The International Energy Agency(IEA)inanewreport has predicted that United S t a t e s o i l m a j o r, ExxonMobil, will secure
approval from the government of Guyana (GoG) for a seventh deepwaterprojectintheStabroek Blockby2025.
According to the report Oil 2024, the project, Fangtoothcouldadd220,000 barrelsofoilperday(bpd)to the country's production capacity The IEA also estimated that first oil from the seventh project could flowasearlyas2029.
Furthermore, to meet the government's target of 1.3 million barrels of oil per day by 2027, the report said an eightdevelopmentcouldalso be sanctioned the following year (2026) The project could add another 220,000 bpdby2030.
Presently, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL)
has three Floating
Production Storage and Offloading(FPSO)vesselsin Guyana's Stabroek Block
The company has received regulatory approvals for six deep-waterprojectstodate.
ExxonMobil said it
startupin2025whileUaruis expected to come on stream by2026.
TheStabroekBlockis6.6 million acres, where to date over 38 commercial discoveries have been made. It is estimated to contain more than 11 billion barrels of oil.
ExxonMobil Guyana Limitedisoperatorandholds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds30percentinterestand CNOOC Petroleum Guyana
anticipatessixFPSOswillbe in operation on the Stabroek Block by year-end 2027
Already preparations are ongoing for startup of Yellowtail and Uaru, the fourth and fifth projects, which will each produce approximately 250,000 barrels of oil per day Yellowtail is posed for
Notably, concerns were previously raised by stakeholders regarding the swiftapprovalofoilprojects andFieldDevelopmentPlans (FDPs)bytheGoG.Thefast tracking of the approval process not only puts the environment at risk but also allows for higher project cost, by failing to properly scrutinizeFDPs.
Limited holds 25 percent interest.
The PPP/C Government hasmadeitclearthatitplans to embark on a number of measures that will keep the oil industry on the fast track for a minimum of 15 years. This was revealed by Vice President,BharratJagdeo.
The official said such an
approach would include the timely award of production licences as well as encouraging investment in the sector Given the pace at which discoveries are being made in the Stabroek Block, and the overall speed of development activities, Jagdeo said it is critical that the government adopts a complementary approach to ensure local and foreign
The Vice President said, “All that we are doing is to sustain the level/ (momentum) and we will do so aggressively and unashamedly to sustain high levels of activity for a minimum of 15 years. That means licencing new FPSOs (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading
vessels), consistently encouraging investment, going out, as we have done, toanauctioninamannerthat could potentially have a minimum of five different investorsinthebasin.”
Jagdeo was also keen to note that government is not unmindful of the debate taking place globally about the need to reduce carbon emissions to save the planet. He said the administration subscribes to that philosophy
Hestressedhoweverthat the transition from fossil fuelstorenewableshastobe just and in a sustainable m a n n e r H e s a i d , unreservedly, that the government will not succumb to the jaundiced calls of certain detractors to shut down the industry In closing, he said government will continue to defend the country's right to develop its resources. The official also called for there to be a deepening of the analytical views that make their way intothemedia.
‘Stop the brain drain, put people over profits’ - GPSU tells Govt.
The Guyana Public Service Union
( G P S U ) o n Sunday called on the Government of Guyana to “Stop the brain drain, put people over profits,” by prioritizing its growth and modernization agendas to i n c l u d e a d e q u a t e accommodation for public servants.
“Put them (public servants) over profit because without the workers you cannot have profit, without
the workers we cannot have good roads, you cannot have schools, who building, who maintains, it's the workers,”
First Vice President of GPSU, Dawn Gardener told KaieteurNewsonMonday Gardener said that there is a great need for the government to place public servantsonthefrontburner
“You(Government)have t o h a v e a d e q u a t e accommodation for them, always remember that your human capital is important,
your human resources are important, and they must be treated with priority, treated with respect,” she said adding, “You always hear comments about the profit part of it, the outcome, but you haven't heard, you don't hear, where this profit was driven from, the profits was driven from your human resources.”
Similarly,theUnion,ina letter published in Sunday's editionoftheKaieteurNews in observance of the United
Exxon’s partner CNOOC looking to lease office, residential complex for next 20 years
China's, CNOOC
Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL),a25%partnerinthe Stabroek Block has initiated apre-qualificationroundfor interested bidders to lease a complex to the company for office and residential purposes.
AccordingtotheRequest for Information (RFI) published on Monday, CNOOC is looking to lease the complex for 20 years to support its activities operationsinGuyana.
ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) is the operatortheStabroekBlock, w h i c h i s l o c a t e d approximately 200 kilometersoffshoreGuyana. Exxon holds 45% and the third block-partner CNOOC holds30%interest.
Oil discovery was made in 2015 and by December 2019, oil production had commenced, with the Liza Phase 1 development. By early 2022, Liza Phase 2 production commenced, followed by Payara in 2024 andYellowtailtocommence in2025.
CNOOC said in its RFI, “In response to this increased development and productionactivity,CPGLis significantly increasing its presence in Guyana. Inaugural office and staff presencestartedin2017and has grown over the last six years.”
For the pre-qualification round,interestedpersonsare asked to submit a RFI package which shall consist o f t h e m i n i m u m requirementsofacompleted p r e - q u a l i f i c a t i o n
questionnaire (PQQ), PDF attachments as required in PQQ and evidence of work in progress or completed projects. A copy of the prequalification questionnaire (PQQ) can be accessed at (https://lcregister.petroleum. g o v g y / w pcontent/uploads/2024/06/C P G L - Ve n d o r - P r equalification-QuestionnairePQQmWErJ68.xlsx).
Prospective participants should be guided by the following minimum requirements. For the office complex, it must be able to accommodate 100 staff, a conference room, a cafeteria/lunchroom,agym, andaparkinglot.
For the residential area, the requirements are as follows: 30 executive
, contingency apartment room
s, kitchen/dining hall and a swimmingpool.Prospective participantscansubmittheir RFIPackagetobesubmitted t o : CPGLprocurement@intl cn oocltd com no later than Monday, July 15, 2024, 5 : 0 0 p m
Nations Public Service Day highlighted the importance of public servants and noted the lack of recognition received.
“As you continue to deliver Quality Public Services to the citizenry and escalate the development process of Guyana, be mindful of your value, role andtheimpactoftheservices provided to the communities that benefit and depend on these facilities for their survival,” the Union said in theletter.
Further, the GPSU said that as governments across the world reprioritize their agendas to handle global shifts and problems emanating from wars, climate disaster, widening gaps in inequalities, poverty and technology, public service workers find themselves holding the shorterendofthestick.
As such, GPSU is urging the government to reprioritize its growth and modernization agendas to i n c l u d e a d e q u a t e accommodation for the humancapital.
Meanwhile, the Union r e m i n d e d t h a t development and progress must include the workers t h a t m a n a g e a n d implement the system that delivers quality public servicesforabetterfuture.
“While cumulative wealth is created for some,
precarious work continues
for others Stop the hemorrhaging of much needed resources that can provide adequate pay for workers,”GPSUsaidadding that“Thetimetoactisnow.”
“Public Service Workers
deliver the core of government services and lack the recognition for the value created; their development is stymied by poorresponsivemechanisms to strengthen them in preparation for a better future, for themselves and that of their families,” the GPSUstated.
Meanwhile, this publicationhadreportedthat President Irfaan Ali on March7,2024attheGuyana Police Force's (GPF)Annual Officers Conference, announced that public servants can look forward to bettersalariescome2027.
“Iwantassurethatbythe time we get to 2027, and
there is a misconception abouttheresourceinflow,the magnitude of resource that willcometotherevenuebase of our country will really have the greater effect in 2027andonward,”Alisaid.
G u y a n a s t a n d s disadvantaged by the lopsided agreement signed with U S oil giant ExxonMobilfortheStabroek Block.
However,withthelackof ring-fencing, the country is losingapproximatelyUS$4B annually.
The country's VicePresidentDr.BharratJagdeo, who is also the chief policymaker for the oil and gas sector, at one of his weekly press conferences said that Guyana's current annual take from its oil resourcesisunderUS$2B.
He anticipates that by 2027 Guyana's revenue inflow from the oil sector willbearoundUS$9B.
We believe the thrust of what Mr Ali said during the exchange was sound and that most Guyanese do not have anyparticulartroublewithhimstandingupforthiscountry Theissuewashistoneandtheundignifiedmannerinwhich hedidwhathedid.
We had seen that same behaviour before, when he manhandledoneofhisbodyguardswhohadbeenblocking hispathataBuildingExpowalkabout.Thentherewasthe public shaming of a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) engineer during a meeting on the Lower East Coast Demerarawithhissupporters.
Thisisnotthemannerofnationalleaders,shouldnever be.Theseshabbyepisodesprojectedtoomucharrogance,a crudeimpatience,almostaplayingtothecrowdinthestyle of a sports or entertainment figure who came into much money. Intheinstanceofmoney,wewonderwhetheritis intoxicant of power that has vanquished all his training in basiccourtesy.
The way he spoke to teachers in the earlier days of the strike and his crude interactions with building contractors whenever he decides to inspect progress on public works projects are also worth noting. If we are to go by these incidentsalone,onecanonlyimaginehisinteractionswith hiscabinetmembersandotherseniorpublicservants.
Theideaofapresidentbeingintheforefrontandtakinga hands-onapproachtohisjobiscommendable,buthemust do so with humility and respect for citizens. Speaking to ordinary citizens ‘any how’as we say in local parlance is unbecoming of a national leader His belittling of a young reporter,ShervinBelgravelastweekathisnewsconference raises questions about his temperament and how he views ordinary citizens. For someone who was born of working class parents and understood the difficulties in this economy,PresidentAliconcludedthatbecauseattheageof 28Belgravedoesnot ownahomeorhasnotappliedfora houselotmeant,hewaswastinghislife.
Demeaning forsure; unpresidential,itwas;lettherebe nomistake. Suchameasurementofone’sstandardofliving oraspirationsisveryskewed.UnlikeAli,whoattheageof 28wasappointedHousingMinisterduetobeingintheright place with the right people to champion him, regardless of hismettle.
Mr Belgrave is not so privileged. As a working class citizen he earns an honest living plying his trade as a reporter He was not handpicked like some who work closely with the President for a house lot in some of more well developed schemes, neither was he ushered into the construction sector as some of the many fly-by-night contractors who are being given multi-million dollar contractswithnopriorexperienceinthefield.
At28Mr BelgravelikesomanyotherGuyanesemight notbeabletodotoomanythingswithhissalaryowingtothe high cost of living which President Ali can do something aboutbuthasfailedtodo.Itwouldbeinspiringtoobserve PresidentAlibringthatsameenergyandauthoritytomake thecostoflivingbeaboutamanageablelivingforordinary Guyanese
At28,Mr Belgravehasnotbeenstrategicallyplacedto acquire state properties below market value and use the privilegesofastateofficetoindulgeincorruptpractices,to enrichhisfamilyandfriends.Hehastoearnthehardwayhonestly At28,Mr Belgraveworksasareporterbydayand an entertainment host by night. It would be interesting to knowwhatelseotherthanhousingandwaterdutiesMr Ali wasinvolvedinwhenat28hewasensconcedatthehousing ministry Whatisknownandperhapsworthrepeatingisthat twoyearsafterbeingappointedministerMr Aliwasableto acquireapropertyfromGuySucoandconstructedahouseat Leonora, West Coast Demerara, which at the time was the talkofthecountry Aswasreportedbythisnewspaperback
Nascimento defends President belittling of KN reporter
DEAREDITOR,
Iwritethisletterbecause I believe it needs to be written and not on behalf of theOfficeofthePresident.
Ihavethehonourtohave served as the Chairman, some prefer the description, “Moderator”, of President
I
Conference. I have also had
Conferences for former President Forbes Burnham, former US President Jimmy Carter, alongside former President Desmond Hoyte and the late Prince Phillip, DukeofEdinburgh,whenhe visited Guyana. I have, on theothersideofthetable,as a Press Reporter, participated in numerous Press Conferences both in Guyana,intheUnitedStates and other countries I believe,therefore,itisfairto say that I speak with some experience.
