Guyana Times - Thursday, December 25, 2025

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Issue No. 6317

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

Our next publication will be on Sunday, December 28, 2025

Guyana has much to celebrate, shining brighter than ever – Pres Ali in Christmas message Page 3

...Guyanese Christmas traditions hold us together as a people, country – PM

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Police probe P7 $153M theft from telecommunications company

Stolen Home Depot goods shipped to Guyana as NY man jailed in organised theft case P8

M&CC to pursue Govt, private property owners over outstanding rates, taxes in 2026 A Christmas of new beginnings as Govt mulls new buildings in city for High 2 Berbice women get new homes Court, Appeals Court, Magistrates’ Courts See story on page 23

P15

Page 11

First Lady gifts $14M home to West Coast family of 6 at Christmas Page 7

A silent Christmas table after a son never came home P21

A mother’s Christmas marked by loss, caregiving and survival Page 18

Azruddin, Nazar P7 Mohamed move to High Court to block extradition to US

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Guyana has much to celebrate, shining brighter than ever – Pres Ali in Christmas message ...Guyanese Christmas traditions hold us together as a people, country – PM

T

his Christmas season, President Dr Irfaan Ali says Guyana has a lot to celebrate, as the country is experiencing its best days and its people are destined for a bright future.

The Head of State made these remarks in his Christmas message to the nation, in which he underscored his government’s commitment to building a better tomorrow.

“We stand on the threshold of unparalleled opportunity. But let us remember that the true measure of our light is not in its intensity but in how far it reaches.

Prosperity only has meaning when it is shared prosperity.

We will continue along this enlightened path, ensuring that every community, every family, every child feels the warmth of this new dawn.”

“Just days ago, I laid out a broad vision for our nation’s next five years – a detailed plan to spur unprecedented growth and, crucially, to ensure that the benefits of this growth reaches everyone. This is our covenant with you, the people of our beloved country. It is our collective project of hope. From the hope of Bethlehem to the hope of a thriving Guyana, the message is the same: we are builders of a better tomorrow,” the President stated.

He went on to note that for Christians across Guyana and the world, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is, he added, the story of a light dawning in the deepest night and carries a message of hope.

“The Christmas story is not one of faith alone but a profound lesson for all mankind. It relays to us that within our shared humanity lies the capacity for renewal, for compassion, and for hope.

This is why it is so heartening to see Guyanese everywhere, at home and across the diaspora, keep our cherished Christmas traditions alive. The shared meals, the Christmas songs that fill the air, the outstretched hands to neighbours and strangers alike and the outpouring of kindness to the less fortunate in our midst,” the Head of State emphasised.

Peaceful season According to the President, it is these acts of goodwill that strengthen the very bonds that unite the harmonious, beautiful, and diverse Guyanese society.

“This Christmas as we gather in joy, I call on each of you to also gather in safety.

Let us protect the gift of each other. Be vigilant on our roads, mindful in our celebrations, and watchful over our loved ones. Let this season be marked by peace in every home.”

“As the candles of our Christmas celebrations cast their gentle glow, let their light reach beyond the warmth of our own hearths.

Christmas,” stated.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

May we remember those who dwell in the quiet shadows of want, extending not just the bounty of our tables but the greater wealth of our compassion. May this same gentle light be a solace to the sick and a comfort to the grieving, a reminder that no heart need heal alone. And let our hearts, buoyed by the season's promise of peace, become a silent chorus of prayer for our brothers and sisters in lands where the night sky is pierced not by starlight, but by conflict and strife.”

“Let this season bring hope for every soul that lies awake longing for a dawn where the only sound is the whisper of peace. So, as we celebrate this joyous and blessed season of Christmas, let us embrace its profound truth. The greatest gift is to be found in a humble heart.

This Christmas, let us renew our hearts. Let us choose love over indifference, unity over division, and hope over despair. From my family to yours, may God bless you all with a peaceful and joyous

President

Ali

Guyanese traditions Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, in his Christmas message to the nation, also underscored the importance of Christmas traditions in Guyana – a season that invites people to slow down and remember why this day has endured for centuries.

According to PM Phillips, Christmas in Guyana is defined by tradition and togetherness.

“It is found in early-morning church services, in familiar hymns sung with conviction, and in the simple but meaningful traditions, like our pepper pot, our garlic pork, our visits to family members old and young, our masquerade, our sorrel and mauby drinks, and even the neighbourhood gatherings where Christmas music blasts all day through the streets. These are warm traditions passed down through generations, and they hold us together as a country and as a people,” he posited.

The Prime Minister added too that this season also reminds us that faith is something we live even outside of our places of worship.

He said the Christmas story calls us to generosity and to care for the vulnerable and less fortunate.

“These are values that must guide our conduct long after the decorations are put away,” he noted.

The PM added that while Guyana continues to experience growth and opportunity, Christmas urges us to re-

member that progress must always have a human face because prosperity has meaning only when it strengthens families, uplifts communities, and creates dignity for every citizen.

“Our responsibility to one another must, therefore, always prevail. At this time, we are especially mindful of those who face hardship, such as families dealing with loss, illness, or uncertainty. May this season move us beyond words and into action to support these people in this season and beyond. Let us remember to give a kind gesture, a listening ear, or a helping hand, which reflects the very spirit of Christ's life and teachings,” the Prime Minister stated.

PM Phillips stated that as Christians across Guyana and around the world commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, he reminds them that Christ’s arrival came with a profound message, that is, love and service matter more than status, and that light can emerge even in the most uncertain moments.

“This is a message that still speaks to us. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may His example inspire us to live with integrity, compassion, and humility, and may it remind us that unity is a daily choice. On behalf of the Government of Guyana and my family, I extend sincere Christmas greetings to every Guyanese household.

May your homes be filled with peace, your gatherings with warmth, and your hearts with hope. May the message of Christmas guide us today and every day.”

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Christmas in Guyana C

hristmas is a season that invites reflection on the enduring values of love, unity and generosity. Across Guyana, the holiday period carries a distinctive character, shaped by the country’s diversity and strengthened by a long-standing culture of coexistence. As homes are decorated, familiar carols echo across communities, and families gather around traditional meals, Christmas renews a collective sense of gratitude and hope that transcends differences.

In Guyana, Christmas is not confined to a single faith or community.

While it remains a deeply sacred observance for Christians, it has also evolved into a national celebration embraced by citizens of all backgrounds. This broad participation reflects the inclusivity and harmony that define Guyanese society. The season offers a reminder that unity is not achieved through uniformity, but through mutual respect and shared values that bind people together despite cultural and religious distinctions.

For Christians, Christmas holds profound spiritual meaning, as it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time that centres on the message of hope, redemption and unconditional love. Through church services, nativity plays and prayer, believers reflect on the humility and selflessness embodied in Christ’s life and teachings.

These observances reinforce the deeper meaning of Christmas, reminding the faithful that the season is not only about celebration but also about living out principles of compassion, forgiveness and service to others.

Beyond religious observance, the spirit of togetherness that defines Christmas in Guyana is strengthened by national initiatives aimed at social cohesion. President Dr Irfaan Ali’s “One Guyana” initiative has emerged as a unifying framework that aligns closely with the values of the season. Designed to foster inclusiveness and national unity, the initiative takes on particular significance during Christmas, when the focus turns to ensuring that no one is excluded from the joy and goodwill associated with the holidays.

Under the “One Guyana” banner, communities across the country have benefited from outreach programmes, charitable drives and state-supported celebrations. These efforts have helped bring comfort and cheer to children, families and senior citizens, reinforcing the idea that Christmas is most meaningful when it is shared. By encouraging collective responsibility and generosity, the initiative reflects the essence of the season and underscores the importance of caring for one another.

The initiative has also highlighted the importance of cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Christmas in Guyana is marked not only by religious traditions but also by cultural expressions that reflect the nation’s diversity. Government-supported activities that promote multi-ethnic participation, through cultural performances, communal gatherings and public celebrations, serve to strengthen social bonds. These shared experiences reinforce national identity and remind citizens that diversity remains one of Guyana’s greatest strengths.

As families come together during the holidays, the season also calls for reflection on the needs of the wider society. Christmas presents an opportunity to extend compassion beyond immediate circles. Acts of kindness, whether through volunteering, donating or offering simple support, play a vital role in sustaining the spirit of the season. Such gestures reaffirm that unity is built not only through policy and programmes but also through everyday expressions of empathy and care.

The holiday period further highlights the contribution of small and local businesses, which play an essential role in shaping the Christmas experience. From handcrafted items to locally produced food and beverages, these enterprises add character and vibrancy to the celebrations. Supporting initiatives such as the One Guyana Christmas Village on Main Street, Georgetown, strengthens economic activity while promoting local talent. In doing so, the season becomes an opportunity to recognise the creativity, resilience and hard work of entrepreneurs who contribute to both cultural expression and economic growth.

Religious institutions and community organisations also remain central to preserving the true spirit of Christmas. Their outreach programmes and charitable initiatives provide vital assistance to vulnerable populations, particularly during a time when economic pressures can be more pronounced. These efforts, working alongside Government initiatives, help ensure that the benefits of the season reach even the most remote and underserved communities.

Ultimately, Christmas in Guyana is a reminder of what is possible when unity, compassion and shared purpose guide national life. It is a season that encourages reflection not only on faith and tradition but also on collective responsibility and social harmony. As the country celebrates, there is value in carrying these principles beyond the holidays and into everyday interactions.

May this Christmas be a time of joy, generosity and reflection for all Guyanese, and may the spirit of unity that defines the season continue to strengthen the nation in the year ahead.

Merry Christmas to our readers.

A Christmas social at State House brings together (L-R) Prime Minister Mark Phillips, former President Donald Ramotar, President Dr Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, along with others, on Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Modernising the Bank of Guyana: promise, practice, and regional lessons Dear Editor, President Dr Irfaan Ali’s recent announcement to modernise the Bank of Guyana signals a positive and welltimed recognition that economic transformation must be supported by an equally modern institutional and monetary framework. His call for a “datadriven, forwardlooking” central bank capable of managing liquidity, inflation, and financial inclusion reflects a sound appreciation of the challenges confronting a rapidly expanding resourcebased economy.

At the conceptual level, the Government’s plans align with the evolution of central banking across the Caribbean. The Central Banks of Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago have each undertaken reforms to enhance data quality, transparency, and policy credibility. Jamaica’s adoption of inflationtargeting, Barbados’s shift toward greater monetary autonomy, and Trinidad’s modernisation of its payments and supervisory systems all demonstrate the merits – and difficulties – of evidencebased economic governance.

For Guyana, where fiscal expansion, exchangerate pressure, and high import dependence interact with

oildriven growth, upgrading monetary governance is both prudent and necessary. The Bank’s modernisation could strengthen confidence, support investment, and protect purchasing power. Yet, as regional experience shows, success depends not on rhetoric but on disciplined execution and institutional coherence.

Effective monetary policy cannot function in isolation.

Guyana has long suffered weak policy coordination – between the fiscal, investment, and trade authorities – resulting in liquidity surpluses, foreignexchange tightness, and uneven development outcomes. The modernisation of the Bank of Guyana must therefore be anchored in stronger fiscal discipline, data reliability, and transparent communication with markets.

Humanresource capacity is also central. Reforms in Jamaica and Barbados were enabled by investment in econometric and supervisory training as well as close partnership with international institutions. If the Bank of Guyana is to manage a policy rate or openmarket operations credibly, it will require similar technical depth and professional independence.

President Ali’s emphasis on financial inclusion

and the proposal for a junior stock exchange are wellconceived measures to broaden participation in national growth. However, as shown

by Jamaica’s microfinance and Trinidad’s SME experiences, financial inclusion must be accompanied by robust regulation, investor education, and effective antimoneylaundering oversight.

Without these safeguards, liberalisation may deepen inequality rather than reduce it.

Guyana’s structural dualities – between formal and informal sectors, and between coastland and hinterland – further complicate equitable access to finance. Additionally, persistent concerns about procurement transparency, foreigncurrency leakages, and the politicisation of appointments undermine trust in institutions. The success of any modernisation effort will thus depend on visible commitment to good governance and meritbased management.

In fairness, the Government’s record since 2020 shows important progress: rapid growth in bank account ownership, improved digital banking services, and nascent steps toward better foreignexchange management. These achievements demonstrate

intent and potential. Yet, modernisation must extend beyond technology to include clear policy rules, accountability structures, and predictable implementation.

There are useful regional lessons. Jamaica’s clear inflationtargeting communication, Barbados’s careful sequencing of reform, and Trinidad’s pragmatic approach to macroprudential supervision underscore that modernisation is a process – not an event. For Guyana, success will require sustained investment in people, data, and coordination rather than oneoff announcements.

Ultimately, the Government’s vision for a modernised Bank of Guyana represents a commendable step in the right direction.

Its success will rest on governance coherence, transparency, and sustained institutional discipline. If achieved, Guyana could evolve not only as an oilrich economy but also as a regional model for credible economic management and inclusive financial development.

Yours faithfully, Fernando Balkaran Former Lecturer, UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, & UG Turkeyen Campus, Guyana

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

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Commonwealth Observers report discredits Mohamed’s election lies

Dear Editor, Snippets of the Commonwealth Observers Report have now made their rounds in the news cycle. Every single Guyanese genuinely concerned about democracy should read every election observer report in full, whether it’s from the Commonwealth, the EU or the Private Sector Commission.

Heralding one report whilst sneering at the others is demonstrating transparent political bias. Nothing more and nothing less.

The Commonwealth Report is but the third ob-

server’s report to strike down the election lies peddled by WIN Leader Azruddin Mohamed.

Initially, the indicted MP was quick to celebrate the EU Observers Report, despite said report affirming the “transparency” of the elections.

Now we have the Commonwealth Report.

