of 21.2 per cent in 2024 and 28.2 per cent in 2025.

Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, William Maloney, who produced the report, confirmed that the country’s nascent oil and gas sector was responsible for its high growth rates.

“You don’t get 25 per cent rate of growth without having something like discovering oil. Clearly, the oil and gas sector is driving those high rates of growth,” he

stated during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Guyana started producing oil in December 2019 and to date, it has earned billions of dollars in revenues from oil sales and royalties.

In fact, the country is expected to earn another US$1.6 billion this year alone. Already, five deposits have been made into the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) between January 1 to March 31, 2023.

According to the Natural Resources Ministry earlier this week, a total of US$377,140,826.94 in profit oil and royalty payments was received so far this year.

The Guyana Government has implemented a series of measures, including strengthening legislation and parliamentary oversight, to ensure transparency and accountability in the

use of oil revenues. In fact, the importance of this was underscored by the World Bank official.

“The big challenge would be to develop an institutional structure that ensures those resources go where they have to go, that they are used constructively for laying the foundations for new industries to diversify the economy, to address long-standing social needs and just to have a governance framework that ensures these resources are used well,” Maloney posited.

Currently, the World Bank is working with local stakeholders in Guyana on many of these fronts.

Regional outlook

Nevertheless, “The Promise of Integration, Opportunities in a Changing Global Economy” report further estimated that regional GDP would grow by 1.4 per cent in 2023, a lower-than-expected rate. Rates of 2.4 per cent are expected for 2024 and 2025, too low to also make significant progress in poverty reduction.

According to the report, Latin America and the Caribbean economies have proven relatively resilient in the wake of increasing debt stress, inflation and rising global uncertainty. But new headwinds in the form of lower commodity prices, higher interest rates in developed countries, and China’s unsteady recovery could potentially turn the region’s pros-

pects bleak.

In order to boost much-needed growth, countries should preserve their hard-won resilience and seize the unique opportunities global economic trends offer in nearshoring – moving production closer to home markets, and the green industry, the report states.

World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo said: “The region has largely recovered from the pandemic crisis, but unfortunately is back to the low growth levels of the previous decade.”

“Countries need to urgently accelerate inclusive growth, so that everyone benefits from development, and this will require maintaining macroeconomic stability and taking advantage of the opportunities trade integration offers today,” he added.

After recovering from the pandemic, the region has managed with relative success the multiple crises caused by the Russian war in Ukraine and the uncertainties surrounding the global economy. Both poverty and employment are mostly back to pre-pandemic levels, while average inflation, excluding Argentina, is expected to decline to 5.0 per cent in 2023 after reaching 7.9 per cent in 2022.

According to the report, the region´s overall resilience is the result of hard-won progress in macroeconomic

management over the past two decades. Preserving this progress will be paramount.

However, on average, fiscal imbalances remain high, expected at 2.7 per cent of GDP in 2023, further eroding the already-tight fiscal space, and debt levels are estimated to reach 64.7 per cent of GDP this year, slightly down from 66.3 per cent in 2022. Furthermore, the recent bank failures in the US and Europe have introduced additional uncertainty. Its resonance in LAC´s banking system and capital flows remains to be seen.

Maloney said, “The LAC region remains one of the least integrated, while trade openness and [Foreign Direct Investment] FDI flows have mostly been stagnant or decreasing over the past 20 years; countries should find ways to gain attractiveness and take advantage of the nearshoring trends.”

“In addition, leveraging the region’s extraordinary comparative advantage in sustainable energy production, commodities necessary for emerging green industries, and the region’s unique natural capital offers a new potential source of growth, but will require policies to facilitate access to global markets, capital, and technology,” he further stated.

The report also suggests a series of integration-advancing policies countries should consider for seizing these opportunities. These include long-term policies such as reducing systemic risks, boosting traditional and digital infrastructure investments, and improving human capital, as well as short-term options such as preserving macro stability, promoting customs and transport regulatory advances, and improving export and investment promotion agencies

Govt hands over $80M in resources, subventions to Reg 4 NDCs

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall on Wednesday handed over some $80 million in tractors, trailers, and subventions to nine Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

During the handing-over ceremony at the Better Hope Community Centre Ground, the Minister committed to providing financial and other essential resources to every local democratic organ.

