Guyana Times - Thursday, August 25, 2022 by Gytimes

AG Nandlall calls on GECOM to "educate" Opposition Leader on voters’ list $566.9M contract signed to rebuild North SecondaryRuimveldtSchool Weekly lifts being recorded as oil production increases in Stabroek Block Monkeypox vaccines due by September month-end – Health MinisterTaxidrivernabbedwithgun,ammo,spentshell“Tintingyourfrontwindshieldisdangerous”–TrafficChief Bodyguard’s murder PoliceroadwaysbikesUsetoafter50-year-oldforproceedingscommittalPaper2accuseddiesthreateningkillsisterofelectricononradar …Traffic Chief concerned about lack of laws, riders’ ignorance of traffic rules…production rate now 340,000 barrels per day …says Norton seems not to know changes can only be made by GECOM After devastating fire Page16 Page7 P10 Page 12 P10 Page 9 Hijackers slapped with abduction, robbery charges Page16 P3

WHAT'S INSIDE: Issue No. 5111 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana THE BEACON OF TRUTH guyanatimesgy.com PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDEDTHURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 PPP211P118 Govt eyeing establishment of aluminium plant by 2025 …manufacturing to get boost with reduced electricity costs AFC’s AssemblyfromTrotmanRaphaelresignsNational

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday met with representatives from Embraer Brazil, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial and executive aircraft, with substantial and growing operations in defence and security. The company's representatives included its Vice President, Fabio Henrique Caparica Santos and Business Development Director, Alfredo Roberto Junior. They were accompanied by the Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Guyana, Maria Clara Duclos Carisio (OP photo)

The Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has ex pressed concern over per sons, including minors, us ing electric bikes on the roadways.According to Traffic Chief Dennis Stephens, not only is it dangerous to have under age persons riding electric bikes but there have been a lot of fatalities since this type of transport became popular in the country. Electrical bikes are not registered by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), thus leaving their operation unchecked.Assuch, Stephens said the GPF was currently en gaging the GRA and the Legal Affairs Ministry, to seek advice on what could be done about the usage of elec tric bikes in Guyana.

Use of electric bikes on roadways on Police radar …Traffic Chief concerned about lack of laws, riders’ ignorance of traffic rules

“In many countries, those electric cycles are banned, and they are used for the purpose of industri al locations, to move to and fro in an industrial space. In Guyana, our laws do not ca ter to e-motorcycles. But we are looking at other coun tries to see what laws are in place so that we will be able to arrest the situation in Guyana.”Hesaid apart from the cycles not being registered, they have no insurance or fitness.“Our laws do not cater for those cycles… our laws define what is a motorcycle and it defines a cycle as one with less than four wheels, with an unladen weight of 800 pounds and the e-cycle does not fall in that catego ry. That is the reason why we have these challenges,” he said.Moreover, he said most times when persons die in accidents involving electric cycles, investigations be come difficult since the laws do not govern the use of such vehicles.“What we observe – a lot of persons using these cycles are not au fait with the rules of the road…that is reasons why they make mistakes and it might lead to a loss of life or serious injuries as a result,” he explained.

NEWS2 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

(G9)

In March of this year, former Police Commissioner(ag) Nigel Hoppie announced that the GPF and the GRA were in discussion on regularising the use of electric bikes on the country’s roadways. He said this after con cerns were raised over the usage of e-bikes, especial ly by young children, many of whom do not know traffic rules and laws. The use of e-bikes after their introduc tion onto the country’s road ways has received major backlash from many mem bers of local law enforce E-bikes.waysizensinforcedwouldtheuseWilliamsSuperintendent(Georgetown),Officeryear,ofraiseduserscouldlawClarke-bikes2021,Corentyne),inOfficer-in-ChargeSuperintendentment.AssistantRaunClark,oftrafficRegionSix(EastBerbice-inNovemberofslammedtheuseofonpublicroadways.saidtherewasnotheTrafficDepartmentenforceagainsttheofthosecyclesasheconcernsoverthelackagelimitfortheiruse.Similarly,earlierthisDivisionalTrafficofDivision4A–DeputyTimothycontendedthattheofE-bikeswouldrequirecreationofpoliciesthatneedtobestronglyretocatertothosecitwhotraversetheroadwiththecontroversial

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 Thursday, August 25 –15:50h-17:20h and Friday, August 26 – 16:35h-18:05h.

3 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS COMMODITIES Indicators US$ Change % Crude Oil $102.00/barrel +0.73 Rough Rice $309.78/ton -0.17 London Sugar $549.30/ton 0.00 Live Spot Gold USD Per Ounce Bid/Ask $1756.10 $1757.10 Low/High $1742.10 $1757.60 Change +4.60 +0.26 LOTTERY NUMBERS DAILY MILLIONSWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902 LUCKY 3 TICKETFREE 10 16 18 19 20 27C 1914 26173 18 6 2151314070706 BonusBall 12 DRAW DE LINE 09 15070401 18 21161502 PAY DAY PAYSUPERDAY 17 9 8 5 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw 91 84 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw 2XFP Afternoon Draw Evening Draw

AFC’s Raphael Trotman resigns from National Assembly

Former Chairman and co-founder of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, has resigned as a Member of Parliament represent ing the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/ AFCOnOpposition.Wednesday, the AFC disclosed that Trotman would officially leave the National Assembly next week. This move by Trotman, according to the party, is honouring a com mitment he had made pre viously to step down as a parliamentarian in the 12th Parliament.“MrTrotman had in dicated before the stag ing of [the AFC’s] National Conference that he would not be available for nomina tion as he would be resign ing mid-term in the life of the present Assembly, which commenced in 2020, to allow for rotation and space for new leadership training,” the party Trotmansaid.has been an MP since 1998, entering the National Assembly un der the People’s National Congress (PNC). He then left the party to join forces with current AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to form the AFC, which won sev en seats in the National Assembly at the 2006 elec tions.

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, August 25 –02:00h-03:30h and Friday, August 26 – 02:30h-04:00h.

WEATHER TODAY

Cloudy skies are expected in the morning hours, with light to thundery rain showers in the afternoon and into the night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Trotman had served as Speaker of the National Assembly in the 10th Parliament in which the AFC and APNU collectively held a majority of the seats from 2011 to 2015. The AFC went on to coalesce with the PNC-led APNU to contest and win the 2015 elections. Under the last APNU/ AFC administration, Trotman served firstly as Minister of Governance and then as Minister of Natural Resources.TheAFC said it was proud of the work that Trotman provided over the years as a valuable member of its team, and particularly, as a Member of Parliament. “Mr Trotman has served as a Member of the National Assembly continuously from 1998 to present, and during that time, has been the 10th Speaker of the National Assembly, and served on many Standing and Select Committees includ ing – Constitution Reform, Security, Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources, and contributed to the passage of scores of critical pieces of legislation,” it added. During his tenure in the National Assembly, Trotman also led sever al parliamentary delega tions to international con ferences and meetings in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Peru, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Barbados, Mexico, and New Zealand, among others. Even with his resigna tion, the party said, Trotman remained a vital member of the leadership of the AFC.

“Although leaving the National Assembly, Mr Trotman will remain a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the AFC and continue to provide counsel to the leadership of the AFC on a range of national and re gional developments. He will also continue to render his expert counsel on the na scent oil production sector,” Wednesday’s statement de tailed. Controversial oil contract While Natural Resources Minister, Trotman had led negotiations on behalf of Guyana and signed the con troversial oil contract with US oil giant ExxonMobil, which along with its co-ven turers, is operating the oilrich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.In the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil, Guyana is only entitled to two per cent royalty and 50 per cent profit oil. The agreement has been heavily criticised for its low royalty, lack of ring-fenc ing provisions and cost oil claims that industry experts say will cause Guyana to lose billions, among other is sues.In fact, in a report by non-profit Global Witness, titled “Signed Away”, which was published in February 2020, it was noted that a new OpenOil analysis shows that Guyana forfeited some US$55 billion in what has been described as the “lop sided” 2016 oil deal. The then APNU/AFC Government had defended its decision to sign the 2016 contract with Exxon, saying it was in Guyana’s best in terest. However, months af ter there was a change of Government, AFC Leader Ramjattan admitted in September of 2022 that in a bid to secure the contract to kick off operations offshore Guyana, there were sever al loopholes in the contract signed by Trotman. Nevertheless, the current People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government has contended that while the oil contract with Exxon was too generous, in the in terest of pushing Guyana’s exploitation of its oil re sources, it would not be re negotiating the agreement. Instead, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has ex plained that Government would be moving to ensure that future oil contracts with other companies have better benefits for Guyana and its people. (G8)

BRIDGE OPENINGS

AFC’s Raphael Trotman resigns from Parliament

Winds: Northerly to West South-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres. High Tide: 15:43h reaching a maximum height of 2.34 metres. Low Tide: 09:16h and 21:31h reaching minimum heights of 0.81 metre and 0.86 metre.

FERRY SCHEDULE

A s a practising phy sician, I have stud ied the autopsies of executed prisoners in or der to better understand how lethal injection actu ally kills. In July, the pris oner Joe Nathan James Jr was executed by the state of Alabama. The circum stances of that death raised troubling questions that are now sparking an out cry. I know, because I car ried out the autopsy that revealed what the state has not.Regardless of how one might feel about the right ness or wrongness of cap ital punishment, it still must comport with the law, and not violate the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which bars “cruel and unusual punishments.” Yet, if ac counts are true, James was subjected to a three-hour ordeal as state officials at tempted to establish intra venous access without any witnesses present. It is not possible to ask James to re port on his experience, but his bodily remains can still tell the story and guide us to theExecutiontruth. is the killing of a person, and Alabama appears to acknowledge this by officially classify ing executions as homi cides and performing au topsies on every executed inmate. Yet, the results of the state’s autopsy will not be available for many months – not because it takes that long to process autopsy results, but be cause Alabama is unwill ing to publicly reveal what it knows. Alabama intends to carry out additional exe cutions before the results of James’s autopsy are made public.Iwas able to arrange a second autopsy with per mission from the family, supported by the Forensic Justice Initiative at the non-profit civil rights or ganisation Reprieve. I trav elled to Birmingham to try to satisfy the public need to understand the truth, and hold accountable anyone who violates the law, even in the name of the law. My examination of James’s body uncovered a story of great distress. I saw many failed intrave nous puncture attempts on his arms, and two per pendicular skin incisions on the left arm. These inci sions appear to be attempts by the execution team to es tablish intravenous access through what is known as a “cut-down procedure”. In this procedure, a blade is used to slice deep into the skin and identify a vein by direct vision. I found two slices on James, indicating that the first slice was unsuccess ful. I cannot know if the second slice even found the vein, as the catheter, if it had been there, was re moved. In the hands of a skilled person, establish ing two separate IVs in the arms, which is the state re quirement for lethal injec tion, may take 10 minutes. Instead, the state appears to have stabbed, jabbed, and twice sliced into the arm of James with a surgi cal blade for three hours. When James was fi nally brought before wit nesses for his execution, his eyes were closed and he was strangely unre sponsive. The Department of Corrections has now said they “cannot confirm” whether James was even conscious.When I examined his body, I found unusu al punctures on his skin, which may have been in tramuscular injections of a sedative. Such an inter vention would be an unlaw ful act not permitted under Alabama’s execution proto col, and certainly not per mitted as a medical act. A toxicology report will eventually be avail able from the state autop sy, which will tell us what drugs James had in his body when he was killed. I also obtained body fluid in order to study what drugs were used to possibly se date and ultimately kill, and am awaiting the re sults.In many ways, what Alabama appears to have done to James has paral lels with Greek mytholo gy – which also serves as a reminder of how the sto ry of the modern autopsy owes its origins to antiqui ty. Prometheus the Titan is said to have given the gift of fire and the skill of metal work to man, there by enabling progress and civilisation. Zeus, chief of the gods, was incensed, and, as a punishment, had Prometheus chained to a rock where an eagle would eat out his liver every day, only to have it grow back the following day, to be eat en once more in perpetu ity. The agony was meant to last.Those who wrote this ancient myth knew that the liver actually has the capacity to regenerate, un like all other visceral or gans. To figure this out would have required a se ries of careful post-mortem observations.Thesecond autopsy I conducted was needed only because the state of Alabama chooses to remain silent and hide informa tion. The public demands to know the truth. Civilised society re quires more just punish ments than daily devouring of the liver, or successive slices into the flesh of the arm. The use of medicine as an arm of state power, or to inflict pain, is an anathema to the medical profession. Nothing good comes of this. (Al (JoelJazeera)Zivot is a prac tising physician in anes thesiology and intensive care medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Zivot is a recog nized expert against the use of lethal injection and the tools of medicine for use in the death penalty.)

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email:marketing@guyanatimesgy.comnews@guyanatimesgy.com, 4 Views guyanatimesgy.comTHURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

Every year, during the first week of September, Guyana joins with the rest of the world to observe International Day of Charity. The date for the day is September 5, and it was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace." In any society that we dwell or live in, there will always be pockets of persons who are desirous of help in one form or the other. Poverty is not just limited to Third World or developing countries, it is a global phenomenon that exists in even the richest of countries. Experts have articulated that once there is a disparity in the distribution of wealth, poverty would always be prevalent.Insofar as the causality may be open to debate and interpretation, the actuality of the condition remains, and the onus on the rectification of same should not lie solely on the governing institutions in place. All of the world’s religions prescribe for the need to render assistance in one way or another to those who are less fortunate. It was built into our cultural systems, and that knowledge was passed down from generation to generation. However, this traditional norm, as we would describe it, has somewhat been diluted with the passage of time and with the modernist take on cultural assimilation. Invariably, the day-to-day existence of those persons in the middle-income bracket and the proverbial rat-race to pursue wealth generation as a medium to transcend class stratification have meant that most families have focused more on building themselves over expending resources to help persons outside of their social Nevertheless,ambit.according to the UN, notions of volunteerism and philanthropy provide real social bonding, and contribute to the creation of inclusive and more resilient societies. Charity can alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises; supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection. They assist the advancement of culture, science, sports, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. They also promote the rights of the marginalised and underprivileged, and spread the message of humanity in conflictTheresituations.isnodenying the benevolence of NGOs and other non-profit organisations that have contributed tremendously towards the social upliftment of those in need. But their help is contextualised on a more macro scale. Who, in Guyana’s case, is looking out for the neighbour who, while not poor, cannot afford to place their child in daycare or provide that child with the necessary monetary resources to excel in school, because their income can only cover the basics such as food, rent and utilities? Beyond the support of the State, there is supposed to be the support of thy neighbour, the support of the village, the support from those who have enough that sharing would not have any effect on their economic footprint. How do we ensure or bring about a resurgence in providing service to those in need? Well, fundamentally, it should start at the level of our education. Just as how we are taught togetherness and tolerance among all ethnicities in school, education catered towards inculcating formative values that enshrine the need for us to care for each other must also be incorporated in the teaching curriculum from an early age. We cannot account for the behavioural change in persons who are already entrenched with a particular perspective of thinking, but we can inculcate within the malleable minds of our young ones the need for them to extend their social and economic responsibilities beyond the confines of the family structure.Thebigger picture is that we are all interconnected. Realization of this fact through an “Edu-care” based approached to learning would invariably set us on the right path.