The Commonwealth election observers confirmed that “no evidence of leveraging voter roll inflation for electoral manipulation has been substantiated to date.” This decisively shreds the lies being ped-

dled by BOTH WIN and APNU: that a bloated voters’ list was used to rig the elections.

Upon being sworn in as an MP, Mohamed claimed that the 2025 elections were rigged and that GECOM’s results were fabricated. His evidence? He claimed that GECOM’s website briefly stopped working. Just recently, outside of the Magistrate’s Court, in an apparent imitation of Pakistan’s Imran Khan, he proclaimed to be the “real President” and once more insisted that GECOM’s numbers were

Need for patriotic education

Dear Editor, Over the period of the PPP/C Government, from 1992 to 2015 and 2020 to now, education has made a great leap forward. This is undeniable.

Before 1992 we were at the bottom of the ladder in passes at CXC and CAPE, compared to the rest of the region. That has changed, and we are now producing the region’s top students.

Now we are moving at another level. Free education on an expanded curriculum and assistance for students to write exams.

Multiple assistances are given to our students at all levels to make it easy for them to study. Added to that is the fact that the infrastructure in education has been and is being constantly modernised. All of these measures will produce more highly skilled people for our country, and I dare say for abroad as some continue to migrate.

While we are producing sound technical people, we are not providing the education that would produce patriots.

Lacking from the curriculum in our education system, at all levels, is the teaching of our own history. That is why I hear from many older Guyanese the complaint that our young people have never heard of many Guyanese whose contributions to this country’s progress have been monumental.

If a people do not know their own history, then they can be easily manipulated and misled. They will feel no strong affinity to the nation, and many, as we see even now, judging from the letter columns, are taking very reactionary, even

foreign positions as it relates to our country and the region. Some through ignorance and others deliberately misrepresent our history.

I would therefore strongly advocate that history be taught at every level of our education system as a compulsory subject. If CXC does not recognise it, then we should make it a Guyanese exam in which all students must write.

Creating a conscious people, allowing them to know the journey our peo-

ple travelled, will give them strong roots. It is as important, if not more important, than just moulding technical competence. We need our people to stand up for what is right and just, to be principled and to appreciate the struggles of those who came before us.

This character they would acquire if they had a sound knowledge of our history.

Yours sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

00:00 Movie - Red One (2024) 02:00 Movie - A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) 04:00 Movie - The Merry Gentlemen (2024) 05:30 Movie - Foster (2011) 07:00 Evening News (RB) 08:00 Movie - A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish (2019) 09:30 A TVG Christmas 10:00 Stop Suffering 11:30 Movie - Home Alone (1990) 13:30 Movie - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 15:30 Movie - Home Alone 3 (1997) 17:30 Movie - Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002) 19:00 Anthony's Christmas Special 20:00 Stop Suffering 20:30 A TVG Christmas 21:00 Movie - The Nativity Story (2006) 23:00 Movie - Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (2018)

fake.

The Commonwealth Report described Polling Day as “peaceful” whilst confirming that the count was “conducted in a transparent manner.” Following the completion of the count, the report underscored that “all party representatives and polling staff signed the tally sheet.” This confirms, once more, that WIN polling agents signed off on every single SOP. Additionally, the Group commended GECOM for “improvements to the overall counting and tabulation process, which allowed for greater transparency.”

Summarising the re-

port on their website, the Commonwealth Group confirmed the fairness of the process, dismantling the “free-but-not-fair” narrative peddled by members of the WIN camp in several public spaces that somehow the electoral system was so contrived against the Opposition that voters were manipulated into democratically re-electing President Ali with a landslide majority. That flimsy narrative has now been put to rest.

Finally, in closing, the Commonwealth Observer Group commended Guyana and her people for upholding their “steadfast

commitment to democracy” whilst also praising GECOM for their “diligence” and “transparency” for the entirety of the electoral process, from tabulation all the way to declaration.

Election lies are a cancer to the health of any democratic society; so too are those who spread them.

With his election lies being discredited by the EU, the PSC and now the Commonwealth, one would hope that he now, finally, accepts this fundamental truth.

Yours faithfully, Nikhil Sankar

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

Page

L

Foundation

ong ago, about 2000 years, when King Herod ruled Judea (now part of Israel), God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman who lived in the northern town of Nazareth. The girl's name was Mary and she was engaged to marry Joseph.

The angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Peace be with you!

God has blessed you and is pleased with you.”

Mary was very surprised by this and wondered what the angel meant. The angel said to her “Don't be afraid, God has been very kind to you. You will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a baby boy and you will call him Jesus. He will be God's own Son and his kingdom will never end.”

Mary was very afraid but she trusted God. “Let it happen as God chooses.” she replied to the angel. Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth who everyone thought was too old to have children, would have a baby boy whom God had chosen to prepare the way for Jesus.

Mary said goodbye to her family and friends and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah.

Elizabeth was very happy to see Mary. She knew that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son. An angel had already told Zechariah that Elizabeth's baby would prepare people to welcome Jesus. He was to be called John. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home to Nazareth.

the wedding altogether. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “Don't be

An angel visiting Joseph

afraid to have Mary as your wife.”

The angel explained that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son and told Joseph that the baby

Joseph was worried when he found out that Mary was expecting a baby before their marriage had taken place. He wondered if he should put off

would be named Jesus which means “Saviour” because he would save people. When

Empire. The Roman Emperor Augustus wanted to have a list of all the people in the em-

sus) there. Mary and Joseph travelled a long way (about 70 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because that is where Joseph's family came from. Most people walked but some lucky people had a donkey to help carry the goods needed for the journey.

Joseph and Mary travelled very slowly because Mary's baby was due to be born soon.

Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus

Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had told him to do and took Mary as his wife.

At this time, the land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman

pire, to make sure they paid their taxes. He ordered everyone to return to the town where their families originally came from, and enter their names in a register (or cen-

When they reached Bethlehem they had problems finding somewhere to stay. So many people had come to register their names in the census, that every house was full and every bed was taken in all of the guest rooms. The only place to stay that they could find was with the animals. People often kept animals in the house, especially at night, and used them like 'central heating'! People normally slept on a raised/upper level with the animals below to give them extra warmth.

So in the place where the animals slept, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. In those days it was the custom to wrap newborn babies tightly in a long cloth called 'swaddling clothes'.

Jesus' bed was the manger that the animals ate their hay from.

In the hills and fields outside Bethlehem, shepherds looked after their sheep through the long night. As the new day began, suddenly an angel appeared before them and the glory of God shone around them. The shepherds were very, very scared, but the angel said, “Don't be afraid. I have good news for you and everyone. Today in Bethlehem a Saviour has been born for you. You will find the baby lying in a manger.”

Then many more angels appeared, lighting up the sky.

The shepherds heard them praising God singing: “Glory to God in highest, and peace to everyone on earth.”

When the angels had gone, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem to see what has happened.” So the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph. The baby Jesus was lying in a manger as they had been told. When they saw him, they told everyone what the angel had said and everyone who heard the story was astonished. Then the shepherds returned to their sheep, praising God for sending his Son to be their Saviour.

When Jesus was born, a brand new bright star appeared in sky. Some Wise Men in faraway countries saw the star and guessed what it meant. They were very clever men that studied the stars and had read in very old writings that a new star would appear when a great king was born. They set out to find the

new king and bring him gifts.

The Wise Men followed the star towards the country of Judea and when they got to the capital called Jerusalem they began to ask people: “Where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews?”

Herod, the king of Judea, heard this and it made him very angry to think that someone might be going to take his place as king. Herod sent for the Wise Men to come to him.

He told them to go on following the star until they had found the baby king.

He said: “When you have found him, let me know where he is, so that I can go and worship him.” But Herod did not tell them that he really had an evil plan in mind to kill the new king.

The Wise Men visiting Baby Jesus

The Wise Men followed the star towards Bethlehem (where it said that the king would be born in the old writings). It seemed to stop and shine directly down upon the place where Jesus was.

The Wise Men entered the house where they now lived and found Jesus with Mary; they bowed down and worshipped him. The Wise Men spread the gifts they had brought before Jesus. The gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Wise Men were warned in a dream, by God, not to go back to Herod.

So they returned home to their countries in the East by a different way.

Mary, Jesus and Joseph in Egypt

When the Wise Men had gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” the angel said, “Take Jesus and Mary and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for Jesus to kill him.”

So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary during the night they left for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died.

When Herod realised that he had been tricked by the Wise Men, he was furious and he gave orders to kill all the boys aged two or younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. This was to try and kill the new King, as his plan to find the location of the new king from the Wise Men had failed.

After Herod had died, Joseph had another dream in which an angel appeared to him. The angel said, “Get up, take Jesus and Mary and go back to Israel, for those who were trying kill Jesus are dead.”

So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary and they went back to Israel. But when he heard that Herod's son was now king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. So instead they went to Galilee, and lived in their old town of Nazareth. (whychristmas.com)

7 First Lady gifts $14M home to West Coast family of 6 at Christmas S NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

haped by humble beginnings, a family of six didn’t just open a Christmas gift this year; they were presented with the keys to their new home.

The house, valued at $14 million, was handed over

by First Lady Arya Ali just hours before Christmas on Wednesday to Teasha Spellen and her family in Meten-Meer-Zorg, Region Three, on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD).

This house was handed over under a series of initiatives aimed at supporting people in vulnerable situations – including persons with disabilities and single parents.

The First Lady expressed how deeply moved she was to grant the family a home of their own, describing the experience as both emotional and a true reflection of the spirit of the season.

“Today is Christmas Eve, and we would like to give over this house to Teasha – and she would receive this because Christmas is about sharing and caring. There is no better way to give to Teasha and her family. I want to give her the best

wishes,” she said.

The First Lady also shared on her Facebook page that, having been raised in a single-parent household herself, she understands some of the challenges Teasha has faced, which made the day’s handing over even more meaningful for her.

The new home was delivered to the family through the First Lady’s office, with support from Courts Guyana, Comfort Sleep, and Guyana Breweries Inc. This marks the fourth home her office has handed over to families in Region Three.

The recipient, Teasha Spellen, was visibly stunned by the gesture and could only manage a few words in response.

Reflecting on her challenging upbringing, she shared how difficult her life had been in the home she once lived in and how this new house represents a significant transformation in her life.

“Life was very challenging when I was growing up, but I never gave up. There were people around me who encouraged me not to give up. I am a single parent for

33 years; when I got pregnant, my partner left and never came back. Right now, I want to take this moment to thank God and also hope the police will move on with certain matters.”

Reflecting on her past experiences, she highlighted that her previous home was not safe for her family.

“My children are 14, 11, nine, six, and three. Life was really hard, and the place where we used to live wasn’t healthy for my children or me. I was even living with family, and it was tormenting for me.”

One of the five children was not present at the handover.

Spellen expressed her gratitude and optimism, telling reporters that she feels incredibly blessed and does not want anything more for Christmas. She reflected on the importance of peace in life, saying that material possessions mean little without it.

She added that she is overjoyed to see her children able to run freely in the spacious yard, and she plans to plant flowers and prepare traditional dishes like pep-

First Lady of Guyana Arya Ali, Teasha Spellen and her children in the home during the handover

per pot. Teasha also vowed to care for the home, recognising how fortunate she is to have a place of her own after a time of having nothing.

“For anyone looking on and seeing this, I would tell them not to give up. I feel so blessed, and I don’t want anything more for Christmas. I am thankful to God for this.

You can have everything in the world, but if you don’t have peace, you don’t real-

ly have anything. I am very happy, and my children can run freely and do whatever they want. The yard is very big, and I will also be planting because I love flowers. I will make pepper pot in the morning as well. I hope to take care of this house... because there was a time when I had nothing, so I will treasure it,” Teasha declared.

The home is fully outfitted with two bedrooms,

each featuring double-decker beds, a fully furnished kitchen, essential amenities, a television, comfortable seating, and ample yard space for the children to play.

This marks the fourth home delivered by First Lady Arya Ali under this initiative, reflecting her ongoing commitment to providing shelter and security to families in need across the country.

Azruddin, Nazar Mohamed move to High Court to block extradition to US

US-indicted: Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed

U

nited Statesindicted businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed have filed proceedings in the High Court, seeking to block their extradition to face money laundering, tax evasion, wire fraud and other charges before a Miami court.

The Fixed Date Application (FDA), is challenging the constitutionality of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act. Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, and Magistrate Judy Latchman were named as respondents in the proceedings.

In the court documents, lawyers for the Mohameds – Attorneys-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, Damien Da Silva and Roysdale Forde, SC –

argued that the provisions of the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Act, particularly the Authority to Proceed (ATP), which launched the extradition proceedings against the father and son duo, are unconstitutional, void and a nullity in law.

Consequently, the businessmen are seeking the quashing of the authority to proceed by writ of certiorari as well as declarations from the court that Ministers Walrond and Nandlall can have no role in the issuance of the authority to proceed. The Mohameds are also seeking orders of prohibition, barring the two Ministers from having any further role in their extradition, as well as a suspension of the extradition proceedings before Magistrate Latchman pending the out-

come of the High Court proceedings.

This FDA was filed just days after Magistrate Latchman dismissed a constitutional application filed by the Mohameds to have their extradition case referred to the High Court.

Latchman had ruled that the arguments presented by the Mohameds’ attorneys had already been settled by Guyana’s higher courts and did not warrant further consideration at the magistracy level. She described the defence’s application as both “frivolous and vexatious” and characterised it as “an abuse of the process” in her December 10 decision.

With the application denied, Magistrate Latchman confirmed that the extradition matter must proceed and set the hearing for commencement on January 6.

Their extradition is being sought under the Guyana– United Kingdom extradition treaty, which continues to operate in Guyana pursuant to Section 4(1)(a) of the Fugitive Offenders Act, Cap. 10:04, as amended by Act No. 10 of 2024. The request was formally submitted by the US Government on October 30, 2025.

