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Wednesday Edition January 01, 2025 - Vol. 20 No. 01 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $100 (VAT Inclusive) readership yesterday, 45,321

‘We have no interest in writing Exxon to change lopsided oil deal’ ...greater benefit is already coming to Guyana - Pres. Ali

The wealth Guyanese sitting on all along!

Bandit shot dead in Sophia ...one accomplice captured, one escaped

The captured bandit being escorted by a police officer

Beyond Contract Renegotiation, How Can Guyana Claw Back Value?

Guyana on high alert for any spillover from T&T gang warfare - Pres.

Ali

The Double Standard:

Jagdeo picks & chooses

when ExxonM’s contract can be changed - KN Publisher edition Friday, Happy New Year Next January 03, 2025

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Wednesday January 01, 2025

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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: NIGEL WILLIAMS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

A new year has come

I

t has been sung, “What a difference a day makes….”

This New Year that is now a mere few hours old has a long road ahead, but it can be that difference

maker.

There are no prophets around, so no one knows what it will bring. Guyana has the potential for greatness, where its citizens can know true richness. This bright, new 2025 can deliver both of those. We wish the best for 2025 to all Guyanese.

All eyes are on a crucial national election scheduled to occur during this year. It is a public secret that an increasing number of Guyanese are unhappy with how they are governed, how their oil wealth is managed.

They are disappointed in how they have been misled, taken for idiots by leaders, time and again. Guyanese feel insulted, are angry, at how leaders have not done their best for them, but who then try to cover up their failures with deceptions. In 2025 there is opportunity for citizens to be responsible, to study their prospects deeply. They must decide for themselves who they should trust.

Without a doubt, the present cohort of politicians represent much that is uninspiring, much that is suspicious.

None of this sits well in the bosoms and minds of Guyanese.

To make matters intolerable, there is a sizable army of working class and hardworking citizens who are struggling, while the people they elected to office are enjoying themselves. Leaders and their cronies have snatched the cream from the local wealth for themselves.

The massive oil wealth is the first jewel that they seize for their own benefit.

Guyanese are hungry, while the people in whom they put their trust are having a wonderful time. It is the same long, sad, and ugly story of when a cat is left in charge of milk, those who made that error in judgment pay the price.

Politicians and their friends are celebrating Christmas nonstop, but Guyanese are living in fear and need continually.

Something has to change, for the way things are to change. Change rests in the hands of Guyanese, through the civic duty that they do once every five years. Frankly, the menu of choices is unimpressive, with ambitiousness and selfishness being most prominent, what stares at all in the face. This country needs a difference-maker, unlike any of the others that were before, any of those around now. Some will come with their big visions, and bright ideas, in 2025, but this is where the hopeful and wanting to believe must be at their keenest, most vigilant.

Who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Who is nothing but a plant, another sellout in waiting, one hoping to join the list of betrayers with whom Guyanese have been forced to live?

Oil has its attractions, in what is offered, what could be possible at the personal level. Today men who claim to be clean, and are powerful, have yielded to its lures.

From their mouths flow what is tortured, what wraps them into knots, which no one can untie, not even themselves. If they were willing to try, they couldn’t free themselves. What has become increasingly clearer is that they are not ready to dig themselves out of the holes which they made for themselves. Their only choice is to continue to sell out citizens, and boost those betrayed with a string of half-truths and, more often than not, total falsehoods.

Guyanese are living in poverty and many of them are hungry, which should not be the case for any child of this rich soil. There is too much wealth, and with that the treacheries have multiplied. The last 4-5 years, and those before, provided a record that no citizen of Guyana should want to see repeated.

It is a time of choice in 2025, and could be a time of change before this year is over. But only if the people of this country take their wealth seriously. To do so, they must take themselves seriously, from their families to their destiny.

Guyanese must take their lives in their own hands, or be prepared for what is dumped on their heads. It could be the best of years, this 2025.

Wednesday January 01, 2025

The tale of two Ann Greenes

DEAR EDITOR There are stories to be told of two women named Ann Greene, who over the years were mistaken for each other. The two women are in their own right equally phenomenal Guyanese women who contributed to society in their respective capacities.

The first woman, Ann Elizabeth Greene is now dearly departed was an aesthetician, and long standing member of the People’s National Congress Reform while the other Ann

Greene is the retired Chief Probation Officer and former Director of Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA).

The mistaken identity of the two came to its high point during the week of December 23, 2024 when the news spread of the death of the first Ann Greene.

People were quick to assume that it was Ann Greene, the retired CPA Director who has passed away. This Ann Greene had to therefore spend a great of her Christmas holiday

clarifying and dispelling the news that she had passed.

One Ann Greene has indeed left this world for higher calling but the remaining one had to answer calls daily from family members, friends, colleagues, former staff members and clients near and far explaining the mistaken identity.

It became overwhelming when both the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News published a letter paying tribute to the dearly departed Ann Greene, which increased the calls and

responses tremendously for the remaining Ann Greene. It is an uncomfortable experience, to say the least, which warrants that the identities to be clearly known. Ann Greene, the retired Chief Probation Officer and former Director of Childcare & Protection Agency, I am expressing my condolences to the family and friends of the dearly departed Ann Elizabeth Greene. May her soul rest in peace Sincerely, Ann Greene

Cricket umpire now writing EPA press statements on Exxon’s Parent Company Guarantee DEAR EDITOR, There has been a recent flurry of exchanges between the EPA weaving its tangled web of lies concerning Exxon’s Parent Company Guarantee and responses telling the truth coming from knowledgeable, credible, and patriotic sources such as yours truly and eminent Attorney Christopher Ram, notwithstanding the Honorable Judge Sandil Kissoon’s uncompromising admonishment of EPA, describing the Agency as “derelict, pliant and submissive and acting in unison with Exxon…and at every juncture, is engaged in a course of action to undermine and erode the

terms and conditions of its own Permit and has relegated itself to a state of laxity of enforcement and condonation and placed the nation, its citizens and the environment in grave peril and potential calamitous consequences”.

As serious and as consequential it is to be the keeper of the nation’s health, safety and the environment, it can’t get any more laughable than EPA taking nepotism to a new level in bringing on board, cricket umpire Daniel Singh as its environmental spokesperson on the Parent Company G u a r a n t e e . M r. S i n g h described a picture in Canada with him and EPA

Director Khemraj Parsram on his FB page as “catching up with this longtime friend” and was soon after brought on board with EPA. Mr. Parsram owes it to the taxpayers to let them know the qualifications of Mr. Singh to be writing environmental statements for EPA; what process was followed for his appointment; if is he working from his home in Canada; and what is his remuneration package. As a former national cricketer, I have great respect for umpires, but Ow man!

Parsram eyes pass us so bad that he would bring a cricket umpire to refute Judge Kissoon and to engage the

likes of scholarly Attorneys Ram and Melinda Janki, and yours truly on such very serious matters of consequence!

In any case, this shines a bright light on the Government’s lackadaisical acceptance of EPA’s dreadful dearth of competence with the chronic exodus of almost all of the most qualified and experienced staffs leaving EPA over the past four years because of biased cuts in pay and demotions among other malpractices, only to be replaced by grossly unqualified staffs. The undeniable fact remains that because of EPA’s negligent abandonment of the World (Continued on page 30)

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

Appeal to Glenn Lall to enter fray for 2025 Elections as Opposition struggles against PPP DEAR EDITOR, Based on latest findings from November and December of ongoing tracking poll, opposition PNC or APNU and its coalition partner AFC continue to struggle in popular support against the incumbent PPP. The PNC has been losing ground to PPP and AFC. There is significant disgruntlement with the state of politics, resulting in voter apathy that is affecting both major political parties, the PNC more than the PPP. Thus, in terms of seat, PPP is not negatively affected.

There is a significant number of disenchanted voters who are hoping that a credible, viable ‘third force’ emerges but none is presently in the offing.

Going into an election year, if called now, the PPP will crush the opposition if the alliance partners contest separately, but if united under a credible leader the election will be somewhat competitive.

PPP holds a lead over an APNU-AFC alliance. The outcome of an election will largely depend on who leads an opposition alliance, if there is one, and any viable third force, if one emerges, and who is presented as leader. All of the small parties are struggling for traction and none will garner enough votes to win a seat. A combination of all opposition forces under a credible, likable leader will give the PPP a run for its money. But the probability of such a combination coming to life is nil. Thus, the PPP will romp home with

a comfortable majority picking up seats from PNC; AFC is also pulling support from PNC. Voters complain about the leadership of the PNC and its failure to unite the disparate factions in sharp contrast with PPP which appears united. The PNC leader, Aubrey Norton, is struggling to hold the party’s base, losing support to the AFC leader Nigel Hughes, and Norton has no traction outside the party base.

Indians have not forgotten what transpired from the no confidence motion of December 2018 and the 2020 election and will not vote for PNC or APNU. Many voters once aligned with the opposition, do not see hope in it returning to office. The PNC is barely holding on in traditionally safe territory. The PNC is too divided with four factions and with several inexperienced individuals in its line-up. Also, PNC has not offered credible and workable policies. It is a mountainous task for PNC or APNU to retain its support from 2020 especially with Norton as Presidential candidate; it will lose seats to PPP and AFC. Voters of all

parties aren’t pleased with the main opposition party and will like to see the emergence of another force.

A third force under an acceptable leader could do very well. Some names mentioned include Chris Ram, Ravi Dev, Azruddin Mohamed, Glenn Lall, among others. But none of them has shown an interest to enter into the political fray. Many among the lower classes plead to charitable donors Glenn Lall and Azruddin Mohamed to start a new political movement.

Both have a large following, but whether it can transfer into political support in a racially polarized electorate is another matter. At any rate, neither one is showing interest in politics. Azruddin is deeply involved in charity work and Glenn Lall is occupied with his media. For now, the incumbent PPP holds an advantage over the opposition primarily because voters trust it more than the opposition to manage the economy and to protect democratic gains.

Macroeconomic conditions are improving, boosting PPP’s chances. The economy has been improving since (Continued on page 09)

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‘Do not let us down’ DEAR EDITOR As we greet the New Year, we as part of the human species must look forward to betterment for 2025.

Our Guyana is in a fortunate position with the discovery of oil, gas and the reality of large deposits of gold indicating that Eldorado is no longer a myth but can be a reality where this generation and succeeding generations can enjoy the abundance of wealth not available to previous generations.

For the new year, I plead and wish that all of our political leaders would not let us down.

President Irfaan Ali and his fellow leaders have my best wishes.

My best wishes are also extended to the Leader of the official Opposition, Aubrey Norton for a glorious and good New Year.

Our helmsman, President Ali must take the noble step and summon those Leaders who in Parliament and

elsewhere represent the substantial portion of our population.

Guyanese and their Leaders must look around the world, Europe, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas and note how fortunate and how blessed we are and not to take things for granted.

Listening to the rhetoric from both major metropoles, Freedom House and Congress Place, it is abundantly clear that our Leaders need to undergo an attitudinal metamorphosis to make a reality of the dreams, hopes and aspirations of our noble ancestors.

We , t h e p e o p l e , young and old must do all things necessary to make optimum use of our magnificent resources given to us by a generous Creator.

Only this change of attitude can take us to great heights.

My mother who lived for several years in the

US, taught us the Battle Hymn of the Republic made popular in the midst of the American Civil War by those who opposed the institution of slavery and I share the chorus ....”. Glory, Glory Hallelujah, Glory, Glory Hallelujah, Glory, Glory Hallelujah, His truth is marching on”…

Let the truth of our past and present remind ourselves of t h e s e n t i m e n t s expressed in the third stanza of our National A nthem -” Great Land of Guyana, diverse though our strains, We are born of their sacrifice, heirs of their pains, And ours is the glory their eyes did not see One land of six peoples, united and free,” A H a p p y a n d P r o s p e r o u s N e w Ye a r to the President, the L e a d e r o f t h e Opposition, the Editor and all the people of Guyana.

Sincerely Hamilton Green Elder

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

GAWU anticipates more significant achievements in 2025, following a successful 2024 DEAR EDITOR As we conclude 2024, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is reflecting on the year’s journey and expresses our sincere appreciation to our members and the wider

community. This year has presented both challenges and opportunities for workers in Guyana. As we set our sights on 2025, we remain dedicated to advocating for fair labour practices, better working

conditions, and enhanced livelihoods for all workers.

In 2024, we are proud to have successfully negotiated several long-term agreements that have positively impacted pay rates for our union members.

Many of these agreements span multiple years, providing a foundation of stability and predictability that enhances disposable income for our members.

This achievement marks a significant milestone in our union’s history, reflecting workers’ and employers’ maturity and commitment to seeking collaborative solutions. Importantly, these agreements addressed pay and various working conditions, leading to tangible benefits for those within our bargaining units.

We celebrate the wins we have achieved this year for the workers represented by GAWU. In the sugar industry, which constitutes our major bargaining unit, we recognise that 2024 has brought challenges. While

we acknowledge the slower momentum compared to 2023, we understand that sugar remains a vital pillar of G u y a n a ’s e c o n o m y, providing employment and contributing to both rural and national development.

We have voiced our concerns publicly and believe in the potential for improvement on several fronts.

We resonate with the sentiments expressed by His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali regarding the industry’s performance. We fully support the President’s vision and urge the sugar industry’s management to enhance its operations.

Looking ahead, we anticipate a thorough review of performance metrics and organisational practices to ensure a more successful 2025. We also extend our

gratitude to the Government of Guyana for its continued support in revitalising the industry.

As we close 2024, we also focus on the pressing challenges facing oil and gas workers. Although the country is experiencing significant economic growth due to the oil and gas sector, it is crucial that the workers contributing to this prosperity are not overlooked. Too often, they face precarious conditions, limited rights, and a lack of sufficient benefits.

Our evaluation indicates that oil workers have not seen corresponding improvements in their working conditions, job security, or compensation.

GAWU is deeply concerned about the current circumstances for these workers in Guyana and advocates for an equitable distribution of the wealth generated by the oil and gas industry. The rights of oil workers must be prioritised, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, job s e c u r i t y, a n d s o c i a l protections that acknowledge their invaluable contributions. We stand in solidarity with oil workers in Guyana and are committed to advocating for their rights in the broader pursuit of fair labour practices and the dignity of work.

Furthermore, GAWU calls for a timely review and enhancement of the national minimum wage to accurately reflect the actual cost of living, considering the rising prices of essential goods and (Continued on page 30)

Sunday December 29, 2024

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Wednesday Monday January May 02, 01,2022 2025

Beyond Contract Renegotiation, How Can Guyana Claw Back Value?