Death by lethal injection: It is time for more transparency

assistanceRendering

The Special Education Needs (SEN) Unit in collaboration with the Education Department in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) hosted a Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Daily Living Skills Camp for children with disabilities and those who learn differently from both Regions Five and Six. Thirty-two learners benefited from the exercise which included painting; quilting; bed making; tie dye; making simple snacks; physical fitness and cosmetology (Education Ministry photos) B y J oel Z ivot

Mr. Hutson has not sub mitted any financial infor mation or updates to the Executive Council for mon ies received from the World Athletics Association or from sponsors. The AAG’s Constitution requires the submission of Statements of Income and Expenditure, and yet he has repeatedly failed to provide these to the Council.Itis widely known that the President incurs ex penses without the approv al of Council, and reimburs es himself on a continuous basis; again, without the ap proval of the Council. He has refused to allow an internal audit of the finances of the AAG, and has also refused to include the Treasurer as a signatory to accounts be longing to the AAG. To circumvent oversight, he has established Local Organising Committees to plan and run activities, so that financial reports and any other documentation do not have to be submitted to the Council. These are all actions that are outside of his remit, and are in blatant breach of the Constitution of theTheAAG.setup of the Finance Committee, comprising up standing citizens of this country, was put forward. To date, this Committee has not been endorsed, and it is clear why this is so. By requirements of the Constitution, the Finance Committee oversees all fi nances and sponsorships of the AAG. It must be noted that, more than a year lat er, neither the Treasurer nor the Council is aware of how many accounts the AAG holds, nor what are the incoming transactions or what is the current bal ance of Simplyeach.put, there is no accountability or transpar ency at this organisation. Selfish interests are being pursued instead of the de velopment of sports and the creation of opportunities for young people. Mr Hutson knows quite well why he wishes to replace those on the Council who dare to go against him. His statement must be taken in this con text.

Catering for isphysically-challengedtheamuch-neededmove AAG President’s

According to Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud, the exercise was carefully orchestrated, as it was a collaborated effort with the Health Ministry and National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to formulate a bona fide list of qualified recipients. The Minister detailed that “Each parent or guard ian would be collecting $100,000 from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. (And that) This is a commitment because, “since I have been there, we have been work ing with persons with in that community, and it adds on to other initiatives where, for over a year, we have been providing peo ple with free support aids.” What this eventuates to is that the money would pro vide relief to parents and caregivers, enabling them to offer the best level of care to children with disabilities. Making it a fully nation al plan, the hinterland com munities have been catered for, as indeed the Minister clarified when questioned. She expressed, “We are, as much as possible, going to the closest locations where persons have applied… In the cases where it is very remote, we will have peo ple going into those areas directly, like the riverine communities. All of that (has) been put into place, that is why it is a long pro cess. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible.”

Yours truly, H Singh

ofAthletics(Treasurer,DwayneSincerely,CarterAssociationGuyana) statement must be taken in context

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 5guyanatimesgy.com You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com 06:00 (Sign on) Inspirational Time 06:30 Cartoons 07:00 Evening News (RB) 08:00 Stop Suffering 08:30 Stay Woke 09:00 MasterChef Junior 10:00 Celebrity IOU 11:00 Paternity Court 11:30 Divorce Court 12:00 Movie - Turbo (2013) 13:36 Wheel of Fortune 14:00 The Thundermans S4 E29 15:00 Indian Soaps 16:00 Henry Danger S1 E18 16:30 Inspector Gadget 17:00 The Young & The Restless 17:45 Exxon Mobil AEMG Ep 26 18:00 CNN 19:00 The Evening News 20:00 Stop Suffering 20:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine S5 E19 21:00 Station 19 S5 E15 22:00 Grey's Anatomy S3 E4 23:00 The Ranch S4 E15 23:30 Whose Line Is It Anyway? S16 E12 00:00 Sign off Thursday, August 25, 2022

Dear Editor, Please permit me the op portunity to respond in your publication to Mr. Aubrey Hutson, President of the Athletics Association of Guyana, who, on 16 August 2022, declared that the AAG is “actively looking at deal ing with the Treasurer who would have signed that let ter. The letter is a manifes tation of people not doing what they (are supposed to) do in the Association, and looking to cast blame at peo ple who are working in the organisation.”Theletterto which he is referring is one which was written and signed by the forcefully-removed General Secretary of the AAG, as well as by me, the Treasurer. That letter detailed breach es of the Association’s Constitution; instances of fi nancial irregularities; lack of transparency and ac countability for funds re ceived and spent by the AAG; as well as the inability of the Association to host its Annual General Meeting, as required by the regula tions governing the body. It was dispatched to the World Athletics Association and copied to the Minister of Sport and the Guyana Olympic Association. In apparent retalia tion, the leadership of the AAG immediately called a meeting, blindsid ed the Secretary, and vot ed him out of the Council.

It must be noted that no where in the Constitution of the Association does it state that this can be done. However, in his interview with Mr. Sean Devers, he has made it clear that I am the next victim. I wish to place on the public record that even though I am the Treasurer of the AAG, I do not have access to the Association’s accounts, nor do I han dle or have knowledge of its financial transactions.

Dear Editor, Guyana is indeed on a new wave in a number of areas, and the one that has given a great deal of plea sure in recent days is that some 5,000 children are each set to benefit from a “special needs” grant of $100,000.Thisis awesome! For too long, this group has been left in a state of the ‘non-fo cused.’ What we need to re alise is that this kind of ac tion shows that Guyana is indeed a part of the real world.Igo back here to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol that was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. There were 82 signa tories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and one ratifica tion of the Convention. This represented history’s high est number of signatories to a UN Convention on its opening day, so this is seri ous business we are talking about.The Convention actual ly followed decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and ap proaches to persons with disabilities. It soared to a new height with the move ment from viewing persons with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treat ment and social protection to viewing persons with dis abilities as “subjects” with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent, as well as being active members of so ciety.I know that Guyana signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2010, and ratified the internation al treaty in 2014. So, Kudos for the nation are in order. The word in Guyana is that, true to promise made by the current Government right after taking office, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry com menced this distribution of the Special Needs Children Fund one-off $100,000 cash grant; in which at the end some 5,000 children will benefit.

The issue that comes to mind, even as I am happy for what is happening, is that all Guyana must move beyond and deeper when it comes to this group. There are many challenges that disabled people have to live with when employed, and even as they seek employ ment, they are confronted with issues regarding doubt of ability; lack of education; poverty; stigmatisation; transport and accommoda tion facilities; negative at titudes; and infrastructure, among other things. What we need to do in lending support to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is sim ply remember that disabled people are a visible minori ty group that is starved of services and mostly ig nored by society. They tend to live in isolation, and de pend on charity, and even pity. Their disability is wide-ranging, and may in clude one or more of the following: blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured, hear ing impairment, loco mo tor disability, mental retar dation and mental illness. These people are fully hu man, but because of the cul ture of discrimination, they choose many times not to go to public places, and are not free to get the constitution al rights which a non-dis abled person gets. My sincere hope is that, with this exercise, we would all help Minister Vindhya Persaud bring to pass the realisation of: access to in formation; access to trans port; access to buildings; and access to medicare for our disabled people.

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Grimm CONTINUED WEDNESDAYFROM Percents and Examples:decimals Exercises: Convert the percents to decimals. Round to four digits to the right of the decimal. 3)2)10%73%30% = 4) .04 5) 84.6% 6) 65.5% 7) 1775% 8) .9678% 9) 10)450.2%53.78% Change 7% to a decimal. Step 1: Think: 7% = 7 hundredths Step 2: Write the correct decimal: 7% = .07 Decimals can also be changed to percents. The easiest way to do this is to move the decimal point two places to the right and add the percent sign. Change .8751 to a percent. Step 1: Move the decimal point two places to the right: 87.51 Step 2: Add the percent sign. So .8751 = 87.51%. Because percents are really hundredths, a per cent can always be changed to a decimal. But be careful! Singers,Introductioninstrumentalists, composers, and conductors have made music history all over the world. We are going to learn

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Step 2 Talk about what a “cover” for an album or a single is and why it’s important. What is on an album cover? Artwork (can include photographs, abstract or realistic shapes, or hand-drawn text) The name of the musician The name of the album (sometimes it is just the name of the musician)

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Get kids thinking Ask: Who is your favorite musician? How many famous musicians can you name? Let‘s get started!

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When the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily; and the eldest said, “This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way!” Then they rose up and opened their drawers and boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at the glass, and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing. But the youngest said, “I don’t know how it is, while you are so happy I feel very uneasy; I am sure some mischance will befall us.” “You simpleton,” said the eldest, “you are always afraid; have you forgotten how many kings’ sons have already watched in vain? And as for this soldier, even if I had not given him his sleeping draught, he would have slept soundlyWhenenough.”theywere all ready, they went and looked at the soldier; but he snored on, and did not stir hand or foot: so they thought they were quite safe; and the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands, and the bed sank into the floor and a trap-door flew open. The soldier saw them going down through the trapdoor one after another, the eldest leading the way; and thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him, and followed them; but in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess, and she cried out to her sisters, “All is not right; someone took hold of my gown.” “You silly creature!” said the eldest, “it is nothing but a nail in the wall.” Then down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees; and the leaves were all of silver, and glittered and sparkled beautifully. The soldier wished to take away some token of the place; so he broke off a little branch, and there came a loud noise from the tree. Then the youngest daughter said again, “I am sure all is not right — did not you hear that noise? That never happened before.” But the eldest said, “It is only our princes, who are shouting for joy at our approach.” The BroThers about Colored construction paper for creating collages Scissors Tape and glue Construction paper cut into 8-1/2-inch x 8-1/2-inch squares

See the complete “Tune In!” music toolkit at: www.startwithabook.org

Tune In! A Book-Based Music Adventure Design an Album Cover

Singers,Introductioninstrumentalists, composers, and conductors have made music history all over the world. We are going to learn about five famous musicians and share what we learn by creating album covers for them. SuppliesExamplesof actual album or CD covers (if you have access) or • Old magazines to use for collage pictures Markers, colored pencils, pencils Colored construction paper for creating collages Tape and Constructiongluepaper cut into 8-1/2-inch x 8-1/2-inch squares

Tune In! A Book-Based Music Adventure Design an Album Cover

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WORD SEARCH Page Foundation 6 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 ◄

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Tune In! A Book-Based Music Adventure Design an Album Cover

Supplies Examples of actual album or CD covers (if you have access) or see Printables Old magazines to use for collage pictures Markers, colored pencils, pencils Colored construction paper for creating collages Scissors Tape and glue • Construction paper cut into 8-1/2-inch x 8-1/2-inch squares

Talk about what a “cover” for an album or a single is and why it’s important. What is on an album cover?

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Get kids thinking

See the complete “Tune In!” music toolkit at: www.startwithabook.org

• Artwork (can include photographs, abstract or realistic shapes, or hand-drawn text) The name of the musician • The name of the album (sometimes it is just the name of the musician)

Let‘s get started!

Ask: Who is your favorite musician? How many famous musicians can you name?

five famous musicians and share what we learn by creating album covers for them. Supplies • Examples of actual album or CD covers (if you have access) or see Printables • Old magazines to use for collage pictures • Markers, colored pencils, pencils •

Step 1 Ask each kid to choose their favorite musician — and imagine that they are creating an album cover for that musician. To inspire them, share the images of famous album covers (see Printables). Step 2 Talk about what a “cover” for an album or single is and why it’s important. What is on an album cover?

•

Get kids thinking Ask: Who is your favorite musician? How many famous musicians can you name? Let‘s get started!

Legally there But only last week, GECOM Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, told reporters that everyone on the voters’ list is legally there. She added that if in deed the list is bloated, as al leged by the Opposition, then the ongoing ‘claims and ob jections’ exercise can be used to contest them and have themOnremoved.Monday, GECOM rolled out the claims and objections exercise’, which is a follow-up process to the continuous registra tion. According to the law, a ‘claims and objections’ peri od is for persons seeking to make a claim to be includ ed on the list, or make objec tions to their voter’s informa tion, such as to change their address.During this period, any person who would be 18 years and older by October 31, 2022 and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalisation, or is a citi zen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can make a claim, on or before September 11, 2022, to be in cluded on the Official List of Electors (OLE) – from which the voters’ list is extracted - provided that he/she had never previously been regis tered.Persons can also make objections to the inclusion of names in the prelimi nary list for reasons such as if the person is dead. The claims aspect of the exercise would last until September 11, while the objections as pect would be concluded on September 15.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC GECOM Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

…says Norton seems not to know changes can only be made by GECOM

7 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

The GECOM Chair had noted that these exercises are in preparation for the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE) later this year.Norton, during the press conference, related that APNU/AFC would ask its constituents to participate in the ‘claims and objections’ exercise, but added that it does not mean the party would agree to go to the polls with the existing list.

Last week, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had opined that Norton’s threats to boycott the elections is a “big gaff”, and that he would have to “back-pedal” on his position for the Coalition Opposition to participate in the local government polls.

Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic, also indicated that once GECOM indicates its readiness, the PPP/C is ready to participate in LGE thisLocalyear. Government Elections, which are constitu tionally due every two years, is long overdue, having last been held in November 2018. At that poll, the then PPP/C Opposition had se cured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs – both under the ruling APNU/AFC administration. (G8)

AG Nandlall calls on GECOM to "educate"

Opposition Leader on voters’ list

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, wants the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to thoroughly clarify to the public that it cannot re move the names of persons from the voters’ list at the whims of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition.Nandlall’s calls came on the heels of Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton say ing during a recent press con ference that he would con tinue to put pressure on the Government to clean the vot ers’ list, which he has been maintaining is “bloated”. But, according to the Attorney General, it is GECOM, and not the Government of Guyana, that is responsible for compiling and maintaining the list of electors.“This gentleman, up to now, seems not to be able to grasp that the Government of Guyana has nothing to do with a list of electors, [and] that the Constitution of Guyana establishes an agency called the Guyana Elections Commission, and it vests in that agency the ex clusive powers and respon sibilities to [hold elections for] which preparation in cludes the compilation of the list of electors in accordance with the Constitution and the Laws of Guyana. The Government has nothing to do with “[Norton]that. seems to want unconstitutionality to take place in relation to that list, and whenever he makes those wild, reckless and un founded allegations about unlawfulness of the list, then the Government, be ing a stakeholder, is enti tled to speak,” Nandlall con tended during his weekly programme – Issues In The News.Against this backdrop, the Attorney General called on the Elections Commission to address the issue of re moving names from the vot ers’ list so that both Norton and the public can under stand that it is unconstitu tional.“Iam using this platform to call upon GECOM to speak about the list, and to inform Mr Norton and the public that there is a ruling from the Chief Justice [Roxane George] while Mr Norton’s party was in Government, when GECOM, under an il legal Chairman appointed by President [at the time David] Granger, was attempting to remove persons from the list who are already registered… “We took proceedings to the court, and the Chief Justice pronounced that it is unlawful and unconsti tutional to remove persons who are registered on that list, unless they are disquali fied on grounds laid down in the law,” he posited. Nandlall further main tained that these changes to the list can only be made by GECOM, and not by any po litical party or politician. According to the Guyana Constitution, a person’s name can only be removed from the voters’ list through death, or if they become dis qualified under Article 159 (2), (3) and (4). During a press conference on Tuesday, Norton contend ed, “We stand by our position on the need for a clean vot ers’ list and biometric identi fication at polling places.”

Well, it’s clear our political leaders can’t settle their differences on their own accord - with almost every issue that crops up. Your Eyewitness knows that, in our adversarial politics, the Leader of the Opposition (LoO) is supposed to oppose the Government (duh!!). But jeez, isn’t there a limit, so SOME business of the state can proceed?? When does opposition become intransigence?? So, the LoO went to the Courts - perpetuating the “judicialization of politics”. And risks dragging our constitutional arbiter into the gutter by imputing POLITICAL motives for their JUDICIAL decisions!! Take the just-delivered decision by the Chief Justice (ag) on whether the President’s appointments to the Police Service Commission (PoSC) and the Integrity Commission were illegal - as claimed by the LoO. And, inter alia, whether the appointments made by the said PoSC weren’t also consequently illegal!!

Your Eyewitness must confess that even after reading three different accounts of the CJ’s decision three times each, his head’s still spinning!! Not the least because both the Police Service Commission and the Public Service Commission had the same acronym (PSC) – explaining why yours truly dubbed the former “PoSC”!! It’s a good thing the Private Sector Commission (also PSC!) wasn’t dragged into the matter. The entire case turned on whether there were the constitutionally mandated “meaningful consultations” between Pressie and the LoO before these Commissions were constituted. On the matter of LoO Norton’s contention of “no consultation”, the CJ said “Not so!!” The clincher was that even after the clarifications on Pressie’s nominations were given to him, if he needed additional info, he’d unilaterally decided he wasn’t gonna be doing no meeting!! The President should be psychic?? But that wasn’t the END of the story. Is there ever??

The LoO also drew a line in the sand - demanding that GECOM’s gotta create a new voters’ list, or else!! He didn’t ACTUALLY SAY “big trouble”, but the WAY he said it left nothing in doubt, least of all, PNC’s supporters!! Now ostensibly, the LoO’s contention looks reasonable: Guyana has a population of 740,000, so how come the voters’ list has 684,354 names - over 91 per cent of the population. But, in August 2019, the High Court ruled new houseto-house registration meant a "residency requirement" for voting!! Unconstitutional!! Once a person’s registered to vote, their name can’t be removed, even if they’re overseas or not found at the address where they registered. Most of the alleged "bloating" comes from Guyanese citizens migrating.TheCoalition Government had appealed this decision, and on 11 Feb 2020, the Court of Appeal upheld the August 2019 High Court decision. To remove persons’ names from the list, there’s gotta be an amendment to the Constitution, outlawing dual citizenship!! …like our neighbours Barbados just voted with a voters’ list of 266,330 persons - 87% of its 302,674 population! While St Kitts/Nevis voted with a 50,933 voters’ list comprised of 94% of its 54,001 population!!Nocomplaints of "bloated" lists!! What’s different?? Paper committal pro ceedings will be used to determine the joint murder charge brought against two men in the shooting death of 40-yearold bodyguard/training offi cer Garfield Newton. This has been announced by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in regard to the charges brought against 24-year-old Judah Vickery, called “Culture”, of South Ruimveldt Georgetown, and 25-year-old Darren Baley, aka “Fifty”, of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD). These two defendants, who were arraigned in this Senior Magistrate’s Georgetown court, were not required to plead to the in dictable charge which al leged that, on December 24, 2021, they murdered Newton during the course or furtherance of a robbery. When the matter con tinued on Tuesday, follow ing an agreement between the prosecution and defence for the matter to proceed by way of a paper committal, the prosecution made full disclosure of witness state ments and exhibits it in tends to rely on to prove its case. This case continues on SeptemberNewton,26. of Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, was killed moments after collect ing several pieces of jewel lery which he had taken to be cleaned at a goldsmith in Campbell Street, Albouystown, Georgetown. He had been employed as a bodyguard/training offi cer at the Beharry Group of Companies. It was reported that af ter Newton had collected a silver band, one gold chain and two gold rings, he had made his way to the compa ny’s motor van, which was parked on Sussex Street, Albouystown, Georgetown. However, about five minutes later, the goldsmith was in formed by a teenager that Newton had been shot, and was lying on the street. As a result, the goldsmith went out and saw Newton, who had also been relieved of his employer’s licensed fire arm, lying motionless on his abdomen. The injured man was pronounced dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has since is sued a wanted bulletin for 18-year-old Kevin “Lil Boy” Carter in connection with Newton’s murder. Carter’s last known address is West Ruimveldt Squatting Area, Georgetown. Anyone with informa tion that may lead to the arrest of Carter is asked to contact the Police on tele phone numbers 226-7065, 227-1270, 226-7476, 911, or at the nearest Police station. The Police have said that all information would be treat ed with the strictest confi dence. (G1)

conflicts...

are

Well, YES IT IS!! But does this mean that COP Hicken has to go?? Well…NO!! “Well, how come?” you ask, dear reader??

are

send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com The

editorial policy and stance 223-7230-1(Ext55)

Readers invited to views expressed in this column the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’

Bodyguard’s Garfield Newton WANTED: Kevin Carter

Settling

murder Paper committal proceedings for 2 accused Remanded: Darren Baley Remanded: Judah Vickery Dead:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM 8 NEWS

The CJ (ag) pulled out a rabbit from her legal hat (used to be a powdered wig!!). She invoked the “de facto doctrine” which your Eyewitness calls the “boat gaan a watah” doctrine!! To revoke the appointment would result in a “failure of public justice”!! This ain’t over till it’s over!! Or some fat lady sings!! …or creating conflicts??

…in the Courts

Seems that even though the Integrity Commission and its Chair was a done legal deal, the appointments by the PoSC weren’t!! While the appointment of the CHAIR was legit, before he could consult his Committee to make recommendations for appointments, an ex-officio member of the PoSC – the Chairman of the Public Service Commission - had to be there!! And trouble was – BIG trouble! – there’s wasn’t any Chairman of the PSC!! So, does this mean that the appointment of the entire GPF top brass – the real cause of this fight!!! – is illegal??

Meanwhile, the Multilateral School’s Headteacher Allison Cosbert said that many people had doubts about the project. She said that on many occasions she had to reassure people that the Education Minister promised that the school would be rebuilt.

9 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

“This school where we would ordinarily place 150 children every year, this year we would only be able to place 50 to 60 students. This is the top school for South Georgetown, so it makes somebody in South Georgetown, many fami lies… whose children ordi nally could have come here this year, will have to trav el further and go to more crowded places,” she said.

The Education Minister used the opportunity to re spond to criticisms about not rebuilding the school in a timelier fashion. “We can’t put money in a fertiliser bag and give it to a contractor and say build. We don’t get to do that… we had to go out to bid. We had to engage the person that will draw the thing that we are bidding for, we have to cost that, and then we have to give all contractors across the world a fair chance to bid for it. Those things take time,” she explained.

Community’s role Moreover, the Education Minister said that although the project would be super vised by the consultant and the Education Ministry, she wanted the South Georgetown community to play an integral role in en suring that the work was done according to contract. She also said that when contractors failed to do what they were supposed to do, children and communities suffer.“It is very important that we complete this at a high quality in the time that we said we would complete it, so that we can make sure that the children of South Georgetown see what we in tended for them to receive,” she said. Moving forward, she an nounced that wherever a school is being built, it would not be the engineer’s re sponsibility alone to ensure work is done properly. She said that each project would have an Education Officer attached to the construction who would stress the im portance of the project being completed on time and at the highest quality. Further, she said that the details regarding con struction would also be made public so that members of the community could also hold contractors accountable.

After devastating fire $566.9M contract signed to rebuild North Ruimveldt Secondary School

The sod was turned for the recon struction of sever al sections of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School in Georgetown to the tune of $566.9 million on Wednesday. This develop ment comes after parts of the school were destroyed by fire. The fire, which occurred on June 19, 2021, devastat ed the school’s First to FifthForm classrooms; Science, Home Economics, and Information Technology lab oratories, as well as the $3 million ‘smart’ classroom. The Guyana Fire Service had found that the fire start ed in one of the classrooms on the third floor of the building, and was a result of a faulty duplex electrical point.More than one year lat er, the sod was turned for the reconstruction of the in stitution, to be undertak en by Kares Construction. The $566.9 million venture is worth the investment, Education Minister Priya Manickchand indicated.

The signing of the $566.9 million contract to rebuild the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School

“I can stand here today to see that promise is now a reality. So, today’s turning of the sod and contract signing is something that I welcome, and I can speak for my staff,” sheThesaid. project should be completed in a matter of 14 months.Thenew building will be a three-storey building and will accommodate around 450 to 500 students upon completion. It will house sci ence labs, new and remod elled Information Technology labs, classrooms, staff rooms, a sanitary block, along with a modern external design. (G9)

Education Minister Priya Manickchand, North Ruimveldt Multilateral School Headteacher Allison Cosbert, Permanent Secretary Alfred King and a representative of Kares Engineering at Wednesday’s sod-turning ceremony

“There are very few med ications that are currently available to treat the virus per se. Right now, they are working on three different antiretrovirals that are in limited supply in the United States, and they are being used under emergency-use authorisation.So,themedications that are currently used to sup press the virus are not read ily available; but once it be comes available, we will ensure that we have some of it available to patients here in Guyana. But right now we can’t get access to it,” the Minister explained. As it stands, patients with monkeypox are be ing treated based on their symptoms. “The treatment for these persons when they get infected would be symp tomatic; therefore, if they have fever, we’ll treat fe ver; if they have an enlarged lymph node, we’ll treat that,” the Minister explained as he noted that most patients re cover within 14-21 days. “Most people who get infected, within 21 days they would be fine. There are very, very few exam ples where they can devel op some complications, and that is because of second ary bacterial infection. So, on top of the monkeypox, they might get another bac teria invading the lesions that they have and creat ing an additional disease. So we have to mindful of that when treating patients with monkeypox,” he added.

Transmission Meanwhile, the Minister A38-year-old taxi driv er of ‘B’ Field, Sophia has been arrested af ter being busted by Police ranks with an unlicensed .38 revolver and five match ing rounds of ammunition, together with a spent shell. Reports are that ranks, acting on information re ceived, went to Norton Street and Mandela Avenue, Georgetown at about 06:30h on Wednesday and inter cepted white Toyota 212 motorcar number HB 9112, which was being driven by this taxi driver. The ranks conducted a search on the driver, and discovered the revolver with the matching rounds on his person. Asked if he was the holder of a firearm licence, the driver responded in the negative, and as such was arrested.According to the Police, after being arrested, the driv er told the ranks that he had bought the firearm in the in terior for his protection. He has been taken into custody at the East La Penitence Police Station, and the car has also been impounded there as investi gations continue.

“We have placed an or der with PAHO, and we are expecting that we would get some of those vaccines by the end of September, so persons who have been ex posed to anyone with mon keypox can get vaccinated,” Dr Anthony has said. “The supply of these vac cines is very limited, and it’s a very scarce commod ity right now in the world. Nevertheless, we are try ing to get some doses into Guyana,” he said. The Health Minister has noted that medication is available to treat the mon keypox infection, but he said this is also in scarce sup ply. Nevertheless, he said Guyana is working to ac quire these medications.

Taxi driver nabbed with gun, ammo, spent shell highlighted that there are various ways in which the virus can be transmitted di rectly or “Basically,indirectly.monkeypox is transmitted from animals to humans. So, if there is an in fected animal and a person comes in contact with them, they can get infected. So, that’s the first form of trans mission.“And then you can have human-to-human contact, so that’s the second major form of transmission. In terms of the human-to-human con tact, that can be done in two ways: one (is) what we may call a direct contact; mean ing, if you are in close prox imity (to) someone who has been infected, then you can get the virus. If (you are car ing) for somebody who is in fected: touching the lesions, cleaning the lesions, not us ing protective gear, then you can get infected,” he ex plained.“Then you have indirect contact, because they have found that monkeypox can be on surfaces. So, if (there is) somebody who has mon keypox in a ward, for ex ample, and you go and you don’t have on gloves and you touch surfaces, the chances are you can come in contact with the virus,” he further elucidated.A57-year-old male resident of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is the country’s first mon keypox patient. He is cur rently a patient at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Following detection of the country’s first case of monkeypox on Monday, health author ities are working to acquire treatment regimens as well as vaccines to combat the disease.Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony explained that the vaccines that pro tect against monkeypox are in limited quantity globally. However, through an agree ment with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana should re ceive some of these vaccines by the end of September.