T h e l a s t P r e s s Conference held by our President on Thursday, 20thJune, 2024, has invited some comment, much of it unfair, both in the Kaieteur News on Friday, 21st June, 2024,afrontpagecomment, and the Stabroek News on Monday, 24th June, 2024, focused on the President’s response to questions posed
by Kaieteur News reporter Shervin Belgrave and News Source Guyana’s Gordon Moseley
So,whatisthepurposeof a Presidential Press C o n f e r e n c e ? Fundamentally, it is for the President to speak to the nationthroughthepressand forthepresstobeaffordeda fair and reasonable opportunity to directly ask precise, pointed and searching questions of the President. And what do I mean by unfair? Let me
quote from a book, Committed to Journalism, by Edmund B. Lambeth a past Professor and Director of the School of Journalism
at the University of Kentuckypublishedsome38 yearsago:
·“No story is fair if it omits facts of major importance or significance. So fairness includes completeness.
·No story is fair if it c o n s c i o u s l y o r unconsciously misleads or even deceives the reader The fairness includes honesty - levelling with the reader
No story is fair if reportershidetheirbiasesor emotionsbehindsuchsubtly pejorative words as
“refused” , “despite” ,
“admit”and“massive”“.Let me add “seemingly” and “numerous”.
I counted 19 reporters at thePressConference.Rather than resorting to the traditional means of recognizing reporters to ask a question when they raise their hands, which leads to many reporters not being recognized,eachreporter,in succession, as they were seated, was recognized to ask a question and a followup. In fact, reporter Shervin Belgrave declined to ask a question when it was his turn.Itwasattheconclusion of the Press Conference when the last questions had been asked and answered, that Mr Belgrave raised his hand, and it was the President who intervened to indulge him to ask his question.
Every President has his style and his manner in answering questions at a Press Conference. President Alilikestobeconversational with reporters and, far from beinghostiletoBelgrave,he answered him, albeit unconventionally, as the hearing of the Press Conference attests, in a lighthearted manner, like a father speaking to a son. After the Press Conference, the President, in fact, had a
friendly chat with Mr Belgrave.
The Stabroek News also reportsontheQ&Abetween reporter Gordon Moseley andthePresident,inwhichI didintervene,whenMoseley set out to make a long statement rather than ask a question and then when the question was not answered to his liking, attempted to debate the President Reporters should ask tough, difficult and awkward questions.Ialwaysdid,once to the chagrin of the late PresidentCheddiJaganwho threw me out of his Press Conference. If not getting the answer they look for, then repeat the question differently, but they are not entitledtodebatetherightor wrong of the answer A reporterisentitled,however, should the answer be factually incorrect, to point outtheerror
Stabroek News also invited a comment from the President of the Guyana Press Association, Nazima Raghubir, who complained about “the restrictions” placed on reporters during Presidential Press Conferences and about restrictions on “people coming to the Press Conferences”.AsIearlier (Continuedonpage06)
GuyaneseAmericans and the Presidential debate
DEAREDITOR
, Guyanese are eagerly waiting for Thursday’s American ‘Presidential debate’ between presumed nominees incumbent Joe Biden (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).Trump announced on Sunday that hisplannednomineeforVice President will be in attendanceatthedebate;Joe Biden announced that incumbent Vice President
Kamala Harris is his pick as runningmate.
The nominee will be formally confirmed at each party’s national convention in July (Republican) and August (Dem). The general election is on the first Tuesday of November with early voting and postal balloting (on request) starting a week before and helddaily
Polls show an extremely tight race that can go either
thenthehouseappearstoaccommodateeightbedrooms,a large living room, a detached kitchen and a walkway that runs around the front of the building. In addition to the home there is a multi-million-dollar pool house. Perhaps Mr AlishouldtellMr Belgravehowisitonecanacquire such vast wealth on a public servant’s salary at the relativelyyoungageof30.WeurgePresidentAlitobemore circumspect, to grow in a more mature manner into the leadership role that is now his. Again, by being favored through circumstances that many Guyanese still weigh, havetheirownideas.Lightenup,PresidentAli. Remember this:pridegoethbeforeafall.
way Trump is marginally aheadinnationalpollsandin socalledsevenbattleground states but within the margin of error, suggesting either candidate can win these states and as such the Presidency
Unlike in Guyana where the President is selected basedonwinningaplurality or majority of votes, the President is chosen by an electoral voting system comprising 538 EVs. The fifty states are allocated a number of EVs based on its representation in Congress which has a total of 535 members. Washington DC, notastatebutaterritory,was granted three EVs by Congress.Acandidateneeds 270 EVs to win the Presidency
It is one of the closest elections in the country’s history Analysts stated and polls revealed that if Trump
were to select the former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as his VP running mate, he would win the elections. Haley was a sharp critic of the former President and ran against him earlier this year for the Republican nomination; she lost but won significant support throughout the country, particularly in battleground states She resisted endorsing Trump but changed her position a month ago.Trump indicated that Nikky Haley would not be his running mate, suggesting that the former President feels another VP pick would also aid his reelection.
Many Guyanese are backing Trump and Guyanese in general are waitingfortheconventionto learnabouthisVPpick.
, Inthemorethan70years since the introduction of universal adult suffrage in Guyanaandtheformationof the PPP as the first massbased political party more than 35 political parties, representingawiderangeof ideologies, identities and visions, have achieved different degrees of success contesting national elections. Of this number, only 2 (PPP/C and PNC/R) have gained independent control ofthestatewhile7havebeen
p
ious coalition/partnership with thePNC/R; about15parties have secured parliamentary representationatonetimeor another and a majority (57%) are defunct, while a r
Government response to USA’s sanctions on corruption in 2024 and 2014
DEAREDITOR
, Guyanese should
c o n t r a s t t h e P P P government’s response now with 2014 to America’s warning about corruption and the sanctioning of a governmentfunctionaryand t w o p r o m i n e n t businessmen. In 2014, the USA expressed concern about corruption, abuse of power with unrelenting attacks on civil society and themedia.
In response to remarks made by the then USA Ambassador,BrentHardtin 2014, the PPP government sent two female Ministers, PriyaManickchandandGail Teixeira,todeliverwhatthe head of Presidential Secretariat Roger Luncheon called a ‘feral blast’against USAanditsAmbassadorata July 4th independence celebration The blast disrupted the party The
A m b a s s a d o r a n d Washington didn’t forget
that blast The PPP
condemned what it described as America’s intervention in its internal affairs, resulting in the feral blast. In early elections in May 2015, PPP was booted outofgovernment.
Two weeks ago, when the US sanctioned the three individuals, the Vice President didn’t attack Washington or its AmbassadorinGuyana.The government immediately removed the functionary from office and from all party positions and revoked business license of the two men. In April 2023, the functionary was confined in Miami in transit on her way to China and questioned for hours Her phone was confiscated and returned weeks later The PPP governmentdidn’ttakeheed of the message sent by Wa s h i n g t o n T h e government remained defiant of America’s warnings until sanctions were imposed two weeks ago Corruption has been widespread in governance from top to bottom accompaniedbyanabuseof power since August 2020. Contracts have been steered towards favored businesses; it is across the board. That was one reason for the American sanctions against the trio Meritocracy, competence,andfairlayare thrownoutthewindow The media is replete with accounts of scandals and unqualified contractors getting huge contracts and unable to perform as specified in the terms of the contract. The country has lost billions of dollars from bad contracts and corruption. Kickbacks have now become a norm. The government has ignored countless complaints about corruption in awards of contracts and payment to
favoredcompaniesforwork notdone.
Awarding of contracts, corruption, and strong-arm policy making and decision makinggohandinhand.Top officialsinstructlower-level bureaucrats and tender board functionaries on awarding of contracts – on whoshouldbeawardedwith contracts even if they don’t m e e t m i n i m u m requirements.Autocracyhas become institutionalized similar to what transpired pre-2015. Civil society is targeted. Media troll, paid propagandists, even some who are on government payroll,goafterindependent critics who voiced concern overcorruptionandabuseof power It is time for sanctions to be imposed on propagandists and those officials (Ministers) who gave instructions to unjustifiably go after membersofcivilsociety
Yourstruly, JeromeBlackwella
individually (ANUG, CG, LJP, PPP/C, PRP, TCI, TNM,&URP)oraspartofa coalition (AFC, GAP, JFAP, NDF, NFA, PNC/R & WPA).This would seem to suggest that democracy is bloomingandcitizenshavea w i d e r a n g e o f representations. The fact is that the prevalence of large numbers of parties does not mask what is essentially a political system dominated by two parties exchanging roles as government and opposition helping to create some sort of checks and balances on the immense poweroftheexecutive.
However, in the last 40 years (since 1985), one party, the PNC/R, has won only 1/7 national elections (2015) and its perceived inabilitytowinanytimesoon and in the present circumstances is a cause of tremendous concern to many, within and without, the party Citizen Audreyanna Thomas, a declared Presidential
Candidate for 2025 has decried the immense, unrestrained power of the PPP/Cadministrationsaying that “the government from 2020 to now, has effectively taken away power from every aspect of our country and the Guyanese society Theyhavetakenawaypower from the Opposition, business community, public sector, justice sector, civil society sector, law enforcement,securitysector, communities, individuals and have effectively
neutralised the international community”.
K a i e t e u r N e w s columnist, G.H.K. Lall also expresses concern that “there have been ongoing widespread laments about the presence of a viable political opposition in Guyana”andwonders,come nextyear,whethertherewill beanypoliticaloppositionat all to act as a brake on the PPP/C’s unrelenting march towards totalitarianism
M a n y p o l i t i c a l commentators,membersand supporters of the party, including longstanding acquaintances of the incumbent leader, have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the PNC/R, presently led, has become almost irrelevant to any importantnationaldiscourse and that its likely defeat in next year’s election is an existentialthreattotheparty and country This is the context of this week-end’s PNC/R 22nd Biennial
Congress which will determine if the party will regress or regroup, refocus andrebuild. It should be readily understood that political parties are organized to win political power in pursuit of specific ideological and policy goals and not as a platform to massage any individual’s ego or serve their personal gratification.
Politicalinfightinginsidethe PNC/R,asitiscalled,isnot new or inherently fatal; initial infighting in the original PPP led to the birth
ofthePNCinthe1950’sand resurfaced after its election defeat in 1992, and is a consequential and regular feature of party congresses inoppositionasblameiscast and accountability is sought and new strategies debated, soitisprobablynotdifficult to understand why the two mostcontentiouscongresses would have followed the party’s defeats while in government (1992 & 2020). This Congress is especially critical, and therefore more contentious, because the previousonewasessentially arepudiationoftheGranger legacy which had brought the PNC/R its only electoral victory in about three decades by forging an electoral partnership and coalition.
TheGrangerformulaofa leader of high personal integrity and respect, scrupulous commitment to t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d accountability,inclusiveness and consensus-building was deemed to have failed and a leader was chosen who is now accused of executive lawlessness, serialized violations of the party’s constitution,lackofpersonal integrity, extreme divisiveness, autocratic tendencies and more concerned with personal gratification than the wellbeingoftheparty Nowwith the experience of that decision, and the time for more rational analysis, this Congress must choose whethertoreturntothe
(Continuedonpage09)
Why was GuySuCo plane Cannibalized
DEAREDITOR
, Reference is drawn to letter (Jun 16) by Mr Carl Persaud Mr Persaud, describing himself as a hard working engineer, informed the public that GuySuCo’s lone aircraft (valued at $200 million) was cannibalized. Apparently, he was not aware and had not informed the public that the aircraft wascannibalizedforpartsto fix an aircraft of a private company
The private company subsequentlyhasbeengiven a multi-million dollar contract for its revamped aircraft (that now has GuySuCo aircraft’s parts) to
dothecropdustingthatused to be done by the GuySuco aircraft. In addition to the arguments laid out by Mr Persaud in his missive, is there any business management sense in GuySuCo’s decision to decommission a working aircraft,givingitspartstofix a non functioning plane of a privatecompany,headoffice located at Wights Lane, Kingston, albeit supportive of the President Was religious affiliation a factor in decommissioning the GuySuCo plane and giving the parts to the private company?