The father-son duo have been indicted by a grand jury in the US District

Court for the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges ranging from wire fraud and mail fraud to money laundering, primarily connected to the export of gold to the US by their company, Mohamed’s Enterprises.

If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000, while the

money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.

The indictment follows sanctions imposed over a year ago by the US Government on the Mohameds, their businesses and the then Home Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary (PS) Mae Thomas in relation to the same allegations.

The sanctions are related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000 kg of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Stolen Home Depot goods shipped to Guyana as NY man jailed in organised theft case For a… …Merry Christmas G

uyana has been identified as the destination for thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen retail goods after a United States (US) court sentenced a New York man for running an organised theft operation that trafficked merchandise overseas. Nassau County District Attorney (DA) Anne T Donnelly announced that 54-year-

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

old Manooj Heeralall of Baldwin, New York, was sentenced on Thursday to between one year and four months and four years in prison for his role in a large-scale retail theft ring. The stolen items were shipped to Guyana for resale, according to investigators.

Heeralall pleaded guilty on August 8, 2025, before Judge Howard Sturim to grand larceny in the third degree, a felony offence.

In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to forfeit assets, including a 2004 Nissan vehicle, items seized from his home and US$2640 in cash.

According to the Nassau County DA’s Office, Heeralall operated a theft ring between October 2021 and December 2023, employing individuals to steal merchandise from The Home Depot stores across Nassau County, Suffolk County, Queens and Brooklyn.

Investigators said that between March and December 2023, the defendant directed individuals to steal construc-

tion and electrical items such as circuit breakers, light switches and related equipment from dozens of stores. Locations targeted included Freeport, Levittown, Syosset and Westbury, as well as stores in neighbouring counties and boroughs. After the thefts, Heeralall would meet with those involved, collect the stolen merchandise and pay them for their role. The items were then stored at his home and garage before being shipped to Guyana, where they were intended for resale. Search warrants executed at Heeralall’s residence on December 7, 2023, uncovered nearly 1000 circuit breakers valued at US$15,025 inside the home. Hundreds of additional items, including circular saw blades, electrical outlets and more circuit breakers, were recovered from the garage.

Law enforcement officers also found four garbage bins in the garage containing acrylic roof coating, rock spotlights, oscillating grout blades and

light switch wall plates, with a combined value of US$9576. The total value of the seized merchandise was estimated at approximately US$37,151.

DA Donnelly said organised retail theft operations damage local economies and affect both large retailers and smaller businesses. She noted that the operation involved sending crews into multiple stores to steal goods that were later shipped overseas for profit. The investigation was supported by The Home Depot Investigations Organised Retail Crime Northern Division. Heeralall was arrested on December 7, 2023, by members of the Nassau County Police Department’s DA Squad.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant DA Justin Santabarbara of the Organised Crime and Rackets Bureau under the supervision of senior officials within the Nassau County DA’s Office.

Heeralall was represented by Attorney Raymond Baierlein.

A

s your Eyewitness pecks away at this piece, blasting away from his neighbour’s wall of speakers he’s put up for tonight’s “Christmas Sport”, is that old standby, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire/Jack Frost nipping at your nose/Yuletide carols being sung by a choir/And folks dressed up like Eskimos/Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe/Help to make the season bright/Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow/Will find it hard to sleep tonight/ They know that Santa’s on his way/He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh/And every mother’s child is gonna spy/To see if reindeer really know how to fly/And so I’m offering this simple phrase/To kids from one to ninetytwo/Although it’s been said many times, many ways/Merry Christmas to you!”

Now this doesn’t mean that your Eyewitness can actually make out the words to the Christmas song above – as crooned by the inimitable Nat King Cole seventy years ago!! It’s just that over the years – sung much more genteelly at various Christmas functions and over the radio year after year – it’s seared into his consciousness.

But the nostalgia the song usually invokes is jarred by the ear-splitting volume that literally rocks his windows! Sadly the neighbour doesn’t seem to’ve heard Pressie pleading that this Christmas we shouldn’t assault our fellow citizens’ eardrums like the Opposition!! He wondered if they’re keeping it down in the Christmas Village outside of the State House!!

He wonders also whether he and our other politicians will be burying the hatchet this Christmas?? And he doesn’t mean in each other’s backs!! It’s the season of brotherhood, innit?? So your Eyewitness suggests in this spirit, Pressie invites the Opposition Leaders – plural, as in Sanction Man and the beleaguered Aubrey – over to State House to not only shake hands but engage in a friendly game of dominoes!! He was gonna suggest a dance-off, but while he’s seen Aubrey shaking a leg at Bam Bam Alley, he ain’t so sure about the dancing skills of Sanction Man!!

Or even if he can get down and boogie, whether he’ll be willing to break that carefully crafted image of impassivity he’s cultivated behind his designer dark glasses!!

Your Eyewitness can just see the three of them giving life to the One Guyana motto by indulging in some pepper pot with cassava bread between games!! You get your Eyewitness’ drift?? Since the Opposition’s constituencies is gonna be otherwise occupied during this time, they won’t appreciate being disturbed. In fact, they’ll get VERY disturbed!! Your Eyewitness is hoping also in this season of goodwill – who knows?? – maybe there’ll be a breakthrough to reconvene Parliament with the breaking of cassava bread!!

Why not??

…coherent foreign policy With a small nation like ours, you would’ve thought everyone would accept that when we’re threatened by international bullies, we gotta call on other nations that share our perspective on the bully. It’s not a question of the REASON for the shared perspective being the same. As your Eyewitness is never tired of preaching, when it comes to the international world system, there are NO permanent friends or permanent enemies – just permanent interests.

So with Mad Maduro facing the US dangling sword of a naval Damocles, let’s not get too caught up with the hissy fit Antigua’s throwing at T&T’s Kamla!! Her country’s interests align with ours as far as Venezuela and the US are concerned – while we need Caricom’s numbers at international fora. Let her take on Caricom’s hypocrisy on their “Zone of Peace” diversion!! The US has its eyes on the 300B barrels of oil sloshing around under Venezuelan soil; Kamla wants the Dragon Gas Field after mad Maduro’s dislodged.

And we (virtuously!) want multilateralism!! …low-speed chase!

The US Navy’s been “pursuing” its third sanctioned supertanker, Bella 1, since Monday to seize it for violating its Venezuelan sanctions!!

Gotta be the world’s slowest hot “pursuit” since the tanker’s moving at 15 MPH tops!!

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

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

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Govt mulls new buildings in city for High Court, Appeals Court, Magistrates’ Courts T

he construction of new judicial buildings in Georgetown to house the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and potentially the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts is being considered by the Government as part of its ongoing and continuous efforts to modernise and expand the country’s justice system.

This is according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, who disclosed the plans on Tuesday evening during his weekly programme “Issues in the News”.

He noted that the Administration is moving towards the development

of a single, modern judicial complex in Georgetown that would physically merge the High Court and the Court of Appeal in one large, purpose-built structure.

According to Nandlall, the proposed complex would be designed to meet modern standards and would include adequate parking and other supporting facilities.

He also indicated that the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts may be incorporated into the project, noting that the existing building is no longer sufficient to meet

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

the growing demands of the magistracy.

He announced these plans even as he noted that the Government will be

making budgetary provisions in the 2026 National Budget for the construction of new Magistrates’ Courts in Wakenaam, Leguan and Orealla.

“Having built out those courts, we now have to concentrate on a singular model judicial complex in Georgetown that will house the Court of Appeal and High Court in one massive, modern structure with parking facilities, etc. And of course, we have to look at the Georgetown

Magistrates’ Courts because that has also outlived its size,” Nandlall said.

The Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts is currently located on Brickdam and Avenue of the Republic, while the High Court is located at the Avenue of the Republic and South Road, and the Court of Appeal is located in Kingston.

The AG explained that the merging of all of these courthouses forms part of the Government’s wider plan to work closely with the Judiciary to ensure that justice services are accessible and equitable across the country.

He pointed to what he described as a strong alignment between the Executive and the Judiciary, particularly where resources are required to support judicial infrastructure.

“You see an alignment of objectives from the Judiciary as well as the Executive so that when the

Government’s ongoing efforts to build on the significant work done over the past five years to construct,

Judiciary asks for resources for the construction of these courts, the Executive, once affordability permits, has no difficulties in supporting these initiatives,” he said.

Nandlall said the initiatives form part of the

renovate, or completely rebuild courthouses, particularly in hinterland and riverine communities.

He emphasised that modern physical infrastructure is a critical component of delivering equitable jus-

tice nationwide. Courts across the country, he said, are being outfitted with similar standards of technology and comfort, regardless of location.

“A lot of work was done in that regard over the last five years. We still have a few more outlying courts to construct and/or renovate.

We demolish them and build new modern structures,” Nandlall noted.

“The Judiciary and Executive have worked assiduously in building out courthouses right across the length and breadth of our country, in particular in the outlying areas, and equipping those courthouses with all the modern facilities and amenities that technology offers as well as other basic comforts and necessities.

TURN TO PAGE 19

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FEATURE 15

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Nalanie Bissessar, her aunt, two of her daughters and her son-in-law

By Andrew Carmichael

W

hat is the best Christmas gift you have ever received? What is the best gift someone could receive for Christmas? This is not just about the gift that two Corentyne, Berbice, families received, but what it means to them.

Just two days before

and neighbours, she struggled to find words that fully captured what the moment meant.

“I feel happy,” she repeated, again and again, not because the words were few, but because they were honest.

Bissessar lives with her four children, her husband, her aunt, and her son-inlaw. Until recently, they

The new home that Nalanie Bissessar received just in time for Christmas

Christmas, as the season of goodwill quietly settled over this close-knit East Berbice community, the colour blue and soft pastel yellow stood out against the December sky. They were not just freshly painted walls. They were symbols of hope, relief, and new beginnings for two women whose lives had been reshaped by the simple but powerful gift of a home.

On Tuesday morning, residents of Bloomfield Village gathered to witness the handover of two newly built concrete houses to 34-year-old Nalanie Bissessar and 52-year-old Savitree Moteelall. For both women, the moment marked the end of years of uncertainty and the start of a Christmas unlike any they had known before.

The homes were officially presented by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, following appeals made by the women after years of struggling in deteriorating wooden structures. Though modest in size, the houses represent security, dignity, and comfort, things that had long been out of reach.

For Nalanie Bissessar, happiness came with relief. Standing at the doorway of her new home, surrounded by family members

shared a wooden house that had become unsafe over time. Each heavy rainfall or strong breeze brought fear.

“When the breeze blow hard, the house shake.

When the rain fall, everything wet. You frighten that the house gon fall,”she recalled.

Broken boards, gaps in the walls, and a weakened structure made daily life a challenge. Sleep came with anxiety, especially during rainy nights. The family did what they could to maintain the house, but repairs were temporary fixes to a deeper problem.

Her husband, who worked in agriculture at Black Bush Polder, did what he could with limited resources, often relying on a bicycle to get to work.

Despite the effort, the house continued to deteriorate.

Now, the family has a solid concrete structure with proper walls, doors, windows, and a ceiling, things Bissessar says they never truly had before.

“This one got ceiling, door, everything,” she said with a quiet smile. “We not gon feel the house shaking now.”

Christmas has always been important to Bissessar, but this year carries a deeper meaning.

“This Christmas, we feel

happy… We gon cook a little food, buy a little thing for them, and enjoy," she said. “ TURN TO PAGE 17

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FEATURE

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FROM PAGE 15

For the first time, she will prepare Christmas meals without worrying about rain soaking the floor or wind rattling loose boards. Her children will sleep without fear. Her aunt will rest in c o m fort. It is not j u s t a new house; it is peace of mind. “ T h i s house make us feel comfortable,” she said. “For Christmas.”

Just a short distance away, Savitree Moteelall stood quietly in her new home.

Moteelall has lived alone for years. After the passing of her parents more than two decades ago, she remained in the family house, a small wooden structure that slowly fell into disrepair. Repairs were attempted, but each fix gave way to new damage.

“It broke down one time, and it broke again,” she explained softly.

Living on public assistance, rebuilding on her own was impossible. She said she approached the minister for help after realising that no amount of patchwork would save the house.

“If I had to rebuild on my own, I can’t manage,” she said.

rebuild on their own.

“These are vulnerable families,” he said, adding that similar assistance would continue for others in need.

Savitree Moteelall, who was the beneficiary of a new home

The new concrete house now offers her something she has not had in years: stability.

“I feel good. I really like how it is made. It nice,” she said simply.

For Moteelall, Christmas has often been quiet and uneventful.

“Last Christmas, me nah do nothing,” she recalled.

This year, the meaning of Christmas has changed.

“Me deh house, cook and eat,” she said when asked of her plans for Christmas Day this year.

Growing up, she never imagined receiving something of this magnitude.

“When I was little, I never get an offer like this.

Now, I glad. I thankful.”

For the woman who has seen the passing of her parents and four of her sisters, the house is a reminder

that she has not been forgotten.

Meanwhile, addressing residents during the handover, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the initiative reflects a broader effort to assist vulnerable citizens across the country.

He explained that both women had reached out for help after their homes became dangerously dilapidated. Through collaboration with private sponsors, the homes were built and delivered just in time for Christmas.

“I am very happy that during this period of giving and sharing, we have been able to deliver these homes,” Mustapha said.

He noted that while national housing programmes continue, there are also parallel efforts to support families in immediate need, especially those unable to

This Christmas, there will be no fear of collapsing walls, no sleepless nights listening to the wind, and no quiet loneliness without shelter.

Instead, there will be warmth, comfort, and the simple joy of knowing that home, in the truest sense of the word, has finally been found.