By Anthony Paul Energy Governance, Strategy and Policy Specialist Question: Mr. Paul, as you are aware, Guyana has a contract with ExxonMobil and partners (The Contractor) which contains stabilization clauses which many people believe to be extraordinarily disproportionate, benefiting the foreign investors far more than the country. You have been involved in the operational and governance issues of the oil and gas industry around the world for many years and you have some familiarity with the situation in Guyana. What avenues do you see for the government and people of Guyana to address these inequities?

Answer: I'll share some information and give general insights, which I hope might be useful to your audience in forming their own opinions of the issues at hand. I shall stop short of giving advice, as that will require a lot more engagement, explanation and delving into supporting evidence than time and space will allow for this interview.

I'll address your question in two parts.

Cautionary Note Let me start by putting on record two factors: 1. I am not a lawyer, nor am I an economist, But I have worked with oil and gas legislation, regulations and contracts for over 45 years, advising on and negotiating their design and implementation, as well as in the technical and commercial interpretation and operations of these, for governments, as well as for State-owned and multinational companies.

Where I make comments on or express an opinion on the interpretation of matters related to laws, contracts or economics, please be aware that this is an informed layman's perspective. a. For the past 17 years I have supported the work of the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI), a highly respected international NGO, which was previously called Revenue Watch Institute. I am currently a member of its Governance Board and Chair of its Nominations and Governance Committee. b. In that role and in some of the roles I have played in

my time with multinational c o m p a n i e s a n d governments, including my own in T&T, I have come to realise that there are many views of industry practice, which people take for granted, but may in fact be flawed and can be successfully challenged or rewired. I have also learnt that no law or contract is 100% bullet proof. There are always loopholes to access opportunities for variation of interpretation, and additional value-capture, for both investors and governments, if they have the experience, skills, knowledge and desire to do so. c. Companies routinely exploit those that benefit them, to enhance the benefits to their shareholders. d. Governments tend to be much more cautious in taking this approach, wary of pushing companies, often fearful of the bogeymen of “affecting investor confidence”, “becoming less competitive”, “stability of business environment”, and “sanctity of contract.” This is often driven by a lack of experience (which can migrate towards to a lack of self-confidence), and the inability to engage and adequately utilize external supporting expertise, because of limited financial r e s o u r c e s o r experience/knowhow/“savvy”. i. In the end, some countries are prepared to give away value, rather than fight to retain it, perpetuating the “race to the bottom,” as economists call the phenomenon of countries competing for investors, without fully understanding the value of their resources to these investors.

The Real World 2 . s e c o n d l y, a s a consultant, I give the best technical and commercial advice that I can, using all the information and experience available to me, while recognizing that my client may have information, perspectives and/or objectives to which I may either not be privy or not ascribe the same level/weighting of importance in decisionmaking. a. I have seen many occasions where some of the most successful companies and their leaders have made decisions that are counter to common-sense technical or

commercial evaluations, but which may fulfil what they perceive to be an overarching “strategic objective.” In these cases, revenue or cost may play second fiddle to some other performance metric, designed to give confidence to stakeholders. b. That is why we have leaders. To weigh all the considerations, then make the decision that they feel is the best interest of their stakeholders. c. When governments act in this way, we tend to change the decision descriptor of their overarching objectives from “strategic” to “political.”

Over time, that has come to be seen in a negative context. d. So, while I may give private, specific advice to clients, I also put general information into the public

a party may assign a high weighting to the likelihood or impact of an undesirable impact. It may be argued this is a risk management strategy. ii. Other times it may be inexperience or lack of knowledge, where a party may make a decision without completely understanding the risks involved, the potential outcomes or the alternatives or mitigating factors and the ramifications should one of those risks materialise. iii. A third scenario is one in which there may be “trade-offs” where some quid-pro-quo negotiations may have taken place but may not be placed in the public domain. Given that in extractives (oil, gas and minerals) these typically involved public assets, transparency if often cited as

Energy Governance, Strategy and Policy Specialist, Anthony Paul domain, which is meant to promote understanding and discussion among a broader cross-section of stakeholders. I mustrespect the decisions made by those whom I advise. e. I know this question is meant to address decisions made by the Government of Guyana, which I am sure were made based on their understanding of the specific circumstances in Guyana.

It's not for me to agree or disagree with that. f. I will say that I have not yet met a government, politician or public servant who overtly wishes to deliberately do his country and his people harm. That doesn't mean that there aren't those whose actions would have that result. g. Decisions that defy “common-sense” or “logic” may well have a rationale, beyond those “strategic” or “political” ones. i. Sometimes they may be made out off-ear, because

a means of ensuring those making the decisions can be held to account. Lack of transparency an lead to suspicion that the trade-offs are not in the public interest, eroding trust between government and citizens. h. One-sided outcomes of negotiations between governments of poorer nations and rich multinational companies (MNCs) are usually skewed, as the MNCs have a lot of money to engage high level specialist support for legal contract, commercial and advisory services.

Government tend not have that luxury in their budgets.

On Economic Sanctity Now to the second part, and the area I believe is your primary interest.

Judging from the commentary in the media in Guyana and from among my peers and colleagues in the industry, it is clear that there are 2 or 3 clauses in the Production Sharing

Agreement (PSA) being discussed that are by international norms, so onesided and disproportionate that they may be considered “unconscionable” or “odious.”

I'll leave it to the lawyers and international trade negotiators to discuss the meaning and implications of these terms, in the context of international agreements.

As an example, in one of the clauses, the Minister has agreed not to change fiscal (tax) terms. This typically does not fall under the control of a Minister responsible for extractives butis the responsibility of a Minister of Finance. That said, the minister for extractives acts on behalf of the government and would have had the approval of the Cabinet to agree to the terms of such an Agreement.

Everywhere in the world, all contracts or Agreements are subject to national law, so if a contract contains terms that are at variance with national law, those terms may not be enforceable. In other words, no Minister can legally enter into a contract that contravenes an existing law.

Similarly, can a Minister or government can bind Parliament to not change laws in the future. In some cases, international trade dispute resolutions authorities have taken a different view, basing their rulings on the legitimate expectations of investors.

Given what has happened on the international scene in recent years, it appears there are different rules for different players.

In the case of this Agreement, the Minister of Finance placed the Agreement before Parliament for its ratification. In so doing, Parliament effectively made the Agreement law and may have amended or repealed existing statutes, just for this Agreement.

In discussing whether the conditions in the Agreement can be unilaterally changed, the question therefore arises whether a Parliament can bind future Parliaments and prevent it from amending or repealing laws in the future.

This is where another of those contentious clauses kicks in. Should any change be made in the future, the Minister has agreed to make up any perceived shortfall in return on investment that the

Contractor may have reasonably expected. As a layman, that suggests to me that a Minister would have to get prior Parliamentary approval of a budget to allow for that.

The language in this clause is very cleverly drafted, but not necessarily bullet-proof.

One question that has arisen is why the Minister would agree to such terms.

That was answered by the Minister, in testimony before a Parliamentary Committee, in response to a question posed by none other than the Minister of Finance.

In my research, I have come across a body of work on the unenforceability of unconscionable or odious contracts and have been intrigued by the treatment of cases, including where negotiators have been deemed as “lacking the capacity to contract.”

Although no party wants to renegotiate a contract without cause, renegotiation of contract terms in the industry is routine, particularly if there is a material change in conditions like geological understanding or markets (costs of services, prices of product, etc.) from what was expected at the time the contract was negotiated. It is also not unusual if one party wants to open a specific clause or condition that it finds particularly unattractive, that the other party may likewise open for negotiation a different clause which it may find unattractive. This is the nature of give and take in negotiations.

The desire to revisit the terms of the agreement hinges on the concept of economic stability. Simply put, this means that an investor has an expectation and, in this case, is given a guarantee, that it will achieve a specific return on its investment. This is typically premised on costs, production levels and market prices, while providing for risks and some level of variation. these would have been agreed upon and documented on the approval of the Field Development Plan, by the government, and the Final Investment Decision, by the respective boards of the partners who make up the Contractor.

In an earlier article, I made the case that Windfall (Continued on page 16)

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

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The eternal optimism of the human spirit Every New Year’s Eve, like clockwork, we engage in a ritual that is predictable as day following night. It’s the same story every December 31st. We drink, we toast, we make resolutions, and then spend the next twelve months breaking them.

Why do we persist in this annual charade of hope, ambition, and fleeting optimism? It’s as though we believe that the arbitrary flip of a calendar page has mystical powers to erase our bad habits, poor decisions, and the questionable choices we made last year.

Let’s be honest—New Year ’s resolutions are essentially a socially acceptable form of lying.

“This year,” we declare with unwarranted confidence, “I’ll go to the gym every day!” Or better yet, “I will buy a treadmill and have it home.” Fast forward three weeks, and the treadmill has become a decorative piece, doubling as a drying rack for your socks.

We promise ourselves that we’ll eat healthier. Kale, quinoa, and celery juice briefly invade our kitchens

like an unwelcome house guest, only to be ousted by the triumphant return of pizza, cookies, and whatever that questionable thing is in the freezer that may or may not be lasagna. And then there’s the resolution to save money. Oh, the grand plans to budget wisely and eliminate frivolous e x p e n s e s . B y E a s t e r, spending like it going out of style. What makes the whole thing even more absurd is that we know how this ends.

This isn’t our first rodeo.

We’ve been here before, making grand declarations and setting lofty goals, only to find ourselves a year older and none the wiser. It’s like watching a sequel to a bad movie, knowing full well it’s going to be terrible, but showing up anyway because, hey, it’s tradition.

Consider the countdown to midnight—a moment of collective hysteria where we all scream numbers in unison, as if we’ve just discovered the concept of arithmetic. Then, at the stroke of midnight, we kiss w h o e v e r ’s n e a r b y ( o r awkwardly hug a stranger) and hope that this act will

somehow transfer good fortune, love, and perhaps fewer awkward family reunions in the coming year.

Of course, no New Ye a r ’s c e l e b r a t i o n i s complete without making wishes. Some people wish for world peace, others for financial stability, and a few brave souls wish for their mother-in-law to lose their address. The resolutions, meanwhile, are a testament to humanity’s boundless optimism. “This year, I’ll learn Spanish so as to better understand those girls on Church Street!” you declare, downloading an app that sends you daily notifications you’ll ignore by February.

“I’ll be more present in the moment!” you vow, while simultaneously checking Facebook for the 27th time that day.

The most popular resolution, of course, is to “become healthier.” This is the gold medal of wishful thinking because it’s both vague and ambitious, a perfect combination for guaranteed failure.

By the time February rolls around, reality sets in.

The gym membership is

Appeal to Glenn Lall to enter fray...

From page 05 2021 although not everyone is benefiting equally from the oil revenues. Several competent contractors also complain about not getting contracts which they say have been doled out to inexperienced, unqualified companies or individuals. Voters are also not

pleased with the performance of several Ministers and would not like to see them again in the new line up for the 2025 elections. The opposition has not been able to exploit preceding and other complaints.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

DEM BOYS SEH

Text First, Read Never Dem boys seh we livin’ in a time when de phone tun boss. De phone mek everybody a servant, and we happy wid it!

We go church fuh pray, but is de phone we worship. De preacher talkin’ ‘bout repentance, but we too busy repentin’ over a bad selfie we post last week. Instead of bowin’ we head in reverence, we bowin’ fuh scroll WhatsApp. When dem boys tek a jog, it ain’t fuh fitness no more—it fuh check de latest TikTok dance. Imagine you pantin’ hard, tryin’ fuh catch breath, but you still got time fuh scroll somebody status. And de gym? Is nah dumbbells dem boys liftin’, is dumb comments under somebody Facebook photo.

De workplace tun social media cafe. De boss tinkin’ yuh hard at work, but is Instagram yuh likin’ and Facebook yuh commentin’. If multitaskin’ was a skill, dem boys woulda get promotion, ‘cause yuh checkin’ social media, chattin’ in de group, and pretendin’ to answer email—all at de same time.

And when we drivin’? Lawd, dem boys seh we more dangerous than drunk drivers!

We drivin’ wid one hand pon de wheel and

de other hand pon de phone. We scrollin’, textin’, and even video callin’—is like we tink de car could drive itself!

Dem boys seh, even bathroom time ain’t sacred. In de past, man used to carry newspaper; now dem carry phone. De only difference is de newspaper does finish, but de phone got unlimited data.

One man tell dem boys he wife vex he nah spend time wid she. De man seh, “I spendin’ time wid you every day!” She ask how, and he seh, “I does text you while you in de next room.” Dem boys seh dat relationship deh powered by WiFi, nah love.

So, hear wah dem boys seh: fuh de new year, leh we try somethin’ new. Put down de phone and pick up a book or newspaper.

Some ah y’all ain’t read a book since primary school! Some ah y’all newspaper knowledge stop at de lotto results. If yuh want fuh know de world, read a book. If yuh want fuh laugh and learn, read de papers.

Dem boys seh, yuh phone might be smart, but if yuh spend all yuh time pon it, yuh head gon tun dumb. Mek 2025 de year of readin’—not scrollin’!

Talk half. Leff half

gathering dust, the healthy cookbooks are propping up a wobbly table leg, and you’ve spent more money on latenight takeout than you care to admit.

This is why our favourite resolution for 2025 is to accomplish the goals of 2024 which we should have done in 2023 because we promised to do so in 2022 and planned them in 2021.

Ti m e , t h a t c r u e l a n d unrelenting beast, exposes the hollowness of our promises. It’s not that we lack the willpower; it’s that life is full of temptations, distractions, and Netflix series that demand to be binge-watched.

And yet, despite the inevitable disappointment, we do it all over again the next year. Why? Because deep down, we’re hopeless romantics. We believe in fresh starts, second chances, and the possibility that this

time, things will be different.

There’s something oddly beautiful about our insistence on celebrating the New Year with such gusto.

It’s about our amazing ability to look back at the past year and say, “Well, that could’ve gone better. I will try again!”

We laugh at our failures, learn (or pretend to) from our mistakes, and cling to the hope that the future holds something better. And maybe that’s the point of it all. Not the resolutions or the wishes, but the act of believing, however briefly, that we have the power to change, grow, and become the people we aspire to be.

So, as the New Year approaches and we prepare to toast to new beginnings, let’s make a resolution that’s actually achievable: to laugh at the absurdity of it all. To embrace the imperfections, celebrate the small victories,

and forgive ourselves when we inevitably fall short of our grand ambitions.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from years of broken promises and abandoned treadmills, it’s that life is too short to take too seriously. And who knows?

