Mahipaulallegescorruption, demandsforensicaudit oflocalgovt.projects
betrays Guyana's workers’
WIN MP Singh slams 2026 spending plan, calls out parliamentary disorder
Magistrate to proceed with paper committal in deadly gas station bombing
ByRenaySambach
Opening the 2026
Budget debates on
Wednesday, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Nandranie Singh delivered a blistering critique of the government's $1 558 trillion National Budget, condemning the absence of any increase in the national minimum wage and describing the plan as a profound disservice to Guyana'sworkingpeople.
“How can that be fair to the workers of this country? A national minimum wage reviewisnotjustdesirable,it isnecessary,”shesaid.
The MP described the failure to raise wages as an injustice and called for an immediate review, arguing that workers and public servants should receive salaryincreasesannually
“Ourworkersandpublic servants must receive a salary increase each and every year The private sector minimum wage has not increased since 2022 more than three years ago. Private sector workers earn less than public sector workers for similar work,” shestated.
TheWINMPpointedout that both the GuyanaTrades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) have repeatedly called for increases in the private sector minimum wage and the establishment of a nationalminimumwagethat reflects the rising cost of
living. She stressed that the governmenthasthemeansto act but lacks the will, accusing the administration of enriching itself at the expenseofworkers.
The MP also referenced cost-of-living pressures, citingthegovernment'sMidYear Report, which showed thatbytheendofJune2025 the Consumer Price Index rose by 2 9 percent comparedtotheendof2024, driven almost entirely by foodprices.
“The working class people of this country face hardship and pressure every singleday Yettheyarebeing asked to absorb rising costs while their wages remain stagnant And yet, Mr. Speaker, it is this same working class - the very peoplestrugglingtokeepup with rising prices who are contributing $71 billion dollars to this country's revenue through income tax alone,”shesaid.
Singh added, “Let me begin by stating clearly that theWeInvestinNationhood Party stands firmly with the workers and public servants of this country in condemningtheabsenceofa salary increase for the working people in the 2026 Budget.”
Addressing the budget's theme,'PuttingPeopleFirst', Singhnotedthatthe$10,000 increase to the income tax threshold amounts to just $2,500inadditionalmonthly take-home pay for someone earning $200,000. “$2,500
Mr Speaker, if you go Bourdamarketwiththat,you cannot even get enough vegetables to cook for 2 meals,”shenoted.
According to Singh, Budget 2026 should have included a clear timeline for increasing the private sector minimum wage, salary increases for public sector workers, a commitment to wage parity, and a national wage policy aligned with cost-of-livingrealities.
“This absence is a profound disservice to the working people of Guyana, Mr Speaker….ItisaBudget craftedtosecurecomfortfor those who already have, while offering little to nothing to the poor, the working class, and the vulnerable the very people who rely on the government themost.Mr Speaker,thisis notapeoplecentredBudget; it is a prosperity for the few Budget,”shesaid.
Labelling the budget the “greatest tragedy,” Singh referenced the late Dr. CheddiJagan,founderofthe People's Progressive Party, noting his belief that governments must prioritise the poor and working class. “It does not defend the poor nordoesituplifttheworking class. It does not honour the legacy it so often invokes,” she said, adding that the budget departs from Dr Jagan'sprinciples.
Singh concluded that while the budget prioritises infrastructure, oil assets and large-scaleprojects,butfails workers.
Further, she pointed to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning and the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation, noting that these ministries are responsible for the workers who build the country and the public servants who delivertheservicesthatkeep it functioning are being placed on the backburner She noted, “These are the very ministries that this Budgettreatasafterthoughts just as the PPP government treats the working class of Guyana.”
Singh outlined that allocations for the ministry responsible for developing public servants declined from $8.4 billion in 2025 to $8billionin2026.“Aminor decrease,yes,butwhy,when this is supposed to be the very ministry focusing our p u b l i c s e r v a n t s ' development, ” s
questioned.
Turning to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, the MP said the provisions tell a broader
story of public servants and workers being left behind in a trillion-dollar Budget. She noted that the ministry is tasked with formulating
ng occupational safety and health regulations, and matching job seekers with employers, among other responsibilities, but said the allocationsprovidedtofulfil these mandates are revealing.
“TheMinistryofLabour and Manpower Planning's budget increased from approximately $1.51 billion in 2025 to $1.74 billion in 2026. An increase of about $300,000.
In2026,Mr Speaker,the ministry received a mere 0 11% of our national expenditure.
Recurrent expenditure increased, while capital expenditure fell sharply from just over $211 million in 2025 to about $138 millionin2026.InaBudget dominated by current expenditure, the Ministry responsible for worker
protection is moving in the opposite direction,” she noted.
The MP questioned how the government believes inspections, occupational safety, and labour enforcement can be strengthened with reduced capital support, particularly at a time of expanding economic activity, increasing workplace risk, and the rapid growth of large-scale and hazardous projects.
Moreover, MP Singh alsocriticisedtheconductof her fellow parliamentarians during the first two days of deliberations on the 2026 National Budget, calling for greater decorum and responsibilityintheNational Assembly
“This Parliament is the second highest decision makingbodyinournation.It is where laws are shaped, where national priorities are debated, and where the conduct of Members should reflect the dignity of the offices we hold. Yet too often, Mr Speaker, the proceedings of this House are overshadowed by disorder, constant interruptions, and behaviour u n b e f i t t i n g o f a parliamentary chamber,” Singhsaid.
Shenotedthat,asafirsttime MP, she was both surprised and disappointed by some of the conduct she witnessed, and reminded MPs that children across Guyana can observe parliamentaryproceedings.
Guyanahasreceived9,085,923 high-integrity TREES carbon creditsfortheyear2023,theOffice ofthePresidentsaidonWednesday In a statement, the president's office said that the credits, which wereissuedbytheArchitecturefor REDD+Transactions(ART),mark another major milestone in Guyana's long-standing leadership in sustainable forest management, climate action and jurisdictionalscale carbon markets, for the third consecutiveyearsince2021.
“These credits have been labeled as CORSIA-Eligible, confirmingtheiralignmentwiththe highest international standards for environmental integrity, transparency, and accountability The issuance reflects the measurableoutcomesofconsistent workbyGuyana'sgovernmentand
forest communities in ensuring verifiable emissions reductions through forest stewardship, robust national monitoring systems, and consistent policy commitment to low-carbondevelopment.
This issuance is both a validation of Guyana's long-term visionandasignalofconfidenceto globalmarkets,”thestatementsaid.
Further, the Office of the President noted that the carbon credits received demonstrate that “countries and communities can benefit from making forests worth more alive than dead - by valuing sustainable management of forests.”
Guyana's forests cover 85% of the territory, and since the implementation of the country's Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) in 2009, there
have been heavy investments in country into forest governance, national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems, Indigenous land titling, and benefit-sharing mechanisms that ensure forest communities are direct beneficiaries of climate finance.
“The ART issuance to Guyana of 2023 vintage TREES credits builds on previous issuances and reflectsthecontinuedadvancement ofthesesystemsovertime.
The CORSIA label attached to these credits confirms that Guyana's TREES credits meet the eligibility requirements of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), making them among the most rigorously assessed credits available globally This
enhances their credibility and usability for international aviation and other compliance-oriented buyers seeking verified, jurisdictional-scale emissions reductions,”thestatementadded.
TheOfficeofthePresidentsaid that the issuance of the carbon credits reinforces the viability of jurisdictional REDD+ as a cornerstone of high-integrity climate finance and is a demonstration that large scale, government led approaches, that are anchored in national policies alongside transparent data, can deliver real, measurable climate outcomes while safeguarding biodiversity and supporting livelihoods.
“For Guyana, the issuance strengthens the country's ability to mobilise results-based finance to
support national development priorities, including climateresilient infrastructure, Indigenous community development, forest conservation, and biodiversity protection.
It also underscores Guyana's role as a global leader in shaping credible, equitable, and scalable solutions for forest-based climate mitigation,”thestatementsaid.
Additionally, the government assured that Guyana is committed toadvancinghigh-integritycarbon
safeguards, and working with international partners to ensure that forest conservation delivers tangiblebenefitsfortheGuyanese people while contributing meaningfully to the global fight againstclimatechange.
PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd. 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.
Publisher:GLENNLALL-Tel:624-6456
Editor-in-Chief:NigelWilliams Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
World Cancer Day observed on Wednesday should not be reduced to ribbon-wearing and rehearsed speeches. It should be a national wake-up call.The latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Caribbean PublicHealthAgency(CARPHA)paintasoberingpicture: canceristighteningitsgripgloballyandclosertohome,but a significant share of this suffering is preventable. What is missingisurgency,educationanddecisiveaction.
According to a new WHO analysis, up to four in ten cancercasesworldwidecouldbeprevented.In2022alone, some7.1millionnewcases,37percentoftheglobaltotal— were linked to avoidable causes such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and cancer-causing infections. Tobacco remains the biggest killer, responsible for 15 percent of new cancer cases globally Infections account for another 10 percent, with stomach cancer largely driven by Helicobacter pylori andcervicalcanceroverwhelminglycausedbyHPV
These are not abstract statistics. They describe real people, real families and real suffering and many of these casesneverneededtohappen.Closertohome,CARPHA’s figures are even more alarming. Cancer is now the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean, behind only cardiovascular disease. In 2022, the region recorded an estimated119,000newcasesandmorethan66,000cancerrelated deaths. Even more troubling is the projection that cancercasesinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanwillriseby a staggering 69 percent by 2045, driven by ageing populationsandcontinuedexposuretoriskfactors.
TheCaribbeanalsocarriessomeoftheworld’sheaviest cancer burdens. Several regional countries rank among the highest globally for prostate cancer incidence, while Jamaica, The Bahamas and Barbados sit near the top of global cervical cancer mortality rankings.This is not just a health problem, it is a development crisis that threatens productivity, household stability and national healthcare budgets.
For Guyana, these numbers must trigger action, not complacency Too many people still avoid routine medical checks until symptoms become unbearable. By then, cancers are often detected late, when treatment is more expensive,lesseffectiveandemotionallydevastating.Early screeningsaveslives.Papsmears,prostatescreening,breast exams, colon checks and routine blood work are not luxuries, they are survival tools. Citizens must take responsibility for their own health by scheduling regular check-ups, adopting healthier diets, exercising, quitting smoking, moderating alcohol intake and demanding better healthcare services. But responsibility does not rest on individuals alone. Government has a duty to create an environment where prevention is possible and treatment is accessible. WHO’s findings show that policy matters. Strong tobacco control, alcohol regulation, vaccination againstHPVandhepatitisB,improvedairqualitystandards and safer workplaces can dramatically reduce cancer risk. These measures require political will, not just policy documentsgatheringdustonshelves.
CARPHAhas stressed the importance of strong cancer surveillance systems. Without reliable data, governments are essentially operating blind. The upcoming Cancer IncidenceintheCaribbean,VolumeIreport,whichincludes Guyana, is a crucial step forward. But data must lead to action. It must shape national cancer control plans, guide resource allocation and identify gaps in screening and treatment services. There is also an urgent need to expand access to affordable diagnostic services and modern treatment options. Too many Guyanese still face long waitingtimes,limitedoncologyservicesandheavyout-ofpocket expenses. Palliative care remains underdeveloped, leavingfamiliestoshoulderemotionalandfinancialburdens alone.Cancercareshouldnotdependonwhoyouknowor how much money you have. World Cancer Day’s theme, “UnitedbyUnique,”remindsusthateverypatient’sjourney is different. But it also underscores the need for peoplecentredhealthsystemsthatplacepatientsandfamiliesatthe
DEAREDITOR,
The recent simultaneous resignations of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have raised serious concerns about the governance and integrityoftheMahdiaTown Council. It is clear that the circumstances surrounding theseresignationsaredeeply troubling and warrant immediateattention.
Reports reaching my officeindicatethattheTown Clerk’s employment was influenced by political interference, particularly from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and more glaringly implicated the MinisterwithintheMinistry, the Honourable Pauline Sukhai These reports prompted my office to conduct a preliminary investigation, which revealed misconduct by the minister Itisallegedthatthe minister repeatedly belittled their Worships, the Mayor
andDeputyMayor,andused her influence over the Town Clerk to undermine their authority This conduct appears to have created a toxic environment, eroding respect for the council’s decisionsandauthority
Moreover, this situation is not isolated to Mahdia; it reflects a broader pattern across other townships and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), where similar abuses of power and interference undermine democracy, good local governance, accountability andtransparency
Sir, specifically regarding the Mahdia Town Council,therearedisturbing allegations of widespread multimillion-dollar corruption within the Council, and the current situation is being used as a cover-up Editor, such practicesnotonlyundermine the township’s development andwelfare,especiallywhen
comfort
decisions from ministers are madewiththesingleintentto frustrate, intimidate, and ultimatelynegativelyimpact thelifeandlivelihoodofthe residents, but these actions also threaten the integrity of l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t institutions.
We therefore call on the H o n o u r a b l e P r i y a Manickchand, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, to take immediate action. An impartial investigation shouldbeconductedintothe circumstances leading to the resignations, and a comprehensive audit of the management and financial affairs of the Mahdia Town Council should be undertakenwithoutdelay
Good governance, transparency, and accountability are essential for the development of our villagesandtownships.This underscores the need for the government to act now and
take decisive action in this matter, more so when Her Worship, the Mayor, indicated in her letter of resignation, “her physical and mental health is unstable.”Thisshouldnotbe takenlightly
The allegations of ministerial interference and corruption, which may have causedtheMayor’shealthto be unstable, must also be investigated by this government,whichclaimsto be a guardian of democracy, but its actions prove otherwise. It is time for the government to stop talking and take decisive action, showing Guyanese that it standsagainstcorruptionand truly embraces democracy Thereisnobetterwaythanto fire the Minister if the allegations of her overreach andcorruptionarefactual.
