Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Israeli attack on Gaza shelter kills 15 members of one Palestinian family Israelistrikes‘wipingoutwholefamilies’afterattackonwarehouse shelteringdisplacedPalestiniansinaz-ZawaydaincentralGaza
VP Jagdeo finally earning “massive” returns on equity Afterfouryearsofoilproduction...
AFC believes Guyana’s Man crashes car after failing to obey stop sign decommissioned 30 years ago AlessonforGuyana: Chevron sued for leaking oil wells in Texas, reveals ExxonMobil oil reserves significantly more than 11.6B barrels
Check Exxon’s inflated expenses!
After four years of oil production... VP Jagdeo finally reveals ExxonMobil earning “massive” returns on equity
...Minister Bharrat and Head of Petroleum Unit, Bobby Gossai claim no interest being charged to Guyana
Since oil production began in contributions. 2019, a constant concern has
In a previous statement, the lingered in the minds of Guyanese- PNC/R highlighted that tens of the rate of return on the company’s billions have been invested to investments- since Guyana could develop the oil fields to date. As possibly be cheated billions such, it noted that even an interest throughanunfairinterestcharge. rate of 5% would result in a huge
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo cost to the country To this end, the who manages the petroleum sector political group flagged the has been questioned at numerous possibility of Guyana losing press conferences in the past on the billionsinrevenueleakage. “interest rate” that was being According to the PNC/R, charged by the company This cost “These monies could instead be is particularly important since the used to alleviate the cost-of-living developer, ExxonMobil, is free to crisis, raise salaries, eradicate deduct these expenses without the poverty and meet many other prior consent of the Minister Exxonisnotusingloanstodevelop their own retained earnings. There No interest is charged to the cost urgentneeds.” responsible for the sector, the resources discovered in the isnointerestcostsodon’tyouthink bank bottom line. No interest is The International Monetary according to the lopsided oil Stabroek Block, the subject of an they get a return on their equity? charged to the cost bank as of Fund (IMF), one of Guyana’s key contract. “interest rate” does not apply to They’regettingamassivereturnon today,”theMinistersaid. development partners and advisors
During his August 8 press Guyana. theirequityandthatisexactlywhat Head of the Petroleum Unit at ontheoilsectorpreviouslysaiditis conference, Jagdeo told reporters Instead, the company through is happening here They have the Ministry of Natural Resources, an industry norm that the there was no interest rate being its shareholders makes “equity chosen not to go down the interest Bobby Gossai also emphasized government of the day disallows charged to the cost bank. His contributions”- as outlined in route, but they are getting a return during his presentation that no interests from being recovered on comments were made following Exxon’s financials- towards the ontheirequity.” interests were being charged to the loans. Even if this is allowed, the statements earlier in the week by development of the resources. The No interest rates cost bank. He assured, “Currently, administration sets a cap or limit to the People’s National Congress returns here are “massive” JustadaybeforetheVP’smedia there is no interest that is charged prevent the full interest amount Reform (PNC/R) and the Alliance accordingtoJagdeo. engagement, the Minister of on the operation of the Stabroek frombeingrecovered. For Change (AFC) calling for full He explained, “If you supply Natural Resources, Vickram Block right now Whether that is In Guyana’s case, the country disclosure by the government on financing, nobody does it and Bharrat hosted a half-year press development or production not only allows the recovery of thesubject. you’re an investor for free, if there conference where he made it clear activities.” financingcostsbutalsosetsnocap. Jagdeo however described the isacosttoyouthenyourecoverthe that there was no interest being Rate of return This means that the company’s rate company’s rate of return as cost. So whether it comes in the chargedtoGuyanabyExxon. Although it has been revealed of return on its equity contributions “massive” a week later, during his formofaloanoranequity,yougeta Kaieteur News had asked nowthatExxonenjoysa“massive” could balloon as its investments August 15 press conference at return. So in this case, Exxon has Bharrattoclarifywhethertherewas return on its investments, into the Stabroek Block also FreedomHouse,Georgetown. made it clear there is no interest a rate of return on the company’s policymakershavebeencarefulnot increase; as a result Guyana’s share What changed? cost They are financing the investments,whichhedenied. todivulgethespecificrateofreturn of profits from the sector could be It should be noted that since operations from equity and from “There is no interest on equity on the company’s equity increasinglyshortened.
Head of the Petroleum Unit, Bobby Gossai
Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo
Kaieteur News
Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.
Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456
Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS
Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Oil disclosures - pulling teeth
Guyanese know less than they should about their oil wealth. The PPPC Government has been comfortable operatinglikeEbenezerScroogewithsharingsomeofthe essentials of their wealth with citizens. Trying to extract some information from local oil czar Jagdeo about the nationalpatrimonyhasbecometorture. HeisScrooge-like, meaning very stingy when oil disclosures are involved, whichshouldbeamatterofroutine.
Thenationhasbeengiventherun-aroundwiththerate thatExxonMobilwasreceivingforthebillionsofitsequity thatitinvestedhere. First,itwasmoneythatwasdifficultto comebyforfossilfuelcompanies,giventhebadnamethatithas earned for its contributions to climate change For a time, GuyanesethoughtthatExxonMobilwasborrowingbillionsto funditslocaloffshoreoperations,onlyforlittledetailshereand there to seep into the public domain From Jagdeo: ExxonMobil was entitled to a return on its investment We agreethatiswhatshouldbeasitisthenorminbusinessesthat areaboutprofitmaking Butwhatisitandwhydoesthishaveto besuchapainfulexerciseforGuyanese? Theoldstoryfrom Jagdeo is that there is zero interest charged by ExxonMobil Frankly, we have our doubts about the zero interest rate scenario,ie,unlessExxonMobiliscollectinginterestundera different accounting label or is lumping it with some other practicetodisguiseitstruenature Itis,becausethisiswhat Jagdeo shared last week when he said that ExxonMobil is ‘makingamassivereturnonitsequityinvestmenthere’
Oilreserveshavegrowntoanotherboneofcontention with a hodgepodge of what could only be termed as slick, and less than straight from both ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana. It couldn’t be shared with Guyanese because it was not a prime focus, but will be available in due time, which could be years. Then S&P Global,asreputableastheycomeintheworldofbusiness analysis, said that the reserves have increased from the longstanding 11B barrels to 18.7B. When the question aboutthetruereserveswasputbeforeJagdeoheunderwent achangeofheart.
Thenewoilreserveswillbepublicizedwithinaweek. ItisnowweekslaterandJagdeohaschangedhistuneagain. Whenaskedagainlastweekaboutwhatthetotalnumberof barrelsofoilisthatExxonMobilannouncedthrougheight newdiscoveries,Jagdeoresortedtohisoldways:thereisno changetothereserves. Guyaneseheardthisbeforethrough ‘substantial but not significant.’ These are the scratchy soundsthathavecomefromJagdeoinhisweeklybattlesto dodge this question about total reserves. Other than for CNOOC, a member of the ExxonMobil-led consortium including 746,000 new barrels of oil from one of the announced discoveries in its annual report, and that S&P Global18.7Btotal,therehasbeenneartotalsilence. There wereeightnewdiscoveriesannouncedbyExxonMobilbut nochangetothereserves. Whygotothetroublethentosay anything about new discoveries, even one? If negligible barrels of new oil were discovered, why rush before the world and call that a “discovery” here and later in seven otherdrillingsites? Itisobviousthatsomestretchingofthe factsisatwork,howmuchwillcometolightatsometime. Still another area of concealment concerns ExxonMobil’sproductioncostperbarrelofoilinGuyana. Figures have ranged from as low as US$9 per barrel from Hess Corporation’s CEO, John Hess, to as high as US$40 from Bloomberg, the most recognized business media powerhouse in the world. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil, the repositoryofGuyanaoilsecrets,hasbeensparingrelative totheissueofwhatitsbreakevenpointisforabarrelofoil produced here. Guyana is in a partnership with ExxonMobil, yet Guyanese grope for meaningful oil informationbutmostlycomeupemptyhanded. Wethink thatthecompanyisdeliveringthatbreakevendetailtothe government. Itisadisclosure,anotheronethatshouldbe shared with Guyanese, but is not. Instead of disclosures withtheiroilpatrimony,Guyaneselivewithoildarkness.
Kaieteur
Cleaning Georgetown
DEAREDITOR, Referenceismadetothe public notice on the subject ofCitizensbeingurgedtoget involved in a cleanup exercise (SN 8-16-2024) Whilethisisapositiveeffort tosolveaseriousproblemin cleaning public spaces, this is not a permanent solution; foracleanupproject,owned collectivelybyacommunity, isjustaone-offeventthatis not sustainable Instead, cleaningofapubliclyowned spacethateveryoneenjoysis aprogrammedandmanaged eventthatisbookmarkedon the local government calendar to occur either weekly, monthly, quarterly, orsemi-annually
While growing up in Georgetown, I recall seeing CityCouncilemployeeswho came once per week to cut
the grass on the adjacent sidewalk; other employees collected the garbage and transported it to ‘old smokie’; while other employees cleaned and flushed-out the gutters and drains by opening the water hydrants connected to the water system managed by the GS&WC. The GS&WC
also managed and maintained the sewage system, clearing blockages and repairing broken pipes. Whenitrained,therewasno flooding; for the water entered the concrete drains, and into the canals around Georgetown, where it was temporarily stored until the kokers were opened, emptying the water into the DemeraraRiver Iremember catching fish in the drains, somethingthatisnotknown
by the young people in Georgetowntoday
The canals around Georgetown were free of weeds and the forty-feet trench was a place where young boys learned to swim before the Luckhoo swimming pool, owned by the City Council, was built.
There were employees from the Ministry of Health who sprayed the environment for flies and mosquitos and otherinsects,andtherewasa follow-up inspection by the inspector The Markets, along with the Botanic and SmallGardensandSeaWall Band Stand were cleaned.
Funding for these public activities came from local taxes collected by the Georgetown City Council and most likely the Central Government.
The proposed cleanup projects of public spaces (e g the Seawall, street c l e a n i n g a r o u n d Georgetown) that are based onvolunteersprovidingfree labor services are not sustainable. Rather, this is theworkoftheGovernment, whose job is to provide public goods and services using taxpayers’ money to hire workers, provide equipment, cleaning material and transportation services for the disposal of the garbage. It would be useful if a record could be made of the citizens who volunteeredfortheproposed cleanup campaign. These citizensshouldberewarded.
Sincerely, Dr.C.KenrickHunte Professor and Former Ambassador
Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox
Put an end to orchestrated forays into parts of the country’s capital
DEAREDITOR
,
Aroundthissametimein August 2020, I broke ranks with some of my colleagues whenIproposedthatwegive young President Irfaan Ali an opportunity to do things necessary to make Guyana goodandglorious.
In many areas, some of usremaindisappointed and myadvicetothePresidentis thathe ensures surrounding
him are people of competence and capable of credibleresearch.Fornow, I will avoid mentioning the terrible conditions we discovered in the Housing Sectorin2015.
It reminds us all that earlier President Ali stated that we all came here for betterment. That only when Descendants of enslaved Africans pointed to the absurdity of this, he sought tocorrectit.
Our President must be careful when making public pronouncements At the
Building Expo, he declared there were 357 Contractors.
Animpossibility
AContractor is a trained person or unit, with the appropriateskillsdepending on the job. (Plumbing, Electrical, Carpentry, Masonry, appropriate equipment and machinery
etc.). I make a bet challenging the President to producethe357Contractors basedontheabovecriteria.
Speakingformyself,and others, we are not interested inthebigbucksbutfeelthat allGuyanese,irrespectiveof what ships we came in, deserve to benefit from the massivesumsnowavailable. The fact that this Government is not collaborating with the Oppositionandcivilsociety, togetmuch,muchmoreout of our non-renewable natural resources is another matter
For now, what follows, represents a weakness of a
Civil Society activism is the Hope of Guyana
DEAREDITOR
, Recently, friends have posed the question to me of whether my continued advocacyofelectoralreform for Guyana has achieved anything and is it worth the effort After four years working with the Electoral Reform Group and with another election on the horizon, they want to know what, if anything, has changed for the better. I’m grateful for the questioning. It has forced a personal pause and some necessary reflection. It deserves an answer I know that underlying the question is the cynical view abroad that nothing will change in Guyanabecausethepolitical leaders do not want change. Theycontrolthegovernance systemandiftheydon’twant change,itwillnothappen.
After some reflection, myconclusionsboildownto two basic considerations Firstly, electoral reform remains an urgent priority Four years of increased incomes from the oil industry have not changed that. With the Government completely in control of the national coffers and rule-
Government, that for the firsttimeinthiscountry,has available large sums of moneybuthasbeenadismal failure in identifying men and women with the competent sense of nationalismtomanagethose resourcesandthereforeoffer toGuyanese,abetterquality oflife.
The sugar Industry is a classiccase.
Read Tony Viera’s l
Kaieteur News Letters, August 15, 2024, titled “
GuySuCo now is just fueling more corruption and has nothing to do with reviving that dead corporation,” and you will see the silly steps our Government is making with sugar that consumed the energies and dignity of our ancestors in the cotton and sugarplantations.
Two, this morning at 8:58am, there was a blackout in my area and largepartsofGeorgetown We have lots of money, a Turkish ship, etc The
making and a political oppositionwidelyviewedas emasculated, there is an increased sense of disorder, and living conditions for ordinarycitizensthatarenot getting easier It is clear that the country needs major institutional overhaul (since government financial resources are not the problem), and that overhaul must start with electoral reform. What we have is a distressedstatusquo,andfor me the choice is simple: either you are in favor of transformativechangeorthe statusquo.Andifyouarenot prepared to take a stand to change the status quo, you aresupportingit.
Mysecondconsideration is that civil society is the hope of Guyana With nationalelectionsaroundthe corner, the political parties are already gearing up While we can expect the political parties to roll out listsofpromises–theyhave already started – the silence on the question of constitutional and electoral reform is deafening. The support to the establishment oftheConstitutionReform (Continuedonpage09)
problem Mr. President, again, is management People in this and other communitiesdescribedwhat is coming out of our water pipesasmud
Three, as the new term beckons, why should our teachers in the public sectorstillbearguingwith the Government for a decent, reasonable, livablewage
Is it because the big ones can afford to pay the high fees at private schools, ensuring that the gapbetweenthehavesand thehavesnotiswidening
All that is necessary for equity is to put in place, immediately free education from nursery to university, so that every child is given an opportunity to develop his orherfullpotential
Four, why is it that certaindrugs,tosustainlife, are either not available in a public health institution and in some cases, not available inGuyanaandifavailableat some instances, beyond the reach of ordinary folks and
unless they can afford to traveltocountries,asnearas Suriname, Trinidad or Barbados to obtain these medicines.
Fifty, visiting with me w e r e s o m e o f m y grandchildren.
T h e y a r e a l l disappointed; in spite of boasting by our Ministries, the majority of fruits and vegetables are imported Recall,thePPPwerecritical of an earlier Feed, Clothe andHouseproject.
Six, when listening to the Press Conference report by the President, he talked about everything under the sun, except as Head of State, to give this nation the available facts and prognosis with respect to the two items, that if properly managed, can make every Guyanese comfortableandhappy If the President wishes history to judge him kindly, he must put an end to these orchestrated forays into parts of the country’s capital Further, sit with the elected
representatives of the City, examine the Greater Georgetown Development Plan
Further, support Community Meetings, from Kingston toAgricola initiated some years ago, allowing citizens to appreciate the vital role they must play to make Georgetown, the Garden City, the envy of those who come to visit the Presidentandothers
A sine-qua-non must be the identification of persons to do these works based solely on their competence, e x p e r i e n c e a n d commitment.
Allowmetocompliment the President. Whenever I havetheoccasiontowriteto him, I receive a reply or acknowledgement. Thisisagoodauguryand I publicly congratulate him and hope that he can persuade the cultural barbarians over whom he presides to follow such a goodexample.
HamiltonGreen Elder
Strengthen Ties with India
DEAREDITOR, India observed the 77th
anniversary of its independence last August 15 India has significant
influence on former colonies, including Guyana and several West Indian territories) of empires. India has doled out enormous developmentalaidtoformer colonies like Guyana, Suriname, etc , to build infrastructure and to lift standard of living. India has
been increasing its economic, political, and cultural connections with every country including
A
, the Caribbean, and Latin America India is an increasingly important player in the world stage, a key driver of global growth, accounting for over 15% of world’s total economic output.Indiahasverystrong trade ties with many countriesandisalsoamajor s o u r c e o f s k i l l e d immigrants, many of whom invested money for startups andjobcreation. India’s independence in 1947 paved the way for dozens of other colonies in Africa,Asia, the Caribbean, including Guyana’s, belonging to France, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, andBritain.Formercolonies have looked to India (since formation of the NonAligned Movement in the 1950s, BRICS, and international organizations) for global leadership on political events and economic development India is an increasingly important country with a g r o w i n g e c o n o m y (economicpowerhouse)and populationandhavingavast array of human resources in everyareaimaginable.India
is also an agricultural powerhouse, a leader in production of several commodities.
India has become the fastest growing major economy over the last decade with the world’s largest middle class that is thesizeofthemiddleclassof allofEuropecombined.Not surprisingly, every developed country and major economy have turned to India for trade treaties or economiccooperation.
India is the most populous country in the world with its economy
growing rapidly It has the fifth largest GDP and is among the top seven most industrializednations.Italso has the largest pool of ‘uncontrolled’ (free to migrate unlike Chinese skilled personnel) technical labor, including engineers and medical personnel, and ITech specialists, who are prized by foreign multinationals and wooed for settlement abroad. India is also a nuclear power and has a large military force. It has joined the club of space explorers and has been launching sa
lites including for commercial purposes; India launched European, Asian, and Americansatellitesinspace. Andusingitsownsatellites, Indiahassharedinformation on climate and agricultural challenges with developing countries.
India is a major destinationforstudentsfrom developing countries like GuyanaandfromAfricaand Asia, acquiring a skill set. Developed countries are destinations for Indian professionals seeking education and or work opportunities in technical industries.EvenGuyanahas recruited some skilled personnel from India in various sectors including medical, engineering, agriculture, and computer India has rendered considerable developmental assistance to Guyana and Caribbeanterritories;infact, onapercapitabasis,Guyana is the largest recipient of India’s assistance in the west.Indiancompanieshave alsoinvestedinGuyana.
VishnuBisram
Stopattacking ourwomen
DEAREDITOR, This week, I have been disturbed by the rise in disrespectful and baseless
accusations against Guyanese women, notably fromapopularsocialmedia commentator Theseattacks, targeting women like the FirstLady,HEAryaAli,and a skilled pilot who serves with honour and integrity, are not only unfounded but alsodamaging.
Both of these women have demonstrated remarkable strength and commitment to their roles
The First Lady has championed numerous impactful initiatives, including projects that uplift our society and contribute to the nation’s development The pilot, a member of the discipline force, exemplifies the values of hard work, d e d i c a t i o n , a n d perseverance. It’s disheartening to witness how easily misinformation can spread and harm the reputations of those who have dedicated their lives toservingothers
Social media, while a powerful tool for
c o n n e c t i o n a n d communication, can also become a platform for spreading falsehoods that
c a u s
professionaldamage
W h a t i s o f t e n overlooked is how these baseless attacks can s t r a i n p e r s o n a l relationships
W h e n f a l s e accusations are made, they can create doubt, tension, and stress in the lives of those targeted Friends, family, and colleagues may find themselves caught in the crossfire, leading to unnecessary conflicts andmisunderstandings
The emotional toll of defending oneself against lies can be overwhelming, and the ripple effects can reach far beyond the individuals directly involved.
We must be mindful of the impact our words can have Instead of using platforms to tear others down, we should uplift and support those who work tirelessly to make a difference in our society
It’s crucial to stand against any form of bullying or defamation, especially when it targets individuals who have done nothing but serve ourcountrywithhonour
Sincerely NalinieSingh
BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCIES!
Incaseyouhaven’theard,pleasebeinformedthataspartofourcontinued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our Publisher, Dr Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about ongoing indecenciesinourlandthatshouldmatter,notonlytousatthispublication, buttheentirenation.
SUNDAY–August11,2024
Dodgingthe PetroleumCommission
Vice President, Bharat Jagdeo is all words and no action.Hecontinuestododge the setting up of the PetroleumCommission.
A P e t r o l e u m Commission would mean having to relinquish some closeness to the action and, more importantly, that irresistible element, which is powerandcontrol.
A P e t r o l e u m Commission that is fully functioningandverycapable would serve as that independent, professional, and credible agency that stands in the way of the temptations to steal our oil money
MONDAY–August12,2024
Guyana’soilburden
If an independent oversightoilsectorbodylike thePetroleumCommissionis put in place, the already dubious utility of Vice PresidentBharratJagdeowill withertozero.
If an independent oversight oil sector body is necessary, where is the strength, the value, in Oil CzarJagdeobeinganywhere near to Guyana’s great oil patrimony
We at this paper pull no punches, say it bluntly: the presence of a credible independent oil sector oversightbodycontributesto making Jagdeo into a liability He becomes a burden that must be carried, nomatterhowdistressing,no matter how repulsive, that thoughtmaybe.
TUESDAY–August13,2024
Theemergence ofthedictator
Ademocratic system can onlybesustainedwherethere i s a c c o u n t a b i l i t y, transparency,and,inthecase ofpluralsocieties,inclusion. When these principles are undermined, the system of democracybeginstounravel.
Oneofthemostinsidious threats to these principles in Guyana is Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who has fully embraced the one-man ruleculture.
