Guyana Times International 20-Dec-19

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APNU/AFC Coalition cannot manage Guyana’s oil wealth WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019

ISSUE NO. 479

– Jagdeo tells Guyanese diaspora in NY

See story on page 10

Masqueraders usher in the Christmas festivities in Downtown Georgetown

NY legislator welcomes driver's licences for undocumented Caribbean immigrants Page 10

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

NEWS 3

NY legislator welcomes driver's licences for undocumented Caribbean immigrants

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New York State legislator of Jamaican heritage has welcomed the implementation of a law, giving undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants the right to obtain driver's licences, according to a CMC report.

“This year the legislature passed the Green Light Bill which grants undocumented immigrants the right to obtain driver's licences, and this week that bill went into effect,” Senator Zellnor Y Myrie, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica, told constituents in an e-mail message.

“This is a major victory for immigrant rights and will also improve street safety, lower insurance rates for drivers, and bring in as much as US$50 million in revenue to the state each year,” the representative for the 20th Senatorial District in Brooklyn, New York was quoted by CMC as saying.

Senator Zellnor Y Myrie

“We encourage you to spread the word about the new law; and if you have any questions about it reach out to our office so we can help,” Myrie added.

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) noted on its website that the Driver's Licence Access and Privacy Act, commonly called the “Green Light law”, was enacted on June 17 and took effect on Monday.

“It allows all New Yorkers age 16 and older to apply for a standard, not for federal purpose, non-commercial driver licence or learner permit regardless of their citizenship or lawful status in the United States,” it said.

Under the Driver's Licence Access and Privacy Act, driver's licence applicants who have never been issued a social security number are eligible to apply, CMC reported.

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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EDITORIAL

Foreign Affairs fiasco

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he dust is still settling on the incendiary intervention caretaker President Granger lobbed into the country’s Foreign Affairs establishment last week with his extensive firings of Ambassadors and removal of its Director-General. But it is already clear that the damage inflicted comes at a critical juncture of our history.

The rationale offered by the caretaker – that he is seeking to replace long-serving diplomats with younger, career personnel – does not withstand scrutiny, since his hand-picked Ambassador to Cuba is quite long in the tooth and is not a career diplomat. He is, however, an old colleague going back to the 1970s when they were both protégés of Forbes Burnham. Two of the changes are particularly troubling: the first is the removal of one of our more experienced diplomats, Cheryl Miles, from her posting in Caracas, at a time when the threshold issue of jurisdiction on the latter’s border controversy is being decided at the World Court.

The second is the peremptory removal of the Director-General of the entire Foreign Service, Ms Audrey Jardine-Waddell, on the patently ridiculous excuse of the position becoming redundant by replacing it with a “Permanent Secretary”. If the rationale was bureaucratic efficiency, in which the latter would oversee the domestic operations of the Foreign Service as permanent secretaries do in other Ministries, who then, would undertake the responsibility of coordinating the operations of our overseas representatives?

Will this now fall directly to the subject Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, who was parachuted into her position, sans any foreign affairs experience, when the “dual-citizen” Court Ruling disqualified her predecessor Carl Greenidge? This is the most likely scenario since it dovetails with reports as to why Director-General Jardine-Waddell was removed in the first place. It appears that Cummings supported the intense lobbying of our Ambassador to the UN, Michael TenPow, to secure the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China, but Jardine-Waddell baulked and informed caretaker President Granger.

While her memo has not been released, it is not difficult to discern her reasons for opposing Ten-Pow’s move, which would catapult him into a very visible position in the UN system. Firstly, while the latter may claim extensive “experience” at the UN, it was not as a diplomat dealing with substantive national issues, but as in a nondescript, administrative position in translation services.

Secondly, and more pertinently, the almost US$1M annual costs to Guyana would also only benefit selected individuals at the Foreign Service like Troy Torrington, who heads the Multilateral and Global Affairs Department and “members of the Diaspora” — read overseas PNC loyalists – who would be called in to attend to the needs of the Chairmanship of G77. Ultimately, Waddell’s question would have been “how would Guyana benefit directly?”

Frankly, G77 is an anachronistic talk shop for the old “third world” that presumably gains ontological security in a shared identity of victimhood vis-a-vis the developed countries, as they hold out a begging bowl. Formed in 1964 as “the trade union” of developing nations to lobby for economic and developmental aid – in contradistinction to the Non-Aligned Movement which took the lead in political matters— from the original 77 members, it has grown to an unwieldy 133 countries (plus China) that boasts about being the largest bloc in the UN system. But its achievements have been spotty starting with their unrealised New International Economic Order (NIEO). As with the Palestinian chairmanship in 2019, it typically only serves to buttress political leaders’ domestic profiles.

It is also alleged that to quiet Venezuelan opposition to Guyana’s bid to lead G77, Guyana acquiesced to the former’s quid pro quo that they abstain on the vote on the UNCLOS and, going ahead, does not lobby G77 on the border controversy. But even without this modus vivendi, G77’s consensual decision-making gives Venezuela a veto.

The only reason for this betrayal is that caretaker Granger gets an opportunity to preen on Jan 15, when Guyana is installed as Chair of G77.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) through a partnership with other companies commissioned the country’s very own “I Love Guyana” sign and tourist park in Georgetown. The G$5 million tourism initiative is viewed as more than just a location for pictures, but also as a sign of patriotism in Guyana

'Clear de way, Guyana coming back'

Oil, high expectations, and cautious optimism

By Anthony Bryan

Reprinted Observer

C

from Jamaica

lear de way, Guyana coming back is the title of a lively vintage calypso by Dave Martins and the Tradewinds about several Caribbean nations in a virtual horse race competing for prominence. Perhaps it was a harbinger for Guyana. Apparently the country is on the verge of untold riches.

The international oil companies (IOCs) — ExxonMobil (14) and Tullow Oil (2) — have made a record of 16 oil discoveries in the Stabroek Block of the deepwater Guyana Suriname Basin. ExxonMobil will begin oil production some time this month at the Liza Phase 1 well site.

The statistical projections are tectonic. The Guyanese economy could grow by 86 per cent, and its per capita income could more than double to US$10,000 by next year, 2020. By the end of the decade the country could be producing more than one million barrels of oil equivalent daily. Rystad Energy estimates that consequent revenue will amount to more than US$117 billion over the lifetime of the projects.

Analysts at the energy consulting firm Wood Mackenzie have stated: “Guyana is the gift that keeps on giving.”

With the windfall, and a population of less than 800,000 inhabitants, Guyana could become one of the world's richest nations per capita. Obviously it will not happen overnight. The IOCs have to recover their investment and projected peak production is still some years away. A national sense of euphoria is high and caution may be in short supply. But the geology is right.

A reality check Guyana is new to the game of oil and gas production and it should expect a steep learning curve. Four years ago it had no

known oil reserves. Now it's in a race to provide the necessary legislation, institutional structures, and management for first oil. As a frontier oil province, it is vulnerable to the many “above ground” pitfalls that could accompany the boom. The explosion of money could be difficult to absorb and to manage in a nascent oil economy. Is Guyana ready?

Drawing on my experience of more than two decades of consulting and writing about Caribbean and Latin American energy, I find myself cautiously optimistic about Guyana's ability to manage the windfall.

Notably, with support from international partners, the country is trying to put proper systems in place. In 2017, Guyana joined the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) that will monitor its resource governance. A Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) has been established to invest and spend oil revenues in a manner that transcends political cycles and generations.

Parliament has passed the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) that will strengthen revenue management. The Government has also put forward a Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040, which is the road map for an economy defined by sustainable, efficient, low-carbon, and resilient development for successive generations.

The key to Guyana's success is the effective management of the oil and gas sector.

The first steps included the establishment of an Energy Department under the auspices of the Ministry of the Presidency, and the addition of a Petroleum Department at the Ministry of Natural Resources.

A Petroleum Commission to regulate the oil and gas sector has been set up, but a Bill for its legal establishment is still before Parliament.

Unfortunately, the political impasse in 2019 has delayed the implementation of some institutional arrangements for

the management of the sector.

Obviously the best-laid plans are useless unless they are implemented!

What are the next steps?

Analysts expect that there will be a governance framework for the oil sector with policy and legislation as key components of regulation. New governments can adjust the policy, but a shared national vision of development that integrates the role of the sector must be the foundation.

Legislation is the mechanism for implementation.

Independent regulators can be responsible for various parts of the oil (and gas) value chain, while parliamentary oversight committees can audit and report on the state of the industry and its long-term policies and strategies. Many will hope that some form of bipartisan action is possible following the March 2020 election to help to bolster public confidence in the governance structures.

Judging from the experiences of other emerging oil provinces worldwide, further steps could include the development of human resources for the oil sector, including incentives to encourage the return of skilled nationals from abroad and the facilitation of “local content” in the industry.

ExxonMobil has provided a start by building a local workforce which now accounts for half (1,700) of its employees in country. It is also putting in place a local content policy built on workforce and supplier development, as well as strategic community investments.

Knowledge transfer and shared technology should also occur.

How will the Government spend its share of the windfall?

Properly administered, the SWF will monitor the collection and expenditure of revenue from oil and gas. Oversight, transparency, and timely information for the public about expected income flows and expenditures are best practices continued on page 10

NEWS 5

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Indian, Ghanaian election experts to arrive early January – GECOM Chair

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n a bid to boost its technical and oversight capacity to hold elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be taking on two advisors with experience in running elections in India and Ghana, courtesy of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

This is according to Chairperson of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, during a press briefing.

She explained that the two men will serve as Senior Electoral Advisors to herself and the Secretariat.

The advisors are Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and Dr Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi. Dr Afari-Gyan is a Ghanaian academic, political scientist and experienced election administrator who holds a PhD in Political Science.

It is understood that he was Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana from 1993 to 2015.

According to his Ghanaian Alma matter, he also graduated from the University of Ghana in 1967 with a BA Degree in Philosophy.

He went on to attain a

Ghanaian election advisor, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan

Master of Arts (MA) degree in African Politics in 1969 from the same university. He also studied in the United States where he was awarded a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1974.

Meanwhile, he will be joined by Dr Zaidi, who previously served as 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India.

He is also a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration

from Harvard.

He has also served as the Director-General of Civil Aviation and as a Permanent Representative of India on the council of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This was before his stint as India’s Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner.

“These two gentlemen will be here from early January. They will be advisors to me and to the Commission as a whole. They will also

oversee the elections,” Justice Singh explained to the media.

Asked to clarify the Chair’s statement that the men would be overseeing the elections, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield explained their terms of reference. He made it clear that the men are only there in an advisory capacity and that GECOM would continue to discharge its responsibilities.

“In no way is the Commission giving up our identity, our legal rights. These advisors are here based on the vast experience they have garnered over the years. They will provide to madam Chair, and at other times to the Secretariat, their experiences in best practices that they would have provided for their own countries in the past”.

“And, no doubt, we’ll be better for the advice that will be provided by these two gentlemen. So there’s no way we’re giving up or allowing our authority to be usurped,” Lowenfield further explained.

GECOM had previously announced it

Indian election advisor, Dr Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi

would be getting assistance from Jean-Pierre Kingsley, a Canadian elections expert.

According to Justice Singh, GECOM is also expecting Kingsley’s arrival in January.

Kingsley, whose appointment was announced back in October, is being funded by the Canadian Government.

The former Canadian Chief Electoral Officer served from 1990 to 2007 during which he participated in many significant international development mis-

sions aimed at promoting democratic electoral processes through cooperation, capacity building, and mutually beneficial relationships.

He also provided electoral assistance to several Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago.

According to his profile on the Canadian elections body website, Kingsley was proactive during his term in office, recommending and promoting key initiatives to make the electoral process more accessible.

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Why is GECOM messing around with the voters’ list?

Dear Editor, There are now about twenty political parties who want to contest the upcoming elections in Guyana, but it seems only the PPP is prepared to struggle for a clean list of electors and for free and fair elections.

The others are recklessly staying on the side-

lines depending on the PPP to carry the struggle for a clean list of electors and for free and fair elections. Where is Mr Ramkarran and A New and United Guyana (ANUG)? Where is Mr Badal and his Change Guyana? Where is Mr Shuman and his party?

Where are all the others,

the doctors, the pastors, the lawyers who have all formed parties? Why have they abandoned their obligation to speak out against GECOM’s messing around?

GECOM claims there are 20,556 new registrants from the illegal house-to-house (HtH) Registration and they

No need to sell Guyana’s share of profit oil directly Dear Editor, The response by the Department of Energy to grave concerns expressed about the invitation to select petroleum companies to Guyana for face-to-face meetings is disingenuous.

There is no need to sell Guyana’s share of profit oil directly. The share should be sold by the operator and should fetch the same price as the operator’s share.

The price garnered for ExxonMobil’s share will be declared publicly to its shareholders and is a transparent, trusted and audited process.

ExxonMobil cannot and will not lie to its owners (shareholders) and is closely monitored by capable institutions such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The same cannot be said for the process outlined by David Granger’s Department of Energy (DE).

The DE is being facetious when it suggested that “The short-term first phase beginning this week will focus on setting national benchmarks for selling Guyana’s portion of its crude in the future”.

One, the benchmark will be set by the sale of the oil lifted before our turn comes and two, each batch of oil is quality tested and sold according to those results.

The DE confirmed that “Selected companies are invited to bid to buy Guyana’s product in the very short term”. The obvious question is why?

Oil is sold on the world market daily, there is no advantage to pre-selling oil of unknown (but expected to be very high)

quality.

Should we, for example, accept a price US$2 higher than Brent Crude per barrel, it would seem a good deal unless the quality is higher and the world market price would be Brent plus US$8. In such a scenario, Guyana would have lost US$18 million due to undue haste. Given the present ravaged state of the Treasury, it is a risk we can ill-afford to take.

Then there is the issue of “selected companies”, the DE stated that “This strategy was employed upon serious consideration of advice given by an international team external to the DE”. The DE gave us titles of persons but significantly fails to name anyone. The DE gave us a lengthy three-point explanation of the ‘logic’ employed in reaching the decision to adopt a self-described “novel approach” – an examination of the three points is revealing.

In point one, the DE said the quality of the crude is not yet known.

This is patently false; ExxonMobil has signalled that the crude is expected to be higher than the benchmark Brent. However, each shipment of oil is graded onboard the FPSO rigorously, oil companies do not buy or sell ‘pig in bag’. Any sale before testing is going to be below real value as companies will claim ‘risk’.

Absolute hogwash!

Point two states “The DE has been advised, by the Crude Marketing Specialist, that in order to take Guyana through this limited short-term phase, a few high-quality IOCs with a global re-

fining footprint and integrated oil value chains would be best given an opportunity to support the DE during this incubation and launching phase”. Guyana needs to get the best possible price for its share of profit oil, what it seems to have gotten is highpriced ‘con-sultants’.

Keep it simple stupid should be a mantra over at the DE; it seems they are easily confused or misled. Is Kevin Granger an advisor on the ‘international team’? is it a team or a gathering of cronies?

Point three of the DE’s response states “Guyana’s main incentive in taking this approach is to establish a norm in terms of quality standard and quantity availability so as to prevent any possible down-pricing”. Again, if or quality is low, it will be tested before lifting and priced according to world prices, same if it is high, every shipment will be tested and priced this way, in a very open and transparent process. That is unless we deviate from the norm during the ‘face-to-face’ meetings.

The DE asserted that there is no untoward motive hidden in the request for face-toface meetings and then, only with ‘selected’ companies, but I would suggest that when men with guns and masks are in our house, Guyanese do not have to wait to be robbed to know that they are bandits. We also know ‘salla-walla’ when we see it.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

want to merge this list into the OLE. They continue to ignore the salient, critical fact that these names were gathered in an exercise that did not include scrutiny and verification by the largest political party in Guyana, as mandated by

law. Already, PPP activists have exposed names purported to be new registrants who are really persons previously registered. Two such names that have emerged as examples are the names of Justice Cecil Kennard, a former Chancellor, and

Mr Jailall Kissoon, a former Minister of the PNC and a prominent attorney. Then there are names of persons who died many years ago.

How did these dead persons get to register in the recent illegal Houseturn to page 7

PPP/C must pay more attention to the marginal votes

Dear Editor, I am pleased for the United Kingdom.

They now have a strong Government with the prospect of being in power for the full term and which will allow them to do progressive things for their people. That is great news for their economy and their people. These elections were about Brexit and the overwhelming majority of the British people are sick and tired of how long this issue was allowed to drag on because of political squabbling.

