…but‘nooneintheworldwouldletus’
Nine years after Guyana discovered oil, Norton says now studying sector
Election fraud trial put on hold as Magistrate falls sick
US$165,000 invested in drones, laptops for rice farmers
Former Hess Vice President of Exploration for Guyana and Suriname,TimChisholm,hadbethis entire career on Guyana’s Stabroek Block.
This is according to a Bloomberg article, “The untold story of how Exxon scored a US$1 trillion oil bonanza that 30 rivals passed up” by KevinCrowley
It was reported that Chisholm studied Venezuela for Exxon in the 1990s, and Pablo Eisner had worked intheregionforRepsolSA.Thepair wanted a slice of Stabroek, but when that was not an option, they led ApacheintoSurinameinstead.
Before they could drill a well, Apachemanagementhadachangeof heart and cut its exploration team. Chisholm and Eisner were laid off within a half-hour of each other Chisholm went to Hess and Eisner joined CNOOC. Each says they believed they had unfinished business.
After negotiating a sweetheart dealfortheStabroekBlockbeforeoil wasdiscovered,ExxonMobilquickly set up a data room at its Greenspoint officeinHouston,invitingabout30oil companies. Withonlyabout20showed up, geoscientists from each interested party got a daylong presentation from the Exxon team and a second day to analyzethedata.
Hess was the last to come through. Chisholm grilled Exxon’s team for more than two hours. “(They) did a very good job of, I would say, not oversellingit,”Chisholmsaidina2020 lecture. “That was very critical to me believing. (They) had passion for what itwas.”
In mid-2014, Hess was considering enteringtheblock,afterShelldroppeda bombshell and wanted out after six years of paying for seismic data. The decision was “part of a broader
groupwide review of our frontier exploration portfolio,” the company saidinresponsetoquestions.
Shell’s decision left Exxon owning 100% of Stabroek and only weeks before it had to inform the Guyana governmentwhetherornotitplannedto drill.WithinHess,Guyanawasatough sell, but the company agreed to take a 30% stake. “I bet my career on it,” Chisholm said, adding, “I would have definitely been fired if it had not worked.” Notably, today, the Stabroek Block is now producing over 600,000 barrels of oil per day from just three projects(LizaPhase1,LizaPhase2and Payara). Exxon controls the block that holds 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil,worthnearlyUS$1trillionatcurrent prices.
Moreover,Eisner,whohadcoveted
GuyanasinceworkingwithChisholm at Apache, was now working at CNOOC.
“EverybodywasofferedStabroek, but you need a maverick, big-headed geologist banging the table, even breaking the table to say, ‘This is good,’ “ he says. “At CNOOC, that was me.” Eisner convinced his bosses,andCNOOCtooka25%stake.
Exxon’s (ExxonMobil Guyana Limited) share of Stabroek was now 45%,butcrucially,thetwonewcomers agreed to fund most of the well cost. WithExxon’sownmoneynowlargely protected, management gave the goaheadtodrillLiza.
By 2015, the oil companies discovered oil and the following year signed what is now known as the heavilycriticizedlopsideddealwhich benefits the oil companies more than thecountry.
The Production Sharing
Agreement (PSA) for the Stabroek Block was signed in 2016 by former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, who served under the APNU + AFC Coalition government.
The 2016 deal gives Guyana an industry-low 2% royalty Presently, Guyan
n
e w
h ExxonMobilafterthecompanydeducts 75percenttowardsthecostsincurredto develop the resources in the Stabroek Block.Thisarrangement, with the lack ofring-fencing,seesGuyanapayingfor projectsthatareyettobeginproduction activities.
Each month bills from future producing developments are added to thelistofexpensestobecostrecovered by Exxon. After the 75 percent is deducted to pay back the oil company, Guyana then shares 50/50 of the 25 percent remaining with Exxon as profits.Thisamountsto12.5percentof profitsfromtheoperations.
Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton
only recently started studying and researching the country’s oil and gas sector to come up with answers and solutionstoissues.
“WhenItookthejob(asOppositionLeader),thetruthisI wasn’t paying attention to oil and gas but I recognise very early that I had to put significant focus on oil and gas,” Nortonsaidwhilerespondingtoaquestionposedtohimon hisstrengthsandweaknessesasOppositionLeader
“IbegantodotheresearchandstudyandsoIthinkthat theabilitytostudytheseissuesthatemergeandthesituation thatemergeandcomeupwithanswersisastrength”,Norton added. The Opposition Leader said too that he has always soughttoberoundedineveryareaasapolitician.“Ibelieve as well like anyone else, I have the intellectual capacity having served as a university lecturer having done political science, communications, international relations, I think I havesoughttoberounded.”
Guyanafirstdiscoveredoilsomenine-yearsagoin2015 and Norton took over the reigns as Opposition Leader in 2021.Sincetakingoverasleader, Kaieteur News hasasked himonmanyoccasionsabouthisideasandplanstomanage Guyana’slucrativeoilandgassector
NortonandthePNCRhavemadesomestrongstatements on policy issues relating to oil and gas and called out the government for badly managing the sector but refuses to sharehisplansonhowhewouldbettermanageGuyana’soil resourcesandgetmoreoutofalopsidedStabroekBlockdeal
Continued on page 16
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Fromallindications,Israelseemstobeitchingforawar, awideroneintheneverlessthantinderboxenvironmentthat is the Middle East. With a leader like Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu,thereisahard,calculatingedgetothe provocations delivered straight in the face of Israel's enemies. ItisasthoughNetanyahuispushingtheenvelope of unintended consequences, but with one vital qualifier What may appear to be unintended to the world is exactly whereheisgoing.
He knows what he is unleashing, what escalations he seeks, and the result that is all but inevitable should those happen. Netanyahu may give the impression of being reckless, throwing caution to the winds, but there is also a possibletrapthatheiscarefullybaiting.
He did not go to Harvard for nothing, nor has he been such a successful survivor for so long in the screamingly argumentative world of Israel's whipsawing politics due to his kindness and compassion. Mr Netanyahu is as coldly andcalculatinglyruthlessastheycome,andthisiswhatheis manifestingwithIsrael'sneighbours,Israel'slifelongfoes.
Netanyahu comes from an ultra-right conditioning, a man of bloodied hands and steely nerve, one who is giving that late war hawk,Ariel Sharon, some competition for his record of taking no prisoners, risking it all. The clinically targetedkillingofHamasleaderIsmailHaniyehinTeheranis tantamount to an act of extreme provocation, if not of war Reasonablemenwouldthinkthattheone-sidedWarinGaza, a holocaust and genocide theater by any standards, was enough to satisfy Israel's (Netanyahu's) thirst for revenge fiftyfoldtoahundredfold. Yet,thereisthedaringexecution ofHaniyehthathastheworldbracingfortheunknownsthat aresuretocome. Theyarejustassuretocreateadeepening oftheconflictintheMiddleEast. Fromthepointofviewof the Iranian High Command, the execution right under their nosesismorethandaring. Itisinsultingandclamoursfora suitableresponse. Theproblemisthattitfortatisusuallynot equalinscalenorproportion. Thepressuresforvengeance runtoorawinIranand,truthbetold,throughoutmostofthe MiddleEast. Limitedresponsehasbeentheword,butwhat islimitedtoonepartycouldbeinterpretedastheopeningfor another round of retaliatory actions. Such have been the never-ending circular circumstances on the ground in that chokepointandflashpointregion.
ButNetanyahuisgoingforbrokeinthatIsraelexecuteda drone strike that killed the most senior Hezbollah military commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut. The specter of a widening war rings the entire area. Heavily armed combatantsarearrayedagainsteachotheratclosequarters, with all parties seething, and poised on a knife's edge. Combining these developments at the hand of Israel as a whole, they can only lead to more violence, more vengeful actions, and more loss of control in a tension-filled space. Theprobabilityforalloutconflictisoverwhelming,andthe issue is whether this is what Netanyahu has in mind. He knows that other than the pro forma words of concern (and largely muted) coming out of the US and Europe, mean nothing. They do not serve as any check on his aggressive andcostlyvisions.
He has the backing of arms and other resources, which haveneverslowedfortoolong,andwhichprovestohimthat heisonthestrongersidethatwillprevail. Othermeninother situationshavemadethesamemiscalculations. Thereisthe risk that Mr Netanyahu, Israel, and theWest may get more thantheyallexpected.
What has become increasingly is that there are two hardlineblockslinedupagainsteachother,andpositioning for ascendancy in different parts of the world. There is an axis that includes China, Iran, and Russia. They all have a bonetopickwithAmericaand,tosomeextent,Europe. We noticetheanglesthathavecometolightintheaftermathof the Venezuelan election. Netanyahu needs to be reined in, with America doing the job before matters become uncontrollable.
DearEditor, With great pomp and I assume pride, the Hon Attorney General Anil Nandall announced that the Head of State has instructed that the Ministries are to be madefunctionalwithintheir respective Ministries and Project Units, a unit to specifically evaluate the execution of all contracts. Execution?
Forgive the double entendre. For indeed what we see these days is the beheading of works by our nobility The AG states further, this is being undertakeninordertoassess the performance of the contractors in the discharge of their contractual duties andobligations.
This imperial-like dictum comes when no infrastructure project and I repeat no infrastructure p r o j e c t s i n c e t h e Government took office in 2020 has been satisfactorily completed within the deadline of the several contracts.
Iamamongthosewhoin August2020,publiclystated that we should give this young President IrfaanAli a chancetosetthingsrightand to make optimum use of our new found massive wealth. He has let us down. The establishment of these new unitsisanunfortunatewaste of money and time and taking all relevant factors into account, the President obviously assumes that his citizens are a collection of 'non compos mentis' and idiots including his own partyfaithfuls.
I've made this point before. It is shared stupidity
to undertake projects without the technical, professional and managerial skillsinplacetomonitorthe execution of these works. May I add this caveat that whatweseetodayisliterally the proverbial execution of works using massive sums available on what is a clear unacceptablespendingspree with the cloud of corruption beingmanifest.
I was once tasked with a triple portfolio of Works, Hydraulics and Supply To support this exercise, fortunately I had engineers, the likes of Felicia Baird, Phillip Alsopp, David Klaukty, Steve Narine, Samuel Irad Ramsahoye, Walter Willis, Lawrence Charles, Maurice Veecock, Anand Dharry, Sammy T
m
Administrative giant switched as Permanent Secretary Gordon Marshall, Architects such as George HenryandValuationOfficer, Dennis Patterson All persons of integrity and patriotsandwhogavesound advice.