Maybe this year, we’ll finally get it right. Or, at the very least, we’ll have some great stories to tell when we do it all over again next year.

Cheers to that! And pass the pizza.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Wednesday January 01, 2025

BY GHK LALL

H@RD TRUTHS Fresh and new, may it be S

UTH

D TR

HAR

HK

BY G

LALL

All is quiet and still. It is calm. The air has fresh coolness about it.

The atmosphere touches with expectation. A New Year has begun. I greet 2025 with a simple wish to all of my Guyanese siblings, each in the family of 750,000 or 800,000. Cubans, Haitians, and Venezuelans are part of the embrace, and so are Bangladeshis and any Kashmiris that are around.

May 2025, the Chinese Year of the Wood Snake, foster those deep introspections that are a product of deeper soul-searching. A Joyful New Year to all.

I seek room to start with myself.

Stocktaking is customary, even more compulsory at this junction.

At the crossroads of life, it is imperative that the right choice(s) be made. Time is behind me; the best use is made of what is left.

Whatever that number may be, it is dedicated to the Guyanese people. No one is excluded. The vilest scorner is still a brother, no matter how abominable a fellow traveler in this national journey.

A wish is extended, an appeal made, to Bharrat Jagdeo. No titles today, simply one brother to another: it is time to change.

Standards.

Methods.

Adjust fears. Reduce lusts.

Both can be done. Guyana will be better. Bharrat, YOU will be better for it. And so will I. To my brother, Ali, to whom the honor of excellency has been appointed, I respectfully urge that 2025 be the helipad from which different points liftoff, are proved. Those that enhance country, inspire Guyanese, and with much still left for our American

brothers and helpers. This can be done. In a more subdued manner, one that is missing any sting, related acids.

There is brother Aubrey, may 2025 be used to educate Guyanese about capabilities, inbred wisdoms. It is the Year of the Wood Snake. It may be oriental in construction and vision, but there is that tropical application that Guyanese need so urgently.

I look farther down the road, and there is Nigel, a brother and citizen of startling ideas. Here is the opportunity to look inward and see all those expectant Guyanese with their eyes cast towards the seas and what stirs beneath their beds, with their hopes rising and stretching. May those stay above ground, be fulfilled. It can be that kind of year that comes with peaceful feet in

days that march ever closer.

Guyanese have had their highs, all 780,000 of them.

The first sighting and correct reading, followed by the first lifting. Declining has been the season that has lingered since then. In a country as lushly gifted as this Guyana of ours, the path, the trajectory, should have been different. Different instead of difficult.

Instead of enmity, I cast around for the engaging, that rebalancing of the mind, which leads to renegotiating of the…. I settle for circumstances.

Those in which the citizens of this Crude Republic, of so many commodities, and so little sagacity. Its wisdoms pave the way with brightness. Scales fall from the eyes. Knots around the heart vanquished. Partners are cherished possessions first; seen otherwise last.

The word I try to avoid on this first day in January is of three letters: N-O-T. The drive is to unearth the capabilities and national character that heave restlessly inside. In each one. Friends and brothers, neighbors and sisters and countrymen.

Fear of failure is for the

fainthearted.

On a n o t h e r d a y, i n another frame of mind, fools may have been used. Today is a different day, and the hope is to set the tone for the days to come. Yes, I know, and we all do.

Elections. In the wafting touch of a predawn chill, there is a bead of sweat, mopping of the brow. An iciness takes over the heart, the soul is afire. Indeed, the stakes that high, so big is the prize, so high the transfixing passions. The mind is a terrible thing to contemplate when driven to madness.

Elections. It is Guyana at its most energized; Guyanese trapped in that incurable red haze that is theirs when they are most volatile.

To my brother Alistair (if I may be pardoned the presumptuousness), so much can be achieved together, instead of at, ah, odds.

Alistair, defender of the people.

Guyanese need Alistair at his authentic best: the best of partners, less of a governor, less a commander of the realm. Remember: a true partner, less a business dealer, lesser still of a political arranger. He has his

duty. I have my calling.

Guyanese would be more hospitable, sluggish with what is hostile. I know that he knows what is meant.

Some must tell me how I am doing, in this endeavor to grasp for the right tone, to be tempered, succeeding would bring serenity of the spirit.

In trying, there is living; dignifying time, environment, and existence.

I must. We all should. In trying, there is gaining. The shortest of inches first, who knows where to, what more.

It is time to gaze into tomorrow, welcome it with hope and strength. Power of convictions, too. May all the tomorrows in 2025 be so for all Guyanese. As well as for those who make Guyana their home today. And for those who stand by our side, as worthy partners.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

More and more, it seems that there are two words that naturally belong together.

The two words are criminal politicians, and as many Guyanese believe, we have our share of them.

Though the locals may pretend to be above board and honourable men and women, there is no shaking the perceptions and convictions that many Guyanese politicians are low crooks.

Independent minded and conscientious Guyanese, who prize ethics in government and principled leadership, are constantly on the lookout for a Guyanese politician that they can trust.

It would be a cause for celebration, which has been all too rare.

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

The Double Standard:

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Jagdeo picks & chooses

when Exxon’s contract can be changed - KN Publisher Businessman and advocate for a better oil deal, Glenn Lall has flayed Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo for his resistance to changing the lopsided ExxonMobil contract and he called on Guyanese to raise their voices in a united push to make things happen.

Speaking in one of his social commentary Lall said Jagdeo has been stripped of every excuse and pretense imaginable. "His actions, paired with his words, lay bare the betrayal he is inflicting on this nation.

Watching and listening to him weekly, it is painfully clear: this so-called leader is running scared, desperately trying to justify the monumental disaster he is orchestrating with ExxonMobil against the people of Guyana."

According to Lall day after day, Jagdeo's words e x p o s e h i m f u r t h e r, highlighting not just his tricks but his guilt, desperation, and blatant betrayal. "He isn't just failing us—he's selling us out for nothing, piece by piece, barrel by barrel, while

pretending to be a saviour."

As he continues to advocate for changes to the oil contract Lall questioned what Jagdeo and Guyana have to lose if Exxon is called to the table for renegotiation, especially with all the new oil discoveries being made.

"What does Guyana have to lose by calling Exxon to renegotiate, given these massive new oil discoveries?" Lall asked saying that Jagdeo has been giving his well-worn getaway card: “Blame APNU—it's them who got us where we are today.”

Lall said Jagdeo some what genuinely believes he is the only conscience of this nation. "Whatever he thinks is best for us, we must accept—whether it destroys us or not. Let's be clear: Jagdeo has no intention of ever going to Exxon and saying, “Let's talk about this one-sided contract.” Not now, not ever. This is the same contract he cussed out and condemned when he was in opposition. And yet, it has been breached, changed, and broken many, many times by

all the parties involved. Let me outline some of these changes for you."

Noting that changes have been made already to the contract, Lall pointed out several areas.

1. Local ContentHe demanded and implemented provisions requiring Exxon to hire and use Guyanese businesses and workers—a clear change to this same "untouchable" contract.

2. Flaring FeesHe demanded flaring fees for gas burning and got it—another modification to the agreement.

3. RoyaltiesExxon can no longer recover the 2% royalties paid to Guyana—another breach of the original terms.

4. InsuranceInitially, Exxon was allowed to selfinsure. Jagdeo demanded and secured a so-called $2 billion parent company guarantee—yet another direct contract change.

5. Decommissioning FeesIn his new contracts, Jagdeo demanded that decommissioning costs be controlled by the government and not the oil

companies. This was absent from the original Exxon agreement.

7. Audit DeadlineThe original two-year time limit to audit Exxon's books was extended. Jagdeo even threatened Exxon, saying “bricks would rain” if they refused—another clear breach.

"Jagdeo has modified, changed, and broken the contract multiple times when it suited him. Yet he claims he cannot renegotiate the 2% royalty, zero taxes, or implement a ring-fencing provision to truly benefit all of us. Why? That's the prosperity question you should wake up with every day in 2025."

"And what's his big defense? He says, “We're getting $60 billion USD in investments.” Investments for what? To loot the trillions of USD we're sitting on! He loves to say, “We don't have that kind of money in our banking system.” Can you believe that kind of logic?

Because we don't have money to buy a ladder to pick our own fruits, we must allow a gangster with

automatic fruit pickers to strip our fruit trees bare—leaving us hungry while he drives off with our wealth," Lall said.

Lall asked "which oil company in its right mind would leave free oil to go chase lesser-quality oil somewhere else? Do you know of any? That is what Bharrat Jagdeo is selling to Guyana, and he wants us to buy it. You can buy it if you want, but not me."

Lall said after listening to Jagdeo and seeing what he's doing to this country, it's clear: "Jagdeo will never renegotiate that Exxon contract. He's proud of Exxon's billions in investments while Guyanese are left scrambling for crumbs. This isn't leadership—it's a sellout of the highest order. And if we don't call it out NOW, our future will be looted just as quickly as that oil."

The businessman said 2025 is the year, when all Guyanese must band together to force the government to take actions to change the contract.

"We can do it, we can

Kaieteur News Publisher and businessman, Glenn Lall change it and we can do it together with the right leadership."

He added: "It's our wealth, it's our future, and it's time we take it back! God Almighty didn't bless us with this oil for us to sit silently, watching our leaders hand it wholesale to foreigners with empty excuses and lame defenses, we must stand up and demand what's rightfully ours. This is our moment, and we must seize it. I hope and pray that you are with me on this journey to reclaim what belongs to all of us. Together, we can make history,"Lall said.

Guyana to tap US$15M from Pandemic Fund

...money will be used to improve disease surveillance, strengthen reference lab

The Government of Guyana (GoG), through the Ministry of Health, has successfully secured $US15 million from the World Bank coordinated Pandemic Fund.

The funds, which are expected to be accessible by March 2025, will be used to enhance the country's preparedness for future pandemics, said Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony during a news conference on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters Minister Anthony stated that the investment will focus on improving disease surveillance and strengthening the National Public Health Referenced Laboratory. This funding is part of the Health Ministry's broader efforts to better detect and manage potential health threats, ensuring greater capacity to respond

to both human and animal diseases.

Anthony said that the government has invested approximately $US2 million in the National Public Health Referenced laboratory.

Moreover, according to the Pandemic Fund website, the fund is a first-of-its-kind multilateral financing mechanism dedicated exclusively to strengthening critical pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capacities and capabilities of low- and middle-income countries through investments and technical support at the national, regional, and global levels.

“The Fund provides a dedicated stream of additional, long-term financing for investments in areas such as infectious diseases surveillance,

laboratories and diagnostics, and health workforce strengthening,” the Pandemic Fund website stated. It is further explained that as of November 2024, the Pandemic Fund has awarded US$885 million in two rounds of funding, which has leveraged an additional US$6 billion from international and domestic partners. These funds support 47 projects across 75 low- and middle-income countries, focusing on disease surveillance, diagnostics, and health workforce capacity. The projects promote a One Health approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, fostering international collaboration and encouraging increased domestic investments to ensure sustainable impact.

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

‘We have no interest in writing Exxon to change lopsided oil deal’ ...greater benefit is already coming to Guyana - Pres. Ali

By Davina Bagot

P

resident Irfaan Ali during his end-ofyear press conference on Tuesday told the media that he has no interest in writing U.S oil major, ExxonMobil to engage the company to renegotiate the lopsided Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), signed by the previous administration.

He was at the time responding to a question from this newspaper on why his government still refuses to change the deal to seek greater benefits for Guyanese, even after altering multiple provisions of the contract.

To this end, the Head of State explained that the People's Progressive Party (PPP) has always been consistent in its position that the deal was “bad”. He however noted, “What we committed to was to respect the sanctity of contracts and that the international law, that has implications for us as a country. Other investors are looking on but what we said was that future PSAs would not have these fatal flaws and future PSAs would not have the type of lopsided arrangements that Exxon had, and we have made those adjustments to future PSAs.” President Ali went on to point out that the market conditions must also be taken into consideration to ensure policies here do not drive away investment, but strikes a balance to still ensure the greatest benefit comes to Guyanese. In fact, the Head of State highlighted that Guyana has already seen benefits not only from the oil and gas sector, but from the expanded growth in the economy.

He cited initiatives such as the return of the school children's cash grant which will soon be increased to $50,000; higher pension for senior citizens; a world class health care system that is currently being developed as well as an improved safe environment and education system.

To this end, Ali said, “(I can) show you how greater benefit is already coming to the Guyanese people, how

the life of every single Guyanese is improving and you would know if you can tell me with straight face that even your own life is not improving, that you are not driving on better roads, that you are not saving time going to Region Threeimagine if you didn't have the Crane by-pass road- that you are not going to benefit from the new four lane bridge across the Demerara River that will be free of cost, if you are not benefitting from the $100,000 investment that we are making for every Guyanese above 18 years.”

Kaieteur News however pointed out that countries around the world have changed their oil contracts and asked the Head of State to say what is preventing his government from doing the same. Notably, the President acknowledged that while there are countries that may have renegotiated their oil contracts, there are also countries that are losing investments from the petroleum companies.

He pointed to Suriname as an example where Exxon walked away. On the other hand, he said in Guyana there is a consolidation of assets with investment being attracted. According to him, “We have to understand the balance and what is taking place in the market. The market is not simplistic, now accessing capital for the oil and gas sector has changed dramatically and we had to see where the new policies now from the U.S government will take us because the capital for the oil and gas sector has become more expensive and you have more risk associated because of environmental and climate issues so the cost of capital is also rising so that is the market in which we are operating and we have to be constantly aware of what is taking place in that market from an investment perspective.”

Write to Exxon When asked if government has written to the operator of the Stabroek Block to seek a renegotiation of the deal, the President made it clear that he has no such intention. He

explained, “No, we don't need an official response (from Exxon). We have made our position very clear that future PSAs, and we have stuck to that and existing PSAs, the sanctity of contract, we respect that.

You know this, we have discussed this, many times before.”

Why renegotiate Stakeholders have argued that due to the drastic changes in the Stabroek Block, Guyana would be well within its right as a sovereign nation to demand greater benefits for its

President Irfaan Ali (left) addressing the media during his end of year press conference. Also in the image is moderator of the event, Kit Nascimento resources. In 2016 when the agreement with ExxonMobil and its partners were made, the country's oil reserves stood at a just three billion barrels. Fast forward to seven years later, the Stabroek Block is now estimated to hold more than

11.6 billion barrels of oil.

This means that the reserves have almost quadrupled while the country continues to receive a thin slice of the pie, with the oil companies enjoying over 85% of the revenue generated each month.