Lookathim,listentohim
operatingundertheguiseofa legitimate VP when in fact, he is the de facto President. He exercises undue and excessive influence over decision-making processes somuchsothathespeaksfor all the ministers and do not allow them to hold press conferences to explain policies in their own sector
This is a disguised form of autocracy and is no less dangerous than a blatant political dictatorship that presents a serious challenge to both democracy and good governance.
WEDNESDAY–August14,2024
Whatjourney toprosperity?
Since 1992, when the PPP/C came to power after the PNC’s 28-year rule we havebeenonajourney,orso we are told, toward d e v e l o p m e n t a n d modernisation.Decadeslater theroadsinthecountryfiled
with potholes and those that were recently built are sinking.
The journey the PPP politicians speak of is one of doom and gloom because eventhediscoveryofoilthat should have ushered in real wealthforthisnationisnowa story of deception and disaster.
ThelandscapeofGuyana hasbeendottedwithprojects aimed at transforming our nation Yet, despite the billions of dollars spent and the countless ribbon-cutting ceremonies, one cannot help but wonder whether we are trapped in a cycle of endless construction with no clear destination.
THURSDAY–August15,2204
AwoundedPoliceForce
One of Guyana’s public institutions that wounded by the manipulations of a calculating PPP/C Government is the Guyana PoliceForce.
The Force has been politicised and weaponised to jump to the bidding of governmentleaders.
T h e F o r c e i s
c o m p r o m i s e d a n d
demoralised to the detriment ofGuyaneseinterests.
In the usual manner of insecure politicians, those with a fetish for control, a Forcethatisprofessionaland untouchable, is seen as a threat. One that takes its duties seriously and uncompromisingly instils fear in a government that recommends itself as clean, but which is weighed down by an endless litany of corruption.
From perceptions to practices,thisistherealityof theForceinGuyana,andthis isnotgoodforanyGuyanese.
FRIDAY–August16,2024
Grossmisrepresentation
T h e P P P / C
Government’s claim that a Petroleum Commission would impede decisionmaking is a gross misrepresentation of its purposeandfunction.
TheCommission’sroleis to provide oversight, to monitor compliance, and to hold operators accountable. Itistobetheeyesandearsof the nation in the oil and gas sector, ensuring that every barrel of oil extracted from Guyana’sshoresisaccounted for, and that the revenues generated are used for the benefitofallGuyanese.
SATURDAY–August17,2204
PART1
Jagdeoplayingacat andmousegamewithoil
Oil czar, Bharrat Jagdeo has made Guyana’s oil wealthintoagame!
He was repeatedly about the rate on Exxon’s money putintoGuyana…?
Itcouldbeintheformof loans, or Exxon’s capital (equity).
Foryears,Jagdeodanced and ducked in giving a straightanswer!
Now, he finally stopped hiding from the question aboutrate.
It is “massive,” he said earlierthisweek.
A P e t r o l e u m Commission, is not a roadblock but a facilitator It is there to ensure that decisions are made based on sound analysis, that they are inlinewithnationalpolicies, and that they are executed in a manner that protects the interests of the Guyanese people.
MoE, GTU to establish committee to fast track teachers’ housing applications - GTU President
The Ministry of
Education and the Guyana Teachers’Union (GTU) will soon put together a committee to address the fast-tracking of teachers’ housing applications that have been stuck in the systemforsometime.
This was disclosed by President of the GTU, Dr Mark Lyte on Saturday morning during a live video feed via the Union’s Facebookpage.
“I wish to provide a breakdown of the government’s offer to teachers after four meetings were held. This matter is a very contentious one,” he said,notingthatheishopeful that the teachers would understandthesituation.
“The Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union spoke at length about the issue of housing. We initially asked theministrytoensurethatin every new housing scheme there be 50 house lots for
teachers. The ministry did return with a document that came from housing which claimedthatseveralteachers inallthehousingareashave been allotted land for building, ” the GTU presidentsaid.
Followingdiscussions,it was decided that the two sites establish a committee “to deal with teacher’s application, for those teachers who would have appliedforhouselotswithin a certain period those who did not get their house lot that you can filter the information to this committee that we will set up, to activate on behalf of the teacher the process, and so we believe that that was something that could be workedonbecauseweknow that teachers apply in all the differenthousingareas.”
In light of this agreement, the backlogged t e a c h e r s ’ h o u s i n g applications will be examined and possibly fast
tracked. “So that was one of the things that we agreed on,”
Dr Lytesaid.
The GTU and the Ministry of Education have been at loggerheads over proposedsalaryincreasesfor teachers and other fringe benefitsforsometime.Only lastweek,theUnionrejected the Ministry’s last proposal of a 10% pay hike for this year and 8% and 9% respectively for 2025 and 2026.
GTU President, Dr Mark Lyte
Can private companies be summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee?
The powerful bourgeoisclassin Guyana, that exerts influence on the political classes in Guyana, must be petrified at the idea that a parliamentary committee can have the temerity,muchlessthelegal right, to summon a private companytoappearbeforeit. Imagine the fear, for example, of the members of theclassoflocalcontractors, should it be ruled that the PublicAccounts Committee cansummonthemtoanswer questions about alleged corruption in public procurement.
The Standing Orders of the National Assembly do allow for a Sectoral Committee to summon persons–theoperativeword is‘persons’.
This summons has to be madeinaccordancewiththe Legislative Bodies (Evidence)Act.
That legislation permits such a summons by a legislative body such as Cabinet, a Special Select
Committee or any
committee which is so empowered by resolution of theNationalAssembly ASectoral Committee is not a Select Committee nor is it specifically empowered by a resolution of the National Assembly to summon witnesses
However, the Standing Orders are passed by a resolution that this would suggest that the powers to summon witnesses by a Sectoral Committee are sanctioned under the Legislative Bodies (Evidence)Act.
Guyana, of course, follows the British Westminster tradition. By convention it was presumed that British Parliament can summonrepresentativesofa private company to appear before it. Parliamentary committeesintheUK,itwas claimed, have the power to call witnesses to give evidence,whichcaninclude individuals from private companies, public bodies, and other organizations
This, it is contended, is part of the committee’s role in scrutinizing government actions and examining issuesofpublicconcern.
This ability to summon private entities allows Parliament to investigate a wide range of issues, from corporate practices to regulatory compliance, and to hold private companies accountable in matters of publicinterest.
The view about private persons being mandated to give evidence however has recently been called into question.
By convention, if a c o m p a n y o r i t s representatives refuse to comply with a summons, Parliament theoretically has the power to hold them in contempt.
This could lead to sanctions.
However, such powers are rarely exercised to their fullest extent, and in practice, most companies comply with such requests. Just recently tech-giant
Civil Society activism...
Frompage5
Commission has been lackluster, with no party giving any idea of their policy directions. It is up to civil society to push a transformative agenda or it willnothappen. The Government evidently recognizes the potential of civil society by its not sparing any vitriol in its responses to civil society initiatives or criticisms.
Civil society activism is therefore vitally necessary servicetothiscountry Sotoanswertheoriginal question, has electoral reform advocacy achieved anything?Ithaskeptthefire burning regarding the necessary institutional agenda. It remains the best hope of transformation to a more orderly, stable, developingsociety. Itmattersnotwhatyour
political leaning is, people committed to a better Guyana must link up across the social and political spectrum to build change. Who knows how much of a role civil society has played in the establishment of the CRC?
Civil society must organize, continue its work andrefusetobesilenced.
Sincerely, DesmondThomas
DEM BOYS SEH
DeVeePeelikeold-timestory
Dem boys been around in this country long before Jagdeo. Dem boys see hard times. Dem boys know about when you couldn’t find soap to wash yuh skin.When bread was a treasure, and cooking oil was being rationed, and when split peas was banned.
But dem boys never hear about police searching people’s pots to see if they cooking dhal. Dem boys never hear also about police carrying any pot to de police station because it contain incriminating evidenceofcontraband
Imagine police digging up yuh yard to seeifyouhidingcontrabandsardines.Dem boysneverheardofdateither Sardineswas a big thing. A luxury People used to smuggleinafewtinsindemsuitcaselikeit wasgold.Ifyouwasluckytogetatin,you eat it in secret. You couldn’t let de whole neighborhoodknow But de Vee Pee seh he knows about thesethings.Sowegottobelievehim.After
Amazon declined to attend before a UK parliamentary committee.
Part of the difficulty in imposingsanctionsonthose who refuse to appear before a parliamentary committee intheUKisthattherightof parliamentarycommitteesto summon private companies is not explicitly laid out in the Standing Orders of the HouseofCommons,butitis derived from broader parliamentary powers and practices.
The power to summon witnesses, including representatives from private companies, is said to be rooted in the concept of parliamentary privilege This privilege grants Parliament certain legal immunities and powers that are not necessarily codified in statute but are part of the historical and constitutional framework of the UK. But this too is now being called intoquestion.
Like in Guyana, the UK has no specific law that codifies the power to summon private companies. The existing legislation focuses on summoning individuals rather than companies.
This opens the door, in Guyana, to legal challenges to any summons issued to a
instances, however, where executives have been summoned to appear before parliamentarycommitteesin theUnitedKingdom. Inthe wake of the Cambridge
Facebook were summoned to testify before a UK parliamentary committee Also, media mogul, Rupert Murdoch was summoned and did appear before a
committee investigating a phone hacking scandal. So there is precedent for individualstobesummoned
parliamentarycommittee.
Interestingly arising out of the appearance of Murdoch and his son before a parliamentary select c
commissioned by the Constitutional Society
coercive powers to compel private witnesses to attend hearings or to punish them fornon-compliance.
all,he’samanofknowledge.
Dem boys also know when apples was like foreign currency You could not get even the skin to buy But not dem leaders. Dem had all de luxuries Dem had condensed milk when de rest of we had to line up for pasteurized milk from de Milk Plant. You had to wake up early to get a chancetobuyapint.Andwhenyoufinally get it, you had to make it last. But dem leaders?Demneverworry Demhadenough milktobatheinitifdemwant.
Dem boys remember when yuh had to choose between soap and bread. When shoes was a precious thing, and a new pair was like Christmas. But not for dem big ones Dem was well-off Dem had everything. While the rest of we had to scrapeby,demhadalldefinethings.Butde VeePeesehheknowhowitwas.Sowegot tobelievehim.Afterall,he’soneofus.Orso heseh. Talkhalf.Leffhalf
In Guyana any attempt to summons private individualsandcompaniesis going to be met by a legal challenge.
It would be a revolutionary development in local parliamentary practice for private individuals and companies to be summoned. Imagine theimplications!
The bourgeois class will resist stoutly any such attempt. And the ruling class is hardly like to countenance goingagainsttheinterestsof thisclass.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
The report highlighted that that witnesses may be misled into believing they are fully protected by parliamentary privilege when giving evidence, which may not be accurate. Additionally, the report criticizes the view that witnesses are obliged to answer all questions posed bycommittees,when,inthe opinionoftheauthorsofthe report,theycannotbeforced todoso.
Vindya and Mohabir
I read with interest political commandisto“washfeet.” well known to both Minister As a quick aside, I give AG com observer and pollster Dr Vishnu For the edification of both PPP Persaud and Law and Justice Nandlall some temporary space, m i t Bisram’s take on the cancer of stalwarts (and others) the first time Minister Nandlall. Now, if as Dr andextendagoodwordtoTopCop ment to cleanliness in her corridors corruption in Guyana Close that surfaced the first reaction was, Bisram has generously shared with Clifton Hicken. Thanks for the and courtyards I concur, but attention was paid to his singling say what? Whoever is asking me to us, they are about the incorruptible, courtesy of the 24-hour attention, possessinsightsworthyofasecond out of Minister Dr Vindya Persaud do that has got to be kidding! where are they when such sir Should anything happen to me, look.Comparatively, andAttorneyGeneralAnilNandlall Humbling of self has since led to a comradesarearound?Whyarethey hewouldbethefirsttoknow Imust Minister Persaud’s neck is as running clean houses through meetingofthemindswiththeissuer even around them, hobnobbing admit that the PPP does care, with above the fence. Her head shows, boldleadership ofthatchargeto“washfeet.”Thisis with them? How does Minister of proof prevalent; this is the side of but a lot rests on her shoulders. She with their respective portfolios. the concept, context and the call to Law Nandlall reconcile the Excellences Jagdeo and Ali that is may shrug, but she can’t shake. Iamintrigued.Iusuallymakeitmy duty that I bring before Vindya and lawlessness that flares and spirals endearing. Oh, and one more thing, This should help to clear the air: duty to speak brightly of the Social Mohabir from deep and high within his Mr Commissioner, if anybody stay too close to dogs for too long Securitylady To wash feet, one must be in an government with the dictates of the were to drop some bags of money and fleas stick to the skin. With Dr On occasion, there have been awkward position, very law, when different law-abiding by me, he would immediately have Bisram having said so much good departures over which I have tried vulnerable Toasharpelbowinthe citizens are attacked for one reason alltheevidenceheneeds. withthetwonamesspotlighted,the to deliver calmly Still, she is close head, a knee to the nose, a hard only? Law abiding citizens daring Considering the above default concern is what does this to me, so some more should be said kick in the teeth So, when I call to speak the truth about corruption contexts, when Law Minister sayaboutsomanyoftheunsaidand abouther Intheinstanceoftheman out with every conviction and under PPP-governed Guyana Nandlall is running a clean shop unnamed. To take this to its natural of law who has turned out to be a fiber that the PPP, as government Financial corruption (sticky and cherishes incorruptibility, he end, and as he heard himself: “dem man of straw, I don’t think he has and as a national party of enduring hands) Moral corruption cannot do disappearing acts. Not boys don’t like it and they will much use for the likes of me. Still, history,hasbecometheepitomeof (lecherous minds, predatory feet). whenstatutesandstandardsareso comeafteryou.” the challenge within is to keep a vast national criminal enterprise, Leadership corruption (blind eye, cavalierly violated. Not when It is a natural offshoot of the travelingalongtheroadchosenand the kicks come from PPP lockedjaws). ordinances are so disdainfully cancerous,deep-seated,highflying, let the works delivered speak their Governmentoperators
Ministerial corruption (bloated trampled upon. Not when the rule unimaginable corruption of the own language. This is one such For doing duty honestly to this bellies [pus accumulations]) of law itself and respect for it are PPP Government Corruption offering laid at the feet of nation, for obeying spiritual Silence and pretense at ignorance, bothnowsavagedsogleefully,now breeds more corruption. As AG Guyanese, which includes Mr commands,forspeakinghardtruths Justice Minister Nandlall knows both lost causes in PPP Guyana. Mohabir would say ad nauseum MohabirandMs.Vindya. about Guyana’s putrid political better than most, are excuses that When money is an irresistible and ad infinitum. I, too, have Bolstered by the knowledge environment, elbows and knees have no standing before the lawful. magnet to the addicted in his party, something to say in Latin: fiat that both ministers in the PPP rain from PPP corners, quarters, To borrow one of the cautions so when men and women are made justitia ruat caelum (though the Government, luminaries with a and executioners. It is my belief kindlyextendedtoDr Bisramashe into targets, where is the blind heavens may fall, let justice special gleam so necessary in this that those responsible share bosom unveils his anticorruption plank incorruptibilitythatshouldbeinthe prevail).Itsarcisunfailing. country according to Dr Bisram, relationshipswithPresidentAliand and push “be careful.” To give Justice Ministry of Guyana? (The views expressed in this are Hindus of the first order, I beg Vi c e P r e s i d e n t J a g d e o another from my own experience Whither the majesty of the law, article are those of the author and tolerance for a little segue into my Relationships that are so tight that and with local chutney flash “dem Mohabir? do not necessarily reflect the own spiritual realm. From my own theirbedfellowsfitwell. ah watch yuh.” I should know Regarding Minister Dr Vindya, opinions and beliefs of this HolyBooks(notwrittenbyme),the Further, I believe that they are because“demahwatchme.” Dr Bisram spoke highly of her newspaper and its affiliates.)
AFC believes Guyana’s oil reserves significantly more than 11.6B barrels
...Challenges Govt. to make quarterly report public
The Alliance for Change there should be nothing (AFC) on Friday said that it proprietary in the reports believes the country’s oil providedbytheoilcompany reserves are significantly “There shouldn’t be more than the 11.6B barrels anything that is proprietary thatthegovernmentclaims. in it, if there is then you can
Former Head of the EPA Dr. Vincent Adams
Former AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan
Atthepartyweeklypress block it out. Show us the conference, former leader of quarterly reports and show thepartyKhemrajRamjattan us the raw data and let us see said, “in view of all that is for ourselves. So that’s the happening right now I challenge,”headded. distrust whatever the In its 2023 annual report government is saying as to that was released this year, what our reserves are. I ExxonMobil’s partner, believe that it is lots more China National Offshore Oil than 11 6B and the Corporation (CNOOC) said government simply doesn’t that one of the eight new want us by virtue of this discoveries, Lancetfish, government to release the
Meanwhile, Dr Adams withreserveswhichishowit He also challenged the precedent that they are which was discovered in quarterlyreportpresentedby spoke of the lack of normallyhappens.” government to release the talking about 2014 to call April 2023, averaged 100 ExxonMobil so that the transparency related to the He continued: “Yes it is rawdata.Dr Adam’ssaidhis Exxon for us to question milliontons,translatingtoan public can examine it for oil sector He said, “Of giving a different number party has competent persons Exxon how much more oil estimated746millionbarrels themselves. courseIdon’tthinkitneedsa even if they are not talking tocalculatethedata. they have discovered, of oil. However, the Guyana Ramjattan emphasized wholelotofconvincingfrom about the billion or the “It is very easy to because there were Government on Wednesday the need for citizens to “get anybody of the non- million. They are saying it calculate as long as you have
obviously about 16 claimed that since the last these facts from the horse’s transparency of this has only increased by 600M the data in front of you. It discoveries or so after that update in 2022, the reserves mouth, rather than through government and you cannot and (CNOOC) is saying I doesn’ttakeyoutwoyears.if big one in Payara in the have only grown by 600M messages being sent, trust anything that they tell think they made some they want to be fully StabroekBlock.” barrels. The AFC said that (saying) it is not more than you. You know calculating statement saying seven t r a n s p a r e n t w e a r e Ramjattan’s utterance theglaringcontradictionwill 11.6 and so on. We can reserves when we say this hundred and something challenging them to give us was bolstered and supported further undermine the question them on the various over and over does not take million,”headded. the raw data. The data does by former head of the government’s claim of being finds they made since then years. How come when they The former EPA head not belong to Exxon. The Environmental Protection transparent in its dealing and obviously these are were doing reserves for the called on NAtural Resources data belongs to the Agency (EPA) Dr Vincent with citizens in matters major finds too. So it is first year or two as soon as Minister Vickram Bharrat to Government of Guyana,” he Adamswho related to the oil and gas obviously far higher than they would have discovered, “showusthequarterlyreport said. c h a l l e n g e d t h e sector 11.6.” we were getting an update thatExxonsendstothem.” Dr. Adams posited that
AlessonforGuyana: Chevron sued for leaking oil wells in Texas, decommissioned 30 years ago
AshleyWatt,theownerof a22,000acresranchthatsits above roughly 330 oil wells, has sued American oil companyChevronfordozens ofleakingoilwellsthathave contaminated the land and groundwater on the Texas property
Watt, who inherited the ranch from her parents, filed alawsuitinthe109thDistrict Court in Crane County againstChevronandotheroil companies in December 2022. She alleges that the multinational and smaller companies failed to properly plug and abandon wells on the property She argues that oldwellsarenowleaking.
Watt said, “This is a colossal liability that's going to have to be borne by somebody...whether it's the companies—or, if they pass the buck—the taxpayers of thestateofTexas.”
Leakingwells
Thelawsuit,accordingto Inside Climate News, could upend assumptions about plugging oil and gas wells. The common wisdom is that once an oil or gas well is plugged, the chapter is closed.
Regulators don't require operators to go back and check the plugs. Everyone assumes that crude oil, produced water and gases likemethanewon'tleakfrom apluggedwell.
Watt and her team are however documenting how decades-old plugs can fail, w i t h d i s a s t r o u s consequences She wants Chevron to re-plug and remediatewellsonherland.
The first sign that something was wrong at Antina Ranch came in June 2021,whentheEstes24well beganspewingtoxicwaterto t h e s u r f a c e The Watt family cattle operationhadco-existedwith oilandgasdrillingforyears. Herparentsboughttheranch in1995.
The ranch measures half the size of Washington D.C. Hundreds of wells were originallydrilledbyGulfOil in the 1940s and '50s. The Standard Oil Company of California purchased Gulf in 1984, rebranding it as Chevron.
metals that was supposedly encased underground Chevron eventually replugged the well at Watt's insistence.Butintheprocess Watt and her attorney, Sarah Stogner, developed what they describe as a deep distrustofthecompany They say they set out to find other leakingwellsontheproperty.
In the three years since the original well blowout, Watt and Stogner say they have excavated about 90 of the roughly 330 wells on the ranch and found widespread integrity problems. As the scale of their endeavor became clear, they brought on Daniel Chare t experienced Dalla attorney with B CharestLLP
“This problem went from being, 'Oh, there's a leaky well or two,' to, ' T h e r e a r e hundreds,'” Watt s a i d
InDecember2022, Watt filed the suit againstChevronand WalshandWattsInc., Pitts Energy Co. and Williams Oil Company
constituentsonthesurfaceor underground including benzene, toluene, arsenic, radium-226, radium-228, ethylbenzeneandxylenes,all heavy metals. She no longer uses well water on her property and has moved all the cattle off the ranch Benzene is a known human carc
toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes can all harm bone marrow, the central nervous system and the immune system.
