Guyana Times - Saturday, April 21, 2024.pdf

“It was a game-changer for us” - former boxing champion recalls moving from sport to entrepreneurship P 14

Guyana among countries helping to offset OPEC+ oil cuts – IMF

Over 2200 Guyanese benefitted from UWI programmes under GOAL – Pres Ali

…urges more be done to make regional institution attractive

Guyana could be exposed to $$ billions in liabilities if Govt changes terms – VP

Disputed US$214.4M oil expenses

Guyana’s 1st rice crop surpasses target – Agri Minister

PPP/C congress to be held on May 3-5 - executive member

Partially burnt rifles found at Canje

Auditors recommended US$40M for materials be removed from cost bank

2 dead, 1 critical in Berbice crash

Body of miner found floating in Essequibo River Logger wanted for murder in 2013 nabbed Staff for new Ogle hospital already in training –Health Minister

Guyana among countries helping to offset OPEC+ oil cuts – IMF

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, including Russia, known as OPEC+, have been implementing voluntary cuts to their oil production. However, the effects of these cuts on the global stage are being curtailed by oil producers, including Guyana.

This is according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic Outlook. OPEC, which is made up of 14 countries but is dominated by Saudi Arabia, usually agrees among its membership on cuts to their respective oil production in an effort to regulate global oil prices.

The extension of such an agreement for the second quarter of 2024 was announced in March of this year. Despite this, however, the IMF noted that these cuts are being offset by oil production in nonOPEC countries such as Guyana, the United States, and Brazil at a time when Middle East tensions, including the threat of fullfledged conflict between Israel and Iran and the ongoing conflict in Palestine between Israel and Hamas, could have driven up oil prices.

“Oil prices decreased despite Middle East tensions. After breaking US$95 a barrel in late September, oil prices decreased by 4.2 per cent between August 2023 and February 2024, when they stood at a monthly average of US$80.70. On the demand side, weaker expectations about global de-

mand growth have contributed to downward price pressures.

“On the supply side, the implementation of output curbs by OPEC+ was more than offset by strong output growth in Iran and non-OPEC countries, led by the United States, Brazil, and Guyana,” the IMF explained in the report.

The oil-rich Stabroek Block, where Guyana’s oil is being produced, is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). Exxon, through its local subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

Guyana is among the leading non-OPEC countries in terms of oil production. And with Guyana’s

oil production expected to climb well above 1.3 million barrels per day beyond 2027, this nation would become the single largest nonOPEC contributor to global supplies.

The Liza Phases One and Two and Payara projects, which combined are producing over 600,000 barrels of oil per day, account for the three Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels operating in Guyana’s offshore Stabroek Block – the Liza Destiny, Liza Unity and Prosperity

The third project – the Payara development – targets an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels, and was at one point considered to be the largest single planned investment in the history of Guyana.

Meanwhile, the Yellowtail development, which will be Exxon’s fourth development in Guyana’s waters, has an anticipated start-up of 2025. The Uaru oil development, which will

be the fifth one for the company, is targeting between 38 and 63 development wells, including production, water injection, and gas re-injection wells.

Exxon had previously made known that first oil from the Uaru development is anticipated by late 2026 or early 2027.

The Yellowtail and Uaru developments are anticipated to contribute 250,000 barrels of oil each following their respective start-ups.

An application for the sixth development, the Whiptail Project, was only recently approved, after it was submitted by the Stabroek Block operator and its co-venturers. This project will see Guyana producing just over 1.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2027.

In addition to these six projects at a minimum offshore Guyana which Exxon anticipates will be online by 2027, it is eyeing the possibility of having 10 FPSOs operational by 2030. (G3)

Views

Payment for no work?

As if the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) fourweek strike did not present enough drama to the Guyanese populace, the ruling of the High Court judge on the issues presented to him is sure to put more of them into a tizzy. The most contentious issue was the union’s contention that the Ministry should not have deducted the workers’ salaries for days they were on strike and not performing their job. While it was accepted in the common law we inherited from the British and by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that workers could withhold their labour by “striking”, it was also accepted that employers did not have to pay them for the time they did not work.

As a matter of fact, over in England, in the case of Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Mercer [2024] UKSC 12 decided on April 17 – two days before Justice Kissoon’s ruling, and as such available to him - their Supreme Court had even referred to Article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and posed the question: What protection does article 11 require for workers who take part in lawful industrial action?” Article 11 states, ” 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests”, and 2, “No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

The answer by the English Supreme Court bluntly stated, “It is common ground that article 11 (and indeed the ILO Convention) does not prevent an employer from withholding pay from a striking worker. That is unsurprising. At common law, there is and can be no entitlement to pay where the worker performs no work. This is not a question of justifiable detrimental treatment, as the Secretary of State submitted. Employers are recognised at common law (and by the ILO) as being within their rights to deduct pay from striking workers simply because there is no right to pay in circumstances where a worker is acting in breach of contract by withdrawing labour in this way. Such deductions are not sanctions and nor are they “detriments” at the domestic level.”

In our instance, Justice Kissoon ruled, contra, that the common law stricture was inapplicable because the GTU’s strike was a legitimate right and does not equate to “no work, no pay.” As the Government appropriately noted, “The Court ruled that the ‘no work no pay’ principle no longer applies to Guyana – a position that does not obtain either in the Commonwealth Caribbean or indeed this hemisphere. The repercussions that will flow from this ruling will have devastating impact on industrial relations both in the private and the public sector. Workers now can strike with impunity and they will have to be paid. In so ruling, and in an effort to find a constitutional right for the worker, the Court simultaneously is depriving the employer of his property (wages). By this ruling, the employer will have to pay for work not done and value not received. That payment constitutes the employer’s property, which is also constitutionally protected as a right.”

The ILO, in reference to the “Right to strike”, at 942 declares, “Salary deductions for days of strike give rise to no objection from the point of view of freedom of association principles.” And at 948 continues quite specifically in reference to Justice Kissoon’s ratio decidendi, “Obliging the employer to pay wages in respect of strike days in cases where the employer is declared responsible for the strike, apart from potentially disrupting the balance in industrial relations and proving costly for the employer, raises problems of conformity with the principles of freedom of association, as such payment should be neither required nor prohibited. It should consequently be a matter for resolution between the parties.”

In breaking their fragile truce, Israel and Iran have opened a Pandora’s box

Israel’s retaliation, when it came, was surprisingly limited. Iran minimised the significance of Friday’s air attacks on a military base near Isfahan and other targets, denying they were externally directed. Usually voluble Israeli spokesmen fell strangely silent. It was as if a tacit bilateral agreement had been made to play down the affair – to quietly de-escalate.

Like surreptitious 19th-century duellists illicitly pointing pistols at each other across a misty English meadow at dawn, both countries required that honour be satisfied – but wanted to avoid another noisy public row. Each has fired directly at the other, causing symbolic damage. Now they and their seconds are signalling it’s over – at least for the time being.

If true, it’s a huge, though possibly temporary, relief. It suggests that intense US pressure on Israel to exercise restraint, abetted by Britain and others, paid off. President Joe Biden had urged Israel to “take the win” after Iran’s unprecedented, large-scale air attack last weekend was successfully repulsed. Its leaders didn’t wholly concur.

It is not in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s DNA to turn the other cheek. A former commando, he instinctively resorts to force. And he was urged by hard-right allies to “go berserk”. In the event, his measured response reflects enhanced US leverage. Crucial US assistance in defending Israel last weekend could not be ignored.

It would be foolish to assume this is the end of the matter. Visceral hostility, political and ideological,

still separates the two enemies. Both governments are beset by internal divisions that feed unpredictability and provocation. And a grim precedent has been struck. A Pandora’s box of head-tohead, one-on-one confrontation has sprung open.

The years-long shadow war waged by the two countries has been exposed to plain daylight, for all to see. Iran could strike back afresh at any time, directly or indirectly. Israel, which showed on Friday that it can hit Iran’s nuclear facilities if it chooses, could decide to go again, and more often. Next time may be much worse.

This Israel-Iran standoff is inextricably intertwined with the Palestinian conflict – to the benefit of neither. And the west’s dilemma appears even starker than before. David Cameron, Britain’s foreign secretary, typifies its one-sided, twofaced approach. He has pushed hard on aid for Gaza and, belatedly, for a ceasefire – but with scant success.

One reason for that failure may be the unwillingness of Rishi Sunak’s government to leverage UK arms sales to Israel. Another reason is Cameron’s refusal to condemn the unacknowledged 1 April Israeli air strike on Iran’s diplomatic compound in Damascus, which killed senior commanders and triggered Tehran’s attack last weekend.

UN experts say the strike broke international law. Cameron admitted last week that if a UK consulate were similarly attacked, Britain would make a “strong response”. But he just could not bring himself to say Israel was in the wrong. This pro-Israel default position characterises the attitude of many western governments. When assessed more

widely in terms of winners and losers, there is no doubt where last week’s events leave Ukrainians. They are furious about another indigestible slice of western hypocrisy. For over two years, Kyiv has pleaded in vain for Nato air cover and adequate missile defences. Yet what happened when Israel faced an Iranian barrage?

Mealy-mouthed blather about the dangers of escalation was suddenly forgotten. The US, Britain, France and others piled in, scrambling combat aircraft to complement state-of-the-art missile defences. While Israel emerged almost unscathed, officials say inadequately protected Ukraine faces a similar number of drone and missile attacks – about 300 –every week.

Likewise, besieged Palestinians have watched in dismay as western criticism of Netanyahu morphed overnight, thanks to Iran, into a jarring solidarity chorus. Aid agencies continue to warn of imminent famine. About 34,000 Palestinians have died at Israeli hands in six months. The delayed offensive against Rafah looms. There are no winners in Gaza and the West Bank, only losers.

Iran claimed to have successfully punished Israel for the Damascus consulate bombing. In fact, its attack was a debacle that exposed its military limitations. Increased ostracism and additional sanctions are the instant payback. And Iran has certainly done no favours to the Palestinians, not that its leaders really care that much.

Yet Israelis have scant reason to celebrate, either. For sure, Israel repulsed Iran – this time – and has exacted a price. But its famed deterrence policy is in piec-

es. The myth of impregnable Fortress Israel has shattered. Meanwhile, more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, Hamas is undefeated, and hawkish Netanyahu’s poll ratings are rising.

As for Biden, he finally got something right after mishandling the crisis that erupted on 7 October, when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis. But it’s far from over. Iran further complicates Biden’s overall Middle East conundrum, which is costing him progressive votes. Politically, he cannot distance himself from Israel. But Netanyahu’s leadership is dangerous and toxic – an electoral millstone that could crush Biden.

The Middle East as a whole dodged a bullet last week. So far, the predicted region-wide conflagration has not ignited. On the other hand, several serious global emergencies are suffering worsening, contingent neglect. One is war-torn Sudan, where tens of millions require urgent humanitarian assistance. Others are Haiti, Somalia and Myanmar.

This is a powerful argument, among many, for resolving the Middle East’s core issue – the Israel-Palestine conflict. It absorbs too much diplomatic time, energy and resources. It spreads poison through the international system. It skewers and unbalances western policy. It empowers and elevates rogue actors – such as Iran.

In an interconnected world, the myopic opposition of most Israelis to an independent Palestinian state is everyone’s problem. Israel’s blind spot blinds all. Iran’s aggression, and what may yet ensue, should be an eye-opener. (The Guardian) (Simon Tisdall is the Observer’s foreign affairs commentator)

Alexander’s criticisms fail to recognise constructive outcomes

Dear Editor,

As an organisation dedicated to advancing the interests and welfare of AfroGuyanese communities, we feel compelled to respond to Mr Vincent Alexander’s letter which criticises the Government’s strategy of direct engagement and fund-

ing to organisations like ours.

We argue that direct funding to Afro-based organisations is not only justified but essential for achieving the objectives set forth by the International Decade for People of African Descent.

Mr Alexander’s claim

that Government funding and support for AfroGuyanese communities is a form of propaganda overlooks the crucial role that these funds play in empowering our communities.

The decentralisation of support and resources is crucial in acknowledging the di-

PNC framers of propaganda have to return to drawing board

Dear Editor, Chomsky reflects, “The more we learn, the more we realized how little we know.” In his 1768 “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, Thomas Gray coined the phrase, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise”. A questioner enquired, “If so be the case, why are there not more happy people in the world?” A supporter squirmed, “People are supposed to fear the unknown, but ignorance is bliss when knowledge is so damn frightening.” A confirmer clarified, “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you know not anything about.”

After philosophizing, the man in the street may carefully summarized that, prevention is better than cure, and rather than to come to a hasty or less intelligent conclusion, it is better to take some degree of precaution and be reserved and conservative when sharing opinions on Guyanese affairs.

On one hand, there is so much information being kicked around like a football but then, on second thought, how much can you accept and believe? Who is telling the truth and what source is reliable is any one’s guess.

On the other hand, on instinct, one may realize that, there is not enough information circulating and there may be a deliberate act to withhold certain information. Critics would look at the third side of the coin and narrate that, the tongue twisters are having a field day by serving a hidden agenda.

With the blink of an eye, our attention is immediately and unhesitatingly transfixed on the youthful oil and gas industry that is creating electric waves in Guyana and at the said time, paving the way for Guyana’s economic transformation from being the second poorest nation in this hemisphere under the impoverished PNC governance, to being the richest nation per capita under the astute management of the PPP/C Party. After hiding behind excuses and breeding many “red herrings,” the PNC feared the wrath of the nation and was forced to show their dirty hands by revealing the lopsided Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). This “smoking gun” represents the worst oil contract

ever made in the history of the oil industry and reveals who is in bed with whom. The obnoxious and atrocious monstrosities agreed to by the PNC Party, signaled the beginning of Guyana’s second era in colonialism. May 26th has now been diluted and Guyanese are once again in bondage, thanks to the generosity of the PNC.

How can you ever trust the PNC Party to take care of the affairs of this country when they blatantly abused the confidence of those who voted for them to gain power in 2015? The PNC showed their real color and intention when they concealed the US$18 Million signing bonus.

Imagine what would have happened had the PNC, who cannot correctly calculate what is the half of 65, been in charge of the billions of US dollars the oil is generating! The PNC manufactured a monster and now wants the PPP/C to harness it. It is always a case of them making a mess and the PPP/C having to clean up after them.

Readers and writers may be having the time of their lives when indulging in global, regional and national events in any subject matter: be it wars, economics, politics, geography, sports, cultural or social, just to mention a few to highlight and wet a juicy and insatiable appetite. Some are more privileged to access information than others, as in “Animal Farm,” where some are more equal than others.

Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy in their writings and speeches used the phrase, “knowledge is power.” This phrase is attributed to Francis Bacon who wrote it in his “Meditationes Sacrae” (1597). Knowledge can help overcome fear or challenge, and that knowing is not enough, but one must apply it safely and correctly.

