Kaieteur News

GuyanareceivedUS$1.4BofUS$9.3B

oilmoneyinfirst6monthsof2024

During the first six monthsof2024,theStabroek

B l o c k g e n e r a t e d approximately US$9.3B in revenue of which US$1.4B was deposited to the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), the country'soilaccount.

In a Notice published in the Official Gazette on Friday, as required by the NRF Act of 2021, the

Ministry of Finance published the receipts of all petroleumrevenuespaidinto the Fund during second quarter of this year (March 29,2024toJune30,2024).

According to the Notice, atotalofUS$778Mwaspaid during the period Meanwhile, in the first quarter, Guyana received US$604M. This means the countryreceivedUS$1.4Bin thefirsthalfof2024fromthe total revenue of US$9.3B generated in the Stabroek Block.

(bpd). ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of the Stabroek Block has three Floating Production, Storage and Offloading(FPSO)vesselsin operation- the Liza Destiny, LizaUnityandProsperity

Atanaverageoilpriceof US$80 per barrel, the block generated US$51M per day, equivalent to US$9 3B duringthefirstsixmonthsof the year D

ring the presentation of this year's Budget, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh revealed that there will be 202liftsofcrudeoilfromthe Stabroek Block, 25 of which a r e e s t

d f o r Government. With each lift being approximately one million barrels, Guyana's entitlement this year is 25 millionbarrelsofcrude. Consequently, earnings

estimated oil revenue deposits to about US$2.3B for2024.Thisfigurepalesin comparison to the massive earnings of ExxonMobil and its co-venturers in the StabroekBlock.

The Stabroek Block production sharing agreement(PSA)entitlesthe oilcompaniesto177million barrels or 177 lifts. These liftsincludecrudemostlyfor cost recovery, and some for profit oil. To this end, oil companies are projected to cart off with US$14B in oil revenue at an average oil priceofUS$80perbarrel.

The contract entitles Exxon to deduct 75% of the monthlyrevenuestooffsetits investmentsintheblock.The remaining25%isthenshared with Guyana as profits meaningthecountryreceives 12.5% and an additional 2% asroyalty

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

Publisher: DR. GLENN LALL - TEL: 624-6456

Editor-In-Chief: NIGEL WILLIAMS

Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Monthly oil revenues

US$1.5B is real money, and when that is Guyana’s oil revenuespermonth,thenithasaspecialsparkle. US$1.5B a month in oil revenues from Guyana’s three fully operationaloilprojectsisGY$300billionamonthandmost Guyaneseareaskingthemselveswherethatkindofmoney is going. Theyalso ask how so little, mostly none; of it is comingtheirway WhetherthemoremanageableUS$1.5B orthemindbogglingmouthfulthatisGY$300Bamonth,it iswhatconfirmswhereGuyanaasanoilproducingnation is,andforthatthereisjoy Attheotherendofthespectrum, thereistheobscenitythatconfirmsthemeagersliceofthat monthlyamountthatflowstoGuyana,andthehorriblestate inwhichthatleavesdrovesofGuyanese.

Themonthlyrevenueispre-expensedeductionsakacost recovery Just like that 75% vanishes, and few Guyanese knowforwhat,andhowmuchofsuchhassomeconnection to this country’s oil operations. When cost recovery from thetopofrevenuesstandsat75%,thenUS$1.125Bisgone with the wind, before any local could count from one to three. The US$375M (GY$75B) that remains is still a considerablesumforapoorcountrylikeGuyana,andsome issues are not going away What is happening with the GY$37.5B, Guyana’s half share, earned monthly? Also, why is the PPPC Government not taking a single step to remedywhatmustbeamongthemost,ifnotthemost,onesidedcontractrelationshipinexistence? Whyisitnotdoing so, when this was what was promised by the same PPPC whenitwasintheranksofthepoliticalOpposition,whenits erstwhile leaders, none more than Bharrat Jagdeo, championed jumping all over the 2016 ExxonMobil oil contract,andchangingit?

WeknowthatGuyana’sshareofitsoilincomeisbeing depositedintotheNaturalResourcesFund(NRF)heldata bank in NewYork. After that, the PPPC Government has beenstudiousininformingcitizenswhenandhowmuchit has withdrawn from the NRF. Thereafter, the mystery begins,anditishowthepreciousoilmoneyofthepeopleis beingspent. Itisalreadylittletobeginwith,andforthereto besuspenseandwhatmanyGuyanesebelievetoreekofthe suspiciousandthesinister,simplymadeanunacceptableset ofcircumstancesbitterandindigestible. Thesearethekinds ofpracticesthattearsocietiesapart.

Iraq stands as one alarming example, with other ones dotted through parts of Africa and around this Latin Americanregion.

Something else has been hammered into the heads of Guyanesesooftenthattheyhavenofeelingleft. Theyare the richest people in the world. The calculations of the expertsdonotlie,noraretheyintendedtotease,fortheyare true. Thismeansthattherichestpeopleintheworldeither aretheunluckiestintheworld,ortheyarethemostreckless. To explain, they are the most reckless in that they are the mostunconcernedaboutthedispositionoftheiroilprofits. They remain passive and contented when they get only a driphereandatinierdroponthoseotheroccasionswhena compassionate spirit stirs their government’s decisionmakers. The unluckiest is likely closer to the true state of Guyanese because they have a government, and they have leaders who are the biggest, dumbest cats to be found anywhere. ThepeoplefromExxonMobilspeakandallthat the leaders in the PPPC Government and the extended opposition are willing to do is nod their heads in abject surrender

ExxonMobil’s Vice President and Business Services Manager, Phillip Rietema, was the one who regurgitated what’s in black and white. “At current prices, which you can see reflected in our financial report, the revenue generatedisoverUS$1.5Bamonthcurrently.” Weshould befightingformore,butenergiesarewastedkeepingeach otherdown. GuyaneseshouldseeExxonMobilforwhatit is, and it is not a true, trusted partner Not with this much revenuemonthly,notwithexpensebillionsasecret,andnot withGuyana’spaltrysharethatlocksmostGuyaneseinan impoverishedstate.

When the Cost of a Barrel of Oil is US$40.00 or less, Guyana Oil Revenue Must Increase

DEAREDITOR, Thanks are extended to Mr Phillip Rietema, Vice President and Business

Servic

Limited(EMGL),whomade two important statements abouttheperformanceofthe Oil company in Guyana. In the first statement published

i

r N e w s (https://wwwkaieteurnewso nline com/2024/07/02/exxo ns-guyana-operationssecure-with-us40-perbarrel-breakeven-point-

president-of-emgl/), it is reported that Mr Rietema said that oil prices, ‘…went (down) from US$100 to

US$80.In2020,itwasdown toUS$40. Sotheseprojects,theyall have costs of supply under $40 a barrel ’ This information by Mr Rietema supports the idea that Guyana is a low cost producer; and confirms that this low production cost is observed in the published consolidated 2023 financial statements for the consortium of the three companies (EMGL, Hess and CNOOC), where the averagecostofabarrelofoil was estimated at US$34.97 (KN:https://www.kaieteurne wsonline.com/2024/07/01/is -there-a-shortfall-in-royaltyand-profits-in-2023/). In the second statement, it is reported that Mr Rietema notedthat“Atcurrentprices, the revenue generated is

over 1.5 billion US dollars a month currently, ”

(KN.https://www.kaieteurne wsonline com/2024/07/03/g uyanas-oil-generating-us15b-a-month-from-threepro

cts-exx

-vicepresident/),forecastingatotal of US$18 0 billion in r

venue for 2024 Consequently, Guyana’s share in keeping with the Prod

ion Sharing Agreement (PSA) at 14.5 percentoftotalrevenue(TR) is US$2 61 billion, distributed as royalty equal to US$360.0 million(2% of TR); and profit equal to US$2.25 billion(12.5% of TR).

The share of total revenue projected to be earned by the consortium is US$15.39billionor85.5 (Continuedonpage 06)

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Government’s ‘war’ on Cervical Cancer Hunte FumblesYetAgain

DEAREDITOR

According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is preventable and curable, providingitisdetectedearly and managed effectively

Thebigshockisthatitisthe 4th most common form of cancer among women worldwide, with the disease claiming the lives of almost 350000womenin2022.

And get this! Few diseases reflect global inequitiesasmuchascancer ofthecervix.

The stats show that nearly94%ofthedeathsin 2022 occurred in low- and middle-income countries

Thisiswheretheburdenof cervical cancer is greatest, because access to public health services is limited and screening and treatment for the disease have not been widely implemented

This where I make my point and heap kudos on the Government of Guyana, as some211,000womenareset to be screened for the said cervicalcancerby2030.

Dr Frank Anthony, MinisterofHealth,heralded this great venture, explaining that it is “In k e e p i n g w i t h t h e commitments made in Budget 2024, (and thus) several Memorandums

o f U n d e r s t a n d i n g (MoUs) (were signed), with various partners, to providetargetedmembersof the population with vouchersforcervicalcancer and eye tests (as) This Government-led initiative is aimedatenhancingaccessto healthcareforcitizens.”

From my reading, I see that it is really a twinpackage,coming“Underthe agreement (of) two programmes, the National Eye Screening Programme and the HPV Screening Programme, which will be soon be launched.

And staying with the Cervical Cancer Screening, the Health Minister noted that approximately 211,000 women,betweentheagesof 21 and 65, will be facilitated for screening by the Government’s provision of a voucher worth $8,000eachwoman.

Addingtothislargesseis the quality and expanse of the programme as “… the Ministry has partnered with

several private agencies to administer the HPV tests, whichincludediagnosisand treatment plans aimed to cover 70 per cent of the femalepopulation.”

The injection to make this a reality will come from the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital, Eureka Labs, and Woodlands Hospital

Editor, this moment must not be lost Cervical cancerisserious

The Government is making the effort, and it stands to reason that the womenmustcapitalise

I recall in May 2018, the World H ealth

Organisation DirectorGeneral announced a global call for action to eliminate cervical cancer, underscoring renewed political will to make elimination a reality and c a l l i n g f o r a l l

stakeholders to unite behind this common and veryimportantgoal

Then in August 2020, theWorld HealthAssembly adoptedtheGlobalStrategy for cervical cancer elimination

Indeed “Now is the time to act to eliminate cervical cancer as a public healthproblem.”

And to do so, all countries must reach and maintainanincidencerateof below4per100000women.

Achievingthatgoalrests onthreekeypillarsandtheir corresponding targets: vaccination, screening and treatment.

AsIsaidbefore,cervical cancerisgenerallyviewedas treatable and curable, particularlyifitisdiagnosed whenthecancerisinanearly stage.

Yourtruly, HargeshB.Singh

DEAREDITOR

,

The Ministry of Natural Resources feels compelled to address the misleading assertions made by Kenrick Hunte in his Letter to the Editor,“Isthereashortfallin Royalty and Profits in 2023?” published in Kaieteur News on July 1, 2024.

Hunte’s so-called “analysis” of the 2023 financial statements from ExxonMobil Guyana Limited, Hess Guyana Exploration Limited, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, is fundamentally flawed.Heattemptstoargue a shortfall in Guyana’s oil revenues, but his arguments are built on erroneous a s s u m p t i o n s a n d misunderstandings.

The most egregious of Hunte’s mistakes is his confusion between the Stabroek Block Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) and the financial statements of the companies. Guyana does not “profit” in the

conventional sense, as it doesnotfinanciallyinvestin offshore exploration and development like these companies do Thus, Guyanahasnobalancesheet to derive traditional profits from.Profit,asderivedfrom financial statements, should not be conflated with the ‘Profit Oil’ mechanism outlined in the Stabroek BlockPSA.

The PSA dictates how petroleum is distributed between Guyana and the companies, wh

as financial statements merely reflect the companies’ financial performance. To put it bluntly, Guyana’s revenue from its Profit Oil entitlement is not a straightforward 50% of the companies’profits.

Hunte’s numbers are not just wrong; they are pure fiction.Heclaimscombined revenues for Hess and CNOOC are US$1 58 trillion,wheninreality,they are $1 25 trillion Discrepancies also arise from his fundamental misunderstanding of the differentaccountingsystems involved.

The Ministry of Natural Resources calls on the public, journalists, and commentators to ensure theirreportsareaccurateand well-informed The local mediaspaceisoversaturated (Continuedonpage06)

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has clarified that Guyana will always benefit more than the companies,giventhatProfit Oil is split 50-50, plus Guyana receives a 2% royalty on all crude producedandsold.

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Hunte FumblesYetAgain...

Frompage05

w i t h i l l - i n f o r m e d commentary on the oil and gas sector, particularly concerning the Stabroek Block PSA and its fiscal terms. Media outlets have a duty to ensure the opinions andanalysestheypublishare coherentandfactual.

Commentators should familiarize themselves with Guyana’s petroleum laws,

including the Petroleum Activities Act and the Natural Resource FundAct. Theyshouldalsoconsultthe monthly and quarterly reports of the Natural Resource Fund and review the financial statements of the companies involved in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.

Only then can they provide informed and

intelligent judgments about thesector

Any economist or financial analyst worth their credibility should honour their profession and the intelligenceoftheGuyanese public by avoiding simplistic and uninformed commentary on the nation’s oilandgassector Ministry of Natural Resources

Frompage04

percentoftotalrevenue

However, this PSA calculation is not the methodology that should be employed to measure Guyana’s share of total revenue; instead, Guyana’s share of revenue must be constructed on the cost of a barrelofoilatUS$40.00,as announced by Mr Rietema, who has access to accurate information.Now,assuming that an average price of a barrelofoilisUS$80.00asit w a s i n 2 0 2 3 (https://wwweia gov/todayi nenergy/detail.php?id=6114

2)and the projected total revenue is US$18.0 billion, thisimpliesthat225million barrels of oil (US$18 0 billion/ US$80 00 per barrel)willbesoldin2024 Given that the cost of producing a barrel of oil is US$40 00 or lower, it can therefore be derived that profits will be higher than the PSA 75 percent cost method For example, the totalcost(TC)ofproducing 225 million barrels of oil is US$9 0 billion, assuming an average cost of US$40 00 per barrel, as indicated by Mr Rietema

Since total revenue is US$18 0 billion and total cost is US$9 0 billion, this implies that profits will be US$9 0billion(Profit=TR –

TC = US$18 0 billionUS$9 0 billion = US$9 0 billion)

Therefore,Guyanaprofit share at 50 percent of US$9.0 billion is US$4.5 billion; and this amount is larger than the profit share under the PSA model by US$2.25billion(Table2). Additionally, applying the cost of a barrel of oil at US$40.00, Guyana’s share of

total revenue increases from US$ 2.61 billion to US$4.86 billion, signaling an increase in the share of total revenue to 27 percent, compared with the 14 5 percent under the PSA Consequently,thisisamuch better deal for Guyana; and policymakers need to use Mr Rietema’s cost of production methodology thatgeneratedtheUS$40.00 per barrel; instead of the PSA method in which the averagecostofabarrelofoil (ACBO) is specified as ACBO=0.75(Price)=0.75 ( U S $ 8 0 0 0 ) = US$60.00.This shows that ACBO in the PSA is US$20 00 higher than it should be (US$60US$40.00=US$20.00);and itisbeingusedtofundother activities, due to no ringfencing; and as such, it reduces Guyana profit share by at least US$10.00 for everybarrelofoilsold. Equally troubling is the notion that Guyana pays the taxes for the consortium from its share of its oil revenue(PSA,Article15.4). And not surprisingly, this expected fake tax payment of US$2.052 billion will be

more than five times the expected royalty (US$360.0 million) to be collected in 2024,giventhe2023taxrate of 11 4 percent of total revenue. Undoubtedly, this outcome of the taxes (US$2.052 billion) paid by the government being large than the royalty (US$360.0 million)is a clear signal of a lopsided contract, for as more projects come stream to exhaust the known 11 billion barrels of oil, along with no ring-fencing, and Guyana paying the taxes of the consortium, with the averagecostofabarrelofoil being tied to the price of barrelofoil,Guyana’sshare of revenue will not substantially increase, if at all.Consequently,collecting a fair share of total revenue mustoccurwhenproduction isexpanding;andthattimeis now In contrast, to do so whenoutputisfallinginthe declining years of production is irrational behavior Incidentally, it reported that oil production will be around for at least twentyyears.Whilethismay be so, may I remind Guyanese that the oil in some wells will be

exhausted long before that time and no extra revenue will be obtained from those earlyprojects,givennoringfencing. For example, it is reported that Liza 1 has a profitable supply of 450 million barrels of oil and its official extraction rate is 120,000perday,yieldingan annual production of 43.8 million barrels per year Therefore,theprofitablelife ofLiza1is10.27years(450 million/43.8 million) And since the consortium has ramped up production beyond the safety limit of 120,000 barrels per day, the lifeoftheprojectwillbeless than10years;andthiscanbe done with the other projects as well. Hence, getting our fairshareofrevenuetodayis in our best interest, for a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow, especially when there are tremendous uncertainties in the oil sector So, wake up Guyana before our oil, one of our non-renewable resources, is exhausted; for thetimetoobtainafairshare isnow!

Dr.C.KenrickHunte Professor and Former Ambassador WhentheCostofaBarrelof

STOP WINDOW

DRESSING FOR EXXON

To all local leaders: stop window dressing for Exxon.

Stop dancing around.

Stop conspiring with a predatory company.

Stop covering up what hurts Guyanese.

To the PPPC, PNCR,AFC: Stop the window dressing with this oil.

Take up window washing, or house painting.

Please stop misleading Guyanese.

Setting them up, then letting them down.

BLUNT

BLUNT

Guyanese leaders and their position on renegotiation of Exxon’s contract

The renegotiation of Guyana’s Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) has been a contentious issue, drawing varied responses from the country’s politicalleaders.

This article delves into the positions held by key figures, as it relates to the PSA signed in 2016 with ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Who signed the deal?

Former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, duringhistenureundertheAPNU+ AFC Coalition government between 2015 and 2020, was the one who signed the deal in 2016

questionfromKaieteurNewsabout with Exxon. The deal Trotman whether Guyana should consider signed waives all taxes from the oil Trinidad and Tobago’s offer to companies, gives Guyana a 2% assistinrenegotiatingthecontract. royalty on its rich resources, and Norton emphasised that while agrees to the oil companies Guyana should be open to utilizing recovering 75% of investments advice from other nations, he beforetheremaining25%isshared, rejectstheterm“renegotiation”due with Guyana receiving 12.5%. The to its implications, stating, “no one arrangement, with the lack of ring- is going to choose the language we fencing, sees Guyana paying for useonthisquestion.” projects that are yet to commence

Norton clarified that he production activities. Each month, advocates for using legal bills from future producing provisions within the existing developments are added to the list contract to engage ExxonMobil for ofexpensestobecost-recoveredby better terms without formally Exxon. reopening negotiations He

Notably, last year Trotman highlighted the importance of emerged as a vocal advocate for respecting the “sanctity of renegotiation. In his book titled contracts” under international law, ‘From Destiny to Prosperity’, was published in the Stabroek renegotiating the existing PSA. In citing the principle of sanctity of indicating that his stance is Trotman criticized the terms he News. an interview with the BBC, Ali contracts and the potential legal informedbythoroughdiscussions. negotiated, describing them as The Addendum for which this acknowledged criticisms that the ramifications of altering terms Trinidad’s Minister of Energy, unfavorable to Guyana’s interests. newspaper has secured a copy, deal skewed benefits in favor of unilaterally - the only person in the Stuart Young, had offered T&T’s He publicly supported revisiting states that the parties engaged in ExxonMobil, stating, “We did not PPPcamp that has taken a different expertise in renegotiating the agreement to secure more discussions and “in the interest of havethebestofdeals.” positionisformerPresidentDonald contracts, citing their successful equitable benefits for the country the avoidance of all doubt, the Despite recognizing the deal’s Ramotar experience in the gas industry Despite his advocacy, Trotman’s parties have come to a mutual and shortcomings, Ali underscored the Ramotar has publicly said that Norton acknowledged such offers calls for renegotiation were met satisfactory agreement that the importance of upholding the he would have renegotiated the of assistance while asserting with resistance from the current payment of royalty pursuant to sanctityofcontracts,asserting,“We lopsided deal. “It’s better to fight G

administration.

Article 15 6 of the Petroleum cannotgobackandrenegotiate.” thannottofightatall,”hesaid. determining its approach to PSAamended before Agreement shall be borne solely by The People’s Progressive Party The former head-of-state has managingitsoilresources. In 2019, the Coalition the Contractor.” It goes on to state (PPP/C) has consistently dispelled described the current contract as AFC leader Nigel Hughes government approached the Exxon that “the said royalty payment shall claims that they promised to detrimental, depriving Guyana of Nigel Hughes, prominent consortium, and successfully not be recoverable cost, in any renegotiate the Stabroek Block vital resources, and expressed his attorney and newly elected leader renegotiated a critical fiscal manner or formulation under the PSA,whileinopposition. willingness to renegotiate for the of the AFC has taken a cautious element. PetroleumAgreement.” Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo country’sbenefit. stance regarding the contentious

According to Addendum No. 1 Annex C of the PSA, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo He said, “I am one of the issue of renegotiating the oil deal. to the Petroleum Agreement dated specifically subsection 3.3 titled has been equally steadfast in his persons who believes that the Days before his election as leader April 26, 2019, it was evident that “Costs not recoverable under the opposition to renegotiating the c o n t r a c t i s a v e r y b a d Hughesdeclinedtocommentonthe the named parties were in agreement” was then modified and ExxonPSA. contract…that deprives us of a lot potential renegotiation of the agreementthatthecontractallowed amended to also include: (h) Jagdeo, a key figure in ofresources.” contentious 2016 oil deal saying forthe2%royaltytoberecovered. payments of royalty by the Guyana’s energy policy, reiterated Assuch,hecontinuedbystating that the company is a client of his To plug this loophole, the contractormadeinaccordancewith during press conferences and that he would have been in lawfirm. Addendum that was subsequently Article15.6oftheagreement. interviews that the current agreementtorenegotiatethedealto Hughes, a prominent attorney filed with the Deeds Registry Despitetheaforementioned,the contract’s terms must be respected seek more benefits for the country and former AFC Chairman, who categorically stated that it shall not lopsided deal remains in place.The tomaintaininvestorconfidence.He T

a r was successful elected leader of berecoveredinanyway following are the positions held by underscored the economic benefits

Sealing the new arrangement President IrfaanAli,Vice President Guy

that party on Saturday, made these

e administration’s reluctance to remarks during an appearance on were former President, David Bharrat Jagdeo, leader of the agreement, including substantial change the existing deal while Dr David Hinds’ programme Granger and President of Exxon, People’s National Congress/ revenue and job creation in the oil noting that they have explored ‘Politics101’onJune27. Rodney D. Henson. Affixing their Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, sector Jagdeo defended the alternative avenues to maximise During the interview, Dr Hinds signatures as witnesses were leader of the Alliance for Change government’s decision by stating, benefitsforthenation. asked, “Nigel as leader of theAFC, former Head of the Energy (AFC) Nigel Hughes and others – “We have a PSA that determines PNCR LeaderAubrey Norton are you going to urge the party to Department, Dr Mark Bynoe and sheddinglightontheirperspectives our shares of the proceeds, so we Aubrey Norton has taken a renegotiate the contract, if it gets the country’s PetroleumAdvisor at regardingthecrucialoildeal. arelimitedbythat.”

nuanced position on the Exxon into power by itself or with other thetime,MatthewWilks.