Watt isn't the first Permian Basin landowner to
compro
Ashley Watt W Credit:
Mitch Borden /Marfa Public Radio
Hawk Dunlap (left) and Sarah Stogner inspect a plugged well atAntina Ranch onApril 10. They have found widespread evidence of contamination at the old well sites.
Credit: Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio
order, arguing they could damage the well plugs and c o m p r o m i s e evidence before trial.
The company also questioned whetherWatt had the authority to excavate thewells.
Chevron has also
in an emailed statement “Chevron will continue to coordinate with the Texas Railroad Commission and respond appropriately to any potential concerns at Antina R a n c h ” Matthew declined to commentonthelitigation.
Safedecommissioning?
Teodoriu is studying how differentcementwellcasings ageovertime.
“As in almost every engineering system that we build….yoursystemwillfail sooner or later,” he said. “Nothingismadeforever.”
The multinational took over the Antina assets, including the Estes 24 well. Chevron plugged and abandoned the well in 1995. Estes 24 wasn't supposed to leak oil or produced water, which is salty, toxic wastewater laced with heavy
smaller oil companies that took over low-producing wellsontheranch.
The lawsuit aims to get the wells re-plugged and for Watttobemadewholeforthe damagestotheproperty
Watt wants the court to find Chevron and the other companies liable for contamination, require cleanupandrestorationofthe property and require Chevron to pay monetary damages.
Carcinogenfound In a filing earlier this year, Watt stated that test results hav
Aging well casings are collected at a warehouse at Antina Ranch inApril 2024. The casings were installed decades ago and have corroded over time, compromising the wells.
Credit: Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio
ells on her property But she said she is determined to get her day in court and has poured upwards of $1 5 millionintothecase.
She acknowledges that few landowners have the financialresourcestolitigate such an expensive, contentiouscase.
“This is one ranch, one part of Texas. But the scope of this problem is mindboggling,” said Charest, the attorney. “There are ranches all across the state that don't havetheseresources.”
Chevron sought to halt the excavations with a court
asked the court to compel Watt to disclose the number of contaminated wells and the specific constituents identifiedateachwell.
For decades these well plugswereoutofsightbelow the hard caliche soil of the PermianBasin.Butnowthey are key evidence in a case against one of the world's biggestoilcompanies.
“ C h e v r o n h a s successfully re-plugged wells on Antina Ranch, without any lawsuit or court ordersrequiringustodoso,” Chevron public affairs advisor Catie Matthews said
“Ifwewant[wells]notto leak,weneedtodesignthem to last for the future of humanity,” said Dwayne Purvis, a petroleum engineer and oil and gas consultant at Purvis Energy Advisors
“But I don't think anybody conceived to do that at any point in the history of the industry.”
Purvis said it's basic economics.Apluggedwellis nolongeramoney-makerfor oil and gas operators. That means companies try to minimize costs while plugging and have no economic incentive to go back and check old plugged wells.
“Oil companies won't do thatuntilthere'saneedtodo it,” Purvis said. “And that need is probably going to have to come in the form of regulation.”
Bankruptcies are also common among smaller operators, so in many cases thereisnocorporateentityto hold responsible for an old, leakingwell.
Oklahoma University petroleum engineer Catalin Teodoriu said that a well plugged in the 1950s or '60s would not meet today's industrystandards.
But he agreed more research is needed to understand how corrosion andotherundergroundforces can compromise plugged wells At his laboratory,
AlessonforGuyana Guyana commenced oil production in December 2019 Hydrocarbons were first discovered by the American oil supermajor, ExxonMobil back in 2015. Currently, three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels are in operation, collectively producing about 645,000 barrelsofoilperday(bpd).
In addition to the three projects that are producing, Exxon and its Co-Venturers havealsoreceivedregulatory approvals for another three deep-water developments, with a seventh permit pending approval Each project has a 20-year life span after which Exxon w i l l e n g a g e i n decommissioning activities. The company has already commenced deducting monies from Guyana's oil to pay for decommissioning, although it has not yet f i n a l i z e d t h e decommissioningplan.
The company has said it mayplugthewells,whilethe risers used to transport the hydrocarbons to the FPSO couldbedetachedandlefton theseafloor
C o n c e r n s w e r e previously raised regarding thecompany'sintenttoleave behind its waste behind but Exxon argued that this move could be better for the environmentsinceorganisms could have started living on theequipment.
MARS2024: A vibrant platform for cosplayers, and anime enthusiasts
These Guyanese queens created their own splash
Talking Dollars & Making Sense Talking Dollars & Making Sense
By Rennie P
CreatingandManagingYourProductorService
Welcome back Rupununiregion.Whenthey effectiveness. This approach monitoring performance, feedbackfromsalesteams. outlines future updates and to Talking first launched, they didn’t allowed them to refine their gathering feedback, and I
Dollars & have a fully automated product quickly and scale up making improvements i
M a k i n g bottling plant or a large production based on actual C
e improvements. This helps
align your team’s efforts
feedback to iterate on your with long-term business Sense. Today, we’re diving distribution network. Their marketdemand. management ensures that p
goals. into the intricate process of MVP was a small batch of A/B Testing: Fine-Tuning your offering remains features, refining existing As always, I encourage productandservicecreation, hand-bottled water that was Your Offering relevant and competitive ones,orfixingissues. you to reach out with your focusing on key concepts sold locally The company What isA/B Testing? overtime.
Market Monitoring: Stay thoughts, questions, and like the Minimum Viable used this initial product to A/B testing is used to KeyAspects of Product informed about industry e x p e r i e n c e s a t Product(MVP),theZeroto1 gather feedback on taste, compare two versions of a Management trends, competitor activities, talkingdollarsgy@gmail co sprint, A/B testing, and packaging, and price point. product, service, or
Customer Feedback: and changes in customer m. product management. These By starting small, Rupununi marketing strategy to Regularly collect and preferences. This helps you Until next time, keep strategies are essential for Rainwater minimized their determine which one analyze feedback to identify adapt your product strategy pushing forward on your bringing your idea to market initial investment and built a performs better By testing areas for improvement. This asneeded. entrepreneurial journey and and ensuring its ongoing loyal customer base before variations on real users, canbedonethroughsurveys, Roadmap Planning: remember success is all success, particularly in a scalingup. businesses can make data- c u s t o m e r s u p p o r t Develop and maintain a aboutlearning,adapting,and dynamic environment like The Zero to 1 Sprint: driven decisions that interactions, or direct product roadmap that continuouslyimproving. Guyana. Let’s explore each BringingYourIdeatoLife optimize their products and concept in depth, along with What is the Zero to 1 strategies. relevant examples from the Sprint?
The Importance Guyanesemarket. The Zero to 1 sprint ofA/B Testing
The Power of MVP: Start focuses on moving from A/B testing is crucial Small, Think Big nothing (zero) to something because it allows you to Understanding the MVP (one) as rapidly as possible. validate assumptions about The concept of a This sprint is an intense, what your customers want, Minimum Viable Product focused effort to take an idea rather than relying on (MVP) is central to the lean from concept to a working guesswork or intuition. By startup An MVP is prototype or MVP in a short methodically testing essentially the simplest, period. The objective is to different options, you can most stripped-down version quickly test the viability of identify the features, of your product/service that your idea in the real world, designs, or messages that still delivers value to minimizing time spent in the resonate most with your customers. The goal is not to planning and development audience, leading to higher l a u n c h a p e r f e c t phases. engagement, satisfaction, product/service right out of Why It’s Effective and ultimately, better the gate, but rather to get a The Zero to 1 sprint is businessresults. basic version into the hands particularly effective Savvy Mart of users as quickly as because it emphasizes action Savvy Mart, a local epossible. over analysis. While commerce platform, wanted This approach allows planning is important, many to increase the conversion you to test your core businesses get stuck in the rate of their checkout assumptions about the planning phase, tweaking process. market and gather feedback details endlessly without They decided to run an w i t h o u t e x p e n d i n g everlaunching.TheZeroto1 A/B test comparing two significantresources. sprintforcesyoutotakeyour different checkout page Why MVPMatters idea to market, where you designs. Version A had a Launching with an MVP can learn from real user simple, one-page checkout, helps you avoid the common interactions. while Version B included a pitfall of spending too much GreenGro Organics multi-step process with time and money on GreenGro Organics, a additional security features developing features that Guyanese company focused highlighted By splitting customers might not even on organic farming their audience between the want. solutions, used a Zero to 1 t w o v e r s i o n s , t h e y Instead, you focus on the sprint to launch their first discovered that customers essentials those features line of organic fertilizers. feltmoresecurewithVersion that solve a key problem for The founders recognized the B, leading to a higher your target audience. Once growing demand for organic completion rate. This insight the MVP is in the market, farming products but knew allowed Savvy Mart to you can use real customer they needed to move quickly implement the more feedback to guide future to capture market share successful design across development, ensuring that Instead of waiting to perfect their platform, boosting the product evolves in ways their product in the lab, they overallsales. that truly meet customer decided to launch a basic Product Management: needs. version of their fertilizer Continuous Improvement Rupununi Rainwater after just two weeks of Product management Rupununi Rainwater, a development They then doesn’t end once your start-up in Lethem, provides distributed samples to local product or service is eco-friendly bottled water farmers and gathered launched. In fact, it’s an sourced directly from the f e e d b a c k o n i t s ongoing process of
The Guardian—- a UK based media house recently reported that citizens of oilr i c h G u y a n a a r e contemplating leaving the country as the cost of food soars, making it difficult to feedtheirfamilies.
In the article published last month, ‘Guyana banks onfutureasa‘newQatar’in high-stakes gamble over oil production’- the global media group delved into the country’s prospects with its newfoundoilwealth.
The independent media organization interviewed a numberofpublicofficialsin Guyana as well as members ofcivilsociety
Highlighting the plight of Guyanese was Mark Murray, a 38-year old constructionworker Hetold The Guardian that he was considering emigrating.
“You can’t feed your family as you like. The average person cannot eat earning $20adayinGuyana.”
In a country where the cost of food has soared – a mealatafast-foodchaincan cost£25–manyfeeltheyare paying the environmental price of oil and gas explorationbutnotprofiting from the economic boom, the British media house reported.
Guyanese locally and abroad have been protesting for changes for the lopsided oil contract signed between the government of Guyana and ExxonMobil back in 2016.
The deal allows Exxon and partners – Hess and CNOOC- to deduct 75% of earnings each month to recover their investments.
The remaining 25% is then split evenly with Guyana as profits.
The country also receives one of the lowest royaltyratesintheindustry–a meager two percent on its sweet,lightcrude.
Although Guyanese continue to demand a renegotiation of the deal for better fiscal terms, both governmentandthepolitical opposition are reluctant to engagetheoilcompaniesfor a renegotiation of the contract.
Guyanese public servants in particular have been fleeing the country for better working conditions
and remuneration over the years but with the country’s discovery of oil resources, citizens were hopeful that theirfortuneswouldchange.
This phenomenon however continues today as thecountrycontinuestolose its teachers, nurses, doctors and other skilled labour.
Politicians have announced that Guyana will be importing the human resources it need from other countriestofillthegap.
In its report, The Guardian said despite complaints, the pace of Guyana’s growth is noticeable out on its streets.
The British media observed that although the country’s capitalcityGeorgetownstill faces serious infrastructure gaps, trucks carrying construction supplies and workers labouring on new highways, hotels, shopping malls and luxury homes in gated neighbourhoods are everywhere. New hospitals and schools are under development inside and outside the capital as part of thepresident’spublicservice promises.
Notably, Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore underscored the importance of Guyanese beingabletobenefitfromthe country’s wealth. He told The Guardian, “We need to makesurethatnotonlythose causingthisgrowthgainbut alsothoseatthebottomlevel alsobenefit.”
He continued, “Our capital’s GDP per capita grew63%in2022andabout 40%in2023.
The capital works and infrastructuregrowthareata rapid pace,” but this is not enough.Mentoreurged,“We need to make sure that not only those causing this growthgainbutalsothoseat thebottomlevelalsobenefit from this kind of trickledowneffect.”
Also sharing her views on the subject of Guyanese benefitting from their oil resources was teacher and
General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald. ShetoldTheGuardian,“Isee a lot of optimism from government officials and scepticism from ordinary people…real people in the streetsarenotseeing,atleast for now, the concrete benefitsfromtheoil.”
The rate of return on ExxonMobil’s investments has been avidly pursued for years by stakeholders, as withoutacaponthiscost,oil companies can easily abuse the provision, walking out with millions and possibly billions of US-dollars annually
The lopsided Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)
with Exxon and partners allows the recovery of uncapped interest on investments to meet expenses related to the Stabroek Block, without the prior approval of the Minister with responsibility forPetroleum.
ThePSAstatesinAnnex ‘C’- at costs recoverable withoutthepriorapprovalof the Minister- that “interest, expenses and related fees incurred on loans raised by the Parties comprising the Contractor for Petroleum Operations and other financingcostsprovidedthat suchexpenses,feesandcosts are consistent with market rates.”
This question has been frequently raised at Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo’s press conferences with varying responses being providedovertheyears.
‘Raising capital is difficult’
The public would recall that the Chief Policymaker for the petroleum sector previouslytoldreportersthat the issue is complex and reflective of the cost of raisingcapital.
He argued that raising capital for the oil and gas industryisadifficulttask,as many banks worldwide are moving away from supportingprojectslinkedto fossilfuels.
Though Guyanese are concerned that the country could lose out on billions unreasonably through this provision, Jagdeo indicated thatthegovernmentwantsto maintain momentum in the oil sector and attract investmenttothecountry
He said, “We don’t wanna kill the momentum. The moment you start a dispute to kill the momentum of the industry, everythingdriesupherefora while. And then you also can’t get the investment dollarsthataresoscarcenow for this industry to flow, which is what we want to flowheresoourlocalpeople canstartdoingbettertoo.”
‘AskExxon’ When the matter was raisedagainatanotherpress engagement hosted by the VP, he directed Kaieteur N e w s t o q u e s t i o n ExxonMobil on the interest rates it is charging the country.
In October 2023, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge during a press conference explained Guyana was not beingchargedaninterestrate on its multibillion-dollar investments in the Stabroek Block.
According to him, “ExxonMobil is not charging any interest on what we are recovering like for the Liza projects and the likes, we are not charging financingcoststoGuyanaso one of the things that’s been raised before is Guyana in debt to the Stabroek investorsandit’snottrue.”
Jagdeowaslateraskedto confirm the statements by Routledge when he said, “If he says that and there is an interestrateandthereisa
(Continuedonpage17)
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo
Guyanese flock the country’s capital, Georgetown in hopes of purchasing cheap items to sustain their families
Frompage16 charged interest rate in the costbankthenitwouldn’tbe allowed.
Soit’sastraightforward matter for me as far as I’m concerned.”
‘There is a cost of business’
Meanwhile, at a press conferenceinJune2023,the VPsaid Guyana was paying a rate to Exxon as this is a standardpracticeforareturn to be generated on a company’s equity “Regardless of whether you make the financing in the form of a loan or equity you havetogetarate(of)return. Thereisacostofcapitaland that is how it is,” Jagdeo asserted.
Tunechanges
On Thursday, the Vice President revisited the subject, following statements by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) on the non-disclosure of the rate of return charged by the company
He said, “Last week I explainedagainforthe100th time that there is no interest charged on the cost bank… rightnow,asofnow,thereis nointerest,zerointerestthat ischargedtothecostbank.”
Jagdeo said this was verified by the auditors reviewing the company expenses.
TheVPfurtherexplained that Exxon was not funding
the Stabroek Block operations from loans, but from the company’s local earnings which are not sent toitsparentcompany
Itmusthoweverbenoted that the PSAalso allows for the operator to deduct interest on “other financing costs” which include the c o m p a n y ’s e q u i t y contribution or investments from the company’s earnings.
This means that interest payments are not limited to loans taken by Exxon to developtheStabroekBlock.
“I pointed out that this was checked by the auditors…they are funding this from equity and money earned that they don’t repatriate to their parent company
I pointed out that they lease a lot of the FPSOs and sothepeoplewhoareleasing the FPSOs may charge or borrow and therefore they haveaninterestcostbutthat issubsumedintheleasecost so Exxon would lease the vesselbuttheinterestcostby the people who are leasing
the vessels might be subsumed in the cost of the lease,”Jagdeosaid. To this end, he made it clear, “Zero interest at this point in time (is) charged to thecostbank.”
With the cost to produce oil in Guyana being among the cheapest in the world, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) and its Stabroek Block partners are guaranteed to make a profit even if oil prices drop by half.
ExxonMobil Guyana is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest Guyana has emergedasoneofthefastest growing economies in the world owed to the oil productionoffshore.
Bloomberg’s Kevin Crowley in a recent article stated that Guyana has become the bedrock of Exxon’s post-Covid corporate revival It was statedtoo,“…(TheStabroek Block)costslessthanUS$35 abarreltoproduce,makingit one of the most profitable outsideofOPEC.Withcrude currentlytradingatUS$85a barrel, the oil field would make money even if the transition from fossil fuels caused demand to collapse andpricesdroppedbyhalf.
Kaieteur News had reported that the cost to produce a barrel of oil in Guyanaisamongthelowest, saidtheInternationalEnergy Forum (IEF) and S&P Commodity Insights in a June2024report.
The report titled, “Upstream Oil and Gas Investment Outlook” sheds light on the changing dynamics of global oil production costs, with particular emphasis on Guyana’s position as a costeffective producer in the industry
According to the findings of the report, the cost of oil production worldwide has experienced an increase. The report highlights that the majority of new oil supplies can be
extracted at an average cost ofUS$60perbarrelBrentor less.
Among the regions identified for their competitiveproductioncosts areGuyana,theMiddleEast, and West Africa. The report reveals that the Middle East boasts the lowest average breakeven price at approximately US$30 per barrel Brent, followed closely by Guyana with a breakeven price of US$36 perbarrelBrent.
Last month, this publication reported that according to Phillip Rietema,Vice President and BusinessServiceManagerat EMGL, the company’s Guyana projects compete internationallyandaresome of the bests in the world. During an episode of the local Energy Perspectives podcast, Rietema addressed price fluctuations in the industry,andpointedoutthat these projects are designed to withstand market volatility.Hesaid,“Sothese projects, they all have costs of supply under US$40 a barrel…”
According to an August 2024SECfilingbyHess,the average selling price for the Guyana crude is around US$82. Exxon is currently producing over 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) from just three projects in the Stabroek Block (Liza Phase 1,LizaPhase2andPayara). Currently, the block’s partners plan for the combined production
capacity to reach approximately 1.3 million b/dbytheendof2027,with plans to develop three a
Yellowtail, Uaru, and Whiptail.
The first significant oil discovery in offshore Guyanawasmadebyin2015 at what is now the Liza project in the Stabroek block Since then, ExxonMobi
n
s partners, have made more than 30 additional offshore oil and natural gas discoveries within the Stabroekblock.
In addition to Exxon’s low breakeven price for its Guyana operations, the company secured a ‘sweetheart’ deal back in 2016fortheoilblock.
The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for the Stabroek Block gives Guyana an industry-low 2% royalty. Also, Guyana shares revenue with ExxonMobil after the companydeducts75percent
towardsthecostsincurredto develop the resources in the StabroekBlock.Afterthe75 percent is deducted to pay back the oil company, Guyanathenshares50/50of the 25 percent remaining with Exxon as profits. This amounts to 12.5 percent of profitsfromtheoperations.
Moreover, ExxonMobil CorporationandfellowU.S. oil giant Chevron Corporation are currently embroiled in a legal battle over Guyana’s lucrative Stabroek Block Chevron has agreed to acquire Hess Corporationinadealvalued at US$53 billion This acquisition would grant Chevron access to Hess’s 30% stake in the Stabroek Block, a prospect that has sparked tension with ExxonMobil. Exxon asserts that it holds the right of first refusalonHess’sshareinthe Guyana oil block, a claim that has led to the ongoing court dispute. The case is scheduled to continue next year
Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton while still afraid to commit to renegotiating the lopsided 2016 Production Sharing Agreement, signed by the Coalition government with Exxon, recently criticised thedealinaninterviewwith
The Guardian, a UK-based mediahouse.
In its article published last month under the headline ‘Guyana banks on future as a ‘new Qatar’ in high-stakes gamble over oil production’ The Guardian said the Leader of the Oppositioncriticisedthelow royalties being paid to Guyana as per the terms of
the agreement the country signed with American oil giant, Exxon Mobil and partners, Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.
That contract, often described as the worst oil deal in the world, positions Guyana to receive a meagre 2% royalty and 12.5% of profits generated Each month, Exxon and its CoVenturerstake75%oftheoil to repay its investments across the oil rich Stabroek Block The remaining portion, 25% is split with Guyanaasprofits.
According to the report by The Guardian, the leader of the opposition, criticises theroyaltiesandtermsofthe contract signed with ExxonMobil and the policy ofdistributingthebenefitsof oil,butdoesnotquestionthe exploitation. He said, “Oil allows us the resources to develop the country The downside is that you have a government that isn’t focused on the development ofthepeopleofGuyana.”
Norton, who leads the largest Opposition party in the Guyana, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) has been afraid to commit to renegotiating the lopsided Exxon deal should he be elected to govern the country
In April 2022 Norton issuedastatementfollowing an article published by Kaieteur News under the headline“Nortonbackscalls for renegotiation of oil
contract” He said, “Nowhere in the interview didIsaythat.WhatIdidsay was,thatthelawprovidesfor action to be taken to ensure that the people of Guyana benefit from our resources, and that the contract provides for changes to be madeinkeepingwithArticle 31.2 of the Agreement and that the PNCR will do everything within the confinesofthelawtoensure our people get increased benefitsfromtheoilandgas sector.”
