Kaieteur News

Chris Ram:

Jagdeo unfit to oversee oil sector

...says VP confusing reporters with misguided information

In the absence of an i n d e p e n d e n t P e t r o l e u m Commission to manage Guyana's rapidly developing oil and gas sector, a lone politician, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, has assumed theroleofchiefpolicymaker but has been failing to perform the responsibilities withefficiency Attorney-at-Law and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram said the VicePresidentisunfitforthe title of oil Minister, let alone to substitute for a Petroleum Commission Ram in his weeklycolumn,publishedon Friday by Stabroek News said that Jagdeo in response toasinglequestion,posedby Kaieteur News provided evidence of his limitations.

The lawyer first put in perspectiveforreadersofhis column titled 'Every Man, WomanandChildinGuyana Must Become Oil-Minded,' the importance of a competent Petroleum Commission. He reminded that the President Irfaan Ali administration has continually promised the establishment of this independent body to oversee the operations of the sector;

however, like it has done in relation to the confirmation of the constitutional offices ofChancelloroftheJudiciary and the Chief Justice, p r o m i s e s b y t h e Administration seem not to countformuch,accordingto Ram.

He said, “While these brazen acts by the Government cannot be exaggerated, it defies logic, c o m m o n s e n s e a n d experience to believe that a political overseer of the dominant sector of the economy is better and more effectivethananindependent b o d y m a d e u p o f professionals ” The Chartered Accountant however noted that this policy decision by the government is costing the country dearly in several ways. “Surely such a body wouldhavedoneabetterjob overseeing the operation of the 2016 Agreement under which ExxonMobil is allowed free rein to do whatever it pleases. Had we h a d a P e t r o l e u m Commission, Exxon would not have been allowed to get away with overstating of its pre-contract costs; or in floutingtheprovisionsofthe

Agreement regarding the audit of petroleum operations;thewriting-offof US$211 Million in unsubstantiated expenses, or engaging and colluding with government in violation of the Agreement with respect tothegas-to-shoreproject;or in violating the implied conditions regarding ring fencing,”thelawyerargued.

Drawing his readers' attention to the VP's performance, Ram pointed out that the violations he referenced are only possible because the administration hasrenegedonitspromiseto renegotiate the lopsided deal with Exxon and is seen as a walkover, incapable of even b e t t e r c o n t r a c t

administration as promised. Ram believes that Jagdeo was not appointed by President Ali to oversee the sector,butisfunctioningasa self-appointedspecialist.The lawyer said however, “Put under the microscope, the vice president's performance in the oversight of the sector leaves a whole lot to be desired.

Thisbecamesopainfully obviousinananswerhegave toanewspaperreporterathis weeklypressconferenceheld at the office of the ruling party of which he is the general secretary his response exposed his own limitationsinoilandgasthan was ever so glaring before. To parody Winston

Churchill, never before have somanymistakesbeenmade in so few words by such an elevated office holder.” See link attached for details https://wwwkaieteurnewson line com/2024/03/03/rame x p o s e s - j a g d e o smisleading-value-of-exxonsassets/

Ram said the key policymaker and overseer for the sector not only completely evaded the question about Exxon's US$20 billion but gave a lesson to the reporter thatwaswrong.Hetherefore concluded, “With this display, clearly Mr Jagdeo cannot perform as an oil minister,letaloneasubstitute f o r a P e t r o l e u m Commission.”

Misleading

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House on February 22, Jagdeo was asked by a reporter from Kaieteur News to list the US$20B in assets ownedbyEMGLthatcanbe sold in the event of an oil spill, following his previous engagement where he said the company's assets can be sold to handle those liabilities.

In his response, Jagdeo pointed to the deal between Chevron and Hess. “You've heard about the merger between Chevron and Hess.

Do you know what's the valuethatHesscompanywas valuedat?

Do you know?You don't know,its$60B(US).

So the Hess assets are made up mainly 30% shares inGuyanaandsomeassetsin thePermianarea.Sotakehalf ofit,sayoftheirglobalassets halfareinGuyana,it'smuch morethanhalf,butsayhalfof the $60B is $30B that's the valuation.”

Ramsaidtheinformation providedbytheVPwasladen with errors exposing the 'fuzzy math' and “his own unfamiliarity” of the deal betweenHessandChevron.

‘Spoil Child’ nabbed with gun at Leonora Stadium

Aman was on Saturday night caught with a gun for which he does not have a license while attempting to enter the Leonora Stadium for a party, police have said.

Nabbed is Teon Allen called 'SpoiledChild'.Inastatementthe Guyana Police Force said that, "ranks from the Regional Police Division Number Three were performing security duty around 23:00 hrs. Saturday when they observed, intercepted and searched the 42-year-old Allen who was acting suspiciously and who was later found to have an unlicensed 9mm pistol and eighteen (18) live matching rounds of ammunition in his possession."

The ranks including a woman superintendent were at the stadium'smaingatewhereashow

wasbeingheld.Allenwaswalking inwithablackGuccisidebag.The man appeared to be acting suspiciously As a result of his actions he was stopped and asked to be subjected to a search Subsequently he resisted but Policethenmanagedtosearchthe bag on his person. It was discovered that the man was carrying a 9mm pistol and a magazine that contained eighteen matching live rounds of ammunitioninthebag.

Whenaskedifhewaslicensed to carry the firearm, the man refused to cooperate with police and instead opted to behave in a disorderlymanner Allenwasthen arrested and escorted to the Leonora Police Station, along withthefirearmandammunition.

At the station he was asked again by police if he was a

In custody Teon Allen aka 'Spoil Child'

licensed firearm holder, to which herespondedinthenegative.The suspect was placed into custody pendingcharges.

Govt. gambling away Guyana's oil money by refusing to ring-fence Stabroek Block projects

The Government of Guyanaisgamblingawaythe nation'soilprofitsbyrefusing to ring-fence the Stabroek Block projects, former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Vincent Adamshassaid.

The Petroleum and Environmental Engineer during an Alliance For Change (AFC) press conference on Friday last arguedthatthegovernmentis ignoring the volatility of oil prices in its decision to not ring-fence the Stabroek Block projects, but conveniently uses the same argument to deny teachers a salaryincrease.

A ring-fencing provision would prevent oil giant, ExxonMobil from utilising the profits generated at one project to pay for costs at another This key clause wouldensurethatthecountry receives 50% of all revenues

each month, after the oil company recovers its investment.Intheabsenceof ring-fencing, Exxon uses the resourcesthatshouldcometo Guyana to pay for other expenses across the block, thereby reducing the profits deposited to the Natural ResourceFund(NRF).

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo who oversees the oil andgassectorhadpreviously explained the reason behind government's decision not to ring-fence the projects. He said this is to ensure investments are not stymied and will ensure massive revenuestothecountryinthe future, after costs have been repaid.“Weadmittedthatwe areforegoingrevenuenowin exchange for massive future income because it's going into new projects that will increase production, and so even with the same share of the 50/50, plus the two percentroyaltythatthefuture

income, because of the bigger scale will be massive in Guyana's case and we are deliberatelyforegoingthatin this period for that purpose and then trying to grab this bonenowcouldcauseyouto lose all the bones, the bigger bones too in the future,” he hadsaid.

Weighing in on this

- Former EPA Head

crucial decision, Dr Adams said government is risking thecountry'sprofits,sinceoil prices can potentially take a steep dive in the future, thereby diminishing revenues for Guyana and its people. He said: “This guy (Jagdeo) comes up with all sorts of excuses that he pulls out of wherever, but you

know what he said about the teachers' pay raises? He said it is not sustainable because we do not know what the oil prices are gonna be in the future,however,heisrisking our money, the nation's money for money to be receivedinthefuturewithout knowing what the oil prices will be, so he comes up with this stupid excuse, well we can't raise teachers' salary becauseIdon'tknowwhatoil prices are gonna be in the future.”

Dr Adams said that the country's oil wealth was beinggambledaway Heargued,“WhywouldI take money that I currently have, if my people are starving,andgiveittoExxon so that they can use my moneytoinvestandtheyare making the billions and

t ri llionswithmymoney,whileI havemypeoplestarving?”

The former EPA head continued,“(they)givingitto Exxon for them to spend moneylikedrunkensailorsto invest while they make money off of it…then you comingtotellmejusttogive the teachers a little paltry raise its not gonna be sustainablebecauseyoudon't knowwhatoilpriceswillbe? Well,that'swhatyoudowith ring-fencing.Youdon'tknow what oil prices will be later on when you start collecting whatevermoneyyouneedto becollecting.

Oilpricescangothrough thebottombythetimeweare ready to, according to him, start getting our pay off on ring-fencing so it doesn't makeanysense.”

GTU debunks claims that meetings with MOE dealt with salary issues

GuyanaTeachersUnion(GTU) on Sunday debunked claims by President Irfaan Ali that the union andtheMinistryofEducationwere holding meetings on salary issues, when talks broke down and the teachersproceededonstrikeaction.

President Ali, on Saturday urged GTU to call off their strike and return to the classrooms to allow the resumption of negotiationstoaddresstheneedsof theteachers.

Speaking during a live broadcast on Saturday, the presidentaccordingtoDPIbulletin saidthatsinceassumingoffice,the government has had more than 25 meetings with the GTU. “In these meetings with the union, 30 out of the 41 requests made by the union wasfulfilled.Apartfromthe30,28 additional non-requested benefits were implemented by the government and the Ministry of Education,” he pointed out Additionally,DPIsaidlastyear,the headofstatedirectlyengagedwith teachersfromthe10administrative regions.

Thisengagementgaveteachers the platform to discuss the state of the education system and address challengesfaced.

In a statement issued on Thursday last, the Ministry of Educationmadeitclearthata'long and settled' practice of meeting monthly with the GTU has been

ongoing since 11th August 2020. The release stated that at these meetings, multiple issues relating to the welfare of teachers and i m p r o v e m e n t s i n t h e administration of the education sector have been addressed, includingsalaryissues.

The last of these engagements took place on 31st January 2024, withthenextmeetingscheduledto take place on 21st February 2024. As a result, the president in his address said that the responsibility is in the hands of the teachers and theGTU.

Damnedlies

However,inaddressingwhathe described as lies, President of the GTU Dr Mark Lyte on Sunday challengedthegovernmentandthe Ministry of Education to produce theminutessignedbybothparties, from the meetings where salaries werediscussed.

"Letthemproducetheminutes that are signed by both sides the Ministry of Education and the GuyanaTeachers Union. Let those minutes come forth and let those minutessaythatwehavespokenon financialmatters,salarymatters."

Lyte said that the only way to resolve the matter and bury the issue was to have those minutes produced today that these types of discussions were indeed held. "In ordertoburythisletthemproduce

the signed minutes and we have to be careful because they can makeupminutes."

TheGTUPresidentwentonto say, "...lies have been peddled aboutourengagements,andIwant to spend some time talking about the engagements with the Ministry of Education...we have shown you very clearly that the engagements withMoEarenothingbutstatutory meetings which we have committed to based on our multiyearagreement."