No wonder the PPP/C Government is providing Guyanese the opportunity of upgrading their academic skills with GOAL scholarships. Also, President Ali is forging an agenda to waive the payment of fees to attend UG and urging the students to combine study with work. All this is done on an equitable distribution scheme, unlike the cherry picking done by the former PNC Government.

Too much knowledge may be dangerous, not only to your health. It can bring sorrow.”

Dr. Walter Rodney learnt the hard way. On his death bed, the founder of the PNC Party, Forbes Burnham, said, “…I know that somewhere therein there is bound to be a lesson for the misguided others.” Previously, Burnham had warned, “Make your wills,” …. “the steel of the People’s National Congress was sharper than any steel that the Working People’s Alliance might have.” In his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, Prime Minister and leader of the PNC, in his address at the Third Biennial Congress of the People’s National Congress Vol 2, August 22-26, 1979, at the National Exhibition Park, Burnham spoke, “We promise to match steel with steel and fire with fire…So comrades, let us deal now with another of them — the Worst Possible Alternative”. His concluding words were, “Comrades, we are now in the Roman amphitheater. The lion and the gladiator cannot both survive; one must die, and we know that the People’s National Congress will live.”

Dr. Rodney’s death was sadly deemed to be “a waste of knowledge.”

Yet again, an analyst concluded, “Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance is the death of knowledge!” IDPADA-G is once again being highlighted, and the administration is in the limelight. As one writer puts it, “…recent attempts to sway public opinion have been met with skepticisms by AfroGuyanese groups who have become increasingly aware of the dubious activities within the IDPADA-G framework…” How safe is anyone to utilize the information freely or forcefully or fearfully or fairly or faintly or feverishly disseminated? Is it the alternative or affluence that will influence you in making your choice?

Which papers or parties or politicians do you believe? It may very well add up to be all in a day’s work. But Guyanese are no longer being taken for a ride and demand accountability and proper usage of Government funds. That is why the PPP/C Government has pulled the rug from under the feet of IDPADA-G. The PNC framers of propaganda have to return to the drawing board.

Yours respectfully, Jai Lall

verse needs and capacities of various organisations that are deeply rooted in their specific sectors or regions.

Each organisation has its unique strengths and insights, which are invaluable for addressing the specific challenges of economic empowerment, cultural preservation, and social development among Afro-Guyanese communities.

The previous centralised approach benefited Alexander and his IDPADA-G group and, more or less, led to inefficiencies and a lack of representation for the various voices within

our community.

By allocating resources directly to organisations that are deeply rooted in and accountable to these communities, the Government ensures that initiatives are culturally relevant, targeted, and effective.

It is disheartening to see comparisons drawn between funding for different ethnic groups as a zero-sum game. While we acknowledge the need for equitable support across all communities, diminishing the support to Afro-Guyanese under the guise of fairness only perpetuates inequality.

Mr Alexander’s criticisms fail to recognise the constructive outcomes achieved through these funded projects. From educational programmes to economic initiatives, these projects have provided tangible benefits and uplifted many in our communities.

The Government’s role in facilitating such outcomes should be seen as a commitment to justice and equality, rather than as an act of tokenism or propaganda.

Sincerely, AfroGuyana Unity Foundation

Prematurely drawing conclusions

Dear Editor,

I learned of an article headlined “Pilot error to be blamed for worst military crash in Guyana”, allegedly authored by Bert Wilkinson and published on the Caribbeanlife.com website on April 18, 2024. Having read the article, I am compelled to respond to it, as the article sought to prematurely draw conclusions on an investigation that is still ongoing.

Under Section 71 of the Civil Aviation Act 2018, the Minister for Civil Aviation is entrusted with the responsibility of investigating all aviation accidents and incidents in or above Guyana. In keeping with the provisions of the Act, on December 9, 2023, I appointed an Investigator in Charge to investigate the unfortunate crash of the GDF’s Bell 412 helicopter, registration 8R-AYA, that occurred on December 6, 2023.

Consistent with international standards and best practices, no one can conclusively pronounce the cause of an accident until the investigation is completed and the Final Report is available. Given that the investigation is still ongoing, it is surprising that the author of the article prematurely concluded that “Pilot error will more than likely be blamed for the horrific early December crash of a Guyana Defence Force helicopter…”.

The author’s claim of speaking “to three separate high-ranking Guyanese Government officials who all blamed pilot error as the main cause of the crash” is nothing short of sensationalizing the outcome of the investigation.

Since the investigator was appointed, I have not made any public statement

on the accident, as I want to respect the investigative process.

I urge the media to wait for the official final report to be published before making any assumptions. Let’s exercise caution, and re-

frain from jumping to conclusions until then.

Sincerely,

(2024)

Puppy ailments – (continued) – THE RUNT

We had consciously diverted from this general topic relating to the pup’s well-being during the first weeks of its life in order to address a health situation in cats that we are currently experiencing in Guyana. Practising veterinarians have been encountering a wave of ailments in kittens and young cats, the symptoms of which are reminiscent of a Feline Viral Respiratory Disease Complex (simply but not quite accurately called “Feline Flu”). We spent an inordinately long time (actually, four “Pet Care” columns) explaining all pertinent aspects of this ailment in kittens, young cats, and even mature cats. Pet owners are urged to remain vigilant, and to act immediately once they observe any of the

symptoms of the disease in their feline wards.

THE RUNT

There are certain empirical observations that caregivers notice early in a pup’s life, namely that one

Thus far, in relation to canine pediatrics, we have discussed “Worm Burdens,” the “Swimmer Syndrome”, “Strangles”, “Hernias”, “Parvovirus”, and the “pups’ relationship with their mother soon after birthing.” We will now recommence our discussion on sickness conditions experienced by puppies even before they become healthy and young adults.

(or more) puppy in the litter exhibits slower growth and a general failure to thrive and to attain the body size and weight relative to the other pups, and that which is expected for that specific breed. I will mention below the issue of genetic predispositions as a causative factor for the litter to have one or more runts.

Any physically immature puppy (or kitten) would obviously be at a severe disadvantage due to its inability to compete with its siblings for milk flowing from the mother’s breast. You may remember me explaining how important the mother’s milk is during those first few days of nursing. Also, and this is more from my own empirical experience, the mother herself seems to know which one (or more) of her pups is unusually small and has stunted growth. She tends to reject this small statured individual. She may even crush the weakling and

bite it to death, and – horror of horrors – eat it. (Part of “Survival of the fittest” in nature’s plan?).

[I promise that we will, in a future column, address the caregiver’s intervention in nurturing the newborn weakling to viable adolescence].

I should also mention that over the many decades of dealing with this issue of maternal rejection, it has been observed that caring mother dogs do actually nurture the runts of their litters. Further, if perchance there is in the household another nursing mother dog, she would function as a surrogate and accept and nurse the runt from another litter. In fact, I do know that if (for whatever reason) the moth er dog dies during childbirth or shortly thereafter, or is

unable to produce milk, another nursing dog may be quite willing to nurse the orphaned pups. Such wonders of the animal kingdom do evoke heartwarming emotions!

But back to the more common reality. the runt most likely will exhibit –in addition to the low birth weight – a lack of muscle mass and inadequate layer of fat under the skin. Usually, the runt will show obvious difficulty in its oxygen intake via breathing. We have already mentioned maternal rejection, but the other pups are also competing for the mother’s milk; they are literally fighting for

(from lack of space) while in their mother’s womb. In fact, as has sometimes been observed in large litters, the mother expels the pups earlier (prematurely) than expected. If she retains them until full term, other birthing problems (the mom’s) often do arise.

If the obviously disadvantaged pups are to survive, they may soon (after 3 days) have to be separated from their mother and be hand raised.

Of interest: One of my clients has a Rottweiler female who consistently gives birth to 12 (on occasion 13) pups. She, of course, only has ten functioning breasts. You

Over 2200 Guyanese benefited from UWI programmes under GOAL – Pres Ali …urges

more to be done to make regional institution

attractive

President Dr Irfaan Ali has lauded the current partnership between the Guyana Government and the University of the West Indies, disclosing that over 2000 Guyanese students have graduated from UWI programmes under the GOAL Scholarship initiative and another 650-plus students are currently enrolled.

The Head of State made these remarks while speaking at the American Foundation for the University of the

UWI plays a major role in Guyana’s drive to provide access to tertiary educational opportunities to its citizens.

Under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) – a free scholarship initiative introduced by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government in 2021, over 30,000 Guyanese students, 75 per cent of whom are females, have benefited from some 345 programmes being offered by 19 universities across the world, including UWI.

“In the last three years, 2229 [GOAL] graduates came for the University of West Indies programmes, including 119 postgraduate programmes and now currently, we have 659 students enrolled for

President Ali said

University of West Indies programmes. This is testimony to the partnership [between Guyana and UWI],” the President noted.

According to the Guyanese Leader, this collaboration is further evident in upcoming plans to establish a UWI School of Medicine at the state-ofthe-art teaching hospital being constructed in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

“As Guyana tries to build a world-class education healthcare system, we have decided to incorporate a medical school with the first Level-Five hospital that we will build and that medical school will be the University of West Indies Medical School,” Ali told the gathering at the event.

Back in February, President Ali had disclosed that the UWI School of Medicine had approached the Guyana Government to be an education partner at the teaching hospital. One week later, he announced that those talks had wrapped up.

In January, the sod was turned for the new US$161 million hospital at New Amsterdam.

The Guyanese leader had noted that the presence of a UWI-recognised School of Medicine in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) opens up the possibility of attracting students from neighbouring Suriname and other Caribbean nations.

In addition to the UWI

School of Medicine, the Guyana Government is also working on securing degree accreditation from the regional institute for its new nursing school that is also being constructed in Region Six.

The Guyanese Leader noted that UWI has been doing tremendous work and sufficient recognition was not given to the institution. He also lobbied for efforts to be undertaken to make the regional university more attractive to students across the Caribbean.

“Too often we find ourselves quoting reports that are extra-regional when those very studies and reports are available in the University of West Indies and in the work that they

do. I believe that we must value more who we are. We must value more what we produce. We must value more and utilise more what we own and we own University of the West Indies.

“And I believe that we in the Region need to find more innovative ways in which we can help the University of West Indies by incentivising studying there through the taxation system, through support to the corporate sector, writeoffs, bringing in more of the Education Fund as deductibles. These are things that I think would help to stimulate more entry into University of West Indies and more support for West Indian students,” President Ali stated.

Meanwhile, during Thursday night’s award ceremony, the Guyanese Head of State was lauded for his “commitment to nation building” and as a “champion” for regional cooperation by Guyana-born American actress CCH Pounder.

President Ali received his Legacy Award from UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, AFUWI’s Board Director Dr Ron Chase, and CCH Pounder.

In his acceptance speech, the Guyanese Head of State spoke of the strong Caribbean identity and assured that the “prosperity of Guyana must and will lead to the prosperity of the Region”. (G8)

Revolution…

…from bondage??

You never know, do you?? Change can sometimes come from the unlikeliest source!! Take this wretched subject of work – where our bodies are unfortunately involved when we gotta provide our “labour”. From the dawn of time, this has proved to be a challenge, since some fellas with big clubs started bopping others over the heads to get them to provide the labour - while they rested and frolicked with the babes in their caves!! And thence to “nobles” exploiting serfs, and in our neck of the woods, whites exploiting us natives as “slaves” and “Indentured” labourers.

Fast forward to 19th century Europe, when embodied labour was demanded by factories - and a pittance was paid for it - along came a fella named Karl Marx. Before him, there were some who dubbed themselves “socialists”, and said that it wasn’t fair as to how some were living high off the hog while others – the ones providing their labour - were getting the entrails and knuckles!! They proposed that when stuff was produced by labour, there should be instituted this principle of distribution of the spoils: “To each according to his contribution, from each according to his abilities”.

Marx then decided that even if this could be achieved, it still wasn’t fair enough. He proposed the COMMUNIST slogan: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme. Since then, revolutions have broken out all over the world. “Workers of the world unite: you have nothing to lose but your chains!!” - hundreds of millions were killed trying to get those principles in place, even as something called trade union was invented to get a better deal for workers and their labour!! These unions - after great struggles - were able to have employers accept that they could withhold their services – strike – to force them to treat them fairly on wages and working conditions. They probably got their inspiration from the oldest profession, whose slogan was “no money; no love”!!

Well, here in Guyana, one Judge of the High Court –who’re usually quite conservative and are bastions of the status quo – just went one better that even Karl Marx! In the case brought to him by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) when they went on strike and the MoE didn’t pay them for the time they were off the job, the Judge declared, “If you go on strike for a good cause – here that they wanted more money, like every other worker on Planet Earth!! – then your employer HAS to keep paying you!!”

The rule for hundreds of years – no work, no pay which even Karl agreed with – is abolished!!

Your Eyewitness is striking next week!!

…on pretending

Your Eyewitness remembers his childhood, when he used to “make believe” with his friends about all sorts of things. They used to enjoy pretending to be “cowboys and Indians” - when you had the opportunity to kill off as many Injuns as you could. They were the “bad guys”, according to the movies they lapped up! Anyhow, it would now appear that grownups – in really HIGH places - also like to play at pretending.

Here we have it that - as you figured by recent columns from your normally stoic Eyewitness – he was scared witless by Israel and Iran bombing each other and starting WWIII. Which could’ve spread all the way to Mudland, since both of these countries have nukes!! Even though no one admits that…wink, wink!! But we’re all now seeing that they were just pretending to be attacking each other. Much like your Eyewitness and his friends from a bygone era!!

The only problem is that, while they pretend, over 30,000 Palestinians are dead. For real!!

…in the PNC

In politics, there are all sorts of names for efforts secretly plotted and suddenly executed to overthrow leaders. There’s “palace revolution” and “coups”, but your Eyewitness’s favourite is the German “putsch” -pronounced “pooch”!!

Burnham’s rectification of African economic challenges

There is much talk about the economic challenges faced by post-Emancipation African Guyanese; but, intriguingly, there is a deafening silence on Burnham’s dogged efforts to rectify these between 1964 and 1985. Burnham inherited an economy dominated by colonial interests, where Indians had independently created their major economic niches outside of sugar – rice and a toehold in importation and retailing. Rice production had reached 275,000 tons, becoming the largest employer of Indians, who had by then entered mainstream retailing in Georgetown.

However, after 1965, the PNC mandated all rice be bought and sold through governmental entities. It fixed a low domestic price, and then exported the rice at much higher prices. The huge 118% implicit tax on rice farmers crippled the industry, which by 1985 had shrunk to 95,000 tons. “Zambia” was carved out in Black Bush for Africans, and the new rice mills were constructed and managed by Africans. Examining the proposed spending in the PNC’s 1972-76 development plan, present UG Chancellor J.E. Greene concluded, “The crucial factor in terms of patronage is the shift in the proportion of government expenditure away from the Indian farmer into the pockets of the African wage earner.”