Beforeembarkingonany civil works, these patriots ensured that materials were available and that we had in place management and manpower to successfully completetheseworkswithin the given time frame. I am painfully disappointed and disgusted by what is taking placeineveryRegionandby everyexecutinggovernment agencyinourcountry
Whyisitnecessaryifyou have in place, as every Ministry, Government Agency and Department shouldhave?
Whatshouldbestandard,
you now need these super overarching monitoring units as announced by the AG at the behest of our illustrious Head of State. Sharedstupidity
Why is there the need to setuptheseso-calledunitsas announced? I feel insulted and hurt because the President and the AG are insulting us citizens of this country What we see is not even like putting a bandage on a festering sore. Fix the several agencies at the source. That, among other standard operating procedures, is to ensure that the Agencies have the necessary engineering technical and managerial skillsavailable.
In addition, as was practiseddecadesearlieristo inform and involve the citizenswhoaretheintended beneficiaries.Inthisway,we found that citizens who either live in the contiguous areas would provide a watchful eye so that bad works are discovered at the earliestpossibletime.
IfPresidentAliisserious orsincere,heshouldputfirst things first, which are ensuring that contracts are not awarded to persons with littleornotrackrecord.
To ensure that the above mechanisms are in place, to discipline Contractors when they fail to satisfy the terms and conditions of these Contracts, which the casual observer would note is capriciouslyawarded.
We must stop this nonsense, as tradition has it, of closing the gate when the animals have already fled or from the old phrase of 'closing the stable door after
thehorsehasbolted.' How can one avoid the perception that there is corruption, skullduggery, and nepotism, with the award of Government Contractseverywhere?
S p e a k i n g t o representatives of Contracting Companies that bid for the supply of equipment and the delivery of works, he stated that submitting Tenders to this Government is a waste of time.
Whatwefacetodayisthe ignoring of earlier efforts to put in place a structure to cope and to correct this ongoing challenge This contortionofmultipleworks with no structure in place to ensure that success is achieved That includes going to Parliament to pass the Engineering Act proposedsometimeago.
B e y o n d t h i s , a professionally staffed project execution unit capableofobservingshoddy workmanship and poorquality materials and work done inconsistent with the requirementsoftheStateand people should have been a sine qua non before embarking on this spending spree.
This bureaucratic implant announced by the AG at the behest of the Presidentisnotonlyaweight but at worst an attempt to deceive, and insult to the intelligenceofourpeople. Citizens deserve better, from Regions 1 to 10. Last week, I quoted the sentiments expressed by the Ghanaian Scholar, Samuel Koranteng-Pipim. Today, I (Continuedonpage6)
DearEditor,
In the absence of regular sittings of the National Assembly,Ihavecometothe conclusion that the Jagdeo/Ali regime has NO interest in “Parliamentary Democracy”.Thelastsitting of the Assembly was on Friday, February 2, 2024 when the National Budget for $1 146 trillion was passed.
Editor, several questions have been tabled for responses by Ministers of Government.Inaddition,the irregular convening of Parliamentary Standing Committees' meetings is
another PPP/C roadblock to the effective functioning of Parliament.
On January 7, 2024, my l e t t e r c a p t i o n e d , “Appointments to Rights of the Child Commission have beenstalled,”waspublished byyourpublication.There,I provided information on why the Committee on Appointments hasn't met since May 2023. Editor, I must let your readers know that the status quo remains the same We have completedthefirstquarterof 2024andHon.MadameGail Teixeira, Chairperson of the Committee,isyettoconvene
a meeting, to complete the appointmentprocess.
Another matter of grave concern is Hon Anil Nandlall, the Attorney General's report to the National Assembly, during his budget presentation, that the regime has several cases pending before the courts. My recollection is that a listing of these cases and related costs was not provided.
Editor, in the absence of regular sittings of the National Assembly, I am requesting,bythisletter,that the Hon. Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, Attorney General, be
held accountable by making public the following information, for the period August 2, 2020 and December31,2023:
1.Alist of cases brought before the Courts by the Government, names of lawyers retained and the relatedcostsforeach.
2. The names of lawyers andtherelatedcosts,foreach case represented by the AttorneyGeneral'sOfficeon behalf of government officials brought before the courts in their private capacity
Yourssincerely, AnnetteFerguson,MP
DearEditor,
The Guyana Consulate of New York conducted another successful outreach among the Diaspora outside of the Big Apple last Saturday April 13 at the Guyanese Community Center in Schenectady in upstate New York State to address a demand for services.
Ambassador Michael Brotherson, the Consul General, led the outreach team to Schenectady that provided various types of services including those related to processing of passports, births and marriage certificates, registration of overseas births, power of attorneys, NIS Life Certificates,
notarization of documents, amongothers. This outreach came on top of one done in Brooklyn two weeks ago and another in Little Guyana Richmond Hill a week ago This outreach project builds on ongoingeffortsinGuyanain providing efficient public services, a new initiative introduced by the governmentofGuyana. Government has been transformed, taking services to the people. It is part of an integration programme with Guyanese Diaspora to maintainconnectionwiththe homeland and to inform them about the availability ofnewservices.
TheNewYorkConsulate outreacheshaveasoneofits
DearEditor,
The vending/vendors' problem has raised its head once again and is in f u l l s w i n g w i t h judgements obtained and notices of removal being issued. Of course, the clueless ones around the horse-shoe table are wringing their hands as they have no plans or solutions for immediate implementation. In the meantime, vendors are lefttotheirowndevices.
Since the removal of
v e n d o r s f r o m M u n e s h w e r s ' establishment, there seems to have been a concerted, proactive
approach to the problem but rather a reactive one. Imagine the vending trade is in a crisis, instead of summoning an immediatemeetingtodealwith it,theissuehastowaituntilthe next statutory meeting of the councilisconvened. Similarly, a meeting with the vendors cannot be held as there is no plan or proposal to share with them.
Don'tholdyourbreathfora meaningful solution any time soon on the vending problem. The council has always been part of the problem; it has not thewillorforesighttobepartof the solution. Of course, the blamegameandfingerpointing willtakehold.
ShamshunMohamed
new missions to strengthen government capacity and effectiveness in service delivery Itprovidestheonly support for communities in theNewYorknortheastUSA region The consulate services have benefited Guyanese communities across New York City, the state, and the Northeast region.
Schenectady hosts a v
community The town was very critical at one time to the economy of New York State producing electricity and health care products.
Thomas Edison electric c o m p a n y, G
Westinghouse and other manufacturing industries werelocatedthere.Itwasan extremely prosperous town boasting among the highest percapitaandmedianfamily income. But electricity g
o n a n d manufacturing produced poisonous pollution with serioushealthconsequences. The government fined the polluters and required them to clean up the town and neighbourhoods. In consequence, people migrated out of the town.
The government invested heavily in cleaning up the polluted area Some Guyanese made a move and Guyanese real estate agents in Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn started marketing the area encouraging Guyanesetosettlethere.The town council also encouraged Guyanese and othermigrantstosettleinthe town offering various incentives.
Guyanesebegangoingin large numbers at the turn of the new millennium and s
h a
d d
wn T
y
e d a n d transformed the town, purchasing multiple properties and rehabilitating them.Whattwodecadesago looked like an abandoned, zombie town is now a very prosperouscity.Schenectady today has a large cluster of 5,600 Guyanese plus their American born children, accounting for more than 10% of the town's population Scores of Guyanese migrated out of thetownoverthelastdecade to Florida to join family members. There are also hundreds of Trinidadians and other West Indians who
settledthere.Thesemigrants had initially settled in New YorkCityandbeganmoving to the upstate town over the last two decades. Though verysmallnumerically,they have made significant contributions to the economy through their strongworkethicandtaxes.
Guyanese have been drawn to the town by its affordable home ownership and other real estate and lower taxes than in New York City Jobs are also readilyavailableinthetown andsurroundingareas.There is virtually no unemployed eligible Guyanese. Almost every Guyanese family is a homeowner in the area with some owning multiple homes that they rent to Americans.Eachfamilyalso owns at least two vehicles. And the area has a mandir and a masjid and a West IndianstoreandWestIndian fast-food restaurant as well as other institutions to serve
culturalneedsofthegrowing community
The mayor of the small town is a Guyanese. The town hosts an annual Guyana Day in the summer, coming right after Guyana Independence Day and it alsohostsIndianArrivalDay celebrations Concerts of leading Guyanese and Trinidadian artistes were held last year Guyanese politiciansareknowntovisit the town meeting the Diasporatodrumupsupport fortheirparty
Addressing the Diaspora in Schenectady las
Saturday, Ambassador Michael Brotherson said: “This outreach providing services to the Diaspora is the government's and the consulate's ongoing and continuing efforts to 'take government'tothepeopleby addressing the kind of servicestheyneed”.
About 200 nationals (Continuedonpage6)
Frompage5
were served at the
Schenectady outreach as compared with 150 in Brooklyn and 300 in Little Guyana.
Themayor,JohnMootvoten, visited the outreach and talked about his role in helpingGuyanesetobecome integrated into the community and praising them for their enormous contributionstothetown.
Guyanese nationals were highinpraisefortheoutreach initiative of the Consulate to provide the kind of services they need. The Consulate
General, Ambassador Brotherson, thanked Mayor John Mootvoten, the Town Council, and Guyanese community leaders for helpingwiththeorganization of the services activity
Ambassador Brotherson said “The Consulate is pleased to be able to take Governmenttothepeople”.
As beneficiaries of the services commented, the comm
ity out
h providedservicesthatwould otherwise be difficult to access as the Consulate is l
transportation is difficult. It was particularly helpful for theelderly Ambassador Brotherson noted, “The community outreaches help to connect the Diaspora with the services they need to maintain their ties and links to the motherland and to access benefits they earned while contributing to the developmentofGuyana.”
The next outreach is in NewJerseytobefollowedby Connecticut, both of which have large numbers of Guyanese. The Consulate is also contemplating one in Bostonwhichalsohasalarge number of Guyanese. AmbassadorBrothersonsaid outreaches in the Diaspora are extremely important to maintain trans-linkage with thehomeland.
Yourssincerely, VishnuBisram
Frompage4 ask Guyanese everywhere who are the victims of this treacherytokeeponagitatingandtohavefaiththatthe'Penis mightierthantheSword,'firstexpressedbyBulwerLytton.
Itisthedutyofthisgenerationtospeakupandagitatein order to bequeath to succeeding generations a country with bridges, buildings and roads that last for long periods. We must, with the aid of responsible and independent media, educateandagitate,toliberateourpeoplefromthisstupidity and apparent corruption which as one political leader once said, 'enough is enough.'Finally, human history has shown thatwhereasinglepersonoranoligarchyisallowedtodoas they please, the result is disaster Listen to the President, a Vice President, the AG and the Minister responsible for Finance, how can Guyanese avoid the perception that every aspectofourlivesandtheuseofourvastresourcesareinthe handsofasomewhatquixoticquartet.