Mr Boris Johnson came in as an outsider and the people decided to give him a full mandate to do what he said he would do because he was consistent in his messages. But more so, the people heard Jeremy Corbyn and they found him to be speaking from two sides of his mouth on Brexit, despite the people giving a clear mandate to Westminster to leave the EU. So the people decided to send a strong signal as to who is the real boss. They do not want people of verbal waffle and rhetoric like Jeremy Corbyn in power and they certainly do not want politicians in place who are not listening to them.

These elections in the United Kingdom have many lessons for Guyana but I shall just deal with two of them today as follows: The role of the Brexit Party – Many Labour supporters who could not bring themselves to vote for the Conservatives but wanted to leave Europe, voted for the Brexit Party while the Conservatives’ base held strong. This act destroyed the Labour Party fortunes while keeping the Conservatives intact. Elections are about numbers and nothing else and sometimes 1 + 1 is equal to 3 in politics.

It was the Brexit Party that got too many Labour

voters to cross-over to them and this caused the Labour Party to lose vital marginal seats to the Conservatives. The lesson that was reinforced here is that elections are all about the marginal voters.

Meanwhile, in Guyana, the PPP/C must pay more attention to the marginal votes.

The PPP/C has to make sure that the entire nation is aware that a vote against the Cup is a vote for the Palm Tree. It is as simple as that! Many of these third forces were formed in Congress Place as PNCR fronts; set up by the PNCR, for the PNCR, and to help the PNCR win power again using smoke and mirror tactics as developed in the Bahamas by two PNCR leaders. Again a vote against the PPP/C is a vote for the PNCR. So my message is simply this – beware of most of these small parties.

Even with all their sweet messages, many of them are being funded by the PNCR and are on a leash tied to Congress Place.

Such a situation will only be contributing to the destruction of democracy by helping the undemocratic forces in the PNCR who continue to deny this nation free and fair elections in violation of the Constitution. After 4 years and 5 months of underperformance on the human development front, it is clear that the PNCR totally deserves their place on the Opposition benches after March 2020. My final wish is, let the people speak!

2. The lack of policy leadership and competence in the PNCR – The last 12 months exposed how ill-equipped and incompetent Mr David Granger is on the big issues. He has proven that he does not have what it takes to unequivocally confront the major anxieties of the people.

Unfortunately, he was

ill for most of the time and because of this major determinant, he was unavailable to the people. In his absence, his deputy was not empowered to act because no one in the Cabinet had much respect or trusted his decision-making capabilities because of what the PNCR did to him post-May 2015. Mr Granger reshaped Mr Moses Nagamootoo’s image from a firebrand politician before 2015 into an opportunistic “rubber stamp”. What Mr Granger left in his absence was an unchecked “cabal of Ministers” who did their own thing like wild horses on the prairie. Many of them made it up as they went along without any coordination on the major policy issues. So in the absence of Mr Granger, the Government floated from one crisis to another as indecision became the order of the day. As indecision expanded, corruption in the Government also expanded as senior officials pounced on the opportunity that such an unchecked environment provided. That is why you can have a former Minister who was allowed to move from a shared accommodation with her family in a G$15 million house to one that cost over G$150 million within 2 years.

This was what team Granger came to represent for the people – incompetence and corruption.

This is what the Guyanese people are seeing and many have already made up their minds based on the above factors and so many more. The destiny of this nation is what it is and Mr Granger must be a man and accept his faith because the voice and the will of the people are all that matters today.

Regards, Sase Singh

news 7

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s road carnage continues

…5 dead in horrific smash-up at Mahaicony

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ive persons are now dead and four others seriously injured following a collision between a minibus and a lorry on the Fairfield Public Road, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Wednesday morning.

Dead are minibus driver Seechan Chandilall, 48, of Lot 102 Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice; Keon Sealey, 33, of Farm, Mahaicony; Alana Vaughn, 31, of Farm, Mahaicony, Ewart Reynlods, 64, of Calcutta Mahaicony, and Maxwell Disreali Thom, 76.

Meanwhile, several passengers who were also in the minibus, BRR 5478, were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and are in serious conditions. They are Cecil Gordon, 46, of

The truck involved in the accident

Farm, Mahaicony; David Jacobs, 60, and Angela Jacobs, 15, both of Moraikobai, Mahaicony, and lorry driver Sherlon Wills, 46, of Helena, Mahaica. They were all initially taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where they

were treated and then transferred to GPHC. Police in a statement said that shortly after 11:00h on Wednesday, the two vehicles – minibus BRR 5478 driven by Chandilall and motor lorry GPP 9433 driven

by Wills – were involved

in the accident at the Fairfield Public Road.

According to the statement, the minibus was proceeding west along the southern side of the road when it experienced a ‘blowout’ of the left side rear wheel. This caused the driver to lose control and collided with the left front portion of the lorry that was proceeding east along the northern side of the road.

Speaking with this publication, one eyewitness, Reihieram Bhandu, said the two vehicles were heading in opposite directions and the minibus experienced a ‘blowout’ to the rear wheel.

“That was the first impact ‘boom’. After I hear that, I see the bus coming up and hustling to come in my yard and the same time the truck hit the bus and after impact, he pushed the bus

The wrecked mini-bus involved in the accident

back over into the bus lane and everybody pitch out on the road. The minibus driver and another passenger leave pin down in the bus,” the man recalled.

He said that following the impact, about five persons were left lying

Why is GECOM messing around... to-House Registration?

Just these examples demonstrate that the list of new registrants that GECOM has generated is hopelessly flawed and raises the possibility of criminal shenanigans.

Why then is GECOM so dead-set to merge these names without 100 per cent verification? Such verification is something that could be done within days. Their haste to merge this list and their absolute objection for comprehensive verification raises serious suspicion that GECOM’s intention is not pure, that GECOM’s intention is towards something evil.

A clean list of voters is indispensable for free and fair elections.

Guyana’s continuous registration system is designed to ensure that every citizen above 18 years old has the opportunity to be listed. For the upcoming March 2020 general elections, there appears to be a vulgar messing around with the list of voters, promoted by APNU/ AFC, with GECOM being complicit as an agent to mess with the list, all in contravention of the laws of Guyana.

Initially, GECOM wanted to merge 370,000 names from the HtH into the NRR (National Register of Registrants) and then extract a new PLE (Preliminary Voters’ List). But the mandated fingerprint cross-matching determined that about

300,000 of the names, in fact, were already in FROM PAGE 6 the NRR. GECOM then proposed merging the remaining 70,000, even though these were never verified by all political stakeholders and even though there were other anomalies.

Under pressure from the PPP, GECOM admitted that only 20,556 names were actually new registrants eligible to vote. Even with serious questions surrounding the list of 20,556 persons, GECOM is insisting they will merge this list into the NRR and into the new OLE. They are steadfast in their refusal for verification, even as the list is already impugned, even as GECOM attracts further humiliation and embarrassment.

The refusal for verification is suspicious because this same GECOM wanted to remove about 20,000 names from the list because these persons still are to collect their ID cards. The persons whose names they want to remove were legitimately registered, their registration was scrutinised and verified with at-home proof of residency and they met all legal requirements during their registration exercise and have voted in previous elections.

Yet GECOM demands they prove all over again that they actually exist.

Contrast this posture with the existing one for the so-called new reg-

istrants. These persons were registered with no scrutiny by the largest political party in Guyana or by any of the other political parties outside of the APNU/AFC grouping, in contravention of the laws of Guyana.

From even before the No Confidence Motion, GECOM was messing with the voters’ list, the oldest cheating trick in elections around the world. Guyana has a history of bogus voting lists under Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte and the PNC. Just think of the BBC series showing Burnham registering horses in England as

Guyanese voters. From the moment Granger became President in 2015, his game-plan was to follow the Burnham formula to mess with the voters’ list. This was the real intention when he bucked the well-established Carter formula to appoint James Patterson as GECOM’s Chair. That is why before the CCJ forced Patterson to leave GECOM, he ordered a new HtH. The intention was clear, pad the voters’ list and remove as many names of persons suspected to be PPP supporters.

GECOM has a sacred responsibility to gener-

motionless on the road while others were seemingly panting for breath.

Meanwhile, the injured and dead were taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital in a canter as the ambulance service was reportedly not available at the time.

from page 6

ate an environment of confidence in the election. What GECOM is doing with the OLE presently is creating too much suspicion. The refusal to verify the list of so-called new registrants is reckless, particularly given the flaws already exposed. To add to the recklessness is GECOM’s demand that the PPP can verify by itself. The PPP will do so.

But will GECOM accept the PPP’s findings? Is this going to be another unnecessary fight?

Justice Claudette Singh must act with fairness and firmness. At the same time, GECOM’s in-

sistence that they will remove 20,000 names of persons who legitimately registered, many of whom voted in previous elections, just because they did not collect their ID cards is puzzling. The bottom line is that there is a compromised group at GECOM which is wickedly fooling around, messing with the list of voters. The question is why? Nothing good could come out of this messing around with the list of voters.

Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

8 news

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana ups preparations for ICJ’s oral hearings in border controversy

O

ral Hearings on jurisdiction in the case of the long-running border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela are set for March 23, 2020, but Guyana will be the only country participating in this legal process.

This is according to Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, who recently told the media that both parties (Guyana and Venezuela) were required to submit a response signalling their participation in the proceedings but to date, only Guyana has done so.

“Meaning that if they intend to be participating with the exercise, they would have had to notify the registrar of the Court by 20th of November [2019]. As far as I am aware that has not been done by the representatives of Venezuela and, therefore, for purposes of the oral hearing, I believe that only Guyana would be participating. We are for our part in the process of working on this exercise.”

He stated that a plethora of meetings and discussions have been held by the Guyanese representatives since February this year and are still ongoing to ensure that the legal team is apprised and well equipped to state their case.

“There was a meeting with the lawyers again in October this year and in between those meetings, there have been meetings of the domestic team.

That is the team with our foreign lawyers, and there would be at least two other meetings at the technical level, before March 23 so it is a process, consulting with findings documentation, examining the proposed presentations and so forth. We are making progress there, the domestic team recently met just on Thursday.”

Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge

Meanwhile, he pointed out that to date, he could not give an average cost of the expenses that Guyana has incurred to prepare for this legal battle with representatives from the Spanish speaking neighbour.

“In truth, I cannot tell you, not because it is a secret, but because I did not check. What has happened, what normally happens is that the expenses arise from a variety of things, the lawyers have to be paid, there are consultants who work with us from time to time about the preparation of specific documents, stuff has to be copied, has to be secured from international sources and so forth…as of now I cannot give you an answer to that, we have not exhausted the funds that were agreed by the Cabinet to be earmarked for this purpose, we have not exhausted that as yet.”

According to a recent statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has notified Guyana that hearings will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands from March 23 to 27, 2020.

This will determine whether the Court has jurisdiction over the case filed by Guyana on March 29, 2018, to obtain from the Court a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and binding. Also, it will determine whether Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela.

Guyana brought its case to the Court following the decision by the Secretary General of the United Nations in January 2018, that the World Court should decide the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. In taking his decision, the Secretary General was

exercising the power vested in him in the 1966 Geneva Agreement between Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom to decide how the controversy should be settled.

A US$18 million signing bonus was received by the Guyanese Government from ExxonMobil in 2017 and was placed into the Consolidated Fund before it was used to make any payments – particularly to Attorneys who will be fighting the Venezuela Border Controversy case at the ICJ. “That bonus, wherever it is would be placed into the Consolidated Fund and it is from that fund that any team whatsoever will be paid whether they are working or worked before or work after,” former State Minister, Joseph Harmon had posited last year.

However, when probed as to when this will be done, Harmon had asserted that that action is left up to the Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. He confidently stated that the Minister will do so when it is time.

The existence of the oil bonus – which was placed in a private account

by Government – and the renegotiated oil agreement with the United States oil giant was kept a secret until December last when evidence of the transaction was leaked in the media.

Prior to that, the Finance Minister had said the bonus never existed.

After mounting criticism, President David Granger subsequently defended the secrecy by saying it was the thing to do at the time.

Government then continued to defend its move to not deposit the signing bonus into the Consolidated Fund by saying that it was holding the money to pay legal fees for Guyana should it have to take its border case with Venezuela to the ICJ.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Exxon, BP & Shell among traders vying to sell Guyana’s oil …Energy Dept defends secrecy

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he Energy Department has released the names of the traders it invited to vie for Guyana’s oil, though details of the negotiations are likely to be limited until they are concluded as the Department said the “commercial sensitivities” of the companies must be respected.

This was explained

by Energy Department Director, Dr Mark Bynoe and newly contracted Crude Marketing Specialist, Virginia Markouizos. The pair were asked why the Guyanese public only became aware of plans to sell Guyana’s crude using the on the spot method, through a report in a foreign publication.

According to Bynoe, there are times they can discuss things related to Guyana’s natural resource with the media and “times that they can’t.”

“The companies were invited… the companies that were selected included the operator and co-ventures. So you had Exxon, CNOOC, Hess, BP (British Petroleum), Chevron, Shell, Total, E&I. So these are internationally reputable IOC (International Oil Companies),” Bynoe said.

Bynoe went on to say that preferably, Guyana would not have known what was happening until discussions were wrapped up. According to him, negotiating these matters in the public eye could negatively affect the process.

“The decision was

Energy Department Head, Dr Mark Bynoe

made after multiple rounds of consultation internally. As I said before, there are some things we will speak to at the beginning, some things we can speak to you during, some things we can speak about post and some things we won’t be able to speak about at all.”

“Guyana doesn’t operate within a vacuum.

Guyana is operating in a system where it has to deal with international commercial transactions as well. What we were aiming to do was come to you when the matter was concluded, not before. Because what that can do is weaken the Government’s negotiating position.”

Adding to Dr Bynoe’s point, Markouizos explained that while it is good to have transparency, the traders and their commercial sensitivities have to be respected during negotiations.

However, she claimed that much of the oil market already self-regulates itself.

“Not only we work on transparency, but the market itself welcomes transparency.

Because this is all building to a good reputation of Guyana crude. But at the same time, there’s a realisation that we must respect commercial sensitivities and at the same time, we have to respect public sensitivities.”

Justification

Bynoe also justified Guyana selling the oil to the operators rather than the open market, noting that the benchmark set now was important for pricing reasons. According to Bynoe, the decision was made based on advice from specialists like Markouizos, commercial expert Juan Lopez-Raggi and oil and gas legal expert Peter Stewart.

“Value equals money.

First impressions count.

If you have a bad first impression, that’s how you benchmark. Do you want to take crude to the market that has not yet been stabilised, which will affect the price Guyana gets for its crude? That then becomes the mark we’ll be marked against for future cargo.”

Bynoe, therefore, noted that it was important for both them and the operator, noting that they will also do likewise by taking it through the refining system before introducing it to the market. When asked if other options were considered, Markouizos had this to say: “We had a range of different options we analysed for the introductory phase, but it was clear from the beginning that this is the preliminary stage. There was a realisation and clarity on the fact that first, we have to introduce and test the grade before moving on. So different options were examined and we had all the pros and cons laid out, before selecting [this] one,” Markouizos noted.

It must be noted that

Crude Marketing Specialist Virginia Markouizos

if the list supplied is exhaustive it would appear that Bynoe has excluded the independent crude oil traders that are much more competitive and larger than the oil producers in the trading field.

Several of those very traders who will be negotiating with the Government to sell Guyana’s crude lifts are already players in the lucrative 6.6 million acres Stabroek Block. ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is the operator in the Block and

holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block.

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

At one point, Shell was also one of Exxon’s partners.

However, it pulled out of the Stabroek Block prior to 2015. Meanwhile, French oil company Total has shares in both the Orinduik and Kanuku Blocks.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

APNU/AFC Coalition cannot manage Guyana’s oil wealth – Jagdeo tells Guyanese diaspora in NY

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ith Guyana expecting to reap massive wealth from its oil-rich ocean floor, former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo believes that the governing A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition does not have the vision to manage the country through the economic transformation it is about to experience.

In fact, he told the Guyanese diaspora in New York on Saturday that the Government’s economic philosophy is debilitating for Guyana and the country would not progress as long as it was in power.

Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), was at the time speaking at a fundraising luncheon, where he noted that everyone, including the coalition’s supporters, knew that it has been mismanaging the country and economy.

“You don’t even need to convince anyone, because they’ve seen a series of disastrous decisions taken on the economic side that will harm Guyana not just now but way into the future,” he stated.

He pointed out that since going into office in 2015, the coalition has been spending enor-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

mously.

According to the Opposition Leader, the APNU/AFC has spent over G$1.1 trillion while increasing tax collection by some G$88 billion during its four and half years in office. He noted when the PPP left office after 23 years in 2014, the total tax collection in Guyana was G$135 billion and now it was pegged at nearly G$230 billion. “[That’s] nearly 70 per cent increase in overall taxation that has sucked all of this money out of the system. That is why you have such tightness – a slowdown in retail trade and every other sector because disposable income is

now with Government, they took it in taxes,” he stressed.

