Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly Israeli air strike destroys part of last fully functional
2 of GTE project…
Linden families bolstered with legal support
…asRSStakeschargeofprobeintopolicekillings
…saysnoleaderwouldjustifyhighcostofUScurrency Glenn Lall rubbishes Jagdeo’s justification for low value of Guyana $$$
US$285 million port for Berbice
...Pres. Ali says Muneshwers, John Fernandes Limited are investors
Canadian mining Co. praises Guyana for speedy permits,
Man stabbed to death at Melanie pro-mining environment ...deathtollnears50,950 as11morePalestinianskilled hospital in Gaza City -Jagdeo
Attorney-at-law, Dr. Dexter Todd meeting with relatives of the two men who were gunned down by police last week in Linden
Glenn Lall rubbishes Jagdeo’s justification for low value of Guyana $$$
…says
no
leader
With one US dollar currently worth at least GYD$200,businessmanand anticorruption advocate, Glenn Lall, believes that the explanation presented by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo for the US-currency maintaining such a high valueis“senseless.”
Lall, during his Friday eveningradioprogrammeon 99.1/99.5FM,rubbishedthe justificationprofferedbythe formerFinanceMinisterand Head of State at a recent p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e Previously, the VP, when asked about the value of the Guyanadollar,said,“Forus, weareverycomfortablethat the system is clearing, and I said before we are gonna manage this carefully to ensurethatwedon'thaveany appreciation of the currency too. We don't want that to happen,andwehavemadeit (clear).We'veexplainedthis 100 times; people say, why don'tyouallowthecurrency tocome200tooneandstuff likethat-itwouldkillcertain sectors- the same Dutch disease.”
In explaining the current situation, Lall told listeners and viewers of his programme, “If one US dollar is presently 200 dollars,andatinofsardineis $200:-youcanonlybuyone tin, nah true? If the US dollar come down $100 for $1,itmeansyoucanbuytwo tinssardine,correct,yes? So why would any leader want to keep the US dollars at $200for1:whenitcanonly buy one tin and not two? That is basic common sense.”
Thenewspaperpublisher pointed out that Guyana currentlyimportsmostofits needs, including food, clothing,shoesandvehicles. Consequently, he pointed out, “If our dollar becomes
would justify high cost of US currency
stronger, you are stronger, your pay cheque is stronger, meaning you can buy more of the things you consume. Simply put, you can buy more food, more clothes, more shoes, more vehicles, more bulldozers, more tractors, more everything, cheaper.”
Meanwhile, should the US dollar remain at its current rate, Guyanese will continue to face high costs forthesegoods.Lallargued, “Every leader of every country on earth does their best, tries their best to strengthen their currency against the US dollar, especiallywhentheyhaveto importsomuchtokeeptheir peoplegoing.”
Consequently, he concluded that, should the value of the US dollar drop, life for Guyanese will become easier The businessman highlighted that Jagdeo's excuse for keepingtheUSdollarhighis the Dutch disease and invited listeners to judge for themselves whether the explanation provided was “sensible”.
DutchDisease
“This term, 'Dutch Disease', came out of Holland.Itiswhenacountry discovers huge wealth, like oil,andmoneystartstoflow in the country People stop workingandiftheydowork, theywantdoubleortriplethe moneytheyusedtoworkfor, sowhatdoesthatleadto,the traditionalcropsthatusedto keep the country going is pushedinthecorner,because your price is too high and you can't compete with the worldprice,”Lallexplained.
He believes that Guyana is faced with this issue withoutevenenjoyingitsoil money, as he pointed to the refusal of workers to accept lessthan$20,000dailyfora
jobintheinterior
Moreover, he said, “We are already living with the Dutch Disease…look at it, the entire agricultural sector is struggling – in a mess.
Sector after sector complaining there is no workers…isadeadindustry They just propping it up so they can thief the money fromtheTreasury,andthisis whathasbeenhappeningfor the last 30 years. At least PNC had some sense and startedclosingdownsomeof the sugar estates, but this formerpresident,whothinks heisclever,tellingweabout DutchDisease.”
He noted that Trinidad and Tobago was also forced to shut down the sugar estates as they were losing money years ago. “Today,
Bharat Jagdeo walking in that same footstep, trying to tell Guyana that sugar could be saved, not the oil, not the gold, not the bauxite. Instead of fighting to get more from our rich resources, like that oil, he studyingaboutsugar Sugar that is now sitting in a wheelchair and allowing the Mercedes Benz and the Lexus to drive away from us.”
Exports
Shifting his attention to another questionable excuse proffered by the VP, Lall highlighted that Guyana's exportsarenotassignificant as its imports. He reasoned, “In his mind, in his economics,hebelieveswhat Guyana exporting, if the US dollargodown,itwillaffect
K/NewsPublisher, Publisher Glenn Lall
those exports – so he is protecting that…if Guyana wasexportinghugeamounts ofproducts,yes,therewould havebeenroominmyhead, a
accommodate what Jagdeo is saying, but what are we exportinguncle? Ifyoutell me Banks Beer and Rum, yes, but how much US dollars that is bring in?
Basicallynothing.”
ThenewspaperPublisher argued that fish, shrimp, sugarandriceexports,along
with other agricultural products, are “dead”, as he questioned the logic of bountiful earnings from
conclusion, Lall told listeners that many of Guyana's neighbouring
Trinidad, Suriname and Barbados, enjoy a higher value of their currency in comparisontoGuyana,ashe blamedleadersforfailingto ensure Guyanese enjoy a betterlife.
Yesterday, Christians, especially Catholics, commemoratedPalmSunday,thedaywhenJesusmadehis triumphal entrance into Jerusalem as King: King of the Jews,asHeirofDavid’sroyalline,withallofthesymbolic, typic,andpropheticimportattachingtoit.
For many, the day was just an ordinary day For many more, it was a special day graced with extraordinary sacredness, an unfathomable pull of rare force that comes from way above our heads and takes up residence deep within ourselves, through the indefinable that makes us think along certain lines, walk a certain road, and live a certainoutstandingkindoflife.
Overtwothousandyearsago,ahumblefiguresetouton a journey in an unknown, backwater place in the vast Roman Empire. He was a humble man, who did strange thingstothosewhocameintocontactwithhim:hetouched them and moved them to be different and live a different wayoflife.Hetouchedthemsomuchthattheywerewilling togiveuptheirverylivesbecauseoftheprofoundspirithe instilledinthem.Whenhewasgonefromthisearthlyplane, manyofthemwerecalledupontotakeastandforwhatthey believedinastaughtbyandexemplifiedbythissameman. Then, they stood up in faithful and fearless belief, even whenitmeantthattheywouldhavetopaytheharshestprice fortheirdevotedstance.Thatis,withtheirverylives.
Themanhimselfwas amerepoor carpenter’s son. But set out on his fateful journey he did, on that Palm Sunday, withoneobjectiveinmind:togiveuphimselfwillinglyand self-sacrificinglyinthefaceofwhateverwastocome.Andit wassuretocome,aswasprophesied,anditwashisdestiny Itwassuretocomealsobecauseoftheknowncrueltiesof the Roman occupation forces, which had inserted overpowering fears wherever they were present; and becauseofthedeepabidinghatredheincurredfromthesocalledmenofGodinhistime.Butforwardhewent,because for him there was no other way, and this was regardless of whatlayahead.Hewasaleaderwholedbyexample;hewas amanwhoneveraskedhisfollowers,thosewhobelievedin him,todoanythingthathewouldnotdoorthathedidnotdo himself. Because he was that way all the time and all the way,peoplefollowedhimevenuntodeath.
Now,thisisthekindofleadersweneedinthiscountry calledGuyana,butwhichweareyettofind.Ifonlywecould getone–oneleader–whorepresentedinthefullnessofhis impeccable essence all that is humble, truthful and trustworthy, then we would be better as individuals, as a people,asasociety Ifonlywecouldgetneartooneleader of the substances that spoke to credibility, sincerity and honesty, then we would have a different way of life that flourishesinthiscountry,inallofitsteemingurbanlocales, and its far rustic villages. But we don’t; not one of them, which not a single one of us would be so reckless and so senselesstostepforwardandclaimthatwedo.
Ontheotherhand,andthisiswhatshouldregisterwith thosewhobelieveandthosewhodon’talso.Themanfrom Galileecameoutofanowhereplace,calledandembracedas hiscompanions,thosewhoweredismissedasnobodies,and from nothing with those nobodies as his messengers and instruments remade the world then and in which we live today
Hechangedtheworld:speaktotruthandthesametruth willsetyoufree.Wewishthatourleadersandtheirpeople, whentheyreadthis,willgetsomeflashoflight,somespirit movingthem,whichtellsthemthattheyarenotspeakingto truth. They do not speak anything of truth, but what is the opposite of it on most occasions and on most issues that come before them, including the large and small; but especiallythelarge,becauseitmakesforbigmoneyalltoo easilygained.
Thatmantaughttheworldsomethingthatstillresonates today, and has huge application in this society He warned
One-off cash grant is a plan for robbery unless NIS fixes contribution statements
D
EARE
DITOR
, Mr Sasenarine Singh, Guyana’s Ambassador to Belgium and the most s
Scheme’s “one-off cash grant” announced by the President will bring closure, particularly for sugar workers (SN, April 12, 2025). Writing from afar, this fella argues that something is better than nothing. He says, “One is alwaysgreaterthanzero”.In other words, Mr Singh is saying take the President’s dealoryouwillgetlarwah.
Did the NIS and actuary m a k e t h e s e recommendations on onetimepayments?IsMr Singh okay with workers signing away all their rights by accepting the President’s payments? Sase needs to answer, under his watch, how many GUYSUCO workers’contributions were fixed, since sugar workers’ contributions were the most screwed up. When workers signed up for NIS and were paying contributions, they expected NIS to do their statutorydutyofmaintaining proper records and monitoring employers Clearly,NIShasfailedinits duty to many people. The PPPhasbeeninpowerfor27 of the past 32 years, and the
PNC also did nothing to fix this problem. Many people have died without receiving NIS benefits because they were given the royal runaround. So, Mr Singh, those who died have gotten their “closure.” They don’t have to deal with GUYSUCO and NIS anymore And many are closetothatkindofclosure, too. Many of these are poor, rural PPP supporters, including many sugar workers.
The problem many people have is that NIS is missingafullrecordoftheir contributions They are missing5yearsformeand1 year from my 90-year-old cousin. Unless NIS resolves what to do in cases where people are missing contributions, especially those who NIS says have 740-749, there will be no justiceinthismatter.TheVP saidthateverywheretheygo, people tell them of NIS problems, yet there is no serious plan to fix the root cause.Sase,therewillbeno “closure.” People will feel cheated by a government they voted for Without NIS reconciling its records, workers will be placed in a lower band for the one-time payment.IftheGovernment is going by the number of contributions NIS has in its records, you are in effect,
robbing people, for those who claim NIS records are inaccurate. Judge Damone Younge, in her wellreasoned decision in the Zainul case, lashed the NIS. It was reported that “Justice Younge in her ruling made it clear that an applicantshouldnotbemade to suffer for failure on the partofNISandemployersto reconcile their records or to have an accurate record of thecontributionsmadebyan applicant—or for the failure of employers to pay over t
he insurance scheme. In fact, the Judge in no uncertain termsblastedtheNIS,which she said has become “notorious” for inaccurate and incomplete contribution recordswhichareultimately unreliable.”(Carpenterwins NIS pension in landmark ruling,SN,Nov.29,2023).