Sincerely,
Sherwin
C.
Benjamin, General Secretary PNCR
desperation is undermining
DEAREDITOR, Power, when divorced from legitimacy, becomes addiction irrational, destructive,andshamelessly self-serving. What we are now witnessing with the APNU’s obstinate refusal to let go of its control over the opposition-appointed seats at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is precisely that: a last, desperate clutch at political oxygen by a coalition suffocating under its own irrelevance.
Azruddin Mohamed, the newLeaderoftheOpposition under the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party, is acting squarely within constitutionalandmoralright to reorganize representation on GECOM WithWIN now constitutionallyrecognizedas the official opposition, the mantle to advise on commissioners naturally passes to Mohamed. Yet, though suffering from an
unprecedented electoral trouncing,theresistancefrom APNU-leaders and nominatedcommissioners Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin, and Desmond Trotman reeks not of principle, but of political preservation disguised as constitutionalsanctity
Let’s be plain: this is not about safeguarding democracy or ensuring continuity It’s about safeguarding access — to influence, to decisionmaking, and inevitably, to money and power The rhetoric of “permanent commissions” is being weaponised to disguise a more self-serving reality: that those who have been dislodged from political leadership want to retain institutional leverage long after their electoral expiration date has passed. It’sthepoliticalequivalentof squatting occupying space without right or
heart of care. That means better education campaigns in schoolsandcommunities,mobilescreeningunitsinruraland hinterland areas, stronger partnerships with NGOs, and consistentpublichealthmessagingthatgoesbeyondone-day observances.
Thescienceisclear Nearlyfouroutofeverytencancer cases can be prevented. The Caribbean’s cancer crisis is growing. Guyana cannot afford to sit back and watch this silentepidemicclaimmorelives.Prevention,earlydetection andaccessibletreatmentmustbecomenationalprioritiesnot seasonal slogans. Cancer is not inevitable, but at the same timecitizensmustnotdelayactionandignorewarningsigns andthegovernmentmustnotunderinvestinhealthcare.
relevance.
For years, Guyana’s politics has suffered the burdensofthismanipulative duality — parties invoking constitutionalism when it suits their agenda, only to trample its intent when the tides turn. The Constitution was never meant to be a refuge for political relics. It was intended as a living framework for national progress, adaptive to the people’s evolving will. But the current stalemate shows thatthe“living”hasgoneout ofit;whatremainsisabrittle text too easily exploited by those who thrive on ambiguity
This duplicity inflicts real damage It clogs governance with bad faith negotiations, taints the credibility of oversight institutions, and alienates citizenswhoalreadydistrust the political elite Every refusal to give up what has been lost democratically is an insult to those who voted precisely to change it Guyanese have spoken — loudly, clearly, and courageously through their ballots, replacing the old oppositional order with WIN. Yet, APNU insists on behaving as though the electorate never existed, as thoughthepeople’sverdictis a suggestion instead of a command.
This arrogance, wrapped
in constitutional pretense, mustnotgounchallenged.If we fail to assert the primacy ofthepeople’smandateover the opportunism of the few, werisknormalizingasystem where elections change nothing and entrenched elites remain in charge regardless of outcome. That is not democracy — it’s a façade held together by proceduraltechnicalitiesand self-interest.
Guyana stands at a crossroads. The controversy overGECOM’scomposition is not simply a personnel issue; it’s a constitutional stresstest.Wemustseizethis moment to reform our laws so that they cannot be stretched, twisted, or exploited by political incumbents unwilling to accept defeat The Constitutionmustonceagain become the strong spine of governance,notthesoftskin of manipulation Let the messagebeclear:legitimacy is not inherited — it is conferred by the people and withdrawn when abused The attempt by a defunct opposition to remain r e l e v a n t t h r o u g h institutional hijacking reveals not only desperation butdecay Andforthesakeof Guyana’s democratic future, decay must be cleaned out, notaccommodated.
Sincerely, HemduttKumar
President Irfaan Ali’s recent remarks on Guyana’s labour market, delivered during a Facebook Live broadcast, present figures that many Guyanese would naturally welcome and take pridein.
According to the President, unemployment declined from 12.8 per cent in2020to6.8percentbythe fourthquarterof2024,while female unemployment fell from14.4percenttobelow9 per cent. He also indicated that more than 104,000 new jobswerecreatedduringthis period, increasing e m p l o y m e n t f r o m approximately 264,000 to nearly 370,000 people
Thesestatisticspointtoclear economic activity and expansion, and workers understand the value of job creationinacountrythathas long struggled with limited opportunities However, from a trade union and workers’ perspective, numbers alone do not fully
capture how working families are experiencing thisperiodofgrowth.
ManyGuyanesewhoare now employed still find it difficulttocomfortablymeet everyday expenses such as food, rent, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and education. Having a job is important, but workers also seekstability,peaceofmind, and the ability to plan for their families’ futures. For some, employment has increased, yet financial pressureremains.
The President also highlighted wage increases across several sectors between 2020 and 2024, ranging from about 50 per centtoover100percent.He citedgrowthof84percentin agriculture, forestry and fishing;59percentinmining andquarrying;71percentin construction; 69 per cent in wholesale and retail trade; 88 per cent in information and communication; over 100percentinprofessional, scientific and technical
services; and over 114 per cent in arts, entertainment andrecreation.
While these figures are encouraging, workers often measure progress by what remains after expenses are paid. Rising costs of living mean that percentage increases do not always translate into a sense of financial security Many workers say that although theyearnmorethantheydid afewyearsago,theyarestill struggling to save or feel trulycomfortable.
Thesuggestionthatsome unemployed persons are simplybeingselectiveabout the jobs they accept also deserves a compassionate understanding Workers generally want to work, but concerns about safety, long hours, low pay, job security, and weak enforcement of labour protections often influence their decisions These are real issues that deserve attention, not judgement.
The acknowledgement
that Guyana faces a labour shortfallofmorethan52,000 workers,andmayrequireup to 100,000 additional workers to support future growth, raises important questions about training and inclusion Many young people remain unemployed or underemployed, suggesting the need for greater investment in skills d e v e l o p m e n t , apprenticeships, and clear pathways into stable employment.
Guyana’s economic growth is real, and working people want to be active partnersinthatprogress.For growthtofeelmeaningful,it must be accompanied by safe workplaces, fair wages, strong labour protections, and open dialogue with workers and their representatives When workers feel respected and secure, the benefits of development are shared morewidelyandsustainably
AsonelearnsabouteventsintheCooperativeRepublicof Guyana, it is not surprising that rational people refer to, as I have before, a once popular newspaper theme “Believe it or Not”. One: in parliament those of us who are victims of GuyanaPowerandLight’sgrossincompetence,orcorruption, or the apparent journey of a silly spending spree, Guyanese takeyourpick.
OnMondayweheardfromthemosthonourableMinister of Public Utilities andAviation, Deodat Indar, defending the decisiontoawardamanagementconsultancycontract,tothe value of US$15.6m, to a Dominican Republic company, via single-source procurement. Why, who, or when the decision wastakentoby-passthenormalpublictenderboardprocedure isabigquestion.
Second:Iftheminister’sexplanationmakessense,thatthe awardee has experience in fixing electricity delivery problems, them why are we paying many millions every monthtoanapparentlybloatedmanagementstructureofstatecontrolledGPL.InapreviouscorrespondenceIreferredtoour government’s proclivity of putting “square pegs, in round holes”,whenwillthisstupiditybebroughttoanend?
Next:wewereallexcited,andcongratulatedthePresident foraddressingtheBelizeparliament,thatBelizeandGuyana canensurefoodsecurityfortheregion.Wearefondofasking people to apologize for their alleged misdeeds, when in the post-independence period efforts were made to wean people awayfromatotalrelianceonimportedvegetables,fruit,and grain.
DEAREDITOR,
The recent security incident at G-Mining VenturesinRegionSeven,as highlighted by Mr Lorenzo Joseph, is a sobering reminder that our rapid industrialexpansionmustbe
matched by equally sophisticated security protocols. While I share the concernforthewell-beingof our frontline workers, it is important to view this challenge not through the lensofpoliticalactivism,but throughtheprismofmodern resource management and nationalstrategy
From my vantage point inVancouver,Icanattestthat the global mining communityviews“security”
not merely as a matter of guards and gates, but as a comprehensive discipline involving technology, intelligence, and rigorous “Duty of Care” standards. The investors who fund projects like Oko West expect a seamless integration of safety and production. It is heartening, therefore, to see that the Government’s 2026 Budget hasalreadyanticipatedthese needswithamassive$100.3 billion allocation for the securitysector
Thishistoricinvestment, whichincludes$5billionfor the“SafeCountry”initiative and the expansion of the Intelligence Video Surveillance (IVS) network,
shows a government that is
technology-driven policing andtheestablishmentofnew police stations in hinterland communities are exactly the
international investors look
jurisdictionalrisk.
However, as we bridge t h e g
e e n Vancouver’s capital and Guyana’s soil, there is an opportunity for even deeper
YoursSincerely, Lorenzo
Joseph
collaboration between the private sector and the state. We should look toward implementing “Smart Security” corridors in the mining districts, utilizing dronesurveillance,real-time biometric tracking, and integrated response systems that link private mine security directly with the Guyana Police Force’s moderncommandcenters.
The Government is alreadylayingthe
Continued on page 6
The President must know how this effort was strongly criticized, even suggesting it was politically and racially motivated.InBelizeourpresidentmayhavelearnt,whysugar productionisnotsubsidisedbythegovernment,andtherefore, aburdenontaxpayers,asisthecaseinGuyana.Theoldfolks say“easylessongoodfordunce”,let’sgetsomelucidanswers totheabove.
Finally,thisistheproblemwithadvancingage,Irecallin thelate80stheGuyanadollartradedatUS$1toGY$10,with the vast revenues coming to us from oil, gold, timber, silver, manganese, marine products, the Guyana dollar is still between $210 to $220. Checking with the banks today, the buying rate was GY$218 to US$1. I confess, I don’t understand,couldsomeonehelp.
Sincerely,
ElderHamiltonGreen
Freddie Kissoon fired unprovoked tirade against respected columnists and other writers of KN and SN andtheirpublishers.
His writings are disgusting, attacking those who are known for greater achievements than him, usingcoarse,crude,vitriolic, cruel language to discredit othersofhigherintellect.
He has a penchant to distortanddisinform,andfor making snide, sneering, derogatory remarks to denigrate people of superior abilities.
He has engaged in supercilious unrepentant pugilism pummeling those who he has perceived as more worthy than him; they ignorehisbullyingbehavior
Cheddi Jagan never tolerated Freddie because of his persona to attack the iconic leader and others in the PPPand others of mettle like Kwayana Bharrat Jagdeo has no tolerance for Freddie because of his lies a n d l a c k o f accomplishments.
Freddiehashadahistory going back to the 1980s of attackingmeandcolleagues, fellowletterwriterslikeRavi Dev, Baytoram Ramharack, Swami Aksharananda, Rhyaan Shah, Vassan Ramracha, etc., individuals of character, integrity, and academicaccomplishments.
Freddie is known to regularly circulate misinformation and outright deceit, including demeaning deepfakes, and mockery of
others.Hiswritingshavethe hallmarks of brazen disinformation, smearing and humiliating people. He is known for a history of distortions,spreadinglieson Jagdeo, then Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali and Dr Leslie Ramsammy, and the PPP government prior to 2020.ChrisRam,GHKLall, Anand Persaud, Glenn Lall, and others rightly ignore him.
Freddieputoutafarcical and misleading description o f m y a c a d e m i c achievements, mocking my earned advanced degrees anddiplomasbutfailstotell why he was denied a doctorate at University of Toronto Unsolicited, he admitted again last week to stealing books at UG and University of Toronto as though that is an academic achievement.
I can assure Freddie I never stole books or was denied a degree or failed a courseforplagiarism.
Last August, Freddie penned misinformation on my running for the Presidency of Guyana I never pondered running for officeinGuyana.
Iwasaskedbyagroupof activists in Guyana and the diaspora to register a political organization with GECOM My name was used only to register the organization Freddie concluded illogically and irrationally that I founded a partyandwasrunningforthe Presidency Bharrat Jagdeo’s name
appeared next to PPP on GECOMlistwheremyname appeared;didJagdeorunfor the Presidency last September – just shows the idiocy and lack of intelligenceofFreddie.
I have no interest in running for office Dr. Vishnu Bandhu can attest that I was asked in several elections to be the PresidentialorPMcandidate of URP and I declined. Dr. Jagan asked Ravi Dev and myselftobeonPPPCiviclist in 1992, and we both declined.
WPA also made offers and we declined. If I should runforoffice,itwillbeinthe mold of my fellow
Ankerville hero Cheddi Jagan, a man of compassion and incorruptible honesty whoFreddieattackedalmost daily
For edification I did run for and won some elections: Captain(forseveralyears)of theAnkervilleYouthCricket Club during the 1970s (and also selected as Captain of combined inter-village teams), President of Student Society of Corentyne High School (1976/77) that I helped found, President of Hindu Society at CHS (1976/77)thatIco-founded; appointed as Prefect at CHS 1976/77 and selected as Head Prefect at CHS (Fall 1976 just before student uprisingthatIco-led;chosen as a student leader and spokesperson of students on strike at CHS (September 1976 and January thru Feb 1977) that I co-led; ran for
and won a Senate Seat representing Natural Sciences to Day Student GovernmentofCityCollege (CCNY) in 1978 and reelectedin1979,1980,1981; elected as Vice President of Educational Affairs of CCNYStudent Government in 1980; elected as a Councilor of the Graduate StudentCouncilinFall1982 and re-elected in Spring 1983andagain1984;elected asVicePresidentoftheGSC in 1983 and President in 1984 and re-elected as Presidentin1986;electedas a Councillor of the Doctoral Student Council (DSC) of City University Graduate Center representing Sociologyin1991;electedto varied positions (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc.) of the Indo (Indian) Club of CCNY 1977-1982; served as SecretaryoftheIndiaClubin 1977.