The recent management
action was carried out under newCEOPaulCheong.
The question on the public’s mind – Is change in CEO of GuySuCo an i m p r o v e m e n t i n m a n a g e m e n t a n d accountability over his predecessor Sase Singh? In the face of Vice President Jagdeo’sstatedmoveagainst c o r r u p t i o n o r mismanagement since the American sanctions, what will be done regarding this blatant misdeed or misconduct or malpractice?
The public awaits the Bp’s response!
Yourstruly,
RudeshJodha
Pay them for the advertising
DEAREDITOR
, Fromsongstopoems,the major political parties are enjoyingtakingadvantageof ournation’schildrentopush their political agenda. The unpaid performances and gainedadvertisingshouldbe frowned upon by the Ministry with responsibility for preventing child exploitation. If the children aretobeusedthenitmustbe as a paid child actor or actress.
Videos pushing political
initiatives that go beyond a simplethankyouandcrosses the line into advertising should be done within the law to prevent the exploitation that could occur It is CRG’s hope that the very talented school girl thatwasusedwillbepaidfor the advertising she provided for the Ministry of Education’s cash grant programme. It is important that a professional approach be takenandthefamiliesdonot
feelthattheyareobligatedto support because funds are received.
Yes, there is obvious excitement at the child’s level, but having an executable child acting contract in hand will also ensurethatparentalapproval is provided and the child is alsopaidfortheirsupportof the advertising efforts Especiallyifitgoesbeyonda simplethankyou.
Sincerely, Mr JamilChanglee
Nascimento defends President...
Frompage04 pointed out, some 19 reporters attended the PressConference,eachasking2questions,in the case of one reporter asking 4 successive questions, that amounted to the President respondingto40questions.
I ask Ms. Raghubir to refer me to any Presidential Press Conference anywhere in the world at which the President has answeredthatmanyquestions.TheOfficeof
thePresident,sinceJulylastyear,established a Presidential Press Corp of 30 accredited reporters, one and an alternative, to each mediaorganizationoftheirchoice.
To the best of my knowledge, there are currently 15 functioning media organisations. Nineteen reporters attended thePressConference.
Yourssincerely, KitNascimento
BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT BLUNT
Presidentialmiscalculation
Somewhere in his head, President Ali sees himself as a sophisticate.
Truthfully, he can't even pass for a surrogate.
At best, the president is a fake sophisticate.
Adopt the simple manners of a leader, President Ali.
No airs, no false bravado, no points to prove.
The president has damaged himself to be macho.
What's the objective, President Ali?
Attacking journalists is disruptive to One Guyana.
Be about the sobering, all Guyanese will be lifted.
Jamaicans urged to go after opportunities in oil-rich Guyana
Jamaica Gleaner - As Guyana scrambles to make the most of its oil wealth, SenatorAubynHill,minister of industry, investment and commerce, is again urging local entrepreneurs to invest intheCaribbeanCommunity (CARICOM)nation.
On Thursday during the media launch of Smart Mobile Solutions' (SMS) Smart Tech 360, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in NewKingston,Hillspecified why Jamaican entrepreneurs should consider investing in this out-of-country opportunity
Over the past decade, Guyana has found huge amountsofoilandgasunder itscoastalwaters.
That country now boasts reserves of about 11 billion barrels, which puts it in the top 20 in terms of its potential, on a par with countries such as Norway, BrazilandAlgeria.Thesmall country, which borders Venezuela, Brazil and SurinameinSouthAmerica's north-eastregion,alsoboasts thefastest-growingeconomy intheworld.
A consortium led by ExxonMobil discovered the first major oil deposits in
May 2015, more than 100 miles (190 kilometres) off Guyana. However, the quest for petroleum offshore Guyana began in 1958 when California Oil Company conducted seismic surveys beforewithdrawingin1960. Hill believes the time is right for Jamaicans to invest in Guyana although the oil discoveries come as the planetistryingtoweanitself off fossil fuels to tackle climatechange.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement countries have vowed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, which means trying to cut down on oiluse.
“I don't take trade missions I take business missions I take business people to do business... We took 61 to Guyana, back again to Guyana three times. Listen mi nuh, I spent 21 yearsintheArabGulf,where oil is. I've seen what happen to countries when they become an oil economy Listen to me carefully, continuetoinvestinJamaica, build your company, but we have such a fantastic relationshipwithGuyana,we paid the respect over the
years,theyhaverespectedus. We have three million people. They have 780,000 people. Jamaica has a stock market that works. We have government systems that work, whether you believe they're at the top or not. They've worked very well in manycases,”Hillsaid.
“And so Jamaica must form a consistent and symbiotic relationship with Guyanatomakesure,astheir economy grows on the back of 11 billion barrels of oil declared, and I'm sure there are probably more, as Surinamegrowsitseconomy withonebillionbarrelsofoil declared, Jamaica works with these companies,” he said.
Hill continued to highlightthatGuyanahasits Georgetown port and other portsinSurinameand,infive to seven years, he predicts that Guyana will expand its port as did Singapore and Dubai. “But, between now, four to seven years, there's a lottobedone Ihavetaken seven [to] eight trade missions around the Caribbean, United States, Canada, Britain and France andwhenIstartedinGuyana in October 2022, there were
six ICT companies with us.
We had 35 business people who paid their fares, paid their hotel, paid their food andwerewithus,”hesaid.
Poolresources
He also encouraged Jamaicans to pool their resources,iftheyhaveto,and investinGuyanaasgroups. “Goandfindpartners.We havewholeheapofmoneyin this country For seven [to] eight years, we stayed out of the capital markets as a Government, making sure there'smoneyinthereforthe privatesectortohave.Getthe private sector [and] come together in a group But really and truly, there is money, but come together and form consortiums. One of the best inventions of western capitalism, is something called the limited liabilitycompany;whenhim and him join and make a limited liability company, you can't go tek weh dem house, unless dem sign a personal guarantee,” Hill said.
“Itislimited.Thelimited liability allows you to get money Put a company together and out of that combination, come something that is stronger than if you do it alone,” he said.
In January 2023, Hill led a 60-member delegation from Jamaica to Guyana to strengthen previously establishedpartnershipswith Guyanesebusinesses,aswell as increase trade and investment opportunities betweenthetwocountries.
Guyana,acountrywitha land area of 214,969 square kmor83,000squaremiles,is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland SouthAmericaafterUruguay andSuriname.
In 2022, Guyana ranked 80thintotalexportsat$18.5 billion but, although it does not have Economic Complexity Index data, in that same year Jamaica ranked72ndintheEconomic Complexity Index (ECI0 17) and 145th in total exportsat$1.95billion.
Highest growth in the world
Guyanahasemergedasa significant contributor to growth in the global supply of crude oil. Since starting production in 2019, Guyana has increased its crude oil production to 645,000 barrels per day (b/d) as of early 2024, all from the Stabroek block Guyana increased crude oil production by an annual average of 98,000 b/d from 2020 to 2023, making it the third-fastest growing nonOPEC producing country during this period. Crude oil
production has been the largest contributor to Guyana's economic growth in recent years. In 2022, Guyana's GDPgrew by 62.3 percent,thehighestrealGDP growthintheworldthatyear, accordingtotheInternational MonetaryFund.
While Guyana's most recent estimate of recoverable oil and natural gasresourcesismorethan11 billionoil-equivalentbarrels, developersarestillexploring thecountry'soffshorewaters. The country's discovered oil andnaturalgasresourcesare currently located offshore withintheGuyana-Suriname Basin of theAtlantic Ocean. Guyana's oil production comes from three floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels: LizaDestiny,LizaUnity,and Prosperity
Thesevesselsproduceoil andnaturalgasfromtheLiza and Payara projects All associated natural gas is reinjected into wells to support its production and used as on-site fuel A proposedprojectwouldbring associated natural gas onshore to processing facilitiesviapipeline.
Currently, the block's partners plan for the c
approximately 13 million b/d by the end of 2027, with plans to develop three additional projects: Yellowtail, Uaru, and Whiptail If realised, the increased production would make Guyana the secondlargest crude oil producer in Central America and South AmericabehindBrazil.
Senator Aubyn Hill, minister of industry, investment and commerce
The President of Guyana is out of touch with reality
ThePresidentofGuyana serves as a role model. He became one of the youngest Ministersinthegovernment. Within a few years of becoming a Minister, he owned a palatial property worth tens of millions of dollars.
This suggests he has financial and careerplanning advice to offer young people. However, his recent comments about a young Kaieteur News reporter were misplaced Instead of making those remarks, he should have shared his success tips. It’s important to realise his path to success is not easily mimickedbyothers.
Young reporters, for instance, cannot maintain themselves and pay for a house lot simultaneously Government house lots are expensive Most young reporters would need to borrow from banks just to pay for the house lot. After that, they would need another loan to build the house. The high costs of
buildingmaterialsaddtothe burden of home ownership.
This situation is not manageable for a young reporter. The President needs to appreciate the effects of the high cost of living.Thisincludesthecost of rent and owning a home. The government must appreciatetheproblemslowincomefamiliesface.Rising prices are creating extreme hardshipsforthepoor When the ERP was launched in 1989, some public servants traveled from far places like Parika to the city for work.
The ERP increased transportation costs. As a result, many workers from P a r i k a f o u n d i t uneconomicaltogotowork. Most of their salaries were spentontransportation. This scenario is likely to repeatwiththegovernment’s plan to build 500 lowincome homes on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway Thisplanisflawed.Building homesfarfromemployment opportunities is impractical. Beneficiaries would need
significant funds to obtain these homes. Once they move in, they will face high transportation costs to and from work. Additionally, theyneedmoneyforfood.It makes no sense for poor people to live so far from their workplaces. This plan isunwise.
The President seems disconnected from reality withsuchproposals.Hedoes notappeartounderstandthe pressures faced by average workers. Paying for land, building a house, and maintaining a family is a daunting task His own experience in owning his o w n h o m e i s n o t representativeoftheaverage citizen’s experience. Most people do not have the means to afford a house within two years of starting their careers. They struggle to make ends meet, even in thisoil-richeconomythatwe readsooftenabout.
The cost of living in Guyana is high. Prices of essential goods are rising. Housing, a basic need, is
Afterthisweekend,allwillbedecided...
Frompage05 strategy that proved successful such a short time ago, or to maintain the current course and forego any reasonable chance of becomingaviableoppositionandalternative governmentsoon.
I believe that the delegates to this Congress have the responsibility of determiningthequalityofleadershipandthe type of party they wish to build, serve and represent.
Asformyself,Ihavearguedconsistently infavourofaparticularcandidate(Roysdale Forde)andvision,andforatransparent,fair and respectful process and support everyone’s right to the same. After this weekend, all will be decided and the infighting will stop, until the next time, unlessthepartywinsonthebackofaunited andinspiredeffort.
Sincerely
OscarDolphin
DEM BOYS SEH
And Aubrey was his name!
You gotta feel
s o r r y f o r Aubrey. Yuh know, in Guyana, we got a saying: “When it rains, it pors.”ButforpoorAubrey, it ain’t just raining; it’s flooding like the Demerara River in a springtime deluge.
This man can’t catch a break even if he was a fishermanonacalmsea. First thing, imagine yuhself in Aubrey shoes. Themangetsknockedoutta he own chair Picture it: a meeting convenes, and nobody tell Aubrey Next thingyuhknow,hechairget a new occupant. Who does dat?Islikeinvitingamanto he own house and telling him he gotta sleep in the hammockwhileyoustretch outponhebed.
Asifdatwasn’tenough, dem boys seh some bright spark decide fuh throw
shade right inAubrey face. Now, I ain’t talking ‘bout the kinda shade yuh find underamangotreeonahot Sundayafternoon.Dishere is de kinda shade dat make yuh wish yuh could disappear Somebody decide fuh embarrass
Aubrey in front of
everybody Public humiliation, dem boys call it. Is like showing up to a weddinginyuhSundaybest onlytorealizeyuhtheonly onewho ain’tgetdememo ‘boutthedresscode. But wait, it gets worse.