Here are excerpts from theblogs:Sachinsaid,“This is an unjust offer to those persons within the 740 to 749contributions.Theywill receiveaone-offpaymentof $650,000. The person, for example, who is short by 1 contribution to be eligible for the minimum pension of $45,000 per month, with a life expectancy of 75 years, would have received approximately $8,000,0000. Whereas the one-off
paymentisequivalenttojust 14 months of minimum pension This is another poorly crafted payment With all that money around, time for them to fix NIS contribution problem once andforall.”
Fmguycan said, “People who contributed above 745 to 749 should qualify for a partial minimum NIS pension if the cause for the default can be considered under humanitarian and c o m p a s s i o n a t e circumstances beyond their control It is heartwrenching for anyone, through no fault of theirs, to bedeniedamonthlypension whentherewasdiligenceon their part The one-time payment by the President is considerate, but more needs to be done.” Guyanese said, “Imagineyouearnasalaryof $100,000permonth(usingan average here) and your contributiontoNISis$5,600 monthly Not counting the employer’s contribution So, you make 500 contributions or $2,800,000 to get back $260,000.Nowonderpeople don’t want to make NIS payments.” So I say the “one-off”cashgrantisaplan forrobberyunlessNISfixes contribution statements. Mr President,pleasedoit.
Sincerely, Dr JerryJailall CivilSocietyAdvocate
Time for the truth- PPP/C or the Mohameds
DEAREDITOR, The law, in almost every
case, may be slow, deliberate, and patient, but always it surely wins out. I thought of this as I scanned the news of “Unpaid $1.2B taxes(as)JudgeblocksGRA from seizing Mohameds’ luxury vehicles until ruling on tax evasion case.”As per law, this is the way, even though some may feel that ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ Overall, the law mustfollowdueprocess.
Let me now make some generalstatements,asIwant
all of us to be cognizant of what is really happening in Guyana, regarding the High Court’s issuing “ an interim interlocutory injunction barring the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) from seizing several high-end luxury vehicles
owned by prominent businessmen Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, pending a full judicial review of the agency’s $1.2 billiontaxevasionclaim.”
First, we need to understand how serious and
thattheloveofmoneyistherootofallevil.Whenweatthis publication examine at length (and we have done so for manylongyearsanddecadesnow)thecountlessevilsthat prosperinthislandofours,wehavenochoicebuttocome tothesorryconclusionthatthatcarpenter’ssonhaditright allalong.
The things that are of Palm Sunday and Holy Week, withtheirmajesticascendancyonGoodFridayandEaster Sunday, point to and speak of a different kind of singular leadership. It is what we need here, and desperately It is whatwedon’thave,andthisinspiteof(orbecauseof)the manytrialsanderrorsthatalwaysseemto,somehow,bring us the same result: the tragic figures of corrupt flesh clothing, still more corrupt minds. We must not give up hope,wemustfindawaytoovercome,andwewill!
broad-basedthismatteris,as ‘tax evasion’and ‘tax fraud’ involve falsifying records and claims, purposely not reporting income, inflating expenses, and claiming a fraudulentrefundorbenefit, etc Thus, if and when convictedoftaxevasion,the guilty must still pay the full amountoftaxesowing,plus interest and any civil penalties assessed by the governing body Also, the convictedonesmaybefined up to 200% of the taxes evadedandmayendupwith ajailtermofuptofiveyears. These ‘tax’issues are not to be trifled with. The clarion call then is that during this limbo reprieve, as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) appeals the Court’s order, no one can afford to playsillypolitics.
As per the news, it is that Attorney-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, representing the Mohamed family, confirmed that Justice Gino Persaud extendedaninitialrestraining orderandgrantedfurtherlegal protectionfortheMohamed’s
vehicles including a Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Roadster and two Toyota Land Cruisers, until a substantive hearing on May 15, 2025.” The touchy part that most people are not paying attention to is that
“The injunctions will last until the hearing and determination of the substantive matter (And what is this?) It is the filing by Siand Dhurjon to quash the assessments and to prohibit any seizure or other enforcementaction”Thatisa verytallorder,andhereiswhy Isaythis Forone,itistimeto take the People’s Progressive Party/Civicoutofthis Thisis purely legal, and pointing fingers at the said PPP/C will not gain currency, nor will it sway a candid court hearing, especially if this reaches the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).As it stands now, the court’s ruling ‘temporarily’ is halting the GRA’s efforts to seize the vehicles. These vehicles, according to the GRA,wereimportedunder (Continuedonpage06)
Let
justice be done though the heavens may fall Is the PPPastroturfing?
DEAREDITOR
,
T h e t r a g i c a n d unwarranted deaths of Lindeners Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay by two police officers have set the countryinastateoffearand agonyoverthelastfewdays.
Subsequently, the community of Half Mile, Wismar, Linden was in a state of destabilisation and uproar, with angry residents destroying public property, blocking roads, and burning tyres. One can only imagine the psychological state and trauma that the families of the deceased young men are currentlyexperiencing,even though this is not the best course of action to resolve t h e s i t u a t i o n a s aforementioned.
The horrific acts committed by these Guyana Police Force officers are a sordid reminder of the extrajudicial killings that tookplacebetween2000and 2006, the 2012 shooting of three civilians in the mining town of Linden, as well as the 2022 murders of Quindon Bacchus and Orin Boston.
The perpetual seed of rancouranddiscordsownby themanybadelementsinthe Guyana Police Force does not augur well for the citizenry, as the question is, can the Police Force ever be trusted? It would be biased and prejudiced of me to ignore those “exceptional policeofficerswhoconform andreverethelaw”andwho do not engage in corrupt activities.
The question is, how manymore?Howmanywill continue to suffer at the hands of policemen in their uniforms? As the young people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, we mustjointhevoicesofmany andsaynotopolicebrutality and no to the killings of civilians.
Although the Police Act ( C h a p t e r 1 6 : 0 1 ) acknowledges the necessity of “reasonable force to maintain order and to deescalate violence,” it does notspecifytheuseofforcein riots or other disturbances. Riot control efforts, such as communication, persuasion, andwarningshots,shouldbe the initial recourse before resorting to forceful measures. While there have been reports of fired rubber pellets and dispersed tear gas,someprotestorsflagged that live rounds were also fired, which resulted in the deathofFogenay,whowasa bystander The question is, whyliverounds?
Stabroek News on April 12, 2025, reported that a team from the Regional Security System (RSS) arrivedinGuyanaonFriday afternoontoconductaprobe into the police killings of Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay
Head of State Irfaan Ali vowed that an impartial investigation will be launched, as he is adamant that justice should take its course, and like many anxious Guyanese, we are yettoseetheoutcomeofthis matter because, ipso facto, the scale of justice at times canbeuneven,whichshould never be the case The families of the deceased deserve closure into these occurrences, and “justice must be done although the heavensmayfall.”
This is not the time to politicise the current situation; rather, as young people and tomorrow’s leaders, we should fervently pray that those police officers will be held accountable for their horrible and unlawful actionswithoutanydelayor interference.
This serves as a moment for both government and opposition to go back to the drawingboardandtodiscuss (Continuedonpage06)
DEAREDITOR
‘Astroturfing’ is an artificially manufactured politicalmovementdesigned to give the appearance of grassroots activism It involves presenting a biased or skewed view of public opinion as if it were a genuine grassroots movementwhen,infact,itis a coordinated effort by a smallgroupofindividualsor organisations Unlike natural g
s
oots campaigns, which are people-rich and moneypoor, an astroturf campaign tends to be the opposite, well-funded but with little actualsupportfromvoters.It isrecognizedasaproblemin social media, e-commerce, and politics Astroturfing caninfluencepublicopinion by flooding platforms like political blogs, news sites, and review websites with manipulated content ’
(politicaldictionary.com&A g o o d b r i e f i s o n wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrotur fing).
The term ‘astroturfing’ wascreatedin1985byTexas Democratic Party senator LloydBentsenwhenhesaid, ‘afellowfromTexascantell thedifferencebetweengrass roots and AstroTurf, i.e., generated mail ’ He was describing the large amount of correspondence received by his office to promote the interest of the insurance industry But the origins of theuseofastroturfingcanbe traced way back to Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, when Gaius Cassius wrote fake letters from the publictoconvinceBrutusto assassinate Caesar In the early 1900s, it was used in political campaigns but one oftheearliestexamplesofits use was in 1936, when the tobacco industry used fake
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protests,muchaswemaybe seeing in Guyana today, to counter the negative impact of scientific studies linking smokingtocancer.
Astroturfing is manysided, and for me, the most memorable attempt at ‘smoke and mirrors’ in Guyana occurred when then President Bharrat Jagdeo publiclydeclaredthatformer president and de facto head of the PPP, Ms. Janet Jagan, was just an ordinary citizen who should not have been taken too seriously The intention was to quell the widespreadbeliefthat,much like Irfaan Ali today, Janet Jagan did have a substantial say in what happened in the PPPanditsgovernment.But this is how democratic centralist Marxist parties operated: the head of the party took precedence, and Janet Jagan remained in control of the party until the
day she died. Of course, the implication of this has enormous consequences for theJagans’legacyinrelation to the various incidents and human carnage that took place in the early Jagdeo regime, but that need not detainushere.
Withthedevelopmentof technology, a University of Illinois Chicago study estimated that at present, about one-third of all consumer reviews on the internet are fake. The New York Times claimed that astroturfinghasmadeithard for one to tell the difference between popular sentiment and manufactured public opinion. The authors argued that astroturfing that is ‘purposefully designed to fulfill corporate agendas, manipulate public opinion andharmscientificresearch, representsaseriouslapsein
(Continuedonpage06)
Is the PPPastroturfing?...
Frompage05 ethical conduct.’ In 2003, GOPTeamLeader com offered the site’s users points that could be redeemed for products if they signed a form letter promotingGeorgeBushand getalocalpapertopublishit asalettertotheeditor More than 100 newspapers publishedanidenticalletter to the editor from the site with different signatures on it. The Committee for a
Responsible Federal Budget’s Fix the Debt campaign advocated to reduce government debt without disclosing that its members were lobbyists or high-ranking employees at corporations that aim to reducefederalspending.
In October and
N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 8 , conservative marketing firm Rally Forge created what The New Yorker described as ‘a phony leftwing front group, America Progress Now, which promoted Green Party
candidates to hurt Democrats in several races. Its ads on Facebook used socialistmemesandslogans to attack Democrats and urge third-party protest voting in several tight races.’
Seven weeks into the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,theBBCpublished the results of an investigation of a network ofFacebookgroupswiththe overall aim of promoting the Russian president,
Vladimir Putin, as a hero standinguptotheWestwith overwhelminginternational support Members, activities,andinterrelations in ten pro-Putin public groups with more than 650,000 members between them, boasting names such as Vladimir Putin - Leader of the Free World, were analysed. Over a month, researchers counted 16,500 posts, receiving more than 3.6millioninteractions.