Guyanese must speak up. The independent media must continueitsnobleenterpriseinordertosaveourcountryfrom beastility and the burden of a well-oiled, well-funded propagandaoutfit.
HamiltonGreen
Rice farmers across the country will soon benefit from free drone technology andGeographicInformation Systems(GIS)services.
OnTuesday,theMinistry of Agriculture through the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) hosted a closing ceremony for its
Enhancing Precision Farming Practices in Rice Production for Guyana’s Small Farmers Using Drone TechnologyProgramme.
The groundbreaking initiative,whichwaspiloted in Regions Two, Three, and Six, and subsequently introduced in Region Five, seeks to introduce drone
technology and GIS mapping to improve rice production and build capacityinthericeindustry, the Ministry of Agriculture saidinapressrelease.Itisa collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana, theUnitedNationsFoodand Agriculture Organization (FAO), the People’s
Republic of China, and the Guyana Rice Development Board(GRDB).
Through financial and technical support under the FAO - China South-South Cooperation project and a Regional E-Agriculture project, some US$165,000 was invested to procure five
advanced crop management
Extension and technical officersfromtheGRDBalso benefited from drone pilots anddataanalysts’training.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, while delivering the feature address, said that the
Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar
Mustapha along with other representatives
found in using drones and GIStechnology
“This is a project that was implemented for many countries for digital transformation and innovation in agriculture
Becauseofhowquicklythis project moved forward in Guyana,weendedupwitha project budget of just over 165,000USD.Thisprojectis bringing one form of technologytothericesector
Therearealotofdronesand people can fly drones. The very basic thing that the drone can do is give you an aerialviewofwhatyouhave.
programme is part of the transformative power of t e c h n o l o g y i n revolutionizing Guyana’s ricecultivationsector
“This project, a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana, the FAO, China, and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), is a testamenttoourunwavering commitmenttoempowering our farmers and enhancing agricultural productivity Rice yield has moved from 5.9 tons/ha in 2019 to 6.6 tons/ha in the first crop of 2024.
The project’s impact has been far-reaching. We have trained skilled drone pilots and data analysts, who are now at the forefront of
agricultural innovation,” he said.
The minister also noted that by introducing drone technologyandGIS,farmers will be equipped with invaluable tools to optimize their operations and even further maximize yields. He also said that the services will be made available to farmersfreeofcost.
Minister Mustapha also said that by 2025, the rice productionisprojectedtobe 741,054 MT adding that as of June 2024, Guyana recorded some 362,030 mt and is on target to produce 710,004 mt by the end of 2024 FAO’s Country Representative in Guyana, Dr Gillian Smith noted that therearelotsofbenefitstobe
What we’ve found through this experience with GRDB and the farmers is that very quickly, and with some support from technicians fromChina,farmorecanbe done.Asoftoday,asasignof commitmenttotheinitiative that you have shown, we’ve been able to hand over four of the most advanced crop monitoring drones available on the market today and three high-spec. laptops that will be used for the processing of data,” Dr Smithexplained.
Chargé d’affaires of the ChineseembassyinGuyana, Rui Huang said that the deployment of drone technology will allow crop yields to increase significantly
“This project has been a significantmilestoneby
Continuedonpage16
The growth of vehicular traffic, coupled with a densely populated coastal strip,haslongmadetheneed for a mass transport system an economic imperative
However, successive governments, particularly the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC), have demonstratedapalpablelack of foresight and planning in thisregard.
Burnham opted to close the loss-making railway system in favour of the costlier building of roads. Butatleastheacknowledged that this was one of the mistakes of his government. Don't expect to hear any confession from the PPP/C about the failure to develop an improved mass transport system.
The absence of a robust public transportation infrastructure to include things such as a light rail or even a motorized tram system, capable of moving large numbers of persons, represents a significant shortcoming in public planning.This will continue to have long-lasting ill consequencesforthenation.
One of the most glaring examples of this oversight occurred during the Jagdeo administration, which initiated the development of massive housing schemes at Diamond and Tuschen Theseareaswereenvisioned as potential secondary towns,capableofalleviating thehousingcrisis.
H o w e v e r , t h e government failed to integrate a mass transport system into these plans.The establishment of only a single access road to the Diamond Housing Scheme resulted in severe traffic congestion during peak
hours, highlighting the incompetence in planning and execution.The situation underscores a broader issue: the lack of a comprehensive planningvisionthatincludes efficient transportation solutions.
The construction of the now-named Heroes Highway is another missed opportunity The highway could have been a backbone for a modern mass transport system. However, the planning was again at fault as it lacked provisions for a dedicated lane for a tram or light rail. Instead, the land alongside the highway has beenallocatedtobusinesses, effectively foreclosing any
developing a mass transport system along this corridor This shortsightedness is indicativeofapatternwhere immediate economic gains are prioritized over longt
m
n
structural investments that would benefit the broader populace.
Amasstransportsystem, such as a light rail, would have offered numerous advantages. It could have significantly reduced the number of private vehicles on the road, alleviating traffic congestion and reducing the environmental impact of veh
cular emissions. Additionally, it would have provided a reliable and efficient means of transportation for daily commuters, thereby saving time, money, and manhours.Theabsenceofsucha systemforcescitizenstorely on personal vehicles or an underdeveloped public transport network of minibuses, both of which contribute to the daily logjamsontheroads.
Thegovernment'sfailure
to capitalize on these opportunities has financial implications as well. The continued emphasis on road construction and expansion to accommodate increasing vehiculartrafficisextremely costlyandisnotsustainable. Roads require constant maintenance and expansion, and they can only accommodate a finite number of vehicles before becoming congested again. This cycle of expansion and congestionisnotonlycostly but also inefficient in the longrun.
The PPP/C however is into road building and fails to recognize that this is part of the problem. The funds a l l o c a t e d t o r o a d development could have been better invested in a mass transport system, whichwouldprovideamore permanent solution to the nation'stransportationwoes.
Despite the obvious benefits of having a mass transport system, even a loss-making one, the PPP/C governments have consistently failed to prioritise its development. This failure is not merely a result of poor planning but alsoareflectionofabroader lack of vision The government's continued focus on road construction overotheroptionssuggestsa reluctance to embrace modern, forward-thinking infrastructure projects. This approach is detrimental to the nation's long-term development and will ultimately result in higher costs,botheconomicallyand environmentally In recent
s
developmentofarailsystem is not off the cards. But he certainly did not convey the
Wegotcommissionsfuhdaysindiscountry
WegotdePoliceServiceCommission,de Teaching Service Commission, de Judicial Service Commission, de Public Service Commission, de Public Procurement Commission, de Ethnic Relations Commission,an'evendeWomenandGender Equality Commission But de main commissionweneed?Nowheretobefound! Nowtellmedis,howcomeweain'tgota Petroleum Commission? Dis oil and gas business is de biggest thing since fry fish. Yet, decisions 'bout dis crucial sector being made without a Commission.Want to guess who is the de chief cook and bottle washer whomekkinalldemdecisions?
Dem Boys seh, how de PPP/C government could forget de most important commission? Is like forgetting yuh pants before leaving de house.Yuh run out in yuh
impression that it was an immediatepriority Guyanese should not get excitedbywhatJagdeosays relating to a mass transport system in the future. Such assertions ring hollow given the consistent pattern of missed opportunities. There is no land along the main road routes to build a light rail The window of opportunity for developing such a system is rapidly closing, if it has not already closedentirely.
Thefailuretoestablisha
mass transport system in Guyana is a cautionary tale ofhowalackofplanningand visioncanhavefar-reaching consequences. The PPP/C governments' inability to foresee and act upon the need for such infrastructure will leave a legacy of congested roads and lost man hours. The nation will payahighpriceforJagdeo's and the PPP/C's lack of foresight.
The continued reliance onroad-basedtransportation systems will necessitate
furtherroadconstructionand expansion, perpetuating a costly and unsustainable cycle. But don't tell that to Jagdeo. He has a plaster for every sore (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
bukta. De oil and gas sector ain't no lil fry It's big, big business But without a commission,weatthemercyofpoliticians. Guyana is supposed to be a democracy But without a Petroleum Commission, we smelling and looking like an autocracy Where are de checks and balances? Who checkingwhetherthingsarenaughtyornice? We need a Petroleum Commission. A proper commission We need experts, independent voices, people who know de business.DePPP/Cgovernmentbetterwake up and smell de oil. Because without a PetroleumCommission,wejustspinningtop in mud.And you know what happens when yuh spin top in mud? Everybody does get dirty We need a Petroleum Commission now,notlater! Talkhalf.Leffhalf.
Idealwiththeruffstuff,asusual, and in this instance, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn What others bypass, as usual, I dive into, head-on IamasonewithMinister Benn breaking his peace and blastingaway AttheGuyanaPolice Force (police) At the “endemic corruption, unprofessional conduct, and abysmal service standards” (VillageVoiceNews,July18,2024)
Sure, he speaks from a political position,butthosedorepresentwhat Guyanesedealwithfrequently,ifnot dailyandhourly,inexchangeswith thepolice Itwouldbehelpfultohear from one Guyanese who thinks differentlyofthepolice,holdsitina differentlight
Minister Benn had earned a reputation as a feared ‘demolition man’, and he just retrieved that recently concealed part of his persona and modus operandi to denounce and demolish what goes on in the police I ponder this: for show, or ministerial seriousness Guyanese will know soon, observe thefruitsofpolicecleanups
Reality check: what is the level of confidence generated in citizens by the police? Now chew on this answer: unless a card-carrying member of the PPP Kremlin, or a deep-pocketed, deeply connected
citizen, trust and respect have been low and reaching for lower levels
Thefewgoodmenandwomeninthe police are overshadowed and overwhelmedbythepracticesofthe follies, failures, and farces of colleagues Thehigheronegoes,the rawercouldbetheresult
Ontheheadofapin,frauds;ona button,thesumofthecorruptionsof whichthehonourableministerblew so much steam Is it not, in the picture painted by Minister Benn, not precisely so in reality? My question, with a bit of the challenging still standing: who among Guyanese trusts the police, thinksthebestofitsmembers,other than a few known, proven professionals, luminous men and womenofprinciple?
Who in Guyana, other than the presidentandhisillustriousbandof law-abidingcomrades,donotbrace themselves subconsciously when the long arm of the law is outstretched,likeaclaw? Whodoes notwonderwhatitwillbethistime, when the longer teeth of law enforcement bite deeply, then still deeperlikeafang?