He further explained, "The engagements have dealt with how we can improve policies in the education sector, and the last agenda which we shared on our

President of the GTU Dr. Mark Lyte

Facebook Page had nothing to do about salaries So I cannot understand why the leader of this countrythePresidentwouldtaketo his presentation to try to say to teachers,totrytosaytothepublic, that the Ministry of Education was engaging us on financial matters. These are lies, absolute lies and to hear that different government officials will say this, somebody is givingthemascriptfromwhichto read."

"We have been meeting, the Presidentisnowsayingwemetfor 25 times, I want to see those 25 times that we met. In fact we were not meetingevery month, we were meeting as the need arises to deal

witheducationalissues,"headded. The GTU on Friday submitted its proposal to court-appointed mediatorsoutliningthetermsunder which the country's teachers will end industrial action and return to the classroom. Last week marked four weeks since teachers have been on strike demanding improved salaries and better working conditions. They have beencallingontheGovernmentof Guyana to engage the union in collective bargaining The proposal was tabled before courtappointed mediators: attorneys-atLaw, Robin Stoby SC and Edward LuckhooSCatthecommencement ofthemediationprocessonFriday In attendance were representatives of the GTU including its President Lyte and Chief Education Officer (CEO)SaddamHussainalongwith theirlegalteams.

Speaking to reporters at the HighCourtattheconclusionofthe firstday'ssession,Attorneyforthe GTU Darren Wade disclosed that the Union had not shifted its positionasitrelatestothetermson which to end the strike. “Nothing has changed from our position and theproposalisstillonthetable…” he said adding that the mediation process will continue Monday (Today).

The attorney was however tightlipped about the details of m e d i a t i o n

Borrowing on the backs of the poor

Thisnewspaperwillcontinuetoputthespotlightonthe PPP/C’s Government proclivity for borrowing big on the backs of Guyanese taxpayers. Almost every week we are toldofsomecountry,someinstitution-somebankwillingto signloandealswithourgovernmentandlikealambbeing ledtotheslaughterourleadersmoveforward.

Last week we reported on loan agreements with the Inter-American Development Bank, the Canadian GovernmentandalsotheUnitedKingdomalldanglinghuge loans to this country Of course, those countries and institutions are aware of the enormous wealth we have sitting in the Stabroek Block. They are also aware of how inept our leaders are for allowing ExxonMobil and its partnerstobevirtuallylootingourresourceswhilewesettle formeagrereturns.

More borrowing means more spending, which means more opportunities to drain coffers and citizens. More borrowingisalldrivenbyasingleword:development. In Guyana,developmentistheequivalentofdeath,forahigher debt ceiling signifies a greater burden to be placed on citizens,asthemagicofdevelopmentswallowsupbillions more. If Guyanese knew what they were getting for their dollarsborrowed,theremaybesomejustificationforsome of the projects in the development schemes of the PPPC Government. But the cunning spokespeople of a cunning governmenthavefoundtheperfectcoverforallmannerof skullduggeries,anditsnameisdevelopment.

WhethermoreUSbillionstobeborrowed,orthebillion alreadywithdrawnfromtheOilFund,thereisthispush,at government’s insistence, towards development Development of what and for whom, is the burning question? Whilemanyexpensivepublicworksprojectsare announced for roads, bridges, and hospital and school facilities, among others, many citizens remain in a highly underdeveloped state. Billions are borrowed, or removed fromtheOilFund,underthedisguiseofdevelopment,and stillmanycitizensfightalosingbattleatcopingonadaily basis. The need for some balance has never been more pressing,especiallywithsomanystretchingouttheirhands and not getting anything that helps them to manage. How balanced it would have been for a more thoughtful plan of borrowing,incombinationwithcarefultappingintotheOil Fundtopushaheadwithsomedevelopment,whileliftingup thelotofGuyanesestrugglingtodealwithhardtimes.

From all appearances, the easy availability of huge loans, and the magnet of the US millions in the Oil Fund, have both proven to be irresistible to the planners and schemersinthePPPCGovernment.

They drool at the thought of borrowing more and accessing oil money to help themselves, through the massive corruptions that have blighted this country They have found the brightest banner to wave. It is called development, and it is as good as any that could be found anywhere.

Moreloanssignifymoredevelopment,atleastonpaper and in front of the cameras, and development generates a positive feeling because of how it glows with promise. When development is managed cleanly and the dollars borrowed give Guyanese the greatest value from the debt incurred,then,thereisneitherconcernnorargument.Given the history, however, of how governments have carried on thebusinessofthepeople,andtheresultsunderthedebtand development flags, most citizens have concluded that they arebeingtakenforaride. Thesoledifferenceisthatitisa new day, and a new government, but with new and better tricks.TherealityofGuyanahasbeenwheredevelopmentis theroofunderwhichadenofcraftythievesfindshelter,with chronic secrecies shrouding how the billions are being spent, or planned to be spent. Instead of government planning how to ease the pain and troubles of the ordinary citizen, there is this commitment to come up with many projectsallatonce,withopportunitiestorobthem. Thereis

Pres.Ali a man from a poor background, today has the temerity to tell workers demanding better, that his regime will not be bullied

DEAREDITOR

We must be unafraid to call a spade a spade. In oilrich Guyana and the world’s fastest growing economy, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is openly pursuing economic injusticeagainsttheworking class and poor The Bharrat Jagdeo/Irfaan Ali regime is bent on seizing total control of the nation’s economic wealth,andsocial,economic andpoliticalspace.

Workers’ just demands for increased wages/salaries and improved working conditions are being met with hostility rather than compassion.PresidentIrfaan Ali, a man from a poor background, today has the temeritytotellworkers,who are demanding better conditions of work, that his regime will not be bullied. How dare he attempt to misrepresent the act of

lawful representation as bullyism. He is placing the curse of his regime on the backs of the teachers, those who support them, and the Judge who upholds their right in a court of law to ensurejusticeisserved.

No president respecting theConstitutionandLawsof Guyana would dare think, much less utter such a statementtoworkerswhoare on the picket line exercising their constitutional rights. Ratherthanacknowledgehis government has erred, he nowslapsmudinthefacesof workers, who are deserving ofbeingtreatedwithrespect anddignity

Thisnationcouldvividly recallin2018,Alibellowing in the National Assembly with hands flaying, and calling on the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government

toengagetheteachers.

It was he who stated in 2018 that teachers deserve no less than 50 percent pay increase. What has changed his mind today? In 2018 Guyana was a struggling economy, not yet ranked the world’s fastest growing, and not raking in US$2 08 Billion in oil revenue as expectedthisyear

This is a man before he became a minister who was amongtheworkingpoorand raised in a working-class home. He is no stranger to the challenges workers face everydaytomakeendsmeet.

Now today he sits at the pinnacleofGuyana’swealth, by virtue of his office, enjoying the wealth of the nationattaxpayers’expense. Heisoperatingasthoughhe is not liable to be held accountable.

The teachers’ struggle enters its fifth week and

evidently the regime is displaying behaviours akin to the colonial authorities. Theregimedoesnotcarenor is it mindful of ensuring a s t a b l e i n d u s t r i a l environmentandthewelfare of our children who are experiencinglossbecauseof itsintransigence.

And the PPP/C doesn’t carebecausemostofthehigh officials’ children are in private schools benefiting fromthetwo-tieredsocietyit hascreatedforthehavesand have-nots.

Ali,whoisfromtheWest Coast Demerara, was raised in a sugar community and would have heard stories from his elders how they were mistreated on the plantations.

Why in the 21st century, the descendants of indenturedservantscanbeas callous,cruelanduncaring

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Excellent Discussion on Electoral Fraud

DEAREDITOR

ThishasrelevancetoMr. Vincent Alexander relating to topic ‘Rigged Elections and Democracy’ (KN Mar 1). It was an excellent discussion on history of electoral fraud. I was the moderator Iconsidermyself asaspecialistonthesubject having been an activist for ‘Free and Fair Election’ (FFE) and a proponent of democracy from 1968 onwards and written extensively on the matter including countless articles onthe2020attemptedfraud.

I am also familiar with the history of the activism of threeofthefourspeakerson the subject having collaborated with them at various times in antidictatorial struggle in

Guyana and abroad in the diaspora.

Though we may belong ondifferentsidesonpolitical affiliation and on ideology, thepublicneedsbereminded of and salute the contributions of David H i n d s , B a y t o r a m Ramharack,andRaviDevas wellasothersinthestruggle for FFE I was a key participant in the battle for democracy as well as the in the 2020 controversial elections with behind the scenes activism and influence in the accurate counting of the ballots to reflectthewillofthevoters. Withoutthekindofstruggle mentioned above, it is uncertain whether Guyana would have been a democracy and whether the

this great big rush to binge on borrowing, and leave the Guyanese taxpayers (and debt-holders) with lasting hangovers.

Development of infrastructure to be ready for the next decades and century has its pluses, but it must go hand in handwiththedevelopmentoftheentirepopulation. Itisan insult, an abomination, when significant segments of the population of the richest people in the world have great difficulty paying the rent, honoring their other obligations and, most of all, feeding their families. In such circumstances,beinglabeledtherichestpeopleintheworld becomesmorethanamockery,itbecomesacurse.

Consideringthefullslateofdebt,plusthemoneytaken fromtheOilFund,theregularGuyanesemanandwomanin the street should have been rising above their tough circumstances. For when they are in such a comfortable economicstate,thenthosehigheruptheladdercouldonly be doing far better Unfortunately, debt and development have been losers for Guyanese, which looks likely to continueindefinitelyintothefuture.

PPPwouldhavebeenableto wingovernmentin1992and in fact be in government today. It would be most ungrateful,theheightofnee makharamism, not to recognize and salute the work of those who helped restore democracy in Guyana.

David Hinds, a WPA ‘leader’, was from the early 1970s subjected to harassment and violence as wellasimprisonmentforhis roleinchampioningFFE.As a university student in America, Hinds continued that struggle both as an academicandasagrassroots activist and still does so till today I encountered him multiple times in NY and Washington in protests and at conferences during the 1980s and 1990s. He also penned some outstanding articlesonthesubjectandon varied topics in the weekly Caribbean Daylight newspaper and in other publications He was a championofdemocracy, BaytoramandImetas17 year old students in 1977 at CityCollegewherewewere tutored and influenced in political science by Vassan and Rennie Ramracha and together we launched a Caribbean organization as well as pioneered the struggleforFFE.

Initially, our struggle beganoncampus,thefirstof its kind in a university in America and globally, and

expanded nationally and internationally as we expanded contacts and the movement. Ramharack was among the best writers of that era.And our theoretical publications as well as activism was unmatched by other groups. Washington paid heed to us because of our pro-American position ongeo-strategicinterests.

Prior to our pioneering efforts, Arjune Karshan and ChuckMohanwereactivein left wing socialist movements to alert the American public of rights violations and lack of democracyinGuyana.They weresubsequentlyjoinedby othersinthelaunchingofthe ACG, support group of the PPP in the early 1980s. Hinds who was joined by Rohit Kanhai, Lincoln Van Sertima, Kenneth Persaud and others to form the WPA Support Group during the late1980s.

Our group and others organized protests, rallies, marches,picketingexercises and produced publications relatedtoGuyanafrom1978 onwards.