18 FEATURE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

By LaWanda McAllister

F

or Bibi Shanaz Khan, Christmas was once a season associated with family and faith but became, nearly three years ago, a marker of tragedy, long nights, and survival. This year, the season arrives with an added layer of pain. It is the first Christmas she faces without her son, Matthew Zaman, and she does so while still recovering from a stroke she suffered weeks after his death.

“This is the hard time.

Around Christmas time is the hard time,” Khan said.

“During Christmas time is the hard time, because it

Matthew Zaman, who died eight years after he was involved in an accident

was when we had the accident; it was the 18th of December.”

Matthew’s life, and that of his family, was altered just days before Christmas when he was struck by a minibus outside their home at Felicity, Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit for more than a month.

Doctors later confirmed that the child had suffered a fractured skull that caused swelling of the brain, serious damage to his lungs, and a spinal injury that left him paralysed.

When he was eventually discharged, Matthew could not speak, could not move his hands or legs, and could not breathe independently.

He relied on a nasal cannula for oxygen and required constant monitoring.

The transition from hospital to home marked the beginning of a new reality for Khan, a single mother of eight. She was forced to leave her job to care for her son full time. From that moment, her life revolved entirely around Matthew’s survival.

For nearly three years, Matthew’s condition remained largely unchanged.

He required round-theclock care, including feeding every two hours, constant repositioning, and careful monitoring of his breathing and pain.

“You don’t know when it’s sleeping, you don’t know when it’s nighttime, when it’s daytime. It’s a routine, it’s a work, it’s a job we got to do,” Khan said.

Holidays passed quietly in the Khan household.

Christmas, in particular, carried a heavy meaning.

It was a reminder of the accident and the life the family had lost. There were no decorations and no celebrations.

“And we always remember, we never get the Christmas, and we never keep up for Christmas,” she said.

While caring for Matthew, Khan received occasional assistance from charitable organisations and members of the public, but the responsibility of his daily care fell almost entirely on her shoulders.

The demands increased as time went on, especially in Matthew’s final months, when his condition became more fragile.

Emotional weight

Following the accident, the driver of the minibus involved was charged with dangerous driving and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. However, the matter did not bring a sense of justice or closure to the family. The driver later appealed the conviction and was freed, while Matthew remained confined to his bed, dependent on others for every aspect of life.

For Khan, the legal outcome did little to ease the emotional weight of watching her son suffer day after day. Years later, the driver was killed in a vehicular accident on the East Coast corridor.

As Matthew’s health declined, the intensity of his care increased. Khan and her daughter remained on constant alert, responding to his needs at all hours.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

NEWS

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FROM PAGE 18

However, on Wednesday, July 9, nearly eight years after the accident, the now 15-yearold Matthew died at his Felicity, East Coast Demerara, home.

According to Khan, on the day in question, after completing her usual routine of cleaning and feeding her son, she stepped outside around 07:00 to water her plants.

“A sudden feeling told

me to go back inside,” Khan recalled to Guyana Times. “When I did, I saw his eyes rolling backward in his head. I immediately called for help, and my daughter rushed in, and Matthew started staring blankly at me before closing his eye,” she said.

“The way that he passed, the way that he was in bed… when he passed out, I became so stressed,” she recalled.

Govt considers new buildings in city...

FROM PAGE 11

So the court at Mahdia has the same facilities as a court in Georgetown. A court at Port Kaituma has the same facilities as the court at New Amsterdam.

You have internet hearings; it’s air-conditioned; you have automatic recordings of evidence and all the amenities in all these courts.”

Beyond physical infrastructure, the Attorney General highlighted that the Government also continues to support the judiciary’s push toward digitisation and improved efficiency. He said the judiciary has already implemented internationally recognised case management systems and has largely moved away from paper-based processes.

“The Government will continue to support the judiciary as it moves into its new age of information, technology and digitisation. In this regard, we have case management systems that the judiciary has purchased, of international characterisation, and has been using it. We now have e-filing of cases across the spectrum in the High Court, Full Court, Court of Appeal and Caribbean Court of Justice.

We don’t use paper any-

more,” Nandlall explained.

He noted that apart from submissions now being filed electronically, many hearings are also conducted via digital platforms. He noted that the digitisation of the Magistrates’ Courts is still a work in progress but is expected to be completed by mid-2026.

Plans are also in place to digitise key supporting agencies, including the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority and the Land Registry, allowing for electronic filings and payments. Nandlall said these reforms are aimed at creating a justice system that is efficient, transparent and impartial.

“Why are we doing all of this? We’re doing all of this because we want a system that works. We want a system that delivers justice in a uniformed fashion, consistent with law based upon evidence and not upon the whims and fancies of judicial officers. Not based on preconceived concepts, not based on prejudices and biases, but based upon objectivity and the law. And that is all the Executive asks of and from the judiciary, and that is what the people of Guyana must demand from their judiciary,” Nandlall said.

“Me and my daughter, we’ve got to get up 24-7.

Every two hours, he had to be fed. Every change in his condition required immediate attention. Every two hours, we feed,” she said.

“We had to pay more attention to him.”

For Khan, the loss was not followed by rest or recovery.

About a month after her son’s funeral, Khan suffered a stroke. According to her, it was difficult, and she frequently paused to gather her thoughts.

“I fell sick a month ago.

I wake up every two hours, thinking I have to feed him and take care of him,” she said.

She explained that the stroke affected her mobility and speech, making it hard for words to come out clearly.

“I am going to thera-

py… I stopped for the holiday and will be going back in the new year. If two words come out, some don’t come out or come out properly,” she said sadly.

Khan believes the years of stress and emotional strain from caring for Matthew contributed to her illness.

“Well, this is exactly what happened. It was after he died; I was stressed.

When I was taken to the hospital, the doctor told me I was stressed because my blood pressure went up very high and gave me a stroke,” she said.

For nearly eight years, Khan’s identity was shaped by caregiving. Every decision, every movement, every hour of the day was dictated by her son’s needs. Now, that routine is gone, leaving behind habits she still strug-

gles to break and a silence that feels unnatural.

“Well, but I miss him so much, and still now I take him on. His room and everything is there, and sometimes I forget that he passed,” she said. “But there’s nothing I could do.

I am just praying that God grants him eternal rest.

This Christmas and every other Christmas will never be the same because Mathew is not here and I am now sick,” she explained.

Khan is now focused on her own recovery. She attends therapy sessions and does daily exercises as she works to regain strength and speech.

“I’m still doing exercises,” she said.

She said her recovery is slow, and the future remains uncertain. Yet she continues, much as she did

during the years she spent caring for her son, one day at a time.

This Christmas, the Khan home is quieter than it has been in years. There are no medical machines, no feeding schedules, and no alarms demanding immediate attention. But there is also no Matthew.

The season brings back memories that cannot be avoided, of the accident that happened days before Christmas, of years spent fighting to keep a child alive, and of a loss that has now been followed by illness.

“And now it’s even worse now, because he’s not here,” Khan said.

As families across the country prepare for celebration, Khan faces the season quietly, carrying grief, fragile health, and memories.

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FEATURE

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By LaWanda McAllister

C

hristmas morning arrives in many homes with the smell of food on the stove, familiar laughter, and phones lighting up with greetings from loved ones near and far. For Denise Josiah, the season has become a painful reminder of absence. Another Christmas has come without her son, Teejay Roxroy Prince, and with it, the same unanswered questions that have haunted her family for more than three years.

Teejay, a 31-year-old of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD), disappeared in December 2022.

He was last heard from on December 14, and by December 17, concern turned into alarm when all contact stopped. For Denise, the silence was terrifying.

Her son, she recalled, contacted her every day. If a message or call did not come, it was never without reason. What followed was a frantic search marked by uncertainty, rumours and fear. Despite reports made and the involvement of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Teejay’s whereabouts remain unknown. Over time, whispers of foul play began circulating within the community, but no definitive answers ever reached his family. As Christmas approaches, Denise said she does not decorate or prepare for celebration. She avoids the traditions she once cherished, choosing instead to work through the holidays. The season, she says, has lost its meaning without her son. “I really don’t celebrate no Christmas no more, because I can’t. I go in and work. I work the whole holiday. I ain’t celebrating nothing,” she said. Denise revealed that the loss has fundamentally changed how she lives and how she loves. Fear has crept into places where comfort once lived, shaping her relationship with her remaining children. She shared that she now finds herself afraid to love them freely, terrified that opening her heart fully could leave her vulnerable to losing another child. “I just finished praying… and I telling God, ‘Father God, you didn’t give me a spirit of fear. You give me a sound mind,’” Denise said. “I want you to take away this fear, because I even frightened… frightened to show love to my big son. I love my chil-

Missing: Teejay Roxroy Prince

dren so much now, but now, like, I scared for even love them, because I am scared that I might lose… that they too is going to go.”

That fear, she explained, follows her constantly, a quiet anxiety that never fully rests. The family’s search for answers has also been met with silence and resistance. Denise said attempts to pursue further information have been dis-

couraged, including efforts made by a woman who tried to enquire on the family’s behalf while in Guyana.

According to Denise, she was told by police sources to stop raising the matter altogether. “They said, ‘Leave it alone. Don’t try to do nothing or raise nothing.’” Denise recounted.

“So I would never get justice for my child,” the woman said as she broke down

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2025

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into tears. She described a climate of fear in Buxton, where people are reluctant to speak openly, afraid of repercussions and power-

ful figures allegedly linked to the case. Denise believes this fear has helped keep her son’s disappearance unresolved. “People scared,”

she said. “It is like there is hold over everybody…

Nobody can get justice.”

The lack of answers has left Denise questioning not only what happened to her son, but why families like hers are left to suffer without closure. “When they take your loved one away, that’s not the end of everything,” she said. “That’s the beginning of suffering for the mother of that child.” She said that she dreams of her son very often, and that adds more to her pain. “Every time I dream him, he keeps telling me he is under a flooring, he is still there, and he never left,” she said as she uncontrollably wept.

In this Christmas season, as Christmas Day arrives, Denise’s wish remains unchanged. She does not ask for celebration or comfort, only for truth. She wants to know what happened to her son, where he is, and why his disappearance has been allowed to fade into silence.

22 NEWS Commonwealth observers recommend law guaranteeing at least 33% women in Parliament T THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he Commonwealth Observer Group has recommended that Guyana, specifically the National Assembly and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), revise its electoral legislation to ensure that at least 33 per cent of elected Members of Parliament (MPs) are women, advising that existing legal provisions, while progressive on paper, do not guarantee actual representation in the National Assembly.

In its final report on Guyana’s September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections, the Group commended the peaceful conduct of the polls and significant improvements in electoral transparency but underscored the need for binding legal reforms to strengthen inclusion, credibility and public confidence in the democratic process.

Section 11B (5) of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) requires political parties to ensure that women comprise at least 33 per cent of their submitted candidate lists, while Section 11B (8) mandates the submission of information on the proportion of women in the electorate.

However, the

Commonwealth Group stressed that these provisions are not binding in practice and do not necessarily translate into at least 33 per cent of elected MPs being women.

“The participation of women as electoral candidates remains constrained,” the report stated, noting that the quota applies to lists, not to the allocation of seats.

Compounding this issue, the observers pointed out that the list of electors used at polling stations is not disaggregated by sex, making it impossible to operationalise certain gender-related provisions of the law.

Women’s representation

Despite these gaps, the Group commended Guyana for its high level of women’s political participation.

Women accounted for 39 per cent of candidates in the 2020 elections, rising to 50 per cent in the 2025 polls.

The 2025 elections also marked a milestone with the emergence of new political parties, two of which were led by women presidential candidates. Women were also represented among three prime ministerial candidates, as well as in both general and regional races.

While women’s representation in the National Assembly remains above 33 per cent, the Group cautioned that this outcome is not guaranteed by law and called for legislative reform to ensure the quota is binding and enforceable, supported by compliance mechanisms.

Data shared by GECOM with the Commonwealth Group showed that, of the 757,690 registered electors, 50.28 per cent were female and 49.72 per cent were male.

“GECOM shared with the Group the official electors’ data disaggregated by sex. This indicated that, of the total of 757,690 registered electors, 49.72 per cent were male and 50.28 per cent were female. GECOM did not provide an analysis of other aspects, such as age or disability. The disaggregated data was also not publicly available on GECOM’s website. The Group notes that information about sex, age and disability is collected by GECOM as part of the registration process.

Analysis of this information could enhance transparency and also enable GECOM to plan more effectively to accommodate disability, as well as in tailoring outreach

and communication,” the report said.

No quotas, limited data for youth participation

The report also examined youth participation, noting that the National Youth Policy (2015) defines youth as persons under the age of 35 and that, as of 2021, an estimated two-thirds of Guyana’s population was under that threshold.

Despite this demographic reality, the observers found that there are no quotas, reserved seats or special measures to facilitate youth participation in political life.

According to the InterParliamentary Union, in the 2020 Parliament there was one female MP under the age of 30 and 20 MPs aged between 31 and 40. GECOM does not collect age-disaggregated data on electors or candidates, limiting analysis.

While young people were well represented among polling staff, the lack of data prevented accurate assessment. The Group recommended greater youth engagement, including involving young people in the development of targeted voter education materials.

The Group urged Guyana to move beyond aspirational

targets and adopt binding measures that ensure inclusion is not only encouraged but guaranteed in future elections.

Peaceful polls, improved transparency

Outside of the concerns highlighted, the Commonwealth observers praised the calm environment in which the elections were held, noting that election-related procedures were largely respected and that calls for peace and national unity issued by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and political party leaders were widely observed.

On Election Day, polling staff were described as pro-

fessional, courteous and well prepared, with information desks, signage and voter materials effectively guiding electors, despite some inconsistencies in signage.

Security arrangements were also found to be well coordinated, contributing to a voting, counting and tabulation process that was peaceful, transparent and generally well managed.

The Group highlighted major improvements since previous elections, particularly GECOM’s updated electoral manuals, the decentralisation of the counting process, and the simultaneous electronic posting of polling station results, which significantly enhanced transparency and accuracy.