Monkeypox vaccines due by September month-end – Health Minister

10 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

According to the Police, the incident oc curred about 14:00h on Saturday. The suspect told Police that the nowdead man was behaving disorderly about 03:00h on Saturday. He said the man was hitting the walls of the house disturbing family members and their surrounding neighbours. Police said that the taxi driver reported that the man’s behaviour continued throughout the morning, and about 14:00h while he was in the yard washing his motor car, he was at tacked by Wishart with a cutlass.The 20-year-old man aged to hold off the attack with his left hand, and Wishart went back to his room and continued to be have disorderly, while al legedly threatening to kill his 57-year-old sister, who resides in the same house. This was followed by him pelting her with bottles which caused the 20-yearold man to push Wishart into his bedroom, to calm him down. According to the Police report, Wishart then began to “fight up”, and fell on to the bed frame, hitting his head before he fell to thePolicefloor. were informed and visited the scene where the body was seen lying on its side in the bed room door area. The body was examined and injuries were seen around the left eye, to the upper left ear, forehead, and right wrist area.The man’s body was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital and sub sequently to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, to await a post-mortem exam ination.The 20-year-old was subsequently arrested. He is presently in custody at the East La Penitence Police Station, where he is assisting with the investi gation. (G9)

T here has, for years, been a trend in Guyana in regard to tinting of vehicles. It has now reached the point where drivers are extending tinting to the front wind shields of their cars; but the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has said it would neither endorse nor tolerate this practice.Inan episode of the “Police and You” that was aired on Wednesday, August 24, the new Traffic Chief, Superintendent Dennis Stephens, said that while tinting of vehicles is not illegal, the Police Force has an issue with the per centage of tint that is placed on some vehicles, and that issue needs to be addressed. The Traffic Chief has said there are persons who are violating the law by put ting tint on their vehicles even though they are aware that they first have to seek permission to do so.

Earlier this year, Police from Traffic Headquarters at Eve Leary conducted a two-hour targeted traffic campaign on Route 42 mini buses, during which sever al minibus operators were arrested after they were found to be in breach of Section 19 (1) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Regulations, Chapter 51:02, which speaks to al terations of motor vehicles occasioning higher licence duty. Some of the infrac tions were: the addition of amplifiers, speaker boxes, stickers, visors on the back windscreens, and tint. (G9)

“Tinting your front windshield is dangerous” – Traffic Chief Police Traffic Chief, Superintendent Dennis Stephens P olice have arrested a 20-year-old taxi driver after a rela tive was found dead in a room following a family dispute.Dead is Collin Wishart, 50, of Well Road, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Reports are that Police have launched an inves tigation into the death of Wishart.

50-year-old dies after threatening to kill sister

11 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

“What we find (is that) not only do persons put on the tint, we observe that persons are tinting their front windscreen; and that is very dangerous, espe cially at night and especial ly when it is raining, (be cause) it may have issues with the person’s sight,” he explained.“Tintson vehicles cannot be so dark that the Police cannot identify the occu pants in the vehicle. The laws for tints indicate… that it has to be 65% visi ble of light penetration on the glass, and that would render it transparent, so that persons can be identi fied…”, he said. For those persons who refuse to abide by the warn ings of the Police Force on tints, Stephens said, the Police have recently launched a campaign that would deal with those driv ers. He also said that even for those persons who have a permit for tints, it is ille gal to tint the front wind shield.“There is a lot of misin terpretation that the tint permits in relation to what it contains… Even though persons are given a tint per mit, they are allowed to put on their tint except (on) the front windscreen”, he said.

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“Guyana’s energy costs are due to come down by 50 per cent in 2025. And with those projects, in cluding the hydro project, wind, so lar and the gas-to-shore pipeline, all national projects available in the response for proposal phases bring awareness of where the opportuni ties are in the other sectors where companies need to be looking,” Dr Ramsaroop said. There was once a function al aluminium plant in Mackenzie, Linden, that ended up being closed in the 1980s. Previously, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had indicated that inves tors were eyeing Tarakuli bauxite deposit near Orealla, in Region Six. He had stated that Tarakuli is one of the largest bauxite deposits re maining in Guyana that is of high quality and untouched. This, he had said, was another reason for the country to establish an alumin ium plant. In May of this year and with Guyana looking to enhanced part nerships with its South American neighbours in order to promote sus tainable development, President Dr Irfaan Ali had held talks with Brazil on offering help with the fur ther development of the bauxite in dustry here, especially given its im portance to the clean energy agenda that the two countries are pursuing. The Head of State advocat ed for this during a one-day State visit by his Brazilian counterpart, President Jair Bolsonaro. The two leaders had extensive discussions on a wide range of topics. In a joint statement follow ing a high-level caucus between Guyanese officials and the delega tion from the Portuguese-speaking nation, it was revealed, “President Ali invited Brazil to consider coop erating with Guyana in the devel opment of the bauxite industry in light of the changed energy situa tion and the importance of alumin ium in clean technology applica tions”. This is not the first time the Guyanese leader has brough up bauxite with his Brazilian coun terpart. During a teleconference between the two Heads of State back in January, President Ali had pointed out that expanding oppor tunities in other non-oil natural re sources such as bauxite would cre ate the prospect of a direct link to northern Brazil and the Atlantic that can “create an excellent plat form for us to develop an integrat ed project”.Currently, it is estimated that the potential value of Guyana’s total bauxite reserves is close to US$1 billion. Back in December, President Ali had told residents in Berbice that there were mas sive bauxite deposits in the region as well as on the other side of the Corentyne River in Suriname. This, he had noted, would make a smelt er not only possible but economical ly and financially viable. President Ali’s invitation for Brazil to invest in Guyana’s baux ite industry as a pathway to foster clean energy falls into play as the two countries along with Suriname pursue an energy corridor. (G3)

“We believe in the near fu ture we should be looking at big projects such as a glass factory. We have some of the best bauxite finds. We’re looking at an alumin ium plant over the next two, three years, as we build out the deep-wa ter port, which would now attract the larger ships into Guyana,” he explained. According to Dr Ramsaroop, Guyana’s manufacturing sector is likely to get a shot in the arm when the multitude of projects, includ ing the gas-to-shore project and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), come online.

GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop establishment of aluminium plant by 2025 …manufacturing to get boost with reduced electricity costs

Govt eyeing

With Guyana’s bauxite re serves estimated at close to US$1 billion and the Government’s concerted drive to bring down energy costs, Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Peter Ramsaroop says they are eye ing the possibility of an aluminium plant being established in Guyana by 2025.Hemade this statement while participating in a China-Guyana investment opportunities semi nar. According to Dr Ramsaroop, an aluminium plant would utilise Guyana’s rich bauxite resources and create value-added products.

6 months’ jail for ECD man found with narcotics

Jailed: Tony Singh

A57-year-old man of Middle Road, Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was jailed for six months on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a narcotics-related charge.Michael Singh, called “Mikey”, appeared be fore Magistrate Ruschelle Liverpool at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts. Earlier this month, a 29-year-old man was sen tenced to six months in pris on on a similar charge. Tony Singh had ap peared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he pleaded guilty to traffick ing 3.9 grams of cocaine on August 10, 2022. He was given the option to pay a $30,000 fine or serve six months in jail for the of fence. He opted for the lat ter, telling the court that he would smoke the illicit drug. As a result, the Magistrate also ordered that he be sent for Therehabilitation.GuyanaPolice Force (GPF) had stated that Police ranks searched Singh and found a cigarette pack con taining a quantity of a whit ish rock-like substance (which turned out to be co caine) in the crotch of his pants. The ranks were at the time carrying out op erations at Bourda Street, Georgetown. As such, he was arrested, and escort ed to the Alberttown Police Station and later prosecut ed. (G1)

Jailed: Michael Singh

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President Ali had sus pended the former PSC last year June, after its Chairman Paul Slowe and Commissioner Clinton Conway, who is also a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, were charged with fraud. They, along with oth er retired and serving mem bers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), have been implicated in a $10 mil lion fraud over duties del egated to them for revis ing the Police Force’s raft of Standing Orders. It is alleged that they collected payments amounting to $10 million, but never provided the Force with a raft of re vised Standing Orders. In addition, Slowe is fac ing three counts of sexual assault. It is alleged that on three occasions in 2019, at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, he sex ually assaulted a senior Policewoman by rubbing her left leg and foot without her consent.President Ali had sus pended the pair, along with other former PSC Commissioners Claire Jarvis and Vesta Adams – all retired Assistant Commissioners of Police –weeks after Prime Minister Mark Phillips had written to Slowe and Conway, asking them to show cause why the fraud charges against them should not result in their re moval from the constitution al body.Despite its suspension, the former PSC had main tained that it would disre gard the President’s “pur ported suspension” and continue with its mandate with respect to disciplin ing and promotion of of ficers of the Police Force; and it had gone ahead and promoted 132 officers. The Government had later re jected that list of “purport ed promotions” as “unlawful and illegal”. Shortly after, the previ ous PSC moved to the High Court to have its suspension declared suehadandonofstantiveissuesPersaudtheAugustcouldthesuspensionchallengeGeneralplicationMarchJusticeunconstitutional.Persaudhad,on9,dismissedanapbytheAttorneytohavethelegaltothePresident’sthrownoutonbasisthattheactionnothavesurvivedthe8,2021expirationoflifeofthePSC.Inhisruling,Justicehadheldthattheraisedinthesubcasearematterspublicinterest.Relyingseverallocal,regional,overseascaselaws,hereasonedthattheisofthelegalityofthe

President Dr Irfaan Ali Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC Paul Slowe SelwynAttorney-at-LawPieters

Pause During another hear ing of Slowe’s case on Wednesday, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, asked presiding Justice Gino Persaud to defer hear ing the matter until the Chief Justice’s written rea sons in the other case be comesAdvancingavailable.details for his request, Nandlall said, “[On Tuesday], the Chief Justice, among a number of pro nouncements, ruled that the PSC is not properly consti tuted, but proceeded to say that all actions done thus far are saved by the de fac to doctrine, and (are) there fore“Somelawful.other pronounce ments were made in relation thereto that have some im pact on [Slowe’s case] in so far as it involves the very Police Service Commission.”

Differ For his part, Slowe’s law yer Selwyn Pieters decried the inordinate delay in the hearing of his client’s mat ter. “One concern is the in ordinate delay in the pro cessing of this case, and I’m not casting any blame any where,” he said. He submitted that the de facto doctrine also applies to the promotion of 132 Police officers that was made by the PSC under the chair manship of Slowe. He said those officers’ promotions remain in limbo. But interjecting, Nandlall clarified that the de facto doctrine concerns the present PSC, and not the former one that Slowe hadRespondingchaired. to Slowe, Nandlall said, “We may dif fer on what the impacts are [of the Chief Justice’s rul ing]. My friend [Pieters] has already begun to say that the Chief Justice was talking about the previous Police Service Commission under which Paul Slowe was the Chairman. The case had nothing to do with that, so we are going to have a lot of misunderstanding…” Pieters raised no objec tion to the matter being put on hold pending the perusal of the Chief Justice’s judg ment, but said that any de lay should be minimal.

Challenge to suspension

“The effect of the term of the appointed members of the Commission becoming vacant is simply that there are currently no members to carry out its functions. This by itself is not a basis to strike out the claim under (Civil Procedure Rules)… Members can be appoint ed at any time to continue to carry out the functions of the PSC. Upon their ap pointment, those members could determine wheth er to continue or discontin ue the claim. Of course, a court would be entitled to take the continued non-ap pointment of members to the Commission as a basis to strike out the claim as an abuse of process, as this would delay the prosecution of the action.” As such, the Full Court, comprising Justices Fidela Corbon-Lincoln and Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, agreed that Justice Persaud was “correct” when he refused to strike out the claim on the ground that the life of the Commission had ex pired, remitting the mat ter to Justice Persaud for a full hearing. The newly constituted PSC, through Darshan Ramdhani, QC, has moved to discontinue the claim. (G1)

While Justice George did not give a specific date as to when her written decision would be ready, she did in dicate that it was “shortly”. Justice Persaud has adjourned the case to September 20 at 13:30h.

Considering Her Honour’s ruling, Nandlall questioned whether the PSC, the other applicant in the challenge to the President’s suspension, “can or cannot proceed”, since it has been saved as a party by the de facto doctrine. The Attorney General reasoned that it would be a prudent course to “pause” the challenge until the PSC is properly constituted. He then pointed to the need to examine what actions of the former PSC have been saved by the de facto doctrine and are now before the court. “We don’t want two courts [Justices George and Persaud] of concurrent ju risdiction to be clashing. Because the proper course will not be to pursue those reliefs any longer, but to appeal the Chief Justice’s decision in that regard,” Nandlall said. Given that the Chief Justice read a “very abridged” version of her de cision, he said, it would be necessary in the circum stances for the parties to be allowed to read her full judgement. In light of this, he asked for the parties to be given time to examine that judgement and its im plications/possible implica tions on the instant case, in order to decide on the way forward.

The challenge to President Dr Irfaan Ali’s June 2021 sus pension of the former Police Service Commission (PSC) by Assistant Police Commissioner (ret’d) Paul Slowe, the immediate past Chairman of the PSC, has been put on hold again, this time until Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, issues her written deci sion on a related matter. Justice George on Tuesday dismissed Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s bid to have the President’s appointment of Patrick Findlay as Chairman of the PSC an nulled on the basis that the Head of State did not en gage him in constitutionally required meaningful consul tation. In finding that the President acted lawfully in appointing Findlay, and by extension the new PSC, she held there was procedural fairness, and that the con sultation process between President Ali and Norton was “sufficient”. Even though the PSC was lawfully appointed, she however found that it was not properly consti tuted in the absence of a Chairperson for the Public Service Commission — an other constitutional com mission that is still to be set up, and which is vital to the reconstitution of the PSC. In the circumstances, she applied the de facto doctrine to give legality to all actions taken by the PSC, includ ing its recent promotion of dozens of senior Police of ficers. Besides Findlay as Chairman, Attorney-at-Law Mark Conway and business men Ernesto Choo-a-Fat and Hakeem Mohammed are the other members of the new PSC. They were ap pointed on May 31.