“We hope that this shows our commitment as a government and more specifi-

cally, President Ali’s vision towards integrating our local democratic organs into our communities in a way that they become more responsive as well as active in ensuring that they’re able to address the concerns of our communities.

“The infrastructure work and heavy lifting that the Central Government is doing in our NDC areas in terms of roads, bridges and health and education facilities shows our deep involvement in ensuring that the lives of people at the local level are improved,” Dharamlall added.

Each NDC will receive

one tractor and one trailer to aid in the maintenance of community infrastructure, enhancement of the environment and within the day-today logistics of the Council.

The Government also intends for this equipment to be a part of its intervention to ensure communities were kept clean on a more regular basis.

“Clean-up for us is an ongoing [matter] so we’re not using it anymore as an event as in the past, but it has to be a way of work for us and it has to be part of the dayto-day culture of our citizens so we would try as much as possible to work with res-

idents in Georgetown and other local democratic organs across the country to encourage them to maintain their communities,” the Minister said.

While he acknowledged that tremendous strides have been made to improve the cleanliness of communities, he encouraged residents to play their role as well in maintaining their surroundings and by filing formal reports if they notice illegal dumping so that legal action could be then taken.

Dharamlall also shared his expectations of NDCs to work more assiduously to get their respective commu-

nities upgraded in conjunction with the Government, Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), and more so among themselves.

In addition, through the Government’s initiative to provide part-time employment to persons across the country, at least 12 new employees are expected to be placed in each NDC to provide clerical, technical, and operational support.

“Some persons will have a specific type of experience or training and we’d like them to help you to manage your NDCs better,” Dharamlall told the NDC representatives.

“We would like to see this policy and this programme of the Government implemented in each NDC. These persons are supposed to be from within your NDC area and we expect that you’re going to give them the utmost guidance and support,” he added. The vehicle handover is yet another initiative by the Government to improve the efficiency and reliability of NDCs across the country. Last Friday, The Government handed over tractors and subventions valued at over $100 million to 14 NDCs in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

The tractors will assist in community maintenance, as well as other activities

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall, members of the Local Government Ministry, and members of the NDCs at the handing-over ceremony on Wednesday

World Bank’s Chief Economist for LAC, William Maloney

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Don't count on others to do things for you. A disciplined attitude will help you reach your goal. Distance yourself from anyone pressuring you to do something that makes you uncomfortable.

(March 21-April 19)

Take your time, plan your actions and be aware of how your plans will affect others. Focus on something worthwhile; the rewards will lift your spirits and encourage stronger friendships.

(April 20-May 20)

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Check out groups that interest you. Talk to people who have something to offer. Contribute to a cause you believe in, and you'll gain access to people who can help you make a difference.

You'll absorb information quickly, so be sure to apply it to things that matter. Stick to a budget and curb bad habits that can slow you down or cost you your reputation.

(June 21-July 22)

Set yourself up; don't wait for opportunities to come to you. You must make things happen by pressing forward. Keep your plans secret until you can make a change without interference.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Pay close attention to legal, financial and professional matters. Don't sign anything if you don't understand everything involved. Self-improvement will lead to personal growth and confidence.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Transparency will help you avoid trouble. If you are upfront about who you are and what you want, you'll receive the respect and the help you need to reach your destination. Let your actions speak for you and your mindfulness lead the way.

Stick to your plan, finish what you start and don't exceed your budget. You are on the right track but may be easily distracted by someone with plenty to say and little to offer.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

You'll get the most done if you work from home. Put a schedule in place and only call people you know will help you. An evening event will lead to an interesting conversation.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Open a dialogue that will help convince others to see things your way. You will face changes that can lead to better opportunities if you remain focused and within budget. Romance is encouraged.

Keep your eye on the money. Lending and borrowing will not turn out as planned. Be reluctant to take on joint ventures or sign up for a subscription you don't need.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Clear a space that allows you to explore possibilities. Consider what you enjoy doing and see if you can turn it into a lucrative endeavor. Find your calling and create the life you want.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Border Games a great success for Berbice volleyball teams

Both the One Guyana Academy females and the PMTC males represented the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) and Guyana well at the Border Games which were held in Nickerie, Suriname.

The teams had a safe return after experiencing mixed results at the recently concluded Border Games, which were held at the JOPO Centrum Paradise facility in Nickerie, Suriname from March 31st to April 2nd, 2023.

