Kaieteur News

9 killed, 2,750 wounded in Hezbollah pager

ExxonM’s pipeline

-FormerFinanceMinisterquestionsfinalcostofpipeline;

repayment terms cost to maintain pipeline source of funds to repay debt who owns pipeline whether repayments have commenced

Murder, robbery suspects nabbed in city raids

Cops in controversial search of home of ‘Melly Mel’s’ relatives ...allegedlyfoundblackbagwithganjainalleywayoutsideofyard

‘Cost to rent one drill rig could reach US$600K per day’ ...Exxoncontractor saysciting increasingdemand Bandits in $65M heist at Samtronix ...cutalarmwires,eraseCCTVfootage

The 12-inch pipeline being laid by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited.

Pile driving activities underway for delayed Gas-to-Energy project

The joint venture contracted by the Government of Guyana,Linsayca-CH4,toconstructtwogasplantsatWales, West Bank Demerara is currently conducting pile driving worksforthedelayedproject.

The US$2B Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project, which was initiallyscheduledtocomeonstreambytheendofthisyear faceddelaysafterExxonMobilGuyanaLimited(EMGL)was accused of failing to complete site preparation works before handingovertothecontractors.Despitethegovernmentand the joint venture now in a dispute over cost overruns for the delay,worksforthetwoplantsarestillsteamingahead.

The government in its Mid-Year report released late last month indicated that Exxon has already completed connectingtheoffshorepipelinetotheLizaDestinyandLiza Unity Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.

Inthemeantime,itsaid,“Thepipelineisonscheduletobe completedbytheendof2024,withthehook-uptothestation expected in the first half of 2025.” The government also reportedthattheMaterialOffloadingFacility(MOF)builtby Exxon is being utilized with pile driving ongoing for the commencementofthefoundationactivitiesforthetwoplants.

In December, the joint venture signed a US$759 million contractwiththegovernmentforthedesign,procurementand construction of the plants. The firm will be tasked with building a Natural Gas Liquid plant and a 300-megawatt naturalgasfireplantforelectricityatWales.

Lindsayca-CH4 was among five companies that had placedbidsfortheprojectsinSeptember2023.TheAmerican jointventurehadplacedthehighestoffiveinternationalbids to the tune of US$898M to build the plants. However,Vice President,BharratJagdeoannouncedatapressconference

Continued on page 18

Pile driving activities underway at the Wales Development Zone, West Bank Demerara (Photo credit: Lindsayca-CH4)

Cops in controversial search of home of ‘Melly Mel’s’ relatives

Asenior police officer on Tuesday led a search of the home of relatives of social activist, Melissa Atwell known as ‘Melly Mel’telling occupantstheywereinsearch ofdrugs,butfoundnone.

The search on the Eccles, East Bank Demerara premises of Atwell’s mother, Debbie Atwell has raised questionastowhetherproper protocols were followed by theofficerand Kaieteur News has been informed that a section of the high command of the Force was unaware of thesearchaswellastheranks and commander in the division.

MelissaAtwellhasbeena vocal critic of the Guyana Government and in recent times, she has been at the forefront of exposing alleged acts of corruption involving senior government ministers and their relatives In a Facebook post, following the search, she wrote: “Myfamilyisnowthetargetofthis governmentandtheGuyanaPolice Force. Harassing and intimidating my 87-year-old grandmother suffering from dementia and my mother Vanloadofpoliceclaiming howdrugsdoescometowethrough

barrels and boxes Doing everything to break me because I refusing y’all hush money This Goddon’tsleep.”

Meanwhile, in a press release, police said that the search was carried out between 16:10 and 17:00hrs,byateamofranksledby a gazetted officer, Assistant Superintendent, M Singh According to the police, the team acting on intelligence received,

...allegedly found black bag with ganja in alleyway outside of yard

went to the home of Debbie Atwellwhereasearchwarrant wasexecutedfornarcotics.

“Policesearchedthehouse and yard However, while searcheswereconductedinthe yard, police ranks observed a black plastic bag containing a transparent plastic (Ziploc) bag, which had a quantity of suspected cannabis, over the back concrete fence in the alleyway(nexttosomebanana trees).Thesuspectedcannabis was thereafter retrieved and takentotheProvidencePolice Station, where it was weighed and amounted to 27 grams Additionally, the suspected cannabis is being processed for fingerprints Investigations are continuing,”thereleaseconcluded. Kaieteur News was told that police had received the alleged information of drugs over the weekend and it was until Monday, Officer Singh unbeknownst to the

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhumandtheofficer-in-charge ofoperationswenttotheCourtand obtained a search warrant for Atwell’shome.

Kaieteur News was told by sources that it would appear that only Senior Superintendent Ravindradat Budhram who is currently performing duties as ‘deputycommissioner’inchargeof administration was aware of the officer’s approach to the High Courtforthesearchwarrant.

“Therewereseveralbreachesin this operation, but it is left to be seenwhatwillhappen,”thesource told this newspaper In addition to thebypassingofthehighcommand of the Force, Kaieteur News was told also that the Commander and ranks of the East Bank Demerara division were also unaware of the search.

MelissaAtwell, who resides in the United States of America

Social Activist, Melissa Atwell known as ‘Melly Mel’

(USA), is known for using her social media platform to expose alleged corruption within the government and highlighting various injustices. Her outspoken stanceonsocialandpoliticalissues has garnered her a significant following.

Last year, she lodged a “transnational complaint” against the Guyana Government with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) A complaint under transnationalrepressionmeansthat a foreign government is stalking, harassing and intimidating an individual living in the United States. Atwell’s complaint was madefollowingreportsthatseveral cybercrime charges are being initiatedagainstherbytheGPF

The parcel of ganja that was allegedly found outside of the Eccles premises of theAtwells

Kaieteur News

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd. 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

Spending like crazy on roads

ThePPP/CGovernmentisrunningonafastroad. Inthe firstsixmonthsofthisyear$25.5Bhasbeenspentonroads. Whatever is used to describe such a huge amount of spendingonroadsinsuchashortspaceoftimefallsshortof identifying the priority and the frenzy It is eye-popping when compared to other sectors, mouthwatering when this great amount is considered, and how much it could make happen. After all, the more that is spent, the more the opportunitiessurfacetotakeadvantageofthemadrush,by slipping a fast one into the excitement generated by the expressspeedofroadactivity Whoisgoingtoknow,andby the time anybody finds out anything, the interest to do somethingwouldhavedieddown.

Using a 180-day half year convention, the $25.5B in roadspendingworksouttoslightlyover$141.6Mperday Andworkingwitha10-hourday,itisjustabove$14Mper hour spent by the PPP/C Government on roads. We acknowledge that there are several road projects that are ongoing at the same time, so the demand for men and materialislikeavacuum:itsucksupallinitspath,andthat costs money This raises a few pertinent questions. Considering Guyana's severe shortage of a skilled labor force,whoistheretooverseetheseroadprojectsflyingpast atdizzyingspeeds?

WhatkindofqualityoversightareGuyanesegettingfor their billions? Are projects being probed to ensure proper adherence to the technical requirements? Or are they simply signed-off on the run, and with those having oversightresponsibilitykeepingtheirfingerscrossedwhile hoping that there is no rupture nor cave-in later? In a nutshell,aretheGuyanesetaxpayersgettingvaluefortheir $14+millionexpendedeveryhour?

Accountants and auditors are vital components in the machineryofchecksandbalances. Dowehaveenoughof them,anddotheyhavethetimetobefullyfocusedonthejob beforethem,oraretheystretchedthin? Itisaconsequence oflifethatwhenpeoplehavetheirhandsfull,andareforced to rush, then mistakes are all but inevitable because important areas could be overlooked, and costly errors made. Thegovernmentmaytakeoffenseatthesequestions, andcomfortitselfbyclaimingthatthedetractorsinGuyana don't want to see progress. Only someone who is very shortsighted,orintellectuallyfamished,couldarriveatsuch asillyandnarrow-mindedconclusion. Howelsetodescribe suchaconclusion,suchaself-servingpieceofinsipidity?

ThebitterandrepeatedexperienceofGuyanesehasbeen thatwhentherewerelessroadsbuilt,andsignificantlyless millionswerespent,thequalityoftoomanycompletedroad projectshandedoverfellaparttooquickly Guyanahasnot sincebuiltupareservoirofskillsandtalentstosupervisethe rash of projects (roads, hospitals, bridges, schools, and so forth) that spring up all over the place. It can be said with convictionthatthoughtherehavebeenchanges,theyarenot of enough strength. In other words, the numbers are too small. Both PresidentAli andVice President Jagdeo have spoken repeatedly about the skills deficit and the urgent needtobuildcapacity. So,thequestionraisesitsheadagain: wherearethecapablepeopletoseethatspecsaremet? In the absence of those, what confidence can be placed in the technicaloverseersthatarepresent? Dotheyhavewhatis required to function at very demanding levels? When engineersarescramblingtopayflyingvisitsonacontinuing basistocovertheirportfolioofprojects,chanceswillhaveto be taken. The $25.5B spent in six months then take on a differentappearance.

Should anyone think that we are against road building and such, we say dismiss the thought. We recognize infrastructure expansion, due to the utility that such represents, and the differences that are contributed to the quality of Guyanese life. But this will only happen when everydollarspentdeliversasstated. Thistakesonspecial meaning when there are thousands of Guyanese who struggletofeedtheirfamilies. Everybudgetdollarcounts, andmustdeliverinspades.

This MoE employee encouraged disrespectful behaviour from a student and his parent at Annandale

DearEditor, Maintainingdisciplinein schools is a constant battle that teachers face every day, manyhavesimplychosento 'give up' the fight and seek more peaceful and lucrative professions rather than compromise their mental health and subject themselves to constant disrespectfromchildren.

When one has to deal with the antics of misbehaving children not onlyistimetakenawayfrom the actual lessons but the quality is severely affected. And the majority of wellbehaved students who are keen to learn suffer and are the real victims of their indiscipline classmates. To maintain discipline in the classroom is a never-ending task that one must perform and endure or else, one's authority is undermined, respect denied and control overtheclasslostwhichthen leads to great difficulty in delivering the curriculum and quality lessons Therefore, meaningful support is expected and shouldbegiventoteachersin this area especially from the Ministry of Education and theparentsofstudents.