Ravi Dev became involved in the antidictatorial struggle mid 1980sthroughtheformation of the short lived GUDM. Dev and our group would merge operating under Jaguar Committee for Democracy (JCD) Other supportgroupslinkedto (Continuedonpage06)

Woe unto our women: Government is impotent Negotiations, Conciliation, Mediation andArbitration in Labour and

DEAREDITOR,

BackinJanuary7,2024, I read a joke in the press. It wasthatthe“GuyaneseGovt (is) to table (a) new legislation to deal with domestic violence.” I think this two-edged wise-crack will be with us in Guyana interminably and with increasingfrequency

The article detailed that “TheGuyaneseGovernment says it will table a modern andholisticFamilyViolence Bill in Parliament this year that will ‘comprehensively’ address violence and will replace the ‘current’ Domestic Violence Act ”

Likefirstoff,myreactionis ‘wow ’ My mirth was obvious,asiftheideaofthe ‘current’DomesticViolence Act(tobereplaced)wasever arealisation.

Letmequicklyillustrate. Andthisisnoteventhetipof theiceberg.Justperusethese leads,andthencheckonpast incidents, and look out for futureones.

“Woman stabbed 22 times by reputed husband”2023/04/27-KaieteurNews;

“Woman killed while fleeing abusive husband”Mar 07, 2023 -Kaieteur News;

“Woman stabbed to death in city hotel”November14,2023-Guyana Times;

‘Man, 34, remanded for raping child’-Feb 22, 2024 KNEWS;

“Man, 21, granted bail for raping child under 16”Feb182024-KNEWS

“Convicted rapist flees Mazaruni Prison” Feb 16, 2024 KNEWS

Read on to get risibility atitshighest.

The Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud,inonesectionofthe Bill’s content, verbosely explainedthat“Weneedreal protection to be provided to thesewomen,weneedthem to understand what the law doesforthem,weneedthem to understand what a protection order is, and we needtheperpetratorsalsoto understand what it means to flunktheprotectionorder.”

Editor, I do not know what kind of world this ministerislivingin.

T h e P e o p l e ’ s Progressive Party/Civic never protected, and cannot now protect female victims ofanysortofviolence.

Imean,whowillenforce anylawwherethismatteris concerned? In Guyana, things such as traffic c o n t r o l , n o i s e pollution/nuisance,littering, and a host of other antisocial and illegal acts are being endorsed by the venality of officials and a condoningpublic.

InGuyana,tobecharged by a police officer seems kind of silly to the perpetratorofanyoneofthe

things I mentioned The ‘wayout’iswellestablished to negate these ills committed by any citizen. It’sonlythehaplessandpoor who are forced into legal compliance.

I ask that Dr Vindhya Persaud revise how many times Minister of Public Works, Juan Edgehill, tried addressing ‘eradicating illegalvending.’Hismethod is to ‘speak in vain’so as to keephimselfinthenewsand thus his relevance, as the ‘nothing changes’ culture self-perpetuates, and the minister‘don’tcareadamn’ continues.

I do hope that we someday internalise that in Guyana, some 55 percentof women have reported having experienced at least one form of violence, including intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual abuse. Women will continue to live in fear and ‘keep their mouth shut ’ After all, the law is just in writing, and there is no ‘shelter of refuge’ that is trulyfunctional.

We need some external forcestohelpus!

So, Editor, if I were to have my way, I will inform the various embassies, particularly the US and Canada, about individuals charged and convicted with domestic crimes, and requestthattheyrevoketheir

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Industrial Relations

DEAREDITOR

In the field of industrial and labour relations, effective means of settlementoflabourdisputes have evolved through third party interventions, namely conciliation/mediation, adjudication by way of arbitration, and labour courts or other judicial means of settlement. Since conflicting demands in industrial relations often result in disputes, it is importanttoutilizemethods of dispute settlement. These “should aim at peaceful and orderly settlement of disputes so as to make it unnecessary to resort to strikes and lockouts” or other forms of industrial action.

Conciliation, mediation, and arbitration are valued dispute resolution methods used in the settlement of industrial/labour disputes a n d h a v e s p e c i a l significance for the social partners - trade unions and employers. These methods have been frequently and intensively utilized in industrialrelationsandhave b e e n p e r m a n e n t l y established in many countries with a long tradition and history of s u c c e s s Conciliation/mediation and arbitration have also been used in the field of international relations, civil society, family, and

community relations, and in the commercial world in place of costly and timeconsuminglitigation.

Frequent and prolonged labourdisputescouldhavea negative impact on industrial growth, economic andsocialdevelopment,and overall socio-political stability of any country

Effective and improved dispute settlement procedures and machinery are crucially important for the national economy and the general good of the population In many countries, the labour relationspolicyofthestateis concerned not only with the settlementoflabourdisputes through established dispute resolution machinery, but also with the prevention of disputes. Some states are actively involved in the promotion of improved relations among the social partners and their organizations and institutions.

Conciliation/Mediation in industrial disputes, whether it is a dispute of interestoradisputeofrights, isanessentialprocessinthe field of industrial relations. The conciliation process seekstoencouragedisputing parties to discuss their differences with a view to assisting them to develop theirownproposedsolution, as an extension of negotiations.

Disputes

Theministry/department of labour in the Englishspeaking Caribbean, as in many other countries, is the principal third party dealing with individual and collective labour disputes and provides a free, voluntary conciliation service The Dutchspeaking countries in the Caribbean provide this service through a statefunded independent mediation service The ministry or mediation service embodies the concept of non-political conciliation/mediation sand mustmaintainaroleofnonp a r t i s a n conciliation/mediationifitis to enjoy the confidence of the social partners. It must function with credibility, i m p a r t i a l i t y , professionalism, and integrity whether or not the service is located within or outside the ministry of labour.

F r o m t h e I L O perspective, “conciliation and mediation are regarded as equivalent terms, referring essentially to the same kind of third-party intervention to promote voluntary settlement of disputes” Technically, conciliation is limited to encouraging employers and unions in developing their own proposed solutions throughrationaldiscussion

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Negotiations, Conciliation, Mediation...

Frompage05 of their differences Mediation, on the other hand, is a stronger form of third-party intervention in whichthemediatorcanoffer to the parties, proposals for settlement of any industrial dispute.Itisfortheinvolved partiestoacceptorrejectany recommendations from Conciliators/Mediators.

In practice, however, the technical distinction between conciliation and mediation is blurred or disappears as both w o r d s a r e u s e d interchangeably in some countries to express the same process of third-party intervention In some other countries, the two words –conciliation and mediationdenote different forms of intervention for voluntary settlementofdisputesinwhich mediationisthestrongerform of third-party intervention than pure conciliation The Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries use the term “mediation” It should be notedthatILOguidelinesuse conciliation and mediation interchangeably, while at same time recognizing distinct national practices in theuseofthesewords.

“Conciliation can be

described as the practice by whichtheservicesofaneutral thirdpartyareusedinadispute asameansofhelpingdisputing parties to reduce the extent of theirdifferencesandarriveatan amicable settlement or agreed solution It is a process of rationalandorderlydiscussion of differences between the parties to a dispute under the guidanceoftheconciliator”

“As a process of peacemaking in industrial relations, conciliation aims to bring about the speedy settlement of disputes without resort to strikes or lockouts, and to hasten the termination of work stoppages when these have occurred. The steps that a conciliator/mediatormaytake to bring about an amicable settlement vary from one countrytoanother,butalways the function is to assist the parties towards a mutually acceptable compromise or solution”. The use of the conciliation/mediationservice mayberequiredbylaw,and/or by a collective labour agreement, or at the intervention of the conciliation/mediation service. This is usually the procedure required before resorting to adjudication

througharbitrationorlabour court for final settlement. In the Caribbean, the conciliation/mediation services are state institutions/state-funded institutions and agencies, which provide free services to employers and trade unions.

Conciliationandcollective bargaining: “The practice of conciliation in industrial disputeshasdevelopedmainly in connection with disputes arising from the failure of collectivebargaining,i.e.the negotiations between the parties with a view to the conclusion of a collective agreement. Conciliationhas thus been described as an extension of collective bargaining with third-party assistance, or simply as “assisted collective bargaining” The ILO uses the following definition for conciliation/ mediation: “Conciliation/mediation is ideally a voluntary process in which the services of an acceptable and independent third-party are used in a conflict as a means of helping the parties to arrive atanagreedoutcome”.

Withthanks

Excellent Discussion on Electoral...

Frompage04

URP, DLM, NRP, TUF, etc. were also formed in USA around1990.

All the groups collaborated at various times in the movement for FFE. But the most active was ACG and JCD.

The JCD was a right of center, pro-USA group unlike the ACG and WPA that were left wing. Our groups was also very active in Guyana and we were harassed and intimidated throughoutthecountryaswe conducted opinion surveys and engaged in antidictatorial activities. Other partieswerebeneficiariesof ouractivism.

Iamnotfamiliarwiththe political history or activism of Mr Roysdale Forde. But in surveys I conducted, he consistently polled the

highest support as potential leader of PNC since mid 2022 to succeed Aubrey Norton who has been lagging behind IrfaanAli in popularity and voter support Ali outpolled Norton in every survey and does not have cross-ethnic support;Alihassomecrossracial support PNC leadershipelectionhas been overdue since last December.

Forde comes across like a leader, and he has cross over support unlike several othersinthePNC.

In last Wednesday evening programme, Forde, like the others, was very articulate and strong in his political convictions He was very sharp and analytical. He put his clever lawyerly skills on display

As Alexander’s letter

suggested, there was agreement that rigging took place in Guyanese elections but not which side is responsible Hinds stated there is no single guilty party No political party realistically could have obtained more than 55% because of racial affiliation of voting patterns. At best PNC,couldmuster42%.Yet PNC claimed between 69% and 80% of votes. That was impossible.

As Dr Ramharack asserted, there was not only riggingofnationalelections, but internal party elections as well. Both major parties will hold internal elections laterthisyear—PPPinMay and PNC by August. We awaitwithbathedbreathfor theoutcomes.

Yourstruly,

Pres.Aliamanfromapoorbackground...

Frompage4 as the sugar barons and estatedrivers.

Brazil President Lula droppedahinttohim,during a shared press conference, about the respect and importance of collective bargaining and the corresponding impact on improving workers quality of life. Lula’s message fell ondeafears.

Inthecurrentstruggleof the teachers, the struggle of bauxite workers, employed by the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI),remainsunresolved andapainfulreminderofthe PPP regime’s transgression ofworkers’rights.Itisalsoa reminder of the regime’s willingness to allow international forces to trampleourlawsandreduce Guyanese to second-class citizensintheirbirthland.

BCGI workers deserve to have their 19-year-oldgrievances resolved through arbitration.

Thoseworkerswhohave been denied their correct termination benefit deserve redress In 2020 BCGI calculated the workers’ termination benefits on 365 days when these are not workingdays.

Thiserrorhasfinancially deprived workers what’s justly theirs, which their union, the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU), has requested of the Ministry of Labour to facilitate the process to correct.

Several letters sent by theGB&GWUtothelabour ministry to correct the economicinjusticearelying somewhere on Minister Joe Hamilton or Chief Labour OfficerDeonarinePersaud’s

desk.Theministryrefusesto budge even as BCGI remains a legal entity in GuyanaandtheGovernment of Guyana has shares in the company

The issue of the public servants and government’s refusal to respect these workers’ right to collective b a r g a i n i n g a n d representation through the Guyana Public Service Union is another vexatious andlawlesssituation.

