Kaieteur News

Govt. harassment of journalists raised at UN

Du r i n g t h e Government of G u y a n a ' s appearancebeforetheUnited Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (CCPR) on Wednesday, concerns over harassmentofmediaworkers were raised, questioning the administration'scommitment topressfreedom.

“Thestatepartyindicates in its report that its officials do not harass media workers critical of the government. However, the committee is aware of credible reports of such harassment,” said Committee member Laurence Helfer. Helfer made reference to an April 2023 incident involving two ofKaieteurNewsjournalists, which occurred during President Irfaan Ali press conference at the Leonora Track and Field Centre in WestCoastDemerara.Helfer said,“Thisincludesincidents involving senior government officials For example, journalists affiliated with Kaieteur News…that were heckled by government supporters at an April 2023 presidential press conference.”KN'sjournalists faced criticism from the People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) party supporters when posing challenging questions to PresidentAli.

The Committee member cited reports which indicate that government officials are

oftenintolerantofjournalists w h o q u e s t i o n t h e government's policies, especially in relation to the extractive sector The Committeeexpressedfurther concern over reports of surveillance of journalists and media workers, including the government's use of spyware to monitor them. “Will the state party, please comment on these reports. In addition, please indicate what measures the government is taking to prevent harassment against media workers and human rights defenders,” Helfer said.

In addition to the cases citedby Helfer backinApril 2023, the Guyana Press Association(GPA)hadcause toissueastrongstatementof condemnation against attacks on Kaieteur News's Senior Journalist, Davina Bagot Handlers for the Facebook page, “Live in Guyana,”whichisassociated with officials including a ministerhadattackedBagot's professional integrity with wicked insinuations not worth repeating, all while demeaningherforthecritical reportageshehasdoneonthe oil industry and other matters.GPAsaidthenitwas not the first time the Facebook medium had attacked journalists and placed their safety in jeopardy It said, “This page is believedto be operatedby

political operatives associated with the governing People's Progressive Party and its content follows closely on the heels of questions that senior leaders of the incumbent administration findobjectionable.”

The GPA said it remains in contact with several regional and international organisations and has placed its concerns for the safety of journalists in Guyana as a major concern The association further urged for international assistance to “fight this harassment of media operatives in Guyana ” The association alsostatedthatitwillendorse any effort by media operatives to have the Guyana Police Force investigate the violation of theCyberCrimeAct,aswell

as the violation of the rights ofwomenbytheWomenand G e n d e r E q u a l i t y Commission.

The GPA also publicly sought the solidarity of women's organizations in condemningthismostrecent dastardly attack against a

femalememberofthemedia corps.The GPAsaid too that it regards such acts as not only an attempt to harass the mediafromaskingsearching questions, but also a form of intimidation that ultimately endangers the lives of media operativesbythosewhomay

feel emboldened by such posts With a significant majority of media workers beingwomen,theGPAurged all media workers to ensure that the leadership of their bodiesisalwaysinaposition to defend their collective

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Govt. lied to U.N. Committee about

former EPA boss’s involvement in

ExxonMobil deal …complaint filed to Committee

Former Executive Director of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams

Former Head of the E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Vincent Adams has written to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, regarding misleading information presented to that body by government in relation to his involvement in the signing of the lopsidedExxonMobiloilcontract.

The government appeared before the Commission on Tuesday for a second hearing, where it was questioned on the competence of the present Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram. The Committee explained concerns have been raised regarding Parsram's competency, compared with the former Head of the Agency, Dr Adams.

CommissionerH.Tigroudjain abriefcommentexplainedthatoil producing states are prone to corruption, as influencers can come to deviate benefits of those resources.Shethereforepointedto the critical role of the

Environmental ProtectionAgency in ensuring that oil companies respect environmental standards andguaranteeprudentexploration andproductionactivities.

The UN Commissioner noted that the Committee was informed thatwhenthePeople'sProgressive Party (PPP) took office in 2020, the former Director who was “extremely competent” had been removed, while concerns remain that the new director is not well versedinenvironmentalstandards and“allowtherefore,companiesto comeintoyourcountryandexploit the oil resources, without respecting the environmental standards that are very high indeed.”

Tothisend,herquestiontothe government was, 'who selects the Director' and how is his independence guaranteed Representing government was Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who blamed Dr Adams for overseeingtheProductionSharing Agreement (PSA) signed between

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira appearing before the United

administration and ExxonMobil.

The Minister told the UN body, “The former Commissioner or Director of the EPA oversaw the 2016 PSA which has been criticized by all, including my government, and so I think sometimes that these issues becomeverypartisan.”

She continued, “The issue of theformerDirector,heoversaw,he was part of the secret Production Sharing Agreement of 2016 and nobody knew about it… (and) the signaturebonus.” Teixeirasaidthe government had a right to replace theDirector,asshewentontonote that the EPA Board had reviewed theapplicationofMr Parsramand appointed him Director On the question of competence, the Minister underscored that Guyana was a new oil producer and is

Bandits in Zeelugt blitz

...flee with over $400K cash after attacking Superbet's customers

Bandits robbed a Superbet agent at Zeelugt, West Coast Demeraraandthecustomersofover $400,000 in cash and items on Tuesdayevening.

The incident occurred around 19:35hrs at Natasha's Superbet. Policein a statementsaid that,“the armedsuspectsrobbedtheSuperbet establishment of $109,000 (cash), property of Natasha Roberts, a 34year-oldbusinesswoman.

The bandits also robbed a 20year-old cashier of his gold chain valued at $100,000, one iPhone 8

valued at $80,000 and one black Sports haversack valued at $5,000 (totalvalue-$185,000).”

“Thesuspectsalsorobbeda34year-old barber of one Samsung Galaxy cellular phone valued at $60,000and$10,000(cash,Guyana currency), a total value of $70,000.

A 42-year-old carpenter who was also at the Superbet outlet was robbed of one Samsung Galaxy cellular phone valued at $42,000 and one Superbet ticket valued at $3,000(totalvalueof$45,000).

The other victim is a 34-yearold taxi driver who was relieved of

hisiPhone8,valuedat$50,000,”the policeadded.

Uponinquiries,itwasdisclosed thatthetwomen,bothwearingface masks and one armed with a handgunenteredtheSuperbetoutlet and started to demand the articles mentioned from the individuals present,includingthedailysales.

They then made their good escape in a navy-blue Toyota FielderWagon.

Theywerelaterapprehendedby ranksofpoliceinRegionalDivision Threeandsofar,twoofthephones havebeenrecovered.

currentlyutilizingaUS$20Mloan from the World Bank to boost its capacityinthesector

“I mentioned already that a US$20M loan from the World Bank is helping us to set up the regulatory framework of the EPA because the act that was passed in 1994/ 1995 had no concept of oil andgas.Weonlydiscoveredoilin 2015 and started producing in 2019andsotheActalsohavetobe broughtintolineandthisiswhere thesystem'stechnicalassistanceof the world bank is critical and 70 percentofthatprojectiscompleted and it should be finished by 2025 December,” Teixeira told the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

Dr Adamssubsequentlywrote a letter to the Commission, exposing the misleading information presented by the government.

In the document seen by this publication,datedMarch19,2024, the former EPA Head explained that when the 2016 oil deal was signed, he was employed as a Senior Executive in the United States Department of Energy. He explained, “It would have been a very serious violation of the US laws, national security, and my oath of office to be working for

anotherGovernment.”Dr Adams, a Petroleum and Environmental Engineer therefore noted, “Not only is this Minister's accusation false and disrespectful to the Committee, but it also puts me at risk of being branded as conducting illegal and unpatriotic actsagainsttheUSA.”

Hewaskeentopointoutthathe retired from the US Government onDecember31,2016,anddidnot takeupemploymentasHeadofthe EPA until October 1, 2018, some years and 3 months after the PSA wassigned.

Dr AdamstoldtheUNHuman Rights Commission that he was oneofthefirsttopubliclycriticize the PSA and continued to do so, even while serving as Director of theAgency

Moreover, he explained, “The EPA has absolutely nothing to do with the crafting and/or managing the PSA, for that would be an obviousconflictofinterest.Itwas crafted, and is managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources.” The former Head of the EPA told the Commission in his letter that the Minister's response to other questions are likely to be consistent with the PPP's lack of transparency, competence, and truth.

Editor:

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

Relentless borrowing

On Wednesday, we republished an article from The Telegraph in whichAgustin Carstens, who leads the Bank forInternationalSettlements,aglobalclubofcentralbank bosses warned governments to stop their “relentless” borrowingorriskplungingtheworldintoadebtcrisis.

Although Mr Carstens’ warning was for the global community-somehowitfeltasifhewasspeakingdirectlyto Guyanaanditsleaders.Carstenswarnedgloballeadersthat interestrateswouldnotreturntotheirrecentlowssoonand as a result, continued heavy borrowing risks plunging economies into crisis unless battered public finances are urgently improved. Mr Carstens said: “Fiscal authorities haveanarrowwindowinwhichtogettheirhouseinorder beforethepublic’strustintheircommitmentsstartstofray “Financial markets can remain calm in the face of large imbalancesuntilsuddenly,oneday,theynolongerare,”he added, without specifying which countries may be at risk. “Thatiswhyfiscalconsolidationinmanyeconomiesneeds to start now Muddling through is not enough. In many countries,currentpoliciesimplysteadilyrisingpublicdebt inthecomingdecade.”

As we reported, Carstens’ warning also comes amid growing concerns in Guyana regarding the country’s mountingdebt.Attheendof2022,thecountry’sdebtstood at US$3.6 billion and by the end of 2023, it increased to US$4.5billionplungingGuyanasome23percentdeeperin debts.Thisyear,theGovernmentofGuyana(GoG)hasset aside$44billioninthebudgettoserviceitsballooningdebt.

VicePresidentandformerFinanceMinister,BharratJagdeo duringanewsconferenceinJanuaryannouncedthat$44B or approximate US$220M of the country’s $1.46 trillion budget will go towards serving debts. In 2023, some US$177.3millioninrevenuewenttowardsdebtservice,up fromUS$150.2millionin2022.Thegrowingpaymentsto servicethecountry’sdebtstemsfromaconsciousdecision ofpolicymakersthatbelieveGuyana’sforecastofrevenue from the oil and gas sector justifies its borrowing agenda. Andwheneverthetopiccomesup,Jagdeoisthefirsttosay that Guyana’s debt-to GDPratio is manageable and we do nottofeartheheavyborrowing.

Under the PPP/C Government, Guyana has become amongthebestcustomersofbanksacrosstheworld.When the word loan comes up, Guyana’s name is frequently writtenalloverit.ThePPP/CGovernmentisonaborrowing binge, and very proud of it. Bankers, who must be recognizedfortheirutility,arealsonothingifnotsuccessful pawnbrokers. They can always be approached for a loan, once the collateral presented possesses rich appeal for the recovery of monies lent, should there be a problem with honouringrepaymentobligationsinthefuture.

Guyanahasthebestcollateralforallthedebtsthatithas been incurring recently, its rich natural resources and their seemingabundance.Goldandbauxitehavebeenaroundfor alongtime,andnowthereisthegodfatherofopulentnatural resources,billionsofbarrelsofoil.Countriesthathavehigh quality oil and in plentiful quantities are preferred customers of bankers, whose motto to the oil-producing nationsistheequivalentof‘comeandgetit,thereismoney waitingforthetaking.’ Thisiswhatthediscoveryofoildid for poor countries before, and what it is doing to Guyana today Oil is the game changer, which is why every bank under the sky lines up to lend this country money The underlying projects and programmes, as officially stated, thatnecessitatethesplurgeofborrowingshavetheirmerits, and of that, there must be recognition. But there is something else also that must be acknowledged, and it is about borrowing too much too quickly and too recklessly Many experts, who have seen the accelerated levels of borrowings in short spans of time by other poor countries that came into overnight natural resource riches, have sounded repeated warnings about overdoing things, and unthinkingly so. Because there is the calibre of leadership that is present in the current PPP/C Government, all such

DEAREDITOR, I am writing in response to your recent Editorial (March 20, 2024), titled “US$25 Million Hayven Loan.” While this Editorial presented no evidence to support the claims of the existence of a conflict of interest, it did attempt to persuade readers that there mustbesomethingthere.

TheEditorialistherefore disappointing though not s u r p r i s i n g S i n c e u n d e r t a k i n g t h i s responsibility, your paper has implied through a series of articles that there is something untoward about myinvolvementintheaudit.

HayvenMerchant Bank(NHMB).

Further,VHEConsulting and the NHMB are two completely different and separate businesses with different service offerings. As such, it is imperative to clarify that the audit in question was not conducted by NHMB or by me personally Theauditwas performed by a local c o n s o r t i u m , V H E Consulting, comprised of three local firms (Ramdihal & Haynes, Vitality, & Eclisar), in collaboration with our international partners, Martindale Consultants Inc. and Squire Patton Boggs – both firms whose reputation is beyond reproach in their respective fields. The terms of the contract are publicly availableforreview

audit, I wish to state, for the record,thatVHEConsulting hasagainassembledahighly experienced and reputable team to submit a bid for the contract to perform audits fortheyears2021 to 2023 This team includes international partners such as Martindale Consultants Inc , Squire PattonBoggs,andBayphase

Limited This team possesses extensive and reputable experience We await the outcome of the procurementprocess.

My preference would have been to ignore the Editorial but I was advised t h a t , r e g r e t t a b l y, i n s i n u a t i o n s a n d

accusations, no matter how baseless, are often given undue credence in some quarters.

I am therefore providing this background and clarification so that factual accuracy might prevail in our discussions Many thanks for the space to publishthisresponse.Please alsonotethatthenameofour institution is “NewHayven Merchant Bank” (NHMB), andnot“Hayven”asappears inyourtitle.