Well, what should be happening is hardly ever the reality on the ground. What one gets instead is gross disrespect, lack of support and a beating down psychologically Lastweek,I w a s f a c e d w i t h a disrespectful child in the classroomwhichisanormal

Secondary School

occurrence but what surprised me and prompted thisletterwaswhatoccurred whenItriedtospeakwiththe child'sparent.

Thechildmockedmeby repeating what I said to him in a derisive tone while facing the class so I immediately stopped speaking to him and asked for the contact information of his parent. I viewed his behaviour as grossly disrespectful towards me.

After giving me the requested information, he then gesticulated wildly and loudly stating that he was going to report me, etc.This dramatic behaviour was disruptingmylessonsoItold him to leave the class and while at the door, he continued with his dramatic body movements, head rolling and a final 'Ta ta', which prompted the entire class to laugh uproariously forseveralminutes.Notonly werenearbyclassesaffected but my authority was challenged, my lesson disrupted and I was disrespected by this student in front of the class. His 'punishment' was for me to haveaconversationwithhis parent about his behaviour, an apology from him for being disrespectful and an apology to the class for disruptingtheirlesson.

After the class, I tried calling the number he gave butgotamessagesayingthat it was not in service so I issued a letter to the child, stamped and signed by the

headteacher, for his parent/guardian to visit the schoolthefollowingdayata specific time. The next day, nobodycamesoIaskedhim why his parent didn't come. He told me that his mother spoke with the acting DHM andthatshegot'thememo'.I asked what was 'the memo' and he didn't respond. Later, I was rudelyaccostedby the school's counsellor who insistedthatshewasgoingto speakwiththechildalthough I never requested her intervention I repeatedly told her that I need to speak with the child's parent about his behaviour I then formally requested to speak with the parent in a letter addressedtotheheadmaster (HM),Mr Shakoor

Thefollowingday,inthe HM's office with the DHM (ag)present,Iwastoldbythe HMthatMs.GillianVyphius who is Chief Schools' Welfare Officer spoke with them the previous day about my request to see the child's parent.Iwasn'ttoldwhatwas saidandIwon'tcommenton howIfeeltheHMandDHM (ag) were affected but it seemed like my request became'invalid'themoment Ms Vyphius spoke with them.FromwhatIgathered, Ms. Vyphius is a relative or acquaintanceofthechildand hisparents.

I told the HM that I refused to be intimidated by anyone and that to give 'special treatment' to the child because he knows people in 'high places' was

unfair to the other students a p a r t f r o m b e i n g disrespectful to me. I even pointedoutthattheprevious week, I was able to speak with the grandmother of a misbehaving child and not only was she very gracious and profusely apologetic about the child's behaviour but I noticed positive changes afterwards and he apologisedtome.

Irefusedto'suckup'and insisted on meeting the parent; the HM then called herandwithintwohoursshe cametotheschool.Fromthe onset, I perceived her attitude towards me as hostileandthreateningandI even mentioned this to the HMwhowaspresent.Atone point, I asked to record the meetingandmyrequestwas deniedbytheHM.Also,Ifelt uncomfortable staying alone with the parent. Now, this childdidnotreceivecorporal punishment, a suspension from school or any other forms of punishment for his behaviour apart from a request to speak with his parent and yet this is what I wassubjectedto.

The most I would have requested was an apology, yet I faced hostility and intimidation Needless to say, the meeting ended without the child apologising, insinuations from the parent that I would now treat the child differently and a display of obsequiousness This situation is a microcosm of (Continuedonpage6)

The Aubrey Norton versus Jermaine Figuiera matter

DearEditor

Opposition Leader

AubreyNortonisdoingwhat he knows best, that is, humiliate an opponent or someonewhomheclaimsto be an opponent and reduce them to nothingness. It is reminiscent of Burnham Days where the policy stipulatesthatyoufollowthe leader's dictates without question, no other views would be accommodated. It further states that all knowledge is vested in its leader and from him all directivesshouldflow This in itself shows that dissenting views or simply put, a let us address an issue another way, or try another method in doing things, thesewouldbewouldnotbe entertained.Thisistheslave mentality mode The PNC has forced upon its people.

Burnham might have gotten away with it due to his erudite and charismatic footwork, however, that performance lasted for a yesteryear crowd and have long since outlived its usefulness.

Norton lacks the finesse of a Burnham whom he copies, and living in a modern-day world, the younger generation would not put up with that nonsensical view, hence the mass exodus from the party So, let's follow Norton's handling of the Jermaine Figuieramatterandhiswider appeal to the ordinary rank and file members of his party

Contrasting the two personalities, sees Mr Figuiera standing out as a grassroots person; one who communeswiththepeople,a distinct opposite to the bam bamalleypatron.

FiguierachairsThePAC, making a valuable contribution in ensuring that our country stays clean and transparent, before an international audience Further, Mr Figuiera has thrown out the olive branch and has stepped out in solidarity with Government under a Patriotic One GuyanaTheme.

These things do not sit wellwithMr Norton,whose philosophy is, remain

Tobeginwith,Nortonas a leader, might be a better q u a l i f i e d ( P a p e r certification) person than Figuiera, however, he lacks the intelligent quotient of that member of parliament, hence his erratic and oftentimes hostile response to that party comrade

belligerent and threatening, never to support the governmentinanythingthey aspire to; this in itself is a backward and retrograde school of thought But Norton does not see it that way, he is holding on to the false PNC doctrine which states that for you to be considered a great leader, you must be vindictive and spiteful.

How much success that conviction would bring him islefttobeseen.

These and other matters, provide the firm evidence that Mr Figueira has been under surveillance ever since, and his ostracism was imminent. Norton is caught in an inferiority complex mode and in that insecurity, helashesoutwildly

Respectfullysubmitted NeilAdams

The villagers are now questioning if the “Kingpins” who are the “Dons” in Leonora have a “Godfather.”

DearEditor,

The aching soul of a disgruntledLeonora,Region 3, now featured regularly in themuch-publishednational newspapers, sadly cries in a hurtful agony, as it regrettably mourns the deviousmonstrositieswhich unfortunately plague the very poisoned breath it reluctantly inhales Each square inch of the soiled ground in selected streets and particular moments, is

desecrated with the thumping feet of infiltrators whoasnightowls,paradein the guise of party animators (ls?) as they revel in revealing fashions and tastes, accommodated by receptors of garnished a c c o m p l i c e s a n d profiteeringadvocates.

In the penetrative depth of her stillness, the once peaceful village of Leonora, slowly rocks in unbearable pain,asshehastoendurethe uncalled intruders who invade the holistic sanctity, she once boasted in a shriving community of residents who persevered in harmony, friendliness and neighborliness. A historical society, born, bred and developed into sharing and caring for common concerns, has now found itselfshatteredbyafewwho are relentlessly greedy, selfish and unabated by the touch of humane appeal, candour applause or empathicapproach.

Grounded from the

preaching of moral righteousness by pastors, pandits and imams who graced the ancient soil of Leonora, the words of wisdomfromsuchteachings fall on the deaf ears of the defamed enablers and no longer register the significance of dignity, decency or decorum. How ironicthat,fromalineageof m o r a l u p h o

d

r s , descendants have failed to fly the flag to honour their ancestors and make them proud of their accomplished executions.Thegonebutnot forgotten seniors, are perhaps questioning the lesson of value from a peripheral sphere The teachers of guilty perpetrators have to be embroiled in reflective content and to contemplate onsuggestiveaddendums! Leonora has gone to the dogs, metaphorically and literally There is no disrespect meant for dogs whoaremuchlovedaspets, friends, companions and protectors. Thanks to the

complicity of a combination of all authoritative sources, protection for the victims of n

e , environmental pollution,

contamination, has been fervently eroded and undermined. In fact, what is glaringly obvious, is the marginalization of law

apparent unilateral address of curbing these social menaces and the honest approach of permanently eradicating these appalling attacks which endanger an entire community and the very lives of the villagers. Thosedirectlyandindirectly protected are the guilty schemers who maneuver t

d complimentary freebees to corruptiveagencies.

Howoftenisitnota“dog day afternoon” in Leonora? Theprominenceoftoomany “stray” dogs patrolling the streets, has exacerbated the problem of over population and providing the danger of unwarranted attacks The mange and often mangled outlook, vents the suspicion of carriers of disease. The streetsneedtobe'cleaned'up bytherelevantagency

Articles, letters, opinions, columns and editorials articulating the ventilation of menacing nuances and environmental nuisances, in particular in the sensitive location of the historic village of Leonora, remain contaminated with the fervent stillness of a sad state of silence. We see regularreportsonhowmany tickets and charges were issued for traffic violation.

The Attorney General and MinisterofLegalAffairs,the Honourable Anil Nandlall, made the case for noise nuisance as a criminal offencetwoweeksago.Was anyone charged to date?

Facebook highlights recorded noise nuisance prevalent between 4 and 5 am in the mornings in Leonora over the sacred weekend. Is there anyone interested to follow up on those incidences? There are so many living examples of guiltyperpetratorsoperating in the presence of police in

Region 3 but left unresponsive.Isthishowthe authorities react to the

HonorableMinister?

As the sacred hours of the much-anticipated Muslim holiday, Youman Nabi, approached Leonora, and the Adhan was announced, this early call to prayer was greeted by the protégé of lawlessness, the unashamed noise nuisance and the unabashed contaminators of profanity who adulterated the atmosphere with their impurity These visionless chastisers who have no fear for law and order, maybe because of guaranteed complicityfromtherelevant authorities, ensured that (Continuedonpage6)

Reducing Guyana's & Caricom's Value of Food Imports by 25% by 2025

DearEditor,

Endowed with several natural resources (bauxite, gold, diamond, manganese, pristine forest, arable land, and an abundance of fresh water) and now oil, Guyana moves to extract these in a sustainable way, and not only for the benefit of

Guyana but also for Caricom. It is within this context that Guyana has taken the regional lead on 3 strategic pillars of the economy: energy, food security,andclimatechange.