President IrfaanAli

Former President PSA, advocating for amendments parties?TheoilcontractI’mtalking The foregoing document was Irfaan Ali was sworn in as Donald Ramotar without explicitly calling for aboutwithExxon…” first disclosed by Chartered Guyana’s 9th Executive President While President Ali and Vice renegotiation. Norton expressed “David I, I will say this and I Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, on August 2, 2020 Ali has President Jagdeo have staunchly this stance during a press thinkIsaidittheother ChristopherRaminhiscolumnthat maintained a firm stance against defended the existing contract, conference in response to a

(Continued on page 14)

President Irfaan Ali

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton

Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes

Former Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman

Former Director of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams

Former President Donald Ramotar

Who Will Stand Up for the People of Guyana?

Theoilcontractbetween the Guyanese government and the oil giants ExxonMobil, CNOOC, and Hesshasleftmanyinastate ofshockandfrustration.The government accepts that the contract is lopsided but refuses to renegotiate it as waspromised.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s adamant refusal to renegotiate the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), despite the numerous appeals from various quarters, has raised serious questions about the government’s commitment tosecuringafairdealforits people. The Vice President has tried to justify his decision by resorting to a myriadofexcuses.Butnone of these are gaining any traction with Guyanese citizens They feel shortchanged and betrayed bythecurrentagreement.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, displays an ambivalencethatborderson theincomprehensible.While he occasionally flirts with the term “renegotiate,” it is often buried under layers of political rhetoric and vagueness. Norton assures the public that once in power, his administration willsitdownandensurethat the oil wealth benefits the people However, his

r e l u c t a n c e t o unambiguously commit to renegotiation leaves many wondering about what he really will do if he gets into

government.

At the least, he could haveappliedpressureonthe present government by joining the clamor for renegotiation. What does he havetolosebydoingso?

A d d i n g t o t h i s perplexing scenario is the new leadership of the AllianceForChange(AFC).

The new AFC Leader has declaredthatbecausehislaw firm is a client of Exxon he cannot be involved in decisions concerning the oil company

The collective positions of these three political figures paint a bleak picture for the Guyanese populace. With the Vice President’s refusal, the Opposition Leader’s ambivalence, and theAFCLeader’sconflictof interest,thepeopleareleftin a precarious position. They find themselves without a strong, unequivocal advocate for renegotiating a contract that Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall, has labeled as “highway banditry.”

The PSA signed with ExxonMobilanditspartners is seen by many as disproportionately favoring the oil companies at the expense of Guyana’s sovereign wealth The royalties and other financial benefits that should flow to thecountryare,intheeyesof critics, grossly insufficient. Lall, a vocal critic of the agreement, has consistently highlighted the lopsided nature of the deal and the u r g e n t n e e d f o r

renegotiationtosecureafair deal.

Were it not for the relentlessadvocacyofGlenn Lall, the publisher of Kaieteur News, many Guyanese might have remained in the dark about the paltry signing bonus agreed upon in the PSAand the critical need for ringfencingprovisionstoprotect the nation’s financial interests Lall has been relentless in demanding to know the exorbitant interest rates on Exxon’s investments intheStabroekBasin Hehas beenconsistentlyexposingthe sheerscaleofthelopsidedness of the agreement His efforts have shed light on the disparities and injustices embedded in the contract GlennLallhasbeenoneofthe fewvoicesstaunchlystanding upfortherightsandfutureof theGuyanesepeople.

Yet, in the face of compelling arguments for renegotiation and improved contract management, the political leadership remains largely unmoved. The Vice President’s refusal to renegotiate is often framed as a pragmatic decision aimed at maintaining investor confidence However,thisrationalefails to address the underlying issue of fairness and equity The government’s primary duty is to its citizens, and to ensure a fair distribution of thenation’swealth.

TheOppositionLeader’s promises, while hopeful, lack the concrete commitment needed to

DEM BOYS SEH

Givedepowerbacktodepeople!

Businessandpolitics,likeoiland

water, dem seh dem don’t mix. Yet, like curry and roti, they always find a way to come together Some seh is for the better, but Dem Boys know better

See,whendebigbusinesstycoondecide he want to be president, wha yuh think he doing it for?To serve de people? Ha! Dem Boys seh, is to serve heself. More power, more money That’s the mantra. He might talknice‘bouthelpingdepoorandfixingde Gee Pee Hell. But de real motive is always hiddenunderabig,shinyhat.

De same politician who say he love de people always got big business friends. Dem buddies always smiling in photo ops. Why? Cause dem know, when decisions need to be made, their wallets must get fatter Contracts,taxbreaks,sweetdeals–is all a game of scratch me back, I scratch yours.

And wha happen to de small man? De fisherman, de market vendor, de school teacher? Dem Boys seh, de small man like grass in a big people football match.

inspire confidence His failuretoclearlyarticulatea planforrenegotiationleaves a void that is filled with skepticism and doubt. For a populace that is already weary of political promises, Norton’sapproachdoeslittle to alleviate concerns about thefutureoftheoilcontract.

The AFC Leader’s conflict of interest further exacerbates the situation. If leaders are unable to disentanglethemselvesfrom suchconflicts,thelikelihood of achieving a fair and just agreement diminishes significantly

This state of affairs leaves the Guyanese people inastateoflimbo.Whowill stand up for their rights? Who will ensure that the wealth generated from the nation’s natural resources benefits the people and not just the multinational corporations? The country’s current political leadership has yet to provide satisfactoryanswerstothese pressingquestions.

The implications of failing to renegotiate the PSA are far-reaching Withoutafairshareoftheoil

revenues, Guyana’s ability to invest in long-term economic growth and prosperity will be stifled, andthenationwillbeunable to fully leverage its natural resources for the benefit of its people The Vice President is on record as saying only about one-third of this year’s Budget is financed from oil revenues. The reason is obvious: we are not getting what we deserve.

But the call for renegotiation is not just about securing a better financial deal; it is about asserting national sovereignty and ensuring that the exploitation of natura

sources is conductedinamannerthatis justandequitable.Itisabout safeguarding the future of the nation and ensuring that thewealthgeneratedfromits resources is used to build a betterfutureforGuyanese.

Thevoicesofthepeople must be heard. The time for equivocation is over The people of Guyana deserve leaderswhowillstandupfor their rights and ensure that their nation’s wealth is used

fortheirbenefit.

If the country’s political leaders cannot stand up for the people, then the people ofGuyanawillhavetostand up for themselves. Citizens must demand a fair share of theirnation’sresources. By uniting and raising their voices, the people can exert the necessary pressure on their leaders to renegotiate the PSAand ensure that the wealth generated from Guyana’s natural resources benefitsallitscitizens.

T h e t i m e f o r complacency is over; it is nowuptothepeopletotake a stand and secure their future. The people cannot wait until tomorrow; they must act now before all the oil is drained and there is nothinglefttofightfor

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

Trampled and forgotten. De big decisions affectingwelifemadeinfancyboardrooms over imported whiskey No wonder de averageJoenevergetaseatatdetable. Whycan’twe,depeople,havemoresay in de decisions? Dem Boys seh, give de power back to de people! Let de fisherman decide‘boutdefishinglaws.Letdemarket vendor help shape market policies. Is time we stop being de backdrop in de political stageshow

Butno,dembigonesthinkdepeopletoo stupid.Theyfeargivinguscontrolcausewe might actually make sense. Imagine that! Policiesmadeforpeoplebypeople.Itsound toogoodtobetrue.Andmaybeitis,inthis landwherebusinessandpoliticsdancehand inhand.

Dem Boys seh, is time to break up de love affair between politicians and businessmen. Give de power to de people. Causeafterall,weiswhodoesfeeldepinch anddepainofbaddecisions.Letwehavea say Wetiredbeingdegrass.Letweplayde gametoo. Talkhalf.Leffhalf

H@RD TRUTHS

1956, EISENHOWER AND SUEZ – 2024, BIDEN AND GAZA

‘Haul ass out of there and better be damn quick about it.’ There was the Suez Canal, the objects of t h a t w r a t h f u l pronouncement were three ofAmerica’s closest friends and allies. The clock was ticking on the ill-conceived and ill-fated joint BritishFrench invasion with that Port Said airdrop of troops. And with Israel rushing to jointhefrayanderectaring of steel around Egypt’s GamalAbdelNasserclosure

of the crucially strategic Suez Canal waterway It was an America that immediately discerned the angeroftheChineseandfelt the heat of real threats from Soviet Russia. It was an America that pulled no

punches,onethatrefusedto dodge its responsibilities. Things have changed since, takenaturnfortheworse.

It was US President DwightD.Eisenhower,who almost three score and ten years ago had to set straight his mist

lies, including the close cousins of Americans, the British.

threatened, but was averted by the decisive actions of PresidentEisenhower Asa soldier, I am sure that the language he employed was saltier than mine. No wonder America liked Ike. A man of war like Eisenhower had a great grasp of all its uncalculated developments that could makeplansgowrong,allits unintended consequences So,heputhisfootdownand shutdown the British, French, and Israelis. Prime Minister Anthony Eden never recovered from the humiliation. The French beat a hasty retreat, and the Israelishadtobidetheirtime untilJune1967.

I resurrect this piece of not-so-distant history to reintroduce and reinforce a few points It is how decisive statesmen, those at the helm of a leading world power, the sole serious contender for that coveted titleatthetime,knowwhen they must move, and how theylaydownthelaw And with no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It is that there are times when there are those who are given the choice of moving out on own, or the alternative of being moved out in manner from which irreparable ruptures could

result President Eisenhower did so then, when such leadership and decisiveactioncouldneither bedelayed,noravoidedany

longer It had to cause him some considerable grief, sinceamongthecombatants were the British, who he (Operation Overlord) and the America of Franklin D. Roosevelt (the Lend-Lease Act) rescued from the jaws of ignominious defeat, and the possible return of the Saxonstoafutureofslavery

I scan the horizon and askwhereisthatAmericaof oldtoday? Ilooklongerand cast a wider arc, and seek one answer to a single question: where is the bold and potent equivalent of Dwight D. Eisenhower leading the way in today’s America? What lobby could hobble his successor long after his time to such a degree that there is this v a c i l l a t i n g , t h i s disingenuousness, this utter failing at taking leadership? In the simmering powder keg that is Gaza and what it could unleash in the wider Middle East? What consideration could be so crippling for the US Chief Executive and the US Congress that there is this shrinking from taking the bull by the horns and acting withurgencyandauthority? Rather than drifting about and doing nothing but play unconvincing games, thus fastening a superpower and itscredibilityonthehornsof adilemma? Somethingsare worthweighing.

WhatisgoingoninGaza tests the patience, rents the self-respect of the Arab world,nonemoresothanthe Iranians. Aweekorsoago, theRussianssignedamutual defense pact with North Korea. GiventheAmerican isolation of Iran, and the tentaclesofOPEC+(andthe significance of such), it is not beyond the sphere of country alignments and strategic interests for some

form of mutual assistance arrangement be sealed between Russia and Iran. Twocomponentsoughttobe conspicuous. There was great care taken to skirt aroundthesigningofmutual defensepact,withthelower life form of mutual assistance apparatus being thesubstitute. Thesecondis thatfamiliarsawfrommafia lore: the enemy of my enemyismyfriend. Ithink that that speaks for itself, and trumps anything that I canputonpaper. Russiahas its back to the wall, and the Persians are reduced to kicking their heels in impotent futility. This is a custom-made disaster waitingtoexpressitself. As the extraordinary excesses of Israel against the Palestinian people remain unchecked, a kick in the masculine quarters of every Arab,Persian,Bedouin,and God knows whoever else, the ever bubbling, ever volatile cauldron of the MiddleEastcouldblowinto the unrecognizable, the unmanageable. I put this differently: it is that what is going on in Gaza is no longercontainedtothatarea nor controllableas to where itcouldreach. Thismaybe toofaroutthereformanyto evenbother Butthereisthis cautionary note: far too frequently big things with bigger global impacts have hadsmallerbeginnings.

Theworldneedsaleader o f s t r e n g t h a n d determination. Some are still looking to America for that leadership The conditions in Gaza demand it A 21st century Eisenhoweriscalledfor,and therearenotwowaysabout it. Enough of this walking on eggshells by the only existing superpower that is worththename.

WEEK-IN-REVIEW

Sunday

Guyananowhereclose topayingoffExxonMobil ascompanyappliesfor 7thproject

The early repayment of expenses to allow this country to benefit from a greaterportionofoilrevenue has been further delayed as

ExxonMobil Guyana

Limited (EMGL), the

operator of Guyana’s resource-rich Stabroek Block is seeking approval for a seventh project, Hammerhead.

Hammerhead was announced as Exxon’s ninth commercial discovery in A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 T h e Hammerhead- 1 well was drilled in a new reservoir, encountering approximately 197feet(60meters)ofhighquality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. The well was safely drilled to 13,862 feet (4,225 meters) depth in 3,773 feet (1,150 meters)ofwater

Exxon’s Media Advisor, Kwesi Isles confirmed that

an application for

E n v i r o n m e n t a l Authorizationwasfiledwith the Environmental ProtectionAgency(EPA)on Tuesday Islesexplainedthat the project will target between 120-180 thousand barrelsperday(kbd).Exxon is aiming to commence production activities by 2029,followingtherequisite approvals.

Notably, the daily production capacity being targeted is significantly lower compared to the last three projects sanctioned, which each target over 200 kbd.Exxon’sMediaAdvisor noted that while previous projects tapped multiple discoveries, it was too early tosaywhetherHammerhead willbethelonewelltargeted underthisproject.Similarly, the cost of the project is yet tobedetermined.

Hammerhead-1 is located approximately 13 miles (21 kilometers) southwestoftheLiza-1well and follows previous discoveries on the Stabroek Block at Liza, Liza Deep, Payara, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger,PacoraandLongtail.

InApril, Exxon received green-light from the EPAas well as blessings from the Government of Guyana (GoG) to develop a sixth deepwaterproject,Whiptail. The application made to theEPAfortheHammerhead development will be

screened to determine whether an Environmental ImpactAssessment (EIA) is required for the project

Should t

d

ne a

egulato

EIA is required, Exxon will be expected to hire an independent consultant to conduct the study on its b e h

Guyanese public. However, if the EPAdecides an EIAis not required, citizens will have at least 30 days to appeal the Agency’s decision. These appeals will b e h e a r d b y t h e Environmental Assessment Board (EAB), chaired by Head of the Guyana Energy

Agency (GEA), Dr MahendarSharma.

As of the end of

D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 3 , ExxonMobil said some US$29B has been invested into the Stabroek Block, of which US$19B has been recovered, using Guyana’s oil.

The 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) allows the company to deduct 75% of the monthly revenue towards cost recovery The remaining 25% is then split with Guyanaasprofits.

In the absence of a ringfencing provision, the company can use profits generated in producing fieldstopayforprojectsthat are yet to come on stream. Guyana to date could have been receiving a greater shareofprofitsfromtheLiza One, Liza Two and Payara projects, which are producing over 640,000 barrels of oil per day, as the costs recovered by Exxon could have repaid the sum invested into the three projects.

The government has howeverarguedthatthelack of a ring-fencing provision willnotonlyallowExxonto recoveritsinvestmentsearly, but will also position the country to benefit from massive profits as early as 2027.

Earlier this month, Vice

President, BharratJagdeo during his weekly press conference explained the country is positioning itself to gain “much more in the outeryears”.

This has however been questioned by stakeholders considering oil prices are likely to decrease in the future, as demand for the commodityreduceswiththe globalshifttorenewables.

‘Toorisky,Govt.has noplanstofinancially backgasmonetization project’–Jagdeo

Despite the Government ofGuyana(GoG)vigorously pursuingthemonetizationof the country’s untapped gas resources, Vice President BharratJagdeo, has clarified that the government currently has no plan to providefinancialbackingfor theinitiative.

“This is a risky project because it’s a multi-billiondollar project,” Jagdeo told reporters at his last press conference.

Vice President Jagdeo underscored global market uncertainties and potential shiftsinU.S.energypolicies as other reasons for the cautiousapproach.

Hesaid,“Wearenotsure about future demand for gas although many people believe that it will be replaced, it will still be needed long into the future since it will be a transitional fuel, and therefore the demandwillstillbehigh.”

Notwithstanding the uncertaintyJagdeosaid,“We wanttomonetizethis,sothat we [can] add to the revenue stream that comes from the production of oil, another streamofrevenuethatcomes from the utilization of our gasreserves.”

While the government has repeatedly expressed plans to monetize the gas, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) the operator of the Stabroek Block had focused its intentionsondevelopingthe oil resources while reinjectingandflaringthegas.

According to Jagdeo, Exxon’s initial position has since changed and gas monetization has now become a priority to the company

“Exxon has now come back and said to us, we are taking this seriously, we are doingallthestudieswewant toworkwiththegovernment in keeping with your national objec

f monetizing the gas,” he added.

WithExxononboard,the government in January invited proposals seeking privatesectorpitchesforthe design, financing, construction, and operation of gas infrastructure to support current and future upstream developments in Guyana.

A U S -based firm, Fulcrum LNG proposal which includes partnerships with leading companies like McDermott and Baker Hughes, emerged as the preferred choice after a rigorous evaluation process. Recently, President Irfaan Ali disclosed that Fulcrum LNG was se

E

Mobil and the government in a tripartite agreement to monetize the gasresources.

“So now this company has to sit with ExxonMobil and the government of Guyana, first of all, to examinewhetherthisproject is feasible and then the configurationoftheproject,”

Jagdeo said Yet, the governmentremainshopeful thattheprojectwillactualize to gain another stream of revenues.

Notably, the Vice President stated that at this stage, the government does not have any intention to participate financially He added, “Because that means putting aside large sums of money into the venture which we don’t have and secondly, it’s a risky undertaking,”

Moreover, when asked aboutpotentialfinanciersfor the project, Jagdeo said that Fulcrum has financing optionsfromentitiessuchas the US Exim Bank and private equity firms were

among those considered Regarding the scenario where Fulcrum proceeds w i t h o u t E x x o n ’ s involvement, Jagdeo expressed a preference for collaboration with Exxon duetotheircapabilities.

Furthermore, Jagdeo acknowledged concerns of conflict of interests, given that the Head of Fulcrum, JesusBronchalo,isaformer executive of Exxon He statedthatthereisnoconflict of interest on the part of the government However, he notedthatifthereisanyasit relates to Exxon, “that is a differentmatter.”

Forhispart,PresidentAli had previously outlined the urgency of monetizing Guyana’s gas resources to diversify revenue streams Plans include the potential export of electricity and the marketing of by-products fromnaturalgas,positioning Guyanaasaregionalenergy hub.

Presently, the GoG is pursuing a US$2B Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project. This is the country’s first natural gas project. It is expected to generate 300 megawatts of power and an additional 3,400 barrels of by-products daily

Project Head, Winston Brassington previously said thestartupofthisfacilitywill provide the country with some 4,100 barrels of byproducts daily – such as cooking gas and fuel for cigarettes–amongothers.

Guyana, however, utilises approximately 700 barrels per day of these products, which means the country will have to seek markets for 3,400 barrels of by-products each day or 1,241,000 barrels on an annualbasis.

Monday

‘Guyana’sStabroekBlock isoneinalifetime,world classasset’–Exxon’s VicePresident

Phillip Reitema, Vice President and Business S

underscored the unique valueoftheStabroekBlock, which is located offshore Guyana.

ExxonMobil Guyana is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Pe

Guyana Limited holds 25%

emergedasoneofthefastest growing economy in the world owed to the oil productionoffshore. D

Perspectives, Reitema was

e Stabroek Block compares to o

h

n Exxon’s portfolio. “Is there any that can compare in terms of the return on investments?”hewasasked. Reitema responded by statingthatExxonhasavery special opportunity here in Guyana.Hesaidtoothatthe Stabroek Block provides, “a uniqueopportunityforallof us at Exxon and in our industry to have a really special impact on the country.”

R

itema has b

en working in Guyana for the pasttwoyears.Heexplained

(Continuedonpage13)

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

The Stabroek Block

From page 12 thatwhenheexplainswhy hecametoGuyana,hesays thecountryis,“trulyaonce inalifetimeopportunityto come.”

He explained that while the Stabroek Block developmentisunique,there are other successful projects in the oil and gas industry However, he noted some might not have been able to ramp up production as quickly as Exxon in the StabroekBlock.

“But it’s really that combinationofaworldclass asset, world class revenues with this development cycle that Guyana is on in this small population,” Exxon’s VicePresidentsaid.

Further, he explained that the projects in Guyana compete internationally.

“They are some of the best deepwater projects in the world, we are very proud of them. I know our chairman has said something to the effect of we expect that the Guyana projects that we are doing in Stabroek will go down as one of the greatest deep-water projects in the industry’s history,” he added.