AsafounderoftheIndoCaribbean Federation of USA in 1984, I declined repeatednominationtoserve inleadershippositions.Iwas elected in leadership of Indian Club at New York University (1984-86) and declined nomination to run for a position in the NYU Graduate Students GovernmentAssembly
Professionally, I was elected as leader of the United Federation of Teachers at my institute on threeoccasionsforthreeyear terms.AndIwasalsoelected asdelegateforfivethreeyear terms (1987 to 2015 at Enrico Fermi and Transit Technology).
I was elected and reelected multiple times annually as Teacher Rep on theSchoolLeadershipTeam (1999-2015) of Transit Tech and elected and re-elected annually as Chair of its SLT seventimes.
Unlike Freddie, I have been very consistent in fighting for democracy and against elections rigging in Guyana while a student in Guyana from 1968 and after mymigration.
I have been a dedicated community activist and volunteer ever since landing in America, stepping up for Guyanese and others, bringingtoUSAmyaltruism aspracticedinGuyana.
Unlike Freddie, I answered Cheddi Jagan’s call to fight for democracy Whenwewerechampioning democracy, Freddie was not a participant in the struggle while in Canada. I spent my life immersed in and committed to consolidating democracy in Guyana I
served as a warrior for free and fair elections and for democracythatbenefitedthe PPP and other parties from 1968 till now Without that democracy, Freddie would nothavebeenabletopenhis trash, and PPP would not havebeeninpower
Freddie is a friend today if he benefits and your enemy tomorrow once he is stopped fed. In the mercenary calculus of Freddie, morality and principles are meaningless. Heiswithyourpartytodayif hebenefitsandanotherparty tomorrow if no gains – a record of joining or supporting almost every party When it comes to benefits,thereisnomorality for his behavior Selfinterests dictate when and what to speak unlike me or GHKorChrisRamorGlenn or Anand or Ravi Dev, peopleofprinciples.
Idon’tneedtorunforthe Presidencyortolietomakea difference in peoples’ lives. My contributions to society (in Guyana and diaspora in USA)speakforme. Freddie needs to start writing professionally and stop spreading lies on my professional work and attackingothers.
Yourstruly, Dr VishnuBisram
Frompage5
infrastructure:theroads,theairstrips,andthe digital framework. The next step in our evolution is to ensure that our security standards are as world-class as our mineral deposits.
By marrying the Government’s “Safe Country” vision with the advanced riskmanagement expertise found in global mininghubs,wecanensurethateveryworker in the interior feels the full protection of the state.
Guyana is no longer a frontier; it is an emerging global leader Protecting the men andwomenwhobuildthiscountryisnotjust a moral imperative—it is sound economic policy
I have every confidence that the current Administration will continue to refine this security architecture, ensuring that our “GoldenEra”isdefinedbysafetyasmuchas itisbyprosperity
Respectfully, Dr WalterH.Persaud
With Guyana's gold declarations rebounding in 2024 and 2025, rising by a combined 52,208 ounces after years of decline, Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat on Tuesday night rejected opposition claims about the performance of the sector, arguingthattheindustryhas been resurrected under the PPPgovernment.
With the price of gold recently crossing the US$5,000-per-ounce mark, Minister Bharrat in his budget debate presentation questioned the renewed focus on the sector by oppositionspeakers.“Ihave never heard so much emphasis and so much excitement over the gold sector, like 2026 and I wonderwhythereissomuch excitement of the gold sector Iwonderwhythereis so much excitement and comments over the gold sector today Maybe it is because the honorable opposition leader maybe it's because the gold price is high, or probably it is because of the prudent management of the sector,” hesaid.
The minister noted that the sector is seeing renewed interest, with miners returning as opportunities improve. “Since we took office in 2020, to date, over 1,000 small Guyanese miners have benefited from the access to land and the accessibility to the land through the expenditure of over 10 billion Guyana dollars on hinterland infrastructure to ensure that our roadways are safe,” Bharratdisclosed.
After years of decline,
Guyana's gold sector recorded a nominal increase in 2024, with declarations rising by 1,954 ounces from 432,113 ounces in 2023 to 434,067 ounces. In 2025, declarations rose by 50,254 ounces to reach 484,321
ounces Last year, declarations from licensed golddealersdeclinedby21.5 percent in 2025 to 121,883
o u n c e s H o w e v e r, declarations from the country's lone large-scale producer, Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd, operating through its subsidiary Aurora Gold Mine (AGM), increased by 15.5 percent to 167,005 ounces and declarations to the Guyana GoldBoard(GGB)alsorose by 45.6 percent to 195,432 ounces.
F o r 2 0 2 6 , t h e government has projecting declarations of 510,450 ounces as mining activity accelerates across all operatorcategories.Notably, between 2019 and 2023, Guyana's gold declarations h a d d e c l i n e d b y approximately 209,000 troy ounces,accordingtoBankof Guyanaannualreports.
During day one of the Budgetdebates,WeInvestin Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament (MP) Dr AndreLewisraisedconcerns about the reliability of the declaration figures, suggesting the government maybeinflatingthenumbers togivetheimpressionofthe sector performing. He also called for stronger border protection to prevent Guyana's gold from being taken elsewhere to benefit othernations.
output during that period wastheresultofgroundwork laid by the previous PPP administration. “You don't come here and then boast about production figures increasingmassivelyin2016 and 2017. It is as a result of the work done by the People's Progressive Party civic government,” Bharrat stated.
$500k cash, iPhones and gold chain snatched in robbery at Chinese supermarket
Twobanditsdressedinconstructionjumpersandarmed withagungrabbed$500,000incash,twoiPhonesanda US$12,000goldchainwhilerobbingtheYuanBaoChinese supermarketonThursday,atFriendship,EastBank Demerara(EBD)
Policesaidtherobberytookplacearound21:20hrs. Reportsarethatthebanditsweremaskedandpulledupona HondaXRmotorcycle.
TheygrabbedthegoldchainandaniPhone17froma manwhowasstandinginfrontofthesupermarketand chattingwithafriendbeforeenteringthebuilding.
Thebanditsthengrabbedtheday'ssales(500K)from thecashregisterandthecashier's(aChinesenational) iPhoneandmadegoodtheirescapeonthebikeina northerndirectionalongtheEastBankPublicRoadatEast Bank. Investigationsareongoing.
honourable member Lewis will come to the parliament
, compliance…in one breath he's bashing the compliance and enforcement, and in another breath, he's saying we need border controls, stronger border controls,
because we don't want the goldtobediverted,”Bharrat noted.
Further, addressing c o m m e n t s f r o m A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP Sharma
Solomon that gold production flourished under the APNU+AFC coalition government, the minister noted that the increased
Hefurtherexplainedthat large-scale mining projects require years of preparation beforeproductionbegins.“It was in 2016 that is started production.So,whatyoudid isjusttoreapthefruitsofour labor, and you're boasting todaythatithappenedunder the APNU, AFC,” the ministeradded.
Kaieteur News has previously reported that several major gold projects are expected to come onstream before the end of the decade. In fact, four Canadian companies currently hold projects with an estimated combined resource of 14 6 million ounces of gold that are currently being developed. With government expecting gold mining to remain a major anchor of Guyana's non-oil economy over the next five years and beyond, the administration has been cracking down on illegal mining. Some recent moves by the authorities including the mandatory local bank account requirements and compulsory updates of personal records for all minersandstakeholdersand other measures to curb unlawful practices that weaken declarations, and intensify accountability acrossminingoperations.
Cancer remains a major
cause of mortality worldwideandisthesecond leadingcauseofdeathinthe Caribbean, surpassed only by cardiovascular disease, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has said.
Responding, Bharrat saidthesectorhasundergone a revival. “It is sad and u
In a statemen to mark World Cancer Day which was observed yesterday, CARPHAsaid each year on February 4th, the global community commemorates World Cancer Day, an international observance dedicated to raising awareness, improving education, and catalysing action to address the cancer burden worldwide. This year marks the second year of the “United by Unique” campaign, which highlights the importance of a peoplecentred approach to cancer care placing individuals, families,andcommunitiesat theheartofhealthsystems.
According to CARPHA in2022,theRegionrecorded an estimated 119,000 new cancer cases and more than 66,000 cancer-related deaths.Drivenbypopulation ageing and increasing exposure to key risk factors, the cancer burden in Latin America and the Caribbean isprojectedtoriseby69%by 2045, underscoring the urgency of sustained and coordinatedaction.
Several Caribbean countries rank among those
with the highest cancer burdensgloballyforspecific cancersites.Notably,nineof the fifteen countries worldwide with the highest estimated age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs)for prostate cancer are in the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, The Bahamas, the Dominican R e p u b l i c , a n d Jamaica—with Guadeloupe recording the highest rate globally Additionally, eight Caribbean countries are among the fifteen with the highest estimated ASR for prostate cancer, including Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, The Bahamas, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, whilst Saint Lucia. Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Barbados ranked second, third, and fourthglobally,respectively, forcervicalcancermortality.
“This significant cancer burdenhighlightsthecritical need for robust cancer control policies and reliable cancer surveillance systems capable of generating highquality data to track trends, guidepriorities,andevaluate the impact of cancer prevention and control efforts,”CARPHAsaid.
Speakingontheoccasion of World Cancer Day, CARPHA's Executive Director Dr Lisa Indar, shared on how CARPHA
continues to strengthen capacity through the region, “In 2026, CARPHA will releasethe Cancer Incidence intheCaribbean,VolumeI,a landmarksurveillancereport presenting cancer incidence data from national cancer registriesinsevenCaribbean countries: Barbados, Bermuda, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago. This report will provide critical evidence to inform policy, strengthen prevention and control strategies, and advance national and regional cancer surveillance” Dr Indar
a d d e d , “ T h r o u g h
CARPHA's continued efforts, cancer registration
capacity has been strengthened across the region,resultinginimproved dataqualityandmorerobust
evidence to support decision-making”.
In recent years, Caribbean countries have made notable progress in
CARPHA's Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Indar,
strengthening cancer control.Severalnationshave enhanced existing population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) or established new populationwide systems where none previously existed. PBCRs areacornerstoneofnational surveillance systems, enabling the systematic collection of data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence. Currently, fifteen Caribbean countries have dedicated nationalcancercontrolplans or have incorporated cancer i n t o n a t i o n a l noncommunicable disease (NCD) strategies to guide prevention and control efforts.
Despite these gains, significant challenges remain Cancer control responses across the region are uneven, with some countries lacking national cancer control plans and access to high-quality (Continueonpage9)
Special Economic
Zones (SEZs)
occupy a curious
place in the modern development canon. They are often presented as compact spaces where i n f r a s t r u c t u r e i s concentrated, and where growth can be jump-started by design. The promise is alluring The evidence, however,issobering.
The economic literature isclearononecentralpoint: SEZs are not a guaranteed p a t h t o g r o w t h
Comprehensive reviews of global experience suggest thatonlyabout40percentof suchzonescanbeconsidered successful when measured against standard growth
criteria investment, employmentcreation,export expansion, and productivity gains.
Even among those that do succeed, the benefits are frequently confined within the fence, with limited spillovers to the wider economy
This mixed record is not accidental. It reflects the conditions under which SEZs are established and governed.WhereSEZswork well,theyarerarelyadhocor politically improvised Successful zones tend to be embedded in a coherent national development strategy, aligned with a country’s comparative advantages, and supported b y h i g h - q u a l i t y
infrastructure reliable power, ports, logistics, and digital connectivity Equally important are institutions: transparent regulation, predictable rules, efficient customs administration, and credible dispute resolution. In such environments, SEZs functionlessasenclavesand more as demonstration effects, showing what the broader economy could achieve under better governance.
Critically, successful zones are also integrated withdomesticsupplychains. They encourage local sourcing, skills transfer, and technology diffusion Withoutsuchlinkages,SEZs risk becoming little more
inputs, exporting outputs, and leaving few lasting
behind. By contrast, where SEZs
do the causes are well known. Excessive reliance on tax holidays rather than productivity improvements attractsfootloosecapitalthat departsassoonasincentives expire. Poor infrastructure r
y A n d discretionary decisionmaking, rather than rulesbased administration, deters serious investors while inviting carpet baggers. In these cases, SEZs become fiscal sinkholes rather than
enginesofgrowth. Itisthislatterdangerthat shouldconcernGuyanamost acutely
In small, resource-rich e c o n o m i e s w i t h concentrated political power, SEZs can easily mutate from development tools into mechanisms of favoritism Instead of correcting market failures, they can institutionalize political ones channeling preferential access, tax concessions, and regulatory exemptions to friends, family, and favorites of the governing elite, while other investors operate under less favorableconditions.
G u y a n a ’ s o w n experience is instructive
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPPC) governmentoncedesignated Region 10 as a Special DevelopmentZone,yetkept the criteria, benefits, and eligibilityconditionsopaque and discretionary Investors were left guessing The public was left uninformed. Such opacity is not a technical oversight; it is a governancefailure.Itcreates precisely the conditions under which corruption and cronyism thrive. The risk is compounded when concessions are granted or withheld selectively, outside a clear legal framework—as occurred when the same administration later denied concessions for a timber operation in the very region
Dem boys seh if Guyana ever decide to diversify fuh real, forget oil, forget gas, forget even gold. All dem boys seh the biggest untapped resource in this country is Guyanese wit Pure, raw, unrefined comedy—coming straight from the people, nosubsidyrequired.