The Leader of the Opposition in the initial article spoke at length about Guyana’s changed circumstances, compared to when the deal was first signed,injustifyingtheneed forchangestothecontract. He explained that when Guyana drew up its first oil relatedcontract,therewerea lot of high risks associated withtheinitialprojects. He said that as he understands it, the tendency
of negotiations at the time, was to cater for those high risks because of the uncertainty that surrounded thepresenceandvalueofthe resource.
“Now that the evidence is there, that we have the oil resources, I believe it is a new context and we must engage Exxon (Mobil) noting the new context,” Norton highlighted at the time. More recently, the PNCR has committed to engaging Exxon during its first 50 days in office for better terms should it be elected, though the Opposition Leader is still afraid to use the word “renegotiation”.
A renegotiation simply means entering into discussionstoeffectchanges to an initial agreement Stakeholders have called on Guyana to re-engage Exxon and its partners to secure a better deal for its people, whiletheleaderscontinueto refuse.
Only in February this year, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Stuart Young told the Guyana Energy Conference that he standsreadytohelpGuyana renegotiate the lopsided ExxonMobil contract to ensureallGuyanesebenefit.
The conference hall was in silence as Young’s remarks echoed through the GuyanaMarriottConference room.Youngexplained,“We inTrinidadandTobagohave spent the last seven years, afterdealingwithdecadesof contracts, renegotiating almostallofourcontractsin thegasindustry.”
He also pointed out that the twin island in December last year achieved another significant milestone by becomingthefirstcountryin the world to restructure its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities, following five years of discussions acrossthetablewithBPand Shell. To this end, Young said, “It can be done, so our ability to sit down right across the aisle and to share with those who are now e n t e r i n g i n t o t h e negotiations of their PSCs (Production Sharing Contracts), their E&P ( E x p l o r a t i o n a n d Production) Licenses etcetera should not be underestimated because we have done the same thing in our gas supply contracts for theupstream.”
Guyana’s booming construction industry a main attraction for Chinese companies
Without a doubt Marketing Manager of construction industry in china, we also bring in
G u y a n a ‘ s CNQC, Mr Frank Xu Guyana, which exposed him materials and organize and
b o o m i n g Haozhan, said that his to a vast amount of projects manageitourselves.”
construction companyiscaptivatedbythe andopportunity
Speaking of some of the industry, has in recent years progressionintheindustry
Since their introduction
attracted scores of foreign He noted that “The to Guyana, Haozhan said companies has faced, investors with a number of construction market here in some of the project the Haozhan revealed that at
ction Guyana is booming, it’s like CNQC engineering and times, there are difficulties companies and hardware an explosion, very great construction limited has in sourcing decorative suppliers setting up shop market...notlikeinChina.” constructed the Brickdam materials, mainly furniture, here. During our visit to the Haozhan explained that Police Station, Luckystar
in China, the construction Ware house Project, the furniture they use are International Building industry has been, “facing a Pegasus Hotel, Aiden by customized Exposition 2024 held at the sluggish situation” due to a Best Western, and few other
He related “Certain
S t a d i u m , lackofprojects. prominentedifices. materials are not easy to be Providence East Bank “Nomorejobs,nomore The marketing manager sourced here, in the market, Demerara (EBD), the projects coming up, and the noted that, “So far in the sometimes we need to get it Waterfalls caught up with government is restricting the wholeGuyaneseconstruction via air freight from China, representatives of Qing Jian expenses to some housing market we haven’t found any like when it comes to the Group Company [CNQC] and residential project so, like other construction final stage for the hotel, like e n g i n e e r i n g a n d [it’s]hard.”Hesaid. companythathasthestability Aiden Hotel, like last week. construction limited a To this end, the CNQC to handle, like a great Wehaveencounteredalotof Chinese company that has Marketing Manager magnitudeofprojects ” material problems, for been operating in Guyana expressed his profound He continued, “We bring example some decoration since2018. happiness working in the engineers and workers from materials,furniture…” According to him, due to the goods being transported viaairfreight,sometimesthe goods would get damaged, resulting in it having to be reshipped, which can be costly
In those cases, Haozhan said the Chinese company assistsGuyaneseclientswith a tax redemption letter —requesting for the tax on theitemstobeexempted.
Marketing manager of Qing Jian Group Company [CNQC] engineering and construction limited Xu Haozhan also known as Frank during the International Building Exposition.
‘Sisters care’ Homecare services for the elderly set for launch in Bartica next month
Operating under the and dressing, just to name a Care, CPR, and Care for the this next chapter in her banner ‘Sisters care’ Home few Elderly at the Venezuelan career, Vanhersel told this care services, healthcare Questioned about her InstituteinGeorgetown. publication that a lot can be professional Traceyann experience in the field of Shesaid“It’sbeenover9 doneinsocietytobuildsmall Vanhersel is set to launch the work, Vanhersel told The years now I’m doing home businesses and help them be first elderly care initiative to Waterfalls, that she found care. I have always had a recognised. be based in Bartica Region caring for the elderly to be vision of opening my own “Weneedtosupporteach Seven,nextmonth. hercallingfromayoungage. business in caring for the other’s businesses, and The34-year-old,mother “I use to work as a elderly In 2023, I started business will grow,” she of two, decided turn her receptionistatGuyenterprise working on my dream
passion for caring for the but changed my profession business with the help and informationonhersoontobe elderly into a real enterprise and decided to work with guidance of Dr Dawn
after realizing the services elderly people. I find myself Allicock (also known as Dr
for elderly people are not being comfortable with Asay).” Vanhersel noted that Vanhersel can be contacted availableinherhometownof elderly people and I think I she has gained much support in telephone number (592) Bartica. can share the care for their and encouragement bringing 654-3358.
Alongside co-owner needs,”shesaid. the venture into fruition. She Thiffeny Mackenzie, the She added that while said that she draws much business is being touted as a workingasareceptionistshe inspiration from her mother first of its nature in the was given the opportunity to and faith in God. Excited miningcommunity look after an elderly relative. about the new venture, the According to Vanhersel, That was when it dawned on healthcare professional the service will not cover the herthatthisissomethingthat turned entrepreneur said as elderly but persons living shecoulddolongterm“Iwas her business grows, she is with disabilities as well. She like hey this is my calling; I lookingtoestablishanursing said that the plan is to felt so relaxed and homeintheRegion. provide services such as comfortable just looking “A place whereby home health care, medical aftersomeoneelse.” families could leave their management, home care After deciding to pursue loved ones and knowing that assistance with medications, this field of work, the young theyaregettingthebestcare, blood pressure and blood woman pursued and loveandsupport,“shesaid. sugar monitoring, bathing completed courses in Child As she is about to enter
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars to Drop New Song, ‘Die
With a Smile,’ Tonight
(RollingStone)
Little is known about the song at the moment, althoughthetwoappeartobe dressed in country-leaning outfits in the artwork, which was released along with the announcement — if that’s the case, then the artists will be the latest of a battalion of pop artists to “go country” thisyear,ledbyBeyonceand PostMalone.
AreptellsVarietythatthe songisastand-alonesingle.
Gaga said in the press materials that accompanied Ozzy Osbourne and others recently in an interview with the song, “I was finishing up — is involved as well: He Empire. The Grammy and myownalbuminMalibuand also posted on social media Oscar winner stars opposite one night after a long day he about the Gaga/Bruno song Joaquin Phoenix in the asked me to come to his onThursday movie as Lee, a reimagining studio to hear something he The song is the first new ofHarleyQuinn. was working on It was headlining music in years “People know me by my around midnight when I got from both artists — Mars stage name, Lady Gaga, there and I was blown away since his Grammy-winning right? That’s me as that when I heard what he had Silk Sonic project with performer, but that is not startedmaking.Westayedup Anderson. what this movie is,” Gaga allnightandfinishedwriting Paak two years ago, and said “I’m playing a and recording the song.” It Gaga since her 2020 character So I worked a lot seems safe to assume that “Chromatica” album, on the way that I sang to Gaga’s seventh album will although she made a show- come from Lee, and to not be released in the coming stoppingappearancewiththe come from me as a months. Rolling Stones on “Sweet performer How do you It seems likely that Sounds of Heaven” from takemusicandhaveitjustbe G r a m m y - w i n n i n g “Hackney Diamonds” last an extension of the dialogue, songwriter-producer year as opposed to breaking into Andrew Watt — who came Gaga, of course, is song for no conceivable up as a pop producer but has starring in the upcoming reason?” leaned heavily into rock, comic book musical “Joker: The new song with Mars producing the Rolling Folie À Deux,” which seems to be completely S t o n e s ’ “ H a c k n e y features singing but is unrelated to the film, Diamonds” last year as well “unlike anything I’ve ever although its title is certainly as projects with Elton John, done before,” she said on-themefortheJoker
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Interesting Creatures... Wolf Spiders
National Geographic wolf-spidersmoothie.
Wolfspidersarethesprintersofthespider All wolf spiders have eight dark eyes world. Most of the thousands of species in arranged around their heads, or this family don’t spin webs; instead, they cephalothorax. Two large eyes gleam from chaseandpounceontheirinsectpreylikethe the top of the head; two more large eyes peer wolvesthatinspiretheirname. out the front; and four smaller eyes form a
Once wolf spiders catch their prey, they rowjustabovethespider’smouth. either mash it up into a ball or inject venom Most wolf spiders spend their time on the into it, liquefying the internal organs into a ground. The dark, mottled colors on their
bodieshelpthemblendinwithdecayingplant live in volcanic lava tubes. From deserts to matter while hunting or avoiding predators. rainforests, grasslands to suburban lawns, Sometimes they dig burrows or make holes wolf spider thrive; there’s likely one nearby underrocksorlogstolivein. One species has even been found living in
Wolf spiders have figured out how to live wheatcrops,feedingonpestssuchasaphids. just about anywhere. While some species are Whenit’stimetomate,malewolfspiders found on cold, rocky mountaintops, others (Continued on page 35)
Wolf spider
Azerbaijan Country Profile
Azerbaijan, landlocked country of eastern Transcaucasia. Occupying an area that fringes the southern flanks of the Caucasus Mountains, it is bounded on the north by Russia, on theeastbytheCaspianSea,onthesouthbyIran,onthewestby Armenia, and on the northwest by Georgia. The exclave of Naxçývan (Nakhichevan) is located southwest of Azerbaijan proper, bounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey Azerbaijan includes within its borders the predominantly Armenian enclaveofNagorno-Karabakh,whichfrom1988wasthefocus of intense conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The capital ofAzerbaijan is the ancient city of Baku (Baký), whose harbor is the best on the Caspian Sea.In addition to its variegatedandoftenbeautifulterrain,Azerbaijanoffersablend oftraditionsandmoderndevelopment.
Thepeopleofitsremoterareasretainmanydistinctivefolk traditions, but the lives of its inhabitants have been much influenced by accelerating modernization, characterized by industrialization, the development of power resources, and the growth of the cities, in which more than half the people now live. Industry dominates the economy, and more-diversified pursuits have supplemented the exploitation of oil, of which Azerbaijan was the world’s leading producer at the beginning of the 20th century Fine horses and caviar continue as some of themoredistinctivetraditionalexportsoftherepublic.
Land
As a result of its broken relief, drainage patterns, climatic differences, and sharply defined altitudinal zoning of vegetation, Azerbaijan is characterized by a wide variety of landscapes. More than two-fifths of its territory is taken up by
lowlands, about half lies at 1,300 to 4,900 feet (400 to 1,500 meters), and areas above 4,900 feet occupy a little more than one-tenthofthetotalarea.
The highest peaks are Bazardyuzyu (Bazardüzü; 14,652 feet [4,466 meters]), Shakhdag, and Tufan, all part of the Greater Caucasus range, the crest of which forms part of Azerbaijan’snorthernboundary Magnificentspursandridges, cutintobythedeepgorgesofmountainstreams,makethispart ofAzerbaijanaregionofgreatnaturalbeauty Atthesametime, itlieswithinaregioncharacterizedbyahighdegreeofseismic activity The spurs of the Lesser Caucasus, in southwestern Azerbaijan, form the second important mountain system, which includes the Shakhdag, Murovdag, and Zangezur ranges, their summits rising to nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), and also the Karabakh Upland. The large and scenic LakeGeygyolliesatanaltitudeof5,138feet(1,566meters).
Ethnic groups
Turkic-speakingAzerbaijanis(Azeris)makeupsomeninetenths of the country’s population; the remaining population comprises only small concentrations of minorities—among them, Lezgians (who speak a Caucasian language), Russians, andArmenians.EthnicAzerbaijaniscombineinthemselvesthe dominantTurkic strain, which arrived inAzerbaijan especially during the Oghuz Seljuq migrations of the 11th century, with mixtures of older inhabitants—Iranians and others—who had lived in Transcaucasia since ancient times. At the end of the 20th century, about 13 millionAzerbaijanis lived abroad, most oftheminIran.
Settlement patterns
Slightlymorethanhalfthepopulationlivesinurbanareas. ThemostdenselypopulatedregionistheAbºeronPeninsula,on thewesterncoastoftheCaspianSea.Baku,Azerbaijan’slargest city and the most important industrial city in Transcaucasia, is locatedonthispeninsula,as
(Continued on page 33)
Heydar Aliyev Centre. (IWAN BAAN)
Flag of Azerbaijan
CONSUMER CONCERN
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) - A WICKED CRIME THAT MUST ALWAYS BE COMBATED
PAT DIAL
Though Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is such a heinous crime and affects morethan50millionpeople worldwide,thereisalackof awarenessandknowledgeof itamongthegeneralpublic.
The main reason for this is the clandestine nature of the crime and this lack of clearvisibilityallowsittobe blended into the flow of ordinary life so that one is notawareoftheconstituents of the crime and the many forms it can take and even potential victims are unawareoftheirdanger
In the Laws of Guyana, by Act no 2 of 2005, ‘Trafficking in Persons is
definedas“therecruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person through force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, or payments to exploit the person” No definition could fully describe so complex a crime but the Guyana legal definition is adequate. This manifests itselfasSlaveryandinallits various guises of forced labour; Sexual servitudeforcing persons to be engaged in sexual activity, forcing persons to be engaged in prostitution, including practices like pimping and pandering, profiting from sexual
activities including running brothels and pornography; child pornography and child servitude; and illicit removal of human organs. When these definitions and descriptions translate into actuality, their horrific nature is seen and understood. Before giving examplesofthecrimeofTIP, it is useful to know what causesthecrime.
TIP victims are found among poor families and communities; among the uneducated; in situations of war and other widespread displacement of persons; in broken or unhappy homes w
e neglected; in very unhappy
social and familial milieus which force children to run away; and in every community, there are predators ranging from confidence tricksters to kidnappers who prey upon victim
Sometimes commen
ors and journalists tend to use the terms “trafficking” and “ s m u g g l i n g ” interchangeablythoughthey are very different Smuggling of millions of persons is at present occurring in Europe where people from Third World
countries such as Afghanistan,Pakistan,Syria and Nigeria pay people smugglersafeetotakethem
to gateways of Europe, mainly Italy and Turkey
Others cross the English Channel from France in flimsy craft arranged by people smugglers and illegally land in England.
The relationship between smuggler and person smuggled is a contractual one and ends when the smuggled person reaches oneofthe“gates”ofEurope. With regards to TIP, the relationship between victim andpredatorisalongerone.
For example, a child soldier inAfrica has to remain with his captor indefinitely or a w o m a n c a u g h t i n commercial prostitution could be victimized for years.
Most of the victims of TIP are females, over 80%, and they are forced into prostitutionorvariousforms of unpaid labour Most of the remainder are children with a small number of males.
These victims are invariably beaten and maltreated and sometimes their bodily organs are removed and sold The traffickers lure their victims withthepromiseofwork,of educationandofabetterlife which lead to the victims finding themselves entrapped into conditions from which they cannot escape.
The GuyanaAssociation of Women Judges (GAWJ) has been quietly working to raiseawarenessofTIPandin a recent media release, it speaks of the characteristics of survivors and the help they may accession: “Survivors suffer immense trauma, enduring physical, emotionalandpsychological scarsthatcanlastalifetime. Recognizing that survivors are often in dire need of shelter, food, legal assistance, social support and psychological treatment the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act provides a range of protective measures to support their recovery and reintegrationintoSociety”.
In Guyana, the vast majority of Trafficking in Persons and the crimes associatedcouldbefoundin threeareas: Amongthelarge Venezuelan refugee population, it is mainly prostitutionandexploitation oflabour; thesecondareais inthecountrysideamongthe youth who are mired in poverty,withlittleeducation and absence of parental support and are easily lured into prostitution and labour exploitation; and the third area is the Mining districts where the main crime associated with TIP is prostitution.
With the increase of knowledgeofTIPamongthe public and the bureaucracy, Law enforcement by the Policeinthesetargetedareas is becoming more alert and vigilant and it is expected that there would now be more TIP control and prosecutions.
Azerbaijan... Country Profile
From page 31
Most of the grape varieties grown in are other industrial towns, including Azerbaijan are used for making wine, almost Sumqayýt. Baku is a large and attractive city all of which is exported. Other crops include situatedonnaturalterracesrunningdowntoa vegetables (particularly early varieties), gulfoftheCaspianSea.Thecityhasa2-mile- fruits,walnuts,andhazelnuts.Somedistricts, (3.2-km-) long picturesque boulevard and particularly those around the cities of ªäki, manyhistoricsites. Zaqatala, and Göyçay, are—as they have Language been traditionally—engaged in silkworm
TheAzerbaijani language is a member of breeding. the West Oghuz group of the southwestern Cultural life (Oghuz) branch of theTurkic languages.The In the course of its long history, literary tradition dates to the 15th century Azerbaijan has given the world a number of The Arabic script was used until the 20th outstanding thinkers, poets, and scientists. century; the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced Among the medieval scientists and in 1939. In 1992 theAzerbaijani government philosophers are Abul Hasan Bakhmanyar switched from the Cyrillic to the Roman (11thcentury),theauthorofnumerousworks alphabetasitsofficialorthography on mathematics and philosophy, and Abul Religion Hasan Shirvani (11th–12th centuries), the Azerbaijan is a predominantly Muslim author of Astronomy The poet and country; more than three-fifths of the philosopher N¹zâmî, called Ganjavî after his population is Shi¿i, and about one-third is place of birth, Ganja, was the author of Sunni. Members of the Russian Orthodox or Khamseh (“The Quintuplet”), composed of ArmenianOrthodoxChurchconstituteavery five romantic poems, including “The smallpercentageofthepopulation. Treasure of Mysteries,” “Khosrow and Economy Shîrîn,”and“LeyliandMejnûn.” Azerbaijan is a developed industrial and The people of Azerbaijan have retained agrarian country. The emphasis on heavy their ancient musical tradition. For example, industry has considerably expanded two the art of ashugs, who improvise songs to traditionalindustries—petroleumandnatural their own accompaniment on a stringed gas—but engineering, light industry, and instrumentcalleda kobuz,remainsextremely food production are also of growing popular. Mugams, vocal and instrumental importance. compositions, are also widely known, the Agriculture town of Shusha being particularly renowned Azerbaijan’s agriculture developed for this art.Azerbaijan’s cultural institutions, considerably in the latter part of the 20th including museums, theaters, and public century Almost half of the country’s total libraries, are located in Baku. Many of them areaissuitableforagriculture,andsometwo- were established after World War II. The city fifthsofthisisundercultivation. has museums devoted to the art, history, and Grain is the leading agricultural product, literature of Azerbaijan In Nagornowith raw cotton the second most valuable Karabakhthereisamuseumwithmaterialon crop. Favorable conditions for grapes have the history and archaeology of theArmenian contributedtothedevelopmentofviticulture. peopleoftheregion.
GNBS IN FOCUS
PURCHASE FOOTWEAR LABELLED ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL STANDARD
Footwearisakeypartof the dress codes in schools across the country but while parents and guardians purchase footwear to ensure their children comply with these regulations, other factors including comfort, protectionanddurabilityare also important. For safety andqualityassuranceduring the back-to-school shopping season,theGuyanaNational B
consumers to purchase
National Standard – GYS 9-4:2003 – Specification
commodities – Part 4: Labellingoffootwear.
The National Standard outlinestherequirementsfor labelling and sizing system offootweartoensurequality and safety It is used by the GNBS to monitor imported or locally manufactured footwear at ports of entry, s
manufacturers’ warehouses to ensure compliance. To guarantee the effectiveness
manufacturersandimporters are required to register with the GNBS annually and are presented with a certificate. These certificates are displayedatthesalesoutlets.
Adherence to the labelling standard ensures that consumers have accurate and essential information about the footwear they are purchasing, such as the country of origin, manufacturers name/brand, care instructions, and any special features required for the product’s intended purpose. It also provides informationonthetype(s)of materials used to make the footwear
While the GNBS continues its monitoring exercises, parents and guardians are encouraged to pay close attention to the labelling of items they purchase. This is important as many stores and vendors offer discounts on these itemsclosertothereopening
date for schools.Athorough examination of the footwear can help to save on cost and reduce the risk of injury or discomfort.
In addition, buyers can request the importation certificate at the businesses toascertainwhethertheyare registeredwiththeGNBS.