Make no mistake, Minister RobesonBennisaspoliticalasthey come; more politburo inclined than the best (or worst) in his beloved
PPP He is due a medal for his devotion to the cause Identically, there should be no doubt that political interference and control of the police are so pervasive and blatant that they have spiraled into issues beyond discussion and dispute Interference in and dominanceofthepolicebythePPP Government are accepted facts of life in Guyana Minister Benn has hadhisroletoplayinthoseregards Hehasdonewell
What I read and absorbed, however,wastheministerspeaking to less of the political at that 185th anniversary gathering, and very muchtotheoperational Itwouldbe inspiringtohearotherministers,the twotopleadersintherulingclique, speakwithsuchpowerfulclarityon their portfolios The unambiguous words do not have anything of a poseur about them (unless he pretends)
They speak Guyanese truths, both inside the police and in the mean streets and offroad spots of Guyana where a certain kind of business is transacted In agreeing withMinisterBenn’sunsentimental, unvarnished, and unsparing statement(s), due recognition is given to the “delicate balance” between police operational
independence and seeming political intrusions, the damage they inflict With all this fat talk aboutpolicefixing,SOCUcouldn’t fixaflattire,notevenrecognizeone With that publicized, whoever wishestochallengeisfreetodoso
Separately, I nod in full agreement to the concern about the PPP Government’s “weaponizing” of the police either to harass or to cowintosilencethoseitconsidersto be non-supporters, opponents, parasites, and undesirables I can attest as an object of that police weaponizing practice, which continues
Though disguised, it is detectable,anditisalsonoteworthy forthetimeandexpensecommitted todosocontinuously Hereissome intelligence for the new head of SpecialBranch:thoseheavilytinted, black vehicles with lights off and parked for long hours with occupants locked inside are conspicuous for those who know what to look for, how to interpret
The evidence has traveled beyond Guyana’sborders
In closing, I accept that a nonpartisan approach is the only workablesolution,thevitalnextstep always avoided But if the leading nationallawenforcementinstitution
in Guyana is ever to be given a chancetoriseoutoftheasheswhere itisnowtrappedandincineratedbya thousand burns, the nonpartisan it must be Too much government involvement now and before has paralyzed professional police administrators
Itiswaypastthetimeforpolice operations to emerge above the shadows of political meddling and the mangling hands of politicians
Nonpartisan oversight for the GuyanaPoliceForcewouldresultin political creatures studying one another instead of stalking and stifling the police, and seeking to intimidate law-abiding citizens
Thisiswhathashelpedthepoliceto deteriorate to the deplorable state it isintoday MinisterBenn:ifthereis sincerityandvigorforprincipleand professionalism,abetterGPFcould be had A better PPP government alsocouldbe
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
The government on Tuesday began relocating high voltage power lines to facilitate the Gas-to-Energy project despite notyettablingtheagreements(contractsand projectdocuments)inParliament.
TheGuyanaPowerandLight(GPL)ina statementissuedsaid“workhascommenced atBestVillage,WestBankDemerara(WBD) for the relocating of GPL’s 69 kV L7 Transmission line to accommodate the Gasto-Energy Project” before adding “The Government of Guyana Gas-to-Energy Project will significantly reduce electricity cost to customers and address the growing demandforelectricity”.
Meanwhile, as the government moves ahead with the US$2 billion and counting
GPL power-lines at Best Village, WBD, being relocated on Tuesday
The cocaine, cash and lighters found at the businessman’s home
The marijuana found hidden in a stall at the Bartica Market.
project,itisstillhidingkeydocumentsfrom thepublic. KaieteurNewshasrecentlyasked Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo when the documents would be laid in Parliament and hesaidthathisgovernmentisworkingonit. He did not give a timeline but said that the public already knows how much the project willcostGuyana.
The unavailability of the documents has sparked concerns among stakeholders, since itremainsthesinglelargestfinancialproject ever pursued by Guyana. Pegged at US$2B, the GTE project is not supported by a feasibilitystudy;thegovernmenthasalsonot released any of the agreements signed with ExxonMobil or the other contractors involvedintheproject.
A businessman and a stallholder of Bartica, Region Seven were arrested on Mondayafterpoliceranksfoundcocaineand marijuanaintheirpossession.
Police identified the businessman as 27year-old, Edwin Myles better known as Junior Ranks reportedly searched his Fifth Avenue, Bartica home and found a transparent plastic bag with 24 grams of cocaineontopofawardrobeinabedroom.
Myles, according to police, said that he owned the drugs. Investigators suspect that
Myles could be selling the cocaine. They confiscated some $30,000 in cash that they believe might be proceeds from the sale of cocaine. Ziploc bags and lighters were also foundinhishome.PolicearrestedMylesand took him down to the Bartica Police Station forfurtherquestioning.
Later that day, ranks also searched the market stall of Neon Cole, a 27- year-old vendorofFifthStreet,Barticaandfoundnine gramsofmarijuanahiddenthere.Hetoowas arrestedforquestioning.
The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is demanding the government of Guyana to clarify the interest rates/equity charges
Guyanaispayingtooilmajor, ExxonMobil for its investments in the Stabroek Block
In a press statement on Tuesday, the main political Opposition party called on the government to clarify whether or not Exxon is charging interests on its investments in the Stabroek Block and, if so, at what interest rate. In its blistering statement,thePNCRargued
that the reluctance of Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeowho manages the petroleum sector - to fully disclose information on this matter hasgone“beyondeyepass”. It was only last week during his press conference at Freedom House that the VP faced questions on the issue from Kaieteur News Jagdeo however refused to address the rate of return being charged by the oil company
Pointing to the importance of the matter at hand, the PNCR explained that tens of billions have
beeninvestedtodevelopthe oil fields to date.As such, it noted that even an interest
flagged the possibility of Guyana losing billions in revenueleakage.
According to the PNCR, “Thesemoniescouldinstead beusedtoalleviatethecostof-living crisis, raise salaries, eradicate poverty and meet many other urgent needs.”
Consequently, the party argued, “His (Jagdeo’s) d i s d a i n f o r h i s responsibilities as the PPP’s oil autocrat thus represents an assault on the well-being of every Guyanese his cavalier approach to this matter and others in the oil sectoramountstoacriminal derelictionofduty.”
Expounding further on the issue, the PNCR drew attention to Annex C in the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which states that interest expenses are recoverable without the approval of the minister if they are “consistent with marketrates.”
The party however observed that in the first audit of Exxon’s costs, incurred between 1999 and 2017 and commissioned by the Coalition government, the document made it explicit on page 4 that the companydidnotrecoverany interestexpenses.
According to the report, “interestandfinancingcosts are recoverable under the 2016 PSA However, EEPGL confirmed during the audit period that no interestorfinancingcharges have been included in cost recovery-theauditteamhas confirmedthatnointerestor financing costs are included in the amount presented in the Q4 2017 cost recovery statement.”
Such an explicit and direct statement is however missing in the second audit ofExxon.TheUS$7.3Bcost recoveryauditfortheperiod 2018 to 2020 was commissionedbythePPP
SincethePSAallowsfor interest expenses to be recoverable without the approval of the minister, the party cautioned that any audit that lacks necessary thoroughness will not automatically flag them whentheyappearinthecost recovery bank, especially when the Stabroek Block operator says Guyana is not being charged interest on developments.
“As a result, it is, at minimum, incumbent upon thegovernmentofGuyanato monitor quarterly expense reports to identify whether interestisbeingchargedand to raise this issue with the operator if it is not living up to its word,” the PNCR explained.
The party was keen to note that the second audit in addressing the issue of withholding tax (Exception 17), it tangentially suggests thatinterestisbeingcharged. Consequently, the PNCR statedthatthisraisesseveral questions;chiefamongthem is whether this is indeed the case,whattheinterestrateis, and how it compares with marketrates.
“Itdoesnotrequiremuch effortonthepartofJagdeoto clarify the situation. The people of Guyana must so demand...billionsofUSDof thenationalpatrimonyareat stake Going forward, auditors must be instructed tolookcloselyattheissueof interestandprovidedetailed and specific commentary,” theOppositionpartyurged. Additionally, the group noted that government must also keep a close eye on expense reports to note any interest charges. “If interest isindeedbeingcharged,they mustengagetheOperatorfor the recovery of these funds, and report this to the nation. The government cannot afford to continue blindly when so much is at stake,” thePNCRsaid.
Newborn being transported to the hospital
The Linden Hospital Complex in Mackenzie Region 10 on Tuesday reached a significant milestone when it successfully performed its first Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) in five years of a newborn baby to the GeorgetownPublicHospital.
The operation was the first in the last five years. In a statement
the Linden Hospital Complex said theurgentoperationwasprompted duetotheinfant’sseverecondition, which required specialized neonatalcarebeyondthehospital’s on-sitecapabilities.
According to the Linden HospitalComplex,theMEDEVAC services are designed to provide urgent care and transport for
patients who require immediate medical attention that cannot be adequatelyprovidedattheircurrent location For newborns, these services are especially important due to their delicate health and specificmedicalrequirements.
Additionally, the facility has been a key healthcare provider in theregion.Overthepastfiveyears,
Newborn safely arrived at Hospital and receiving medical treatment
Linden Hospital has made notable advancements in its ability to handle critical cases, including thoseinvolvingnewborns.
The hospital highlighted that the medical team will continue to play a vital role in the region by offering a range of medical services, including emergency care, maternal and child health
services, and specialized neonatal care.
The Linden Hospital Complex also extended its gratitude to the dedicated team involved in the operation, including doctors, nurses, ambulance services, and BKAviation Inc., for ensuring the smooth and efficient transport of thenewborn.
The site located for a new $25 million nursery building in Tapakuma Lake, Region Two. (Photos, RDC of Region 2)
The Regional Administration signing the contracts for the rehabilitation of the Oscar Joseph District Hospital and Barber Man Street in Henrietta.
TheRegionalDemocraticCouncil(RDC)ofRegionTwo on Tuesday signed three capital projects totalling $76,107,389fortherepairingofadistricthospital,constructa newnurseryschoolandfixuparoad intheRegion.
According to the information shared by the RDC, the Oscar Joseph District Hospital in Charity is set to undergo majorrehabilitationandthiswillbeexecutedbyJ.Hussain’s Construction&Suppliesatacostof$27,399,545.Theworks aresettobecompletedbyNovemberthisyear
AnotherprojectisfortheupgradingofBarberManStreet intheHenriettacommunity Theprojectwillbeexecutedby Vision X Construction & Supplies at a cost of $23,330,040 and is expected to be completed by or before October this year This publication understands that the project will see majorupgradestothecurrent11feetwideroadtoamodern asphaltic concrete road which will also be extended to approximately14feetwide.