In terms of energy, G u y a n a w h o s e manufacturing possibilities were hampered by high energy costs and whose population have had to endure not only high electricity costs but also periodic load shedding and blackouts, would soon get important relief from the integrated gas processing facility at Wales. When the electricity and gas plants become operational, the energy cost to consumers woulddeclineby50%:from $(US) 22 cents per kwh to $(US) 11 cents per kwh. Thoughtheestimatedcostof

the project is $(US)1 9 billion,thatworksouttojust $(US) 4 cents per kwh (covering all capital and operational costs), and the country would save $(US) 100millionannually

T h e P P P / C

government's record on climate change is second to none. Its detailed plan is captured in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), 2030. Guyana is NetZero;thankstoitsforest that stores 20 billion tons of CO2, and it also removes 154 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year Guyana joined 139 countriesandsignedontothe Net Zero emission by 2050. The funds earned through LCDS are being used for climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as for Amerindian land titles and community development (carbon credits). I would expand on energy and climate change in future articles.

The biggest challenge to the three pillars however is the country's ambitious 25/25foodsecurityprogram along with Caricom, to

reduce the value of food imports by 25% by the year 2025. Between 2018-2020 Caricom, for example, importedinvalue,60%ofits food requirements (in a few countries it was 80%)

MetricTonnes

projected to increase 25% from 958,000 kg in 2023 to 1,200,000 kg in 2024. A multi-million project to cultivate prawns is ongoing atOnverwagt,WestBerbice. Muchworkneedstobedone

CanaleachatNo.51/52and atLancaster,whichwilloffer flood protection for over 360,966 acres of farmland and residential areas. The government provides incentives and removes

implemented. President Dr IrfaanAli takes more than a personal interest in agriculture expansion and diversification. To achieve the target of 25 by 2025, a special Ministerial Task

Recognizing that this level of imports cannot continue, Caricom was able to reduce thevalueofimportsby12% in2023comparedwith2022. And with respect to fish and seafoods,Caricomhasseta goal to reduce imports by 20% (from $US 387 to $US 309).

Toillustratetheprogress towards 25/25, the Agriculture Minister of Guyana Zulfikar Mustapha providesfiguresforGuyana. These are self-explanatory The rate of increase is substantial.

The production of brakish water shrimps is

Guyanese should not have to bow in fear to the PPP to get what is rightfully theirs

DearEditor,

I have nothing personal against any individual who choosestosupportapartyof their choice or to benefit from the taxpayers' monies that really belong to the citizens of Guyana. Part of my work has been and continues to be holding the corrupt PPP regime accountable and to eventuallyseethemremoved from office.One of the most potentandeffectiveweapons

in the armoury of the PPP that they use to slight nonsupporters is the use of optics. I push back at the opticsandIaminmyrighton the public political stage to do that.The PPP have for yearsmonitoredmyplatform and have been consistent in trying to undermine my activism in a political way ThePPPreserveseveryright to do that and it would be remiss of me to complain. This is the nature of politics

andthequesttoweakenone's opponentispartoftheartof politicalcombat.Creditmust be given to any political party that is relentless in pushing back against its contenders.ThePPPmaybe the worst thing that have happened to Guyana for the past several decades but none can say that they are lazy.It is not a coincidence that PPP go after, with the intention to win over any non-political Guyanese in the arts, entertainment or sports that have been first showcased on this political platform. I have seen it time and again. Some have since avoided any interaction for the sake of sidestepping victimization.The PPP must be put on notice that unlike someintheopposition,Iam notlazyandwillcontinueto be relentless in pushing back. It is downright wrong tomaketheGuyanesepeople political pawns that can be bought and sold and used like chattel. No Guyanese shouldhavetobowinfearto any government to get what isrightfullytheirs.Wedonot live in a Guyana that is akin to a slave plantation of any rulingregime.

Sincerely

NormanBrowne Social and Political Activist

in egg production The expanding corn production would lead to increased egg production. Guyana imports 53 million eggs annually In 2023 Guyana produced just 27,000 eggs. By August 24, 2024, it produced 97,000 eggs (3.5 times). Minister Zulfikar expects that within a few years Guyana would becomeself-sufficientinegg production.

Minister Zulfikar is mindful of 'el Nino' weather patterns and has taken measures to mitigate the impactofthisonproduction. The Ministry of Agriculture is building a Hope-like

obstaclestogrowth. The government grants duty-free concessions for machinery and agriculture inputs; upgraded market to farm roads as well as constructing several highways to benefit all Guyaneseincludingfarmers; has restored the drainageirrigation charges and land r

ch the APNU+AFC government increased by more than 4 times (from $(G) 3, 500 to $(G) 15,000) to the original level of $3,500 New methods of agriculture husbandry like hydroponic and shade houses are being

Force on Food Production and Food Security (MTF) was established to guide the implementation of VISION 25 by 2025. Ministers of AgricultureinCaricommeet monthly to evaluate the situation.

For 2023, the value of foodimportswasreducedby 12% in Caricom compared with2022.MinisterZulfikar expressesoptimismthatthat Guyana and Caricom would attaintheobjectivesof25by 2025. And Guyana would never catch the Dutch disease.

Sincerely

TaraSingh

This MoE employee encouraged...

Frompage4

whatoccursinGuyanesesociety;peoplefeel that they are above rules and laws; should receive special treatment or can treat others deplorably/disrespectfully because they are eitherVIPsorarepersonallyacquaintedwith VIPs.

Ms Vyphius intervention was unnecessaryinthissimpleschoolmatter.By getting involved, she has empowered the child who is only in Grade 8 to behave disrespectfully to his teacher (s) and classmates. He feels that because he knows VIPs, he is special and not subjected to the samerulesashisclassmates.Andhisparentis also empowered; because she knows people in'highplaces',sheshouldnothavetovisita school her child attends to have a cordial conversation with his teacher about his

behaviour

Editor, I do not believe in corporal punishment. I believe that 'disciplining' a child could take various non-violent forms, one of which is to speak with his/her parents/guardian.Often,parentsareunaware ofhowtheirchildrenbehaveintheclassroom andbyspeakingwiththem,positivechanges couldberealised.Teachersshouldnothaveto fear or being intimidated by any student or their parents. Also, those with power and authority in the education sector should use theirpositiontobringaboutpositivechanges and not intimidate/show off on 'lowly teachers' trying to do the best they can for their students while maintaining discipline andorderintheclassroomatthesametime.

Yoursfaithfully,

NarissaDeokarran

The villagers are now questioning...

Frompage5 their business of questionable legality continueuninterruptedduringtheentirenight and running into the wee hours of the morning Such is the admiration and felicitation extended to our Muslim community who have tirelessly prepared themselves for this much revered event, by thepartialsocalled'businesscommunity.' Woulditbetoomuchtoaskiftheofficers at Leonora Police Station and the management of the Community Policing Group should have been prepared for this senseless eventuality and anticipated this demonic display of avoidable perversity? Is thisacaseoflackofforesight?Isthisacaseof complacency?Or,isthisacaseofoverlooked inattentiveness? Shouldn't the authorities haveplannedtodestabilizethisfiascoatleast for this occasion? Is this the amount of respect shown towards religious programs? Then again, the numerous calls for the proactiveness from these institutions have

gone not surprisingly unabated from inception. This should not be negated as an affronttopolicingoranattackonsecuritybut as a wake-up call for future planning with conscionableconsequences.

The disturbed residents in Leonora are peeved and feel dejected as their constant appeal for help goes unanswered and unresponsive. Aggrieved residents opined thattheyhavebeenbackstabbedastheircase lies in the doldrums.Would you believe, the very resident whose house was pelted recently with beer bottles was again the victim of another attack with beer bottles? The entrance of his house is littered with broken bottles. It's a waste of time reporting to the police. The villagers are now questioning if the “Kingpins” who are the “Dons” in Leonora have a “Godfather.” Leonora sheds tears of blood as she waits patientlyforthearrivalofaGuardianAngel! Yoursrespectively, JaiLall.

...court may be forced to change magistrate Election fraud case further delayed

The trial concerning the 2020 Election Fraud case which was set to reopen on Tuesday, has been postponedyetagaintoOctober31, 2024, as Senior Magistrate Leroy Dalyremainsill.

The hearing, which took place at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, was overseen by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty who further adjourned the trial. She informed both the prosecution and

thedefencethatifMagistrateDaly remainsunwell,thecourtmayneed to assign the case to a different magistrateorcourt.

“If her illness continues, we (the court) as well as the

prosecution and defence may be forced to take another route, in which case certain submissions mayhavetobemaderegardingthe viability of the matter proceeding beforeanothercourtormagistrate,”

MagistrateMcGustystated.

ThetrialinitiallybeganonJuly 29,2024,butwasbrieflyadjourned three days later and was scheduled toresumeonSeptember17dueto Continued on page 9

Irfaan Ali's dilemma and the shadow of Jagdeo

Ifhistoryistobetrusted, the bourgeoisie of any society has always been markedbyunityofpurpose. Their economic interests, control of capital, and appetite for expanding influence provide them with a solid foundation upon which they can stand together, no matter the politicalclimate.

Guyana'sbourgeoisclass isnodifferent—unitedinits pursuitofprofits,patronage, and policies that ensure its financial well-being. This grouphaslongaligneditself with the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), the ruling party they support, influence, and essentiallycontrol.

Yet, beneath this superficial unity, fault lines are beginning to show The once-cohesive oligarchic subsetofthebourgeoisclass is starting to fracture. In a curious twist of history, the seeds of discontent are emerging. The leadership of the PPP/C, under the administration of President Irfaan Ali, is beginning to look unsettlingly familiar to whatexistedinthepast.This is sparking anxieties about thefutureofthegovernment.

The unease is fueled by memories of the pre-2011 PPP/C regime, headed by Bharrat Jagdeo a government that became sufficiently discredited by the time of the 2011

elections Sufficient

numbers of PPP/C supporterseitherdidnotvote or supported the AFC, and this led to a PPP/C minority regime in 2011, and, ultimately, to the PPP/C's lossofpowerin2015.

Elements in the bourgeoisclassnowfearthat theIrfaanAliadministration

is beginning to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Jagdeo years While Jagdeo's return to the government as a Vice President was seen as a means of assuaging the bourgeois class that its interests will be protected under the new government, paradoxically, Jagdeo's high-profile presence has begun to overshadow the leadership of President Ali and to unsettle elements in thebourgeoisclass.

There are elements within the powerful bourgeois class who wish to see a clear differentiation between the present administration and the discredited regime of the past. They want to see this while ensuring that their interests are not threatened. Thefearisthatifthepresent government looks and smellslikethepre-2011PPP government, then the same fallout that took place in 2011,couldreoccur Jagdeo, it appears, has become his party's principal spokesperson. But he has also become the main mouthpiece of the government. President Ali's voice is being drowned out by the omnipresent Jagdeo.