The following are some other useful tips for purchasing footwear, applicabletobothadultsand children:
·Choosethesizeofyour newshoesbasedonthesize ofyourlargerfoot:Believe it or not, many people have one foot slightly larger than the other. Therefore, you shouldtryonseveralpairsof different sizes and settle on the one in which both feet feelcomfortable.
Buy suitable shoes: Children will wear their shoes for extensive periods. As such, the shoes must be comfortable Also, consider that children are a lot more active and could experience severe discomfort with the wrong fit.
Weadviseyoutoshop for new shoes in the late afternoon: Towardstheend of the day, our feet become slightlyswollen.Thismeans that a pair of shoes that fit youperfectlyinthemorning might feel too tight in the evening. Better to nip this problem in the bud and choose a pair that’ll feel
comfortable around the clock!
When trying on new shoes, make sure to walk a few steps across a solid surface: Soft carpets can make any shoes feel comfortable. To get a better idea,walkoffthecarpetand ontothebarefloor
Leavespaceatthe front: Better to buy shoes with a little extra room for socks and foot growth over theschoolyear · Know you preferred brands: Some brand names and trademarks provide an indication of quality and reliability.
Be sure that you do not choose fake or substandard brands of footwear, which costmoreintheend.
The GNBS through its Product Compliance Department is responsible for monitoring sixteen (16) othercategoriesofproducts. These are Electrical and Electronic Appliances, Weighing and Measuring Devices,Textiles,Garments, Safety Helmets, Safety Matches,Tyres, Gas Stoves, Cigarettes, PVC Pipes, Furniture, Toys and Playthings, Christmas Trees and Decorative Lighting, Cellular Phones, Gold Articles and Electrical EquipmentandFittings.
F o r f u r t h e r information, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064-66 or WhatsAppuson692-4627.
Interesting Creatures... Wolf Spiders
From page 25 travel throughout Costa Rica in search of the attract females by rhythmically waving their most diverse, iconic and unexpected animal long mouthparts (palps) or drumming them species the country has to offer As its on leaves. Once mated, her abdomen and it scientific name suggests, theAntilles pinktoe carries around with her The young hatch (Avicularia versicolor) changes color as it inside,thenemergeandclimbonmom’sback matures. The spider’s abdomen turns from untilthey’reoldenoughtoliveontheirown. blue to pink or red and the carapace becomes Manyspeciesareconsideredtohavestable metallic green.This juvenileAntilles pinktoe populations But some, such as the desertas wasphotographedattheHenryDoorlyZooin wolf spider of Portugal and the Kaua’i cave Omaha,Nebraska. spiderofHawaii,areendangered
Camouflaged body Venom-injecting fangs. Diet:Insectivore
The Costa Rican Wolf Spider is an GroupName:ClusterorClutter opportunistic predator See more of Costa Average Life Span: 1 year, rarely up to Rica’s charismatic wildlife in Untamed from 18months
Nat Geo Wild. Follow filmmaker Filipe Size: Species range from 0.24 to 1.2 DeAndrade and his two best friends as they inches
Frompage17 left the country because of T&T’sefforttosecurebetter termsforitspeople.
E f f o r t s b y t h e Parliamentary Opposition to scrutinise the operations of oil major, ExxonMobil have been met with another barricade,asmovesareafoot topreventthecompanyfrom appearing before the NationalAssembly
Following several failed attempts by Members of Parliament (MPs) for government to provide answers and key documents totheHouse,theOpposition sought the guidance of the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs during a meeting of the Natural Resources Sectoral CommitteeonJuly19,2024. He pointed out at the time that representatives of the companycanbearrestedand detained until they appear before the Committee, in accordance with the EvidenceActChapter1:08.
However, during his weekly press conference, this fact was disputed by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who told reporters that this could no longer be allowed, as a decision was made in Parliament to block private companies from being summoned to appear before the House. Jagdeo who was not an MP at the time the decision was reportedly made said, “ private companies, a long time ago, the Parliamenttookadecisionto keep the politicians away from the private companies cause people like the AFC would shake them down if they come to Parliament…”
The Clerk of the National Assembly in an invited comment told Kaieteur News on Monday morning thattheVPwascorrect,ashe was corrected after pointing tothelegalframeworkinthe meetingoftheCommittee.
Hesaidthedecisionwas made during the PPP/C’s minority government led by President Donald Ramotar, between 2011 and 2015 Isaacs explained: “There was a decision some time ago, during the minority
government period, at that time, a decision was made not to bring in private organisations, companies and so on before the committees.” “Nowwhen I went before the Committee that slipped me After speaking with the committee, it was drawn to my attention, (and) the minuteswereshowntome,” theClerkadded.Whenasked if the law was changed to reverse this provision, he said, “I was shown the minutes I think Odinga LumumbawastheChairman of that committee when we had a problem with the committeegoingtovisitBai ShanLinandotherplacesor tocallinBaiShanLinbefore
the Committee, a decision was made that we should not.”
When asked if there was nootherwayforExxontobe summoned to appear before theCommitteetoanswerkey questions, he said Isaacs said, “I’m sorry, that’s a questionforthepoliticians,I am just an officer of the National Assembly I wouldn’twanttogointothat discussion ” Up to press time, Kaieteur News was unable to confirm that such an agreement was made in
Parliament.
Norecollection
In an effort to further investigate the issue, this newspaper reached out to Raphael Trotman who was Speaker of the National Assembly during the PPP/C minority government Trotman told Kaieteur
News, “In the 10th Parliament,Ican’trecallany suchdecisionbeingmade.If itwas,itwouldhavebeenin writing ” Trotman said during the tenure of the APNU+AFC Government, whichwasafterthe‘decsion’ was supposed made according to Jagdeo and Isaacs, both the Minister of Natural Resources and Exxon appeared before ParliamentaryCommittees.”
Further, Trotman reasoned thatsincetheOppositionhad majority seats in the 10th Parliament, it would never have agreed to suppress its ability to summon companies to provide answersintheinterestofthe p u b l i c A n o t h e r Parliamentarian whose representation in the House dates back to 2011, Catherine Hughes said, “I d o n ’ t r e c a l l t h a t arrangement.” Furthermore, Hughespointedoutthatsuch a move would “greatly hamper the work of the committee” as it would not be able to engage with the companies and questions theiroperations.Tothisend, she pointed out, “It’s a contradiction to the role of the committees that are intended to provide scrutiny andpromotetransparencyon behalfofthewidercountry.”
Exxon hauled before the c o m m i t t e e u n d e r APNU+AFC
Itmustbenotedhowever that after this so called “decision” was reportedly made, according to Jagdeo and Isaacs ExxonMobil in
forLinden.
2018undertheAPNU+AFC Governmentwassummoned to appear before the Natural Resources Sectoral Committee in the National Assembly, where the then Country Manager, Rod Henson engaged in a heated exchange with PPP MP, Pauline Sukhai. During the tenure of theAPNU/AFC in the11thParliament,thePPP were allowed to scrutinise the oil company in the House.
It was reported that Sukhai during the meeting with Henson said: “There is talk that Exxon is funding a political initiative that is not yetapprovedbytheNational Assembly–that is the Green State Development Strategy.” At this point, she offended Henson. He said, “Sorry ma’am but I have to stop you. ExxonMobil…we don’t choose sides, we are apolitical We are not funding any political party.” But even after then, Sukhai continued.Hensonthensaid, “Allow me to say that is completehogwash.”
But still, Sukhai was not deterred. She insisted that sheis“aNationalMPandthe concerns are out there, so it wouldberemissofmeifIdo not seek the level of clarificationthatisneededat this meeting.” There were instances after Sukhai’s questions that Henson said, “Thanksforyourcomments, can you repeat the question?”
The Parliamentary Committee of Supply last week approved the sum of $741millionthatwillbepaid toChinesebauxitecompany, Bosai to generate electricity
PrimeMinisterBrigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips told the Committee that the subsidy of $740,970,626 to LINMINE (Community Power)willcoverelectricity costforLindenfortherestof theyear
Notably,accordingtothe 2024 budget estimates, the sumof$4billion(US$20M) was allocated to LINMINE. Theminingcompanyhasan agreement with the Government of Guyana (GoG) to subsidize electricity cost for Lindeners.
During one his press conferencesearlierthisyear, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo had disclosed the government’s plan to link LindenwiththeEastBankof Demerara (EBD) to provide electricity and remove dependency on BOSAI to generate power for the mining town. Jagdeo had described the current power purchasing arrangement withthebauxitecompanyas an exorbitant one. He said, “…we’repayingBosainow, a substantial sum of money every year to supply power to the community, at very exorbitant rates… because we have to buy the power fromthem.”
“AsktheMinister…who would read it? Glenn Lall?I can’t even go through that. Youneedtechnicalpeople.A Field Development Plan for an oil and gas sector you need specialized people They would put Glenn Lall, thespecialisttoreadit.Who inyouragencywouldreadit ifyouseeit?”
That was the response provided by Vice President,
Bharrat Jagdeo to a reporter from Kaieteur News when asked to say whether his governmentwouldmakethe Field Development Plans (FDPs) public, for the oil projects approved for ExxonMobil.
An FDP outlines how a company intends to develop a petroleum field, manage the impact on the environment and society, as well as forecasts for productionandcosts.
Todate,sixprojectshave been approved for the American oil giant, operating Guyana’s prolific Stabroek Block, but FDPs outlining the specifications ofeachprojecthavenotbeen released to the public. This newspaperrecentlyacquired copies of the Liza One and Liza Two projects. Kaieteur News in a previous article
exposed with the aid of the FDPs that Exxon was producingoilwellabovethe design rates outlined for each project, creating fears that the oil could be drained well ahead of the 20-year projectlife.
Jagdeo was therefore asked whether government will make the FDPs public for the projects approved underhisadministration.
As anticipated, viewers oftheVP’spressconference werebrieflysteeredoff(Continuedonpage37)
ExxonMobil Country Manager, Rod Henson and team appeared before the Natural Resources Sectoral Committee in 2018 after the decision was reportedly made for private companies to not be questioned in the House.
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo
Former Speaker of the NationalAssembly, Raphael Trotman
Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips
AFC Chairman, David Patterson
Frompage36 topic as Jagdeo addressed thepositionofTransparency Institute on the parking meter project and the fact that the body gave credit to the David Granger government for publishing the 2016 oil deal and strengthening the Integrity Commission.
Getting back to the subject, he boasted that government has published all the Permits and Licenses forprojectsapprovedsinceit tookoffice.
“If I am not wrong, I wouldsuspectthatwearethe ones also who made the (FDPs) available,” Jagdeo said.
Whenhewasaskedifhe would make the other four available, he said, “Ask the Minister ” Jagdeo also mocked, “And who would read it? Glenn Lall? I can’t evengothroughthat.
You need technical people.
Afielddevelopmentplan foran oilandgassectoryou need specialised people They would put Glenn Lall, thespecialisttoreadit.Who inyouragencywouldreadit ifyouseeit?”
All FDPs should be public
Former Minister of Public Infrastructure and ChairmanoftheAllianceFor Change (AFC), David Patterson in an interview with this newspaper on Tuesday argued that all FDPsshouldbemadepublic.
Patterson explained, “They should be available, that’s what the permit is based on. It has a lot of the details which the people should know
S e v e r a l o f t h e assumptions that the public are making are contained in theirdesigncriteria.”
He pointed out that the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for the oil projects are equally voluminous and technical, yet these have been made available to the public “Kaieteur News and the rest of the public have gone through them line by line to discover what Exxon is claiming so for him to hide behind the excuse that the documentsaretechnicaland people can’t read them is absolutely unacceptable,” the Parliamentarian pointed out.
Patterson added, “For a government to claim that they are open and transparent I don’t see why Jagdeo and the PPP are hiding all these important documents First and
foremost,the oilbelongsto allGuyana.
Whatisdonewiththe oil and how it done, how it is produced is the business of every single Guyanesetechnical or not.The man in the street needs to know as wellasthegeneralpublic,so for him to hide about the technicalitiesjustshowsthat they obviously are things in there that they know will come into question so they are just simply trying to deceivethepeople.”
In addition to the FDPs, the former Minister highlighted that government has failed to publish the reviews of the Field Development Plans, completed by Canadian lawyerandformerpolitician, AlisonMerrillaRedford.
She was used not once, but twice for the review of ExxonMobil’s Payara and Yellowtail FDPs. Given the factthatRedfordhasnowell knowntrackrecordofbeing afiercedefenderofStateson field development plans, industry experts could not comprehend why she was selected for such an importantjob.
Whathassurprisedthem as well is “Guyana’s wild rate of approval for Exxon’s projects” following Redford’s input. They noted that Redford reviewed both PayaraandYellowtailwithin 42and52daysrespectively
United States oil giant ExxonMobil Corporation hasreportedanincreaseinits income tax expenses for the secondquarterof2024,with the figure rising to US$4.1 billion, up from US$3.5 billioninthesameperiodlast year.
The company’s total tax bill for the quarter stood at US$11.6 billion. However, none of this tax was paid to Guyana,whereExxonMobil
continuestoenjoyatax-free status under its existing agreements.
ExxonMobil’s effective income tax rate, calculated based on consolidated company income taxes and its share of equity company income taxes, was 34%, up from 33% in the previous year “This increased from the33%rateintheprioryear period due primarily to a change in mix of results in jurisdictions with varying taxrates…”Exxonsaid.
Recently, Exxon announced its earnings of US$9 2 billion for the secondquarterof2024.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Darren Woods attributed Exxon’s profits to their operations in Guyana and said that, “We achieved record quarterly production fromourlow-cost-of-supply Permian and Guyana assets, with the highest oil production since the Exxon and Mobil merger We also achieved a record in highvalueproductsales,growing by 10% versus the first half oflastyear.”
“We delivered our second-highest 2Q earnings of the past decade as we continue to improve the fundamentalearningspower of the company We closed on our transformative mergerwithPioneerinabout halfthetimeofsimilardeals. And we’re continuing to build businesses such as ProxximaTM, carbon materials and virtually carbonfree hydrogen, with approximately 98% of CO2 removed, that will create value long into the future,” Woods said. ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), a subsidiary of Exxon, disclosed in June that it earned approximately US$2.9billioninprofitslast year—entirelytax-free.
ExxonMobil Guyana is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana
Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest. The block-partners enjoy a tax-free ride in Guyana owed to the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), Exxon signed with Guyana back in 2016.
Theoildealprovidesfor taxes owed by the company to be paid by Guyana. The PSA states at Article 15.1 that the Contractor (ExxonMobil Guyana Limited) as well as its affiliates shall not be subjectedtotax,value-added tax, excise tax, duty, fee, charge or impost in respect of income derived from petroleum operations, propertyheldortransactions exceptasspecifiedunderthe agreement.
It goes on to state at Article 15.4 that the sum equivalenttothetaxesowed bythecompanywillbepaid by the Minister responsible for Petroleum to the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Notably, theGoGalsoagreedtoissue a receipt to ExxonMobil, indicatingthatithasmetthe local tax requirements to avoid the burden of double taxation.
Article 15 5 of the contract states, “Within one hundred and eighty (180) days following the end of each year of assessment, the Minister shall furnish to Contractor proper tax certificates in Contractor’s n a m e f r o m t h e Commissioner General, Guyana Revenue Authority evidencing the payment of the Contractor’s income tax under the Income Tax Act and corporation tax under the Corporation Tax Act. Such certificates shall state the amount of tax paid individually on behalf of Contractor or parties comprising the Contractor and other particulars customary for such certificates.”
Also,theGovernmentof Guyana(GoG)hasexplicitly statedthatduetothesanctity ofcontractthe2016PSAwill remain in place, despite the deal being labelled as lopsided, benefitting the oil companiesmore.
Notably, a legal suit brought against these abusivetaxgiveawaysbythe Publisher of this newspaper, Mr Glenn Lall was unsuccessful as the Court dismissed the case in February2023.
In its 2023 annual report that was released this year, ExxonMobil’s partner, ChinaNationalOffshoreOil Corporation (CNOOC) said that one of the eight new discoveries Lancetfish which was discovered in April 2023, averaged 100 milliontons,translatingtoan estimated 746 million barrelsofoil.
However, the Guyana Government on Wednesday claimed that since the last update in 2022, the reserves have only grown by 600M barrels This glaring contradiction, which was done at a televised news conference will further undermine government’s claimofbeingtransparentin its dealing with citizens in theoilandgassector
During his press conference on Wednesday, the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat was addressing an estimation by S&P Global saying, “that is not true and speaking of resources, we havehadaminimalincrease inresources.Ithinkwehave moved to 11.6B now, 11.6B barrels equivalent offshore in the Stabroek Block now and that by itself is a significantfind.”
His belief is that the analytics company has no data on which their analysis and calculations are based, since the government and Exxonarethe‘custodians’of the data Should Exxon exhibit or share any data, especially internationally at conferences, Bharrat is saying that approval has to be sought from the government. “So I am not sure where the analysts will get the data on Guyana from.” “Like one person said,wehave18Breserves,I don’t know where they get the data from honestly because Exxon and the GovernmentofGuyanahave that data, we have our consultant that is working with us but these people magicallypullafigureourof theair,”helamented.
The minister explained thatifthecountryindeedhas 18B barrels in its reserves, they would not be hiding it. “Ifwehave18B,wewillsay that because it means well
for our country There’s no reason to hide it as a matter of fact, hiding it will only stagnateoureconomyinthis country.”
Bharrat cautioned the media that, “we gotta be factual,wegottabetruthful, wecan’tlietothepeopleand say we have 18B whoever saidthatIdon’tknowwhere they got the information from but certainly not from Guyana. I can tell you that.” He is confident that the information the company used did not come, “from Exxon,notfromtheMinistry of Natural Resources, not from GGMC. I don’t know; maybe they have some magic wand that they can pull the data and they can determine how much resourceswehave.”
G o v e r n m e n t ’ s unchangingtune
Despite three different crediblesourcesreportingon thesignificantincreaseinthe country’s reserves, the government continues to sing its unchanging tune of “no significant increase ” After each revelation, the Vice President was repeatedly asked about the status of the reserves to whichhisresponsehasbeen, ‘there has been no major change in the reserves.’The country manager for Exxon Guyana Alistair Routledge hasalsomaintainedthesame tune.
International experts from US analytics company S&PGlobal recently put the current reserves at 18 7 billion barrels, an increase from a previous estimation by the Chairman of the WalesDevelopmentAgency Asgar Ali who put the reserves to at least 15B barrelsinMayofthisyear. Chairman of Wales Development Authority, Asgar Ally in January had said that some 15 billion barrels of oil have already been discovered to date in the Stabroek Block. Ally, a formerFinanceMinisterand former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, represented Guyana at the Jamaica Stock Exchange ConferenceheldinJanuary During an interview at the conference, he made the disclosureofanadditional4 billion barrels of oil being discovered.“Asofthispoint in time, we don’t know the fullextentoftheoildeposits but it’s huge and I could explainwhatthatmeans.It’s about… I would say they have identified at least 15 billion barrels of oil in the (Stabroek)Block.Soatthis (Continuedonpage38)
President Dr. IrfaanAli
Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods
Frompage37 point in time, I would say Exxon has identified about 25to35%ofthat,”Allywho isaneconomiststated.
Notwithstanding, Ally said that over 4 billion barrels more have been discovered.Addedtothis,he explained, “If you have the time, I can explain to you what has happened.You see atonestage,AfricaandLatin America were joined together So West Africa is closertotheSouthAmerican coast, of which Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, a part of andthereisunderthatcoasta basin of oil, huge basin of oil.” “Every day we are f i n d i n g n e w o i l discoveries Nobody knows the full extent (but) every day they are finding more,”headded.
Meanwhile, in a May report, American analytics company S&P Global Inc. said that Guyana’s oil reserves has increased to approximately 18.7 billion barrels of recoverable resources since 2015. The reportwascompiledbyS&P Global Commodity Insights analystsFernandaMachado, Mariana Anjos and Jerry Jarvis.
“Injustnineyears,ithas established itself as the fifth largest [basin] in Latin America, while continuing to grow,” the analysts said. Production is expected to peak in 2037 at 2.3 million boe/d, with oil accounting for 90%, they said. “Highquality, low-emissions and cost-effective barrels have already reached European markets,” the analysts said. “Currently, all gas productionisassociatedwith oil and reinjected, but the marketed gas is expected to increase.”
Concerns have been raised about the lack of transparency about the country’s oil reserves. The Government of Guyana has failedtoregularlyupdatethe public on the status of the reserves and how they are being managed. In April, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo explained that while the recent discoveries made by ExxonMobil are substantial, they do not represent a significant increase in the country’s overalloilreserves.
The Vice President told reporters, “Right now, there is an assumption that the information is being withheld, that’s false I pointedouttoyouthatweget these reports every three months and the reports that we have state what the
reservesareandthathasnot changed materially over the past maybe year or so, so that’s not withholding information that we have.”
According to him,
“Information about the reserves have been part of thatreportandit’saroundthe same 11 billion barrels. I’ve pointed out that a discovery doesn’t mean that you know the size of the reserve. That to get to that sizeofreserve,longafterthe discovery, you have to do appraisal, see the type of rock, a complex process before you get to the reserve.”
T h e G u y a n a Government, among other things, said on Wednesday that the establishment of a PetroleumCommissionhere now will slow down the oil andgassector.
This was the view of Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat during his half-year press conference, hosted at the G u y a n a F o r e s t r y Commission office, Kingston Georgetown Bharrattoldreportersduring his almost four-hour long media briefing that while it sounds nice to say “put the petroleum commission in place” the advantages and disadvantages must be considered.