Further, the Amerindian Village, Tapakuma Lake will haveabrandnewnurseryschoolbuilding.Theschoolwillbe builtbyTriplePConstructionandGeneralSuppliesatacost of $25,377,804. The RegionalAdministration provided that this new school will benefit the pupils living within the village and will accommodate 12 classrooms, a sanitary block,kitchen,HMOfficeandasickbay
Kaieteur News understands that nursery classes in the village are being held in a section of the primary school building.
The Prosecution and Defence teams for the election fraud case were informed by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly on Tuesdaythatthetrialwillbe further adjourned to midSeptember
The election fraud trial, whichcommencedlastweek and was briefly adjourned afterthreedays,willresume on September 17, 2024 due to the presiding magistrate’s illness.
Originally, the case was settoresumeonMonday,but theProsecutionandDefence teamswerenotifiedoverthe weekend of the magistrate’s health issue. The new plan wastorestartproceedingson Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
However, one of the defendant’s lawyers informed this publication thatMagistrateDalyremains ill and will be on sick leave forthenext30days. So far in the trial, only two prosecution witnesses have testified, with one still incomplete. During the last court session on July 31, Attorney-at-law Darshan Ramdhani KC, who is the lead prosecutor in the election fraud case, raised
concerns about the court’s omission of what he described as ‘credible evidence’ from witnesses. The prosecutor requested that witnesses should retake the stand to reaffirm their statements, allowing the prosecution to demonstrate why these omitted statements are credible and relevanttothecase.
The Defence attorneys Darren Wayne, Eusi Anderson and Ronald Daniels objected Ramdhani statements, suggesting a potential conflict of interest between the prosecutor and the witnesses They also
added that other defence attorneys should make submissions regarding Ramdhani’s requests before adecisionismade. Afterthe back-and-forth arguments between both sides, Magistrate Daly indicated she needs time to consider thematters,hencethematter was adjourned to August 5, 2024.
The trial involves nine defendants facing 19
, including former GECOM ChiefElectionOfficerKeith Lowenfield, former District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, former Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers, former Health Minister
Scrutineer Carol Smith Joseph,andformerGECOM
February, Enrique Liven, Michelle Miller, and Denise Babb-Cummings.
The charge alleges that Lowenfield, Mingo, and Myers,betweenMarch2and August 2, 2020, conspired with Lawrence, Joseph, February,Liven,Cummings, Miller,andotherstodefraud the electors of Guyana by presenting false votes from the March 2, 2020, General andRegionalElections.
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To address the overcrowding at the New Campbellville Secondary School in Georgetown, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Tuesday turned the sod to commence the construction of a new teaching block for the institution.
Kaieteur News understands that the annex will be constructed by Kaiveri Pro-
US$165,000...
From page 8 integrating drone technology into rice cultivation and upgrading sustainable farming in Guyana. With the deployment of drone technology, crop yields have increased significantly. This project has showcased the infinite potential of precision farming and has contributed to Guyana’s goal of reducing its food import by 25% by 2025 under the CARICOM Food System Agenda,” Mr. Huang noted.
Through the GIS technology, a more proactive approach to rice production will be taken as it allows the GRDB to document, analyze, and share critical data necessary to estimate losses as part of the government’s Flood Risk management efforts. Farmers will also be able to receive data to assist them with good crop husbandry practices such as effective land preparation, and plant health.
Senior Extension Officer attached to the GRDB, Dahasrat Narin said that the GRDB was able to map all the rice growing areas in the country, identifying the various varieties being cultivated by farmers in various areas, as well as the stage of the crop.
The GRDB utilized its Farmer’s Field School programme to engage farmers and build awareness for the project. With the success of this pilot programme, Guyana is poised to revolutionize rice farming through the power of technology.
curement Logistics & Investment Inc., who was awarded the $143,921,712 contract by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) on June 14, 2024.
According to information provided by the Education Ministry, the project is expected to be completed within 11 months.
The new teaching block is said to feature eight classrooms, two sanitary blocks, and a staff room, providing modern facilities that will enhance the learning environment for both students and staff.
It was reported that the
project underscores the Ministry of Education's commitment to improving educational infrastructure across the country.
This year, the ministry was allocated approximately $74.4 billion from the national budget to roll out its agenda.
Noting the importance of this structure, the Minister on Tuesday commented, “We are thrilled about this development…It represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide high-quality education and better facilities for our students and teachers.”
Plans to have an exten-
The Guyana Police Force said it made several changes in its command structure to further improve efficiency and build capacity.
In this regard, the following senior officers were posted accordingly:
Assistant Commissioner Khali Pareshram moved from
sion at school were announced back in May by the minister during a press conference. It was raised with the minister at the time that Grade Eight students of Campbellville Secondary were attending half-day classes for some months.
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'C' Division to now Head of the Strategic Planning Unit (SPU); Senior Superintendent, Michael Kingston has now moved to Commander of Regional Police Division 4 'C' and Woman Superintendent, Nicola Kendall is now Head of Strategic Implementation for Police Reform.
“That might very well be an overcrowding issue that arose out of lack of space in the Georgetown education district,” she explained. It was reported that city schools such as the St. George's High School, North Ruimveldt and Christ Secondary were gutted by fires which saw the students and teachers being accommodating in various schools.“With six schools down, we had overcrowding and rotation had to happen in some schools which is not in the most desirable place to be but what had to happen in the absence of space in classrooms,” she said at the time.
Picture: Priya M 1&2
Caption: Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and her team alongside representatives of the contracted firm at the sod turning exercise on Tuesday.
From page 3 the country signed with ExxonMobil in 2015.
He had said too that he has a team of experts advising him on oil and gas but won’t reveal their names. According to a Kaieteur News article published in March this year, Norton had said that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo will steal his party’s ideas of running the country’s oil industry. Kaieteur News had asked during one of his press conferences in March to name the members of his party’s oil and gas committee and their qualifications, as well as the body’s plan for the sector. Norton responded, “I have answered the first question before many times, no I will not say who comprise our oil and gas committee. I can say to you that it has expertise both at home and abroad.” As a seasoned politician, Norton said he knows for a fact that “people will seek to access those persons and influence their positions.”
In fact, he had said that the government (PPP/C) would even “bribe itself”, so the Opposition has to employ strategic methods to protect these individuals. “In some regard, you are dealing with a government that would bribe itself. So why would I tell a government like this who are the members of our oil and gas group. I wouldn’t and I have no apologies for it,” he said in response to Kaieteur
News question.
When it comes to the committee’s plans for the sector, the Opposition Leader had explained, “I have said that we will release our oil and gas plans at the appropriate time. Let me remind people what is happening. I went to Mocha at a public meeting and said the APNU/AFC in government having noted that diabetes and hypertension are critical and that there is a certain amount of health problems here, I said at a meeting in Mocha, APNU/AFC government will put resources into helping the average man to access those health services.”
Soon after, Norton said, government revealed plans to offset medical tests for cervical cancer. He also noted that the Opposition announced a rent-to own-scheme and a people-centered development that government has now adopted.
To this end, he said, “We are clear that we have to time when we release whatever we want to release. I can say to you we have clear plans and we have been saying some of the things we will do in the oil sector and Kaieteur News and Stabroek News covered them, so it’s not like if we haven’t put plans out there and so I am saying to you at the appropriate time, we will put our plans out there.”
Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader has shared his stance on some of the burn-
ing issues of the oil and gas sector, one them being a renegotiation of the Stabroek Block oil deal. Norton is not prepared to renegotiate the deal but wants more for Guyana out of the same contract.
At one of his press conferences in February, he said, “I have said from the inception that we believe the law the contract provides for us to engage Exxon to get a better deal for the Guyanese people. We have no problem with that. I have also said that no one will choose our language; we are not compelled to say renegotiate. It has connotations way past its appearance and so I want to make it very clear, no one is going to choose the language we use on this question.”
The Opposition has also called on ExxonMobil to provide Guyana with unlimited parent company guarantee in the case of an oil spill, something that the government is not willing to do. Norton’s party is also in support of a Petroleum Commission being established to independently monitor the sector, something which Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo said is not really necessary.
On Monday, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) issued a statement calling on the Government to tell Guyana what are the interest rates ExxonMobil is charging the country for its ongoing operations off shore.
Aiming to enhance healthcare services for residents of De Hoop and neighbouring villages in MahaicaBerbice, the Ministry of Health on Monday commissioned a new $46million health centre in Lakeville, Region5.
The commissioning ceremony was led by Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, and Minister of Local Govern
Development, Sonia Parag Also present were Vickchand Ramphal, Regional Chairman of Region Five; Faisal Jaffarally, Member of
Parliament;Dr TheresaSarju,Regional HealthOfficer;LakeramMarianDoner oftheland,andlocalresidents.
Kaieteur News understandsthatthe newhealthcentreisfullyequippedwith medicalsuppliesandequipmenttocater toapproximately1,200residents.
According to a Ministry of Health press release at the commissioning ceremony,Dr Anthonysaidtheopening ofthecentreispartofthegovernment's initiative to provide better healthcare andotherservicestoimprovelivesofall Guyanese.
Dr Anthony highlighted that the
Health Ministry is training medical personnel within communities to serve in their respective Region. “These programmes are here for people to enrol. We have many programmes available, but we need people to come forwardandbetrained,"hesaid.
Meanwhile, Minister Parag announcedthatwhiletheinfrastructure is crucial, the quality of service p
professionals is equally important "While the necessary infrastructure is here, the service delivery is equally important,"shenoted.
egion Ten police have
recently destroyed a ganja farm between Wiruni and St.Lust,BerbiceRiver
Stopping short from saying when
thefarmwasdestroyed,policesaidthat itencompassedthreeacresoflandwith over12,500plants.
The farm also had a nursery with 25,000 more plants. One hundred and
forty pounds of dried marijuana were alsofound.
Police estimated the total value of the farm to be over $3 million Investigationsareongoing.
The car they were travelling in
PoliceranksduringtheweehoursofTuesdayarrestedtwo men in the vicinity of Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge, Linden, RegionTenafteroneofthemwasfoundwithanillegalgun.
Accordingtopolice,therankswereonmobilepatrolwhen they stopped a White Toyota Premio motorcar, PNN 5981, around03:30hrs.Therankstoldthedriver,DevonteaTappina 21-year-old labourer of Andyville, Wismar and a passenger, 19-year-old Devon Glasgow of West Watooka, Linden that theywanttosearchthecar
They were ordered to step out of the vehicle with their belongings but Glasgow reportedly started behaving disorderly One of the ranks warned Glasgow about his behaviour and decided to search him. Inside his pants crotch, the policeman found a gun. Police cautioned him about the illegal firearm but he remained silent. He and the driver were botharrestedandtakenintocustody
The gun found in Glasgow's pants crotch.