Yuh want proof? Don’t study Netflix. Don’t study Hollywood Just open Facebook,TikTok, or any comment section under a government post. In less than five minutes,yuhbellyhurting,yuhsidesaching, andyuhwonderingifthesepeopleevermiss theycalling.
DemboyssehGuyanesedon’teventryto befunny Itjustcomenatural.Wecouldturn rain into a joke, blackout into a punchline, andhardshipintoafullstand-uproutine.
Take yesterday, for example One simple, innocent-looking citizen see a Minister and ask she—cool as breeze— “Madam, yuh selling chocolates or mints?” Dem boys seh that wasn’t a question; that was a surgical strike. No blood, but plenty pain.Bythetimepeopledonelaughing,the jokealreadycirclethecountrytwice.
It remind dem boys of the hard guava seasondays,whenyuhusedtowalkintothe cinemaandallthevendorsellingwasmints
previouslydeclaredaspecial development zone When incentives are dispensed throughexecutivediscretion rather than statutory rule, economic policy becomes indistinguishable from patronage.
The international evidence is unequivocal on thispoint:SEZsgovernedby discretion fail more often than they succeed. Investors value predictability more than generosity Economies grow through competition, not connection And developmentcollapseswhen policy becomes a private favor rather than a public rule. This is why, if Guyana is to pursue SEZs at all, it mustdosowithinstitutional rigor
The government must indicate in advance where such zones will be located, what specific economic activitiestheyareintendedto support, and how they fit within a national development strategy It must establish clear, transparent, and nonnegotiablecriteriagoverning eligibility, concessions, and duration. And critically, the entire regime must be anchored in law, not ministerialdiscretion.
Absentthesesafeguards, SEZs will not accelerate
development; they will merely redistribute advantage upward and inward away from the many and toward the connectedfew
The PPPC has shown itself adept—some would say wily at devising mechanismsthatblurtheline between public policy and privatebenefit.
That history demands vigilance.Guyana’scitizens, civil society, and Parliament must therefore examine any proposal for special economic zones with the eyes of a hawk, not the optimism of a brochure SEZs can be tools of development. But without
transparency, legality, and integration, they become something else entirely: instruments of exclusion, inequality, and elite capture. The literature warns us Experience confirms it. The choice before Guyana is not whether to crea
zones but whether to govern them fairly and honestly
(The views expressed in this article are those of the a
necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
Frompage8
surveillance data. Variability persists in access to cancer diagnostic and treatment services, screening programmes whilepalliativecareremainlimited,andlate-stagediagnosis isstillcommoninseveralsettings.
To strengthen cancer surveillance and data-driven decision-making, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) established the International Agency for ResearchonCancer(IARC)CaribbeanCancerRegistryHub (the “Caribbean Hub”) in 2015. Operating under the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) led by IARC, CARPHA collaborates with key partners including IARC, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
and Rabbi plantain chips. No popcorn. No hotdog.Justmintsandchips.Thatalonewas comedy—butthejokewasonthepeople.
Dem boys seh if government serious abouttheOrangeEconomy,don’twastetime with film or music or dance. Comedy is we comparative advantage. We have people who could insult yuh politely, roast yuh respectfully, and finish yuh career with one sentence—whilesmiling.
Some Guyanese don’t need microphone orstage.Givethemacameraphoneandbad Wi-Fi, and they will produce content that couldshutdownHBO.Onetantalizesession alone could replace three seasons of a sitcom.Demboyssehtherealtragedyisthat nobodypayingthesecomedians.Theydoing free labour, daily, keeping the nation entertainedwhilestressed.Imagineiftalent getroyalty
Until then, Guyanese will continue to laugh through hardship, joke through pressure, and turn frustration into punchlines.Becauseinthiscountry,comedy isasurvivalskill.
And dem boys seh, if laughter was oil, Guyana would already be richer than Saudi Arabia.
Talkhalf.Leffhalf.
From all indications, Speaker Nadir is waging a relentless undeclared war against democracy in Guyana. Undeclared, but stillunnerving,undermining of wat's held sacred. Parliamentary democracy.
Democracy's ideals. Democracy's routines. The selection of the Opposition Leader ended up being a Navy Seal obstacle test Jump through hoops. Walk through a ring of fire. Stay underwater at subfreezing temps. Scale a barb-wired fence. Last run a mini marathon. Delay Dodge. Duckn'drake. TheSpeaker would make a good bungee jumper,orskydiver Hehas a thick skin to absorb all those countless arrows
Nowhewillneedahelmetto secure his head, given his latest parliamentary escapade.
Media restricted from accessing parliament to cover the budget debate. One thing I will say about
Speaker Nadir, when he picks a battle to fight, he knows how to pick them. Ones that he cannot win (no pun). How long was he going to trot around the globe and hold the WIN people at bay? He had to come down to earth, and come back to Guyana, and deal with the selection matterthatwasneithergoing away nor growing lesser by the day In fact, that issue was going the other way, with the tide squarely in the face of the embattled Speakerleavinghimlooking horseless, swordless, and friendless. TheSpeakermay have been emboldened by getting away with locking out the press from the process of selection of the Opposition Leader So, havingcrossedoneRubicon, he probably thought to himself -what the hell, why not cross another one? The PPP Govt. has his back, so whynot? Whocouldhavea problem with limiting the
number of media personnel observing the budget debate live and closeup, and reporting the details to Guyanese? Plenty of people,itseems.
The Guyana Press
Association is one set of upset media practitioners. Civil society onlookers and commentators are another The diplomatic corps must be at the end of its tether
Not again! Are some Guyanese so hardheaded that they must be taught e v e r y t h i n g a b o u t democracy, with their hands held? C'mon, some things aresuchnobrainersthatthey are beneath the diplomatic corps dignity Plus, they
priorities, throw various schedules into disarray
These excesses, or misadventures, cannot continue. Freedom of the press to move and report in an unfettered way is one of democracy'spurerideals. It is so taken for granted in a
genuine democracy that the thought never surfaces to limitpresspeopletoaliteral handful for an occasion as momentous as covering the national budget. I don't think that the media houses combined were seeking clearance for 50 accredited journalists. There were 17 approved at one time by the Speaker, so what's all the anxietyaboutnow?
Security concerns about what, and as represented by whichpresspresence? That hasicingofasix-for-a-nine, a rank exaggeration. Then, the Speaker advanced the position that finding enough room for the press hordes (sorrythat'sthebestIcando today)wasachallenge. Say that again, sir If theArthur Chung Convention Center doesn't have enough sitting/standing room, then nowhere else in Guyana does, not even the National
Park. No one has in mind a banquet and dance. It's access into parliamenttocoverthe nationalbudgetaboutwhich Guyanese want to know. Theydon'twanttohearfrom the Department of Public Info. Toomuchbaggagethat smells suspiciously, as thoughthereissomeserious disease in one of the compartments that oozes
ForaGuyaneseasbrightand asfastonhisfeetasNational Assembly Speaker Nadir to lapse into the bumbling stumbling of a simpleton is not only beyond belief, but highlyoffensive. Surely,the Speaker can do better in the charade and costume departments.
Appalling, I say He must be giving his godfathers a series of fits, with his antics that bite deeply into democracy's routines, and leave those
mortallywounded.
What is Speaker Nadir going to concoct next? Members of Parliament are limited in their time allotted to address the honorable house. The press is limited inthenumbersthatcanenter Also, the number of those who have to keep their distanceoutsidethefence,as though they are restless cattle. What next, limit the words that they can record and write? Limit how often they can be lurking outside parliament? Ahdemocracy! Oh, democracy, what pains thy caused, what tears that drip,drip,drip.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinionsofthisnewspaper.)
‘Where is the Work’ -Mahipaulallegescorruption,demands forensicauditoflocalgovt.projects
A Partnership for National Unity's (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul on Wednesday called for there to be instituted, a forensic audit into funds allocated for projects under the MinistryofLocalGovernmentandRegional Development.
During the third day of the 2026 Budget Debates, Mahipaul questioned whether billions of dollars approved by Parliament havetranslatedintotangiblework.
Speaking during the presentation in the 13thParliament,Mahipaulsaidtheremustbe fullaccountabilityforeveryprojectexecuted under the ministry, challenging the then minister, Sonia Parag, to account for every dollar spent on local government initiatives such as markets, drainage works, and green spaces.
Mahipaul criticised the scale of funding channelled into infrastructural and capital works, arguing that many projects are marked by waste and corruption rather than meaningfuldevelopment.
“Letmebeclear,MrSpeaker,investment in business is necessary, development is necessary The problem arises when development is geared to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and vulnerable,” he said.
HeremindedtheHousethatforthe2025 fiscal year, the Ministry of Local Government was allocated $41.8 billion, of which $38.7 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure and $3.1 billion for currentexpenditure.
According to Mahipaul, $2.7 billion under capital expenditure alone was spent afterreceivingparliamentaryapprovalonthe
APNU Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul
assurance that “tangible, visible, and measurable”workswouldbedelivered.
“Weweretoldthattherewasgoingtobea design and supervision consultancy for Bourda Green amounting to $40 million, $260 million for phase one, $50 million formulationoftheLaPenitenceMarket,$75 million for the green space at Merrimans Mall,and$200millionforStabroekMarket. The remainder, we were told, went into drainagework,”Mahipaulsaid.
However, he contended that despite the recordsindicatingthattheentire$2.7billion wasfullyspent,thereislittletonoevidence onthegroundtojustifytheexpenditure.
“Mr Speaker, the budget books says that everycentofthe$2.7billionwasspent,fully spent, exhausted, gone. And so, I asked, on behalf of this House and the Guyanese people,whereisthework?Whereisthe$75 milliongreenspaceatMerrimansMallwhere is the $100 million, the $50 million rehabilitationoftheEastRuimveldtMarket? Where is the $260 million Phase One of (Continuedonpage18)
The case surrounding the deadly terrorist bombing at the Regent Street Mobil Gas Station continued on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court, where Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty ruled that the matter will proceed by way of paper committal.
Under a paper committal, the magistrate will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the accused to stand trial in a higher court based solely on written statements, rather than oral testimony
These proceedings are scheduled to commence on March 10, 2026. Four of the seven accused were present in court: 33-year-old Venezuelan national Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo; 44-yearold Venezuelan Alexander Bettancourt; VenezuelannationalKrystalLaCruz;and GuyanesetaxidriverJohnnyBoodram.
Duringthehearing,attorneyKiswana Jefford, representing LaCruz, informed the court that complete statements were filedonherclient'sbehalf.Sherequested that the proceedings be conducted in a hybrid format, noting that there are key witnesses the defence wishes to crossexamine.
Attorney Mikel Puran, representing Boodram,alsorequestedtheopportunity tocross-examinewitnesses.
In response, Magistrate McGusty stated that not all witnesses would be
subjecttocross-examinationandadvised the defence to submit a list of witnesses theyintendtoexaminesotheprosecution couldbenotifiedinadvance.
“If you want to examine witnesses it will not be every witness who will be crossedexaminesoIsuggestifthatisthe caseyouprovidealistofthewitnessesso the prosecution would know before hand,”shesaid.
Jefford indicated that she could submit her list within three days, while Puranrequestedoneweek.
However, Police Prosecutor Mandel Mooreobjectedtotherequest,reminding thecourtthattheprosecutionhadapplied forthemattertoproceedbywayofpaper committal since December 16, 2026.
After considering the submissions, Magistrate McGusty ruled that the case willproceedbypapercommittal.
The accused are charged in connectionwiththeOctober26bombing, which claimed the life of six-year-old SorayaBourne.Poedemofacesaseparate indictablechargeofcommittinganactof terrorism, alleging that he used an explosive device at the Mobil Fuel Station with the intent to threaten Guyana's sovereignty and security or to instilfearamongthepopulation.
He was not required to enter a plea. Bettancourt, LaCruz, and Boodram are jointly charged with aiding and abetting Poedemoincarryingouttheattack.
The bodies of four
Guyanese men were discovered aboard a vesseldockedattheCourtneyBenn Wharf on Water Street, Georgetown,onTuesdayevening.
KaieteurNewsunderstandsthat the men were found at approximately 20:00 hrs. by staff members working on the vessel. The boat is reportedly owned by PritipaulSinghInvestmentsInc. When this publication arrived on the scene, police investigators werepresentalongwithotherstaff at the wharf, including Pritipaul
Singh Jr. He declined to disclose detailssurroundingtheincidentbut confirmed that he is fully cooperating with the police investigation.
The bodies were later removed fromthevesselbypoliceranksand transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further examination.Kaieteur News was informed by a staff member at the wharf that the four men, who are regularworkersatthelocation,had been instructed to go below in the engine room of the vessel to carry out repairs on the engine. While theywereworking,achemicalgas allegedly began emanating from the engine compartment, resulting inthemen'sdeath. Up to press time, the identities of the deceased had not been released. Investigations into the incidentareongoing.
Government has set aside $2 billion in the 2026 NationalBudgettobeginthe long-awaited reconstruction of Georgetown's two most iconic and heavily used commercial centres StabroekMarketandBourda Market.