In sugar, Indian Guyanese comprised the bulk of the lowpaying field labour, and were pitifully poor compared to, say, mostly African Bauxite workers. But after “profit sharing” in the sugar industry was arbitrated in 1968, they received a welcome average of a month’s salary as “back pay”. In 1974, however, when sugar prices spiked, the PNC Government imposed a levy on profits, scooping off US$256M by 1975 alone. Neither the workers received their share of profits (60%) nor the industry their 40% for reinvestment in field and factory. Sugar was crippled by PNC’s misguided policies, even as it funded the economy.

The military and militarized units such as Police, Army, National Service and Peoples Militia were boosted to absorb the bulk of unemployed African-Guyanese youths. By 1976, according to Prof Ken Danns, Guyana had “Disciplined Forces” with a combined strength of 21,000, up from 2631 in 1965. Its soldier-to-civilian ratio of 1:35 was one of the highest in the world. According to the Latin American Bureau, “The intake into all of the disciplined services is 90% black,” in violation of the ICJ’s 1965 recommendation. To support this manpower, spending moved from $22M or 8% of the budget in 1966 to $113M or 14.2% of the budget, in 1976.

By 1977, the Government nationalized and controlled over 80% of the economy. By 1981, the bureaucracy – including that for “regionalization” and 7 new Ministries – grew by over 400% from 27,000 to 124,000. The upper and middle-class supporters of the PNC were empowered through jobs in the bloated public sector (including the nationalized industries), boards, and directorships of Government corporations. “State control …gave to the regime control of the lion’s share of the country’s economic resources, to be used for the satisfaction of the patronage claims of its black and coloured supporters,” according to Prof Percy Hintzen. IndianGuyanese were further miniaturized in the historically Africandominated Public Service.

Housing was another area transferring wealth to PNC supporters. The 1972-76 “Feed, Clothe and House the Nation” plan called for building 65,000 “housing units”. According to Carl Greenidge, “Some 31 subsidized, low-cost housing schemes were initiated between 1970 and 1980…The estimated costs were some $500M. In addition…several housing schemes, including North Ruimveldt, Meadow Brook, and Lodge Backlands, were developed by the CH&PA.” There were also several schemes in rural areas for PNC supporters, such as De Kendren, Crane, Wisroc. They were all African-Guyanese- dominated, Indian-Guyanese had to “squat”.

The PNC instituted an External Trade Bureau (ETB) to control importation of all goods; distributed through the intriguingly named “Knowledge Sharing Institute” (KSI) – most located in African-Guyanese-dominated areas. In Linden, there were 11 KSI outlets, while in the more massively populated sugar belt stretching across the Coast, there were five. These destroyed Indian-Guyanese importation and “shop-keeping”/retail sector.

Co-operatives were the vehicle for transforming the “small” African-Guyanese man into a “real man”. The newly established GNCB provided loans for private industry entrepreneurs, while the Ministry of Co-ops provided land, implements, seeds and technical help. The Guyana Marketing Corporation, Chaired by ASCRIA’s Eusi Kwayana, provided markets. Co-ops paid no taxes on profits. Unlike present assertions on land, the MMA, which opened up 54,000 acres for rice and cash crops, huge swathes of lands to AfricanGuyanese from Region 5. Ditto for Essequibo.

PPP/C Congress to be held on May 3-5 – Executive Member

Preparations for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Congress are moving apace.

This is according to Executive Member Zulfikar Mustapha, who disclosed that the 32nd congress will be held from May 3 to May 5 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), themed “Strengthen the Party, Defend Guyana, Unite All Our People for Progress and Prosperity”.

During an appearance on the Guyana Dialogue programme, Mustapha disclosed that the Party’s list of members was still being finalised.

He believes that over 2000 delegates from the 10 administrative regions of Guyana and overseas

groups will be participating in the exercise.

“We have 35 full members of the Central Committee and five candidate members. So, 40 persons, delegates and observers will be voted for the leadership of the party”.

“This will be a very im -

portant congress for us to charter the course forward and as you know, this is the highest decision-making forum of the Party, so we are anticipating and looking forward to this congress that will take us to the future,” the Minister added.

The opening session of

the PPP/C Congress will be open to Guyana’s media and a press briefing will be held when the proceedings conclude for the announcement of the outcome.

Mustapha said the General Secretary’s report would be made available to delegates ahead of congress, in an effort to promote transparency among Party members.

On this point, he explained that the report will also serve as a guide for decision making.

“The main issue is the General Secretary’s report and that will give us the guidance where delegates and observers will have a chance to discuss that report and make important decisions and suggestions so that the Congress can adopt those,” Mustapha said.

The 32nd Congress is overdue; according to the party’s constitution, it should have been held in 2019, however, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Party’s last Congress, held in Essequibo from December 17 to December 19, 2016, Bharrat Jagdeo was elected General Secretary of the Party by secret ballot. That was the first time that Jagdeo had held the post of leader of the party.

He had secured the most votes (718) for the Party’s Central Committee (CC), for which 35 members were elected; 98 votes ahead of Dr Frank Anthony (620), giving him a mandate to take the reins of the party. Long-serving executive

member and current Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira (583) emerged third.

Current President Dr Irfaan Ali, who secured 511 votes and had placed 15th in 2013, came at number eight in 2016. Already, President Ali has said that he would be running for a second term.

Guyana’s Constitution provides for a two-term limit.

Meanwhile, GS Jagdeo said that his position of General Secretary will also have to be determined by the Party’s members as it would “be presumptuous of me to say I will be General Secretary” after the Congress.

He made this comment during a press conference at Freedom House in January.

Autism Acceptance Month

Education Ministry supports students with autism towards academic success

Highlighting the efforts of the Education Ministry during Autism Acceptance Month, Assistant Chief Education Officer Keon Cheong has affirmed the ministry’s commitment to assisting children with autism in achieving their academic goals.

Emphasising the importance of behaviour management therapy, a resource that remains scarce in Guyana and beyond, Cheong acknowledges the unique challenges posed by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including difficulties in social communication and repetitive behaviours.

hensively, Cheong has noted.

Meanwhile, the Government’s strategy has been tailored to support educational and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, which could evolve into specialized educational paths, vocational training suited to diverse abilities, and collaborations with businesses to foster inclusive employment opportunities.

through aquatic therapy and access to a sensory room being available for children living with disabilities at the Regional Special Education Needs/ Disability Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. These additional services will complement the existing services offered at the facility, located at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

tools for identification and intervention. Furthermore, the Centre conducts outreaches to different regions to assess students in schools and address challenges hindering academic performance.

In encouraging parents to be advocates for their children and to collaborate with education authorities, Cheong has underscored the Education Ministry’s commitment to supporting

In a recent interview on the Disability and You programme, Cheong stressed the importance of parental support networks in guiding children with autism through their educational journey.

families of children with autism, and has invited them to collaborate with the ministry in finding solutions collectively. There is a shortage of professional skills in behaviour management therapy, but efforts are underway to address this gap compre-

Further, supporting families and caregivers is crucial, given their vital role in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Providing access to mental health services, financial aid, counselling, and respite care are key components of a holistic support system.

Additionally, the Education Ministry continues to lay the groundwork

Current services at the Centre include speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychosocial support, early stimulation, and psycho-education evaluations, leading to individual education plans (IEP).

Referrals to the Centre come from various sources, such as hospitals, doctors, schools, NGOs, and walkins. To further enhance support for children with learning challenges, the Centre plans to equip teachers with

This year’s World Autism Awareness Day focuses on ‘Empowering Autistic Voices’, striving to enhance support and empowerment for individuals living with autism. As Autism Acceptance Month progresses, the Education Ministry continues its mission of fostering inclusivity and providing essential resources for students with autism. By working collaboratively with families and prioritizing support services, the ministry aims to cultivate a more nurturing and inclusive educational environment for all students.

“It was a game-changer for us” - former boxing champion recalls moving from sport to entrepreneurship

Nestled in the heart of Albouystown, Howard’s Groceries stands as a testament to dedication, hard work, and deep understanding of community needs. Over a period of two decades, this establishment has evolved from being a humble shop to becoming a thriving retail and wholesale business that serves the diverse needs of the local residents.

The visionaries behind this business are former boxing champion Vincent Howard and his wife Lavern Howard. Their passion for entrepreneurship was sparked nearly five years prior to Vincent’s desire to exit boxing as his then profession. What began as a retirement plan amidst the waning fortunes of a boxing career soon blossomed into a flourishing enterprise that has become an integral part of the Albouystown community.

Now 53 years old, Vincent, in reflecting on his early days, recalls the challenges and triumphs of starting a small business. He detailed that, inspired by an initiative aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs, he took the proverbial “leap of faith” in 1996 to

secure a loan and set up a shop at the bottom flat of his home, which at the time was an almost abandoned house.

From those humble beginnings, Vincent and his wife Lavern were able, with perseverance, to open and build Howard’s Groceries. And that small business has transitioned, over time,

from being a modest storefront entity to a bustling hub offering both retail and wholesale options; and has been described as a pioneering move in the community.

“It was a game-changer for us, and we couldn’t let it slip out of our hands,” Vincent recalls. “When we opened the shop, it was just

our two girls, and they would help out around the shop after school…we wanted to instill independence and responsibility in them, which is why we trained them from an early age to be responsible,” the father of four has said.

Being fully aware of the area they live in, and the attendant circumstances, they were eager to see their children grow up learning core values of life, and not just being a product of their environment. Vincent also noted that, with his childhood experience in growing up in that area, he knew that things had to be different for his family.

Boxing role

This is where he highlighted that boxing played a pivotal role in who he is today. Though he fought numerous fights in his box-

ing career, only a few made him feel well accomplished, specifically those wherein he had a mere three days’ preparation and still managed to win.

In his boxing career, he had fought 86 fights as an amateur and had secured 66 wins, and from 44 professional fights, he has secured 34 wins.

Champions do champion things Vincent and his wife Lavern are both adamant that the Howard’s Groceries brand is heavily rooted in the culture of the community. According to the proprietors of this establishment, from commencement to date, they continue to rely on their extensive knowledge of the diverse needs of the Albouystown residents to inform stocking and pricing issues, ensuring that the business caters directly to the needs of the people within the community.

“We won’t say it was an easy start, because, of course, things (were) much different back then, and just as we do now, we did back then: we try to sell things reasonable to our customers,” they disclosed.

So in tuned is the Howard’s Groceries brand with the community of Albouystown that even its evolution and transformative journey mirrors the evolution and journey of the community itself.

“It

was a game-changer for us...

As the community underwent infrastructural developments, including improved roads and accessibility, the business adapted and thrived, even introducing a wholesale beverage section that proved to be a game-changer, attracting customers not only from the immediate vicinity, but also surrounding neighbourhoods, seeking quality products at reasonable prices.

One of the cornerstones of Howard’s Groceries' success is its unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. By prioritizing affordability, stocking essential household items,

and staying attuned to the evolving preferences of the community, the business has cultivated a loyal clientele that sustains it as much as the busi-

ness sustains the people of Albouystown.

The Howard family never fails to discharge its social responsibility to the community that

has been the cornerstone of its success, and would host holiday festivities. Howard’s Groceries has fostered a sense of belonging and camaraderie within Albouystown. This spirit of giving back extends beyond the business transactions, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere with a play area for the children and, of course, a spot for adults. Even then though, the shop would still remain open, still serving.

Looking ahead, Lavern envisions a future wherein Howard's Groceries continues to thrive as a vital hub for the community, offering

not just goods but a sense of community cohesion and support. With a legacy spanning over two decades, Howard's Groceries stands as a beacon of hope and resilience in Albouystown, a testament to the enduring spirit of entrepreneurship and community engagement. Howard's Groceries embodies the essence of a small business that has grown roots in the community, weathered challenges, and blossomed into a cherished establishment that goes beyond mere commerce to foster social bonds and community well-being.

Guyana’s 1st rice crop surpasses target – Agri Minister

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has reported surpassing its production target for the first crop of the year with approximately 209,000 acres of rice under cultivation.

Agriculture Minister

Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday disclosed that the GRDB utilised the warmer-than-usual weather to its advantage, and critical and timely interventions were made by the body that saw the successful cultivation of the first crop for the year.

The Minister, who was at the time participating in a discussion on the Guyana Dialogue programme, said that the GRDB has already commenced land preparation for the second crop with approximately 150,000 acres receiving dry land preparation.

Additionally, the GRDB has also commenced sensitising farmers about the advised sowing periods for the second crop. Extension officers are currently hosting awareness sessions with farmers within the rice-growing regions.

According to Mustapha, the country’s first crop for 2024 shows high acreage cultivation and the GRDB is aiming to double this with the second crop.

“Last year, we moved pro-

duction to 653,000 metric tonnes; the target we are setting this year is 710,000 metric tonnes to produce for rice. We have new markets, we have better-yielding rice and for example we have seen the last crop we have rice production increase from 30 to 35 bags per acre to now 40 or 45 bags,” Mustapha said.

The Agriculture Ministry had been active in evaluating new rice strains to determine the most suitable varieties for cultivation in the country.

In 2023, Guyana achieved a milestone by launching the GRDB IICA 17, becoming the first country in the Caribbean and Central America to cultivate bio-fortified rice with zinc.

This initiative contributed significantly to the first crop of rice in 2024 cultivated by farmers across the country.

Mustapha said the rice strain GRDB-16, which is the current highest-yielding strain, has added to Guyana’s rice production efforts.

“We have a variety that came out a few months ago called the GRDB-16, that is a very high-yielding variety that we are doing. So, the traditional area we have been expanding,” the Agriculture Minister added.

Rice is the primary agricultural export for Guyana, and the Ministry is collaborating with various partners to boost production.

Mustapha emphasised the

importance of diversifying markets and reducing dependence on any single region, citing ongoing efforts to explore opportunities beyond North America.

The exploration of new rice varieties and export markets aligns with the Government’s commitment to advancing the agricultural sector and ensuring sustainable development.

In 2023, the rice sector recorded an increase of seven per cent with a production of 653,706 metric tonnes. This signifies an increase of 43,111 metric tonnes in 2023 as compared to 610,595 in 2022. Guyana earned approximately $45.2 billion in exports in 2023, over $3 billion more than in 2022.

This year, $1.3 billion was budgeted to be expended by the GRDB to support increased production and productivity of the rice industry.

Mustapha explained that the Government would continue to implement various measures to bring immense relief to the farmers.

Farmers have also benefited from the distribution of seed paddy and availability of more farmlands to increase yields, and a number of facilities have been built and upgraded to aid in the nation’s rice production. (G1)

Earth Day: A call to action against plastic

Happy Earth Day! Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated each year on April 22nd. It serves as a reminder of our responsibility to protect and preserve our planet for future generations. However, our Earth faces numerous challenges, including climate change, deforestation, and pollution, which pose serious risks to human health, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Climate change, driven by the release of greenhouse gases, is causing rising temperatures, more frequent and severe natural disasters, and the loss of biodiversity. Celebrating Earth Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about these issues and encourage action to reduce our environmental impact. This can include initiatives like reducing energy consumption, conserving water, minimizing waste, and supporting policies that protect the environment.