In addition to the increased spending and increased taxes, Jagdeo said the coalition has also increased borrowing, racking up millions in debt over the past four-plus years.

This surge in external debt, he noted, will leave Guyana in a state it was in the early 90s, whereby all of the country’s money will go back into repaying these debts.

The former Head of State recalled when the PPP took office in 1992, the external debt was some 900 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that is, nine

times the size of the economy at the time. He added that they had to use 153 per cent of the country’s revenue to service debt.

According to Jagdeo, by the time the PPP left office, it was using four to five per cent of revenue to service external debt, which was US$1.1 billion in total. Guyana’s economy at that time was pegged at US$4 billion, he added.

The Opposition Leader went on to outline that they would not have mind the surge in spending had it improved the welfare of the populace.

“So [they] increase spending, but if you increase spending and im-

prove welfare – so you get better education, etc – then it’s fine. But education is deteriorating, the hospitals are getting shortage of drugs, so more spending and the services are deteriorating… They’ve taken away all the ‘grow poor’ policies we’ve had. They removed the subsidies – free water for pensioners, remove the grant from the schoolkids, etc.

So, no improvement in welfare although they spent G$1.1 trillion,” he contended.

On the other hand, Jagdeo further pointed out that every single sector in the economy was in trouble. Mining, forestry, rice, sugar, retail trade and construction

are all on the decline, he added. Without oil and the investments associated with that budding sector, which he said are the only thing happening now, Guyana would be in a serious bind.

Against this backdrop, the Opposition Leader posited that the PPP did not have to do much to make a case because the country already knew that the governing coalition could not manage the economy. He added it also lacked a vision or plans to pitch to Guyanese on the 2020 campaign trail.

“They’ve broken every single promise to the sugar workers, rice farmers, university students, pensioners, Amerindians, miners, to people in the forestry sector. Every single group has seen a deterioration in the conditions that they were operating in… Their policies have been decimating to many sectors so they can’t go back and make new promises to these people,” the Opposition Leader stated.

As such, Jagdeo asserted that it was crucial that the PPP win the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections so that it could take back the country and resume the growth path it had in place when it left office less than five years ago.

Any major agreement signed by Guyana’s caretaker Govt will be reviewed - Opposition Leader

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mid revelations that the Government invited various companies to come and pitch proposals to buy Guyana’s oil, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has warned that any attempts to tie the country into a long-term agreement now will be reversed if his party gets into Government.

Jagdeo was at the time speaking at his weekly press conference and his comments came after a Bloomberg article revealed that companies from the United States, Switzerland and England would be paying Guyana a visit to vie for the opportunity to sell Guyana’s oil.

“They are busy trying (to procure companies),” Jagdeo revealed. “They called a company, asking if they can put in a pro-

posal to lift our share of profit oil. But they don’t really want that company”.

“They want to say they consulted widely because behind the scenes, they are working on a deal to tie up a long-term contract for the lifting of our share of the oil. And we’re never going to accept that”.

Jagdeo suggested that with Guyana just a few weeks away from elections, Government can use ExxonMobil on an interim basis to market Guyana’s share of oil, rather than sign a binding contract at a time when Government should only be engaged in routine functions until elections.

“That’s why we argued that if, as the Department of Energy claimed, that our share of the profit oil will come

in March or so, then why not allow Exxon to sell for one or two months, until after the elections and put the money in an account. And then you have an open and transparent way of selling our oil through a bidding process”.

“And every company that comes, comes with a track record. And they have to bid for who will sell our oil and what price. So while all of this smoke screening is going on, they are tying up corrupt transactions behind the scene. If they stick us with a long-term contract, we’ll be in trouble”.

Jagdeo said that the coalition government was even worse than a caretaker government, it was, in fact, an illegal one. While the High Court had declined to pronounce the Government illegal,

Jagdeo noted that the Government had no legal mandate.

Guyana’s profit-sharing arrangement with ExxonMobil is for 50 per cent of profit oil. But with Exxon reclaiming its investment costs as cost oil, it means Guyana will initially get 12.5 per cent of profit.

Originally scheduled for 2020, first oil production has been moved up to sometime this month.

It is understood that the initial crude lifts will be one million barrels. With Guyana already agreeing for the first lift to go to Exxon due to “impurities”, Guyana is not expected to get its share until February to March.

When it comes to the system governing the crude lifting, which simply means the oil is loaded onto the vessel for transport, Energy

Department Head Dr Mark Bynoe had revealed in November that the crude lifting agreement was near completion. He had also laid down timelines for first oil and lifting of the crude.

“The Department has signed a contract with a crude marketing specialist, and a commercial specialist, who will be assisting the Department’s preparations for first oil. The Department is working to conclude a similar contract with a petroleum accounting specialist and a contract administrating specialist”.

“The crude lifting agreement is being finalised and has advanced significantly. The CLA is expected to be completed in the new week and Government will be a signatory as a lifter

of crude, along with the Stabroek co-venturers”.

According to Bynoe, their agreement will be based on the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Crude Lifting Agreement. He explained that it will be customised to reflect the reality of Guyana’s sector.

But with the Government having fallen to a No-Confidence Motion since December 2018, and the three months’ constitutional deadline for holding elections having long since lapsed, Guyana is long overdue for elections.

Elections are now due on March 2, 2020, and the Opposition wants to ensure the Government does not carry on as though it’s business as usual.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Six Guyanese diplomats recalled will have to seek other jobs – Greenidge

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he six Guyanese diplomats who served in foreign states that were fired by the David Grangerled Administration will not be reassigned posts at the Foreign Affairs Ministry and most likely have to seek other jobs.

This is according to Foreign Secretary at the Ministry, Carl Greenidge, who last Friday told reporters that the fired Ambassadors and High Commissioners were contracted employees and that their services as per contract have been terminated.

Therefore, there is no option for them to continue service at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, he said, unless they are hired under new terms and conditions.

“Four of those

Ambassadors who would have received letters from Minister Karen Cummings, are likely to be not returning to the Ministry, let me put it that way. Simply because they will no longer be members of staff of the Ministry. Some of them have contracts, they work on the basis of contracts and I am trying to recall but I don’t think any of them, any of them currently are engaged other than on contracts. So unless they are offered something by the Ministry they can…find other opportunities, find other jobs or what have you,” Greenidge said.

However, with regard to the APNU/ AFC coalition caretaker Government offering those fired diplomats job opportunities, Greenidge stated that such a ques-

Oil, high.. for the successful management of the sector.

The primary question, since oil is a depleting asset, is how to convert the income flows into physical, human, and financial capital that can benefit generations.

To that end, should Guyana seek to keep the oil in the ground for longer periods, or to extract it rapidly and diversify into a more sustainable economy in case the value of the resource diminishes?

The devil's excrement Looking beyond these steps there are serious challenges for the Government. The most pernicious is the “resource curse” or the “paradox of plenty”, where the destabilisation of traditional economic sectors occurs as the country becomes overly dependent on exports of a single commodity. Some poor but resource-rich countries tend to be underdeveloped, not despite their hydrocarbon riches, but because of their resource wealth.

Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo, Venezuela's oil minister in the early 1960s, and one of the founders of Organization of the Petroleum

tion can only be “definitively” answered by President David Granger or the Foreign Affairs Minister.

On Wednesday, President Granger, speaking on the sidelines of an event, downplayed the termination of the diplomats saying that his Administration’s actions were “just a planned change”.

He insisted that it was the Government’s intention to recruit new diplomats who have reached the eligible requirements. According to him, there is no ‘shakeup’.

“There has been no shakeup. At the start of my Presidency, I had made it clear that the Ambassadors who would be appointed would be there for only three years and that with my

from page 4

Exporting Countries (OPEC), was the first to call attention to the oil curse. Oil, he said, was not black gold; it was the devil's excrement!

The danger is that any Government will spend now on future earnings taking on debt.

Inflation can rise stifling the development of other industries. The population can become frustrated at the lack of any immediate tangible benefits that they may have expected from the oil revenues. Managing public expectations is critical. Regulations must be developed to protect against environmental degradation, including oil spills. And, finally, there is the elephant in the room — corruption.

The oversight institutions are crucial in order to combat this curse.

A vaguely optimistic future This year Brazil, Guyana, and Mauritania are the new darling frontier petro-states of the IOCs. Next year, who knows? The oil price fluctuates constantly. Drilling is going on worldwide. The planet is awash with oil.

Hydrocarbons will be with us for some decades

to come, but they will be replaced eventually by forms of renewable energy. The IOCs know that and they themselves are investing heavily in renewable energy. In the meantime, the onus is also on the IOCs to create value for Guyana even at a time in some countries when public trust in the oil companies is low and their commitment to renewable energy is being questioned.

But, for now, “clear de way”! The country is at the starting gate. It will prosper if the massive revenue transforms the economy and the quality of life for its citizens.

If not, “Guyana coming back” can be a nightmare horse race.

Professor Anthony T Bryan is a senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. He has written on Caribbean oil and gas issues for two decades.

He is a former director of the Institute of International Relations at The University of the West Indies Campus, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Government’s intention to professionalise the foreign service, that is to say, to reduce or remove political appointees and to allow career officers who had been recruited as diplomats and have been trained and educated as diplomats, to be diplomats.”

He further asserted that the Guyanese Ambassadors and High Commissioners were aware of this intention.

This decision, he said, was made after the elections were announced for March 2, 2020.

The Ministry’s announcement that it would be recalling Ambassadors follows speculation on the reason for former Director General Audrey JardineWaddell’s removal from the post. The Ministry confirmed that indeed, Waddell has been re-

moved and will be replaced by Charlene Phoenix as their first Permanent Secretary, with effect from December 2.

According to the Ministry, however, there are Ambassadors that have been serving for 20 years, when in fact their tenure is supposed to be 3 to 5 years. The Ministry claimed that this has impeded the work of younger, up and coming foreign service officers and that the reshuffling was part of “promoting greater efficiency”.

A cursory check on the current Ambassadors’ residence overseas revealed only a few Ambassadors with over a decade of service abroad. But the Foreign Affairs Ministry has not revealed the names of those Ambassadors who were targeted.

However, this newspaper understands that those terminated are Hamley Case, who was posted in the United Kingdom; Bishwaishwar Ramsaroop, stationed in the twin-island republic Trinidad and Tobago; Clarissa Riehl, who was posted in Canada; Bayney Karran in China, Cheryl Miles in Venezuela, and JR Deep Ford in Switzerland. Riehl had taken the Government to task in 2016, when Attorney General Basil Williams attempted to take control of a plot of land she owns at Middle and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown, under the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act. Efforts to contact the diplomats for comments to date have proved futile.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Citizens call for oil sales to be transparent

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Guyanese holding placards and voicing their concerns at the protest line on Monday outside President David Granger’s office

group of Guyanese on Monday assembled outside of the Ministry of the Presidency for a peaceful protest, calling for Guyana’s oil to be managed and sold in a transparent process.

Recognised as the Youth Movement Guyana, the protesters called for the country’s oil sales to be transparent, indicating that this resource must not be devalued.

This came in light of the Department of Energy’s revelation that Government plans to approach traders directly and have them buy Guyana’s oil. This an-

nouncement was first made in a Bloomberg report, which the agency later confirmed, adding that this arrangement was only intended for the first three crude lifts.

Standing on the picketing lines, Robin Singh shared that US oil giant, ExxonMobil should be given the task of selling one lift of oil, until a new Government is elected.

He said that with a caretaker Administration currently presiding over Guyana, any money obtained from a sale should be kept aside until a legitimate Government takes over.

“We’re proposing

that until the elections, there’s going to be one lifting of the oil. Exxon can handle that. Exxon can sell it and Exxon can put the money in escrow for whoever comes into Government or back into the Government. That is straightforward,” he positioned.

According to him, this matter is too important to ignore, since it entails a substantial amount of the country’s money at stake, depending on the value of oil and what it is sold for. Nevertheless, it was indicated that the Movement will continue to watch over the actions of any Government to ensure transparency.

“It’s too much to just let it slide and say ‘Well its elections’. No. This is trying to sell before you got and the reasons given are not logical or valid…We’re going to keep monitoring whoever is in Government to make sure that they’re transparent. If you want to sell oil, advertise. We have a Tender Board.

We have a Procurement Act. Follow those laws and we’re okay. I think we’d be better off. Oil is not going to sell more or less than it’s worth and at the market price.”

Meanwhile, Don Singh also spoke

anything about it. We’re talking about a lot of money here, three million barrels of oil. We would have to pay brokerage fees. Now we don’t know who we paying those brokerage fees to and as Bloomberg pointed out, face-to-face meetings are highly unusual. These things are done easily through Skype or whatever,” he said.

Singh, who has been involved in other citizen-driven movements in the past, insisted that the Department should have waited until after the March elections

will secure something in the future? And then we’re asking the broker, whoever that is, to handle our backroom…

What is going on? I’m weary of this nonsense that is going on.”

Nadira Mohan also held a placard, stating that Guyana’s oil must not be sold for less than it is worth. She fears that with backroom deals, citizens will not reap the full benefits.

“It must not be devalued. We need that it must be spent properly and all Guyanese must equally [benefit],” Mohan voiced.

with Guyana Times International, indicated that citizens are very sceptical about secretive deals, ever since the signing bonus was denied

by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan and later brought to light.

“We had that PSA in 2015 that we knew nothing about. We didn’t hear anything about it. Then we heard rumours of an oil bonus and it was denied and then we heard about it a year later. When I heard Dr Bynoe talking about this now, face-toface meetings, thanks to Bloomberg for actually busting it because we, Guyanese once again would not have known

when a new Government will be elected. He too expressed that Exxon should have brokered the first oil sale, since the value of the crude would be determined, allowing Guyana to assess its earnings from other such transactions.

“With an interim Government in place and elections less than 10 weeks away, why not just wait? Why not let just Exxon do the first sale because they have layers of transparency that they would have to report to and we would also get an adequate idea of the value and product that we have. Why this rush and this ‘face-toface meetings’ and we

The Energy Department had indicated via a statement on Sunday that its uncertainty about the quality of the crude and the cost to refine it was another factor in this decision.

This is despite Exxon consistently announcing that the crude it has found in the Liza Field is of high quality.

The Department admitted that this may be considered a “novel” approach, a point that was made by the Bloomberg article. However, the Department defended the unusual situation by noting that learning from the traders was a strategic move that has precedent.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

'PPP/C will ensure Guyanese look forward to tomorrow with hope' – Irfaan Ali

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s he reflected on the grim reality of many families in Guyana, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Irfaan Ali has vowed to restore hope among the people, especially those who have experienced some form of struggle within the last few years.

Ali was at the time delivering remarks at the Party’s Georgetown District fundraising dinner on Monday evening at Parc Rayne.

“Today, families and women and mothers are not only faced with the hardship that the economy is bringing to them, they are faced with broken down social infrastructure, broken down healthcare system, a broken education system, a

In preparation for the upcoming General and Regional Elections, the PPP/C has unveiled part of its elections manifesto, where it provided a glimpse of its plan for the country should it be elected at the March 2020 polls.

According to Ali, this plan will truly guarantee a good life for every single citizen of Guyana.

“I present to you a PPP plan that will deliver this better tomorrow that will ensure our young people will look up to tomorrow with hope,” the Presidential Candidate posited.

“When you support us on March 2, you are supporting more jobs, you are supporting a better economy, you are supporting the protection of your rights… [you are

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali addressing supporters

system in which safety and security is not guaranteed,” he explained.

To this end, he promised to restore hope among those families.

“This party struggles every day to advance the cause of humanity,” Ali expressed.

“We owe it to those mothers, we owe it to every single woman of this country, to struggle, to fight and to restore for them, that hope, that dignity, that price to be able to protect their family,” he stated.

supporting] youth development, a safe and secure environment, development of the productive sectors, real growth, infrastructural development, a better education system, a stronger and more united Guyana in which investment will flow once again, jobs will be restored and most importantly, there will be social justice for all,” Ali said.

Among the Party’s plans for Guyana is the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on key areas

such as electricity, water and healthcare, among other things.

Also on the Party’s agenda is the reversal and/or reduction of the over 200 tax measures imposed by the coalition administration— such as on building materials, on data, and exports.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had pointed out that Government should be encouraging more exports so that foreign currency can be earned and more jobs created locally, not trying to stifle exports.

Moreover, the Party intends to reverse the VAT on farming, mining and forestry equipment.

For the education sector, the PPP/C has promised to offer 20,000 on-

A section of the gathering at the fundraising event on Monday evening

line scholarships along with strategic initiatives to support the private education system.