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Pauline
S u k h a i , m a d e t h e
announcement during Tuesday's Budget debate, describing the move as a major step in reviving the capital city, Sukhai said the investment reflects the government'sbroadervision to create a safer, more modern, and culturally vibrant city that supports both urban life and the creativeeconomy
“This year's budget caters for investment to the tune of $2 billion to c o m m e n c e t h e reconstructionof2historical city markets, the Stabroek market and the Bourda market, and not forgetting that we have already achieved the rehabilitation
of City Hall, beautifully done along with further investment,” she said on Tuesday during the Budget 2026debate.
Minister Sukhai praised the $1 558 trillion 2026 National Budget as a demonstration of the government's peoplecentred approach to development. The Minister said the budget aligns with the PPP/C's manifesto for 2030 and stands as “a powerful testimony to the dynamic leadership of President Dr Mohamed IrfaanAli.”
Shealsohighlightedthat a revitalised and wellmaintained city will complement ongoing efforts to grow Guyana's orange economy
“Because the PPP/C governmentputpeoplefirst, we recognised the vast potential of our culture and built a creative industry that generates income for countless Guyanese in music,fashion,cuisine,film, andart,”sheexplained.
B e y o n d u r b a n transformation, the Minister
pointed to strong local governance support, with municipalitiesreceiving$50 million and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils $30 million in 2025 to fund community projects and improveservicedelivery
Additional investments will be made this year to procure tractors, trucks, and solid-waste management
e q u i p m e n t S h e
acknowledged that waste management remains one of the toughest local government challenges, but said work is underway to modernise the system through an Integrated Solid WasteManagementBill.
In2026,$7.9billionwas budgeted to pursue a comprehensive approach to solid waste management with a particular focus on constructing access roads andlandfillfacilities.
“Itisoneofthetoughest l o c a l g o v e r n m e n t responsibility,thatiswhythe portfolio is not only about trucks and schedules for pickup, it's is also about policy modernization, consultation has begun for
Thirty-two-year-old truck driver Jomel Kenny, who was remanded in connection withamulti-vehicleaccidentontheBharrat JagdeoRiverBridgethatclaimedthelifeofa taxidriver,wasgranted$2.13millionbailon Wednesday
Kenny, of Lot 48Anna Catherina, West CoastDemerara,appearedbeforeMagistrate Dylan Bess at the Diamond Magistrates' Court, accompanied by his lawyer, Everton Lammy-Singh.Hisstatuswaschangedfrom remand,tobail,followingthehearing.
At a previous court appearance on January30,Kennywaschargedwithdriving without a licence, breach of insurance and faulty packing of a load. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was remanded to prison.The owner of the truck, 55-year-old AntonioJohnsonofLot6CAnnaCatherina, was also charged with breach of insurance and permitting an unlicensed driver to operate the vehicle. He pleaded not guilty andwasgranted$50,000bail.
During Wednesday's proceedings, the chargeofcausingdeathbydangerousdriving was read to Kenny He was not required to enterapleaatthatstage.
Lammy-Singh applied for bail for his client, arguing that all the offences were bailable. He stated that the prosecution had no grounds to object to the bail application. “The prosecution had no grounds for objectingtobail,"hetoldKaieteurNews.
According to Lammy-Singh, the prosecutioninstead,indicatedthatthematter hadbeenforwardedtotheDirectorofPublic Prosecutions(DPP)forlegaladvice.
Truck driver Jomel Kenny, now on $2.13M bail
Magistrate Bess subsequently granted a total of $2,130,000 bail for all offences. Uponpayment,Kennywillbereleasedfrom remand.ThematterwasadjournedtoApril2, 2026,forfurtherproceedings.
The fatal accident occurred on January 29 at approximately 09:30 hrs. Kenny was driving motor lorry GAC 296, which was transporting a load of cement and travelling alongthewesternsideofthebridgeenroute to Region Three. Reports indicate that the truck suffered a mechanical failure while ascending the bridge, causing it to roll backwards at high speed into oncoming traffic.Theout-of-controllorrycollidedwith fiveothervehicles,resultinginasix-vehicle crash.Twenty-five-year-oldtaxidriverScott DorwartofGrove,EastBankDemerara,was killedintheincident.
an integrated solid waste management bill, aimed at strengthening standards, improving regulation and modernizingtheframework, within which waste collection disposal and site management will operate,” shestated.
Touching on hinterland progress, Sukhai outlined the delivery of 37,230 solar home systems across Guyana, including 7,000 distributed to hinterland households.
“The initiative has positivelyimpactedstudents and education. In 2025, the Guyana energy agency constructed solar farms, mini grids and various hinterland communities and hydro-projects in locations such as Kamu, Moco Moco andKato,”shestated.
The 2026 Budget caters for the continued expansion of rene
y infrastructure, with $6 billion allocated for ten new mini-grids and extended solar farms in Region One.
Taking direct aim at the cri
Opposition MP Deon LaCruz, Minister Sukhai said the PPP/C government remains deliberate in modernising while ensuring peoplefeeltangiblebenefits.
“Our journey from d a
The Stabroek Market will undergo major works this year
The Minister concluded t
e government continues to expand road networks, strengthen local institutions, and improve the quality of lifeacrossthecountry “This is a government that continues to transform the nationallandscape…always putting people first,” she affirmed.(DPI)
n e s s a n d marginalisation to inclusion and opportunity must be recorded… this is what real developmentlookslike,”she declared.
Culture should not be used to deprive Indigenous people of improved economic advancement
A Partnership for National Unity's (APNU) MemberofParliament(MP) Juretha Fernandes on Wednesday argued that Indigenous identity and cultureshouldneverbeused tojustifypoverty Fernandes was at the time rebutting statements made by Minister of Amerindian Affairs Sarah Browne, on the living conditions of Indigenous communities, on Tuesday during the 2026 Budget Debates.
Minister Browne, in her presentation, cited a WhatsApp message from a young Patamona woman from Kato, Region 8, to illustrate the importance of respecting traditional housing. The minister said, “Traditional homes are not symbols of failure or poverty They reflect culture,climate,knowledge, sustainability and identity p a s s e d d o w n f o r generations Development should give people choices, noterasewhoweare…” However, Fernandes chided the minister for the statement “As the Honorable Minister right now, is shouting, that's the people culture, I would like totellpersonsheretodayand the indigenous community
MP Fernandes
that is listening to me right now, not because you are born as an indigenous person in this country, it subjects you to a life of poverty,”Fernandessaid.
The opposition MP argued that culture should not be used to suppress economic advancement making it clear that while some Indigenous people may prefer traditional homes, this should not excuse substandard living conditions.
“How dare you come to this house and subject indigenous people by using culture as a means to suppress our economic advancementinthiscountry with a trillion-dollar budget,”theMPnoted.
She continued: “You want to come and shout culture? Where is it? I have
never once heard any member of the PPP government coming to this floor and advocating for peopletogobacktolivingin mudhutorlogie.Butyetyou come to this house and you ask indigenous people to be satisfied with substandard living while you drive aroundinyourfancycar…” TheAPNUMPnotedtoo that many Indigenous leaders do not live in traditionalhomes.“Housing is an important aspect when it comes to indigenous communities, because indigenous people do not like living in crowded households, but that is their economic situation. That is theireconomicsituation.So, you cannot go out there and plaster as culture, because that is not what culture is,” Fernandesadded.
Member of Parliament (MP)oftheAPartnershipof National Unity (APNU), Riaz Rupnarain on Tuesday slammed the $1.558 trillion 2026 National Budget as a budgetwiththenumbersthat lacks the priorities of addressing domestic and foreignpolicyissues.
The opposition MP was making his contribution on the second day of the 2026 Budget Debates in the National Assembly at the
labour force, which requires more than over 90 per cent still remain on that taxation system. Now, this translates to$2,500,notevenafraction ofwhatthecostoflivingisin particular areas. And I have heard especially this morning, that government members of parliament admittingthattheyareaware of the cost of certain commodities in far-flung areas, and yet to intentionallysitandstillplan
Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Hailing from Pomeroon
River, Region Two, R u p n a r a i n i n h i s presentation noted that the $1.558 trillion budget is the largestinthenation'shistory, butunfortunately,muchofit is heavily weighted in infrastructure with far less attention to poverty reduction, reducing the cost ofliving,improvingthelives of working class and vulnerablegroups.
“Mr Speaker, let me be pellucid. The budget will be spent on the people. It is a Guyanese budget. It is the largest in our history So, then monies will be ejected into the economy But my argumentliesinwhowillbe reaping the majority of the benefit,”heasked.
Rupnarain argued that the budget is not about aggregate figures, but about the impact it will directly haveonindividualsandtheir families.
He said the government MP's presentations so far indicate that the budget is bestforallgroupsofpeople.
“But coincidentally, when everyone approached the podium, they kept repeating afewpensionbenefits,afew social benefits, repeatedly likeabrokenrecord,”noting that it is the same programmethathasreceived additionalfunding.
“Mr Speaker, the increase in the income tax threshold removes just over 5,000 persons from the tax register Five thousand persons out of the national
Programme 121. This is a crucial aspect, primarily as theministryaimstodevelop foreign policy to target the
Guyana-Venezuela territorial controversy in particular I anticipate at the speech of the honorable
MinisterofForeignAffairsa foreign policy framework willbegivenafterasix-year cycle on Guyana's strategic priorities, the obligations that we have under bilateral and multilateral agreement, (Continuedonpage16)
the budget without catering for that is a temerity to be callous,”heargued.
Once again, calling out the government for saying that the budget benefits everybody,henotedthat“the budget has the numbers, but itlacksthepriorities.”
Backing his arguments further, he noted that while the $10,000 increase for 10day workers is a step forward, it reflects a shortterm response to a longstandingstructuralissue.He stated that many of these workers have given years of service under the 10-day programme, but yet they remain without pension security or consistent NIS paymentthatwillallowthem to have access to broader social protection at present and beyond retirement. “A stipend does not address the long-term problem,” he added.
According to the APNU member, development must mean more than concrete and contracts. It must mean thatallcitizenscanaffordthe basicnecessities,hestated.
Rupnarain noted further thatthisbudgetnotonlyfails to address domestic issues, but foreign policy issues as well.
On matters of foreign relations, sovereignty, and national security, the MP declared that there is no government nor opposition of Guyana, there is only Guyana.
“Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocatesanincreaseof10% in the 2026 budget for
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Responding to comments by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed that he has not yet been provided with official state security or a government vehicle, benefits guaranteed under law, MinisterofParliamentaryAffairs and Governance Gail Teixeira on Wednesday said the new leader is not entitled to such.
Responding to the article published by Kaieteur News, Minister Teixeira in her responsepointedtothebenefits enjoyed by former presidents compared to an opposition.
She noted that former President, Bharrat Jagdeo received security and other facilities during his tenure as opposition leader because he wascoveredundertheFormer Presidents’BenefitsAct. She said,“Firstofall,formerpresidentsbylawundertheFormer President’s Benefits Act are entitled to security vehicles, and so former president Jagdeo, as leader of the opposition,wasentitledtothose things. Mr Azruddin is not a former president and therefore is not entitled to the thingsthataformerpresident would be entitled to.”
To this end, she stated that the leader of the opposi-
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Gail Teixeira
tion (Benefits and Other Facilities)Act provides that the holder of the post receives benefits equivalent to those of a cabinet minister These includesalary,allowancesand state-funded security at the official residence and office, paidforbyparliament.
“So,Mr.Mohammedwill receive,andhasreceived,the salary benefits, allowances andentitlementsofministers. That includes security at his home, and so that is paid for by parliament, he is not entitled to personal security However, there’s security at the office of the leader of opposition whenever he designatestheoffice…”shenoted.
On the issue of duty-free concessions and a government vehicle, Teixeira said Mohamed has no special entitlementbeyondwhatisprovided to all parliamentarians.
“He has no entitlement to a vehicle assigned to him, no entitlementtoclosemen,ifhe wishes to have that, he can hire them himself. But that is not part of the benefits of the ministers of government and allowances,andthereforeit’s not his entitlement,” she stated.
She added that his office is entitled to three paid staff andotheroperationalsupport fundedbyparliament.
While Minister Teixeira accusedtheoppositionleader of misleading the public and misunderstanding the law governing his office. Under Continued on page 18
‘Budget has numbers, but lacks...
From page 15 andoursocialsecurityimplications of those agreements thatwehavesignedthusfar,” he disclosed.
Hesaidthisbecomesnecessary because of the plethora of international events that have occurred over the past months, primarilywiththeabsenceofaparliamentarysectoralcommittee on foreign relations. Notably, he said that in Programme 121, the third strategy identifies education and awareness of the territorial controversy of the Guyana-Venezuelaterritorial
controversy.
“But how is this effectively being done? What are the indicators?Are the target groups,howisitbeingimplemented, especially for areas like the Pomeroon River, Bartica, Lethem and other bordercommunities?In2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicates that training will resume after a hiatus, apparently because of the pandemic as well. Mr Speaker, awareness cannot be an abstract line item,” he argued.
AccordingtotheMP,citizensdeserveexplanation,re-
assurance, and inclusion, not silence. He noted also that there is nothing in the budget to incentivize the country’s border communitiesandbringcalmtoreassure them.
“Ourbordercommunities must be treated as an importantpartofforeignpolicy,”he maintained.
Additionally, the MP calledontheMinistryofForeign Affairs to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to ensure that all students are taught history and are intellectually readytoprotectthecountry’s
sovereignty “when they hold these offices that we presently occupy.”
Noting that the opposition is deeply concerned about the perception of Guyana’s foreign policy becomingmorereactiveandless proactive, Rupnarain stated that it is paramount that both ministries ensure that the Guyana-Venezuelaterritorial controversy is added to those syllabi.
“This will ensure that not only the Guyanese students, but the Caribbean students areawareoftherightwehave to Essequibo,” he related.