As if the man ain’t suffer enough,definalstrawcome when he get abandon at de lastminutebyherighthand. De man left standing there like a solitary palm tree in themiddleoftheSavannah. So,demboyswannaknow: howAubreygonsurvivedis
torrential downpour without an umbrella? De
becoming increasingly unaffordable. Many young people find it impossible to buy a house lot and build a home.They are trapped in a cycle of renting.This drains their finances, leaving little room for savings or i n v e s t m e n t s T h e governmentneedstoaddress thisissue.
Rent in Guyana has become a serious problem. The high cost of house rentals is straining the f i n a n c e s o f m a n y households.Itisalsoadding to the cost of living crisis.
The government needs to interveneurgentlytoaddress t h i s i s s u e S u c h interventionsareessentialto alleviatethefinancialburden on tenants and ensure that housingremainsaffordable
Rentals in Guyana have skyrocketed to the point where many newly married couplescannotaffordevena modest two-bedroom unfurnished apartment.This escalating rental market is a direct consequence of the government’s lack of foresight and intervention, fostering an era of
landlordism that prioritizes profit over people’s basic needs. The high cost of rent leaves young families struggling to find suitable housing, forcing them into financial strain and limiting their opportunities for growth and stability Young professionals,likereporters, earnmodestsalaries.Saving for a house lot or building a homeisoutofreach.Loans, if available, come with high i
s The government must consider thesefactors.
Transportation costs are another major concern Building homes far from employment centers is counterproductive. Workers will spend a large part of t h
i r i n c o m e o n transportation. This reduces their disposableincome.Itaffects their quality of life. The government should build homes
er to job opportunities This will reduce transportation costs and improve living standards. The President’s comments about the young reporter highlight his
disconnection He should use his position to offer practicaladviceandsupport. Encouraging young people with realistic plans is more helpful. His success, though commendable, is not easily replicable. Most people do not have such opportunities. Theyneedrealisticsolutions totheirproblems.
ThePresidentofGuyana needs to understand the reality faced by average citizens. His comments and proposals to that young reporter were ill-advised The government’s housing programme is not as glamorous as the President may believe. It is not as affordableashemaythink.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
mandrowninginproblems, and it seem like every time hecomeupfuhair,another wave knock him back down.
Aubrey need fuh tek a pageouttaNoah’sbookand build heself an ark. Maybe heshouldstartwithfinding a decent umbrella, but in truth, he need a whole lot more than dat. Dis man need a life raft, a paddle, and a plan. Maybe even some divine intervention. Oneting’sfuhsure,Aubrey got de resilience of a coconuttree.Yuhcanknock him down, but he gon get back up. Dem boys seh he better have a plan though, and fast De rain ain’t showing no sign of stopping. Keep de faith, Aubrey!Andifallelsefails, tekalessonfromdemboys and learn to dance in de rain. Talkhalf.Leffhalf
H@RD TRUTHS
The foreign invasion
There is agreement and disagreement with Mr Nigel Hughes, arguably one of Guyana's preeminent legal minds, floor practitioners. I share where I am with both agreementanddisagreement, and then offer my little smidgensofrefinement.
There is agreement on a population of foreigners becoming the dominant skilled presence in the local workforce. But I take that further: the resulting
permanent underclass of Guyanese will have no alternative but to seek economic respite, a better quality of life elsewhere.
Before Guyana's golden age of oil, Guyanese were already among the leading contributors to a migrant workforce in foreign climes.
Remember that report about the rate of graduate emigration Considering what they will be relegated to,maynotbecapableof,the
exodus of Guyanese will accelerate.
On the other side of that coin, neighbors will flock here in droves, i.e., unless their own economies and personal prospects improve satisfactorily Expandingthe continuum, when the thousands first, then tens of thousands, come to fill the gapingvoidsanddemandfor skilled labor, and they have children, the numbers of foreigners reflect that
difference,amidashrinking, as I believe, Guyanese population. In sum, it is the perfect depopulation and repopulation storm But, other than for resigned citizen complacency, many aregoingtopackupandstart over Somewhere else. We have compiled a long, stark precedent in this respect, whereevendomesticstoiling for ambassadors and ministers made that move over the years. I can be counted. In effect, those at the lower ends will seek avenues to jump at what offers a higher level of incentive. I had it wrong before, as written, when it was articulated that Guyanese will be a minority in a decade or two. The thoughttodayisthatwiththe pacesurgingduetooilandits downstream requirements or overflows, Guyanese could be a minority in a single decade.Counsel Hughes was astute enough to identify education as the golden key It certainly cannot be what we have presently, what is extolled for quantity, what lacks focus in terms of what this country needs, must be channeled. The programs andnumbersthatIhearhave their resonance, but for what levels?Inwhatcrucialareas, in what quantities? The urgent demands are for engineers, scientists, statistics, mathematics, and the accounting and auditing sciences.Howmanyofthese will Guyana be producing in thenext5-10years,duetothe highest priorities given, through the grooming beginning from today? A handful is assured, all things proceeding along the same
trajectory The reality is that this country urgently needs a roomful; one as big as we are capable of envisioning, and then working determinedly to construct by moving from idea to implementation Naturally,theburgeoningoil industry, not a sector anymore,hasitsraginglabor thirst, and it will not be denied. The workers will comefromafar Theinfluxis alreadyunderway,butmostly under the radar They have theirutilities,butsucharenot necessarily the highest contributors to the local economy, which explains in part foreign exchange stresses. At least, the oil industry and its shore-based peripherals will have done justice to their everincreasing labor needs. As mattersstand,therewouldbe several projects running simultaneously, and at peak capacity It is 'Help wanted!'
Regrettably, that quality and quantity cannot be found domestically
Now, I move in another direction. It is in the nonoil segments of Guyana's new existence, one that is seen, butstillnotrichlycoveredin official and public conversations. Domestic beverage and food supplies, hardware and household supplies, among other routines, are more and more handled, managed, and distributed by a foreign contingent Guyanese are familiar with Ansa, Massy, and foreign banks that are fullyintegratedintothelocal commerciallandscape.
For sure, Banks DIH and DDL are holding their own, but the field is getting crowded, whole niches are
lost.TheChinesecomeinfor special mention Say supermarkets and the Chinese are it by a wide margin.Needarazorblade,a sackofrice,apoundofnails, and those are all in the same placetoday,andincreasingly notinsmallGuyanesehands. Ditto the little corner barber, the pig farmer, the village grocer selling an ounce of cheese and a half pint of cooking oil. Aggregate all these and there is a tiny invisible army of foreigners inplaceandsettoproliferate as the years multiply I urge fellow citizens to think in yearsnotdecades.
So that the foreigners do notfearorfeelanynativism, bigotry, even overdone patriotism, I have been a migrant for half of my life.
As a beneficiary of the generosity of others (foreigners), it would be horriblywrongthatIexpress or extend any prejudice in Guyana.Thereis,however,a duty to recognise what is in the population cards not far from now The foundation is in place, the building blocks rise higher and higher The huge irony is that Guyanese have become unsuspecting hostages to their national fortunes. Howaboutthatfor an application of the laws of necessity and inevitability? And one for the road, that of unintended consequences (Theviewsexpressedinthis article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the o p i n i o n s o f t h i s newspaper.)
$717MA-Linepump stationcontractterminated
The $717 million contract for the construction of the A-Line pump station, Region Three has been terminated, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustaphahasdisclosed.
The Agriculture Minister told Kaieteur News that the contract has been terminated and the project halted due to non-performance by the contractor The Minister explained that due to this set back, his ministry will restart the tender process in search of another contractor tocompletetheproject.
Over the weekend, Minister Mustapha visited RegionSixwherehesaidthat there are several pump station projects ongoing across the country that are nearcompletion.
“There are a number of contractors who are delinquent, I think the President (Irfaan Ali) at his
pressconferencespokeabout it,wehavealreadystartedto charge liquidated damages on those contracts and I am hoping those contracts are completed shortly so we can commissionthem,”hesaidin a statement published by his MinistryonFacebook.
It was reported previously that following a nationalbidding process, the National Procurement and TenderAdministrationBoard (NPTAB) in April 2022 awarded a $717,095,940 contracttocontractorCivcon Engineering Contractors for the A-Line pump station project The project was expected to be completed in June2023.
With the delay in completion of the project, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh
Mahipaul publicly highlighted the slothfulness ofthatproject,amongothers.
“While he (Minister of
Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha) made a show of visiting the Canal No. 1 pump station, conveniently ignoring its neighbouringALine station and Pouderyoen Pump Stations, the truth is clear: projects across the region languish in a state of abandonment and disrepair,” Mahipaulsaidinastatement backinApril.
Responding to the
Opposition MP, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in a statement at the time stated that over the years, the Ministry and the NDIA craftedprogrammesaimedat delivering quality drainage and irrigation infrastructure acrossthecountry,especially in vulnerable areas. These efforts, however, have been met with challenges as, oftentimes, the NDIA encounteredcontractorswho haveunderperformed.
TheAuthorityhadfurther
disclosedthattheseinstances have been and are being addressed on a case by case basis. In some instances, the NDIA applied liquidated damages to contractors who have not been able to complete projects according to the contractual time period, the statement disclosed.
“InthecaseoftheA-Line Pump station, the contractor
hasnotbeenabletocomplete the project on time. As a result, liquidated damages are now being applied. The NDIA has noted that the contractor demobilized several pieces of equipment from the site. As such, the NDIA has notified the insurance company providing bonds on this project, and a file on the current situation has been sent to the Office of the Attorney General for advice
onthewayforward,” NDIA saidbackinApril. Kaieteur News had reported that the ministry through NDIA had also terminated a pump station contract ($978.7 million) for Black Bush Polder frontlands in Region Six due to p o o r q u a l i t y a n d performance That project hassincebeenretenderedand is now being executed by Quality Deliverer for $799 million.
Anuradha Khatoon called ‘Mama’
Man arrested for killing reputed wife
A 30-year-old fisherman was arrested by police on Sunday in connection with the murder of a 34-year-old woman that occurred on SaturdaylastinBestVillage, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
Dead is Anuradha Khatooncalled'Mama',who lived at Lot 1 Best Village, WCD The 30-year-old suspect was apprehended by police at a location on the EastCoastDemerara(ECD).
According to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, on Sunday, the suspect confessed to the murder of Khatoon. He reportedly told investigators, he killed her because she told him to stop consumingalcohol.
Police reported that the incident occurred at about 23:30hrs, when the suspect came home under the influence of alcohol. Police related that the woman upon seeing the suspect in an intoxicated state told him
that he had to ease on the alcohol drinking.As a result of her comment, the suspect reportedly became angry, andtheyendedupinaheated argument Following the argument, the suspect then armed himself with a knife anddealtKhatoononestabto theregionofherthroat.
The woman fell to the floor in the living room, and the suspect made good his escape.An alarm was raised by the woman's 12-year-old son, stepson of the suspect, who was awoken after he heardhismotherscreaming.
The woman was then rushed to the nearby West Demerara Regional Hospital by family members, where shewaspronounceddeadon arrival The scene was searched and one kitchen knifewasfoundonthefloor Astabwoundwasseentothe woman's throat area. The body is at Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a postmortemexamination.
The construction site for the A-line pump station back in April this year. (Photo courtesy, Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul)
Gas-to-Energyproject...
Govt. study reveals heavy metal concentration
to be dumped into Demerara River
The water quality in the Demerara River is likely to be impacted by the Gas-toEnergy(GTE)project,being pursued by the Government ofGuyana(GoG).
This is according to a Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling Report, prepared by a consultant
hired by the GoG, Environmental Resources Management (ERM). The document, dated May 2024, was released by the United States Export Import (US EXIM), pending the approval of a US$646 million loan to finance the 300 megawatt power plant and Natural Gas Liquid (NGL)facility ExxonMobil Guyana
Limited (EMGL) is constructing a 12-inch pipeline to transport the gas to the Wales development site, West Bank Demerara fromtheLizaUnityandLiza DestinyFloatingProduction Storage and Offloading (FPSO)vessels.