Consistent with the government’s treatment of workers, the nation is called on to rally around our teachers and all workers. If the government gets away with trampling the rights of someworkersonly amatter oftimebeforeittramplesthe rights of all citizens that do notformpartofitsclique.

Sincerely

Woe unto our women: Government...

Frompage05 applications for visastourist,student,workpermit, andPR.Also,theauthorities should exercised revocation ASAP, for those having possession of these visas already

Thisideahithomewhen I saw on Facebook, how a young lady from Lusignan was badly beaten up by her lover, who is the actual husband of another woman

living in another village closeby.

This woman-beater is being processed for the US andIbethis‘bad-man’ways willdisappearifandwhenhe gets to his intended dream land.

What is shocking is that the police at Vigilance are quiteawareofthissituation, but the culture of ‘passivity’ is upon the force. I think women who have been

victims of men-beating’ should advocate that visa revocation start as soon as possible. They should also commit themselves to inform, and with evidence, the US and Canadian authorities, so that their plightcanbeaddressed

MaybeVindhyacanlead in this way, as her Bill will provevain.

Yourstruly,

KingBelshazzar vsPres.Ali

Last week this nation witnessed one of the worst forms of heartlessness, if there is such a thing, coupled with a heavy dose of ostentation.

In all our lives watching and covering Caricom meetings we have not seen anywhere this level of extravagance. What made it so jarring, is that the splurging happened amid street protests by teachers begging for a livable wage.

Our local King Belshazzar spared no effort in showing off to his Caricom buddies how he can splurge on them with the little resources of this country. Mind you, this is a bunch of Caricom leaders who only recently wouldn't even lift a finger against the rampaging Nicolas Maduro but in typical Belshazzar style our President now chair of the prestigious Caricom body threw enormous banquets for a thousand of his nobles.

They even drank wine excessively directly in front of ordinary Guyanese- many scraping out a living. We do not have money to pay teachers, but we announced big and bold we are contributing US$2M in financing towards the Regional Climate Adaptation Fund. If that isn't love, teachers, then the ocean is dry.

Benn wants audit of credit union’s finances

...cites allegations of two-year spending spree

In order to determine the financial state of the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU) a proper audit needs to be conducted Trevor Benn told the media on Saturday evening,followinghisteam's clean sweep of the elections heldattheCritchlowLabour College during the GPSCCU's Special General Meeting.

Benn was asked by the media what would be the priority for the Union now that a new committee has been elected. He said: “The

firstthingwehavetodoisto do a proper audit of the society.We don't know what thestateofthefinancialsisat the moment. As you know there have been lots of allegations made about the monies that have been spent overthelasttwoyearsandwe want to have a full understanding of what's going on at the moment and once we have that information, we will be able to make more definitive decisions in relation to what will happen for our members.”

He further explained that “the New Committee of Management will place our membersaspriority Wewill do everything possible to ensurethattheyaregiventhe help that they need and that they are respected in every possibleway.”

Benn told the media that there have been complaints ofmembersovertheyears,in relation to the difficulties they encounter to access ordinaryloans.“Howeverwe know for a fact that our members have been complaining for many years

in relation to the amount of hassletheyhavetogetloans, ordinaryloans.”

Looking back to a few years ago Benn noted that, “In 2018 when I first got to the Credit Union it took no less than 15 days to two monthsforthemtogetaloan of $100,000. We took that down to one day in a short space of time My informationisthatithasgone up back to a substantial amount of time for these ordinary loans and we want to make sure that people coming to us for small amounts of money can get it approvedthesameday.”

He added that oftentimes personsmayneedtheseloans for funeral expenses or medical reasons and they do not have the time to wait

when these resources are needed. Hence, he said there willbesystemsputinplaceto ensurethatstaffmembersare properlytrained,sothatthey will be able to provide the kind of service the members need Saturday's election followed a lengthy High Court fight between two factions of the credit union.

Polls opened at 13:15h and closed at 17:30h At approximately 19:34h, Returning Officer, Professor Leyland Lucas started the declarationoftheresults.The results delivered by Professor Lucas are as follows: Trevor L. Benn1816votes, PaulClarke291, Simone Allen 157, Eslyn Harris1490,PatrickMentore 1636, Mehalai Mc Almont 1504, Christopher

Thompson 1504, John Anderson 1495, Judah Louisy 1408, Vanessa Kissoon 1608, Kirk Fraser 1403, Candace Enmore 1255,BeverlyDeJohn1133, JoelHinds960,MarlonCole 851,RajdaiJagarnauth1251, Dwight Dodson 187, Dawn Gardener 125, Patrick M. Yarde 97, Indira Thakurdin 90, Loren Park 173 and SelwynGriffith253. Victoryforthepeople A f t e r e m e r g i n g victorious, Benn told reportersthatSaturday's (Continuedonpage10)

On free and fair elections

You have heard the phrase ‘free and fair elections’usedtodescribean element of the democratic process – the holding of elections. And mistakenly, therearepersonswhousethe terms ‘free’ and ‘fair’ interchangeably without understanding the difference.

Freeelectionsrefertothe ability of all eligible candidates and citizens to participate in the electoral process without prohibition, coercion, intimidation, or undue influence In free elections, citizens have the freedom to express their politicalpreferenceswithout fear of reprisal or discrimination.

In the case of both candidates and citizens this includes the freedom to campaign, express political opinions,andcasttheirvotes without interference from the government or other actors.

Fair elections, on the other hand, refer to the i m p a r t i a l i t y a n d transparency of the the electoral process Fair elections ensure that all candidates and political parties have equal opportunitiestocompetefor votes, and that the rules governing the electoral process are applied consistently and without bias Fair elections also involve mechanisms to preventfraud,manipulation, or irregularities that could undermine the integrity of theelectoraloutcome.

This framework applies tobothelectionsforpolitical officeasitdoesforelections

to appoint executives of a body Freeness and fairness shouldbeupheldinallkinds ofelections.

Thispastweekendthere was an election to appoint a committee to manage the affairs of the Guyana Public Service Credit Union. And surprisingly before the actual voting took place, it wasreportedthattherewasa m o t i o n t h a t w a s overwhelmingly passed prohibiting certain persons from contesting the elections.Itismyconsidered opinionthatsolongasthese persons qualified by virtue of the rule of the Credit Union,thattheyshouldhave been allowed on the ballot.

Unless,thecourtspecifically ordered that none of them shouldbeallowedtocontest for office, then this means thattherewasarestrictionon their participation in the elections.

Therefore, the elections cannothavebeendeemedto be free even though it may havebeenfair

If true, there was no reason for such a motion.

Based on the numbers that voted for the motion, it was clear that the persons prohibitedstoodlittlechance of winning any position up for contest. As such, the persons should have been allowed, if they so desired and were qualified, to contesttheelections. Ihave seen other elections in other organizationsinwhichthere was great hurry to close nominations. Someone would nominate someone and then before any other nominations were made, a motion would be moved to

close nominations, thus preventing others from contesting. The practice of h u r r i e d l y c l o s i n g nominations severely restrictstheprinciplesoffree and fair elections by stifling competitionandlimitingthe choices available to voters.

Firstly, this practice undermines the democratic ideal of inclusivity. It

prevents potential c a n d i d a t e s f r o m participating in the electoral process In a truly democratic system, individuals should have the opportunity to put themselves forward as candidates and present their platforms to the electorate.

By hastily closing nominations, the electoral p r o c e s s b e c o m e s exclusionary, denying aspiring candidates the chance to contribute to the political discourse and offer alternativeperspectives.

Secondly, the rushed closure of nominations undermines the principle of fair competition by creating an unfair advantage for incumbent candidates or those with established support networks. Without adequate time for other candidates to enter the contest,theelectoralplaying field becomes skewed in favor of those who are alreadywell-knownorwellconnected.

Thepracticeofhurriedly closing nominations has been known to be used to shut out others from competing. This by no stretch of the imagination can be said to be consistent with the freeness or fairness

DEM BOYS SEH

Who needs logic when yuh gat comedy!

Ya ever hear ‘bout de fella whotrytofetch water in a basket? Well, dat’s just ‘bout as sensible as Guyana tryin’to levy on its own assets in case of an oilspill!

De Vee Pee claim how we got assets worth more than US$ 20B in the Stabroek block, but guess what? Dem same oil companies operatin’ dey deducin’ mortgage each month for dem very assets.

Sound like we payin’ fu’ sometin’dat’salreadyours, ain’tit?

It’s like buyin’a car on credit and then tryin’ to repossess it from yourself when sometin’ go wrong. Now, if dat ain’t a comedy of errors, den tell me what is!

De Vee Pee want we to believedatindeeventofan oilspill,wegon’justturnto ourselves and say, “Hey, hand over dem assets we already payin’ fuh’!” Well, dat’s a real good one, ain’t it? Plenty jokes passin’fuh factsdesedays!

Imagine if an oil spill happen, Guyana gan start lookin’ ‘round fu’ who to

oftheprocess.

Guyana has a history of electoral malpractices involving the now main Opposition party And certain of those practices associated with rigging an election have creeped into the electoral process of social organizations. And at times, it has led to the disingenuous process of using the courts to maintain the status quo ante and prevent a change in the administration.

Those who have followed developments in cricket administration in the past will understand what I amreferringto.

Wemustcreateaculture of freeness and fairness in ourelections,atthepolitical level and at the social level. People must learn to appreciate the value of winningelectionsfreelyand fairly Ifyouloseanelection, freelyandfairly,acceptyour defeatgraciously Competefiercelyandbut

fairly And in so doing the winning will be much sweeter

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

blame, and dey pointin’ fingersatdemirror! Indis case, we tryin’ to levy on assets we already own! If dat ain’t a topsy-turvy situation, den I don’t know whatis!

Guyana, playin’ dis absurd game o’ levying on ourownassets.

But hey, who needs logicwhenyougotcomedy, right?Maybeonedaywe’ll lookbackondisandhavea goodlaugh.

Until den, we’ll just shake our heads and say, “OnlyinGuyana!”

Talkhalf,Leffhalf

Bursting the Bharrat Jagdeo bubble

Itisalwaysapainfulduty to engage in self-correction. Itisthattimeforme. Ithasto dowiththatillustrioussonof Guyana,oneBharratJagdeo.

I will do my best to be kind andgentle.

I have had many warm

discussions with others on theissueofwhetherheisthe smartestoneintheroom. My contention was that he qualified to be above all competition head and shoulders definitely for the laurel of being among the

most cunning one anywhere. Epiphany arrived. To be the most cunning, some smarts mustbeinthemix,andthatI willingly gift to Jagdeo Sometimessomeiswon,less arelost.