APNU Member of Parliament, Saiku Andrews
APartnership for National Unity
( A P N U )
MemberofParliament,(MP)
Saiku Andrews on Tuesday
blasted the People Progressive Party/Civic administration over its spending in major infrastructuralprojects.
I n h i s m a i d e n contribution to the national budget debate, Andrews
c h a l l e n g e d t h e administration over its idea of‘PuttingthePeopleFirst.’
“Listen to me. When I look at this budget, Mr Speaker, it says putting people first, but one would expect stronger measures, stronger measures geared at the senior citizen, uplifting the life of minimum wage workers, youths, and the vulnerable… The budget thatispresentedinthishouse is clearly a budget of sand, stone, and cement. Fifty per cent of this budget goes to
capital expenditure, “Andrewssaid.
T h e A P N U parliamentarian noted while he is not opposed to vision and transformation, he is at odds with the government’s ideaoftransformationwhich he said smacks of large spending without achieving valueformoney
“I welcome vision. As a matteroffact,listen,thenew Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, it’s just a replacement of what was truly a transformational piece of infrastructure….” Andrews said alluding to Demerara Harbor Bridge whichwasconstructedunder the leadership of LFS Burnham —the founder of the People National Congress(PNC)party.
Citingthebenefitsofthe project, the parliamentarian noted that the bridge linked Region Three to four and gave 48 years of service to citizens.
“Mr Speaker, this governmentisnowaskingus to approve spending on a new Berbice bridge Mr Speaker,lookatthecontrast. Now this government is askingustospendmoneyon a fixed bridge over the
Berbice River This government missed two opportunities, Mr Speaker, to build a fixed concrete bridge over the Berbice River.”
“In 2000, Mr Speaker, and 2004, they got the estimate They got the proposal in 2000 for $30.8 million. They rejected it. In 2004,theygotaproposalfor to$4.6 million.They rejected it. But in 2006, Mr Speaker, they decided to burden the Guyanese people with a floating bridge that cost $45 million plus return on investment and all of the othermaintenancecostsover a 21-year period, subjecting the people of Regions Five and Six to some of the highest toll rates in the WesternHemisphere.Thatis not leadership. That is cake shopeconomics…”
To this end, Andrews noted that while the
g o v e r n m e n t t o u t s t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l infrastructure,itmustdeliver value for money The MP stressed too that the projects muststandthetestoftimein service and withstand adversity
He noted that the PNC had the foresight to leave space for future highway construction.
However, the MP noted that PPP/C lacked the same foresight and ended up buildingthehousingscheme i n m i d d l e o f t h e thoroughfare.
“We did a wonderful housing scheme, the largest housing scheme in the Caribbean, but a lack of vision…Sonowwe’reabout to build a road the Mandela to Eccles all the way to the highway. And now the road hastogolikethis.Yougotto go straight, twist, turn around diamond, go around like if it’s an amusement park, ride. But hold on, Mr Speaker Thisisbeyondpoor planning. This is beyond poor planning, Mr Speaker This budget is wasting people money This is more of the same and value down thedrain.”
Heturnedhisattentionto
the Mandela to Eccles Road project. “Phaseonein2000 and 2021. It cost us $928 millionperkilometer Thisis canfield virgin land. One year later, phase two, Eccles to Diamond, the price went up $1.4 billion. One more after that phase three, diamond to Busby, $2 3 billion Same cane field Phasefour,Busbytolandof Canaan. Mr Speaker, guess what is the cost per km of road $ 4 6 billion We signed contracts valued $52 billionfor11.3kmroad.”
To this end, the parliamentarian called for a change of mind set on those sittingontheoppositesideof thehouse.
“Mr Speaker, it is not only the roads that are in need of rehabilitation. The PPP’s mindset needs to be rehabilitated.Yes,itneedsto be rehabilitated. It needs to be rehabilitated from break to build, to rehabilitate to buildtolast,”hesaid MP Andrews’s speech followed a glowing presentationinsupportofthe budgetbyministerwithinthe Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Madanlall Ramraj.
AccordingtoRamraj,the budget is one that continues
Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Madanlall Ramraj
the PPP/C government’s unwavering commitment to equitable development, modern infrastructure and a better quality of life for everyone.
“Mr Speaker guided by his transformative vision of his Excellency President Dr Mohamed irfaan Ali and underpinned by the prudent m a n a g e m e n t a n d responsible stewardship a c r o s s a l l 1 0 r e administrative regions. The result of this national transformationisvisibleand undeniable. Since 2020, the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government Administration has faithfully implemented and deliveredonitscommitment
made to the Guyanese people,”hesaid
The minister noted that under the budgetary allocation of $227 billion, with $212 billion for capital spending a number of transformationalprojectsare inplay
He pointed to major infrastructure projects, including the US$260 million new Bharrat Jagdeo River Bridge, the Heroes Highway and the Ogle-toEcclesinterlink,asexamples of how investments have reduced travel time and improved daily life for commuters.
“I’m showing what developmentlooklikeinthe Ministry of Public Works.
Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital has taken a major step toward modernising healthcare delivery in Guyana with the launch of its Patient Portal mobile application, becoming the first private hospital in the country to introduce a comprehensive digital platformforpatientservices.
The application allows patients to book and manage appointments, access medical records and test results, view prescriptions,andcommunicatesecurelywiththehospitalthrough auser-friendlyinterfacedesignedtoimproveefficiencyandpatient experience.
According to Dr Madhu Singh, Chief Executive Officer, the launch of the patient portal reflects the hospital’s commitment to improving access to healthcare through the practical use of technology “This application is designed to make it easier for patients to interact with our services,” said Dr Singh. “By providingsecuredigitalaccesstomedicalrecordsandappointment management, we are improving convenience for patients while supporting more efficient healthcare delivery,” Dr Madhu is quotedinapressreleaseassaying.
ExistingpatientsofDr BalwantSinghHospitalcanbeginusing the application immediately Patients whose mobile numbers are already registered with the hospital can download the app, enter theirmobilenumber,receiveaone-timepassword(OTP),andgain immediate access to their medical records, without the need for additionalregistration.“Ourfocuswasonsimplicityandsecurity,” Dr Singh added. “Patients should be able to access their information quickly and confidently, knowing their data is protected.”
Thepatientportalsupportsbroadereffortswithinthehealthcare sector to enhance service delivery through technology, while maintaining strict standards for patient confidentiality and data protection.Theapplicationiscurrentlyavailablefordownloadon theGooglePlayStore&AppleAppStorewithadditionalfeatures expectedtobeintroducedovertime.
We have issued over 5,000 contracts and over 12,000 p r o jects ex ecu ted nationwide. Look at that. Look at that. Look at that, Mr Speaker Lookatthat.”
“In Region Two, there were326projectsthatvalued $11.7 billion. Region three, 524 projects valued $49 billion. Region Four, 2,157 projects volume $65 3 billion. Region Five, 389 projects valued 11 billion. Region Six, 857 projects valued $72.1billion. Region 10, 758 projects valued $16.6billion,”heexplained. He said the aim was to
government projects are executed, progress is felt directlybythosewholivein thecommunities.
In 2025, under the Ministry of Public Works, 10, 868 small contractors benefited from contracts from $14 million and up, while 1,600 medium size contractors got contracts ranging from $14 million to $100 million. Mr Speaker, we are talking about 12,000 contractors, these are small people who are benefiting from the government and this is only from Public Works,”Ramrajadded.
President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday forcefully rejected claims that Guyana's rapid economic expansion is being fuelled mainlybygovernmentspending,sayingthe argument is economically flawed and politically motivated Speaking on a Facebook live, the President said growth in the non-oil economy is the result of increased private-sector production, not expandedstateexpenditure.“GDPmeasures production, not payment. If non-oil GDPis growing, it is because businesses are producingmore,notbecausegovernmentis spending more,” Ali said. The president claimedthatcriticsarespreadingpolitically motivated stories without a basis in economic facts. He described them as “parrots,” stating that their arguments lack facts,understandingofreality,orknowledge about how the economy, systems, and governmentfunction.“Nowtheparrotswill continue. The parrots have their political agenda,butitisimportantforusasapeople to understand the reality, appreciate the reality,”thepresidentsaid.
Dr Ali said public spending alone does not count toward gross domestic product unlessitresultsinconcreteeconomicactivity “Government spending is not a production sector It does not appear in GDP unless a contractor builds, a supplier produces, a workerisemployed,oraserviceisdelivered,” he said He distinguished between capital investment and recurrent expenditure, arguingthatlong-terminfrastructureprojects are designed to reshape the economy by improvingefficiencyandloweringoperating costs Among the projects he cited were the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara Harbour Bridge
andtheexpansionofroadsinthehinterland, whichhesaidhavereducedtraveltimesand logistical constraints“Saving time is saving money,”thepresidentsaid,addingthatbetter infrastructureenablesbusinessestotransport goods more efficiently, supporting both growth and employment Recurrent spending,hesaid,servesadifferentpurpose, focusing on immediate relief for households throughincomesupport,assistancetofarmers and children, and policies aimed at easing cost-of-livingpressures.
Official figures cited by President Ali show sustained growth in the non-oil economy, with expansion increasing from 4.6percentin2021to14.3percentin2025. Between 2022 and 2025, non-oil growth averaged about 13 per cent, and in 2025 thosesectorsaccountedfornearlyone-fifth of total economic expansion, according to governmentdata.
“The view expressed, therefore, by the parrots, that government spending is responsibleforeconomicgrowthandnotthe strong performance of the non-oil sector, is thereforenotonlyfalse,butfrankly,comical,” President Ali said Warning that misrepresenting the sources of Guyana's growth could have broader consequences, President Ali said, “It is important for investors, foreign direct investors, and the globalcommunitytounderstandtherealities, because confidence in our economy leads to confidence in investment and continued expansioninoureconomy”
Despite ongoing criticism, the president said his administration would continue to pursue policies aimed at broad-based development (DPI)
‘Where is the Work’ - Mahipaul alleges...
Frompage10 Bourda Green? There is no evidence,”hesaid.
Mahipaul described the situation as “incompetence and wastage” and insisted that a forensic audit is necessary to determine how publicfundswereutilised.
He further demanded that former Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag account to the National Assembly for the expenditure “The Honourable Sonia Parag must rise in this House and accountforeverydollar,”he declared.
Mahipaul alleged that if the funds allocated did not materialise into concrete works, they may have been usedforpersonalgain.
“The unavoidable conclusionisthis:themoney went into somebody’s pocket.Aforensicauditwill reveal who, when, and where the funds went,” he said.
He added that if public funds recorded as spent cannot be physically verified, such actions amount to “public theft.”
“The Honourable Sonia Parag must tell this House
Teixeira says no personal security or vehicle for...
Frompage16 the Leader of the Opposition (Benefits and Other Facilities)Act2010.),theoppositionleaderisentitledtoa rent-free furnished office accommodation; medical attentionincludingmedicaltreatmentorreimbursementof medical expenses incurred by him for himself and the dependent members of his family; full-time security serviceathisofficialplaceofresidenceandattheofficeof theLeaderoftheOppositiontobeprovidedbytheGuyana Police Force; the services of a research assistant, an executive assistant/secretary, aclerical/ office assistant, a chauffeur, a personal security officer, a gardener and two domestic servants; salary, vacation allowance, and parliamentary benefits equivalent to those of a Cabinet Minister
(Reuters) - The United States has now returned to the Venezuelan government all $500 million from the initial sale of oil that was part of a deal reached between Caracas and Washington last month, a U.S. official saidonTuesday
The last $200 million from the sale has been sent to Venezuela, the official said, speakingonconditionofanonymity Thedeal came about after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a U.S. militaryoperationonJanuary3.
“Venezuela has officially received all $500 million from the first Venezuelan oil sale,”theofficialsaid.
Theofficialaddedthatthemoneyistobe “disbursed for the benefit of the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the U S government.”
Last week during testimony on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said
U.S. involvement in the sale of Venezuelan oilwasashort-termeffortaimedatstabilizing the country, keeping the government afloat andhelpingthepeople.
“So,inessence,weallowedVenezuelato use their own oil to generate revenue to pay teachers and firefighters and police officers and keep the function of government operating so we didn’t have systemic collapse,”hesaid.
The funds had been held in Qatar and intendedasa“temporary,short-termaccount to ensure Venezuela received the funds neededtooperate,”theU.S.officialsaid.
Theofficialaddedthatthelong-termgoal forfuturesalesistomovetheproceeds“intoa fund located in the U.S. and to authorize expendituresforanyobligationorexpenseof the government of Venezuela or its agencies and instrumentalities upon instructions that areconsistentwithagreeduponprocedures.”
(Reuters) - Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including sevenchildreninGazaonWednesday,health officialssaid,thelatestviolencetoundermine the nearly four-month-old ceasefire in the enclave.
wherethemoneyis,whohas it, and how they got it,”
Mahipaul asserted while challenging the government to allow citizens to judge whether the projects reflect the monies allocated and recordedasspent.
“
government: let the man in thestreetseeifthesemarkets reflect these astronomical sums that were allocated in 2025 and spent out. Let the vendors, residents, and commuters, judge whether the$2.7billionandhundreds of millions more exist in actual work or only on paper,”hesaid.
Mahipaul concluded by warningthatthediscrepancy betweenofficialrecordsand reality undermines public trust.
“The books tell one story, but reality tells another Whenthebooksand realitypartways,thebanned ‘C’word(corruption)enters the forum. This is a grave matter, Mr Speaker It strikes at the heart of transparency,accountability, and good governance. The people of Guyana deserve answers, not excuses,” the oppositionMPdeclared.