This year, Earth Day 2024 focuses on a growing scientific concern: plastics. Once hailed as an environmental solution, plastics have now been recognized for their damaging effects on the environment, biodiversity, and human health. The theme

“Planet vs Plastics” seeks to unite various stakeholders in a commitment to end plastic pollution.

Plastics present a grave threat to human health, releasing toxic chemicals into our food and water sources as they break down into microplastics. Despite these risks, plastic production continues to escalate, with more plastic being produced in the last decade than in the entire 20th century. This pervasive presence of plastics in ecosystems, from urban drains to pristine environments, is deeply troubling and contributes to the significant plastic waste problem faced by countries like Guyana.

The impact of plastics on the environment is profound, affecting ecosystems in various ways. Mangrove root systems, vital for coastal protection and biodiversity, are often entangled with plastic debris, hindering their ability to stabilize shorelines and provide habitats for species. Marine animals ingest plastic particles, leading to internal injuries, blockages, and starvation. This contamination extends to the human food chain, posing health risks to those who consume contaminated fish.

Addressing the pervasive presence of plastics require immediate attention and sustainable solutions. It necessitates a shift in our relationship with plastics, including reducing our use of single-use plastics, opting for sustainable alternatives, supporting eco-friendly brands, and properly disposing of plastic waste. Additionally, community involvement in clean-up activities is essential to ensuring a clean environment for all.

As we celebrate Earth Day, let us remember the importance of protecting our planet and taking action to preserve it for future generations. Together, we can make a difference in safeguarding the health and vitality of our Earth.

OR

Welcome back, everyone! Today, let’s talk about Earth Day, a time when we come together to think about our planet and how we can take care of it. Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated every April 22nd, reminding us of our responsibility to look after our home.

Our planet is facing some big problems like climate change, deforestation, and pollution. These things can hurt not only the environment but also our health and the homes of animals. Earth Day is a chance for us to think about these issues and do something about them.

This year, Earth Day is all about plastics. Plastics were once seen as helpful, but now we know they can be harmful to animals, plants, and people. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs Plastics,” showing that it’s time for us to take action against plastic pollution.

Plastics are causing a lot of trouble. They are everywhere, and they are not going away. When plastics break down, they turn into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can get into our food and water. This is bad for us and for the animals that eat plastic by mistake.

But it’s not just about the small pieces. We use a lot of plastic every day, and most of it gets thrown away after just one use. This creates a lot of waste that ends up in our environment, harming animals and plants.

So, what can we do about it?

Earth Day reminds us that we all have a part to play in taking care of our planet. We can start by using less plastic. Instead of using plastic bags or bottles, we can use reusable ones. We can also choose products that don’t have as much plastic packaging.

Another thing we can do is support companies that are trying to be more eco-friendly. These companies use recycled materials and make products that are better for the environment.

And finally, we can all do our part to keep our communities clean. Whether it’s picking up litter or organizing a cleanup event, every little bit helps.

So, as we celebrate Earth Day 2024, let’s remember that the Environment is everybody’s business and that we only have one planet. It’s up to all of us to take care of it and make sure it stays healthy for generations to come.

Welcome back everyone Today let us talk about Eart Day 2024, a time when we came together.

GMSA outlines investment opportunities available in tourism, finance, logistics, ICT

Guyana’s proximity to the Caribbean, Latin-America and Guyanese diaspora markets, as well as its newfound

wealth in the petroleum sector, presents many opportunities to invest in manufacturing and services. The Guyana Manufacturing and Services

Association (GMSA), in its recently published 2023 Annual Report, outlined opportunities in the areas of export, tourism, finance, logistics, and information communications technology (ICT).

With 729,680 passengers entering Guyana through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in 2023, the GMSA noted, there are opportunities for tourism, hospitality and catering driven by increased international business activity and eco-tourism policy.

In the area of logistics and distribution, the report cited, there is a current demand for trucking and transportation services, with the energy and construction sectors being the primary drivers. “Going forward, Guyana is currently positioning itself to be a logistics hub with improved link-

ages to Brazil and Suriname in the pipelines,” the report pointed out.

In the finance sector, the association has said there is a need for more banking, insurance, and investment services; while ICT offers numerous opportunities for web design, network administration, software development, and IT consulting.

According to the report, “the manufacturing and service sectors offer many prospects for the GMSA’s members and the wider business community to benefit from. These sectors are driven by the changing dynamics of the Guyanese economy and the confidence of investors.”

The GMSA has said Guyana’s duty-free access to the Caricom market of almost 20 million consumers remains relatively un-

derexploited. In this regard, it pointed out that there are millions of dollars in export potential for products, including rum/spirits, rice, fish, sugar, uncooked pasta, frozen shrimps and prawns, and sauces, among other products.

In 2023, the services industry generated over GY$500 billion, and expanded 10% when compared to 2022. The services sector contributed 13% of GDP and over 41% of non-oil GDP. The following subsectors saw significant growth rates: administrative and support services grew by 21%, wholesale and retail trade and repairs grew by 9%, accommodation and food services by 13%, and transport and storage by 12%.

Over the decade 20142023, according to the GMSA, tremendous growth can be

observed across the selected services sector. The report stated that finance and insurance, accommodation and food services, information and communication services all expanded over 60%.

Professional Services almost doubled, whereas administrative and support services rose by 74%. Whole and retail trade rose by 26%, and transportation and storage by almost 40%. These high growth trends are indicative of business opportunities.

Lending by commercial banks to the services sector has risen as well. According to Bank of Guyana data, private sector loan balances reached GY$133 billion by the end of December 2023. This marks a 133% increase in lending compared to the balance of GY$57 billion at the end of December 2014.

Body of miner found floating in Essequibo River

The body of a 40-yearold miner who went missing was on Friday found floating in the Essequibo River.

Dead is Exley Boyal from Batavia Village, a Cuyuni riverine community in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

According to a report issued by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Boyal was reported missing on April 18 between 8:30h and 10:45h.

At the time of his disappearance, he was travelling from Bartica to Burn Bush, a community along the Essequibo River.

Reports are that at around 10:45h on Friday, a boat captain from Falmouth, Essequibo River, called the Bartica Police Station and reported that he had seen a ballahoo (a small wooden boat) with a 15hp Yamaha outboard engine drifting in the vicinity of Byderabo, situated along the Essequibo River. He had also said that the engine was running but no one was in the boat.

The

The scene was visited by a rank, and the boat was seen. A search of the vessel recovered 1 ZTE cellular phone and four five-gallon pails. The boat was consequently taken to Bartica and docked at the stelling, and the items were confirmed to be the property of 40-year -old Exley Boyal following a conversation with his wife, who told Police that on April 18, 2024, at 8:30h, she, her husband and a 59-year-old chainsaw operator from

Batavia Village had travelled to Bartica.

She said she had disembarked at Bartica Market, while her husband and the chainsaw operator had proceeded to Burn Bush, an Essequibo riverine community.

The 59-year-old chainsaw operator was contacted and questioned by ranks, and he indicated that after Boyal’s wife had disembarked at Bartica Market, he and the deceased had gone to Sherry’s Saw Mill

at Burn Bush, Essequibo River. However, before proceeding, they had stopped at Dass’s Liquor Store at First Avenue, Bartica, where they had purchased half a bottle of high wine and started imbibing.

He explained that they had arrived safely at Sherry’s Saw Mill, and after a while, Boyal had left Burn Bush to return to Bartica in the ballahoo.

This information had prompted another search of the area, but Boyal’s body was not found during that search. His body was subsequently fished out of the Essequibo River and escorted to the Bartica Hospital.

Police have said that an examination conducted on Boyal’s body by a crime scene technician revealed no marks of violence thereon. However, a ‘blood-like’ substance was seen oozing from his nostrils. As result, Boyal’s body was then taken to the hospital mortuary for storage, as it awaits a post-mortem examination. Investigations are ongoing.

National Park set for major upgrade: free Wi-Fi, boating activities among plans

In a bid to elevate the National Park experience, the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) has announced an ambitious plan to introduce a slew of modern features that would transform this recreational spot into a hub of activity and convenience. Unveiled on Friday, the PAC’s Zoning Plan outlines an array of exciting additions, among the standout features being implementation of free Wi-Fi hotspots, facilitating seamless connectivity for visitors who are eager to share their outdoor adventures, or simply stay connected. The plan includes provisions for recharge stations tailored to electric vehicles, marking a step towards sustainable transportation within the park’s premises. And

thrill-seekers can look forward to paddle-boating activities adding a new dimension of aquatic enjoyment to the park’s offerings.

In a move geared towards promoting health and safety, the PAC’s plan incorporates the strategic placement of first-aid hubs throughout the park, ensuring prompt assistance in case of emergency. Moreover, visitors will find

scattered across the park’s grounds QR codes that unlock a treasure trove of fitness tips and guidelines when scanned — a modern twist on promoting healthy lifestyles amidst nature’s beauty.

Yet perhaps the most eagerly anticipated addition is the establishment of a Jurassic-themed Promenade that is set to transport visitors

into a prehistoric world teeming with adventure and wonder. This is expected to be provided by MovieTowne.

PAC Chairman Robert Persaud has emphasised that this undertaking is designed to elevate the country’s green spaces, offering a unique blend of recreation, education, and conservation.

He said the significance

of the plan lies in facilitating a seamless array of activities within the National Park while mitigating potential incidents. He underscored the crucial role of effective space management, particularly in light of Guyana’s ongoing challenges with waste management and conservation strategies.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

Partially-burnt rifles found at Canje

Police in Regional Division Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have discovered several firearms that were partially destroyed.

The weapons were found around 18:30h on Thursday at Budhan Scheme, West Canje, Berbice.

Reports are that a party of Police Officers went to the community, where a search was conducted on recently-cleared land, which had burnt debris in heaps. In one of the heaps, four suspected firearms (rifles) were found partially burnt.

Further searches were made in the immediate area. However, the Police said nothing else was found.

A resident was contacted and interviewed, who indicated to the ranks that the land was cleared and debris burnt around April 9, 2024, and the suspected firearms were not there. Items were packaged to

be submitted to the ballistic department for analysis.

Investigations are ongoing.

National Park set for...

“This park is yours, and we want you to care it. We want you to use it in a way that others can also benefit from it. Many of you would have seen what happened the morning after Easter. It was nothing but disgraceful and embarrassing, as a Guyanese, to see families come here [the national park] and, rather than to manage and take care of their waste, it was just thrown here,” he explained.

Persaud further explained that assigning specific areas to management teams ensures a structured approach to maintenance. This, in turn, contributes significantly to upholding cleanliness and safety standards throughout the park’s grounds.

Further, he announced that the nation would actively engage in nationwide events to commemorate World Earth Day on April 22. With this year’s theme focusing on “Planet vs Plastic”, discussions surrounding plastic waste management are deemed of utmost importance.

“I think the main problem

is: how do we manage and how do we responsibly dispose of plastic? And I do hope that the international discussions that will be taking place are not only targeting plastic, but rather targeting politics,” Persaud said.

Meanwhile, during his current visit to the country, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Gerald Noto took the opportunity to immerse himself in the tranquility of the park. The UNDP is now actively engaged in assisting Guyana to secure funding for sustainable solutions to combat plastic pollution.

“We are delving into the development of a systematic mapping of plastic generation and management, (and) exploring avenues to initiate recycling efforts,” Noto explained.

He noted the numerous significant developments taking place at the park, and expressed belief that the launched plan would significantly impact this transformation.

In the meantime,

Commissioner Jason Fraser of the Protected Areas Commission emphasised that the primary objective is demarcating areas within the park for specific activities and purposes while optimizing its use.

“A lot is going on. For instance, we will be having the presence of trainers to guide users…we sit on 560 acres of green space, and with all the development happening around us, I think this makes our space more unique,” Fraser has said.

The PAC’s theme for the National Park, “A Park for the People,” is aimed at maximizing space utilization to fulfill this vision. Among the planned activities within the designated sections or zones are an equestrian area for pony rides, a children’s play park, a gym zone, a free zone, and a dog park. And new initiatives, such as cricket pitches and the installation of bleachers for the volleyball area, are in the works. Stakeholders in these areas are encouraged to collaborate with the PAC in the development of these projects.

CERVICAL CANCER (PART 2) 28

Cervical cancer affects the entrance to the womb. It may not cause any symptoms in the early stages, but symptoms may include pelvic pain, bleeding between periods, and vaginal discharge with a strong odour.

Diagnosis

A Pap smear test can help identify the early signs of cervical cancer. Early cervical cancer diagnosis improves the success rate of treatment. The ACS recom-

cancer remains within the cervix, has a success rate. The further a cancer spreads from its original area, the lower the success rate tends to be.

Early-stage options

Surgery is a common treatment method when the cancer has not spread from the cervix. Radiation therapy may help after surgery, if a doctor believes that cancer cells might be present inside the body.

Radiation therapy may also reduce the risk of reoccurrence (cancer coming back). If the surgeon wants to shrink the tumour to make it easier to operate, the person may receive chemotherapy, although this is not a very common approach.

Treatment for advanced cervical cancer

When the cancer has spread beyond the cervix, surgery is not usually an option.

Doctors also refer to advanced cancer as invasive cancer, because it has invaded other areas of the body. This type of cancer requires more extensive treat-

destruction of cancer cells. Doctors use chemotherapy to target cancer cells that surgery could not or did not remove, or to help the symptoms of people with advanced cancer. The side effects of chemotherapy can vary, and they depend on the specific drug. More common side effects include:

Diarrhoea

Nausea

Hair loss

Fatigue

Infertility

Early menopause

Cervical cancer clinical trials

Participating in a clinical

mends the following as routine screening:

Under 25 years: The ACS does not recommend screening.

From 25–65 years: People should undergo an HPV test every five years for cervical cancer.

Over 65 years: The ACS does not recommend screening for those who have had adequate screening in the past, unless they have a high risk of cervical cancer.

People who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the cervix do not need screening, unless they have had precancerous lesions or cervical cancer in the past.

These are the overall screening recommendations, but a doctor can advise each person about her screening needs.

TREATMENT

Cervical cancer treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or combinations of these. Deciding on the kind of treatment depends on several factors, such as the stage of the cancer as well as age and overall state of health.

Treatment for early-stage cervical cancer, when the

ment, which would typically involve either radiation therapy or a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. In the later stages of cancer, healthcare professionals provide palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Radiation therapy

Doctors commonly use radiation therapy to treat advanced forms of cervical cancer. Some doctors refer to radiation therapy as radiation oncology, or XRT. It involves the use of beams of high-energy X-rays or radiation to destroy cancer cells. When the treating doctor aims radiation at the pelvic area, it may cause the following side effects, some of which may not emerge until after the treatment is over:

Diarrhoea

Nausea

Upset stomach.