…but 'no one in the world would let us'
(CNN) Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said “it may be just and moral” to starve 2 million Gaza residents until Israeli hostages are returned, but
“no one in the world would letus.”
InaspeechonMondayat the Katif Conference for National Responsibility in the town of Yad Binyamin,
the far-right minister said Israel should take control of distributing aid inside Gaza andclaimedthatHamaswas in control of distribution channelswithinthestrip.
“It is impossible in today'sglobalrealitytowage war – no one in the world wouldletusstarveandthirst two million citizens, even though it may be just and moral until they return our hostages,” he said, adding that if Israel controlled aid distribution instead of Hamas, the war would have ended by now and the hostages would have returned.
“YoucannotfightHamas withonehandandgivethem aid with the other It's his (Hamas')money,it'shisfuel, it'shisciviliancontrolofthe Gaza Strip. It just doesn't work,”hesaid.
Israel has control over aid that enters Gaza and aid groups are in charge of distributing it. While there have been some anecdotal reports from Gazans of Hamas stealing aid, it's unclear how rampant it is.
US Special Envoy David Satterfield said in February that no Israeli official had presented him or the Biden administration with “specific evidence of diversion or theft of assistance.” Israel is facing
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, during a news conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 5. Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg/Getty Images
mounting criticism from aid groups and international organizations for restricting foodaidtothebesiegedGaza Strip A United Nations s t a t e m e n t , c i t i n g independent experts, indicated last month that faminehasspreadacrossthe entire enclave. The experts accusedIsraelofconducting an “intentional and targeted starvationcampaign,”which they termed a “form of
genocidalviolence.”
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor isseekingarrestwarrantsfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of “starvation as a weapon of war, ” among other allegations. Netanyahu has strongly denied the allegations, saying they are basedona“packoflies.”He hassaidthatifPalestiniansin Gaza aren't getting enough food, “it'snotbecauseIsrael is blocking it, it's because Hamasisstealingit.” Israel hasstatedthatitwillnotend thewaruntilallhostagesare freed and Hamas is eliminated The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. The war has resulted in the deaths of more than 39,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinianauthorities.
Smotrich on Monday advocated for Israeli control oftheaideffort“asapartor as an essential means of realizingthedefinedgoalsof the war,” and said only minimal aid is needed in Gazainthemonthsandyears tocome.
“No one talks about (Israeli) military rule (of Gaza) now No need to unclog sewers, no need for education, no need for welfare.Gazainthenexttwo years is (going to be) a war zone. You need food, some medicine and a minimum of sanitation – water, sewage. That'sit,”hesaid.
Dozens of grade six students are no better preparedtomakeatransition from primary school to secondary school in September after successfully participating in the 16th annual Republic Bank Summer Camp of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports club. The four week camp th started on 8 of July at the Rose Hall Town primary school ended on Friday last with a whopping 95 students
graduating at a very impressiveclosingceremony and a total of almost $700,000worthofprizesand gifts were distributed to the top11awardeesandother84 students.
Club secretary/CEO
HerbertFosterstatedthatthe summercampstartedin2008 with 60 students in attendance.Themainaimsof the Academy are to prepare studentstomakeasuccessful transition from primary to secondary school, to get students to understand the difference between the two levels and to assist them to whatisneededforsuccessat thehigherlevel.
The camp, which was supervised by members of the Rose Hall Town NAMILCO Thunderbolt flour Under 21 and first division teams, saw the students being taught Maths, English, Social Studies, Integrated Science and basic Spanish Foster also
disclosed that the students werealsoinvolvedinseveral health and family life education sessions on peer pressure, drugs, suicide, p e r s o n a l h y g i e n e , importance of education, personal discipline and familybonding.Additionally the students were also involved in a career and culturedaysduringthecamp.
The long standing
Secretary stated that close to 1400 youths have passed through the Republic Bank Summer Camp during the last 16 years and the programme is now the most popular August school holiday event Foster extended thanks to the management of Republic
WednesdayAugust 07, 2024
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19
Emotions run high as disagreements turn into quarrels among members of a group you're affiliated with, Taurus Stayoutofit Itwon'tdo youanygoodtogetinvolved
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Emotions run high as disagreements turn into quarrels among members of a group you're affiliated with, Taurus Stayoutofit Itwon'tdo youanygoodtogetinvolved
GEMINI(May21–June20)
Pressure to get unfinished taskscompletedandnewones beguncausesemotionstorun high, Gemini Everyone, includingyou,islikelytofeel tiredandstressed,andquarrels mayerupt.
CANCER(June21–July22)
If you're able to be involved in aclassoranykindofgroup activity or social situation, be prepared for quarrels to break outamongpeoplethere,Cancer
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
Frustration could tempt you to release that energy by spending a lot of money, Leo Youmightoverindulgeinfood or drink or resort to impulse buying
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)
Frustrated energy resulting fromaninabilitytoputplans into action could have your nerves on edge today, Virgo. You might be tempted to get intopettyquarrelswiththose aroundyou.
Bank for their support of the camp and the promotion of educationtoyouths.
Manager of the bank's Williamsburg branch, Sattie Cox,statedthatshewasvery impressed with the high standard of the four week camp. Miss Cox healed the outstandingwork oftheclub executivesandthetwotutors onajobwelldone.Shestated that the bank was very delighted to always involve inthepromotionofeducation among youths. The veteran banking executive urged the 95 youths to remain focused and to always maintain a culture of discipline hard workanddedication.
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
Overwork and the resulting stress and nerve strain could result in tension headaches today, Libra. It might be a good idea to start the day pacingyourselfandconcentrating onthemostpressingtasks
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)
You're probably feeling especially energetic but with little if any outlet for your energy, Scorpio. Increased irritability and frustration couldtemptyoutotakeitout.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)
Aconflictbetweencareerand home obligations could arise today, Sagittarius. You may feelpowerless,soitcouldmake you feel irritable Try to think clearly and find a solution for yourconundrum,thenactonit
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
Thiscouldbeachallengingday, Capricorn You might receive a call that brings disconcerting news,makingyouangryorupset Youcouldbetemptedtotakeit outonthecaller,butdon't
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)
Vividdreamsarelikelytocause youtowakeupfeelingangryfor no clear reason, Aquarius You mightwanttotakeacloselookat yourdreamsandtrytoanalyzeit
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Either your lover or a colleague is likely to be irritable today, Pisces, which you might find upsetting. Bear in mind that this person'smoodprobably
Also present at the impressive closing ceremony, which included several culture items by the students, were Rose Hall Town Mayor Dave Budhu and Town Clerk Natasha Griffith Head tutor, Vishkissamaa former CSEC andCAPEstudent,disclosed that all of the 95 students werefullypreparedforentry
into secondary school and stated that all of the students had displayed a willingness forhardworkandtoimprove themselves. He praised the NAMILCO Thunderbolt flourteamsandtheRepublic bank for assisting the youth to make the transition to the higherlevelofschool.
The RHTYSC under Basil Butcher Trust Programme presented close to $700,000 worth of prizes
and gifts. The outstanding students of the 16th annual summercampwere:
1 Most DisciplineOvandoSandwell
2 Most CooperativeJaydenBrowne
3 Most determineDaksheshSanicharra
4.MostCommitted-Seon Marimutoo
5 Most ImprovedCatalayaGrimmond
6. Outstanding LeaderLiamRam
7. Best Social Studies Student-CaleciaNarain
8.Best English StudentJonathanGomes
9.Best Science StudentAdeleRamdial
10.Best Maths StudentSanaritaSatrohan
11.RunnerUpStudentof thecamp-CaleciaNarain
12. Student of the campJonathanGomes
Each of the graduating students receive an educational package worth $3000 while the top students received a variety of prizes including electric bike, electric tablet, bicycles, household items, kitchen equipmentdesignerwatches, designer clothing, cosmetic Hampers among others. The studentofthecampJonathan Gomes carried home
$300,000 worth of prizes including an electric bike donated by K.C Singh of United States.The Rose Hall
T o w n N A M I L C O Thunderbolt flour teams are the top teams at the respective level in Berbice and include players like Kevin Sinclair junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson,
Sharmaine Campbell, Shanita Grimmond, Shabiki Gajnabi, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jeremy Sandia and Matthew Pottaya. The teams are sponsored by the National Milling Company of Agricola East Bank Demerara.
The second edition of the Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast continues to produce nail-biting finishes as most of the Round-of-16 matches at the Police Sports
Club and Lusignan Community Centre had nerves on a knife's edge on Sunday
Among the big names being eliminated from the tournament are defending champions Eccles All-Stars and the renowned Village Rams.TheformidableTitans All-Stars,popularteamssuch as Team Corruption and Tarmac Titans, and the new team on the block, Montra
Jaguars, are among those in the quarter-finals, set for Sunday, August 11, at the Enmore Community Centre Ground.
The quarter-final matchesareTeamCorruption vs.MontraJaguarsat09:30h, Tarmac Titans vs. Mahdia at 11:30h, Titans All-Stars vs. The Guards at 13:30h and Brooklyn Youth Strikers vs. DiamondGunnersat15:30h.
Eccles All-Stars eliminated
Eccles All-Stars' quest todefendtheirtitlehasended after Tarmac Titans, a 2023 semi-finalist, knocked them out in a sensational last-ball
finish.Tenwasneededoffthe final over, and Daniel Ross smashed Anthony Antonio for four off the last ball to shatter Eccles's hopes. The defending champs would leave to rue the missed opportunitiesinthefield.
SUMMARY: Eccles
All-Stars 98-7 from 10 overs (Quazim Yusuf 29, Keshan Persaud 19*, Jonte Thomas 15; Daniel Ross 3-22, CarltonJacques2-18)lostto Tarmac Titans 101-6 from 10 Montra Jaguars oust VillageRams
Inanothercliffhangerat Lusignan, the Montra Jaguars held their nerves to
roar back and defeat the Village Rams in a pulsating contestthatkepttheaudience ontheedgeoftheirseats.Led by sensational hitting from Devendra Latchman, the Jaguarsscored17offRashidi Benjamin'slastover
SUMMARY: Village Rams 102-7 from 10 overs (Jonathan Van Lange 22, OmeshDanram19,Sheldon Alexander 15, Quincy OvidRichardson 15; Ronsford Beaton 2-27, Raymond Perez 1-18, Kevlon Anderson 1-28) lost to Montra Jaguars 105-5 from 10 overs (Devendra Latchman 29*, Kevlon
snatch a thrilling victory against Upsetters Ntini Permaulsmashed56from16 balls to carry them over the line.