June 2024, marks 25 years since Exxon has been inGuyana.Reflectingonthe company’sjourney,Reitema explained that since first discovery in 2015, the company already has three projects producing oil from the Stabroek Block. He added, “Today we are producing over 600,000 barrels a day, and oil

produced is revenue produced as revenue to be sharedamongstthepeopleof Guyana and our shareholder group.”

“ then we have three other projects that are being developed, Yellowtail, Uaru and Whiptail,” Reitema noted. By the end of 2027, Exxon expect to have production capacity of over 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd).

The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed in 2016 between Guyana and Exxon is the subject of ongoing debates Former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, during his tenure under the APNU + AFC Coalition government between2015and2020,was the one who signed the deal in 2016 with Exxon The deal Trotman signed waives all taxes from the oil companies, gives Guyana a 2% royalty on its rich resources, and agrees to the oil companies recovering

Phillip Reitema, Vice President and Business Service Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL)

75% of investments before theremaining25%isshared, with Guyana receiving 12 5% The arrangement, withthelackofring-fencing, sees Guyana paying for projects that are yet to commence production activities. Each month bills from future producing developments are added to the list of expenses to be cost-recoveredbyExxon. Additionally, the battle of the oil giants is currently unfolding between ExxonMobil Corporation and Chevron Corporation over the Stabroek Block to determinewhogoesdownin the history books as a participant in the one of the industry’s most successful deep-waterdevelopments.

Hess Corporation has agreed to sell all of the company’s shares to Chevron, through a US$53 billiontransaction.Thisdeal gives Chevron access to the Stabroek Block As such, ExxonMobil and CNOOC filedforarbitrationsincethe oil giant believes it has preemptive rights, which allowshareholdersaccessto stock before it is offered to others.

‘Shutdownillegal mining,shopsifyou wanttostopgold smuggling– GGDMA urgesGovt.

The Guyana Gold and D i a m o n d M i n e r s Association (GGDMA) on Saturday posited that if the government of Guyana wants to stop gold smuggling, it must start by clamping down on illegal mining, illegal shops (commonly known as bushshops) and the unregulated gold trade in the country’s goldminingdistrict.

“Illegal mining, illegal shops, and the unregulated trading of gold within the interior are the pillars upon which the illicit gold smuggling enterprises

survive, ” stated the GGDMA.

The Association blamed the main regulatory body of

theGoldSector,theGuyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for allowing the illegalities to flourish over the years because of its lax enforcement.

GGDMAsaid,“Overthe years, turning a blind eye to repeat offenders and merely slapping them on the wrists has fostered a culture of unabashed lawlessness” before adding “Illegal operators openly disregard theordersoftheGGMCand brazenly make violent threatsagainstanyonetrying tostandintheirway”.

The mining body said that there are no real consequences for illegal miners because when the authorities shut them down and seize their equipment, they would return to work the very next day as if nothinghappened.

GGDMAsaidithasbeen repeatedly calling on the GGMC to step-up its enforcementofthelawsover the last ten years and added that government also needs to clamp down on illegal landings (areas where locals would set-up small bush shops to earn) if it is really serious about clamping downongoldsmuggling.

“Inthepast,therewerea number of gazetted areas in the interior where trade could take place, now it is commonpracticeforpersons to set up itinerant trading posts (aka, “landings”) at will”,theminingbodystated before explaining that it has ledtomanybeingset-upand notbeingproperlyregulated.

“… illegal gold buyers set up shop and buy directly from unethical miners who are willing to sell their productionforhigherprices, free of any paper trail, withoutpayinganyroyalties or taxes,” GGDMA said while adding that “These landings are also hubs for human trafficking, the sale of illegal drugs and weapons”.

GGDMAbelieves that if the government shuts down these illegal activities in the miningareas,thendefinitely the gold declaration will increase.

“ I t i s t i m e t h e government also engages its financial agencies such as the FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit) and SOCU (Special Organised Crime Unit), to investigate thesemanyshopownersand mining operators who, despite having massive operations, do not declare any significant amounts of gold” the mining body

stated.

GGDMA also called on the government to investigate public servants who allegedly take bribes and turn a blind eye to the illegalactivitiestakingplace in Guyana’s gold mining sector

Tuesday

Exxon’sGuyana operationssecure withUS$40perbarrel breakevenpoint–Phillip Rietema,VicePresident ofEMGL

Inarecentepisodeofthe Energy Perspectives Podcast, Phillip Rietema, Vice President and Business Service Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), discussed the company’s strategies to maintain a competitive edge amidvolatileoilprices.

Rietemaunderscoredthe importanceofefficiencyand cost management in their deepwater projects in Guyana, highlighting the significance of achieving a lowbreakevenpriceforoil.

During the podcast, Rietemawasaskedaboutthe breakeven spread for Exxon’s Stabroek Block projects which are currently producing over 640,000 barrelsperday(bdp).

ExxonMobil Guyana is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25% interest Guyana has emergedasoneofthefastest growing economy in the world owed to the oil productionoffshore.

Considering the fluctuating oil prices in recentyears,rangingfromas highasUS$100toaslowas US$80 per barrel, Rietema acknowledged the inherent volatility of the oil market andthechallengesitposes.

“So in our industry, we talk a lot about the costs of supply for projects,” Rietemastated.

He explained that the oil and gas industry is a very volatilemarketwhichresults in limited control over revenues by oil companies. Assuch,henotedthatExxon focusonbeingasefficientas possible and having the lowestcosts.

Rietema elaborated on the concept of breakeven, which refers to the average oilpricerequiredtopayback theinvestmentandachievea

return He stated that ExxonMobil aims to have the lowest cost projects, p o s i t i o n i n g t h e m advantageously on the cost ofsupplycurve.

“The projects here in Guyana, they compete internationally, they are some of the best deepwater projects in the world,” Rietemanoted.

Addressing the price fluctuations, Rietema pointed out that these projects are designed to withstandmarketvolatility

He added, “You noted it went from US$100 to US$80.In2020,itwasdown toUS$40.Sotheseprojects, theyallhavecostsofsupply under $40 a barrel as a team look to optimize the projectswetryanddrivethat down as low as possible Again, every dollar counts, everydollarmatters.”

Moreover, he explained that the company’s aim is to imbue a value focus that everydollarmatters.

“Every week, we get togetherasaleadershipteam and we talk about the value that we create and we have something called value spotlights where we spotlight even saving of a few dollars but it’s really to drive a culture where e v e r y o n e t a k e s responsibility within the organization for value and looks for opportunities to increasevalue,wesayevery dollarcounts,”Rietemasaid.

Nortonre-elected leaderofPNCR,declared presidentialcandidate for2025elections

Aubrey Norton has been re-elected unopposed as the Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) during the party’s 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress, which concluded

onSunday,June30,2024. Norton, who has been at the helm of the PNCR, reaffirmed his leadership amid a gathering of approximately 1,300 delegates representing 218 groupsfromall10regionsas wellasfromNorthAmerica, and the United Kingdom to deliberate on the serious issuesaffectingthePartyand thenation.

Thisyear’scongresswas themed “Forming the next government: building a just, inclusive, and prosperous societyforall.”

In his address at the opening ceremony on June 28,Nortonlaidouthisvision forGuyana,whichhetermed a “CONTRACT WITH GUYANA ” He said, the party will, “put people first andwillutilizetheresources of Guyana to achieve the ultimate goal of providing a high quality of life to the people of Guyana through the direct and indirect transfer of resources to our people, to educate them, supporttheirmobilizationof resources to work, and for investment with the aim of alleviating and ultimately eradicating poverty while simultaneously resulting in the sustainable development of all communities and sectors of the Guyanese society, as well as the promotion of good governance and the creation of a just and prosperous society.”

Norton also addressed critical national issues such as national security, foreign policy, and the necessity for biometrics and a clean voters’ list for the next g

ion His emphasis on these areas, he saidreflectstheparty’sfocus onensuringafairandsecure

internationalrelations.

The congress, spanning three days, was not only a platform for discussing the party’s internal matters but also served as a forum for addressing national issues D

n debates on the motions brought forth, which included calls for racial unity, the implementationof Norton’s people-centered vision,andlogisticalsupport for the party’s work in hinterland regions. One of the significant resolutions passed during the congress was that the elected Party Leader at the 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress will be the PNCR’s Presidential Candidateforthenext

(Continuedonpage36)

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton

IndependentmetersatFPSO’slongoverdue-Patterson

General Secretary time is long overdue we can country’s lucrative Stabroek Standards on board the of the Alliance afford it, Exxon would have Block, Vice President vessel and also from GRA. f o r C h a n g e no option but to agree with Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed on They look at the meters, the

General Secretary of the AFC, David Patterson.

(AFC) David the government should they Thursday calibration of the meters all Patterson on Friday said that want to implement it. So we Jagdeo was at the time of these things to look at the independent meters at the say it is way overdue and speaking at his weekly press flow of the oil and the

c o u n t

g

shouldbedoneasspeedilyas conference held at Freedom producedwater.” production storage and possible,”headded. H

, The data received from offloading (FPSO) Unit to Former head of the Georgetown The Vice Exxon’s meters currently monitor Exxon’s production Environmental Protection President said too that the monitoring the different arelongoverdue. Agency (EPA) Dr Vincent

Guyana has b

productionisupdatedina10 pumping oil since 2019 and andtheGuyanaGeologyand EPA, also by all the monitoring of production

minute cycle, the VP told currently production stands M i n e s C o m m i s s i o n regulatory agencies We was something that he had

reporters.The governmentis at 640,000 barrels daily (GGMC) are able to monitor have insisted that they be insistedonfromdayone. Notwithstanding, the Vice also able to monitor drilling However, up until recently screens set up by oil giant equipped with equipment to “I notice the Vice President disclosed that dataviaExxon’sscreens. there was no known means ExxonMobil to monitor independently verify oil President suddenly coming despite belief that the Jagdeo reiterated that the for the government to activities offshore in real production.” out and start talking about Governmenthasnomeansof three governmental agencies monitor oil production in time.DuringtheAFC’spress Patterson reminded that monitoring...Whatwecalled monitor

ng Exxon’s “have access to that realtime. conference held on Friday thegovernmentisdepending for and I know I called for operations, the government dashboard…so we can also Infact,onThursday,Vice Patterson said that, “From on ExxonMobil for data and from day before production through the GRA, EPA and track what’s going on President Bharrat Jagdeo the very inception when oil though he isn’t saying the was for us to have onboard, theGGMCisabletomonitor offshore but we plan to do d

ee was produced in 2019, I information provided by the onsite monitoring,” he said viaExxon’sscreen. our own thing independently government agencies, The know Vince is here as well, oilcompanyisincorrect,itis that. The Government of “Right now there is an later.” “I doubt it is going to Guyana Revenue Authority wehaveadvocatedthatthere importanttomonitorthedata Guyanahasnofixedtimeline impression that we don’t get change much from what we (GRA), the Environmental should be onboard presence independently to procure independent any data, we don’t do any see but we [Government] Protection Agency (EPA) for monitoring not only by “We have seen that the meters to monitor the monitoring. So you do have will have the comfort,” production of oil from the people from the Bureau of Jagdeotoldreporters.

Man who stole bike after borrowing $1000, remanded

Aman who allegedly stole a bicycle from the stolen bike and reported the incident. someone he borrowed $1000 from was on Hattonmadeapartialpaymenttocompensate Friday remanded to prison on a Simple the victim for the bike, but there was still an Larceny charge Akeem Hatton, the outstandingamountof$50,000lefttobepaid. defendant, appeared before Magistrate Faith Hattonwasarrested. McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ When Hatton appeared in Court on Court#5toanswertothecharge. Friday, he pleaded not guilty to the charge. According to the charge, Hatton visited TheProsecutorobjectedtobailnotingthatthe the victim’s residence and borrowed $1000 accused has matters of a similar nature from him. While the victim went inside his pending at the said court. Further, the house, Hatton seized the opportunity to take Prosecutor said that Hatton is a repeat thevictim’sbikewithoutpermission. offender Days later, the victim spotted Hatton with HattonwasremandeduntilJuly8.

Guyanese leaders and their position...

From page 8 partiesinvolved.

night…Exxon is a client of our firm, I’m According to that provision in the PSA, making it public now so nobody can’t say commonly referred to as the contract, “This that I have never made it [known]. Several Agreementshallnotbeamendedormodified oilcompaniesareclientsofourfirm.Icannot in respect except by written agreement commentonthat,”Hughesresponded. entered into by all the parties which shall Notably, Hughes stated that while he is state the date upon which the amendment or unable to comment on renegotiating the modificationsshallbecomeeffective.” lopsided deal, he has other plans if elected. According to Dr Adams, “since way He stated, “What I have said is that I will set back in 2016, I was on the front page of the up committees and if we get into newspapers calling for a renegotiationof the government, commissions that are contract.” specifically dedicated to dealing with oil, He was adamant, “nothing has changed generally.” my mind.” In fact, he posits, “to me anyway

“I will insist that they hire the best the government still owes the people of professional advice internationally, both in Guyana the obligation to renegotiate that terms of law in terms of economics, and in contract and don’t let anybody tell you that terms of the business of oil because the contract is not renegotiable.” The former business of oil is the most sophisticated EPA Director insists the contract spells out business on the planet because it runs the provision for renegotiations and said, “If it planet,”Hughescontinued was not the intention that it can’t be Former EPADirector Dr VincentAdams renegotiated,thatclausewouldnotbethere.

While a number of key political He reminded nonetheless of the caveat figureheads have in the past-adumbrated calling for a written agreement by all parties varying positions when it comes to the involved to say, “…the parties must have to renegotiation of the PSA, former Director of agree to renegotiate, I would love to see the Environmental Protection Agency government tell Exxon (Mobil) we want (EPA),Dr VincentAdamssaysotherwise. renegotiation.”

Dr Adamshadpointedtotheprovisionin According to Dr Adams, “when I hear thecontractandsuggestedthefactitexistsin people say we can’t renegotiate, that’s the PSA; is indicative of the fact it can be absolutenonsense.”Hewasadamant,“it’sin renegotiated. there, the clause was put in there because

The provision obtains at Article 13.2 of there’s a possibility that it could be the PSA but comes with the caveat — the renegotiated, don’t let anybody fool you and renegotiations and happens only with a tell you that it can’t be renegotiated because signed written agreement between all of the wesignit.”

Chuck E. Cheese is headed to Guyana

' s G r o u p o f Jcompanies landed a major franchise deal, becoming the official franchiseholderofChuckE. Cheese in the Co-operative RepublicofGuyana.

The new franchise location,settoopenaChuck ECheeselocationinEccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) - aims to become the go-to destination for family celebrations, birthday parties,andeverydayfun.

T h i s e x c i t i n g development brings the b e l o v e d f a m i l y entertainment center, and restaurant chain to a new market, offering an unparalleled experience of fun, food, and games to the peopleofGuyana.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of J's Group of Companies Jermaine Sripal is honored that he and his company will bring something new to the Guyanesemarket.

"Iamincrediblyhonored tobringChuckE.Cheeseto Guyana," said Jermaine Sripal.

"Ourgoalistoprovidea safe, fun-filled environment where families can create lasting memories We believe that the introduction of Chuck E. Cheese will enhance the recreational landscape of Guyana, offering a much-needed v e n u e f o r f a m i l y entertainment."

Sripal is a renowned businessman in Guyana. He ismoreknownforoperating J's Supermarket in New Amsterdam Recently, he also expanded his wings, becoming a new horse owner, when he snapped up Guyana's champion horse, Spankhurst Chuck E Cheese is renowned worldwide for its unique c o m b i n a t i o n o f entertainment, and dining, features a wide range of arcade games, amusement rides, and live shows Alongside a menu that includes pizza, sandwiches, and other kid-friendly favourites. The new Chuck E Cheese location in Guyanawillfeaturestate-ofthe-art games and attractions, ensuring a vibrant and engaging experienceforchildrenofall ages In addition to the entertainment offerings, the venue will maintain the highest standards of safety and cleanliness, ensuring a welcoming environment for allvisitors.

Chuck E. Cheese will open in Eccles at a date to be announced

RaveSpectacle Convention2024

Former Miss Earth Guyana Faydeha King is vying for Miss Universe Guyana 2024 title

Keisha Prince

Meet the newly crowned Miss Region One, Keisha Prince. The 21 year-old beauty queen is a teacher, who finds fulfillment in guiding and inspiring young children, helping them reach their full potential. Prince has a passion for education and the impact it can have on shaping young minds.As such, her main goal is to continuously improve her teaching skills in accordance with the educational trends. This week's belle is a staunch believer in education as a great equalizer She says “empower young people through knowledge and watch them change the world.

WHY THE OAS MATTERS TO ALL OF US

BySirRonaldSanders

On June 28, 2024, Antigua and Barbuda offered to host the 2025 General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). I issued the invitation, on behalf of the country’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, and it was unanimouslyacceptedbyall member states at the 54th Regular General Assembly inParaguay

Why would a small country like Antigua and Barbuda take on the responsibility of hosting high-level delegates from Canada,theUS,andMexico in the North, to Brazil and ArgentinaintheSouth,with the countries of the Caribbeaninbetween?

Thesimpleansweristhat thereisimmensevalueinthe OAS, particularly to small states, which rely on the commitmentsofmuchlarger states, especially their neighbours, to respect and honour territorial integrity By hosting an OAS General Assembly, Antigua and Barbuda would demonstrate its belief in the value of the Organization and remind all others of the necessity of equity, inclusion, and dialogue in addressing c h a l l e n g e s a n d opportunities.

Regrettably, in many of thecountriesoftheOAS,not enough is known about the Organization and what it does.Yet,theOAShasbeen crucially important to the well-beingofallitsmember states and to their relations with each other.The nations of the Americas have enjoyedaremarkableperiod of peace, having not experienced major wars betweenthemsince1935.In contrast, regions such as Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa have been plagued by numerous wars, resulting in millions of deaths, shifting borders, and persistent hostility This enduring peace in the Americas has allowed borders to remain stable, fostering an environment conducive to investment, social improvement, and economicdevelopment.

The maintenance of this peace is largely due to the 77-year-old OAS. From its early beginnings, the OAS established principles in its binding charter, committing every member state to two fundamental undertakings: “Tostrengthenthepeaceand security of the continent” and “To prevent possible causes of difficulties and to ensurethepacificsettlement of disputes that may arise

amongtheMemberStates.”

The OAS charter also obliged each of its member states to accept that “International law is the standardofconductofStates in their reciprocal relations” andthat“Internationalorder consists essentially of respect for the personality, s o v e r e i g n t y, a n d independence of States, and the faithful fulfillment of obligations derived from treaties and other sources of internationallaw.”

Member states of the Organization also bound themselves to the principle that “The American States c o n d e m n w a r o f aggression;” adding that “victory does not give rights.”Bysigninguptothe OASCharter,memberstates acceptedthat“Controversies of an international character arisingbetweentwoormore American States shall be settled by peaceful procedures.” Consequently, all disputes that have arisen between states have been peacefully settled – or are being voluntarily addressed – at the International Court ofJustice(ICJ).

T h e o n e r e c e n t aberration to this general rule has been Venezuela’s aggression toward Guyana following the Maduro government’s withdrawal from the OAS in 2019. But even amid acts of aggression, Venezuela is now participating in the ICJ process with Guyana, as are Belize and Guatemala over theirterritorialcontroversy From its inception, the OAS has been pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the Americas. Through its Charters and organs, it has established a binding framework of law thatgovernsrelationsamong member states across various domains. With over 100 Inter-American treaties covering areas from the peaceful settlement of disputes to family, commercial, and criminal matters, the OAS provides a comprehensive legal structure that supports peacefulcoexistence. WereitnotfortheseOAS treaties, matters such as fighting organized crime, and cooperation on tackling trafficking in persons, guns, and drugs would have been left to limited national resources. No country – not even the biggest and richest – would have met these challenges without the framework for interAmerican cooperation that theOAShasprovided.

A s i g n i f i c a n t contributionoftheOASisits

role in promoting democratic governance, humanrights,andtheruleof law The organization’s efforts have been crucial in countries where these principleshavebeengravely and persistently violated, helpingtopreventcontagion to other countries For example,theInter-American DemocraticCharter,adopted in 2001, outlines the commitment of member states to democratic principles and has been a crucial tool in addressing democratic crises in the region.

The attempted coup d’étatinBoliviaonJune26, 2024, highlights the importance of the OAS in responding to threats to constitutional regimes. By immediately condemning actions that threatened democracy and the rule of law and warning of the serious consequences, OAS memberstatesdemonstrated their collective commitment to safeguarding democratic values and ensuring the stabilityofmemberstates.

The OAS’s involvement inbuildingnationalelectoral infrastructure and overseeing elections is another key aspect of its work. Ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections is vital for the legitimacy of governanceandthefostering ofpublictrustindemocratic institutions.TheOASplayed apivotalroleinthepeaceful transfer of power to President Irfaan Ali in Guyana in 2020 and to President Bernardo Arévalo inGuatemalain2024–both o f w h o m w e r e democratically elected in internationally-monitored elections. These successes not only reinforced political stability in these countries but also created conditions for economic development andsocialimprovement.

Haiti serves as another example of the OAS’s critical role Despite the immense challenges faced by Haiti, the OAS has consistently worked to stabilize the nation and support its development, including through the work of the OAS mission to Haiti in 2016, which I led, to ensure that a transitional national government was established, in accordance w i t h t h e H a i t i a n Constitution, to replace the expired government of Michel Martelly As an organization, the OAS has always pursued a broad vision of Haitian stability andprogress,basedonsocial and economic development. Gangs evolved in local

circumstances, despite the workoftheOAS.

T h e p a s s a g e o f Hurricane Beryl across severalCaribbeancountries, leaving death and destruction in its wake, especially in the smaller islands of Grenada and St VincentandtheGrenadines, underscores the importance oftheorganization’svoicein galvanizing international actiontocurbtheimpactsof climate change and to operationalize the “loss and damage” fund, pledged by thelargepollutingnationsat UN Climate Change

conferences That voicewillberaised loudly

The OAS is a cornerstone of peace,stability,and developmentinthe Americas Its contributions have created a more stable and prosperous region, demonstrating thepowerofcooperationand legalframeworks.Thevalue of the OAS is clear, and its continued support is essential for the well-being of all member states and theircitizens.