Bladder irritation

Narrowing of the vagina

Interrupted menstrual cycle.

Early menopause

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals (medication) to treat any disease. In this context, it refers to the

trial may be the best treatment option for some people. Clinical trials are an integral part of the cancer research process. Researchers carry them out to determine the safety and effectiveness of new treatments, and whether they are better than existing ones. People who participate in clinical trials are contributing to cancer research and innovation.

Cervical smear test

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that healthcare professionals will make over 13,000 new diagnosesTrusted Source of invasive cervical cancer in 2019. The disease will be fatal in around 4,000 women. However, regular screening could prevent most of these deaths.

Screening does not detect cancer, but looks for abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix. Without treatment, some abnormal cells can eventually develop into cancer.

HPV DNA testing

This test determines whether the individual has any of the types of HPV most likely to cause cervical cancer. It involves collecting cells from the cervix for lab

testing. The test can detect high-risk HPV strains in cell DNA before any anomalies become clear in the cervical cells.

If there are signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, or if the Pap test reveals abnormal cells, a doctor may recommend additional tests.

These include:

Colposcopy: This is visual examination of the vagina using a speculum and a colposcope, a lighted magnifying instrument. Examination under anesthesia (EUA): The doctor can examine the vagina and cer-

vix more thoroughly.

Biopsy: The doctor takes a small section of tissue under general anesthesia.

Cone biopsy: The doctor takes a small, cone-shaped section of abnormal tissue from the cervix for examination.

LLETZ: Diathermy using a wire loop with an electric current helps remove abnormal tissue. The healthcare professional then sends the tissue to the lab for checking.

Blood tests: A blood cell count can help identify liver or kidney problems.

CT scan: A medical pro-

fessional might use a barium liquid to show up any cellular abnormalities.

MRI: Special types of MRI may be able to identify cervical cancer in its early stages.

Pelvic ultrasound: Highfrequency sound waves create an image of the target area on a monitor.

The stage at which a person receives a cervical cancer diagnosis can help indicate their chances of survival for at least 5 more years.

Stage 1: In early stage 1, the chance of surviving at least 5 years is 93 percent, and in late stage 1, it is 80 percent.

Stage 2: In early stage 2, the rate is 63 percent, falling to 58 percent by the end of stage 2.

Stage 3: During this stage, the chances fall from 35 percent to 32 percent.

Stage 4: People with stage-4 cervical cancer have a 15 to 16 percent chance of surviving another 5 years.

These are average survival rates, and do not apply to everyone. In some cases, treatment is successful up to stage 4.

Disputed US$214.4M oil expenses

Auditors recommended US$40M for materials be removed from cost bank

…over missing vendor records from General Ledger

The Guyana Government has already said it is going to arbitration with oil giant ExxonMobil, over the US$214.4 million that was flagged as questionable costs by auditors of expenses racked up between 1999 and 2017. One of the expenses that caused auditors to raise their eyebrows was US$40 million worth of well materials that were missing important vendor documentation.

A perusal of the recently-released final report of the 1999-2017 cost oil audit of ExxonMobil done by British firm IHS Markit shows that auditors had recommended the exclusion of the US$40 million sum from the cost bank. The auditors explained that while Exxon subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited

(EEPGL) recorded that this sum was spent, it did not record vendor details.

“During the audit period, EEPGL recorded expenditure of approximately $40.4 million on materials where the vendor details are not recorded in the General Ledger, this means that individual material entries in the General Ledger cannot be traced back to specific material purchase contracts.

“These costs relate to material issued from the shore base for use in petroleum operations. Although general material purchase contracts for similar materials were provided and reviewed, no evidence was provided to justify the costs of these materials. This amount should be removed from the cost bank,” IHS Markit said.

Meanwhile, it was explained by the audit firm that during the period under review, a total of US$143.3 million was spent on well materials that were predominantly casing, tubing and other downhole materials that were used to construct the wells. Troublingly, however, IHS noted that representatives of the Government of Guyana were not invited to witness material counts during these audits, even though this was a requirement in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

“EEPGL record materials transactions when materials were taken from the shore base. Any unused materials are credited back to the General Ledger when materials are returned to the shore base. Within the General Ledger, it is not possible to

positively link materials return transactions to the materials supplied transactions,” IHS Markit also revealed.

In 2019, IHS Markit had conducted the audit of ExxonMobil’s cost oil expenses incurred between 1999 and 2017 from its operations in Guyana and flagged US$214.4 million as questionable costs.

Following months of review, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) – the technical body tasked with advising the Government on the audited oil expenses – supported the dispute of the US$214.4 million.

Based on the 2016 oil contract that was signed between ExxonMobil and the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government,

Guyana will have to incur the cost of the oil company’s legal fees should the matter go to arbitration.

Meanwhile, in February, ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) President Alistair

that the

was in discussions with the GRA on “the next steps and what needs to be done”.

Staff for new Ogle hospital already in training – Health Minister

In ensuring that the new Ogle hospital is equipped with staff that are skilled, persons who are now being train though the Gift of Life initiative are set to be transferred to the brandnew health facility.

This was disclosed by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during the Annual Cardiology Symposium on Saturday morning.

According to the Minister, this initiative of transferring the trainees to the new Ogle hospital is of great importance, as it shows the Government’s strategies in ensuring that the new hospital is staffed with individuals possessing the necessary skills to effectively operate and manage it.

The Minister also stated

that the Ministry has recognised that if these various health institutions are going to be created, the Government must provide

training for persons to carry out the work which the hospital will need.

“We have recognised that if we are going to be build-

ing all this capacity, it would be necessary to train people, and we have been opening up new collaborations with various partners for these trainings,” he expressed.

He then revealed that over the span of four years, major work will be done to ensure training for persons to work in the new hospital. “We have signed an MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] with McMasters, and over the next three to four years, we will be able to send a number of persons to do fellowships at McMasters,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Minister expressed that the ground has been broken for the building of a new state-ofthe-art Level-Five hospital in New Amsterdam.

“We have already awarded a contract, and they have already started the preliminary works of the foundation, so 36 months from now, we should have a brandnew New Amsterdam hospital,” he said, adding that the hospital will focus much on cardiovascular work and lots of surgeries for children will take place. “Among the services that will be offered

at the new hospital would be new cardiac services, because we are putting in a new cardiac suite in that hospital,” the Minister stated.

According to the Minister, the Ogle hospital is set to have 252 beds, with a majority dedicated to paediatric patients and it will include a specialised paediatric cardiac suite for surgeries. These initiatives demonstrate the Government’s commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure, services, and workforce development in Guyana. (G2)

Logger wanted for murder in 2013 nabbed

Police in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have arrested a 63-year-old logger of the Canje riverine community of Baracara who has been wanted in connection with a murder that took place over 10 years ago.

Timothy Charles, also known as Leon De Yonge and Howard De Jonge, was nabbed between 01:00h and 10:20h on Saturday at Baracara Village during an intelligence operation led by a senior police officer.

De Yonge has been wanted for questioning in the 2013 murder of Titus Sutton, which occurred at Baracara on November 8, 2023. The 53-year-old Sutton, of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was shot once to his chest. His business partner, 34-year-old Sherwin McAlmont, was shot and wounded in his right thigh during that incident. It had been reported at the time that Sutton was involved in an argument with De Yonge when he was allegedly shot.

A wanted bulletin had been issued for De Yonge in January 2014, and then again in November 2018. During the operation on Saturday, the police went to the suspect’s home at Baracara and carried out a search which unearthed a suspected 12-gauge cartridge in a bag that was hung on the bedroom wall. Howard was escorted to the Central Police Station in Region Six along with the suspected cartridge, which was marked, sealed and lodged in his presence.

He remains in custody pending investigations.

2 dead, 1 critical in Berbice crash

Two young men are now dead and another is in critical condition following an accident involving two motorcycles on the Corentyne Highway in Berbice on Friday evening.

Dead are Deolall Tulsi, called ‘Vekash’, a 21-year-old ranger attached to the Albion Sugar Estate and a resident of Topoo in Hampshire, Corentyne, and 22-year-old Rondy Emmanuel, a labourer of Lot 167 Williamsburg. Injured is 17-year-old Veeram Seecharran of Lot 63 Williamsburg Village. He was the pillion rider on one of the bikes involved in the crash.

At time of the crash, none of the riders was wearing a safety helmet, the police have said, adding that the incident occurred at about 20:30h on Friday at Williamsburg, Corentyne.

Police have said that Tulsi was riding motorcycle CM 2969 while Emmanuel was riding motorcycle CM 50, with Seecharran as the

pillion rider. They were heading in different directions, and according to eyewitnesses, both bikes were in the process of overtaking vehicles when the head-on collision occurred.

Police report that both motorcyclists were allegedly driving at a ‘fast rate of speed’ when Emmanuel lost control of his bike and ended up in Tulsi’s path. All three men were injured in the accident, and were picked up in an unconscious condition and taken to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where Tulsi was pronounced dead on arrival and Emmanuel succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.

Seecharran has sustained a fractured skull, and was transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital before being moved to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where his condition is regarded as critical.

Tulsi started working at GuySuCo just one week ago.

He had his bike for the past 11 months, and according to his 19-year-old wife Divya Perumaly, he also did farming with his brother. She said that after work, Tulsi would go to the farm and return home by 19:00h.

“Most of the time, before 7 O’clock he does be home. I see 8 O’clock past, he called and say that he going with his big brother at Tain to buy food, and he was buying for us, too. I see about 8:30 he didn’t come home, so I called and (got) no answer. I called a second time, and a strange person answered and asked who is speaking, and I said it is Ajai’s wife, and he told me that my husband reached with an accident. And I asked if it is a serious accident, and he said, ‘Yes’, that I need to come now.”

The grieving young lady said it was impossible to get transportation out of Topoo quickly, and so she contacted her brother, who rushed to the scene. As it relates to

injuries, she said her brother told her that Ajai’s face has been damaged beyond recognition.

“According to my brother, his face was too bad; just his face, no injuries to his arms of feet,” she explained.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Emmanuel and his friend were seen at a bar not long before the crash. His father Rudolph Emmanuel said Rondy may have been on his way home when the crash occurred.

“He told his brother that he was going to buy gas at Port Mourant for the motorbike. That was around 7 O’clock. It was about 8:30 when I heard about the accident. I hear when he was coming home, the other guy overtake a truck and come into his lane and the two collided together,” the elder Emmanuel detailed.

The elder Emmanuel said that when he arrived at the scene, he saw his son had suffered head injuries and was bleeding profusely from his nose.

“At the time he did not have a helmet on his head. When I went out there, I saw a lot of people and I saw my son - three of them lying on the public road motionless.

The bikes were next to them,” he recalled.

Rudolph Emmanuel has described his son as a hardworking person who loved to fix motorcycles.

“He is a very sporty person, not really drinking alcohol, but he likes his music,” he said.

Rondy Emmanuel leaves to mourn his parents and three siblings.

Divya Perumaly has described her husband as a quiet, hardworking and helpful individual. The couple had been together for two years.

Police are continuing their investigations. (G4)

2016 PSA

Guyana could be exposed to $$ billions in liabilities if Govt changes terms – VP

Even though the Government has maintained that its hands are tied when it comes to changing the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed with ExxonMobil, calls continue to be mounted for the Government to push for more favourable terms.

According to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, however, if the Government goes down this road not only would it deal a blow to investor confidence and Guyana’s reputation as a country that respects contracts, it could also expose the state to billions of dollars in liabilities if the company takes Guyana to arbitration over any lost earnings.

“The possibility of exposing this country, the Government of Guyana and the people of Guyana to multi-billion US dollars of liabilities; money that we don’t have,” the Vice President highlighted during his recent press conference.

Jagdeo went on to reference an editorial that had claimed that the 2016 PSA contained provisions allowing for renegotiation of the contract. According to Jagdeo, however, this could not be farther from the truth.

“So why do I say that? It goes on to say, indeed, the 2016 PSA recognises the possibility that the two sides can negotiate.

So, when I read this, I said

really? Am I reading something else? In the PSA that Trotman signed, is there the possibility of renegotiating?

“And so where is this? And then I heard there was an editor’s comment, that it was Article 22 or 23 of the PSA. After a letter questioned it. So, guess what it’s titled. It’s called a stability clause. Imagine a stability clause preserves the benefits of the agreement.”

Article 32 of the PSA signed by the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government stipulates that Government could not modify the contract or increase any fiscal obligation

the company has. This, therefore, puts a cap on the taxes, royalties, duties, fees or charges outlined in the contract. Government also has to compensate the operator if a change to existing laws causes loss of revenue for the company. According to Jagdeo, all Governments are bound by this clause.

“That is international law. Whether you like it or not, once you’re a part of this world, you have to go to arbitration. If you make any changes, if you pass a new law, that takes away any benefit, that is what Trotman signed unto in the stability clause. So, imagine, they’re saying that the stability clause is the basis for renegotiation. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

“In fact, one of the

most compelling reasons why you cannot renegotiate. Because Exxon, unless they agree with it voluntarily and they’ve made it clear they’re not going to agree with it. So, you’re gonna have a dispute. And the dispute ends up in any case… if we pass a law that takes away any benefit from them now, that stability clause says they can go to arbitration.”

“We now have a demand for $100 million on the parking meter [matter]. It’s before an arbitration panel now. We were not part of the parking meter contract that was signed by the APNU Government and the City Council. We were not part of that. We’ve already spent over US$2 million in legal fees to fight that case.

“What if there’s a big award? The country has to pay that, for something that never worked, a bad decision there. Just imagine if they go and get a $10 billion award? Because that’s the magnitude of the scale. We collected under $2 billion the first two years. Last year, we collected about $1.5 billion. And they get a $10 billion award for damages and lost value?”

While the PPP/C Administration is not changing the 2016 PSA, it introduced a series of stringent terms and conditions last year for new oil deals that the country will sign. These include increasing the royalty from a mere two per cent to 10 per cent fixed rate; the imposition of a 10 per cent corporate tax, and the lowering of the cost recovery ceiling to 65 per cent from 75 per cent, while retaining the 50-50 profit sharing after cost recovery. (G3)

Jagdeo pointed out that the arbitration panel not only has the right to ensure Exxon gets back the money it would have lost, but to also award damages. This would have massive financial implications for Guyana, in much the same way the parking meter fiasco, which is currently before an arbitration panel where US$100 million proceedings were filed by Mexican firm Smart City Solutions (SCS), could potentially have.

Vreed-en-Hoop to G/town water taxi operations back to normal

The Vreed-en-Hoop to Georgetown water taxi operations have returned to normalcy just days after the Stabroek Market wharf structure collapsed injuring five persons.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), which had initially shifted operations to the Harbour Master Boathouse following the incident, has now allowed water taxis to resume using the Stabroek stelling for boarding and disembarking passengers.