Elements within the bourgeois class feel some unease at this situation and the electoral repercussions that can result especially fromayoungelectoratewho may feel that Ali is being overshadowed Some elements within this elite group are beginning to wonder whether their continued patronage of the PPP/C,initscurrentform,is intheirbestinterests.

In particular, they fear that a Jagdeo-dominated administration will alienate

DEM BOYS SEH

t

s

PPP/C those who were won over by Ali's promises

of a more inclusive governancemodel.IftheAli administration begins to resemble too much the regime of Jagdeo's past, it could easily cost the PPP/C the support of these new, critical vot

rs, and ultimately undermine the PPP/C'selectoraldominance

that has kept the bourgeoisie's interests protected for decades. This growing schism is rooted in the very dynamics of power andinfluencethatdefinethe Guyanese bourgeoisie

There is growing discontent

among some major financiers of the party who had hoped that under President Ali, the government would pivot away from the unpopular practices of Jagdeo's era. Yet, they now find themselves confronting a situation that appears all too familiar

Elements within the oligarchic elite want a more assertivepresident,someone whocanbalancetheinterests of the old guard with the aspirations of a younger, moreprogressivegeneration of Guyanese voters. The specter of Jagdeo haunts them because it represents a return to a political and economic model that led to the toppling of the PPP/C in thefirstplace.

To put it bluntly, the bourgeoisie is not interested in nostalgia. They are interested in winning elections, securing contracts, and ensuring the stability of the country's business climate. What they donotwantisarepeatofthe discredited, policies that

Doing business in Guyana gat added costs

Owning a business in Guyana is like running a marathon with a sack of bricks strapped to your back. Except, in this race, the bricks have names—Shoplifting Sherry, BurglarBob,andBanditBarry—andthey're alltakingturnstolightenyourloadby well, lighteningyourinventory.First,you'vegotto cater for the shoplifters. Oh yes, Sherry has masteredtheartofdisappearingsmallitems as if she's the Houdini of handbags Businessesarenowforcedtoinstallcameras so fancy they can probably zoom in on Sherry's exact eyebrow twitch before she strikes Then there's Bob, the nighttime burglar By day, your shop is open for business, but by night, it's open for Bob's business. Businesses invest in steel grills, iron doors, and alarms so loud, they might wakethedead.Buthey,ifBob'sdetermined, he's coming through the roof. Now that's an added cost for business—sky-high burglary insurance!Bandit Barry, of course, doesn't careifit'snightorday Heprefersthe"shock

alienated so many voters in the2011and2015elections.

What we are witnessing, therefore, is a class once unified by economic interests, now being fragmented by political insecurities. The stakes are high If the PPP/C government cannot differentiate itself from its past, and if Ali cannot distinguish himself from Jagdeo,therulingpartyrisks losing its grip on power in futureelections.

Thebourgeoisieisalltoo awareofthis.Andhereinlies t h e h e a r t o f t h e

schism while they continue to benefit from the largesse of the PPPC, they are increasingly questioning whether the current trajectoryofthegovernment can sustain their long-term interests.

It would be a mistake to

think that this rift would automatically translate into the bourgeoisie abandoning the PPP/C. That is not how power operates in Guyana. The political machinery that keeps the ruling party in place is too valuable for the elitetorelinquisheasily But the discontent is real, and it will have consequences. If theAliadministrationcannot carve out its own identity—distinct from the p r e v i o u s J a g d e o regime—thebourgeoisclass may start looking elsewhere for a political ally who can ensure that their economic interests are safeguarded They may opt to back an independent candidate and this will mean a loss of support and campaign financingforthePPP/C.

and awe" method—busting through doors withagun,amachete,orjustanangryglare. So,nowyouhavetoinvestinsecurityguards. Andsinceyoucan'tpredictBarry'sschedule, you have to pay them to stand there all day—just in case.But the real kicker is your own employees One minute they're organizing stock, and the next, they're organizing a heist. The only thing more consistentthanthe“teamspirit”istheirspirit toteamupandrelieveyouofyourgoods. Andlet'snotforgetthelovelyskylarking, late-coming, and time-off requests. The workers,blesstheirhearts,actlikethey'reon a perpetual vacation, showing up late and taking half the day to finish their coffee.It's nowonderbusinesseshavetomarkupprices so high. Every loaf of bread has to cover a surveillance camera, a night guard, and a secretescaperouteforyourskylarkingstaff. At this rate, we'll need a “Shop owners'

The oligarchic elite will always find a way to align themselveswithpower That is the nature of their existence.Butpower,asthey arebeginningtorealize,does not remain static The economic landscape in Guyana is changing; powerful external interests now have vested economic interests in Guyana and can even displace the local bourgeois class in terms of influence The local bourgeoisie, though slow to react,isbeginningtofeelthe tremors of this shift. They are worried, and rightly so.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the o p i n i o n s o f t h i s newspaper.)

Election fraud case further delayed

Frompage8

MagistrateDaly’sillness.Todate,onlytwo prosecution witnesses have testified, with onetestimonystillincomplete.

Priortotheadjournment,duringthelast session on July 31, 2024, Attorney-at-Law DarshanRamdhaniKC,theleadprosecutor, requested that the two witnesses retake the stand.Thisrequestwascontestedbydefence attorneys Darren Wayne, Eusi Anderson, andRonaldDaniels.

After the back-and-forth arguments between both sides, Magistrate Daly indicated that she needed time to consider the arguments and decided to adjourn the matteruntilAugust5,2024.However,over the weekend, it was announced that Magistrate Daly had taken a 30-day sick leave, leading to another delay until September17.

The trial involves nine defendants who are facing 19 conspiracy charges. The

accused include former GECOM Chief ElectionsOfficerKeithLowenfield;former Returning Officer for District Four Clairmont Mingo; former Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers; former Minister Volda Lawrence; APNU+AFC’s Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith Joseph; and former GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Liven, Michelle Miller, and Denise Babb-Cummings. Most of the defendants appeared at the hearing, but Miller,February,andBabb-Cummingswere absent Former Minister Lawrence participatedvirtually

ThechargesallegethatbetweenMarch2 andAugust2,2020,atAshmins’Buildingin Georgetown, Lowenfield, Mingo, and Myers conspired with Lawrence, Joseph, February, Liven, Cummings, Miller, and others to defraud the electors of Guyana by presenting false votes from the March 2, 2020,generalandregionalelections.

Proposedcybercrimechanges: Richresourcefulnessorreasontofear

The social media space in Guyana is out of control. It needs policing The proposedamendmentstothe Cybercrime law would introduce some muchneeded regulation. On the faceofit,thereisnotmuchto find fault with, even what couldbesupported,butonly when certain conditions are present.

First, government must be the epitome of honesty andhighregardfortherights ofallcitizens. Itbeginsand ends with holding constitutional provisions as sacred,henceinviolable. All of them, and alongside that allcitizensmeanjustthat,in that it extends to those considered partisan and in strident opposition to those incharge,theirpolicies,and theirprograms.

Personally speaking, a government that truly cherishes democratic ideals would go an extra yard to ensure that conscientious objectors and those deemed

as opponents be afforded additional space in which to have their say and go about their ways. Naturally, this must be within the perimeters of what is considereddignifiedandthe principled exercise of citizenship. It is more than po

sociology It is about the straight pathsoflifelivedbythelawabidingwithoutfearbecause national leaders are about moral, ethical, and lawful practices When a governmentisofthiscaliber, n o o n e f e a r s a n y amendments to any cybercrime law, because the government has earned that trustandthecomfortsthatgo alongwithit.

The PPP Government’s record confirms this standard or its record condemns it. It doesn’t matter whether it is today’s PPP Government that has compiled a litany of atrocitiesagainstcitizens;or

theonesthatcamebefore. I can attest to the atrocities of this PPP Government, and there are more than a few others who can do similarly, duetotheirownexperiences of barbarism at the hands of o l d a n d n e w P P P Governments.

Additionally, there are those who observe the menacing environment, the overheated and over-the-top reactions of government, leaders, and their willing agents, and seek safety by shrinking into their shells. Onevoicelostinafledgling societyasGuyanaisonethat cannot be replaced, an injustice to the citizenry, the heights they can’t scale, the possibilities negated. In a pronouncementthatisshort, stiff, and severe: the PPP Government as it stands insecure and paranoid is not worthyoftrust,butonethat’s feared. Iscornit.

Second, governments of G uy an a may hav e manifested all the attributes

of George Orwell’s Animal Farm But national governments are not run by animals, but by people, i.e., men and women, hopefully brimming with the better human touches, and less of thebeastly Iamtemptedto identify the parade of PPP Government leaders, for the most part, as modern-day replicasofdemented Animal Farm characters, but that fallsshort.

When I study them, the resemblance is almost identical to the nightmare that is 1984, also from the far-thinking mind and freeflowing pen of the same Englishman. Is not the imaginary 1984, the sinister reality of 2024 Guyana? With few exceptions, the leaders in the PPP G o v e r n m e n t a r e contemptuous of that standard, what has been the guiding star of the great ones: cui servire est regnare (toserveistorule).

In the reverse national order that is now so firmly entrenched in Guyana, there is the distortion that follows this maxim: to rule is to repress To rule is to retaliate. To rule is to ruin. But there is still the profaneness of character in the leadership cohort to call that democracy Judging from the accumulation of wrongs meted out by PPP Government leadership

against dissenting Guyanese, the proposed Cybercrime amendments

encircle repression, retaliation, and potential ruination.

One of the defining

characteristics of PPP Government leadership is to study where pockets of civil difference and resistanceassembleandthen movetosuffocatesuchoutof existence. What is called reform is what deforms the freedoms that are taken for granted in a genuine democracy This becomes blindinglyobviouswhenthe layers are rolled back, and theproductisscrutinized.

The Cybercrime amendments represent such leadership paranoia and deformity In the style of Stalin and the Third Reich, those who dared to disagree were seen as deviants and parasites to be crushed How many dissenters are going to be imprisoned, put away for a long enough interval to silence them, to sendanominousmessageto those harboring contrarian ideas?