SUMMARY: Upsetters
130-2 from 10 overs (Seon Gaskin 64*, Jamaul Wilson 53; Ntini Permaul 1-19, Keon Morris 1-27) lost to Team Corruption 131-9
TheMinistryofCulture,YouthandSports (MCYS), in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC), launched the inauguralPresident'sGamesyesterdayatthe MCYS Boardroom. This groundbreaking multi-sports tournament is scheduled for August 10-11 at the National Gymnasium, promising an exciting weekend for sports enthusiasts.Thelauncheventwasattendedby an esteemed lineup of sports officials, including Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle, AssistantDirectorofSportsFranklinWilson, President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association Godfrey Munroe, President of the Guyana Tennis Association Christie Campbell, President of the Guyana Badminton Association Emelia Ramdhani, President of the Guyana SquashAssociation David Fernandes, and President of the Volleyball Federation Levi Nedd, among others.
The President's Games will featureminitournaments in six sports disciplines: Table Tennis,LawnTennis,Volleyball,Badminton, Futsal (football), and Squash. However, the Squash tournament will serve off in early September due to the unavailability of players.This tournament aligns with the President of Guyana, His Excellency, Dr IfraanAli's One Guyana Sports programme.
Each discipline will be competing for its individual'OneGuyana'brandedtrophy
The games serve as a vital platform for athletes to sharpen their skills in preparation for future international competitions. The Futsal tournament will follow a knockout format,withthetopthreeteamsadvancingto thefinalstage.VolleyballwillfeatureUnder19 and Senior matches for both males and females. Table Tennis and Lawn Tennis will host novice and open championships, while Badminton will include novice matches as well as competitions for players set to travel for international tournaments later this month Representatives from all six disciplines have praised the two-day President's Games, expressing their enthusiasm for the opportunities it presents forathletesacrossGuyana.
“This initiative is a fantastic opportunity forourathletestoshowcasetheirtalentsand gain valuable experience,” said Steve Ninvalle, Director of Sports. “We look forward to seeing some great performances andfosteringaspiritofunitythroughsports.”
The President's Games promise to be a highlight of the sporting calendar, bringing together athletes and fans in a celebration of skill,competition,andtheunifyingpowerof sports.
Anderson 24, Jonathan Foo 21; Rajpaul Basdeo 2-23, Shiveshwar Sankar 1-17) by fivewickets
Ricardo Adams leads MahdiaassaultonCJIA Mahdia (Movements Family) has sent a stern warning as they hammered CJIA XI by 78 runs at the Police Sports Club. Adams blasted 12 sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 103 from31balls,whileErshaad Ali got 81 (2x4s; 9x6s) from 29balls.
SUMMARY: Mahdia 193-0 from 10 overs (Ricardo Adams 103*, Ershaad Ali 81*) beat CJIA XI 115-4 from 10 overs (Shaikel 42, Wayne LaRose 32*, Noel Evlyn; Raydon Austin 2-20, Deonarine Seegobin 1-4) by 78 runs overs (Kenroy Cox 25, Nickoise Barker 22; Daniel Ross 13*; Troy Gonsalves 213, Kevon Joseph 2-15) by fourwickets
Corruption pulls off a stunner
Looking down and out at 90-7 in seven overs,Team Corruption dug deep to
from 9 1 overs (Ntini Permaul55,RafaelEstraido 35; Cordell Melville 3-31, Ravindra Samaroo 2-28) by onewicket
The Guards are through
After being eliminated at this same stage by Eccles in 2023, The Guards overcame Lil Rams, led by national player Junior Sinclair
SUMMARY: The Guards 171-5 from 10 overs (David Williams 47, Junior Sinclair 43, Kevon Boodie 35; Marlon Boele 1-33, Ravaldo Pereira 1-39) beat Lil Rams 107-6 (Shamar Apple 54, Amir Azhar 15; Junior Sinclair 2-12, Kevon Boodie2-14)by64runs.
Diamond Gunners inchcloser
Led by a squash buckling 76 (12x6s) from 21 balls by Damion Vantull, D i a m o n d G u n n e r s eliminated the spirited Bartica Bulls from the tournament.
SUMMARY: Diamond Gunners 127-7 from 10 overs (Damion Vantull 76,
Jason Sinclair 13*; Ashton Simmons 3-17, Kevon Stephen 2-22) beat Bartica Bulls 93-5 from 10 overs (Inzamam Bacchus 40, Haml Lamb 29; Totaram Bishun 1-19, Laurel Parks 1-28)by34runs
Titans All-Stars beat PremierInsurance
SachinSinghblastedan unbeaten 65 (2x4s; 8x6s) from 28 balls, and Quentin Sampson (38) gave the powerful unit a decent total, which proved too much for PremierInsurance.
SUMMARY: Titans All-Stars 133-3 from 10 overs (Sachin Singh 65, Quentin Sampson 38; Akshaya Persaud 11*; Carlos LaRose 1-26, Thaddeus Lovell 1-26) beat Premier Insurance 89-9 from 10 overs (Shaquille Williams 19, Yeudistir Persaud 18; Quentin Sampson 2-5, Antony Adams2-17)by44runs
A battle of the newbie's: Brooklyn Youth Strikers and Green Scorpions
Two new teams to the tournament, Brooklyn Youth Strikers – will now have a chancetovieforaspotinthe semi-finals.
SUMMARY: Green Scorpions 80-7 from 10 overs (Tyrone Narine 26, Manieram Singh 18, Rayram Ramdeholl 17; Seon Hetmyer 4-9, Ryan Latif 1-9) lost to Brooklyn Youth Strikers 86-4 from 6.3 overs ( Alvin Mohabir 49, Ameer Mohamed 15*; Tyron Narine 3-28) by six wickets
The champions will receive G$1.5 million, while the runners-up will receive G$500,000.The losing semifinalistseachgetG$250,000. Players will vie for the titles ofMostRuns,MostWickets, andPlayeroftheFinal.Each winner will receive a Smart TVanda$75,000cashprize, while a motorbike and $85,000 will go to the Most ValuablePlayer
In a bid to ensure that players continue to reap the rewards of competing in the second season of the Kares One Guyana T10 Tapeball Blast,FLSporthasuppedthe stakes for the quarter-finals setforSunday,August11,at the Enmore Community Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara.Additionally, the organisersindicatedthatdue to unforeseen circumstances and based on discussions withsponsors,thefinalsand Cricket For Charity match involving President Dr. Irfaan Ali has been brought forward to Saturday,August 24.“In 2023, we stated we wanttoensurewegiveback moretoplayersandfans,and this year, we have increased all of the prizes and added a hefty quarter-final payout. Each of the eight teams at Enmore will be rewarded”, John Ramsingh, Director of FLSport,stated.
According to Ramsingh, eachofthefourwinnerswill pocket $100,000 while each loser will get $30,000, for a total payout of $520,000, sponsoredbytheMinistryof Culture,YouthandSport.
He elaborated that, at minimum, each of these eight teams will regain its entrance fee of $25,000, whilethewinnerreceivesan earlybonus.
Each of the losing semifinalists on August 24 will take home $250,000, compliments of Premier Insurance Second-place –$500,000 from SuperBet Guyana and the winner
pockets $1.5M from Star Rentals.
Moreso,playerswillvie for the titles of Most Runs, MostWickets,andPlayerof the Final. Each winner will receive a Smart TV and $75,000 cash prize compliments of Regal Stationery and Computer Centre.Assuria Insurance willpresentamotorbike,and $85,000 will go to the Most ValuablePlayer.
Additionally, $100,000 willbesplitequallybetween the Kawasaki Super Striker of the tournament (player
More thrilling action is anticipated this Sunday at the Enmore Community Centre Ground.
with the highest strike rate—minimum of 12 balls) and the Most Economical bowler (lowest economy rate—minimumof24balls). It will bring over
Panamanian jockey Nobel Abrego is all set to ride in the feature event of the 16th runningoftheGuyanaCup.
Thishistoricalfeatureevent,whichhasa purseofG$11,625,000,willseethetophorse claiming the championship tag as Guyana's top horse and a whooping sum of approximatelyG$6million.Theexperienced jockey,Abregoisexpectedtopilotthenewly imported Nova Sol at Rising Sun Turf Club onSundayAugust11inthefeaturerace.
Nova Sol is now owned by Guyana's newest horse owner, Jermaine Sripal, a renownedbusinessman.
Abrego is no stranger to Guyana Cup, as hefeaturedinthiseventinrecentyears.
“Guyana's racing has improved plenty (a lot),”Abregosaid.OwnerofNovaSol,Sripal hadindicatedattheGuyanaCupdrawingand press conference that he is excited to feature inthisprestigiousrunningofthe16thGuyana Cup.Whileheisinexperiencedasanowner, his horse will be trained by the influential
Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr Sripal who is also theownerofSpankhurst,Guyana'stophorse for last year, remains confident of a good showing at Guyana Cup for his horse, Nova Sol.ThefeatureraceforthisGuyanaCupwill have 12 horses, mostly newly imported horses. With this year's Guyana Cup purse being the biggest in the Caribbean, horses from various countries will be compelled to traveltoGuyanaandbattleforsupremacy RisingSunTurfClubwillbetransformed intoanelectrifyingatmospherefortheentire family,wherekidswillbetreatedtoafunpark and fans will be thrilled to great vibes when the DJ competition takes Centre stage after therace.Horsesenteredandgatepositionsfor Guyana Cup feature event includes; Stat, Bossalina,LoyalCompany,BeckhamJames, John Bull, Olympic Kremlin, Nova Sol, Stolen Money, Stormy Victory, Oy Vey, RitornaVincetoriandEasyTime. Race time is 12:00h local time at Rising Sun.
G$3.4Mbeingdistributedin cashprizes. The quarter
Corruption vs Montra Jaguars at 09:30h, Tarmac Titansvs.Mahdiaat11:30h, TitansAll-Starsvs. The Guards at 13:30h, andBrooklynYouthStrikers vs Diamond Gunners at 15:30h.
The Kares One Guyana
T10 Blast also enjoys the
Engineering, Banks DIH Limited, Montra Restaurant and Lounge, Demerara Mutual, ETS, Metro Office and Computer Supplies, Jacobs' Jewellery, Digital Technology, First Change Builders Inc, KFC Guyana, Hoosein'sSecurityServices, NEW GPC Inc., Building
OfficeMax, Sankar's Auto Works, ENet, Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Inc , Trophy Stall, ANSAMcALDistribution, Camille's Academy, R Kisson C
M
HumanServicesandSocial Security, RS53 RestoBar and Lounge, Samaroo Investments, and Coel's Boutique.