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS.The views expressed are entirely his own Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com)

Sir Ronald Sanders

Talking Dollars & Making Sense:

Introduction to Entrepreneurship

WelcomebacktoTalking competitive can lead to Meet Duane, the Orin’s missionistosolvethe unwaveringdedication. Dollars & Making Sense. burnout Additionally, the visionary behind BUY.gy, a problem of limited access to Practical and Today, we’re diving into the unc

Actionable

e x c i t i n g w o r l d o f involved can cause commerce platform. Duane vegetarian food and shakes. To s

Knowledge

By Rennie Parris MBA Financial Analyst

entrepreneurship, exploring significant emotional and saw a major problem: Catering to health-conscious entrepreneur in Guyana, what it means to be an mental strain Balancing consumers frustration with individuals and anyone who consider these practical entrepreneur, the challenges personal well-being with easily finding products and loves nutritious meals, Pure steps: of being an entrepreneur and business demands is a comparing prices for these and Fresh Foods targets a Identify a Real Problem: what it takes to succeed. persistent challenge for products. BUY.gy bridges growing market Despite Focus on solving a genuine We’ll also take a closer look manyentrepreneurs. this gap, making shopping having limited access to need or gap in the market. at some local businesses that How can Entrepreneurs efficient and bringing more capital, Orin reinvests Your business should offer a illustrate the diverse Manage these Challenges? transparency to the shopping diligently to fuel business solution that people are skills, or the ability to l a n d s c a p e o f To manage these experience However, growth. The opportunity to willing to pay for Build a marshal those resources and entrepreneurship in our challenges, entrepreneurs challenges such as attracting expand the company’s Strong Network: Connect skillsareimportant. country So,let’sgetstarted! should prioritize time e-commerce-savvy vendors product range is vast. With a with other entrepreneurs, By embracing these

What is management Setting and overcoming cultural brand that embodies Orin’s mentors, and industry principles and learning from Entrepreneurship? boundaries between work hesitance persist Duane commitment to a vegetarian experts Networking can the examples of local Entrepreneurship is the and personal life helps addresses these challenges lifestyle and affordable provide valuable insights businesses, you can navigate process of transforming maintain balance. Activities by providing e-commerce pricing, Pure and Fresh andsupport. t

problems or opportunities s u c h a s e x e r c i s e , education and extensive Foods is the go-to choice for Stay Informed: Keep up- landscape of Guyana and into enterprises that create mindfulness practices and support to interested tasty, healthy eating in the to-date with industry trends buildabusinessthatnotonly value Entrepreneurs are other energy rejuvenating vendors, leading to a better community and local business news. survivesbutthrives. individuals who take the practices can alleviate stress experience for both vendors Opportunities Understanding the market Feel free to reach out at initiative to start or acquire and prevent burnout andconsumers.Withover20 and Challenges andeconomiclandscapewill talkingdollarsgy@gmail co a n d m a n a g e t h e s e Building a supportive years of IT and business

Each of these businesses help you make informed m with your thoughts, enterprises. They are the network of family, friends, experience, Duane’s showcases the unique decisions Be Resilient: questions, and stories. Let’s driving force behind the and mentors provides BUY gy is looking to opportunities and challenges Entrepreneurship is not a take this journey together companies. emotional support and become the nation’s leading faced by entrepreneurs in smoothjourney.Beprepared Stay tuned for our next What Do practical advice. Financial e-commerceplatform. G u y a n a . T h e s e to face setbacks and learn column, where we will delve Entrepreneurs Do? planning, budgeting and Pure and Fresh Foods entrepreneurs exemplify the from them. Persistence and into transforming your Entrepreneurs wear informed decision making M e e t O r i n , t h e diverseanddynamicspiritof adaptability are key to long- business idea into a viable many hats. They are can help mitigate financial passionate entrepreneur Guyanese business, each termsuccess. concept.

visionaries who see stress. behindPureandFreshFoods addressing unique problems Resources: Having Until next time, happy opportunities where others Different Profiles of located on Cemetery Road. with various solutions and resources, the requisite entrepreneuring! see challenges They are Entrepreneurs problem solvers who create To illustrate the diversity

value for customers, of entrepreneurship, let’s employees, the enterprise look at three businesses in and society They lead, Guyana: Harper’s Fast-Food whether it’s leading ShopinBuxton,BUY.gyand themselves or inspiring and Pure and Fresh Foods on motivating their teams, CemeteryRoad. fostering a collaborative and Harper’s Fast-Food Shop p r o d u c t i v e w o r k Meet Harper, the heart environment. Entrepreneurs and soul of Buxton’s go-to are also risk-takers, willing spot for quick, delicious to invest time, money, skills meals Thirty years ago, andeffortintotheirventures, Harper saw a problem: the often in the face of great c o m m u n i t y l a c k e d u n c e r t a i n t y T h e y affordable, quality food understand and prudently options. He opened Harper manage the business Fast Food Shop to fill this finances. gap, providing tasty, budgetWhat are some friendly meals that people Personal Challenges love The small familyEntrepreneurs Face? ownedbusinessthrivesonits Being an entrepreneur loyalcustomerbasebutfaces often means long hours and challenges such as increased high stress, leading to a input cost – rice, flour, sugar work-life imbalance etc. and local competition. Personal sacrifices, such as Harper’s competitive edge. missing family time and A deep connection with the social events, are common. community, a commitment Financial instability, to high-quality, affordable especiallyintheearlystages, food and the skills of a cook can strain personal who taught culinary classes relationships. The constant at Carnegie School of Home pressuretoinnovateandstay Economics.

Argentina

Argentina is a vast natural 3,195-mile (5,141.9country located kilometer) border with in the southern Chile.Thecountryisdivided

part of South intofourregions:TheAndes, cities in Spain and the

penguins, and sea lions. The PEOPLE & CULTURE America. The eighth largest the North, the Pampas, and Argentine people were waters off the Atlantic are Unlike Mexico and country in the world, it is the Patagonia.ThePampasisthe empoweredtotakecontrolof home to sharks, orcas, South American countries second largest country in agriculturalheartland. their country They gained dolphins,andsalmon. such as Peru and Ecuador, South America after Brazil, HISTORY independencein1816.

In the north, there are Argentina has fewer native and it’s about one-third the The Spanish arrived in In 1946, Juan Perón many large cat species such

size of the United States. 1516 and ruled the country became president due to his as the cougar, jaguar, and the population, which came Argentina is bordered by the for 300 years. In 1806, a popularity with the working ocelot There are also fromEurope.Thepopulation Andes Mountains and Chile British force overpowered class. His wife, Eva, known crocodiles and caiman iscomprisedasmuchas95% tothewest. Spanish military in Buenos as Evita, formed a Flamingos, toucans, turtles, of people of European

To the east there is Brazil Aires and attacked the foundationandgaveoutcash and tortoises also live in the descent, mostly from Italy, and Uruguay, Bolivia and MalvinasIslands,alsocalled and benefits to the poor subtropical north. Patagonia Spain, and Germany Much Paraguay to the north, the theFalklandIslands. When she died of cancer in is a sparsely populated area of the native population died NorthAtlantic and the South L o c a l r e s i d e n t s 1952, the people were very rich in natural resources and from diseases brought in by Pole to the south The recaptured the capital, but sad. She was a symbol of wildlife, including herons, Europeans. interior of the country is flat, never regained control of the hope to all the poor in condors, pumas, tortoises, Nearly half of the fertile grasslands called the islands. These events led to Argentina. Juan Perón was andguanacos. population lives in the area Pampas. the loosening of Spain’s grip forced out of office after he

The highest mountain in around Buenos Aires

The high mountain spine on Argentina In 1810, tried to increase his powers. the Andes range is the Cerro BuenosAireshasbeencalled of the Andes, called the N a p o l e o n ’s f o r c e s Even after he left office, his the judges and the senate Aconcagua, which peaks at the “Paris of South Andes Cordillera, creates a conquered all major Spanish followers continued to fight must approve their 22,384 feet (6,960 meters). America,” because of the forpoliticalpower a

Sheep NortheastArgentina features European influences The

After many violent years herding, oil, mining, rain forests and Iguazù Falls. peoplearewell-educatedand andnearcivilwar,Perónwas agriculture, and tourism These spectacular falls, on 97% of the population can re-elected president and his make up Patagonia’s Argentina’s border with read and write. Soccer is the new wife, Isabel, became economy Brazil, descend along a 1.6- favorite sport in Argentina. vice president He died NATURE mile (2.7-kilometer) front in Gauchos, like American suddenly and Isabel became Argentina is rich in a horseshoe shape. As the cowboys, have been a president and soon the animal species. The coast of country develops it is being symbol of the open plains of country’s economy fell Patagonia is home to affectedbydeforestationand the Pampas region. (Source: apart. elephant seals, fur seals, pollution. National Geographic Kids)

The military took control of the country in 1976, and a period of violence called the “dirty war” ensued, during which as many as 20,00030,000 revolutionaries or sympathizerswerekilled.

In 1982, the president of A rg e n t i n a , G e n e r a l Leopoldo Galtieri invaded the Falkland Islands off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean thinkingtheBritishwouldn’t put up a fight Galtieri miscalculated and British forces won an easy victory After the defeat, the country moved toward democracy and civilian rule The country is a federal republic. There have been several democratically elected presidents after many years ofpoliticalturmoil.

TheNationalCongressis made of the Senate with 72 seats and the Chamber of Deputies with a total of 257 seats.Therearesevenjudges in the Supreme Court, but that number will be reduced to five over the next few years. The president picks

Plaza de Mayo is the central main square and the heart of Buenos Aires. (PHOTOGRAPH BY AWL IMAGES)

Argentina Coat of Arms

Flag of Argentina.

Argentina foods.

FactsyoushouldknowaboutInsectbornediseases

Dr. Zulfikar Bux Emergency Medicine Specialist

Bharbors quite a musclesandafever range of insects. We are

antibioticmedicine.Takethe entire prescription Your doctor may suggest other treatments that ease the symptoms For example, eing a tropical over-the-counter pain country, Guyana medicine can relieve sore

Some insect-borne exposed to these insects on a diseasesmaybeself-limiting daily basis and it's inevitable while others can cause long- that we may get bitten by an term symptoms that affect insectatsomepoint. your quality and can even

The challenge lies in

knowing if you would have

Common symptoms of tall grass, bushes, spots near

Use bug spray that kill you. Lyme disease, for

a bite, clean it with soap and

c o n t a i n s t h e example, can leave you with insect borne diseases can still water (ponds), and water Pat it dry and apply contracted an illness from an ingredientDEET sore muscles and fatigue. include: places that are getting heavy rubbingalcoholtothebite.If insect bite. Today, we will

Examine your skin Zika virus can be passed on fever outbreaks. you were bitten by a tick, shed some light on insect and scalp when you to a baby and cause chills

How are insect-borne remove the tick before borne diseases. Hopefully, it get back in to check microcephaly (small head) headache diseases diagnosed? cleaning the area. Use will help to decrease your for bugs or bites and an intellectual disability soremuscles Yourdoctorcantypically tweezers to slowly pull it off chances of getting an insect

Always shower with Malaria and dengue can kill skinrash diagnose an insect-borne your skin. Be careful not to borneillness. plenty of soap after you if left untreated or can nausea disease by examining you, a leave any part of the tick on

What are beingoutdoors. damagesomeofyourorgans. stomachpain review of your symptoms, your skin. Dispose of the insect-borne diseases?

More serious symptoms and a look at your recent tick. Wash your hands and Insect-borne diseases are gettingoutbreaks. termjointpains. caninclude: travel destinations. Lab tests the bite area with soap and viral and bacterial illnesses

Avoid places that are Chikungunya can cause long

Ensure you use a While the odds of difficultybreathing (blood and urine) can water and wipe with alcohol. from insect (bug) bites. The footwear when you survival are on your side, the feeling that your diagnose certain insect- Apply an over-the-counter most common insects that a r e w a l k i n g yo

f throatisclosing bornediseases. antibiotic cream to the bite

isolate/hinterland surviving lies in avoiding an swelling of your lips, Can insect-borne area.

If you have any of the and fleas For example,

mosquitoes, sand flies, ticks, areas insect bite as much as you tongue,orface diseases be prevented?

How are insect-borne can. Take preventive actions chestpain

There are many actions symptoms listed, see your mosquitoes are known for illnesses treated? if you think you are likely to aracingheartbeatthat you can take to reduce the doctor Yourdoctormaygive spreading the Zika virus,

Assoonasyourecognize beexposedtoinsects. lasts more than a few threatofbeinginfectedbyan you a prescription for Yellow Fever, Dengue, minutes insect,including: Chikungunya, and Malaria. dizziness Stay out of tall grass Ticks cause lyme disease but vomiting andbushes. we do not have to worry What causes Dress in long pants, about that in Guyana. In our insect-borne diseases? long sleeves, and a interior we do have sandflies The diseases are caused hat if you must be in that can cause serious by blood-sucking insects tall grass and bushes. d i s e a s e s s u c h a s that infect humans or Tuck your pants into leishmaniasisandjiggers. animals when they bite. You long,whitesocks. What are some symptoms increase your risk of being Wear light-colored of insect-borne diseases? infected by an insect when clothing. This makes Symptoms will vary you are in areas where they it easier to spot depending upon the type of gather This would include insects. insect that has bitten you.

Albert Baldeo re-elected as district leader again in little Guyana, USA

At the recent P r i m a r y

E l e c t i o n s , Guyanese-American Albert Baldeo was re-elected unanimously as District Leader in Little Guyana, Richmond Hill, NY, continuingalegacyofbeing the first person to be thus elected in two different Assembly Districts in the USA, and a force to be reckonedwith.

s e c u r i n g t h e f a i r allocation of government services, resources and funding to Little Guyana, public safety, and encouraging more civic involvement by members

of our district, are engagingmerightnow

HeisalsoaformerPolice Legal Advisor and Magistrate.

His volunteer advocacy isanecessaryvoiceforall.

In many cases, the lawyer had secured help for immigrants to attend their relative’s deaths and marriages, and secure medical help in the US, by engaging the relevant agencies.

elected to use his own money to maintain an o

helping the community, t

He is the only one

rict Leader’s Office and Baldeo f o u n

unprecedentedefforts continue to inspire o

SouthAsian advocates, to

continuehislegacy

“Our community needs to show its voting strength more,”Baldeoadded.

In the past, Baldeo has voiced the concerns of his constituents without fear or favor Thesonofaworkingclassfamily,hisstrengthlies in calling out injustices, discrimination, fighting for government services, and advocatingforGuyanese.

“Giving freely of your time for public service,

In2006,hewasdeclared t h e w i n n e r i n a groundbreaking race to become a State Senator and defeat a 30-year Republican incumbent, ItalianAmericanSerfMaltese.

As an elected District Leader, Baldeo used his officetoinspireandmobilize voices and bring Guyana’s plight to the US State Department, Congress and

bringing assistance to those who need it, speaking out for others whocannotarticulatetheir concerns, and fighting for the betterment of humanity is the greatest gift someone can give to theirfellowman,formany are called, but few are chosen,”Baldeosaid

“If we are not at the table, we will continue to be on the menu, and we must always be vigilant to fight against injustice, o p p r e s s i o n , a n d discrimination,” Baldeo continued

Citing the current territorial dispute his native land has with Venezuela, Baldeo is especially interested in ensuring that dictator Nicholas Maduro and the electoral fraudsters in Guyana’s Election case are brought to justice,

Senatewhilehelpinganyone requiring assistance in accessing public benefits, unemployment benefits, quality of life concerns like bettereducation,healthcare, wages, public safety, jobs, and ensuring everyone’s issues,areheard.

Other times, he used his legal knowledge to challenge the system, like suing the MTA under the American with Disabilities RightsActtoensurethatthey install the first subway elevatorinourcommunityat the Lefferts/Liberty stop in the heart of Little Guyana, often referred to as the “Baldeoelevator.”

Besides his political work,Baldeoisasuccessful lawyer in Guyana and the USA, where he created history by being the youn

appointment to Senior State Counsel.

Former Miss Earth Guyana vying for Miss Universe Guyana 2024 title

Guyana2024.

Given her constant advocacy for environmentalissues,King’splatform, aptly named “iPlant,” is a testament to Guyana’sbiodiversityeffortsandtheir global impact on environmental preservation.

She is officially endorsed by RECOVER; a registered NonGovernmental Organization (NGO)

focused on environmental sustainability, the Miss Universe Guyana’s hopeful has secured substantial funding from the NGO to supportforherinitiative.

This funding will drive the continuationandexpansionofprojects promoting sustainability, healthy living, and beautification through extensive planting efforts across Guyana.

In addition to RECOVER’s support, King has received incredible backingfromtheMinistryofEducation and NAREI, significantly contributing tothelaunchofherplatform’s“Farmto Table”project.

This initiative has already seen the distribution of numerous seedlings at the recently concluded Miss Guyana Culture Queen Pageant, encouraging Guyanese to cultivate healthier kitchen gardens for their families.

The former Miss Earth Guyana is also committedtoplanting1,000seedsbytheend of 2024, a goal made achievable with a sizeabledonationoffruitandvegetableseeds fromtheAgricultureMinistry

Shesays“IplantousetheMissUniverse Guyana title to amplify my platform and advocacy for a more sustainable environment.

As a country, we have been proactively championing the cause of climate change. OurPresident,HisExcellency,Dr.IrfaanAli and many local entities have done an exemplary job at defending Guyana’s Biodiversityfootprint,andIintendtolendmy voiceandambitiontothiscause.”

Additionally she stated: “I am a proud Guyanese who takes every opportunity to shine a light on our power and prowess as a peopleandanationthatissecondtonone! I feel a readiness to fly our flag high on the internationalstage,especiallyatthisjuncture where the globe has its eyes on us, as the fastestgrowingeconomyintheworld.”

“Through advocacy, experience and a passion for my country, I believe this is an opportune time for us to create history together Looking forward to your support, Guyana!“shesaid.

At31,Kingisamodern-daywomanwho balances many roles: a spirited entrepreneur, an environmental enthusiast focused on sustainability, and a proud mother to her three-year-oldson,Ace.

A veteran in the pageant industry, King

has competed in 10 pageants, winning six titles,includingMissEarthGuyana2019and MissBlackSan’International2018.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social WorkandiscurrentlypursuingherMasters.

DuringherMissUniverseGuyanatenure, Ms.Kingannouncedherofficialendorsement and chaperoning by Randy Madray and his exceptionalteam.

Madray, a pageant prodigy renowned for his awe-inspiring designs and strategic direction, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the contestant’s preparation for thisprestigiousevent.

KingisdeeplyhonoredtohaveRandyand histeaminhercamp,aidingherjourneytothe MissUniverseGuyanastage.

In a statement, the fashion brand noted thatMs.KingisthefirstMissEarthGuyanato placetop20ontheinternationalstage,sheis an‘onlychild’whoisnotspoiledandsheisa country girl who can climb a coconut tree in underthreeminutes.

Among her proudest achievements is helping to rebuild a home for her familyafteratragedytook hergrandfather’slifeand childhood memorabilia in 2019. Demonstrating r e s i l i e n c e a n d determination, King worked hard to ensure her family has a place to callhomeonceagain.

The final coronation is on July 26th where

King is poised to compete alongside some of Guyana’s best and brightest, at the Guyana MarriottHotel.

Former Miss Earth Guyana, Faydeha King

Miss Universe Guyana hopeful Faydeha King is decked in a gown by Randy Madray; the Brand; Credits Makeup: Miguel Ram Photography: Michael Bonds

Backpack International Inc. embarks on 9th mission trip to Guyana

Ba c k p a c k

International

I n c h a s announced its ninth mission toGuyana.Thetripwhichis scheduled from July 4th15th will give an eleven memberteam,ofwhichnine are volunteers from the United States and the other two from Guyana an opportunity to once again traveltoLethem,wherethey willbedistributingessential school supplies in addition to hosting educational and recreational activities for localchildren.

In a media release the Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) said

that, “Earlier this month, Backpack International shipped a 20-foot container filledwithbackpacksloaded with new shoes, school supplies, hygiene products, and reading books for over 200 children in Lethem and St.IgnatiusVillage,Guyana. This shipment also includes medical scrubs for the dedicated staff at Lethem Hospital.

The mission aims to provide much-needed supportandresourcestothe localcommunities,ensuring that every child has the opportunity to start the schoolyearwithconfidence

(Continuedonpage48)

Scenes from last year’s activities.

Scenes from last year’s activities.

Scenes from last year’s activities.

Scenes from last year’s activities.

Interesting Creatures...EurasianHoopoe

By Dr. Roger Lederer

The Eurasian Hoopoe

The Hoopoe, because of its unique appearance and The Eurasian Hoopoe is common around human distinctive with its rufous- habitats, engendered various colored body, black and myths.Itwasasacredbirdin white striped wings, and a

large crest of black-tipped

feathers. Reminiscent of a qualities in Arab countries woodpecker, the down- while Scandinavians believe curvedblackbillisfarlonger it is the harbinger of war and andthinner. other Europeans regarded it

Preferring open spaces as a thief. In Morocco, for foraging such as hoopoes are traded live and savannahs and grasslands, as medicinal products in the hoopoes are often seen markets, primarily in around developed areas such herbalist shops. In Manipur, as parks and orchards. They India, locals believe that its eat insects and other small Rather than building a nest, two weeks but since mean prevents frequent invertebrates as well as they prefer nest holes with incubation begins after the urination and that its claws lizards, snakes, small soft materials left by first egg is laid, the eggs can be used to cure speech rodents, and occasionally previous occupants. Four to hatch asynchronously This disorders. seeds and berries. Often the 12 eggs are laid which the means that the success of the Source of Information: Hoopoe engages in “gaping” femaleincubates.Duringthe nest (the proportion of eggs (https://ornithology com/the – capturing its soil-dwelling breeding season, female that become fledglings) is -eurasian-hoopoe/) food by poking the closed hoopoes have symbiotic dependent on the food bill into the ground then bacteria in their uropygial supply With attentive opening it to expose the prey (preen) glands. They use the parents and a good food item. The hoopoe’s common gland’s secretion to smear supply, all young might name is derived from its the eggshells, protecting survive.Apooryearforfood, “oop, oop, oop” call. Upupa embryos in the egg from and the opposite happens. epops, the scientific name, infections by harmful There is some evidence that from the Latin and Greek, bacteria. In the process the female Hoopoes feed the also refers to the call of the secretion changes the youngestsiblingstotheolder bird. And it belongs to the eggshell coloration, which ones in times of food familyUpupidae. indicates the eggs are scarcity It may even be that T e r r i t o r i e s a r e protected, enticing the male largeclutchesofeggsarelaid established and defended by to increase his feeding of the just for that reason – extra a calling male. Pairs choose young. eggs as food for the largest tonestinatreeorwallcavity Incubationlastsforabout nestlings.