“The area was inaccessible from 17:30hrs to 20:00hrs daily following the collapse of the Stabroek wharf on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. However, commuters travelling between

Georgetown and Vreeden-Hoop via water taxis are advised that the area is now safe for use from 05:30hrs to 20:00hrs daily,” a statement from MARAD read.

While minor injuries were reported among the five transported to the hospital following the collapse on Wednesday morning, no major injuries or fatalities were reported.

The incident has sparked concerns about the maintenance and oversight of city structures by City Hall, prompting President Dr Irfaan Ali to emphasise the need for immediate action and accountability in addressing infrastructure challenges in the city.

“We’re discussing right now…the issue of key as-

sets within the city that are not being maintained, that are left in a state that is dangerous to the city and we’ll have to decide how we address those key assets,” President Ali had stated when he went to have a first-hand look after the collapse last week.

He added, “we have to make some very strategic decisions on key assets in the city… if we continue to have situations like these where the maintenance and protection of the infrastructures is not addressed, then health and safety becomes a major issue. I think the time has come for a very serious and mature conversation…the city is not in a position and from a management position…the Mayor needs to

work closer to the Council in a collective way, because from a leadership perspective, too, [they’re] in no capacity to manage some of these key infrastructure and investments in the city.”

Collaboration between City Mayor Alfred Mentore, the Central Government, and other stakeholders has been pledged to address the situation collectively. A clean-up exercise has commenced to clear the rubble.

Auditors recommended US$40M...

At a previous press conference last October, Routledge had expressed a preference for the figure to be settled on before it reaches the arbitration stage.

ExxonMobil’s pre-contract costs were inherited by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government when it entered office in 2020. In fact, US$460 million in pre-contract costs were already written into the 2016 PSA.

The audit of cost oil claims is critical to ensuring that Guyana does not lose out on millions in oil revenues. Consequently, the Guyana Government had embarked on the second cost oil audit for the period 2018 to 2020. That process is currently on-

going, with an initial report having been released.

That audit was carried out by a consortium of local and international firms. Guyanese firms

Ramdihal and Haynes Chartered Accounting and Professional Services Firm, Vitality Accounting and Consultancy Inc, and Eclisar Financial & Professional Services had partnered with Oklahoma-based Martindale Consultants Inc and the Swiss technical company SGS to conduct the audit.

Meanwhile, the contract for the third cost oil auditor for the 2021 to 2023 period was tendered earlier this year and that contract is now being finalised by the Guyana Government. When the bids

were opened in March at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in Georgetown, it was revealed that Guyanese companies have again thrown in their hats in the race. VHE Consulting – the same Guyanese consortium that did the second audit (2018 to 2020) – had submitted a bid to the tune of $229 million. The second bid came from London-based Grant Thorton UK LLP and PFK Barcellos Narine & Co, which did not have a bid price at the time.

Priced at $202.8 million, the third bid is a joint venture of local Guyanese firm N Sookhai & Company and the Nigeria-based Infoworks Solutions Ltd. (G3)

Regional

Edmundo Gonzalez, Venezuela’s low-profile and last-minute Opposition candidate

As time was running out, Venezuela’s Opposition chose low-profile former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez to run against President Nicolás Maduro in a July election that political analysts said will require Gonzalez to build name recognition among voters.

The stakes are high for the July 28 vote as the US has made holding fair elections a condition of lifting sanctions on the South American nation.

Initially named as a placeholder while the Opposition struggled to confirm candidates, Gonzalez’ candidacy was finalised on Friday, a day before a Saturday deadline to replace him with someone else.

As Venezuela holds a presidential election for the first time since 2018, political analysts said 74-yearold Gonzalez, who was Ambassador to Argentina at the turn of the century, will have an arduous path.

“He is a little-known candidate and his challenge will be to make himself known,” said Ricardo Rios, who directs local consulting firm Estrategia y Poder.

While the Opposition had hoped to land on a unity candidate, the alliance finally decided to back Gonzalez who spent much of his career behind the scenes in the Foreign Ministry in the 1990s and

more recently as an international relations adviser to the Opposition coalition.

“Edmundo is very professional, discreet and has very firm democratic convictions. He’s not a fan of using bombastic or radical words,” said Jesus Torrealba, former Secretary General of the Democratic Unity Board Opposition alliance, now known as Unitary Platform.

Opposition Leader Jose Guerra praised Gonzalez for his extensive knowledge of international, economic and political issues and said he speaks French and English along with his native Spanish.

“He is very tolerant and listens,” said Guerra, adding: “He will have a difficult campaign.”

The Opposition struggled to name its candidate as several other potential contenders were either barred from office or prevented from registering. Venezuela’s top court

upheld a bar on Maria Corina Machado, who won October’s primary vote with a landslide, from holding public office.

Machado then named a replacement, Corina Yoris, who was herself unable to register on the electoral council’s online system by a March deadline. Just two Opposition candidates were able to register, a provincial governor and Gonzalez.

A survey of 1200 persons over April 1-3 by local pollster More Consulting found that 46 per cent of those interviewed planned to vote for a candidate backed by Machado, while 22 per cent would vote for Maduro.

Meanwhile, the United States this week re-imposed sanctions it had eased on Venezuelan oil, saying the Government has failed to comply with the terms of an electoral agreement it signed with the Opposition six months ago. (Reuters)

2 Mexican mayoral contenders found dead on same day

Two mayoral contenders have been found dead in a single day in Mexico, adding to the toll of slain candidates in what is shaping up to be the country’s most violent election on record.

The deaths reported in different parts of the country on Friday bring to 17 the number of candidates killed in the lead-up to the presidential, congressional and local polls on June 2.

Nurse sues over death of baby girl at PoSGH; complains of “hoggish” colleagues

A42-year-old registered nurse who lost her baby at the Port-of-Spain Maternity Department’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) says the death of her child has dashed all hopes of her becoming a mother.

The nurse, who also works at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, detailed what she called the “hoggish and unprofessional behaviour of some members of staff” even towards one of their own colleagues.

The feeling of hopelessness was laid bare in a 17-page pre-action protocol letter sent to the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) by Attorneys of Freedom Law Chambers led by Anand Ramlogan, SC. The pre-action letter, on behalf of Natasha Samuel, is part of a class-action lawsuit for 11 babies who died between February and April 9.

The legal letter detailed that on March 13, Samuel gave birth via Caesarean section to a baby girl named Skiye Wilson after 32 weeks’ gestation. The neonate weighed 835 grammes and was placed in NICU for observation.

Samuel said she felt betrayed by her own colleagues after they told her that her child was “well and progressing nicely”. She added that after some time she saw fewer babies at the NICU and was told that the infants had been discharged as they got better. It was only sometime after that she learnt that six other babies had died all from bacterial sepsis.

Samuel said her sense of betrayal worsened after she was given two reports by the Port-of-Spain General Hospital with differing causes of death signed by two separate doctors.

On April 9, one doctor wrote that pulmonary haemorrhage, sepsis and prematurity were the cause of death for baby Skiye. In the second death certificate dated April 19 – signed by another doctor, Skiye is reported to have died of pulmonary haemorrhage, prematurity and extremely low birth weight. Unlike the first certificate sepsis was changed to presumed sepsis in the second death certificate.

After her child died, Samuel said she felt broken, deceived and betrayed. “She had overheard the nurses saying that there

were bacteria and that the innocent babies had been infected. Our client said she was devastated because her baby was thriving well and as a nurse, she knew how important it was to have a well-sanitised NICU, yet people were in and out of the ward without gowns and gloves.”

The letter from the law firm added that the death of baby Skiye brings the nurse’s dream of motherhood to an end. “Our client instructs that she was broken because at age 42, this was her last chance at having a baby, one which she had eagerly anticipated and longed for.”

After giving birth, Samuel underwent tubal ligation (having her tubes tied), preventing her from ever having children again. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

In the northern state of Tamaulipas, authorities said they had launched a manhunt for the person who killed candidate Noe Ramos Ferretiz. He was seeking re-election as Mayor of Ciudad Mante for a coalition of the Opposition National Action Party and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The second slain candidate, Alberto Garcia, was found dead a day after he was reported missing. He was running for Mayor of San Jose Independencia in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Political differences continue to separate Barbudans despite calls for unity

Local media reported he had been stabbed and posted photos showing a bloodied body lying on a sidewalk. “We will not allow violence to decide these elections,” PRI party leader Alejandro Moreno wrote on social media, where he confirmed the “cowardly assassination” of Ramos Ferretiz.

The state electoral board condemned the death of Garcia, who went missing along with his wife, the current Mayor of San Jose Independencia who was found alive. The board called Garcia’s death a “killing”, and said such crimes “should not occur during elections”. (Al Jazeera)

Public cautioned against fake social media posts about Barbadian President

Members of the public are being cautioned against participating in any schemes claiming to be in the name of the President of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason. This follows the circulation of social media posts purporting to be soliciting funds on behalf of the President.

In a statement released on Saturday, State House said: “It has come to our attention that persons are currently soliciting funds on behalf of Her Excellency the President for the support of questionable organisations.

Please be advised that the President of Barbados, Her Excellency the Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason has no Facebook or any other social media account. Persons are advised to avoid participation in any scheme purporting to be in the name of Her Excellency.” (Nation News)

Barbuda is now plagued with a great political divide according to the locals.

A tourism clerk employed at Barbuda Fisheries claims that if someone supports a different party than the one some people do, they will refuse to help that persons.

However, she added, “But I don’t think that’s how it should be, because honestly, with either the blue or red, we still are one. The community is so small we just need to choose leaders who can actually govern the island.”

“We don’t need red or blue to divide us. We should come together in a town hall meeting. We have elders who do know how to help the people and run the island,” she said.

A Mr Richardson, similarly employed at the Barbuda Fisheries, claims

that the Barbuda Council is to be blamed.

“The biggest destruction that ever happened in Barbuda is introducing the Council. The Council divides people because the people who start to win start to divide us to maintain power,” he said.

He explained, “We were a people who used to live for each other, because most of us in some sort of way are connected. Then there was a councillor seat, and people could run for this or that. The bigger families would go and vote for their own people. Then after we got political parties.”

He believes the political parties in Antigua, joining with those in Barbuda, are causing their leaders to focus on the wrong interests.

“The parties in Antigua join the parties over here. They start work to help satisfy what those in Antigua

are trying to achieve,” he said.

“Our leaders, when they go to Parliament, they are not supposed to be arguing anything about what is for Antigua. They’re supposed to be arguing what is for Barbuda, and what we can get to make it better. We ought not to pick up the tail-whip for the political Party in Antigua, but pick up the tail-whip for our people so that one day Barbuda can stand on its own,” he stated.

In closing, Richardson told Observer media, “I don’t have a problem with who you want to support, but at the end of the day, we need to work together as a people. We are one people, and it is high time that we put the political things that separate us behind, and try to build our two islands.”

(Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Around The World OIL NEWS Big Oil’s carbon capture conundrum

Hard-to-abate industries, particularly oil and gas, are racing to increase their carbon capture capacity as they strive to decarbonise operations. Despite being some of the biggest carbon emitters, many oil and gas majors are optimistic they can dramatically reduce their emissions by using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. This is, realistically, one of the few ways that oil and gas companies can reduce while keeping their fossil fuel output high. However, energy experts and environmentalists are now worried that Big Oil is becoming overly reliant on CCS tech instead of striving for meaningful change towards a green transition.

CCS technology has been around for years, but has so far not succeeded in capturing carbon dioxide at the rate required to decarbonise large-scale hard-to-abate operations. Companies and Governments worldwide have pumped huge quantities of funding into CCS in recent years in a bid to develop the technology required to effectively capture and store huge amounts of CO2 from industrial and oil and gas operations. However, scientists are still uncertain about whether today’s technology can capture the massive quantity of carbon emissions that many oil majors are promising.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has deemed CCS technology as “critical” to achieving net-zero emissions around the globe. It is viewed as one of the few possible ways to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries that we continue to rely on until alternative production methods and materials are developed. The IEA also warned that it is not sustainable for oil and gas companies to mitigate major new fossil fuel projects simply by incorporating CCS tech into operations. Many oil majors have invested heavily in CCS tech to justify their ongoing exploration activities and huge oil and gas output, which is expected to continue for decades to come. But the IEA has repeatedly stated that this is at odds with a net-zero scenario by 2050.

CCS typically works by using chemical absorption to capture the CO2 emitted from a chimney at a facility. The emissions are then condensed into a liquid to be transported through a pipeline to be stored thousands of feet underground in depleted oil wells or geological formations. This process is anything but straightforward and rolling out CCS tech on a commercial scale is both complicated and expensive. According to the IEA, more than one billion metric tonnes of CO2 must be captured annually by 2030, which is over 20 times that captured in 2022. This figure rises to six billion tonnes in 2050, around 130 times more than in 2022.

Despite big promises, many companies are falling short of their carbon capture targets. To date, only five per cent of announced CCS projects have reached a final investment decision, according to the IEA. There is still little evidence to suggest that CCS tech can be rolled out economically on a commercial scale.

Oil and gas companies have earmarked significant funds for CCS tech over the coming years, in the hope that they will be able to continue pumping oil and gas for decades to come. Chevron expects to spend US$10 billion on emissions-reducing technologies, while Exxon has pledged an investment of US$20 billion. The projected total spending on CCS projects is around US$241 billion globally by 2030. The United States and the United Kingdom are currently leading these efforts with investment pipelines of US$85 billion and US$45 billion, respectively, by 2030.

Many energy experts and environmentalists worry that the huge rush to fund CCS tech is a dangerous distraction. Oil and gas companies have been forced to accelerate their ESG efforts due to pressure from governments and international organisations, as well as high consumer expectations. However, most of these companies expect oil and gas production to continue to be their principal activity for the coming decades, meaning they need a quick way to decarbonise operations without cutting output. Without a proven track record, this could be a dangerous approach to decarbonising as, if CCS tech does not live up to expectations, it could have dire repercussions.

CCS technology is still extremely expensive, and it has a poor track record of working as effectively as anticipated. One 2022 study of CCS projects found that more were failing than succeeding, including Chevron’s Gorgon liquefied natural gas facility in Australia. This is the world’s biggest CCS project to date, at a cost of US$3 billion, and it was found to be working at just a third of its expected capacity. At this rate, it will be impossible for companies that are relying on CCS tech to meet their climate targets in the coming years. Nevertheless, oil and gas companies worldwide continue to make bold claims about the potential for CCS tech, without sufficient evidence to back it up. The failure of CCS technologies in oil and gas operations could be catastrophic, leading to much higher-than-anticipated carbon emissions and contributing to a delay in the global green transition. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

Thousands of Israelis join anti-Government protests

Thousands of Israeli demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to call for new elections and demand more action from the Government to bring the hostages held in Gaza home, in the latest round of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The protests have continued as the war in Gaza moves through its seventh month and amid growing anger over the Government's approach to the 133 Israeli hostages still held by the Islamist movement Hamas.