Results of the games played are as follows:

Friday 31st March, the

One Guyana Academy females came up against the Infinity, and went down 2515, 25-17. The second game was played with the fe-

males on Sunday 2nd April at the said venue. The One Guyana females put up a better fight, finishing at 2522 and 25-19. Winner and

TATA Indian Premier League 2023…

runner-up trophies were awarded accordingly.

On Friday night, 31st March, the PMTC Males brushed aside the Titans

25-10, 25-18, 25-14. Similar results came on Saturday night, 1st April, when PMTC defeated Spikers 25-21, 25-20, 25-15. PMTC

brought down the curtains <on Sunday night, 2nd April> by defeating Team Logic 25-12, 25-17, 25-20.

Trophies were presented to both winner and runner-up teams. The organizer, Mr. Bano Anthony, was lauded for the success of his planning and execution of this first-ever historic activity during the presentation.

As the BVA looks forward to continue the relationship of the activity. The president of the GVF also lauded the BVA for taking up such an historic initiative, and mentioned his expectations that same can be opened to other clubs in Guyana.

Dhawan, Ellis and Prabhsimran help Kings survive Impact sub scare

Punjab

Kings have made it two wins from two matches - and two defences under lights - as they held off a late-innings rampage from Rajasthan Royals to ensure Guwahati’s IPL debut ended in defeat for the home side.

Kings rode on half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh and Shikhar Dhawan, and although they fell short of passing 200, Nathan Ellis’s four-wicket haul was vital in hobbling Royals in the chase.

Dhawan, who became the third batter after David Warner and Virat Kohli to record 50 scores of 50-plus in the IPL, anchored Kings to what was perhaps only a par score at the compact Barsapara Stadium with an unbeaten 86 off 56. Only 45 runs came off the last five overs, with economical spells from Jason Holder and R Ashwin being pivotal in preventing the game from running away, after Prabhsimran had helped fire Kings to 63 for 0 in the powerplay.

Royal then shipped wickets at regular intervals during their chase, despite some crisp hitting from Sanju Samson. They seemed out of contention at 129 for 6 at the end of the 16th over, only for Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel, Royals’ Impact Sub, to summon a boundary-hitting spree that reduced the requirement to 16 off the final over, bowled by Sam Curran. But the IPL’s record overseas signing held his nerve at the end of an otherwise indifferent performance to hand Royals a first defeat of the 2023 edition.

Prabhsimran comes out swinging

As he had in Kings’ opening victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, Prabhsimran set the early tempo after his side were inserted. He clubbed his third ball, from Trent Boult, over mid-off, and then spanked his first in KM Asif’s second over into

the stand at deep backward square leg. In the next from Asif, Prabhsimran helped himself to 18 more - three crashing fours and a six - before hitting Ashwin’s second and third balls for boundaries as well.

He was dropped by Devdut Padikkal from the final ball of the powerplay, a sizzling drive bursting through the fielder’s grasp at cover as he threw his hands up, but had already made 44 by that point. A maiden IPL half-century followed

57 runs in a four-over span, having been briefly checked by the dismissal of Prabhsimran and a blow to Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s forearm - sustained at the non-striker’s end off a Dhawan drive - that forced him to retire hurt. Chahal removed Jitesh Sharma after a 66-run stand, and Ashwin then pinged the top of Sikandar Raza’s off stump, but Dhawan revved the engine again, an audacious reverse-flick off Jason Holder sailing for six over

in the same over when he flubbed a drive to cover.

Buttler by this point was fit to walk out, and the Ashwin gambit ended in failure when he mistimed a pull to go without scoring in Arshdeep’s second over. Kings had already seen Buttler survive a chance by that point, with Harpreet Brar putting down a running chance in the deep off Curran.

and crop for 21 off 26 to finish the over. Ellis’s fourth went for 16, but figures of 4 for 30 were the difference in what became a tight chase.