According to the 2016 PSA, Exxon can deduct up to 75% of Guyana's oil monthly to cover its expenses. The remaining 25% is split with Guyana equally as profits, with the country earning an additional 2% from the contractor's share as royalty.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Guyana on high alert for any spillover from T&T gang warfare - Pres. Ali President Irfaan Ali said that Guyana is on high alert for any spillover from the gang violence that has taken hold of neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. And he said the country is working with regional partners to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

President also said that government has been investing heavily in boosting its security infrastructure to withstand any threats. A state of emergency was declared in Trinidad & Tobago on Monday. President Irfaan Ali speaking at a news conference on Tuesday said that Guyana is working with regional partners, “to ensure that our collective system protects our population.”

Wi t h i n h o u r s o f a massacre at Prizgar Lands, Laventille, the Prime

Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley on Monday morning, authorised the declaration of a state of emergency. In a statement from the Ministry of Communications in that country, citizens were told that President Christine Kangaloo, on the advice of the Prime Minister, had declared the state of emergency being satisfied that the circumstances of Section 8(2)C of the Constitution exists. “The circumstances warranting the declaration of the public emergency are based on the advice of the TTPS to the National Security Council of heightened criminal activity which endangers the public safety.”

Guyana's head-of-state at his presser outlined that Guyana is a member of the

President Irfaan Ali Regional Security System (RSS), so discussions in relation to what is happening in Trinidad is done through that avenue. “So I know there are discussions going on within the regional security architecture. Of course, there are measures to look for consequential effects. I want to put it that

way. There were discussions examining some of the possible threats and ensuring that our systems are rigid enough to avoid such threats.

But working also with regional partners to ensure that our collective system protects our population,” President Ali stated.

He underscored that he is aware of how criminal elements operate when pressured in their territory.

President Ali explained, “Because as criminal feel pressured in their territory, they look for new territory.

That is how the criminal entity operate. So as there is push factor, so they look for new territory when they feel threatened in their existing territory, and as they come to territory, they try to grow the network to own more territory.” However, he underscored that the gangviolence in T&T is a great concern to all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state. He added, “We are very integrated and closely knitted community across the CARICOM region.”

Notably, in relation to Guyana's preparedness President Ali underscored that there is a misconception to the successes in Guyana in relation to crime fighting. “I really want to congratulate the Guyana Police Force, all the officers and so on who are working diligently to help us to fight crime,” he said.

Ali went on to highlight some initiatives that has helped reduced crime in Guyana. He said that the entire region is paying attention to the movement of gangs, the transfer of weapons and the expansion of gangs. ”And so we have to be mindful of this so what we have done in 2024 is expand the safe city project, we have state-of-the art surveillance system in many of the important locations now especially the urban centers,” he said.

Ali highlighted government's investments in drones for the 'Eye in the Sky' programme which he said has been very successful. The government also launched a new programme where the CCTV is connected to big screens, outside key areas like Stabroek Market so citizens can be aware of potential threats. “We are also modernising our fleet, we have 19 advanced marine

The bodies of the men who were gunned down in Laventille vessels now,” he said.

President Ali explained that the vessels improve authorities' reaction time, and would not be hampered by the usual traffic congestion along the East Bank and East Coast C o r r i d o r. “ We ' l l h a v e landing pods to help in terms of chase and advancing our work,” he added. Further, the president highlighted that local authorities have been involved in numerous training programmes with regional bodies. “If you look at some of the results the crime rate reduced by 13.6% for the year 2024 when compared to 2023,” he outlined.

Meanwhile, the threemonth State of Emergency (SoE) instituted in T&T to deal with the threat to public safety from gangs' reprisal attacks, will not have a curfew or certain other features like previous SoEs. Unlike SoEs in 1990 and 2011, the current SoE will not affect public gatherings, c o m m e rc i a l b u s i n e s s activity, tonight's Old Year's night celebrations and f i re w o r k s o r s c h o o l s ' reopening.

In announcing the SoE yesterday, acting Attorney General Stuart Young said it was instituted following heightened criminal activity and murders. Young said information from the T&T Police Service (TTPS) submitted to the Government cited expected reprisal

attacks between gangs involving high-velocity automatic weapons in a situation that could threaten public safety.

“In the type of incidents with high-powered automatic weapons and reprisal attacks by gangs—too often innocent people could be affected.

Following information received from the TTPS intelligence, as a result of that and after very careful consideration, a decision on the SoE was taken,” Young said at a media briefing at the Ministry of National Security just after 10 am yesterday. The SoE was initially announced to T&T at 8.15 am by the Office of the Prime Minister's Communication Ministry.

It followed meetings into the wee hours of yesterday by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who chairs the National Security Council. A proclamation issued President Christine Kangaloo cited constitutional powers (under Section 8:1 and 8:2) and stated the President was” satisfied that a public emergency has risen as a result of the occurrence of action that has been taken or is immediately threatened by any person of such a nature and on so extensive a scale, as to be likely to endanger the public safety; and a state of emergency exists in T&T. Young said the SoE has (Continued on page 30)

Wednesday January 01, 2025

PAGE 15

Kaieteur News

Guyana recorded over 10 000 dengue cases in 2024

G

uyana recorded just over 10,000 dengue cases in 2024, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony revealed during an end of year press conference on Wednesday.

The ministry plans to intensify fogging efforts to aid in decreasing the cases.

Dr. Anthony revealed that Regions One, Two, Four,

Six, Nine and 10 have been the most affected; prompting heightened monitoring in these areas. To combat the spread of the disease, the Ministry of Health has deployed vector control teams across the country, focusing on fogging breeding sites during peak mosquito activity times.

Dr. Anthony emphasised

GPHC help desk processes over 200 grievance complaints annually The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has established a Help Desk which according to officials attached to the unit processes over 200 grievance complaints per year.

The help desk to resolve complaints made by patients regarding the service offered at the GPHC was established in 2013 and 2022 several years later a designated 'orange office' was established at the hospital for this purpose. Since the building was erected, this newspaper has learnt that a total of 586 grievances and

members of the public. “The help desk has been introduced not only to deal with complaint but also to answer any questions the members of the public may have about patient care or treatment…”, the CEO said.

The Help Desk is staffed by a team of professionals committed to ensuring a positive and efficient healthcare experience for all. From providing essential directions and patient updates to facilitating seamless access to various hospital services, the help desk will support patients, their relatives, and visitors.

The office designated for the help desk at GPHC 30 complaints were dealt with. During its end-of-year press conference held on Monday GPHC disclosed that on an average the help desk receives 250 complaints per year.

Written complaints are less common—the unit receives an average of four written complaints or inquiries. A total of 285 grievances and 26 complaints were resolved last year with a total of 20 grievances were reported during the first quarter of the 2023, 39 were made in the second quarter, 93 were made in the third quarter and 133 were made in the fourth quarter.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital Robbie Rambarran said that the help desk has helped in resolving many of the daily complaints and concerns of

The CEO noted that the help desk plays a pivotal role in fostering open communication. It welcomes patients and staff to share recommendations, commendations, or address any nature of complaints related to the hospital's service or staff.The Help Desk also offers multiple channels for engagement.

Whether through a direct call using the numbers provided in flyers, messaging via WhatsApp on its dedicated number, detailed inquiries through email at the provided address, or in-person assistance at the Orange Office located at the Gate # 1 – Main Gate on New Market Street.

The GPHC invites patients, staff, and the community at large to engage with the Help Desk.

the importance of community involvement in preventing dengue. “We have looking acquire over 200 more fogging machine and train community teams to add to the fogging activities that we have ongoing,” he noted.

Measures such as eliminating stagnant water, using repellents, and taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites are crucial in controlling the spread of the disease. Additionally, the distribution of larvicide, known as abate, aims to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. “…We have also been distributing that to various communities' various regions and encouraging people to put that into stagnant water, so if that is a breeding site then we can kill the mosquitoes,” he said.

In a bid to further protect vulnerable populations, the ministry has also distributed treated bed nets in places like region nine. The ministry continues to urge individuals

experiencing symptoms of dengue to seek medical a t t e n t i o n p r o m p t l y, especially during the critical phase. Dr. Anthony has said that the first phase of dengue is the febrile phase, which typically lasts from 1 to 3 days, during which individuals experience fever.

Following this phase, patients usually begin to recover. However, in more severe cases, individuals may progress to a critical phase lasting from 24 to 48 hours. During this critical phase, plasma leakage can occur, leading to dehydration or bleeding, which may result in shock.

Back in December the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) had reported on three transmissible diseases affecting the Region of the Americas: dengue, Oropouche, and avian influenza (H5N1) and the agency's Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa expressed concern over the increase in cases in

2024 but emphasised effective strategies to control the outbreaks and mitigate their impact.

According to a press release from PAHO, last year, the region had faced the largest dengue epidemic since records began in 1980.

Countries had reported more than 12.6 million cases, nearly three times more than in 2023, including 21,000 severe cases and over 7700 deaths.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico account for 90% of cases and 88% of deaths, with Brazil having the largest share.

“Dengue is posing a higherthan-normal risk to children.

In countries like Guatemala, 70% of dengue-related deaths have occurred in children,” Dr. Barbosa said during a press conference, highlighting that children under 15 represent over a third of severe cases in countries like Costa Rica, Mexico, and Paraguay.

The PAHO Director

explained that the situation is linked to climate events favouring mosquito proliferation, as well as to unplanned urbanization, accumulated water around the home, and poor waste management, which create breeding grounds for the v e c t o r. D e s p i t e t h e challenges, he insisted that “we are not powerless against dengue,” and m e n t i o n e d t h e implementation of PAHO's Integrated Management Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Arboviral Diseases as a key effort to “keep severe and fatal cases relatively low through better patient management.”

Dengue vaccines have been introduced in countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, and Honduras plans to do so in 2025. However, Dr. Barbosa noted that “the current vaccine will not stop the spread of the virus in the short or medium term and does not provide immediate relief during an outbreak.”

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Beyond Contract Renegotiation, How Can Guyana Claw Back Value?

From page 8 Profits Taxes, which will only apply when revenues far exceed expectation because of an external impact, such as world market price increases, may not alter the economic stability provision of a contract, which is based on an agreed expectation of return on investment, and so not at variance with existing contracts or laws.

In that case, the onus to prove a variation may fall on the party making the claim.

Keep Thinking, Keep Working, Keep the Prize in Sight The magnitude of revenue from the sale of its resources that is denied the people of Guyana is so great that it demands an ongoing discussion of the opportunities and avenues to rebalance the scales.

Circumstances have and will continue to change. It is in everybody's interest to address the contract asymmetry for a harmonious, long-term relationship.

The parties to the PSA place a lot of confidence in the institutions and conventions of the United Nations, including in the mechanisms for disputes and arbitration.

Two resolutions of the UN, aimed to assist in decolonisation, address the concerns being articulated today in and about Guyana in connection with the provisions of the PSA. 1. Resolution 1803 (XVIII) of 14 December 1962, also known as the "Resolution on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources" (RPSNR); and 2. Resolution 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974, also known as the "Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States" (Charter).

The first of the two resolutions (RPSNR) focused on “reinforcing the sovereignty of developing countries and securing for their peoples the benefits of natural resource exploitation within their territories.”

Even so, it recognised and encapsulated the rights of investors, paving the way for a system of investment protection and international investment agreements "foreign investment agreements freely entered into by or between sovereign States shall be observed in good faith."

Perhaps inspired by the oil embargo of 1973, the second (Charter of Economic Rights and Duties

of States) was an attempt to realign economic relations between developed and developing countries - "New International Economic Order".

The Charter reinforced the RPSNR 's fundamental principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources.

I n 2 0 1 7 , Ta n z a n i a codified those resolutions into legislation, to address what were considered asymmetric contracts: 1. Natural Wealth and Resources (Permanent Sovereignty) Act 2017 (Permanent Sovereignty Act) and the Natural Wealth, and 2. Resources Contracts (Review and Re-Negotiation of Unconscionable Terms) Act 2017 (Review Act).

Some of the provisions of the first Act may resonate with the ongoing discourse in Guyana: a. "the People of the United Republic shall have permanent sovereignty over all natural wealth and resources", b. “the ownership and control over natural wealth and resources shall be exercised by, and through the Government on behalf of the People and the United Republic",

c. "the natural wealth and resources shall be held in trust by the President on behalf of thePeople of the United Republic." d. "it shall be unlawful to make any arrangement or agreement for the extraction, exploitation or acquisition and use of natural wealth and resources except where the interests of the People and the United Republic are fully secured". e. "in any arrangement or agreement for extraction, exploitation or acquisition and use of natural wealth and resources, there shall be guaranteed returns into the Tanzanian economy from the earnings accrued or derived from such extraction, exploitation or acquisition and use". f. "any authorization granted for the extraction, exploitation or acquisition and use of natural wealth and resources, arrangements shall be made or given to ensure that the Government obtains an equitable stake in the venture and the People of the United Republic may acq u ire s takes in the venture." g. "no raw resources are exported for beneficiation outside the United Republic" h. "there shall be commitment to establish

beneficiation facilities within the United Republic". i. "all arrangements or agreements entailing extraction, exploitation or acquisition and use of natural wealth and resources may be reviewed by the National Assembly" Although these have had mixed impact in Tanzania, where the circumstances are quite different from Guyana's, the intent and design of these pieces of legislation may be useful in the ongoing discussion about increased value retention in Guyana.

I leave this to those more capable than me to consider.

In considering any change to the status quo, the factors underpinning the current circumstances must be faced.

No doubt, “fear” (not in any way to dilute the courage of those who have stood up for Guyana, but as a term to describe an uncertainty about the likelihood of an outcome that may make the situation worse) has to be overcome.

With the PSA making provisions for arbitration, and the reputation of some industry players for a propensity for drawn-out litigation, with much deeper pockets than the State, such a

sentiment is justified.

Fortunately for Guyana, there are multiple alternative options to claw back value, beyond renegotiation and legal provisions.

Localising the supply chain has been targeted as a major source or additional in-country revenue capture through the Local Content Act. The announced update of the legislation and necessary enhancement of i m p l e m e n t i n g methodologies have the potential to give the economy a big boost.

A lot of work remains to be done and time is not on Guyana's side. Given the motivation and with the support of partners with the right experience, skills, knowledge and desire to do so, these fruits can be ripened and picked to feed the Guyanese people.

Anthony Paul is neither a lawyer nor an economist.

He studied English Comprehension at Woodbrook Presbyterian School and is Chairman of the Board of the Lloyd Best Institute of the Caribbean (https://www.thelloydbestin stitute.org) and a member of the board of the Natural Resources Governance I n s t i t u t e (resourcegovernance.org).