Surveys indicate that most Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failures that led to the devastating attack by Hamas fighters on communities in southern Israel.

Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister has repeatedly ruled out early elections, which opinion polls

suggest he would lose, saying that to go to the polls in the middle of a war would only reward Hamas.

"We're here to protest against this government that keeps dragging us down, month after month; before October 7th, after October 7th. We kept going down in a spiral," said Yalon Pikman, 58, who attended a march in Tel Aviv.

Hamas-led gunmen seized 253 people during the October 7 attack that killed around 1200, according to Israeli tallies. Some hostages were freed in a November truce, but efforts to secure another deal appear to have stalled.

Netanyahu has pledged to continue the Israeli campaign in Gaza, which local health authorities say has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, until all the hostages are brought home and Hamas has been destroyed.

Last week's attack on Israel by waves of Iranian drones and missiles shifted attention from the conflict in Gaza and for many relatives of the remaining hostages there is a growing feeling that time is running out.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, while an ambulance driver was killed as he went to pick up wounded from a separate attack by violent Jewish settlers, Palestinian authorities said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US House passes US$95B Ukraine, Israel aid package

The US House of Representatives on Saturday with broad bipartisan support passed a US$95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, over bitter objections from Republican hardliners.

The legislation now proceeds to the Democraticmajority Senate, which passed a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders from Democratic

President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell had been urging embattled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote.

The Senate is set to begin considering the Housepassed bill on Tuesday, with some preliminary votes that afternoon. Final passage was expected sometime next week, which would clear the way for Biden to sign it into law.

Thousands protest in Spain's Canary Islands over mass tourism

Thousands of people protested in Tenerife on Saturday, calling for the Spanish island to temporarily limit tourist arrivals to stem a boom in short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction that is driving up housing costs for locals.

Holding placards reading "People live here" and "We don't want to see our island die", demonstrators said changes must be made to the tourism industry that accounts for 35 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Canary Islands archipelago.

"It's not a message against the tourist, but against a tourism model that doesn't benefit this land and needs to be changed," one of the protesters told Reuters during the march in Tenerife's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Smaller marches were held elsewhere in the island group and other Spanish cit-

ies, all of them organised by about two dozen environmental organisations ahead of the peak summer holiday season.

The organisations say local authorities should temporarily limit visitor numbers to alleviate pressure on the islands' environment, infrastructure and housing stock, and put curbs on property purchases by foreigners.

"The authorities must immediately stop this corrupt and destructive model that depletes the resources and makes the economy more precarious. The Canary Islands have limits and people's patience too," Antonio Bullon, one of the protest leaders, told Reuters.

The archipelago of 2.2 million people was visited by nearly 14 million foreign tourists in 2023, up 13 per cent from the previous year, according to official data. (Excerpt from Reuters)

The bills provide US$60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine, including US$23 billion to replenish US weapons, stocks, and facilities; US$26 billion for Israel, including US$9.1 billion for humanitarian needs, and US$8.12 billion for the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his thanks, saying US lawmakers moved to keep "history on the right track".

"The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands

and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger," Zelenskiy said on X.

It was unclear how quickly the new military funding for Ukraine will be depleted, likely causing calls for further action by Congress.

Biden, who had urged Congress since last year to approve the additional aid to Ukraine, said in a statement: "It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia."

(Excerpt from Reuters)

US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger

The United States will withdraw its soldiers from Niger as the West African nation is increasingly turning to Russia and away from Western powers.

The US Department of State agreed to pull out about 1000 troops from the country that has been under military rule since July 2023, US media reported late on Friday.

US Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met on Friday, the reports said, with Washington committing to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of its troops from the country.

The US built a military base in Niger to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mali.

The major airbase in Agadez, some 920 kilometres

(572 miles) from the capital Niamey was used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.

Known as Air Base 201, it was built at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018, it has been used to target ISIL fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate.

While maintaining a line of communication with the military Government in Niger, the US military had started preparing for the possibility of having to withdraw, with US General James Hecker saying last year that Washington is probing “several locations” elsewhere in West Africa to station its drones.

Nigerien state television reported that US officials would visit next week. There was no public announcement from the State Department on the withdrawal and officials said no timeline had yet been set. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

GEMINI (MAY 28June 20)

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Your input can improve your community if you throw your energy into a cause that concerns you. Stay active; idle time will set you back. Pitch in and do your part.

Jump in, take charge and accomplish what you set out to do. Take the initiative and rely on your instincts and drive. Put your skills to the test, and you’ll impress yourself as well as onlookers.

An open mind and a willingness to listen will help you get things done. Consider your next move and act accordingly; you will have no regrets. Do what’s best for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

(Dec. 22Jan. 19)

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES

(Feb. 20Mar. 20)

Revisit your dreams and consider your options. Put your skills to the test, add to your qualifications or consider how to modify your lifestyle to accommodate what’s important to you.

Stop, take a breath and consider the fallout if you make a wrong move. Don’t act in haste when time is on your side. Be innovative, intelligent and considerate.

Taking a day trip, reuniting with old friends or exploring a pastime that interests you will encourage positive change. It’s time to venture out and see what’s available.

Emotions will skyrocket and must be managed with care. Channel your energy into love, romance or home improvements. A financial gain, gift or good news is apparent. Be receptive to suggestions.

You need an outlet for pent-up energy. Vigorous activity will motivate you to resurrect your dreams, hopes and wishes. Stop procrastinating and follow your heart.

Take a pass on anything that doesn’t fit your agenda. Fine-tune your plans and recognize what others do for you. Romance is in the stars. Don’t be afraid to ask for support.

Step outside your comfort zone, and you’ll discover you have more talent and resolve than you thought. Let your mind wander, and trust your instincts to lead you in the right direction.

Don’t worry about people who choose a different path. Apply pressure where necessary, and you’ll get what you want. Use your intelligence and offer incentives to gain support.

Implement a lifestyle change that helps you balance your budget and ease stress. Consider using your skills differently or turning a pastime into a project that provides extra income.

It would have been the highest total in the history of the IPL if it had happened last season, but on Saturday night in Delhi, 266 for 7 almost felt anticlimactic.

That's how far Sunrisers Hyderabad have moved the window of batting possibilities this season. It was the fourth-highest total in IPL history, but it was only the third-highest total achieved by Sunrisers in IPL 2024. At one point, it had felt like they could have finished with so much more, with 300 looking like a frighteningly realistic prospect.

Sunrisers had gone where no team in any competition had ever gone before in a T20 powerplay, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma raising a hair-raising six-over score of 125 for no loss. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, fortified by the relaxation of field restrictions, brought Sunrisers' innings back to the earthly realm thereafter, but that awe-inspiring beginning would remain the defining passage of the match.

Delhi Capitals began their reply by racing to the joint second-highest powerplay score of IPL 2024, but it was only 88 for 2. Jake Fraser-McGurk

went for 19, and ended up being the lowest-scoring over of Sunrisers' powerplay.

Head was batting on 84 off 26 balls at the six-over mark, and his opening partner was scoring significantly quicker than him: Abhishek was batting on 40 off 10 at that point.

The hitting was a relentless blur, and no line, length,

bettered Head's 16-ball effort by one ball to bring up the season's quickest half-century, but his dismissal in the seventh over effectively ended the contest.

Capitals had suggested they might run Sunrisers close when they began their chase, but they slumped badly through its back half, against some excellent defensive bowling led by T Natarajan. In the end, they were bowled out for a symbolic 199, with Rishabh Pant struggling for fluency before he was last man out for 44 off 35 balls.

A powerplay from another planet

The first over of the match

or style of bowling seemed to have any power to stop it. So true was the pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which was hosting its first game of the season, and so single-minded the two openers in their desire to hit every possible ball to the boundary. Of the 36 balls bowled in the powerplay - Capitals could have given themselves an ironic pat on the back for bowling no wides or no-balls in that time - 13 went for four and 11 for six.

Kuldeep, Axar intervene

Abhishek hit the first non-powerplay ball of the match for six too, stepping out to Kuldeep and going through his shot despite not reaching

the pitch of the ball. This had happened in the fifth over too, off the same bowler, and it seemed to reiterate to Capitals' bowlers that they were on a hiding to nothing.

But sometimes a wicket can come out of nowhere, especially if the batters are going after everything, and this is what happened off the next ball, as a diving Axar intercepted an uppish drive at cover.

Aiden Markram came in at No. 3, ahead of Heinrich Klaasen - who is more noted as a spin-hitter - and fell in the same over, slapping a not particularly good ball from Kuldeep - shortish and widestraight to cover. But sometimes, even an ordinary ball from a wristspinner can behave oddly, sticking in the pitch slightly longer, or bouncing a little more than expected.

Kuldeep's value came to the fore again in his next overafter Klaasen hit him for a pair of sixes - when Head failed to get hold of a ball that wasn't quite short enough to pull. He had put that length away easily in the powerplay, but there was a man back at long-on now and he was out for 89 off 32.

Klaasen is a master at pulling not-quite-pullable lengths against the spinners, but, on the day, he was done in by an Axar skidder that beat his inside edge to bowl him. Sunrisers were a surreal 154 for 4 in 9.1 overs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shahbaz

apply the finish

Given how many runs they already had on the board, and given the time that remained in their innings, Sunrisers' fifth-wicket pair could afford to bat in a relatively conservative way and make sure that Abdul Samad, a specialist deathovers hitter, wouldn't be called upon too early. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed did this, putting on 67 off 47 balls.

Shahbaz broke free at the

Head, Abhishek, Shahbaz, Natarajan break records and help SRH go second

finish, hitting Khaleel Ahmed for two sixes in the 19th over and taking two fours and a six off Mukesh Kumar in the 20th to finish unbeaten on 59 off 29 balls. It was the Bengal allrounder's first fifty in the IPL.

A chase of two halves starring Fraser-McGurk and Pant Prithvi Shaw hit Washington Sundar for 4, 4, 4, 4 off the first four balls of the chase in a battle of Impact Players. Then Washington had his revenge, looping up a delivery with plenty of overspin - the kind of ball that's rarely seen in T20 cricket, but one delivered now with the hope of stemming the run-flow giving way to the desperation of somehow prising out a wicket - and getting him to miscue a lofted hit.

That first over set the tone for Capitals' powerplay. They also lost David Warner early, but they kept going hard, because they had to, and because Fraser-McGurk knows no other way. His smooth, unfettered golfer's swing was in perfect rhythm on the day, and Washington - handed the unforgiving task of bowling two powerplay overs - was at the receiving end of 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 in the third over.

Abishek Porel then carved Pat Cummins through and over the off side with abandon in a 20-run fifth over, and Capitals were somehow keeping themselves in the game.

Fraser-McGurk finally mis-

hit one in the seventh over, off Mayank Markande, but despite that wicket Capitals' win probability kept rising, with Porel crunching three fours and a six in the next over off Shahbaz. At that point, ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gave them a 21.23% chance of victory, astonishing given the target they were chasing.

But that was more or less that, as their run-scoring ground to a halt after Markande - who had a simi-

O-M-R-W

Khaleel Ahmed 3-0-51-0

Lalit Yadav 2-0-41-0

Anrich Nortje 3-0-31-0

Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-55-4

Mukesh Kumar 4-0-57-1

Axar Patel 4-0-29-1

lar effect to Kuldeep, conceding runs but inducing just enough false shots with his wristspinhad Porel stumped in the ninth over. Thanks in part to skillful bowling from Natarajan, Cummins and Reddy - they varied their pace nicely while bowling into the pitch, and used the wide line outside off stump effectively to Pant in particular - and in part to the struggle for fluency that Tristan Stubbs and Pant endured on the day, Capitals went nowhere. From the start of the ninth over to the end of their innings, they scored just 68 runs in 67 balls.

Delhi Capitals (T: 267 runs from 20 ovs)

Prithvi Shaw c Abdul Samad

b Washington Sundar 16

David Warner c Cummins

b Kumar 1

Jake Fraser-McGurk c †Klaasen

b Markande 65

Abishek Porel st †Klaasen

b Markande 42

Tristan Stubbs c Shahbaz Ahmed

b Nitish Kumar Reddy 10

Rishabh Pant (c)†c Natarajan

b Nitish Kumar Reddy 44

Lalit Yadav

b Natarajan 7

Axar Patel c Cummins

b Natarajan 6

Anrich Nortje

b Natarajan 0

Kuldeep Yadav lbw

b Natarajan 0

Mukesh Kumar not out 0

Extras (lb 1, w 7) 8

TOTAL 19.1 Ov (RR: 10.38) 199

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Prithvi Shaw, 0.5 ov), 2-25 (David Warner, 1.6 ov), 3-109 (Jake Fraser-McGurk, 6.6 ov), 4-135 (Abishek Porel, 8.4 ov), 5-154 (Tristan Stubbs, 12.2 ov), 6-166 (Lalit Yadav, 14.6 ov), 7-199 (Axar Patel, 18.1 ov), 8-199 (Anrich Nortje, 18.3 ov), 9-199 (Kuldeep Yadav, 18.4 ov), 10199 (Rishabh Pant,

Bassarath’s alleged unlawful election as CWI VP prompts

GCB’s

move to court

…CWI failed to resolve impasse - GCB claims

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has commenced legal proceedings against Cricket West Indies (CWI) and its Vice-President, CWI Mr. Azim Bassarath, in relation to the CWI elections held on March 25, 2023. The GCB is represented by Attorney at Law Arudranauth Gossai.

Below is a full statement from the GCB: “The genesis of the proceedings is the GCB’s withdrawal in writing of its nomination of Bassarath for the position of Vice-President of CWI before the elections. At the subject elections, the GCB’s representatives restated the Board’s withdrawal and stringently objected to CWI’s decision to proceed with the election of Bassarath even though the nomination was withdrawn.

“The decision to withdraw its nomination of Bassarath was taken consequent upon the GCB receiving certain information, just prior to the CWI elections, that included serious allegations of misconduct at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).

“There were numerous requests by the GCB to CWI to remedy the situation. Two letters were written to CWI

President

legal

which Bassarath was elected. There was no response to these letters. A meeting was convened by Dr. Shallow and other CWI representatives on July 05, 2023, but the matter remained unresolved. Dr. Shallow stated that he had received legal opinion that the subject election was properly conducted and that he would submit that opinion, and the names of the lawyers who gave it, to the GCB and the other

stakeholders. This was never done.

“The GCB, as a shareholder/ full member of CWI, has a moral and legal duty to institute, promote, and support the high standards and ideals of West Indies Cricket, and to ensure that there is full and unwavering compliance with the Articles of Association of CWI, and that all elections held by CWI are conducted in accordance with the law, especially now with the emergence of the stated allegations.”