Refurbished $240M Kitty Market reopens 2026 upon completion of GPL electrical works – Mayor T he long-awaited reopening of the Kitty Market is now firmly on track for 2026, once outstanding electrical works are completed, Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore announced during a press conference on Tuesday.

According to the Mayor, while significant progress has been made on the rehabilitation and expansion of the market, unresolved electricity requirements, particularly the installation of individual meters for vendors, have delayed its official opening.

Mentore explained that the most recent challenge involves power supply arrangements with the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL). While the market has a general meter, each vendor is required to have an individual meter, a requirement that was not fully factored into earlier planning.

“And one of the last parts of the puzzle that we have just realised is the aspect of the GPL, where we can't provide GPL services for everybody.... So each person had to get a meter…

I have reached out to the CEO of GPL, Mr Nandlall.

He has indicated that they have gotten the information

Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore

and his engineers are working to be able to deal with the issue. I think they are in communication with the town clerk to fix those issues. So as long as that engineering aspect and the meters are all installed, I would think maybe within the first few weeks of the new year, we should have the market all set,” he said.

The Mayor noted that the necessary certification for electrical competence has now been completed and submitted, and discussions are ongoing with GPL to finalise the installation process.

With structural and engineering works already assessed and completed,

Mentore confirmed that priority will be given to former vendors who previously operated at the Kitty Market.

“Yes. Well, priority is given to all those persons who were there and who should have back their stalls. What we have done is clearly identify that those persons must have first preference. So those persons will have first preference. We've increased the size of the market and the stalls. So you will have additional stalls to be given out. I think we are almost there as it relates to all the other persons plus the people who were to have their stalls. So those people are ready and rearing to go. It's

Kitty Market stalls earlier in the year

an issue of just the GPL aspect,” the Mayor added.

Once completed, the revitalised Kitty Market will offer an improved shopping experience, providing vendors and shoppers with a modernised and enhanced marketplace.

Beyond reopening the market, the City Council is exploring partnerships with private investors to make the area more vibrant and commercially attractive.

He explained that such initiatives could transform the area into a major hub of

activity.

“I don't believe we will move back to have a fish pond, but we are looking at some other investors outside of that. We do that so that we could also create more energy and create not only revenue but make the market more vibrant. So if you extend there and you have a joint arrangement with someone that we're looking at, you'll have more people. We're talking with a few persons. So you have more persons visiting that part as well as the market.

So the place will become a hive of activity or full of opportunities. And that is something we believe we want to be able to bring to that marketplace so that we could get the people more opportunities and more business available to them,” Mentore explained.

Refurbishing the Kitty Market has been a long, multi-phase project with an estimated total cost around $240 million. The project was expected to be completed early this year, but experienced severe delays.

NEWS

23

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

M&CC to pursue Govt, private property owners over outstanding rates, taxes in 2026 T

he Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is preparing to intensify efforts in 2026 to recover millions of dollars in outstanding rates and taxes from both private property owners and Government agencies as part of a broader push to strengthen the municipality’s financial position and improve service delivery across the capital.

Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore, has confirmed that the Council will be adopting more stringent measures to increase compliance, noting that rates and taxes remain the city’s single largest source of revenue. He revealed that while collection levels have improved in recent years, a significant number of property owners, among them several state agencies, continue to default on their obligations.

Mentore acknowledged that non-payment by Government entities has long been a contentious issue, confirming that several

Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore

Ministries remain on a list of delinquent property holders.

“While we have market fees and other fees that we collect, rates and taxes is our biggest area of earning, so to speak… I know for sure the Ministry of Sports have honoured their obligation for 2025. I know of the Ministry of Health... but there are many others that have honoured their obligation.

There are some others in a file that I have there that I need to [deal] with. Like you suggested, I should have

a word with the Minister of Local Government so that she could cause the Government to honour their obligation to us… And let her cause those matters to be taken to Parliament in their budgetary allocation or whatever they do. For sure, many of these monies are actually allocated, but are not disbursed. And that is something we've got to get Government to [deal] with.

We've got to get Government to honour their obligations to us, because it's very important,” Mayor Mentore

said.

The Mayor also raised concerns about the rapidly changing physical landscape of Georgetown, pointing to the surge in high-rise developments and modern commercial buildings that, he said, are still being taxed based on outdated valuations.

He warned that this imbalance places undue pressure on compliant ratepayers, effectively forcing them to subsidise those who fail to meet their obligations.

Against this backdrop, Mentore reiterated his long-standing call for reform of the Valuation for Rating Purposes Act, arguing that property valuations must reflect current realities.

However, he cautioned that any revaluation exercise must be carefully timed to avoid penalising those who already comply.

“It should be a case where valuation for rating purposes or the act itself should be treated with-

out fear or favour because that's what Government Ministers, city council people sign up to. We sign up to deal with these matters without fear or favour and to be able to deal with matters across the board because what you have is 55 per cent of people honouring the obligation are coming downstairs and paying their rates and taxes. But you have 45 per cent of the people who are delinquent, and many of those persons that are delinquent is, like you said, many of those high rises…I believe the legislation should really and truly allow for a whole new revaluation for rating purposes. It shouldn't be a case where even if you move to want to increase or to have a new valuation for rating purposes, what it will affect is the 55 per cent of persons that are already paying. You don't want to put an additional burden on those persons that are already paying. You want to find a way to get people up

to date with their payment, encourage that,” he added.

As part of the Council’s 2026 strategy, Mentore disclosed that GM&CC is prepared to utilise existing legal mechanisms to compel delinquent property owners to pay, though he stressed that selling properties is not the Council’s preferred route.

“We’re not interested in selling people’s property,” he said. “But the law allows us to move to the Magistrate’s Court – for distress warrants, for petty debt – and we will use those avenues if necessary to get people to fall in line.”

He added that once compliance improves, the Government could then move toward a comprehensive revaluation exercise for the city and, eventually, other regions.

“Our aim is to move from 55 per cent compliance to 65, 75, 85 – and hopefully 100 per cent,” Mentore said.

Man sentenced to almost 21 years for killing Venezuelan cook

A

High Court Judge has sentenced 32-year-old Joshua Connell, also known as “Black Boy”, to 20 years and 10 months’ imprisonment for the killing of a Venezuelan cook at a mining camp in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), underscoring the Judiciary’s firm stance against violent crimes committed in remote hinterland communities.

The sentence was delivered by Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif at the Essequibo High Court – a regional court in Guyana’s Essequibo region – following the conviction of Connell for manslaughter in the death of 28-yearold Dimas Emilia Lezama Fermin, a Venezuelan national employed as a cook at the Big Hope Backdam mining camp, located near Bartica, a town in Guyana.

Justice Chandra-Hanif ordered that the time Connell has already spent in custody be deducted from the sentence and directed prison authorities to ensure that he completes an alcohol rehabilitation programme before the end of his incarceration. Importantly, the Judge ruled that the sentence must run consecutively to a separate 35-year prison term Connell is already serving for another killing.

The killing at Big Hope Backdam The court heard that Fermin was last seen alive on the evening of Saturday, October 3, 2020, at the mining camp where she lived and worked alongside sev-

Joshua Connell

eral miners and camp workers, including Connell. Her body was discovered the following morning, Sunday, October 4, 2020, floating face-down in a pond behind her living quarters. At the time of discovery, Fermin was partially unclothed, wearing a blue jersey and naked from the waist down.

Police ranks who responded to the scene observed visible bruises and bluish discolouration on her neck, vagina and buttocks. Witnesses confirmed that Fermin had been at the camp the night before and later identified her body when it was recovered from the pond.

During a caution interview conducted on October 4, 2020, by Police Constable Jamal James in the presence of Corporal Kevin Morgan, Connell admitted to having sex with Fermin and choking her after she

resisted. According to his statement, Connell said he had been drinking alcohol when he restrained Fermin, tore her clothing and forced her onto a bed. He admitted that when she began making noise, he strangled her until she stopped breathing. He told investigators that after realising she was dead, he placed her body near a window before carrying it to a pond behind the camp, after which he returned to drink more rum.

Although Connell maintained that he did not intend to kill her, a post-mortem examination conducted

by Dr Nehaul Singh concluded that Fermin died from asphyxiation due to compression injuries to the neck, compounded by multiple blunt traumas – findings consistent with strangulation. In sentencing Connell, Justice ChandraHanif considered a detailed probation report outlining his personal background.

Family members and community residents described him as jovial, caring and hard-working, with no prior criminal record at the time of the 2020 offence. While incarcerated, he was generally well-behaved, though he admitted to being placed in solitary confinement following a prison altercation in 2022.

“Genuine lack of remorse” - prosecutors Connell expressed remorse during sentencing proceedings, apologising to the victim’s family and pleading for leniency. “I am very sorry for the life that was lost. What happened was not right, and I apolo-

gise to the family who lost their loved one. I am asking the court to have some mercy and give me a lighter sentence,” he said. However, prosecutors Caressa Henry and Rodley Mathoo highlighted significant aggravating factors, including the brutal strangulation of a vulnerable foreign national, the abuse of trust between co-workers and the prevalence of violence against women in mining communities. The court also heard that Connell is already serving a 35-year sentence for another killing committed in May 2022, when he murdered Rosella Smith, a 28-year-old businesswoman, following an allegation that she had stolen his raw gold. Smith’s body was found in a pit at Karrau Backdam, and an autopsy revealed she died from asphyxiation due to

drowning, compounded by compression injuries to the neck. Prosecutors argued that Connell’s status as a repeat offender, coupled with his attempts to minimise responsibility and dispose of Fermin’s body, demonstrated a lack of genuine remorse. The defence, led by Attorney LN Dindayal, urged the court to consider Connell’s age, expression of remorse, cooperation with police and previously good character.

Violent crime and accountability In delivering her ruling, Justice Chandra-Hanif stressed the seriousness of violent crime and the need for accountability, particularly in remote areas where offenders may believe they can act with impunity. The Judge set a starting sentence of 25 years, citing the nature of the offence,

the concealment of the body and the aggravating circumstances. Departing from the standard onethird reduction for an early guilty plea, she granted Connell only a one-sixth reduction, amounting to four years and two months, and made no deductions for mitigating factors.

Justice Chandra-Hanif described it as “very alarming” that Connell had murdered two young women under unrelated circumstances within a short period, emphasising the need to send a clear signal that society condemns all forms of killing. In the end, the court ordered that the 20 years and 10 months imposed for the manslaughter conviction be served consecutively to Connell’s existing sentence, significantly extending the time he will remain behind bars.

Police probe $153M theft from telecommunications company

P

olice are investigating the alleged offence of larceny by a clerk or servant valued at more than $153 million, reportedly committed against a telecommunications company.

The suspect is 37-yearold accountant Quincy Baird of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara. According to Police, the alleged offence is said to have occurred between July 1, 2021, and February 18, 2025.

37-year-old accountant Quincy Baird

On Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at about 16:33h, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters conducted an operation along the East Bank Demerara, during which the suspect was contacted in relation to the allegation.

Police said the man was informed of the allegation, arrested, and escorted to the CID Headquarters, where he remains in custody pending further investigations.

24

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Reflect on true meaning, enduring significance of Christmas – PPP

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he People’s Progressive Party extends warm Christmas greetings to all Guyanese, and especially to our brothers and sisters within the Christian community, as we celebrate the joy and meaning of the Yuletide season.

Christmas is a time of family, fellowship, and generosity. It is a particularly special time for our children, who eagerly anticipate the treats, gifts, and traditions that make Christmas memorable.

The birth of the Christ Child symbolises hope re-

newed and light overcoming darkness.

Born in humble circumstances, Jesus’ life and teachings reflected compassion, humility, justice, and love for all. He crossed social barriers, stood with the marginalised, defended the voiceless, and chal-

lenged injustice–values that continue to inspire humanity and remind us of our shared responsibility to one another.

In this spirit, we encourage all Guyanese to remember the elderly, the differently abled, and the underprivileged, and to ex-

tend kindness not only to family and friends, but also to neighbours and strangers alike. As a proud multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious nation, this message of love, unity, and caring resonates deeply with who we are.

The People’s

Progressive Party joins the nation in celebrating the birth of the Christ Child, while reflecting on its true meaning and enduring significance.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for peace, goodwill, and prosperity.

‘Tis the season for peace May Christmas spirit inspire unity, compassion – GTUC and goodwill – GPSU

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he Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) extends warmest Christmas greetings of peace, hope, and goodwill to all public servants, current and retired, to every worker and their families, and to all Guyanese at home and abroad.

As Guyanese, we celebrate this season through cherished traditions that bring warmth and joy into our homes and communities, including festive decorations and carols that fill the air, church activities, family gatherings, gift-giving, shared meals, the joy of Santa Claus, and the vibrant presence of masqueraders.

Beyond the festivities, Christmas is a sacred season. At its heart is the birth of Jesus Christ, a timeless message of love, humility, peace, and service to humanity. It is a season that invites us to renew our commitment to values that transcend time: justice, compassion, dignity, and care for one another, especially the vulnerable, the elderly, the

sick, and those facing hardships.

While the spirit of the season invites hope and reflection, it also brings into focus the realities many public servants continue to face, including unmet expectations from their employers and ongoing challenges in meeting the needs of their families and dependants.

In a year marked by rapid economic expansion, national transformation, and evolving demands on the delivery of public service, public servants have remained the backbone of our nation, delivering essential services, maintaining institutional stability, and upholding democratic governance, often under increasing pressure and expectation. The GPSU salutes your dedication, professionalism, and steadfast commitment, which continue to sustain Guyana’s growth and social cohesion.