Impact player Dhruv Jurel and Rishi Dhawan

Kings looked like becoming the second team, after Royal Challengers Bangalore, not to introduce an impact sub; they eventually brought on Rishi Dhawan for Prabhsimran after 15 overs of their defence, but he was not used with the ball, as his opposite number threatened to have a match-turning impact. Jurel had initially trotted on at the end of the 16th over in Kings innings, after Chahal had bowled his allocation. Batting at No. 8, the 22-year-old showed both power and a cool temperament to thump 32 from 15 in only his fourth T20 innings, as Royals’ seventh-wicket pair took the game to the wire. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Punjab Kings (20 ovs maximum)

BATTING R B

Prabhsimran Singh

c Buttler b Holder 60 34

in the eighth over, from just 28 balls, and there was time for one more belligerent mow into the sightscreen off Boult, before a miscue looking to take Holder over the leg side was athletically taken by Jos Buttler sprinting in from long-off.

Dhawan gets it done

Despite playing second fiddle to Prabhsimran during their opening stand, Dhawan went through the gears with aplomb through the second half of the innings. From 30 off 30 with three boundaries, he motored through to a 36-ball fifty. He took particular toll on Yuzvendra Chahal, who was dispatched for 6-1-4-42-4 on the way to a head-tohead analysis of 33 from 14 balls against the Kings captain.

Dhawan’s charge enabled Kings to ransack

deep backward point.

Asif, who leaked 20 from 11 balls to Dhawan, was ramped for six more in the 19th over, and a Dhawan century was not out of the question. But he couldn’t get on strike for the final over, Holder conceding just seven runs to keep Kings below 200.

Arshdeep strikes, Samson counters With Buttler needing stitches on his fingers after taking a low catch from the last ball of the Kings innings, Royals opted to send out Ashwin to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. An action-packed powerplay then began, with Jaiswal nonchalantly swatting the first ball of the chase into the crowd at deep square leg. Jaiswal struck Arshdeep’s first delivery to the rope as well, but fell

Samson looked to put the pressure back on straight away, smoking Arshdeep straight back down the ground from his second ball. He took Brar and Ellis for back-to-back fours in consecutive overs as Royals breezed past 50 from 31 balls; but when Buttler diverted a caughtand-bowled chance back to Ellis off his pads, Royals were 57 for 3 and wobbling.

Ellis mops up Ellis only played twice for Kings in 2022, but has made himself a firstchoice overseas pick in the 12 months since, keeping Kagiso Rabada out of the XI. He added Samson to his bag just past the midway point of the innings, and was on a hat-trick when he had Riyan Parag, the local boy whose volley of boundaries brought the crowd back to life, taken at longoff a few overs later.

Hetmyer survived, but Padikkal was bowled neck

Shikhar Dhawan (c)

not out 86 56

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

retired hurt 1 1

Jitesh Sharma † c Parag

b Chahal 27 16

Sikandar Raza b Ashwin 1 2

M Shahrukh Khan c

Buttler b Holder 11 10

Sam Curran not out 1 2

Extras(b 1, nb 1, w 8) 10

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 9.85) 197/4

Did not bat: Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan

Fall of wickets: 1-90

(Prabhsimran Singh, 9.4 ov), 1-92*

(Bhanuka Rajapaksa, retired hurt), 2-158

(Jitesh Sharma, 15.4 ov), 3-159

(Sikandar Raza, 16.1 ov), 4-196

(M Shahrukh Khan, 19.4 ov) •

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Trent Boult 4-0-38-0

KM Asif 4-0-54-0

Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-25-1

Jason Holder 4-0-29-2

Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-50-1

Rajasthan Royals (T: 198 runs from 20 ovs)

BATTING R B Yashasvi Jaiswal c sub (MW Short) b

Arshdeep Singh 11 8

Ravichandran Ashwin c S

Dhawan b Arshdeep Singh 0 4

Jos Buttler c & b Ellis 19 11

Sanju Samson (c)† c sub (MW Short) b Ellis 42 25

Devdutt Padikkal b Ellis 21 26

Riyan Parag c Shahrukh Khan b Ellis 20 12

Shimron Hetmyer run out (Shahrukh Khan/Curran) 36 18

Dhruv Jurel not out 32

Ashwin, 3.2 ov), 3-57

Buttler, 5.4 ov), 4-91

Samson, 10.6 ov), 5-121

Parag, 14.1 ov), 6-124

The Guyanese teams in Suriname

Shikhar Dhawan started slowly, but then picked up speed

Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel added 61 off just 26 balls

Sabor Restaurant sponsors Guyana’s junior women’s hockey team

As the Guyana Under-21 Women’s Hockey Team prepare to make their first-ever international appearance, which takes place at the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships scheduled for 10–18 April in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sabor Restaurant & Catering has thrown its support behind the young Guyanese group.