The case of the Mohameds in Guyana has all the hallmarks of astroturfing They were involvedinlocalpoliticsfor the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and very friendly with its oligarchic leadership.Aftersubstantial investigationsbytheUnited States,theywereaccusedof drug trafficking and money laundering. A government permanent secretary who is a member of the PPP has also been accused in relationtotheseevents,and she was promoted by that party after being identified by the US. The PPP is apparently attempting to publiclydistanceitselffrom the Mohameds, and they have seemingly become involved in anti-PPP national politics. A public quarrel between the two is in progress, but from press reports during this period, large sums of money were being exchanged for work done and/or possibly donations.
Largely because of
migration, in recent times, governments in Guyana have been elected by marginal, mainly ethnic votes.Furthermore,thePPP government has been designated an autocratic regime that has captured andisunilaterallyusingthe State.
The Mohameds are relativelywealthy,andmost of their sudden political support has been by way of social media and small protest groups comprising essentially the African supportersoftheopposition party While it does all it possibly can to consolidate its own Indian ethnic support, the PPP has over the decades been doing e
hing po
ible, including stultifying their development, to control the ethnicAfricansupportersof the opposition People’s NationalCongress.
The PPP regime wants to be in the good books of theUSgovernmentandhas littlechoicebuttodealwith the issues surrounding the Mohameds And with astroturfing, this can be done to the benefit of both sides:reputationallyitveils theactualreasontheregime is going against the Mohameds and present another opportunity for the PPPtoinfluenceOpposition supporters if not to vote for it,tosupportathirdpartyor become sufficiently disillusioned to abstain fromvoting.
The normal tool of
Time for the truth-
Frompage04
false declarations and
astroturfingisverymuchin play:vociferousclaimsand counterclaims by the parties, the sudden materialisation of political support on and by social media, a few protest gatherings and their disruption,testimonialsand letterwritingattestingtothe good or bad name of the parties, public claims that the ethnic vote of the PPP that for decades has held solid has suddenly fallen to the Mohameds without one iota of evidence, etc., all intended to demonstrate thatagenuinequarrelexists andthattheMohamedsarea legitimate alternative to the PPPandPNC.
‘It is essential for ordinary citizens to be awareofastroturfingandto stay alert in this era of fake news and social media deceit.Themanipulationof facts, information, and narratives forces people into making decisions that arenotintheirbestinterest.
It is high time that we recognize the dangers of astroturfing and condemn these underhanded political tactics to preserve d e m o c r a c y (https://politicalmarketerc om/smoke-and-mirrors/).
Astroturfing is difficult to detect, so it is best to always to adopt the worstcase scenario when assessing dubious political claims,largelygeneratedby socialmedia.
Sincerely,
DrHenryJeffrey
breaches of the re-migrant scheme, a programme designed to grant tax exemptions to eligible returningresidents.
Team Mohamed will have to rebuff, as the GRA has emphatically stated that it has “… irrefutable evidence of the said breaches, and the understatement of values of the other vehicles, and will vigorously defend the said matters presently before the Court.” After all, in court issues, ‘evidence’ is what matters in the end
Furthermore, the GRA elaborated that “… efforts to resolve the matter amicably had included three letters and direct email outreach, all of whichwentunanswered.”
Editor,Ireinforcethatthis stand-off is a serious one. We are talking about unpaid taxes for vehicles to the tune of $479.7 million for a 2020 Ferrari; $371.7 million for a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster; $320millionfora2023RollsRoyce; $61.4 million for a 2023 Range Rover, and $24.6 million each for two Toyota Land Cruisers, pushing the total close to $1.2 billion. No wonderthenthattherewasthe much-publicized stand-off at
the Mohamed family’s Houston,GreaterGeorgetown residence. On that occasion, GRA officers, accompanied by police ranks, attempted to seize the vehicles, explaining that this ensued after months of failed negotiations and repeated notices However, theyweremetbyahostilemob thatblockedtheentrancewith othervehicles,forcingofficers toretreat.
On this note, I say to the Mohameds to arm themselves with their evidence. In court, theywillnotbeabletooppose physically They will need legal expertise and actual evidence to thwart GRA. We are talking a legal battle, after which, irrespective of the ruling, there is still the loomingauraofthefindingsof the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in relation to the Mohamed’s evasion of taxes on gold exports, where between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omittedmorethan10thousand kilograms (kg) of gold from i m p o r t a n d e x p o r t declarations, and avoided paying more than US$50 million (over $10 billion Guyana dollars) in duty taxes totheGovernmentofGuyana.
Yourstruly, HargeshB.Singh
Let justice be done though...
Frompage05 meaningful policies and ideas on how to counter these recurrences in our society, as those entrusted with the responsibility to serve and protect us are firing live rounds at civilians, this can neverbenormal.
As the clock winds down on President Ali's first term in office, the PPP/C is in a mad scramble to show it is a government that cares. And we have seen the many contrived and theatrical displays at recent meetings.
A few Afro-Guyanese are used to sing the praises of Pres. Ali- some even forgetting themselves as one woman who said she was a 'junkie' under the coalition government.
The PPPC has stopped listening. Power has made them tone-deaf. Detached from the rhythms of daily life, they no longer walk the streets they claim to represent. They do not stand in the parlors of the rural poor, nor linger at the corner shops where the talk is real and unfiltered. They rely instead on meetings held under large tents where people come from all over with a litany of problems – a reflection of a system of government that is dysfunctional. The PPPC has lost the ear for nuance, the feel for mood.
In such a state, the signs of discontent become invisible to them, or worse, appear only as threats conjured by enemies.
Govt. still fine-tuning details,
cautious with elections upcoming -Jagdeo
Extension to the deadline for proposals for Phase Two of the Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project is to ensure government rolls out a “well-designed” project, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeohassaid.
The chief spokesman on the oil and gas sector told reporters at his press conferenceonThursdaythat thedelaystothedeadlineare not for want of interest. He explained,“Wehavealotof interest in this project. In fact, more interest than we are getting unsolicited offers, all the time, but they have to come through that process.”
With elections due later this year, the General Secretary of the ruling People's Progressive Party (PPP) also noted that the administration is being cautious.
“We are being almost cautious now, as we are approachingtheelections,to really undertake a major initiative of that nature before the elections, so we arebeingmorecautiousnow aboutthisproject,butit'snot for want of interest,” he clarified.
Furthermore,herevealed that key areas of the project are still being fine-tuned to ensure Phase Two rolls out smoothly
According to Jagdeo, “…we still have to verify some parameters of the project, so we want a welldesigned project, so we're verifying that, but we're- it's more a sign of the caution that we are exercising now than a lack of interest in the project.”
Phase Two of the GTE
construction of a second Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and an additional power plant to produce 300 megawattsofelectricity
According to a Request ForInformation(RFI)issued by the Office of the Prime Min
P
Tw
construction and operation of an NGL facility to produce approximately 5,800 barrels per day (bpd) of NGL products (propane, butane, and C5+), utilizing 70MMCFDof“richgas”.
Interested parties will be requiredtodesign,construct and operate a 300 megawatt (MW) combined-cycle power planttodeliver2,600 gigawatt hours (GWH) of electricity per annum. The powerwillbesoldtoGuyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) via a 20-year Power PurchaseAgreement(PPA).
Phase Two will utilize gas that will be brought to
constructed by ExxonMobil
Guyana Limited (EMGL).
That structure will also deliver gas to Phase One of the project, which will be s
ely adjacenttoPhaseTwo. It was reported that the deadlineonthefirstRFPwas November14,2024,butthat date was later extended to January 14, 2025
Subsequently, the
Government of Guyana (GoG) scrapped its earlier issued Request For Proposals (RFP) for the design, finance and operation of Phase Two of theproject.
In its new invitation for bids,itwasobservedthatthe GoGhasrevisedthenumber downwards with respect to gas that will be available daily for the project, as well as the expected Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) to be produced. It has, however, increased the electricity generation expected to be producedfromPhaseTwoof thegasproject.
ThedeadlineforthatIFB was March 31, 2025. This publication did not observe any further extensions or adjustments.
World Trade Centre
Georgetown for October opening
The World Trade Centre Georgetown, Guyana (WTCG) will be officially declaredopeninOctoberthis year.Theannouncementtook the form of special invitations issued to delegates attending the World Trade Center Association's 55th annual General Assembly and Global Business Forum in France, following four days of deliberations on trade and investmentissues.
“It is with great pleasure that I have the honour to invite you to the formal opening of the World Trade Centre Georgetown (Guyana) on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025, at 10 am,''saystheinvitationletter signed by WTCG's Executive Chairman Komal Samaroo.
The opening has been timed to precede the annual WTCA Members Forum in New York City, which is scheduled to open on October 28 “This way, delegates attending the WTCA meeting from across the globe and who have expressed an interest in comingtoGuyanacouldfind it convenient to so do,” WTCG executive director WesleyKirtonpointsout.
“The official opening of our building at 44 High Street, Kingston, in the capitalcity,Georgetown,will take place as Guyana has emergedasoneofthefastest-
growingeconomiesglobally, driven by its burgeoning energy sector, infrastructure development, and a robust investment climate As a result, this dynamic environment offers substantial opportunities for trade, both imports into and exportsfromthecountry
“The opening of the World Trade Centre Georgetown signifies not only Guyana's but the Caribbean Community's (CARICOM)commitmentto fostering international business relations as well as its desire to serve as a key player in global commerce,” theletteradds.
Participation in the opening activities will provideanexcellentplatform to explore the myriad opportunitiesinareassuchas agriculture and agribusiness, m i n i n g , t o u r i s m , manufacturing, energy and more,whichGuyanaandthe CARICOMregionnowoffer WTCGeorgetownisthefirst, and currently the only WTC in the CARICOM region. The formal opening and relatedbusinessprogramwill
, business leaders, and international trade experts over two days. While the formal opening is set for October, occupancy of the WTCGbuildingwillbeginin June.
VicePresident, Bharrat Jagdeo
Thetheatreofprotestandthedeathofreason
The recent deaths of two young men in Linden demand investigation and truth.Buttheyalsobegusto reflect on a proclivity that has, for too long, escaped serious interrogation: the perverse glorification of protest as chaos, and the accompanying devaluation of law, order, and public infrastructure.
The deaths of these young men last week led to an escalation of tensions in theminingtown.Itisforthe Commission of Inquiry to investigate and determine how and why they met their deaths. However, it is more than likely that its findings will be met as such findings often are, with partisan interpretations.
Whatisnowrecurringin ourrepublicisnotaboutthe moral righteousness of the causeoftheprotest.Protests in Guyana are increasingly mutatingtowardsthewillful paralysisofacountry’svital arteries — its roads, its bridges—undertheguiseof agitation. When roads are blockedandbridgesburned, thefirstvictimistheideaof society as a cooperative compact. Protest, once the solemn register of dissent, hasbecomeanexpressionof vengeance The State becomes an abstract enemy, and so too does everything that belongs to all of us: the road that carries the ambulance, the bridge that connects livelihoods, the lamppostthatlightsachild’s wayhome.
The Wismar-Mackenzie B
thirteenyearsago,hasagain become the site of civil disobedience In 2012, protests against electricity tariffs turned fatal when demonstrators blocked the bridge and threw missiles at thepolicewhowereseeking toclearthisvitalartery
Now again, that bridge becomes the focal point of misguided rage, a literal bottleneck of thought and action.Ifhistoryrepeatsfirst as tragedy, then as farce, Guyana seems to be masteringbothatonce.