Bestregards

Chairman – New

HayvenMerchantBank

No evidence of conflict of interest Tidbits on Walter Rodney

I want to reiterate that there is absolutely no evidence to support such insinuations. Furthermore, I haveconsistentlyupheldthe highest ethical standards throughout this process as I have done for my entire career to this point. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

The standards for establishing a “conflict of interest” legally or ethically are very clear, and have not been met by your Editorial. The result is merely an attempt to besmirch my professional reputation and good character for no obvious reason. I am stating hereunequivocallythatwith respect to the 2018-2020 Cost Recovery audit of ExxonMobil, there exists no conflict of interest on my part or on the part of New

My selection to lead the team was based on my extensive professional e x p e r i e n c e a n d qualificationsandIaccepted thispositionoutofasenseof patriotism rather than any financial incentive. These audits were conducted with the utmost professional standards and due diligence. Our comprehensive report, which will be made public, was submitted on time, and the team is confident that it can withstand any level of scrutiny

With respect to the Editorial’s efforts to cast a shadow over the upcoming

cautions to slowdown and carefully prioritise and pick projects have fallen on deaf ears. Thus, the approach for moreandmoreloanscontinuesunchecked.

Themoreloanssought,themorenationaldevelopment andprogressoccurs,andthishasbeenthesellingpointmost favouredbyGovernmentleadersasthejustificationforthe continual streams of borrowings. More loans taken mean moreUSmillionsforinfrastructuralprojectsthatareneeded all over this country But there is a steep downside to the flush of cash that makes its way from foreign banks to Guyana to finance such projects. It is what feeds the corruptionbeastthathaschewedandcrippledthiscountry’s governance for decades. Massive corruption is facilitated by,hasanearperfectcoverunder,infrastructuralprojects,as has been lived with by Guyanese taxpayers from one nationalgovernmenttoanother

Another downside not talked about to any meaningful degreeinthiscountry,nowdriventomassecstasybyongoing oildiscoveries,isthehistoryofthisprecious,muchindemand commoditycalledoil Itspriceontheworldmarketscanbeup and down, and lead to both hair-raising and heartbreaking experiences Countriesthatdependonitsrevenuesatcertain projectedlevelssuddenlyfindthemselvesreachingforaspirin becauseofshortfallsinoilprofitsandreceipts Thebanksstill havetobepaid,andtheyarenotgoodatacceptingexcusesand sad stories; they have their own considerations and obligations,sotheyareunmoving Thishasbeentherealityof placeslikeNigeriaandGhana,andGuyanawasonceinthat statedecadesbeforeoiltookitsprideofplacehere. History hasthiscalloushabitofrepeatingitself,andweeitherlearn fromthelessonsofhistory,orbecomethenewestvictimsof itsoonerthanlater Goslowwiththeloans,pickandselect, andbeabettercountryforit.

DEAREDITOR

My last place of residence in Guyana was at David Street, Kitty, which was bounded by Bissessar Avenue and Pere Street. I had bought this property in 1977 and was enjoying my peacefulabodewithmywife andthreechildren.Thiswas a fantastic property, a good deal, thanks to Mani who organized most of the transactions.

Itwasrelativelylargefor theneighbourhood–yardand colonial big house – with a variety of fruit trees already bearing. There was a sijan, coconut, a Julie mango, two genip, two cherry, a citrus (very sour fruit but good for swank), a papaya, guava, several banana, all spaced around the periphery of the yard There were also frangipani, bougainvillea, heliconia, morning glory, oleander,palmandmore.

When I moved in, I was still a young man and, having come from a background of hard labouringpeople,myfamily and I worked very hard to beautify the place to our taste,andtoplantothertrees, such as dunks, sijan, pink cashew, bling-bling, and sumatoo. I also did a lot of gardening–withyear-round sem, bora, ochro, marriedman pork (sweet basil), hot peppers, bhagee (spinach), bigan (eggplant), etc., and even peanuts It was a relatively big well-groomed yard. I also had room for a fishpond Later, I reared chicken that I sold to neighbours(aswellaseggs). I bought a deep freezer for thechickensomeofwhichI soldtoUGcafeteria.

P a r t n e r - V H E Consulting

Despitethestringencyof Burnham’s ban and dictatorship,inmanyways,I was sort of self-sufficient because of my resilience, determination and my peasantfarmingbackground in Leguan. I really enjoyed my short stay at David Street–thefirstrealproperty that I acquired (which I reluctantlyabandonedtoget outsafely).

The property was so largethatitalsohadanannex (Isuspect“servantquarters” for the Estate Managers, for it was at one time, Estate Manager’sresidence).There were two young men (younger than me) who asked me to rent the small flats of the annex. One was Sir from my boyhood village,theotherwasRahim Bacchus whom I also knew (deceased2008).

Rahim, brother of my colleague and friend Zinul Bacchus whose family I knew very well, worked at UGlibrarywhilehewasalso doing studies at UG. His wifeAnnette also worked at the library at that time That’s where they met initially Rahim was very politically motivated then. He did the LLB and LLM, and lived in Barbados as a high profile and successful attorney

It was a time when there was a reign of terror, including political killings, being meted out by goons (Rabbi Washington comes easily to mind) associated withthePNC.Forsecurity,I tried to keep my property protected as best as I could. Gates were locked. Lights wereonallnight.Itwasmy (Continuedonpage06)

Option for Speedy and Final Settlement of Labour Disputes Under the Essential ServicesArbitrationAct (Chapter 54:01)

DEAREDITOR

ThisAct provides for an Arbitration Tribunal for the settlement of disputes in public utility undertakings, andincertainotherservices.

The schedule under Act should be amended by the NationalAssembly urgently to include public education fromprimaryandsecondary schools’institutions and the

Let’s

University of Guyana as essential services. This Act provides for the Limitation of Industrial Action, prohibits strikes and l o c k o u t s i n s u c h undertakings and services unlesscertainproceduresare followed in industrial and labourdisputes.

TradeDisputeProcedure (Section 3): -Trade disputes

in any of the essential servicesaretobereportedto the Minister of Labour by any of the relevant employers’ organization, employer, or trade union on behalf of workers who are parties to the dispute. The disputemayalsobereported to the Minister by any other organization not directly involved in negotiations in

launch a Cheddi Jagan lecture series: the time is right

DEAREDITOR, Iwholeheartedlysupport Vishnu Bisram’s timely call for an institutionalized Cheddi Jagan Memorial Lecture (See Kaieteur News letters to the Editor “A Call for Institutionalized Cheddi Jagan Memorial Lecture” March 16, 2024). The need for an annual Cheddi Jagan lecture series is absolutely necessary at this time in our country’shistory

Cheddi Jagan embodied an idealism, integrity and a commitment to an inclusive societythatwasaheadofhis time. He wanted the best for them and these values are much needed in Guyana in 2024.

Ibelievethatthelectures should illustrate Jagan’s commitment to the working class regardless of their ethnicity and regardless of theirpoliticalaffiliations. A template for such a lecture seriesisalreadyinplace.For example, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s annualReithlecturesandthe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Massey Lectures are highly anticipated annual events

hosted by key state institutions to explore ideas that enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of their respective nations University of Guyana is a state-owned institution that isuptothetaskofcreatinga made-for-Guyana annual lecture series that can help strengthen Guyana’s nationalidentityandbringus together

I believe we, as a people have largely forgotten who we are – or perhaps never knew Assuch,Isuggestthat the inaugural lecture start with who Guyanese are and where they came from. Let us be reminded how slaves through their blood, sweat, tears and battered bodies

createduntoldwealthforthe colonialmasters.Letusalso remember that after the abolition of slavery, the colonizers brought indentured workers to the country to maintain their profits and cynically exploited them by creating suspicion and ethnic divides betweenthetwopeople.

Over time, the lectures should invite local and international intellectuals, academics, activists and leaders to make their contributions to the discourse by exploring a broad range of issues and themes. The lectures should bewidelydistributedinprint andtheelectronicmediaas

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which the dispute exists or wasapprehended.

The Minister may if satisfiedthatthereissuitable machinery of negotiation or arbitrationforthesettlement of the dispute, and that such machinery has not been exhausted, refer the matter for settlement to that machinery, or refer the dispute to the Tribunal establishedunderthisAct.If notsettledwithintendaysof such reference to such suitable machinery, the Ministermaytakesuchsteps as are expedient to promote thesettlementofthedispute or may refer the matter for settlement by the Tribunal within one month from the dateonwhichthematterwas first reported to him/her by any other organization not directly involved in the negotiations.

Arbitration Tribunal (Section 4-11) established under this Act is the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal (the Tribunal) consisting of the followingpersonsappointed bytheMinister:

§ three appointed members,oneofwhomshall be appointed as the Chairman;

§ two other members, oneofwhomshallbechosen

to represent employers and the other to represent employees;

§ panels of persons chosen to represent employers and employees respectively shall be constituted by the Minister after consultations with the relevant representative organizations Members chosen to represent e m p l o y e r s a n d employees at any sitting of theTribunalshallbeselected from these panels by the Minister;

§ members of the Tribunal hold office for two years and may be reappointed;

§ the Secretary of the Tribunal is a public officer appointedbytheMinister;

§ the employer and employee representatives and one other member constitute a quorum at any sittingoftheTribunal;

§ where the members of the Tribunal are evenly divided in respect of their decision, the matter shall be disposedofastheChairman or other member presiding shalldetermine.

Prohibition of Lockouts and Strikes (Section 12) Strikes and lockouts are prohibited in connection withanytradedisputeinthe

essential services unless the disputehasbeenreportedby a person or an organization not directly involved in the negotiation in which the dispute exists; one month haselapsedsincethedateof the report; and the dispute hasnotduringthattimebeen referred by the Minister for settlementbytheTribunal.

Terms of Reference and Award (Section 13-14) The Minister determines the terms of reference for the Tribunal, and the Tribunal enquires into the matters referred to it and reports to theMinister

The Tribunal makes its awards and furnishes its advice to the Minister without delay and where practicable within twentyone days from the date of reference.

Any agreement, decision, or award made under this Act shall be binding on employers and workers and shall be an implied term of the contract between the employer and workers as applicable (Section7).

ExpensesoftheTribunal are met by the State as authorized and approved by theMinisterofFinance.

Sincerely

Killer security guard was able to obtain two weapons from unsuspecting colleagues by spinning a yarn

DEAREDITOR

The security guard involvedinthekillingofhis former girlfriend’s sister was intent on doing serious damage.

Perhaps,soenragedwas he in seeing is former paramour in another man’s vehicle, he went over the edge and lost all reason.

First, he secured a weapon through trickery from a fellow colleague. Now the colleague is in trouble for giving up the weapon assigned to him, used in the committal of a crime Serious breaches of protocolshere.

After committing the dastardly act, the killer

security guard secured another weapon, left unattended, from the same location,aspreviously,only this time from a different securityguard,andinflicted aself-wound. Moreserious breachesofprotocols.

So, the killer security guardwasabletoobtaintwo weapons from colleagues to carry out his mission with deadly consequences. The killer had to know he could easily get hold of weapons from his unsuspecting colleagues by spinning a yarn. He did and it worked bothtimes.

Itbegsjustwhattraining security guards at private firms undergo. From this

episode, it seems very little: a request for a weapon is easilyaccommodated;while another is left carelessly unattended for easy pickings. Theoperationsof the security firm should be suspended until it is satisfactorily ascertained its operations and operatives arewithinthelegalambitof the law and confirms to protocols governing security firms or else persons bent on doing serious damage, as in this case,willbeabletoobtaina weapontocarryoutcarnage.

My condolences to the grievingfamily Regards

ShamshunMohamed

Let’s launch a Cheddi Jagan...

Frompage05 part of the historical record of Guyana for our people and the rest of the world.

Ourpeopledidnotcome together until Cheddi Jagan cametotheforeinthe1950s. Sadly, as the public record shows,thepowersthatbein BritainandtheUnitedStates

of America deliberately destroyed what he stood for in the 1950s and 1960s by fostering disunity between the leaders and their followersoftheday

Today, Guyana has elected a President who walks in the shadow of the giantfigureofCheddiJagan to continue our national

questforajustandequitable society I believe we are finally on our journey to El Dorada and we can only get there if we know where we come from and who we are. So, let’s launch a Cheddi Jagan lecture series – the timeisright!

Sincerely,

DEAREDITOR

I am a Berbician who travels frequently to and from Georgetown and for about five yearsnow,therehasbeenametalbarricadeat theWeldaadPoliceStation.Ifullysupportthe policeforhavingaroadblock It’sagoodwayto catch criminals But these barricades are left blockingtheroadevenwhenthereisnopolice officerconductingtheroadblockexercise.

Rarely would I see them move it It’s there 99%ofthetimeI’mpassingthere Manypersons

havedrivenintoitbyaccident-even a popular socialmediapersonality

Why can’t they move this barricade off theroadoncethereisnoroadblockexercise? Isn’t this common sense? Must we wait till somehorrificaccidenthappens?Whoeveris managing this aspect of policing is very lackadaisical.

Thankyou.

Sincerely

Tidbits on Walter Rodney...

Frompage04 wonttositinmyrockerinthe earlyeveninglookingoutthe front window with a cup of tea,orreading.Sometimes,I wouldhavemydinnerwhile sitting there. My desk was nexttotherocker,andthereI would do my UG work with backtowardstheoutside.

Early one night (don’t remember the year –probably ’79) while I was at mydesk,Iheardatinklingon my locked gate. When I looked out, I saw Walter Rodneytryingtogainentry I hurried down with the key andopenedthegatewanting to know the purpose of his visit.Hetoldmethathewas visiting Rahim This h a p p e n e d o f t e n subsequently;hewouldpark hissmallcarinfront,nextto thegate;Iwouldgodownto open the gate; he visited Rahim; and I worked until I knewhewasoutoftheyard,

and then I locked the gate. The logistic was not convenient for me, so I decided to leave the gate unlockeduntilhedeparted. Istartedtogetnosey,and speculatedonthepurposeof the visits. Rahim was rather effusive in conversations, always looking for lively discussions on politics. He was a vocal supporter of the WPA. So, I came to a rash conclusion that he and Walter were talking politics or that Rahim was doing research for him! I also was concerned as to why Walter openly drove and parked on the roadside in full view of all without any safeguard or bodyguardknowinghishigh profile and anti-government stance. Later, I learned that he was contacting Rahim’s wifeAnnettewhowasdoing typing for him:AHistory of the Guyanese Working People,whichwaspublished

posthumously Rahim sadly passed away in the prime of his life; his wife lives in Canada.