Commissioners’ suspension “…should be heard and de termined on its merits, be ing a matter of public inter est.” To hold otherwise, the Judge had noted, would be to leave the legality of the suspension hanging – nev er to be adjudicated upon simply because of the ines capable fact that the life of the Commission had come to an end after filing these pro ceedings.“This does not seem to me either logical or fair, but rather an affront to fair ness; natural justice; access to justice and, indeed, the rule of law. A hearing and determination would serve to bring clarity to the role of the Executive in such in stances, and ensure that the constitutionally-granted au tonomy of the PSC remains protected,” the High Court Judge had said. Full Court ruling Nandlall had filed, to the Full Court, an appeal against Justice Persaud’s ruling, and in May, the Full Court had upheld Justice Persaud’s decision. The Full Court had varied Justice Persaud’s decision, adding Slowe as a party to the pro ceedings, instead of substi tuting him for the PSC. In so doing, the Full Court had held that Slowe has an in terest in the matter, since he has alleged that his appoint ment was wrongfully termi nated by the Head of State. Addressing Nandlall’s contention that the chal lenge to the President’s sus pension could not proceed because the life of the PSC had expired, the Full Court had said: “The expiration of the three-year term of the members appointed to the Commission does not af fect the body itself – estab lished by Article 137 [of the Constitution]– save that the PSC will be unable to carry out its functions without ap pointed members. The PSC remains an existing con stitutional body even if the term of its appointed mem bers has expired. There is therefore no issue of the Commission ceasing to be an existing body, or having no capacity upon the expi ration of the term of its ap pointed members.

Challenge to President’s suspension of previous PSC Nandlall, Pieters differ on what actions taken by commission lawful

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15 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS Canada’s Hospital,Forcecludingvice-providerMonday,supportedthroughinCanadiansues.wardsongoingsituation.proveresidentsportprovidesingcommunitiesvideFoundation,executedinEconomicLocaltionpartnersMazaruni)itaCommissionandExcellencytoCommissionerHighGuyana,HisMarkBerman,ateamfromtheHighofCanadamadeproject-monitoringvistoRegionSeven(Cuyuni-toengagewithontheimplementaoftheCanadaFundforInitiatives’(CFLI’s)Resilienceprojecttheregion.Thisproject,beingbytheHopeseekstoprocriticalsupporttothecurrentlyhostVenezuelanmigrants.Ittrainingandsuptomigrantsandlocalinordertoimtheirsocio-economicTheagendaoftheprojectisgearedtoaddressingtheseisAreleasefromtheHighCommissionGuyanastatedthat,theprojectbeingbyCanada,onstafffrom10seragencies,intheGuyanaPoliceandtheBarticawereprovided with certificates after com pleting the First Responders for Psychological Support training, enabling them to work with Venezuelan mi grants and other vulnerable clients.Inhis remarks at the cer emony, High Commissioner Berman quoted a statement made by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, noting that the migrants are often on a journey marked by trauma, barriers, and loss, and host communities like Region Seven needed to build capacity to address ar eas of HCvulnerability.Bermanhas congrat ulated the local governing bodies for their work in re gard to integrating the mi grant families into the local communities.“Wemust acknowledge the efforts of host countries like Guyana, for their con tinued commitment and demonstration of leader ship in welcoming and in tegrating this massive surge of people,” the High Commissioner is quoted as saying in the gion,workognisedMayorMeanwhile,release.BarticaGiffordMarshallrecandwelcomedtheofpartnersinthereandsingledoutthe Regional Education Officer and the Bartica Police Force, whom he thanked for sup porting the efforts of that town to provide services to the migrant families.

Canada funds migrant project in Region 7

High Commissioner Mark Berman with volunteers of Hope Foundation and officials of Region 7 at Itaballi

Care packages Another aspect of the visit included an on-theground visit to Itaballi and the surrounding commu nities, wherein the High Commissioner and team were able to meet with res idents and hand over care packages consisting of men strual hygiene and sanitary products.TheHigh Commissioner noted that the access to clean sanitary and hygiene prod ucts was limited for many persons, and informed res idents that in partnership with the Hope Foundation, the High Commission hopes to support improving the standards of living for the families.“Access to menstrual products is a basic necessi ty and a key part of sexual and reproductive health and rights. That’s exactly why we are taking concrete steps to address the barriers relat ed to affordability,” he stat ed. In addition, High Commission Berman is funding classes in cosmetol ogy, food preparation and ca tering services to provide the residents with income-gen erating skills. Through the Hope Foundation, work would also be done to im prove the literacy levels of the residents and provide job-readiness skills train ing, entrepreneurship, and small-business empower ment classes. A total of 40 persons, in cluding both Guyanese and migrant residents, will be trained.The visit to the region, the release stated, pro vided High Commissioner Berman with a firsthand in sight to work the Guyana Government is already do ing, and how Canada can further support the local government and partner ac tivities. On Monday, High Commissioner Berman had one-on-one meetings with Region Seven Chairman Kenneth Williams and Mayor Gifford Marshall, wherein he was informed of the priority areas of concern for the region, and where Canadian support would be most needed and beneficial.

The Liza Destiny FPSO T wo young men have been remanded to prison over a series of charges, including abduc tion and armed robberies committed last week. Hamza Samuels, called “Bad Coolie”, a 22-year-old resident of 'D' Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, and 18-year-old Emmauel Hale, also of 'D' Field Sophia, ap peared at the Sparendaam Magistrate's Court via Skype before Magistrate Ruschelle Liverpool. These two, along with two others, were arrest ed last Thursday and charged jointly on Monday with three counts of rob bery under arms laid un der Section 222(c) of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Chapter 8:01. In addition, they were charged for the of fence of abduction commit ted on Joshua Singh, under Section 4 of the Kidnapping Act, Chapter 10:05. These charges were read to the two accused, and they both pleaded not guilty. They were remanded to prison until October 7, 2022. Samuels and Hale were among four bandits -- two of whom were shot, and one of whom has since died -- who were nabbed by Police last Thursday morning during a dramatic chase that led to the rescue of a taxi driv er whom they had abducted. According to Police re ports from the incident, ranks at the Brickdam Operations Room had re ceived a telephone call that a white Allion with several persons inside had commit ted a robbery on Lamaha Street, Georgetown. As a re sult, anti-crime patrols were alerted, and one of the pa trols observed the motor car in question driving along the Agricola Access Road. That anti-crime patrol attempted to intercept the vehicle as it reached the Two Brothers Gas Station, but it sped away, resulting in the patrol pursuing it.

The Police related that the car was travelling at a fast rate of speed when it suddenly made a turn onto Hunter Street to head in the direction of Mandela Avenue.The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, and it collided with the bar riers and came to a stop on the corner of Hunter Street and Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.Thereupon, four males exited the car and began to run away from the scene. It was reported that shots were fired by the men as they attempted to escape, and the Police responded by discharging rounds in the men’s direction. A search was later conducted in the area, and one suspect, Rawle Franklin, was seen lying on the parapet bleed ing from injuries he had sustained, while another ac complice, Andrew Newyear, was seen lying in a nearby yard with injuries as well. A 9mm pistol with a magazine containing three live rounds of matching am munition was found at the scene.Meanwhile, the cops also disclosed that while at the scene, they heard sounds coming from the trunk of the suspects’ car, and upon inspecting, found Joshua Singh.The car used by the ban dits had been hijacked from Singh, a driver attached to the Shamo Taxi Base at Vryheid’s Lust Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara. Singh told investigators he was in the driver’s seat of his uncle’s car, PSS 2705, when he was approached by three men, one of whom pointed a gun at him and or dered him out of the car. He said he complied, and the men ordered him to go into the trunk of the car, where they locked him in. The taxi driver recalled the vehicle driving for some time before he felt the car crashing into something, af ter which there were loud explosions, suspected to be gunshots.Franklin and Newyear were escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were both re ceiving medical attention under Police guard until Newyear passed away later in the evening. Franklin is said to have since been hos pitalised.Haleand Samuels were also found by Police hid ing in a nearby yard that morning. After his arrest, the 18-year-old alleged ly confessed to the Police that he and the others had gone on a robbery spree in Georgetown on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, and were report edly heading on the East Bank of Demerara in search of more targets when they were intercepted by the Police. (G8) Emmanuel Hale

Hijackers slapped with abduction, robbery charges Charged: Hamza Samuels Charged:

16 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

“The first cargo of Guyana’s lifting en titlement was sold to ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, following a competitive bidding process by the five companies, in clusive of the co-venturers of the Stabroek Block,” the Government had explained. Guyana, with US oil gi ant ExxonMobil as the op erator, began producing oil on December 20, 2019 in the Stabroek Block. The first-ever payment of US$54.9 million for an oil lift was received in FebruaryExxonMobil2020. has said it anticipated at least six proj ects offshore Guyana would be online by 2027, with de velopmental drilling recent ly starting on the second one, the Liza Phase 2 proj ect. Production has already started in the second phase, with the Liza Unity FPSO vessel in operation. The third project – the Payara Development –would meanwhile target an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equiv alent barrels, and was at one point considered to be the largest single planned investment in the history of Guyana.Meanwhile, the Yellowtail development, which will be oil giant ExxonMobil’s fourth devel opment in Guyana’s wa ters, would turn out to be the single largest develop ment so far in terms of bar rels per day of oil, with a mammoth 250,000 bpd tar geted. (G3)

Weekly lifts being recorded as oil production increases in Stabroek Block …production rate now 340,000 barrels per day

While ExxonMobil makes weekly lifts, Guyana’s crude entitle ment of one million barrels occurs monthly from the two FPSOs. The Natural Resources Ministry has said that Guyana is expected to get 12 lifts for the year. This comes from the over 90 million barrels of oil that are expected for 2022. Additionally, the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), housed at the New York Federal Reserve Bank, re flected a closing balance of US$845 million as of July. Back in April 2022, for the first time in Guyana’s short oil production history, it had had as many as two oil lifts in one month, with lifts from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity FPSO ves sels crossing paths. In March, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had ex plained that the country got approximately US$95 million for the previous lift. And with Brent crude pric es averaging US$120 per barrel at that time, Guyana would have ended up mak ing over US$100 million for each lift, if both lifts were completed in April. The historically high oil prices (oil prices have not exceeded US$100 on the global market since 2014) are part of the fall out from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Brent crude is currently averaging around US$100.When the lifts were completed in April, the Guyana Government had announced it would be re ceiving US$106 million for its first oil lift entitlement from the Liza Unity FPSO vessel, having already sold the lift via a competi tive bidding process to an ExxonMobil affiliate.

W ith oil production now at 340,000 barrels per day from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block, lifts are happening every four to eight days. This was revealed by ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) Public Information Officer Janelle Persaud in re sponse to questions posed by Guyana Times She explained that since the ramping up of produc tion after ExxonMobil fin ished installation of its new flash gas compressor and returned the Liza Destiny to pilot flaring levels, pro duction is at 340,000 bar rels in total for both proj ects. The frequency of lifts has thus increased, in tan dem with the increase in oil production.“Liftshappen…on the Destiny, it happens between seven to eight days. On the Unity, because of produc tion, it happens four to six days. And so, lifts are oc curring all the time. We’re producing over 340,000 bar rels of oil per day right now. And so, you can image how frequent lifts are happen ing,” Persaud explained.

The National Emergency Oil Spill Plan was crafted with valu able inputs also from the Guyana Marine Conservation Society, Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission, Legal Affairs Ministry, Shipping Association of Guyana, ExxonMobil, Tullow, GuyOil, Repsol, Shell, GAICO Construction and other stakeholders.TheUnited States has also been providing tactical and operational support to Guyana, when it comes to advancing and fortifying this country’s national response to oil spills. In June, the CDC provided a recap on the series of training and support provided to 231 persons from over 30 agencies by the United States Coast Guard in building ca pacity to handle such matters. From June 2021 to April 2022, these efforts have addressed gaps in Guyana’s management of any oil spills. (G3)

17 THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

“The regional response team, it varies depending on the role. So, we have folks who are environment related. You have folks, different types of engineers, safety focused, medical professionals, media and communications, logistics.”

“Of course, when it comes to an ExxonMobil response to an event, those are very different. And I know oil spills is one of those that people talk about as a thing of con cern. And so for that, you will have access to equipment that can come into the country within hours,” PersaudThereexplained.isalso a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which was handed over in October 2020 by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips. The plan was months in the making and in volved the input of many key stake holders including the Maritime Administrative Department (MARAD); Guyana Energy Agency (GEA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Department of Energy; Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the CDC.

ExxonMobil conducts several rounds of emergency training for 2022

Labour Minister Joe Hamilton interacting with persons in the agro-processing class at St Francis Community Developers on Wednesday

The BIT provides certi fied training in areas rang ing from mechanics to food decoration and also includes heavy-duty machinery oper ation and garment making. According to Hamilton, when he took over the Labour Ministry in 2020 af ter the People’s Progressive Party was elected to office, BIT had been training be tween 1300 and 1500 per sonsLastannually.year, 3086 persons were trained and BIT had estimated that this year 4500 persons will be trained in different fields. However, Hamilton said that from all indications, there would be about 6000 persons receiv ing training from BIT this year.Currently, in Region Six, there about 300 persons un dergoing training in differ ent fields. Meanwhile, pointing out some of the benefits of pro viding training to persons, the Labour Minister noted training impacted on the se curity of the country. “I believe the more peo ple we train, it is less peo ple we would have jumping into people’s houses to steal. The more people we train, it is less people we would have seeking to lash in your car window seeking to take your computer out of your car if you forget it. The more peo ple we train, the less people would want to snatch your chain off of your neck or snatch the phone out of your hand while you are having a conversation. So, the issue of training and development of persons impacts on our se curity personally and that of our children and our com munity,” he selvesonetoMinister,Accordingexplained.totheLabourpersonsshouldtrybetrainedinmorethanareathusmakingthemmoremarketable. (G4)

EEPGL Public Information Officer Janelle Persaud stressed that while a crisis incident has nev er happened in Guyana’s waters and Exxon was taking care that it did not, training for its incident management team was still neces sary.“What we have here is a twoday exercise for the incident man agement team, that’s a group with in ExxonMobil that responds to various types of incidents and is triggered depending on the sever ity of the incident,” Persaud said. Wednesday’s session dealt with gas leaks and fires. “Thankfully, we’ve never had to use it. But we like to say here at ExxonMobil that our approach to emergency response is first be ing prevention, so everything we put in place to ensure an incident does not happen. But in the unlike ly chance that it does, we have to be prepared.”Sheexplained that several sim ilar training sessions were done during this year, and another ma jor training exercise would be done by this year end. According to Persaud, EEPGL’s incident man agement team also has the region al response team to back them up in real life. Additionally, the region al response team will be arriving in Guyana for the final training ses sion by this year end.