Additionally, the Party plans to offer free university education within its five-year term

in office.

Jagdeo had reasoned that “We could’ve easily said free university from day one but we’re not APNU (A Partnership for National Unity – the majority party in the coa-

lition government). They promised free university, but they increased the University fees by 25 per cent. We’re not gonna do that, we’re making it clear within the five year’s we’re gonna do it”.

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana Police ramping up efforts to curb rising road fatalities are sufficient.

“We are aware that on occasions, especially in some developed countries, they may have certain penalties which can be used as a deterrent to cause persons to think differently about the

W

Police Commissioner Leslie James

ith the high instances of road death recorded in recent months, Police Commissioner Leslie James is of the belief that motorists and other road users need to change their attitude for there to be a reduction in minor, serious and fatal accidents.

Guyana’s road carnage has increased in recent time, with as many as 12 persons losing their lives within seven days. While the Police Force has a major role to play in keeping the roadways safe, the Top Cop said the attitude of motorists is a major factor.

“This is what I would like to say. We would like to see a change in the attitude of motorists and the way in which

they use our roads and they would have heard statements made by the Traffic Chief in that regard, speaking directly to persons who are using the road, who decide on occasion the way in which they would drive or the way in which they would use the road resulting in serious and fatalities…It’s almost as if they’re flouting the law,” he cautioned.

Since last Sunday, the Force employed a new operation to decrease these numbers and make the roads safer, especially during the holiday season. James said more human resources will be put aside for this, until there is a positive change.

“We are out there in numbers…We sat and

strategised after which we commenced an operation referred to as ‘Operation Safe Roads’…

We’ve been doing what we have to do. We’ll continue to do what we have to do. We have increased numbers now following this operation that commenced on Sunday and this will continue until we see a change in the attitude of those using the road,” James added.

Penalties

Families of victims have been calling for stiffer penalties against errant road users, saying that the consequences are too lenient, hence the continued recklessness on the roadways. But the Police Commissioner contended that Guyana’s Laws

way in which they would use roads while driving etc. The law as it is today and penalties and fines being given to persons who are found driving dangerously and even where persons are incarcerated following an ac-

cident caused by dangerous driving, I think it is sufficient at this time.”

Later, at another event on Tuesday, the Police Commissioner divulged that there was an increase in ‘sensational’ fatal accidents.

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Scenes from Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo's engagement with the Guyanese Diaspora in New York

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Police brothers under probe over beating, torturing of teen with hot water

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wo constables of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have been taken into custody for allegedly beating and burning a 17-year-old boy on Monday.

Police Commissioner Leslie James called an emergency press conference on Tuesday, where details of the matter were brought to light.

Based on reports, the incident occurred at about 11:30h. The teen was picked up in a private motorcar and taken to a residence at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. The house is occupied by the duo – who is said to be brothers and also sons of a senior police officer.

On December 12, the said house was broken into, and the teen was

allegedly listed as one of the perpetrators.

“Two members of the Guyana Police Force allegedly caused some in-

The injured teen is presently receiving medical attention

juries to a 17-year-old male…He was picked up by these two ranks, who were allegedly with other persons, and taken to

a dwelling in the Parfaite Harmonie area. I think the dwelling is their residence. The background to that is that their

dwelling was broken into sometime prior and it was felt that the young man was a suspect,” James shared.

Upon reaching the house, the two ranks – one of whom is stationed at the Tactical Services Unit and the other, at the Wales Police Station – proceeded to inflict injuries and even poured a hot liquid on the teenager. This substance is believed to be hot water.

“The allegation is that the ranks proceeded to inflict injuries on

him, that is, he was beaten and he was also burnt about his body by some liquid. I suspect it must’ve been water, hot water.”

The Top Cop said these allegations were made via a report by the young man’s relatives, and an investigation was later launched to determine what transpired.

Since then, both constables were taken into custody and the teen is said to be nursing his injuries at home.

“The investigation is being led by a very senior police officer…According to the Divisional Commander who reported to me, the young man reported to his sister who then took the information to her mother and they all went to the Parfaite Harmonie Police Station where a report was made,” he informed.

Just two days ago, it was announced that a police officer who was caught on video using his

handcuffs to beat a man while trying to arrest him at the Meadow Bank Wharf, Georgetown, earlier this month, was relieved of his duties which involve dealing with the public.

Commander of Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Sub-division A (Georgetown), Assistant Police Commissioner Edgar Thomas told Guyana Times International on Sunday that investigations into the matter were currently ongoing and is being spearheaded by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

However, in the interim, until the probe is concluded, the rank has been tasked with other duties which do not permit him to deal directly with the public.

According to Commander Thomas, once the OPR makes its recommendation after its investigation, he will abide by it. As such, that policeman’s career depends solely on the findings of the OPR. Police ranks are issued various items to execute their duties; for instance, a baton is used

to assist in subduing a suspect, the Commander noted, while a pair of handcuffs is used for another purpose.

However, according to the Commander, when a police officer uses one of his tools for a purpose than the one originally intended, this will lead to questions about whether or not the rank had stepped out of line or breached the rights of the suspect.

On December 5, a video went viral on social media (Facebook) with the police officer in question attempting to aid his colleague in arresting 32-year-old Quincy Little.

Little was accused of stealing a snapper from another vendor and the police visited him two hours after the simple larceny report was made requesting that he accompany them to the Ruimveldt Police Station.

(Rupa Seenaraine)

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Integrity Commission sends warning to defaulters

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he Integrity Commission is committed to pursuing prosecution against officials in public offices – a significant portion of whom are still delinquent in declaring their assets to the Commission. This is according to Chairman of the Commission, Kumar Duraisami, who told Guyana Times International on Wednesday that the Commission is “definitely going ahead” with the prosecution of defaulters but noted that they first want to send reminders before doing so.

He could not say how many defaulters there currently are, explaining that this number keeps changing every day whenever these officials make submissions.

However, Duraisami noted that when the Commission meets in January 2020 for its first statutory meeting, a final list of delinquents will be determined before moving ahead.

A few months ago, Duraisami had disclosed that despite a twomonth extension to the June 30 deadline, less than half of the declaration forms that were sent out were filled out

Integrity Commission Chairman Kumar Duraisami along with Commissioner Rosemary Benjamin-Noble (left) and Commission Secretary Amanda Jaisingh

and returned. He noted that some 1137 forms were distributed but only 396 were received after the August 31 extended deadline.

Among the defaulters are a majority of the Members of Parliament from both the Government and Opposition. Back in May, the Commission

had flagged some 716 public officials for failing to make their declarations including President David Granger and some members of his Cabinet.

Over the past months, the Commission has complained that inadequate financial resources have hampered its ability to carry out

its mandate effectively, especially with regards to publishing the names of defaulters.

Guyana Times International reached out to the Commission a while ago and offered to publish the list of delinquent officials free of cost. This newspaper was told officially to write the Commission

on the offer.

However, the Chairman told this publication that the Commission will have to meet to discuss this matter and as such, he cannot make any commitments.

According to the Integrity Commission Act, all public officers in high office are required

Berbice man sentenced Guyana’s road...

to death for killing US-based Guyanese

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Sentenced to death: Imran Ramsaywack

29-year-old East Canje, Berbice was on Wednesday sentenced to death for the murder of 45-year-old Samantha Benjamin, a US-based Guyanese.

Justice Sandil Kissoon handed down the sentence after Imran Ramsaywack, also called “Coolie Boy” and “Kevin Jones”, was found guilty by a 12-member jury.

Ramsaywack denied

Murdered: Samantha Benjamin

the murder charge which stated that between March 25 and March 26, 2015, he murdered Benjamin at Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The prosecution’s case contended that the now-convicted man murdered Benjamin at her Middle Walk, Buxton home and dismembered her body. The dead woman’s body was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean

along the Annandale foreshore, ECD, where it was found that her head, arms and legs were missing. Benjamin’s body parts were later pulled from the water after a search conducted by the Police.

The State was represented by Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore, while Ramsaywack was represented by Attorney-atLaw Ravindra Mohabir.

Residents of the community said that the driver and a porter were the only persons in the lorry. The porter received minor injuries.

Chandilall had been operating the bus for the past month.

According to his sister, Nadira, they were informed about the accident via telephone.

M e a n w h i l e , Vaughn— a second-year medical student at the University of Guyana – was expecting to deliver her third child soon. She had left home to make her final check-up at the health centre.

According to her husband Thaugius Khnai, he and Vaughn were both working on their dreams when tragedy struck.

“She was going on the final check for her pregnancy because she had reached the ninth month’ threshold. She told me she was going to go to the hospital and then she would be heading to the health centre,” the grieving husband said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Anaesthesiologist Keon Sealey, who was attached to the Mahaicony Hospital and father of one, had been working in the medical field for the past five years and leaves to mourn his par-

to file declarations of their assets as well as those held by their spouses and children. The law states that any public officer who fails to comply with the Commission is liable upon summary conviction, to a fine of G$25,000 and imprisonment for a period of no less than six months or more than one year.

from page 5

ents and five siblings.

His mother, Wallie, said she was in the same minibus moments before the accident. According to the grieving mother, it was when she stepped off of the bus that her son started his final Journey.

“I came off at a junction there and he joined the bus where he’s living down the road. I received a phone call and I was told my son is in an accident. And then somebody past and told me that he died”.

She explained that it was another passenger who was aboard the bus but departed before the accident who provided the information. She and Ewart Reynolds were former classmates.

Reynolds, a debt collector for Courts Guyana, was on duty and had boarded the bus taking cash and several documents from his workplace with him.

Reynolds was expected to start working at the Mahaica outlet of the company in January. On Wednesday, he had arranged to remove his belongings from his home at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, to take to his family’s home at Calcutta.

According to his wife, Barlima, she saw scenes

of the accident on social media but was unaware that her husband was one of the victims.

“I was waiting on a call from him. He said he was going to call when he was finished working, so that myself and son can go and meet him at Plaisance to get the stuff up here. I was waiting, it was after 12:00 and he did not call and shortly after that I hear about an accident. My son had a friend just by the fence and he brought the phone and show me and I recognise that it look like Ewart,” she said.

Over the past months, there have been numerous fatal accidents. Only on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police, Leslie James said that he believes that motorists and other road users need to change their attitude for there to be a reduction in minor, serious and fatal accidents.

Guyana’s road carnage has increased in recent time, with as many as 12 persons losing their lives within seven days.

While the Police Force has a major role to play in keeping the roadways safe, the Top Cop said the attitude of motorists is a major factor.

(Andrew Carmichael)

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

GECOM to verify ‘new registrants’

T

he Guyana E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM) has decided to embark on a field exercise to verify the over 20,000 names listed as new registrants who were captured during the now-scrapped House-to-House (H2H) Registration process.

This was made known after Tuesday’s meeting at the Commission’s headquarters.

The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has always contended that the H2H exercise, which ran from July 20 to August 31, 2019, was largely unsupervised and would produce flawed results.

Indeed, the party subsequently found that many of the persons listed as new registrants are either dead or were previously registered.

In an interview with the media after the meeting, Oppositionnominated GECOM Commissioner Robeson Benn revealed that based on information from the Secretariat, as many as 16,369 persons on the list could not be verified. He also said that over 4000 persons on the Preliminary List of Electors were found to be duplicates.

“We’ve just had a decision where there will be a verification exercise

by GECOM and stakeholders in respect of 20,556 names of persons

Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander

who have been suggested to be placed on the list of electors for elections.

The latest data we have from the Secretariat is that of 20,389 persons, 16,369 were not found.”

“4020 were duplicates on the Preliminary List of Electors, an astonishing amount of persons in spite of all the work which has been done in respect to Houseto-House Registration which we pointed out [had] serious pitfalls in getting any certainty, any comfort in respect of the electorate and for stakeholders to the process,” he also explained.

Benn reminded that they have been pushing for this decision to do field verification for some time, in the wake of the discrepancies that have been turning up.

He recalled that there have been bad and inaccurate fingerprints

from overseas and even a case where the former Chancellor, Cecil Kennard, appeared as a new registrant.

“We have five days in which to do this exercise, which is supposed to be verified in the field, advertised for the public, persons would have to be employed to get this done and the stakeholders have the opportunity to be involved,” he said, adding that they are likely to start today owing to the timeframe.

“We on our side pointed out that it was strange that GECOM’s Secretariat and persons on the other side were baulking [resistant] to having this work done, which we feel was very important to give the type of comfort and the sense of transparency and integrity for the upcoming elections.”

Benn, therefore, ex-

pressed the hope that the GECOM staffers conducting the exercise will do so in a diligent manner, “to satisfy all those concerned interested in free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.”

Unnecessary M e a n w h i l e , Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander explained that when the vote was taken, he and his Government-nominated colleagues (Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman) opposed field verification. He defended their refusal to support the exercise.

According to Alexander, the issue at hand is the duplicates.

He claimed that a field verification would do little to deal with this and was unnecessary. In fact, Alexander claimed that all GECOM had to do was sit back and let the process work, rather than embarking on field exercises to clear up the discrepancies in the potential list of voters.

“There was no need for anything else to be done, as far as I am concerned. We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve done an internal, side by side comparison of the information. We’ve therefore, been able, using all of the data in our system, to determine what we think the duplicates are. GECOM has a process in terms of

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

how we deal with duplicates.”

“Field exercises have nothing to do with duplicates. There’s an investigative process, followed by a hearing. And where there’s a duplicate and we don’t find anyone committing fraud, the more recent information supersedes the previous one.”

It is understood that the exercise will conclude on Sunday. And according to Alexander, whatever may happen during the verification, there is an agreement that it would not affect the election timeline.

Some 370,000 registrations obtained during the scrapped H2H exercise were sent overseas to be cross-matched with the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRD) in order to filter out the duplicates.

However, it was re-

PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali continued his engagements with residents of indigenous communities earlier this week. In photo: Mr Ali greets residents of Barabina in Region One

cently reported that international digital security company, Gemalto, indicated that some 37,300 were new registrants who are eligible for voting, that is, they are above the age of 18.

But an internal check conducted by GECOM showed that approximately 17,000 of those “new registrants” were already on the voters’ list and some even voted in the past.

The remaining 20,000 “new names” were up for further verification.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Government-nominated Commissioners were pushing to have a sample survey done from a sample size of 10 per cent from the 20,000 to verify these new names before they go on the voters’ list – a process which the PPP Opposition had objected to

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WEEK ENDING December 22, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Minibus driver, conductor in Linden youth awaits viral video face several charges sentencing after being found

guilty of 2 rape counts

A

The minibus driver and conductor during their gyrations

minibus driver and conductor who were caught on video endangering the lives of their passengers on November 15, 2019 were slapped with several charges and appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

Jermaine Waldron, 27, the conductor, of Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Trevin Bobb-Semple, 28, the driver, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

Bobb-Semple denied the charges of operating a tinted motor vehicle; untidiness; failure to control said motor vehicle; breaching the condition of his road service licence; and dangerous driving. He was placed on

G$100,000 bail and his driver’s licence was suspended until the determination of the cases. The cases will continue on March 19, 2020.

On the other hand, Waldron pleaded guilty to inappropriate conduct; failure to ensure passengers’ safety and untidiness. He was fined G$40,000 for the offences.

According to Police, after the video went viral, an investigation was conducted which led to the arrest of the two men. The incident occurred on November 15, 2019, at the Strathspey Embankment, ECD while several passengers were in minibus BYY 1309.

The video, which was posted on social media,

showed the minibus conductor opening the door of a moving vehicle and dancing while placing his body outside, gripping only the outer part of the doorway. In the process of this unflattering behaviour, passengers were cheering him on.

The driver of the minibus was later seen opening his door and putting both his legs outside of the moving vehicle while holding on to the steering wheel.

Just recently, the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported that from January 1 to April 2019, there was a 20.8 per cent increase in fatal accidents and an almost 20 per cent increase in road deaths related to accidents.

T

Convicted rapist Keon Lawson being escorted by Police

wenty-five-yearold Keon Lawson of Wismar, Linden was found guilty on two counts of rape by a 12-member jury before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall at the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court.

As such, he is expected to return to court on January 6, 2020, for sentencing.

The first charge read that between November 1 and 30, 2014, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activ-

ity with a six-year-old girl.

The second read that on October 6, 2017, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with the said victim, who was nine years old at the time.

According to reports, on the first occasion, the now-convicted man went over to the child’s home.

He then proceeded to hold the child, cover her mouth and committed the act.

On the second occasion, the young girl vis-

ited Lawson’s home to uplift something for her mother; however, upon arrival at his premises, he prevented her from leaving and proceeded to rape her.

The child later confided what happened to her teacher who later informed the parents and Police.