He was responding to a question from Kaieteur Newsonthesubjectwhenhe explained, “The Petroleum Commission will basically be doing what we are doing at the Petroleum Unit at the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don’t think we
will be doing anything different from what we are doingnow.”
In fact, the minister believesthatthecommission may even slow down the rapid developments taking place in the industry “A commission like that might be slower in decisionm a k i n g t h a n t h e policymakers ma
g decisionwithregardstohow we advance this sector taking into consideration that we have a limited timeframe and a closing windowsowehavetolookat
everything,”henoted.
Bharrathoweverwenton to question the role of the Petroleum Commission, highlighting the “efficient” functions carried out by the Ministry’s Petroleum Unit over the last few years “Haven’t we managed the sector well over the last few years, building out the framework, putting the legislative framework in place too, having a new Petroleum Activities Act, a Local Content Legislation, having a new PSA in place, having improvements in production licenses and environmental permits and puttingallofthemonitoring capabilities in place, I don’t see a commission doing anythingdifferentfromwhat thepetroleumunitisdoingat the Ministry of Natural Resources,” the minister reasoned.
A l t h o u g h t h e government may not be looking to establish the Petroleum Commission at this time, Bharrat said the body is likely to materialise in the future. As such, he made it clear that the same individuals hired to work in
the ministry’s Petroleum Unitwillbeappointedtothe Commission “It’s these same gentlemen and ladies who you see here managing the unit will be on the Petroleum Commission becausewecan’tthrowthem away and bring a set of new staffandsayyougo,wewill staff a commission with thesepeople,”Bharratnoted. He said those individuals that have been hired are already experienced and qualified.
To this end, Bharrat argued that the Petroleum Commission would not be a “magicfix”.“Whatnewwill happen? What different will happen in the sector that is not happening right now? We have total transparency and accountability We have a good way of sharing information with the media and everybody like what we are doing here right now I don’t really see a major difference between the
Commission and the petroleum unit at the ministryofnaturalresources atthispointintimewhenwe need to make firm, quick, decisive decision with regards to advancing this sector,”hesaid.
A P e t r o l e u m
Commission should comprise of specialists to help regulate, manage and coordinate all petroleum related activities for the benefit of citizens in that country Ideally, skilled professionalsinawiderange of areas such as science and business should be hired to ensure the interest of the country’s welfare is protected at all costs Recognising the critical importance of such a body, thePPPinits2020Elections Manifesto promised to
“establish a regulatory framework which is independentofpoliticians”.
Minister of Natural Resources,VickramBharrat, h a s d e f e n d e d t h e managementofGuyana’soil sector,assertingthatitisone of the best-managed sectors globally
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, M i n i s t e r B h a r r a t highlighted, “Now with the oil and gas sector, I want to say from the inception and some people may not agree butwhenyoulookatitfrom a neutral point of view, we would see that Guyana’s oil and gas sector is one of the better managed oil and gas sectorintheworld.”
The minister stressed that transparency and accountabilityarekeypillars of Guyana’s oil sector management He also pointed out that it is rare for anyoil-producingcountryto have its chief policymaker, in Guyana’s case Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, to engage with the public and media through his weekly pressconferences.“Wedida quickchecktoseehowmany oil producing countries in the world will have theVice Presidentofthecountrywho is the lead policy maker on the oil and gas sector speak on the sector every single week in a year…” Bharrat said. He continued, “But every single week, we have thechiefpolicymakerinour country Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, speakonthesectorandgive theopportunitytothemedia and anyone else to ask questionsonthesector.”
Minister Bharrat u n d e r s c o r e d t h e government’s commitment to transparency, noting that information is regularly shared through various channels,includingwebsites andpressreleases.
“Thereisnothingtohide inthemanagementoftheoil andgassector,”heaffirmed. He added that few other countries have leaders who engagewiththemediaabout the oil and gas sector as frequently as in Guyana, where “[the] few countries that do it and the countries
that actually do it, they do it eithertotentimesayear.”
To further prove his point, the minister referenced the National Resource Fund (NRF) as a testament to the PPPadministration commitment to transparency and accountability in the sector “If you look at the NRF for example, anyone from any partoftheworldcancheckto see how much money is in the NRF,” he said He explainedthatthereareonly two ways in which money can be withdrawn from the NRF, through the National Budget, which must be debatedandapprovedbythe NationalAssembly,orinthe case of a national disaster, which also requires parliamentaryapproval.
Addressing criticisms aboutthemanagementofthe sector and its revenues, Bharrat countered, “They are strong measures placed intheNRFActtoensurethat t h e r e i s p r o p e r accountability and transparency and for you to know how much money flowsintothatfund.”
Bharrat attributed the success of Guyana’s oil sector to lessons learned from other countries. He continued, “It is because we havesimplylearnedfromthe mistakes made by other oil producing countries; it is because we had that advantageoflookingatother models around the world becausewearealatestarter.”
“We had the advantage of lookingatmodelsthatfailed and models that were successful and we have drawnfromdifferentmodels and created one that is best suited for Guyana,” the minister stated. Moreover, the minister proudly shared that Guyana is now being recognized as a model for othercountries.“Somuchso thatGuyanatodayoneofthe newest oil producing countryintheworld,isbeing usedasamodelcountry,”he said Minister Bharrat mentioned a recent visit from Namibia’s Minister of Energy,TomAlweendowho, along with a delegation, came to study Guyana’s modelinhopesofadoptingit fortheiremergingoilsector
DespiteBharrat’sboasts, Guyana’s oil contract with ExxonMbil and the management of the sector have been widely criticized globally Earlier this year International Financial Expert,TomSanzilloduring aninterviewwithCNBC,the leadingbusinessand (Continuedonpage39)
Minister Vickram Bharrat (center) sharing remarks during his press conference.Also present are Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Joslyn McKenzie (right) and Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Newell Dennison (left)
Frompage38 financial news network in
the world, said the ExxonMobil deal is a onesided one. “Because Exxon pays no taxes, Exxon didn’t putuptheinsurancetheyare responsible for putting up, and Exxon has a special
arrangement with a maximizedprofitwherethey get their profits first and Guyana gets theirs later”
W h i l e t h e G u y a n a
G o v e r n m e n t h a s acknowledged that the deal with Exxon is grossly in favourofthecompany,ithas
refused to demand a
renegotiation The government’spositionisthat asking for a revision of the lopsided terms will hamper investor confidence and sully the nation’s reputation on the global stage The administration insists that Guyana must make do with whatithas.
Incorporated (GWI) is working to address ongoing water quality issues in Central Georgetown, with Chief Executive Officer (CEO)ShaikBakshassuring customers that the situation should be resolved by this weekend.
The company has come under fire from frustrated residents who have taken to socialmediatoexpresstheir dissatisfaction with not receiving water and others the discoloured and turbid
water currently being supplied.At a press briefing on Thursday, Baksh explained the circumstances leading to the deterioration inwaterquality,highlighting that the company is deeply concerned about the impact onhouseholds.
“We are very much concerned about the situation and the effect the water supply has been having on household,” Baksh said. He added, “We doapologiseforthesituation which we consider was unavoidable.”
According to the CEO, the problem began about a month ago when GWI noticed issues with water quality in the two large canals at the Shelter Belt facility These canals store
water coming from the East Demerara Conservancy through the Lamaha Canal. “We observed firstly that something was wrong with thequalityofwaterthatwas coming in and then we did further checks and we recognised that the sedimentation load coming to the plant was extremely high,” Baksh explained, notingthatsuchahighlevel of sedimentation had never beenexperiencedbefore.
The CEO detailed the
company’s immediate response to the problem, which involved sending a teamtotheconservancy The team discovered that dredging activities, combined with recent heavy rainfall, had caused a significantbuildupofsludge in the canals, which then moved into the reservoirs at theShelterBeltfacility GWI quickly mobilised additionallabourtocleanthe western canal, completing theworkinabouttwoweeks. They are now finishing the cleaningoftheeasterncanal, withcompletionexpectedby this evening or early tomorrow
“The point I wish to make is that there is an overload of sedimentation into our system which has affected the quality of water goingout,”Bakshsaid.
To address the water quality issues in the city, GWI is also conducting a flushing exercise to remove sludgefromthetransmission and distribution network. Notably, the GWI team also presented samples of water from around Georgetown to show that the quality has improved from the brown murky colour that some customers have posted
online.
“We are hoping that withinacoupleofdays,you see you can’t be that precise because of the nature of the network the amount of
m th
a n s m i s s i o n a n d distributionsystemincentral Georgetown.
Butwearehopingthatby weekend we will see significant changes,” Baksh
stated, although he cautioned that the exact timeline depends on the extent of the buildup in the network.
When asked about potentialreliefforcustomers who received poor-quality water but still received high bills, Baksh acknowledged the concerns and said, “We are prepared to look at that, to consider that, some relief to the customers during this period that they were affected.”
He added that a staff member would be tasked with reviewing the issue before the company issues a formal statement On Wednesday this publication reported that the company came under fire after reuploading a post to its official Facebook page, advisingcustomersthathigh levels of turbidity and sediment at the Shelter Belt
intake have caused significant challenges in supplying water to central Georgetown. Many customers expressed outrage, claiming that these issues have persisted far l o n g e r t h a n G W I
acknowledges Some residents report that they have been struggling with water supply problems for weeks, if not months. Also,
conference on Wednesday, Dr Martin Pertab, the Director of the Local Content Secretariat within the Ministry of Natural Resources, disclosed that while the Secretariat had reduced the payment period to35to45days,theyarenow lookingtofurtherrevisethat period.
“We’re in discussion with some of the major tierone companies, including the contractor, to have that payment period revised downward to 21 days,” he said.
The shortened payment period is part of a broader strategy by the Local ContentSecretariattocreate a more favorable business environment for local companies.
the discontent escalated further on Tuesday when GWI issued a payment notice to its customers. The timingofthenotice,amidthe ongoing water crisis, provokedastrongbacklash.
Saturday
Govt. wants payment period to Guyanese companies operating in oil and gas sector reduced to 21days
…Locals earned US$314M within first half of2024
The Government of Guyana (GoG) through the Local Content Secretariat (LCS)isworkingtohavethe payment period to local companies operating in the petroleum industry reduced to21days.
The Government had solidified its commitment to ensuring that the benefits derived from the foreign direct investments into Guyana’s petroleum sector arecapturedandretainedincountry, through the enactment of the Local ContentActof2021.
However,despitethelaw being implemented, there werestillseveralissueslocal companiesencountered;one being the prolonged issuing of payments to local suppliers.
Guyanesebusinesseshad voiced their concerns and in 2022,thegovernmentissued an ultimatum to contractors and sub-contractors operating in the oil and gas sector to issue payments to Guyanese suppliers within 30 to 45 days following the receiptofacorrectinvoice.
At the Ministry of Natural Resources press
tier-one companies that deals directly with this particular service and the concern is the high energy cost and we all know the advent of the gas to energy project, once we can bring down that energy cost by 50%,pipecoatingservicesis something that is highly possible would likely be done in Guyana which will likely boost local content activities in Guyana somewherearound10%,”he added.
Moreover, Dr. Pertab notedthatoneofthenotable successeswastheexpansion of a local company providing machine and fabrication
Additionally, Dr. Pertab revealed that local companies have earned a totalofUS$314millionfrom the oil and gas sector within the first six months of 2024. This figure represents more than half of the projected annual earnings for the sector
“As of June 30, 2024 expenditure among the related sector is somewhere around US$314 million of 54% of the 2024 projected estimate, when compare to mid-year of 2023, we are seeinggrowthinsomeareas suchasengineeringmachine services by 238%, we have s e e n g r o w t h i n accommodation services by 39%,wehaveseengrowthin equipment rental by 48.5% and catering by 18.8%,” the Directorstated.
Notably, he attributed this to the increase in petroleum activities due to the arrival of the third Floating Production Storage andOffloading(FPSO).
In addition, the Local ContentSecretariathasbeen working closely with local businesses to identify and overcome other challenges under the local content law Dr Pertab underscored the importance of collaboration with the private sector, including the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), in shaping policy directions and addressing obstacles faced bylocalcompanies.
“Sofar,wehavereceived several recommendations fromthesestakeholders,and weareintheprocessnowof r e v i s i n g t h o s e recommendationsandoneof course is what we are referringtoas[subsea]pipecoating,”Dr Pertabsaid.
“As of now, we are in discussion with some of the
facilitatedbytheSecretariat, this company has moved from offering basic services to manufacturing premium accessories, securing a major purchase order as a result.
He said, “In fact, just recently, they have received a major purchase order following our engagement with the contractor and subcontractors…”
The Secretariat is also placingastrongemphasison supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, with a particular focus on women-ownedbusinesses.
According to Pertab, over the past six months, 54 new women-owned companies have registered with the Secretariat, providing services such as catering, accommodation, and janitorial work A standoutachievementinthis area is the recent award of a major contract to a femaleowned business, which rapidly expanded its workforceinresponsetothe demand.
Furthermore, the Local Content Secretariat is advancing its efforts to upskill the local workforce. Earlier this year, the Secretariat announced an initiative to place 100 students with major tier-one companies for hands-on experience.Dr Pertabstated that as of mid-2024, 53 students have been successfullyplaced,withthe remainder expected to join byyear’send.
Notably, he also gave an update on the mobile app stating, “We have been working on the mobile app and we are hoping to have that finalised by the end of this year as of now, we are working on the interface to ensurethatitisuserfriendly and could be used by the publicingeneral.”
Images posted by customers to show the quality of water they are receiving (file photo)
Chapter Four: The Amazing Warp-Port Challenge
“Don't worry, you're not sick. I'm going to get you out of here,” assured Tarzainawhisper.
Without saying another word, she rushed Jackson through one narrowhallaftertheother Whenever she heard someone coming, she madethemchangecourse. Finally, just as Jackson wasgettingalittlewinded from the rushing, they came to a blue-lit room
and stepped inside Jackson saw that it had a control station and a large window facing out into space.Tarza shut the door and turned a knob on the wall until the door turned yellow
“There That should giveussomeprivacy,”she saidinrelief.
“Why did it turn yellow?”Jacksonasked.
“It means someone
i n s i d e i s d o i n g
accounting, ” she answered “A red door means 'Do Not Disturb', but Byzongs tend to eavesdrop on red doors. They think something interesting must be going on inside No one sits outsideayellowdoor.” Jacksonnodded.
Tarza approached him withanintensecuriosity
“Whyisit,”sheasked, “that you haven't tried to runfrommeoraskmeany questionsyet?”
“I asked about the door,”hecorrected.
“That's not what I mean.Youknownowthat I lied to the guards about who I was and where I'm
taking you, and yet you haven't tried to figure out who I am and where I'm takingyou.”
“I have a policy on circumstances such as these,”heexplained.
“ W h a t k i n d o f policy?”sheasked.
“Well if I find myselfconfused,thenIdo nothing. Statistically, it's smarter and safer to do nothing.”“Anytimeyou're confused?”sheaskedwith acockedeyebrow
· White Card Stock for Printing, Paint or another Colouring Medium, String, Sticky Tape, Glue Stick, String,HolePunch.
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Decorate with extra swirls, ecoglitterorsplatterpaint
AddtwoThreadingHoles - Once the space scene is complete,useaholepunchto
Treat everyone like a brother
By Uncle Roy
Among my friends in and out of school, There are those who look different, Because of the colour of their skin, Otherwise I see no difference.
Sometimes when we are together, Two of them start to bicker, And they call one another names, Which have to do with this colour
This seems to me so silly, When I know they are otherwise good, And in all other things we do, They deal with one another as they should.
I now make it my duty
Not to judge people by their colour, And tell others to do the same, And treat everyone like a brother
“…Imagine if all the greatest thinkers, from all theplanetsintheuniverse just stopped doing things whenever they came across a confusing problem.”sheended.
At first Jackson felt taken aback Then he decided this may be consideredanaffront.And then he wondered why therewasnosuchthingas 'amiddle', but let it go as quickly as it came, for the asidethatitwas.
“Iseeyourpoint,'said Jackson.
“Then we're agreed As President of Earth you should end this policy of yours immediately,” she answered Jackson nodded,whichmadeTarza smile.
“Yes,” he answered “Except I'm not President ofEarth.”
Tarzastoppedsmiling.
“Imagine if the whole universe followed your silly rule If kids just stopped doing anything every time they got confused They'd never learn a thing! Imagine if captains stopped giving orders anytime something n e w a n d s t r a n g e happened…” Jackson went to open his mouth but stopped.
“What do you mean? Didyouchangeyourtitle? Ruler of Earth? Supreme TitanofEarth?”sheasked.
“I'm none of those things The President is still on her ship, and I'm nother.”heanswered.
“But…” Tarza looked down shaking her head “How is that possible? They'vebeenplanningthe kidnappingforsolong.”
“Perhaps it is time for me to ask some questions of my own. Who are you, and why is that you're trying to save me, err, I mean the President, if the rest of the Byzongs want to kidnap me, um, her,” Jackson asked, feeling moreboldthanusual.
Tarzawasstillinshock but managed to form the words.
“My name is Tarza, that part is true. And I do work on this warship. But forthelastfouryears I've beenamemberofasecret intra-planetarynetworkof elite agents named The PocketWatches.
favourite medium for this step of the process Our exampleusespaint.
Cut out the Rocketship
Elements - Once the rocketship elements are dry, carefully cut them out. Try arranging the different parts of the rocketship before assemblingthecraft.
AssembletheRocketship
- Once your Kids are happy
create two threading holes at either end of of the card stock.
Secure the Rocketship to String-Measureoutpieceof string that's twice as long as the cardstock Secure the string with sticky tape to the backoftherocketship.Tryto use the middle area of the string.
SecurewithaKnot-Turn thecardstockoverandsecure thestringwithaknot. The Rocketship Craft is
rocketship craft is ready to blastoffintospace!Tomake the rocketship fly, pull the string from behind up and down.
If you have loved our Easy Peasy space craft and havemadethecraftwithyour children,pleasedosharewith us the results on social media!
Thread the String - Turn the rocketship over and thread the string through the holes–onestrand,eitherend ofthecardstock.
Follow these tips to strengthen your relationships with
1.Watchyourlanguage
Anotherbadhabitthatis hard to get rid of, and one that can hamper your progress in life is the use of badlanguage–eitherwrong g r a m m a r , s l o p p y pronunciation, and worse, swearwords. Practiseusing clean and grammatical language and you will make a good impression to those withwhomyouhavetodeal – either privately or professionally
2.Honouryourparents. Itneednotbereminded that one should always have the deepest respect for his/her parents, in whatever situation they have to interact. Respectforparents is the least you can do to show gratitude for bringing
those who matter most to you
The Duty & Joy to Improve
youintothisworldandtheir care for you all these years. You can never know what they have gone through to get you to this stage and, evenwhenyoufeeltheymay be treating you wrongfully, you have an obligation to point that out to them and help to sort out any problem between you in a respectful manner
always see that it is important for you to realise that you are part of a team. Make sure you do your part of the work at home, which includes keeping the place clean and in good order,
3.Beagreatteammate. Whether you are interacting with others at home, at school or at a workplace, you should
BRIDGES
along with all the other things that are needed. In your class, you should cooperate with your teacher and classmates so that everyonegetsthemostoutof the time spent there. If you are working, it would be much appreciated by your employer if you can see
yourselfaspartofthewhole group, and work with all others to get the goods and services you deal with deliveredefficiently
4. Do the right thing and do not let others stray you fromyourlong-termgoals.
Onceyouhaveidentified whatyouwantfromyourlife on the long term, do not let othersdissuadeyoufromthe path that would lead you to achieving this. It is granted that you will have to devote some of your time to entertainment and other socialising with friends, but you will need to make sure that these do not hamper your progress in the really serious things that you need to move towards a fruitful lifelater
Connect these islands with bridges until each island can be reached fromanyotherisland,andeachislandhasasmanyoutgoingbridgesasits number You may only connect islands vertically or horizontally and bridgesmaynotcross.Theremaybeoneortwobridgesconnectingpairsof islands,butnomorethantwo.Eachpuzzlehasauniquesolutionthatcanbe foundwithoutmakingguesses.
It would be helpful if you take some time now to start planning for your classes after the holidays.
UncleRoyisagainappealingtoourreaderstomakea contributiontothiscolumnbyeithergivingafeedback onwhatispublished,askingforsomehelpwithsome personal problem, offering some advice to fellow teenagers,orsharingthenewsofwhatishappeningin his/her community Please send your contribution to roypaul2002@yahoo.com
MARS 2024: A vibrant platform for cosplayers,and anime enthusiasts
By Celina Nathu
of the most anticipated events love for anime, games, and niche has to be the rave, or the after party that interests. The presence of both small
The year 2024 marked a resounding gives everyone an opportunity to wind and large businesses added another success for MARS, a gathering that downandenjoygoodmusicanddancing dimension to the event, offering brought together a vibrant tapestry of with flashing lights and a good attendees a chance to explore a wide small businesses, enthusiastic atmosphere. rangeofmerchandiseandservices. cosplayers, and avid anime fans. The Other attendees donned attire TheWaterfallshadtheprivilege Marriot Hotel was abuzz with inspired by characters from a myriad of of speaking with several small excitement as Mars 2024 brought sources, including games, animes, business owners who were together enthusiastic cosplayers, and movies, and TV shows, adding a splash showcased at MARS 2024. Bevin avidanimefans. ofcolorandcreativitytotheevent.Many Allicock, a painter and small
The cosplayers stole the spotlight, of the cosplays were handmade and business owner of BEVARTS, showcasing their meticulously crafted curated by various artists and clothes shared his journey with this costumes and embodying beloved makers. publication. A professional artist characters with finesse. From intricate MARSwasameltingpotofdiversity, who graduated from the E.R armor to flowing capes, every detail was drawing individuals from various Burrowes School of Art, Allicock’s a testament to the dedication of these backgrounds that united in their shared love for art and anime combined, fans. Among the array of activities, attendees engaged in friendly competitions that celebrated their shared interests.