When government leaders plot ways to criminalize its own citizens to ensure that all be of one mind and chant with one voice, then what could be said of healthy discourse, civil liberty, and political vibrancy? AsThomasPaine said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Itwas American Founding Father, George Washington, who said “error is the portion of humanity, and to censure it, whetherbythisorthatpublic character, is the prerogative offreemen.”

Third, the government and its leaders are hell-bent on narrowing the circle of critical conversation, tampingdownondistressing

speech, social media malignancies,andindividual or group mischiefs In conception, there is something to be said for those.Hereisthelitmustest: Who is going to police, collar, and carry in mechanical cages to the criminal courts those who operateonbehalfofthePPP Governmentanditsleaders? The proposed Cybercrime amendmentswillmostlikely become law What application of the law then, what level of enforcement fieldthen,whenknownPPP Governmentcharactershave demonized and criminalized Guyanese?

Fourth, one of the chief features of a degraded governmentanditsdepraved leadership is to neutralize, then destabilize, and finally compromise major institutions that can serve as a check on their egregious exploits.

The PPP Government has done that to law enforcement, crucial public sectoragencies,civilsociety, and the professions Independentmediastandsas the last bulwark to be toppled. It is bogeyman, bugbear, and bone-in-thethroat. Thenewcybercrime laws would emasculate that lingering remnant. Total control is the life and death objective.

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

‘Cost to rent one drill rig could reach US$600K

per day’

...Exxoncontractorsayscitingincreasingdemand

ChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO) of American offshore drilling company Noble Corporation, Robert Eifler has said that the day rate for a drill rig could climb to US$600,000 in the coming years, asdemandincreases.

He made the comments during an interview with Bloomberg last Friday Eifler said that he is planningforrelativelyflatdemand growth industry-wide for floating drilling rigs next year followed by expansion starting in 2026 that could add about 10 rigs to the roughly 150 working around the world.Ifithappens,fromthatpoint forward,“it’spossible”ratescould climbtoUS$600,000aday,hesaid.

“We think day rates will trend upwards,” Eifler said “We’re signingone-tothree-yearcontracts right now at around US$500,000 a day.” Global deepwater spending byoilproducersisforecasttogrow to an average of US$79 billion in 2026and2027,accordingtoNoble, citing research from Rystad. That would be a 20% hike from the average annual amount between 2023 and 2025. “It would be another few years and a continuously improving market

that would actually drive true supply scarcity in our business,” Eiflersaid.“Idon’tthinkwe’reon thebrinkofthatrightnow.”

Recently, this publication reported that ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) extended its contract with Noble Corporation forfourofitsdrillshipstoworkin the Stabroek Block. The contract EMGLhas with Noble is based on the market price Noble had

explained that market-based day rates are reset twice per year (March 1, and September 1) to the projected market rate at that time. As such, if the day rate to rent one drill rig increases to US$600,000, Guyana will have to pay US$2.4 million daily for Noble’s four drill rigsworkingforExxon.

The company announced that ExxonMobil has awarded 4 8 additional rig years of backlog

One of the Noble Drill Ships working for Exxon offshore Guyana

under the Commercial Enabling Agreement (CEA) which has been assigned evenly across the four drillships: Noble Tom Madden, Noble Sam Croft, Noble Don Taylor and Noble Bob Douglas, extending each rig’s contract durationfromJune2027toAugust 2028.

InMay2023,Nobleannounced that ExxonMobil Guyana had extended their contract for the

rental of the four ultra-deep-water drill ships to work in Guyana until thesecondquarterof2027. Thispublicationhadpreviously reported that Exxon is utilising six drillships for its Stabroek Block project–fourvesselsfromANoble and two from Stena Drilling Earlier this year, Liam Mallon, ExxonMobil Upstream President disclosedthatEMGLisoperating Continued on page 16

-FormerFinanceMinisterquestionsfinalcostofpipeline;

-repaymentterms

-costtomaintainpipeline -sourceoffundstorepaydebt

-whoownspipeline

-whetherrepaymentshavecommenced

Former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan is ofthefirmviewthatafiasco, 10 times grander than the US$200M Skeldon project, isplayingoutbeforetheeyes of Guyanese with the Gasto-Energy (GTE) initiative, which carries a price tag of aboutUS$2B.

In a recent public broadcast, the former minister and Member of Parliament(MP)pointedout thatthecostoftheprojectis

constantly ballooning even as a single agreement pertaining to the project is still to be laid in the National Assembly

The government said that the pipeline was expected to cost Guyana an estimated US$1B, but the project developer, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) never announced a Final Investment Decision (FID) casting further doubt on the price of the infrastructure.

As documents for the project remain sealed to the bosom of the IrfaanAliled administration, Jordan argued, “There is no agreement that has been put in Parliament about the laying of this pipeline much less the whole project.” In addition to the 12-inch diameter pipeline being laid by ExxonMobil to transport gas from the Liza Fields in the Stabroek Block to the Wales Development Zone, West Bank Demerara, the government of Guyana is undertakinga300megawatt power plant and a Natural GasLiquids(NGL)facility

The former minister in raising concerns over the project said last week the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference informed the nationthatExxonwouldnot have advanced the money for the project if the company did not believe it was profitable. To this end, Jordan explained, “So

Exxon has advanced us the moneywhichisaloan.Ifthis is a loan, why doesn’t it appear in the debt profile of thecountry?”

Headded,“Howmuchis the loan? Do we know how much is the loan? We don’t know Whatarethetermsof thisloan,wedon’tknow We have not seen an agreement for this loan. Who owns the pipeline?”

Jordan also pointed out that there is also a cost attached to maintaining the pipeline which the nation is stillunawareof.

The former minister was keentonotethattheExternal Loans Act requires the government to table all loan agreements that have been concluded as soon as possible thereafter He however argued that the agreement with Exxon is so long overdue to the extent that the company is now preparing to complete the project and pump nitrogen

into the structure to preserve it until it is operational Moreover, h e n o t e d t h a t arrangements have been made to repay the companyforthepipeline. Exxon previously said it expects the pipeline to be completed bytheendof2024.While another section of the media reported that President of Exxon

Guyana, Alistair Routledge said that r e p a y m e n t w i l l commence only after the projectstartsup,auditors who examined the company’s 2018-2020 expenditure observed that costs for the pipeline were addedtothecostbank.

As details on the financing arrangements of the project remain unclear, Jordan has called for the agreementswithExxontobe madepublic. “Whyisn’tthis debt in our debt profile, where is the agreement? Whyhasn’tthisbeencarried totheParliament?Havethey started back repayment, where is the repayment coming from,” Jordan questioned. Hecontinued,“Howcan we bepayingbackwhen we haven’tseenanyagreement, howcanyoupaybackwhen this debt doesn’t appear in ourprofileandhowcanyou be paying back from our future share (of revenue) when the Natural Resource Fund Act forbids this and what is going to be the accountingarrangements?”

Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan

The 12-inch pipeline being laid by ExxonMobil Guyana Limited

Less than a year, newly built Leonora dorm to be renovated, extended for estimated $139M

Less than a year after it was commissioned, the $75 million students’ dormitory at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD) is set to undergo renovation and extension works for approximately$139million. This is according to the tender information provided

by the Ministry of Education. The project was opened on Tuesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board and it was revealed

that five contractors submitted bids for the project with the majority biddingabovetheministry’s engineer’s $139,635,408 estimate.

The contractors are M o m i n & S o n s Construction; Wazeer Khan & Sons Construction$274,349,400; AP Building

C o n s t r u c t i o n -

$146,893,274; ECS Construction & General

Supplies-$305,166,583;and Sheriff Construction Inc$153,365,220. It was reported that in October 2023, Minister of E d u c a t i o n P r i y a M a n i c k c h a n d commissioned the brand new $75 million Leonora students’dormitory Inastatementatthetime the ministry said, “With the establishment of the $75 million facility, students in riverinecommunitieswillno longer have to travel far distances daily to receive a secondary education

Beneficiariesofthedormsat Leonora include students from Saxacalli, Aliki, Caria Caria, Lanaballi, Upper and Lower Bonasika, Santa Mission, Sand Hills and HoggIsland.”

The commissioned dormitory which is located in the compound of the Leonora Secondary School, at the time was said to be

Section of the students’dormitory at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

housing 23 students, and consistoflivingquartersfor boys and girls, a kitchen, a dining area, a sick bay, washroom facilities and

sleepingquarters.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Education Minister stated that the aim is to

ensure that every child is comfortably accommodated while being able to learn. It was said that the building was constructed in keeping with recommendations made in a report conducted on dormitories across the countrytoensuretheyareup tostandard.

Man gets five years for robbing businesswoman

A 30-year-old man was sentenced tofiveyearsimprisonmentonTuesday, after he pleaded guilty, when he appeared at the Lenora Magistrate’s Courttoanswertoachargeofrobbery underarms.

MartinCalvin,aresidentofLot10 EastRuimveldt,Georgetown,madehis first court appearance before MagistrateAlishaGeorge,whoreadthe charge to him to which he pleaded guilty

Police reported that Calvin along withthreeothersuspectsonSeptember 13, 2024 entered the home of a businesswoman in Middle Street, Ruimzigt, where the group of four, threeofwhomwerearmed,targetedthe womanandherworkers.

Thebusinesswomanandherfamily resideinatwo-storyconcretestructure, with a goldsmith workshop located on the lower flat of the house. The businesswomanwasinherkitchenarea whiletwoofherworkers(the48-yearold and 23-year-old goldsmiths) were workingintheshop.

The businesswoman was relieved of several gold items, while her two workers,bothgoldsmiths,wererobbed of their cell phones. She related to the policethatwhileinherkitchenshesaw three suspects at her backdoor, which was open and they pointed their firearms at her and told her to stay quiet.

“They took her into the goldsmith workshopwheretheymetwithhertwo

Jailed: Martin Calvin

workers.Thesuspectsrelievedeachof them of the articles mentioned above.

The suspects then started to make demands for more gold and money, and,intheprocess,oneofthesuspects fired a shot in the direction of the businesswoman,”thepolicereported.

Nearby residents, alerted by the gunshot, ran towards the businesswoman’shouse. Theresidents blocked the road and the motorcar (HC921), which the suspects entered, was not allowed to pass. The gunmen and the driver exited the vehicle and escapedonfootintothedirectionofthe Ruimzigt backlands. When the police

arrived,theydiscoveredamanwithhis hands and feet tied, in the backseat of the car, with a head injury “He was questioned about the injury, and he claimed that several residents in the area hit him in the head,” the police said.