In March 1980, on the dayofPhagwahinGuyana,a few individuals were “playing” Phagwah under my house – with abeer and powder There was simple funandfrolickingespecially among the women and children. In walked Walter Rodney through the driveway Everyone looked at him with some surprise and amazement. And the ladies moved towards him for an attack with abeer and powder Walter surrendered but begged to be saved. He was just adorned with powder on his face which exposed an admixture of a smile and panic, with appreciation.

That was the last time I sawWalterRodney,andthat scene is imprinted in my memory For many years now, I have five pictures on the wall facing my desk –Mahatma Gandhi, Cheddi Jagan, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Walter Rodney – as a constant reminder for moral reinforcement Walter Rodney – a real Guyana hero.Pleasekeephimalive!

Sincerely

BLUNT BLUNT The loan boss Guyana:

Under the PPP/C Government, Guyana has become among the best customers of banks across the world.

When the word loan comes up, Guyana's name is frequently written all over it.

The PPP/C Government is on a borrowing binge, and very proud of it.

Bankers, who must be recognized for their utility, are also nothing if not successful pawnbrokers.

They can always be approached for a loan, once the collateral presented possesses rich appeal for the recovery of monies lent, should there be a problem with honouring repayment obligations in the future.

Guyana has the best collateral for all for the debts that it has been incurring recently, its rich natural resources and their seeming abundance. So, the Government has decided to borrow and borrow and borrow.

U.N. questions Govt. about evenly Gov .

distribution of oil wealth

...Teixeirapointstoincreasedallocations forhealth,education,housing

Guyana has been blessed with bauxite, timber, gold, diamonds, manganese andoil.

In December 2019, ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners in the Stabroek Block commenced oil production in Guyana.

Guyana has been touted as the fastest growing economy in the world as a result of oil operations in the country However,theUnitedNations Human Rights Committee (CCPR)onWednesdayasked ifthatwealthisbeingusedto ensureeverycitizenbenefits.

Day Three of the Government of Guyana (GoG)appearancebeforethe UN committee saw a question being raised about the even distribution of wealth derived from the nation's bountiful natural resourcestoitspeople.

The question was posed to Minister of Parliamentary AffairsandGovernance,Gail Teixeira, who is heading the Guyanese delegation before the UN body at 4101st Meeting,140thSession.

Committee member

RodrigoA.Carazonotedthat the Committee has seen in many parts of the world the extentnaturalresourceshave been pillaged and how natural wealth has been strippedtothebonesandany wealth generated by the use of the natural resources has not been evenly distributed.

To this end he said, “The desire of this committee, the desire of the human rights architecture is to support member states including the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in processes intended to ensure the best and fairest of distribution of wealth derived from natural resources ” Carazo explained that the even distribution of wealth promotes the well-being and humanrightsofallpeople.

In her response, Minister Teixeira said, “The issue of natural wealth being shared, we have reported here, the increase in allocations for healthandeducation,thefact that in every Amerindian village in our society or Indigenousvillageinsociety,

every rural village in our society, every municipality they are schools for children atthenursery,primaryandin the regions which are large, we have secondary schools where children come (from) in the interiors where dormitoryisprovided.”

Tothisend,sheexplained that for a country of fewer than800,000people,coming from a poor background, significant changes have been made in terms of free education, free health care, subsidize housing, increases inthewateravailabilityinthe interior and rural areas, and electricity Guyana's first trillion-dollar budget was passed in the National Assemblylastmonth.

The largest chunk of the $1.146 trillion budget was allocated to improving the country's infrastructure: roads, bridges, sea defence and airstrips among others, with $221.4 billion allotted to this sector For healthcare and education system, $129.8 billion and $135.2 billion were approved respectively

UN Human Rights Committee member, Rodrigo Carazo Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira

ExxonMobil announced the discovery of oil in 2015 and swiftly moved to commence production activities by 2019 The company had received an award last year for the rapid pace its affiliate; ExxonMobil Guyana Limited was able to develop thecountry'sfirstoilproject, LizaOne. The success did not end there however, as more than

11 billion barrels of oil have since been discovered in the Stabroek Block. The rapid discoverieshavetransformed Guyanatotheworld'sfastest growing economy, boasting the world's largest discoveriesinadecade.

ExxonMobil is the operator of the Stabroek Block with a 45% interest, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and CNOOC

Petroleum Guyana Limited holds25%interest.

The revenues derived from the oil resources are placed in the Natural ResourceFund(NRF).

Aweekago,theMinistry of Finance announced that theGovernmenthasmadeits first withdrawal from the fundfor2024.

The process is that the money from the oil wallet is transferred into the government's main bank account, the Consolidated Fund – where the money is then used for the government's aggressive infrastructural development programme.

Forthisyear,theNational Assembly approved US$1 586 billion to be withdrawn from the NRF to supporttheUS$5.496billion ($1 146 trillion) national budget. Oil revenues will support 29% of the budget thisyear

Three charged with murder of Chinese shopkeeper

Three men were on

Wednesday charged with the murder of a Chinese businessman last week at Eteringbang,RegionSeven.

Twenty-three-year-old Darvy

Diaz De Costa,

A Road Back in Time

History has a funny way of repeating itself.

In 1976, Guyana was exploring a massive hydroelectric project in the Upper Mazaruni and hoping tousethepowergeneratedto establish an aluminum smelter

A road was started to facilitate this project for which the financing was never achieved. In fact, the road project began even before the then government knewwhereitwouldgetthe money to build the hydropower station. There w a s t a l k a b o u t a multinational consortium to investintheproject.Thisgot nowhere.

The Americans were wooed. The Americans had theirconcernsaboutCubans hiding in our jungle and about refueling missions for Cuban troops en route to Angola, and were not preparedtoputmoneyintoa projectforwhichtherewere also concerns about the costs.

The Russians were wooed. They were not interested either. They had otherthingsontheirminds.

The PNC government hadaplanbutnomoneyand theywereattheirwitsendas tohowtogetthemoney

They never found the money and blamed the Venezuelans for vetoing the project.However,noonehas

ever produced the evidence to show that it was the Venezuelans that caused the WorldBanktopullout.

But there is evidence to the contrary There is evidence that the Venezuelans offered to finance the project and to purchaseexcesspowerfrom thehydropowerstation.

Thereisevidencethatthe Venezuelans were interested in a joint venture project. They believed that without their involvement, the projectwouldnothavebeen viable.

In December of 1976, Venezuela not only offered sponsorship to Guyana to participate in the OPEC Solidarity Fund but also

Govt. harassment of journalists...

Frompage2 rightslocally,regionallyand internationally

Meanwhile, in her response to the committee, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, leading the Guyanese delegation stated government's inability and unwillingness to respond to matters concerning private businesses, such as media houses. She said the issues being raised here about mattersthatrelatetoprivate business such as the media houses, the government is unable and unwilling just to respondonissuesthatrelate toprivatecompaniesandthe business of those private companiesatthisforum.”

Regarding press harassment, Teixeira said these are matters that have caused a public outcry, i n c l u d i n g b y t h e government. However, in

relation to the incident involving KN's journalists, she said, “the issue that has been raised here, about a press conference by the President, unfortunately doesn't reflect correctly what happened. We have been asked by the IACHR ( I n t e r - A m e r i c a n Commission on Human Rights) to answer and we have and we are awaiting their response to our answer.” On April 2, 2023, KaieteurNewsreportedthat President Ali called an urgent press conference at theLeonoraTrackandField Centre, where the government had hosted a two-day outreach There were several tents set up at the venue to address the concernsofcitizensfromthe respective government agencies, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority,

Ministry of Public Works

and the Guyana Power and LightInc.

Notably, the persons who were at the outreach joined the tent in which the Presidentdecidedtohosthis media.Thisatmospherewas unwelcomingtomembersof the press who were subjected to heckling from the supporters of the ruling PPPparty particularly when challenging questions were asked of the Head of State.

While the journalists faced criticisms from persons in the crowd, President Ali's response was welcomed with a round of applause by the crowd Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall had said it was utterly disrespectful for the Presidenttoinvitethemedia to a press conference at a venue flocked by his supporters in his home village.

DEM BOYS SEH

Excuse me!

Guyanese dem is de best at m a k i n g excuses. A man bin tell he boss dat he want time off fuhgotohemotherfuneral. Denextdaydebosscalland tell he while he was at he mother’s funeral, she come in de office looking fuh he. Hetelldebossdatitwashe stepmother’s funeral dat he was attending. When de bosstellhedathefatherstill marriedtohemother,hesay dat was he future stepmotherwhodied.

A man was sitting

reading he paper when he wife hit he round de head withafryingpan.

“Whatwasthatfor?”de manasked.

De wife replied, “That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket ”De man said, “When I was at the races last week, Jenny was the nameofthehorseIbeton.” De wife apologised and wentonwithdehousework.

Threedayslaterdeman was watching TV when he wifelashheonheheadwith

pledged its assistance to finance the Upper Mazaruni HydroelectricProject.

Buttherewasagreatdeal of local suspicion over the Venezuelan offer Burnham was upset because the Venezuelans issued a press release about their offer to help build the Upper Mazaruni Hydroelectric Project. Burnham was peeved about the political falloutthatwouldresultasa consequence of the disclosure that his government had been in talks with the Venezuelans overtheproject.

US intelligence sources believed that Burnham was concerned about criticisms from the PPP of a possible sellout, given the size of the projectandconsequentlythe extent of the Venezuelan assistance.

I t w a s s i m i l a r apprehensions, which many years later, railroaded a proposal for Guyana to source power from Venezuela’sGuriDam.

Therefore, far from Venezuela standing in the way of the Upper Mazaruni Hydroelectric Project or for thatmatteranyotherproject to supply power to Guyana, it was local political considerationsthatactedasa brake on that country‘s involvement.

In the end, it did not matter

The Upper Mazaruni Hydroelectric Project was

too big for the political leaders of the time. They could have conceived the project but did not have the capability or know-how to bringthisprojectintobeing.

They could not raise the money because they did not know how to raise the money And they were so jumpy about help from neighbours that they did not knowhowtoacceptanoffer.

The Americans could have helped them. But the leaders had aggravated the Americans through their close ties with the Cubans and specifically with their denials that they were facilitating the Cuban military

The differences with the Americanshoweverallowed thethengovernmenttoclaim that foreign powers were u n d e r m i n i n g i t s administration.

There was even a threat byBurnhamhimselftoexpel an unnamed First Secretary of a foreign embassy that wasfeedingnegativereports overseas.

TheCubanaAirDisaster also deeply affected relations with Guyana, moreso because Burnham wastheonewhohadselected the students to go overseas and according to diplomatic sources, was personally pained by the deaths of the students.

He publicly rebuked the Americans but in private he was trying desperately to

mend fences without having to lose face. In the end, he achieved neither Nor did he get them on board the much vauntedhydropowerproject.

Today, even the access road thathecommencedhasbeen overrunbythejungle.

Thirty four years onwards,theBharratJagdeo administration laidplansfor the building of two hydropowerplants.Thefirst was a relatively small plant with a high price tag. It is proposed for Amalia Falls and it is said will generate some154MWsofpower

A controversial contract was signed for the construction of the access roads to the proposed hydropower site Local political considerations killedthatprojectsalsoafter the Opposition failed to supporttheproject.

The PPPC is again making thesamemistake.It is moving ahead with the gas-to- energy project even though it is not yet certain whether the Exxim Bank of the USA will approve financing.

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

a bigger frying pan, knockingheunconscious.

Upon re-gaining consciousness, de man asked why she hit him again.

She replied, “Your horsecalled.”

De boss called an employeeintoheofficeand said,“Ihappentoknowthat the reason you didn’t come to work yesterday was that youwereoutplayinggolf.”

“That’s a rotten lie!” said de employee. “And I havethefishtoproveit!”

Talkhalf.Leffhalf

Opposition Leader, Norton has to differentiate himself

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton must remake his image. This must have meaning for his own supportersfirst:theymustbe given reason to believe, to cling to whatever tendrils of ittheycouldfind,holdonfor all they are worth. But Mr Norton has to reconfigure himself first From my perspective, Mr Norton's challenge then grows more difficult. Arrayedinfrontof him is a resourceful, relentless, and remorseless PPPmachine.

He must convince the PPP's disillusioned and disgruntledthatheistheman forthetimes. Theleaderthat is part of a group that holds outtheprobabilityofabetter alternative. My thinking is that the Opposition Leader has lots of things going for him There is a PPP Government that is selfdestructing. Aman,aleader, a group is only permitted to deal in lies for so long. Simple people, honest people,andexpectantpeople see through them; Guyanese see them for who and what they are. This is to Mr Norton's considerable

advantage. He has for his primary opponents some people who have no use for honesty, who lack for principles, and who have surrenderedpersonalhonour Even more unforgiving is that they have wasted the goodwill of the Guyanese peopleandspatandtrampled on their hopes. It is a cultivatable field in front of theOppositionLeader Man, I would have loved to be in thethickofthatcombination of circumstances. But I am justbeginning.

B e c a u s e o f i t s skullduggeries and with secreciestomatch,thePPPas a government and as a party isvulnerable. Itsleadersand ministers,mostofthem,have done their jobs well. In the departments of what is not credible, what is to be distrusted, what is selfenriching. If anyone said corruptions like never seen, like never to be imagined (even when seen) then is the PPP Government that has become a swindler of aspirations, a set of rogues that rip apart the poor and poverty stricken of Guyana. For every building they put

up, they put up a bank for themselves. This is why the field of political competition is not just open, it is filled with twists and detours, plenty of other tricky conditionsalso.Thisiswhere the Opposition Leader can come into his own, exploit thearena.

He has to radicalize his approach.Butwithinbounds, manifest a thicker skin, represent tougher postures. Oil and gas have been the bugbear and bogeyman of mygoodfriendsDrs.Aliand Jagdeo. Sad to say, their diagnoses and prescriptions with this prized endowment, thishugeresponsibility,have all made Guyanese sicker and weaker. This is where Mr. Norton as Leader of the Opposition, and as a true Guyanese man of sturdy temperament and robust presence, must differentiate himself. In the frankest terms, my good friend Mr Norton has sounded and registered too much like my two other close friends, the incomparable Ali and Jagdeo. Cheddi and Linden they are not; they couldn't hold a candle to the memory

of that old line Guyanese capitalist, Peter D'aguiar I shall affix to myself the temerity to advise an erudite adviser to Excellency Ali to advise the big bossman of howcapitalismreallyworks. Hewasthere,heknows. He mustbeholdinghisnose.