Thelessonsof2012were not learned. The COI that followedwarnedplainlythat those who had the influence to stop the illegal blockade did nothing. They watched as laws were bent and eventually broken “Two wrongsdonotmakearight,” thereportseemedtowhisper into a void, while the polity promptly moved on to the next outrage. Today, the same playbook has been dustedoff.
Last week, the situation threatenedtogetoutofhand. Fires were again set on the Wismar-Mackenzie bridge. Andintothismeleestepped, ofallpeople,thepublisherof a newspaper not a politician, not a peace negotiator,butGlennLall,a man routinely vilified by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. Lall strode into the embers of that protest and told the people that burning your own bridge is not protest—itisself-sabotage. Itis,hesaid,likeburningthe stairway to your own home. The protestors agreed, and themoodcooled.
Had he not been there, the damage to public property would have been worse.Butwemustaskwhy our numerous political leaders weren’t there seekingtocalmthesituation and restore reason. It took a brave man to go into that crowd to do what Lall did. Glenn Lall, who many regard as a thorn in the establishment’sside,proved more statesmanlike than the verymenwhositinplushest chairs.
Video images surfaced onsocialmediaofaspecific confrontation between the protestors and the police. The latter were beating a hasty and desperate retreat, pummeled by bricks. The protestors got within touching distance of the ranks seeking refuge behind anti-riotshields.Theseranks could have been seriously injured, so close were the attackers to them. Perhaps somewereinjured.
Itistothecreditofthose ranks that they exercised restraint and did not use lethal force in that episode where they were seen backpedaling to escape Given how close they were topossibledeath,theseranks wouldhavebeenjustifiedin exercising self-defence Thepolice,itshouldbesaid, could have responded with lethal force in defense of theirlives.Thattheydidnot, inthatepisode,shouldcount for something in a country too quick to vilify the uniform and too slow to obeyitslawfulcommands.
But there were other videos shown on social
DEM BOYS SEH
Guyanese is a special setta people. Is not thatwedon’tknowwhawe want.Isthatwewantevery single thing, fuh everybody, all the time—evenifweain’tsure wereallywantit.
Dem boys seh yuh could part de Red Sea fuh demandsomebodygonstill complain that de water too salty
Fuh years now, government been helpin out wid CXC fees. Dem subsidize, dem slash, dem chopitdown.Still,yuhhad parents bawlin, “Ow man!
Dis ting still too expensive!” One lady seh she had to choose between paying for exam fees and buyin food. Now hear dis.
Government seh dem gon foot de bill fuh EIGHT subject. Eight! Fuh free! But instead of people seh, “Welldone,mehgovament, y’all really helpin out de poorman,”whayuhhear?
“Why only eight? Meh childdoingeleven!”
”Wha happen to de otherthree?”
”Y’all pick a random numberorwha?”
Anothersehdepickney onlywritingtwosubjectbut she still want government payfuhten—justincase.
Dem boys seh some peoplewantdegovernment pay fuh de exam, buy de school clothes, pack de lunch kit, walk de child to school,sitdownindeexam room, and write de test fuh demtoo!
media where shots were heard. It is for the COI to look at all this evidence and determine who fired and what was fired and whether any force used was excessive.
Public protest has become depressingly predictable.Protestorsblock roadways, start fires and stone officers. The police often fumble their response. Someone gets hurt, often fatally And then comes the long tail of outrage — the speeches, the vigils, the commissions, the calls for
justice But the cycle continues because we no longer know how to draw a line between protest and sabotage, between speech and violence, between grievanceandvendetta.
We must also teach our citizens that if the police want to question you, the answer is not to run or to hide. We must teach our protestors that the right to dissent is not the right to destroy And we must teach
presence, not just press
statements. Until then, we are doomed to replay this spectacle of self-destruction thatleadstoavictoryforno one.
(Theviewsexpressedin this article are those of the a
necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
Is two kinda Guyanese. Defirstsetgongrumbleno matter wha. Dem does vex whenitrain,andvexwhen it too sunny De second set nah gan find any fault with degovernment.”
DemboyssehifJagdeo comeponTVandannounce freehouselot,freeminibus, and free goat, yuh gon still hear, “But why goat? Meh wantedasheep.”
Yuhseehowitguh?
Guyanese is de only peoplewhocomplainabout traffic jam, and then complainwhenderoadtoo clear—”Wha happen? Is banditindeareaorwha?”
Dem boys seh, if yuh want to learn patience, don’t go monastery Try pleasingaGuyanese. Talkhalf,leffhalf!
H@RD TRUTHS
Resignorberemoved
In four words, attorneyat-law, Ms. Melinda Janki, cut to the quick in the i n s t a n c e o f t h e Commissioner of the Office of Information. “Resign or beremoved”leavesnoroom for manoeuvre, none for furtherdiscussion.
T h e r e a r e t w o ultimatums in those four wordsthathavethepowerof jagged stilettoes. To pierce through resistance. To tear down arrogance. To wreak h a v o c w i t h t h e consciousness of the sober And to make any selfrespectinghumanbeing,one with some modicum of standards,lookathimselfor herself with shame, if not utter scorn. Is this what I have degraded to, where I havefallen,howIamseenby fellow citizens? “Resign or be removed” has a nonnegotiablefinalitytoit. Ms. Janki's call, more like a gauntlet thrown down, takes things to a way higher level thanIdid.
“Deliver or depart.” Some slack was cut to make good onthedutiesoftheOfficeof C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Information. Orthereisthe door No helping hand, no command from the top, should be needed to find the way out. Whatever is done, it is done voluntarily, and with whatever residue of dignityleftstillintact. Do duty or go thine own way, on thine own strength.
AttorneyJankiscaledpassed those fences: resign! In otherwords,getouttheway, getoutofthatoffice. Or,get pushed out, kicked out, or cartedout,whicheverworks, wh
circumstances. From the past,Irecallsomewhohadto be fetched out, so adamant they were that their absence would be an unaffordable, irreplaceable loss to this country TheCommissioner ofInformationshouldweigh
OnthefirstFridayofthe protests,Itookthelibertyof extendingalittlecourtesyto the retired attorney general.
allofthisandthendecideon hisbestmove. Oneisnothis to make anymore. He must go,andthesoonerthebetter.
Placards and media coverage noted the figure of the Commissioner of Information seen hiding, seeking sanctuary, behind curtains. This is the sorry place to which access to information, the office related to such access, and the officer standing as the controllerofthataccess,has come,takesroot. Sanctuary soughtbehindcurtains. Itis the feeblest, the flimsiest, and the most farcical of sanctuaries. It is said that patriotism is the last sanctuaryofscoundrels.
The Commissioner of Information-normally overwrought,neverlessthan exuberant, and always verbose beyond the point of extravagance-should have a profusion of thoughts and wordstoshare. Howhehas transformed his office, identify the barbed wires he has placed around it, absorb
the public contempt he has attracted to his head. He may not care. But when an officer holding a national office seeks the comfort of curtains,hefears. Hecannot facethefullflowoflight,so hefallsbackinsearchofany space that will offer him temporary respite from the slings and arrows that have beenjustifiablyaimedinhis direction.
A simple comment is posed for the benefit of President Irfaan Ali: The C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Information's responsesoften crude, frequently abstruse, and regularly envenomed with his spleencannot be representative of thetransparencythathadthe unbreakable seal of a presidential edict stamped alloverit.
How can that be of the promised transparency, Mr President, when the
C o m m i s s i o n e r o f
Information's office has deterioratedtothatofamere keeper of official secrets?
When appalling arrogancetakesthe placeofaccess,then what is that, if not a servant of the people- a paidservant,aregularhired hand- putting on airs and pretending to be the public's master? When access to information, as provided for bylaw,all14yearsofit,has becomesoblindedthatithas to hide behind blinds, then this cannot be a democracy It is of the weak and pitiful playing at tyranny, and not recognising, not caring, about the spectacle, into w h i c h s o m e m a k e themselves. A man whose name means much to him would resign. He wouldn't wait to be removed. No job is worth the repelling disgrace. No amount of moneyrationalizesstaying. When he prolongs his stay, the only thing that the C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Information succeeds in doing is to confirm how muchofaplaceholderhehas become. This is what the law in Guyana has come to; thisiswhatamanwhoislost in his own haze now takes pride from: a position that pusheshimintotheroleofa
pawn. Itbafflesmehowthe Irfaan Ali government is suchawinnerinlocatingthe characters it gets to do these jobs in a certain way OversightoftheOilFundisa joke—justarubberstamp,in the words of someone directly involved. The big tender board is a farce, with its premediated mysteries.
Public procurement stewardship is a circus, with some of its performers loving the role of stooges. There are others in this selfshaming pantheon Whatevernumberitis,there is the Office of Access to Information cut from that same secretive and dubious mold. Arationalmanwould resign. Aprudent president wouldremovehim. Deliver isout. Resignorberemoved iswhatmustbe.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
WASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission
took a step toward potentiallyreversingbanson certainoilexecutivesjoining the boards of Chevron and ExxonMobil that the Biden administration made a condition that allowed them to acquire two other oil producers.
Exxon, which acquired Pioneer Natural Resources last year, had agreed to bar former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield from its board Chevron, which agreed to buy Hess, consented to a similar order keeping that company's CEO, John Hess, off its board. The FTC said onFridaythatitwasseeking public comment on petitions filed by Sheffield, Chevron and Hess Corp seeking to reversethebans.“Mr Hessis a highly respected industry leader, and our board would benefit from his global experience,relationshipsand expertise," a Chevron spokesperson said in a statement. Both deals got the green
light from the FTC, then led by Chair Lina Khan, on the condition that Hess and Sheffield be barred from the respective boards over concerns they would coordinate with members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Both John Hess and Sheffield denied the allegations. A spokesperson for Hess Corp said the concerns raised by the FTC were "entirely without merit " FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, then a commissioner, and fellow Republican Commissioner Melissa Holyoak voted against the agreements, saying they overstepped the agency's authority Exxon, the No. 1 U.S. oil company, bought Pioneer in a deal worth$59.5billionlastyear Chevron's acquisition of Hess for $53 billion is pending ongoing arbitration proceedings related to potential preemptive rights over Hess's stake in the oilrich Stabroek block in Guyana.
Canadian mining company praises Guyana for speedy permits, pro-mining environment
Louis-Pierre Gignac, the ChiefExecutiveOfficer (CEO)andDirectorof GMiningVentures(GMIN)
G Mining Ventures (GMIN), a Canadian mining
company currently developing the Oko West gold project located in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), has commended the Government of Guyana for creating a businessfriendly environment that enables rapid project development.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director LouisPierre Gignac said the company's development timeline for Oko West mirrors its experience in Brazil, crediting the success to the local government's efficiency and community support “Our expedited development timeline for Oko West shares many similaritiestoTocantinzinho, benefiting from a probusiness government, a predictable permitting process and supportive communities,” Gignac stated.He added: “From publishing our first resource, toearlyworksconstructionin under two years, is a statement of the support the company enjoys and will allow GMIN to deliver significant economic growth in Guyana.”The Oko West
Project is currently considered an “advancedstage exploration project”, and is expected to produce 353,000 ounces of gold annually from both open pit and underground mining The project is projected to recover4.5millionouncesof goldover12.7years.