Amongthedeadwasamedicwhorushed tohelpvictimsofastrikeinthesoutherncity of Khan Younis and was then killed by a second attack on the same location, health officials said. Other strikes hit Gaza City in the north, where health officials said a 5month-old boy was killed.The attacks come three days after Israel reopened Gaza’s main border crossing with Egypt, a big step envisagedbytheU.S.-backedtrucedeal.
“Whileweweresleepinginourhouse,the tank shelled us and the shells hit our house, our children were martyred - my son was martyred, my brother’s son and daughter weremartyred...Wehavenothingtodowith anything, we are peaceful people,” saidAbu MohamedHabouch,speakingatafuneralfor his family Tents in Mawasi, a coastal area near Khan Younis crowded with Gazans displaced by the conflict, had been ripped apart by the strikes. Nearly all of Gaza’s population of over 2 million were forced to fleetheirhomesduringthewar
The Israeli military said it launched the strikes in response to Palestinian militants opening fire on Israeli troops operating near itsarmisticelinewithHamas.ItsaidanIsraeli soldier was severely injured by the militant fire, which it described as a violation of the ceasefireagreement.
A subsequent statement said one of the Israeli strikes had targeted a senior Hamas commander A commander from Hamas’ smaller ally, Islamic Jihad, and his 11-yearold daughter were among those killed in strikesonWednesday,accordingtorelatives.
The Israeli military later confirmed in a statement that it had killed an Islamic Jihad commander
Hamas said Israel’s actions undermined efforts to stabilise the ceasefire In a statement, the group called for “immediate internationalpressuretohaltviolations.”
RAFAH REOPENING
Palestinian patients preparing to cross through the newly opened Rafah crossing to EgyptweretoldthatIsraelhadpostponedthe passage of patients through the border Afterwards, Palestinian health authorities
said that the group of patients was on their waytotheborder
TheIsraeliagencythatcontrolsaccessto Gaza, COGAT, said the Rafah crossing remained open but it had not received the necessary details from the World Health Organization to facilitate crossings. The WHO did not immediately respond to a requestforcomment.
AnEgyptiansecuritysourcetoldReuters that Israel had cited security issues in the Rafah area as the reason for the temporary closure,butthosehadsincebeenresolvedand workhadresumedattheborder
A spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 46 people were set to cross to Egypt on Wednesday, but only 20 wereabletotraveltoEgyptwhiletheother26 werereturnedtoGaza.
Reopening the crossing was one of the requirementsundertheOctoberceasefirethat set out the first phase of U.S. President DonaldTrump’splantostopfightingbetween IsraelandIslamistHamasmilitants.
SixteenpatientsfromGazaand40oftheir escortscrossedintoEgyptonTuesday,Gazan medics told Reuters.AHamas police source told Reuters that at least 40 people crossed fromEgypttoGazalateonTuesday
OnSaturday,beforetheRafahreopening, Israelistrikeskilledmorethan30Palestinians in Gaza. The military said it launched those strikesaftergunmenemergedfromatunnelin aGazaareaunderIsraelicontrol.
SECOND PHASE OF CEASEFIRE
Israelhandedback54bodiesand66boxes of human remains of Palestinians on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s health authorities, with the fragile ceasefire set to movetowardsitssecondphase.
Trump declared the start of the second phase in January, in which the sides would negotiate the shattered enclave’s future governanceandreconstruction.
Key issues like the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the over 50% of Gaza they currently occupy and the disarmament of Hamas remain unresolved, while the fragile ceasefire has been marked by near-daily violence.SincetheOctoberstartofthetruce, Israelifirehaskillednearly560people,most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. Palestinian militants have killed fourIsraelisoldiersinthesameperiod,Israeli authoritiessay
Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, continues to dominate headlines, but not for defending parliamentary democracy. Instead, his conduct raises troubling questions about whether he is being politically weaponised or whether this is simply the real man behind the lofty rhetoric. This is the same Speaker who recently paraded himself as “outstanding,” yet attempted to stall the constitutionally required election of an Opposition Leader and now seeks to muzzle public scrutiny by restricting media access to the Budget debates.
Parliament is not a private club. It belongs to the people. Any Speaker who treats transparency as a nuisance and accountability as optional has forfeited the moral authority of the office.
The speaker is meant to be neutral, firm and fair, not a shield for executive convenience. If democracy is to mean anything beyond slogans, the Speaker must remember who he truly serves: not party interests, but the public trust.
Georgetown Cricket
Association (GCA) demolished East Coast CricketBoard(ECCB)by10 wickets as part of Wednesday’s round; thus continuing their dominant runinthisyear’sU-15InterAssociationcompetition.
Only middle-order batsmanAshtonCollinswho scored 17 tried to get going, as ECCB were flattened for 57 all out, with 17 of those comingcourtesyofextras.
ECCB would lose their first 4 wickets for just 16 runs, as Khan, Craig and Jacobus feasted on the toporderbatsmen.
ARIES(Mar.21–Apr.19)
Today may be a good day for you to spend some time creating.While you may love sports,youalsohaveaninnate artistic streak. The joy of creating something is immeasurable.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)
Make some plans to write a letter, send a greeting card, or put together a package for someone far away today, Taurus.Thiscanbealotoffun to do, especially if the person on the receiving end isn't expectinganythingfromyou.
GEMINI(May21–June20)
It's a good day for you to put someofthosecreativeideasto work, Gemini. Pull out your favorite craft supplies and havesomefunexploringcolor and design. If you have children, consider including themintheactivities.
CANCER(June21–July22)
Cancer, put some music on to get yourself going today, especially if you feel a little lonely Music often has as strong an effect as conversation.
LEO(July23–Aug.22)
It'sagooddaytopulloutthat shopping list, Leo Your ability to be thrifty and efficient will be strengthened at this time, so why not take advantageofit?
VIRGO(Aug 23–Sept 22)
Chances are good that you'll be keeping yourself busy today, Virgo. The energetic aspects that are occurring can really have you raring to take onchoresthatneedtobedone. Can you think of anything you'dratherdo?
LIBRA(Sept.23–Oct.22)
Why not take some much deserved rest and relaxation today?Afterall,evenyouneed tojumpoutoftheratraceonce in a while. If there are some things you really need to care of,youcanstillmakeplansfor leisureorrecreationafterward.
SCORPIO(Oct.23–Nov 21)
You might get an unexpected visit today, Scorpio. And it's quite likely that it will be someone who really needs somecomfortandsupport.
SAGIT(Nov 22–Dec.21)
Today you might want to talk over any plans you have or would like to make with those you live with, Sagittarius. If youlivealone,thereisn'tmuch chance that your plans will affectanyone.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19)
If something is bothering you today, consider talking with yourmotheroranolderperson you feel comfortable with. No matter where we are in life, there remains a part of us that draws support and nurturing from someone with more experience..
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)
Don't fall into the "poor me" trap today. When things repeatedly don't go the way youwant,orbadthingshappen to you, it can be very easy to fallintoavictimmentality
PISCES(Feb.19–Mar.20)
Trytomakesureyougetsome quality time to yourself today Your nature is one that thrives on intense thought, creativity, sexuality,andemotion Without adequate time alone in a space that’scomfortableforyou,you maybegintofeelwornout.
aided in the team’s struggle to reach a defendable score, leaving Craig and Khan to wrap up the remaining batsmen with a bit of help fromJohnson.
SeamersJasaniCraig(315) and Prosper Jacobus (26)wereexcellent,assupport came from spinner Afraz Khan (3-3) and Mickel Johnson (2-2) who ensured Georgetown were never out ofthegame.
leading scorers in the competition, wasted little time in carrying his team to 58-0 inside just 7 overs; racing into the 30’s as Georgetown will enter the next round filled with even moreconfidence.
Although Collins reached double figures, his lack of boundaries further
Opening batting sensation,LomarSeecharran pummeledapairofsixesand three fours to steady the chasewith38*off33;while his partner Neerav Persaud (5*) played the ideal anchor role.
Seecharran, one of the
Frompage24 ahead, the GSA president revealed a major milestone for the sport locally, adding, “inadditiontothat,whichis probably even more significant, is that we’ve been given the go-ahead by the PanAmerican Squash Federation, to host the Pan Am Junior Squash Championship here in 2027, fromthe28thofJune,toJuly 4th.”
“So having had this meeting was timely because itgaveusthepossibility,long in advance, of partnering withtheGovernmentandthe Ministry and with the NationalSportsCommission tomakesurethatthiseventis asuccess,”Fernandesadded. Fernandes reasoned that the GSA is focused on b r i d g i n g s t r o n g performances on court and a clear deve
opmental roadmap for the sport in Guyana, which he said will give squash significant national and international growth.
TheNTFGLseasonroaredintolifeagain on Sunday at Lusignan Golf Club as the second tournament of the eight-week league produced sizzling performances, tight competition, and a leaderboard already shaping into a high-stakes battle. Adding extra excitement to the event, Promotech GuyanaInc.hascomeonboardasasponsor for the remainder of the tournament series, underscoring the growing profile of the league and the commitment of local businessestosupportcommunitysport.
Chet“Smoking”Bowlingwastednotime makinghismark.
He tore through the front nine with a scorching net 30, instantly putting pressure on the field, before following it up with a steadynet39onthebackninetofinishwitha commanding net 69 and the maximum 10 points for the day It was a statement round, aggressive, disciplined, and executed with precision.
Not far behind, Keshan Bacchus deliveredapolishednet70,securingsecondplacepointsandadding5pointstohisleague total.MikeMangalturnedinasteadynet71, good for 3 points and a running total of 6 points, proving that consistency remains a strong asset in the early stages of the competition.
Fazil“IronMan”Haniffbattledtoagritty finish,taking2points,whileOrsonFerguson closed the scoring column with a net 73, capturing the final point available
Chet Bowling had an excellent day on the course.
Participation was strong, with 16 players competing on Sunday The league currently lists18registeredmembers,with13playing
Frompage25
Campbell, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneeta Grimmond, Trisha Hardat and Donielle Manns have also played for the West Indiesatdifferentlevels.Additionally,DominicRikhiplayed internationalcricketfortheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Others national players produced included Delbert Hicks, Clinton Pestano, Junior Williams, Sylus Tyndall, Abdel Fudadin, Shawn Perriera, Khemraj Mahadeo, Eon Hooper, Pluffina Millington,JonathanRampersaudandMatthewPottaya.
Club secretary Hilbert Foster stated that the support of Farfan and Mendes LTD is one of the main reason why the RHTYSC rose to become the leading youth and sports organization in Guyana with an unmatched list of achievementandactivitiesperyearunderawiderangeofsubheadings and in 2019 received a national award, Medal of Service, for its outstanding work among youths. The long servingsecretarystatedthattheFarfanandMendesUnder15 team since 1997 has undertaken over one thousandactivities under the name of the sponsorship. They include tributes to Teachers and Students, Basil Butcher Trust Fund, Mother’s Day tributes, Grade 6 summer camp, cricket academy, medicalclinic,youthjobfair,saynocampaignandtributesto Heros.
Marketing Executive of the company Savannah Mendes in brief remarks noted that Farfan and Mendes Ltd was pleasedtobeassociatedwiththeRHTYSC.Shenotedthatthe company was pleased with the high standard that has been upheld over the years and the positive impact made on the livesoftheyouthsacrosstheancientcounty.Shecommitted Farfan and Mendes Ltd to continuing supporting the club in the future. The RHTYSC was established in 1990 by three timesCommonwealthYouthServiceAwardee,theSt.Frances Community Developers and has produced a combined 131 playersforBerbicewith76goingontoplayforGuyana.Eight of the Farfan and Mendes Ltd players have gone on to play international cricket. Founder of the company Mrs. June MendesservedasthePatronoftheclubforoveradecade.
infull,showingthegrowingengagementand competitivedepthintheNTFGLroster
Commenting on the sponsorship, Promotech Guyana Inc. Country Manager BalaVinjimoorsaid:“Sponsoringthisleague over eight weeks underpins Promotech Inc. Guyana’s commitment to supporting institutionslikeLGCthatcultivatediscipline, teamwork, and camaraderie amongst key community stakeholders The inaugural NTFGLgives opportunities and rewards for consistent performance, which resonates
with the values and mission of Promotech Inc.Guyana.”
With two tournaments down and the leaderboardheatingup,theNTFGLseasonis fullyignited,andtheraceforthetoppointsis shaping into an electrifying chase that will keep players and fans on the edge of their seatsfortheremainderoftheseries.Bowling isnowtiedwithlastweek’swinnerPatanjilee Persaud on 10 points, ensuring the leaderboardistightlycontestedastheleague continues.
Th e G u y a n a S q u a s h
Association (GSA)recentlymetwiththe NationalSportsCommission (NSC) in discussions focused on expanding the reach of squash beyond Georgetown and laying the groundwork for Guyana’s hosting of the 2027 Junior Pan American Squash Championship.
The engagement formed part of the NSC’s ongoing meeting and consultation processwithNationalSports
A s s o c i a t i o n s a n d F e d e r a t i o n s o n developmental matters, as theCommissioncontinuesto assessandsupportstructured growth plans across disciplines.
Leading the GSA delegationwasitsPresident, David Fernandes, who used the opportunity to both reflectonalandmarkyearfor the sport and outline an ambitious vision for the future.
Fernandes expressed gratitude for the level of
institutional backing the Association has received, particularlyin2025.
He noted that Guyana stepped up at short notice to host the Caribbean Championship after Jamaica was forced to withdraw as host due to Hurricane Malissa. That tournament, staged at the National RacquetCentre,provedtobe a major success both organisationally and competitively Fernandes highlighted that Guyana finished second overall at the Caribbean Championship.