Referring to those pen sioners, Hamilton said their standard of living has de clined.“You know when they give the teacher the letter, nobody concern if she still has a mortgage at Republic Bank. How are they going to take care of themselves? That is why BIT we have had graduations from the age of 16 years to 61. None of our programmes have an age limit,” he Programmesreiterated.being run by BIT are also not gender specific. These programmes are fully sponsored by the Government. Additionally, a stipend is given to students to assist with their travel to and from classes.

Retirees should be retrained to re-enter world of work – Labour Minister

ExxonMobil’s local subsidi ary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has launched a two-day emergency response training exer cise for its staff, something that the company does and plans to contin ue doing on a regular basis. The training was done at the Marriott Hotel and saw EEPGL working with The Response Group, a United States company specialis ing in crisis management. Among the areas that the training will cov er are responses to different levels of crisis in EEPGL’s offshore activi ties, such as oil spills.

Exxon staff during the training session at the Marriott Hotel …regional response team to arrive for further training by year end

There is a need to re train persons who have retired so that they can become market able and return to the world of work. This is according to Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton.“Many at the age of re tirement are still healthy, strong, full of capacity, full of life, full of experience and full of intellect,” Minister Hamilton said while not ing that one teacher joined the profession at the age of 18 and gave 37 years of her life to moulding hundreds of persons and on her 55th birthday, she was given a letter sending her into re tirement.“That is most unfair,” Hamilton declared. He was at the time ad dressing more than 100 students at St Francis Community Developers on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Wednesday.Thestudents who are being trained in custom er care and hospitality (30), care for the elderly/sick (32), agro-processing (30) and child care (16) are all part of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) programme. They are on the third week of the three- and sixmonth“Thatcourses.isthe reason why none of our programmes have an age limit,” Minister Hamilton continued. “I believe that we have to reskill retirees to go back into the world of work so that at least they can take care of themselves. We know of many persons who were teachers and good public servants and today they are actually destitute because with the little pension, they cannot make it.”

Fernandez de Kirchner, one of the country's top po litical figures, leads the most hardline wing of the centre-left Peronist coalition that has governed Argentina since the end of 2019. The verdict and poten tial sentence will be decid ed by a Judge, which could take months, according to local media, which could af fect the chances of the rul ing party in the presidential election at the end of 2023. She could appeal any decision, possibly delaying the final verdict for years. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Regional Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley says his decision to accept the Police Service Commission’s choice of Gary Griffith as the best op tion for Police Commissioner was the biggest mistake he has made in his life. Speaking during a People’s National Movement (PNM) meeting in Belmont Tuesday night, Rowley said his decision then was based on his belief that he should allow appointments of the best people the country had to offer for various roles, re gardless of their political af filiations. This, he said, saw the appointments of former United National Congress (UNC) Ministers in various other roles. However, on the appoint ment of Griffith, he said, “And that is why when the (Police Service) Commission said that Gary Griffith was the best person for the job as Commissioner of Police, I take responsibility for giving him a chance and, ladies and gentlemen, that is the biggest mistake I have ever made.”

Noting that an audit of the Firearms Department of the T&T Police Service had just been completed, he said it makes “very, very trouble someHereading”.also slammed Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for refusing to reprimand Senator Anil Roberts for his recent attempt to scandalise and disgrace his wife, Sharon. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian) Latin American lead ers sent their sup port to Argentina's Vice President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Wednesday after a Federal Prosecutor asked for exten sive prison time in her cor ruption proceedings. In a letter widely pub lished on social media, the presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia said they backed Fernandez de Kirchner two days after a Federal Prosecutor request ed she get a 12-year jail sen tence if found guilty. She is charged with defrauding the State and involvement in a scheme to divert public funds while President from 2007 to "This2015.persecution aims to remove Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner from public, po litical and electoral life, as well as to bury the values and ideals she represents, with the ultimate goal of implementing a neoliberal model," reads the letter. The letter was also signed by Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, who said on Monday she was a victim of a "judicial PedroGabrielCentre-leftpersecution".PresidentsBoricofChileandCastilloofPeruhave not signed the letter.

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo reshuf fled his Cabinet for the second time in less than three weeks on Wednesday, as Prosecutors continue in vestigations into his close allies and family members.

The embattled President named new Ministers in charge of the Environment, Defence and Women. But he kept Geiner Alvarado, the Transport Minister, whom Prosecutors allege has led a "criminal organisation" from within the government alongside Castillo. The key posts in charge of the economy and mining also remained unchanged. Peru is the world's number two copper producer. Since taking power a year ago, Castillo has over seen unprecedented turn over in senior Government roles, naming on average five new Ministers each month.Experts say the high turnover has directly im pacted public spending which has slowed down since Castillo came to office, at a time when Peru is still recovering from the pan demic.Meanwhile, Castillo is facing six criminal inves tigations, including for al leged obstruction of justice and over alleged irregular ities in the naming of mili tary officials. His sister-in-law, Yenifer Paredes, is facing a poten tial three years in pre-trial detention for alleged influ ence peddling, with a Judge expected to rule on her case later on Castillo'sWednesday.wife, Lilia Paredes, has also been in cluded in the probes, while a former Minister is on the run.Peruvian Presidents have often been ensnared by corruption allegations in recent years. Four former presidents are either im prisoned, in house arrest, or facing potential prison time. (Excerpt from Reuters)

P eru's consumer pro tection agency is su ing Spanish oil firm Repsol over a huge oil spill which blackened beach es off the coast of Lima in January.Thespill, which Peru called the worst ecological disaster around Lima in re cent memory, leaked more than 10,000 barrels into the Pacific Ocean. The civil lawsuit seeks US$3 billion for envi ronmental damage and US$1.5 billion for damag es toRepsollocals.has denied re sponsibility.Thecompany initially said the spill was caused by "sudden and extraordi nary anomalous waves pro duced by the volcanic erup tion in Tonga". However, it later blamed the oil tanker. On Tuesday, a Peruvian judge admitted the US$4.5 billion lawsuit by Indecopi against Repsol, meaning the case will go to court. An underwater oil pipe line owned by the company caused a spill on January 15. It happened when an Italy-flagged tanker, Mare Doricum , was unloading at Repsol's La Pampilla refin ery.Repsol has denied re sponsibility for the spill and said that it saw the claim as "baseless, inad missible, and inconsis tent"."We have not yet been notified of the court's ac ceptance of the complaint, and we do not know the de tails of the acceptance," a spokesperson for the firm told the BBC. "We reiterate that the causes are still under in vestigation, but that the preliminary findings indi cate that it was caused by an uncontrolled movement by the Mare Doricum ves sel while it was unloading crude at the terminal."

"The Tobago problem is not Trinidad, because our families exist there. They are our brothers and our sis ters. The Tobagonian prob lem is the PNM [People’s National Movement].

Latin American leaders back Argentine VP after Prosecutor's prison request

Former Attorney General Jesus Murillo following his arrest

Mexican Judge accepts charges against former top Prosecutor in 2014 student disappearances case

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo Peru's Castillo reshuffles Cabinet yet again as Prosecutors ramp up probes

“We want equal rights and justice. Give us our equal rights and justice with Trinidad. “Although we are a ward of Trinidad, what that sim ply means, they take care of us. If we want an ID card, that has to be made in Trinidad. If you want a glasses, that has to be made in Trinidad – anything (im ported), it has to come through Trinidad. The flour you eat: it comes through Trinidad. The sugar you eat: it comes through Trinidad.” He said deep within him, there is a dream for Tobago to be equal. (Excerpt from Trinidad and Tobago)

T&T PM: Appointing Gary as CoP biggest mistake in my life

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley at the PNM meeting

AMexican judge ruled there was suffi cient evidence to hear charges against for mer Attorney General Jesus Murillo for his alleged role in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students and its sub sequent investigation, ju dicial authorities said on Wednesday.Murillo, who was ar rested on Friday in the first high-level detention of an of ficial for involvement in the case, is accused of torture, forced disappearance and obstruction of justice. The country's top Prosecutor at the time, Murillo oversaw the high ly-criticised inquiry into the incident in which 43 stu dents from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College went missing in the south west state of Guerrero. His arrest comes after Mexico's top human rights investigator called the dis appearances "a state crime" last week, marking one of the worst human rights abuses in the country's his tory.

"Even so, Repsol has used all means at its dis posal to contain, clean, and remediate the coast line, assist the communi ties in the area, and rescue and attend to the fauna af fected by the oil spill," the spokesperson added. (BBC News)

Deputy Chief Sec calls for Tobago's self-determination

Peru to sue Repsol for US$4.5B over oil spill

International experts have said Murillo's investi gation, which concluded the students had been mistak enly killed by a local drug gang, was riddled with mis steps and abuses, including the torture of witnesses. Murillo defended himself during his indictment hear ing Wednesday, according to local"Formedia.seven years they have been looking for an alternative (account of events), they have invent ed many, and they all fall apart," Murillo said. "I can accept some mis takes, mistakes could be made. I can accept things that were done wrong, but no one has been able to bring down (my investigation)," he added.President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office at the end of 2018, prom ising to look into the case. Last week, a Judge released nearly 100 arrest warrants related to the case, includ ing Murillo's, Prosecutors said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Deputy Chief Secretary Watson Duke is calling for self-determina tion for Duke,Tobago.theelectoral rep resentative for Roxborough/ Argyle, was delivering the feature address during the Caribbean Diaspora Investment Forum’s Invest Tobago town hall meeting at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, on Monday. He said there was a need for Tobago to be on equal status with Trinidad. “Tobago is not an equal island with Trinidad. Since 1889, we have never been – and that is a legal issue –we are never equal: we are a ward of Trinidad.”

18 guyanatimesgy.comTHURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

Thousands of protesters have been marching, chant ing and holding signs echo ing familiar complaints from workers around the world: "Say no to high inflation" and "Stop the steep increase in the price of petrol". The country's two largest union groupings, who called the strike, urged the Government to intervene to cap fuel prices, reduce in terest rates, and introduce a universal basic income of roughly US$90 a month. Around 5000 people took part in the rally in Pretoria.

Oil was also supported after Saudi Arabia suggested this week that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could consider cutting output, though bearish economic signals from central bankers and falling equities weighed. Both crude oil benchmark contracts touched three-week highs earlier on Wednesday after the Saudi Energy Minister flagged the possibility of cutting production.

Tuvalu Minister says both China, US needed for climate change action

19guyanatimesgy.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

Strike on Ukraine railway station kills 22, injures dozens, as UN calls for ceasefire U S President Joe Biden will cancel up to US$10,000 in federal student loans for millions of Americans who earn less than US$125,000 each year. Biden will also forgive US$20,000 of debt for stu dents on Pell Grants, which applies to those in greatest financial"Peopleneed.can finally crawl out under that moun tain of debt," he said. An estimated 43 million Americans owe a combined total of US$1.6 trillion in federal student debt. Nearly one-fifth owe less than US$10,000. The temporary student loan pause, first put in place in March 2020, will also be extended a final time until December 31 of this year.

The announcement fol lows more than a year of in tense internal White House debate and mounting pres sure from progressive Democrats. Top Democrats Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are among those who had pushed Biden to use his ex ecutive power to wipe out borrower debts. (Excerpt from BBC News)

People across South Africa took part in a nationwide strike in protest against the rising cost of living.Singing songs from the country's liberation struggle, thousands marched towards the president's office, de manding reductions in prices.

Oil prices ended higher on Wednesday after a volatile trading session on concerns that the United States would not consider additional concessions to Iran in its response to a draft agreement that would restore Tehran's nuclear deal – and potentially its crude exports.

r A US official on Monday said that Iran had dropped some of its main demands in negotiations to resurrect a deal to rein in its nuclear programme. OPEC+ is already producing 2.9 million barrels per day less than its target, sources said, complicating any decision on cuts or how to calculate the baseline for an output reduction."Theoil price and supply outlook suggest that an OPEC+ cut is not currently warranted," PVM analyst Stephen Brennock"Globalsaid.oil supply could take a hit as peak US hurricane season approaches. Elsewhere, future supply outages in Libya cannot be discounted while Nigeria's oil fortunes show little sign of improving." Earlier in the session, oil prices fell after US Government data showed lacklustre demand for gasoline, which augurs for a notable slowdown in economic activity. Gasoline demand data showed the four-week average of daily gasoline product supplied seven per cent below the yearearlier"Theperiod.plummeting demand for gasoline is dragging the market down," said Andy Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston, Texas. (Reuters)

Inflation has hit nearly eight per cent – the highest in 13 years – and around a third of South Africans are unem ployed.This is the most unequal country in the world, ac cording to the World Bank, and many are finding things tough.

South Africans in nationwide strike in protest against cost of living

OPEC sources later told Reuters that any cuts by the producer group and its allies, known collectively as OPEC+, are likely to coincide with a return of Iranian oil to the market should Tehran secure a nuclear deal with world powers.

Oil ends higher on US response to Iran nuclear deal comments

Brent crude settled up US$1.00 to US$101.22 while US crude settled up US$1.15 to US$94.89 a barrel. Both benchmarks fell by more than US$1 earlier in the session.