Describing Guyana as a tier one jurisdiction, Gignac noted that such timelines are rarelyseeninNorthAmerica. He added that as part of the project'sfeasibilitystudy,the company is refining its development schedule while maintaining an aggressive approach aimed at achieving first gold production by the finalquarterof2027.
He said, “The success of our fast-track strategy will depend on the rapid advancement of detailed
designs are finalized and optimized for seamless execution. Equally critical is the efficient procurement of equipment and materials, allowing us to maintain m
constructiononschedule.”
Gignac also highlighted theimportanceofexploration indrivingfuturegrowth,with targeted programs currently unde
company'sportfolio.
G Mining Ventures is among a growing list of Canad
working in Guyana's mining sector.This publication had reported that GMIN is bankingonthe“world-class” Oko West project to be the firm's next phase of growth. Gignac had said that once in production, the Oko West project will propel GMIN's annual production above the 500,000ouncesmark.InJuly 2024, GMIN acquired the Oko West project through a business combination with another Canadian mining company,ReunionGold.
Earlier this year, GMIN
received an Interim EnvironmentalPermitforthe project, paving the way for early construction activities and the company has advanced permitting efforts toward securing the full Environmental Licence from theEnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA). Last month, GMIN initiated early works at Oko West, including site preparation for a barge landing on the Cuyuni River and the construction of a permanent camp to support future development The company is also expected to execute works on main access and internal roads, airstrip, permanent camp facility, water and sewage treatment plants and power g e n e r a t i o n a n d communication towerThe companyisadvancingworks withafocusonextendingthe mine life and assessing underground mining potentialfortheproject.
An aerial view of the Oko West project
Chinese medical team conducts outreach in Linden
Experts from the 20th China Medical Team for Guyana delivered free healthcare to residents of Victory Valley, Linden, on Saturday
Despite days of persistent rain, “the
enthusiasm of the
community residents seeking medical care was undiminished,” the medical team said in a press release.
Many of the residents clutching their medical records and examination reports, eagerly consulted the doctors on a wide range of health issues The specialistsfromthefieldsof surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and traditional
Chinese medicine, leveraging their extensive clinical expertise, offered them professional diagnosis andtreatmentadvice.
Accordingtotherelease, during the course of the medical outreach, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Hugh Todd, made a special appearance at the site.
“After personally experiencing the magical
acupuncture therapy, MinisterToddcouldnothelp but heap praises on this
traditional Chinese medical practice,” the release stated.
The victim after being stabbed to death at Melanie, East Coast Demerara
Manstabbedto deathatMelanie
Kaieteur News has confirmedthedeathofaman whowasstabbedintheearly hours of Sunday morning on Market Street, Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara.
"These Chinese doctors have brought world-class m
, "
remarked Minister Todd, accordingtotherelease.
“The China Medical Team for Guyana has been
consistently committed to serving the local population for a long time. We have ventured deep into remote areas such as mountainous regions and rainforests Through a series of medical services, we have injected fresh vitality into the
Moreover,oureffortsareset to become yet another
collaboration between the two countries,” the release added.
The incident occurred around 02:00 hrs and involved a 48-year-old man. His identity is unknown to thispublicationatthistime.
Assistant Commissioner ofPoliceandCommanderof Region 4'C' , Khali Pareshram, confirmed the stabbing but indicated that
the matter is still under investigation. He noted that he could not release further details as they have not yet been fully verified Accordingtoresidentsofthe area and individuals who heardabouttheincident,two men were allegedly on a motorcycle and approached the victim, who was described as a "Spanish man". One of the suspects, armed with a knife, began stabbing the victim, after which they robbed him of cashbeforefleeingthescene.
The Chinese Medical team and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd
Linden families bolstered with legal support
…asRSStakeschargeofprobeintopolicekillings
Families of the two men who were shot and killed by police last week have been bolstered with legal support from attorney-at-law Dr DexterToddandhavebegun submitting statements to investigatorsoftheRegional SecuritySystem(RSS).
On Sunday, Todd held talks with Linden Mayor, Sharma Solomon, before he met with the relatives of the men who were killed:
Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay In a statement, Solomon said Dr Todd met with some family members and witnesses of the shootingofbothmen.
“Today, at the request of familymembers,they,along withseveralwitnessesofthe LateMr.RonaldoPetersand Mr.KeonFogenay,metwith Dr.DexterTodd,wherethey received legal support and guidance concerning the
shootingeventsbymembers of Guyana Police Force on April 7th and 8th, 2025.”
Solomon said Todd, who was also legally involved in the 'Henry boys' and the Quindon Bacchus cases, assured the families of his commitment to supporting themthroughouttheprocess.
“While on site, several witnessesfeltcomfortableto come forward and were invited by the RSS to give
ElderlyresidentsofSouthAmelia's
Warddevelopingrespiratory complications due to smoke from aftermath of saw mill blaze - Mayor
ofLindenSharma SolomonsaidonSundaythat elderly residents of South
Amelia's Ward have developed respiratory complications due to the smokefromtheaftermathof the sawmill blaze.“I said to some residents that we'll have to visit them because efforts to extinguish the flames have now started to affect residents, because as they push the stuff, the materials and the saw dust, down the gully, it is now started to push out smoke that has now started to get down into South Amelia's Ward,”hesaid.
The mayor explained that Amelia's Wars is actually the constituency he has responsibility for Over the past several days, the sawmill fire has been a matter of concern The mayor stressed that this incident has completely exposed the capacity of the council not only on how to
dealwiththesekindsoffires, butalsohowtheyarelooking at the permits they issue to sawmillers.
While he commended theMinistryofHomeAffairs on the efforts taken to extinguish the blaze, he appealed to the minister to provide the necessary gear, machinery and vehicles to the to the municipality so thatshouldasimilarincident occur in the future, Linden would be well equipped to handle it on their own, or containituntilhelparrivesif needed Pointing in the directionofahomefromthe site of the fire, His Worship
their statements, with Dr Todd present to offer support The family is c u r r e n t l y m a k i n g arrangements for the wake, i
committed to ensuring that justice is served for the families of Mr. Peters and Mr Fogenay,” Solomon said. Members of the RSS alsometwiththefamilieson Sunday ThePoliceForce,in a statement to the media on Saturday, said that “ranks of Guyana Police Force Office o
Responsibility (OPR) and the RSS team visited the crimescenes.TheRSSteam comprises three officers from Barbados and Saint Lucia.Solomondisclosedon Saturday that post-mortem examinations were done on theremainsofbothmen,and it was concluded that they
were both shot by live rounds A round was recovered from Fogenay, and Solomon is urging preservation of the evidence sothatitcanbeofuseinthe investigations.
Last week, the mining town descended into chaos after Peters was shot dead. The residents dubbed the shooting death a murder even as the police officer responsible for Peters' death
claims that his gun accidentally went off. The
police's claim was disputed by surveillance footage, which showed him running behind Peters with a gun. Shortly after, the police officerwasseenfetchingthe injured man by his clothes. As the video footage circulated, residents of the mining town, especially from Peters' community, were angered. The situation quickly sparked protests, whichdescendedintochaos, resulting in the death of Fogenay
163 people graduate from WIIN programme
The graduates of the WIIN Programme
One hundred
sixty-three 163
told his viewers that there is an “entire population of people down into the valley, and it's already causing significantrespiratoryissues forsomeveryelderlyperson. In fact, I got a call this morning from someone complainingaboutthis.
So,thisisnowbecoming something we now have to look at as we finish one catastrophe of the fire, we nowhavetogodownintothe valley and look at the residents who are complaining about the dust, the smoke, because this is not going away anytime soon.”
individuals celebrated a significant milestone on Saturday afternoon,graduatingfroma diverse array of technical and vocational courses offered by the Ministry of Human Services and Social
Security's Women's Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN), in collaboration with esteemed training partners, City and GuildsandNationsInc.
T h e g r a d u a t i o n ceremonywasahighlightof theseconddayoftheWeLift 5event.
The graduating cohort comprised 102 females and 61 males, demonstrating the programme's broad reach.
G r a d u a t e s e a r n e d specialisationsincriticaland in-demand trades, including carpentry, electrical
installation, welding, and plumbing.
Minister of Human ServicesandSocialSecurity, Hon. Dr Vindhya Persaud, emphasised the importance of international certification for young people in today's competitivejobmarket.
While the WIIN programme was initially conceived to empower women, its impact has been amplifiedbytheinclusionof male participants through the Ministry's 'Mpower' initiative.
“It was intended for women to jump into unconventionalareas,butI amalsohappytoseeyoung men here graduating, which shows how WIIN and 'Mpower' works hand in hand, two programmes of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security which focuses on
upskilling and introducing persons to technical skills that are lucrative and much needed in our country,” Minister Persaud stated.
The Minister further urged the newly certified graduatestocapitaliseonthe burgeoning opportunities w i t h i n G u y a n a ' s constructionindustry
She underscored the pivotal role these skilled individuals will play in driving both their own financial independence and the nation's economic growth.
“Iwanttoseeyouexcel and succeed, but I would alsoliketourgeyoutogive back to your country and do something worthy and worthwhile with what you have achieved today,” the Minister passionately conveyed.
(DPI)
Mayor
Keon Fogenay Ronaldo Peters
The aftermath of the fire which is now affecting residents.
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MACORP facilitates generator operator training for GPL staff
Participants of the training programme
As part of its commitment to supporting customers and enhancing workforce readiness, MACORP said it recently facilitated a comprehensive 3516 Generator Set Operator Training Program for ten employees of Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL).
The staff represented operations in Berbice, Kwakwani, and Essequibo. According to a press release by MACORP, this initiative was designed to equip participants with the essential knowledge, skills, and attitude required to operate CAT
generator sets safely and efficiently, in alignment with manufacturer-recommended best practices.
The intensive two-day training included both classroom instruction and hands-on practical sessions. Participants were guided through critical concepts and demonstrated their proficiency in key operational areas, including: power Generation Safety Procedures; operator Roles and Responsibilities; overview and System Principles of the CAT 3516 Generator Set; identification
and Function of Generator Set Components; pre-Start Inspections & Start-up Procedures; load Management and Operational Monitoring and shutdown and Post-Operation Protocols.
Miguel Oviedo, Training Manager at MACORP, says MACORP is proud to provide technical support to GPL and other clients to ensure efficiency in their operations. Each participant underwent a competency certification process at the conclusion of the training, ensuring they are prepared to apply what
they’ve learned on the job with confidence and professionalism. This group from GPL was part of an 85member training taking place at MACORP. Other persons are being trained as Technicians, Excavator and Forklift Operators, readily executed by MACORP.
“We remain committed to delivering continuous technical support and capacity-building opportunities, empowering our customers and teams to maintain peak performance and safety across their operations,” Oviedo said.
FAO Food Price Index remains stable in March
The FAO Food Price Index, a benchmark of world food commodity price developments, remained largely unchanged in March from its revised February value, as declines in world cereal and sugar quotations offset a notable increase in vegetable oil prices, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported on Friday.
The index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.1 points in March, 6.9 percent higher than its corresponding level one year ago but remaining 20.7 percent below its March 2022 peak.
The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 2.6 percent in March and was down 1.1 percent from March 2024. Global wheat prices dropped as concerns over crop conditions in some major Northern Hemisphere exporters eased, though currency movements tempered the decline. World maize prices also decreased from February, as did those for sorghum. The FAO AllRice Price Index declined by 1.7 percent amid weak import demand and ample exportable supplies.