As a union, we will continue our mission to engage in meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders, advocating to ensure that nation-

al development translates into improved livelihoods for workers and their families so that seasons such as Christmas are not a struggle to celebrate but truly blessed and joyous occasions, filled with God’s grace. Members, be assured that your safety, wellbeing and welfare will always remain our unwavering priority. We shall continue to advocate your right to earn a living wage and shall vigorously defend that your constitutional right to due process be adhered to at all times.

As we look ahead to 2026, the Union encourages renewed unity, commitment, and collective resolve to continue pursuing fairness, dignity, and improved conditions of service for all.

May this Christmas bring comfort to your homes, peace to your hearts, and renewed faith in your dreams and in the future.

On behalf of the Executive Council and Staff of the Guyana Public Service Union, we wish you a Happy and Blessed Christmas 2025.

Use Christmas season to strengthen bonds within families, communities – ERC urges

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he Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) extends warm Christmas greetings to all Guyanese as the nation joins in observing this sacred and festive season.

Within Christianity, Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, whose coming into the world symbolises hope, redemption, and God’s love for humanity. It is a sacred occasion for Christians to reflect on Christ’s teachings of peace, humility, compassion, and service to others, values that continue to guide us and inspire acts of kindness and goodwill.

While Christmas holds deep religious significance for Christians, it is also em-

braced nationally in Guyana as a time of shared celebration, reflection, and generosity. In our diverse and multi-ethnic society, Guyanese of all backgrounds join in observing the season, that encourages unity, generosity, and togetherness, and reflects the respect we show for one another’s faiths and traditions.

Christmas is a time that calls for reflection on shared values of love, peace, compassion, and goodwill, principles that transcend religious, cultural, and ethnic boundaries. It is a period that reminds us of the importance of unity, mutual respect, understanding, empathy and dialogue, which

are central to building and sustaining harmonious relations within Guyana’s diverse society.

As we celebrate Christmas, the Commission encourages all citizens to use this season as an opportunity to strengthen bonds within families, communities, and each other, reaffirming our collective responsibility to promote peaceful coexistence and harmonious relations.

The ERC wishes all Guyanese a safe, peaceful, and joyous Christmas and looks forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders in the pursuit of unity and national harmony in the new year ahead.

A

s Guyanese celebrate the holy season of Christmas, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) extends warm greetings to workers, families, and all citizens across our nation.

Christmas is a time that calls us to reflect on peace, justice, compassion, and shared responsibility – values that are especially important in these challenging times… …The GTUC reminds the Government of Guyana that economic growth must translate into im-

proved living standards for all. With national wealth comes social and economic responsibility. Fair wages, meaningful social protection, respect for collective bargaining, and policies that cushion citizens from the rising cost of living are not optional. They are obligations.

As we reflect on the message of Christmas, we urge our leaders to act with empathy and urgency, ensuring that development is inclusive and that no one is left behind. A nation cannot truly prosper when

its workers and vulnerable citizens are burdened by inequality and neglect.

The Guyana Trades Union Congress remains committed to advocating for justice, dignity, and fairness for all workers.

As we look ahead, we hope that 2026 will be brighter than 2025 – marked by dialogue, equity, and policies that uplift every Guyanese.

May the spirit of Christmas inspire unity, compassion, and meaningful action for the good of our nation. (Excerpt)

Christmas reinforces values of togetherness, mutual respect – GAWU

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he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) extends sincere Christmas greetings and best wishes to all Guyanese, and in a special way to the Christian community, as the nation observes the holy and joyous season of Christmas.

Christmas holds profound spiritual significance for Christians, marking the birth of the Christ child and symbolising renewal, hope, peace, and redemption. It is a period that calls for reflection on faith, humility, compassion, and the enduring promise of a better tomorrow grounded in love and service to others.

In Guyana, Christmas holds deep cultural signif-

icance. It is a season that transcends religious boundaries and is embraced by Guyanese from all walks of life, irrespective of faith, ethnicity, or social background. Through shared traditions, fellowship, and community engagement, Christmas reinforces the values of togetherness and mutual respect that are fundamental to our multicultural society.

GAWU recognises that the core message of the Christmas season – unity, piety, charity, and goodwill to all – has particular relevance at this time in our national life. Our country faces pressing challenges that demand collective effort, understanding, and solidarity. We therefore

urge all Guyanese to reject voices and actions that seek to divide our people and instead to embrace dialogue, tolerance, and national unity in the interest of peace and progress.

As we celebrate, GAWU encourages all Guyanese to do so responsibly and safely, with consideration for one another and for the well-being of our communities.

On behalf of the leadership and membership of the GAWU, we wish all Guyanese a happy, peaceful, and prosperous Christmas season and trust that the spirit of hope and unity inspired

by Christmas will continue to guide our nation in the year ahead.

25

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Trinidad’s Piparo mud volcano Loaded super tanker returns to Venezuelan waters amid US interceptions, TankerTrackers.com says shows heightened activity

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F

ear is sweeping through the village of Piparo as the Piparo mud volcano shows heightened activity, with loud rumbling and mud and gases spewing into the air, the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian reported Wednesday morning.

According to the report, residents said some homes are cracking, and a portion of the road is already impassable.

Fidel Solomon, who lives very close to the site, said the situation is worsening by the hour. He said it is worse than the major eruption a few years ago when his home was split. He has already begun packing his belongings, bracing for the possibility of evacuation.

“It’s like twice as much as last time. The concrete bursts open, the tiles start to crack, the galvanisation starts to rise up, the ground starts to open up, and the road starts to crack up. Right now, the road is impassable on one side. Right now, I am trying to move out my things because our house is getting the worst damage… It runs through our house. Basically, everything is collapsing now. “The

Cracks in the road in Piparo on Wednesday following increased activity

T&TEC line burst,” he said.

Solomon said an hour and a half later they were still waiting for an emergency service to respond.

Councillor for Piparo, San Pedro and Tabaquite, Henry Awong, said a team from the Disaster Man-agement Unit of the Couva, Tabaquite and Talparo Regional Corporation was on its way to the site.

Based on what he has heard from residents, Awong said the situation appears serious, and he would be visiting the area sometime today.

He said people are scared not only for their property but also for their lives.

However, Awong said there have been multiple in-

cidents over the years, and each time there is panic and concern, but then life returns to normal. He said authorities should ensure residents are relocated permanently, although some residents were previously against relocation.

The Piparo mud volcano has a violent history. On February 22, 1997, it erupted, spewing mud and de-bris 200 feet into the air and covering an area of 2.5 square kilometres. More than 300 persons were evacuated, 31 families were displaced, extensive damage was done to properties and vehicles, and pets and livestock were killed.

(Source: Trinidad & Tobago Guardian)

US signs security deals across Latin America

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hile all eyes are on the four-monthlong US military campaign against Venezuela, the White House has been quietly striking security agreements with other countries to deploy US troops across Latin America and the Caribbean.

As Donald Trump announced a blockade on oil tankers under sanctions and ordered the seizure of ves-sels amid airstrikes that have killed more than 100 persons in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the US secured military deals with Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago in the past week alone.

The agreements – ranging from airport access, as in Trinidad and Tobago, to the temporary deployment of US troops for joint operations against “narco-terrorists” in Paraguay – are being signed under the banner of a so-called “war on drugs”, the same rationale Washington has used to justify its offensive against Venezuela, although White House officials and Trump himself have said that the goals also in-clude seizing the country’s vast energy reserves and bringing down the dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Although Washington has long maintained similar agreements in the region, the scale and timing of the new deals are seen by

analysts as a further escalation amid what would be an unprecedented US inva-sion of a South American country.

“If the US were to launch a larger offensive that included airstrikes on Venezuela or other countries that have been mentioned, such as Colombia or Cuba, it would want operating locations around the region,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, the director of military analysis at the Defence Priorities think tank.

“Constructing a network of locations would be important for the sustainability of any type of operation.

So we can’t say for sure that these activities are directly targeting Venezuela, but I think it’s naive to suggest that they’re not somehow related,” she added.

Recent agreements include the “temporary” deployment of US Air Force troops to Ecuador – despite Ecuadorians having rejected in a referendum the establishment of foreign military bases – and a deci-sion

by Peru’s congress, after a request from the White House, to authorise US military and intelligence personnel to operate armed in the country.

“And this has nothing to do with drugs,” said Jorge Heine, a former Chilean ambassador and a research professor at Boston

University’s School of Global Studies. “Paraguay is not considered a major centre for either drug production or distribution, nor is Venezuela. This has much more to do with the US na-tional security strategy document,” he added.

In what it calls a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine – the “America for Americans” foreign policy set out in 1823 by the US President James Monroe and later used to justify US-backed military coups in Latin America – the recently-released document calls for an “expansion” of the US military presence in the region.

In recent months alone, the US has signed similar agreements with Guyana, the Dominican Republic and Panama, while other countries in the region have already been drawn into the military build-up against Venezuela through existing US bases in Puerto Rico, Honduras and Cuba, and surveillance hubs at airports in El Salvador, Aruba and Curaçao.

John Walsh, the director for drug policy at the Washington Office on Latin America, described the new US strategy as “gunboat diplomacy on steroids”, aimed at rewarding allies and sending a warning to those who fall foul of the Trump Administration.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

he Panama-flagged very large crude carrier Kelly, which had departed from Venezuela carrying oil last week, has returned to Venezuelan waters following the US interception of more tankers, monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said on Tuesday.

The US Coast Guard on Saturday intercepted the Panama-flagged tanker Centuries, which was carrying some 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude, and is pursuing a separate empty vessel that was on its way to the OPEC country.

Centuries and Kelly departed almost together, escorted by Venezuelan navy ships last week, sources said. Kelly is now back fully loaded in Venezuelan waters near state-run oil company PDVSA’s Amuay port, TankerTrackers.com said.

More than a dozen loaded vessels are in Venezuela waiting for new directions

US President Donald Trump

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

from their owners after the US seized the super tanker Skipper earlier this month and targeted two additional vessels on the weekend.

US President Donald Trump last week announced

a “blockade” of all vessels under sanctions entering or departing from Venezuela in a move to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Excerpt from Reuters)

No discussion to exit Caricom – T&T PM

T

rinidad & Tobago (T&T) Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar says Cabinet has not discussed any withdrawal from Caricom.

She made the comment Tuesday, amid public concern that the current discord between herself and some of her regional counterparts may result in T&T parting ways with the regional body.

Asked if she was considering such a move, PersadBissessar, via a WhatsApp message, said, “That has not been discussed by Cabinet.”

A few weeks ago, PersadBissessar had pointed out that T&T was looking at trading options outside of Caricom but said then she was not considering formally withdrawing from the body.

Asked yesterday if that stance had changed, following her recent claims that Caricom was now an “un-reliable partner” and that it was “supportive” of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro regime, Persad-Bissessar

Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar

said, “Not at this time.”

According to Caricom, T&T is scheduled to assume chairmanship of the regional body from July to December 2027.

On Tuesday, political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath also said he didn’t think Persad-Bissessar was planning to pull out of Caricom despite the current tense atmosphere among regional leaders over the escalating US-Venezuela tension.

However, T&T Opposition People’s National Movement MP

Stuart Young said PersadBissessar’s con-tinued attack on Caricom and its members is not only reckless and unwarranted but is also dangerous and destructive.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, also on Tuesday, sought to downplay any sug-gestion of a diplomatic rift between his country and T&T, as he took to Facebook to signal continued goodwill between the two countries. (Source: Antigua News Room)

Haiti: Port-au-Prince Mayor files lawsuit after warrantless search of home

T

he Mayor of Port-auPrince, Ralph Youri Chevry, says he has filed a lawsuit with the Portau-Prince Criminal Court following what he described as an illegal, warrantless search of his residence by Haitian authorities.

In a statement issued Monday, Chevry said the nearly three-hour operation was carried out without a judicial warrant or formal explanation, prompting him to seek legal redress.

According to Chevry,

Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Ralph Youri Chevry

the incident occurred on December 13, when he said he was awakened by gunfire during the operation and that his dog was “un-

justifiably killed”.

Chevry said the purpose of the search was never formally communicated to him and that no warrant was presented at any point. He also reported that one of his security agents was arrested during the op-eration and later released in Delmas, and that no charges were brought against him.

Authorities have not issued an official statement on the matter. (Caribbean National Weekly)

26

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World OILNEWS OIL NEWS Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a crime Oil steady on US data, geopolitical tension

O

il prices were little changed on Wednesday, as investors weighed US economic growth and assessed the risk of supply disruptions from Venezuela and Russia, though prices were on course for their steepest annual decline since 2020.

Brent crude futures were down 23 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at US$62.15 a barrel at 11:40h EST (16:40h GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude eased 8 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to US$58.29.

Both contracts have gained about six per cent since December 16, when they plunged to near five-year lows.

"What we've seen over the past week is a combination of position-squaring in thin markets, after last week's breakdown failed to gain traction, coupled with heightened geopolitical tensions, including the US blockade on Venezuela, and supported by last night's robust GDP data," IG analyst Tony Sycamore said.

US data showed the world's largest economy grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, fuelled by robust consumer spending and a sharp rebound in exports.

Still, Brent and WTI prices are on track to drop about 16 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, this year – their steepest declines since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit oil demand – as supply is expected to outpace demand next year.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Investigators probe plane crash in Turkey that killed Libyan military officials

A

lgeria’s parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime and demanded an apology and reparations.

Lawmakers, standing in the chamber wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted “long live Algeria” on Wednesday as they applauded the passage of the bill, which states that France holds “legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused”.

The two countries are embroiled in a major diplomatic crisis, and analysts say that while Algeria’s move is large-

Lawmakers, wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag, chanted “long live Algeria” as they applauded the passage of the bill

ly symbolic, it is still politically significant.

The parliament speaker, Ibrahim Boughali, told the APS state news agency that the vote would send “a clear message, both internally and externally, that Algeria’s na-

tional memory is neither erasable nor negotiable”.

The legislation lists the “crimes of French colonisation”, which include nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic

plundering of resources”.