The man gave his name to the police as Garfield Benjamin called “Carry”, a 50-year-old fireman attachedtoLa-GrangeFireStationand aresident/taxidriverfromStewartville, West Coast Demerara Moreover, Benjamin told investigators that on Friday,atabout11:30hours,hewasat theVreed-en-Hoopjunction,workinga taxi, when the four men approached him and asked if he was working. He saidyesandthemenrequestedthathe takethemtoCrane.

It was reported, “Whilst in the car, he said two of the suspects pulled out firearms from their waist and ordered himtopullovertothesideoftheroad. They then tied his hands and feet with plastic straps and put him in the back seat of the car One of the suspects drove the car to the scene, where the other three suspects exited the vehicle andenteredtheyard.”

A manhunt was launched for the four suspects and residents of Hague assisted the police in capturing Calvin Notably, he confessed to the robbery and provided the names and details of his accomplices to the police Calvin also corroborated Benjamin’sstory

Police investigating circulation of fake old age pension books, disability books

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, through the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched an investigation into the unauthorized copies of old age pension and permanent disability books, whichhavebeensubmittedforencashmentat PostOfficesandotherpaymentvenues.

The Ministry in a statement highlighted, “These books do not bear the security featuresandcoloursoftheofficialbooks.”As such the Ministry stated that they have

provided all of the information in their possessiontotheGPF

“…Anyoneinvolvedinthiswillfacethe full force of law,” the Human Service Minister underscored. Notably, any person who presents the fake books will be held accountable. In addition, the Guyana Post Office and Alternate Payment Venues are requested by the Ministry to heighten their vigilanceasitrelatestothesebooksandthis issue.

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Drivers to drive Canter, and Porters to work in warehouse. Call: 673-7373. Experience is an asset.

Urgently wanted Truck/ Lorry Driver. Must be safe & reliable. Call: 609-9203 / 603-1768.

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Lorry/ Canter Driver in G/ town or East Bank. Must have Lorry license. Call/ WhatsApp: 609-2220.

One full-time & one Part-time handyman to work 6 days per week in Georgetown. Tele : 624-7463.

Experienced Sales girls & Porter boys wanted. Attractive pay and great working hours. Apply now! Tele: 6941170.

FOR RENT

House for rent in Sarwan Street, Eccles. For more information Call: 666-8404.

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One, 5 bedroom house in Republic Gardens. East bank Demerara. Contact : 646 696 0151.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

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Visa Application:U.S.A, Canada & UK:Graphics design, advertisements, wedding arch rentals.Tel:6267040.

Cost to rent one drill rig could reach US$600K...

From page 11 six drill rigs in the Stabroek Block daily costing an average of US$420,000 (GYD$84 million) to US$500,000 (GYD$100M) per day for each ship, based on current marketrate. It was during his address at the opening of the 2024 Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo when Mallon made the disclosure.

“Meanwhile, we talked a lot about the source of the revenue, six drilling rigs and their crews are at work every single day 24/7 throughout the block, drilling and exploring, preparing yellowtail and Uaru for startup tirelessly developing the existing resource base and seeking to find even new discoveries,” Mallon told the conference.

Moreover, a 2023 report by Wood Mackenzie, a global research and consultancy group, had shown that rig utilisation returned to pre-

VACANCY

Vacancy Exist For two experienced Dispatcher at Confidential Cabs. Call: 231-5784, 231-4001, 231-4000.

Experienced Cook & kitchen Assistant needed at Famous Flavour Creole Restaurant. Call: 676-5534 / 709-8131.

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Vacancy at P.S.G.C.S for General Cleaner, Mason, Carpenter, Fabricator/ Welder, Maintenance Workers & Handyman/ woman. Call: 621-6969/ 615-7784.

seeking female companionship 40-50 years. Interested persons can contact : 637-2411.

FOR SALE

of metal working machines: lathes, drilling, grinding, spraying, welding, etc. In working condition. Call: 227-1813.

COVID levels, driving rates up.

Wood Mackenzie had reported that by the end of 2023 rates were expected to be at US$500,000/day or above for highly-prized, advantaged ultra-deep-water rigs.

EMGL is producing a daily average of 645,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and has plans to hit a target of 1.2 million bdp by 2027.

Since 2015 the company has made over 30 discoveries from its drilling campaign in the Stabroek Block which is estimated to hold 11.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

It should be noted that for every day that the drill ships work, Guyana will have to foot the bill. Owing to the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), Guyana signed with Exxon – all of the company’s expenses will be recovered. Under the deal, Exxon receives profits after 75 percent is withdrawn to cover operational expenses.

Taxi driver gets bail for bomb threats to Marriott Hotel

A 42-year-old taxi driver on Tuesday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates Court facing charges related to allegedly using a mobile phone to make bomb threats at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown

The incident occurred on September 1, 2024, around 21:00hrs. Travis Damion

Francis Roberts from Princes Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown is accused of making the threats and was arrested on September 11, 2024, and charged with the offence of false and dangerous communication.

He appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty and pleaded not guilty. According to police reports, Roberts allegedly made a phone call to the Marriott Hotel on September 1, 2024. During the call, he claimed to be part of a group planning to plant bombs at the hotel, the Guyana National Stadium in

Bail granted:

Travis Damion

Francis Roberts

Providence, and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

Roberts purportedly stated,

“There is a group of about 20 persons who will be checking into the Marriott Hotel in about two days. They are coming in the backtrack, and I was part of the planning, but

I dont want to be involved anymore. I am trying to save you.”

The threat prompted an immediate response from the Brickdam Police Station, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Major Crime Investigation Unit, and the Cybercrime Unit. An investigation was launched leading to Roberts arrest. He confessed to the crime and was subsequently charged. In court, Attorney-at-Law Everton Singh-Lammy, representing Roberts, argued for bail, noting that the offence draws no physical aggression. The prosecution objected, citing the serious nature of the charge. Nevertheless, Magistrate McGusty granted bail in the sum of $100,000, with the condition that Roberts report to CID headquarters every Friday. The case has been adjourned until October 9, 2024, for disclosure and statements.

Many types

PEN PAL

Male

9 killed, 2,750 wounded in Hezbollah pager

blasts across Lebanon

(ALJAZEERA)Atleast nine people were killed and about 2,750 were wounded by exploding handheld pagers across Lebanon, the country'shealthministerhas said.FirassAbiadsaidthatan eight-year-old girl was among those killed and that more than 200 people are in critical condition after the communication devices exploded on Tuesday, with injuries mostly reported to theface,handsandstomach.

Lebanon's Hezbollah blamedIsraelforthespreeof pager blasts, saying it will get “its fair punishment”, according to a statement released by the Iran-backed group which has been exchanging almost daily cross-border fire with Israel for almost a year.There was no comment on the blasts from the Israeli military Hezbollah said in an earlier statement on Tuesday that two of its fighters and a girl were killed as “pagers belonging to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutionsexploded”.

A Hezbollah official, speakingontheconditionof anonymity, said the explosion of the pagers was the“biggestsecuritybreach” the group has experienced since October 7, when Israel's war on Gaza began following the Hamas-led attacksonIsrael.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those injured by the pager explosions on Tuesday, Iran's Mehr news agency reported. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular news briefing the United States was not involvedintheincidentsand did not know who was responsible “We are gathering information on thisincident,”Millersaid.“I can tell you that the US was not involved in it. The US was not aware of this incidentinadvance.”

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said it appears the devices were hacked and detonated in a coordinated attack, which represented a “major development” in the hostilitiesbetweenIsraeland the Iran-backed Lebanese group “This is a major security breach. Hezbollah's communication devices havebeencompromised.We have seen pictures from acrossLebanonofmenlying on the floor wounded, bleeding We have seen reports of hospitals asking forblood,”shesaid.Shesaid “near-simultaneous explosions”werereportedin southernLebanon,intheeast ofthecountryandinBeirut's southern suburbs, where there was widespread panic.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had called on his fightersafewmonthsagoto stop using smartphones because Israel has the technologytoinfiltratethose devices,Khodrsaid.“Sonow they've resorted to this different communications system using pagers, and it seems they have been penetrated,” she said. Elijah Magnier, an independent military and political analyst, said Hezbollah relies heavily on pagers to

s communications, and he speculated that the pagers wouldhavehadtohavebeen tampered with before being distributed to Hezbollah members.“This is not a new system. It has been used in the past so in this case, there has been involvement of a third party to allow access to remotely

Lawmen at the scene of the explosion

activate the explosions,” he told Al Jazeera. “These explosions are powerful enough to [severely] hit the psychologyofHezbollah.”

EarlieronTuesday,Israel announced the expansion of its official war aims to include enabling Israelis whohavefledareasnearthe Lebanesebordertoreturnto their homes, widening its nearlyyearlongfightagainst Hamas in Gaza to focus on Hezbollah.Theexchangesof fire between the Israeli

military and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon have forced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the bordertofleetheirhomes.

“The political-security cabinet updated the goals of the war this evening, so that they include the following section:thesafereturnofthe residentsofthenorthtotheir homes,” Israeli Prime Min

t

B

jamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement early on Tuesday The exchanges of fire

between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah have killed hundreds of people, mostly fighters, in Lebanon and dozens of civilians and soldiersontheIsraeliside.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said “military action” was the “only way left to ensure the return of I s

communities” Hezbollah claimed a dozen attacks on Israeli positions on Monday andthreemoreonTuesday

Govt. in move to revive Skeldon sugar estate - seeking contractors to prepare, plant fields

Atotalofninebiddershavesignaled theirinterestinundertakingtheGuyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) project which is to do land preparation and plantingattheSkeldonSugarEstatein RegionSix.Submittingtheirbidstothe National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office were Ally Metals & Lumber$108,073,500;SatnarineCanePlanting Business; CNR Investment; Jaiand Commodities Inc ; KNS Peetum Construction - $141,000,000; Rajesh SahadeoContracting;AJMEnterprise$2,110,905,000; Ryker Ryan Investment - $2,238,400,500; Jason

Gravesande General Contracting Service; Jalil & Daughters Business Establishment - $46,831,850; and MahadeoRamnarine.