By contrast, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 3.7 percent from February to an average 23.9 percent higher than its yearearlier level. Quotations for palm, soy, rapeseed and sunflower oils all rose, driven by robust global import demand. The FAO Meat Price Index also rose, increasing by 0.9 percent on the month and 2.7 percent on the year, primarily due to higher pig meat prices in Europe after Germany regained foot-and-mouth-disease-free status and the strengthening of the euro against the United States dollar. World poultry meat prices remained largely stable in March, despite the continued challenges posed by widespread avian influenza outbreaks in some major producing countries. The FAO Dairy Price Index was unchanged from February, with lower international cheese prices offset by higher quotations for butter and milk powders. The FAO Sugar Price Index dropped by 1.6 percent in March, mainly driven by signs of weaker global demand. Recent rainfall in key sugarcane growing areas of southern Brazil further contributed to the decline, while deteriorating production pros-
…rising vegetable oil quotations offset lower prices for wheat, maize, rice and sugar
pects in India and continuing concerns about the overall outlook for the crop in Brazil limited the price decline. FAO also released a new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief on Friday, with revised estimates for 2024 and fresh insights on cropping and crop prospects in 2025. The estimate for global cereal production in 2024 stood at 2,849 million tonnes, representing a 0.3 percent year-on-year drop but higher than previous estimates due to larger-than-previously-anticipated wheat outturns in Australia and Kazakhstan.
FAO’s world rice production forecast for 2024/25 is little changed at 543.3 million tonnes, implying a 1.6 percent yearly increase due mostly to expanded plantings.
FAO’s forecast for global wheat production in 2025 remains unchanged from last month at 795 million tonnes, on par with the revised estimate for 2024. Wheat output in the European Union is expected to expand by 12 percent, following weather-induced declines in 2024, and is also likely to increase in Argentina, Egypt and India, while declining in Australia, the United States of America and swathes of Near East Asia. Maize harvests in the
southern hemisphere are set to vary, with increases expected in Brazil and South Africa but a decline in Argentina.
The new FAO forecast for world cereal utilization in 2024/25 stands at 2,868 million tonnes, representing a 0.9 percent increase from the 2023/24 level, led primarily by a new record-high level of rice utilisation. World cereal stocks are predicted to decline by 1.5 percent to 873.3 million tonnes by the close of seasons in 2025, driven mainly by an anticipated significant contraction in coarse grain stocks. By contrast, global wheat and rice inventories are expected to increase. The updated forecasts place the world cereal stocks-to-use ratio in 2024/25 at 30.1 percent, slightly down from the previous year but still indicating an overall comfortable level, FAO said. FAO has further lowered its forecast for world cereal trade in 2024/ 25 by 5.3 million tonnes to 478.9 million tonnes, marking a 6.7 percent contraction from 2023/24 and the lowest level since 2019/20. Lower expected purchases by China are a primary driver of the lower trade forecasts for coarse grains and wheat.
Berbicians who applied for house lots up to last year will get allocation this year - Pres Ali
Residents of East
B e r b i c e -
Corentyne, RegionSix,whoappliedfor house lots on or before December 31, 2024, will receive their allocations beforetheendof2025.
This announcement was madebyPresidentIrfaanAli on Sunday during an engagement at the
University of Guyana Tain Campus,wherehediscussed t h e g o v e r n m e n t ’s sustainable development plansfortheregion.
During the discussion, President Ali stated, “They are issuing a letter now that every single person in this region that would have applied for house lot up to December 2024, that before theendofthisyear,youwill haveyourallocation.”
In addition to the upcoming allocations, President Ali revealed that
constructionwillsoonbegin on approximately 300 h o m e s f o r y o u n g professionals in the region. He noted that work is ongoing on the first 100 set of three-bedroom flat housing units in Palmyra.
“We are building the first 100 young professional homes in Palmyra. They better make it 400—they gotta start another 300 for me. I’m shocked there is only 100 so far and another 100 which is a threebedroom flat,” the President added.
The housing sector has beenallocated$112.6billion in the 2025 national budget.
Earlier this year, in January, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal announced that 25,000 houselotsareexpectedtobe allocated in 2025, with a target of completing 15,000 of those within the first half
oftheyear.
AttheMinistry’send-ofyear press conference in January,itwasalsoreported that the government is on track to exceed its goal of distributing 50,000 house
lots by 2025. As of January 2025, the Ministry had already allocated 40,290 residential lots, including 10,791 distributed in 2024.
Additionally, to support the expansion of the national
US$285M port for Berbice
- Pres. Ali says Muneshwers, John Fernandes Limited are investors
Anadditional1,000jobs will be created in East Berbice-Corentyne as the governmentpreparestoturn the sod for the US$285 million Berbice Port project inthecomingweeks.
This is according to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who made the announcement during a community meeting at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in New Amsterdam on Saturday Scores of residents braved persistent rainfall to attend the community meeting led by the president and a number of government ministers,theDepartmentof Public Information (DPI) reported President Ali revealed that local shipping competitors, Muneshwers LimitedandJohnFernandes Limited,willbeinvestingin theproject.
“Theywanttoturnthesod inthecomingweeks [It]will be an investment of US$285 million[and]willcreate1,000 jobs,” the president said. Accordingtothepresident,the BerbicePortcomplementsthe development of a deep water port in the region He noted that the government is working with international company Bechtel to finalise plansforthedeepwaterport. Bechtel has a significant presenceinthedevelopment
President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali outlined several development initiatives as he addressed scores of residents
and management of deepwater ports They have experience in designing, permitting, and managing the construction of such ports, as well as overseeing operations.Bechtelhasbeen involved in numerous deepwater port projects globally, including ones in Saudi Arabia, the United States, Australia, and the United ArabEmirates.
PresidentAliinformedhis audience that this deep water port aims to facilitate the development of Guyana’s secondgasproject “Thatport will open up tremendous opportunities for transport, logistics,accommodation,real estate,[and]construction,”he furtherrevealed
A modern, high-span four-lanebridgewillalsobe constructed across the Berbice River, and when completed, commuters will nolongerberequiredtopaya
tollfee AsGuyanamovestoa digitaleconomy,PresidentAli saidthegovernmentintendsto establish an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre rightinBerbice,addingtothe massive transformation alreadyunderway Additionally, a US$604 million Palmyra to Moleson Creek road expansion project will be implemented in the region. “That is the futurewe’rebuildingforyou
The new stadium, supported by hotels, entertainment facility, the national cultural market, the multipurpose complexes and all the other malls, and private hospitals thatwillcomeheretosupport expansion and development that will take place in Region SixandNewAmsterdam,”he said
Furthermore, the Rosehall aerodrome will be transformedintoamunicipal airport like the Ogle
International Airport in Georgetown. President Ali underscored that these projects form part of a holisticdevelopmentagenda t h a t e n c o m p a s s e s improvements to health, education, agriculture and infrastructure among other crucial sectors. In Region Six, two state-of-the-art hospitals are being constructed; one at New Amsterdam and another in Skeldon The New Amsterdam institution will include a minimum of five operatingtheatres,advanced digital X-ray, and CT Scan machines. Similar services will be offered at the SkeldonHospital.
The New Amsterdam engagement is one of three meetings planned in Region Six, demonstrating the government’s steadfast commitment to grassroots level engagements The president is being accompanied by the Senior Minister in the Office of the Presidentwithresponsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha and the MinisterwithintheMinistry ofHousingandWater,Susan Rodriguez, among other prominentofficials.
housingprogramme,19new
developed throughout the past year across several regions. T h e s e i n c l u d e developments in Wales
(RegionThree),GoodHope, La Bonne Intention, and other parts of Region Four, as well as areas in Regions Five,Six,andTen,andalong the Soesdyk
Highway
Gov’t to assist 200 single mothers in Berbice with Agri-business startups
Two hundred singlemother-led households in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) will soon receivegovernmentsupport to establish small agriculturalbusinesses.
The initiative was announced by President Irfaan Ali on Sunday during anengagementwithresidents at the University of Guyana, TainCampus
President Ali revealed that the selected women will be able to launch their agritech businesses within three months,withassistancefrom the government and key agricultural agencies such as Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA), led by Dr Dwight Waldron and National Agricultural Research and ExtensionInstitute(NAREI), ledbyJagnarineSingh
“Oneofthethingsthatwe want to do within this NDC (Neighbourhood Democratic Council) is to have a project that will be led by this team, particularly Dr Waldron and Mr Jagnarine We want to find 200 single mother-led households,andwearegoing toworkwithyouonbuilding outsharedhouses,helpsome of you to develop small businessestoproduceeggsto sell in the market Maybe some of you who are in close proximity to areas in
whichyouhaveenoughgrass and feed for animals we wanttogiveyoucowssothat youcanproducemilkforthe local market Some of you who want to go into swine production wearegoingto assist you with that And the bees, of course Honey production,” President Ali said President Ali emphasised that the women will also receive proper trainingandsafetyequipment to support their ventures
“Two hundred such families we want to target in these communities Sowithinthree months, we can have these businessesestablishedsothat wecancontinuethisjourney of empowering people, of creating opportunities, and growing our economy,” he explained According to the President,theinitiativeisin responsetogrowinginterest from women seeking to enter the agri-tech sector He stressed that this approach will enable persons to add to their disposable income and generate more economic activity in the region. “We wanteverysinglepersonin this country to aspire to do better for their family, and we must find the mechanismtosupportthem doing better for their family,” President Ali stated.
Ongoing construction of three-bedroom flat housing units in Palmyra
Israeli air strike destroys part of last fully functional hospital in Gaza City
- Gaza death toll nears 50,950
(BBC NEWS) - An Israeli air strike has destroyed part of al Ahli Arab Hospital, the last fully functional hospital in Gaza City Witnesses said the strike destroyed the intensive care and surgery departments of the hospital. A video posted online appeared to show huge flames and smoke rising after missiles hit a two-storey building. People, including some patients still inhospitalbeds,werefilmed rushing away from the site. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted the
hospitalbecauseitcontained a “command and control centre used by Hamas”. No casualties were reported, according to Gaza’s civil emergencyservice.
However,onechild,who previously suffered a head injury,diedasaresultof“the rushed evacuation process”, according to a statement from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, part of the Anglican Church, which runs the hospital
Surrounding buildings, includingSt.Philip’schurch, were also damaged, the diocese said. It added that it
was “appalled” at the bombing of the hospital “on themorningofPalmSunday and the beginning of Holy Week”.
Gaza’sHamas-runhealth ministry said al Ahli Arab Hospital’s building was “completely destroyed”, leading to the “forced displacementofpatientsand hospitalstaff”. TheIDFsaid it had taken steps “to mitigateharmtociviliansor to the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of the terror infrastructure, the use of precise munitions, and
Part of the hospital was reduced to rubble by the strike
aerialsurveillance”. Alocal journalist,whowasworking at the hospital, said the IDF had phoned a doctor who was operating in the emergency department and asked them to evacuate the hospitalimmediately “All patients and displacedpeoplemustgoout to a safe distance,” the officerreportedlysaid.“You have only 20 minutes to leave.” Footage on social media showed staff and patientsleavingthebuilding while it was still dark outside Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were also seen fleeing from a courtyardinsidethehospital wheretheyhadbeenseeking shelter
Khalil Bakr told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline programme that he and his three injured daughters had fled the hospital with only a couple of minutes to spare before it was bombed. “It was terrifying,” he said
“The whole situation was difficult because I have alreadybeeninjured.Andas for my three daughters, one had her leg amputated, the other had her hand amputated,andthethirdhad her body full of platinum plates.”