It states that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by French colonisation is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and people”.

France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 until 1962 was a period marked by mass killings and large-scale deportations, all the way up to the bloody war of independence from 1954 to 1962.

Algeria says the war killed 1.5 million persons, while French historians put the death toll at 500,000 in total, 400,000 of them Algerian.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

2 Police Officers killed by bomb in Moscow near site of Russian General's killing

T

hree persons were killed by a bomb in Moscow on Wednesday after two Police Officers approached a man acting suspiciously near the site where a senior general was killed two days ago by a car bomb that Russia said was planted

by Ukrainian intelligence.

A string of Russian military figures and high-profile supporters of the war in Ukraine have been assassinated during the nearly four-year-old conflict.

Ukrainian military intelligence has said it was responsible for a number of the at-

Law enforcement officers block the road near the scene where two traffic Police Officers and another person were killed in a blast in Moscow, Russia

tacks.

Russia's State Investigative Committee said that when two Police Officers approached a man

who was acting strangely, they were killed by an explosive device, adding that a third person was also killed.

It did not specify who the third person was.

It said it opened criminal cases under clauses dealing with the murder of law enforcement officers and the illegal trafficking of bombs.

"There was an explosion," Alexander, a resident who lives nearby, told Reuters television. "It was a loud bang – like with the car a few days ago."

Another resident named Roza said she was woken up by the explosion in the early hours and that the entire building appeared to shake.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Zelenskyy moves towards demilitarised zones in latest peace plan for Ukraine A delegation from Libya conducts an inspection of the crash site after a plane carrying Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad

S

earch teams in Turkey on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that killed eight persons, including western Libya's military chief, while efforts to retrieve the victims' remains were still underway, Turkey's interior minister said.

The private jet carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday, after taking off from Turkey's capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said that the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defence talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the

two countries.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists at the site of the crash that wreckage was scattered across an area covering three square kilometres (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts. Authorities from the Turkish forensic medicine authority were working to recover and identify the remains, he said.

A 22-person delegation – including five family members – arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation, he said.

Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister AbdulHamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths on Tuesday, describing the crash on Facebook as a "tragic accident" and a "great loss" for Libya. (Excerpt from CBS News)

U

kraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given details of an updated peace plan offering Russia the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east and the creation of a demilitarised zone in their place.

Detailing the 20-point plan agreed upon by US and Ukrainian envoys in Florida at the weekend, Zelenskyy said the Russians would respond on Wednesday once the Americans had spoken to them.

Describing the plan as

"the main framework for ending the war", he said it proposed security guarantees from the US, NATO and Europeans for a co-ordinated military response if Russia invaded Ukraine again.

On the key question of Ukraine's eastern Donbas, Zelenskyy said a "free economic zone" was a potential option.

He told journalists that as Ukraine was against withdrawal, US negotiators were looking to establish a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone. Any area that

Ukrainian troops pulled out of would have to be policed

by Ukraine, he stressed.

"There are two options," Zelenskyy said, "either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones."

The 20-point plan is seen as an update of an original 28-point document, agreed upon by US envoy Steve Witkoff with the Russians several weeks ago, which was widely seen as heavily geared towards the Kremlin's demands.

The Russians have insisted that Ukraine pull out of almost a quarter of its own territory in the eastern Donetsk region in return for a peace deal. The rest is already under Russian occupation.

Sensitive issues, including questions over territory, would have to be resolved "at the leaders' level", but the new draft would provide Ukraine with strong security guarantees and a military strength of 800,000, Zelenskyy explained.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Takeaways from new Epstein files

T

he US Department of Justice (DoJ) released its latest – and largest – tranche of files on Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday.

The 11,000-plus documents continue a stream of released information that began on Friday, the deadline mandated in a law that required the department to publicly release all of its investigative files into the late convicted sex offender.

Many of the documents released on Tuesday were redacted with names and information blacked out, including names of people whom the FBI appears to cite as possible co-conspirators in the Epstein case.

The latest files include images of an expired Austrian passport featuring a photo of Epstein with a different name. The name on the passport is Marius

Robert Fortelni, with Saudi Arabia listed as his residence.

They also include at least two email chains from July 2019 that mention "10 co-conspirators".

Epstein was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 2, 2019, and arrested days later.

Additionally, the files contain several emails between Ghislaine Maxwell and someone using the mon-

iker "The Invisible Man" who signed his messages "A". Various pieces of evidence indicate the sender was Andrew MountbattenWindsor, the former Prince Andrew.

Maxwell referred to the person as "Andrew" in February 2002 when she helped arrange activities for The Invisible Man in Lima, Peru. (Excerpt from BBC News, CBS News)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

27

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Strive for peace. Put your differences aside and consider all that you are grateful for. It's all about mind over matter; choose tolerance over your need to be right.

(March 21-April 19)

PICKLES (April 20-May 20)

Go the distance to spend time with loved ones. By opening your heart, your doors or your mind to the possibilities, something good will unfold. A positive mindset will lead to positive change.

Keep an open mind, but set boundaries. How you give back will determine how you feel at the end of this festive day. Let your intellect lead the way. Words matter.

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Take care of personal business and health concerns, and map out your day to ensure you don't miss any family fun. A partnership will grow more intense, and set the stage for an exciting future.

You will achieve the most if you are hyped and ready to please the ones you love. Put on your happy face and let the kid in you out to play. Be the social butterfly, the lover, the provider and the glue.

Wear your heart on your sleeve, and you'll make a difference to anyone you converse with. Positive change comes from kind words, honesty and a helping hand.

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

Pick and choose wisely. Sometimes less is more. Take on only what you can handle, and give 100% to accomplish your intent. Sign up for what you know you can manage.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

You may feel stretched with all the hustle and bustle; however, if you embrace the moment with passion and sincerity, you will get swept up into the magic.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Be careful; someone will try to sweet-talk you into something you really don't want to do. Be the master of the conversation and become the entertainment.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put your energy where it counts, please the ones you love and gain satisfaction through acts of kindness and showing concern. A kind word is worth more than any lavish gift.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let an unexpected change or delay weigh you down. Choose to think standing up, and a comeback will be as easy as 1-2-3. Choose insight and wisdom over lavish actions.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Sit back and enjoy the moment.

The less you say and the more you are grateful, the better. It's time to make fond memories, not to bring up past regrets.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

28

Guyana Under-13 Cricketers’ Wish List for Christmas Feyyad Baksh

Afraz Ali

My name is Afraz Ali. I am a batsman, and for Christmas I would like a new bat to help improve my batting skills.

My name is Feyyad Baksh. I am a righthanded bowling all-rounder, and this Christmas I would like a gear bag.

Jasane Craig

My name is Jasane Craig. I am a Guyanese fast bowler, and this Christmas I would like a new phone.

Sahid Gajnabi

My name is Sahid Gajnabi. I am a batsman, and for Christmas I would like a new bat.

Deshawn Ramnauth

My name is Deshawn Ramnauth. I am a righthand off-spinner and a left-hand batsman, and for Christmas I would like a full cricket kit.

Aston Collins

My name is Aston Collins. I am an all-rounder, and this Christmas I would like an iPhone 13.

Lomar Seecharan

My name is Lomar Seecharan. I am a wicketkeeper-batsman and captain of the Guyana Under-13 team, and I would love to have a new cricket bat for Christmas.

Makai Dowlin

Adrian Emmanuel

My name is Makai Dowlin. I’m a right-handed batting all-rounder, and I would like a new bat.

My name is Adrian Emmanuel. I am a right-hand fast bowler, and I would like a gear bag for Christmas.

Jayden Ganpat

My name is Jayden Ganpat. My role on the team is a left-arm orthodox spinner, and this Christmas I would like a bag full of gear.

Nathaniel Ramkhelewan

My name is Nathaniel Ramkhelewan. I am the opening batsman for the Guyana Under-13 team. My Christmas wish list includes a PS5, an iPhone 14, and a brand-new SS bat.

Timothy Ramdat

My name is Timothy Ramdat. I am a wicketkeeper-batsman, and I would like a new bat to improve my gameplay.

Demarcus Thomas

My name is Demarcus Thomas. I am a righthand medium-fast bowler, and for Christmas I would like a new phone and a new bat.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

29

Quarter-finalists confirmed in schoolboys’ futsal tournament G

ame Day Seven of the Schoolboys’ Segment in the Kashif & Shanghai Presidents’ Third Futsal Championship lived up to expectations, producing a flurry of goals, emphatic victories, and final clarity on the teams advancing to the Quarter-final stage.

Match One of Game Day Seven in the Schoolboys Segment of the Kashif & Shanghai Presidents’ Third Futsal Championship ended in an entertaining 2–2 draw between Annandale Secondary and Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary.

Annandale Secondary found the back of the net through Seaton Rogers in the 11th minute and Devon Williams in the 22nd, showing composure in attack.

However, Vreed-en-Hoop responded with a strong start, as David Williams struck twice in the first and sixth minutes to secure a share of the points. Annandale ended the group with seven points, advancing alongside an impressive Dolphin Secondary, who topped the group with a perfect 12 points from four wins.

Group B witnessed the most lopsided scoreline of the day as West Ruimveldt Secondary delivered a dominant 7–1 victory over Lodge Secondary. Jeremiah Griffith led the onslaught with four goals (seventh, 11th, 11th, and 20th minutes), supported by strikes from Ezikel Stanford, Donovan Welcome, and Dellon Philadelphia. Gilbert Frank scored Lodge’s consolation goal. West Ruimveldt topped the group with a flawless 12 points, advancing alongside Hope Secondary, who finished second with nine points.

Group C also reached its conclusion with two keenly contested matches. West Minster Secondary defeated St Joseph’s High 3–1, thanks to early goals from DeAndre Carr (first minute), Tyrese Johnson (second), and Nickille Watson (10th).

Joel Stephens pulled one back for St Joseph’s High, but the damage had already been done. In another fixture, St

Action between West Demerara and South Ruimveldt

John’s College edged Carmel Secondary 2–1, with goals from Robino Abrams (ninth) and Justin Shanks (15th).

Kareem Milton scored the lone goal for Carmel. Both West Minster and St John’s College finished with nine points each (three wins and one loss), qualifying from Group C. In Group D, West Demerara Secondary overcame South Ruimveldt Secondary 3–1. Mickel Prowell opened the scoring in the third minute, followed by goals from Asher McIntyre (16th) and Adrian Giddings (24th). Devonte Gaime scored for South Ruimveldt in the 15th minute.

West Ruimveldt Secondary had a perfect group stage

Despite the result, New Central High emerged as group leaders with 12 points from four wins. VYC Academy claimed the second qualifying spot with six points, edging out West Demerara and South Ruimveldt on goal difference.

With the group stage now complete, all eyes turn to the Quarter-finals, which are set to be played on Saturday starting at 18:30h. As the competition intensifies, the remaining schools will look to carry their momentum forward in the quest for futsal supremacy.

England search for Christmas miracle as Australia eye next step to 5-0

W

hile some might say the point has already been reached at 3-0 down, there is a sense this tour could descend into chaos for England with the Ashes gone. The build-up to the Boxing Day Test has become dominated by continued fallout from their mid-series trip to Noosa, firstly with director of cricket Rob Key saying claims of too much drinking would be investigated and then, a few hours later, video emerging of Ben Duckett late at night.

Captain Ben Stokes looked emotional when speaking to the media on Christmas Eve, saying that he will do everything in his power to protect his players.

He insisted there was still the belief that they could take something from this tour but stopped short of echoing Zak Crawley's comments that 3-2 wouldn't be such a bad score-line.

If England can play as they did for the latter half of the Adelaide Test, they may stand a chance against an Australia side that won't be at full strength, although that was also the case in the first two Tests and still, to a lesser extent, last week, given Josh Hazlewood hasn't featured at all. Having not really answered a question about where this Australia side compares to others he's faced when asked after Adelaide, ahead of the fourth Test, Stokes said, "I hope it doesn't get lost, but this Australian team is very, very good."

Pat Cummins declared it "job done" after Adelaide with the Ashes retained, but while the major prize is se-

Jacob Bethell will return to the England side for the Boxing Day Test

cured, their drive is now for a whitewash and important World Test Championship points. In 2021-22 they were denied the 5-0 when England survived nine down at the SCG, while in 201718 it was Alastair Cook's double ton on a featherbed MCG surface that forced the stalemate. This team is looking to emulate 200607 and 2013-14 in sending England home with absolutely nothing.

However, for Cummins himself, it is mission accomplished: he won't feature in the remainder of the series, with the decision made that there is no value in risking long-term damage to his back after a remarkable comeback to bowl brilliantly in Adelaide after five months with no cricket.

As in Brisbane, Australia will be without three of the big four, but this time Nathan Lyon has been sidelined by injury rather than selection. Although Lyon will do all he can to return, it is a glimpse into the future for Australia, especially if Todd Murphy gets the nod rather than an all-pace attack on a well-grassed surface. With Jhye Richardson also part of the squad for the

first time in a year, there is a sense of the next generation getting closer to their moment.

In terms of Australia's Test side post-Ashes, the most intriguing decision will be around Usman Khawaja, who scored 82 and 40 in Adelaide after a last-minute recall to replace the ill Steven Smith. The outcome could determine whether Khawaja's career now plays out on his terms. Australia will make more changes than England, but their adaptability and pragmatism have been a hallmark of this series.

In the spotlight: Jake Weatherald and Jacob Bethell

Largely by accident, Australia have stumbled across a new opening pair.

Jake Weatherald and Travis Head have had two significant impacts together in the second innings in Perth and the first in Brisbane.

Weatherald played superbly at the Gabba for his tone-setting 72, but away from that, the returns have been a little lean, although he would have saved himself with the DRS in the second innings in Adelaide.