Asreportedinthemedia,President Irfaan Ali in May this year had reaffirmedtotheresidentsofCrabwood Creek,RegionSixduringavisitthathis government is moving to reopen the Skeldon Sugar Estate, which was closed down by the previous administration.“Weareworkingonthe Skeldon Estate…I agree that there are challengesbutweareworkingonthat,” he was quoted in a Department of Public Information article. Kaieteur

News understands that the government was in the process of making another 5000 hectares of land available at the Skeldon Sugar Estate, At a different occasion, the Head-of-State had mentioned that production process at this location will be mechanized, thereby enhancing productivity and competitiveness. ”We have already sourcednewvarietiesofcanesthatwill be planted on those lands, so that not only will we achieve, or were working onachievingthetargetthisyear,butwe are also working on achieving higher levelsoftargetnextyear,”thePresident said.

Murder, robbery suspects nabbed in city raids

Police on Monday arrestedseveralmen-oneof whom was wanted for murder during raids across Georgetown.

Among those arrested werea25-year-oldmanwho is wanted for murder and a 20-year-old man wanted for aseriesofarmedrobberies.

The man wanted for murder has been identified as Nicholas Singh called

'Pookie' a resident of Lot

1818 Durban Street, Georgetown, and the man wantedforaseriesofarmed robberieshasbeenidentified asLorenzoHeywood,ofLot 52 Coldingen, East Coast Demerara(ECD).

Singhwaswantedforthe murder of Natram Persaud called'Vishaul.'Persaudwas shot dead on December 31, 2023 during a robbery at a

wedding house at Canal Number Two Polder, West BankDemerara(WBD).

Furthermore, police also reported that 45-year-old Rondell Vanrossum, a resident of Lot 56 Norton Street, Lodge was arrested after he was caught with an unlicensed Glock 9MM pistol and ten rounds of 9MM ammunition In addition, 51-year-old Julian

Aaron, resident of Lot 501

E a s t R u i m v

d t , Georgetown was arrested with a quantity of ammunition.

T h e r a i d s w e r e conducted in: Independence

B o u l e v a r d , N o r t h Ruimveldt, Stevedore Housing Scheme, Guyhoc Park, D'Urban Backlands, East Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt, Albouystown, Norton Street, Durban Street, Castello Housing Scheme, Leopold Street, Kittyand Sophia(A,B,C,D &Efields).

The ammunition found during the raid

The unlicensed Glock 9MM pistol that was found

Pile driving activities underway...

Frompage2

that the project cost has been reduced to US$759M.It was revealed that the government had applied to the United States Export Import Bank (US-EXIM) Bank since AprillastyearforaUS$646Mloantosupport the gas projects but to date, the loan has not been approved. While politicians here still remain optimistic about its approval, the project is being funded through the National Treasuryinthemeantime.

The Ministry of Natural Resources informed this publication that some US$520Mhasbeenspentbythegovernment on the GTE project to date.According to the ministry, the government spent $24.813B in 2022followedby$43.3Bin2023.Thisyear,

thegovernmentintheNationalBudgethasset aside another $40B of local funding for the project. This means a total of $108,113,000,000 or US$520M (using Bank of Guyana's exchange rate of 208) from the NationalTreasury has been budgeted to date fortheproject.

In addition to the pipeline and two gas plants, the GTE project also includes upgrading the transmission and distribution lines,supervisorycontracts,andconstruction ofanewsubstation.Thegovernmenthadsaid theprojectwouldreducethecostofelectricity by half, but as key details of the project remain hidden, as the government refuses to publish the agreements for the deal, citizens questionthelogicoftheproject.

Banditsin$65MheistatSamtronix

TheownerofSamtronixisnowathiswits ends after discovering Monday morning that his store was burglarised and the thieves escaped with some $65M in goods. The criminalsalsocutthealarmcablesinthestore and erased Close CircuitTelevision (CCTV) duringtheirplunder

While on the crime scene located at Lot 136 Regent Street, Georgetown, Kaieteur News wasinformedthattherobberyoccurred between Saturday and Monday On Monday at about 9:00h, staff members from the store nearbysaidthattheyobservedthatSamtronix was being burglarised and thereafter informed Businessman, Mohammad Ubaid Raza.

Duringaninterviewwiththispublication, a store representative related that the items which were stolen varied from, tablets, laptops, phones, headphones, and watches. Several smart television sets were broken. The store representative said, “…We have lost almost everything, we’re now bankrupt…we are now bankrupt for sure, because ...it’s more than $65 million.” He added,“Weneedhelpfromthepolicepeople thejudiciary,everythingwhateverwecanget. Weneedourstuff;youknowit’sveryhardon us…it’salotofmoneyweputinthisstoreyou know,soit’sacompletelossforus.”

Raza recalled that only a few years back the storewasdestroyedbyfire.“Itwassetonfireand everything was destroyed basically and now that werebuilttheplace,thenthisrobbery.”Duringan inspection around the business place, it was observed that the thieves entered the store from the back of the building through a steel fence, which they damaged to pass through. They

...cutalarmwires,eraseCCTVfootage

reportedlyventuredtoadoorandbrokeit,which was their access to the building. Kaieteur News observedseveralemptyglasscasesthatcontained phones,laptops,tablets.

Additionally, several items including phone cases, chairs, phone boxes among others were scattered on the floor Notably, the footprints of thethieveswereseenonthegroundoutsideatthe side of the store. They also left behind a cutting toolthattheyusedtogainentryintothebuilding.

Samtronix Store

A footprint of one of the thieves

The aftermath of the robbery

Women's T20 World Cup champions to receive equal prize money as male counterparts

SportsMax - The upcoming Women's T20 World Cup will be the first ICCeventwherewomenwill receivethesameprizemoney as their male counterparts, marking a significant milestone in the sport's historyThis decision was taken at the ICC Annual Conference in July last year, whentheICCBoardtookthe step of reaching its prize money equity target seven yearsaheadofitsscheduleof 2030,makingcrickettheonly major team sport to have equal prize money for its men's and women's World Cupevents.

For the upcoming October 3-20 tournament, which will now be staged in the United Arab Emirates

(UAE), the winners of the tournament will receive

US$2.34 million, a massive, 134 per cent increase on the $1 million awarded to

Australiawhentheyclinched the title in South Africa last year The runners-up will receive US$1.17 million, up from$500,000,whilethetwo l

Wednesday September 18, 2024

ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19

Emotions run high as disagreements turn into quarrelsamongmembersofa group you're affiliated with, Taurus.Stayoutofit.Itwon't do you any good to get involved.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You have lots of energy at your disposal today, Taurus, but it's erratic and powerful. Youhavethestaminatomake major changes, and the opportunitytobreakfree.

GEMINI(May21–June20)

It's time to take a bold step forward, Gemini Have confidenceinyourselfandall the careful planning you've been painstakingly doing for thepastfewmonths.

CANCER(June21–July22)

Youcan'taskforabetterday, Cancer Positive energy is comingyourway Youshould lookfortheopportunitiesthat arerightinfrontofyou.

LEO(July23–Aug.22)

Be on your toes today, Leo, and expect the unexpected. People may be acting out in rash, outlandish ways, so go withtheflow

VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22)

Ifyou'veputinyourtimeand done yourhomework,thisday can prove very rewarding, Virgo.Watchoutforincredible opportunities hiding nearby. Youhaveagreatdealofphysical energytoday,althoughyoumay finditerratic.

The upcoming Women's T20 World Cup will be the first ICC event where women will receive the same prize money as their male counterparts.

osingsemi-finalistswillearn

LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)

You may find people very stubborn today, so take care, Libra Arguments can explode out of nowhere, so haveyourhelmetready

SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov.21)

Initiate a major change in yourlife,Scorpio.Breakfree of the humdrum and launch intosomethingexciting.Take part in an online class that expandsyourmind.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Actionisthewordoftheday Whetheryou'reinitiatingitor feeling the brunt of it, you'll becaughtupinthevortexof it. Try not to lose your temptertoday,Sagittarius.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)

Today may be filled with

Capricorn The energy is electric and strong. People will act in erratic, powerful bursts.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You might not get the things donethatyouwanttodotoday, Aquarius,butdon'tsweatit Go easyonyourselfifyoustillhave a few unchecked things on the listtonight

PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)

Today is a fantastic day, Pisces,somakethemostofit. If you're emotionally and mentally prepared to go on a new,excitinglifejourney,the opportunity will present itself.Theenergywillbefast andfurious.

US$675,000, up from $210,000, with the overall prize pot to

increase on the US$2 45 milliondishedoutlastyear

g

US$7,958,080, a massive

This move is in line with the ICC's strategy to prioritise the women's game

and accelerate its growth by 2032 Teams will now receive equal prize money for the equivalent finishing position at comparable events as well as the same amount for winning a match at those events. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 event prize money is only higher on account of 10 a d d i t i o n a l t e a m s participating and 32 more matchesplayed.

Each win during the group stages will see teams takehomeUS$31,154,while the six teams who fail to reach the semi-finals will share a pool of US$1.35 million depending on their finishingpositions.

In comparison, the equivalent pool for the six teams in 2023 was US$180,000,sharedequally Teams who finish third or fourthintheirgroupwilltake US$270,000 each, while the teamswhofinishfifthintheir group will both receive US$135,000.

All 10 participating teams are assured of US$112,500.

The increase in prize money for this year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup comes in line with the prize pot for the ICC Women's CricketWorldCup2022,also increasingtoUS$3.5million in total.The ICC Women's T20 World Cup will get going on October 3, with Bangladesh taking on Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

There has been a minor changetothescheduleforthe double-header on Saturday, October 5, in Sharjah, with Australia now facing Sri Lanka in the curtain-raiser and Bangladesh will lock horns with England in the feature encounter A total of 10 teams will play 23 matches in Dubai and Sharjah to decide the 2024 champions.

JockeyRossanticipatesexcitingPresident'sCup

One of Guyana's best jockey, Colin Ross, is expecting fireworks onSundaySeptember22atRising SunTurfClubwhenthePresident's Cup horse racing takes Centre stage.

More than 10 horses were imported for last month's Guyana Cup and more were added to that list for the upcoming President Cup.

Ross has been working along withthetophorses,withthelikesof Easy Time, Stat, Spankhurst, and Mapa Do Brazil; and according to him,thehorsesaremorereadythan theywerefortheGuyanaCup.

“So far, preparation is going quite well No complains Everyoneisgoingcomfortable,the trainerdoingagoodwork,grooms doing a good job, so right now everythingisgoingwell.”