Prosecutors Teriq Mohamed and Nafeeza Baig presented the State’s case, while Attorney-at-Law George Thomas represented Lawson.

24 news

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

American Airlines begins daily NY to Georgetown flights

American Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world, has begun daily non-stop flights from New York to Georgetown, Guyana. The first flight landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at 03:hrs on Thursday from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. In this DPI photo, passengers are seen waiting to clear immigration at the CJIA

IMF official says Barbados economy on right track but still work to be done T he International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Mission Chief for Barbados, Bert van Selm says the Barbados government is doing a good job of getting the economy back on track, but there remains a lot of work to be done.

He gave that assessment while on the island recently for the IMF’s final mission for 2019.

“The economy, in my view, is performing very well…Over the last 18 months, the Government has made an excellent start and done very good work in turning around the economy. Today, the international reserves are at a much more comfortable level, more than US$600 million; that is from just over US$200 million from when this Government took office in May 2018, so that is major progress,” van Selm said.

“With regard to public debt, public debt has been put on a clear downward trajectory…. It was close to 160 per cent of GDP, now it is…coming down and the debt restructuring agreement with both domestic and ex-

ternal [creditors] has been extremely helpful in this regard, supported by measures to boost growth and fiscal consolidation, of course. These measures should help to keep Barbados’ debt on a clear downward trajectory, so things look much better than they did 18 months ago.”

The IMF Mission Chief stressed that it was important for the debt to remain on that downward trajectory with prudent fiscal management, so Government’s target of 60 per cent by 2033 could be realized.

However, he added that it was important now for growth to be taken to a higher level with a number of measures, including improving the business climate and strengthening state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

He opined that in the area of doing business, Government was off to a very strong start and highlighted the new town and country planning legislation as an important step.

“This should help a lot in making it easier to get permits for

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Mission Chief for Barbados, Bert van Selm

new construction. But I think at the same time the Government of Barbados, and this is a view that we share, believes that there is a lot that can be done to further strengthen the business climate to make it easy to start a business; to improve Customs services, which is very important for a small open economy like Barbados,” van Selm stated.

He said the IMF would be lending assistance by sending a Customs expert to work with government. This move, he said, indicates the importance of improving the business climate in Barbados.

“But, there are many things that can be done also in terms of digitizing government services…So, there is an opportunity to make it

much easier to do business in Barbados and that should also lead to higher growth rates,” he added.

The IMF official noted that further reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) was key.

“SOEs play a very important role in the economy of Barbados, from health services to water supply to sanitation services to education. In many of these areas, the Government of Barbados and we ourselves also see further room for strengthening the operations of the SOEs to make them more customer oriented and more efficient, so a lot of work remains to be done in that area.

“We are looking forward to supporting the Government of Barbados in efforts to reform these areas over the remaining years of the fund-supported programme,” he stated.

Barbados has so far met all of the fiscal targets under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) Programme. The primary surplus target had been met with a wide margin, and the target

for social spending under the programme had also been achieved.

The Executive Board of the IMF approved the staff-level agreement on an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) on October 1, 2018, which has given Barbados access to about US$290 million, over four years.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Barbados had passed its latest IMF review and now has access to almost BDS$100 million (US$48 million) from that Washington-based financial institution.

The IMF team visits Barbados four times yearly – two staff visits and two review missions. During the staff visits, which are shorter, the IMF officials have discussions with government and the Central Bank on the economy’s performance, as well as meet with labour unions, private sector, banks and academia to ascertain their views on the economy, and suggest ways to improve it. In addition, every quarter, the IMF meets with the BERT Monitoring Committee.

(Caribbean360.com)

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FEATURE 29

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

By Lakhram Bhagirat

C

hristmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and it is a time we use to reflect on the year we have had, along with focusing on family and giving to charity. It is a season that brings together people across boundaries as they all part take in the festivities. It is also a time where children are at their happiest and filled with anticipation as they wait to see what presents they find under the tree on Christmas morning.

Every part of the world has their unique spin on Christmas and how they celebrate the season.

But the common factor is that the season focuses on family and charity. In Guyana, you know Christmas is around the corner when you hear the boom-boom boxes blasting “A rich man for Christmas” and grapes and apples being sold at giveaway prices.

Y o u know it is Christmas when the pavements, particularly along Regent S t r e e t , Georgetown, are lined with new appliances as well as roadside vendors galore.

The Christmas season is the busiest season for businesses, research has proved.

Every country has their own Christmas tradition, but I say, without bias, a truly Guyanese is the best Christmas. Nowhere else in the world will you wake up on a Christmas morning to the intense aroma of the pepperpot reheating on the stove, with freshly baked bread to accompany the succulent meaty dish, and don’t forget the ginger beer. That tall glass of beige goodness with ice cubes floating brings together the entire dish.

In Guyana, Christmas is our version of Thanksgiving since it is food centred. Some people start their Christmas cooking weeks before December 25.

However, the traditional Guyanese Christmas does not start without the remodelling of the house and extravagant spending.

“We are breaking away more from the traditional Christmas, be-

lives. cause I remember as a little girl what it was like. We had very little, but we always made it the best. We used to make Christmas trees by going in the back and cutting one of the bush and decorate it with paper

decorations. It was a time where friends came together and the KoolAid was enough for many of us,” Patricia Ramdass remembers.

She tells me that they would anticipate Christmas because it was the time when they would don their best pieces of clothing and eat lavishly.

It was a time where they would dance past their bedtime and be merry with their friends. For her, that is what Christmas really is. It is a time for friends and family to come together and have the best time of their

Speaking to the more traditional aspects of Christmas, Susanna King tells me Christmas is a time to go to church and commit to being a better person. The 69-year-old said that now people were more focused on decorating their house s and overspending, adding that takes away from the true meaning of Christmas.

“In Guyana, Christmas means that you get to eat pepperpot and bread, and garlic pork. It is when we get a

black c a k e and nice time. But it is a time where we have to remember the true meaning of the holiday and go to church and pray. We have to pray that God takes care of our sins and guides us to the path of success. We have to embrace family and charity. We need that and that is what the traditional Guyanese Christmas is,” she said.

So however you celebrate Christmas, make time out for your family and ensure that you give something to charity.

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Oily…

A

…deal by PNC whole lotta eyebrows were raised when Granger sole-sourced Dr Mark Bynoe to head the Energy Department. Granger’s energy advisor complained that the post was supposed to be advertised. The man was an “Environment and Resource Economist” and had been in charge of Caricom’s Climate Change Centre!! It’s as if there weren’t other options – you had the eminently qualified Dr Vincent Adams with 3 decades’ experience with the US Department of Energy!! Ah…but he was from the AFC! He was fobbed off to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)!!

Bynoe, on the other hand, had been a protege of the Grangers – brought in by Mrs Granger who’d spent decades at Caricom. Granger needed someone who would do his bidding on the biggest thing to hit Guyana — oil — and so he declared Bynoe “fit and proper”! As to why, he didn’t say!! Bynoe himself used a sole-sourcing method to hire a consultant to produce the final Local Content Policy Draft – which was widely panned. But he also held a series of oil briefings for schoolchildren and members of various Christian denominations! It would appear that (with good reason!!) he was quite diffident on briefing individuals and groups, who could ask uncomfortable questions.

Anyhow, he’s back in the news. After announcing that Exxon would be taking the first three lifts of oil – 3 million barrels – to their refineries on the US Gulf Coast, it was revealed by the US news agency Bloomburg that Guyana had contacted oil traders to come to Guyana to negotiate spot contracts for the first oil that Guyana was going to receive, as its “in kind” bonus and “profit oil” share!! Now, there’s nothing wrong about selling our oil on the “spot market – where the oil is loaded into tankers and sold to traders.

One briefing paper calls this method “the quick and dirty way, where buyers and sellers of individual cargoes find each other and transact a deal, creating the spot market where prices for specific grades of crude are “discovered.” This is contrasted with “term sales”, which is when “A national oil company negotiates a contract with a buyer for a longer period, typically a year, and the agreement stipulates how the price will be determined against a specified spot benchmark.” In the world, term contracts are three times spot sales.

Bynoe gave some cock-and-bull about assaying “quality” as the reason for the spot sales – when there are professional billion-dollar companies like S&P Global Platts and Argus that do this routinely. The concern is Bynoe’s demand that traders come PERSONALLY to Guyana. This is unheard of, since these matters are handled electronically.

But, then, the traders won’t be able to see the “wink”!! …evidence This coming Saturday is the anniversary of Charrandass Persaud’s “Yes! Yes! Yes!” to the Opposition’s No Confidence Motion. It threw the PNC coalition into a tailspin, from which they’ll never recover! Never mind their Sherman-like scorched earth manoeuvres; that simply delayed their day of Judgement!! At the time, with all eyes on him to explain Persaud’s action, Ramjattan attempted a Shaggy: “Wasn’t me!!”

He revealed that his fellow VP, Allicock, had given him a screenshot of Persaud enquiring to purchase gold from a miner. With great fanfare, Ramjattan passed this on to the Police as “evidence” that Persaud was guilty!! Now we know why he’s a CRIMINAL lawyer!!

It’s criminal!! Over the weekend, Ramjattan still insisted that evidence of bribery exists. Why? “Persaud has spoken to people”! But why wasn’t PNC Exec Aubrey Norton hauled in by the Police for questioning?? Hadn’t he insisted he had evidence that Jagdeo “colluded with forces in Trinidad and mobilised resources to bribe a sitting member of Parliament (Persaud)?

And whatever happened to the gold lead?? …integrity The Integrity Commission had explained that they couldn’t publish the names of the defaulters who hadn’t filed their assets, because they didn’t have funds. Shown that funds had actually INCREASED, they explained that funds were spent “elsewhere” – like on salaries!!

Who watches the watchmen??

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“W

hen I give someone a card, it is not just a card. It is art. It is unique in such a way that it becomes part of your home.

It becomes something that you can put in your home. You can put it on your mantle or you can make it an ornament. My cards are not just something you read and then put away, I make them in such a way that they should be displayed,” says Natasha Profeiro.

Natasha has been making handcrafted greeting cards for a number of years now and has cemented herself as one of the go-to creators in Guyana. If you have had the chance to receive a card made by Natasha, then you know that it ups the card game.

Born in Venezuela of Guyanese heritage, Natasha moved to the NorthWest District in Region One (BarimaWaini) when she was nine. Her grandfather had just passed away and her father had to return to Guyana to take over the family business.

Not knowing one word of English, Natasha’s life was changed when she came to Guyana. She had to overcome the language barrier, but she persisted. At the age of 13, she moved from the North-West District to Georgetown, but because of her difficulty understanding the English language, Natasha did not really pursue schooling.

A few years after moving to the city, she began babysitting and it was then she decided that she needed to be more serious about her education. She sent herself back to school and later

began a career as a Spanish teacher at School of the Nations in Berbice.

“Teaching was never something I really wanted to do. I tried many things and it just never fitted. I lost interest very quickly and one day I woke up and came with the idea of making handmade greeting cards. The first thing I did was to buy some cardboard and I used to cut them with a knife on a glass table and I made some cards. My friends and family bought,” she said.

After she made the first set of cards, Natasha was encouraged to pursue her newest venture so she made the necessary investments and began her journey. She bought a machine to help her cut and shape cardstock she would use to create her masterpieces.

Her work began to speak for itself and from there, it started to spiral to greater heights.

“I love Christmas, so at first, I started with just Christmas cards, but then I started to make wedding invitations and all kinds of cards. Everything I made handmade after that. Anything you think I can do, I do. I have always been a crafty person and as a kid, I would always make cards with paper.

“Christmas is the only holiday I prepare for and when I started making cards, I didn’t focus on birthdays and anniversaries so I later branched off into those areas.”

So, if you are looking for a special kind of card for any occasion, particularly for the holiday season, be sure to ensure that it is from Natasha. She does not disappoint.

feature 33

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planned. She started her business – Kraftify.

Kraftify started as of a projhad to while

own w a s a result ect she complete a Medical Technology student at University Guyana.

“A friend and I were in a group project at the university, and she and I made a large collage with different types of materials and some paper. We decided to put more paper work into it and we did some research and we came up with origami and quilling, and we put some of those in the project. I started to do background on paper craft, and she and I decided to come together

t h e o f

and we started a craft business. We started to make some giant paper flowers, wall pieces, paper jewellery and different sort of paper craft. “ F r o m there we

A

lta Das has the to create mases from somesimple as paper. She simple piece of paper thing that is unique, simply has the knack Her creativity knows she is not afraid to

ability terpiecthing as can turn a into somebecause she for creating. no bounds and share h e r masterpieces with the world.

Alta has always been a creative person and that was nurtured by her mother, who is a teacher. While growing up, she would observe her mother making creative teaching aids for her classroom and young Alta would be so intrigued.

In her household, creativity was encouraged and she blossomed from there.

A few years ago, she embarked on what can be considered a life-changing venture.

One that she had not

tried lots of techniques before start-

w e ed and eventually we decided to branch off. We went to various exhibitions and we grew. While she and I no longer work together, I still continued to do the business. It was tough because I had to start from scratch. I invested a lot of money.”

For Alta, one

of the major challengwas sourcing the right materials and equipment to support venture.

Now she is able to make a wide variety of pieces on her clients’ requests. She wall pieces, jewellery, cards and host of other items. So, for this holiday personalise your gifts with something from

e s h e r based makes a whole season Kraftify.

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

I

FEATURE 35

n Guyana, the wildlife is literally at your doorstep in most parts of the country. The country takes its moniker of ‘Land of the Giants’ seriously and offers you the rare privilege to share the space with a staggering number of birds (900+ species), mammals (225+ species), fish (1000+ species) and amphibians (814+species). Extraordinary surprises and superlatives lie around every bend – largest rodent (capybara) and largest scaled freshwater fish (arapaima) are just two of them.

The tropical rainforest canopies and massive savannahs offer the chance to see jaguars, giant anteaters, giant river otters, stealthy caimans and unusual animals like tapirs, labbas, agoutis, armadillos and saki, spider and howler monkeys. Tracking the animals is one of the most exhilarating experiences as you walk along nature trails or silently glide down rivers on canoes, eyes glued to the thick foliage. Amongst the many natural treasures of Guyana, wildlife takes top spot. (Guyana Tourism Authority)

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Guyana's First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, on Thursday, visited the Good Hope/ Lusignan Learning Centre on the East Coast of Demerara, where they distributed toys to over 400 children The gift distribution is a yearly tradition for the First Lady and Minister Ally. (DPI photo)

Traffic Chief recommends bus parks be removed from Stabroek Market area A

ll minibus parks which are located in the centre of the capital city may soon be relocated to the Railway Embankment near Lamaha Street, east of Camp Street, Georgetown, if Government gives the ‘green light’ to this recommendation made by the Guyana Police Force’s Traffic Chief, Linden Isles.

Isles, during a radio programme with the media on Friday, stated that his recommendation is contained in a paper that was already dispatched to the Ministry of the Presidency about traffic-related matters in the country.

He explained that should the Administration concede to such a move, the the Stabroek Market area, which currently caters for hundreds of minibuses plying various routes, would now become a central drop-off point for buses.

When those minibuses offload their pas-

sengers, their drivers will be required to go the Lamaha Railway Embankment bus terminal.

“The amount of buses that is registered in each of the parks is far more than the pace and the capacity than the

park could hold so we will always have overcrowding at all the bus parks…I personally have done a paper and it was

sent to the Office of the President, recommending that all the bus parks be removed from Central Georgetown,” Isles said.

According to the Traffic Chief, if the minibus parks no longer exist around the Stabroek Market Square, there will be a reduction of crimes that are usually reported in that area.

Also, it would ensure that persons who visit the market to shop or conduct other forms of businesses would be in a more comfortable public atmosphere to do so.

“It’s a choke-point.

Everything is just crammed into that area and we find we have robbery; we have this because persons are liming there, persons are there waiting so if that is removed from there, people will get to go and do their business and move around and go,” he had said.

Under the proposed arrangement, passengers who are waiting at Stabroek Market area would be taken to the Lamaha Street Railway Embankment Bus Terminal by buses that are dropping off passengers there.

NEWS 37

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

British firm paid US$300,000 to audit US$460M Exxon pre-contract costs H aving finally secured someone to audit ExxonMobil’s cost oil claims, Energy Department Director Dr Mark Bynoe has announced that the company, IHS Markit, has already begun its work.

Bynoe made the announcement during a press conference at the Department of Energy’s new office in Brickdam, Georgetown on Monday.

He explained that the contract, to the tune of over US$300,000, will be for a four-month duration.

“The contract for the firm to complete the cost recovery audit, the historical cost, was signed.

The contract was awarded to IHS Markit and the company has commenced its work with an in-country visit from December 9 to 11, 2019.”

