Kaieteur News

Ali wants Guyanese to prepare for job opportunities in T&T oppor

…as country hunts for oil in

deep-water areas

President Irfaan Ali has his eyes set on potential opportunities for Guyanese workforce in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) as the twin-

the

islandstatesetsouttosearch theirdeep-waterareasforoil andgas.

During the PPP’s manifesto launch, Ali, the

presidentialcandidateforthe ruling party, outlined that Guyana is the only country in the Caribbean with experienceindeep-wateroil

young people from ordinary families…are trained at the highest global level at a centre [National Skills Training Centre] we built in less than three years here in Guyana,”henoted.

Ali underscored that these workers can function onanyplatform.“Wehaveto

PPP/C’s presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali

and gas exploration and production.

OnAugust12,American oil giant ExxonMobil Corporation,whichoperates Guyana’s Stabroek block, signedanagreementwiththe GovernmentofTrinidadand TobagoforthenewTTUD-1 Block, which is a consolidation of seven oil blocks.Theblockconsistsof Trinidad and Tobago Deep Atlantic Area (TTDA) 17, 18,19,20,21,22,and23.

In his address,Ali noted that the PPPplans to build a diversified economy with a highly skilled workforce prepared for a resilient and securefuture.

“When I speak about a highly skilled workforce, youhaveordinaryGuyanese

be forward thinking Trinidad needs to explore in deep-waters Now, Barbados,iftheywanttogo for gas, they have to go in deep-waters The only country with experience of doingitindeep-waternowis Guyana and we have to prepare our young people. We have to prepare our workforcesothatwemustbe the first call for those opportunities when they come,”Alideclared.

He contended that grabbingopportunitieswhen they arise, is one way to c o n v e r t G u y a n a ’s e x p e r i e n c e i n t o competitiveness that will catapult the country to the nextlevel.

Oilproductionatthe6.6million-acre Stabroek block beganinDecember2019.To date, Exxon has four active developments producing over650,000barrelsperday, withtheinstalledcapacityat over 900,000 bpd. Notably, by 2030, ExxonMobil Guyana expects to have a

total production capacity of 1.7 million oil equivalent barrels per day from eight developments.

In relation to Trinidad, thispublicationhadreported thatatthesigningceremony ofthedealbetweentheT&T government and the oil major, Vice President of Global Exploration at ExxonMobil, John Ardill, noted that Exxon sees great potential to replicate its success in the Stabroek BlockinT&T

He said that the company’s partnership with the Government of Guyana had allowed them to move from discovery in 2015, to firstoilin2019andthenfour projects onstream to date producing 650,000 barrels perday(bpd).

“Throughout this experience ExxonMobil has reallylearnedalotaboutthe Caribbean offshore geology andthat’swhatpositionusto move very quickly here in Trinidad and Tobago our plan and my commitment to you is to bring that experiencetobenefityouthe people of Trinidad and Tobago and we see great potential to replicate the Guyana success here ” Ardillsaid.

He underscored that T&T is a very compelling location for oil and gas investment and noted that the country’s deep-rooted historyinoilandgasshould allow Exxon to move even fasterthanGuyana.

Ardill also pointed to other benefits like the c o u n t r y ’s r o b u s t infrastructure, mature dynamicindustry,anddeepwater port. To this end, he statedthattheseareallthings that Exxon had to build in Guyana over the last 10 years.

“We are gonna bring ExxonMobil’s leading technology and capability directly from Guyana, we will leverage our presence, rigs, development concepts and pace and if you benchmark Guyana, it is by far the leading deep-water development in the world in terms of both scale and pace,”Ardillsaid.

Mystery surrounds car that rammed ballot box convoy ...police conceal identity, commander mum

Days after a car rammed into a convoy transporting ballot boxes from Berbice to Georgetown at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara last Friday night, police remaintight-lippedontheidentityof the driver and the vehicle licence plate

Severalpersonswereinjuredand the three minibuses and a police escort vehicle were damaged The incident occurred at La Bonne Intention (LBI), as three minibuses carryingballotboxesfromtheWhim Police Station and Central Police Station in Region 6, Berbice, were

beingescorted

PoliceinthestatementonFriday provided details of the accident but did not disclose any information regardingthedriverandvehiclethat caused the crash No registration number or personal details were disclosed- a stark contrast to what obtains when the force is providing informationregardingaccidents