“We have a lot of new horses, butnowtheyaremoreaccustomed to the conditions They have acclimatized, they are more comfortable with the track,” Ross said.

Whenaskedabouthisexpectations, Ross said: “The race gets stiff. A lot more new horses coming in and everybody want to win. The Guyana Cupchampiongoingbackisseekingto nowwinthePresidentCup.EasyTime will be there, Mapa Do Brazil, is there andheisaverygoodhorse.Spankhurst isalsosettoreturn.”

Ross won jockey of the year for 2023 and he remains one of the most decoratedjockeysinGuyana'shistory

“I expect to have a good race this time.Iwilltrymybest.”

“Alotofworkgoingintothetrackat Rising Sun. So, we expect to have a good race,” the champion jockey echoed.

Nine races are on the programme forthe2024President'sCup,andmore thanG$15millionwillbeupforgrabs.

The feature race, running at approximately eight furlongs, will be open to all horses, three years old and over RegistrationclosedonSeptember 17andorganisershaveindicatedthatno lateentriesarepermitted.

Jockey Colin Ross expects a high-quality race at President's Cup.

Sowter called up by Amazon Warriors

- Jordan drafted by TKR

EnglandinternationalChrisJordan will join the Trinbago Knight Riders for the remainder of the 2024 season whileAussieNathanSowterwillcover for the injured Amazon Warriors skipperImranTahir

The experienced all-rounder will replace USA international Ali Khan

who was forced to withdraw from the

Meanwhile,GuyanaAmazonWarriors have signed theAustralian leg-spinner Sowterasatemporaryreplacementfor skipper Tahir who is currently recoveringfrominjuryandisexpected tobeunavailableforaround10days.

Nathan Sowter

Chris Jordan

Shemar Britton

2024 Caribbean Premier League…GAW vs.TKR Warriors eyeing comeback win, with important Guyana leg looming

Defending Champs

GuyanaAmazonWarriorsare eyeing a much-needed rebound victory tonight against home team Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), ahead oftheirreturnhomeforwhat couldbethemostcrucialleg inthisyear'stournament. The Warriors felt the woes of defeat after Quinton deKock'stoninthelastgame and saw the Champs take theirfirstL.

A few changes to the team, most notably the bowling unit with no captain Imran Tahir, the attack

suffered slightly in the previous game despite some success from their seamers whowereexpensive.

With TKR hovering below Guyana despite both teams having six points, the hosts could look to exploit the Warriors by use of their hometurfconditions.

Captain Kieron Pollard, in-form Nick Pooran, England opener Jason Roy along with in-form players like Keacy Carty, Shaqkere Parrisandotherswillbetheir key for the Knight Riders batting.

Spin wizards Sunil NarineandAkealHoseinwill be tasked with bowling efforts along with overseas spinner Waqar Salamkheil, pacer Jayden Seals among others.

Guyana should see the return of spinner Tahir in a fewdaysshouldhehealfrom his injury successfully His partner in Gudakesh Motie has been an X-factor and could form a nice team with latestdraftee,AustralianlegspinnerNathanSowter

Fast-bowlers Dwaine Pretorious and left-armer Raymon Reifer have given the Warriors ideal depth, but all-roundersKevinandJason Sinclair will need to step up their games as key pieces of the spin unit and batting department.

Azam Khan's string of failures has forced the Warriors into a position of possibly dropping the Pakistaniforanotheroption.

Shimron Hetmyer remains the key with Shai

Hope, Tim Robinson and their host of all-rounders in EnglishmanMooenAli,who had a good debut game, Keemo Paul, who had been oneofthebetterfinishersthis seasons, Reifer and Pretorious.

Both sides have a deep history, whether in Regional 50-Over, 4-Day and now franchise T20 cricket, making for another storied battlethiseveninginfrontof what will be a sold out Queen'sParkOvalcrowd.

TheWarriorswillbekeen on winning this battle and gathering as much momentum as possible, ahead of their last leg of the tournament which will be heldinGuyanafromFriday Tonight's game starts at 19:00h.

CourtsOpticalPeeWeeU11SchoolsFootball Teamsbriefedaheadof Saturday'sstart

Yesterday,severalschoolsgatheredatthe National Library's Conference Room for the PetraOrganisation'scustomaryteambriefing aheadofthe11theditionoftheCourtsOptical Pee Wee Under-11 Schools Football Tournament.

The event, which officially launched last Friday at the Courts Mega Store, has confirmed36teamsforthe2024tournament, settokickoffthisSaturday,September21,at the Ministry of Education Ground on CarifestaAvenue.

The competition, widely regarded as one of Petra's premier events, has schools across the country eagerly anticipating the action, which will run for the duration of six weeks. Footballfansarealsoencouragedtocomeout and support the young talent as the team's battlefortophonours.

Petra Organisation Co-Director, Troy Mendonca, as well as sponsor representative Richard Simpson, expressed excitement about this year's tournament. “We expect a larger turnout and some spectacular football from these youngsters. Building on the successoflastyear,thiseditionpromisestobe anevenmoreexcitingshowcaseoftalentand sportsmanship,” Mendonca said during his address.

Meanwhile,inapositivedevelopmentfor the tournament's future, Stena Drilling has

joined as a co-sponsor for the 2024 edition. The company's Local Content Officer, ChristinaRamroop,andOperationsEngineer, Alberto Lener, were in attendance to show their support, alongside teachers, students, coaches,andotherstakeholders.

The tournament will see fifteen teams from Georgetown district competing this year, alongside teams from seven other administrative regions, including one team from Barima-Waini (Region 1) district also partoftheroster

The 2024 Courts Optical Pee Wee Football tournament will feature a roundrobinformat,withteamsdividedintogroups of eight. From there, the top 16 teams will advance to the next stage; playing for spots onetoeight.Meanwhile,thetopfourwillthen featureinbattlesforthetitle.

The tournament kicks off on September 21andwillconcludeonNovember2.

Petra's Co-Director, Troy Mendonca speaking during yesterday's team briefing event at National Library.

SouthAmericanWomen'sandMen'sClassicPowerliftingChampionships...

Guyana open its medal quest today in Argentina

Making her international debut last year in Peru and settingthetoneforwhatwasa very successful sojourn for Guyana, Sarah Sanmogan willonceagainbesettingthe stage for another successful campaign when the South American Women's and Men's Classic Powerlifting Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, enters its

second day, today

The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (G A P LF ) is being represented by three athletes this year in Sanmogan, Kheon Evans and the indefatigableNaranjanSingh who will be celebrating his 80th birthday, next month. Sanmogan, who snatched four gold medals and one silver,willbegoingalloutto even better last year's performance and the only athletestandinginherwayis Antonia Madrid of Chile is rated as the number one athlete in the junior's 69kg categoryOther competitors in this category are Sophia Cabrera of Peru, Luana Delgado of Uruguay, and the host nation's Kira Yashnyk. CoachoftheGuyana,Kerma Singh, who a few days ago, completed the IPF Basic Training Education Course, is once again confident that his charges will do well for themselves and the nation.

Ramdhani, deBouletcop Bronzein CostaRica badminton tourney

“I do not doubt that our athleteswillkeeptheGolden Arrowhead flying high. We hadabiggerteaminPerulast year and they represented well by capturing 14 gold medals, two silver, and five bronze overall That was indeed an inspiring performanceandIcanassure you that this year will be no different in terms of our success.”

The other two lifters, Kheon Evans and Naranjan willbetakingtheplatformon Saturday both in the 83kg class, Evans in the Open and Naranjan in the Masters 4. Evanswillhavetopulloutall thestopsinhiscategoryashe would be taking on lifters Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia,andBolivia.Itwill be tough competition but Evanssaidthatheisuptothe task and prepared for the battle Singh on the other handisthelonecompetitorin his weight class and has p r o m i s e d t h a

; notwithstanding, he will be p

expressed gratitude to the GAPLF for once again ensuring that Guyana is

championshipsandpromised thatoncehehaslifeandgood health, he will continue to r

Guyanese badminton star Priyanna Ramdhani and her Trinidadian partner Chequeda de Boulet copped Bronze in the Costa Rica Future Series Women's Doubles.

Guyanese badminton star Priyanna Ramdhani and Trinidadian Chequeda de Boulet copped the Bronze in the Costa Rica Future Series Women'sDoubles.

The duo lost their semifinal match in the Women's Doubles on Friday, falling to straight sets, 21-10, 21-11. They lost to the pair of Fernanda Munar and Rafaela Munar of Peru, thus ending their campaign in the tournament. In the Round-of-16, the Bronze medalists defeated

A r r o

pride Federation President, Franklin Wilson, who is also in Argentina and will be attendingtheSouthAmerican Federation Congress this evening,metwiththeathletes and Coach yesterday and congratulated them for once again making the sacrifice to representGuyana,notingthat he is once again expecting

gratitudetotheHon.Charles S. Ramson Jr Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle,andPresidentofthe G

Munroe for their continued commitment towards the further advancement of powerlifting.

Margareth Revelo of El Salvador,twosets21-12,2113 to qualify for the quarterfinals and then the duo of Costa Ricans Jenny Ng and Emma Rodriguez 21-9, 21-6 to advance to the semi-final before suffering their agonizingdefeat. Ramdhani had also competed in the Women's Singles. In her Round-of-32 game, she won 21-9, 21-7 against her Costa Rican opponent Yaslin Sanchez to advance to the Round-of-16. She then lost 21-13, 21-10 to MarianaPaivaofPortugal.

Guyana's Powerlifting Team in Argentina: Sarah Sanmogan (2nd right) is flanked by, from left, Naranjan Singh, Kheon Evans and Kerma Singh.

2024 Caribbean Premier League…GAW vs.TKR

Sports Warriors eyeing comeback win, with important Guyana leg looming

CourtsOpticalPeeWeeU11SchoolsFootball

Petra Organisation briefs teams ahead of Saturday start. Seated are: (R-L) Stena DrillingAdmin and Local Content Officer, Christina Ramroop and Operations Engineer,Alberto Lener, Courts Optical Chain Manager, Richard Simpson, Co-Director of Petra, Troy Mendonca and Courts rep sharing photo-op with representatives from participating schools.

Teams briefed ahead

Nathan Sowter will have big shoes to fill in that ofAmazon Warriors captain Imran Tahir