ThisiswhereMr Norton hastotakehisstand. Indeed, he has spoken of cost-ofliving brutalities inflicted on Guyanese by the policies of the chief policymaker, and the chief imitator and follower Cost-of-living pains are acute and chronic; they don't stop, don't go away. His weekly pronouncements must become a bible proselytized by the minute, a daily battering ram. The PPP is a machine, Mr Norton must bendhisbackandrisetobea stronger, better one. Exxon is hauling away 645,000 barrels of oil daily (maybe more [by submarine], by other subterfuges) This patrimony cannot be a piece of his weekly hour but must emergefromhisdepthstolet Exxon know that the pain of Guyanese is his pain too. Thismustbethecornerstone

Teens arrested for robbery of Bel Air girl

Two teenagers were arrested by police on Tuesday for an alleged robbery committed on a th 15-year-old girl on the 16 of March, 2024 at Bel Air, Georgetown.

The incident was caught on camera and showed the suspects pullinguponmotorcyclesasthe girl exited a ar According to a c

statement, the teens were picked up in relation to “investigations into the alleged robbery with aggravation” committed on the child Around 7:30hrs on Tuesday,ranksfromtheCriminal InvestigationDepartment4Aand Impact Base went to the Independence Boulevard, Georgetown, and arrested 19year-old mechanic Neil Lynch whoresidedinAlbouystownasa suspectintherobbery Theyoung man was interviewed and he disclosedthathewasinvolvedin the incident but he did not consent to it However, he collected $10,000 from the proceeds. Lynch then provided

and centerpiece of his strengthandstrategy Ifnot, then I submit that Aubrey Norton is inseparable from Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo. Iamsorry,butthatis the worst curse that I can attach to any man, any Guyanese. I hope that Mr Norton still regards me as a Guyanese, and not some Venezuelan (or American) saboteur He could distinguish himself from the Ali-Jagdeo duet with that alone.

When Guyanese are ripe for running over, the opposition cannot be run of the mill. When Drs.Ali and Jagdeo are running scared (Babu Jaan), Mr. Norton has the slightest of openings to run to front (Guyanese lingo) He cannot be squeamish.Norshouldhebe focused on the stylish. It is unbecoming. It is good that he has left the boorish to the two PPP strongmen. He must distance himself from the foolish, which has come to identify the others. Mr Nortonisknownasabattler Hehasbothtolivedownthat andliveuptothatinthatthe oldisgone,andanewkindof

the police with the names of five othersuspects.

Taking his story into consideration,policethenwentto “CooperStreetandIndependence Boulevard,Albouystown,wherea 16-year-old labourer was arrested,” the release stated. His name is withheld since he is a minor Bothsuspects'homeswere searched by ranks but nothing of evidential value was found Checks were made for the remainingsuspects,buttheywere notlocated.

battler for Guyanese arrives. Straight talking; he does not do too well with circling. Tough talk: he is not good at the kind and gentle Guyaneseyearnforawarrior Both Ali and Jagdeo have fled from the field of oil combat One spoke of superpower adversary; the other spoke of who spooks easily They both frikken YankeephantomandYankee jumbie. So, what will it be, Mr Norton? There will never be a grander opportunitytoriseandroam. Do not depreciate self Differentiate self. Do not herniate self. Substantiate self.

This writing is presented as a public service to all Guyanese. Atrisktomyself, I have tried to share ideas with brothers Ali, Jagdeo and, once again, brother NortonforbetterforGuyana. Their ways have yielded little. Itgoeswithoutsaying, thatIamnotan[the]enemy

(The views expressed in this article are those of the a u t h o r a n d d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaperanditsaffiliates.)

‘Something pop in my head mek a steal the phone’ ...teen tells magistrate

“Something popped in my head,” an 18-year-old man told a city magistrate when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to answertoalarcenycharge.

Robinson George made his first court appearance before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, where the larceny from a person charge was read to him.

Georgepleadedguiltytothe chargethatstated,onMarch 15, 2024 at Middle Street, Georgetown he stole from the virtual complainant one SamsungGalaxyS24Ultra, valued$300,000.

The court heard that the victim was reportedly answering a call from her manager on Middle Street, when George walked pass herandsnatchedthephone.

However,uponrelievingthe victim of her phone, she raisedanalarmandadriver blockedGeorgeoff,andthe phonewasrecovered.

Notably, during the court proceedings, the prosecutor considered George'sage,thefactthathe is a first-time offender and also that the phone was recovered However, the prosecutor suggested that the court should impose community service and a fine on George. It was also revealed that George is a student and as such, community service would beimplementedinasuitable manner. At the end, the magistrate fined George $40,000 and instructed him to report to Alberttown Police Station after school, fortwohoursfor14days.

Bids open to further develop LBI housing area

The Ministry of Housing and

Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) intends

to spend an additional $419 million on infrastructural works for new housing areasinLaBonneIntention (LBI), East Coast Demerara

Belowarethecompaniesandtheirbids:

CentralHousingandPlanningAuthority InfrastructuredevelopmentworksatLaBonne Intention(LBI),Phase3,EastCoastDemerara

MinistryofCulture,YouthandSport Asphaltingworks(Phase4)attheSynthetic TrackatNewAmsterdam,Berbice.

MinistryofHealth SupplyanddeliveryofIndentsupplies.

OfficeofthePresident ProcurementofvehiclesfortheOP

(ECD).

Attheopeningoftenders on Tuesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board

(NPTAB) office it was disclosed that five contractorshaveappliedto executetheprojects K a i e t e u r N e w s

GuyanaElectionsCommission Procurementofofficefurniture.

GuyanaLivestockDevelopmentAuthority(GLDA) UpgradingofDuckHoldingAreaatMonRepos.

MinistryofAgricultureFisheriesDepartment Procurementofonenewhydraulic excavatorfortheBrackishWaterShrimp.

u n d e r s t a n d s t h a t infrastructural works in the new housing areas include roads, bridges, culverts and electrical

networks.

These works are being donesoas to pave the way for the construction of newhomesinthearea

AuditOfficeofGuyana ProvisionofAuditServices.

NationalDataManagementAuthority(NDMA)

ProcurementoffibretoolsandmaterialsfortheNDMA.

SupremeCourtofJudicature Supplyandinstallationofonenew80KVAdiesel generatorwithautomaticchangeoverswitch.

Three charged with murder...

Frompage08 claimedthatthreeofthemen actedaslookouts,whiletwo wentintothesupermarketto committheheinouscrime.

They said too that the Chinese man’s wife’s, life mighthavebeensavedbyan alertcustomer

They claimed that the customer went to the supermarket to make a purchaseandsawthatitwas locked. It was reportedly against the norm for the supermarket to be closed that early, so the customer reportedly asked some men she saw outside ‘why the Chineselock-up’.

While they were responding, she reportedly heard “strange sounds” coming from inside and she realized that something was amiss. Kaieteur News was

told that the customer left but immediately alerted the owner of the building that the Chinese Nationals who w e r e r e n t i n g t h e supermarketseemedtobein troubleandurgedtheowner tocheckonthem.

He then alerted police and ranks were sent immediatelytothelocation. KaieteurNewswastoldthat when the men in front saw police approaching, they fled, while alerting the two insidethebuilding.

Ranks entered and caught the suspects inside and found the Chinese man murdered and his wife injured.

Kaieteur News understands that they had tiedupthecoupleandslitthe man’sthroatandhadstarted cuttinghiswife’sface.

Autopsy reveals man shot ex-girlfriend’s sister to the chest

A p o s t - m o r t e m examination conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr NehaulSinghonWednesday revealed that Ashanti Liverpooldiedfromgunshot injurytothechest.

Liverpool, age 24, was shot dead during the wee hours of Tuesday at Dazzel HousingScheme,EastCoast Demerara(ECD)byhertwin sister's ex boyfriend- a 31year-old security officer of Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The man reportedlykilledherwithan AR-15 rifle and then later shothimself.

According to police he remainshospitalisednursing agunshotwoundtohischest. Reports are that the suspect had visited his girlfriend's home earlier and saw her sittinginacaroutsideofthe house. He left and went to GoodHopeandreturned30minuteslater,armedwiththe AR-15Rifle.KaieteurNews understands that around 00:20hrs on Tuesday, the suspectreportedlyvisitedthe Hong Kong Chinese SupermarketlocatedatGood Hope,ECDwherehemethis co-worker, a 23-year-old security officer, who at the time was armed with one AR-15 Rifle and eight live

roundsofammunition.

The suspect reportedly told the security officer that the supervisor sent him to collecttherifle.Thesecurity officer reportedly made several calls to his supervisor, which went unanswered. Subsequently, the suspect collected the firearm with ammunition and went away The suspect after returning entered Liverpool's home and found her in bed. He asked about thewhereaboutsofhersister [who had left the home shortly before the suspect arrived].

Ashanti Liverpool reportedly left her bedroom andmadeherwayoutofthe yard and headed east along the access road when the suspect, according to police, opened fire on her with the AR-15 Rifle while she was runningaway Shecontinued to run but collapsed and fell deadinanearbyyard,police claimed.

After committing the crimethesuspectreturnedto the Hong Xing Supermarket at Industry Railway Embankment, ECD where he met a colleague, a 29year-old security officer At the time of this arrival he reportedly had an AR-15

rifle with six live matching rounds of ammunition in his possession The suspect asked his colleague for help tocleartheriflebecauseone wasstuckinthefirearm.

Thecolleaguereportedly collected the rifle from the suspect and attempted to clear it outside of the supermarket He left the firearm assigned to him inside of the supermarket wherethesuspectwas.

While clearing the suspect's AR-15 rifle, the colleague heard a loud explosion from inside the supermarket Upon checking, he noticed the suspect on the ground and immediately went to his aid. It was then he saw blood coming from the left side of the suspect's chest and the firearmbesidehim.

Police from the Sparendaam Police Station were summoned, and the suspect was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

On his arrival, he was admitted nursing a single gunshot wound to the chest. His condition is considered critical.Heispresentlyunder guardatthehospital.

Exxon’s gas pipeline

50% complete ...courtcasesdidnotslowusdown- GTE project manager

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of the StabroekBlockhascompleted50% of the works associated with the pipeline component of the Gas-toEnergy (GTE) project. Not only is the pipeline on target for its initial completion date but also disputes overtheacquisitionoftheland,did notslowdownthecontractor

ExxonMobil's Project Manager, Friedrich Krispin during an Open House discussion on Tuesday, hosted at the Aracari Resort, Versailles, West Bank Demeraraprovidedthisnewspaper with the update on the pipeline works being carried out by the company

The GTE features a 225 kilometers pipeline as well as a NaturalGasLiquids(NGL)facility andagas-firedpowerplantthatwill generate 300 megawatts of power The session provided stakeholders an opportunity to interact with the GTE team and seek clarity on the projectoraddresstheirconcerns.

KrispintoldKaieteurNewsthat the company is proud of the progressithasmadetodateonthe pipeline.Heexplained,“Ingeneral the overall project is about 50% completeatthispointwhichwefeel very proud of. The onshore side,

which is the 25-kilometer onshore pipelineisabout60%completeand the offshore side everything is ready to be completed but we are waitingforbetterweather.”

He noted that the offshore pipeline works are expected to be done between May and August.

Citizens Vanda Radzik and Elizabeth Hughes had filed a legal challenge to the pipeline Permit granted to ExxonMobil by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)backinMarchlastyear The Court later ruled on October 5, 2023thattheEPAacted'contraryto thelaw'and'improper',bygranting a Permit to EMGL, but it did not quashtheapproval.

Atleasttwoothercitizenswith land disputes had also filed legal proceedings, however Exxon said this has not affected its work.

Krispin was asked by this newspaperiftherewasanydelayin the delivery of the pipeline due to the legal challenges, however he saidtherewasnone.

“Noneatall,wewereoriginally committed to finish at the end of October and our target is to finish by the end of October,” he said.

ExxonMobil's Project Manager was keen to note that the governmenthasbeenworkingwith the land owners on compensation

matters and have acquired the necessary plots required for the project. Meanwhile, in instances wherelandownersarenotsatisfied, Krispinsignalled“theyhavetotake itupwiththegovernment”.

He noted, “There is an important reason to be able to obtainthatlandtobeabletoinstall the pipeline and that's what they have done and provided (us) with the easement so we can build the pipeline and they will deal with eachlandownerastheyneedto.”

The 12-inch diameter pipeline is pegged at US$1B and will transport gas from two Floating ProductionStorageandOffloading vessels (FPSOs) in the Stabroek

Block to the Wales development site.Thestructurewillpassthrough several residential communities and farmlands, as well as waterways and roads. Residents had complained before of the lack of consultation and community engagementontheproject.

Notably, there was no government representative or station at Tuesday's Open House event ExxonMobil will be employing Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) to plant the structurebeneathcanalsandroads, as necessary During this process,

specialized equipment is used to drillapathforthepipefromasingle surface location to a single exit point. Exxon has hired SICIM and Gaico to conduct the onshore pipeline works, while the contract fortheoffshoreworkswasawarded to Van Oord. The pipeline will be buried some 9-feet below the surfaceandwillbetestedtoensure it meets the required safety and pressurestandards.Markerswillbe installed along the pipeline route onshore. Most of the offshore pipeline will remain above the sea floor

Israeli military says 90 people killed in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital raid

(ALJAZEERA) The Israeli military says it has killed 90 people during its raid on Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital where a siege has entered a third day, as displaced Palestinians sheltering in the facility describedlongdetentionsand abuse.

downtothehospitalyardand sat us inside a residential building next to the hospital wherewewereinterrogated.”

Hamas condemned what it called Israel's “bloody massacre”atal-Shifaandsaid civilians, patients and displacedpeoplewereamong thefatalities.

Al-Shifa,theGazaStrip's largest hospital before the currentconflictstarted,isone of the few healthcare facilitiesthatisevenpartially operationalinthenorthofthe enclave. It housed more than 7,000 patients and displaced people before the latest attack, the Gaza government said On Wednesday, the Israelimilitarysaidabout300 suspects were interrogated at the complex and more than 160detainedwerebroughtto Israel “for further investigation”.

“Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment,”themilitarysaid in a statement. Ismail alThawabta, the director of Gaza's government media office, denied the Israeli military's claims of having killedfightersandsaidallthe dead were wounded patients and displaced people. “The Israeli occupation army practises lying and deception in spreading its narrative as part of justifying its continuous and law-breaking crimes, which violate i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a w, international humanitarian law,”hetoldtheReutersnews agency.

'All the places are destroyed'

Displaced Palestinians spoke to Al Jazeera about their hours-long detentions during the Israeli army's storming and siege of alShifa. The raid started early on Monday and the military said it had sent in special forces supported by infantry andtanks.“Wewereinoneof the buildings inside the alShifa Medical Complex,” said SalehAbu Sakran. “The soldiers fired at the building where we are. They asked us totakeoffourclothesandgo

On Tuesday night, the army ordered them to head towardssouthernareasofthe Gaza Strip,Abu Sakran said. He did not know the fate of the detainees inside the complex One woman recounted the ordeal she faced during her forced discharge from al-Shifa. “I faced great difficulties in walking among the Israeli vehicles and bulldozers, and the children suffered greatly, andtanksfiredatus,”saidthe woman, a diabetic. “Gaza is not Gaza. All the places are destroyed. We went three dayswithouteating.Ifeltlike Iwasgoingtodie.”

Someofthewoundedand sickdischargedfromal-Shifa arrivedattheBaptistHospital in Gaza City for treatment. Moath al-Kahlout, reporting from Gaza City, said the Israeli shelling has not stoppedsinceTuesday “Ithas been ongoing. Many were killed in the streets while fleeing and their bodies are still there,” he said. Israel faced fierce criticism last November when troops first raided al-Shifa Hospital They claimed to have uncovered tunnels ostensibly usedascommandandcontrol centresbyHamas.Hamasand medical staff denied the hospitalwasusedformilitary purposes or to shelter fighters Meanwhile, an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugeecampincentralGaza killedatleast27people,most of whom were displaced because of attacks on other parts of the enclave. At least fivewomenandninechildren were among the dead. The injuredweretakentoAl-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir elBalahafteranIsraeliairstrike targetedathree-storeyfamily home in the camp late on Tuesday. Another Israeli strike hit the nearby Bureij camp, killing eight people, including three women Nuseirat and Bureij are among several densely populated refugee camps in Gaza that date back to 1948 when an estimated 750,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in whatisnowIsrael,duringthe war surrounding its creation. Refugees and their descendants make up a majorityofGaza'spopulation of2.3million.

ExxonM’ssecond billboardmisleading - Jagdeo

ExxonMobil's second billboard in the vicinity of the Russian Embassy reads “Powering Guyana The Gas To Energy Project is expected to bring reliable, affordable electricity.”

Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo,lastThursdayathisweekly pressconference,explainedthatthe project will not be powering Guyana as a whole, since government will have to seek alternativesourcesofenergyforthe countyofEssequibo,astheydonot have a cable to go across the river Hencethebillboardisnotcorrect.

TheVPwasaskedbyaKaieteur News reporter about the message on the billboard and he responded:

“I don't know the exact writing on it, so I don't want to comment. It's not going to power the whole country because (of) the interconnected grid. So now we gotta build a transmission main from Garden of Eden all the way

to…infactmaybefromEccleswill have to be upgraded from the controlcenterallthewaytoLinden too.”

“Because we are making some investmentsinLinden,nowweare putting in that the government is goingtofinance12orsomegawatts of solar panel, but we are paying BOSAI now a substantial sum of money every year to supply power tothecommunityatveryexorbitant rates. Because we have to buy the power from them, we now need to

take that power also to Linden. So we'd have power from Linden all the way to Crabwood Creek and then across the river so we're working on an alternate arrangementforEssequibobecause we don't have a cable to take the poweracross,”headded.

Jagdeo went on to say, “So maybe that's what they mean by expected (to power) the country, I don't know the exact thing but it willcomeonlinenextyear

It will bring 300 megawatts of

power. GPL now supplies about 160-170 megawatts of power at peakdemandintheinterconnected grid so that will tell you that it's nearlydoubleofwhatwehavenow thatGPLsupplieswillbeavailable tosupplythecountry.”

While Exxon's billboard is saying the project is expected to provide affordable electricity, the VP is saying that the project will meet all the demand and this it is, “guaranteethatthepricewillcome downby50%thatguaranteesowe

know it will come on-stream next year. Weknowthepricewillcome downby50%.

We know they will have nearly twiceasmuchpowernowthanGPL currentlysupplies.”

Furthermore, all of the equipment that GPL now has supplying the country with electricity will “go into reserve so in case anything happens, we can bring those online. I don't know who wrote it but I am sure about thesethings.”

Chinese Landing residents call on Govt. to lift ban on local mining

The Chinese Landing Village CouncilviaastatementonMonday calledonthegovernmenttoliftthe banithasplacedonallgoldmining in Chinese Landing Barama River, NorthWestDistrict,RegionOne.

“ this ban is negatively affectingourlivelihoodsandhasno apparent connection to the reason for the precautionary measures”, the village council said. Chinese Landing Residents are up in arms against the government for granting permits to outside miners to mine gold lands-the Tassawini gold fields- that they claim rightfully belong to them. They havebeeninvolvedinlengthylegal battlesinvolvingthecourtsoverthe years,demandingthereturnoftheir titledlands.

More recently, a petition was filed on their behalf to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights(IACHR)andthatbodyhad issuedaresolutioninAugust,2023, callingontheGuyanaGovernment to implement a series of measures to protect the Indigenous Carib CommunityofChineseLanding.

The village council noted in its statement on Monday that followinga“FactFinding”mission

by the government in response to theIACHRresolution,itbannedall mining inside Chinese Landing's titled lands. “We are unclear on what legal basis the Government has done this”, the village Council said.

The Village Council claimed that it has written the government several letters requesting an explanation on the legal basis for banningChineseLandingresidents from mining but has received no responsetodate.“…thebanonour villagers' small mining is cutting off an important source of livelihood”, iterated the Chinese LandingVillageCouncil.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo atapress-conferenceonAugust31, 2023 had said that the Indigenous people of Chinese Landing had allegedly told the IACHR that mining is polluting their environment and that the miners arethreateningandharassingthem.

Hethenaddedthathisgovernment hasalreadysolvedthisproblemby shutting down all mining in the area.Jagdeonotedthatitseemsasif ChineseLandingresidentswantthe government to stop everyone else fromminingandallowthemalone

to mine but it his view that if the rootcauseoftheproblemismining thennooneshouldmine.

“It seems as though now what the Toshao (Orin Fernandes) is sayingisallowonlyustominebut shutdowntheothersbutthatisnot what they argued. Because mining wherever it is done could be

causing the pollution so that is where we are now, we have cured the breach that went before the commission”,Jagdeohadsaid.

Months later, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai at a press conference had iterated that the government stopped all mining activities in the

Amerindian village because its people complained to the IACHR. According to Sukhai, the Chinese Landing residents were the ones who asked the human rights body for mining to stop because it was affecting them and all the governmentdidwascomply.“…the (Continuedonpage24)

Blinken visits Middle East to discuss Gaza post-war plan

(BBC NEWS) The US secretary of state has flown totheMiddleEasttodiscuss a post-war plan to govern andsecureGaza.

Antony Blinken’s talks with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia and then Egypt will focus on what the US calls “an architecture for lasting peace”.

It comes as witnesses said Israeli forces had escalated their operation around al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, carrying out a numberofairstrikes.Earlier, Israel’s military said it had killed90gunmentheresince Monday

Separately, indirect negotiations between Israel andHamasarecontinuingin Qatar to bring about a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But there are few signs that a breakthrough is imminent Mr Blinken’s sixth trip to the region since the start of the war in Gaza saw him land in Jeddah on Wednesday afternoon to meet the Saudi leadership.

Descending from the plane shortly before sundown he was greeted by waiting officials,includingMazinal-

Himali from the Saudi foreign ministry, who embracedMrBlinken.

He is expected to meet the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, at the royal palace on Wednesday night. State department spokesman Matthew Miller said they would discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement andincreaseaiddeliveriesto Gaza, amid further dire warnings about the scale of thehumanitariancrisisthere. A UN-backed food security assessment this week said 1.1 million people in Gaza were struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation, adding that a man-made famine in the northwasimminentbetween nowandMay

Also on the agenda would be “co-ordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamascannolongergovern or repeat the attacks of 7 October, a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel,andanarchitecturefor lastingpeaceandsecurityin the region”, Mr Miller

added Mr Blinken will travel to Cairo on Thursday tomeetEgyptianleaders.

TheAmericansaretrying tobringtogetheramajordeal that would put the internationally-recognised Palestinian Authority (PA) back into Gaza for the first time since it was driven out byHamas17yearsago.

Nothing has yet been drawn up, but the ideas are thought to include possible support on the ground from Arab nations, while all the parties including Israel would commit to pursuing a two-statesolution-thelongheld international formula forpeace.

The major Arab sponsor Saudi Arabia would normalise relations with Israel in return for access to advanced US weapons and anAmerican-backedcivilian nuclear power programme. However, even if such a multi-part plan could be agreed,USofficialsconcede it is likely only attainable in thelongerterm.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of PA

controlofGaza.Theissueis likely to be another sticking point amid an already fractious relationship with President Biden. Some of those familiar with the plan concede it feels ambitious given the lack of breakthrough on a ceasefire agreement, the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and because any remaining trust between Israelis and Palestiniansisshattered.But theUSadministrationhopes itcanstillusethemomentto grasptheinitiative.

Mr Blinken will also travel to Israel on Friday as part of his current trip According to Mr Miller, he

will discuss with Israeli leaders the hostage negotiationsandthe“needto ensure the defeat of Hamas, includinginRafah,inaway that protects the civilian population”.

President Joe Biden has warned Israel that it would be a “mistake” to launch an offensiveinthesoutherncity ofRafah,wheremorethana million displaced civilians aresheltering.

But on Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel was “determinedtocompletethe elimination of [the Hamas] battalionsinRafah,andthere isnowaytodothiswithouta groundincursion”.

Morethan31,900people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Theconflictbeganwhen about 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacksonsouthernIsraelon 7 October, according to Israelitallies.

OnthegroundinGazaon Wednesday, heavy fighting raged around al-Shifa hospital as the Israeli military’s operation there continuedforathirdday

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he’s quitting for personal and political reasons

LONDON(AP)—Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history ashiscountry’sfirstgayand first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down for reasons that he said were bothpersonalandpolitical.

Varadkar announced Wednesday he is quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland’s coalition government He’ll be replacedasprimeministerin Aprilafterapartyleadership contest.

“Myreasonsforstepping down now are personal and political, but mainly political,” Varadkar said, withoutelaborating.Hesaid he plans to remain in parliament as a backbench lawmakerandhas“definite” futureplans.

Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach, or prime minister — between

2017 and 2020, and again sinceDecember2022aspart of a job-share with Micheál Martin, head of coalition partner Fianna Fáil. He was the country’s youngest-ever leader when first elected, as wellasIreland’sfirstopenly gay prime minister Varadkar, whose mother is Irish and father is Indian,

was also Ireland’s first biracialtaoiseach.Heplayed a leading role in campaigns to legalize same-sex marriage,approvedina2015 referendum, and to repeal a ban on abortion, which passedinavotein2018.

“I’mproudthatwehave made the country a more equal and more modern

place,” Varadkar said in a resignation statement in Dublin.

Varadkar was first elected to parliament in 2007,andoncesaidhe’dquit politicsbytheageof50.

HeledIrelandduringthe years after Britain’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union. Brexit had

huge implications for Ireland, an EU member that shares a border with the U K ’s Northern Ireland U.K.-Ireland relations were strained while hardcore Brexit-backerBorisJohnson was U.K. leader, but have steadied since the arrival of PrimeMinisterRishiSunak.

Varadkar recently returned from Washington, where he met President Joe Biden and other political leaders as part of the Irish prime minister’s traditional St. Patrick’s Day visit to the UnitedStates.

Varadkar also has expressed frustration at how polarized politics has become in Ireland, as in othercountries.

There have been reports of discontent within Fine Gael, and 10 of the party’s lawmakers,almostathirdof the total, have announced they will not run for reelection Earlier this

month, voters rejected the government’s position in referendums on two constitutional amendments. ChangesbackedbyVaradkar that would have broadened the definition of family and removed language about a woman’s role in the home were resoundingly defeated. The result sparked criticism that the pro-change campaign had been lacklusterandconfusing.

Even so, his resignation was not widely expected. Martin, the current deputy prime minister, said he’d been “surprised, obviously, when I heard what he was goingtodo.”

“But I want to take the opportunity to thank him sincerely,”Martinsaid.“We gotonverywell.”

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said he didn’t think the referendum results were “the key factor” in Varadkar’sdecision.

8 schools to be built at $14M each in Region 9

The Regional Democratic Council (RDC)ofRegionNineispreparingtotap intoits$5.8billionbudgetaryallocationit received this year to build eight new nursery schools in the region for approximately$14millioneach.

The project was listed in an invitation for bids issued by the RDC seeking contractors to execute the construction among other projects. It was stated in the document that each school carries an estimated price tag of $13,999,999 and a measurementof70ftx30ft.

Oftheeightschools,anurserybuilding will be built in the village of Simonie which is located in Central Rupununi (30x70),aschoolforQuatatawhichisalso located in Central Rupununi (30x70), a school for Apoteri which is located in NorthRupununi(30x70),aschoolatCrash WaterwhichislocatedinNorthRupununi (70x30), a school for Baitoon which is located in South Central Rupununi (70x30), a school for Rupanau which is also located in South Central Rupununi (70x30), a school for Parabara which is locatedinDeepSouthRupununi(70x30),

and a school for Taushida which is located in SouthPakraimasRupununi(70x30).

In addition to the construction of the new nurseryschools,theRegionalAdministrationis alsoseekingcontractorstodorepairworkstoa numberofschoolsintheregion.Theseprojects include the rehabilitation of the Culvert City NurseryinCentralRupununiwhichisestimated tocost$9million,rehabilitationtoMocoMoco Primary in Central Rupununi estimated at $12 million, rehabilitation to Arapaima Primary School fence which is estimated at $6 million, rehabilitation to Karbaicru Primary School fence which is estimated to cost $13,999,999, rehabilitation toAnnai Secondary fence which isestimatedtocost$6million,andrehabilitation toSandCreekSecondarywhichisestimatedto cost$10million.