- US EXIM Bank exposes
According to the documentreleasedbytheUS EXIM Bank, groundwater will supply the integrated plant's feed-water with a total demand of 265 cubic meter per hour (m3/hr) withdrawn from three wells at a rate of 88.33 m3/hr per well.
The report explains that the flow will be treated to provide an ultra-purified steam for the turbines Consequently, it was noted that the reject water's mineral concentration will be increased, resulting in an estimated heavy metal and mineralconcentrationthatis 1.27 times higher than the feed-water
ERMhowevernotedthat the processed wastewater from the cooling tower and other sources will be treated to International Finance Corporation (IFC) standards.
According to the study, “Iron, zinc, and total heavy metal concentration in the groundwater samples
exceeded IFC guideline values.
The most elevated parameter value relative to the IFC standard was iron with a concentration of 42 67 mg/L, significantly higher than the IFC guidelinevalueof1mg/L.”
S i m i l a r l y, z i n c concentration of 1.41 mg/L slightly exceeded the IFC guideline value of 1 mg/L while total heavy metal
concentrationof44.69mg/L wassignificantlyhigherthan the IFC guideline value of 5 mg/L.
ERM said, “Although it is assumed that all water discharged to the stormwater pond will be at or below IFC Effluent Standards, in the event of treatment failure, zinc and iron are highlighted as the constituentsthatwouldbeof concern.”
founddeadinsideaminibus along the Mabura Trail on Sundayhasbeendetermined as c
poisoning.
The trio has been identifiedas:LeonAchee,a 42-year-old of Mon Repos, VincentAlbert Fausett a 44 year old of Plantation Ross, West Coast Berbice and Reva Bovell, 24, of South Amelia'sWard,Linden.
GovernmentPathologist Dr NehaulSinghconducted
dissections on the bodies at the Memorial Gardens
Mortuary The identities of
respective family members.
A
pathologist, the cause of
Dead: Vincent Albert Fausett
Monoxide Poisoning,' pendingconfirmation. The bodies have been handed over to the relatives for burial or cremation
previously reported on Monday that detectives fromRegionalDivision#10 were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the three
Dead: Leon Achee
persons found inside a minibusalongMaburaTrail at 28 Miles on Sunday at about09:40h. Upon inspection, the minibus appeared to be stuckinadeeppothole,with the rear of the vehicle submerged. The vehicle's engine was running, and all windows were locked,
Dead: Refa Bovell
indicating that the victims mighthavebeensleepingin thebusovernight. The bodies of the deceased were examined, and no marks of violence were found on the exposed parts.
Dr Zulfikar Bux, the Head of the Accident and (Continuedonpage17)
The gov
's consultant in conclusion explained, “For copper and lead, the concentration of metals in the Demerara River are predicted to increase by as much as 1.91 microgram per litre (µg/L) and0.37µg/Lrespectivelyat the location of effluent discharge (approximately 100 meters downstream of the temporary MOF). For iron, since the treated final effluent levels will be less than the concentration measured in the river, iron concentrationispredictedto bedilutedbyasmuchas0.37 µg/Lneartheout-fall.”
Notably, the water quality study was not made availabletoGuyanesebythe government but through the USEXIMBank.
Theshockingrevelations by the financial institution come after a Guyanese Geologist warned of the dangerous consequences to the country's water quality bytheproject.
Simone Mangal-Joly previouslyexplainedthatthe location identified by the government for the GTE projectisunsuitableandwill likely pose great danger to the country's main groundwateraquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of waterbearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials Groundwater from aquifers is extracted using a water well. The site at Wales sits above Guyana's main groundwater aquifer that
provides90percentofallthe domestic and commercial water
Inanexclusiveinterview with this publication in 2022, the environmental advocate pointed out that:
“WhenyoulookatthatEIA, it says the impacts on the groundwater will be negligible. Nowhere in the world can you put a power plantandanNGLplantanda pipeline over ground water and it never gets seriously impacted Basic common sensewilltellyouthatupset conditionsofspillsetc.over the 30-year life of such heavily polluting industries put the groundwater at high risk.
And this is our most prized groundwater aquifer Guyana's coastal water supply comes mainly from the A Sand Aquifer, which liesbelowtheWalesEstate.”
The geologist explained that when hydrocarbon pollutants get into your water supply, they remain there permanently, and are cancerous,makingthewater unsafeforconsumption.
Highercosttotreatwater inDemeraraRiver
Amid growing concerns of the impacts of oil operations on this country waterways, Chief Executive Officer(CEO)oftheGuyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Shaik Baksh disclosed that the Demerara River is becoming “more and more polluted” and is costing the company more money to treat drinking water for citizens.
An artist's impression of the Gas-to-Energy plants to be developed at Wales
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Grove neighbours tussle over noise from vulcanizing shop - EPA
promises to investigate complaint
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to in-
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vestigate a complaint made by Annabella Joseph of Section C, Block Y, Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara about a recently established vulcanizing shop that she says is the source of noise nuisance by way of its daily operations.
This issue has resulted in disagreements between Joseph and ‘Mr. Ganesh’, the proprietor of the shop, who resides obliquely opposite the woman. Searching for relief, Ms. Joseph has reached out to the police, the Golden Grove/Diamond NDC, and the EPA, and after much back and forth on which agency is actually responsible for investigating the matter, she is hopeful that the EPA’s investigation will be able to resolve the matter.
Joseph claims that the vulcanizing shop operates from approximately 06:30 hrs. to 18:00 hrs., but often goes later into the night, and during that time, she endures the whirring and banging noises of vehicle repair ringing through all parts of her house. Additionally, she alleges that, since the vulcanizing shop services many large vehicles that travel to and from the interior/hinterland regions, they create obstruction to the narrow roadway and at times there are multiple vehicles parked on both sides of the street. She says that she has attempted to speak with Ganesh, the owner of the establishment, on several occasions, but he has not been receptive. Recalling an incident where one of the large trucks obstructed the entrance to her property, she said, “I tried to approach him nicely, he told me that I have to go and look for the truck man; but I told him that the truck people coming to you, so he told me that ‘go to who you want to go to because I have contacts at the NDC’, he’s a very difficult person to approach, even though you try to be nice he would start cursing.”
On the other side of the coin, however, Ganesh says that he has been faced with opposition from Ms. Joseph since he opened his tyre shop, as she has taken issue with it and has been complaining to several authorities and galvanizing support from neighbours against him. “Six weeks now I open my business and this lady tormenting me,” he said, “me and this lady never had a problem but since this tyre shop move by me, it’s an issue for this lady every day. Whole day she deh at the station, she nah get satisfaction deh?”
Additionally, he claimed that, in part because of Ms.
Joseph’s complaints, he has operated during very strict and respectful business hours. “Me don’t work Sundays, I don’t work holidays, because of this same problem; and I open from seven in the morning to five-thirty in the afternoon, I don’t work late. One night I work late and I very vex, and I tell me worker them after this night me ain’t working back late. After that, seven in the morning [is when we start, and] five-thirty we close, we ain’t working later than duh.”
When asked if he believes that his business produces any noise pollution, Ganesh responded, “No, the only thing that makes noise here is my compressor, and my compressor deh till down at the back of the yard. It does make lil noise but as I tell you, she house deh two house away from me… and me side neighbour ain’t got a problem with it… it’s only this one person making trouble with we.”Ms. Joseph claims that Mr. Ganesh was verbally abusive to her, cursing her out when she attempts to discuss the matter with him, and Mr. Ganesh claims the same about Ms. Joseph’s husband, who he says he has known for some time and reached out to repeatedly with hopes of resolving the matter. He also denies the claims that he said he has favourable connections at the NDC, saying “If she got me saying that on record, she could bring it and prove it. Me ain’t got nobody nowhere; me ain’t got nobody at NDC, nobody at the police, nothing.”
According to Joseph, she reached out to the police, but they informed her that the relevant authorities for the issue were either the EPA or her NDC. She then called the EPA and made a complaint on June 4th, and was able to speak to an EPA official, who she informed of the incident. However, after a week passed without her receiving a response, she decided to visit the office in person in an attempt to make a formal, written complaint.
During her interview with Kaieteur News, she produced a copy of a letter addressed to the EPA that she says she delivered to their Ganges Street office on June 11th, complete with signatures from Joseph and three other neighbours. She was able to meet with the same official she spoke to over the phone the previous week, who told her that the agency would investigate the matter and contact her. He also advised her to visit the NDC. She claims that several of her neighbours
have the same complaints and at least one had reached out to the relevant authorities — the Golden Grove/Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Environmental Protection Agency-—, before she did. After leaving the EPA, Joseph says she visited the NDC, where she was able to speak with clerks at the front desk, who told her that they were unaware of the issue and had not received any previous complaints, which she says is untrue.
Nevertheless, she lodged her complaint and proceeded to show the NDC staff videos of the activity at the vulcanizing shop, after which they informed her they would investigate. Joseph noted that she was not able to speak to the NDC chairman herself, but her husband did at a statutory meeting on another day. When asked for comments on the matter, Golden Grove/Diamond Scheme NDC Chairman Rajendra Paul said that he was aware of the ongoing issue, however, much of it is beyond the jurisdiction of his agency, and instead falls under the responsibility of other agencies, such as the EPA and police force.
“I’m aware of it; the gentleman [Annabella Joseph’s husband], I entertained him at our statutory meeting and he would’ve shown us some videos regarding the noise pollution, but then, remember, the NDC, we can only do so much, you have other agencies that are responsible. For example, that is an environmental issue and I advised him to contact the EPA on this matter. Also, [we informed him] that with regards to noise nuisance, he needs to contact the police,” Paul said. “We did our part already, through the sanitary department; we would have spoken to the gentleman [Mr. Ganesh], and we are in the process now of giving him something in writing but like I said, the other agency also has to play their part, which is the EPA and the police,” he continued.
With regards to the claims of Ganesh having some kind of sway at the NDC, the chairman said that he was aware of the claims but could not confirm them. He informed the interviewer that one of his councilors alerted him of it, but there has been no substantive confirmation.
Based on Mr. Ganesh’s statements, however, it seems that the EPA has indeed begun to investigate the matter, as he says that they contacted him concerning it, (Continued on page 17)
apartment building/bond
PNCR general secretary resigns
- cites lack of transparency and accountability in management of party
As i f t h e allegations of s e x u a l
harassment and the deepening rift in the party arenotenough,Leaderofthe Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton was on Monday hit with another setback- this time the resignation of his General Secretary (GS) DawnHastings-Williams.
Hastings-Williams is the second GS appointed by Nortontohaveresigned-the first being Geeta ChandanEdmond.Hastings-Williams aMemberofParliamentand former government minister citedarangeofissuesforher resignation- chief among them being the party’s lack of preparedness for the upcoming congress and a lack of accountability and transparency in the management of the organization. Her resignation takes effectfromJune24th2024.
In her resignation letter addressed to Norton, Hastings-Williams noted thatwithintheperiodofover one year she was unable to present any financial statement to the Central
Executive Committee (CEC).
“Reason simply being that I have no access to the weekly or monthly income and expenditure statement,” shenoted.
She added that she had requested of the accountant lastDecembertoprepareand produce a financial statement for the year 2023 soastopresentittotheCEC. “When I called for the statement to be handed in to me the accountant said that she had completed the
statement as was instructed by me but was told not to handitovertomebuttoput in on hold,” Hastings Williamsexplained.
Another reason for her resignation,theformerparty executive said that her position on the readiness of the 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress was not taken into properconsideration.
“With the entire administrative task that has to be undertaken by the secretariat,I believethatthe one-month period for preparation for such a congress can lead to confusionratherthanhaving afairandtransparentprocess andoutcome.
I am quite sure that you andthemembersoftheCEC willagreewithmethatwhen the Congress is over it must concludeinapositivelight,” shesaid.
Hastings-Williams also pointed to exemption of observersoftheprocess.She noted that Rule15 (3) addresses Observers at Congress and permits her as the General Secretary to
ccredit persons to attend as observers whether they are membersornot.