The question still sticks:

how much does he really know,authentic? Howmuch about him is bluff and bluster? What does this say about him, other than someone all hollow in width andshallowindepth. When hetakesstock,hecomestone overdue conclusion. The game is up, and his own peopleseethroughhisantics and histrionics Thus, he scrapes the bottom of his barren, mental barrel, and delivers terms like rate of return and equilibrium Beginner's fluff, bruddah Fewer and fewer natives are impressed. His knowledge base is erected on froth and fluff. Theyseehimforwhat heismadeof,hisemptiness. Being the cunning character thatheis,Jagdeogoesonthe offensivetorevile(objectors) and incite (supporters), to defend what cannot be defended Ignorance inspires instigations, it is said.

Inascribingsomelevelof smarts to the Vice President, a former president, a former MinisterofFinance,aformer self-anointed champion oil czar, and now self-selected chief nationalpolicymaker, I came to a tough crossroads: at what point does his pretensions to knowledge stop, and when and where does his possession of actual knowledge begin. In high finance and statistics? In economics? In basic arithmetic?

He is asked a question aboutoilspillinsurance,and he transforms into a juggler (millions, then billions; but no proof, and no Guyanese any the wiser). Ask him about regulations and reports, and Jagdeo seesaws like some trapeze dancer (check with EPAand GRA). Never mind that some whisper directs those agenciestoseallipsandgive nobody nothing. Please, my

fellow Guyanese, o v e r l o o k t h e Brooklynese.

Further,havetheaudacity to put Exxon under the spotlight before Jagdeo, and he turns into a phantom (proven escape artist) right before the eyes. Like that comic strip character, Mandrake the Magician, Jagdeo goes into his version of'theghostwhowalksinthe middle of the day.' To the skeptical, I suggest listening to him and how he answers oil governance questions at his Thursday press conferences Press conferences are my English Language contribution to charity, for they have deteriorated to nothing but what is pure political pornography It is a leader performing for his watching andlisteningaudience. Press conferences, hell! The man is not into answering inquiries but verbalizing unembarrassed efforts at titillating.

star of the Boston Red Sox (no spelling error), Pedro Martinez. He would hurl a thunderboltatabatter'shead, and when the benches cleared, Pedro was well on the way to Santo Domingo. He started fights, then sneaked away, and let others dothefighting. WhenIstudy J a g d e o , I s e e t h e disappearing Martinez hiding in some closet, and leaving others to mix it up. That's Big Boss Jagdeo,the wizardofoozeandabuse.

H e r e i s m o r e confirmation about Jagdeo. His clothes are filled with holes. His policy postures are like donuts. His oil gimmicks remind many of mildewed and wood ant infested material He compelscringing.

The more Jagdeo jiggles and wiggles to run porous interferences for Exxon, the more he comes across as a cheap country bully Standup to the big bad man, andhemeltsintoaslickpool on the floor; even in a collapsedstate,Jagdeoisstill slipperierthananeel. Ihave heard about his lengthy, tricky legacy of failed projects,butthoseareonme.

I should have consulted with Guyanese on my rush of generosity; at the end of the day, it is their tax money One of the VP's chief policy decisions is to make the mistake of playing games withpeoplewhoarereadyto face him down before the entire Guyanese public Guesswho? Getoutofhand and some are ready to go manoamano.Roguecopsor none. Phantomforcesornot.

Irecallthatlong-agopitching

Jagdeo has made an artificial living with intellectual farces. His gig is nowup. Theonlypeoplestill clingingtohimarethosewho draw a paycheck from the treasury They design and spread fake news via state channels, and friendly privateones. Whatawayto make a living, to feed the grandchildren and one man's ego.

Indeed,itisamostpitiful thingtowatchajokerlosehis punchlinesandendupbeing a punching bag. Jagdeo's aura of self-promoted invincibility has been punctured. Just look at him. He has no use for himself, and neither do the longsuffering people of this long-foolednation.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the authoranddonotnecessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and itsaffiliates.)

Benn wants audit of credit union’s...

Frompage8

victory is for the members of the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union.

“As you are aware, the need for this Special General Meeting was made possible by ordinary members who decided that they wantedtohavebettergovernanceatthecredit union, and they sought to have the management committee respond to them on issues which they felt were not in keeping with good governance at the time. They further went on to the court because the management committee did not respond to them,andsoherewearetwoyearshencefor theholdingoftheSpecialGeneralMeeting,” hesaid.Further,Bennsaid“Ithinkitisavery goodthingthatmembersoftheCreditUnion are allowed to question the leadership of the

organisation and to take steps necessary to bring them to account and this is what I believed happened here over the past two years.”Heremindedreportersthattheroadto Saturday's elections was fought for in the country's courts. “And in each period, the courtruledinfavourofthemembersandIam sure they are rejoicing today that the final orderofthecourthadbeenadheredtoandwe areatthisstageheretoday.”

EarlierSaturday,amotionwascarriedby theCreditUniontoelectanewCommitteeof Management. The motion was the third of three tabled in keeping with the orders handed down by Justice Navindra Singh in the matter of Mehalai McAlmont and others vs. Guyana Public Service Co-operative CreditUnioninDecember

Haiti gangs free 4,000 inmates in mass jailbreak

(BBC News) Armed gangshavestormedthemain prisoninHaiti'scapitalPortau-Prince, releasing many inmates.

The vast majority of about 4,000 men held there have now escaped, a local journalist told BBC News. Among those detained were gang members charged in connection with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

Violence in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has worsened in recent years. Gangs aiming to oust PM Ariel Henry control 80% of Port-auPrince.Thelatestupsurgein violencebeganonThursday, when the prime minister travelled to Nairobi to discuss sending a Kenyanled multinational security force to Haiti. Gang leader J i m m y C h é r i z i e r (nicknamed "Barbecue") declared a co-ordinated attacktoremovehim.

"All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united," said the former police

officer, who is thought to be behind several massacres in Port-au-Prince. A wave of shootings left four police officers dead and five injured.TheFrenchembassy in Haiti advised against travel in and around the capital. Haiti's police union asked the military to help reinforce the prison, but the compound was stormed late on Saturday On Sunday the doorsoftheprisonwerestill openandtherewerenosigns of officers, Reuters news agency reported Three inmateswhotriedtofleelay dead in the courtyard, the report said. One volunteer prison worker told the Reuters journalists that 99 prisoners - including former Colombian soldiers jailed over President Moïse's murder - had chosen to remain in their cells for fear ofbeingkilledincrossfire.

Violence has been rife since President Moïse's assassination. He has not been replaced and elections have not been held since 2016.Underapoliticaldeal, electionsweretobeheldand theunelectedMr Henrywas

Port-au-Prince has descended into violence in recent days

due to stand down by 7 February, but that did not happen. In January, the UN said more than 8,400 people were victims of Haiti's gang violence last year, including killings, injuries and kidnappings - more than double the numbers seen in 2022.

Govt. to connect Aubrey Barker Road to Enmore

– Min. Edghill

The Government of Guyana (GoG) is gearing up to enhance connectivity by extending Aubrey Barker Road, located in South Ruimveldt Georgetown, all the way to Enmore on the EastCoastofDemerara.This ambitious infrastructure project is set to significantly improve transportation links betweentheseareas.

MinisterofPublicWorks, Juan Edghill, had revealed that contracts have been awarded for the widening of Aubrey Barker Road, transforming it into a fourlane thoroughfare The project is being executed in twophases,withColinTalbot Constructionsecuringa$227 million contract for Lot One and Surrey Paving and Associates clinching a $226 millioncontractforLotTwo.

Despiteinitialdelays,the project is now slated for

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill

completion within the first quarter of 2024 During discussions in the National Assembly, Minister Edghill outlined the broader vision behind the road expansion project, stating, “It will be usefulformetotellthenation through you sir the Aubrey Barker road is being made

into a four-lane road and the intent is for it to get all the waytoEnmore.Itwillgetall the way to Enmore, eventuallywithsupportfrom the ministry of housing becauseasyouknowthereis lots of housing developing thatistakingplacethereright now.”

Panamanian firm at centre of Tobago

oil spill, boat headed for GPL

Panamanian firm at centre of Tobago...

Gold miner and worker riddled with bullets

...gunmenescapewith$37Mworth ingold,threefirearms,ammo

A p r o m i n e n t B a r t i c a Businessman, Zaheer Mohammed Sheriff, 50 and a former national athletewhoworkedwithhim,Donvan Washington, 26 were on Sunday murdered by bandits while returning fromArimu Backdam, Cuyuni River, RegionSeven.

Mohammed a devout Muslim and resident of Byderado Road, Bartica, Region Seven owns a land dredge in thebackdam.Hereportedlystartedhis day early Sunday with prayers at the Masjid in Bartica before leaving with WashingtonforArimuBackdamonan ATV(fourwheelbike.Theyhadgone in there to wash down (a process of washing separate gold from mats placed in a sluice box to trap the precious metal) and bring out production(thegold).

According to police reports they leftwith102ouncesofrawgoldworth some $37M but at around 10:00hrs theywerebothshotdeadandthegold stolen The dead businessman's GeneralManager(GM)JoelStephen, 39, told police that Mohammed and Washington were killed some five minutes after leaving camp He recalled hearing “several loud explosions which he suspected to be gunshots”, police said Stephen reportedly followed the directions of the sounds and after walking for 500 meters away from camp he found his boss andWashington dead in the trail with visible gunshot wounds to their bodies. Not only did he discover that thegoldtheywerecarryingwas gone butMohammed'stwolicensedguns,a .32 pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun, were stolen. He reported the matter immediately to the Bartica Police Station and ranks were sent in to investigate.

Crime sleuths noted that Mohammed bore four gunshot wounds to his body-one to his chest, anothertohisrightthigh,athirdtohis rightarmandafourthtohisleftupper back- while Washington's body was riddled. Police counted 13 bullet holes about his body At the scene investigators found a .32 magazine witheightlivematchingrounds,seven 9mm spent shells and three .32 spent shells Their bodies have been transported to Bartica as detectives continuetheirinvestigation.

Police have learnt so far that the businessman and his worker were attackedbytwomaskedmenonaRed ATV(four-wheel bike). Residents of Barticadescribedthetwodeadmenas peaceful souls and respected individualsoftheircommunity They urgedthepolicetotakeswiftactionto apprehendthesuspectsresponsiblefor theirkillings.

Clime sleuths conducting investigations at the location where the businessman and his worker were gunned down

...urges stiffer penalties for repeat offenders to enforce Caricom arrest warrant

CARICOM Heads have reiterated their commitment to taking strong actions againstspiralingcrimeacross theregionandhavegiventhe a l l - c l e a r f o r t h e implementation of a regionwidearrestwarrant.

The issue came up for discussion during the just concluded Caricom summit heldhere.Attheclosingpress conference, Grenada's Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell highlightedthegravityofthe situation, stating that crime, violence, and public safety are matters of fundamental importanceto CARICOM as a whole. He stressed that while governments play a

crucialrole,combatingthese challenges require the active participation of all citizens.

“We have some per capita alarmingstatistics,percapita homicide, killing of our people, particularly our young people. It's something we cannot be proud of in m a r k i n g o u r 5 0 t h AnniversaryofCARICOM,” henoted.