Out of the $5.8 billion allocation, a sum of $273 million was approved for education delivery under capital expenditure, while $2,892,544 was approved for education under currentexpenditure.

Itshouldbenotedthattheopeningofbids for these school project will be done at the RegionalTenderAdministrationBoardonApril 4,2024.

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Education Chief cross-examined about talks for teachers salary increase

Chief Education Officer (CEO) for the Ministry of Education (MOE), Saddam Hussain took the witness stand on Wednesday where he faced a series of questions in relation the discussions between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the MOE with regard to salary increases for teacher.

Hussain was cross-examined after Vice President (VP) of the GTU Julian Cambridge testified that financial matters were discussed during the meetings between the Union and the Education Ministry but maintained that it was not in the context of collective bargaining.

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the High Court, the GTU has challenged Government’s decision to deduct pay from the salaries of striking teachers, blocking the administration from moving ahead with a decision to discontinue the deduction of union dues from the salaries of teachers on behalf of the Union and their refusal to engage in collective bargaining for teachers pay increase. The matter is being heard before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Supreme Court of Judicature in Georgetown.

In response to questions as it relates to the salary matters on Wednesday, the CEO told the court that minutes of the meetings between the Union and the Ministry would point to the discussions on salary increases.

However, when he was called upon to indicate where in the minutes that discussion was done, the CEO could only point to talks about salary increases for teachers who were promoted in the system. “You said there were discussions and subsequent increase of teachers salaries…these increases that you speak of is not the ones

CEO of the Ministry of Education, Saddam Hussain

that were universally done for all public servants in Guyana?,” queried attorney for GTU, Darren Wade.

“No,” Hussain replied even as Wade tried to ascertain exactly when the discussions and subsequent increase of teachers’ salaries took place. Hussain maintained that the salary increases he spoke of were not in relation across-the-board increases for public servants.

“These increases were never discussed by the Union and the Ministry of Education before it happened?”

Wade enquired further. “No they were not,” the CEO responded.

Alluding to the minutes of

the statutory meetings between the GTU and the Education Ministry, Wade asked the CEO to point to the record that show that salary/ wages were on the agenda of the meetings and were discussed. Hussain maintained that the minutes spoke to the discussions of salary increases but he only referenced an instance where talks surrounded increase for teachers who qualified for promotions within the system.

“Mr. Hussain sir, but these increases are not across-theboard increases you would agree with me,” clarified the lawyer. “I am sure what you mean that is not my or …the Ministry’s understanding of salary increase talks,” Hussain stated. Justice Kissoon then interjected. He explained to the CEO that such a discussion would take place between the employer and employees towards a universal hike for all workers.

The judge explained further that these increases would not necessarily be based on a particular condition such as a person’s qualification. “It’s across-the-board

(Continued on page 25)

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Chinese Landing residents call on...

From page 17 government has addressed all the conditions that the IACHR has listed including the call [for mining to stop] by the Village Council who has allegedly took this matter to the IACHR for redress. The government adhered in the call to stop all mining,” Sukhai said after a reporter asked her for an update on the “Chinese Landing Fiasco.”

Meanwhile, former APNU+AFC Member of Parliament (MP) and Advisor to the then Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Mervin Williams has called out the government for taking this stance. He believes that the current government’s move to stop all mining at Chinese Landing is a move to punish the indigenous people who occupy the area for speaking out. “That is vindictive. That is deliberate in its vindictiveness it’s the kind of action that seeks to punish the entire village of Chinese Landing… “, Williams told Kaieteur News in a recent interview.

He said too that Sukhai’s claim is totally false. “The petition to IACHR contrary to what Pauline Sukhai is suggesting, never asked for the cessation of mining totally in Chinese Landing,” he told Kaieteur News while pointing to a section of the petition to the IACHR which states that, “…it says that the village is asking for the suspension… I am quoting here… the sus-

pension of all mining activities in Tassawini until the land rights of Chinese Landing Village are finally determined and until a participatory environmental and social Impact Assessment described above is completed.”

Williams explained that requests were made for mining to cease in Tassawini alone and not across the entire village. Further, he noted that when the government stopped all mining- the main source of income of the indigenous people- it did not outline a plan for alternative means of income for the residents of Chinese Landing.

Engage in good faith

The Village Council on Monday also called on the government to engage with the Chinese Landing residents in “good faith to implement the recommendations of the IACHR in Precautionary Measures No. 196-23”.

According to the council it has noted media reports of the Government calling on the human rights body to withdraw the precautionary measures that are in favour of Chinese Landing. “We have not to date seen any indication that this request was granted” the Village Council, said while adding, “ In fact, we and the Government have recently received a letter from the Commission indicating that it will continue to monitor the implementation of the precautionary measures”

The council continued that it has since asked the

human rights body for its support in urging the government to implement the measures.

“Specifically, we have asked the Commission to support our requests to the Government to:

(1) remove all weapons from the mining concessions inside our titled lands; (2) ensure that there are independent police and mines officers stationed to address complaints of legal or rights violations in the village; (3) revoke the concessions held by Mr. Vieira inside our titled lands – or at a minimum, to let the Court of Appeal know that it agrees to our motion for an expedited hearing in our case seeking to clarify the land rights at issue; and (4) to lift the ban on our villagers’ own small mining, as this ban is negatively affecting our livelihoods and has no apparent connection to the reason for the precautionary measures”, the Village Council stated.

The Village Council said too that, “While it agrees that banning outside mining is connected to the reason the precautionary measures were granted, it has not actually caused the miners and their weapons to remove from the lands”. “They instead appear to remain, waiting for the ban to be lifted. In just the past couple of weeks, it appears that shelving of a hill at Tassawini has re-started and excavation is about to start up again”, the Village Council claimed.

Haiti central bank raid leaves at least three dead

(BBC NEWS) Police in Haiti have killed at least three people while repelling an attack on the country’s centralbank.

A “group of criminals” targeted the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) on Monday, an employee told AFP,leavinguptofourdead and a guard injured. The bank itself thanked security forces for “protecting our community”. Haiti has been rockedbyweeksofviolence after gangs raided prisons, released thousands of inmatesandforcedtheprime ministertoresign.

InastatementonX,BRH said:“Followinganincident yesterday near [our] site on Rue Pavee, security forces andthebank’ssecurityteam acted with professionalism andefficiency.”

Thebankisoneofafew key institutions still running in Haiti’s capital Port-auPrince, where many hospitalshavebeenforcedto close. BRH added that it was “deeply grateful to our officers and the state police for their vigilance”. The employee,whospoketoAFP on the condition of anonymity, said “three or four” of the criminal gang

hadbeenkilledintheattack.

They also told the news agencythattheinjuredguard had sustained gunshot wounds.BBCNewswasnot able to independently verify these claims. Police have been trying to recapture areas of Port-au-Prince held by notorious gang leader JimmyChérizier,nicknamed “Barbecue” The power struggle has led to an uptick in violence - including gun fights - on the streets of Haiti, a country which struggledwithgangviolence longbeforetherecentcrisis.

Haitians told the BBC theycouldseenoendtowhat is happening in the Caribbean country, with Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region under a month-long state of emergency. Last week, following mounting pressure,ArielHenryagreed to step aside as prime minister to allow the formation of an interim government. Mr Henry had not been allowed back into Haiti after leaving in late January for visits to Guyana and Kenya, where he had signed a deal on the deployment of an international security force

tohelptackletheviolence.

The Caricom group of Caribbean nations subsequently outlined plans to set up a transitional presidential council, comprising-amongothersseven voting members, two observers and a religious leader One of those put forwardtobeamemberwas Leslie Voltaire, a government minister under

former Haitian President JeanBertrandAristide.

He told BBC World Service’s Newshour programmethatHaitiwasin “agravecrisis”-butrefused to accept that “bandits” could one day rule the country “They [armed gangs]saythattheyhaveput Ariel Henry out, but they cannot enter into the palace, they cannot enter into the

PM Rowley worried citizens turning blind eye to crime ...says infiltration of state agency also troubling

( T R I N I D A D

GUARDIAN) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has expressed concern that citizens are turning a blind eye to the criminal element in this country And he has also alluded to the possibility that the recent Strategic Services Agency (SSA) shake-up may have come because it had been overrun by the criminal element He made the reference yesterday as he spokeabouttherisingcrime surge in the country during the sod-turning ceremony for the Caura Housing DevelopmentinTunapuna.

While the PM did not directly name the SSA, he said,“AsIspeaktoyounow, the problem has multiplied because for the last two weeks, we have been dealing with the State’s contributiontothatproblem, where the state authority in position of trust has surreptitiouslybrokendown and the calypso that we

listen to, Who’s Going to Guard the Guards, became the most pertinent question in Trinidad and Tobago because the state agencies had become one with the criminalagencies.”

Two weeks ago, SSA director Major Roger Best was sent on administrative leave and Rowley recalled US Ambassador Anthony Phillips-Spencer from Washington to act in the post Phillips-Spencer is currently probing matters within the SSA which Rowley had said were of national security concern to theGovernment.

The Prime Minister also took citizens who support and encourage criminals to task, saying it was unacceptable for lawabiding citizens to remain quietwhentheyknowthose who use illegal weapons to commit crimes. “It is only when the firearm is discharged and kills somebodythatyoureactand

call upon the police and the Government to do something. The thing that you do when somebody is killed is to bury the dead,” Rowleysaid.

The Prime Minister said upuntilrecently,mostofthe criminalsonlyhadaccessto handguns which they could concealbutnow,mostofthe killings are done by people withassaultweaponswhich are hard to transport or operate without members seeingsomething.

“If you know who it is, then for God’s sake tell the police what they have, where they are and then something will be done ...there are too many people in this country who know who the killers are, who knowwhothecriminalsare, and who are turning a blind eye to it and worst, who are encouraging it,” the PM said. Rowley said many of the criminals live in households and those who may know about their

activities are all part of the problemandencouragingit.

“Wehavedifficultywith thepolice,yesweknow,we have difficulty with the Coast Guard, yes we know but we are constantly available to respond to the criminal element once the information about the presenceandintentareknown to the state authorities,” he said “Many of these people live in homes A person cannotbehandlinganassault weaponinyourhouseholdand youdon’tknowAndifyouare the mother, the father, the neighbour, the cousin, the friendandyouknow,thenyou arepartoftheproblemifyou providethemwiththesecrecy thattheyneed ”

He said the only advantage the criminals have is deciding when, where and who they attack, butifthepopulationremains quiet when they see them walking the streets with guns,thentheyhaveanother advantage.

prime minister’s office,” Mr Voltairesaid.

Describing the chaos, he said “something” had to be done - and fast - “because nowalltheportsareblocked, the airport is blocked, and evenifyouwanttogotothe beachyoucannotgo”.

Hecontinued:“Thereisa lot of kidnappings, a lot of rape,alotofburglaries.One has to decide if you want to

live like that, or if you want to fight. I want to fight.”

Countries including the United States and Germany last week evacuated embassy staff from Port-auPrince, with the violence showing no sign of easing.

The US State Department then said over the weekend that it planned to charter a flighttorescueitsremaining citizensstillstranded.

EducationChiefcross...

Frompage24 which means everyone can benefit,” Kissoon asserted. As a result of the clarificationprovidedbythe Court,Hussainadmittedthat he was not in possession of the minutes which spoke to discussions for salary increases.

“Idon’thavetheminutes herewhereacross-the-board increases for teachers were discussed,” Hussain said The CEO’s took the stand shortly after GTU’s Vice President Cambridge was grilled by lawyer for the Attorney General Dharshan RamdhaniKC.

While on the stand RamdhanigotCambridgeto admit that the previous multi-year agreement between the Guyana Teachers’Union (GTU) and the government remains in force until a new agreement is reached The King’s Counsel noted that since 2018 the Government and the Teachers ‘Union had no otheragreementinplace.He noted that what the Government and Teachers Union have now is a multiyearproposal.

U n d e r C r o s s examination, Cambridge agreed that several areas including duty-free concessions, housing revolving fund, and debunching of salaries according scales, the granting of scholarships for teachers that would eventually result in increased salaries were all financialmatters.

TheGTUVicePresident alsoagreedwithRamdhani’s suggestionthattravelingand specialteachingallowances, increased salaries for some categories of teachers were alsofinancialmatters.

With regards to 50 requested scholarships, Cambridge said those were being provided except that the teachers would benefit financially only if the Guyana OnlineAcademy of Learning graduates had those programmes accredited. The government lawyer asked if a number of the benefits that were being requested and given to members of the union. In response, the GTU Vice President those were not for non-members.

Guyana secure impressive draw against Canada

Guyana rebounded from consecutive losses in the Pan Am Hockey Cup in Canada, managing a 3-3 draw against the host country last evening, thereby keeping their chances of advancing to the Indoor Hockey World Cup alive.

The match marked the fifth encounter between Guyana and Canada in the tournament, with both nations now tallying two wins and two losses, along with last night’s deadlock.

Despite the draw, Guyana maintained fourth place in the group with a superior goal difference of six over Canada, who are now at the bottom of

the table.

Aroydy Branford, who netted twice, initiated Guyana’s scoring in the seventh minute with a penalty corner conversion. However, Canada swiftly responded with a field goal by Tarnpreet Singh, levelling the score.

Jamarj Assanah regained the lead for Guyana at halftime with a goal in the 12th minute.

In the second half, Leighton De Souza scored twice (in the 26th and 32nd minutes) to push Canada into the lead, but, Branford, a standout player in the Caribbean, equalized with his sec-

…remain in position for semi-finals appearance

Aroydy Branford squares up to fire one of this two goals past Canada’s Adam Kapasi in goal.

ond goal of the night, securing a vital point for Guyana. With these results, Guyana, set to face Trinidad

Police Regional Division #6 organise softball cricket competition

The Guyana Police Force Regional Division No 6 has organised a one day, 7-overs 11-a-side softball cricket competition.

The activity is slated for Sunday 24th March at the Port Mourant Community Centre ground and is open to teams throughout Guyana.