Just as the Guyanese girls will be the new faces in international hockey, Sabor is a young and very trending food outfit that is making a splash in the local food market. The Guyana team fea-

Sabor Restaurant and Catering has moved to support the Under-21 Women’s Hockey Team

tures six players with prior international experience in captain and sweeper Makeda Harding, defender Kirsten Gomes, midfielders Madison

Fernandes, Clayza Bobb and Sarah Klautky, and striker Abosaide Cadogan. The rest of the team features a diverse group, with ages ranging

from 20 down to Makaylah Poole at just 13 years of age. While these ladies on the team intend to do their best to represent Guyana well, the

youthful age of many players makes this team a perfect developmental squad for future international competitions as they gather experience.

Proprietor of Sabor, Mr Janiel Lee, indicated that the company is excited to be able to contribute to the wellbeing and betterment of young Guyanese. He indicated that there are often not enough opportunities, especially for your girls, to participate in sport and compete internationally.

The team travels to Barbados on Friday 7th April, and the Guyanese ladies will face Canada in their opening match on Tuesday 12th April after a few training sessions on the artificial hockey pitch in Barbados.

Yunes is overall winner of Robert Birthday Tournament title …

Shields victorious in 17-36 Flight

TheLusignan Golf Club

last Saturday hosted the Robert Birthday Tournament. Many of Guyana's top golfers graced the course with their presence, but it was Miguel Yunes who surpassed everyone to take the title. Hilbert Shields was also victorious in the 17-36 Flight.

Results for the Stableford tournament are as follows:

0-16 Flight

1st- Miguel Yunes: HC

15, Points 37

2nd- Shanella London: HC 10, Points 37

17-36 Flight

1st- Hilbert Shields: HC

19, Points 36

2nd- Maurice Deo: HC 28, Points 34

Overall best net: Miguel Yunes, 37 Points Nearest to pin: Loak

Punit Longest Drive: Shanella London

Speaking on behalf of the Lusignan Golf Club, Secretary Chet Bowling noted that the tournament was

fantastic. He relayed that the course played well, and while there was a large turnout, there was healthy competition among the players. Pertaining to the Easter weekend, Bowling said, "This weekend is a big week-

end; golf continues. We have the Easter Saturday tournament hosted by Bruster’s, and then on Easter Sunday we have a barbecue and golf tournament hosted by Romel and Robin. So, that is going to be a lot of fun.

“Then on Monday and Tuesday we are going to be flying kites at the golf club; so, come out, bring the family, and let's enjoy these action-packed days."

Since he became acquainted with golf, Counsel Robert Hanoman has remained committed to the game, which he has been playing for more than 20 years. Over the years, Counsel Hanoman has made significant and outstanding contributions to the LGC. Counsel Hanoman has provided legal guidance and direction continuously, in addition to consistent and voluntary financial assistance by means of sponsorships and other areas of club development.

GCB/GOG/MCYS

Under-19 Boys Inter-Club

Super-50 Tournament… Tucber Park, Everest, Peter’s Hall pick up wins

TheGuyana Cricket Board (GCB) Government of Guyana (GOG) Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS), Under-19 Boys Inter-Club Super-50 Tournament 2023 continued on Tuesday, April 4, with recorded wins for Tucber Park CC, Rose Hall Canje Arborsmart, and No.73 Young Warriors/Radha Krishna Foundation; and in Demerara, there were wins for Everest, Transport and Peter’s Hall.

Summary of Scores: Tucber Park beat

Edinburgh by 153 runs

A massive total of 293-9 was amassed thanks mainly to national youth player Zeynul Ramsammy, who stroked 16 fours and a few sixes in his majestic 136. Support from opener Kevin Kisten, who set the tone with 73, was enough to negate the expertise of Edinburgh &#39s Wesley Castello, who picked up 5-45 amidst the chaos.

In response, Edinburgh was kept to 140, with Jarvon Wharton (22) being the main scorer, following some incisive bowling from Marvin Arjune (3-13), while Kisten (3-26) and Ramsammy (2-28) returned to provide impetus.