Inreaffirmingtherightto freedomofexpressionandto public speech, CARICOM Heads of Government strongly condemned the development, presence, tolerance, or acceptance of violent,anti-socialmusicand social media content that

denigrate women and encourage or promote or support the use of violence, guns, and other anti-social behaviours, particularly targeted to youths The Grenadian PM stated, “We recognised the profound importance of public safety… despite all of the hardworkwhetherit'sonfree movement of people, integrated economic cooperation, the work on the capital markets, the risk we face on climate change and our efforts to address this all of this can be undone if we do not address this style of crime and violence.”

crossing

up their efforts to

swift ratification of thismeasure.

Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell

criminal assets to prevent profiteering One key initiative that was disclosed by Mitchell is th

(Continuedonpage18)

Dozens killed in another Israeli attack on food seekers

Health Ministry in Gaza on Sunday said dozens of persons were killed and wounded in a “horrific massacre” of aidseekers at Kuwaiti roundaboutinGazaCity

Additionally, the Health Ministry says at least 15 children have died in the past few days from m a l n u t r i t i o n a n d dehydration at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City hours after UNICEF chief warned of acute malnutrition territory At least 30,410 people have been killed and 71,700 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas

attacks standsat1,139.

Meanwhile, Turkey has joined Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan in condemning Israeli forces shooting desperately hungry Palestinians waiting for the delivery of aid, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry accusing Israel of using “starvation as a weaponofwarinGaza ”

A t l e a s t 1 1 5 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded, the Health Ministry in Gaza said Israeli troops apparently fired heavily into the crowd, as more than 80% of the wounded brought to one hospital had been struck by gunfire, the hospital’s chief said Friday.

Burkina Faso says 170 dead in village ‘executions’

The army chief is also warning soldiers to stay vigilant for large-scale attacks

(BBC News) Some 170 peopleincludingwomenand children have been “executed” in attacks on three villages in Burkina Faso,apublicprosecutorhas said.

Aly Benjamin Coulibaly appealed for witnesses to helpfindthosewhoattacked Komsilga, Nordin and Soro. Separately,thearmywarned of the increased risk of attacks by Islamists, “including attacks on urban centres”.Thecountry’sarmy seized power in 2022, but morethanathirdofBurkina Faso is controlled by insurgents Mr Coulibaly said he had launched an investigationintothevillage attacks in Yatenga province

on 25 February The AFP news agency reported that dozens of women and children were among the dead. It was not known which group was behind the attacks They are not believed to be related to other recent violenceattacksonachurchaswellas a mosque and army baseselsewhereinthecountry On Friday, the country’s army chiefwarnedsoldierstostay vigilant due to an increased risk of suicide attacks by militants.Hesaidtherewere also “fears of a series of large-scale attacks” against securityforcesincities.

Humanitarian workers say Burkina Faso is one of the world’s most-neglected

crises Years of rampant insecurity has forced more thantwomillionpeoplefrom their homes, and the UN estimatesthataquarterofall children under five have stunted growth resulting fromhunger

The military seized power two years ago promising to win the battle against rebels, yet the violence continues “The epicentre of terrorism has nowconclusivelyshiftedout of the Middle East and into the central Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa,” said the Institute for Economics and Peace earlier this week. The Sahel includes Burkina Faso,MaliandNigeramong othernations.

Panamanianfirmatcentreof Tobagooil...

Frompage13 then for the last seven months beached along an informalharbourjusttothe south.

Panamanian court documents shed more light on how the Gulfstream ended up here and the barge’scondition.

On March 10, 2023, Termini Financing Group, SA, which has the concession to operate the Muelle3dock,filedacourt orderagainsttheSeaMarlin for an unpaid balance of US$205,484.12 for its stay at the dock, since September 13, 2022 Terministatesthatithadnot receivedcommunicationor paymentfromtheoperators of the Sea Marlin, named Star Goods Petroleum SA, sincethebarge’sarrival.

In the court order, Terminipointedoutthatthe barge had been damaged sinceitenteredtheportarea and had water leaks so serious they required pumping water from the vessel to prevent it from

sinking. The Gulfstream had to be auctioned three times to sell:onMay9,2023,witha minimum price of US$187,500; on May 16, with a minimum price of US$125,000;andfinallyon May 23 with a minimum price of just the court process expenses. On May 24, court records indicated that the matter had been resolved Termini Financing Group received just US$7,496.30 for the sale. As previously reported by Bellingcat, between May 29 and June 3, 2023, the Gulfstream had been movedfromMuelle3tothe beachjusttothesouth.

OnDecember30,2023, having been sold with seriousmaintenanceissues, and without having visited any shipyard for major repairs,theGulfstreamwas removedfromitsharbourto anchor in Colon On January 12, 2024, it began its voyage to Venezuela. The Gulfstream has had

issuesbefore.In2019,after going missing at sea for seven days, the barge ran aground on a beach in Cordóba, Colombia. Just weekslater,thevesselagain h a d n a v i g a t i o n a l difficulties due to adverse weatherconditionsandhad tobeescortedtoportbythe ColombianCoastGuard.

OfftoVenezuela

Videos obtained by Guardian Media and Bellingcat from a source w h o p r e v i o u s l y communicated with the crew,filmedinlateJanuary, show the Solo Creed en route with the Gulfstream. In the audio, which has beenremovedtoprotectthe identityofcrewmembers,a voice can be heard indicating that they are travelling to Venezuela Bellingcat geolocated additional videos provided by the same source to just offshore Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, in Pozuelo’s Bay as previously identified on satellite imagery

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Guyana, DR intensifying cooperation - PM Philips

Guyana and the Do minican Republic are advancing their bilateral cooperation based on mutual interests and values.

Although diplomatic relationships were established some 54 years ago, and an embassy entrenched months ago, the countries’ partnership has intensified over the past two years with more meaningful engagements facilitated. These include reciprocal presidential visits that saw several bilateral agreements in the areas of political consultation, energy, tourism, air services, investment, petroleum and agriculture, evidence of heightened interest in advancing their relationship.

This was highlighted by Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips in his address at DR’s 180th Independent Anniversary event held at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre Friday evening. “[This has] facilitated more meaningful engagements between our two countries, not only at the level of government but inclusive of the private sector and people to people interaction,” PM Phillips underlined.

Guyana welcomes this partnership, the prime Minister said, while noting the country’s commitment through the establishment of an embassy in Guyana. This, he said, acts as an appropriate conduit for the implemen-

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tation and execution on the two nations bilateral agenda.

“For our part, we’re committed to working … to give impetus to the several working groups that will serve to advance the programme of cooperation.

The engagements will provide very practical support in the management of outcomes of the multiple initiatives of mutually beneficial cooperation and collaboration” he added.

PM Phillips said too, as the cooperation continues to grow between the two nations, it is crucial to explore ways to bring people from both countries closer to-

gether. “The Government of Guyana remains committed to international cooperation and strategic partnerships and looks forward therefore, to continued collaboration with the Dominican Republic on issues of mutual interest and to addressing them with renewed fervour,” he further expressed. Ambassador Ernesto Torres-Pereyra expanded on the relationship, revealing that 10 cooperation agreements were signed in the year 2023 alone. He believes that 2024 will be very ‘auspicious’ for Guyana and the Dominican Republic. “Also, on behalf of the people of Domini-

can Republic and on behalf of the government, we would like to express our profound gratitude to Guyana for their unwavering support in the multilateral system,” the ambassador said.

He also congratulated the Guyanese Government for successfully hosting international conferences, which he said demonstrates Guyana’s growing regional leadership on many fronts.

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller; Canada’s High Commissioner, Mark Berman were among prominent figures attending the auspicious anniversary event. (DPI)

Caricom on warpath against spiraling crime...

From page 14 crime.” Prime Minister Mitchell continued, “And so we need to make sure that criminals understands that we will not tolerate them moving from island to island within the community, to escape the consequences of their...”

The Prime Minister’s remarks underscored the sobering reality of professional criminals operating across the Caribbean, necessitating a unified response from regional leaders.

CARICOM Heads of Government said they are committed to working with all sectors and institutions, including civil society, academia, labour, churches, our creative law enforcement, the judiciary, political parties, employers and businesses, and external partners to implement all of the measures set out in the Declaration on Crime and Violence as a Public Health Safety Issue.

Moreover, PM Mitchell called for a balanced approach to sentencing and

bail, highlighting the need to prevent repeat offenders from further endangering society.

He said, “In relation to sentencing that often times are meted out to criminals or the fact that we have taken a very liberal and tolerant approach to granting bail to criminals who had multiple repeat charges.”

In addressing concerns about judicial independence, Mitchell clarified that effort to address sentencing and bail issues are not intended to interfere with the judiciary but are necessary to safeguard citizens’ rights to safety.

The CARICOM leader underscored, “The Caribbean civilization is founded upon yes the separation of powers, but the separation of powers cannot be taken to mean that the executive and the judiciary cannot engage...”

He added, “Pertaining to the need to address our sentencing approach or our approach to bail is not an attempt by heads to interfere with the judiciaries exercise of their right to ultimately deter-

mine a sentence, but it is a recognition that if we value life, if we value public safety…we cannot simply sit idly by and slowly walk into a situation where criminals have more rights than citizens and innocent victims.”

Mitchell stressed the importance of constructive engagement with the judiciary to ensure that they play their part in addressing the region’s crime and violence challenges.

“We can’t sit idly by as heads and watch criminals who are on bail commit crime and not say that this is a matter that needs to be address and so as heads we are very clear that talking and engaging with the judiciary is absolutely necessary if we are going to address this issue of criminality within the region, we cannot tolerate the situations where criminals commit multiple repeated offences and are let loose on our society,” Prime Minister Mitchell said.

World Athletics Indoor Championships… Charlton lowers world record, Duplantis wins another global title

(Reuters) - Devynne Charlton blazed to a world record in the women’s 60metres hurdles while pole vaulter Armand Duplantis pulled a remarkable performance out of what had been an off-night to win gold at the world indoor athletics championships on Sunday.

Charlton, a 28-year-old from the Bahamas, clocked 7.65 seconds to shave twohundredths of a second off the previous record she had

shared with American Tia Jones.

Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France clocked 7.74 for silver, while Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska won bronze in 7.79.

The 24-year-old Duplantis, an Olympic and two-time world outdoor champion, cleared 6.05 metres to add a second world indoor title to his bulging resume. Some uncharacteristic misses at lower heights had the

world-record holder puffing his cheeks in frustration.

He finally cleared 6.05 on his third jump, then missed at three world-record attempts of 6.24.

American Sam Kendricks took silver with a height of 5.90, while Emmanouil Karalis of Greece won bronze with 5.85.

Femke Bol captured her second title of the meet in anchoring the Dutch women to victory in the 4x400m relay.

The 24-year-old had crushed her own world indoor 400m record en route to gold the previous evening.

Simon Ehammer of Switzerland won the men’s heptathlon to improve on his silver in 2022, doing just enough in the 1,000 metres — the heptathlon’s last event — to hold off Norway’s Sander Skotheim by 11 points.

Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia pulled away from home favourite Jemma Reekie over the final 50 metres to win the women’s 800 in 2:01.90. Reekie, from Scotland, crossed in 2:02.72 for silver.

Wayne Cave rules the roost in Caius Creation Scrabble tournament

Wayne Cave played the tournament of his life and rose from among the rubble to amass 4 points and a positive spread of 348 to take top honours in the Caius Creation Scrabble tournament at the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground, last Saturday afternoon. Cave and KamptaRamnarine both formed 9 bingos apiece but it was Cave who walked away with the premium prize by dint of a technicality.