Hence, she begged the question, “Why are we abandoning the privilege partymemberslookforward to?” As the General Secretary, Hast
gsWilliams said she believes she should be integrally involved in every aspect of the preparation for the Congress. “However, that has not been happening in manyinstances.
Forexample,invitations were sent out to persons withoutmyknowledgeandI don’t know under whose authorised signature other thantheGeneralSecretaryof theParty IfoundoutwhenI began to send out a few written invitations and only to be told that they are already in receipt of an invitation.
This, I see as a gross disrespecttomyoffice.”
Giving details of other instances where she felt disrespected, HastingsWilliams said that while she
Grove neighbours tussle over...
loves her party, she will not continue to sit as a rubber stamp in the Office of the General Secretary “If you canrecallCde.Leader,atour veryfirstmeeting,Itoldyou that I will accept the appointment under the condition that you allow me and gave me the scope to function as the General Secretary of the party w i t h o u t b e i n g micromanaged.” She stated intheresignationletter
Membership On the issue of membership, HastingsWilliams said ever since her assumption of Office as the General Secretary she had been attempting to correct the situation “after I was informed that the external drive with all the information on the General membership was removed
and perhaps destroyed and that the software on the computerwascrashed.Ican confirm the computer was eventuallyfixedsometimein lateApril or early May And then you had the incident wheretheCPUwasremoved fromthedepartmentwithout the General Secretary’s permission. This occurrence caused a delay for almost twoweeks.
Consequently, I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of the records in thissection.
Additionally, I have received complaints from several groups and party members some in writing, that the records of the secretariatdonotcorrespond with their previous submissions and that their membership register does not reflect their true membership,” HastingsWilliamsdocumentedinher resignationletter She said too that many membersalsoclaimthatthey have been unable or will be unable to meet the short deadlines set for the submissi0n of the delegates and other information because of the short notice period for Congress “Consequently, I cannot substantiate or dismiss the accuracy of these claims especially when it was only Friday 21st June, the updated but not quite completed General Membership Register was
Administrator
Hence the need for corrections and changes will have to be done between the current time and the date of the Congress ”
“I must mention an instance where a comrade from one of the groups in theUSAcametomyoffice to enquire about the reason why membership cards were not being printed and we both entered the Membership Department to examine the computer and the other equipmentsoastodetermine what was the pending issue and to see whether he can assist in any way to get the membership matter addressed.
Not even five minutes past when the Leader called him to ask why was he questioning a junior staffaboutmembership
The expression on the Comrades face and the tone of his voice told me that something was not right I never felt so humiliated after that incident I felt as if I was being watched and monitored In fact, this was actually the second time I felt humiliated after being locked out at the gate where canters and cars were used to block my vehicle from entering to pick me up to take me homefromwork ”
Govt. to build pump station in Chesney, estimated to cost $705M
The representative did not put an exact timeframe on the investigation but advised that it could take place “as early as this week.”
Frompage16 but he welcomes the investigation. “You know she went at EPAand call EPAon me; why you doing all these nonsense? EPAsay they coming, I tell them ayuh welcome fuh come,” he said.Arepresentative of the EPA also informed this publication that a complaint has indeed been lodged, and that the corresponding document (complaint form) was handed over to field officers who will conduct an investigation “the next time theyareontheEastBankofDemerara.”
Autopsy confirms carbon monoxide poisoning...
Frompage13
Emergency Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital, was asked by Kaieteur News about the dangersofcarbonmonoxide andhowitmaycausedeaths. Dr Buxexplainsthatcarbon monoxide (CO) is a dangerous gas because it binds to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells stronger
thanoxygen. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to our body’stissues. When CO binds to hemoglobin, it takes up the space that would normally beoccupiedbyoxygen.
This means the red blood cells are no longer able to effectively transport oxygenthroughoutthebody
This leads to oxygen starvationinthetissues.
In a closed space with CO, a person will first feel tired and experience headaches as their body is deprivedofoxygen. Eventually, they will lose consciousness and die, as the CO continues to displace the oxygen in their bloodstream.
Thisisaccordingtoaninvitationforbids issuedbytheministryseekingcontractorsfor theproject. MinisterofAgriculture,Zulfikar Mustapha related to Kaieteur News on Monday,thatthepumpstationwouldbethe first of its kind in the Chesney community
The minister added that Albion which is neighbouring Chesney has a pump station operated by GuySuco and would normally benefit Chesney “This (Chesney pump station) would complement the system (Albion pump station) because the water drainsfrombothways,”heexplained.
Kaieteur News understands that the pump station for Chesney is part of several projects the ministry is looking to get underway this year It was reported that in 2024 works will also advance on pump stations at Charity, Cottage, Cozier, Jimbo Grove, and Letter Kenny, with additional investments planned for pump stations at
Chesney, Farm, Grove South, and Little Diamond.All this will form part of the $10 billion which was approved for NDIAfrom thenationalbudgetearlierthisyear Back in April while visiting a pump station project in Region Three, NDIA Chairman,LionelWordsworthsaidthatthese pumpstationprojectsrepresentanationwide comprehensive drainage improvement programme.KaieteurNewsunderstandsthat some 19 pump stations are under construction across the country and are expectedtobeoperationalisedbymid-2025.
Dawn Hastings-Williams Hastings-W
Leader of the Opposition and PNCR Mr. Aubrey Norton
Over 20,000 children missing, detained, trapped or buried beneath rubble in Gaza - Report
(ALJAZEERA) Nearly 21,000 children are missing in Gaza, British aid group Save the Children has claimed.
In a report published on Monday, the group said the thousands of missing Palestinian children are believed to be trapped beneath rubble, buried in unmarked graves, harmed beyond recognition by explosives, detained by Israeli forces, or lost in the chaosofconflict.
“It is nearly impossible to collect and verify information under the current conditions in Gaza,” the group said, “but at least 17,000childrenarebelieved to be unaccompanied and separatedandapproximately 4,000 children are likely missing under the rubble, with an unknown number also in mass graves”. Israel has killed more than 14,000 children in Gaza since October 7, while others are suffering from severe malnutrition and do not “even have the energy to cry”, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said in a report earlier this
year
“Since October, Gaza hasfacedrelentlessviolence whichhaskilledover37,000 people, including thousands of children. It follows an
y Palestinian armed groups that killed over a thousand people, including at least 33 children,” the Save the Childrenreportreads.Italso
notes that about 250 Palestinian children are also missingintheoccupiedWest Bank,asof9June.
Accountability Jeremy Stoner, Save the
Children’s regional director for the Middle East, has called for an independent investigation into the situationsurroundingGaza’s missing children, and for
accountability “Familiesare tortured by the uncertainty of the whereabouts of their lovedones.Noparentshould havetodigthroughrubbleor mass graves to try and find theirchild’sbody
Nochildshouldbealone, unprotected in a war zone. No child should be detained or held hostage,” he added.
Khaled Quzmar, the general director of the child rights organisation Defense for Children International Palestine, told Al Jazeera thattheimpactthattheyhave witnessed in the conflict in Gazaisatalevelpreviously unseen, even during the secondworldwar
“It is a war against children. Children in Gaza arethebigcostoftheIsraeli genocide in Gaza,” Quzmar said. International criticism has mounted amid the growingdeathtollinthewar, as well as the deteriorating humanitarian crisis
However,onSunday,Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahureiteratedthathe would not agree to any deal that stipulated an end to Israel’swaronGaza.
Russia blames US for Crimea deaths and vows response
(BBC NEWS) Russia has blamed the US and vowed“consequences”fora Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Sunday, which officials say killed four people - including two children.
Around 150 more were injured in the attack as missiledebrisfellonabeach nearby Russia’s defence ministry said the missiles used by Ukraine were USsuppliedATACMS missiles, and claimed they were programmed by US specialists Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the strike “barbaric” and accused the US of “killing Russian children”.
He pointed towards comments by President Vladimir Putin, who recently vowed to target
c
weapons
o Ukraine Moscow said Sunday’s deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris, after its air defences in Crimea intercepted five
missiles loaded with cluster warheads launched by Ukrainian forces. Footage carried on Russian state TV showed chaos on the beach in the Uchkuyevka area, as people ran from the falling debris and some injured peoplewerecarriedawayon sun loungers Russia’s defenceministryclaimedon Sunday that all ATACMS missilesareprogrammedby USspecialistsandguidedby Americansatellites.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated the claim during a meeting in Minsk on Monday, saying that the system “cannot be used
capabilities”. The US has been supplying ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for over a year The system allows Ukrainian forces to strike targets up to 300km (186
miles) away, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Moscow illegally annexedCrimeain2014and just a handful of countries recognise the peninsula as Russianterritory Ittherefore does not fall under the US demands that Ukraine refrai
Wa
weapons to strike Russian territory
A spokesperson for the White House National
Security Council told the BBC: “Ukraine makes its own targeting decisions and conducts its own military operations.”
But Mr Peskov told reporters in Moscow on M o n d a y t h a t t h e “involvement of the United
States, the direct involvement, as a result of which Russian civilians are killed, cannot be without consequences”.
“Time will tell what these will be,” he added.
The Russian foreign ministry summoned the US AmbassadorLynneTracyon Monday, with Mr Lavrov c l a i m i n g t h a t U S involvement in the attack was“notindoubt”.
Moscow has repeatedly threatenedtotargetcountries supplying weapons to Ukraine, claiming that they are legitimate military targets. Earlier this month, Mr Putin vowed to target countries arming Ukraine during a meeting with internationalnewsagencies.
“If someone thinks it is possible to supply such
weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supplyweaponsofthesame classtoregionsoftheworld wheretherewillbestrikeson sensitive facilities of those (Western) countries?” he said.
“That is, the response can be asymmetric. We will think about it,” he added. Ukrainian officials have defended the strike in the wake of the attack, calling Crimea a legitimate target. Mykhailo Podolyak - a top aidetoPresidentVolodymyr Zelensky-saidthepeninsula was in effect “a large military camp” which he saidheld“hundredsofdirect military targets, which the Russiansarecynicallytrying to hide and cover up with theirowncivilians”.
The UN’s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine says at least 10,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded in February2022.
The real figure, officials say,islikelytobefarhigher
Palestinian children sit at the edge of a crater after an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip [File: Jehad Alshrafi/AP]
People lay flowers as tribute to the victims of Sunday’s attack on a memorial bearing the word Sevastopol in Moscow
Govt. to overhaul financial laws in light of U.S. sanctions
Guyana's financial laws are to be amended in light of recent sanctions imposed on three Guyanese – two businessmen and a government official- who were allegedly involved in tax evasion and corruption, President Irfaan Ali said last week.
The Head of state said that following the sanctions imposed on Guyanese billionaire Nazar Mohamed, his son Azruddin Mohamed, andgovernmentofficialMae Thomas amendments to the Financial Institutions Act willbeforthcoming.
He highlighted the importance of aligning the law with international standards,stating,“Soonyou willseewewillbebringingto Parliament a Bill to amend theFinancialInstitutionsAct to ensure further compliance with international banking standards, the basal core principles on banking supervision.”
The amendments aim to modernizeGuyana'sbanking sector by adopting the latest legal frameworks, rules, regulations,andprinciples.
“These amendments will allow us to the top tier, beyondanyotherjurisdiction in this Region in relation to the banking sector,” PresidentAliadded.
A notable change includes allowing foreign financial institutions to establish representative offices in Guyana with prior approval from the central bank.PresidentAliexplained that while representative officeswillnotbeallowedto carryonbankingorfinancial business, they can offer services that can stimulate foreign direct investment by connecting capital investmentopportunities.
The proposed legislation willalsointroduceregulatory
oversight to ensure accountability in setting fees and charges for services offered by licensed financial institutions The Head of State, “This is aimed at keeping the market fair and engendering financial inclusion.”
Another significant
amendment involves removingtherequirementfor banks to consult with the
Minister of Finance before making regulations that define financial business activities. “We are further removing powers from the Minister of Finance and we are empowering the bank, giving the bank more independence,”Alinoted.