Georgetown Rotary Club assists Caribbean Islands affected by Beryl

The Rotary Club

wakeofhurricaneBeryl of Georgetown

The Rotary Club of

responded to Georgetown has made

requests for notable contributions to humanitarian aid to citizens

of the Caribbean islands

who were affected by

Hurricane Beryl, that has construction of water wells been ravaging several in areas such as Old Caribbean Islands over the England/Siberia, Coomacka pastweek and Kuru Kururu; numerous

In a press statement the

club said that, “On July 3rd organizations throughout the the Georgetown Rotary length and breadth of announced a request for help Guyana; food supplies for at its meeting and the many senior citizens homes; members immediately Christmas gifts to children responded with financial hospitalized as well as contributions, food supplies medical equipment to the andothernecessaryitemsfor Georgetown Public Hospital thedonation.” Corporation and other

Officials of the CDC and the Georgetown Rotary Club during the handover ceremony.

At a simple handing over institutions; sponsorship of ceremony that took place in other Rotary, Rotaract and Friendship, the items valued Interact clubs; several at over $1M were handed medical outreaches and over to the Civil Defense many other projects over its Commission (CDC) to assist 6 5 p l u s y e a r s o f inthehurricanerelief. humanitarian service in

The items included; five thiseffort. Sunday for Grenada,” sanitation,provideeducation Rotary’s people of action Guyana. tons of rice from NAND “The Club’s donation of Vieirasaid and job training, promote have used their passion, The club will continue to Persaud and Company, 50 food supplies and other About Rotary peace and eradicate polio energy, and intelligence to offer assistance within seven boxes of mackerel tuna and items is a testament to our The Rotary Club of under the motto “Service improve lives through main areas namely, Peace

sausages donated by unwavering commitment to Georgetown being the first aboveself”. service. and Conflict Prevention and DeSinco Trading, 2 Stihl s e r v i c e a s w e l l a s club to be established in Rotary is a global As members of the Resolution, Disease chainsawsdonatedbyFarfan community support to our Guyana has been serving network of 1 4 million Rotary Club of Georgetown, Prevention and Treatment, andMendesand50mosquito brothers and sisters in the communities across the neighbours, friends, leaders, we are united by our Water and Sanitation, nets. region as [we] continue countrysince1959. and problem-solvers, who commitment to community Maternal and Child Health,

President Natasha Vieira stand with those affected by Rotary Club members unite and take action to service and humanitarian Basic Education and indicated that she was happy the hurricane and pledge to are volunteers who work create lasting change in efforts including victims of Literacy, Economic and that the members of the club continue our efforts to bring locally, regionally and communities around the disasters. Community Development responded swiftly on such relief and hope The internationally to combat globe. In this regard, the club a n d C a r e f o r t h e short notice to contribute to shipment will leave on hunger, improve health and For more than 110 years, responded to the aid in the Environment.

GUYANA FAITHFULLY RESPECTS CARICOM FREE TRADE

AND BUYS TRINIDAD

GOODS AND SERVICES

WHILE TRINIDAD USES NON-TARIFF BARRIERS TO REJECT GUYANA’S PRODUCTS

PAT DIAL

Guyana buys five times the value of Trinidad products as Trinidad buys fromGuyanaandpartofthe reasonforthislopsidedtrade balanceinfavourofTrinidad is because Trinidad uses non-tariff trade barriers to reject Guyanese products. Examples of this unfair treatment of Guyanese exports are the rejection of pineapple shipments becausethecrownswerenot removed; rejection of pepper exports because they hadtheirstems; requirement offumigationofagricultural products with methyl bromide in contravention of the Montreal Protocol; a p p l i c a t i o n o f hypocholorous acid on eddoes; and even the banning of poultry meat though no trade in this product had taken place and Trinidad has so far been allowed to escape these and similar infringements without any correction or penalty

Trinidad’s most recent rejection of Guyanese productswasinMarch/April last when four 20ft shipping containers containing a quantity of Demerara Distillers (DDL) packaged milk and bottled flavoured waterwererejected. Twoof thecontainerscontainingthe packaged milk were denied entryandreturnedtoGuyana while the water was restricted from sale pending “an unconventionally exhaustive examination” Mr Komal Samaroo, Chairman of DDL pointed out that all requirements were satisfied by his Company and that the products were even approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration and had been exported to other CARICOM states without encountering any problemastheonepresented byTrinidad.

Unlike in the past, this recent rejection of the DDL

products has resulted in widespreadnationaloutrage. And some of the reasons for this is that DDL is one of Guyana’s flagship companies; its products are known to be of a uniformly highqualityasforinstanceit is universally accepted that its rums are the best in the world; consumersregardits boxed milk as being of the highest quality and that the Trinidadianrejectionofitis, accordingly, unfair and dishonest; every would be Guyanese exporter to Trinidad now realises that he/she will eventually encounter the same discrimination; and Chairman Samaroo’s integrity, honesty of purpose and commitment to the wellbeing of Guyanese and Caribbean people are known and trusted in the business community and by the publicandallthesefacts are attested by the support DDL’s case has received nationallyacrosstheboard:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in its release said “The refusal of entry to the dairy products wholly produced in Guyana by CARICOM member state is an affront to the spirit of a Caribbean integration agenda and must not be accepted. It is appreciated that regional products must satisfythenecessarysanitary and phyto sanitary rules, the technicalregulationsaswell asanyproductspecificrules of origin required to qualify the products for regional preferential treatment Available information, however, indicates that the dairy products from Guyana destined into Trinidad and Tobago were in full compliance with these requirements”.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), one of the Caribbean’s oldest trade organizations, in its release said “These non-tariff barriers (NBTs) particularly targeting the Agricultural Sector, undermine CARICOM ‘s goal of reducing the regional food importbillby25%by2025. The GCCI views these barriersasattemptstothwart theeffortsofH.E.Dr.Irfaan Ali, who has been leading CARICOM’s initiative to remove such obstacles D e s p i t e r e p e a t e d instructions from the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) to eliminate these NTBs, Trinidad and Tobago continue to flout the principles and directives of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Many goods rejected by T&Thave been accepted by other CARICOM nations which adhere more closely to the spirit of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). In

the light of these ongoing issues, the GCCI urges the Government of Guyana to considerstrictlyapplyingthe Principle of Reciprocity in trade with T&T until these NBTsareremovedandT&T demonstrates good faith in itstradepractices”.`

T h e G u y a n a Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) called

Government of Guyana and theCARICOMleadershipto address the DDL issue with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. It emphasized that such trade barriers which Trinidad has erected undermine the collective effortsofCARICOMHeads of Government to achieve regional food security and reduce the regional food importbill.

TheGuyanaOilandGas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) expressed its support for DDL and denounced the situation as a clear violation of the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to which both Trinidad and Guyanaaresignatories.

At the Private Sector Commission(PSC)’sAnnual General Meeting held at the Marriott Hotel, Chairman Komal Singh pledged his Commission’s support to Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL)intheirimpassewith the Trinidad authorities Chairman Singh remarked that for years Guyanese companies have been bitterly complaining about the trade restrictions encountered with the TwinislandRepublicwhichatthe same time is allowed to freely and easily export its productstoGuyana. “Our Commissionwillcontinueto review and work with other countries to have these nontariff barriers removed as quicklyaspossible.”

Finally, we report on the position of the governing PeoplesProgressivePartyas adumbrated by its General SecretaryVice President Dr Bharat Jagdeo: .”We will insistuponfullreciprocityin matters of trade the way our goods and exports are treated across the Regionbut in this particular case in Trinidad and Tobago - the same way their goods entering the Guyanese market will be treated Therewillbefullreciprocity on all the issues because if they can insist upon a phytosanitary test that we don’t implement on their goods but that they want to conductonourgoodsbefore they enter their market, then we will have to deal in the same manner as they are doing”.

In the discussions DDL had with the Trinidadian authorities on 19th April, DDL was advised that their milk was not approved for entry into Trinidad by its Ministry of Agriculture as Guyana is not an approved country for importation of animal and animal products. Likewise, Trinidad and Tobago is similarly not an approved country for importation into Guyana of animal and animal products and the Government of Guyana must take immediate reciprocal action in rejecting entry of all animal and animal products from Trinidad and Tobago. Except this is done, there would be no movement in this matter on the part of Trinidad. Twomonthshave already passed since the mattercameonthetableand Trinidad’s approach is to delay it ad infinitum; Guyanawouldhavetoforce thepaceforaresolutionand be prepared to refer to the CCJ in case there is no positivesolution.

GNBS IN FOCUS

GNBS ENCOURAGES USERS TO SUBMIT THEIR MEASURING INSTRUMENTS FOR VERIFICATION

Verification (stamping) of measuring instruments is a crucial function of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards(GNBS)sincethis service was relinquished by the Licenses and Revenue

Department in 1997

Accurate measurements are essential for fair trade, consumer protection, and

c o m p l i a n c e w i t h conformancetointernational bestpractices.Italsoensures traceabilityandreliabilityof measuringinstruments.

AstheGNBSpreparesto conduct verification for the second half for 2024, vendors, shop keepers and otherusersareencouragedto submit their instruments for this routine check. Starting in mid-July, Inspectors will be available at the GNBS Offices countrywide and at publicised locations including markets to check all weighing and measuring instrumentsforaccuracy

Itisnecessarytoconduct this exercise twice a year (every six months) to

maintain accuracy primarily because many of these instruments are of a mechanical nature and their parts may become worn from frequent use; and in othercasemishandling. Additionally, there have been instances where measuring instruments submitted for verification had missing parts and major defects which can result in inaccurate measurements

Verificationhelpstoidentify andrectifythese.

S i g n i f i c a n t l y , verification ensures retailers do not incur losses because of defective and inaccurate weighing and measuring instruments and consumers are protected from short weight and measure during transactions.Scales,masses, measures, storage tanks, flow meters, measuring rules, electricity meters, petrol pumps, speed guns and breathalysers and other commercial measuring instruments are required to beverifiedbytheGNBS.

In the realm of trade, estab

e measurements is supported in the law By virtue of the 1981 Weights & Measures Act, the GNBS is mandated to verify all measuring instruments used in trade. Additionally, the Standards Act of 1984 and its Amendment of 1997 also empowers the GNBS to carry out this crucial function. Year round, the GNBS Legal Metrology

Services Department manages all verification and monitoring activities. This team comprises of trained and appointed Inspectors operating from the Bureau’s Main and Sub-Offices Measurement services are also provided by Weights and Measures Officers within some Administrative Regions.Duringthefirsthalf of this year, the GNBS successfully verified a total of 19,804 measuring instrumentsatvariousshops, markets, supermarkets, at factoriesinthericeandsugar

, manufacturing companies, hospitals, health centres, airlines, shipping companies, post offices, petrol stations, bulk terminals and on fuel vessels Measuring i

d included 5,821 masses, 3,940scales and 3,105 electricity meters for the Guyana Power and Light Corporation.

Importantly, the GNBS does not validate unapproved dial scales used for commerce by retailers, merchants, and other users. These a

mestic measuring instruments, and they were not designed for business use. The GNBS advises consumers to avoid buying from users of these unapprovedinstruments.

Tr a d e - a p p r o v e d instruments include red equal arm scales, platform scales and electronic/digital scales. A blue and yellow approval seal is affixed by GNBS

verification Consumers should look for this seal of approval. Finally, users are reminded that at the time of submission, instruments must be fully metric, clean, and well-painted. Look out for the mobile stamping schedules which will be

l newspapers, on the radio, television and the GNBS Facebookpage. F o r f u r t h e r information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065, 2190066 or WhatsApp: 6924627

Frompage13 General and Regional elections This decision solidifies Norton’s position as the central figure leading the party into the upcoming elections.

The elections for other keypartypositionsalsotook place during the congress. Shurwayne Holder was reelected as Chairman, while Vinceroy Jordan and Elizabeth Williams-Niles were re-elected as Vice Chairpersons Elson Low was elected Treasurer, and thecountingofvotesforthe fifteen-member Central Executive Committee is ongoing.

Wednesday

Guyana’soilgenerating US$1.5Bamonthfrom threeprojects–Exxon’s VicePresident

During a recent episode of the Energy Perspectives Podcast, Phillip Rietema, Vice President and Business

Services Manager of

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), revealed that Guyana’s oil industry is generating over US$1 5 billion monthly from its threeoperationaloilprojects intheStabroekBlock.

ExxonMobil is the operator of the lucrative blockalongwithitspartners, Hess and CNOOC. Today, ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC operate three projects – Liza One, Liza TwoandPayara–producing over 600,000 barrels of oil

daily Guyana’s oil productioncomesfromthree floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels: Liza Destiny, Liza Unity,andProsperity.

EMGL Vice President stated, “ from that first discoveryin2015,[then]we have first production and here we are just four years later, with three projects online.”

Since2015,ExxonMobil and its partners have made

Phillip Reitema, Vice President and Business Service Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL)

more than 30 additional offshore oil and natural gas discoveries within the StabroekBlock.

The revenue generated from the current production level stands at US$1 5 billionpermonth.

“Atcurrentprices,which you can see reflected in our financial report, the revenue generated is over 1.5 billion US dollars a month currently,”Rietemasaid.

Based on Rietema’s disclosure oil operations should generate about US$18 billion this year. Notably, these funds are shared among government and the Exxon-led consortium.

However, this year, Guyana expects to receive approximately US$2 1 billion from oil exports and US$320 million from royalties. In accordance to the oil deal, Exxon recovers 75% of therevenueto cover cost and the remaining 25% is shared 50-50 between the oil companies and the government The oil companies then pay Guyana a2%royaltyonthecountry’s oilresourcesfromtheirshare oftheprofits.

Looking ahead, Rietema outlined plans for the Stabroek Block, for three a d d i t i o n a l projects—Yellowtail, Uaru, and Whiptail. ExxonMobil anticipates a production capacity exceeding 1 3 millionbarrelsperdaybythe end of 2027. He continued, “and if you look at production over a million

barrels a day at current prices, that’s annual revenues north of 30 billion US dollars, which will be sharedagainwiththepeople ofGuyanaandinourgroup.”

NigelHughessaysno lawpreventshimfrom representingExxon whileleadingAFC

Nigel Hughes, the recentlyelectedleaderofthe Alliance for Change (AFC) and a prominent attorney, has addressed criticisms regardingapotentialconflict of interest Critics have pointed out that his law firm’s representation of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited(EMGL)couldpose a conflict with his new political role Hughes, however, has asserted that therearenolegalprovisions prohibiting him from maintaining EMGL as a

our firm, I’m making it public now so nobody can’t saythatIhavenevermadeit [known] Several oil companies are clients of our firm. I cannot comment on that.”

OnSunday,thedayafter being elected leader of the AFC, Hughes stated that he wouldnotsevertieswithhis law firm, which represents ExxonMobil, unless he is elected to government, according to a report by Demerara Waves Online

News Hughes told Demerara Waves, “No, no! This issue really only arises if and when I become President or acquire a position of power, because, then I’m in a position to influence government policy,theycanclaim.Right now, I can’t influence government and, therefore, it’satheoreticalconflict.”

The renegotiation of the

deal Trotman signed waives all taxes from the oil companies, gives Guyana a 2% royalty on its rich resources, and agrees to the oil companies recovering 75% of investments before theremaining25%isshared, with Guyana receiving 12 5% The arrangement, withthelackofring-fencing, sees Guyana paying for projects that are yet to commence production activities. Each month bills from future producing developments are added to the list of expenses to be cost-recoveredbyExxon.

In response to Hughes comments to Demerara Waves, Vice President (VP) BharratJagdeopostedtohis Facebook page, “Nigel Hughes obviously did not read the definition of politically exposed persons in the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering

clientwhileleadingtheAFC.

During a June 27 interviewjustdaysbeforehe was elected leader of AFC, HughesdisclosedthatExxon is a client of his law firm –Hughes, Fields and Stoby Hugheswasaskedduringthe interview, that if elected leader of the AFC will he urge the party to renegotiate t h e l o p s i d e d 2 0 1 6 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which was signed with Exxon and the previous APNU + AFC Governmentforthelucrative StabroekBlock.

InresponsethenowAFC leadersaid,“…Iwillsaythis andIthinkIsaidittheother night…Exxon is a client of

2016dealhasbeenthetopic for ongoing debates. There have been calls from locals and industry experts urging Guyana’s leaders to reopen n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h

ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corporation andChinaNationalOffshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), to ensure more equitable benefits from the lucrative StabroekBlock.

Former Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and now General SecretaryoftheAFC,during his tenure under the

Coalition government between2015and2020,was the one who signed the deal in 2016 with Exxon The

the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT)Act2009.”

Jagdeo posted a snippet of theAML/CFTAct which explainswhoareconsidered aPoliticallyExposedPerson (PEP). Itstates,“politically exposed person means any individualwhoisorhasbeen entrusted with prominent publicfunctionsonbehalfof a state, including a Head of State or of government, senior politicians, senior government, judicial or military officials, senior executives of state owned corporations, important politicalpartyofficials,anda person who is or has been entrusted with a prominent function by an international

organisation, at the level of senior management, including directors, deputy directorsandmembersofthe board or equivalent functions including family members or close associates of the politically exposed personwhetherthatpersonis residentinGuyanaornot;”

Hughes also on his Facebook page responded calling the Vice President’s post “another red herring.” He explained that he has been PEP since 2011 when his wife, Catherine Hughes became a member of the National Assembly He noted that while his wife is stillaMemberofParliament (MP), they have annually declared their assets to the Integrity Commission as PEPs.

Notably,Hughessaidtoo that international client who seektoretaintheservicesof hislawfirmusuallyconduct due diligence investigation of the firm and he had to declarethatheisaPEP

“Commercial Financial Institutions in Guyana have designated me as a PEP which obliges them to conduct a higher level of scrutiny on all of my financial transactions All members of the National AssemblyincludingtheVice President are PEPs.There is no magic to being PEP The closerelativesofallMPsare PEPs,”Hughesasserted.

To t h i s e n d , h e underscored that there is no law preventing him from havingExxonasaclient.He said,“Thereisnolawwhich prevents anyone from entering in contracts with PEPs.”

Thursday

GuyanalostUS$1.8Bin 50%windfalltaxfrom ExxonMin2023

Guyana could have gained US$1.8B in windfall taxes from the massive profitsrecordedby

(Continuedonpage37)

Guyanese,

Nigel Hughes, the recently elected leader of theAlliance for Change (AFC) and Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Frompage38

ExxonMobilanditspartners in the Stabroek Block last year The excess income generated as a result of higheroilpricesisreferredto as windfall revenue Oil producing countries around theworldhaveappliedtaxes to the huge windfall profits being earned by petroleum

companies but policy makers in Guyana are

adamant against the introduction of such fiscal regulationshere.

EMGL currently has three Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO)vesselsinoperation. These vessels are producing morethan640,000barrelsof oilperday

Thecompanyinits2023 Annual Report highlighted that a total of 142 million barrels of oil were produced and sold last year; Guyana received17millionprofitoil barrels. The price of Brent crude oil averaged US$83 perbarrelin2023.

According to project documents seen by this newspaper however, Exxon anticipated an average oil priceofUS$53perbarrel.At this rate, Exxon would have made US$6 6B on the remaining 125 million barrels produced in 2023 Instead,atUS$83perbarrel, some US$10.4B in revenue was generated. The higher oil prices therefore allowed Exxon and Co-Venturers to benefit from a hefty US$3 8B in windfall revenue.

Had Guyana followed in the footsteps of other large producingoilstatesandheed the advice of international experts to apply a 50% windfall tax on these massive gains, the country could have raked in an additional US$1 9B in revenue.

Notably, the windfall taxes this country lost amounts to more than the actual revenue deposited into the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) in 2023. It was reported that US$1 6B in profitandroyaltieswaspaid totheFund,lastyear

Guyana has often been praised by the American oil giant for its high quality crude oil. In fact, only last month, Kaieteur News reported that the cost to produce a barrel of oil in Guyanaisamongthelowest intheindustry

TheInternationalEnergy Forum (IEF) and S&P Commodity Insights in a June 2024 report titled, “Upstream Oil and Gas Investment Outlook” sheds

light on the changing dynamics of global oil production costs, with particular emphasis on Guyana’s position as a costeffective producer in the industry

The report reveals that the Middle East boasts the lowest average breakeven price at approximately US$30 per barrel Brent, followed closely by Guyana with a breakeven price of US$36 per barrel Brent. In contrast, the average new well in the United States requires around US$57 per barrelBrent.

The term “breakeven” simply refers to the average cost required to pay back investorsandearnareturn. Windfalltaxes

Oil companies operating intheUnitedKingdom(UK) will continue to face 75% taxes on the massive windfall of revenue they are poised to receive It was recently revealed that the Chancellor has extended the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), the windfall tax on UK oil and gas profits, by a year to 31March2029.

Other states like Germanyin2022introduced a 33% windfall tax on the record shattering profits of oil and gas companies. The Indian Government in 2022 alsoannouncedthatitwould further be taxing the profits ofpetroleumcompaniesina decision to move up the windfall tax on crude oil from 9,500 rupees (US$116 49) per ton, to 10,200 Indian rupees (US$125.22)perton.

The energy profits levy have been introduced in several other countries like theUnitedStatesofAmerica (USA), Australia, Canada andMongolia.