Bynoe further explained that in addition to his Department, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will also be collaborating with IHS Markit on the project.

“The Department of Energy and the GGMC will be working along closely with the GRA, on this project. Additionally, the Department of Energy has secured external legal expertise to assist the audit process,” Bynoe said.

“It runs for four months; the full team will be on the ground early January. They have already presented to us their work plan.

IHS Markit is the product of a 2016 merger between two companies, United States (US) based IHS and Londonbased Markit. Its data and information services business caters to industries such as automotive, energy, financial services, defence and maritime.

The company is no stranger to Guyana’s oil sector, having published a number of write-ups and analyses on Guyana’s efforts to develop its capacity.

This includes ‘Guyana’s deepwater areas will remain competitive, despite changes to fiscal terms (IHS Markit, 2018)’ and ‘How activity in the Guyana mini basin is booming with five exciting discoveries

since 2015 (IHS Markit, 2017)’.

Earlier this year, GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia had announced that five audit firms had been shortlisted from a pool of 14 applicants vying to conduct audits into the over US$400 million in cost oil claims submitted by oil giant Exxon Mobil to the Government.

He had referenced the World Bank US$35 million Development Policy Credit to Guyana, noting that money from this will enable the Government to procure the services of the accounting firm to do the cost oil analysis. Statia also revealed that Exxon was co-operating with the Authority.

According to Annex C of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Guyana signed with Exxon, pre-contract cost “shall include four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and thirty-seven hundred thousand and nine hundred and eighteen United States Dollars (US$460,237,918) in respect of all such costs incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015.”

So far, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL, Exxon’s local subsidiary) has made 14 oil finds in the Stabroek Block over 100 miles offshore Guyana, including four for this year.

Last year, the company made five discoveries. These discoveries have pushed the total estimated recoverable barrels of oil equivalent to over six billion.

In addition, Exxon is moving ahead with its Liza Phase Two project, which will contain approximately 30 wells.

ExxonMobil has es-

timated the recoverable resource in the block to be 5 billion oil-equivalent barrels. At US$50 a barrel, that equates

to well over US$200 billion. In addition, an independent assessment, or competent people’s report, had found that

2.9 billion barrels of oil existed in the Orinduik Block.

Exxon is expected to use revenue from its

production in order to recoup its capital investment.

Whatever remains of this is the “profit oil” Guyana will have to split with the oil company and its associates.

The Liza Destiny, Guyana’s first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, arrived in Guyana’s waters at the end of August. The vessel will play a key role in oil production, which was originally scheduled to begin in the first quarter of next year but has been moved up to this month.

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Elections…

B

…biases ecause of the explosion of “open space” offices, technology companies now make glorified “horse blinders” to only allow approved info to be processed by office workers. But long before that, folks in modern societies had “ideological blinders” that literally made them see only what their ideology allowed them to see. Others – bereft of those blinders – were literally spouting nonsense!!

And this brings your Eyewitness to the wailing Jeremiahs raising their hands to the heavens – waiting for it to fall – because Boris Johnson’s “posh” Tories captured all those “labour” constituencies!! They’re echoing the reaction to Trump’s victory in 2016 when he changed all those “blue” states to “red”!! The folks now experiencing apoplexy still have their ideological blinders in place – economism – which insists that only the cleavage of class matters when people vote.

The fact of the matter is – as your Eyewitness has been pointing out for the longest while – making economic status the alpha and omega of political decision-making was always flawed. It was simply a concession to Karl Marx’s vituperations in 19th century Europe. Marx ignored that “nationalism” as a ground of decision-making was only made moot in a Europe that had transmuted its “ethnic” question into “national” ones because of the forced formation of “homogenous” states.

Even the liberals that dominated subsequent western discourse in Europe and the US – supposedly in opposition to Marxist ideas – accepted the economistic premise. And they adopted a holier-than-thou attitude to the rest of the populace who insisted that they felt alienated culturally more than economically. The liberal snobs, however, dismissed them as “country bumkins”, “yahoos”, and (in England) “chavs”. What did they know??

Well, they now have leaders like Trump and Johnson who aren’t intimidated by the “redneck” labels – and have, instead, embraced them. As to whether they REALLY believe what they say is irrelevant. The “identity” chickens are coming home to roost – and they’re clucking something fierce!! Like most identities, this one needed an “other” – those who are not in the “fold”, and onto whom all the problems and contradictions in the present can be on loaded.

In England and the US, it’s the immigrants of all colours – who aren’t REALLY “British” or “American”.

And that’s why the “working class” in the rustbelt in Ohio and Pennsylvania and the manufacturing towns in Northern England have deserted the Dems for the Republicans and the Labour party for the Tories – all agreeing that their problems lie with them “furriners”!!

The Brits and Americans now appreciate what it is to be “ethnic groups” – but not the downside politically.

And Guyana?? Having dealt with the ethnic question since the sixties, we have the answer!!

Which is to accept (PPP’s) competence rather than (PNC’s) ethnicity to run the country. …and voters’ lists To paraphrase Henry II, your Eyewitness cries, “Will no one rid me on this turbulent voters’ list”?? How much can GECOM stretch out this process?? Just when one thought the matter had been finally put to rest with the unclaimed IDs being placed on a “supplementary list” and the H2H 20,000 unmatched names being verified with a joint field exercise, comes news that GECOM’s decided to have the verification done only by the PPP in the field. GECOM will “work in their offices”!!

Now, what kind of confounded nonsense is this??

Sounds like the Chair petulantly told the PPP: “You want 100% checking, YOU go out and check, then!!” But it’s not as simple as that, is it?? For instance, let’s say a PPP scrutineer goes to a home, isn’t chased out but asks for a birth certificate to confirm qualification, and is refused. Do they have to wait for “GECOM in their office”?

And will the PNC accept the PPP’s sole-checking?

Grounds for post-election protests!! …and Venezuelans Your Eyewitness read that the US is supplying funds for helping Venezuelan migrants. Now, this is being funnelled through the Government’s (mainly Felix’s) apparatus.

Who’s checking their voters’ registration bona fides?

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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Biker dies in Berbice smash-up A 28-year-old motorcyclist is now dead after he lost control of his motorcycle (CH 6868) while he was reportedly speeding and collided with another speeding motorcyclist in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Dead is Dean Grenville of Lot 60 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Meanwhile, the other motorcyclist who was badly injured in the accident has been identified as 36-year-old Rodrick Ageeday, also of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice. He was riding motorcycle CJ 6265 at the time of the accident.

Reports are that on Sunday at about 15:00h, both motorcyclists were proceeding south along the eastern drive lane at a fast rate when both riders lost control of their motorcycles. They collided into each other and as a result of the impact, both men received severe injuries about their bodies and were rushed to the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital by public-spirited citizens.

Ageeday was admitted with multiple frac-

Dead: Dean Grenville

tures while Grenville was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for emergency medical attention. The 28-year-old, at the time of the accident, suffered a fractured skull, fractures about his body, and was bleeding. However, on Monday at about 02:00h, he succumbed to his injuries.

Grenville’s mother, 53-year-old Barbara Lashley, when contacted by this publication on Monday, stated that since her son was a young boy he was always fond of bikes.

According to the distraught mother, Grenville only recently acquired the motorcycle.

Although she was too traumatised to speak about the details of her son’s death, she stated that he was known to be involved in daily races around the town of New Amsterdam.

Both motorcycles involved in the fatal accident have been lodged at the police station in Berbice. However, the police said that no documents have been produced for either motorcycle. An investigation is ongoing.

NEWS 43

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Interpersonal violence has now become a public security concern’ – Granger

E

xpressing concern over the prevalence of interpersonal violence in schools, homes and communities, President David Granger on Saturday declared the scourge a public security concern.

The President was at the time addressing attendees at the Guyana Conference of SeventhDay Adventists, which was held at the Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Church Street.

Saturday marked their centennial celebration and with the theme being the family, Granger noted that interpersonal violence was eroding family life.

“Thirty or 40 years ago, we regarded domes-

tic violence as a private matter. A man beating his wife or a wife beating her husband was regarded as a family affair. And school fights were dismissed with the old cliché, boys will be boys. Some of the mothers beating the teachers.

Things have changed.

Interpersonal violence has now become a public security concern”.

“It is one of the most vicious crimes in the country. It happens at wedding parties, in the hinterland, mining camps. We seem to have people who cannot resolve their differences in discussion. Some of them grew up in villages (where) they went home to see daddy beating mommy. They go to

‘Lola Doll’ found guilty of assaulting model

G

uyanese makeup artist Lolita Callender, popularly known as “Lola Doll”, was on Tuesday found guilty of assaulting her former friend during a fight.

When the matter was called in the courtroom of Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, who was conducting the trial, she stated that sufficient evidence was found against the make-up artist.

Callender, after hearing the verdict, apologised for her actions but the victim was not present in court.

The Magistrate instructed the defendant to apologise to the victim on the next court appearance which is slated for January 17, 2020, for sentencing.

The Magistrate deferred sentencing as she wanted to benefit from a probation report on Callendar’s character.

Callendar, 28, of Lot 231 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown, had pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on April 6, 2018, at Leopold Street, Georgetown, she caused grievous bodily harm to Onika Pompey.

She is presently out

on bail and will return to court on January 17, 2020, for sentencing.

It was reported that on the day in question, Callendar and Pompey had a misunderstanding which led to a scuffle that resulted in Pompey receiving lacerations about her body including several bites.

Callendar was recently released from prison after being sentenced to six months behind bars in the British Virgin Islands for falsifying her HIV test in June 2019.

According to information received, in April last, the woman had a male take an HIV test under the name “Lolita Callendar”.

When the individual went to collect the results, he was in the company of the actual Lolita Callendar. At this point, the duo, upon collecting the results, informed the staff that they needed the “Male” to be replaced with “Female.”

This caused the staffers at the medical institute to call in the police and Callendar was arrested, charged and found guilty of the offence.

President David Granger

school, teachers beating children. So they believe if they have a problem, they have to beat somebody”.

Granger also re-

ferred to child sexual abuse and incest as a form of violence against children. He also lamented Guyana’s relatively high rates of fem-

icide and suicide, citing reports such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Domestic violence has resulted in discord, in division, and sometimes in death within families. Domestic violence involving intimate partners and spouses increased by 14 per cent, between 2011 and 2017. Females accounted for more than 80 per cent of all domestic violence victims”.

“Then we have femicide, the killing of a woman or girl and Guyana has one of the highest rates of femicide in the Caribbean, according to the ECLAC study. And suicide is a social ill, a form of violence, self-inflicted. And this has had a deleterious effect on families”.

The event that Granger attended saw a number of religious leaders within the

church also addressing the issue of family life.

The President was also presented with various literature on the topic, while a plaque was unveiled commemorating the centennial.

Interpersonal violence has taken on a national prominence of recent because of high profile cases that have made their way into the public discussion through social media. In one case, a male Richard Ishmael student was caught on video brutally assaulting a female student.

In another case, a teacher was violently assaulted, allegedly by the parent of one of her students, in retaliation for the purported abuse of the child while in school. It subsequently emerged that that parent was fingered in the beating of another woman at her husband’s workplace.

44 news

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Marcus Bisram murder trial…

Magistrate recuses himself from case

M

agistrate Alex Moore has recused himself from the Marcus Bisram murder trial. Moore. while presiding at the Springlands Magistrate Court on Monday morning said he was instructed by the Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette CummingsEdwards to recuse himself.

When the case was called, special prosecutor Stacy Giddens told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had written to the Magistrate to have him recused.

Magistrate Moore said a copy of the request by the DPP was forwarded by the Chancellor to him and he was asked to respond, which he has since done but he is also

in receipt of a copy of a petition which expressed similar sentiments of his continued involvement in the Marcus Bisram murder trial. Moore said as a result of that it was directed by the Chancellor for him to recuse himself from the matter – which he did on Monday.

Head of the defence team, Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin revealed to the court that the DPP did not inform the defence that there was a request to have the Magistrate recused.

Meanwhile, the Magistrate pointed out that the prosecution has refused to act in accordance with the directives of the court to make a disclosure until the Chancellor’s decision has been made.

Datadin called on the

Marcus Bisram being escorted to court

prosecutor to make a disclosure of the statements they have in their possession.

He requested that

the order of disclosure be complied with while noting that it will have to be done at some stage.

Bisram is accused

of ordering the death of 26-year-old carpenter, Faiyaz Narinedatt, some three years ago.

Bisram was initially charged in absentia, while five others: Orlando Dickie, Radesh Motie, Diodath Datt, Harri Paul Parsram, and Niran Yacoob have also been committed to stand trial for the murder of Faiyaz Narinedatt.

At Monday’s hearing, Datadin noted that several Magistrates were removed from the case during the trial of the five accused.

“All my client wants is a Magistrate that will hear his matter. We have adjourned this matter because the other Magistrate who works in this district is not available. How could that be reasonable? How can that be fair? We will now have this matter adjourned for a long time

for another Magistrate who is currently on leave comfortably in their home while Mr Bisram has to wait.”

He told reporters that the defence was never informed about the complaint against the Magistrate.

The matter has now been transferred to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, to be reassigned. That hearing will be held on January 13, 2020.

Meanwhile, Datadin pointed out to the media the fact that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) made a ruling on the matter saying that the prosecution is to be ready expeditiously. He questioned the actions of the prosecution in relation to the ruling by the CCJ.

Sergeant Clive Clarke awarded Best Cop for A Division

Sergeant Clive Clarke, Best Cop for A Division

O

ver 50 Police officers from the Guyana Police Force’s A Division were on Tuesday recognised for their outstanding performance.

Sergeant Clive Clarke, who is attached at the Brickdam Police Station, was awarded Best Cop for A Division.

Speaking at the event, which was hosted at the Brickdam Police Station on Tuesday, Police Commissioner Leslie James reflected on the various challenges Police ranks face on a daily basis in the execution of their duties.

“I urge that you all remain steadfast and resolute in doing this work,” the Commissioner told the ranks, adding that when becoming a cop, officers have signed on and swore to provide worldclass protection for all citizens and to remain steadfast and resolute as they execute their mandates.

“This job must be dealt without fear, without affection, without malice, without ill will. You have the entire Force behind you and you must understand that. I am remind-

ing you that the Guyana Police Force has a support mechanism, there is no need for you to extort [unassertiveness] while you execute your duties.

It can be confusing when our citizens experience [unassertiveness] while you are executing your duties, so I urge while you engage the public you do so with much assertiveness,” James emphasised.

In addition, several officers were given on the spot promotion. The subordinate officer at the Stabroek Police Outpost, Corporal Hicks, was promoted to Sergeant. Woman Lance Corporal Rodney, who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Alberttown Police Station, was promoted to Corporal. Also promoted to Corporal are Lance Corporals Richard Trotz and Keyon Ward.

Among the officers promoted to Lance Corporal were Woman Constables Erna Delicia and Tamesha Adams.

Additionally, 43 other ranks received gifts for their outstanding performance.

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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Convict in wedding “Bruckup” awaits sentencing house killing appeals for 2017 nightclub murder conviction, sentence S

A

Manslaughter convict: Rajen Dindial

fter being convicted and sentenced for the lesser count of manslaughter late last month, 38-yearold Rajen Dindial formerly of Lot 653 Section C Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) has moved to the Appeal Court, challenging his recent conviction and sentence.

Dindial was found guilty of manslaughter whilst on trial at the High Court for the September 3, 2017, Sarron Street Grove, EBD, murder of 25-yearold Alston Henry. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow.

However, in his appeal application, the convict, through his attorney, Nigel Hughes, argued that the presided

Judge erred in some areas during the summing up aspects of his trial.

Court documents revealed that the appeal was filed on the grounds that the trial Judge erred in law when she failed to direct the jury to completely disregard the contents of the confession statement after it had been read to the jury and subsequently withdrawn from the jury.

This is in addition to Dindial arguing that the Judge erred when she failed to withdraw the case from the jury after reversing her decision to permit the caution statement into the evidence and the only implicating evidence was manifestly unreliable and the sentence being too excessive.

These are the grounds among others.

Previous reports have revealed that Henry was at a wedding house with Dindial’s relatives when an argument ensued between the duo.

The now-dead man started to act in a disorderly manner and threw down a portable toilet that was on the property where the wedding was being kept.

As such, the convict picked up a dabla (large wooden spoon) and dealt Henry several blows about his body.

The man fell unconscious but was however picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

As such, the Dindial was later taken into Police custody where he was later charged with the offence.

hawn Harris, called “Shawny” or “Brukup”, a mason formerly of Lot 40 Bougainvillea Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and Lot 131 Pike Street, Kitty, was on Monday found guilty of the murder of Sunil Singh, who was knifed to death during a row outside the Blue Martini Nightclub in 2017.