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Bandit shot dead in Sophia ...one accomplice captured, one escaped A 21-year-old bandit was shot dead on Tuesday following an armed robbery at a recently opened Chinese Restaurant on Dennis Street, Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

His accomplice was captured while a third suspect managed to escape with the gun allegedly used in the robbery. Kaieteur News was told that the bandit was shot dead around 12:00 hrs. by a security guard from another business establishment in the area. When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, scores of residents had gathered. Several fights broke out between relatives and police ranks.

Ranks had to fire shots in the air to restore order and conduct their crime scene investigation.

After the body was removed and the captured suspect brought out in handcuffs, Kaieteur News and reporters from other media houses began speaking with eyewitnesses. Kaieteur News learnt that while the restaurant was being operated by Chinese Nationals, the building was owned by a local woman, Alexis Cameron, living on the top flat of the two storeystructure. Cameron is renting the bottom flat of her property to the

The captured bandit being escorted by a police officer

The Chinese Restaurant that was attacked by bandits

Chinese Nationals and according to the woman, they had only opened the restaurant there about a week ago.

She told reporters, “All I know I was upstairs lying down and I heard the bang.” The woman said she

went and peeped through her window to see what was going on. “…I didn't see anything (but) when I was about to go to the veranda, I heard somebody saying pass the effing money”, recounted Cameron.

She then went downstairs. “I ain't see nobody they were already inside and then a hear another shot that is when the guard shot at somebody.” Reporters were able to find out that the security guard worked at a Chinese Supermarket close by. A friend (Chinese National) of the restaurant owner

said he was in the building when the robbery took place.

He recalled that the restaurant owner was the one who ran to the supermarket and asked the security guard for help. “We went doing welding work and then them people (the bandits) come to go inside. So my friend (restaurant owner) see the bandit now and he gone, he see something wrong and he gone and run and go by the supermarket and he ask security to come and help” The man said he immediately called police, who promptly arrived on the scene. However, the security

guard got there first and confronted the bandits. One of them was shot dead, the other two allegedly ran but the police when they arrived managed to capture the 15-year-old suspect while a third reportedly escaped.

Kaieteur News understands that one of the bandits resides in B Field Sophia and the other lives on Red Road Sophia. As police escorted the captured suspect out of the restaurant, one of the family members was heard saying, “A hope you change, a hope you learn your lesson”.

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

725,282 metric tonnes of rice produced in 2024 - Min Mustapha Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha

With the production of 725,282 metric tonnes of rice in 2024, Guyana has surpassed its target and achieved a record-breaking milestone in its agriculture sector.

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha made the announcement during his ministry's year-end press conference on Monday.

“I want to say that this is a record-breaking production since the introduction of rice production in our country.

We have increased yield from 5.7 tonnes in 2020 to 6.6 tonnes per hectare in 2024,” the agriculture minister said.

In 2024, Guyana exported 425,490 metric tonnes of rice and byproducts to 30 countries.

The overall value of was USD$254 million.

Meanwhile, the country also secured new export markets, further boosting its agricultural profile.

Minister Mustapha further noted that over the past four years, rice production has seen a steady increase.

In 2021, Guyana produced a total of 569,789 metric tonnes of rice. The amount increased in 2022 to 610,595 tonnes and in 2023, 653,706 metric tonnes of rice was harvested.

The staggering increase in rice production was a result of the introduction of four new rice varieties over

the past four years. “For the year 2024 we have developed the new GRD 18 with a yield potential of seven to nine tons per hectare. And this was launched in October of 2024. Since 2020 we have released three other varieties including GRDB 16, GRDB 18 and the Biofortified rice, which is GRDB 17,” Minister Mustapha explained. All of the new rice varieties have a yield potential between seven to nine tonnes per hectare.

The attribution of increased rice production also includes the improvement in the capacity of the various seed-paddy facilities throughout the country.

They include facilities at B u r m a a n d Mahaica/Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) in Region Five and Black Bush Polder and Number 56 Village in Region Six. These facilities can produce 152 bags of paddy per annum.

The agriculture minister said that the tremendous improvement reflects the government's commitment to boosting agricultural production in the country.

In 2024, the ministry was allocated a sum of $97.6 billion to help improve efficiency and the management of its rice sector. (DPI)

Wednesday January 01, 2025

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Crowd breaks down Ministry’s gate ...Police warn against unruly for cash grant behaviour during distribution The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday warned against disorderly and unruly behaviour during the cash grant distribution process around the country.

According to a statement by the force, persons are advised to exercise caution and adhere to the directions given when turning up at the designated locations across the country to collect the $100,000 Cash Grant.

“Wh ile th e co llectio n process is smooth and incident-free at most

Lines for cash grant in Essequibo

Teachers lining up for cash grants at Brickdam, Georgetown

locations, there are a few areas where persons were storming the designated collection places and being aggressive”, the police said.

Police made the statement after a large crowd on Tuesday broke the gate at the Ministry of Human Services office at Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six, where pensioners and persons with disabilities were collecting their cheques. Police said that the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, was present and explained to the crowd “that they were only dealing with pensioners and

persons with disabilities”.

“The crowd, however, refused to cooperate and they started pushing towards the door and behaving in an unruly manner”, stated the police force before adding that ranks assisted to quickly control the situation. The process was subsequently stopped at the said location and persons were advised to return to their homes, police said. “Members of the public are advised to exercise patience and remain calm when they visit the designated locations in every region to collect their $100,000 Government Cash Grant”.

GPHC faces staffing, space challenges ...as emergency department sees surge in patients T h e G e o rg e t o w n P u b l i c Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Emergency and Accident Department has reported a significant increase in patient volume for 2024, treating over 60,000 patients, a figure that has doubled over the past four years.

This marks a 9% increase from 2023, as revealed during the hospital's annual year-end press conference held on Monday. The conference which took place at GPHC's Centre for Learning and Innovation, highlighted the hospital's achievements, challenges, and goals for the coming year.

Dr. Zulfikar Bux, Head of the Emergency and Accident Department, shared the

department's growing challenges, notably staffing shortages and insufficient space. He explained that while the number of patients has surged, the facility's staffing levels have remained largely unchanged, which has led to staff burnout.

“As I speak with you, we have seen over 60,000 patients for the year. This is a 9% increase from 2023. We've handled more than 7,300 referrals, many of which are very critical cases,” Dr. Bux stated.

He emphasised that these critical cases now represent 12% of the department's total patient load.

"For the past four years we would have closely doubled in patient volume at GPHC emergency department, Whilst doing this we

have not increased our staff, we maintained the same amount of doctors and nurses," he added.

Dr. Bux also expressed deep concern about the lack of space in the department, which has been exacerbated by the rising patient numbers. “If the numbers continue to increase over the years I am very concerned with 2025, 2026 because we will have to look at space, we will have to look at how we improve overall in the department, meaning increase the number of staff we have.

That is basically the challenges we are facing, we do not have enough space, for you have 18 beds with 60,000 patients in here imagine the challenges we have."

He noted that while efforts are

being made to ensure that patient care does not suffer, the space constraints are taking a toll on the efficiency of the department. "If only those beds could speak, they would tell you what they go through," Dr. Bux remarked.

"Often, sometimes when we have to examine patients on a bed, we have to examine their abdomen on a chair when we don't have that choice."

In addition to the general patient load, Dr. Bux reported alarming figures in specific areas.

The trauma centre recorded 2,698 motor vehicle collision cases for 2024, as well as 96 sexual assault cases. "Unfortunately we have had 96 while a decrease of 14% in 2023 it's still too much," he noted. The

Head of department, Dr. Zulfikar Bux centre also handled 2,246 cases of interpersonal violence, which involves the intentional use of force or power against others.

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Guyana to tap US$68 million from FAO agrifood systems prgramme ...funding to help address biodiversity loss, land degradation, climate change, pollution

T

he Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has helped 22 countries unlock US$68 million in financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address biodiversity loss, groundwater management, climate change, land degradation, and pollution.

The projects were approved by the GEF Secretariat and Councils for the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) meeting held recently in

Wa s h i n g t o n D . C . T h e projects expect to leverage an additional US$273 million in co-financing to advance global goals for b i o d i v e r s i t y, s o c i a l inclusion, land and water management, and reducing use of hazardous chemicals.

“The approval of this batch of projects comes at the end of a year of environmental summits that highlighted both the need for finance to unlock transformation of global agrifood systems to this critical agenda,” said QU Dongyu, FAO DirectorGeneral. “We look forward to supporting countries to

meet their biodiversity, climate, land, water, and pollution goals through agrifood systems solutions under the overall guidance of the Four Betters.”

"These projects will help change the way we produce our food, fuel, and fiber to a d d r e s s g l o b a l environmental crises.

They will enhance coherence between agricultural and environmental sectors and support countries and communities to tackle environmental challenges, food insecurity, and poverty.

With this new financing in place, it is now equally

i mportant to their success to effectively communicate their goals and impacts,” said Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson, GEF. S m a l l G r a n t s Programme As part of the funding, the Council approved a US$19 million allocation for FAO's first activities as a new implementing agency for the Small Grants Program. The project builds upon 30 years of impact by bringing FAO's expertise in working with smallholder producers to support civil society organizations and community-based organizations in codesigning and delivering locally led initiatives.

The project will develop strategies, provide financial and technical assistance, and foster South-South Cooperation, with a strong focus on innovation, scalability, and social inclusion of women, Indigenous Peoples and youth.

The project will work with local organizations across 14 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Cook Islands, Cuba, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda and Venezuela. It aims to restore 20,000 hectares of land, improve practices across 350,000 hectares, and benefit 45,000 people.

Biodiversity Five projects funded by the GBFF will help mainstream biodiversity in agrifood sectors, foster sustainable livelihoods, and empower Indigenous Peoples.

These projects aim to improve the management of 500,000 hectares of protected areas, restore 13,000 hectares of landscapes, improve practices on 2.4 million hectares of land and sea, mitigate 1.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit 100,000 people.

The US$1.7 million project in Laos will enhance biodiversity through ecosystem restoration and biodiversity-friendly One Health practices. The

US$6.4 million project in Papua New Guinea will improve ecosystem connectivity and climate resilience with integrated landscape management. In the Solomon Islands, US$2.4 million will support c o m m u n i t y - l e d management of key biodiversity areas by Indigenous Peoples, including through spatial management and other effective area-based conservation mechanisms (OECM). In Cuba, the US$3 million project will address unsustainable fishing and agriculture in Northeastern Cuba, and the US$1.3 million project in Nepal will help conserve endangered freshwater fish through ecosystem-based fisheries management.

A $8 million project funded by the GEF Trust Fund will enhance biodiversity, ecosystem service, and carbon sequestration in Areas Important for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (AIBDES), including areas inside and outside protected areas in South Sumatra and Central Java, Indonesia.

The project aims to conserve and restore 91,000 hectares of natural ecosystems that house species such as the Javan Leopard and Sumatran Elephant. The project will also improve practices on 565,000 hectares of land, mitigate 6.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit 40,000 people.

Land and Water A regional project in Kenya and Tanzania will enhance water security and improve climate-resilience in the Mount Kilimanjaro region by improving the management of the shared Kilimanjaro Transboundary Aquifer System. With US$7.8 million in GEF financing, this initiative will conserve 40,000 hectares of cloud forest, ensure sustainable groundwater use, and benefit 100,000 people. A US$5.1 million project will help achieve Liberia's Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) commitments by enhancing soil health and reducing land degradation through sustainable management practices in targeted rice landscapes.

The project will restore 25,000 hectares of land, implement sustainable land

management practices across 100,000 hectares, mitigate over one million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit over 60,000 people.

Chemicals Under the Integrated Collaborative Approaches for Sustainable Tourism Program (iCOAST), FAO will support Vanuatu in promoting sustainable practices within the tourism industry through bioeconomy and circular approaches. The project will channel $4 million to update the national tourism strategy, restore over 32,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems, improve practices on 62,000 hectares of land and sea, and benefit over 246,000 people.

Under the Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management Plus Program (FARM+), FAO will support Gambia to reduce harmful agrochemical use and transition to climateresilient, agroecological practices in rice, millet and maize production. With US$9.6 million from the GEF Trust Fund and the LDCF, the project aims to restore 10,000 hectares of land, improve practices on 120,000 hectares of land and sea, mitigate over 15,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit 240,000 people.

New heights in 2024 The program closes a year of record growth in the FAO-GEF partnership. In addition to US$440 million approved across the F e b r u a r y, J u n e a n d December work programs in 2024, 13 FAO projects worth $14 million in GEF resources and US$24 million in co-financing are providing global and national support in meeting reporting commitments for climate change and LDN. FAO-GEF Partnership As a partner agency for the GEF, FAO supports countries worldwide in addressing the complex challenges at the nexus between the agrifood systems and the environment. Since 2006, FAO has supported 141 countries in accessing $1.9 billion for projects that respond to local priorities, d e l i v e r g l o b a l environmental benefits, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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UN says Israeli attacks pushing Gaza healthcare towards total collapse T

he UN Human R i g h t s O ff i c e says Israeli attacks on and around hospitals have pushed Gaza’s healthcare system to “the brink of total collapse” and raised serious concerns about war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A new report describes a pattern in which Israeli forces struck, besieged and forcibly evacuated hospitals, leading to patients dying or being killed. It a c k n o w l e d g e s I s r a e l ’s allegations that hospitals have been used by Palestinian armed groups, but says the evidence is “vague”.

The Israeli military has not commented. But it has previously said its forces comply with international law and takes measures to mitigate harm to civilians and minimize disruption to medical services. It comes days after the last functioning hospital in besieged northern Gaza was raided by the Israeli military, which said it was being used as Hamas command centre.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,500 people

have been killed and 108,300 injured in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. “As if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe in fact became a death trap,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Tuesday. “The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times.” The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said it documented at least 136 strikes on 27 of the 38 hospitals in Gaza and 12 other medical facilities during the period covered by the report, which was between October 2023 and

June 2024. Those strikes claimed “significant casualties among doctors, nurses, medics and other civilians” and caused “significant damage, if not complete destruction of civilian infrastructure”, it added. Medical personnel and hospitals are specifically protected under international humanitarian law, provided they do not commit, or are not used to commit, outside their humanitarian function, acts harmful to the enemy. Even then, any attack must still comply with the fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack.

The OHCHR said intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded were treated,

intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population, and intentionally launching disproportionate attacks were war crimes.

And under certain circumstances, the deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities may also amount to a form of collective punishment, which would also constitute a war crime.

According to the report, in most instances where Israel has attacked hospitals, Israel has alleged that the hospitals were being improperly used by Palestinian armed groups.