Accordingtothestatement,“All of the vehicles were being escorted byForceMotorcar#PAB8212when an unknown motorcar drove northwestoutofLBIAccessRoadintothe pathway of the escort, causing the

police vehicle to apply brakes In doing so, Minibus #BAB 6899 also braked, leading to a rear-end collision by Minibus #PXX 7898, whichwasinturnstruckfrombehind byMinibus#BAL2180”

Only the three minibuses involved in the collision were identified No image or further description of the “unknown” vehicle was released When contacted, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commander of Regional Police Division 4C (East Coast Demerara), Khali Pareshram, declined to confirm the driver’s

identity He stated, “The matter is still under investigation That information will be ventilated in timetocome”

Meanwhile,itisalsounderstood that the drivers of the minibuses involved in transporting the ballot boxes may face charges However, TrafficChiefMahendraSingh,when contacted, denied those claims “I am not aware of any charges being laidagainstanyone I’monlyaware oftheincident,”hesaid

Five individuals sustained injuriesinthecollision Theinjured

Continued on page 18

Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commander of Regional Police Division 4C (East Coast Demerara), Khali Pareshram

KaieteurNews

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

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

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

EDITORIAL

A violent society

Ever since the 2002 prison-escapee-led crime wave that swept this country for about four years Guyana has beenconstantlyinatroublingstateofviolence.

Fromthecrudeandhostilewayourpoliticiansaddress eachotherinthepublicsphere,totheheartbreakingrisein domestic violence cases, to the daily reports of murders, rapes,andarmedrobberies,theGuyanesesocietyappears tobecaughtinaspiralofhostility Formostpart,weareso focused on violence against women, particularly intimate partnerviolenceandsexualviolencethatwemisstheother forms of violence that have been sweeping through our society

Indeed, violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. Estimates published by the World Health Organisation indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violenceintheirlifetime.

Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide,almostonethird(27%)ofwomenaged15-49 yearswhohavebeeninarelationshipreportthattheyhave been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violencebytheirintimatepartner Violencecannegatively affectwomen’sphysical,mental,sexual,andreproductive health,andmayincreasetheriskofacquiringHIVinsome settings. Violence against women is preventable. The health sector has an important role to play to provide comprehensive health care to women subjected to violence,andasanentrypointforreferringwomentoother supportservicestheymayneed.

The most recent and shocking example came on Saturday, when all of Guyana witnessed the brutal beatdown of Bryan Max by the Guyanese Critic on a live broadcaststreamedonFacebook.Thesheercrueltyofthat act was horrifying, but even more disturbing was the reaction of some sections of society Instead of condemning the violence, some celebrated it, treating the moment as one of entertainment, sharing and laughing as though it was a carnival spectacle. This normalisation of cruelty shows just how far we have drifted as a people. When public humiliation and violence are greeted with laughter, it signals a society that has lost its sense of empathy

Oursociety,sincetimeimmemorial,hasbeenresolving issues by hostile and violent methods, thus it has become inherent and accepted, now assuming crisis proportion in our homes, environs and society as a whole. It is indeed troubling that we still conduct life along lines of old unwrittenandacceptedprinciples,whereviolenceisused as the rod of correction, discipline and control across board.Weflogourchildrenathomeandinschools;weflog prisoners. Violence is extolled in our society today more thanever;wecraveit.

Inourpoliticsitisnodifferent,thepoliticalclimatehas long been one of division and aggression. Instead of debating issues with respect and substance, we often witness crude exchanges that resemble street quarrels rather than statesmanship. Our leaders, who should serve asrolemodels,oftendescendintopersonalinsults,namecalling, and open hostility This kind of public discourse sets a dangerous tone. If those at the highest levels of governancecannotengagerespectfully,whatexampleare they setting for ordinary citizens? The atmosphere they create trickles down into the wider society, normalising aggressionasthefirstresponsetoconflict.

Today the streets and on social media have become battlegrounds. Killings and robberies are reported with such frequency that they no longer shock us. Even rapes and sexual assaults, once whispered about, are now regularly reported, yet the outrage is often fleeting. We moveontooquickly,asthoughsuchbrutalityisanormal featureofGuyaneselife.

‘Good politicians’are not plentiful

DEAREDITOR

A few weeks ago, as he and a few of his redshirted People’s Progressive Party (PPP) colleagues were c a m p a i g n i n g i n Beterverwaging, I had a fleeting encounter with Mr James Bond We shook hands on his move, but he looked back, smiled and said,‘Iamfollowinginyour footsteps.’ For a moment I thought that James must have‘lostit’butthencameto the realisation that many people neglect to properly locatetheircontext.