Rose Hall Canje Arborsmart

beat Achievers B by a massive 381 runs

Isai Thorne stroked a brilliant 123 from 63 balls, Enrique Mickle had 79, and Zadeen LaRose had 51 as their team racked up 437-6 in 50 overs.

It was easy pickings at the end for Rose Hall, after they knocked over Achievers for 56 runs, led by Devon

Warton’s 6-26. No batsman even managed to reach double figures for Achievers.

#73 Young Warriors/Radha

Krishna Foundation beat Skeldon Community Centre by 53 runs #73 Young Warriors/ Radha Krishna Foundation made 133 all out in 35 overs.

Tomesh Hemraj led with 48, as Okazi Boyce took 2-24, Farhan Elamodeen took 2-18, and Mahendra Sukhai took 2-20 to keep things going for their team.

Skeldon Community Centre was knocked over for 80 in 33.4 overs, with Farhan Elamodeen scoring

18. Bowling for #73, Tavindra Doobay took 4-22, M. Mersalin took 2-14, Lutesh Singh took 2-18, and Yougesh Khemraj took 2-18 to seal the win.

Everest beat MYO by 84 runs

Everest batted first and made just 137 all out in 38.5 overs, with only two batsmen: Anesh Haimnarine (19*) and Saif Samaroo (21), managing respectable scores.

Apart from Dillon Ramsaroop (26), no MYO batsman made double figures, and they were eventually bowled out for 54 in 19.4 overs.

American Cricket Society dominate Malteenoes

Transport Sports Club beat GT ONEXT XI by 9 wickets

In a game reduced to 30 overs for each side, GT ONEXT XI won the toss and chose to bat, but was destroyed for a mere 49 in 15 overs. Joshua Daniels had the top score of 14 for ONEXT XI, as the duo of Nehemiah Hohenkirk (315) and Renaldo Grenville (2-16) bowled superbly for Transport.

In reply, Transport Sports Club surged to 501, thanks to Hohenkirk returning to hit 19*, and Alvin Mohabir adding 18* to seal a good victory.

Peter’s Hall defeat Sandpipers by 148 runs Batting first, Peter’s Hall Sports Club piled on 237 for 3 in 30 overs. Josiah Lim led with 74 not out, while Dravid Manohar hit 65 not out.

Sandpipers Sports Club then scored 89 all out in 22.1 overs, after some magic from spinner Sayed Lakeram, who bagged 5-23.

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, Peter’s Hall will compete against the team that drew the bye in the first round, West Demerara, at the Meter-Meer-Zorg ground in West Demerara.

The touring American Cricket Society (ACS) team are enjoying their 2023 tour to Guyana, having recorded strong performances against Malteenoes, Chesney, Tucber Park, and Georgetown Cricket Club.

In the match played at Malteenoes, ACS whipped Malteenoes by 125 runs on Tuesday, on the back of Bhaskar Yadram's unbeaten 99 and a collective bowling effort. ACS posted 208-6 in their allotted 25 overs, with Yardram blasting an unbeaten 99 from 54 balls. He was supported by Ronaldo Renee, who contributed 22.

In reply, Malteenoes managed only 83 all out in 22.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Trinson Carmichael picked up 3-15 from five overs to continue his economical tour, while nation-

al player Antony Adams had 3-8 in five brilliant overs. Keon Lake had 3-21 in his 4.5 overs to complete the demolition job for ACS.

The ACS team has a mixture of American players and past and present Guyanese players. And players from different Caribbean countries are also in the mix.

Brief scores of other matches:

American Cricket Society vs Chesney at Chesney

American Cricket Society: 276-8 (25).

Dominique Rikhi 77, Bhaskar Yadram 70, Akeem Dewar 62, Ronaldo Renee 46. R Ramcharan 3-53.

Chesney: 166-9 (25).

Imran Khan 54, Ramesh Kasinauth 45. A Gangadin 4-14.

American Cricket Society won by 110 runs.

American Cricket Society vs Tucber Park at Chesney

Tucber Park: 157 all out in 22 overs. Damian Vantull 35, Martin Singh 33. Suresh Dhanai 3-20, Karan Ganesh 2-16, Trinson Carmichael 2-18.

American Cricket Society: 159-7. Antony Adams 63, Haran Ganesh 44 not out. Shamar Joseph 3-21, Leon Swammy 2-45. American Cricket Society won by three wickets.