“However, insufficient information has so far been made available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear

contradicted by publicly available information,” the UN report says. “If these allegations were verified, this would raise serious concerns that Palestinian armed groups were using the presence of civilians to intentionally shield themselves from attack, which would amount to a war crime.” Hamas and medical staff have denied that the hospitals have been used by armed groups. The report also says that the impacts of Israeli military operations in and around hospitals have extended far beyond the physical structures. “Many women are giving birth with no or minimal pre- and postnatal care, increasing the risk of preventable maternal and child mortality,” it says.

“OHCHR has received reports that a number of newborns died because their mothers were unable to attend postnatal check-ups or reach medical facilities to give birth.” The report also says that people with trauma injuries were being prevented from receiving timely and possibly lifesaving treatment, noting that the Gaza health ministry had reported an 80% decrease in the number of hospital beds and the killing of more than 500 medical professionals by the end of June. “Many injured reportedly died while

waiting to be hospitalized or treated. Even those who managed to receive critical treatment, including surgery, received it without proper bedding and facilities, and were often discharged prematurely due to a lack of space.” The OHCHR cites the Israeli government as saying in response to the report that the Israeli military had taken “extensive measures” to “mitigate civilian harm and minimize disruption to medical services”.

These included enabling evacuation routes from hospitals, providing medical equipment, fuel and other aid to keep hospitals functioning, and establishing field hospitals, it said. The Israeli government also asserted that Hamas had chosen to “to methodically abuse the protection of medical facilities”, “embeds its tunnel system and infrastructure within the premises of medical facilities as a matter of strategy, and utilizes them as arms caches and accessible HQs for its operatives”. Türk called for independent investigations to be carried out into incidents documented in the report, and said it “must also be a priority for Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure and facilitate access to adequate healthcare for the Palestinian population”.

Pre-flight checks found ‘no issues’ before S Korea air crash

A

pre-flight inspection of a J e j u A i r passenger plane hours before it crashed in South Korea, killing 179 people, found “no issues”, the airline has said.

“Nothing abnormal was noted with the landing gear,” the airline’s CEO Kim Yibae told a news conference in Seoul, as investigations continue into why the wheels were not down when it performed an emergency landing. The plane was travelling from Bangkok when it crash-landed at Muan International Airport on Sunday, bursting into flames and killing everyone onboard, save for two crew

members, after skidding into a wall.

Investigators are still working to identify victims and establish what caused South Korea’s deadliest ever air crash. Many question remain unanswered and investigators are looking at the role a bird strike or weather conditions may have played. They are also focusing on why the Boeing 737-800 did not have its landing gear down when it hit the runway shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Hundreds of grieving relatives have been camping out at the airport in Muan, furious that they have not yet seen the bodies of their loved

ones. So far just a few of the victims’ remains have been released to their families. On Tu e s d a y, f o u r w e r e transported to funeral homes but most other families are still waiting for their loved ones to be identified.

Addressing questions over the company’s safety procedures on Tuesday, Jeju Air’s CEO Kim Yi-bae said the plane would not have been cleared for takeoff if the maintenance team had not signed off on its safety. He said its pilots were trained to regulation standards, and the company had two full flight simulators. “We have 12.9 maintenance workers per aeroplane, which has increased from 12 in 2019,”

he said. “We have a strict maintenance checklist, it is not possible to miss things. If something was missed it would be a grave problem.

“As for whether the landing gear functioned properly, that is directly related to the accident investigation, and we are not in a position to know at this time.” Mr. Kim said the airline would reduce its air traffic this winter by 1015%, in order to be able to carry out more maintenance work on the planes, but said this was not an admission that the company was running too many planes. He added that they would increase their monitoring of weather before and after

flights. Mr. Kim also acknowledged that over the past five years, Jeju Air had paid the most fines and faced the most administrative action of any Korean airline – but said the company was consistently improving its safety record. He said he was committed to strengthening the company’s safety and maintenance procedures, adding: “We aim to repair your trust in us by strengthening our safety measures.” Mr. Kim said the airline was preparing emergency compensation for the victims’ families and were covering the cost of the funerals. The money would be released soon, he said, before the insurance process

is completed. He added that company employees are on site to provide psychological counselling to the families.

The 179 passengers on flight 7C2216 were aged between three and 78 years old, although most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s, according to Yonhap news agency. Two Thai nationals are among the dead and the rest are believed to be South Korean, authorities have said. Many relatives are frustrated with how long the process of identifying victims’ bodies has taken, but officials say it is challenging because those on board were so severely burned in the fire after the crash.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 01, 2024

New mammogram machines arrive M

WANTED Male sales-rep 18-28 years old, Knowledge about vehicle models would be an asset. Call : 619-1237.

Drivers and porters at family choice purified water. Call : 653-6631. Preferred on East Bank. (Lloyd) Live-in domestic 30-45 years old $30,000 weekly, 6 days a week. Must know to cook Indian dishes. #610-3974.

K and M Janitoral services wanted cleaners. contact : 664-8328 /696-4567.

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inister of Health, Dr. Frank An thony on Tuesday announced that four mammogram machines have arrived in Guyana and will be operational by the end of January, 2025.

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From page 04 Bank/EPA capacity building programs, there is no one at the EPA with even one single hour of formal training in oil & gas, including the recent leaving of the Head of the oil & gas unit. Nevertheless, let me join Mr. Ram in addressing the lies pedaled in EPA’s December 22, 2024 letter.

To quote the great Poet Walter Scott “Oh what a tangled web we weave” defined as “the effects of lying and how as one lie leads to more, the lies multiply, and we become trapped in the dishonesty”.

First, My December 20,

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Hospital and the Lethem Hospital.

The machines will boost the ministry's ability to provide adequate resources to screen for breast cancer.

Anthony said, “So the four machines … at least by

the end of January it should be operational so we can be able to screen more persons…”

Anthony had first made mention of the machines back in June, 2024.

He said then that only one

mammogram machine is currently available at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

He underscored that the addition of the new machines will significantly enhance the screening process for women.

Cricket umpire now writing EPA press...

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During the Health Ministry's end of the year press conference, the minister said that the mammogram machines will be installed in the West Demerara Regional Hospital, Linden Hospital Complex, the New Amsterdam

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2024 letter to the media, no doubt exposed the EPA getting caught red-handed selectively omitting the key nine words from the clause I wrote into Exxon’s Permit, to tell a lie that “Nowhere in the permit signed by Dr. Adams is there reference for unlimited parent company guarantee”.

Their letter was met with an instant scolding from Attorney Mr. Ram calling them out that “The EPA’s response to Dr. Adams’ reflects poorly instead of addressing his substantive arguments….ignores both Judge Kissoon’s clear ruling and its own selective omission of key texts..and finds it troubling that our regulator advocates for weaker rather than stronger protections”.

Mr. Ram asked six questions which we know will be dodged because of the telling deficit of knowledgeableness to respond; thus, they will as usual, resort to ducking and distracting, or, as the Judge avers “the EPA has sought refuge in avoidance, concealment and secrecy… and descended into a state of inertia and slumber at the critical juncture of an emerging oil and gas sector.”

Second, though confessing to being caught red-handed selectively omitting the key texts to deceive the public, they weirdly still claimed that my statement was “misleading”.

Even whackier was their absurdly laughable confession that yes, they did indeed selectively omit the words from the main text, but backhanded the confession with the ruse that they had placed the words

in the attached note.

Which sane, competent or honest mind would remove key words from a main text and bury them in lengthy notes, expecting such lengthy notes to be published!

Third, the EPA asserted that “Dr. Adams appears to have relevance in only one particular media entity” (inferring Kaieteur News (KN)), though EPA gets all of the daily newspapers and would have known that my letter was also published in the Stabroek News (SN) and the Village Voice to name a few.

This naked falsehood is not only another shameless lie, but also a direct assault to provoke a chilling effect, intimidation and silencing of the media at large, particularly KN and SN, consistent with their boss-man Jagdeo’s very same weekly attacks on the KN and SN Reporters at his weekly press conferences.

Fourth, the EPA maliciously stated that I am “a former political appointee as Head of the EPA during the APNU+AFC Government”.

The fact is that to halt the unabated decadence of the EPA under Mr. Parsram, an advertisement was placed for a new Head to which I applied, along with Mr. Parsram and others.

The selection panel included EPA Board members and current Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Office of the President.

I was granted two interviews leading to my selection as by far the best candidate.

Mr. Parsram could not make the cut owing to his lack of basic qualifications and his disastrous two years of running EPA into the ground that

compelled the urgent look for competent leadership in the first place.

Indisputably, Mr. Parsram is fully cognizant that he went through the very same process that had absolutely nothing to do with a political appointment, and therefore owes an apology to the nation, the APNU/AFC, and the PS in the President’s Office for this blatant lie. He must further disclose if he ever begged some of his same APNU/AFC Minister friends to influence his getting the position.

More will be said about the EPA under Mr. Parsram, followed by its phenomenal transformation to respectability in less two years due to the hard work of the same staff under new leadership; but sadly, rapidly returned to its woefulness chronicled by the myriads of most credible and internationally renowned voices of the likes of Mr. Ram, Ms. Janki who coauthored the EPA Act, and none other than the Honorable Judge Kissoon.

Even VP Jagdeo continuously thrashes Mr. Parsram’s Liza 1 permit as the “worst ever”, yet, he brought Parsram back and is suffering the consequences; but, as the saying goes, you can’t repeat the same things and expect different results.

Fifth, maybe EPA’s new environmental guru Singh who now umpires the people’s health and environment, should read and possibly comprehend the very simplistic, but merciless rubbishing by Judge Kissoon’s Decision on EPA’s falsehood that no “unlimited parent company guarantee” exists in the clause I wrote

into the permits.

The Judge described the clause as “clear and unambiguous terms in simple language that boded no uncertainty or lent itself to ambiguity…that the Permit Holder (EMGL) is mandated to provide assurance of an unlimited parent company guarantee to indemnify the Government against all liabilities”; and “if the Guarantee is in place, and there is a spill then EMGL, to the extent it is unable to do so as it is largely an assetless subsidiary, then EXXON, the Parent Company comes into play.

If, however, there is no unlimited parent company guarantee, then the State is liable for all that occurs” and “at every juncture the EPA is engaged in a course of action to undermine and erode the terms and conditions of its own Permit and has relegated itself to state of laxity of enforcement and condonation and placed the nation, its citizens and the environment in grave peril and potential calamitous consequences”.

Sixth, the EPA lied in saying that I “mislead Guyana by suggesting that Exxon had in the past agreed to an unlimited parent company guarantee”.

It is so sad that the umpire and EPA do not even have the basic understanding that signing a permit means an agreement, thus, Exxon’s April 2019 signing of the permit, simply means that they have “agreed” to the term of unlimited parent company guarantee irrefutably established by Judge Kissoon, and other worldwide experts including yours truly as its author.

Respectfully, Dr. Vincent Adams

GAWU anticipates more significant achievements...

From page 06 services. We advocate for a wage increase that allows workers to meet their basic needs, support their families, and live with the dignity and respect they deserve. This issue becomes even more pressing with the Government’s intention to raise the public sector minimum wage to $100,000 per month by the end of 2025. A fair and just society must

prioritise the welfare of workers, and improving the national minimum wage is a critical step in that process. We remain steadfast in our commitment to pushing for a wage that genuinely reflects the value of workers’ labour and their economic realities.

As we move into 2025, GAWU is enthusiastic about building on our progress while preparing to tackle the challenges ahead. We look

forward to fostering increased investments in workers’ welfare, including enhanced access to healthcare, pension schemes, and training opportunities, ensuring a secure and dignified future for all workers.

Additionally, we are eager to collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement policies that promote sustainability, safeguard the environment, and equip work-

ers to adapt to climate challenges. In closing, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have supported our initiatives throughout the year. Together, we can continue to create a brighter and more equitable future for all workers in Guyana.

Regards Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

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Lack of blankets... Babies freezing to

death in winter-cold Gaza (ALJAZEERA) A 20day-old baby in Gaza has died from severe cold, the fifth such fatality from hypothermia in six days in the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave.

Jumaa al-Batran died on Sunday while his twin brother, Ali, remains in intensive care at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Gaza's Ministry of Health said in a statement. Jumaa's father, Yahya al-Batran, said his son was found with his head as “cold as ice” when he woke up on Sunday. He said the twins were born one month prematurely and spent just a day in the nursery at the hospital in Deir el-Balah, which like other health centres in Gaza has been overwhelmed and is only partially functioning due to relentless Israeli bombings.

He said doctors told their mother to keep the newborns warm but it was impossible because they live in a tent and temperatures regularly drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. “We are eight people, and we only have four blankets,” alBatran said as he cradled his s o n ' s p a l e b o d y. H e described drops of dew seeping through the tent cover overnight.

“Look at his colour because of the cold. Do you see how frozen he is?” said al-Batran, whose family has sought shelter inside a tattered tent in the city of

Ali al-Batran, a 20-day-old infant, lies in the intensive care unit with hypothermia at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP] Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. “There is no electricity.

The water is cold, and there is no gas, heating or food. … My children are dying in front of my eyes, and nobody cares. Jumaa has died, and I fear his brother Ali may follow.” Children, some of them barefoot, stood outdoors and watched Yahya mourn. The shrouded infant was laid at the feet of an imam, barely larger than his shoes. After prayers, the imam took off his anklelength coat and wrapped it around the father.

Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary said the area where the al-Batran family was sheltering is “very close to the sea and very windy”.

“There are no tarps or tents, and Jumaa's father was unable to give his children basic necessities,” she said.

“Not only are Palestinian

babies and children dying from air attacks and artillery but also from malnutrition and hypothermia.”

Is raeli forces have displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million residents of Gaza, forcing tens of thousands of them to huddle in unsuitable tents along the rainy, windswept coast in southern Gaza.

Three of the five Palestinian babies who froze to death in less than a week lived in the “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi. Marwan al-Hamas, head of field hospitals in Gaza, confirmed Jumaa's death, saying it brought to five the number of children “who have died due to severe cold” in recent days.

Ahmed Alfarra, a doctor at Al Tahreer Maternity Hospital in Khan Younis, said he sees an average of five to six cases of

Imam Islam Abu Suaied prays over the bodies of Jumaa and another baby who died at birth at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]

Yahya al-Batran grieves as he holds the body of his 20-day-old son Jumaa, who died from hypothermia, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP] hypothermia among babies every day.