There are a number of attractive prizes available. The winning team will walk away with $250,000, second place $150,000, while third place will collect $75,000. There will be other

and Tobago today at 3:15 pm, only requires a positive outcome, while Canada not only needs to win against the USA this evening but also must score a barrage of goals without conceding. (Rawle Toney)

Thursday March 21, 2024

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Sometimes, it's amazing to see how your relationships can spin so easily out of control, Aries. Today you may have to deal with a lot of tension within your group. You'll almost feel as if no one understands the situation.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You sometimes have difficulty making up your mind. You don't always know exactly what you want. Today, Taurus, you'll be at peace with yourself.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Sometimes we all feel a little lost, Gemini. We often want to move mountains and use all our energy and enthusiasm to try to do so.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

You have a natural ability to accomplish a great deal rather easily, Cancer. But today you may feel snowed under with projects. Things around you might be moving quickly.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Your day has finally come, Leo. You have your own vision of life and you like sharing it with others. You're far from thinking that you're any sort of new messiah.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Today you'll have the strange feeling that something is floating in the air. The time is right to try to understand the different needs of your family circle.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

As the dawn of another quiet and peaceful day appears, Libra, you will be in the best disposition to observe and appreciate the lightness of things. Life can seem so beautiful on some days.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You will find a clean page on the agenda today, Scorpio. You should try to think only about yourself. This will allow you to meditate about your life and be at peace with yourself.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21)

You will wake up today on cloud nine, Sagittarius. Your morale is at a peak. You will feel totally free and be able to clearly perceive the essentials of life.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

The astral energy will have you reminiscing all day long over childhood memories, Capricorn. These memories will take you to the houses and places where you were raised.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You love interacting with people others might consider eccentric. You can't help it. You're simply attracted to them. You will probably encounter one of these people today, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

You have always tried to build up your health using traditional methods, and you take great care of yourself.

incentives up for the taking.

There will also be a competition for females with the winning team assured of $50,000.

First ball is expected to be bowled at 09:00 hrs.

There will be a well stocked bar, while Bar-BQue will also be on sale.

The coordinator is former Inter-county player and OC No2 subdivision Assistant Superintendant Michael Newland.

Interested teams are asked to get in touch with Newland or Inspector George. (Samuel Whyte)

Sinclair half-century, headlines...

From page 27 rocked by Cyrus. Kemol Savory (3) didn’t hang around either as Cyrus soon had him trapped LBW. Sinclair and Permaul joined forces and after reaching his fifty, Sinclair seemed on course to another three figure score this season but had his journey cut short when Springer served up a beauty to castle the stumps of the West Indies all-rounder.

The lower-order batting resistance provided by Permaul, Motie and Smith pushed Guyana to another big first innings score.

Motie found support from Permaul before he was dismissed by Larry Edward (146), before forming a nice bonus partnership with Smith who showed his class with the bat, before he too was bowled by Cyrus.

Cyrus then served up another golden ball, this time depriving Motie, who played an excellent lower-order innings, of a possible fifty, when he was out caught by Alick Athanaze; 4 short of his milestone.

Action continues from 10:00h today.

CWI Regional 4-Day Championships Round 5…GHE vs. WIV Day 1 Sinclair half-century, headlines opening day for Harpy Eagles, as Windwards trail by 296 runs

- GHE (1st innings 308 all out) Sinclair 74, Anderson 48, Motie 46

Astring of scores led by Kevin Sinclair’s crisp halfcentury, gave the Guyana HarpyEaglesa296-runlead over Windward Islands Volcanoes,followingatense openingdayattheCoolidge CricketGround,Antigua.

The champs came out with another confident batting approach in the 1st innings, posting 308 all out after 80.5 overs led by inform all-rounder Sinclair, who scored a brisk 74 off 102 The right-hander punched 10 fours and a six, finding help from vicecaptain Kevlon Anderson (48). However, it was a robust knock of 46 off 43 with three fours and three sixes from Test left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie whichpropelledGuyanalate ontheopeningDay

The Harpy Eagles bowlersshowedtheirworth, signaling a more solid lower-order batting unit with Veerasammy Permaul (30), Nial Smith (20) and Ronaldo Alimohamed (22) exhibiting great maturity as theystabilizedthetail-end.

Windwards leg-spinner Darel Cyrus was the difference-maker, snatching 5-67 from only 12.5 overs,

picking up wickets and breaking the important partnerships before they couldgrow

Other contributions came from pacer Shamar Springer (2-75) and spinner Darius Martin (2-63) who helped chip away at the Guyanese.

At stumps on day 1, the Volcanoes were steady on 12-0 with openers Kimani Mileus (9*) and Jeremy Solozano (1*) tasked with a lotofworktodoonday2.

Batting first, Guyana endured a decent morning session, losing two wickets bythetimeluncharrived,as theywentinon62-2.

Matthew Nandu (25) looked polished as usual, hitting three fours but gave hiswicketawaycheaplyout caught off the bowling of Martin. Springer removed

an uncomfortable looking Tagenarine Chanderpaul for a 66-ball 13, leaving Anderson and Tevin Imlach (11) with responsibility of controlling the afternoon sessions.

Martin then trapped the Guyana captain lbw following the resumption of play, leaving Anderson to team with fellow Berbician Sinclair

The duo worked the opposition bowlers as they tookGuyana’sscoreintothe hundreds and eventually both batsmen looked set for bigscores.

However, the Eagles vice-captain, who by then had 6 fours and a six to his name, looked to get to his half-century with a heave through mid-wicket,only to havehismiddlestumps

(Continuedonpage28)

Round 2 Women’s League Division One... Guyana Police Force FC defeat

TheGuyanaPolice ForceFCclaimed their first win of Round Two in the Women’s League Division One on Sunday, overpowering PotaroStrikersFCwitha9-0 victory at the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Tiandi Smith dazzled on the field on March 17, notching four goals in the 30th,53rd,89th, and a stunning 90+6 minutestrike.

Her teammate Shante Greene demonstrated her skillbysecuringabracewith goals in the 74th and 76th minutes.LakeishaWilliams, Akeelah Vancooten and

Jamacia Hunt joined the scoring spree, each finding thenetinthe39th,55th,and 77thminutes,respectively

The visiting team’s scoringattemptswerehalted by the relentless offensive prowess of the Guyana PoliceForce.

Since the start of Round Two on March 14, just two teams, the Guyana Defence ForceandtheGuyanaPolice Force, have collectively scoredanimpressivetotalof 37 goals in their respective matches.

Ontheopeningnight,the Guyana Defence Force FC dominated Pakuri Jaguars FC with a remarkable 28-0 victory,securingthetopspot on the table in the early stagesofthecompetition.

GTTA

Novice Open tourney concludes at the National Gymnasium

Completing the roster of competing teams are Fruta Conquerors FC and Santos FC.

The Women’s League Divisionhasadiverserange of players, including past champions, national players andaspiringtalents.

Itservesasaplatformfor players to exhibit their abilities, vie for selection in national team programmes, pursue scholarships, and even secure contracts with clubs beyond the borders of Guyana.

Action continues March 24thwithPakuriJaguarsFC taking on Fruta Conquerors FC in St Cuthbert’s Mission at3p.m.

UseGffWomensLeague logo

Therewasplentyoftable tennis action last Sunday when the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) heldaonedaycompetitionat the National Gymnasium, M a n d e l a Av e n u e , Georgetown,Guyana.

Masters 50 years and over and Handicap Open saw Malachi Moore, Xenophon Goliath, Aneesa Chetram and Delon Barton emerged as the champion in theirrespectivecategories.

ThehandicapOpenfinal was a thriller between More (-4) and Kristian Sahadeo (5). Moore eventually came out winner 3-2 the scores being 11-9, 5-11,14-12,8-11 and 13-11 (3-2). In the semifinals Moore (-4) came

from behind to beat Colin Wong (-5) 3-2, while Sahadeo (-5) defeated JasmineBillingy(-3)at3-1.

Quarterfinals saw Sahadeo defeating Thuraia Thomas 3-1, Billingy winningfromOwanWills32, Moore defeating Devon Richmond 3-2 and Wong winning from Kayden Meusa 3-0. A total of 24 players participated in the handicapopen.

TheMaster50yearsand over round robin finals saw Xenophon Goliath winning 4 matches and was declared the winner He defeated Remy Taitt 3-0, Marlon Washington 3-0, Bruce Murray 3-2 and Roger McLennon3-0,secondplace

went to Remy Taitt who defeated Washington 3-0, Murray 3-0, and McLennon 3-2. Coming in third was Murray with Washington fourth and McLennon in the cellar TheNoviceGirlsfinal saw Aneesa Chetram winning from Chrisleyann Richards 3-1 Joint third places went to Ashanti Paul and Chelsea Benjamin T h e r e w e r e e i g h t participantsinthatcategory The Novice Boys division was won by Delon BeatonwhodefeatedHervin D’Agular by a 3-1 score. Copping joint third were Alexander Zhang and Ravindra Rikee.There were 10 entries in that category (SamuelWhyte)

Golden Jaguars FIFA Series baptism against Cabo Verde today

BYRAWLETONEY

Guyana is set to take on CaboVerdetodayat3:30pm intheinauguralFIFASeries, launching at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports CityinJeddah,SaudiArabia.

Thismatchmarksthefirstever meeting between the two nations, and Guyana’s second time facing a team from the Confederation of African Football(CAF),havingplayed toa2-1defeattoEthiopialast year

The Golden Jaguars enter thematchasunderdogs,ranked 157th globally by FIFA, in contrast to Cabo Verde’s 68th position

Cabo Verde, led by coach Pedro Brito, reached the quarter-finalsoftheAfricaCup ofNationsthisyear,wherethey narrowlylost2-1onpenaltiesto SouthAfrica

This encounter will be CaboVerde’sfirstmatchsince the Africa Cup of Nations, while it marks the return of Guyana’steamtothepitchsince their 6-0 victory overAntigua andBarbudaintheConcacaf

Nations League last November Guyana’s Omari Glasgow, a standout talent, played a crucial role in topping Group B of League

B,remainingundefeated. Glasgow, 20, has emerged as Coach Shabazz’s talisman, leading the team in goals scored With20appearancesfor the Golden Jaguars, Glasgow, who competes with Major League Soccer (MLS) side ChicagoFire(NextProteam), has netted an impressive 14 goalssincehisdebutinMarch 2021 Glasgow’s stellar performancepositionshimasa potential all-time leading goal scorerforGuyana,trailingjust four goals behind Nigel “Powers” Codrington Joining Glasgow in the frontline of Shabazz’s attack are Ryan Kheedoo, Deon Moore, and StephenDuke-McKenna Darron Niles, in fine

form for Slingerz FC in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League, has earnedhisplaceinthesquad.

Captain Daniel Wilson, Ryan Hackett, Elliot Bonds, Nathan Ferguson, Kadel Daniel, Jalen Jones, Quincy Adams, Colin Nelson, Curtez Kellman, Jeremy Garrett,KevinLayne,Amos Ramsey, Liam Gordon, Marcus Simmons, Leo Lovell, and Rashuan Ritch comprise the rest of the outfield players, while Quillan Roberts, Akel Clarke, and Jamaine Cumberbatch serve as goalkeepers.

Cabo Verde will turn to RyanMendes,whoplaysinthe

Turkish Premier League with FatihKaragümrükS.K,butalso familiar with the Middle East conditions,havingplayedthree seasons with Al Nasr, the currentclubofPortugallegend, CristianoRonaldo Bebéisalso expected to suit-up for Cabo Verde,sincetheLaLigaplayer with Rayo Vallecano, is a key member of the squad, along with Jovane Cabral, the Olympiacosforward Uponthe team’s arrival in Jeddah, Shabazz emphasized the significanceofthemomentfor Guyana’s football, urging the players to recognize that they represent not only themselves but the entire nation and Concacaf.

“And I want you to keep that with you,” Shabazz urged the players, “Because it’s so easy to lose focus And when I say focus, I mean the here and the now We have to live in the here and now ” Following today’s match, Guyana will face Cambodia on March 26 before returning home to prepare for their World Cup Qualifiers encounter against PanamaonJune6.

ABOUTTHEFIFA SERIES

Thesematchesarepartof anewinitiativeapprovedby the FIFA Council in 2023 where in every evennumbered year the world governing body will host matches across the six confederations. Dubbed the FIFA Series, the first-ever staging will allow football nations the opportunity to compete against teams outsidetheirconfederation.

AccordingtoFIFA,“The

ultimate objective of the FIFASeriesistoallowmore international football interaction, making a concrete contribution to globalfootballdevelopment. Thepiloteditionwillfeature 20 member associations playing in four locations acrossthreecontinents.”

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka will be the host nations for thefirstFIFASeries.

More cricket gear for Project “Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana”

USA based Guyanese Kumar Dindial is the latest on board with thisjointinitiativeofKishanDasof the USAandAnil Beharry He has recentlydonatedonegearbag,one bat, one pair of cricket shoes, one thighpadandapairofbattingpads. Dindial expressed delight in contributingtothisfinegesturethat helps so many young cricketers across Guyana. This project is happy to partner with Dindial and so many others to make these cricketersdreamscomethrough.

Total cricket related items received/purchased so far:

$370,000 in cash, thirteen colored cricket uniforms, two trophies, twentypairsofcricketshoes,thirty three pairs of batting pads, thirty five cricket bats, thirty pairs of batting gloves, twenty five thigh pads,threepairsofwicketkeeping pads, six arm guards, two chest guards, two boxes, twelve cricket bags, six bat rubbers, six helmets, one softball cricket bat and ten boxesofwhiteballs.Inadditionto the above, over $600,000 worth in

gear was donated by Sheik Mohamed,formerNationalwicket keeper/batsman.Allcashcollected is being used to purchase cricket gearrequestedandnotavailableat thetime.