GCC vs American Cricket Society at Bourda

Georgetown Cricket Club: 147-8 (20). Zachary Jodah 42, Devon Lord 26. Moein Khan 3-29.

American Cricket Society: 147-7 (20). Akeem Dewar 40, Bhaskar Yadram 23. Krisna Singh 2-25, Carlos La Rose 2-17. Match tied.

The winners’ row

Hilbert Shields was victorious in the 17-36 Flight

Sayed Lakeram

Zeynul Ramsammy

Team American Cricket Society

Milo Schools U18 Football tournament 2023…

Newcomers Patentia, Mackenzie High brimming with confidence

TheMilo Schools’

Under-18 Football Tournament will head into the Round-of-16 this weekend with a number of fresh faces making it to the knockout stage.

Among those teams are newcomers to the competition Mackenzie High (MHS) and Patentia Secondary (PS). Both have qualified out of Group E, with Mackenzie High finishing atop the table with 9 points.

MHS Head Coach Maurice Cummings spoke on the golden opportunity the team have received, and his hopes of them going all the way.

“Well, I think it’s a great

opportunity for the lads to display their talent. At the school, we have a very strong culture of football. I mean, throughout all levels, male and female football is being played. So, this is just an opportunity for them to display their talents, and I think it should do them very well, because we know that sports is very important,” Cummings related to Guyana Times Sport “Yes, I do. I think I have some experienced players and I have some very determined players. So, combining these two assets, I think the team will go very far in the tournament, and I’m looking to go all the way

to secure the victory,” The MHS Coach responded to an inquiry on his perception of his team’s chances of suc-

Kares CrossFit Caribbean Championship…

cess.

Patentia Secondary finished the group stage with 6 points, and their only loss

came against Mackenzie High.

Head Coach Kelvin Roberts claimed his team took some time to adjust to the level of competition, but claims that if they apply themselves, they can extend their stay in the tournament.

“Adjusting a little bit. We just need a little bit more field training, because we’re not getting the field to train right now. But we’re trying our best to settle. Only thing we need is the players them to dedicate themselves a little bit more towards sports,” Roberts shared with this publication.

Coach Roberts add-

ed, “We would reach far. It was just a slight misunderstanding this afternoon [during their only loss], but I feel we’ll upgrade. But I feel we’ll step up on the next game, because we must win the next game to get ourselves far. So, I’m going to step up a little bit more, and the players need to step up.”

Patentia will kick off the Round-of-16 action with a contest against Ann’s Grove Secondary from 11:00hrs on Saturday morning, while Mackenzie High will get their time in the sun on Sunday against West Ruimveldt Secondary, beginning at 15:00hrs.

Desinco Trading Ltd to add flare with gift bags

-Spectators to also cash in

Come April 16, 2023

at the National Park, the second day of the Kares CrossFit Caribbean Championships, top athletes and fans alike are expected to cash in on the generosity of Desinco Trading Limited, which has come on board as one of the sponsors of this eagerly anticipated showdown.

Ms. Alicia DeAbreu, Chief Executive Officer of Desinco Trading Limited of 48 Sheriff Street, Campbellville, made the disclosure when she handed over a financial contribution to Organising Committee member Jamie McDonald. Apart from the cash donation, Ms. DeAbreu informed that the company

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This competition would attract athletes from six Caribbean nations, including Guyana.

The competition will get cracking on Saturday morning, April 15, at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal

from around 06:00hrs with a 150m swim, followed by a two-mile ride on a stationary (echo) bike, after which the athletes would compete in a 3-mile run from the Aquatic Centre to the National Park. They will then enjoy a

two-hour rest before battling it out to see who will lift the heaviest back squat. That’ll be it for day one, with more intense workouts set for Sunday at the National Park from 12:30hrs.

General admission is

$1000, with VIP tickets costing $5000. Tickets can be obtained from Fitness Express on Sheriff Street; Kares CrossFit, or Lotus Hardware Store on Broad Street. Children under-12 would be admitted without charge.

would be rewarding athletes with gift bags, and fans attending the event would also benefit.

“We will be setting up a special spectator booth where we would be having some exciting mini-competitions, and those who win will be rewarded with attractive prizes. So, we are encouraging all to come out and enjoy the competition, as well as take part in the fun games that we would be putting on,” she disclosed.