The selectors will be des-

perate to stop the revolving door, but Weatherald probably needs one more substantial score in this series to avoid months of speculation before Australia play Tests again in August.

Is Jacob Bethell, who has yet to score a first-class century, really the next big thing in English batting?

After pre-series talk that he may challenge Ollie Pope for the number three spot, the change has come with the Ashes gone after Pope's increasingly underwhelming series to continue a year of diminishing returns.

Bethell averages 28.27 in 26 first-class matches, with his high score of 96 coming in a Test against New Zealand.

He scored half-centuries in all three second innings of that series in 2024. His leftarm spin will provide another option for Ben Stokes alongside Will Jacks.

Team news: Australia delve into their depth; Pope dropped

There are various combinations Australia could try.

The first decision is whether to replace Nathan Lyon likefor-like with Todd Murphy or go with an all-pace attack that would open the door for Jhye Richardson.

They also need to replace Pat Cummins, which could earn Michael Neser a first red-ball Test or Brendan Doggett another opportunity. It appears unlikely Richardson would be considered as one of three frontline quicks at this stage of his comeback.

Meanwhile, Cameron Green is coming under pressure and could be replaced

by Beau Webster, who offers

Todd Murphy bowls in the nets

some off-spin among his allround skillset. At the very least, if Usman Khawaja is retained in the middle order, Green would likely have to shuffle down to No. 7, with Andrew McDonald endorsing Alex Carey at No. 6. Khawaja wasn't in Australia's first-choice XI before Smith's illness in Adelaide – does that remain the case?

Australia (possible): One – Jake Weatherald, Two – Travis Head, Three – Marnus Labuschagne, Four – Steven Smith (capt), Five – Usman Khawaja, Six – Alex Carey (wk), Seven – Cameron Green/Beau Webster, Eight – Michael Neser, Nine – Mitchell Starc, 10 – Todd Murphy, 11 – Scott Boland England have backed Ben Duckett amid the controversy of the last 24 hours, but Ollie Pope has finally paid the price for his underwhelming returns, with Jacob Bethell recalled to bat at No. 3. Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the tour with a side strain, so Gus Atkinson returns to the

pace attack. There remains no space for specialist spinner Shoaib Bashir.

England: One – Zak Crawley, Two – Ben Duckett, Three – Jacob Bethell, Four – Joe Root, Five – Harry Brook, Six – Ben Stokes (capt), Seven – Jamie Smith (wk), Eight – Will Jacks, Nine – Gus Atkinson, 10 – Brydon Carse, 11 – Josh Tongue

Pitch and conditions: Hoping for the perfect balance

Matt Page, the MCG curator, said he was hoping to replicate the surface which produced the gripping Test against India last season that finished deep on day five. On that occasion he left 7 mm of grass, with the surface offering something for everyone following a few years of it being very bowler-dominated. There will be a range of temperatures during the game: Boxing Day is set to be cool, with things warming up to the low 30s later in the match.

There is a chance of a shower on the first and last days.

(ESPNcricinfo)

30 Successful year-end programme hosted by VMFA T THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

wenty-four youth football teams from all across Guyana gathered at the St Stanislaus Ground on Saturday last for what was the fourth edition of the Vurlon Mills Football Academy’s (VMFA) year-end festival.

Catering for players from ages four to 15 years old, the activity saw riveting competition amongst the youngsters, with Director of the VMFA and former Golden Jaguar Vurlon Mills deeming it a success.

“For us, this is what football should look like; this is what sport should look like, all over Guyana, all over the Caribbean, all over the world, where we can have over 300 young participants, boys and girls can come and exchange ideas, exchange skills and compete against each other in a fun, safe environment,” Mills told this publication exclusively.

He added, “We have coaches collaborating, shar-

Scenes from the VMFA’s year-end festival

ing ideas, planning activities just like this for future and also where we can have all these partners being able to network. If we can have all these components in one space, in every sport environment across Guyana, sport would be in a good place.”

Discussing a few of the festival’s corporate partners, Mills spoke to the value of their support and the possibilities it can unlock for sport in Guyana.

Mills explained, “The idea behind this whole initiative is for partners to

network. So, the approach to this festival is that we have a partner to sponsor each age group within the VMFA teams. Today, we have Kelloggs, who is fully branding one of the teams; Wendy’s; Banks through its Demico, Malta and Minute Maid; XL Engineering; BK and MVP Sports.”

“So, all these brands, even though we’re competing against each other, this is our opportunity to network, share ideas and to plan future events where we can collaborate even more.”

Reflecting the lack of

competition at that stage, Mills underscored the importance of such events for budding players.

The VMFA Director expressed, “Due to the lack of local football, of domestic competitions in Guyana, these events really motivate us. This gives us more courage to see these kids come out, to see them play and to enjoy competing. We don’t do this whole year, we try to do three festivals each year, where we give these kids the opportunity to play.

Hence the reason why we’re always planning international competitions where

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our participants would be able to have that experience of competing against other clubs and academies from across the region.”

“This is big for us, and if we can do this every month, of course with partnership, this is what we want to look forward to, through the Vurlon Mills Academy,” he further stated.

Big wins for Western Tigers, Guyana Police Force

A

Kevon Woodley (left), Hakeem Legall and Samuel Garnett

n entertaining night of football unfolded on Tuesday, December 23, at the National Training Centre as two Super 16 Cup matches delivered decisive results and set the tone for the remainder of the competition.

In the opening match of the doubleheader, Western Tigers Football Club (FC) produced a dominant performance, overwhelming Zeelugt FC with a convincing 6–0 victory. The Tigers were led by a sensational display from Hakeem Legall, who netted a superb hat-trick with goals in the 18th, 61st, and 72nd minutes.

Support came from

Kevon Woodley, who found the back of the net twice in the 39th and 69th minutes, while Samuel Garnett added another in the 51st minute to complete a comprehensive team effort. Western Tigers controlled the tempo from start to finish, leaving Zeelugt FC with little room to recover.

The second match of the night saw Guyana Police Force Football Club secure a solid 2–0 win over Santos FC. After a tightly contested first half, Police broke the deadlock in the 54th minute through Bevney Mark, whose strike gave his side a deserved lead.

Santos pushed forward in search of an equaliser,

but the Police defence held firm. The victory was sealed deep into stoppage time when Neron Barrow scored in the 90+2 minute, ensuring maximum points for the lawmen.

The Super 16 Cup action continues on Boxing Day, with two more exciting fixtures scheduled at the National Training Center in Providence. GDF FC will face Mahaica Determinators at 18:30h, followed by a highly anticipated clash between Slingerz FC and Monedderlust FC at 21:00h.

With commanding performances already on display, fans can expect more thrilling football as the tournament progresses.

GDF FC gears up for Super Cup clash against Mahaica Determinators tonight Speaking on a radio programme, GDF centre defensive m i d field-

Central defensive midfielder Malcolm McGinns

A

s anticipation builds ahead of tonight’s Super Cup encounter, members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Football Club (FC) have expressed confidence and determination as they prepare to face Mahaica Determinators FC at the National Training Centre in Providence.

e r Malcolm McGinns highlighted the positive impact of young players within the squad and the team’s readiness for the challenge ahead.

McGinns, who has been with the Defence Force for over two years, praised the influx of youth into the senior team, noting their strong performances in the recent Elite League.

“We have a lot of young players that are coming out and training hard, and they featured in the last Elite

League,” McGinns said.

“They played well. Kwansi Fraser, who is around 16 years old, scored a lot of goals for his age and performed well against senior players. Jaden Harris also featured in midfield in some games. The young players have been excellent coming into the senior team and the biggest competition in the country.”

The experienced midfielder also addressed the difference between the Super Cup format and the Elite League, stressing the increased intensity of knockout football.

“This competition is much more competitive. It’s not a prolonged season; it’s one game where you have to give your all to progress,” McGinns explained. “We are the defending champions, so

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we plan to go out and give our all to retain our crown.”

GDF left-back Amos Ramsey echoed similar sentiments, emphasising the team’s disciplined preparation and commitment under their coaching staff.

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one hundred per cent, so when we go out there, we can give one hundred.”

With a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging young talent, GDF FC will look to assert their dominance and continue their Super Cup defence on a strong note when they take the field against Mahaica Determinators FC tonight.

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The gift of football

Christina Henrito (centre) flanked by her daughters Leandra (left) and Lezandra

“A

mother’s sacrifice” is an ageold tale, told over decades and described in many ways, but, at the end of it all, the story always boils down to the immeasurable love a mother possesses for her children.

There are times when the story includes financial sacrifice, struggles to put food on the table or efforts to ensure a better education.

In this case, an indigenous mother’s sacrifice handed the gift of “the beautiful game” to her daughters, who

in turn seized every opportunity with both hands, excelling on every stage they were afforded a spotlight.

Not many years ago, Christina Henrito, a mother hailing from Region Seven, made a difficult decision; she packed up her family and moved to the capital city, “the Coast”, as it is referred to in most indigenous villages. At that time, it was the ultimate sacrifice, switching out the ease and peace of the life she knew for the fast-paced Georgetown.

Nonetheless, the deal was done and the decision was made. But what forced the decision?

What the mother would later tell the Guyana Times Sport is that she recognised that her daughters had a very special talent on the football pitch from a very early age.

“My children were introduced to football as soon as they started to walk. Their father used to take them to the backyard to play,” Henrito reflected in a chat with this publication.

“I saw their potential in football at their first U13

Lezandra (17) and Leandra (15) embrace after a goal during a Police FC outing

31

school football competition, and at the U18 football competition where Leandra, at age 10, was awarded the MVP of the match. I felt that I had to do something more for them to get exposure.

And of course, I felt happy for them.”

So, the decision was clear: when the coaches and scholarships came knocking, Christina answered swiftly, even if it meant leaving her beloved village life behind.

“I had to sacrifice my all to move to the coast so that they can be introduced to coaches at a higher level,” the mother noted.

In no time, both girls – Lezandra and Leandra – were offered scholarships to attend Chase’s Academic Foundation in Georgetown.

The national team call-ups followed.

“I was very happy to receive a note stating that they both were selected for the national team. It was one of our dreams come true.”

However, the elder Henrito herself is no strang-

er to the sport, also getting into the game at a tender age and influenced by her uncle, who was a coach at the time.

“The discipline that it comprises, the energy that the players create in each game, the competition of the coaches with their statistics.

A n d , Earlier this year, Leandra Henrito picked up back-to-back Player of the f o o t Match awards at the CFU U14 Girls ball can series, representing Guyana take you a n yChallenge where,” Henrito exwere on the starting XIs pressed, sharing all the for the Guyana Police Force reason why she loves the (GPF) Women’s team. game.

The most recent meeting Now, the mother came on Friday last, in the and daughters recentPlayoffs semifinals, where ly found themselves facPolice triumphed 5-0. ing off against each oth“Playing against them er in the ongoing Women’s doesn't give me any weird Division One League playfeelings,” Christina said offs. While Christina suits about last week’s meeting. up for Santos Football Club “I felt much more like we're (FC) in the nets, both girls, a happy football family. Of Lezandra and Leandra, course, it was a competition, so there was no mother and daughters in the game, just opponents.”

In spite of all the sacrifices made, Henrito is firm in her belief that giving her daughters the gift of football was the best decision to make.

“Yes, it was a gift to them. Much more, I give all my thanks to Sir Chase for offering them the scholarship at his school; that was the first step for them, and that was the best gift they ever received. Then to introduce football on the coast was a gift from Coach Lennin Thomas, who also saw the potential in them, and of course, as a parent, it is a gift for my children.”

This weekend, the Henrito girls will go for gold alongside Police’s Women in the League playoffs final against GDF, while their mother competes in the third-place match; though not facing each other again, the mother and daughters are bound to meet on the pitch again.

Lezandra Henrito sends a shot in from the corner for Police FC

Close to 70 horses entered for Boxing Day meet M

Exciting horse racing action is set for Boxing Day

ore than 65 horses confirmed entry for the Boxing Day horse race meet on Friday, December 26, at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice.

Seven exciting races are on the cards, and close to $10 million in cash will be up for grabs. The feature race will have a purse of $2 million.

The feature race, which will be open to all horses in Guyana, will see the animals battling over one mile for the Sunny Kharag Memorial Stakes. The Sprint Classic will feature horses running at five furlongs, and the cash prize up for grabs is $700,000.

The winner of the G and lower event gets $500,000 and a trophy in the five-furlong race.

Meanwhile, the Guyana-bred two-yearold maiden horses will compete over five furlongs, with the winner bagging $350,000 and a trophy. The I Class and lower race will be seven furlongs, and the top horse will be rewarded $350,000.

In addition, the winner of the event for the L and K class horses is set to take home $350,000 and a trophy in the six-furlong

race. Horses in the L and lower non-earners will be running six furlongs, and the top prize is $350,000.

The Kennard's Memorial is known for its picturesque view of the Atlantic Ocean, and the track has been in top shape heading into the Boxing Day race. The event will be conducted using the rules of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club. Race time is 12:30h local time.

Among the sponsors on board for the event are Trophy Stall, P and P Insurance Brokers, Colin Elcock Delmur Company Limited, the Kharag Family of the USA, Nand Persaud and Company Limited, Patsan Trading Establishment, Horse Shoe Racing Services, KSM Investment Limited, Mike's Pharmacy, N and S Matai the Food Market, Js Supermarket, Poonai Pharmacy, Rohan Auto Sales, Rajesh Ramlakhan, Khanai's Guyana Electrical Agency, Dalip Trading Limited, Amco Construction, T Balkarran of the USA, Big G Lumber Yard, the Majeed Family of the USA, Ramesh Persaud "Rus", and Black Boy of the USA.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025

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

Quarter-finalists confirmed in schoolboys’ futsal tournament

Pg 31

The gift of football

Pg 29

Close to 70 horses entered for Boxing Day meet Pg 31

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