Michael Benjamin surrendered his 2nd round duel to Cave (115) but recovered to clinch the remaining 3 games for an eventual 4 points and a positive spread of 208 to claim

the second place slot.

His victims were Devon Morris (221), Robert Williams (21), Ovid Williams (86) and Ramnarine (93). Winslow Jacobs finished with 3 points and a positive spread of 146 to cap off the podium positions.

Noticeably, the usual level of female participation drew comments from the pundits but the Director of Tournament, explained that the competition was open to both genders but most of the women were unable to participate because of other pressing commitments.

The date of the next tournament will be released soon.

Monday March 04, 2024

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

You're feeling especially loving, attractive, and romantic, so romance is likely to be on your mind. Romantic novels and movies could seem especially appealing. If you're currently involved.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

An increased level of ESP and imagination could have you feeling more creative and artistic. You might want to channel this energy into writing, painting, or adding touches to your living room.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

An attractive neighbor with whom you seem to share a bond could become a friend. A group you're affiliated with could be expressing highly idealized goals and purposes.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Dreams of a new career could fill your mind today, perhaps because of too much stress in your current one. You might even think of becoming a movie star.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Spiritual goals may be at the top of your priority list now, Leo. You may be looking for online metaphysical seminars or meditation workshops, perhaps taking place in a distant state or foreign country.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Lovely dreams could spark your imagination and get your artistic abilities going. You could learn a lot about yourself and whatever has been limiting you. Write down whatever comes your way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

A new friend could arrive today, Libra. You're probably going to like this person very much. He or she probably shares many of your interests. You could become close friends.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

If you've been thinking about a job change or even a new career, a chance interaction could provide the opportunity. However, Scorpio, remember, "If something seems too good to be true.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

A journey by air to a distant place might be on your mind, though you might not make it for a long time. Knowledge is important to you, and you can be insatiably curious. This is likely to be one of those days.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

The desire to beautify your home could hit you full force today, Capricorn. Perhaps you're expecting future visitors or house guests and want to make a good impression.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

A new neighbor could arrive who you feel especially drawn to, Aquarius. You might have high hopes for a friendship with this person. He or she may seem especially congenial and share a lot of your interests.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

You could be feeling especially sociable today. Maybe there's a virtual party of some kind you want to be invited to. You could hear some good news, and there is probably some truth to it,.

American Bryce Hoppel held off Sweden’s Andreas Kramer to win the men’s 800 in 1:44.92, the quickest time in the world this season.

Geordie Beamish of New Zealand produced a brilliant kick to win the men’s 1,500 metres.

Beamish, whose best event is the steeplechase, was in fifth place with 50 metres to go, swinging wide en route to a time of 3:36.54.

Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu won the women’s 1,500m, the event’s final race, in 4:01.46, with Americans Nikki Hiltz and Emily Mackay rounding out the podium.

Thea LaFond needed just two attempts to win triple jump gold and become Dominica’s first global champion in athletics.

The 29-year-old soared 15.01 metres on her second attempt in Sunday’s morning session, the best jump in the world this year, and with victory all but locked up was able to pass on her remaining four jumps.

“I’m the only athlete here from my country and I have the gold medal,” LaFond said.

“We’re just a little island with a population of 70,000 people, so this one is for my people, all of my people.”

LaFond’s previous best results were a Diamond League win in 2022 in Paris and Commonwealth Games silver and bronze medals.

“My country is small but mighty,” she said.

“I am hoping that for some kid watching this on their phone, on the TV, or on the live stream, this lights a little flame in their heart that can drive them to something amazing.”

Premier League: Foden double helps Man City fight back to win derby …Burnley’ssurvivalhopeshitasBournemouthwins

(BBC Sport) - Pep

Guardiola hailed Phil Foden as the “best player in the Premier League right now” after his second-half double ensured Manchester City came from behind to beat ManchesterUnitedatEtihad Stadium.

In a game packed with international stars, it was twolocalboyswhoprovided thekeymoments.

The visitors had led through Marcus Rashford’s sensational eighth-minute strikefrom30yards.

However, in a contest City dominated, Foden took centrestage.

There was an element of controversyoverhissecondhalfequaliser

UnitedbossEriktenHag was booked for arguing his side should have had a freekick in the City half when Rashford went down under KyleWalker’schallenge.

Contactwasminimaland within seconds Foden had curled a superb shot past AndreOnana.

Foden then burst away from a static Casemiro to score City’s second from

Julian Alvarez’s return pass before Erling Haaland rounded off the scoring in stoppage time, after the Norwegianearliermissedan open goal from barely three yards.

“It is the amount of games he is playing,” Guardiola told Match of the DayaboutFoden. “He was always a

talentedplayerbutnowheis m o r e m a t u r e a n d understands more the game, especiallydefensively

He can play middle, right,makemomentsandcut inside, play in the left, scoringfromtheleft.

“What can I say? He is thebestplayerinthePremier League right now for the amount of things he does.

GFSCA /DCB Senior U19 Super50 Inter-Association tournament… Gainda, Bani help ECCA dismantle East Bank by 85-runs - GCA secure 123-run win over WDCA

Unbelievable.” ItwasCity’ssixthwinin seven meetings against United, who suffered their 11th Premier League defeat oftheseason.

More importantly, the r e s u l t m e a n s P e p Guardiola’s side move to within a point of leaders Liverpool before next week’striptoAnfield.

Unitedremaininsixthin the table but are now 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and six behind Tottenham, in what could turn out to be a fifth Champions League spot, havingplayedagamemore.

Burnley’ssurvivalhopes hitasBournemouthwin Burnley’s slim hopes of staying up suffered another

setback as Bournemouth won in the Premier League forthefirsttimein2024.

Justin Kluivert set the Cherriesontheirwaywitha powerful finish past James Trafford after poor defending.

Burnley responded strongly with Neto producing an outstanding save to keep out Jacob Bruun Larsen’s free-kick while Vitinho headed a goodchanceoverthebar

Larsen also had a goalbound shot blocked by Adam Smith after Neto deniedDavidDatroFofana J o s h C u l l e n ’ s disallowed goal - ruled out for a foul in the build-uponly added to the sense of frustration inside Turf Moor, before Antoine Semenyo wrapped up the points with a deflected finishinthe88thminute

Burnley are 11 points from safety with 11 games left.

Bournemouth’s fifth awaywinoftheseasonlifted them one place to 13th beforefoursuccessivehome games.

The opening round of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) sponsored DCB U19 InterAssociationSuper50Tournament,gotofftoa bangwithsomeexcitingmatchesplayedthis weekend.

ECCA were bowled out for 176 with Sasenarine Harricharran leading with 42. Opener Moin Persaud (20), Nicholas Shiopersaud(18)wereamongthescorersto lendsupport.

East Bank bowled well during their opening game, with Krsna Singh (3-41) and RoupilRajaraw(3-31)doingthelion’sshare of the damage. Two wickets apiece from Darwin Larose and Zahib Mohamed helped sealahighly-successfulbowlingouting.

Failingtocapitalizeontheeffortsoftheir bowlers, EBCAwere leveled for 91 in 31.4 overs, despite 42 from opener Deonarine Dindyal.

Spinner Arun Gainda was the chief destroyer, bagging 5-16 while Neeram Bani chipped in with 3-24 which helped seal ECCA’sfaith.

In the other match, GCA posted 256-8 from 50 overs thanks to Romeo Deonarine hitting 70 (6x4s, 2x6s), Kishan Silas, ( 44), JonathanVanLange 38off25deliveriesand JohnPersaud34.

WDCA were then kept to 133 in 37.5 overs with Parmeshwar Ram the leading scorer with (31) and Kelvin Raymond (20) and SachinBalgobin(15).GCAwrappedup theirwinby123runs.

LeBronJamespasses 40,000-pointmarkbutLALakers losetoDenverNuggets

(BBC Sport) - LeBron

James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career regularseasonpointsinSaturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

But he described it as “bittersweet” after his Los Angeles Lakers side lost 124-114 to the defending NBAchampions.

“Being the first player todosomething,it’spretty cool in this league,” said the 39-year-old, who scored 26 points on the night.

“You just know the history, you know the greats that have come through.”

James scored the historic basket with 10 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter with a driving layup from the left side of the basket to give the Lakers a 37-32lead.

The crowd gave James

astandingovationduringa timeoutandtheballheused to reach the milestone was removedfromthegame.

However, the Nuggets stretched their winning streak to six games thanks to 35 points from Nikola Jokic to leave James with mixedfeelings.

“The main thing is always the main thing and that’s the win,” he said

“And I hated that had to happen in a defeat especially versus a team thatplaysextremelywell.

“We played some good basketball but weren’t able to close it out, so [it’s] bittersweet, but I enjoyed every momentonthefloor ”

James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, passing Kareem AbdulJabbar’s long-standing recordof38,387points.

The four-time NBA

champion and four-time

Most Valuable Player is in his 21st campaign and is the league’s oldest active player

James said he did not know if another NBA player could reach the 40,000-pointmilestone

“You have to play the game quite a while and have some good luck with injuries and things ofthatnature,”hesaid.

“You have to take care of your body You have to be present on the floor and then you have tobeproductiveaswell.”

Lakers coach Darvin Ham was among those to paytributetoJames

“Just happy for him It was a hell of an accomplishment,” he said

“Wish we could have got the win to cap it off But my hat’s off to him Amazing, amazing run thatcontinuestothisday.”

Nathan Lyon spins Australia to victory in first Test

(BBC Sport) - Spinner

NathanLyontooksixfor65 as Australia wrapped up a 172-run win over New Zealand in the first Test in Wellington.

The hosts were dismissed for 196 before lunch on day four as Australia went 1-0 up in the two-matchseries.

NewZealandhadstarted the day on 111-3 chasing a victorytargetof369.

Lyon, 36, dismissed Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips insidethefirsthourtosetthe tone as he claimed a 24th Testfive-wickethaul.

DarylMitchellandScott Kuggeleijn offered some resistance with a 36-run partnership for the Black Caps’seventhwicketbutallrounder Cameron Green, whose174notoutinthefirst innings was instrumental to Australia’s success, dismissedthelatterfor26.

Mitchell batted on

despite taking a blow to the helmet from a Green delivery and was the last manoutfor38,whilecaptain Tim Southee was Lyon’s

sixth victim - and the offspinner’s10thinthematch.

The defeat leaves the Black Caps with only one win in 24 Tests

LIV Golf: Chile’s Joaquin Niemann wins in Saudi Arabia

(BBC Sport) - Chile’s Joaquin Niemann added to hisgrowingreputationashe won LIV Golf Jeddah by fourshots.

The25-year-oldwonthe Australian Open in December and has been invitedtoplayattheMasters following three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour

He won his second title in three LIVTour starts this season, closing with a fourunder 66 to finish on 17 under after three rounds in SaudiArabia.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel were tied for second.

Schwartzelclosedwitha 68butitwasOosthuizen,the 2010 Open champion, who was Niemann’s closest challengerbeforedroppinga shotonthe16th.