Previously, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters that could not be replicated in Guyana since, “we are bound by a PSA (Production Sharing Agreement) with very specific terms on the t a x a t i o n s i d e ”

Tothisend,hesuggested“if youchangethetaxationhere, it’s considered a breach of t h e c o n t r a c t ” Seekingtodrawadistinction between Guyana and the ABC countries, Jagdeo

suggested that those companies would have been operating for decades in those jurisdictions and as suchwouldhavecomeunder the standard tax regime for the respective countries within which they operate.

According to the Vice President,insuchasituation,

the parliaments of those countries could by way of legislation easily make the changes to institute for example a windfall tax He was adamant, this is the key reason the same cannot be done in Guyana, if the administrationdidinfactgo ahead and make the legislative changes it would beconsideredabreachofthe contract, “we would run afouloftheagreement.”

Itmustbenotedthatboth Exxon and the government havedivertedfromtheterms of the PSA on provisions suchasauditandtheneedto conduct a feasibility study for the utilization of the gas resources, yet the administration continues to make excuses to engage the company for the country to benefit more from its resources.

PoliceSergeantaccused ofbeingmastermindina seriesofhousebreak-ins isunderclosearrest

Kaieteur News has confirmed that a police is p r e s e n t l y u n d e r investigation for allegedly masterminding a series of break-ins on the West Coast andWestBankofDemerara. Investigators were able to link the crimes after nabbing four suspects in a recent break-in of a businessman’s home of Pourdereyn, West Bank Demerara.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understandsthatthesuspects werenabbedaftertheymight haveattemptedtobreakinto the businessman’s home a secondtime.

On Sunday June 23 the businessman’s wife was reportedly reviewing some footage from their CCTV camera when she came across a recording of four men walking around their yardarmedwithguns.

The CCTV cameras had recorded the footage on F r i d a y n i g h t T h e informationwassharedwith neigbours for them to be on thelookoutforthegunmen.

OnMondayJune24,four gunmen similar to the ones seen in the footage were spotted walking along another street in the Pourdereyn area A cell phonevideowasrecordedof them and the police were alertedimmediately Ranks were reportedly dispatched to the area. The suspected bandits upon seeingtheranksattemptedto run away but police managedtoarrestthem.

K a i e t e u r N e w s

understands that one of the bandits, while being interrogated, implicated the police sergeant as the mastermind of their crimes. The cop was called in and when his cellular was checked,investigatorsfound that he was in constant contactwiththebandit.

He was placed under close arrest to assist police withtheirinvestigation.

Friday

RamaccusesExxonof ‘scampishaccounting practices’ascompany under-reportsprofits

Chartered Accountant and prominent Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram has accused oil major, ExxonMobil of ‘scampish accounting practices’ in Guyana as the company has been underreporting its earnings from the lucrative StabroekBlockoperations.\

Ram while appearing as a guest on the Oil and Gas Governance Network’s (OGGN’s) weekly radio programme ‘Oil Talk’ recently pointed out that while the company lists tax

as expense on its financial statement, it does not make such payments to the governmentofGuyana.

Exxon’s 2023 Annual

Report reflected an ‘operating profit before t a x a t i o n o f

$752,782,373,02

US$3.6B and an income tax e

US$658M As such, the c o m p a n y r e p o r t e d $614,599,677,509 or US$2 9B as its ‘total comprehensive income for theyear

However, Ram’s contention is that Exxon does not pay taxes to the government of Guyana, in accordance with the 2016

Production Sharing Agreement(PSA).

He told viewers and listeners of the radio

programme, aired on Kaieteur Radio 99 1/ 99 5 FM that the company’s tax reportingisfraudulent.

“That is a complete fraud.Theydonotpaytaxes inGuyana;that’safraudand let me tell you why The agreement says (at) Article 15 4 of the Petroleum Agreement says that at the end of the year, the oil companywillmakeupitstax returns (and) hand the returnstotheMinister.”

Areceiptissubsequently issued to the operator, indicatingthattherespective annualincometaxwaspaid. The Chartered Accountant pointedoutthatthecompany then presents this certificate to the United States of America and claims that figure as a tax deduction on itstotaltaxliability

Tothisend,Ramargued, “Sothereisnotaxchargeas represented by these financial statements It’s fraudulent it is all skullduggeryandaccounting scampishness.”

It should be noted that not only is Exxon exempted from paying taxes in G u y a n a , b u t i t s subcontractorsaswell.

ThePSAstatesatArticle 15 1 that the Contractor (ExxonMobil Guyana Limited) as well as its affiliates shall not be subjectedtotax,value-added tax, excise tax, duty, fee, charge or impost in respect of income derived from petroleum operations, propertyheldortransactions exceptasspecifiedunderthe agreement.

It goes on to state at Article 15 4 that the sum equivalenttothetaxesowed bythecompanywillbepaid by the Minister responsible for Petroleum to the Commissioner General of theGRA.

As a result of the deal signed by the former administration and now accepted by the incumbent regime, Guyana to date has lost over US$3B in tax payments from petroleum companiesoperatinghere.

Kaieteur News reported that tax exemptions granted between 2019 and 2021, according to previous Reports from the Auditor General (AG), amount to a whoppingUS$2.3billion.In 2019, Guyana lost US$600 million in taxes and in 2020 anotherUS$685million;this was followed by US$1 B in tax exemptions in 2021 and

US$541millionin2022.The AG report for 2023 has not yet been issued but information from Exxon’s AnnualReportindicatesthat Guyana lost US$658M in taxes from that company alone Taxes were also waived for the other Stabroek Block partners, HessandCNOOCaswellas the subcontractors hired by theCo-Venturers.

Newpoliticalparty seekingtooustJagdeo andNortonoverfailed managementofoilsector …saysGuyana desperatelyinneedofnew leaderstoendcorruption

T h e D e m o c r a t i c National Congress (DNC), officially launched in May 2018,isonamissiontooust top political forces in Guyana, to ensure prudent governance of the country and its invaluable natural resources.

Leaderoftheparty,Craig Sylvester is presently scouring for passionate and patriotic citizens, like himself, to challenge the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and even the Alliance For Change (AFC) at the upcoming National and Regional Elections, likely to be held in November2025. With just over a year remaining to garner support andbuildtheparty,Sylvester told Kaieteur News it was important for a new crop of leaders to guide the nation downthepathofprosperity In this regard, one of DNC’s objectives as a political party and government in waiting is to ensure the lopsided 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with U.S. oil giant, ExxonMobil is scrapped.

High on the party’s agendaalsoisending (Continuedonpage38)

CharteredAccountant andAttorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram

Leader of the DNC party, Craig Sylvester

Frompage37 corruption in government and “government-sponsored poverty”aswellasensuring higher wages, pensions and investmentsinnewbusiness ideas,amongothers.Seelink forparty’svisionforGuyana here:https://issuu com/craig sgy/docs/dnc_brochure_249 0e765f55786?fbclid=IwZX h0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2

R r n K v O J P s qQqsm4NRmgTz41nMupnu 3Ydu8vbBUpbIfdOMxW6 EIqin4_aem_Ac1U6l9g5gD -goxQWQqi8FPiM0U zzK tkdtmo7HVMx GrU0e6Gc zDDBDKGu5Fme24reS0E UwEFmZXchOXyZqu7Sp# google_vignette

Jagdeomisleading

The Leader of the party during a brief telephone interview with Kaieteur News on Thursday argued that Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who manages the country’s burgeoning petroleum sector, has been misleading the nation through his insistence that the oil deal cannot be renegotiated “Jagdeo has been selling us a lot of crap forever and ever and ever and he will continue telling us a lot of crap forever and ever JagdeoandthePSAhas made Guyana the eye-pass of the world where companies are concerned because as I said there is no other country in the world, no other government in the world that would issue a contracttoacompanywhere thatcompanydoesn’thaveto pay any income taxes,” Sylvestercontended.

He explained that while the VP insists that investors can be deterred if Guyana requests the companies to return to the bargaining table, this was merely an excuse. Instead, the DNC Leaderbelieves,“Wearethe only economy, the only governmentthatactuallydid that (waived all tax payments)andsoforJagdeo to turn around and tell us investor confidence is going to be shaken, nothing can shake investors’ confidence with the amount of oil we haverightnow-nothing!”

Shifting his attention to the lack of ring-fencing, the party leader said, “They are moving the profits from all ofthesewellsandpumpingit into new projects…so don’t worry too much about what Jagdeo saying As I said Jagdeo eyes pass Guyanese people and his eyes will continue to pass Guyanese people until we get rid of him.”Whenaskedifhedoes notbelieveforeigninvestors shouldbegrantedincentives

to attract investments in the country,Sylvesterexplained that while tax holidays are normal, Exxon has been allowedtohaveanunlimited tax holiday in the Stabroek Block deal He reasoned, “Thetaxholidayisreallyjust to encourage investors…we don’t have to give them any incentive other than all of this oil that we have out there A lot of foreign investors are actually running into Guyana because they see Guyana as the next best thing where investmentisconcerned.”

He argued that anyone whounderstoodthevalueof the resources discovered offshore would agree that it is “utter nonsense” for the company to be exempt from payingtaxestothecountry

The DNC Leader also believes that the country could be raking in billions more annually but the politicians have not only allowed Exxon not to pay taxes, but refuse to ringfence the Stabroek Block projects Presently, the leaderofthepartyisseeking the support of Guyanese to join the group. The DNC is set to host its first General Meeting of 2024 to discuss opportunities and prospects to strengthen the Party as it prepares to win the upcoming elections The General Meeting is to be hosted at the National Library Conference Room, on August 8, 2024, at 13:00hrs.

Doorsclosedto partnershipwith PPP/C,PNC/RandAFC

Whenaskedifhisvision for the country aligns with any of the popular political partiestodayandwhetherhe is open to partnering with any of them, Sylvester said his doors are closed to the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s National CongressReform(PNC/R).

“NigelHugheshasmade the AFC an irrelevant party in Guyana with his conflict of interest…the PNC, they have a big black mark on them, they are out because they are complete liars and did a lot of stupidness with thatagreementandthischap (Norton) is unwilling to make declarations where Exxon is concerned and the PNC and the PPP are the same.”Assuch,hesaidheis open to partnerships with smallerpoliticalparties.

In an advertisement that appearedinthisnewspaper’s Thursday edition, the DNC urgedcitizens,“Yourfuture, your children’s future, your money is on the line! If we

don’t get this right now, we condemn ourselves to watching the PPP and PNC giveourmoneytoExxonand company, and suffering u

discrimination we have

independence! It’s a long road to November 2025, but it’s a road we can travel together As we did in 2015, let’suniteandtellJagdeoand thePPP(to)standdown!”

Saturday

Notimelinefor procurement ofindependent meters–Jagdeo –Govt.nowmonitoring fromExxon’sscreen

The Government of G

independent meters to monitortheproductionofoil from the country’s lucrative Stabroek Block, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosedonThursday Jagdeo was at the time speakingathisweeklypress conference held at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown.

The Vice President said too that the government has

no independent way of

. Notwithstanding, the Vice President disclosed that despite belief that the Governmenthasnomeansof monitoring Exxon’s operations, the government through the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is able to monitor via Exxon’s screen. “Right now there is an impression that we don’t getanydata,wedon’tdoany monitoring. So you do have people from the Bureau of Standards on board the vessel and also from GRA. They look at the meters, the calibration of the meters all

ofthesethingstolookatthe flow of the oil and the producedwater.”

The data received from Exxon’s meters currently monitoring the different aspects of offshore productionisupdatedina10 minute cycle, the VP told reporters.

The government is also able to monitor drilling data viaExxon’sscreens.

Jagdeoreiteratedthatthe threegovernmentalagencies “have access to that dashboard…so we can also track what’s going on offshore but we plan to do ourownthingindependently later.”

“I doubt it is going to change much from what we see but we [Government] will have the comfort,” Jagdeotoldreporters.

Meanwhile, the VP explained that when he travelled to Ghana, he was invited to see how that country monitors its the gas extraction. He said this was not done from a huge building “A modest building Smaller than up here [Freedom House], smaller than this and you have about 10 screens and individuals are there, and that’salltheydo.Itdoesnot have to be a massive operation and we can get it done, ” he said as he described the Ghanaian monitoringoperation.

At a previous press conference the VP said that he is confident that Guyana willbeabletoindependently and extensively monitor ExxonMobil’s production real time in a few years, whenthegovernmentmakes a l l t h e n e c e s s a r y improvements.“Wenowuse someothermechanismsthat are useful in the absence of that robust kind of on-site presenceinacomprehensive way but those need to be enhanced.SoIhavenodoubt that over the next few years we will substantively increase our capacity to do that to monitor production,” hesaid.

He continued: “So I explained in the beginning that we have to work at putting the framework in place to regulate this sector, which we have practically d o n e t h r o u g h t h e implementation of the Petroleum Activities Bill, reformoftheNRF,theLocal Content Law, the new regulations concerning environmental permits, etc., theflaring,thetaxonflaring, awholerangeofthoseissues wehaveworkedon,”Jagdeo said.TheVPsaidtoothathis

government is now placing heavy focus on monitoring, eventhoughExxonwillhave aunitatitsheadquartersthat will facilitate real time monitoring of what is going on offshore. He assured that though the government will have a presence at Exxon’s unit, it will create its own monitoringdepartment.

Guyanareceived US$100Mexploration billsin2020–Financials

DespiteExxonsaid COVIDaffectedwork programme…

ExxonMobil Guyana

Limited (EMGL) was grantedaone-yearextension to continue exploring the StabroekBlockin2020after it complained that its exploration programme was affected by the COVID-19

Pandemic Financial statements for the company and Co-Venturers, Hess GuyanaExplorationLimited and CNOOC Petroleum

Guyana Limited have however revealed that the company racked up an exploration bill of $20B or US$100M during that same period Vice President,

Bharrat Jagdeo was therefore asked to explain why the country received such a huge bill for exploration when Exxon claimed it could not work duetothepandemic.

ExxonMobil was initially expected to relinquish (return) a 20% portion of the Stabroek Block to the government of Guyana in 2024. Former President, David Granger however approved an e x t e n s i o n t o t h e relinquishment provision, enabling the company to keep the entire block for an additional year In this respect,Grangerorderedthat the days from the period March 2020 to March 2021 are not counted in assessing elapsed time applicable to the agreement. The former Head of State gave the extension almost five months after the tumultuous March 2020 General and RegionalElections. He further ordered that the licensees/operator shall present updated work plans detailing mitigation efforts, revised schedules, planned milestones and other information as requested by government.

The new government latersaiditwassatisfiedthat the conditions were met to justifytheextension.

The PPP however refused to share reports detailing how the operator

was affected during the Pandemic.

On Thursday, Jagdeo explained, “President Granger in, I think August 2020, just before he left, he gave an extension That document said that they would get the extension, but submitdocumentstous.Soit happened before we assumed office We then asked them to submit the originalexplorationplanand howitwasaffectedandthey proved to the satisfaction of theMinistrythattherewasa departure from the original exploration plan.” The Vice Presidentthereforereasoned that this explains why exploration costs were recorded on the Stabroek Block partners’ financial statements. According to him, “They did do some explorationbutitwasamore aggressive exploration plan. There was a departure and thatiswhytheextensionwas given, but it was given before (we took office), but we concurred with it, that’s why we didn’t make an issue.”InadditiontoGuyana being charged exploration costsduringthe2020period, the Alliance For Change (AFC) also previously presented documents indicating that Exxon’s operations was Gazetted as an essential service during the Pandemic, therefore permitting oil and gas operations to continue unhindered.

The government however maintains that it does not need to provide evidence to justify the extension it endorsed, allowing the company to continue exploring the oil richblock.

The Stabroek Block which spans 6 6 million acresremainsGuyana’sonly commercial block with over 40discoveriesannouncedto date The offshore concessionissomassivethat it is also equivalent to 600 individualoilblocks.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Over 2000 ranks participate in annual route march

The Guyana Police

Force is currently celebrating its th185 anniversary and on Saturday over 2000 ranks took part in the annual route march. This year, the march commenced at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Drill Square, then proceeded east along Young Street, south alongParadeStreet,eastinto Lamaha Street, south along Camp Street, west along Brickdam, north along Avenue of the Republic, continuing north along Main Street, east along Lamaha Street, north along Camp Road,westintoYoungStreet andbacktotheTSU.

At all intersections along the route there were traffic ranks, who were monitoring for a smooth progression. Any road closures were temporary as they were to facilitatethemovementofthe paradealongtheroutetoand fromtheTSU.Inanadvisory

earlier this week, road users were reminded to comply with directions of the Police inuniform.Alternativeroutes oftravelwereavailableandit was advised they be utilised for emergency and all other purposes. Salutes were taken at the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Brickdam, and at YoungStreetinthevicinityof PoliceHeadquarters. Inashortstatementviaits Facebook Page, the Guyana PoliceForce(GPF)saidthat, “Today's route march hosted by the Guyana Police Force was a massive success with more than two thousand officers, ranks, CPG members, youth group members, Scouts, private s

curi

y

nd other stakeholders participating TopCop,Mr.CliftonHicken lauded all participants for theirtremendousdisplaythis morning, marching through the streets of Georgetown, drenched from the rainfall.”

Celebrated Guyanese heart surgeon receives Order of Canada

Celebrated GuyaneseCanadian heart surgeon and e n

D r Budhendranauth Doodbay is among 83 appointees this year, to receive the Order of Canada.

TheAwardwaspresented to Dr Doobay on June 27, 2024byGovernorGeneralof Canada Mary Simon. This dist

, established in 1967 as the second highest Canadian state honor, celebrates outstanding achievements a n

y contributions.

In a media statement, Governor General Mary Simon highlighted the significance of the Order of Canada, stating, "The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made positive and lasting impacts on communities here in Canada,orwhohavebrought honour to our country

Dr. Budhendranauth Doodbay

Guyana'spremieranime& popculturecelebration… Organizers prepare for bigger turn out at Merch Anime Rave Spectacle Convention 2024

The countdown is on for Guyana's premier anime and pop culture celebration-Merch Anime Rave Spectacle (MARS) 2024 set totakeplaceonAugust17thatthe M

n,

Georgetown. This year's spacethemedconventionisshapingupto be the biggest and most ambitious eventyet.For2024,theorganizers

areestimatingabiggerturnout,and they're confident the communityfocused approach that has driven MARS'successwillcontinue. "This is only possible through

the effort of community building," thefoundernoted."It'sanicheand specificgroupofpeoplethatenjoy it, so MARS helps bring those peopletogether."

OrganizedbySozo'sEnterprise the convention first launched in 2022 with the goal of building a dedicated community space for (Continuedonpage50)

ExxonMobil and partners deducted monies to decommission 4th project yet to start up

In 2023, ExxonMobil

- 2023 Financials

engagement with media headed the Environmental Guyana Limited (EMGL) representatives at Freedom Protection Agency (EPA) and the Stabroek Block

, told this newspaper that the partners billed Guyana Georgetown this newspaper Vice President’s explanation

U S $ 1 7 7 M f o r showed the Vice President a was misinformed and decommissioningorcleanup screenshot of CNOOC’s incorrect. He explained that costs to restore the ocean financials displaying the decommissioning is a

informationabove. process which takes place deepwater oil production

To this end, Jagdeo only upon completion of the activities. explained that the costs project “Capping and I

n t h e reflected were to cap the

The ‘One Guyana’ FPSO to operate the Yellowtail project has not even arrived in-country yet.

decommissioning bill was wells until production decommissioning which is money to decommission activities commence at the what you do when you are wells for the fourth project, project.TheVPwasadamant done producing oil at a well. Yellowtail, which is yet to that decommissioning wells That’s asinine to say you are start producing oil. This was was vastly different from decommissioning a well highlighted in CNOOC’s decommissioning a project, before you start producing Phase 2, sixteen new “reclaim and abandon the “but if the project hasn’t

2023 A

R

port since the latter involved the from it,” the former EPA development wells in Payara wells and facilities” and the s

obtainedbythisnewspaper

removal of the Floating Headsaid. and ten new development estimated timing of the costs assumption is that you can’t The document states, Production, Storage and While Jagdeo told this wells in Yellowtail that spud to be incurred in future d

“During the period ended Offloading (FPSO) vessels, publication that the costs duringtheyear.” periods When asked to decommissioning if it hasn’t

1, 2023, amongothertechnicalsteps. reflected in the financial TheChineseoilcompany address this state of affairs even been commissioned as

n s t o His interpretation of statement was to cap the waskeentonotethatthetotal during his weekly press yet.” Jagdeo was clear that

and decommissioning was wells until production decommissioning and conference on Thursday, the oil companies should not be restoration provisions however dismissed by commences, the Petroleum restoration provisions was Vice President, Bharrat d e d u c t i n g c

t o include the cost for one new

P e t r o l e u m a n d Engineer noted that those estimated by ‘Management’ Jagdeo refused to comment, decommission a project if it development well in Liza EnvironmentalEngineer,Dr activities are included in the based on the Branch’s net since according to him, “I h a s n o t y e t b e e n

P h a s e 1 , t w o n e w VincentAdams. developmentcost,rather ownership interest in all thinkitisnotaccurate.” commissioned At the development wells in Liza Adams, who previously (Continued on page 49) wells, estimated costs to He however pointed out, conclusion of his formal

Fire destroys two houses, damages one in East Ruimveldt

At least three families are now homeless after a fire of unknown origin destroyed two houses, and damaged another along Front Road, East La Penitence, Georgetown on Saturday

Anoccupant,39-year-oldRubyFrenchtoldKaieteurNews thatthefirestartedatabout11:00h.Themotheroffivesaidthat she was awoken by the scent of smoke from a nearby building situatedinthemiddleofthethreehousesaffectedbythefire.

“WhenIpushmybedroomdoorandgointhekitchen,Isee the smoke,” French said, while noting that she then woke up her12-year-oldsonandinformedhimto,“runoutsidebecause isfire.”

The distraught woman said she then picked up her fivemonth-oldbabyandranoutofthehouse.

The Guyana Fire Service was contacted and arrived promptly Firefighterswereonlyabletosaveoneofthehouses frombeingcompletelydestroyed.

The houses engulfed in flames.

The aftermath of the fire.