Additionally, the new frameworkwilleliminatethe need for ministerial consultation prior to issuing orrefusinglicensesunderthe Act. The amendments will facilitate more effective consolidatedsupervisionand cooperation among supervisory authorities, allowingfortheinspectionof s u b s i d i a r i e s a n d representative offices in Guyana.
The legislation will also increase administrative penalties to encourage full compliance by financial institutions with statutory requirements and directives fromsupervisoryauthorities.
“It will increase the sanctions which can be imposed by way of administrative penalties with the aim of encouraging full compliance...” the President said.
M o r e o v e r , t h e amendments will create a transfer and vesting mechanism for banking and financial business between licensed financial institutions, subject to approval and a certificate from the governor of the Bank of Guyana. Finally, the legal protection for the governor, officers, and employees of the Central Bank will be strengthened to ensure the lawful execution oftheirfunctions.
In 2023, Guyana's debt increasedby23%,reaching a total of approximately US$4.5billion.
The country's domestic debt surged to US$2 7 billion by the end of the year, up from US$2 billion at the close of 2022 Meanwhile, external debt grewby13%,amountingto over US$1.7 billion at the endof2023comparedtothe previousyear
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), China, and the World Bank (specifically through the International Development Association) are Guyana's largest external creditors. Theyhold19%,6%,and4%
highlighted in the IDB's 'Partnering for Resilience' report,publishedearlierthis year
Recently, Kaieteur News reported that over the past 47 years, the IDB approvedoverUS$2billion inloanstosupportGuyana's development.
The IDB said that Guyana is experiencing a significant increase in its debtrepaymentandinterest obligations The figures highlight a substantial rise in both principal and
interest payments over the pastfewyears,reflectingthe c
ng economic landscape and financialcommitments.
The IDB report states that Guyana's principal repayments have surged from an average of US$8.3 million per year between 2010 and 2020 to US$18.3
million annually over the period from 2021 to 2023. This increase underscores the growing financial demands on the nation's budgetasitmanagesitsdebt obligations.
Similarly, interest payments have seen a notable increase. From an averageofUS$8millionper
year over the 2010–2020 decade, the figure has climbedtoUS$15.2million per year on average during 2021–2023. This escalation in interest costs reflects both the increase in overall debt and potentially higher interest rates on new or refinanceddebt.
President Irfaan Ali
Fitzgerald, Madhoo establish...
From page 21 Nial’s Sports Bar Doubles and Open Singles Darts tournament on local shores. The event, which kicked off on Friday, saw Fitzgerald teaming up with Foreign Link teammate Nishan Mohamed to clinch first place in the Doubles event. Fitzgerald continued his winningstreakintheSingles event,securingaperfect3-0 victory against Christopher Lochan, who took second plac
, and Suresh Rambharose, who finished
third. Thestrongperformances by both Madhoo and Fitzgerald are a promising sign as they prepare to represent Guyana at the BetVictor World Cup of Darts in Germany The duo is set to travel to Frankfurt laterthisweek. With their eyes on the prize, Madhoo and Fitzgerald are poised to makeasignificantimpacton the world stage, representin the GoldenArrowhead with pride.
Foreign Link Darts Club player, Norman Madhoo in Florida.
Pompey shifts
focus to 2025 AP...
Frompage24
Invitational 100m champion, successfully defended his title, crossing the finish line in 10 35 seconds.
However, Amoah’s hopes for a sprint double weredashedbySt.Kittsand Nevis’ Nadale Buntin, who won the 200m in 20.86 seconds.
Six Schools from outlying...
Tuesday June 25, 2024
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)
You tend to enjoy solitude, Aries, and today you might feel more reclusive than usual.Youcouldbeinvitedto spend time with friends but not feel like accepting. You might even feel a little irritatedbythem.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Today there might be tension in the air with no discernible cause, Taurus Family
members could seem preoccupied with problems they can't quite define. Your naturalinclinationmightbeto trytocheerthemup.
GEMINI(May21–June20)
You could get some mysteriousphonecallstoday, Gemini, like wrong numbers or hang-ups. Other people
m i g h t s e e m l e s s communicative than usual, Gemini.
CANCER(June21–July22)
Confusion over money matters might come up for you today, Cancer. You may needtocheckyourrecordsin order to shed light on some pasttransactions.Don'tpanic. Allshouldbewell.
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
Someone close to you might seem more preoccupied than usual, Leo, and perhaps a bit difficult to deal with. Don't take this personally It has little if anything to do with you.
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)
Todayyoumightbefeelinga bit tense, Virgo, and you probably won't understand why The secret? It's the planets. You might tend to jumpatunexpectednoises.
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
You probably aren't going to feel much like socializing today, Libra, though friends might contact you Your patiencehaswornabitthinand you could get annoyed at incidents that normally wouldn'tbotheryou.
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)
Uptight is the word for today, Scorpio. At some point you might find yourself the center of attention. While you normallymightnotmind,now it could make you a bit nervous.
SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)
You'relikelytowanttobeleft alone with your own thoughts today Relaxing with a good book might be at the top of your agenda, Sagittarius, and you aren't liable to want to be interrupted.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
Worries over money could have you edgier than usual, Capricorn. While you may be doing well, you still could be insecure and think your funds might not stretch far enough. Try to consider the situation objectively
AQUARIUS (Jan 20–Feb 18) You probably crave solitude, Aquarius Even though you may have committedtodoingsomething for a friend or relative, now youfindtheideairritating.
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Although you're normally a sociablepersonwhofeelsmost comfortableinthecompanyof others,Pisces,todayyoumight ratherbealone.Youcouldfeel alittleundertheweatherorbe stressed from job-related worries.
Frompage25 plans are in motion to include them in the next editionofthetournament.
Operations Coordinator Lavern Fraser said students fromallteamsplayed“with determination to secure the top two spots in each group.”
“We’ve witnessed two daysofexceptionalfootball fromourbuddingstars.” P
Women’s F
otball Association(WFA),Andrea Johnson, also praised “all theteachersandcoachesfor their commitment over the weekend to ensure these futurenationalplayershave the opportunity to compete onanationalstage.”
Theinauguralchampion of the GFF-Blue Water Shipping Under-15 Girls’ National Secondary School Championship will be crownedonJune30.
T h e 2 0 2 2 Commonwealth Games 200m bronze medallist finished second, just behind Buntinwith20.86seconds.
It was a photo-finish in the Women’s 100m event, but when the dust settled, Michelle Lee-Ahye from Trinid
To
claimed victory with a time of 11.49s, narrowly beating out Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams(11.53s). However, in the 200m, Ahye (24 16) had to settle for second-place, after being edged by Deshana Skeete,aftertheUniversity of Kansas athlete clocked her second-fastest time ever in the event, finishing in23.64seconds.
T h e D o m i n i c a n Republic’s Lidio Feliz ran a season’s best of 46 02 seconds to win the men’s 400m, ahead of Even Mafilas(46 39)oftheUSA and Nefer Santana (46 51) f
Republic
Sri Lanka Women take 1-0 series lead with first T20I win over West Indies Women since 2015
SportsMax - New format, same result for the West Indies Women as Sri Lanka continued their dominance over their Caribbean counterparts with awininthefirstofthreeT20 I n t e r n a t i o n a l s i n HambantotaonMonday
Returning skipper Hayley Matthews brought some respectability back to the Windies batting but it wasn’t enough in the end as the tourists made 134-8 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by thehosts.
Matthews led the way with a run-a-ball 30 while Aaliyah Alleyne also contributedwith26off22 balls including three fours
Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu was excellentwiththeballonher way to a career best 4-29 from her four over spell
while Inoshi Priyadharshani provided excellent support with 3-28 from her four overs.
Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama theneachmade35astheSri Lankans stuttered to their target, eventually reaching 137-6inthe19thover
Afy Fletcher took 2-29 from her four overs for the Windies This was Sri Lanka’s first win over the West Indies in T20Is since 2015.
They also won the ODI series3-0.
The second T20I takes placeonTuesday Full Scores: West Indies 134 for 8 off 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 30, Chamari Athapaththu 4-29, InoshiPriyadharshani3-28); Sri Lanka 137 for 6 off 18.4 overs(VishmiGunaratne35, Harshitha Samarawickrama 35,Fletcher2-29).
Indies’ ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign came to an end on June 23, when the co-hosts suffered a narrow defeat to South Africa in their final Super Eightsfixture.
Afteranexceptionalstart in the first round, having gathered all eight points from their four matches to top Group D, and making into the Super Eights as a serious title contender,West Indies witnessed a dip in form against England, and SouthAfrica.
This cost them their semi-finalberth.
Still, captain Powell is proud of how the team progressed throughout the year,movinguptheladderto third place in June 2024 [a recent loss saw them drop a position] in the ICC Men’s T20 International Team Rankings.
“I think the cricket we have played in the last 12 m o n t h s o r s o i s commendable,” stated Powell in the post-match presentationceremony
“Credithastobegivento theteam.
If you can take a year to move from number nine to number three in the world, that’stremendouswork.” West Indies put up quite a show during the tournament, with a number ofhomeplayersfiringupthe crowd’simagination. There were brilliant wins over New Zealand and Afghanistan.
The West Indies captain
Powell is proud of how the team progressed throughout the year, moving up the ladder to third place in June 2024 in the ICC Men’s T20 International Team Rankings. (Associated Press)
sharedhisjoyinseeingalot of buzz around the Caribbeanagain.
“We haven’t won the World Cup, but there was a lotofimprovement.
There’s a lot of buzz around the Caribbean again about West Indies cricket. We have done some very good things over the last 12 months.”
“Now is where the work starts. It’s for us to continue to work as a group, still be
tight, and hopefully, just hopefully, we can continue to climb the rankings and make the Caribbean people proud.”
Powell acknowledged thesupporttheyreceivedon and off the field during the home World Cup and identifieditasasignthatthe teamwasheadedintheright direction.
“That (the support) has beenfantastic.
Forallthevenuesthatwe
haveplayed,forallthesocial media likes and stuff that peoplehavegivenus,weasa teamreallyappreciateit.”
Emphasizing on comeback of the West Indies’cricketingculture,he added, “It’s good to see that some buzz is back in the Caribbean for cricket, because we know how long thathasdieddown.
Nowpeoplearerallying around the West Indies as theydo.Now,whenwehear the anthem play, as players wefeelsomething.
I think that is heading in therightdirection.”
The Windies succumbed to a disheartening loss against South Africa to step backfromthetournamentas theyfailedtodefendatarget of123,in17overs(DLS).
A poor batting display kept them restricted to 135 runsin20overs,withRoston Chase (52 runs in 42 balls) bagging himself a half century
With the ball, Alzarri Joseph, Andre Russell, and Chase did an excellent job picking up a total of seven
wickets between them but thanks to a composed finish from Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, the South Africans took home a threewicketwinwithfiveballsto spare.
Though dismayed at thisouting,Powellcredited hissidefortheirspirit.
“As a batting group, this is one batting performance we’ll try our best to forget. I think we didn’tbatwellinthemiddle overs especially,” Powell said.
“Youseebothteamsbat onthewicket Obviously,it wasn’t an easy wicket, especiallytogetstarted.
I think it was a commendable bowling effort
130 (135) at the halfway mark, we said we’re just going to give it our all, whatever happens, happens.
“Credit has to be given to the guys at the halfway mark.
They believed, even though it was only 135 Theyfighttotheveryend.”
Sri Lanka continued their dominance over their Caribbean counterparts.
Guyana’s horseracing legislation
‘draft’ approved
Guyana horseracing legislation moves one step closer to completion.
Th e m u c h -
a n t i c i p a t e d G u y a n a horseracing legislation draft hasbeenapproved.
This is according to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., who provided an update during his community outreach in Berbice.
The legislation will establish a recognized
Guyana Horse Racing Authority, tasked with regulating major stables, officials, jockeys, and handlers.
A c c o r d i n g t o Minister Ramson, the sub-committee will review the legislation draftindetail.
“It is completed, in terms of the draft It has already been approved to move to the subcommittee.
In the next few weeks, the sub-committee will review in detail. Once it is approved and finalized, it is then approved to be laid by parliament, then we have a debate.”