After all, I became politically associated with the PPP in the late 1980s, when Soviet Marxism having disintegrated made Guyana and the PPP geopolitically irrelevant and it appeared that, the ethnic strifethattookmanylivesin the 1960s forgotten, there wasamorethangoodchance of the country, given its naturalandhumanresources becoming a prosperous, inclusive society i.e., a la PPP ‘areturntodemocracy.’ Unfortunately, the PPP government Mr Bond has become associated with in 2025 is assessed by the world’s most respected index on government transparency as having been captured and using the state for it own ends. Also, this year, the PPP government has been designated an elected autocracy – i.e. a dictatorship-byV-Dem,the world’smostcomprehensive democraticindex.’

But of far greater significance is Mr Lincoln Lewis’ attempt to save G u y a n a f r o m t h e dictatorship it already is, largely because in my view

he is a great believer in the existing Constitution If Bond did not properly contextualise the historic eras he juxtaposed, Mr Lewisfailedtodosowiththe de facto political structures of governance. If that was not so, he would come to realise that, maybe as an unintendedconsequence,the Constitution of Guyana facilitates ‘one man’ rule. And that, particularly in the context of fortuitous largescale national resource management, this is most unfortunate.

Having drawn attention to the PPP general secretary’s request that the electorategivehispartya2/3 majority for it to be able to makeconstitutionalreforms, Lincoln concluded ‘No political party must ever be allowed to gain a two-thirds majority in Guyana’s National Assembly That kind of power would be the beginning of the end for democracy, the rule of law, andeveryrightandfreedom the Guyanese people have fought for over generations. It would legalise the illegal, legitimise the abuse of power, and turn oppression into policy’ (KN: 04/08/2025).

All he said is true, but it hasalreadyoccurred,largely because even where governments are produced by free and fair elections, they may be inefficient, corrupt, shortsighted, irresponsible, dominated by special interests and incapable of adopting policies demanded by the publicgood.‘Thesequalities make such governments undesirable, but they do not make them undemocratic.’

To reverse the current dictatorship and prevent a f u t u r e G u y a n e s e g o v e r n m e n t f r o m ‘legitimising the abuse of power and turning oppression into policy’ one needs to urgently properly c

precepts.

WhatIamsayinghereis that the major problem in Guyana is not the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy, not the obvious waste of national resources focused on buying votes r

generational thinking and t

s building, not the 2016 lopsided oil contract about which neither the government nor opposition iswillingtoconfrontExxon, not the humongous level of corruption, not the blatant maldistribution of wealth that discriminates against Africans and Amerindians, etc.

Imayhavemissedit,but even if so it is useful to emphasise that apart from broad commitment to constitutionalreform,Ihave seen nothing in the various parties’manifestoesthatgive a clear indication of the natureofthereformsthatare required. Priority must be given to reforms to prevent the leader of the ruling party’s almost unhindered political decision making. He selects the president and parliamentarians from a closed list of electors. If monstrosities such as democraticcentralismarein play, even the oligarchy in the party of which he is a

member is largely at his disposal. The constituency that voted for the party at national and regional electionshaslittlevoiceand will largely adhere to his beck and call because, even in opposition, there is substantial patronage to share. Supporters are fed various ideological concoctions, laced with socialist, racial and regional biastohelpsolidifytheparty and the leaders grip on the leadership.

Theseparationofpowers is one of the corner tones of democratic government, yet fordecadestoenablethePPP to control the judiciary, the top judicial officers have been in acting positions. Effective measures, such as term limits after which acting positions become permanent, or even sortition i.e.,lottery,mustbeurgently put in place. Only minority ethnicgroupsatpresentexist in Guyana and if, as in Suriname, the president and possibly the national budget had to acquire supermajorities to get legislative approval, the dictatorial behaviour will be seriously constrained.

Among other things, no presidentcouldhaverefused to speak to the opposition leader as the PPP did; no presidentcouldhaverefused to carry out an ethnic disparity analysis as Irfaan Ali did; no president could have for decades avoided collective bargaining that punishestheconstituencyof theothersideasthePPPhad done. In Lewis’s parlance, no president would have been able to ‘legalise the illegal,legitimisetheabuse

(Continuedonpage16)

It is not an easy election to predict support as in previous elections

DEAREDITOR, I write to commend KN for its fair reporting on the elections, providing coverage of newsworthy events of all the parties. It was expected that the larger parties would get greater coverage as opposed to the smallerparties.