Murder at Quartzstone Backdam

- Police says Venezuelan man was killed after scuffle with drinking buddies

Police on Saturday said Meanwhile, preliminary that the Venezuelan man investigations by police murdered at Quartzstone revealed that at around Backdam, Cuyuni River, 23:30hrs Williams was seen Region Seven was chopped with the two suspects to death following a scuffle consumingalcoholatashop. with his drinking buddies in The owner of the shop oneoftheshopsthere. reportedlysaidthathelocked The victim, 21-year-old his shop after the men left Adrian Williams was and went to bed. However, reportedly killed around shortly thereafter, another 00:30 hrs on Friday person heard a loud noise Investigators have identified coming from in front of the the drinking buddies as shop. The eyewitness said Venezuelannationalstooand he peeped out and saw named them as the prime Williams involved in a s u s p e c t s i n t h e i r scuffle with ‘Barber’ after investigation. which onlookers separated

One of accused is called them. ‘Pellupa’ and the other Another individual also “Barber”. Detectives were residing in the same area told that ‘Pellupa’ was seen recalled hearing a loud noise armed with a cutlass around 00:30 hrs and when attempting to chop a he went outside he saw a motionlessWilliams. suspect “standing over Whenpersonsintervened Williams with a cutlass, he ran-away Police in their attempting to chop him statement said that ranks are further”. still hunting the two suspects O n l o o k e r s a g a i n butKaieteurunderstandsthat intervened and the suspect ‘Pellupa’wascaught. ranawayleavingWilliamsin

It is unclear if it was the the middle of a walkway in a Guyanese police who pool of blood. Police ranks captured him but he was reported that when they reportedly tied with a rope arrived on the scene they and cable ties. Reports are found Williams’body on the that the suspect was ground clad in short pants, attempting to dispose of with no footwear or top. Williams’body when he was Several chop wounds were caught. He was reportedly seen on his right chin, throat, seen dragging the man’s the left side of his head, and bodyawayfromthescene. therightshoulder

A photo of captured suspect identified as ‘Pellupa’

Dead: Adrian Williams

LittleChickisJealous

Little Chick feels jealous ofhisbabybrotherbutlearns toshowhimlove.

Once upon a time there was a little boy called Mick, with big eyes that reflected the world around him. He loved dogs and cats and chickensandsnails.Hecould help them to achieve great things,likethetimehissnail wonaSnailRace!Lookingat his eyes, you could tell that Mickwasadreamer

One time, Mick dreamt aboutaredchickenhousehe had never seen before. He saw golden yellow straw on theground.Arayofsunshine coloured Father Rooster's feathers brown and blue, shiny green and red. On the straw next to Father Rooster layalittleegg.

As Mick watched, the dreamcametolifebeforehis eyes! He saw that inside the egg was a chick. The little chickwasworkingveryhard tobreakoutoftheshellwith his little beak. Little Chick hammered against the shell from the inside. He was exhausted and fed up!When he finally managed to crawl out of the eggshell, he scrapedhisheadonthesharp edges of the shell and it startedtobleed.

MotherHenwassoupset

after laying such a big tough egg, so she needed to rest, which is why Little Chick pulledhimselfuptolaynext toFatherRoosterinstead.

'Has he hurt his head?'

Mick wondered, when he saw how exhausted Little Chick was, and so far away from Mother Hen That wouldn't be nice at all for Little Chick, as Mick could clearlysee.First,LittleChick hadhadadreadfulstruggleto get out of the egg, then he'd suffered all the scratches on his head, and now, after all

that, he couldn't even lie under his mother's snowwhitefeathers?Itwasjustas well that Father Rooster couldtakecareofhim.

Luckily, with his dreamy eyes, Mick could see that everything would turn out wellforLittleChick.Mother Hen would get better, and then Little Chick would be abletocrawlunderhersnowwhitefeathersandfeelwarm andsafewithher

It made Mick feel happy andpeacefultoknowthat

(Continuedonpage46)

DIY Easy Paper Fish Craft Tutorial For Kids

Stay clean – stay cool

By Uncle Roy

SometimesIrememberthetimesbefore, WhenIdidnotbothertokeepclean, WhenIdidnotbatheorbrushmyteeth, AndIworeclothesthatwereunclean.

AtthosetimesIdidn'tfeelsogood, Inbothmybodyandmind, Iwasneverabletodomybest, Andpeopleseemedtobeunkind.

SometimeagoIchangedmyways, AndnowkeepcleaninallIdo; Iwashandbrush,andbatheandchange, AndtakecareofthethingsIuse.

Nowthingsaresodifferent, Bothathomeandatschool, AsIhavefunwithfamilyandfriends, AndIfeelsohealthyandcool. my

Follow

5. Choose a Format for yourpoem

Theformatofapoem isinfluencedbythesubject ortone.

You don't need at this stage to worry too much about getting a perfect format. Just choose one with which you feel comfortable and start writing.

Sometypesofpoem don't have to rhyme Readingafewthatyoulike canhelpyoutochooseone.

Someofthestylesthatyou canchoosefromare:

a. Free verse – these do not follow any rules , but justwhatyouhaveinmind.

Tips in your effort to Write your Best Poem Friends

b.Self-preferred–write inastyleyoulikethemost, and about something you feelstronglyabout.

c.Narrative-thistellsa short story and includes anything you want to pass on.

d. Rhyming couplets –these poems are written with the last words in the lines that rhyme, either between two in which one follows the other, or betweentwoalternateones.

6. Start by writing just oneline.

Youhavechosenyour purpose, subject, related words and style. Now you startwriting.

Start with one line, which may be you opening lineortitle.

Look at it and see how this fits in with what you want to express in this poem.

7.Writetherest.

Having written you first line, simply start addingotherlinestoit.

As you write don't worry too much about you style, as you will fix this later when you have expressedallyourideas.

8.Edityourpoem. Youdonothavtodo this right away Leaving it for a day or two will help you to think about your

whole effort, and see how you can improve in a fresh way

You can even profit by gettingsomeonetoreadand comment on it, before makingyourlasteffortatit.

Justtakesometimeto make it as near as possible towhatyouhadenvisioned inthefirstplacereviseyour words and style and then callitdone.

Wewillbegivingour readers a few weeks to make their best effort at this, and then we will announce the rules of the competition for which we willbeawardingprizes.

Goodlucktoall!

Little Chick is...

Frompage46 everythingwouldbealright for Little Chick. He even madeupasongaboutit: Little Chick be brave, Youwillbesafe Mick loves animals big andsmall We'llplaytogether,one andall!

Some time later, Mick dreamt again about the red chicken house. He saw the golden yellow straw on the ground and the sun's rays through the roof Little Chick had now grown bigger and could peck aroundincrediblyfastatthe grains on the floor, and he ran around the chicken houseonhisstronglegs. He tried to crow like

Father Rooster: Cock-adoodle-doo!

Little Chick cackled on about everything that happened in his world

Sometimes he could be really angry about something, so angry that the anger was almost too bigforhislittlebody Mick saw that this feeling could be really hard for Little Chick But then Mick remembered that Little Chick had had such a struggle to crawl out of the egg,buthadmanagedinthe end. Mick knew that Little Chick was brave and resilient.Butoneday,when Little Chick woke up and looked out into the world, what horror…… He saw

UncleRoyisagainappealingtoourreaderstomakea contributiontothiscolumnbyeithergivingafeedback onwhatispublished,askingforsomehelpwithsome personal problem, offering some advice to fellow teenagers,orsharingthenewsofwhatishappeningin his/her community Please send your contribution to roypaul2002@yahoo.com

anothertinylittlechick–it was Pip-Squeak! In his red chicken house! Under the snow-white feathers of Little Chick's mother, and in the glow of his Father Rooster's coloured feathers!

LittleChickdidn'twant that!Hedidn'twantanother littlechickinhishouse.He begrudgedhislittlebrother Pip-Squeakmustgetoutof the way, Little Chick thought – out from under the snow-white feathers, out from his Father Rooster's bright feathery embrace. Far away to the bottom of the sea. Little Chick didn't want PipSqueakanywherenearhim!

Mick saw all this happen with his dreaming eyes,andsoinordertohelp LittleChick,hetookhimon adreamjourney

Hand in wing, they went off together Mick let Little Chick have a good look into lots of chicken houses They went to chicken houses with as many as seven young chickens in them! They alsowenttochickenhouses where there was only one

chicken; it was very peaceful in there. That one little chicken had everythinghewantedallto himself.

Little Chick was so jealous when he saw that: chicken houses without other Pip-Squeaks! If a chicken wanted to chatter therehecouldchatteronhis own If he wanted to scrabbleaboutinthestraw, there was no little PipSqueakinhisway,andifhe wanted to peck at a grain, nothing and nobody got in hisway

Mick showed Little Chick as many chicken houses with only one chickenashewantedtosee, but after visiting about a hundredofthem,ourLittle Chick suddenly thought how quiet it was. The milk was never knocked over, and there was no jolly chattering The solitary chickens had no little chickstolookafter,tokeep offthestreet,toarguewith, toplaywith,ortomakeyou feel grown up On his dream journey with Mick, Little Chick suddenly felt really proud of himself.

Diagonal Threedoku

ThefinishedpuzzleshouldbefilledwithXs,Os,and Is.Rows,columns,anddiagonalsshould never contain three-in-a-row of any one symbol.

Eachrow,column,and3x3blockshouldcontain anequalnumberofeachsymbol.Thereisaunique

By Uncle Roy

ThebestpeopleIknowbesidesmyfamily Arethefriendsthatmakemefeelsogood; Theyarethechildrenwhohelpmeout, AndkeepmeashappyasIcould.

MyfriendsandIlovetobetogether, Whetheratschool,workorplay; Ifeelthatthesespecialpeople Arewhatmakemylifeokay.

MyfatherisgladIhavesuchnicefriends; Heoftenletsmebringthemalong, ButhesaysthatIshouldbecareful Thattheydonotmakemedowrong.

Whenwetrytokeepeachotherhappy, Andhelponeanothertoalwaysdoright, ThenIknowwewouldalwaysbefriends, Andneverhavetoquarrelorfight.

WANTED VACANCY

Caricom Insurance is now hiring Sales Agents/Representatives. Attractive Commission and Training provided. Call: (592) 610-6650.

Porter to work in warehouse and Canter driver. Experience is an asset, attractive salary. Call: 673-7373.

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Vacancy for one hauler Driver and Porter. Call: 6117088 for more information.

One Housekeeper/ Cook needed twice weekly. Preferable from the East Bank. Call: 609-1434.

Housekeeper in Georgetown area for cleaning, cooking laundry & supervising 10 year old. Call/ WhatsApp: 643-4203.

One part time Gardener needed. Call: 626-0695.

Handyman to work five days weekly from 7am-12 noon in Campbellville. Call: 621-5140.

Diesel Mechanic to work in the Interior, interested persons can contact: 701-4000 between 8 am-4pm.

Wanted! Workers for packaging pasta and chowmein. $4100-$4900 per day. Workers paid weekly. Call: 6117839.

Cook, Kitchen Assistant and male Helper needed. Call: 603-1278/ 665-5074.

TO LET

Eccles furnished studio apartment, wifi optional safe and breeze, Single people only. Call: 233-3974 / 600-3070.

EDUCATION

FIRST AID/CPR/AED as well as home nursing courses at St. John Association starting shortly . Call 225-9082.

Auto Electrician and Mechanics needed. Send your CV To: omaransarimi@gmail.com or Call: 618-7066.

Lathe Operator, Welder & Handyman needed at Good Hope, ECD. Call: 645-9333/ 220-6078.

One Clerk for TSI Eccles office. English & Mathematics, grade 2. Email application: techserigy@yahoo.com or Call: 615-9132.

Maid to cook & clean for East Bank area. Call: 615-9132

Male Cleaner for Eccles. Call: 615-9132 or 645-8443.

Female Cleaner for office in Eccles. Call: 645-8443

One Pedicurists for home service in East Bank area. Call: 615-9132.

Land dredge Workers, Jet men & cook. Contact: 6883844.

Live-in Housekeeper needed to cook, clean and do laundry in Virgina, USA. Free room and boarding offered. Call: 845-325-8241.

Experienced Journalists needed at BVI News agency. Email: adsvino@gmail.com or WhatsApp: 1-284-4428000.

Chainsaw Operators and Labourers needed for wood concession. Call: 633-6030.

Supermarket Packers, porters and Bond clerk AM & PM needed @ Survival Shopping Complex, Sheriff St. Call: 6092995,survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Experienced Accounts Clerk with Quickbooks knowledge apply @ Survival Shopping Complex, Sheriff St. Call: 6092995,survivalhumanresources2 @gmail.com

Supermarket PM Cashiers required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survivalhumanresources2@ gmail.com

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrated Guyanese heart surgeon receives...

From page 41 appointments to the Order of Canada included doctors, activists, artists and economists.

“The Order of Canada recognizes individuals who have made positive and lasting impacts on communities here in Canada, or who have brought honour to our country

FOR SALE

German shepherd mix with Husky available. Call : 6480111.

2 Howo cement mixer truck for sale, $20 M for both. Call: 652-0251/650-0402/260-4018.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, sproiler, crashbar, low mileage PTT Series (first owner). Contact: 649-0956.

Canter truck, great for mobile vending, 2019 December, RHD with 54,500 KM. Arrived in Guyana December 2023. Contact: 676-5051.

1 Toyota Allion, Pioneer DVD, CD & USB deck, reverse camera, alarm, low milage. Call: 649-0956.

SERVICES

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. For more information Call: 619-0007, 629-5526.

Visa Application and consultation, advertisements publishing, graphics design, local & USA passport & i130 application forms. Call: 6267040.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Aracari Hotel WBD (VreenEn-Hoop) A/C rooms from $75 usd/$40 usd day rate WIFI, secure parking & poolside. Contact: 264-29469 / www.aracariresort.com

abroad,” the Governor General said in a media statement.

“Congratulations to the new appointees and thank you to the nominators who cast a spotlight on their achievement, purpose and exceptional talent,” she said.

Canadian- born pop punk musician, Avril Lavigne is among those who became a member of the Order, this year. The singer was granted the order for her career as a musician and her work supporting people with serious illnesses and disabilities. The Napanee, Ont. native has been open about her battle with Lyme disease. Mellissa Fung, the acclaimed author, filmmaker and former CBC war correspondent, was made an officer of the order this year, for her advocacy for women and girls in war-torn countries.

For his part, Dr. Doobay is known for his role as a religious leader and mentor, is a prominent figure in the Indo-

Canadian community. He is the founder of the Vishnu Mandir temple and the Gandhi Memorial Peace Garden, where he promotes the principles of Hinduism and advocates for unity in diversity across Canada.

Beyond his spiritual leadership, Doodbay is a noted philanthropist and humanitarian. He established Guyana’s Doobay Medical Centre, providing critical free dialysis treatment and promoting preventative healthcare.

Reflecting on his recognition, Doodbay expressed, “It is a humbling feeling because it is a good award and although I am heightened… I feel very humble, that I am among very few Guyanese who have got this award. It was quite humbling to say the least.”

Regarding his future plans to expand healthcare access, Doodbay mentioned, “We have four dialysis medi-

cal clinics and we are hoping to get one in Georgetown. I don’t know if it is a possibility but we would like to do that because people are coming from very far places.”

He added further, “There is one in Annandale, one in Diamond, one in New Amsterdam, and Parika. We have built a hospital in Annandale, and it just started so we hope it will function, and whatever revenue we get from the hospital will go toward helping poor people get dialysis.”

Throughout his illustrious career, Doodbay has received several prestigious awards, including the Order of Ontario, The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, and recognition from the Toronto Police Service, among others, for his outstanding leadership and contributions. Celebrated Guyanese heart surgeon receives Order of Canada

Backpack International Inc. embarks...

From page 29 and dignity.” Other activities during the mission will include a Summer Sports Camp that will be offering soccer, flag football, volleyball, and dodge ball, alongside a Vacation Bible School, arts and crafts sessions, sports events, and meals. There are no fees attached for the 200 children registered and events will be conducted in collaboration with Pastor Jennie Forde of Lethem Assembly of God and Ricardo and Regina Robertson of St.

Ignatius Village, Region #9.

Oslyn Rodriguez, Founder and President of Backpack International Inc., emphasized the importance of this mission, noting “I remember how excited I used to get going back-to-school shopping for new clothes, shoes, and school supplies. Some of our students don’t have that opportunity. I believe every child deserves the chance to enter the new school term with confidence. By providing these to students, it’s a small step in encouraging

them in their educational journey.”

Backpack International Inc. is a non-profit organization which was founded in 2016 by Oslyn Rodriguez, and is dedicated to equipping students in need for academic success. The organization provides backpacks filled with essentials such as school supplies, hygiene products, shoes, clothing, books, and more. To learn more about Backpack International and its mission, visit backpackinternational.org.

Aracari Hotel WBD (VreenEn-Hoop) crystal clear swimming pool. Adult/children sections. Music & food. Call: 264-2946-9.

OGGN raises another oil banner at Sybil’s restaurant in NYC

Members of the Oil and Gas Global Network (OGGN) on Saturday raised an oil banner to express their discontent with the Stabroek Block Contract at Sybil’s, a Guyanese bakery in New York City

The banner focuses, on the OGGN calling for Guyana and the Caribbean to be protected in the case of a massive oil spill and for profittaxestobepaidbyExxonand itspartners.

…calls on Govt. to demand full oil spill liability and profit taxes

OGGN stated,“InhisJune28th column titled, Oil companies have earned five times more from oil than Guyana, Chris Ram (Christopher Ram) showed in a There are 142 countries that are the few countries that is not part of granted,” OGGN said in a Guyana needs to join the table that the taxes that were NOT part of the Organization for thisinitiative. statement, while highlighting that OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework paid by the foreign oil companies Economic Cooperation and “The foreign oil companies use instead,thegovernmentissuedfake onBaseErosionandProfitShifting for 2023 amounted to US$1.5 Development (OECD) initiative to Guyana’s infrastructure such as taxreceiptstotheoilcompanies. (BEPS) to give us the leverage to billion dollars. In contrast, the oil tackle tax avoidance by multi- roads and airports. Guyanese tax “We at OGGN demand that force multinational oil companies profits that Guyana received in national corporations OGGN payers funded those infrastructure Exxon and its partners pay taxes on such as Exxon to pay their taxes,” 2023wereUS$1.4billion.” highlighted that Guyana is one of that the oil companies take for their oil profits

Additionally, OGGNconcluded.

One dead, two missing in Mazaruni boat mishap

One person is confirmed dead whiletwoaremissingafteraboat

sank in the Mazaruni River, RegionSevenonFridayNight.

Dead is Oswald Hudson of Baritca. His body was retrieved on Saturday afternoon. KaieteurNewsunderstandsthattheothertwo passengers are workers attached to a quarry companyintheMazaruniDistrict.

The boat was reportedly carrying nine passengerswhenthemishapoccurredaround 22:00 hrs, in the vicinity of Itaballi. The six survivors were rescued and rushed to the BarticaHospitalwheretheyreceivedmedical treatment.

However,reportsarethatHudsonrescued achildbeforehedrowned.Asnewsspreadof his death, relatives and friends described him asaherowhoputthelifeofthechildaheadof hisown.

Bandits snatch handbag with

$3.7M

from moving SUV

Two bandits on a motorcycle on Friday through the window from the front snatchedahandbagcontaining$3.7Mincash passenger’s side of the vehicle After from a moving SUV along Independence snatching the bag, the men jumped off the BoulevardandHunterStreet,Albouystown. motorcycle and abandoned it in the bushes

The entire act was caught on CCTV beforerunningawaywiththebag. cameras. Based on footage seen, it appears The victim told Kaieteur News that she that the men were trailing the SUV as it hadcollectedthemoneyfromacitybankjust moved slowly along Independence before the robbery Further, she said that her Boulevard. handbag also contained jewellery, a mobile

They then rode beside the SUV and the phone, foreign currency and other important pillion rider grabbed the handbag from documents.

Heavy rains cause floods across Bartica

Heavy rains on Saturday thewaterrose. that the koker has been flooded the town of Bartica, More videos and photos blocked by a tyre which has Region Seven.The torrential began surfacing of flooded resulted in a back- up of rains began in the morning streets and yards Many water affecting residents in and continued into the Bartica residents were angry these low lying areas, which afternoon causing flood because according to them caused water to get into waters to gush into homes the community’s pumps personshomes”. andbusinesses. werenotworking. The Mayor said too that Affected residents took A subsequent statement an emergency pump at First to social media showing the by the town’s Mayor, Street and Fourth Avenue flood waters rushing into Anthony Murray revealed was also set up to assist in theirhomes. that the severe flooding pumping out the excess

O n e r e s i d e n t , a might have been caused by a water

businessman Winston Miller blockedkoker At around 19: 00 hrs, a in a live video said that “Presently we’re on the Town Councilor the tyre was Bartica is still recovering ground trying to clean an successfullyremoved. from a devastating flood in areathatisblockedlocatedat “This was the main 2022 and is now faced with 9th Street, Prakash area,” the reason why water wasn’t anotherdevastatingdisaster Mayor stated around 18:06 h flowing out of the koker at “Damages again” he said onSaturday Prakash corner” , the while showing how quickly He added, “We observe Councilorsaid.

From page 43

Block, while the fourth development, than decommissioning. To this end, he Yellowtail is yet to come on stream; the argued, “This man gets up there and talks a projectisexpectedtostartupin2025.Infact, lotofnonsense.SometimesIhearallthetime the ‘One Guyana’ FPSO to operate the he says stuff that he has no idea what he’s developmenthasnotevenarrivedin-country talking about. He bluffs his way He has no yet. According to the companies’ financials idea.” seen by Kaieteur News ExxonMobil billed

Furthermore, Dr Adams pointed out that Guyana $10,857,314,009, while Hess also the oil companies should not be deducting added $13,072,707,068 and CNOOC monies to decommission wells before the $11,393,140,000 for decommissioning in projectcommencesproductionactivities. 2023. In total, the companies charged the Notably, each project has an estimated c o u

o r life of about 20 years. Three projects to date US$176,615,805 for decommissioning last have been commissioned in the Stabroek year

Members of OGGN outside of Sybil’s bakery in New York.