The Sport Minister added: “I expect that to happen before the recess The recess is in August, the first week in August.
Pegasus beat Enterprise in ORSCA/Imran Ali Real Estate test
Pegasus beat Enterprise by 39 runs to book a place in the 2024 Ontario Round-ArmSoftballCricket
A s s o c i a t i o n (ORSCA)/Imran Alisponsored test quarter-final matchonSaturday Scores in the match: Pegasus143-5(12)&148-5 (12); Enterprise 103-8 (12) &150-8(12).
K a n d a s a m m y Surujnarine struck a halfcentury(55)forthewinning combination, while Amar Kisseurhit61forEnterprise in the final innings having set 190 for victory from a maximum12-overs.
A d r i a n S u k h w a clobbered six sixes in an unbeaten 37 for Pegasus in their second innings with Surujnarine getting 21 Surujnarine was supported
Kandasammy Surujnarine
-Sub-committeetoreview saysMinisterRamson
It is quite possible that the debate will be completed before the recess Ifitdoesnot,itwon’tbe muchlongeraftertherecess. I expect that, once we complete the review and it is laid in parliament, I don’t foresee a long time before we move towards thedebateinparliament.”
Thislegislativeinitiative in Guyana’s horse racing
comes after previous attempts in 2014, and key e l e m e n t s i n c l u d e provisions to address violations, expand the Authority’s membership, introduce term limits, and implement licensing for owners, jockeys, and trainers.
This development is expected to bring clarity, structure, and oversight to the horse racing industry in Guyana, marking a significantsteptowardits formal recognition and regulation
The next race day in Guyana’s horse racing is set for July 14 at the Port Mourant Turf Club, followed by the August 11 Guyana Cup which will be hosted by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee at RisingSunTurfClub.
Fitzgerald, Madhoo establish strong performances ahead of BetVictor World Cup
Preparations are progressing smoothly for Foreign Link Darts Club players Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald as they gear up for the 2024 BetVictor World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, from June 27-30. Both players s h o w c a s e d s o l i d performances in separate tournaments over the weekend, bolstering their confidence ahead of the internationaltournament.
Norman Madhoo competed in Florida’s Cherry Bomb International Open Classic, an annual dartstournamentthatattracts players from the Caribbean, USA, Canada, and Europe. Madhoo impressed with a 75.92 average, securing the third-highest average in the Men’s501Singleseventout of 123 participants. Despite his strong performance, Madhoo was eliminated in thequarter-finals. The tournament was ultimately won by Alex Spellman, who posted a remarkable 93 71 game average, while Leonard Gates finished as runner-up withan86.80average. Meanwhile, Sudesh Fitzgeralddominatedatthe (Continuedonpage21)
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr
KeyronFrazerwhomade
Owner of Nial’s Sports Bar, Nial Ramdial presenting Sudesh Fitzgerald with his first place prize.
Pompey shifts focus to 2025 AP Invitational - ahails 2024 championship a success
BYRAWLETONEY
After the successful return of her acclaimed Invitational Track and Field Championship for the first time since 2019, Aliann Pompey is already looking aheadtonextyear’sevent.
Nearly100athletesfrom around the world converged at the National Track and Field Centre in Edinburgh, West Demerara, seeking glory, bragging rights, and, a b o v e a l l , d i r e c t qualification to the Paris Olympics.
However, unlike the inaugural championship in 2016, where 11 athletes, all fromoverseas,attainedtheir qualifying standards for the Rio Olympics, no one achieved the mark for their respectiveeventsthisyear
H o w e v e r , t h e competition was fierce, despite early showers that threatened to dampen the performancesonthetrack.
Leslain Baird’s 73.79 metres is the new Meet Record for the AP Invitational. (Athlete Edge photo)
“I think the meet went well overall. Still a lot of potential for improvement,”
Pompey told Kaieteur News yesterday She added, “We
Aliann Pompey (right) and Minister Charles Ramson declaring this year’s AP Invitational open.
(52.00s) and Kenisha Phillips (52.86s) in the women’s400metresevent.
The16-year-old’stimeat the AP Invitational ranks as theseventh-fastestU18time intheworld.Thisaddstoher 52.31secondsfromtheU20 Women’s 400m at the CARIFTA Games, which is currently the second-fastest U18timeglobally
LeslainBairdtookhome the men’s javelin title, throwingadistanceof73.79 metres to set a new Meet Record Trinidad and Tobago’s Anthony Diaz finished second with 68.52 metres, and Guyana’s GabrielLimwasthirdwitha throwof64.22metres.
400m champion, the AP Invitationalwill“needsome local logistical help leading up to the competition, a results screen so that the spectatorsaremoreengaged astheracesarehappeningto mentionjusttwo.”
had some great results with Leslain Baird breaking the meet record and Tianna Springer’s time propelling her into the top 10 in the
“Overall it was positive. TheperfectionistIam,we’re alreadydebriefingandtrying to figure out how we can make next year even bigger andbetter,”Pompeysaid.
According to the 2002 Commonwealth Games
The Men’s Long Jump, whichhadastar-studdedline up, saw Emanuel Archibald takingthetitlewithaleapof 7 67 meters Archibald defeated the 2022 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas (7.58 metres), and Australia’s HenryFrayne(7.50metres), the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2011 World Indoor Championships silvermedallist.Atthe2022 Commonwealth Games, Archibald’s jump of 7.54 metersplacedhim11thinthe men’slongjump.
Ghana’s Joseph Amoah, whowasalsothe2019AP (Continuedonpage21)
Thomas’ brace help Paruima to second title, as Waramadong secures inaugural championship
The Upper Mazaruni
Under-18 Football
To u r n a m e n t 2 0 2 4
culminated with two thrilling finals on Sunday as Waramadong (Girls) and Paruima (Boys) emerging victorious to lift respective titles.
In a historic showdown, Waramadong Girls triumphedoverJawallaGirls in a tense Mazaruni District Girls championship final The match began with both teams displaying strong defences, leading to a 0-0 stalemate at halftime Waramadong’s Ester Lival was superb in the final, breakingthedeadlockwitha brilliant solo effort in the 48thminute.Theexcitement grew to the roof as Edilsa Daniels scored a stunning goal from outside the 18yardboxinthe62ndminute, securinga2-0victoryforthe host village This win crowned Waramadong
Ladies as the Upper Mazaruni U-18 Football Tournament inaugural champions.
On the other side of the pitch, Paruima retained the Boy’s title with a dominant performance, showcasing
their prowess in a commanding 5-0 victory over Kamarang. Lot Granes setthetoneforParuimawith a goal in the 14th minute. Kimron Thomas further solidifieda3-nilleadwithan excellent brace, scoring in the 28th and 60th minutes.
Darnis George and Miguel Gonsalves each added a goal, sealing the victory as they remain unbeaten in the tournament Paruima’s impressive display not only e a r n e d t h e m t h e championship but also highlighted their defensive strength, as they conceded no goals throughout the tournament As the defending champions, Paruima cemented their legacy in the Hinterland region.
Meanwhile, the Kako Football teams (Boys and G i r l s ) a l s o h a d c o m m e n d a b l e performances,securingthird place in both divisions Rovina Morris and Haynes Ronald each scored twice, leadingKakotoa5-0victory over Kamarang in the Girls’ divisional playoff while Kayleon Williams (24’) and Stephon Williams (34’)
secured a 2-1 win against Waramadong, securing a well-deservedthirdplace.
The tournament concluded with a brief presentation ceremony Miguel Gonsalves of Paruima and Ester Livan of Waramadong were awarded
the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours in their respective divisions. Best Goalkeeper awards went to Gordo Masters (Paruima) and J u l i a n n a T h o m a s (Waramadong) Kimron Thomas received the Most
Goals accolade for his six goals, while Rovina Morris’ braceinthefinalbroughther totaltofourgoals,rightfully earning her the Most Goals awardinthefemaledivision. Young talents Audwin Thomas (Kamarang) and Roslyn Henry (Jawalla) were recognized as the Best Youngsters in the tournament. The tournament was made possible through sponsorshipfromBustaSoft Drinks, Turbo Energy, and MVP Sports, with support fromthePetraOrganization.
Tournament coordinator, Neil Henrito (standing center) share photo-op with two-time champions Paruima Boys on Sunday
Blue Water Shipping Under-15 Girls’ National Secondary School Championship
Six Schools from outlying areas advance to quarter-finals alongside two Georgetown teams
Sixschoolsfromvarious outlying areas and two from G e o r g e t o w n h a v e progressed to the quarterfinals of the Blue Water Shipping Under15 Girls’ National Secondary School Championship after a rigorousRoundof16heldon SaturdayandSunday
The June 22 and 23 matches at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre on East Bank Demerara saw unforgettablemomentsfrom Guyana’s up-and-coming football prospects from nine regions.
The teams from the preliminary round were divided into four groups, with the top two advancing to the June 29 quarter-final of Guyana’s largest girls’ tournament.
In Group A, Waramuri Primaryclaimedthetopspot withninepoints,followedby Bush Lot in second with six points. Charity Secondary
Action in the latest matches of the Blue Water Shipping Under-15 Girls’National Secondary School Football Championship.
finished third with three
Secondary exited the tournament in fourth position.
GroupBsawSantaRosa Secondary lead with nine points, while Tucville Secondary secured second
Group C was dominated by St Ignatius Secondary, who won all three matches and accumulated nine
LTI completes perfect record against UG to lift YBG Tertiary League title
Th e L i n d e n
T e c h n i c a l Institute (LTI) capped off an undefeated season with a thrilling 9point victory over the University of Guyana (UG) Trojans in the final of the YouthBasketballofGuyana (YBG) Tertiary League SeasonTwoonSundayatthe NationalGymnasium.
Kimol Grimmond and Leron Joseph were the heroes for LTI, delivering standoutperformancestolift the YBG Season Two title. Despite Jushawn Bailey’s impressive 38-point game for UG, it was Grimmond’s spectacular double-double that stole the show His precise shooting and court vision led to a dominant 17 points and 11 rebounds, earning him the Most Valuable Player (MVP)
award. Grimmond’s defensive prowess was also onfulldisplayashesnagged 6steals,solidifyinghisMVP status.
Kimol Grimmond of LTI receiving his MVP awards at the conclusion of the YBG Season II final.
points Queen’s College secured second place with six points, followed by WestminsterSecondarywith three points and Woodley Park Secondary at the bottomofthegroup.
In Group D, Bartica Secondary and President’s College both advanced with
McKenzie High School claimed third place with three points, while New Campbellville Secondary finishedfourth.Theseresults set the stage for an exciting quarter-final round in the competition.
GFF President Wayne
Forde congratulated the eightteamsadvancingtothe thirdroundandlaudedallthe student athletes for their competitivespirit.“Wehave witnessed some incredible footballthisweekend.Every athlete represented their schoolwell.Congratulations to the top eight teams. I anticipate an even more intensenextround,giventhe dedication and hard work these young girls have displayed throughout the tournament.”
nationwide on May 4, featuring over a thousand
h e commencement of the competitive phase of the FIFA Football For School Programme (F4S), aimed at imparting life skills through football.WhileRegionEight isnotparticipatingthisyear, (Continuedonpage21)
Following the intense finale, YBG’s Co-director Chris Bowman presided
o
c e r e m o n y K i m o l Grimmond was honoured with the MVP award and a
Joseph was pivotal in LTI’s triumph, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds. Alongside them, Stephen G e o r g e m a t c h e d Grimmond’s 17 points, coupled with 5 rebounds in the quest for victory, while Neil Marks chipped in with 12 points and 5 rebounds, ensuringLTI’s79-70victory overUG.
$30,000 cash prize for his outstanding performance throughout the tournament. LTI walked away with the championship purse of $125,000andatrophy,while the runner-up UG Trojans’ was awarded $75,000 for theirefforts.
The tournament was made possible thanks to the support of Edward B Beharry Limited and GBoatsGuyana.
Waramadong Girls crowned inaugural champions in Upper Mazaruni District U18 Football championship.