“We also Qualified for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games (menandwomen),achieving thatduringtheteam’stourin RioDeJaneiro,Brazil.Itwas a great year, including the youths that travelled to different tours all over the world, gaining exposure,” Fernandessaid.
Beyond results, the meeting also addressed infrastructure and collaboration, particularly
concerning the National Racquet Centre. Fernandes pointed out “we also spoke about building, and growing the relationship, and the use of the court at the National RacquetCentre.”
A central theme of the GSA’s presentation was the needtodecentralizethesport andchallengetheperception that squash is confined to Georgetown.
Fernandesexplainedthat there are facilities in several regionsthatcouldberevived to support the game’s expansion, while mobile court technology could accelerate outreach into schools.
According to Fernandes, “We spoke about using facilities in outlying regions that just need resuscitation. Sothatconversationswillbe had with the people who are responsible for those facilities,orwecanspeedup the process of importing the mobile courts, which basically is a front and side wall, that we can move in a vehicle to different schools,
where we can see where the potential is and will give an opportunity to the youths to learn a little bit more about thegame.”
Fernandessaidtakingthe game to the schools would also allow for physical education teachers to be thought the basic squash skills needed for coaching, “or even level one coaching certification which is possible in Guyana, due to thefactthatcoach(Carl)Ince is a Certified trainer, so we canhavethem(theteachers) gotohisfacility,orhavehim go to different regions to certify these persons (teachers)tobeabletocoach Squash which will also benefit them in becoming certifiedlevelonecoachesin other sports because the basic things are relevant to othersports.”
Fernandes described the engagementwiththeNSCas “insightful and we did share commoninterestincommon goals that we have for the year2026.”Lookingfurther
Continued on page 19
Cricket West Indies extended its warmest congratulations to the LeewardIslands,champions of the 2026 CWI T20 Blaze and Jamaica, winners of the 2026 CG United Women’s Super50 Cup, following the conclusion of the 2026 women’sregionalseason.
The two tournaments which ran consecutively beginning with the T20 Blaze, highlighted the competitive spirit of women’s cricket across the Caribbean, and culminated inmemorablechampionship triumphsinbothformats.
The Leeward Islands etched their name into the history books after the captureoftheirmaidenCWI T20 Blaze title, as they completed a dominant campaign without a single defeat. Their path to glory culminated in a tense, rainaffected final against a daunting Barbados side at theArnosValePlayingField.
After being asked to bat first, Leewards posted 111
for six in their allotted 20 overs,anchoredbyasuperb, match-winning half-century from opener Shawnisha Hector, who scored 58 runs from 44 deliveries. Hector was subsequently declared BestAllRounderinaddition to scoring the most runs in thecompetition.
In response, Barbados’ batters were held to 79 for five after 16 overs when persistent heavy showers forced the players off the field.
T h e m a t c h w a s ultimately decided by DLS method, which confirmed the Leeward Islands as winners and champions by six runs, sparking jubilant celebrations for the firsttimewinners.
Meanwhile, in the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup, Jamaica scripted a stunningcomebacktoclinch the 50-over championship fortheseventhtime.
Entering the third and final round of matches in f
capitalised on Guyana’s defeat of league-leaders Windward Islands and r e s p o n d e d w i t h a commanding performance againsttheLeewardIslands.
Eventual champions
Jamaica bowled Leewards out for 146, with Chedean Nation leading the bowling attack with four wickets. Jamaica’s chase was guided by a 94-run opening p
ership between Chrishana McKenzie and Lena Scott, which set the platform for their eightwicketvictory
The final day victory, coupled with crucial bonus points, propelled Jamaica to thetopofthefinalstandings with 21 points, one point ahead of both theWindward Islands and Guyana in a remarkably tight table that saw the top four teams separatedbytwopoints.
Windward Islands and Guyana ended second and third, respectively, with 20 points each. Trinidad and
BBC Sport - India will play England in the final of the Under-19World Cup after a record-breaking run-chase against AfghanistaninHarare.
The five-time winners chased down an Under-19WorldCuprecordtargetof311for the loss of just three wickets and with more than eight overs to spare in a blistering display.AaronGeorgehit115after14-yearoldVaibhavSuryavanshi,whoalreadyhasa 35-ball IPL century to his name, smoked a scintillating 68 off just 33 balls after being droppedtwice.
Captain Ayush Mhatre added a halfcenturyofhisownasIndiawaltzedintotheir 10th final against an England side looking for their first win in the competition since 1998.
Faisal Khan Shinozada and Uzairullah
Tobago finished a close fourth with 19 points after a five-wicket victory over Barbados in their last game.
The Bajans claimed fifth with 13 points while Leeward Islands finished sixthwithsevenpoints.
In the T20 Blaze, TrinidadandTobagosecured third place by defeating Guyana by seven runs in their playoff match, thanks to a vital 46 from Britney Cooper and decisive bowling from Karishma Ramharackwhotook3/13.
Jamaica, prior to their Super50 heroics, defeated the Windward Islands by 10 wickets to take fifth place after successfully chasing a
target of 63 in 3.4 overs withoutloss.
Cricket West Indies
commends all six participating teams, the Leeward Islands, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and hosts the Windward Islands for their exceptional skill and sportsmanship throughout anunforgettableseason.
These tournaments not only crown deserving championsbutalsosolidifya strong foundation for the continued growth and excellence of the women’s gameacrosstheCaribbean.
HONOURROLL
CWIT20Blaze:
Most Runs: Shawnisha
Hector
Most Wickets: Ashmini Munisar
Best All Rounder: ShawnishaHector
Best Fielder: NaiJanni Cumberbatch
MostDismissals:Mandy Mangru/RashadaWilliams
CGUnitedWomen’s Super50:
Most Runs: Jannillea Glasgow
Most Wickets: Anisa Mohammed
Best All Rounder: JannilleaGlasgow
Most Catches: Carena Noel&LeeannKirby
M
& ShemaineCampbelle
Niazai both hit centuries for Afghanistan, who looked well set until the India batters tookover
“Our discussion was simple - just play ournaturalgame,”saidMhatre.“Thewicket wasplayingbeautifully,arealflatwicket,so weknewifweplayednaturally,itwouldbea manageabletotal.
“Suryavanshi played a major role in the chase. Scoring 90 runs in the first 10 overs released all the pressure, making it much easierfortherestofustobuildtheinnings.
“George is a classy, fabulous batsman. Heanchoredtheinningsperfectly.”
Scores: India 311 for 3 (George 115, Sooryavanshi 68, Mhatre 62, Omarzai 2-64) beat 310 for 4 (Shinozada 110, Afghanistan Niazai 101, Kanishk Chouhan 2-55, Devendran2-64)bysevenwickets.
The Providence East BankDemerarabasedFarfan and Mendes LTD has renewed its cricket sponsorshipoftheRoseHall TownYouthandSportsClub Under 15 team for the 29th successiveyear Therenewal ofthesponsorshiptookplace atthecompany’sheadoffice and was attended by senior officials of the club and company
Organisingsecretaryand cricket manager Robby Kissoonlall stated that the relationship between the RHTYSC and the company started in 1997 when Farfan and Mendes LTD became first official sponsor of the club.However,henotedthat the Georgetown based company first assisted the Corentyne, Berbice based club in 1995 with a grass cutterfortheAreaHground. The Rose Hall Town Farfan and Mendes Under 15 team
Savannah
over the years has won six Berbice wide championship and was the runner up six timesaswell.
The team also reached thesemifinalstentimesover the twenty-five years. Dozens of players from the RHT Farfan and Mendes teamhasgoneontoplayfor
their county and a total of sixty-six has played for Guyanaatdifferentlevels. Assad Fudadin and Kevlon Anderson former captains of the team have played test cricket for the West Indies while Royston Crandon,Shemaine
Continued on page 24
“Overthelastthirty-six years, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club has workedhardtobecomeone ofthebestinGuyanaandit is our aspiration to continue doing so in the future Our aim is to produce ten youth players for Guyana over the next five years and two more test players for the West Indies. This investment by Panthera Solutions today would play a major role in assisting us to achieve our objective.”Thosewerethe words of RHTYSC Secretary Hilbert Foster at the official handing over ceremony of cricket gears by Panthera Solutions Ltd to the management of the club.
The presentation took place last Saturday at the St Francis Community Developers and was witnessed by senior managers of the company, RHTYSC officials and members of the club junior cricket teams. The donation included a large amount of cricket balls, four junior cricket bats, batting pads, batting gloves, wicket keeping gloves, helmets and wicketkeepingpads.
Foster, the former President of the Berbice Cricket Board, stated that since its foundation in 1990 by the St. Francis Club, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club has produced one hundred and thirty-one players for Berbice at all levels, with seventy-six goingontoplayforGuyana. Fourteen of them have played for the West Indies and the United States including Asad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Kevon
Sinclair, Kelvon Anderson, Shemaine Campbelle, Shebika Gajnabi, Eva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond, Akshay Homraj and Dominic Rikhi He expressed gratitude to Panthera for their assistance which would assist the club to organise developmental sessions for dozens of exciting talents in the afternoonsandonSaturdays attheAreaHground.
Cricket Manager Robby Kissondial stated that the club has a wide range of cricketing talents with players like Jayden Ganpat, R a f a e l M e k e n z i e , Tameshwar Deonandan, Daniella Mauns, Danielle Hicks, Trisha Hardat, Munesh Rampersaud, Leon Reddy, Jonathan Hicks, Akeem Fraser and Disham Le Cruz. The long serving Cricket Manager stated that
Dhuppatisoneofthemost exciting batting talents in theclubandheisreceiving special emphasis from the coachingstaff.
A s p a r t o f i t s developmental programme, the club on Saturday last handed over a total of $300,000 worth of cricket gear to promising players. The gear included cricket bats, cricket balls, helmets, batting pads, thigh pads and battinggloves.Receivingthe equipment were Jayden Coupet, Khemraj Bharat, Jonathan Hicks, Leon Reddy, Asteir Narine, Dinesh Singh, Disham Le Cruz, Azad Ali, Ronaldo Roberts, Ezekiel Horry, Jahleel Grant, Joshua
D h u a r r a j , S h a m a r Thompson, Eion Dhuppat, Anthony Sirkisson and Randy Williams. Kissonlall urged the players to take proper care of the donated gear and to dedicate themselves to the club’s
trainingprogramme.
The RHTYSC also rewarded Jayden Ganpat, who, in December, was named the Best Guyanese Bowler in the Goodwill Under-13tournamentversus Barbados He received a large trophy, medal of
excellence and a box of white cricket balls to work onhisbowlingathome.
General Manager Panthera Solution, Andrew Dinsdale stated that his company was very impressedwiththework,the RHTYSC was doing and
noted that they have been supporting the club since 2019 Incoming General managerTonyTurnbull,who takesoverinMay,hailedthe RHTYSC as a perfect role modelforothercricketclubs and pledged further assistanceinthefuture.
2026 DCB Inter-Association U-15 50-Over tournament…
Someash Boyer (right) and Ishan Harricharan (left) starred in the Tuesday’s round of DCB Inter-Association U-15 tourney.
Tuesday’sroundofyouthcricketfeatured a big win for the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) who trounced the SelectXIby83runswhenactioncontinuedat the LBI Ground. After batting first, WDCA made a strong 197 all out in 48.5 overs after IshanHarricharranhit41(7x4),withShakar Ramesh36(5x4)andDhirendraShivpersaud 25 (4x4). Bowling for Select XI was led by Adam Mohammed who bagged 2-20 from 7 overswhileJaydenDavid(2-15)andawicket each from Nicholas Ramjattan, Navin AdreenfloodandHezekiahHohenkirksealed aprettyordinaryperformance.
Inreply,theSelectXIwerekeptto114all
out in 33.5 overs despite an excitingAdrian Peter 32 (2x6 3x4) and Aaron Narine who supported with 29 (5x4). WDCA had an equally solid bowling exhibition thanks to Dhirendra Shivpersaud (3-26), Jaydon Birch (4-12) and (2-27) from Man-of-the-match Harricharran. Meanwhile at Lusignan, East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) defeated East Bank Cricket Association (EBCA) after posting 127-7, thanks to 28 apiece from SomeashBoyerandAaronPersaud;withEast Bank’sShaneDewabagging4-18. EBCA were then knocked over for 65 thanks to Boyer’s brilliant returns of 5-15 whichledtheECCBtoaneasywin.
Students of the Guyana Mixed Martial Art Karate Association (GMMAKA) were awarded new belt rankings following the successful completion of their Kubo-Do weaponexamination,conductedbyMasterLloydRamnarine.
The examination assessed students on their knowledge andapplicationoftraditionalKubo-Dotechniques,including proper weapon handling, balance, coordination, timing, discipline,andrespectformartialartstraditions.
Among the successful candidates are: Naryan Sawh and ChaitramRamotarwereawardedGreenBelts.NoelCampbell received the Orange Belt, while Mekhi Conway, Adrian Charran,andArionCharranwereeachawardedYellowBelts.
Throughouttheexamination,thestudentsdemonstrateda strongunderstandingofformsandtechniques,reflectingtheir dedicationandconsistenttraining.
Master Ramnarine congratulated the students on their achievements, commending their hard work, discipline, and commitment to the art. He encouraged them to continue strivingforexcellenceandtoremainfocusedontheirpersonal growthanddevelopmentwithinmartialarts.
Thesuccessfulexaminationservesasmotivationforother members of GMMAKA and highlights the importance of perseverance, respect, and continuous training in the pursuit ofmartialartsexcellence.
The students display their certificates following the passing of their Grading Exams.
Aaron George’s century helped India’s chase in the semi-final. (ICC/Getty Images)
Faisal
in delight after scoring another century (ICC/Getty Images)