“I visited the tents where these infants are living, and I saw the condition. It is miserable,” Alfaraa told Al Jazeera. Since the war began in October last year, Gaza's

residents have endured severe shortages of electricity, drinking water, food and medical services as they have been forced out of their homes and displaced – many repeatedly.

The Israeli genocide in

Gaza has killed at least 45,484 Palestinians and wounded 108,090. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 01, 2024

Wednesday January 01, 2024

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Sherfane Rutherford credits family as driving force behind career resurgence SportsMax - Tis the season for giving, and Guyanese cricketer Sherfane Rutherford has treated West Indies fans around the world to a sparkling treat with bat in hand in limited-overs cricket for 2024.

Following a breathtaking century in the opening ODI against Bangladesh, where he blasted 113 runs from 80 balls, the 26-year-old set a record of amassing the most runs in eight consecutive ODI innings by any West Indian batter.

The left-hander made his ODI debut in 2023, scoring a half-century in his second match against England in Antigua. However, it was his transformation in Sri Lanka earlier this year that truly marked his resurgence.

Known for his hardhitting ability, Rutherford registered back-to-back half centuries during the threematch series, including a match winning unbeaten 50 in the final game, which guided the West Indies to their first victory in Sri Lanka since 2005.

The Guyanese cricketer credits his resurgence to selfreflection and a shift in mindset.

“The turning point for me was asking myself a tough question: Will you

Sherfane Rutherford had a standout year in 2024. play cricket for your whole life and be basic or be the same person? I think that question changed everything for me,” Rutherford said.

He explained how this shift in approach impacted his mentality and work ethic towards the game.

“I just decided that I am going to do what others weren’t doing. I was going to work harder, improve, and find ways to better my game,” he shared.

Interestingly, Rutherford made his international debut in 2018 in a T20 international appearance,

and although being out of the fold for several years, it was his experience in the shortest format that helped shape his adaptation in the longer format.

“It’s about batsmanship.

The intensity is similar to T20s. It’s about knowing when to attack and when to hold back, making those adjustments,” Rutherford explained.

Even as he was on the fringes of the West Indies squad, the chance to represent the region rekindled a childhood dream and filled him with immense

NSC throws support behind LSU bound Malachi Austin The National Sports Commission (NSC) has thrown its support behind athletic standout Malachi Austin who is headed to the South Eastern Conference (SEC) powerhouse Louisiana State University (LSU) following him gaining of a scholarship to the leading American university.

Austin is one of Guyana’s most promising young track and field athletes and with the full athletic scholarship to LSU has set his career on an upward trajectory. LSU is one of the premier collegiate track and field programmes in the United States.

The NSC stepped in to provide the necessary assistance following a request from Austin.

Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle implored Austin to remain focused on his athletic and academic objectives, noting that several athletes in the past have departed local shores on scholarships but unfortunately fell by the wayside.

“I would go to charge you to stay focused

on your objectives and not to be distracted by the proverbial noise that comes with the territory. The country is exceptionally proud of your achievements, and we at the NSC, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and by extension the government of Guyana, will continue to support your efforts.

“You are an ambassador of this nation.”

Austin, 17, who expressed gratitude to the NSC for their prompt action and assistance, has already established himself internationally, winning a silver medal in the 400m at the Youth Commonwealth Games and winning the U20 400m title in the 2024 CARIFTA Games.

Austin is widely considered to be among the best young 400-meter prospects globally.

His accomplishments have cemented his status as a rising star, drawing interest and ultimately earning him a scholarship to NCAA powerhouse LSU, where he will now have the chance to improve his abilities and compete against some of the world’s top collegiate athletes.

pride.

“Playing for the West Indies means a lot to me because its something my parents always wanted for me. Every time I put on the maroon, it gives me that

extra boost and joy and pride, knowing I’m representing the region,” the hard-hitting left-hander noted. Rutherford’s journey hasn’t been without its obstacles. Hailing from Enmore in Guyana, as one of seven siblings, family played a significant role in his life. However, like many, he faced the heartbreaking reality of loss.

“Losing my parents was very tough. But when I lost my dad in 2022, that’s when I became a father myself.

Having a family of my own gives me strength to keep going, to keep working through setbacks, no matter the pain,” Rutherford declared.

For the strong-minded batter, his uptick in form creates an avenue to honour his parents spiritually.

“Now, it’s just about doing it for my parents. My dad loved cricket, and my

mom is a big fan as well.

Everything I achieve reflects their hard work and the sacrifices they made for me,” he stated.

By the end of 2024, Rutherford accumulated 425 runs in seven innings at an average of 106.25 and a strike rate of 120.06 with a century and four half centuries and was named the Player of the Series in the West Indies’ recent ODI series against Bangladesh.

Additionally, the 26year-old has been nominated for the ODI player of the year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following his meteoric rise.

While his career is still in the embryonic stages, the promise Rutherford has shown is a testament to grit and determination. It’s a reminder that hard work, self-belief, and resilience are the key ingredients to success at the highest level.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 01, 2025

PAGE 37

UDFA Banks DIH/ Jai Signs/ Ministry Of Culture, Youth And Sport Christmas Futsal final

Can Botafago oust Milerock for $1M title tonight?

Winners and Capital FC play for third place B

otafago will face the defending champions Milerock for $1M and the championship trophy from 10.00pm as the final of the Upper Demerara Football promoted Christmas futsal tournament ends tonight, in what should be a packed out Retrieve Hard Court in

Linden. Botafago will be up against a Milerock side which has grown in confidence after some initial rusty showing in the group stage of this championship, before rebounding to bring hope to their many supporters in the knockout out round, with the last a 8-3 thumping win over Haynes

a n d L e w i s ’ Wi n n e r s Connection. That win was a morale booster which probably signaled a return to the form which brought them this title one year ago.

It appears that their chances of repeating will hinge largely on their veteran Colwyn Drakes, who led them to that

Wednesday January 01, 2025 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Tension may be a bit high with everyone and everything you encounter today, Aries.

There will be a strong need for stability and discipline, while others call for fun and frivolity.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Remember that you're here to have fun, and happiness is your true destiny, Taurus.

Keep this in mind today, as forces may tend to pull you away from the fun you've been having.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Just when you thought you had everything planned and working smoothly, Libra, love comes in and clogs up the works. Suddenly your attention is diverted from work as the love of your life catches your eye.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your heart is going pitter-pat, Scorpio, and you're tempted to escape into a romantic fantasyland in which you play the starring role. The bad news is that something may be trying to hold you back today.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You will recognize and appreciate the need for structure and stability on a day like today, Gemini. This practical energy may work to take away some of the fun out of the equation. You may not realize it.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You may feel a bit of a strain today as you try to figure out the best way to get to where you need to be, Sagittarius.

The happy, jovial approach tells you to let loose, be courageous.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Tension may build today if you aren't careful about how you use your words, Cancer. Remember that forces are trying to push you one way and pull you another.

You may encourage a focus on the collective.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Yo u r r o m a n t i c s i d e i s powerfully charged today, Capricorn. The more you tune in to this side of your nature, the happier you will be. The one thing to watch out for is keeping at least one foot on the ground at all times.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Take a look at what's going on around you today, Leo, and do some internal processing before you reach a conclusion regarding the best way to proceed. You may find that a combination of powerful forces is trying to win you over to their camp.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Attend to your duties today, Aquarius.

There's a pronounced sense of time and a feeling that the days are slipping away.

Make sure you fit love and romance into the equation somewhere.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Watch out for a jolt in the action, Virgo, as someone close to you puts on the brakes in a relationship.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Two different sides may tug on you today, and neither one may really make a strong case for pulling you one way or the other, Pisces.

dominant 9-3 semifinal performance over Winners Connection Capital, with a five goal haul. With Drakes now showing the form and the durable Rawle ‘Boney’ Gittens guiding their march through Neil Kennedy, Kamar McLaren, Michel Jeffers and Jona Simon, all in good scoring touch, Milerock can indeed repeat.

With all to play for in this $3M promotion where $1M is at stake for the winners, Milerock would be seeking to retain this crown.

Botafago, however, would be a tough assignment for Milerock as they have shown a willingness to maintain their offensive forays throughout their campaign, which resulted with them being the most prolific goal scoring unit so far. Donovan Francis is at the helm of this onslaught by Botafago, he netted twice against Capital FC who they eliminated 8-3, and with the likes of Jamal Haynes, Malachi Tudor, Jamal Bentick and the lanky Amaniki Buntin all finding form, Milerock will be facing an uphill task this time around.

With the winners carting off $1M and the champions trophy, this should be a gripping final.

Having been denied a place in the final, Capital FC must be looking to take third place when they meet Winners Connection at 9.00pm. Earlier in the evening, there will be two matches with the first at 7.00pm between two junior male teams and the other at 8.00pm featuring a female clash. Coming on board as the major sponsors this year are beverage giants Banks DIH, through their Guinness, Banks Beer, GT Beers, RYDS Wine and Rainforest Water brands, Jai Signs and Auto Spares, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

The other supporting sports have been B. Harry’s Lumber Yard and General Store, Jermaine and Son Supermarkets, S. Jagmohan Construction, New Era Entertainment, Majors Rentals, Orin’s Supreme Construction, Kelmon Enterprise, Clive Chapman Associates, Benny King Welding and Fabricating, D. Sookram and Daughters Construction and Semple and Sons General Store.

Milerock’s Colwyn Drakes

Botafago’s Donovan Francis

Berbice River Bridge Closure to Road Traffic Sunday July 28, 2024

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 05:10hrs Monday July 29, 2024

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 05:55hrs For Ocean Going Vessels opening last 1-1½ hrs

Demerara River Bridge Closure to Road Traffic Sunday July 28, 2024

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 04:15hrs Monday July 29, 2024

For Ocean going Vessels & Trawlers 03:45hrs For Ocean Going Vessels opening last 1-1½ hrs DATE: 12/31/2024

6

9 14 17 20 21 7

5 7

3 Evening 9

DATE: 12/31/2024 Afternoon

1 8

DATE: 12/31/2024

2

6

13 16 20 DATE: 12/28/2024

2 10

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5 15 18 26 O

G.L.C. 357 Lamaha Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown Tel:226-0753. While every effort is made to ensure numbers are correct, please call the hotline for confirmation, The G.L.C. and Kaieteur News cannot be held responsible for printing errors.

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 38

Matthews, Campbell, Henry move up on year-end rankings despite ODI series loss to India SportsMax - West Indies players Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbell, and Chinelle Henry have climbed the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings following

their performances in the I C C W o m e n ’ s Championship series against India in Vadodara.

Matthews, the West Indies captain, advanced six

slots to a career-bestequalling seventh position in the batting rankings after her stunning 106 off 109 deliveries in the second match. She also moved up

two places to seventh among bowlers. Campbell rose 13 places to 52nd in the batting rankings, thanks to scores of 38 and 46 during the series.

Henry also made progress, moving up to 65th in the rankings.

India’s Deepti Sharma also made notable strides, as she is back in the top five in bowling rankings after her match-winning six for 31 in the final ODI. Her unbeaten knocks of 44 and 39 helped her climb from 33rd to 30th in the batting rankings.

Matthews and Sharma remain third and sixth among all-rounders, respectively, in a list led by South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and England’s Sophie Ecclestone finished the year as number one in batting and bowling, respectively.

Ecclestone also ended 2024 as the top bowler in T20I rankings, while Australia’s Beth Mooney and Matthews claimed the top spots in the T20I batting and all-rounder rankings, respectively.

Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbell, and ChinelleHenry have climbed the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings.

The ODI Rankings also see some other India players make notable progress.

Jemimah Rodrigues is up four places to 22nd after scores of 52 and 29, Richa Ghosh has moved up seven places to 41st with unbeaten scores of 13 and 23, and Harleen Deol is up four places to 54th after notching 115 in the second match and finishing as the highest runscorer of the series with an aggregate of 160 runs.

Seam bowler Renuka Singh Thakur is up three

places to 17th after being named the Player of the Series for her 10 wickets in three matches.

Meanwhile, India’s 3-0 series win over the West Indies solidified their thirdplace position in the ICC Women’s Championship with 31 points from 21 matches. Australia have already secured the title with 39 points from 24 matches, while England sit second with 32 points from 24 matches. West Indies are ninth with 14 points.

Trophy Stall donates trophies for Rising Sun Turf Club end of season horserace meet

T

he final Horse Race meet of the 2024/2025 horseracing season is set for today, New Year’s Day. The venue is the Rising Sun Turf Club at Arima Park, West Coast, Berbice.

Some six races are listed for the day with over $5M in cash, trophies and other goodies up for grabs.

Trophy Stall as is customary has donated trophies for the event with the wife of Proprietor Ramesh Sunich, Mrs Devi Sunich, handing over their contributions to Juliana Rickee of the organisers.

Latest information from the organisers is that close to 45 horses have taken entry. With this being the schedule end of the horseracing season the animals will be looking to put in a good showing to end on a high.

Reports are that the venue is in good condition and an exciting day of racing is anticipated.

The feature event is for animals classified A and lower over 1400m. The winner’s collection is set at a sumptuous $1.5M and trophy. The event is expected to be a stormy contest with a number of top horses entered to

contest. The likes of Beckham James, Stormy Entry, Bossolina, John Bull, Stolen Money, Spankhurst and Stormy Victory will be looking to race away with the top money and trophy.

The three-year-old event for Horses Bred and Born in Guyana and the West Indies has a winner’s take of $500,000 and trophy over 1400M. There is a race for G2 and lower animals for the winner’s purse of $ 400,000 and trophy over 1100M. Horses running in the race for horses classified J and K will see the winner racing away with $350,000 and trophy.

The K class non winners and L class open horses will race has the winnings set at $300,000 and trophy.

The final event on the days programme is for L class none winners. The pole position taking is set at $250,000 and trophy.

Outstanding individual performers will be presented with trophies and other accolades including champion jockey and trainer compliments of Ramesh Sunich proprietor of Trophy Stall.

Race time is 13:00 hr. (Samuel Whyte)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 01, 2025

PAGE 39

Sherfane Rutherford credits family as driving force behind career resurgence SportsMax - Tis the season for giving, and Guyanese cricketer Sherfane Rutherford has treated West Indies fans around the world to a sparkling treat with bat in hand in limited-overs cricket for 2024.

Following a breathtaking century in the opening ODI against Bangladesh, where he blasted 113 runs from 80 balls, the 26-year-old set a record of amassing the most runs in eight consecutive ODI innings by any West Indian batter.

The left-hander made his ODI debut in 2023, scoring a half-century in his second match against England in Antigua. However, it was his transformation in Sri Lanka earlier this year that truly marked his resurgence.