He added: “Only two minutes separated us from death.”AlAhliArab-asmall medical facility before the war - was the only fully functional hospital in Gaza City, following the destruction of Al-Shifa medical complex and other hospitalsinthenorthernpart oftheStrip.
In its statement, the Hamas-run government mediaofficecondemnedthe attack.
Israelwas“committinga horrificcrimebytargetingal Ahli Arab, which houses hundreds of patients and medical staff”, it said. UK
Foreign Minister David
L a m m y s a i d s u c h “deplorable attacks must
end”, adding: “Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcareinGaza.”
In October 2023, an explosion at the same hospital killed hundreds of people. Palestinianofficials blamed an Israeli strike for theblast.Israelsaidtheblast wascausedbyafailedrocket launch by the armed group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which denied responsibility TheIsraelimilitarylaunched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attackon7October2023,in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. More than 50,933 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry Of those, 1,563 have been killed since 18 March,whenIsraelrestarted its offensive in the Gaza Strip,theministrysaid.
Gaza death toll nears
50,950 as Israeli army kills 11 more Palestinians
(Anadolu Agency)
IsraeliairstrikesontheGaza Strip killed at least 11 more Palestinians, bringing the death toll from Israel’s genocidalwarsinceOctober 2023 to 50,944, the Health MinistrysaidonSunday
A ministry statement said that 111 more injured people were transferred to hospitals in the last 24 hours,takingthenumberof injuries to 116,156 in the
Israelionslaught.
“Many victims are still trappedundertherubbleand on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaignontheGazaStrip on March 18, killing 1,574 people and injuring 4,115 others despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in
January Last November, the International Criminal Courtissuedarrestwarrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hisformerDefenseMinister YoavGallantforwarcrimes and crimes against humanityinGaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Wharton’s weighty five inspires Chase quarterfinal win
- as Dolphin, West R/veldt and Waramuri Top book semi final spots
Bush Lot Secondary’s spirited campaign came to a crashing halt on Sunday at the Ministry of Education ground, as tournament favourites Chase’s Academic Foundation dismantledtheWestBerbice side 10-1 to secure their place in Wednesday’s semifinals of the Petraorganised Milo/Massy Secondary Schools Under18FootballChampionship.
The competition took a
quarterfinal stage seeing Dolphin Secondary, West Ruimveldt Secondary, and Waramuri Top Secondary also booking spots in the finalfour
Dolphin Secondary maintained their unbeaten runinthetournamentwitha
dominant4-0winoverThree Mile Secondary Collin Frank-David netted twice, while Ezekiel Frank-David (39’) and Seon Grant (67’) each added a goal to send Dolphin through to face WestRuimveldtinthesemis.
Chase’s Academic Foundation wasted no time asserting their dominance. Just two minutes into the match, a Bush Lot defender inadvertently scored an own
goal while attempting to clear an early threat, gifting Chase the lead Eight minuteslater,NyronBarrow doubledtheadvantagewitha clinical finish after slicing through the defence Wharton then made it 3-0 with a stunning set-piece strike.
Monday April 14, 2025
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)
It's bad enough having too manycooksinthekitchen,but when those cooks argue not only about how to cook the meal but also about how to designthekitchen.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Your self-confidence is at a lowpointthesedays,andthis is making you especially vulnerable. It's likely that a recent confrontation with a closefriendhasyouworrying abouttheoverallhealthofthe relationship.
GEMINI(May21–June20)
Youmayfeelsomefrustration over your perceived inability to reach an important milestone in your career. It's possiblethatyouonlyneedto reevaluate the benchmarks you'veset.
CANCER(June21–July22)
Sometimes you can be too passiveandletotherstrample alloveryou.Yourlackofego is admirable, but only up to a point, Cancer Why let others take credit for your ideas? There could be a situation where you feel compelled to speakup.
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
An unethical acquaintance couldbespreadingunfounded rumors. Don't take anything you hear today at face value, Leo. Get all the facts before drawingconclusions.
VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)
A longtime friend may become something more today, Virgo. It could be that there has always been a certain spark between you, but you haven't been able to acknowledgeituntilnow
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
You may be frustrated today, Libra.Ananticipatedromantic encounter may be postponed or canceled.There'sno reason to consider it a major setback intherelationship.
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)
Youcouldfeelabitlowtoday due to disappointment in someone important to you, Scorpio. It could be that a mentornolongersupportsyou or perhaps an authority figure has shown his or her true colors.
SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)
You're likely changing your mindaboutsomethingthathas been important to you, Sagittarius Perhaps you're questioning your job, career path,orchoiceofamate.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
Romance is in the air today, Capricorn. Alas, it seems to rain down on everyone but you. You must have put on your romance-repellent raincoat before leaving the housethismorning.Don'tfret.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)Yourcreativityisatanalltime high, Aquarius, so take advantageofit.Thiswouldbe an ideal day to paint or write. Even though you consider your talents well below amateur status, you may be surprised by what you're able toproduce.
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Yourinspirationandcreativity are high today, Pisces If you've been thinking about taking up painting or poetry, this would be an ideal day to getstarted.
captainJeremiahGriffithled from the front, registering a superbhat-trickwithgoalsin the 20th, 28th, and 41st minutes to seal the win and guide his team into the semifinals.
Right-winger Neeiaz Baksh, after several near misses, capitalised on a defensive error to smash home a beauty during the middle phase. Isaiah Ifill also had a standout performance, bagging a brace in the 17th and 50th m i n u t e s W h a r t o n completed his glut with strikes in the 26th, 35th, 75th, and 85th minutes in a relentless display of finishing.
In another quarterfinal clash, West Ruimveldt Secondary overpowered a usually solid President’s College side 3-0 Team
Vryman’s Erven Secondary wins...
Frompage22
every participant a winner He stated that “the discipline we saw here today with our youngsters’ arguers well for the future development of our young people”.
He urged them to stay focused and strive to one day, represent Berbice, Guyana, and the West Indies.
Rafeek Kassim who wouldtakeoverasAssistant Governor for Guyana in a few months also expressed appreciationtoallinvolved, especially the schools and the finalists. “I must say—this was one of the best competitions in a long time! We just witnessed a hell of a final-Couldn’t ask forabetterfinish. Congrats Vryman’s, congrats to you guys! Congrats to both teams.”
Kassim promised to makethetournamentbigger next year with plans to involve teams from Demerara.
The competition was coordinated by Rotarians Keine Read. Raffick Kassim, Tajpaul Adjodhea, WaynewrightMcIntoshand NolanFrance.
Live commentary was given by Rotarians Adjodhea and Thomas (SamuelWhyte)
on I
s coordinated by the Petra Organisationandsanctioned by the M
y of Education.The stage is now setfortwothrillingsemifinal clashesonWednesday,April 16, at the same venue. Fans are encouraged to come out and witness which teams will battle for glory in Saturday’sgrandfinale.
Meanwhile, Waramuri Top Secondary secured the final semifinal berth with a convincing 2-0 victory over Charlestown Secondary After taking a 1-0 lead into the opening half, complements to Erwin Booker 26-minute stunner, Waramuri’s defence held firm, led by their Region #1 goalkeeper. Second-half goals from Orwin Abrams confirmed their place in the next round, where they will face Chase’s Academic Foundation for a spot in the final The tournament is proudlysponsoredbyNestlé M i l o a n d M a s s y Distribution,withadditional support from MVP Sports and the National Sports Comm
Rotary Club of NA’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Tapeball Cricket…
In a keenly contested final, Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS) squeezed past Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) to win the inaugural Rotary Club of New Amsterdam (RCNA) Childhood Obesity Prevention Tapeball Cricket competition.
Played under the theme “Exercise, eat healthy, stay
healthy” . The T10 competition involved six schools in the New Amsterdam/ Canje district. The four other schools that participated were New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMS), Tu to r ial A cad emy Secondary School (TASS), Berbice High School (BHS) andCanjeSecondarySchool (CSS.)itcateredforstudents ingrades7-9.
The final which was played at the Rose Hall Community Centre Ground sawVESSwinningwithtwo deliveriestospare.
Batting first BEI made
The winning VESS team along with teachers, supporters and members of the RCNAposed for a photo opportunity after the final.
62-4 with Ryan McPherson making 35. In reply, VESS ledbyAdrielSamuels21and SeymeonLindiefoughthard and reached 64-3 in 9.4 overs.
Results of the semifinal gamessawVESSgettingthe better of NAMS by 7 wickets.BattingfirstNAMS 38-4 with VESS replying with41-3.
The other semifinal played at the BHS ground
BEI defeated CSS by 3 wickets. In a high-scoring game, CSS made 86-8 with Renny Ishmile 33. In reply, BEI reached 87-7 with DavindraCaple27.
At the presentation ceremony, the winning VESS team was presented with a trophy and Cash incentive compliments of Navin Hansraj and Rafeek Kassim.
RunnerUp,BEIreceived
a cash incentive and trophy compliments of MP
JaffarallyandNolanFrance. Individual awards went to Adriel Samuels of VESS, Most runs LukeAmsterdam of BEI and most wickets William Castello of VESS. Compliments Kurt Thomas, David Armogan and AM Construction.All the donors weremembersoftheRCNA.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony
President of the RCNA Mr Kean Read thanked the schoolsforparticipating.He applaudedtheteamsfortheir p e r f o r m a n c e H e congratulated VESS for winning the tournament and wished BEI better luck next time.Readstated,“Let’snot forget when I first spoke to you. I told you that despite we cannot bring the entire schooltothesecompetitions, you are now ambassadors.
You are now to go back to your schools and let your fellow students understand what having an active lifestyle means Running, playing, being part of a sports team is essential for your health. It makes you thinkclearlyandallowsyou to become a more progressive individual. “We praise you for your performancethroughoutthis t o u r n a m e n t . Congratulations, Vryman’s! You are our inaugural champions You have exceeded expectations. He thankedeveryone,including hisfellowRotariansfortheir support throughout the tournament “This tournament was excellently executed; it is the first of its kind.Goingforward,Rotary plans to continue this venture” Member of Parliament and fellow Rotarian Fizal Jafarally applauded the schools for participating. Hedeemed (Continuedonpage21)
Pele FC Alumni Corp. 2025 Youth Development
Seminar set for April 22 & 23
Continuing to invest in the development of the nation’s youth, the Pele FC Alumni will once again host their much-anticipated Youth Development Seminar, 2025 edition targeting one hundred children.
This year’s programme which will be held for two daysattheMarianAcademy, Carifesta Avenue will see a number of facilitators dealing with topics from the oil and gas sector to health care, aviation, dental hygiene, social etiquette, suicide and mental health, gender based violence, life skills, and the aviation industry
Presenters will include Georgetown public hospital CEO Robbie Rambarran, CecilJacques’ Bother, former Pele Football Presidents. Dr. Colin Watson, Desire
Edghill, Warren Oudkerk, Wenceslas Laundry, and DawnBraithwaite.