World OIL NEWS

ARussian rocket strike on a Ukrainian train station has killed 22 people, Ukraine says, on the day marking six months since Moscow's invasion be gan. It says five of the vic tims of the attack in the eastern town of Chaplyne burnt to death in a vehicle. An 11-year-old boy also was killed.President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the strike in the middle of a United Nations Security Council meeting. He said about 50 people were in jured. Russia has so far made no comment.Ithasrepeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastruc ture.Zelensky said he learned of the strike on Chaplyne, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as he was preparing to speak to the Security Council, add ing: "This is how Russia pre pared for the UN Security Council meeting".

"Four passenger car riages are on fire now... the number of fatalities could increase," he said.

In April, a strike on an other train station killed more than 50 people. Ukraine has spent Wednesday marking its an nual independence day and Zelensky had previously said Russia might do some thing "cruel" to disrupt the celebrations.Earlier he accused Moscow's forces of turning the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant into a "war zone" that endangered the plant and the people of Europe and put the world "on the brink of radiation catastrophe". The UN Secretary General told the same meet ing that the "senseless war" could push millions of people into extreme poverty, both in Ukraine and beyond, and called for the conflict to end. Around the world, there were gatherings of support ers in the streets to mark Ukraine's independence. World leaders also rallied to support the embattled na tion to mark the occasion. (Excerpt from BBC News)

A residential house was also destroyed in strikes on Chaplyne

Speaking from the White House on Wednesday, Biden said his plan would give more "breathing room" to work ing and middle-class fami lies."The burden is so heavy that even if you gradu ate you may not have ac cess to the middle-class life that the college degree once provided," he said, re calling the shame his car salesman father felt when he struggled to pay for his children's education. About one-third of bor rowers have student debt, but no degree, Biden said. "The worst of both worlds."

Student loan forgiveness: Biden cancels US$10,000 in student debt for millions T he US military car ried out a count er-attack after tak ing rocket fire by suspected Iran-aligned militia in Syria on Wednesday, two US officials told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymi ty given the preliminary nature of the information, said they believed the in cidents left an unknown number of Iran-aligned at tackers killed. The officials did not comment on any po tential US casualties. The latest exchange of fire appeared to be retali ation after President Joe Biden's military strikes on Tuesday in Syria at multi ple facilities the Pentagon say were used by Iranaligned groups that tar get US and US-led coali tion personnel in Syria. (Reuters)

US military, Iran-aligned fighters exchange fire in Syria – sources B oth the United States and China need to be on board to ensure peace and bring action on climate change, Tuvalu's Foreign Minister said on Thursday. Simon Kofe told Reuters at a virtual Newsmaker event that Tuvalu was mindful when approaching geopolitics in the Pacific that China needed to be in volved to address challeng es facing his country and the broader region. "If we're truly serious about world peace, and we're really serious about addressing climate change, then there really is no good guys and bad guys ... We need China on board. We need the United States on board," he said. Still, Kofe said Tuvalu, one of four countries in the Pacific that has diplomat ic relations with Taiwan rather than China, be lieved Taiwan remained a very strong partner despite coming under pressure to switch its recognition to Beijing."We're not looking to do anything to China. In fact, we try to avoid them as much as possible. But when we are confronted by them ... we are not afraid to speak our minds and to make a stand," he said. The Pacific region has become increasingly con tested, with China's grow ing influence sparking pledges by the United States and its partners pledging to do more. A re cent security pact between China and the Solomon Islands has raised concerns about Beijing's ambitions to expand its military pres ence. Kofe grabbed global at tention for his nation of 12,000 people last year when he addressed a global climate conference stand ing ankle deep in the sea to illustrate Tuvalu was "sinking". Forty per cent of the capital district is un derwater at high tide, and the tiny country is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tuvalu's Foreign Minister, Simon Kofe

"Don't moan; Mobilise or starve," was the message to those wondering whether to take part in the strike on a poster from the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu). Its head Zwinzilima Vavi questioned how President Cyril Ramaphosa could give himself and ministers a three per cent pay rise but refuse their demands. At the front of the march in Pretoria, one woman who didn't give her name told the BBC why she was on strike: "We're tired. The cost of liv ing is too high now – we can't afford anything anymore. It's school fees , it's transport, it's rent, it's everything." (Excerpt from BBC News)

Around the

Iran said it had received a response from the United States to the European Union's "final" text for revival of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.

21THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

<A:> We still have a good set of players that come back Under-19, so it's still good competition. So, you still have to be doing the basic things well: going out there, hitting length and trying to get wickets and impress as much as possible.

Zadon Rose of Essequibo is now the recipient of a brand-new cricket bat, compliments of the archi tects of the project “Cricket gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana”. Rose, a burly left-hand ed batsman and off-spinner, attends the Anna Regina Multilateral School and is an “A” grade student. Rose is currently in Grenada representing Guyana at the Regional Under-15 Tournament.TheJacklow Sports Club Allrounder represent ed Essequibo in the recently concluded GCB Inter-County Under-15 competition, strok ing a solid half-century and taking 3 wickets against the President’s 11 Team as the highlight of his performance. The bat, his gift, was presented to him by for mer Essequibo Inter County Senior Cricketer Elroy Stephaney, manager of the national team. Rose has ex pressed gratitude for the ges ture, and has promised ‘to do well’.Total cricket-relat ed items collected so far: $250,000 cash, two trophies, twelve cricket boots, nine teen pairs of batting pads, twenty-one bats, fifteen pairs of batting gloves, nineteen thigh pads, one pair of wick etkeeping pads, two arm guards, six cricket bags and three helmets. In addition to the above, $600,000 worth in gear was donated by Sheik Mohamed, former national wicketkeep er -batsman.Todate, forty young players from all three coun ties of Guyana have collec tively benefited from the re ceipt of three junior gear bags, two trophies, two arm guards, fifteen bats, one box, three helmets, twelve pairs of cricket shoes, ten pairs of batting pads, one bat rubber and twelve pairs of batting gloves.In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area have benefited from the receipt of two used bats. Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also received one box of red crick et balls each, while RHCCCC received two, fifteen white cricket shirts, one pair of ju nior batting pads, one pair of wicketkeeping gloves, and a set of stumps and tributeseducationtive.GuyanaandutedusedCricket-relatedbails.items,ornew,aredistribfreeofcosttoyoungpromisingcricketersinunderthisinitiaSkills,disciplineandareimportantatoftherecipients.

<Q:> You represent ed the West Indies during the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup earlier this year. So, for yourself and all of those players, did you look at this tournament as an opportu nity to come and dominate?

Young fast bowler Isai Thorne focused on red-ball improvement

<A:> Well, I came up watch ing Niall Smith and Romario Shepherd, and watched their training ses sion when they were back home. So, I grasp my confidence from those guys, and seeing them play at the top level has given me most of my confidence.

The highly anticipat ed Embellisha & Touche Cosmetics cycle race in Linden has beenAccordingcancelled. to the Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club, the sec ond Endurance circuit race, which was billed for August 28 and in which prizes valued at $1,440,000 were up for grabs, has been cancelled because the Guyana Cycling Federation’s VicePresident believes the event is not in keeping with the UCI's Rules and Regulations.Arelease from the Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club has said the fol lowing: “Despite all nec essary protocols being covered in our race ap plication, the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) Vice President (in charge of Racing Committee) believes our event is not in keeping with the UCI's rules and regula tions. The rule alleged ly breached was that we decided to have races by categories (for example Veterans O50, Veterans U50, Seniors, Juniors, Juveniles, Ladies (BMX) without having an Open race. He then went on to suggest that our ‘Seniors Race’ should be open to all cyclists despite the same value of prizes being avail able for each category, with the exception of the BMX.“This was shocking to us, since neither our Racing Secretary nor our Assistant Secretary, who happens to be one of the three commissaries of cy cling in the country, (was aware) of such a rule. “We reached out to an executive of the Caribbean Cycling Federation, who mentioned that the National Federation does not have the right to de mand changes to cate gories of our races. With this information, we re-en gaged the Vice President. “Despite our efforts to negotiate with him, the talks failed, which frus trated both the Cycling Club and the sponsors. We deeply apologise to all cy clists who had great antic ipation for this event. “PS: Cyclists who paid their registration fees can visit the representative that collected the same for their refund.”

Linden’s Embellisha & Touche Cosmetics cycle race cancelled of it; and I think I did that in the last game against Leewards.<Q:>Obviously, during the U19 World Cup, it was white- ball cricket where, at maximum, you only had to bowl 10 overs. How have you found the transition in this three-day tournament, where you have had to bowl more than 10 overs over two Talent-spotting is being done across the country, and club leaders also assist to identify same. Progressive and well managed clubs will also benefit. The owners of the Project Cricket Gear have taken this opportunity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, SeanDevers, Trevis Simon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Kelvin Brijlall, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun, Allan Mangru, Dennis Mangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports Awards and Trophies and Ajay Gainda of Cricket Equipment Guyana, Gajanand Singh, Peter Ramkissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin Singh, Denesh Chandrapaul, Dr Cecil Beharry, Davo Naraine of UK and Latch Mohabir and family. Anyone interested in con tributing to this project can contact Anil Beharry on 6236875 or Kishan Das on 1 718 664-0896.

<Q:> You hail from the famous Berbice cricket area of Guyana. Growing up, what were some of your role models as a young fast bowl er?

Project “Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana” …

Essequibo’s Zadon Rose is latest beneficiary

the first game was tough, I have been able to just kind of get into it. Bowling the overs is not a problem for me, because I think I'm fit enough to bowl the overs. It's just that, in the white ball game, you are trying to hit the stumps more than (what) we will do here in three-day cricket.

<Q:> How has the expe rience of bowling in English young player so far? <A:> It was still a chal lenge, because it was new conditions and all of that from the West Indies. But I think it really helped me as a fast bowler. The con ditions were helpful to fast bowling, and it shows you how you need to be consis tent to get wickets. (Windies cricket)

Elroy Stephany (left) presenting the bat to Zadon Rose in the presence of his teammates

The 2022 West Indies Rising Stars U19 Championship rep resents the first time that young Caribbean cricketers would be playing long-for mat cricket at any level sinceThis2018. follows the Caribbean’s hosting of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, which was successfully done by Cricket West Indies in January and February. Among the several players who represented the West Indies were Ackeem Auguste (Windward Islands), Johann Layne (Barbados), Nathan Edward (Leeward Islands), Onaje Amory (Leeward Islands), Carlon BowenTuckett (Leeward Islands), and Jordan Johnson (Jamaica).Aplayer in this year's competition is the talent ed 17-year-old fast bowl er Isai Thorne of Guyana, who first came to the pub lic’s attention during the summer 2021 West Indies youth tour of England. He hails from the famous coun ty of Berbice, which has pro duced West Indies players such as the legendary Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and Alvin Kallicharran, and modern-day senior team players Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie. Thorne spoke to CWI Media at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex during the just-concluded match be tween Guyana and Jamaica, and the interview is detailed below.<Q:> You have already experienced playing youth cricket against some of the world's best U19 players. How have you found coming back and playing your first U19 tournament against Caribbean players?

<A:> As a West Indies player, I believe you need to come here and show why you are a West Indies play er. So, for me, yes, I came here trying to dominate and show that I'm a step above, and doing everything I can on the field to help my team win the <Q:>competition.Inroundtwo ver sus the Leeward Islands, you took a six-wicket haul. How have you found the bowling conditions com

Chris Binnie wins record 10th singles title, Ashley Khalil takes women's crown sponded that it would be great for the sport. “I think we will improve! We will improve, and the challenge will always be there, the rivalry will al ways be there. And it’s good for the sport, it’s good for us to keep the sport going, keep pulling it forward. You win some, you lose some,” he posited. “So, we’re hop ing that we could put down a time and get back the track record today (Sunday).”

Although it was not Bissessar, another Trinidadian driver, Kervin Ribeiro, attempted to break the record later on Sunday, but encountered a mishap with his 1JZ RX7.