The paper also featured commentaries in favor of and or criticalof theparties. Supporters are allowed to praise their parties and critique or attack others Many individuals queried about the outcome and my polling. It is not an easy electiontopredictsupportas

We are days away from another crucial election in our country’s history Elections in Guyana have often been accompanied by tension, aggression, and at times outright hostility If we cannot learn to respect each other’s differences and engage with ideas rather than insults, we risk entrenching violence further into our political DNA. Theelectionperiodmustnotbeanotherchapteroffearand division, it should be an opportunity to reset, to model civility, and to show our youth that politics can be about serviceratherthanconflict.

in previous elections

Attendance at rallies is not an accurate predictor of the outcome and can be very misleading.

Ethnicity is not the only factorinthiselectioninhow people vote, and there is cross racial support for at least two parties Some votersarefocusingonissues andgovernance.

Anyone who did or is doing tracking polling will get a fair or objective estimateofthesupportofthe sixparties.

Three parties face uphill tasktowinseats.

One new party is very competitive. The amount of

cross ethnic gains (from amongAfricans and Mixed) by the PPP is shocking. Analystswillbewatchingto see if it holds on Election Day Indians have largely restrictedtheirvotingtotwo parties. It is very clear which party has the advantage and whichisintheleadbasedon traditionalsupportandcross ethnic gains. Any objective analyst and party leadership knows which party will comeoutontop.

Thank you KN for objectivereporting!

Yourstruly, VishnuBisram

As the political arena heats

DEAREDITOR

,

As the political arena heats up ahead of the 2025 elections, the issues of c o r r u p t i o n a n d discrimination continue to surface in abundance. The growing attempts to suppress supporters’ freedom of choice are widening divisions across the country This division can easily spiral out of control, particularly if there is even the perception of an attempttorigtheelectionsin favorofamajority

The 2025 elections will be a truly open race. While someone will certainly win the presidency, the joint opposition is poised to take control of Parliament,

leaving the PPP in opposition for the next five years. The writing is on the wall: no single party will secureanoutrightmajority

I must say this over

their 28 years in government, the PPP has been skillful in one regard: destroyinghopeforabetter life for people living in poverty Today,thepoverty rateiswidespread Asalary of $108,000 per month cannot adequately provide for a family of four, especially with the burden ofrentormortgage

Poverty is driving citizens to see “running” and corruption as natural parts of survival Bribery, shortcuts, and wrongdoing are becoming normalized as people struggle to simplystayalive

Wrong is increasingly seen as right, and this sad reality will take decades to reverse

Worse still, political

s entrenched in everyday life People are offered jobs and contracts on the condition that they support the PPP, directly or indirectly If they refuse, they

d

y contracts are issued only for one year, with renewal tied directly to political loyalty Complaints to authorities or the media fallondeafearsbecausethis practice is carried out openly

The majority of roadbuilding and infrastructure contracts are awarded to PPP supporters, their

individuals they wish to bring into their camp Profits are siphoned off, a

others sometimes to people with no expertise in infrastructure who are forced to accept only meager wages because their families need to survive

During their 28 years in power, the PPP has spent over $7 trillion. Yes, they built schools, but without enoughteachers.

They built hospitals, but with shortages of doctors and nurses. They failed to invest in value-added industries,insportstraining, and in skills development. Andnowtheycomebegging foranotherchance?

The answer is simple: PPP, your time is up. It is timetogo.

MichaelCarrington AFCViceChairman

They are not symbols of Black pride

DEAREDITOR

, I stand here today, boiling with righteous fury, to declare not in my name, not in the name of the Africanrace,notinthename of our ancestors who toiled, bled and died to give us dignity and a place in this land we built with our bare hands.

Leonard Craig and Prime Minister Mark Phillipsrecentlyhurledlewd and reckless words on the campaign trail are disgusting.

These two men, whom the People’s Progressive PartyCivic(PPP/C)lovesto parade as leaders of the African community, do not representthetruespiritof the race They are not symbols of Black pride. They are tools in a wicked strategy meanttodemeantheAfrican race, to reduce us to the fringe of society, and justify o u r c o n t i n u e d

gin

on and disrespect. Let the world know who the African Guyaneseare.