The energetic tug of war and the iconicrunway,wherecosplayersstrutted their stuff with confidence and flair, provided an opportunity for participants toshowcasetheirskills.
The voice acting challenge allowed individuals to display their talents, channeling the essence of their characters with skill and enthusiasm. Other activities included anime trivia andpop-quizzes,scavengerhunts,sensei arm wrestling, a spicy ramen challenge, freestyleanimerap,andmusicalchairs.
leadinghimtoMARS.
At the event, he offered live portraits, where attendees could sit downandhavethemselvesdrawnin 10-15 minutes. Allicock has been attending MARS from the beginning, three years ago, and he expressed that interacting with fellow anime fans brings a feeling of belonging.
Within the vibrant community of artists and creatives, there were also numerous entrepreneurs who had built thriving businesses around the sale of merchandise inspired by popular anime series and shows. One suchenterprisemakingitsmarkatthe prestigiousMARSeventthisyearwas theAnimeHub.
The Anime Hub, founded and operated by Shianne Basdeo, hails fromtheBerbiceregionandwaseager toshowcaseitsdiversearrayofanimethemedproductstotheenthusiastic
(Continued on page 50)
One
Two cosplayers dressed as Cleo De Nile and Draculara from Monster High.
A couple attending the event in matching outfits.
Two friends dressed as Catwoman and Raven at the event.
Another cosplayer dressed as Loki.
A gathering of people at the event.
Domestic abuse survivor, Indranie Codrington finds empowerment through pageantry
ByShaniaWilliams
Survivors of Domestic Abuseoftenfindwaystoheal the emotional scars that they sustain as a result of the dreadful ordeals. Some choosetherapyandotheruse more unconventional methodsofdealingwiththeir issues For Indranie Codrington, a 34-year-old single mother of three, pageantrybecamepartofthe journey of helping her find herselfagain.
Codrington, also known asArianaVee,wascatapulted in the local spotlight when shewassashed'MissSkeldon Universe' in this year's Miss U n i v e r s e G u y a n a competition.
She told The Waterfalls thatwhenshedecidedtostep into the role, she understood that she was likely to face a lot of public scrutiny, given that she is not the traditional pageantry material However, the single mom said that the Miss Universe platform offered her a space to build confidence and advocate for survivors of domesticabuse. She went for it and
although she was not among the winners of this year's competition; her journey to the Miss Universe Guyana stage was one of selfd i s c o v e r y a n d empowerment.
Codrington also made historyasoneofthefirstsets ofmomstoparticipateinthe Miss Universe Guyana by virtue of the franchise lifting the restriction for participants.
“This gave me an opportunity to relive my childhood dream because I always wanted to do pageantry,” the young woman said. She related howeverthatherlifehasbeen marred by significant challenges, particularly a tumultuous and abusive relationship.
Being in Guyana, Codrington moved to the UnitedStateswithherfamily at the age of 11. She later married at the age of nineteen.
“My freedom was taken away from me, and I felt my life was over when I was married… It felt like I was living in a dark hole,” Codrington said adding that
sheoftenfeltpowerless. It wasn't until 2022 that she made the brave decision to leave her abuser. She recalled that it was not easy as she became a single motherofa13,10andsevenyear-old. She also endured financial and emotional difficulties but nevertheless feltasenseofliberation.
She says. “I was able to make choices for myself and
reclaim my freedom.” This marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, one characterized by resilience and the pursuit of her longhelddreams.
Assuch,shesaidbeingon the stage at Miss Universe Guyana,“Ifeltlikeitwasmy rebirth. I wasn't aware I had this much strength and resilience The Miss
(Continuedonpage50)
Indranie Codrington Miss Skeldon Universe Guyana delegate
‘SPLASH’ is back with a
ByShaniaWilliams
Following its triumphant return to the social calendar during a Cricket Carnival in 2022, Guyana's premier natural hair festival Curl Fête is back with a 'SPLASH!'
Thebiennialeventwhich is being touted the Caribbean's largest Natural Hair & Beauty Expo once again kicked off Cricket
Carnival activities with its vibrant summer vibes Hosted at the Promenade GardensinGeorgetownover the weekend, the festival dazzled patrons with an impressive array of natural hairfocusedbusinesses.
Traditionally held in October, Curl Fête took a refreshing turn this year by shifting to the summer season.Thechangewasmet with enthusiasm from both attendees and organizers
Mrs. Tamika Henry-Fraser, CEO of the festival, expressed her excitement about the event's success,
highlighting the positive feedbackandthehighenergy throughouttheweekend.
TheWaterfallsMagazine
wasonsitefordayoneofthe event, capturing the lively atmosphere and the diverse collection of hair care, skincare, wellness, maternity support and other items showcased from over 160 booths throughout the garden.
In addition to the extensive range of products and services, some booths dedicated to fashion, makeup, yoga, and zumba, complete with tutorials and workshops. The event also provided a platform for numerous women-owned
businesses to shine. One standout business was 15y e a r - o l d c r o c h e t entrepreneur Destiny King, who made her debut at the festival. King, who started hercrochetbusinessin2020, wasthrilledtoshowcaseher creations at her first pop-up shop.
Another notable exhibitor was 'Nikxnknox,' an accessories business founded by Nichola Baily Specializing in unique and affordable accessories for both adults and children, (Continuedonpage 50)
Scene from curl fête 2024
Duo get pension contributions from Chris Ram after being denied by NIS get pension contributions
Two pensioners who recordsoftheNIS,providing contributions were deducted have been denied old age e v i d e n c e t h a t h e r fromhissalary pension from the National employment with one The High Court ordered InsuranceScheme(NIS)will employeralone,qualifiesher the NIS to credit Zainul 354 receive the monthly pension for a pension and not a one- contributions which his amount from Attorney off grant.” Like Mr Zainul former employer, TPL, ChristopherRam. she too submitted her pay failed to remit to NIS while The recipients, 68-year- slipstotheNIS. he worked there from 1992 oldJuliaClarkeand73-year- Ram said that in many to 2000. The NIS was also old Shariff Zainul, will cases like Zainul and ordered to pay Zainul his receive Ram’s contributions, Clarke’s it is incumbent on NIS Pension effective whichisequivalenttoanNIS theAdministration to restore October 16, 2011, to the date old age pension, on a public confidence in the NIS of his 60th birthday monthlybasis. by making it “more
However, the matter was “What I have decided to transparent, accountable and appealedinDecember2023. do is that I will give both of responsivetomembersofthe Meanwhile, speaking of them an NIS pension public generally and to Ram’s contributions, Zainul indefinitely until the NIS contributorsandclaimantsin said that it is going to benefit starts paying them, if NIS particular.” himsignificantly don’t start paying them, then “We implore the
“Right now I only I will continue to pay them,” Government to immediately depend on my family and Ramsaidatasimplehanding withdraw its appeal against friends,rightnowIamasick over ceremony held at his the court’s decision in the person I don’t come out office on Waterloo Street, Zainul matter and to review often, right now my family Georgetown. caseslikeJulia’sClarkeinan and friends does support me.
Inabriefstatementtothe enlightened, humane I am getting a pension from press, Ram said “You will manner We also call for the government yes, but that’s recall that we met in immediate implementation hardlyupkeepingme,things November 2023, after the of a sliding scale or partial areveryhigh,costoflivingis Court had ruled that the pension system for persons veryhigh,”heexplained. National Insurance Scheme who have made more than C l a r k e t o l d t h i s pay an NIS pension to a 73- 500 contributions, the publication that she has been year-old former employee of equivalent of ten years,” he “running behind” NIS since Toolsie Persaud Limited… said. 2019abouttherecordsofher the NIS appealed the Meanwhile, speaking contributions Expressing decision and on 26 January with Kaieteur News on gratitude, she said Ram’s this year, the Full Court of Friday at Ram’s office, contributions will help to the High Court referred the Zainul said that he has been contribute to her medical matter back to the Trial back and forth with NIS bills. Judge. The matter is still since 2011 and in 2019 he “I thank God for this age pending while Mr Zainul is decided to take the matter to but I am not fully (well) with deprivedofamodestpension court. all of my strength because I for which he contributed for It was reported in the am at the hospital, right now overdecades.” media that last November, they are carrying out some
InthecaseofMs.Clarke, High Court Justice Damone screening I don’t know what Ram briefed that according Younge ordered the NIS to itis.SomedaysI’mup,some totherecordsoftheNIS,she payZainulhisfullbenefits. days I’m down, pain all over has739contributions,which The ruling was made my body The sickness bill, is 11 short of the 750 to after Zainul was able to that old age pension money qualify for an NIS pension. prove to the court that he cannot work. That is why I According to him, Clarke worked with the company was running behind this disputes “the poorly kept for several years and that the NIS,”sheexplained.
Attorney-at-Law Chris Ram (right) handing over his contributions to Julia Clarke and Shariff Zainul on Friday
31 graduate from GyCCE - YOUthEngage592 Leadership Program
A group photograph of graduates and senior officials including Deodat Persaud, President of GyCCE, Dr. Satesh Basdeo, Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority’s
Bartica Branch
centre) and RDC Councillor Stephen Bess (seated fourth right).
Thirty one students and underscores the growing The keynote address was acc
practices. four mentors graduated from e m p
given by Dr Satesh Basdeo, encouragedthemtocontinue significantly improved the This graduation brings the Guyana Centre for Civic
c HeadoftheGuyanaRevenue contributing to societal safety and well-being of thetotalnumberofgraduates Engagement (GyCCE) on engagementinGuyana. Authority’s (GRA) Bartica improvement, emphasizing students within the school f
s August 4, 2024 The D
that their efforts are crucial environment. YOUthEngage592 program graduation ceremony was President of GyCCE and a highlighted the pivotal role fo
mmunity’s In addition, Ms. Davena to 94 students and 18 held at the Palm Spring fervent advocate for national ofgoodleadershipindriving development. Mangru was honored with mentors from Regions 2, 6, Conference Room, Bartica, pride, delivered an inspiring societal change, stressing The ceremony also the Best Mentor award for and7. RegionSeven. messagetothegraduates.He that integrity and collective f
e d s p e c i a l heroutstandingdedicationto The success of this
Thestudentsandmentors urged them to become action are essential for recognitions, with Three environmental care Her program highlights its vital are from the Bartica problem solvers and change achieving meaningful Miles’ “Bully Stopper commitment exemplifies the role in nurturing the next Secondary School, Three agents within their progress.
Project” receiving the program’s mission of generationofcivicleadersin Miles, and the Excel communities,reinforcingthe Remarks were provided accolade of Most Impacting empowering leaders who are Guyana, equipping them Volunteer Club This importance of active civic by RDC Councillor Stephen Project. This initiative was not only skilled but also with the tools needed to initiative, funded by the U.S. participation in addressing Bess, who congratulated the c o m m e n d e d f o r i t s deeply invested in fostering effect positive change in Embassy in Georgetown, localchallenges. g
successful anti-bullying sustainable community theircommunities.
Man crashes car after failing to obey stop sign
A 52-year-old man identified as Andre Roach on Friday crashed his car into a pick-up after failing to adhere to a stop signonLamahaStreet,Georgetown.
Police said Roach was driving north along Light Street. However,whenheapproachedLamahaStreet,hedidnotobey thestopsignandcrashedintoavehicleownedbytheMinistry ofTourism.
Investigationsareongoing.
Motorcyclist hospitalized following accident with car
A 26-year-old motorcyclist is hospitalized after he crashed into a car at the corners of South Road and Light Street,Georgetown.
The car was heading East along South Road when the biker suddenly sped across the intersection at Light Street andcrashedintothecar
The impact flung him onto the road. He sustained injuriestohisbody
He was picked up from and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted. Investigationsareongoing.
Ten students benefit from GCCI’s annual ‘Teenternship’ Programme 2024
Ten students from G
c environmentandthevalueof Entrepreneurship and Small
’ s Incorporated, Java Coffee persistence, telling the Business Committee, Evie
Academy benefit Bar and Bistro,ActionInvest interns, “There is no door Kanhai- Gurchuran, who is from the Georgetown Caribbean Incorporated, thatyouaregoingtothatwill s p e a r h e a d i n g t h e Chamber of Commerce and Cerulean Incorporated, open by itself you have to Teenternship, encouraged Industry’s (GCCI) 2024 Technip FMC, and Beharry knock.” the businesses to tap into the ‘Teenternship’programme. AutomotiveLimited. Furthermore, the Chief fresh perspective that is
The programme is aimed Senior Vice President of ExecutiveOfficer[CEO]and availablethroughtheinterns. at providing youths with GGCI, Kathy Smith, in her Founder of Camille’s “I challenge you to think experiences in the working welcoming remarks spoke Academy, Camille Deokie- about their perspectives, I environment exposing them of the importance of the Gorakh in her charge to the challenge you to not just to leadership, teamwork, foundational experience interns underscored the thinkofthemasstudentsthat communication, problem- that the initiative will privilege that they have are now around your offices solving,andmanagement. provide benefited from in being part but really take their opinion
The orientation of the “I am so proud to be part oftheprogramme. to get a fresh perspective in Program was conducted on of the Georgetown Chamber She said, “Today as you your workplaces,” she Friday at GCCI’s office ofCommerceandIndustryto embark on a journey that stated. located on Waterloo Street, see that this is something we holds the potential to shape GGCI concluded in its Georgetown. are doing for young people,” your future in profound way statement, “The one-week
According to a press shestated. through the Teenternship internshipprogrammeispart release issued by GCCI, the While reflecting on the Programme held by the of the lead-up activities to tenstudentswereassignedto core principles of the Georgetown Chamber of National Small Business several businesses, Teenternship, she said, Commerce and Industry, just Week, which is slated for including: Guyana Payroll “ L e a d e r s h i p i s know that it is not just a September. Solutions Incorporated, important…becoming a programme, it is an It provides students with Rafeek and Moore Customs l e a d
a b o u t opportunity to learn, grown, hands-on work experience, B
understanding your area and a n d b e
e with an opportunity to Logistics Incorporated, Raj undertakingitconfidently.” professionals you want to understand the foundational SinghInsuranceBrokersand S m i
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r be.” aspects of business and R i s k M a n
n t emphasised the role of Meanwhile, Chairperson office administration in a Consultants Incorporated, teamwork in a professional
G C C I widerangeofindustries.
(GRA)
(seated
Retired serviceman gets new home
DPI - Albert Hunte, 66, who served in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is the latest beneficiary of a house through the Men on a Mission(MoM)initiative.
Hunte received his new home at Mocha/Arcadia Friday afternoon, following a simple handing-over ceremony spearheaded by the Minister within the OfficeofthePrimeMinister with Responsibility for P
McCoy
The father of three expressed excitement, notingthathefinallyownsa propertythathecannowcall home, and can comfortably accommodatehisfamily.
“IwaslivingfirstatRed Road but I was squatting there.
Although I was squatting, I applied for my land a long while back. Housing [the ministry] got back to me and offered me this piece of land,” Hunte
told the Department of PublicInformation(DPI).
After he had to move, Hunte said he did the necessary research and contacted the respective persons to ask whether he is eligible to receive a home form MoM and the request wasgrantedsubsequently
“Ifeelsoblessed.Ithank God for this and our PresidentIrfaanAli.
Itfeelsreallynicetohave a roof over my head at this age,” the man tearfully stated.
Duringthehanding-over exercise, Minister McCoy stressedthatthegovernment has been implementing measures to transform the lives of ordinary people positively
“We as a government, have demonstrated astute leadership in being able to overcome challenges and interveneinwaysthatwould avoid the worst burden on the ordinary man and woman in our society,” the ministerstated. He added that numerous
Government over the past fouryearstoeasethecostof
living and other burdens on citizens.
The minister said that is exactly what the MoM initiative has been doing, ensuring home ownership is being made easier for the vulnerablecommunity
“ThisMenonaMission initiative is one among a plethora of other initiatives and interventions by this governmentthatallowusto work with people and to bring people’s lives to a point that is filled with happiness, ” Minister McCoystressed.
Also, present was the Coordinator of MoM, Lt ColBhageshwarMurli,and other executive members includingRogerRogersand JoshKanhai
MoM, which is the brainchild of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been impacting the lives of persons, both young and old, putting them in better living and working conditions
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy overseeing the cutting of the ribbon by Albert Hunte and his son
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BUS SERVICES
Need a bus or planning an outing. Call Matthew bus services & tours, Surniname/ Braz. WhatsApp: 639-2663/ 673-2348.
MARS 2024: A vibrant platform for cosplayers, and
From page 42 crowds at MARS. Attendees were treated to a dazzling display of the company’s offerings, which included an impressive selection of keychains, t-shirts, figurines, and various other collectibles and accessories featuring beloved characters and iconic imagery from a wide range of beloved anime franchises.
Speaking with this publication, the excited owner, Shianne Basdeo, expressed her delight at the opportunity to share the Anime Hub’s passion for anime culture with the MARS audience.
This was the first time the company had participated in the event, and Basdeo was thrilled to introduce the Anime Hub’s unique and high-quality merchandise to an entirely new audience of devoted anime fans and collectors. Badmonkey Merch, one of the long-standing sponsors of the prestigious MARS event, was once again in attendance, having been a proud participant since the very inception of the convention. During the event, this publication had the opportunity to speak with Christal,
1-320 D Caterpillar Excavator with 3066 engine in excellent condition, if interested contact: 701-4000 Monday - Friday 8am-5pm.
Mining equipment, Maroc nozzles starting from $3,500 & chinese engine bed starting from $21,000. Call: 6981267/657-9121.
TOURS
SURINAME August vacation tour trip from 24-082024-29-08-2024 for more information. Call Matthew 639-2663 or WhatsApp: 673-2348.
Bus tour to Suriname. 3 nights & 4 days holiday, from Tuesday 27th August to Friday 30th. Contact: 6503686.
one of the dedicated team members representing Badmonkey Merch at MARS. Christal expressed her excitement at the chance to be part of the convention once more.
When asked what this event means to her, Christal conveyed her passion for engaging with the thriving anime community. She expressed her excitement for the opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts, discuss their favorite series and characters, and interact directly with customers who shared her love for the genre.
For her, MARS represented a unique platform to not only showcase Badmonkey Merch’s impressive collection of merchandise but also to forge meaningful connections with the very people who fueled the company’s success.One passionate cosplayer, speaking to The Waterfalls, described the atmosphere of MARS as “amazing,” expressing her joy at being surrounded by her close-knit group of friends. “It’s pretty cool,” she added, her eyes sparkling with excitement. This was the cosplayer’s second year attending the convention, and she couldn’t hide her enthusiasm for the experience.
Delving deeper, the cosplayer shared her perspective on the unique nature of the anime community. “It’s a small community, kind of niche,” she acknowledged, “and some people would view it as weird or just cartoons, but it’s not. It feels genuinely enjoyable being here, you find like-minded people with similar interests and passions, and you can
just chill.”The cosplayer’s words conveyed a profound sense of belonging and acceptance within the MARS community. “It’s relaxing, even relieving,” she added, underscoring the sense of comfort and camaraderie that permeated the event. She grew up watching anime and is so glad that a community is here, where people can gather and be around each other and enjoy what MARS has to offer. Another business owner, Estharita Cupido, the owner of the Art Realm, echoed similar sentiments. This was her third year at MARS, where she showcased her custom paintings featuring popular anime characters, as well as her work on ceramics. “It’s always nice to be here, to widen my horizons,” she told The Waterfalls. Cupido shared that she has met many of her closest friends through MARS and looks forward to the event every year. Speaking with a cosplayer, The Waterfalls learned that even before the current MARS event had ended, the individual was already excited for the next one. This sentiment captures the enduring appeal of the gathering and the sense of community that it fosters.
For many attendees, MARS 2024 marked their first time at the event, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees expressed delight in the vibrant atmosphere and the welcoming vibe that permeated the gathering, underscoring the sense of community and camaraderie that defined the
anime...
event. MARS 2024 stood as a testament to the enduring appeal of anime and the power of shared passions to bring people together. As cosplayers, fans, and businesses alike converged in a celebration of creativity and fandom, MARS showcased the boundless energy and enthusiasm of a community united by their love for all things anime. The event provided a platform for small businesses to thrive and connect with a niche audience. Allicock and Cupido’s experiences highlighted the mutually beneficial relationship between MARS and the small business community. The event not only offered these entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their products and services but also fostered a sense of belonging and communitythatisessentialforthegrowth and sustainability of their ventures. MARS 2024 served as a hub for anime enthusiasts to come together, express their passions, and revel in the shared experiences that define the fandom. The various competitions and activities allowed attendees to engage with one another, share their knowledge, and celebrate their collective love for the medium. As the sun set on MARS 2024, attendees left the event with memories of laughter, camaraderie and a renewed sense of excitement for the future of the anime community. And the organizers of MARS have undoubtedly set the stage for an even more spectacular event in the years to come, cementing the gathering’s status as a must-attend destination for anime enthusiasts and small business owners alike.
Domestic abuse survivor, Indranie...