- Number of high-profile overseas specialists set to attend
InSync Therapeutics, fresh off their successful United Kingdom Strength a n d C o n d i t i o n i n g Association (UKSCA) strength and conditioning programme will be hosting another summit on September 29, geared towards more intricate aspects of promoting o p t i m a l h u m a n performance.
The recently concluded programmesawanumberof Guyane
att d completingphase1 Accredited Streng and Conditionin Coach (ASCC) programme.
T
st phase focused heavily on public s
standard to strength a
ni coaching.
InSync Therapeutics’ Managing Director / cricket physio Neil Barry Jr.
Strength and Conditioning
Coach Martin Gallyer will return for next month's summit.
According to InSync Therapeutics' Managing Director and professional cricketphysioNeilBarryJr this upcoming seminar will be more advanced as it will feature a wide array of international and regional specialists both past and presentfromthestraightand conditioningfiledofsports.
Among the professional inthefieldsettobeapartof next month's programme;
ormer head Academy
Phy
Manchester City Football Club, Scot McAllister, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Chief Medical Officer,DrReneBest,Head PhysiotherapistatRajasthan Royals (Indian Premier League) John Gloster, Consultant in Medical and Performance Solutions,
GrantDownie;Consultantin Emergency Medicine and LecturerinSportsMedicine, Dr Praimanand Singh, Strength and Conditioning Coach Martin Gallyer; who was a facilitator during the UKSCAprogramme. Barry said that he expects a huge turnout with personsfromvarioussectors including administrators, coaches and stakeholders, athletes, parents and the list goeson. Meanwhile, registration for the High-Performance Summit is set at US$100 per interested person, with moreinformationaboutthe summit available via contact being made with Insync Therapeutics 592-
Boxinghasalwaysbeendefinedasagame of guts, determination, skill, and talent, and boxing buffs could expect all this and more whentheGuyanaBoxingAssociation(GBA) th hosts the 7 edition of the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and SchoolgirlsBoxingExtravaganza,August1618next.
The tournament was conceptualized approximately 8 years ago by the various headsoftheCaribbeanBoxingAssociations, with the pivotal objective of uniting the Caricom region while identifying the best within the community. Guyana has won the tournament on every occasion and naturally, local boxers will be brimming with confidence at replicating this feat Notwithstanding,theystillhavetobewaryof their counterparts within the region, especiallyStLucia,Antigua,andTrinidadand Tobago,wheretherehasbeenanupheavalin activitiesovertheimmediatepastmonths.
Already, eight countries have confirmed their participation and the organizers have indicated that they have copiously ensured that all modalities are in place for a scintillating tournament. Those countries joining the host country, Guyana, include Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Antigua, Suriname,Barbados,andGrenada.
Coach and Director of Tournament, Terrence Poole, is highly optimistic about accruing championship honours. “We have a decent bunch of boxers who have worked exceedingly hard over the past weeks and, naturally, we are rooting behind them to cart
off top honours,” said Mr Poole. He singled out Eon Boncroft, an up-and-coming sensation whose father and grandfather had been exceptional punchers. “We are also placing high hopes on U15 schoolboy, DreshawnWilsonandDreshawnFileen;they both excelled in their respective categories with Fileen repeatedly capturing the Best Boxeraccolade,”informedMr Poole. Meanwhile, the President of the Guyana BoxingAssociation,SteveNinvalle,washigh in praise of his coaches whose efforts have ensured that the local contingentof boxers is in kittle shape for the tournament. He is optimistic that the local team will replicate their previous determination and skill. The respectiveteamsareexpectedtostarttrooping intoGuyanawithinthenextweek.
ByRawleToney
Aliyah Abrams' exit in the repechage round of the women's 400m brought the curtains down on Guyana's participation at the 33rd Olympiad.
Abrams had finished fifth in her heat, but the introduction of the repechage round handed Guyana's 400m record holderalifelinetoreachthe semifinals at the Olympics for the second consecutive time.
Olympic track and field athletes who do not automatically qualify in the first round of events in the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 100mH, 110mH, and 400mH will have an additional round to secure theirspotsinthesemifinals.
A t h l e t e s w h o automaticallyqualifyforthe semifinals will continue their medal quest with a potential three rounds of competition, while those who do not qualify initially will have up to four rounds. Each athlete in these events is guaranteed at least two roundsofcompetition.
However, Abrams ran 51.84 seconds to finish fifth in the repechage round,
bowing out of the Olympic Games.
TheParisGameswasthe 27-year-old's third outing at the Olympic Games, with the 2016 event in Brazil being her first. In Rio, her timeof52.79secondsinthe heats did not qualify her for thesemifinals.
Guyana's wait for anotherOlympicmedalafter Michael Parris' bronze in boxing at the 1980 games willcontinue,astheGuyana Olympic Association (GOA) now shifts their focus to the 2028 Olympics inLosAngeles,USA.
Emanuel Archibald didn't look his usual self in Heat 6 of the Men's 100m, wherehis10.40secondssaw himfinishingeighth.
Chelsea Edghill, competing at her second Olympics, exited in the preliminary round of the women'ssinglestabletennis event, losing 1-4 against Cameroon'sSarahHanffou.
In swimming, Raekwon Noel,despitemissingouton a place in the next round of the Men's 400m freestyle, managed to reset the country's national record in the event His time of 4:02 29 surpassed his
previous record of 4:03.57 set at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Curacao last year The first-time Olympian holds five national records in swimming.
Aleka Persaud delivered a sub-par performance in Paris, finishing fourth in Heat One of the Women's 100m freestyle event Persaud entered the pool in France with a personal best and national record in the women's 100m freestyle of 1:00.67, set at last year's World Championships in Fukuoka,Japan.
However, the two-time Olympian swam 1:01 29, finishing fourth behind Zimbabwe's Paige van der Westhuizen (59.19s), 16year-old Tilly Collymore of Grenada (58.84s), and Botswana's Maxine Egner (58.98s).
On his way to winning Guyana's only Olympic medal to date, Michael Parris defeated Nureni Gbadamosi(Nigeria),Fayez Zaghloul(Syria),andDaniel Zaragoza (Mexico). But, in the bout for a chance to contest for the gold medal, Parris was defeated by Cuba'sJuanHernandez.
GCB concerned following CWI Press Release concerning Order of Court declaring the election of CWI Vice-President Bassarath
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is deeply concerned about the contents of a Press Release purportedly issued by Cricket West Indies Inc (CWI)followingarulingby the High Court in Guyana th earlier today (5 August, 2024) that the election of Azim Bassarath as Vice President of CWI was unlawful, null, void and of noeffect.Thecontentsofthe said Release are misleading to the public and gave an inaccurate and incorrect description/narration of the proceedingsbeforetheHigh Court. The Press Release failed to highlight that the application to challenge the jurisdiction of the High CourtwasmadebyCWIand notbyeitherAzimBassarath orGregoryNicholls. Secondly the Release deliberately omitted the fact that CWI, Bassarath and Nicholls failed to attend the hearing. On the third note,
Dr. Kishore Shallow
the Release deliberately omitted the fact that the challenge to the jurisdiction oftheCourtwasbasedonthe groundthatthemattercalled for an interpretation of the Articles of Association and therefore subjec
to arbitration Lastly, the Learned Judge pointed out that neither CWI, nor
Bassarath nor Nicholls advanced any contrary interpretation to theArticles to make “interpretation” of the Articles an issue in the matter Furthermore, the Release also deliberately omitted the fact that CWI, Bassarath and Nicholls failedtofiletheirapplication to challenge the jurisdiction of the Court within the stipulated timeline but the Learned Judge still consideredtheirchallengeto jurisdiction.
The GCB is also concerned that it was not privy to any meeting of the Directors of CWI where the decisionwasmadetofilean appeal against the ruling of theLearnedJudge.
CWI seems adamant to continue with a Vice President who was unlawfully elected rather thantocorrectagravewrong th whichwascommittedon25 March, 2023 at the CWI election.
Th e G u y a n a
F o o t b a l l Federation (GFF) is thrilled to announce the successful completion of the FIFA Member Association training course for match officials, held fromAugust 1 to 5 at the GFF National
Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.Thismilestonenot onlyenhancestheGFF'spool of skilled referees but also signifiesamajorstepforward in the development of football officiating standards acrossthenation.
The rigorous training programme, funded by FIFA and integral to the global Member Association (MA) course, aims to elevate the refereeing skills to the highest levels. Over the past five days, twenty (20) participants from various
regions throughout Guyana spanning from remote areas to urban
centres immersed themselves in an intensive curriculumdesignedtorefine
their expertise and applicationofthelatestFIFA Laws of the Game for 20242025.
During the closing
ceremony, Lenval Peart, Head Referee of the GFF
noted, “Guyana has capitalized on this FIFAfunded initiative, which brings elite training to our shores Given our geographical landscape, we've had participants from various regions of Guyana, includingthosewhomaynot be considered elite but were given the opportunity to experience a higher standard ofrefereeing.
This exposure is crucial for our development, especially considering the limited number of elite refereeswecurrentlyhave.”
He noted that by graduating 20 new referees, the GFF is significantly expanding its pool of officiatingtalent.
This programme has provided the referees with invaluable insights and advanced knowledge, enhancing their ability to manage football matches with greater precision and authority
The elite training course featured instruction from renowned international refereeing experts, who shared their extensive
experience and in-depth understanding of the latest modifications to the FIFA Laws of the Game (LoG). These experts worked closelywithlocalinstructors, who then passed on this advanced knowledge to the participants.
This collaborative approach ensures that the newest updates in football regulations are thoroughly communicated and in
officiatingpractices.
A l t h o u g h t h i s programme is tailored for refereesatanadvancedlevel,
The successful participants of the FIFA Member Association training course for match officials along with officials take time out for a photo.
it also serves a dual purpose oftalentidentification.
“This is not an introductory course for new referees but is tailored for those who are already at an advanced level. Each year, it helps us spot talent that can be considered for future nominations, ” Peart explained.
The GFF's dedication to
refereedevelopmentisapart of our broader commitment to enhancing the overall qualityoffootballinGuyana.
By investing in the professional growth of referees, the GFF not only improves the standards of officiating but also contributes to the integrity and fairness of football matches across the country
This program is a critical c o m p o n e n t o f t h e Federation's ongoing efforts to support and advance the sportateverylevel.
The Federation looks forward to seeing these newly trained officials apply their skills on the field and contribute to the continued growth and success of footballinthenation.