Harris had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on February 5, 2017, he murdered Singh.

However, he was convicted of same before Justice Jo Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court after deliberations by a 12-member jury ended.

As such, “Brukup” is expected to be sentenced on January 16, 2020.

He is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Maxwell McKay while the State is being represented by Prosecutors Shawnette Austin and Sarah Martin.

Guyana Times International had previously reported that Singh was fatally stabbed in the nightclub when he attempted to rescue an employee, who was being attacked by three men.

The men attempted to enter the premises after closing hours, but were

Guilty of murder: Shawn Harris, called “Shawny” or “Brukup”

informed by the bartender that they could not enter. This led to an argument and during the subsequent altercation, the now convicted man whipped out a knife stabbing the employee, which led to Singh intervening.

Singh, in the process of assisting the employee, hit Harris, who turned around and stabbed him

about his body.

Singh was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

Harris was also charged, along with three others, in connection with the Bank of Baroda robbery committed at its Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) branch on January 22, 2016.

LIAT Chairman stepping down

R

Dr Jean Holder is retiring after 16 years in the position

egional airline LIAT will have to start looking for a new chairman.

The Antigua-based company announced in a statement yesterday that, after 16 years in the position, Dr Jean Holder is retiring.

He informed shareholders at LIAT’s Annual General Meeting held in Antigua on Monday, that he would not be available for nomination as a Director of LIAT’s Board for the next term.

“Dr Holder stated that it was fulfilling

to perform this role in such a critical regional institution. He thanked the shareholders and customers for their continued support; the employees for their hard work and commitment to continuous improvement and all the other stakeholders who through their patience, contributed to the ongoing safe operation of LIAT,” the LIAT statement said.

Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves thanked Dr Holder on behalf of all

shareholders, “for his outstanding contribution in the oversight of the Board of Directors in some extraordinarily difficult times”.

He said working with the LIAT chairman had enriched him and he expressed immense gratitude.

“LIAT wishes Dr. Holder the very best in his future endeavours and with the shareholders, join in thanking him for his long and dedicated service to the company,” the statement concluded. (Caribbean360. com)

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In search of…

R

…legitimacy eacting to a stinging critique of the PNC under Granger degutting of the Foreign Service, one long-standing defender of Burnham, Bacchus, took offence at the former PPP Minister of Foreign Trade’s comment: “Those of us who lived through the Burnham dictatorship would easily discern the similarities in the diplomatic gallivanting and opportunistic forum shopping between the then Burnham dictatorship and the extant Granger caretaker administration.”

The interlocutor – the wife of a prominent trade unionist – retorted, “There was no “diplomatic gallivanting” of the Forbes Burnham administration.

His foreign policy, in the Cold War era and the period of struggles against colonisation and apartheid, was studiously conceptualised and executed with precision by personnel of competence.” Really?? Well, there’s no need to speculate about Burnham’s foreign policy adventures: let’s just quote Dr Festus Brotherson’s paper, “The Foreign Policy of Guyana, 1970-1985: Forbes Burnham’s search for legitimacy”.

Brotherson wasn’t just an academic; he was a diehard PNC who was Executive Secretary (ag) in the Departments of Planning and Research and of Foreign Affairs, member of the PNC Central Executive Committee, and Editor of New Nation, the PNC’s newspaper. He was a consummate insider in the Burnhamite dictatorship.

This is what he said about Burnham’s “struggles against colonialism and apartheid” in international bodies such as NAM and G77: “This image of Guyana, as a well-intentioned, principled loyalist of the NAM cause, made to suffer for its loyalty, is a flawed one. The country’s foreign policy was not crafted over the years to serve the objective national interest. Rather, the overriding objective of Guyana’s authoritarian leadership was to do abroad what it had failed to do at home: ie, to establish legitimacy. With this approach, the late President Burnham sought to follow the strategy outlined by Niccolo Machiavelli, namely, to legitimise one’s regime by means of glorious foreign adventure or diplomatic success, which would whip up nationalist fervour on the one hand and stifle domestic opposition on the other, wringing grudging support from the latter in the process.”

The objective of a country’s foreign policy is supposed to be the furtherance of its thrust for development.

Compared to say, Singapore – which was at our level of development with less resources when they got independence in 1965 – what did Burnham achieve for Guyana?? As Brotherson writes: “between 1980 and 1987, Guyana ranked fourth from the bottom of Third World countries suffering economic decline”.

Singapore, which embraced free enterprise as opposed to Burnham’s co-op socialism, moved from a per capita GDP of US$925 in 1970 to US$6782 in 1985!! And is now #1 in competitiveness!!

But yet Granger wants to follow Burnham’s gallivanting in G77!! Also in search of legitimacy!! …scapegoats Your Eyewitness is waiting for the Pastors Party (officially the “People’s Republic Party) to launch their manifesto. He was intrigued that they took the time to make an early declaration that they were totally opposed to folks of the same sex getting married. There were so many other pressing issues, he thought – the voters’ list; our plummeting economy; Ferguson’s Palace etc – which they just glided over. Your Eyewitness, therefore, figured they’d discerned some danger in same-sex marriage that threatened our national survival, which has obviously escaped all the other political parties.

Were these goodly pastors (their confidence in their “goodness” was promising in wanting to “save” the rest of us!) worried that this same-sex marriage thing was “catching”? Like those pesky flu viruses that pop up every year, or those American holidays like Thanksgiving, that’s suddenly in?? If it wasn’t catching then, there was no danger of our birth rate dropping too far – with the samesex couples unable to procreate and all that!

Ah well…ain’t democracy a great thing? …role models Seems those two feisty young ladies – Tina and Mona – who created a ruckus over the Police videoing them – have been taken under the wing of Simona “I Is” Broomes.

Who better than the “boom out” Minister who created that ruckus with the security guards??

State to deliver the good life

W

e hope with the official launch of the campaigns, the major parties will make their position clear on the role of government in the development of the economy. Do we continue with the neo-liberal “nightwatchman” state we accepted with the IMF’s Washington Consensus in 1989? Or do we accept the latter’s changed position of the present, where they took heed of the collapse of the model in 2008 and proposed the more interventionary state model from the Far-Eastern example of Japan, South Korea et al?

With the imminent coming of oil revenues, this is a key question that must be answered so we do not keep on confusing Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” that would guide the market to deliver the “goods” that society needs, with “no hands”. With self-interest, if not greed as a human constant, this has contributed greatly to the debilitations that some, unfortunately, see as inevitable by-products of “capitalism”.

But we cannot ignore the reality that somehow our methods of socialisation keep on throwing up individuals who are only driven by their id and greed. As one early US commentator Madison noted, not long after Smith, in an analogous context (politics): “If men were angels, we would not need governments”.

In addition to the demons of the id, we recognise also that none of the institutions that we design around our values will ever work perfectly (hence, imperfect socialisations to begin with) so we create macro-institutions to deal with these exigencies. And so in matters economic, from early in the day, markets have been regulated so as to mitigate the inevitable excesses precipitated by greed, “imperfect markets” or for “infant industry” protection etc.

As mentioned above, there has been a stubborn insistence in some quarters that Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” meant “no hand” in the workings of the muchabused term, “free markets”. But they speak

from both sides of their mouths. Take, for instance, the creation and issuance of money which is regarded as the sine qua non for the creation of markets in the modern sense of the term. These have been regulated, by definition, from the earliest days by the institutions that issued them in the first place and later by governments. One can’t very well have everyone creating money and expect markets to function. The problem is that those who ritually invoke the ethereal “free market” do so only when the regulation in question hinders their efforts to make excess profits over what other regulations allow them to make in the first place.

Take banking, for instance.

Government regulations all over the

world allow banks to create money out of thin air by a multiple over and above the amount that is deposited. Thus, they make money coming and going – once by paying lower interests to depositors than borrowers (double-digit figures in Guyana!)— and then by lending the excess money created through the magic of regulation. Yet, these bankers in the developed economies complained when they were prohibited from investing depositors’ money in speculative vehicles and then had the regulations repealed. After making trillions of dollars of profits – which the bank operators pocketed – when their greed-fueled speculative bubbles inevitably collapsed, they were defined as “too big to fail” and bailed out at

the tax-payers’ expense.

In a perfect demonstration of the workings of the id-greed imperative, bankers expect profits to be privatised but losses socialised.

Karl Marx’s early critique of Capitalism was remarkable for its prescience in highlighting several of its inherent contradictions but the attempts to institutionalise his insights failed miserably in our own lifetime. Marx ironically confused epistemology (the theory of knowledge) with ontology (what actually is) and was too idealistic about man and his greed. To paraphrase Churchill’s aphorism about democracy, capitalism is evidently the worst type of economic system – excepting for all others that have been tried and failed.

We cannot give up on socialising ourselves into becoming more sensitive and responsive to the overall societal good – if for nothing else that society is simply a collection of us, the individuals. But in the meantime, our governments have to get back to regulating and making appropriate market interventions to deliver the good life for all. What say the political parties?

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

A

ctor Varun Dhawan says while he condemns any kind of “force” against peaceful protesters, he wants to be careful while sharing his opinion about the law and order situation of the country.

At the trailer launch of his upcoming film Street Dancer 3D on Wednesday, the actor was asked about the silence of many in the Hindi film industry regarding Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the police action against protesting students of Jamia Milia University.

Varun Dhawan asserted he didn’t operate out of fear. The actor also said instead of speaking his mind on Twitter, he would rather set an example of being a responsible citizen.

“It’s a person to person thing. It is not about fear. I am not scared of anyone because I love my country. I love all my countrymen. I am feeling the safest in this room.

Who’s going to touch me? My thing is, speaking out today has become

a social media thing. If you didn’t tweet, you are wrong. But what will happen by tweeting? Is the entire country on Twitter? No. So what I feel personally, I can have those conversations in my living room with my parents and friends,” Dhawan said.

He added, “I think the best way for all of us to make a difference is by how you live your life, how are you when you work and who are your friends. I never discriminate. So that’s me setting an example.”

Another scribe informed Varun Dhawan that many of his peers, including actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and writer-director

Reema Kagti, were not only making themselves heard but are also willing to take to the streets with students tomorrow in Mumbai to protest against CAA and police action.

When asked if he would join them, the actor said he would refrain from making any comments at the moment because he needed to be “100 per cent aware” of what is transpiring in the country.

“See honestly what’s happening in the country is being reported. The reason why I don’t want to comment on what’s happening is because there are four or five versions floating. We are sitting here in Mumbai.

Right now, something else is happening in other parts of the country.

It’s wrong of us to comment about what’s happening over there until we don’t see that. We need to be 100 per cent aware of what’s happening,” Varun said.

When pointed out that there are videos showing Delhi Police attacking students, the Sui Dhaaga actor said, “Any kind of force used against peaceful protesters is wrong. There are two sides to it. Right now it’s such a sensitive matter, that it’s easy to speak and slam someone. When you are a public personality, people, including kids, follow you. Once the situation has been studied, I will give my viewpoint.”

“I am not pro or against someone. I am not holding back out of fear. I am not afraid of anyone. I am just trying to be responsible in what I say because I don’t want to instigate someone wrongly.

That’s the only reason,” Varun Dhawan concluded. (Indian Express)

A

ctor Sushant Singh is not worried about the silence of big stars from the film industry on student protests against Citizenship Amendment Act as he believes revolution is always driven by the youth and common people.

Sushant, who is known to be vocal on issues such as #MeToo and now the anti-CAA protests, had taken to

Rani Mukerji: Mardaani 2 stands for women empowerment in the true sense

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ani Mukerji’s Mardaani 2 has hit the theatres and has received some great reviews. Here, in this conversation with indianexpress.com, the versatile actor talks about the importance of portraying empowering women roles, how she channelized her anger through this film and artiste’s responsibility while choosing roles.

Excerpts from the interview: How did you manage to showcase so much anger in a film like this, and where does it take you on a personal level?

I think the way, we as Bengalis, are brought up, we are grown up in the imagery of Durga, a goddess with ten hands killing Mahisasura. So, I think we have that thing in our minds, subconsciously or consciously, that women are very very strong.

I think the Nirbhaya case changed a lot of things for all of us in the country, we were angered, we were shocked, we were in extreme disbelief that something like this has actually happened to a girl who’s probably living in a city which is full of people, where you can’t even

imagine something like this happening, but it actually happened. It was a real incident. I think Mardaani was born through that because somewhere we were all

Do you think actors should have a moral responsibility in choosing the roles they portray?

You have chosen some very responsible roles in your career as an actor,

trying to do something, and Mardaani was my way, as an actor, to be able to express my anger and feel the feeling of demolishing the man who was evil, and that was probably my way of venting out what I had inside me.

Also, as an actor, I wanted to give back to the society. With the kind of love I have received in the last two decades, I wondered what have I done for the women, have I played powerful women roles in my career? I think Mardaani and Mardaani 2 stand for women empowerment in the true sense.

even now as Shivangi Roy. What has this responsibility meant to you over the years?

I have portrayed content driven films from the very beginning, my film was Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat, then I have done Black and then Yuva, No One Killed Jessica. I have never shied away from doing content based cinema, with a balance of doing other kind of cinemas as well. So, it is a balance, and I have done that throughout my career, so being responsible while choosing films or roles is not something new to me.

Today when I see my

baby grow, she is four, and I see her dance and sing, so seeing her, I do feel like doing something lighter. I want to do films which have songs and dance, films that I can make her watch. She loves to see me dance on screen, and I am also getting a feeling that I want to now take a break from content based cinema and do something, just as an actor, in a more entertainment space, and then come back again to this space.

I also feel the need to restart my journey in the romantic space, because I don’t think romance has an age, and I need to do something in that genre. I want to explore that as well.

Since you mentioned your daughter, has she seen any of your films?

What kind of films would you like her to grow up watching?

I wouldn’t say films, because I think she is still too young to see my films. She is too attached to be able to detach the person on screen from me. For her, the woman on screen is her mum, and she is not able to see her mum as a character as yet. There is still time for her to be able to do that. But what she en-

joys is watching me sing and dance on screen.

You are one female actor who has broken the taboo of age when it comes to female actors getting work after a certain age/marriage/having a baby…

I have not broken that taboo, it is the audience who have broken the taboo, if they were not interested in me, I don’t I would be able to do it.

How important are age appropriate roles for you? What is that one thing you just wouldn’t do on screen, that you did, maybe even five years ago?

I think it is very important to look a certain way to be in films.

Whatever character I play, I try to be as true and as close to the character’s demands. So, that’s been a conscious decision on my part as an actor, right from the first film I ever did.

I think people like us, who are the frontrunners in building concept or being a part of cinema, should keep trying to work on breaking the myths and stereotypes that are already ruling people’s minds. (Indian Express)

streets to participate in the protests. He later hinted that his views may have cost him his hosting gig in a TV channel.

The actor said staying silent was not an option for him even if it came at a cost but he understands why many in Bollywood have not spoken up.

“These issues do not affect rich people; I also belong to this category.

Onion prices don’t not affect us, we don’t have to think twice before buying anything. That is why I think we don’t pay attention to it. There could be differences of ideologies as well.

“Maybe people who are not speaking about it, they don’t have any issues with it. Why should we wait for someone to speak up? In which country stars have brought revolution? It is only the youth or the common man,” Sushant told PTI in an interview.

The actor, who played freedom fighter Sukhdev in The Legend of Bhagat Singh, said he felt compelled to speak up for the sake of his children.

“If I feel it is the right issue as a father or citizen. It is my responsibility to stand with them because tomorrow I am answerable to my kids. I abhor the previous generation for the kind of society they have given us. They only cared about their home. There are protests against Padmaavat but not against issues which are affecting daily life.”

Sushant said as a student, he too was disillusioned with the government of that time and took to streets but that did not result in the kind of crackdown that the police did on the students of Jamila Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University.

(Indian Express)

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WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Top Gun Maverick movie trailer: Tom Cruise promises a nostalgic, action-–packed ride

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he second trailer of Tom Cruise starrer Top Gun: Maverick is out. And as was the case with the first promo, the second one too promises an actionpacked nostalgia-filled ride into the world of Captain Maverick.

Decades have passed, but Tom Cruise still looks the same and his character Maverick is as cocky as ever. But perhaps this time Maverick will tone down the cheekiness as he will be instructing a fresh batch of young pilots. There are high octane fighter pilot sequences, some punchy dialogues and a great looking cast.

The movie’s official synopsis reads, “After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Maverick Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: Rooster, the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka Goose.”

Apart from Tom Cruise, the movie also features Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Ed Harris among others.

Top Gun: Maverick will release in June 2020. (Indian Express)

Daisy Ridley: People will be very happy with Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

K

risten Stewart is not feeling “gutted” over middling performance of her latest Charlie’s Angels as she is really proud of the film.