He finished with backto-back birdies to card a 67, but Niemann matched his scoringonthe17thand18th holes to earn a comfortable victory

TheChileanwasaskedif hefeltlikehewasoneofthe world’s “hottest golfers” afterrecentperformances.

“How is that possible?

I’m like 100 in the world,” said Niemann, who is actually 72 in the latest world rankings but cannot earn ranking points for his

performances in LIV tournaments.

He added: “I’m pretty proud of the way I have played during the whole week.”

American Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open winner, finished in fourth place on 12 under, while Spain’s reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm was one shot back in fifth.

Anthony Kim, the United States golfer who joined the tour last week after12yearsawayfromthe professional game, finished last on 16 over par, 11 shots behind his nearest competitor

against their nearest neighboursthiscentury

The second match in the series starts in

Christchurch on Friday

Australia captain Pat Cummins praised Lyon and player of the match Green fortheirperformances.

“Cam was amazing, he

was really the difference in theend,”hesaid.

“I thought the way he went about it, with that intent,reallyputthepressure back on the bowlers on day one.

“There was as much bounce as I’ve seen in any wicket for a long time but thankfully it spun which, with Nathan in our side, is alwaysaprettygoodthing.”

New Zealand pace bowler Will O’Rourke is a doubt for the second Test afterleavingthefieldwith a tight hamstring on day threewithSoutheenotruling out an instant recall for veteran pace bowler Neil Wagner, who retired last week.

M a t c h d e t a i l s : Australia 383 (Green 174*; Southee 5-70) & 164 (Lyon 41, Phillips 545)defeatedNew Zealand179(Phillips71; Lyon4-43)&196(Ravindra 59,Lyon6-65)by172runs

Franklin replaces Steyn as Sunrisers’ bowling coach for IPL 2024

(Cricinfo) - Former New Zealand allrounder James Franklin will replace Dale Steyn as the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Steyn, who was appointed in the role by Sunrisersin2022,haspulled outforpersonalreasons.

For Franklin, who played for Mumbai Indians in 2011 and 2012, this will be his first coaching stint at the IPL At Sunrisers, Franklin, a former left-arm seam-bowling allrounder, will link up with Daniel Vettori, who was appointed as the head coach by the franchise after the 2023 season The pair has previously worked together at both Middlesex (county cricket) as well as Birmingham Phoenix (the Hundred).Franklinhadalso served as a head coach at Durham, and currently is at thePSLasanassistantcoach atIslamabadUnited.

Sunrisers have a host of quicks in their ranks including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan,

This will be James Franklin’s first coaching stint at the IPL. (Getty Images)

Unadkat and the uncapped IndianAkashSingh. Thespinners’lotinclude Wanindu Hasaranga, Washington Sundar and ShahbazAhmed.Vettoriand Franklin will be confronted with a stiff challenge considering Sunrisers had finished eighth in 2022 and slidfurthertotenthlastyear One key contributing factor fortheteam’sregressionhas been the frequent change in leadership.

Former Australia allrounderTom Moody was replacedlastyearbyformer West Indies captain Brian

Lara,whowasdroppedafter justoneseason.

Heading into the 2023 player auction, Sunrisers released one of their most senior players in Kane Williamson,whohadledthe franchise since David Warner was released in 2021.

Williamson played for Sunrisers for eight seasons, including the title-winning runin2016andwasretained in 2022 as their most expensiveplayer

Since last season, South Africa batter Aiden Markram has held the captaincy

As they prepare themselves for Berbice cricket board Dior Bits and Pieces Under 23 cricket tournament final, the RHTYSC Pepsi Under23 team took time out of their busy schedule to host their annual tribute to medical heroes program for staff of the Port Mourant Public HospitalFridaylast.

The ceremony launched the RHTYSC tribute to heroesprogramfor2024and a total of 60 persons are expected to be honored duringtheyear Club secretary Hilbert Foster stated that the Pepsi team first hosted their medical tribute program in 2014 and has successfully hosted it every year since.

Overthelast10years,atotal of 70 staff of the hospital have been honoured. The idea for this tribute program

came about after the secretarywasapatientatthe public hospital in 2014 and wasveryimpressedwiththe professionalism of the staff. The objectives of the tribute to the medical workers program are to honor outstanding staff of the hospital, to identify role modelsforotherstoemulate and to inspire their entire stafftogivetheirbestservice tothegeneralpublic.

T h e s e honouredwereYonetteSaw of the therapy unit, Greg YawPoter, Melissa Saul Nurse, Diane McDonnell of the dental unit and SitaSookshineofthelaundry department.Theyallreceive a super bet trophy of excellence, medals of excellence, frames certificate and a combined $400,000 worth of prizes from the team. Among the

gifts that were donated by the club’s partners, Food for the Poor Guyana Inc, were three extra large outdoor swimming pools and two

largecoolers. The awardees also received a special collection ofprizesinaMikepharmacy gift package Foster the

former president of Berbice Cricket Board urged the awardeestoalwaysstrivefor excellenceandtotreatallthe persons seeking Medical carewithrespectanddignity He noted that the club was verydelightedtobeapartner with the hospital and pledged that it would continue to assist in the future. Apart from hosting the program, the team has also made numerous donations to the hospital. Among the items donated were exercise equipment, electric fans, office equipment, clocks, food hampers for staff, medical supplies and therapeutic items.

TheAdministratorofthe hospital Shaneeza Nabi expressedthankstothePepsi team and their management of the rules all to RHTYSC for their continued support.

She congratulated the staff on its job well done and urged them to continue workingasacollectivebody so that the residents of Berbicecanbenefit.

Meanwhile,theclubalso honored the staff of the therapy unit of the hospital during the ceremony Each staff member received a trophy and a Mike’s pharmacygift.Theawardees allexpressedgratitudetothe club and the team while wishingthemsuccessonand off the cricket field in the future. The team includes players like Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud, Matthew Pottaya, Ramzan Koobir, Sohil Mohammed and Ramesh Bharrat. The clubofficialsinchargeofthe Pepsi team are Robby Kissoonlall,KeithHicksand TyronePottaya.

Fifteen-year old Gibran Yacoob was the latest young cricketer to benefit from this joint initiative between Anil Beharry of Guyana and Kishan Das of the USA He was the recipientofonecricketbat.

The left arm spinner who bats right handed has represented Berbice at the Under 15 level twice including the recently concluded Inter County Championship Yacoob, a student of Skeldon High School, represents Upper Corentyne at junior levels and No. 70 Spartans at the seniorlevel.

He expressed gratitude to this initiative and promisedtoworkharderon his game after average returns in the recent tournament.“Thisprojectis happytoassociatedwiththe development of young Yacoob and urged him to stay focus on his education as well” , said Vicky Bharosay a representative oftheinitiative.

Cricket related items, usedornew,aredistributed

free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline andeducationareimportant characteristics of the recipients. Talent spotting is being done across the country and club leaders alsoassisttoidentifytalent. Progressive and well managedcricketclubswith a youth program, will also benefit.

W e t a k e t h i s opportunity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, SeanDevers,TrevisSimon, Årïêl J Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Kelvin Brijlall, RavinHarkishun,Surendra Harkishun, Allan Mangru andDennisMangru,Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports

Awards andTrophies,Ajay

Gajanand Singh, Peter Ramkissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin

of UK, Dr Cecil Beharry, Raj Mathura, Raj Bharrat,LatchMohabirand family, Suresh Dhanai, VishalNagamootoo,Moses Nagamootoo, Regal Sports

Dolphin Speed Swim Club Swimmers have qualified to represent Guyana at the CARIFTA Aquatic Swimming Championships in Nassua, Bahamas from March 28 to April7,2024.

Athletesfromaroundthe region take part in the CARIFTA Aquatic Championships each year The club is proud and excited that their most promising athletes have qualified to take part in this high-levelcompetition.

Topping the list of eligible swimmers of the GuyanaAmateurSwimming

Association Carifta Qualifying Standards year 2023-2024 were male swimmer, Paul Mahaica, gaining four A Qualifying time in the 100m and 200m Butterfly, 400m Individual Medley, 50m Freestyle and oneBQualifyingTimeinthe 100mFreestyle. S e k h e l T z e d e q registered twoAQualifying Times in the 50m and 100m Backstroke, Chase Thompson clocked an A Qualifying Time in the 50m Breaststroke while female qualifier Genevieve Lackna registered a C Time in the 100mButterfly

These Swimmers are in training and awaiting their

participation at the Carifta Swimming Championship in Bahamas. Coach Paul Mahaica (SR) is expecting Sterling performances from these Swimmers who are resilient and dedicated to achieving Qualifying Times forGuyana.

Last December 2024 at the Assat Invitational Swimming Championship inTrinidadPaulMahaicagot

Gold Medal in the 200m Butterfly along with two SiverandaBronzeMedalin Eventsabove, Sekhelzedeq 50m Back Silver Medal and Bronze in the 100m Back and Chase Thompson 50m Breaststroke, Gold Medal. DolphinSpeedSwimClubis looking forward to the participation of our Swimmers at Carifta 2024, representingGuyana.

CWI CEO lambasts ICC for unfair economic model, hindering West Indies’ resurgence

(SportsMax) - In a scathing critique of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and major cricketing nations, Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave has accused theglobalcricketingbodyof deliberately obstructing the resurgence of West Indies cricket by maintaining an unjust economic model

grievances is with the ICC’s revenue share model, which hedeemsflawed.

Grave alleged that West Indies’share of the revenue has dwindled from seven to five percent under the current model, despite headlines suggesting an increaseinfinancialsupport.

economic disparity, claiming that the West Indies made no money from the men’s and women’s tour of Australia series, with the majority of revenue going to Cricket

Australia.

“The revenue-share model is completely broken,” Grave stated “If we really want to operate as a cricketing community, weareonlyasstrongasthe

weakest team, and we’ve gottochangethemindsetof bilateralcricket.

“CWI has spent over USD$ 2 million sending teams to Australia in the last four months, and

whilstCAhavereceivedall theeconomicbenefitsfrom those series, we’ve seen zerodollarsback

Is that really fair, r e a s o n a b l e , a n d sustainable?”

“I think that’s the borne of the frustration of that as Ian Bishop says in his own words that this is a patronisingtone.

If you really want a strongWestIndiesCricket, it would actually not be

Grave’s outburst follows the West Indies’ impressive performance in their tour of Australia from January to February 2024 The underdog West Indies, led by captain Kraig Brathwaite, secured a historic Test series draw againstAustralia, marking their first Test victory on Australian soil in 27 years

In a podcast with Daniel Gallan, Grave expressed his frustration, stating, “I think everyone is a bit sick of the phraseworld cricket needs a strong West Indies - when we definitely feel that world cricket is doing everything they can at almost every level to make sure that West Indies Cricket are never strong again ”

One of Grave’s primary

that hard to do a bit more. ICC are giving us more moneyinheadlinesbutour percentage of revenue has gone down from seven to five percent, which we struggle to understand,” Graveexplained.

T h e C W I C E O questioned the cricketing community’s commitment to fairness, stating, “If we all just are looking after ourselves then are we really acting as a community? Are we putting the best product on thefield?”

Thisisnotthefirsttime Grave has criticized the ICC In January, he had raised concerns about the