Known for his hardhitting ability, Rutherford registered back-to-back half centuries during the threematch series, including a match winning unbeaten 50 in the final game, which guided the West Indies to their first victory in Sri Lanka since 2005.

The Guyanese cricketer credits his resurgence to selfreflection and a shift in mindset.

“The turning point for me was asking myself a tough question: Will you

Sherfane Rutherford had a standout year in 2024. play cricket for your whole life and be basic or be the same person? I think that question changed everything for me,” Rutherford said.

He explained how this shift in approach impacted his mentality and work ethic towards the game.

“I just decided that I am going to do what others weren’t doing. I was going to work harder, improve, and find ways to better my game,” he shared.

Interestingly, Rutherford made his international debut in 2018 in a T20 international appearance,

and although being out of the fold for several years, it was his experience in the shortest format that helped shape his adaptation in the longer format.

“It’s about batsmanship.

The intensity is similar to T20s. It’s about knowing when to attack and when to hold back, making those adjustments,” Rutherford explained.

Even as he was on the fringes of the West Indies squad, the chance to represent the region rekindled a childhood dream and filled him with immense

NSC throws support behind LSU bound Malachi Austin The National Sports Commission (NSC) has thrown its support behind athletic standout Malachi Austin who is headed to the South Eastern Conference (SEC) powerhouse Louisiana State University (LSU) following him gaining of a scholarship to the leading American university.

Austin is one of Guyana’s most promising young track and field athletes and with the full athletic scholarship to LSU has set his career on an upward trajectory. LSU is one of the premier collegiate track and field programmes in the United States.

The NSC stepped in to provide the necessary assistance following a request from Austin.

Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle implored Austin to remain focused on his athletic and academic objectives, noting that several athletes in the past have departed local shores on scholarships but unfortunately fell by the wayside.

“I would go to charge you to stay focused

on your objectives and not to be distracted by the proverbial noise that comes with the territory. The country is exceptionally proud of your achievements, and we at the NSC, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and by extension the government of Guyana, will continue to support your efforts.

“You are an ambassador of this nation.”

Austin, 17, who expressed gratitude to the NSC for their prompt action and assistance, has already established himself internationally, winning a silver medal in the 400m at the Youth Commonwealth Games and winning the U20 400m title in the 2024 CARIFTA Games.

Austin is widely considered to be among the best young 400-meter prospects globally.

His accomplishments have cemented his status as a rising star, drawing interest and ultimately earning him a scholarship to NCAA powerhouse LSU, where he will now have the chance to improve his abilities and compete against some of the world’s top collegiate athletes.

pride.

“Playing for the West Indies means a lot to me because its something my parents always wanted for me. Every time I put on the maroon, it gives me that

extra boost and joy and pride, knowing I’m representing the region,” the hard-hitting left-hander noted. Rutherford’s journey hasn’t been without its obstacles. Hailing from Enmore in Guyana, as one of seven siblings, family played a significant role in his life. However, like many, he faced the heartbreaking reality of loss.

“Losing my parents was very tough. But when I lost my dad in 2022, that’s when I became a father myself.

Having a family of my own gives me strength to keep going, to keep working through setbacks, no matter the pain,” Rutherford declared.

For the strong-minded batter, his uptick in form creates an avenue to honour his parents spiritually.

“Now, it’s just about doing it for my parents. My dad loved cricket, and my

mom is a big fan as well.

Everything I achieve reflects their hard work and the sacrifices they made for me,” he stated.

By the end of 2024, Rutherford accumulated 425 runs in seven innings at an average of 106.25 and a strike rate of 120.06 with a century and four half centuries and was named the Player of the Series in the West Indies’ recent ODI series against Bangladesh.

Additionally, the 26year-old has been nominated for the ODI player of the year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following his meteoric rise.

While his career is still in the embryonic stages, the promise Rutherford has shown is a testament to grit and determination. It’s a reminder that hard work, self-belief, and resilience are the key ingredients to success at the highest level.

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Flying Ace Cycle Club extend thanks to GOG and Corporate community …A Journey Fueled by Support Local cycling has been making enormous strides in Guyana in recent years. With the Government of Guyana (GoG) spearheading initiatives through the Ministry of Sports and its One Guyana Initiatives, the sport is experiencing a significant revival. From the largest-ever allocation of funds for sports development at the last national budget to hosting the prestigious Caribbean Cycling Championship, cycling has regained its momentum as a celebrated discipline on the local scene.

The cycling fraternity concluded a robust and competitive calendar year, marked by notable achievements both locally and internationally. Clubs across the nation successfully hosted their events, providing ample opportunities for youngsters, senior riders, and female cyclists to demonstrate their prowess and passion.

The Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC), regarded as the engine room of the local cycling community, has particularly benefited from this resurgence. Expressing profound gratitude, the club’s executive and former President of the Guyana Cycling Federation Linden Dowridge, extended heartfelt thanks to the GoG and the business community for their unwavering support

throughout the year.

“As an executive at the FACC, I take this time to extend my warmest holiday greetings to you and your loved ones,” Dowridge shared. “The holiday season, being a time of reflection and gratitude, gives us a chance to recognize just how deeply we appreciate your angelic gesture of sponsorship and your general support to cycling. Without your contributions, cycling may have been dormant. Because of your generosity, the fraternity is enthusiastic about the 2025 season.”

Acknowledging Our Supporters The club’s achievements this year were made possible by the concerted efforts of various government representatives and corporate sponsors. Among the notable individuals whose support propelled the club forward, includes; Advisor to the President: Mr. Neil Kumar, Minister of Sport: Honourable Mr. Charles Ramson, President of the Guyana Olympic Association: Mr. Godfrey Munroe, Director of Sport: Mr. Steve Ninvalle, National Sports Commission (NSC) Member: Cristy Campbell, NSC Staff: Ms. Fiona Hamilton.

The club also extends heartfelt appreciation to its generous sponsors, whose contributions sustained its

Flashback! Linden Dowridge alongside GCF officials meeting with Commander in Chief, H.E Ifraan Ali and Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr.

operations and events; Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Ltd, Demerara Distillers Limited, Payless Variety Store, Archway Snackette and Restaurant Farm Supplies Limited, Manager Mr. Dale Vansluytman, Mr. Jacob Rambarran of R&R International, Ray Singh Document Centre, Sukhdeo Lumberyard, Bath Village, Brian and Sons General Store, Raj and Daughters General Store, Crawford Trucking Service, Bentley Cycle Store, Arokium Funeral Home, Persaud Funeral Home, Home Designs and Associates, Sukhpaul Gas Station, Shafeela Sawmill,

Crabwood Creek, Vishal Singh and Sons Sawmill, Crabwood Creek.

Additional thanks go to Raj Motorcycle and General Store, Mr. Lennox Cush and team at Star Party Rentals, Universal Auto, Mr. Garvin Jeffrey of Automotive Art, Mr. Bishwa Panday of P&P Insurance Brokers, The Macedo Family, Mr. Carlos Mendonça, Mr. Rayad Boyce, Neiland Conrad G o m e s , M r. Ty r o n e Hamilton, Mr. Royston Anderson, David Persaud and family, The Beacon Café, A. Ally and Sons, and international supporters such as Mr. Monty Davis, Mr. Victor Rutherford, Mr.

Grateful! Linden Dowridge Flying Ace executive (right), receiving sponsorship from P&P Insurance Director, Vikash Panday.

Gordon Kennedy, and others.

As the Flying Ace Cycle Club reflects on a fruitful 2024 season, it is with ambitious hope that it looks

forward to 2025. The club aims to continue its development through enhanced events, programmes, and infrastructure.

Asher-Smith, Hodgkinson and Johnson-Thompson rewarded with MBE in King’s new year honours list

Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson have been rewarded with an MBE in the King’s new year honours list.

SportsMax - Keely Hodgkinson, Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina JohnsonThompson have been rewarded with an MBE in the King’s new year honours list.

The trio have all won global titles in the past with Hodgkinson winning gold at this year ’s Paris Olympics.

“It’s so amazing to be recognised and to have been given this award,” Hodgkinson told Athletics Weekly.

“This year has been incredibly special for so many

reasons and it’s such a nice surprise to have been honoured in this way.

Bring on 2025.”

Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold a t t h e Wo r l d Championships in 2 0 1 9 and 2023 and has been honoured after a year that saw her win Olympic silver in Paris.

Asher-Smith won a world 200m title in 2019 and is t h e B r i t i s h record-holder for both 100m and 200m.

Those same World Championships saw Asher-Smith win 100m silver as well.

Wednesday January 01, 2025

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ROWLEY NOT HAPPY ‘Disappointed’ by board no-shows; rejects disbanding talk LISTEN, HERE: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, left, makes a point during a panel discussion on the final day of the two-day Caricom Regional Cricket Conference at Hyatt Regency, Trinidad. At right is Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley while moderator Jamal Slocombe is centre. (Photo: Curtis Chase) (Daily Express) - The refusal of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to attend a Cricket West Indies meeting on governance reform is not sitting well with chairman of the Caricom Sub-Committee on cricket, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

“The closing of the year on that score was not a good thing,” PM Rowley said on Saturday’s ISport programme on i95FM. On December 6, the two territorial boards did not send representatives to the planned shareholders meeting which was described as “pivotal.” The meeting was to vote on implementing governance reforms recommended by t h e We h b y R e p o r t , a document compiled by a group headed by Jamaican business executive Don Wehby.

The meeting failed to come off because the required quorum was not met.In a subsequent statement, the two boards stated in part that “the BCA and GCB rejected the Wehby Report on the basis that it seeks to relinquish power from the territorial boards.”

Saying that he was “disappointed” that there was no quorum, Rowley stated that, “this signals a reluctance on the part of the establishment in current West Indies cricket to engage the issue and to take hard decisions.”

The Prime Minister added: “I’m afraid that what is appearing to be coming up on the surface is that some people who can influence the outcome are prepared to have the current arrangements remain in place even though we acknowledge that they are not delivering as we would like (them) to...”

Rowley reasoned: “Even though we do not have 100% agreement, what we have agreement on, we could move forward with or, when we acknowledge a problem,

that we try to find a way to move forward with.”

However, the T&T PM did not think that there was governmental influence on the positions of the GCB and BCA. “I don’t think there is any underlying strategic planning on the part of the (governmental) leadership. I think it has more to do with the Cricket West Indies itself and its membership; the territorial leaders where certain strong-willed individuals believe that this direction is not right.” But, he stressed, “the place to do that is at the meeting.”

Adding also that, “there is no attempt by Caricom to run West Indies cricket,” he said Caribbean leaders can only use “moral suasion” with the CWI decisionmakers.

“We want to encourage people in this period or great risk and possible good rewards to get to the table, take the assistance that is available, work as one body.

Nobody is going to respect West Indies cricket if we are fractured at the level of the management of the game,” he said.

No sense to disbanding And the Prime Minister used stronger words to describe the recent suggestion by former chairman of world governing body ICC Greg Barclay that it may be time for West Indies to be disbanded as a cricketplaying entity, describing it as “tomfoolery.”

“I’ve never heard more nonsense,” he said, adding: “As a matter of fact, the West Indies as a team is a unique entity in World cricket and the fact that we have dominated the game for two decades should indicate that the model does work, and we don’t need any advice from anybody telling us that the way to go is with 13 different countries.”

Rowley added: “What they really trying to encourage us to do is to get out, because they are aiming to form an elite group

of...cricket-playing countries and you will be

ranked by your performance and therefore West Indies’ history would come to nought. And rather than try to aspire to where we achieved, we should go down in Division Three or Division Four and scratch

our way down there among newcomers.”

He said: “We must reject that...At Caricom we have taken a decision that...West Indies has played a role and we’ve paid our dues and we need to be treated with more

respect and have more resources from the ICC, so that we can get those resources to bring our game into line with what is required in today’s sport and not to abandon our great legacy and our great record.”

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday January 01, 2025

Golf action returns to Nexgen Golf Academy Jan 2 2025 The Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue.

2025 will start with a bang for golfers as the Nexgen Golf Academy will host 4 days of golfing activities and training commencing Jan 2-5 at the Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue.

Additionally, on Sunday Jan 5th, the Westside Golf Course will host a $100,000

cash prize Hole-in-One Challenge on the only island green in the country.

The 134-yard shot will challenge the best of golfers as their shot must take water into consideration on 3 sides of the green and also take into account the gusty Atlantic winds. Beginners will have a 95-yard shot, which though much shorter, will still require luck and skills to conquer.

Westside Golf Course boasts an open-air deck over water with a full service bar and low priced yet upscale food menu.

It is conveniently located just off the new highway at the Vreed-en-Hoop/Crane Roundabout.

According to Philip Haynes, General Manager of Nexgen Golf Operations, “We expect a fully packed

year of activities with events and tournaments for all ages, beginners and advanced players.

Participants can look forward to phenomenal prize packages, trophies and outstanding service which has set Nexgen Golf above all competitors.”

For more information on the upcoming events or future activities, contact 645 0944 or visit Nexgen Golf Academy on Facebook and Instagram.

Goff stars as Lions come from behind to beat 49ers Jared Goff joined the Detroit Lions from the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

(Getty Images)

BBC Sport - Jared Goff threw for three touchdowns and 303 yards as the Detroit Lions came from behind to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 40-34 in California.

The 30-year-old quarterback completed 26 of his 34 passes, finding Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St Brown for touchdowns as the Lions made it 14 wins from 16 games this season.

On Sunday, the Lions host the Minnesota Vikings, who also have a 14-2 record, to decide the winners of the NFC North and which of them will be the NFC top seed and get a first-round bye in the play-offs.

The Lions’ victory over the 49ers was a level of revenge for last season’s NFC Championship defeat, which prevented them from appearing in their first Super Bowl.

Brock Purdy, the 49ers quarterback, passed for a career-high 377 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score.

However, he was intercepted twice in the second half after his side led 21-13 at half-time.

The 49ers, beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 Super Bowl, have failed to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2020 season

Wednesday January 01, 2025

Kaieteur News

PAGE 43

Keeping a close eye on Horse Racing in 2025 Hear Me Out

Rawle Toney

Spo

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Milerock FC

Botofago FC

UDFA Banks DIH/ Jai Signs/ Ministry Of Culture, Youth And Sport Christmas Futsal final

Can Botafago oust Milerock for $1M title tonight? Winners and Capital FC play for third place NSC throws support behind LSU bound Malachi Austin Director of Sports Steve Ninvalle (right) makes a presentation to Malachai Austin recently at his office

Mrs Sunich, at left, makes the presentation to Juliana Rickee, a representative of the organisers

Trophy Stall donates trophies for Rising Sun Turf Club end of season horserace meet Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.