Guyana represented at World Archery Americas General Assembly

The World Archery Americas General Assembly, which was held on April 11, 2024 in Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia, was attended by representatives from 30 national federations of the Americas.

Representing Archery Guyana was Secretary General Nicholas Hing, who was also working as a Continental Judge at the Pan American Championships. Seated at the head table were World Archery representative Mr Mark Miller, World Archery Americas Secretary General Sergio Font, World Archery Americas President Maria Emma Gaviria, First Vice President Federico Paiz and Vice President Cesar Otarolla.

Delivering the opening speech, after the Roll Call and Quorum Statement, was WAA President Maria Emma Gaviria, followed by a video message from World Archery Secretary General Tom Dielen. The minutes of the 2022 General Assembly, the President’s Report, and the Financial Report were then read and approved.

Development Activities and Strategic Plan were next

RHTY&SC cricket teams honour

6 outstanding officers of the GFS …on Tribute to Heroes’ programme

Six outstanding officers of the Guyana Fire Service have last week been honoured by the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC). They are the latest public servants to be honoured by the club under its Tribute to Heroes’ programme.

Club Secretary Hilbert

Foster, accompanied by other executives, visited the New Amsterdam Fire Station for the presentation ceremony, which was attended by senior officers of the Fire Service.

Foster said the main objective of the Tribute to Heroes’ programme is to recognize the hard work of Guyanese done in the different areas of public life to make our country a better place for all of us to live in.

The idea was born when Foster, hospitalized at the Port Mourant Public Hospital, had witnessed the dedication and hard work of doctors and nurses. They were the first set of public servants to be honoured under the Tribute to Heroes’ programme. Over the last 12 years, the programme has been expanded to include retired educators, teachers, outstanding students, fire officers, law enforcement officers, postal workers, municipality workers, garbage collectors, sportsmen, and religious leaders.

Foster congratulated the cricket teams: Poonai Pharmacy under-11 and under 13, Farfan and Mendes under 15, Bakewell under 17 and second division, Pepsi under- 19 and under-23, Metro females, NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour

under-21 and first division, for the hard work they had done to honour the unsung heroes of Guyana. The awardees honoured were Seetvon Leader, Peter Joseph, Mark Kendall, Joshua Outar, along with Leading Fireman Gordon, fireman Ricardo Caravio and firewoman Kunitz Persaud. The former Berbice Cricket Board president urged the awardees to uphold their high standard of service to the general public, and to be positive examples to fellow work mates. He committed the RHTY&SC to continuing the programme in the future.

Station officer in charge Shannon Crawford expressed gratitude to the RHTY&SC for honouring the awardees, and praised the club for its outstanding work among youths.

The regional first- class umpire stated that the Tribute to Heroes award would serve as an inspiration to all. Each of the awardees received a medal of excellence, framed certificate of excellence, a trophy, 2 special gifts, and a special gift package from Mike’s Pharmacy.

Firewoman Persaud expressed gratitude to the cricket team for honouring her and colleagues. Persaud said it was a pleasant experience to be recognized for years of dedication in your job. She and colleagues committed to uphold their high standard in the future.

The Tribute to Heroes programme for fire officers was co-sponsored by Alton Duchin, Guyoil, Superbet and Mike’s Pharmacy.

The Rose Hall Town

Youth and Sports Club was formed in 1990 by three-time Commonwealth Youth Service awardee the St Francis Community Developers, and has won a total of 122 cricket tournaments and produced a combined 121 players for Berbice or Guyana. 14 of its members have played for the West Indies or USA at the international level.

Among the players produced by the club are Neil Williams, Shaun Grant, Kevlon Anderson, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Esuan Crandon, Kevin Sinclair, Sylus Tindall, Clinton Pestano, Sharmaine Campbell, Dominique Ricky Akshay Homraj, Erva Giddings, Shabika Gajnabi, Jonathan Rampersaud, Matthew Pottaya and Jeremy Sandia, among others.

on the agenda, where it was noted that the Caribbean, being an important part of the Americas, has been steadily growing in the sport. There is need for developing this part of the region, thereby unifying the Americas as a whole, to be able to compete on the international stage.

Committee Reports were read, and motions and proposals put forward.

The position of First Vice President went to Federico Paiz of Guatemala (GUA) and the positions of Vice President (2 candidates) went to Tamara Jiminez (CUB) and Rubens Terra Neto (BRA).

From a list of 6 candidates, Sanjay Jiandani of St Vincent & the Grenadines (SVN) and Nikhil Kanhai of Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) were elected Council Members. Robert Pian (USA) and Andrea Aguilar (GUA) were elected to the Legal Matters Committee.

Sanjay Jiandani (SVN), and David Rahming Jr of the Bahamas (BAH) were elected to the Ethics Committee along with Juan Morelli of Uruguay (URU). Mary Emmons (USA) will now serve on the Finance and Audit Board, while Trina Roberts of Bermuda (BER) was re-elected to the Development Committee.

World Archery Americas Secretary General Sergio Font was re-elected to serve on the Judges Committee, along with Andrew Neville (USA) and Liz Perez (MEX).

On the Medical Committee, Lena Orrego (COL) was elected to serve, while Daniel Campos (PER), Petra Ruocco Sanchez (BRA) and Jason Tabansky (USA) will serve on the Para Archery Committee.

Applications for organizing and hosting events were also made by national federations.

From March 24-30, 2025, the first Qualifier for the CAC Games will be hosted in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In July 2025, the Bahamas will host the Caribbean Development Championships in Nassau. In October 2025, the Pan American Field Championships will be held

in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. Also in October 2025, Chile will host the Pan American 3D Championships in Santiago, while the Pan American Indoor Championships will be hosted in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

For the South American Open Championships, there were 3 bidding countries: Argentina, Chile and Peru, but in a surprise twist, Argentina and Chile stepped down as candidates to allow Peru to be voted to host the games. The Pan Am Junior Games Second Qualifier will be hosted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as again in a show of camaraderie, Chile and Dominican Republic stepped aside to allow Argentina to be voted as host country.

In 2026, the Pan American Championships will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico from 24- 29 March. In June, Medellin, Colombia will host the Pan American Youth Championships, while also in June, Lima, Peru will host the Para Pan American Championships.

After the elections ended, World Archery awards were given out, notably World Archery Americas awarded Mr Nikhil Kanhai of Trinidad and Tobago Archery Federation for the exemplary and successful hosting of the Caribbean Development Championships 2023.

Also receiving awards were USA Archery’s Phil Graves for his tireless work in developing archery in the Caribbean, and retired International Judge Bob Pian for his work throughout his career and for helping to make the Arizona Cup the success it is.

After the awards World Archery’s Mark Miller gave a speech followed by closing remarks by President Maria Emma Gaviria.

Further discussions for archery development and other topics were had among delegates over dinner, some of which were Caribbean Development League, Guyana’s involvement the South American Games, and the need for more support in all its forms.

Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships… Edghill, Britton strike bronze in Mixed Doubles

Anumber of close encounters were on the cards for the Guyanese team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Friday evening and Saturday, but foremost of those was a Mixed Doubles battle with Cuba that earned Guyana a third medal at the ongoing Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships.

The pair of Shemar Britton and Chelsea Edghill added the bronze medal to Guyana’s tally after a jaw-dropping run in the Mixed Doubles category. In the Round of 16, the pair defeated Barbados’ Mark Dowell and Kenady King 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 118. In the quarterfinals, the team rallied from 2 sets down to make a comeback win against the Dominican Republic’s Rafael Carbrera and Eva Brito. That game went 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 20-18, 11-9.

As such, the pair moved on to the semifinal round, in which a medal is secured irrespective of the result. They took on Cuba’s Jorge Campos and Daniela Fonseca Carrazana in the

semis, but came up short 116, 12-10, 11-5. Guyana’s medal tally

Milo Schools’ U18 tournament…

8 teams vie for semifinal spots today

he Milo Schools’

TUnder18 football tournament is set to light up the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, Carifesta Avenue today as the quarterfinal round of the 10th edition of the competition gets underway.

Today eight teams will vie for the opportunity to get one step closer to a $400,000 grand prize. At 13:00hrs, last year’s runners-up Chase’s Academic Foundation and Bartica Secondary School will face off with the first spot in the semifinals up for grabs.

Chase are so far unbeaten in the tournament, winning by large margins while Bartica has eased past a number of their opponents, their recent win also being a narrow one.

Heading into today’s game, Chase’s Duquain Samuels believes “a little bit more communication and just for the team to press together” will help his team perform better. The youngster is confident this is their chance to clinch the title.

“My confidence is at 100%, and I feel this year is going to be ours. So, I got a lot of confidence in me and my team,” Samuels shared.

Bartica’s Ashton Simmons has said about what his team needs for better performances, “We need a proper ground. They don’t have a proper ground right now, and more youths to come out and play football. We have the spirit to win the whole competition, I like my team spirit. Coach is doing good,” Simmons later told this publication.

At 14:30hrs, East

Ruimveldt Secondary will take on President’s College. PC, who are coming off of a very narrow victory in the Round of 16, have been boosted in confidence.

Shemar Barrington shared about what to expect from PC going forward: “Just the same motive for the whole tournament. It’s either go hard or go home; play our best, or go home.”

Barrington added, “Every team wants to win the tournament.”

Then, at 16:00hrs, Ann’s Grove Secondary will go toe- to-toe with Waramuri Primary Top. Waramuri have thus far proved to be a force to be reckoned with, while Ann’s Grove have been tested in numerous pressure situations.

“Well, we just have to come out, train hard, and put in the work. We get it to go to the final,” Ann’s Grove Narron Jerrick has shared.

On the other hand, Waramuri’s Odell Holmes has said about their weak points: “I think we need to work on some things that we

now includes three bronze, the previous two came via the Men’s and Women’s teams.

Meanwhile, Joel Alleyne and Nathalie Cummings were not as fortunate in the same division, suffering a defeat at the hands of Puerto Rico’s Angel Narango Brianna Burgos 11-5, 11-4, 11-5.

Later, Britton teamed up with Elishaba Johnson for

the Men’s Doubles, where they defeated Jamaica’s Rohan Lewis and Odingo Mitchell 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 in the Round of 16. However, the pair was not as fortunate in the quarterfinals, losing to Dominican Republic’s Edwardo Darley and Samuel Galvez 11-9, 11-4, 11-7.

Joel Alleyne and Niran Bissu also teamed up in the Men’s Doubles; and after a lengthy 5-set game, missed

out on victory against St. Lucia’s De Andre Calderon and Dawitt Nurse 11-8, 3-11, 11-6, 2-11, 8-11.

Over in the Women’s Doubles, Chelsea Edghill and Nathalie Cummings were successful in their Round of 16 fixture against Dominican Republic’s Yesmeily Guerrero and Cinthia Pena 11-8, 11-8, 115.

However, the pair came up short in the quarterfinals against Cuba’s Rosalba Aguiar and Karla Perez Gonzalez in a tough 5-match game: 11-6, 11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 4-11.

Young players Thuraia Thomas and Jasmine Billingy also teamed up for the Women’s Doubles, but were overcome by Puerto Rico’s Edmarie Leon and Alondra Rodriguez 11-5, 115, 11-4.

More is in store for team Guyana, as Cummings and Britton carry on their individual campaigns in the Singles division. The regional tournament concludes today.

Nasrudeen Jr Mohamed set to ignite Renault Sport Megane Trophy

Powered by Jumbo Jet Auto Sales and AJM Enterprise, renowned businessman Nasrudeen Jr Mohamed will be hoping to ignite the South Dakota Circuit in the Renault Sport Megane Trophy today (Sunday April 21). This event will be the opening round of the GMRSC Circuit Championship.

didn’t get correct this game [Round of 16].” He went on to touch on their Round of 16 victory, stating, “Winning this game is a very good thing for me and my team, cause it kind of motivates us.”

The curtains will come down on the quarterfinals with a Georgetown derby featuring Dolphin Secondary and West Ruimveldt Secondary.

While West are unbeaten thus far, Dolphin can be considered underdogs with a few experienced campaigners in their side.

Dolphin’s Gerry Burnette said about his team’s requirements: “We need more communication and more exposure. We have to train harder, pray a lot and so, (be)cause it’s train hard, win easy,” Burnette divulged.

The Milo tournament is sponsored by Massy under their Milo brand, MVP Sports and Yellow Steel Inc, with support from the Ministries of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Local Government and Regional Development.

Mohamed, under his Jumbo Jet and AJM brands, is known for horse racing and cricket, but has now spread his wings to circuit racing. He will be representing team One Guyana, which features nine cars and five drivers.

Renault Megane, recently acquired by Nasrudeen Jr Mohamed from Franklyn Boodram (Trinidad), will be driven by Anand Ramchand #911. And now powered by S.C.I, will be participating in Group 4 for the first time. Driver Anand anticipates victory, and will be touring throughout the Caribbean with his Megane.

Toyota Starlet driver Anand Ramchand will be participating in the Starlet Cup, and is powered by S.C.I. Anand mentioned he was two points short of holding the championship last year, and he is confident of going all the way this year.

Toyota Starlet driver Raymond Seebarran #72 (Starlet Cup) is powered by AJM Enterprise, and will also debut Honda Civic EK driver Nasrudeen Jr Mohamed #125 is also powered by AJM Enterprise (in Group 2). Mohamed, who recently acquired the Honda Civic EK, will be participating in this

class for a second time. He noted that with more track time under his belt, he is more prepared. “Been a while since I’ve won in this class, as I (have) always driven a Toyota. I have now upgraded to better in this group. The lap time and handling couldn’t have been better,” Mohamed said.

Toyota Levin driver Adrian Fernandes #211, powered by S.C.I. & Team Wrecker Sports Tuner class, drove this class for many years. He had some of the fastest times in this class, and won some endurance championship for a few years.

Toyota Levin Driver Ravindra Dharamjit 522, (sports tuner class) is powered by S.C.I. and Team Wrecker. He will now be going up from street tuner class to sports tuner class for the first time, and is expected to do well driving a fully stocked Toyota.

Toyota Levin driver Andre Rochford #777 from Trinidad & Tobago is in Rookie class

and sports tuner. He is also powered by AJM. This is Andre’s first official race. He will be driving both classes, with one car to try and get experience on the track and one day become a senior driver like the rest of his team.

Toyota Vits driver Zafiro Luis #515 hails from Cuba. He will be driving in the Street tuner class Powered by S.C.I. & Team Wrecker. He comes with a great deal of experience in Go-carting, where most formula 1 drivers come from. He started racing cars at South Dakota one year ago. With only one year’s experience, he has had a few wins under his belt.

Team ‘One Guyana’ has the most cars as a team, and is formulated by 3 companies. JumboJet Auto Sales, AJM Enterprise, S.C.I & Ramchand Auto Body and Wrecker Services. All have one vision to grow motor sport, not only by having lots of cars, but improving our local drivers.