Current Pele FC President, Dirk Exeter will also make a presentation with the keynote address at the opening ceremony to be presentedbyFloydHaynes.
Executive Board member and Treasurer of P e l e F C A l u m n i Corporation,Patrick‘Labba’ BartoninformedthattheUS based group primarily made upofformerPeleFCplayers from the 1970s and 1980s arecommittedtogivingback to their homeland with the youngpeoplethefocus.
“This initiative has been goingonformanyyearsand we will continue to be committed to this. It brings us joy and satisfaction annually to be able to help empower these young people through the programmesthatwedoasan alumnus. It’s a lot of work
we engage in to execute the vision of enabling young peopletostayfocusedandto aimbigandbecommittedto beingexcellent.”
AnotherPeleFCAlumni Board, Eric ‘Riggie’ Smith shared that one of the motivationsisseeingtherise of many of the youths that theyhavesponsoredoverthe years through their scholarshipprogramme.
“Many of these kids don’t have the means of support to follow their dreams in terms of education, so we decided that we will select some of those and support them on a monthlybasis.
Thisinitiativehasborne encouraging fruits, and we have seen them really grow anddevelop,oneofthemhas successfully completed his pilot school studies and is nowfocusedonattainingthe required hours to gain his license.”
Smith further noted that this is just one of many success storiesthatcontinue to drive the Pele FCAlumni Corporation.
Support for the Pele Football Club continues to be the norm as the entity continues to empower the club Over twenty (20) playersfromtheclubwillbe attending this two-day
Students who
programme; and each participantwillbepresented with a backpack, containing schoolsupplies.
Meanwhile, the Youth Development Programme will kick off with a one-day football fiesta on Thursday April 17 at the Ministry of Education Ground where threematcheswillbeplayed. PeleUnder-13swillface
Vurlon Mills Academy at 14:00hrs followed by a senior clash between Pele and Santos senior teams from 16:00hrs, a match that will rekindle a decades old rivalry between the two clubs.
Thefinalgameoftheday from 19:00hrs will bring togethertheUnder-19teams fromPeleandBuxtonStars.
Flashback!
attended the 2024 Pele FC Alumni Corporation Youth Development Seminar
GFF hosted first Referee Introductory Course for 2025
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF), through its Refereeing Department, has hosted its first Referee IntroductoryCoursefor2025, marking a strong start to the year’sofficiatingdevelopment calendar. The three-day workshop, which began on Friday,April11,concludedon Sunday,April13 Thecourse, spearheaded by the GFF’s Referee Department, has attracted participants from across all corners of the country, including significant representationfromhinterland regions such as Lethem in RegionNineandcommunities in Regions Two, Three, Five, andSix Referees Department HeadLenvalPeartdescribed the course as a resounding
success, noting the encouraging levels of interest from both male and female participants “The Guyana Football Federation Referee Department has
alwaysdoneaconsistentjob of increasing the pool of referees,” Peart stated “Whatwehavealsoseenisa high interest of females that want to be a part of the officiating team, which tells us that our landscape of football has become more safe and conducive towards femaleswantingtobeapart of it.” Peart added that the GFF’sstrategyistoensurethe game is well-supported at every level “We want to continue to increase the pool of referees because of the demand of the game across the country in various areas Wealsoextendourinvitation countrywide because we have individuals from Lethem at least five persons from Region Six, Region Five, Region Three, as far as Essequibo (Region Two) as well, and not to mention Region Four So what that shows is this is
Participants of the three-day Referee Introductory Course
Participantsintheworkshop included professionals from diverse fields, including members of the Guyana Defence Force, teachers, and other public service
FootballAssociation(GFA) also sent a representative, signalling the growing trust and collaboration between regional associations and the
Guyana U-15 team departs
for
Regional tournament
Federation “So what I must mention this course is a success It’s our first one for 2025 and we are looking forwardtoatleasttwomore before the year finishes,” Peart affirmed. “This group seemsasiftheywanttobeto the highest level and our work is there to continue to
teach and impart our knowledge.”Presidentofthe GuyanaFootballFederation, Wayne Forde, also lauded
participation, particularly
communities “We are extremely proud to see the increased interest from
indigenous participants in this year’s introductory course This level of involvement is a clear indicationthatourinvestment in community-based football development is bearing fruit. Theseyoungmenandwomen will not only help to elevate the standard of refereeing in their home regions but will alsoserveasrolemodelsand agents of change Their involvement will ensure football becomes a unifying and empowering force in indigenous communities and acrossGuyanaasawhole”
TheGFFplanstohostat least two additional referee courses before the end of 2025, as part of
strengthening the game’s foundation and ensuring consistent and qualified officiatingnationwide.
Minister Ramson hails Harpy Eagles Championship team following return home
Reigning champions Guyana Harpy Eagles returned to home soil yesterday, to fanfare and a warm reception following their untouched dominance following the end of this season’s CWI 4-Day Championships
Richard Ramdeholl will captain Guyana’s Squad at this year’s CWI Under-15 Tournament
The Guyana under 15 team departed Guyana earlier this morning to Antiguaforthe2025Cricket West Indies Rising Stars under 15 tournament schedule to commence on Tuesday
Guyana play their first match against Trinidad and Tobago at the Sir Viv RichardsStadium. The squad features Richard Ramdeholl as captain and Brandon Henry
as vice-captain The full team includes: Justin Dowlin, Lamar Seecharran, Luke Amsterdam, Shahid Ramzam, Arif Bacchas, RichardRamdeholl,Nathnil Ramsammy, Jathniel Nurse, Usain Fredericks, Brandon Henry, Rayad Latif, Patrice Fraser, Raffeal McKenzie, ProsperJacobus. The reserves are: Khush Seegobin, Joshua Thomas, Bomesh Lall, Nathan Bishop, Ta
McPherson. Terry Newton will serve as the team’s manager, while Yeurab Khemraj takes on duties as coach.TheCWIRisingStars tournament plays a critical role in the development of the region’s young cricketingtalentandoffersa vital platform for players to showcase their skills. Team Guyana will be looking to makeastrongimpactonthe regionalstage.
Thisfinancialcommitmenthas helped to elevate not only cricket, but all sporting disciplines in Guyana, providing athletes with the tools and environment needed tosucceedregionallyandglobally In an era increasingly dominated by the shorter formats ofthegame,Ninvalletooktimeto reflect on the importance of the Four-Dayformat,oftenreferredto as the backbone of traditional cricket.
The Eagles reigned supreme from 2013/14 to 2017/18season,underformer Captain Leon Johnson where they won 5 titles, before the young squad continued the legacy by winning the previous two editions, as the team boasts an impressive recordof8titleswithinthelast 10 years Eagles flew in Sundaymorningwithaclassy reception from Government officialsincludingMinisterof Sport, Hon. Charles Ramson Jr., Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, GCB president Bissoondyal Singh, Assistant Director of Sports Franklin Wilson,afewmembersofthe media,amongothers
GCB President Singh, duringhisaddressdescribed the team as a symbol of success,followingtheirthird straight win within the last couple seasons of the Regional4-daytournament.
“This victory is a timely reminder of the enduring value of patience, technique, and resilience—the hallmarks of the Four-Dayformat,”hesaid.
Singhwishedthechamps successintheiryearstocome as a franchise/dynasty, as he lauded them for their record setting feats which the team hasdoneoverthelastdecade PartsofthefanfareatEugene CorreiaInternationalAirport, Ogle; featured a dazzling cultural performance, words of encouragement, well wishes, including a fiery address from the Minister of Sports
Minister Ramson lauded theyoungsquadforwinning thetournamentthreestraight seasons in a stretch, something he said requires tons of Mental strength, dedication to the craft and overalldesiretobethebest. WiththesuccessGuyana has been able to show off to their fellow territory membersfortheWestIndies, Ramson said that the local strides have become so historically impactful especially in 4-Day cricket; other countries are eager to know what’s Guyana’ formula for success. The Minister recognized the likesofAssistantCoachand ex-Guyana spinner, Garvin Nedd, Head Coach Ryan
As cricket continues to hold a deep emotional and cultural significance across the Caribbean, the Harpy Eagles’ continued success, Ninvalle said, serves as a beacon of national pride and a source of inspiration for aspiring athletes.
Hercules and a number of players including the eldest member of the team and leading wicket-taker in the Caribbean, Veerasammy Permaul. Ramson believed that although the players themselves have the necessary capabilities, the Tournamentitselfhadopened a few new doors for some cricketers who are set to continue on their upward trajectory
“When opportunities come, you must be ready to cease it, don’t skylark and make the most of it”, we’re pieces of advice given to playersduringtheMinister’s speech. He said overall, Guyana as a country is on a different path, citing School visitswiththeEaglesteamas akeymoveinthenearfuture. Ramsonsaidtheplayerswill visit a number of schools which will help the upcoming generations to identify and celebrate their currentcropofheros,asone day, they (students) will be the champions of the future and as such the process of developing future ambassadors continues (CliftonRoss)
Ninvalle extended heartfelt congratulations to Captain Tevin Imlach, the entire team, coaching staff,management,andtheGuyana Cricket Board for their tireless effortsanddedication.
“Your unity and belief have brought glory to our nation. We look forward to many more proud moments where Guyanese talent shinesbright,”headded.
Ninvalle congratulates Harpy Eagles on West Indies Four-Day three-peat
The Guyana Harpy Eagles came on for praises fromDirectorofSportSteve Ninvalle, after etching their names deeper into West Indies cricket history, claiming their third consecutive title and 13th overall West Indies FourDayChampionship.
Inhismessage,Ninvalle
lauded the team’s exceptional performance and resilience, emphasizing the significance of this milestone in solidifying Guyana’s standing as a cricketing powerhouse in theregion.
“This remarkable achievement not only cements Guyana’s place as the second most decorated team in the history of the West Indies Four-Day tournament, trailing only Barbados,butitalsoreflects the grit, discipline, and unwavering passion of our players, coaches, and administrators,” Ninvalle stated,Ninvallesaid.
Guyana’s cricketing journeyintheregionalfourday format has been one of persistence,withthecountry f i r s t l i f t i n g t h e championship trophy in
1973, adding another in 1975 Further titles followedin1983,1987,and 1993.Ashared title in 1998 with the Leeward Islands marked their sixth, but it wasn’t until 2015 that Guyanabrokea17-yeartitle drought, kickstarting a goldenera.
Between2015and2019, the Harpy Eagles captured f i v e c o n s e c u t i v e championships Despite brief setbacks in 2020 and 2022, the team has bounced backtodominateoncemore, sealing three straight titles from2023to2025.Ninvalle highlighted the significant
investment in driving sporting success across the nation.
Under the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the guidance ofMinisterofCulture,Youth and Sport, Hon. Charles S. RamsonJr.,Guyanahasseen unprecedented growth in sports infrastructure and funding “The recent allocation of G$8 billion in the 2025 National Budget—a 73.9% increase from the previous G$4.6 billion demonstrates the Government’sunyielding (Continuedonpage24)
Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle
Minister of Sport, Hon. Charles Ramson Jr. was along with other Government officials and GCB President, Bissondyal Singh, greeted the 2025 West Indies Championships winner at the Eugene F. Correia InternationalAirport, Ogle.
Minister Ramson hails Harpy Eagles Championship team following return home
Jeremiah Griffith’s hat-trick secures West Ruimveldt semi final berth