To date, seventy two young players from all three counties of Guyanahavedirectlybenefitedfrom seven gear bags, two trophies, four arm guards, thirty one bats, three boxes, six helmets, twenty seven pairsofcricketshoes,eighteenpairs of batting pads, twenty four thigh pads,onebatrubber,thirtyonepairs of batting gloves and three pairs of wicketkeepinggloves Manyothers youths would have benefited indirectlytoo Inaddition,twoclubs inthePomeroonareabenefitedfrom two used bats Pomeroon, Leguan andWakenaamCricketCommittees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also receivedoneboxofredcricketballs each, Cold Fusion Cricket Club thirteen color uniforms while RHCCCC received three boxes of balls, fifteen white cricket shirts, onepairofjuniorbattingpads,one

pairofwicketkeepingglovesanda set of stumps and bails. Other beneficiaries are The Essequibo CricketBoard,theTownofLethem and youth coach, Travis Persaud, softball teams in the Upper Corentyne area, No 65 Young Titans, Just Try CC, Wakenaam Cricket Academy, National fast bowler Shemar Joseph, Nehemiah

Hohenkirk, Shamar Apple and Leguan Cricket Committee, Essequibo.

Cricket related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients. Talentspottingisbeingdoneacross the country and club leaders also assisttoidentifytalent.Progressive and well managed cricket clubs with a youth programme will also benefit The programme organisers take this opportunity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option GroupofUSA,HilbertFoster,Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, Sean Devers, Trevis Simon, Årïêl J Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry,LeannaBachanandImran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Kelvin Brijlall, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun, AllanMangruandDennisMangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin,

HuburnEvans,RajendraSadeoand Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports AwardsandTrophies,AjayGainda of Cricket Equipment Guyana, Gajanand Singh, Peter Ramkissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin Singh, Denesh Chandrapaul,DavoNaraineofUK, DrCecilBeharry,RajMathura,Raj Bharrat,LatchMohabirandfamily, Suresh Dhanai, Vishal Nagamootoo,MosesNagamootoo, Regal Sports Store, Omkar Singh, Parmanand Dhaniram,Denanauti Singh, Krishna Rengensamy, Ishwar Singh, Ricky Deonarain of 4R Bearings, Terry Mathura, Kennard Verapen and NY Pioneer Cricket Club andAnita and Derek Kallicharran and Kumar Dindial. We thank the media for the role they are playing in promoting this venture.Distributionwillcontinue.

Anyoneinterestedtocontribute can contact Anil Beharry on 6236875orKishanDason1-718-6640896.

AzruddinMohameddonatesboxinggeartoPace&PowerGym

Mr Azruddin Mohamed has donated a quantity of boxing gear to the Pace and Power Gym located at Castello and Independence BoulevardinGeorgetown.

Thegymwasestablished

six years ago and caters to young people between the agesof8and17.Thefacility is owned and operated by Mr Clifton Barker, who is also the trainer Presently, thegymhasanenlistmentof

20 young people who undergo rigorous training in various techniques in the evenings from Mondays to Fridays.

Its members are no strangers to competitions

organised by the Guyana Boxing Association and N a t i o n a l S p o r t s Commission, as only last week they took home eight gold medals in the GBA event.

Thegymisalsothehome ofNationalUnder-16female boxer Tofina Barker, who waspartofaGuyanaBoxing Association (GBA) contingent to St Lucia, Barbados,andUzbekistanin

2023.

T h e c o a c h w a s extremely happy about the timely donation by the businessman and expressed hisgratitude.

New Club Santa Rosa “Sharp Shooters” affiliates with Archery Guyana

Santa Rosa is a community in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana and the village is part of the North West Amerindian District.

SantaRosa’sburgeoning archery community welcomes a new addition to its ranks with the establishment of the “Santa Rosa Sharp Shooters”

Archery club Recently affiliated to the governing body, “Archery Guyana”,

the club sets its sights on promoting the sport of archery in the region under the adept guidance of Archery Guyana’s certified Level1coach,CarlosHenry Led by a dedicated team, the affiliated Club’s executive board comprises individuals deeply committed to fostering a thriving archery culture withinSantaRosa Mr Carlos Henry assumes the pivotal role of Chairperson, bringing his

expertise and passion for the sport to the forefront Joining him is Stafon Wilson as Vice Chair, Amanda Daniels as Secretary, Wesley Fredericks as Treasurer, Mathew Adrian as Publicity Officer, Caela Rodrigues and Jannel Da Silva as Record Officers, and Stephan Bacchus as EquipmentOfficer President of Archery Guyana, Mrs Vidushi

Persaud-McKinnon

expressedgreatdelightinthe new affiliate club and noted that “With the formation of the Santa Rosa Sharp Shooters, there is now a structured avenue platform for enthusiasts of all skill levels to engage in the exhilarating sport of archery.” She went on to c o m m e n d H e n r y , Chairperson of the club stating that, “Under the mentorship of National ArcheryCoachHenry,Iam

confident Santa Rosa Sharp Shooters Club will be committed to nurturing t a l e n t , f o s t e r i n g c a m a r a d e r i e , a n d promoting sportsmanship withinthecommunity”

The “Santa Rosa Sharp Shooters” look forward to welcoming members of all ages and backgrounds to join them in their journey towards excellence in archery

As they embark on this exciting endeavor, the club

remains dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, integrity, and respectandtoworktogether with the National Federation, Archery Guyana to continue to promote the sport throughout our beloved c o u n t r y F o r m o r e information about the Santa Rosa Sharp Shooters and how to get involved, please c o n t a c t ArcheryGuyana@gmail co

GFF host CONCACAF Executive Membership Programme

CONCACAF recently held its Executive Mentorship Programme (EMP)WorkshopinGuyana to update Guyana Football Federation(GFF)executives on the fundamental frameworks essential for fostering enhanced governanceacrossalllevels.

The seminar, which underscored the intrinsic link between good governancepracticesandthe sustainable development of football within the region, washeldonMarch16and17 attheGFFNationalTraining Centre in Providence, East BankDemerara.

The One-CONCACAF sessions saw a strong representation from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), with President Wayne Forde and other key council members, including First Vice President Brigadier General (Ret) Bruce Lovell, Third Vice President Dion Inniss,

council members Magzene Stewart, Alden Marslowe, Andrea Johnson, Denneze Lovell, Rayan Farias committing to further enhancing the standards of footballgovernance.

Alsoattheseminarwere GFF General Secretary Ian Alves, Technical Director Bryan Joseph and Accountant Marco Meredith.

Thetwo-dayprogramme was facilitated by One CONCACAFandCaribbean Projects Head Howard McIntosh and Bermuda Football Association (BFA) General Secretary and ConsultantDavidSabir

GFF President Forde said the sessions gave the “executive team an opportunity to update

CONCACAF on the Federation’s advancements since the initial good governance workshop in 2019 The team also identified challenges and

acquired insights into regulatory amendments which will be disseminated among its nine associations, clubs,andaffiliatemembers.

He once again thanked CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani for

Best of the Best’ to compete at Kares CrossFit Caribbean Championship

Some of the best names in CrossFit are set to descend on Guyana for the Kares CrossFit Caribbean Championships, which will beheldonApril6and7.

Lead coordinator Jordana Ramsay-Gonsalves is excited about what looms forthefans,giventhatsheis confident it will be grueling action for the high-caliber athletes.

“We know it is going to be a grueling competition; the best of the best has applied, and they are all comingtoourcompetition”, thecoordinatorindicated.

This year’s event has already attracted the attentionoftopathletesfrom the Netherlands, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Suriname, Bahamas and French Guiana, and interest fromDubai.

By attracting highcaliber athletes, Kares CrossFit has collaborated with Competition Corner, a dynamic registration, planning, and scoring softwarebuiltforFunctional Fitness and Weightlifting

competitionsglobally Ramsay-Gonsalves highlighted that this event would be the catalyst for them to be licensed by CrossFit, which will pave the way for significant development in the sport locally

In August-September, the Kares CrossFit Caribbean Championship aimstohostascaledeventin Trinidad and Tobago, while the 2025 edition of its main eventisheadedtotheUnited Kingdom.

Athletes are reminded registrationclosesonMarch 24,andthefeeisUS$70.

Thelinktoregistrationis https://competitioncorner.ne t/ On April 6, athletes will headtotheNationalAquatic Centre at Lilliendaal for a series of workouts, and they willreturntoactiononApril 7 on the National Park tarmac.

General admission is G$1,000, while VIP tickets costG$7,000each.

The official launch is scheduledforalaterdate.

introducing the initiatives, affirming that “Guyana consistently strives to set a shining example for initiatives introduced by the governingbody T h e E x e c u t i v e Mentorship Programme

delved into various topics including Leadership and Governance, the Functions of Executive Committees, the Principle of Separation of Powers, Administrative Processes, Executive Committee Operations,

Board Meetings and Congresses, as well as Strategic and Financial Planning and Risk Management. Presentations were also delivered by officials from theGFF

GMR&S announced Guyoil as official gas and lubricant partner

Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) announced yesterday that Guyoil will serve as the official gas and lubricant partner for the2024racingseason.

The partnership, according to the GMR&SC,marksasignificantcollaboration between two pillars of the motorsport industryinGuyana.

“Guyoil’s Super95 gasoline and Castrol Lubricantsarerenownedfortheirqualityand performance, making them the ideal choice tofueltheadrenaline-pumpingactiononthe track,”GMR&SCsaidinarelease.

GMR&SC added, “As a long-standing supporterofmotorsport,Guyoilhasaproven track record of success, with drivers clinchingvariouschampionshipswhileusing theirfuelandlubricant.”

Among the notable achievements are

Azaad Hassan, the 2023 Sports Tuner Champion, and Troy Muir, the 2022 Street Tuner Champion, both of whom clinched theirvictorieswithGuyoilproducts.

The GMR&SC said Hassan and Muir’s achievements are a testament to the exceptional quality and performance of Guyoil’sfuelandlubricant,solidifyingtheir reputationasthego-tochoiceformotorsport enthusiasts.

The partnership between GMRSC and Guyoil,thereleasesaid,underscoresashared commitment to excellence in motorsport.

”With Guyoil’s support, we look forward to delivering an exhilarating season of racing that will captivate audiences and showcase the best of Guyana’s motorsport talent,” GMR&SCnoted.

GTT maintains solid support for Bartica Easter Regatta 2024

GTT, the largest provider of telecommunicati onsservicesinGuyanaanda longtime partner of the Bartica Easter Regatta, has once again thrown its unflinching support behind the organisers of the 2024 edition which is being held under the theme, ‘Is We Own’.

Chief Commercial Officer of GTT, Ms Kerchelle Jn Charles in the company of Marketing Manager-Mobile, Ms Diangelly Singh recently made the presentation of their sponsorship valued Two Million dollars to Bartica Easter Regatta Chairperson, Kenneth Williamsandhisteam.

”We are very thrilled to maintain our commitment towards this eagerly anticipated calendar event that is attended by thousands of Guyanese here and in the Diaspora,” Ms JnCharlesinformedin remarks during the handing over

”This falls within ou corporate and socially responsibilitytogivebackto communities, it’s a

responsibility that we take seriously and have been doingsodecades.Thisevent has made Town of Bartica

verypopular,notonlyforthe high level of Guyanese hospitality but for the many sportingeventsincludingthe

marquee,powerboatraces. We wish you the very best at this year’s event and wish the many athletes

taking part in the various disciplines, every success ”

Williams, who is also Chairman of Region 7, C u y u n i - M a z a r u n i , commended GTT for its continued and committed support for the Easter Regatta activities assuring Ms Jn Charles and her team that 2024 will serve up the usual high class eventsintheareasofsports andentertainment.

”The Bartica Easter Regatta Committee would like to express our appreciation GTT for your tangible support over the years and to let you know that you are one of the main corporate partners that has shaped this event into what it has become today

And for this we are extremelythankful.”

Among the sporting activities planned for this year’s Regatta is football (male and female teams), grass track racing, athletics roadrace,andariverswim.a

Easter Sunday Horserace… Stolen Money cautious of Spankhurst of and Bossalina but confident of winning

Fresh from a crushing win on Sunday last at the Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club, the connections of Stolen Money are confident ofwinningonEasterSunday (March 31) at Port Mourant Turf Club. Despite being highonconfidence,Winston Appadu, a veteran jockey andtrainerofStolenMoney, noted that the Simply Royal Racing Stable top-horse is cautious of Spankhurst and Bossalina; two of the top horsesinGuyanaatpresent.

“That win was perfect forus,becausewedidsome goodworkonStolenMoney to get him fit. The win for Stolen Money was no surprise, we prepared them properly,”Appadusaidafter Sunday’svictory LookingaheadofEaster Sunday race meeting, Appadu said: “I think we have a good chance again. Thehorseisongoodform.”

It is important to note thatthePortMouranttrackis larger than Bush Lot Despite the difference in size, Appadu remained upbeat of Stolen Money’s chances of winning and adapting to the different track. “PortMouranttrack isagoodtrackforthehorses. Nocomplains.Thetrackisa bit bigger but it will suit StolenMoney Theturnsare wider and it will be a bit better.”

When asked about Stolen Money chances

against stinger opponents; Appadusaid:Spankhurstisa good horse, and so is Bossalina,buttheystillhave to look out for Stolen Money; that is the horse to beat.” The Easter Cup horserace meet, which is slated for Port Mourant, will see G$10 million dollars in cashandprizesupforgrabs, and according to the provisional programme, eightracesareonthecards.

The feature event is the Easter Cup which will be open to all horses and the distance will be 1700 metres,alongwithatopcash prize of G$1,500,000 Additionalracesincludethe three-year-old Guyana and West Indian-bred, H3 & Lowernon-winnerinGuyana five years and over, the ‘E’ Class, ‘L’ Class & J 3 maiden. The ‘G’ & Lower and first-time West Indies starters, J & Lower four years and above and the

four-year-old West Indies and Guyana-bred races will completetheday’sevent.

Allracesarerununderthe guidanceoftheGuyanaHorse Racing Authority rules and races are subject to change Only jockeys with less than five (5) wins for year 2023 willbeallowedtorideinthe ‘L’ClassandJ3maiden.

All non-Guyana jockeys will not be allowed to compete Entries for the Easter Sunday race will closeonMarch25,2024.

Persons to contact for entries are Dennis 640-6396, Fazal 611-1141, Buju 6587637, Shazeena/ Rose/ Vanessa 322-0789 and Ginjo 618-7278 Any info or queries horse owners are asked to contact Ginjo on telephone618-7278.

The Easter Sunday horseraceisbeingsponsored by KP Jagdeo General Contractors, Jumbo Jet and OldBroomLongue.