Dead: Oswald Hudson

Israeli attack on UN school used as shelter in Gaza kills at least 16

- Dozens of Palestinians also injured in bombing

Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Government

Aljazeera - At least 16

of school in

Media Office says.

after they were forced to flee Palestinians have been killed in an Israel’sbombardmentinotherparts Israeli attack on a United Nations- ofGaza. run school sheltering displaced

The families “chose the middle people in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza area [of the Gaza Strip] because Government Media Office said, as Israeliforcessaidthemiddleareais Israel continues to pound the asafezone”,Khoudarysaid. besiegedcoastalterritory

“Everyone in the Gaza Strip

In a statement on Saturday, the believes that they are not safe, Government Media Office said wherevertheygo.” more than 75 people also were

Last month, an Israeli attack on injured in the attack on al-Jaouni an UN-linked school – also in school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat Nuseirat refugee camp – killed at refugeecamp. least 40 people and injured dozens

“We condemn the Israeli mo

occupation [for] committing these authorities. ongoing crimes and massacres

Musab, a 17-year-old survivor against civilians, children and of the early June bombing of the women,”itsaid. UN

TheNuseiratfacility,runbythe Preparatory School, told the UN UNagencyforPalestinianrefugees agency that his father was killed (UNRWA),isthelatestschooltobe after “missiles rained down” on the bombedbytheIsraelimilitarysince family the Gaza war began in early

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli attack on a UN school sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, July 6 [Ramadan Abed/Reuters]

“Concrete slabs fell on us, and October suddenly, we found ourselves

At least 38,098 Palestinians surroundedbythedeadandinjured. have been killed in Israeli attacks All of my family members were acrossGazasinceOctober7andthe turned-shelter in Nuseirat showed fromambulances. that 50 injured Palestinians were either injured or killed,” Musab besieged enclave faces dire twisted metal at the collapsed They included a girl with a takentothehospital. said in testimony shared by shortages of food, water, medicine building. bandaged arm, another with a In a statement shared on social UNRWA. andotherhumanitariansupplies. A young boy could be seen bloodied face and a boy bandage mediaonSaturdaynight,theIsraeli “We were sleeping, and at two

On Saturday, dozens of sifting through pools of blood on acrosshishead.

army said its air force “struck in the morning, missiles rained Palestinians, including five theground.

Emergency workers also tried several terrorists” in the area of al- down on us. They pulled us from journalists,werekilledastheIsraeli Footage shot at Al-Aqsa to cover two bodies as they were Jaounischool. under the rubble, and all we saw military stepped up its Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir el- quickly brought into the medical Reporting from Deir el-Balah, were shrapnel, debris, and dust. I bombardmentoftheterritory Balah and verified by Al Jazeera’s complex. Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said am in shock and can’t comprehend Videos taken at the scene of the Sanadagencyalsoshowedchildren The Palestinian Ministry of hundreds of Palestinian families thatmyfatherisdead!Howwillwe attack on the UNRWA school- and young people being rushed Health in Gaza said in a statement had sought shelter at the school live?”

Organizers prepare for bigger turn out at Merch Anime...

From page 42 theirtalentsonstage,withthecrowddeciding anime enthusiasts. Now in its third year, the winners. The event will also continue to MARS has cemented its status as the largest spotlight the diverse array of small andmostanticipatedanimeeventinGuyana. businesses and companies that have become “MARS is not just another event, we are anintegralpartoftheMARSexperience.Bad buildingacommunity,”explainedtheevent’s Monkey andYugoih, for example, will be on co-founder,GeorgeJacobs. hand,givingattendeesthechancetodiscover And the community has responded in a newproductsandservices.

big way The Waterfalls has learnt what The event will once again feature an started as an expected turnout of around 200 artist’s alley, showcasing a diverse array of people quickly blossomed into over 700 local talent. Attendees can expect to see attendees in the first year In 2023, that worksfromRaad’sCustomRugs,ArtistoKat, number nearly quadrupled, with close to ZestCo, Melia’s Creations, Mulanii’s Art, 3,000peopleflockingtotheconvention. The Art Realm, and Gilded Crafts, among The 2024 edition of MARS is taking that others. community-building mission to new heights Tickets for MARS 2024 are available for withanexcitingspacethemethatencourages purchase at various Bad Monkey store attendeestoembracetheircreativityandself- locations, including Regent Multi-Complex expression.“Weallowpersonstocomeinthe Mall, Giftland Mall, Amazonia Mall, way that they envision themselves,” the MovietowneMall,andVreed-en-Hoop. founder shared. “There are some guidelines, As Guyana’s anime community eagerly but persons can come as any character from awaits the return of MARS, the event’s any multiverse, anything they feel organizers remain committed to creating a comfortable expressing themselves spacethatcaterstothedesiresandinterestsof through.”Jacobsadded. their dedicated attendees. With its unique Alongside the beloved MARS runway, blend of creative expression, communitywhere co-players and graphic tee enthusiasts building and pop culture celebration, MARS can showcase their passion, this year’s 2024 is poised to be another unforgettable convention will feature a host of new and experienceforanimefansacrossthecountry returning activities Perhaps the most So, get ready to blast off to MARS and anticipated is the Anime Rap Battle, which join in the festivities as Guyana’s anime putsauniquespinonthetraditionalrapbattle community reaches new heights on August format by allowing participants to showcase 17th.

Scenes MARS comic and convention.

BLUNTNESS ON INDECENCIES!

Incaseyouhaven’theard,pleasebeinformedthataspartofourcontinued effort to channel positive changes in our country, our Publisher, Dr Glenn Lall, has dedicated our Page Seven to be “BLUNT” about ongoing indecenciesinourlandthatshouldmatter,notonlytousatthispublication, buttheentirenation.

SUNDAYJune30,2024

RANK INTERFERENCE, RAWARROGANCE

Anybodyfromanywhere nowhaslicenceinGuyanato dictatewhatshouldbeinthis country

Anyone could climb out of any rathole, any cactus bush, and decide for Guyanese who has aspirations.

What should be. Why thatisaproblem.

Coloured people were enslavedbefore.

Abraham Lincoln issued h i s E m a n c i p a t i o n Proclamationinwartime. Still,thereareAmericans who behave as though slaveryiswhatshouldbe. What is that, if not ugly bigotry?

Howcanthatbeanything otherthanwhitesupremacy?

MONDAYJULY1,2024

APIECEOFTHEPIE

All Guyanese are seekingisafairshareoftheir wealth.

The government hands out an envelope and says that’s it. Be glad, we are so generous.

A proper piece of the national pie shouldn’t be so hard to give in a trilliondollareconomy.

T h e P P P GOVERNMENTisScrooge

(stingy) with ordinary citizens.

But Santa Claus with friends, family, and favourites.

Ask Jagdeo and he goes aroundincircles, AskPresidentAliandhe slams a door in the face of Guyanese.

This can’t be what a piece of the people’s patrimonymeans.

T h i s i s a P P P GOVERNMENT which is proud to play cruel tricks withcitizens.

TUESDAYJULY22024

WHO’SFORGUYANA?

Ali and Jagdeo don’t wanttotalkaboutoil.

Norton wants to talk aboutoilonhisterms(which arenotermsatall).

Now new AFC leader, Nigel Hughes, will inform Guyanese where he is with oilifheiselectedpresident. WhoisforGuyana? Whichleaderisallabout oil?

Who in Guyana is for Exxon, but possibly doublecrossingGuyanese?

WEDNESDAYJULY3,2024

ONEINALIFETIME

ExxonsaysGuyana’soil isa‘oneinalifetime’asset

Yet many Guyanese are living with the same hard times

Exxon’s executives brag aboutGuyana’soil

Guyana’s leaders drag theirfeettogetthebestfrom thiswealth

In a one in a lifetime oil asset Exxon’s people drool withexcitement

Guyana’s leaders fool citizens, make fools of themselves

Best in a lifetime, or a horriblelifesentence?

THURSDAYJULY4,2024

OILTALK

Guyana’s leaders have thismassiveoilprize

But Exxon has reduced themalltosize

No leader speaks clearly onoil

No leader steps forward to blaze a better path with thisoil

Whohaswhosemouth? Who has their hands in

Exxon’spocket?

WhoseminddoesExxon control?

Who wants to talk oil, who separates and takes a stand?

FRIDAYJULY5,2024

GOLDSMUGGLING

The PPPC Govt is in a hurrytostopgoldsmuggling

The PPPC Govt should firststopthesmugglingofits principles

Govt and party leaders muststopstretchingouttheir

handsGovtandpartyleaders must also stop selling their favors

Goldsmugglingcanstop

But stop the deceiving andconcealing

The PPPC Govt and a g e n t s m u s t s t o p sidestepping Get serious about smuggling. Startgoverning.

SATURDAYJULY6,2024

GUYANA’S POLITICALCROP

Exxon has the drop on

Guyana’s political leadershipcrop

All their ideas, their nerve, their energy come toadeadstop

They are about what’s goodforGuyanese

Ortheyhadbetterprep togetgoing

Local leadership can’t talk,can’twalkthewalk

They must decide, they owe Exxon, or they owe Guyana.

Fightforabettershareof thiswealth,orgetlost

Guyanese must see that difference,orseethemoff

2nd Annual GGA National Junior Golf Championship... Leguan Secondary retain National Golf Championships

The second annual National Junior Drive, Chip & Putt Golf Championship, hosted by the Guyana Golf Association in partnership with the Ministry of Education on Friday at the Nexgen Golf Academy on WoolfordAvenue witnessed a spectacular turnout with hundreds of players and students from across the nation participating in the

fastest-growing sport in Guyana When the dust settled in the Schools Category, it was Leguan Secondary that edged out Rosignol Secondary on pointstosecuretheirsecond consecutiveNationalTitle. Good Hope Secondary maintained their impressive form, securing third place. Other participants included Lower Corentyne, New

Amsterdam Multilateral, H

, Tucville, South Ruimveldt, Richard Ismael, Friendship, Soesdyke, Westminster and LeonoraSecondary

All attendees enjoyed meals, snacks courtesy of Sunshine Snacks, ice cream from Sterling Products and beverages provided by Guyana Beverages Inc. The

winners received massive trophies sponsored by Jaigobin’s Hotel and Jaigobin’sSupermarket.

Sunday July 07, 2024

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)

Overall,theforecastfortoday is fairly good. The aspects seemtofavorfiguringoutthe meaning of all that's transpired over the past several weeks It's an opportunity for you to take a leisurely

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Have you felt somewhat lost forthepastfewdays?Thefog maylifttodayandenableyou to situate yourself at last. You'reprobablyeagertosettle a question that has nagged at you and interfered with your judgment.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

You may have been feeling somewhat disillusioned. Perhapsyoulostsightofyour goals or misplaced your faith in yourself. You'll feel some reliefbeginningtoday

CANCER(June21–July22)

Youmightbetemptedtosettle certain matters by radical means. The visionary part of you means you're painfully aware of the world's wrongs. You see no reason not to take actiontocorrectthem.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Today will be fairly calm in terms of outside events, but yourinnerworldislikelytobe in a rush of activity Today you wish you could find the solutiontoyourheartachesas well as your career predicaments.

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

You have a lot of thinking to do about your professional goals, Virgo. You'll go over the elements to see if there isn't some way to approach thingsdifferently

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

Youjustcan'tdoeverythingat once, Libra. How do you expect to reduce your stress and recuperate while at the same time continue to be a superstar performer in every areaofyourlife.

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)

Thisisagoodmomenttoadapt your logic and reason to reality, Scorpio. If you don't, you're going to run into some

Everyone knows that you find newideasplentiful.

SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)

It'sgoingtobealittledifficult ta

ou to

y, Sagittarius. You, who can be easily influenced by others, will be listening to and criticizing everything that peoplesay

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Haveyoubeenreviewingyour family history lately, Capricorn? Of special interest is your cultural background. What educational, social, and religious environment were you born into? What are its values?Intheend.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) It's time to elevate your senseofself,Aquarius.You're justasgoodasanyoneelse,so why don't you believe it? The problem is that you're very sensitiveabouthavinganego. Even though you know everyonedoes.

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Today your intellectual and expressive abilities should receive a boost from the planets.It'sanexcellenttimeto organize your thoughts about presentingaproject.

Operational support for the tournament was providedbyCPCEteachers, LisaPlank(Exxon),Nexgen G o l f A c a d e m y Coaches Philip Haynes, Shmari Joseph, Harrichand Dhanai, Al Wilson, Vishal Dhanai, Caliper Drones, Region 3 and 6 RDC and EducationDepartments,and Doc’s Catering in association with the Office of the CEO, Secondary Schools Ministry of Education. Aleem Hussain, president of the GGA, expressed gratitude to the keysponsorsresponsiblefor thetournament’sastounding success.

The Guyana Tourism Authority;SterlingProducts Ltd;PegasusHotel&Suites; Guyana Beverages Inc; Jaigobin’s Hotel; Toolsie Persaud Ltd; Jaigobin’s Supermarket; Sunshine Snacks; Dino Bissessar; K n i g h t R i d e r Transportation;Ramchand’s Auto; Darthan Investments Group; Tristone Auto; Shangri-La Gardens; Westside Golf Course; and NexgenGolfAcademy

AccordingtotheGuyana Tourism Authority, “The sheer numbers and talent on display prove that golf is now a sport with the potential to bring major attentiontothecountry,both for sports tourism 1and in dominanceofthejuniorgolf category in the region. Now that our kids have access to theWestsideGolfCoursefor training, we will finally be a b l e t o c o m p e t e internationally.” Individual Category Winners: • Under 13 Girls: Ariel Bonie (1st), Adina Arjune (2nd) PolmattieManahar(3rd)

• Under 13 Boys: Adam Arjune (1st) Justin Singh (2nd),SeanPlank(3rd)

• Under 15 Girls:

Kristina Teekaram (1st), Alicia Dennis (2nd), HemadeviLall(3rd)

• Under 15 Boys: Premchand Abdool (1st), Michael DeBarros (2nd), LeonBeckles(3rd)

• Under 18 Girls: Babita Singh (1st), Shantel Romeo (2nd),CrystelMurray(3rd)

• Under 18 Boys: Ajay

Sewpersaud (1st), Xavier Ignatius (2nd), Jeremiah Bemmen(3rd)

•OpenCategoryFemale: Sandy Sooroojmohan (1st); Serena Kassim (2nd), Marissa Morgan-Bonie (3rd)•OpenCategoryMale: Kevon Jawahir (1st), Arun Jaikarran (2nd), Godfrey Rodrigues(3rd)

Leguan Secondary retained their schools golf championship on Friday last

ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ U14 Football Championships…

PC dethrones Waramuri Top to claim the crown

…Chase’s Academic Foundation retains title

The fifth Annual ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 Football Championships came to an electrifying conclusion on Saturday at the Ministry of Education ground, with President’s College (Girls) and Chase’s Academic Foundation (Boys) emergingasthevictors.The tournament, organised by the Petra Organisation, showcased a dazzling display of speed, tenacity, execution, and willpower fromallparticipatingteams.

President’sCollege(PC) dethroned last year’s champions, Waramuri Top, in a nail-biting Girls finale.

The match remained goalless through regular time, forcing the game into 12 minutes of intense extra time. Kimora Edwards was the hero of the day, scoring twice to secure the title for President’sCollege. Her first goal was ‘spot on’coming from a long ball that deflected off a standing defender and made its way into the net, giving PC a crucial 1-0 lead In the second half of extra time, Edwards doubled the advantage by intercepting a crossandskillfullyfinishing with only one defender trailing behind her Waramuri Primary Top foughtvaliantlybutcouldn’t findanequaliser,eventually falling 2-1 to hand PC the 2024title.

The boys’ final saw Chase’s Academic Foundation claim a hardfought 1-0 victory over a resilientDolphinSecondary The match was tightly contested, with both teams unable to score in the first half. As the second half progressed, Chase’s

Academic Foundation ramped up their attack, and their persistence paid off when Mark Glasgow unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box. His goal, coming after a brilliantfour-passsequence, broke the deadlock and proved to be the decisive moment of the match

D e s p i t e D o l p h i n Secondary’s relentless attemptstoequalise,Chase’s stout defense held firm, securing the championship witha1-0win.

The closing ceremony celebrated individual and team achievements, with winners receiving a total of $60,000incashprizes.

In the girls’ category, Bartica Secondary claimed third place, while Charity Secondary was awarded the Most Disciplined Team K i m o r a E d w a r d s (President’s College) and Nariswar Williams (Santa Rosa) were honoured as the Most Valuable Player and Most Goals awardees, respectively

While in the boys’ division, Leonora Secondary secured third place with a thrilling 2-1 victory over South Ruimveldt. Jaden Christian of South Ruimveldt was recognized for scoring the most goals in the competition, totaling ten, while Mark Glasgow was named the Most Valuable Player The tournament, sponsored by ExxonMobil with the support of entities like Stena Drilling, DDL/Pepsi, and MVP Sports,wasapprovedbythe Ministry of Education and sanctioned by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports.

Powerhouse teams return...

Frompage57

Diamond Gunners, Eastsyde, EC Express, Eccles All-Stars, Flacons XI, GPL Inc , Green Scorpions Cricket Club, Lil Rams, Mahaica Super

S t r i k e r s , M a h d i a (Movements Family), Ministry of Housing and Water - One Guyana, Montra Jaguars, Moruca Super Giants, MS-13 AllS t a r s , P R E M I E R Insurance, Renegades Cricket Club, Soesdyke

, Tarmac Titans, Team Corruption, TG Titans, The United Crew, The Guards, Titans All-Stars, Upsetters and Village Rams

Guinness Greatest of the Streets – West/East Bank Quarterfinalists book their tickets

Caption: Action in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’West/East Bank Demerara Championship

De f e n d i n g c h a m p i o n

Ballerz Empire, Showstoppers, West Side Ballers and Jetty Ballers advancedtothequarterfinals whentheGuinness‘Greatest of the Streets’ West/East

B a n k D e m e r a r a Championship commenced on Friday night at the Pouderoyentarmac.

Ballerz Empire downed SunshineBallers2-1tosend a strong message to the remaining participants SolomonAustin andAdrian Alexander scored in the sixthand22ndminuteeach. Fortheloser,NeronBarrow nettedinthe25thminute.

On the other hand, three time former champion Showstoppers dispatched Goal Getters 30. Marvin Josiah scored in the seventh minute and then netted a GG in the 30th minute.

Likewise, Jetty

Ballers downed No Mercy 2-0 Jermin Junior recorded the fastest goal of the event in the opening 30 seconds.

He would then seal his braceinthe16thminute

A l s o , We s t s i d e

Ballers edged Boom Bang 1-0 DarrellAbrams scoredinthefifthminute.

Meanwhile, Cayenne Massivewasdisqualifiedfor fielding an ineligible player during their victory against ESPNafterthelatterlodged anofficialprotest.

An investigation was l a u n c h e d b y t h e tournament coordinator and at the conclusion, it was revealed that the player competed in the Georgetown zone which is an infraction of the rules, r e s u l t i n g i n t h e disqualification of the team and a three year ban fortheplayer

The event resumes on

Friday with the quarterfinal segment.

CompleteResults Guinness Goal-(GG)-2 goals

Game-1

Up like-7-0 vs PouderoyenBrothers-5

Dwayne Peters-1st and GG-28th

LuiroyNieuelder-8th

SeonStephen-13th

UpLike-7scorer SebastianEdwards-17th Game-2

Bagotstown Warriors-1 vs.EpicTouchFamily-6

EpicTouchscorers

Devin Gaskin-1st,23rd and24th

DonteMacAulay-6th

Shaquille DosSantos7th

TrevonCornell-17th

Bagotstownscorer

JuniorBobb-GG-28th Game-3

Westside Ballers-1 vs. BoomBang-0

DarrellAbrams-5th Game-4

Team Family-0 vs StreetBallers-0

Team Family won 3-2 onsuddenpenaltykicks Game-5

Jetty Ballers-2 vs. No Mercy-0

Jermin Junior-30th secondand16thminute Game-6

ESPN-0 vs Cayenne Massive-5

Cayenne Massive disqualified for fielding ineligibleplayer Game-7

Showstoppers-3 vs GoalGetters-0

Marvin Josiah-7th and GG-30th Game-8

Ballerz Empire-2 vs. SunshineBallers-1

Ballerzscorer

SolomonAustin-6th

Adrian Alexander22nd

Sunshinescorer NeronBarrow-25th

Powerhouse teams return season of Kares One Guyana T10

Who will feel the joy of success or the pain of defeat this year?

The Kares One Guyana T10 Blast is back for a second season, with several top tapeball teams confirmed to return to the actionstartingAugust3rd.

The tournament will continue on August 4 with the Round-of-16 matches, followed by the quarterfinals onAugust 11 and the grand finals and Cricket for CharitymatchonAugust25 at the National Stadium, Providence.

Defending champions Eccles All-Stars will be looking to repeat their title run, facing stiff competition from familiar names like Village Rams, Mahdia (Movements Family), Tarmac Titans, and Team CorruptionandTheGuards. Tournament organiser John Ramsingh expressed his excitement about the r e t u r n i n g t e a m s , highlightinglast year’s high levelofplayandanticipating evenfiercercompetition.

He’sparticularlypleased with the involvement of private companies like Premier Insurance and Montra Jaguars, who have formed their own “franchises.”

“Ourvisionistocreatea platformforbothprivateand public sectors to invest in local cricket, benefitting players and bringing exciting entertainment to fans,”Ramsinghsaid.

“While we haven’t reached our ideal player reward structure yet, we’re on the right track This tournament can potentially become a major regional event, with international aspirationsdowntheline.

Fans will have to wait longer to see the full list of participating stars, as squad submissions close on July 28th.

Theprizepoolhasgotten evenmoreenticing,withthe winner taking home G$1.5 million, followed by

G$500,000fortherunner-up and G$250,000 for each losingsemifinalist.

Individual accolades will also be awarded for Player of the Final, Most Wickets, Most Runs, and MostValuablePlayer

Star Rentals has committed to the first-place prize, while the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport will support the tournament forthenexttwoyears.

TheMinistryofHousing and Water and Demerara Mutualhavealsosignedon. Confirmed teams: Airport XI, Avinash All-

Stars, Bartica Bulls, Brooklyn Youth Strikers, CottonTreeDieHard, (Continuedonpage55)