From page 43
Universe Guyana contestant not only faced her own fears but public critique. She noted that there were a lot of mean comments by online users about her physical appearance.’ “I don’t believe in body shaming people, all my life I was body shamed that’s a fun fact. So I was prepared to be belittled because that was what I have been all my life by my abuser. And going on the stage in Guyana and being bashed was nothing new to me and that was why I was able to handle it” she added Despite the criticism, Codrington proudly walked
the stage and embraced her body. “The pageant made me realized that I am an empowered woman and I have a voice now.
Through the pageant I was able to fulfill my dream…I did not go there for publicity or fame; I didn’t try to be this woman that society had this expectation of.
I went there as myself to represent myself and my story as an advocate. As a result, the domestic abuse survivor gained a lot more confidence in herself and her purpose. “I have gained this confidence to walk out on that stage because I want to do something
for myself and I finally got the opportunity to do so, I want to be better. Looking at my mother and seeing how much she has sacrificed her entire life and not being able put herself, first has made me feel that I didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to follow my dreams and to be able to be happy even as I look at the responsibilities of my children.” Beyond the platform as a former contestant of the Miss Universe Guyana pageant, Codrington shared that she continues to keep her prom ise of spreading awareness to domestic abuse in her community.
Curl Fête is back with a ‘SPLASH’...
From page 46
Nicola was excited to present her products at her inaugural Curl Fête pop-up shop.
In addition to the vibrant market scene, the festival offered a range of educational and engaging sessions. The first half of the event featured a dental care session by David Adams and insights into the Guyanese business app ‘HerVenture’ by Upasna Mudlier. Mudlier described the app as a game-changer for
local entrepreneurs, offering tailored modules to help navigate business challenges with confidence. Another highlight was a lash extension workshop by Toya of Lift and Lashes, which included a giveaway of free lash extension consultations to lucky attendees. The event also showcased a “Budget Chic” presentation styled by Tory, an accomplished personal stylist. Her segment featured fabulous models dressed in
various styles, offering inspiration and practical fashion tips. With more exciting activities on the horizon, the agenda promised an intriguing hair show and other engaging sessions. The Founder was keen to note that Curl Fête 2024 continues to be a vibrant celebration of beauty, business, and community spirit and given that the event is usually family inclusive, there was also bouncing castle and water slides for the children.
Israeli attack on Gaza shelter kills 15 members of one Palestinian
Aljazeera - The Israeli military has bombed a warehouse sheltering displacedPalestiniansinthe az-Zawayda area of central Gaza,killing15membersof one family, including nine children.
The civil defence
spokesman in Gaza, Mahmoud Basal, said on Saturday that 15 people killed in the overnight attack were members of the al-Ejlah family, with three women among the dead.
The total death toll fromtheattackwas16
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said three Israeli m i s s i l e s h i t t h e warehouse, located a few kilometres south of the Nuseiratrefugeecamp.
“A massive fire broke out, burning everything in the warehouse as children were torn to pieces Rescue efforts are still continuing to try to recover more bodies,” he said.
“There is a great level of frustration and grief The bodies are now being lined up at Al-Aqsa Hospital’s morgue as the family gets ready to bury them ”
The attack killed the family’s patriarch, Sami, along with his wife,
family
mother and all of his children, according to Abdalhadi al-Ejlah, a cousinofthevictims
Al-Ejlah told Al Jazeera from Stockholm, Sweden,
that Sami was an “honourableman”whorana small business in the frozen meatindustryandwasactive in charitable efforts, stressingthatthefamilywas notinvolvedinpolitics.
He added that the family had fled Gaza City to the az-Zawayda warehouse, which Sami owned and used for his business
“We are talking [about] literally a gradual genocide, a slow motion genocide, not only by killing, but also using other tools including scarcity of food,” al-Ejlah
said of the overall situation in Gaza, which he described as “hell on earth”
The attack took place
after international mediators – the United States, Qatar and Egypt –wrapped up ceasefire negotiations in Doha on Friday that they described a s “ s e r i o u s a n d constructive”
The talks are aimed at ending the war and seeing the release of Israeli captives in Gaza for Palestinians jailed in Israel
Israeli strikes ‘wiping out whole families’ after attack on warehouse sheltering displaced Palestinians in az-Zawayda in central Gaza.
“What have they done to deserve this?” Ahmed Abu al-Ghoul, a local who witnessed Israel’s latest assault, told theAFPnews agency
Al Jazeera’s Abu Azzoum reported that Israel had carried out moreairattacksmainlyon residential houses in the enclave, with one of them killing at least seven Palestinians from the same fa
he Nuseiratrefugeecamp
“We are observing that thelatestIsraelistrikeshave been wiping out whole families,”hesaid.
Moreevacuations
Israelissuedyetanother round of evacuation orders on Saturday, this time for neighbourhoods in central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp.
The Israel military’s A r a b i c - l a n g u a g e spokeman,AvichayAdraee, made the announcement in a social media post, listing blocksinMaghazi,aswellas s e v e r a l o t h e r neighbourhoods in central Gaza, from which residents shouldflee.
He said Palestinian group Hamas had fired rockets from the areas and Israel’s military w o u l d r e s p o n d “forcefully”
“For your own safety,
Palestinians stand at the site of an Israeli air strike on a shelter, housing displaced people in central Gaza [RamadanAbed/Reuters]
move immediately to the humanitarian zone, ” Adraeesaid It is the third time Israel has ordered more Gaza neighbourhoods to evacuate in as many days, displacingtensofthousands ofpeople.
Abu Azzoum said families are fleeing to Deir el-Balah, an area that is “already overwhelmed with displaced families”
The “humanitarian zone is shrinking”,headded.
Israeli forces also ordered people to flee the vicinity of Beit Hanoon, a cityinnorthernGaza.
US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken was set to t
Saturday to continue diplomatic efforts towards reachingaceasefiredeal.
A d a y e a r l i e r , President Joe Biden said an agreement was in sight and warned parties in the Middle East to not underminethenegotiations.
A senior Hamas official dismissed Biden’s optimism
“To say that we are getting close to a deal is an illusion,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement sent to AFP
“We are not facing a deal or real negotiations,
but rather the imposing of Americandiktats.”
Blinken is set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in IsraelonMonday On Saturday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks had killed 69 peopleandinjured136inthe last48hours.
Thisbringstheenclave’s casualtytollsinceOctober7 to 40,074 killed and 92,537 injured,itsaid.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.
Gaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says Hamas
Aman carries an injured child (Getty Images)
Following two days of US-backed talks in Qatar, President Biden said on Friday “we are closer than wehaveeverbeen”. AndonSaturday,Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s office said Israeli negotiators had expressed “cautious optimism” about moving towards agreement on a deal. However, a senior
HamasofficialtoldtheBBC earlier there had been no progressandmediatorswere “selling illusions” The Israeli military launched a campaigninGazatodestroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October,duringwhichabout 1,200 people were killed and251takenhostage.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run healthministry
A ceasefire deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 of the hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Israel says 111 hostages are stillbeingheld,39ofwhom
are presumed dead In a recent joint statement, the US, Qatar and Egypt stated that they had presented a proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that “narrowsthegaps”between IsraelandHamas.Israelhas said any ceasefire deal wouldrequirethereleaseof the remaining hostages.
Some have already been released, while others are thought to have died in Gaza.
Relatives of hostages still in Gaza are calling the current negotiations as the “lastchance”togetsomeof themoutalive.
After 10 months of war andthousandsofcasualties, there is overwhelming pressureforabreakthrough. A wider regional conflict,intheeventoftalks
between Israel and Hamas collapsing completely, is a distinct possibility and is something all of those involvedarefearfulof.
The mediators said that the past two days of ceasefire discussions had been “serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere”.
Technical teams are expected to continue working over the coming daysonthedetailsofhowto implement the proposed terms before senior government officials meet again in Cairo, hoping to reach an agreement on the termssetoutinDoha.
While the mediators’ statement is clearly a positive development, there is still a long way to go beforeaceasefireisagreed.
BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT
Part II: Jagdeo playing a cat and mouse game with oil
It’s normal and fair business for Exxon to earn on its Guyana investments
If it borrowed to invest in Guyana, it should earn
If it took its own money and invested here, it should earn
Jagdeo couldn’t and wouldn’t say how much charged
This was part of the run-around game
Making it look like he was playing hard-to-get
At last, when it was wrenched out of his hand, he said it is “massive”
GTA rewards finalists in the ‘One Guyana’ President’s Games Cup
The Guyana Tennis
Association (GTA) successfully concluded the first-ever ‘One Guyana’ President’sGamesTennisCup on Monday at the National Racquet Centre, marking the end of an exciting chapter in the multi-discipline championship. The tennis segment saw a blend of emergingtalentandseasoned players delivering standout performancesinthisinaugural six-sportevent
The prize-giving ceremony, led by GTA President Cristy Campbell, celebrated the tournament’s top performers The event, which was endorsed by the PresidentofGuyanaDr Irfaan
Ali, highlight
d the importance of unity through sport and was well-received byparticipantsandspectators alike. In the Men’s Open Singles category, Phillip
championship title, earning the prestigious One Guyana Cup trophy along with prize money in recognition of his outstanding achievement Squires’ win solidified his statusasoneofthetopplayers inthetournament
RonaldMurray,afinalist
tournament,wasalsoamong the honourees, receiving accoladesforhisimpressive
runinthecompetition
Sunday August 18, 2024
ARIES(Mar 21–Apr 19)
A challenging day is in store foryou,Aries.Ifyou'repartof a group or team or simply among friends, you may feel somewhatillatease.Couldit be that you instill jealousy in others? There's only one way tofindout.
TAURUS(Apr 20–May20)
Sometimes dreams seem like just that - dreams. Travel, a project, or a new home could be a few of the things you've beentryingto accomplishfor sometimenow
GEMINI(May21–June20)
You'll go one of two ways today, Gemini. Either you'll turn inward and meditate in a corner or you'll find a good friend and confide your dissatisfaction.
CANCER(June21–July22)
Today is going to be an excellent day for meeting interesting people, Cancer And there will be nothing superficial about these encounters. On the contrary, the people you are going to meet will touch you profoundly
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
You can expect today to be kind of intense, Leo. Even if you've made a conscious decision not to let anything get you down, you may still harbor some negative emotions from the last few days.
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)
The little fighter that you are makesitverydifficultforyou to join us in the great communal river that we're all tryingtonavigate,Virgo.You prefertotravelsolo.
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
Be disciplined about all areas ofyourbody,Libra.Takeextra care to eat healthful, balanced meals. Make sure you get enough sleep And even thoughyougripeabouthaving no time, get out there and exercise.
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)
If you've been feeling deep anger,todayisn'tthedaytolet it out but rather the day to consider its source. Any large gatheringsoffamilyorfriends shouldbeavoidedatallcosts.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)
If by chance you still harbor some resentment toward someone, Sagittarius, it will probably come out today.You might be uncompromising or evenvengeful.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
You don't suffer fools gladly, and superficial fools even less so. You have a mind to teach those around you a lesson. You'reuncompromisingtoday, and you can't understand why others don't have your same highstandards.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Hereisadayofchallenges, Aquarius You're a pro at questioning yourself, as you'll prove today when you take a h a r d l o o k a t y o u r accomplishments What have youcreatedofapersonalnature inthelasttenyears.
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Ifyougivetheimpressionthat you're in a reserved and introspective mood (even if you aren't), you'll succeed in avoiding confrontation Today there is no such thing as a simpleexchangewithsomeone
The Female Open champion, Paula Kalekyezi, tookhomehersecondtitleof the season, further establishing herself as a dominant force in women’s tennis Kalekyezi’s consistency and skill throughout the tournament earned her well-deserved recognition In the Novice Medley Singles, Dequan Wrayemergedvictoriousafter three days of intense and exciting competition His performance was a highlight ofthetournament,showcasing hispotentialasarisingstarin Guyanesetennis ErinTucker and Patrice Stewart, who finished as finalists in the Female’s Open Singles and Men’s Open categories, were also acknowledged for their efforts and strong performances
The ‘One Guyana’ President’s Games Tennis Cup was part of President Ali’s broader initiative to promote unity and national pride through sports. The event was expertly organisedbytheMinistryof Culture,Youth,andSportsin collaboration with the N
C
s expected to become a staple in the nation’s sporting calendar
Frompage55 andtheunavailabilityofthe venue, we were able to conductforthefirsttimethe Essequibo edition, which surprised and surpassed initial expectations and is further evidence of the popularity and success of theevent.Wearegratefulto thefansandplayersfortheir unwavering support and will strive to improve the event’s
with every season,” the release further stated. Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle and Vice Chair of
Hikers Hockey Club returns to Club returns Barbados Hockey Festival
TheHikersHockey Club is set to return to the Barbados Hockey Festival, competinginboththeMixed and Masters categories
After a 15-year hiatus, the Hikers made a strong comebacklastyear,securing silverintheMixeddivision. This year, the club has expanded by introducing a Masters Team, bringing togethermemberswhohave migrated abroad for a reunion centered around theirsharedpassionforfield hockey
The25-playersquadwill be traveling from the USA, Canada,Brazil,Jamaica,and Guyana.
The tour promises to be an exciting, family-oriented experience, combining their love for hockey with socializing
Recently,theHikersheld a successful Curry-Q and Burgers Lime to raise funds
forthetour,andtheyextend heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the event, including friends and donors.
A special thanks goes out to their main sponsors, Promo Plus and HDM Labs, for outfitting theteamforthefestival
The week’s schedule ispackedwithaction
The Hikers Mixed team, led by Guyana’s skillful national player, Jamaraj Assanah, will face off against ABC on Mondayat10:50AM
TheMastersteamwill be captained by Devin Munroe, who was clinical in Guyana’s Masters team securing silver at the World Masters in London 2024
They will take on All Starsat5:30PM.
The club is eager to capture gold and represent Guyanawithpride.
Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National C/ship starts September 5
The Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National
Championship will commence on September 5th at the Pouderoyen
Tarmac, West Bank Demerara.
Given the support that was afforded at the recently concluded zone meet, the decision was taken to stage thenationalchampionshipat thevenue.
Nine teams, including thesevendivisionalwinners, willfeatureattheevent.
They are Georgetown championLaingAvenueand second place finisher North Ruimveldt, West Demerara Champion Ballerz Empire and second place finisher Showstoppers, Essequibo winner All-Stars, Berbice
champion East Bank Gunners, Linden winner Silver Bullets, East Coast Demerara winner Hustlers, andBarticachampion.
The Bartica leg, which will culminate the zonal segment of the season, is pencilled for August 2425th Although the East Coast Demerara was not staged, the previous winner, Liliendaal Hustlers, will earn a berth to the national championship This was
d o n e t o e n s u r e
rep
m everyone zone, especially thetraditionalareas.
The complete fixtures will be officially drawn on August 28 at the Colours Boutique Camp Street location.
In excess of $1,600,000 in prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the onenight event, which will feature a minimum of eight games.
According to an official r e
e coordinating committee, “The decision to stage the
community of Pouderoyen was primarily based on the overwhelming support from the public The zonal tournament was incredible, andweexpecttosurpassthat atmosphere and ambience w
championship.”
“This national championship culminates what has been an eventual and thoroughly successful season While we were unable,andregrettablyso,to stage the East Coast Demerara edition, which wasduetotimeconstraints (Continuedonpage54)
Hikers Hockey Club’s Masters Team will hunt the Gold at this year’s Barbados Hockey Festival
South Africa Tour of the West Indies 2024… of Indies Windies suffer 40-run loss despite late innings fightback from Motie
- SouthAfrica complete series win 1-0
It turned out to be a comprehensive win for South Africa, whowrappedupthetwoTest series 1-0, after beating the hostsWestIndiesby40-runs on Day 3 at the Guyana
National Stadium, Providence.
This win took South Africa to 10 straight series wins versus the Caribbean
side, as they continue to build on their new-lookTest team.
After making 160 in the 1stinnings,SouthAfricawas eventually bowled out for 246 batting a second time.
Top-scorersAiden Markram (51) and Kyle Verreynne (59),TonydeZorzi(39)and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder (34) lent ideal support
Pacer Jayden Seales had an amazing outing as he returned second innings and career-best figures of 6-61, whichisalsothebestfigures by a West Indian at Providence; thus joining current teammate Shamar Joseph and Coach Darren Sammy as the only other players with 5-fers at the venue. Seales finished with
9 wickets in total after adding 6 to his 1st innings haul of 3-45; narrowly missingoutonbeingthefirst West Indies player and second behind former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal (11-111), to finish with10-wickethaulormore at the Guyana National Stadium West Indies spinners Jomel Warrican (221) and homeboy Gudakesh Motie(2-61),weretheother successful bowlers. Set at 262towin,WestIndieswere knocked over for 222 in the 2nd innings, but almost pulled it off thanks to Motie who returned to play a spiritedinningsof45.
The left-arm spinner tradedtheballforbatinthis innings as he shared what wasalmostamatch-winning partnership of 77 alongside wicket-keeper Joshua DaSilva(27).
South Africa bowled with a pack-like mentality, with pacers Kagiso Rabada (3-37)andWiaanMulder(235)keepingthingslively
Veteran left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who becamehiscountry’sleading Test spinner in terms of wickets taken, grabbed 3-50 whileoff-breakbowlerDane Piedt (2-50) picked up wickets at crucial stages for their team. Windies lost their first wicket when Rabada removed the out-ofform Mikyle Louis (4) prior to lunch as the chase got off toacarelessstart. Bylunch, Windies were 220 runs behind with skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (29) and Keacy Carty(17)alreadyindouble figures but when play resumed, both openers were removed by some spot-on bowling from Mulder, who pinned the Windies skipper LBW before forcing Carty into chopping a delivery onto his stumps After looking settled with the Tea break approaching, Kaveem
Hodge(29)playedabadshot against a hostile Rabada’s, whowasleftstrandedon299 Test wickets and paid the price with his wicket, as the 100 came up a little after in the27thover PriortoTea,Piedtstruck two huge blows, first removing Alick Athanaze (15) who played a carless shot only to be out caught, while Jason Holder (0) suffered the same fate, attempting a big shot which wasswallowedbyMulderat Long-On. New batsmen Motie and Da Silva almost got the job done, with the Guyanese spinner hitting five crisp fours and a six before Maharaj accounted for the dismissal of both players; while Maharaj removed Seales (4), leaving Warrican stranded on 25* to seal an emphatic series win away (C.Ross)
Jayden Seales picked up his best figures in Test cricket (AFP/Getty Images)
Trinidad, St Lucia also with two wins each
Local boy Niles conquer
St Luican Monrose on opening night
Th e G u y a n a
B o x i n g
Association, in
partnership with the
N a t i o n a l S p o r t s Commission, kicked off its premier Youth Boxing event at the National Gymnasium
Honouringtheregion’s boxing talent, the 7th Edition of the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys’ and Girls’ Boxing Championship got
underway on Friday evening, featuring nine thrillingbouts.
On the opening night, host nation Guyana secured threevictories,withChance Niles, Kenroy Klass, and Kenroy Holder emerging triumphantintheJunior’’s 70kg and Schoolboys’ 37kgweightcategories
T h e y m a d e a n impressive start to the 2024 competition with three wins infourbouts.Meanwhile,St. Lucia (STL) demonstrated its strength by delivering upsets, defeating Trinidad and Tobago’s (TTO) Zade Williams and Barbados’Cai ReidintheJunior’sdivision.
Trinidad and Tobago’s
Neraj Mahadeosingh claimed victory over Suriname’s Valentino Artist in the Youth 57kg weight class, ensuring a win for the
Rayon France and Kenroy Klass opened the seventh Edition of the Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Championship on Friday evening at the National Gymnasium
twin-islandnation. Hiscompatriot,Makieve Bellielle, also shone, defeatingSt.Lucia’sDenzel StephenintheJunior’s63kg weight class to secure their secondwinofthenight.
Guyana’s Chance Niles captivated the crowd with the third victory of the evening for his country, defeating St Lucia’s
Orlando Monrose in the Junior’s70kgbout. Though Mon
dominated the fight, leading to a point’s decision in favour of Niles, much to the delightofthehomecrowd.
Kenroy Klass and
Kenroy Holder also contributed to Guyana’s success.
Klass outboxed fellow Guyanese Rayon France in the Schoolboys’ 37kg contest, while Holder decisively overpowered Harld Waldron to cement Guyana’s second win in the sameweightclass.
In the Youth division, Mahadeosingh (TTO) showcased a powerful c o m b i n a t i o n , overwhelming Suriname’s Valentino Artist in the
5 7 k g c a t e g o r y Surinamese boxer Charel Maine also proved to be a force, defeating St Lucia’s Donaii Cooman in theYouth60kgweightclass.
The tournament featured five Junior’s bouts, with St Lucia’s flamboyant Harve Charlemagne defeating Trinidad and Tobago’s
Zade Williams in the 66kg division In the 63kg contest, Makieve Bellielle (TTO) outboxed St Lucia’s Denzel Stephen, winningallthreerounds. Barbados concluded the night with mixed results: Jaquan Grant secured their only win by defeating Guyana’s Antonio Stephens in the 66kg bout, while Cai Reid (BAR) fell short after an exciting three-round battleinthe80kgdivision
The tournament continued on Saturday with Day two action, featuring more thrilling bouts, including several female matchups also setting the tone for an ecstatic final nightshowdown. Thechampionshipisset to conclude today, with further details to be published in an upcoming edition.
Trinidad, St Lucia also with two wins each...
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Guyanese Chance Niles got the better hand of St Lucian Orlando Monrose in the Junior’s 70kg bout
Wiaan Mulder bowled Keacy Carty via the inside edge (AFP/Getty Images)