The actor featured as one of the titular Angels in the reboot of the iconic action franchise made famous by Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in the early 2000s.

However, unlike its predecessors, the Elizabeth Banksdirected movie could not do wonders at the box office.

But Stewart is not bummed out by the lack of financial success as she is content in the fact that they made a really good film.

“Well, to be honest with you, I think if I had made a movie that wasn’t good and one that I wasn’t proud of and a lot of people saw it, I would be devastated.

Luckily I’m not feeling gutted because I really am proud of the movie,” she told The Playlist.

Stewart also said that it has become difficult to promote a film these days.

H D

aisy Ridley’s Rey faces her biggest challenge in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rey’s journey comes to an end as she with the rest of the resistance takes on Kylo Ren-led First Order.

Talking about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ridley said, “I think if the audience experiences anything like what we experienced making it, I think people will be very happy.

JJ is like a fanboy who wants to make a great film. Everybody is great at their job, and wanted to make a great film.

Everyone is working hard to serve this one thing.”

She added, “Hopefully the film will be great, and I think it will be really moving. It’s real-

ly emotional for me at least, and I think it has been for other people. If you took away the space element, it’s just people trying to figure it out, and being confronted with these really difficult obstacles. It’s these really moving small and big stories that are all interlinked and how one thing has cause and effect that’s affecting the fate of the galaxy, so hopefully they will feel that watching it.”

Daisy Ridley also spoke about the camaraderie between Rey, Poe and Finn. She said, “It’s been really fun because I hadn’t properly worked with Oscar Isaac before.

In this one, you see Rey and Poe in a bit of a frictional friendship, which is really fun because that’s how friends are. I

really liked it. And John Boyega is just great. To do a film with someone you don’t get on with that well must be really difficult. I thank the universe all the time that it was John who I got to be with. Because he’s just amazing.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s synopsis reads, “Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases on December 20. (Indian Express)

“I think that the kind of the climate that we’re living in right now is polarising and it’s weird and it’s kind of hard to promote a movie like that. And I think trying to have a really complicated, overly politicized feminist conversation in a five-minute TV in-

ugh Grant says the most “excruciating” moment from his 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually was the dance sequence that he had to perform.

The British star featured as David, the UK Prime Minister, in the ensemble comedy. He had one of the most funny yet iconic moments from the film when dances on Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (For My Love)” all over the 10 Downing Street.

Discussing the film in the forthcoming documentary Hugh Grant: A Life on Screen, the actor said the scene was “absolute hell” to shoot, reported Variety.

“I thought, ‘That’s going to be excruciating, and it has the power to be the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid’…

“It wasn’t easy for an Englishman in his 40s to do at 7 in the morning, stone-cold sober,” Grant said.

The film’s director, Richard Curtis, also makes an appearance in the documentary and he joked that Grant had enough experience owing to his “dirty behaviour in discos across London” that made him “quite good at dancing”. (Indian Express)

terview about Charlie’s Angels… I’m like, Dude, we just wanted to have a good time’,” she said.

Also starring Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Djimon Hounsou and Patrick Stewart, Charlie’s Angels released in November this year. (Indian Express)

50 SPORT

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

West Indian Sports Complex Badminton Tournament…

Haynes, Jeffrey, Shivnauth, Ramraj shine A

kili Haynes, Tyrese Jeffrey and Priyanka Shivnauth are only a few of the outstanding players that emerged from the recently-concluded West Indian Sports Complex Christmas Badminton Tournament.

Pegged as the final hurrah for the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) for the year 2019, the exciting tournament went down on Sunday last at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

Notably the highlight of the tournament, outstanding junior champion Akili Haynes won the Under-19 Singles and the Open Doubles, with Jeffrey as his partner.

In the first Boys’ U-19 Singles semi-final, Haynes and Matthew Beharry were paired up for battle. Haynes made light work of his opponent 21-7, 21-15 to advance to the final. In the final, he was met by Jeffrey, who had overcome Isaac Mallampati 21-5, 23-21 in the second semi-final.

Clearly, a battle of the best, Jeffrey put up a fight in the first set, but Haynes still managed to edge past him 21-18.

In the second, Haynes

all the participants. In addition, thanks were extended to Troy Beharry and the Executive Committee for a job well done in organising and pulling off this annual Christmas tournament.

Under-19 Boys Singles:

1st – Akili Haynes 2nd – Tyrsese Jeffrey 3rd – Matthew Beharry

Under-19 Girls Singles:

1st – Priyanka Shivnauth 2nd – Alea Ruplal 3rd – Jayde DaSilva

Open Men Doubles:

1st – Akili Haynes/ Tyrese Jeffrey 2nd – Jonathan Mangra/ Avinash Odit 3rd – Darrell Carpenay/ Avian Rodrigues

Open Ladies’ Doubles:

The winners’ circle after Sunday’s competition

sealed his victory comfortably with a 21-12 set.

The female U-19 division saw similar excitement as Priyanka Shivnauth won a close encounter with Jayde Da Silva. Although it was close at times, Shivnauth eventually took the win in three sets 22-20, 21-18, 21-17.

The second semi-final was not contested af-

ter Alea Ruplal gained a walkover over Mishka Beharry.

The final was fiercely contested by the two young ladies, Shivnauth and Ruplal, and saw the match going to three exhilarating sets. Ruplal won the first 15-21, but Shivnauth made a stunning comeback to take the next two sets and the victory 21-19, 21-19.

Over in the mixed doubles category, Jonathan Mangra teamed up with Ambika Ramraj to easily defeat the pair of Darrell Carpenay and Ayanna Watson 21-13, 21-12 in the first semi-final.

The second pair to make it to the final were Avinash Odit and Christina Kumar, who brushed aside Akili Haynes and Emelia

Ramdhani 21-11, 22-20.

In the final, Mangra and Ramraj made light work of Odit and Kumar in a two-set game 21-9, 21-13.

The GBA expressed its immense gratitude to West Indian Sports Complex for making this tournament a success and also thanked Ayanna Watson for providing refreshments and gifts for

1st – Ayanna Watson/ Christina Kumar 2nd – Emelia Ramdhani/ Anna Perreira 3rd – Jayde DaSilva/ Priyanka Shivnauth

Open Mixed Doubles:

1st – Jonathan Mangra/ Ambika Ramraj 2nd – Avinash Odit/ Christina Kumar 3rd – Darrell Carpenay/ Ayanna Watson

UG Sports Awards 2019…

Seymour advises athletes to use talents to foster discipline

The awardees pose for a photo

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

Guyana Times Journalist wins GCB Journalism award Brandon Corlette ꟷ Guyana Cricket Board Journalist of 2019 ꟷ receives his award from GCB representative Selina Bacchus. Corlette was awarded for his outstanding service as a cricket journalist in the print media for the year

he University of Guyana last Friday held its Annual Sports Awards exercise for the 2018/2019 season at the Education Lecture Theatre at the Turkeyen campus. With all the formalities in place, the ceremony was chaired by Sports Organiser Lavern Fraser, and was attended by many esteemed guests.

Addressing the large body of students present, UG Registrar Dr Nigel Gravesande said, “We’ve had a very successful 2019; and as we approach 2020, you would see the sporting calendar intensify and the synergies being established between your academic

life and sports.”

He encouraged the athletes to continue being discreet in their respective disciplines, and to not give up or compromise their standing.

The night’s feature address was delivered by Rowena Seymour, Principal of St Winefride’s Secondary, who said, “Athletes take responsibility for their mistakes, and (make) commitment to bettering themselves. The life skills that (you) have picked up will surely prepare you to handle the challenges ahead of you.

“To the student-athletes: I urge you to use these skills in the outside world (in order) to build those skills. You

can make a difference in the students we have in schools, as most of our students need discipline, and we know that through sports there is discipline. The school system will be looking to work with you, not only in athletics, but chess and scrabble, so that the next generation can follow in your footsteps.”

Among the awards presented at this ceremony were for the recently concluded chess and scrabble competitions, which saw ‘chess king’ Davion Mars, ‘chess queen’ Anicia Patterson, ‘scrabble king’ Jafar Gibbons and ‘scrabble queen’ Christina Basil all being among the plethora of awardees.

SPORT 51

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

FC Goodwill Tournament

Shiva Boys, Waramadong cruise into semi-finals

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Annandale were fierce as they challenged Shiva Boys but came up short

he Shiva Boys Hindu College are well on their way to another KFC Goodwill final as they secured another resounding win during their final preliminary game.

Similarly, Desrey Caesar-Fox Secondary (Waramadong) have proved to be an equally domineering opponent.

The final two preliminary games went down at the Guyana

Jemar Harrigon netted the first goal of the game in the 13th minute to give Annandale the lead, but their relief was short-lived as Adica Ash got going.

The Shiva Boys Captain, Ash, found the back of the net in the 24th minute and his teammate, Nigel Carraby made it two in the 26th. The half finished 2-1.

When they returned to the middle, Shiva

Harrigon to slot in Annandale’s second goal in the 73rd minute.

Based on the result of the encounter, Annandale Secondary have now exited the competition as it gets down to the more intense semi-final stage.

The last preliminary match saw DC Fox Secondary (Waramadong) holding Marian Academy off completely in what

The Shiva Boys goalscorers from right: Adica Ash, Jamal Lewis, Flex Lewis and Nigel Carraby

Football Federation (GFF) Training Facility at Providence, where the two aforementioned schools whipped their opponents 6-2 and 4-0 respectively.

In the first encounter, old rivals Annandale Secondary and Shiva Boys battled and similarly to what happened during their first meeting back in 2018, Annandale let the game get away from them in the second half.

Boys went on full carnage, hunting the goal more fiercely than before. Ash (49th, 83rd) added two more to his tally to record his second hat-trick in two games.

Flex Lewis (55th) and Jamal Lewis (60th) contributed one apiece for Shiva Boys’ 6.

W a r a m a d o n g Secondary schooled Marian Academy On the other hand, Omari Glasgow took a beautiful pass from

looked a one-sided affair. The collective team performance constituted a 15th minute goal from Carlito Joseph, but although the boys from Region Seven came close on many occasions, their supporters had to wait until the second segment to witness another goal.

Yasir Abraham rocked the nets in the 51st and Melee George did the same in the 57th. Marian Academy, who have visibly im-

Waramadong Secondary schooled Marian Academy

proved from years gone by, fought bravely, but could not get past the defence much less the Waramadong goalkeeper.

Ovid Andrews put the icing on the cake with a final goal in the 85th minute to ensure that his team would have no trouble cruising into the

semi-final round.

In the semi-finals that are expected to be contested at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue on Friday, December 20; defending champions Shiva Boys Hindu College will take on GuyoilTradewind Tankers

champions Lodge Secondary at 17:00h while Waramadong go head to head with Annai Secondary at 19:00h.

The tournament’s sponsors include Guyana Coema Construction Services Ltd, Mike’s Pharmacy, Trophy Stall and Tiger Rentals.

(Jemima Holmes)

52 SPORT

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Stefanie Taylor selected for ICC’s 2019 Women’s ODI Team of the Year

W

est Indies W o m e n ’ s C a p t a i n , Stafanie Taylor has been listed in the ICC’s 2019 Women’s ODI Team of Year, according to Cricket West Indies Inc. In a year that saw some less than expected results from West Indies Women, Stafanie’s performance stood out head and shoulders. With the responsibility of captain on her shoulders coupled with the absence of triple threat, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie tapped into her unwavering work ethic to earn her place amongst the best ODI players of 2019.

Amassing 472 runs across eleven innings, Taylor is also listed second place in ICC Women’s O DI players ranking for both batting and all-rounders.

Back in October 2019, Taylor came agonizingly close to a sixth ODI century in the first ODI match in Antigua against the visiting Indian Women’s when she was spectacularly caught on 94 by Harmanpreet Kaur. This was followed

Stafanie Taylor

by an unbeaten 79 in the third match of the series in a fighting effort to anchor the innings for her team.

In relation to this achievement, Cricket West Indies Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, was quoted by CWI as

saying: “On behalf of Cricket West Indies and the wider Caribbean public in general, I wish to recognize and con-

gratulate Stafanie for being selected into the ICC International One Day Team of the Year.

Stafanie continues, af-

ter so many years, to be the standard bearer not just for women's cricket in the West Indies but for our cricket in general. She has accomplished this through consistent performances underpinned by her dedication and a lot of hard work.

Congratulations from us all Stafanie! We are very proud of this accolade which you have earned and wish you many more in the years ahead.”

The leading runsscorer in West Indies Women’s cricket history, second on the all-time run-scorers in Women’s T20 International cricket and fifth all-time in Women’s ODI cricket, Stafanie continues to play with the vigour and commitment that has put her on a blazing trail to become a legend of the Women’s game.

Next up for Captain Taylor is the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, a country that she’s familiar with as she has played in the Women’s Big Bash League for the last five seasons.

sport 53

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Youth Basketball Guyana Titan Bowl X…

Kwakwani seal Girls’ and U-16 Boys’ titles - President’s College cop U-18 crown

Kwakwani are the girls champion team

A

fter four days of intense basketball action, the curtains came down on the Youth Basketball Guyana Titan Bowl X competition, which was being held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Kwakwani emerged champions of the girls’ and male under-16 categories, while President’s College emerged winners of the under-18 category.

In the first final of the night, Kwakwani battled Marian Academy in a one-sided affair. Marian Academy knew that securing a win against one of the most dominant female sides in the competition

would have been an achievement to relish, but Kwakwani flexed their muscles and punished Marian 50-29.

Kelliann Sauers led for Marian with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals in a futile effort; while Kwakwani’s Shania Sears, who was adjudged the MVP, scored 29 points and had 7 rebounds.

She was assisted by Atalia Rose, with 9 points, 11 rebounds.

Emboldened by their win of the girls’ title,

llege team

sident’s Co

ous Pre The victori

Kwakwani ar

e the U16 Cha

the under- 16 Kwakwani side dug deep to defeat Arima Secondary in a thriller that ended 39-34 in their favour.

The encounter saw both Kwakwani and Arima match each other’s style of play pound for pound, but coming down to the last few minutes, Kwakwani managed to get a few shots in to secure themselves a much needed 4-point lead, and thus the title.

Arima scorers Kelon Philips (14 points) and Jamal Lyte (8 points, 9 rebounds) were outshone by the combination of Elijah David (12 points), and Hosea Conway who was awarded

mps

MVP; he scored a valuable 6 points.

In the final, played between New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) and President’s College (PC), a mere 6 points prevented NATI from lifting the trophy.

President’s College were able to defend their title 60-54, and lift the trophy.

Scoring for PC were Gabriel Lim (16 points) and MVP Jushawn Bailey (21 points).

Kadeen Dover had 21 points, while Charles Williams put up 15 points, but those were not enough to save the NATI side from defeat.

54 SPORT

West Indies batting great Basil Butcher dies at 86 B

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

asil Butcher, the stylish Guyana and West Indies batsman of the 1950s and 1960s, died on Monday in Florida following a long illness aged 86.

He played 44 Tests between 1958 and 1969, scoring 3104 runs at an average of 43.11, and was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1970.

Of his seven Test hundreds, Butcher is best remembered for his second-innings 133 - in the 1963 Lord's Test against England - which is often rated as one of the greatest matches to have been played at the ground. He made those runs against an England attack led by Fred Trueman after having learnt of his wife's miscarriage just moments before walking out to bat.

Three years later, Butcher posted his highest Test score of 209 not out, against England in Nottingham. It helped West Indies overhaul a first-innings deficit of 90 to win by 139 runs.

It was in 1958-59 that Butcher, understood to be the first player of Amerindian descent to represent West Indies, first made his mark in West Indies colours. Against India, he scored 486 runs at 69.42 in his debut series, but fell away for the next few seasons. He then returned to the side in 1963 for the England tour, and was a regular fixture in the team after that till his retirement. After Richie Benaud, the Australian legspinner, played West Indies in two series in that period, he said Butcher was the most difficult of all West Indian batsmen to dismiss.

Butcher, in fact, bowled some legspin himself. All of his five Test wickets came in one innings when he claimed 5 for 34 against England at Port of Spain in 1967-68.

Butcher was born on September 3, 1933 and was raised on a sugar estate outside the village of Port Mourant in what was then known as British Guiana. He was a neighbour of Alvin Kallicharan's family and future West Indies team-mates Rohan Kanhai and Joe Solomon lived nearby too. To support his cricket career that began at Port Mourant Sports Club, he worked as a teacher, an insurance salesman, a clerk, and a welfare officer. After his retirement, he ran a bauxite company in Guyana. (ESPNCricinfo)

WEEK ENDING december 22, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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