McDonald expressed thanks to Ms. DeAbreu and her company for their support and partnership, which he stated would add to the overall success of the event.

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Kelvin Roberts, Coach of Patentia Secondary Mackenzie High Coach, Maurice Cummings

Kares CrossFit Caribbean Rep. Jamie McDonald receiving sponsorship from the CEO of Desinco Trading Limited, Ms Alicia DeAbreu

2021 Caribbean Premier League Champions, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, are set to make history as they will become the first CPL team to host an off-season talent scouting and player development camp. The camp will take place from April 2nd to April 12th in Antigua, focusing on identifying talent available to be recruited, while also developing the cricketers who are already a part of the Patriots’ roster.

The training camp will be the start of a new player development programme to be rolled out by the Patriots. The franchise has built an esteemed reputation for talent identification, with some of the brightest prospects in the Caribbean either starting their

careers or spending time at the Patriots and blossoming.

Players like Evin Lewis, Dominic Drakes, Joshua Da Silva, Brandon King and Fabian Allen are all examples of how the Patriots have identified talent before they have become established names in the Caribbean & the global T20 map.

“In sports, especially in the franchise model of sports, the focus is heavily results-oriented, and hence the process involved to get the desired result is often neglected. The Patriots have had a roller-coaster ride in the CPL for the last 3 years - where we have not qualified for 2 years and won the championship in between those 2 years. The success of the Patriots has been largely attributed to the success from our local players, hence we are looking to implement a comprehensive talent

scouting & player development programme which will help us in identifying emerging talent in the Caribbean region, and help up skill these cricketers, which will eventually bear fruit not only for the Patriots, but also for West Indies Cricket,” owner of the

St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Mahesh Ramani, has said.

The overall aim of the camp and the player development programme is to foster the growth and development of cricketers across the Caribbean, which will become a feeder system for both the Patriots &

West Indies Cricket.

The entire player development programme & talent scouting has been the brainchild of Adhishwar TA, Director of Cricket with the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, who is currently involved in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals & was previously a part of the Mumbai Indiansboth franchisees which have been renowned for identifying the best talent in the league.

“We have worked extremely hard to put in place the scouting network. We are proud to be the first team in the CPL to actively carry out talent scouting during the CWI domestic season and locally across various Caribbean regions. The continued success of a franchise comes from the effort invested to nurture the talent of its players. We are committed to

put in the effort and set up the process of player development,” Adhishwar TA, Director of Cricket, shared.

Meanwhile, Pete Russell, CEO of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League, said, “We are delighted that the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have taken the initiative to seek out the best up-and-coming talent to be part of their franchise set-up.

“Developing the next generation of Caribbean superstars is a big part of CPL’s mission within the region, and this is something we will build on, going forward with other franchises. We are looking forward to seeing the talent that they have unearthed at future CPL tournaments.”

As has been the norm over the years, Fitness Express, Guyana’s leading sports supplement and fitness equipment retailer, continues to support athletes across the divide.

The latest gesture comes in the form of a financial contribution made towards the overall expenses of Guyana’s participation at this year’s CARIFTA Games, set for this Friday to next Monday, April 7-10 in the Bahamas.

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson, has indicated that the AAG is pulling out all the stops to ensure that Guyana is well represented at this year’s Games, despite the challenges being faced to get the full team there.

“The AAG would like to express gratitude to Mr. Jamie McDonald and Fitness Express for assisting us in a big way. Getting our team to the Bahamas is

by no means an easy task, as it is a very huge bill to see us get there, and every contribution adds up.

“Mr. McDonald has always been supportive of us, and we are very thankful for his continued backing.”

McDonald, in brief remarks after handing over the company’s contribution to Team Manager and Council Member of the AAG, Mr. Keith Campbell, shared that Guyana has a very good chance of doing even better

than 2022, when the nation ended the 49th edition of the Games in Jamaica, with seven (7) medals.

“Athletics in Guyana is really going places, and I am sure that with the consistent work the AAG has been putting in, we will certainly reap huge rewards in short order. This year’s team is a talented one, and we at Fitness Express would like to make our contribution toward its success,” McDonald has said.

The St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots are taking on a first-of-its-kind venture

AAG CARIFTA Games Team Manager Mr. Keith Campbell (right) receiving the Fitness Express contribution from Manager Jamie McDonald

The St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots last won the CPL in 2021