NOTICE The National Milling Company of Guyana Inc (Namilco) contin ues to have a positive impact on activities of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), and is set to sponsor a massive secondary schools coaching programme being undertaken by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). When Namilco assumed the role of official sponsor of the RHTY&SC men’s First Division team in November 2019, it was that company’s first major investment in cricket at the local level. Over the years, the company was known primarily for making major investments in football and cycling under the lead ership of Bert Sukhai, a pas sionate believer in the trans formational power of sports. NAMILCO was a part sponsor of the RHTY&SC for a while, having sponsored the Annual Awards Ceremony; annual youth magazine; Christmas Village, and Say Yes to Education campaign, among other programmes. The RHTY&SC and its crick et teams also successfully hosted a Day of Sports at the Albion Community Centre as part of the company’s 50th an niversary celebrations in May 2019.The club and company formally cemented the offi cial relationship later that year, and in November 2019, NAMILCO replaced Gizmos and Gadgets as the sponsor of the RHTY&SC Under-21 and First Division teams. Over the last three years, these teams have won all tournaments organised by the Berbice Cricket Board, in cluding the Busta Champion of Champions, Ivan Madray 20/20, Pepsi 40 overs, Carib Beer 50 Overs, and Elizabeth Styles Under 21. Moreover, the team has produced Kevin Sinclair, who has been named to the West Indies 20/20 team and re cently to the regional team for the upcoming One-Day International series against NewKevlonZealand.Anderson has also successfully represented the West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup, in where he was one of the leading batsmen. Clinton Pestano and Kevin Sinclair have also represented the Amazon Warriors in the past, while the exciting Junior Sinclair would do so in the 2022 edition, being the fourth RHTY&SC member to do so. At the senior level, Pestano and Kevin Sinclair have played for Guyana in the recently concluded FourDay tournament. Anderson, who is rated among the most promising young batsmen in the Caribbean, was select ed by Cricket West Indies to be part of the historic West Indies Emerging Players Academy.Female players Shemaine Campbelle, Shakiba Gajnabi and Sheneeta Grimmond have all played for the West Indies at the international level, with Campbelle scoring two fifties in the 2022 Female World Cup. A total of nineteen RHTY&SC members have represented the country at different levels in 2022, or gained selection to re gional teams. Jonathan Rampersaud, Jermey Sandia and Mahendra Gopilall are with the national under-19 team in St Vincent, while Sohail Mohamed and Razam Koobir are in the national un der-15 team. A broken hand prevented Matthew Pottaya from being in the national un der-17Withteam.the support of Namilco and several oth er sponsors, the two teams also hosted the largest ever cricket academy in Guyana. A record 145 young people were in attendance, and they have established the first-ev er Kiddies Cricket Academy with dozens of kids between the ages of eight and twelve years.The two Namilco teams under sponsorship have been involved in hundreds of per sonal developmental pro grammes over the last three years. These programmes have been held under a wide range of sub-headings, includ ing charity, health, youth de velopment, education, pub lic security, coaching, awards and community development. Among the numerous pro grammes hosted were the popular annual Christmas Village, Christmas Charity Programme, Covid Hampers Project, Medical Outreach, Youth Information Booklet, Covid posters and leaflets, se nior citizens’ breakfast pro gramme, Tribute to Teachers, Tribute to Medical Workers, Tribute to Law Enforcement Officers, installment of so lar lights across the town ship, upgrading of the Area Ground, Republic Bank Grade Six Summer Camp, and host ing of the Basil Butcher Trust Fund.In their biggest proj ect ever, the Namilco teams spearheaded the construction of three homes for families over the last twelve months. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the positive ef fect that Namilco has had on the two teams, and described the company as a true friend of the club, which happens to be the only youth and sports club in Guyana to have ever received a national award from the Government. He has said that the com pany is a prime example of how the Private Sector can make a positive difference in the lives of youths: by being good corporate citizens, and by their commitment to corpo rate social responsibility and their customer base. He disclosed that the com pany would very shortly be renewing its sponsorship for 2022/2023, and would also be handing over a total of 32 new pairs of first division coloured uniforms for the upcoming season.Namilco’s Managing Director Bert Sukhai has ex pressed satisfaction with the company’s return on its in vestment over the years, and noted that the Namilco Thunderbolt Under-21 first division teams have repre sented his company’s brand J amaica’s Chris Binnie, on Tuesday August 23, won a re cord 10th singles title at the Caribbean Senior Squash Championships be ing held in CheeredJamaica.onbya large supportive home crowd at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston, the 33-year-old top-seed defeated num ber-two seed Barbadian Khamal Cumberbatch in straight sets 14-12, 11-5, 11-5.Binnie, who was cheered vociferously on complet ing the victory, praised his opponent, who he said had played a competitive match.“He came ready to play today. That first game was so tight, and that’s how it should be, and that is how it has been for most of the times at these events,” he said.“I am grateful I was able to come through that first game. If I had lost, it could have been different. Thankfully, I got through that. The next two games I was able to be composed and claim the title,” Binnie confessed.Thewomen’s singles crown has gone to Guyana’s Ashley Khalil, who came from a set down to defeat her much taller compatriot Taylor Fernandez 9-11, 115, 11-2, 11-4. “It feels great!” the be spectacled champion has said. “The title sounds awesome! I like the way I played.”The bronze medal went to Guyana’s Ashley DeGroot, who defeat ed compatriot Akelia Wiltshire 12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-3. (Sportsmax)

Sheldon Bissessar’s rail car taking to the track last Saturday

TT’s Bissessar says enjoying rivalry with Team Mohamed’s of Guyana

Sheldon Bissessar and his rail car

22 GUYANATIMESGY.COMTHURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022

CLASSIFIED ADS SERVICE Astrology and Spiritual Healer Pt. Mohan: +592-692-1009 If there is any problem in your life, he will get the solution. Please contact spiritual healer, regarding health, love, busi ness, husband and wife problems, etc. Address: Georgetown, Guyana. Application for Money Lender Certificate. Pursuant to Section 4 of the Money Lender Act. I, Cedric Joel Weekes of Lot 8 Den Amstel, Old Road West Coast Demerara, Guyana is hereby given notice that I have ap plied to the Magistrate of the West Demerara Magisterial District for a certificate under the Money Lender Act, authorising the grant to me of a Money Lender License to carry on the business of a Money Lender un der the title “WEEKES FAST CASH PAWN SHOP” at Lot ‘Y’ Blankenburg Public Road, West Coast Demerara, Guyana. Notice of any opjection to the application should be sent forth with to the clerk of the court of the West Demerara Magisterial District and a copy of such notice should be sent to the subscriber Cedric Joel Weekes (applicant dated at the West Demerara Magisterial District this day 24th August, 2022).

In spite of having his track record broken hours after being set, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s top international drag race driv ers, Sheldon Bissessar, has said he thoroughly enjoyed the rivalry between him self and Team Mohamed’s during the recently conclud ed International Drag Race meet.Bissessar has said he did not have his mind on the South Dakota’s ¼ mile track record on Saturday when he shattered it during qualify ing for the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC’s) International Drag Race Bissessarmeet.steered his Spritzer Dragster rail car to a 7.208s record, lowering the previous record of 7.501s held by Team Mohamed’s GTR.However, less than 24 hours later, the re cord was rewritten by Team Mohamed’s Pro-Mod Mustang.Stilleager to lower the new 7.036s record, the high ly competitive Sheldon Bissessar has said he would jump at the opportunity to challenge the record again. “Yeah man, we’ll take that in a minute! We’re hop ing that we get the chance again, that we can turn up the power in the car and get it down the track,” Bissessar told this publication at the South Dakota track on SundayBissessarlast. explained that the focus is not on smashing records, but on entertaining and raising the bar compet itively.Hesaid, “We weren’t re ally after a track record, you know; we were just testing the car. It just happened that we did a good time, but it’s nowhere close to where we want to run, just the first time we’re trying the car. “You want to run as fast as you could run, but it’s not just about the record, we want to race and win, you know. Running and doing a record by yourself isn’t that much fun to us. We want to challenge! We want to go racing! It’s racing we want to do!” he explained. “It’s not just after re cords, if the records come, they come, but that’s not re ally the fun in it,” this hardnosed Trinidadian competi tor has Sensingreasoned.that the rivalry between the Trinidadian and Guyanese teams is about to be stepped up, this publica tion quizzed Bissessar on such a likelihood, and he re

NAMILCO continues to positively impact RHTY&SC with pride, honour, disci pline and passion, and that Namilco is very proud to be associated with them. He urged members of the Private Sector to support ven tures like these across the country, as they serve to make a positive difference in “the lives of our young people”. Caribbean Squash Championships’ action in Jamaica…

RHTY&SC Namilco Thunderbolt First Division Team

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The action commenced as the opening game of the highly antic ipated 6IXTY Women's Competition got underway. The opening game saw the Barbados Royals go headto-head with the Trinbago Knight Riders and emerge victorious by 28 runs, thanks to a blistering 63 from Chloe Tryon. Batting first, the Royals found themselves in a spot of bother as they lost Reniece Boyce for a duck when she was run out, and shortly af ter, Hayley Matthews went for With14. the score at 2-15 in 1.4 overs, Chloe Tryon and Britney Cooper dug deep and put together a sol id partnership. Tryon, in particular, took most of the strike, and attacked from the get-go. She blasted 4 towering maximums and 5 boundaries in the 29 balls she faced to score 63 runs. Her wicket fell in over 8.4 off the bowling of Aneesa Mohamed, but the dam age was already done. After Tryon departed, the score remained on 90-3, but the Royals were able to add 13 more runs in their remain ing eight balls to end on 108-4 off their allotted 10 overs.Bowling for TKR Jannillea Glasgow took 1-25 and Aneesa Mohamed took 1-31.Heading into the chase, TKR could only afford 80-3 at the end of their 10 overs, as the Royals bowled with precision and much deter mination. The downhill ac tion for the TKR began when they lost Kycia Knight for 21 off 12 balls, as she re tiredNatashahurt. McLean and

high SCOREBOARD GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS WOMEN INNINGS (10 overs maximum) Rashada Williams † st †Kycia A Knight b Mohammed 24 Chamari Athapaththu lbw b Grimmond 21 Stafanie Taylor (c) not out 29 Cherry-Ann Fraser not out 1 Extras (lb 1, w 3, pen 2) 6 TOTAL 10 Ov (RR: 8.10) 81/2 Did not bat: Shemaine Campbelle, Rachel Vincent, Chedean Nation, Ayabonga Khaka, Shamilia Connell, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Chamari Athapaththu, 3.4 ov), 2-66 (Rashada Williams, 8.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Hayley Jensen 2-0-24-0 Caneisha Isaac 1-0-10-0 Geetika Kodali 1-0-3-0 Sheneta Grimmond 2-0-9-1 Sune Luus 2-0-17-0 Anisa Mohammed 2-0-15-1 TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS WOMEN INNINGS (Target: 82 runs from 10 overs) Kycia Knight †c Nation b Fraser 22 Natasha McLean c Fraser b Connell 4 Kyshona Knight c Taylor b Connell 12 Hayley Jensen run out (Taylor/Fraser) 5 Sune Luus c Gajnabi b Ramharack 6

BOWLING O-M-R-W Shamilia Connell 2-0-17-2 Ayabonga Khaka 2.3-0-11-1 Cherry-Ann Fraser 2-0-19-1 Stafanie Taylor 2-0-100 Karishma Ramharack 1-0-7-1

Taylor, Fraser lead Warriors to second win of the day L ed by another top in nings for captain Stafanie Taylor and a three-wicket haul from Guyana's very own CherryAnn Fraser, Guyana Amazon Warriors Women won their second match of the day by five wickets. Batting first, Royals posted 58-6 in 9.3 overs, with overseas star Chloe Tyron scoring 24. She was the lone batter to reach double figures, as rightarm seamer Fraser claimed 3-6 in her two overs. With only six batters al lowed in this format, the Royals posted a below-par total as Warriors’ bowl ers kept it tight. Shamilia Connell and Ayabonga Khaka had one wicket each. In response, GAW Women reached 59-1 in the eighth over. Taylor, batting at number three, top-scored with an unbeaten 33, while Rashada Williams scored 22 not Theout.Women’s tourna ment will continue today, Thursday August 25, with Royals taking on Trinbago Knight Riders at 15:00h. For the men’s team, GAW will take on St Lucia Kings from 10:00h today in St Kitts. Rashada Williams and Stafanie Taylor led the batting

GAME 1: Royals draw first blood in opening game against TKR

Knight retired hurt on 21 Chloe Tryon blasted 63 off 29 balls Game 2: Game 3: GAW Women begin 6ixty

Shamilia Connell was instrumental with the ball in the GAW Women’s first game South African Captain Sune Luus were dismissed for 9 and 1 respectively. Hayley Mathews then brought her self on, and bagged two quick wickets to further dentAfterTKR. that, Hayley Jensen tried to resurge the innings with a 12-ball 22, but the Royals remained on point to see the game out to the very Bowlingend.for the Royals, Hayley Matthews took 2-6 and Quiana Joseph took 1-5. on the other hand, was a bit expensive (1-19 from 2) but bounced back marvellously in the following game. Kycia Knight top-scored for the Knight Riders, get ting to 22 off 23 balls, but was sent back to the dugout by Fraser, while her sister Kyshona notched an even 12 from 12. As Connell claimed the wickets of Knight and Natasha McLean, Taylor and Fraser combined to ef fect the run out of Hayley Jensen, signalling trouble for the Knight Riders. With only two wickets left in hand, Sune Luus and Geetika Kodali were torn between being careful and launching fireworks to get to their target. After Kodali had her stumps disturbed by Khaka, Luus launched what would have surely been a maximum, but a sprint around the boundary and Shabika Gajnabi’s safe pair of hands brought on the de mise of the Knight Riders. Earlier in the game, a 37-run partnership be tween Warriors Captain Stafanie Taylor and Rashada Williams stabilised the in nings through the middle overs and got the Warriors to a total of Taylor81-2.top-scored with an unbeaten 29 from 18 balls, but not before Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu got the Warriors off to a flying start with 21 from 15, be fore falling prey to Sheneta Grimmond’s bowling. Though Williams stuck around for most of the first innings, it took the experi ence of stand-in Trinidadian Captain Anisa Mohammed to remove the Warriors open er. Grimmond was the pick of the Trinbago bowlers, picking up 1-9 from 2 overs. Today, attention will be directed to the Men’s tour nament, where the male Amazon Warriors will seek out a similar fate as their fe male counterparts in their contest against the St Lucia Kings from 10am local time.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) Women got their SKYEXCH 6ixty campaign off to the perfect start with a victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders Women in Game 2 of the T10 tourna ment on Wednesday after noon.The GAW Women be came the first team to take a perfect 6 wickets in the SKYEXCH 6ixty tourna ment, on the back of a stellar bowling effort. In pursuit of 82 runs for victory, Trinbago Women were restricted to 66 runs in 10 overs. In actuality, they had a great start to the chase, getting to 40/1 in 5 overs. However, they then began to unravel before the Warriors’ onslaught.Shamilia Conell picked up 2 for 17 from her 2, while Ayabonga Khaka, Karishma Ramharack and local girl Cherry-Ann Fraser each picked up one Ramharackscalp.was eco nomical, allowing only sev en runs off her single over; as was Khaka, who conceded only 11 in 2.3 overs. Fraser, Kycia campaign on a Geetika Kodali b Khaka 3 Sheneta Grimmond not out 0 Extras (lb 2, w 12) 14 TOTAL 9.3 Ov (RR: 6.94) 66 Yet to bat: Caneisha Isaac, LeeAnn Kirby, Anisa Mohammed, Jannillea Glasgow Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Natasha McLean, 0.4 ov), 2-40 (Kyshona Knight, 5.1 ov), 3-50 (Hayley Jensen, 6.1 ov), 4-56 (Kycia Knight, 6.5 ov), 5-64 (Sune Luus, 8.5 ov), 6-66 (Geetika Kodali, 9.3 ov)

Cherry-Ann Fraser was on target with the ball in the Warriors’ second game

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC. Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business GAW Women unbeaten after heroics from Taylor, Williams Fraser Women’s SKYEXCH 6ixty Tournament… …TKR suffer back-to-back losses

Some outfield action featuring Shemaine Campbell Captain Stafanie Taylor led from the front Rashada Williams and Captain Stafanie Taylor were instrumental in the Warriors’ batting

The GAW Women won their first two games of the Women’s SKYEXCH 6ixty