We descend from a people who endured the whip, who bore the scars of slavery, who hurled cane down their backs under the scorching sun, and who, evenwhentheirfreedomwas onlypartialduringthosefour years of Amelioration between1834and1838,still managed to save, buy plantations, establish villages, build a village economy, and create local government. We did all this while the system conspired tokeepusbroken.Thatisthe greatness of the African Guyanese.

But what do we see today? Those in the PPP regime find the weakest

among us, men who lack pride and a sense of history, and they parade them like courtjesters.

These so-called leaders willingly humiliate themselves for political favour, laughing on stage, using vulgarity as currency, thinking that massa’s applausemeanspower They are not leading; they are performing. They are not raising our people; they are dragging our image through the gutter. It is a calculated move. The PPP/C has a historyofusingafewpliable Black faces to justify the abuseoftheAfricanrace.

They prop them up, and throughthem,trytosaythat w e , a p r o u d a n d accomplished people, are nothing more than commoners, servants, bodyguards, or dooropeners. They reduce our worth to spectacles and silenceourpainbymakinga mockeryofourpride.

Let us be very clear, the AfricanGuyanesepeopleare not and will never be anyone’sclowns.

We have stood tall in every field: law, labour, religion, politics, science, education, innovation, etc. We were never given our place; we carved it out with bloodandwillpower Andno amount of stage vulgarity or court jester behaviour from Craig, Phillips, or any other political pawn will change thattruth.

The behaviour we witnessed was not just

personal disgrace; it was an insult to a legacy carved t h r o u g h s l a v e r y, emancipation, resistance, andachievement.

The insane vulgarity wasn’t just a joke; it was a signal that our culture, our history, and our dignity are seenasdisposable And we can be used at any point in time by others to manifest their dirt and execute their dirty deeds. That is the real message, and it must be condemned without apology

This is bigger than Craig or Phillips This is aboutapoliticalculturethat seekstodemeantheAfrican race and justify our mistreatment by propping up empty vessels to dance while others reap the rewards But we are not blind We see the game, andwerejectit

So, I say again, not in myname,notinthenameof theAfricanrace

These disgraceful men donotspeakforus Theydo not represent the legacy of our foreparents They are not the standard They are theshame

Our ancestors fought and died for freedom, for dignity, for equality, not for us to be dragged back into the mud by men with noprideandnopurpose

They represent those

who hired them, on whose platform they flaunt their vulgarity - their political bosses.

Our duty, every man and woman of the African race, is to preserve the honour of those who came before us, to defend the truthofwhoweare,andto ensure our children inherit not disgrace but Black excellence and glory. Those who disgrace us must be call

, shunnedandreplacedwith lead

s who carry themselves with pride and fight for their people with backbone,notbuffoonery

Wearenotjesters.Weare notproperty

We are a proud African people, builders of this nation, defenders of freedom, and we will not be defined by the vulgarity of political puppets. Let them danceforMassaiftheywish, butnotinourname.

No decent Guyanese, regardless of race, colour, class or creed should find this behaviour acceptable. Asacollectiveweshouldall condemnit.Itisadangerous influence for all Guyana’s childrenandfamilies.

All Guyana has a responsibility to resist this abomination unleashed on ourland.

Sincerely LincolnLewis

All parties believe in “family, friends, and favourites” – a culture entrenched by

DEAREDITOR

All the Opposition parties have repeated the statement that the ruling party operates mainly by preference to “family, friends,andfavourites.”The implication is that decisions must be made by some independent, impartial, objective criteria that guarantees fairness in

applicable to all without regardtosubjectivitysuchas race, religion, national origin, gender, party, or whetheryouareformarural, riverain,orinteriorregion. Thetruthisthisprinciple is actually in operation now most of the time All scholarshipsforGOAL,UG, tertiary education are done fairly across the board House lots are given out if youregisterandwaitinline. Education and housing are

thebiggestdreamsofanyone and these are done fairly across the board. Access to medical services is fair across the board and access is increasing

the Government has built the mosthospitalsandclinicsin the history of our country Equity has largely been embedded in how this Government carries out policy Weneedthesamefor contracts.

Buthowdidwegettothe

Burnham and PNC

practice of “family, friends, and favourites?” In the burnhamistpre-1992era,the PNC had declared itself supreme to the Constitution in its doctrine of “paramountcy of the party.”

Everything became emasculatedinthePNC’s28 yearsofriggedelectionsand dictatorship. Our political and social culture became deformedina“dog-eat-dog” mentalityinwhichaccessto “friends” became important to get food or anything.The PNC flag flew over the Courts.Thoseweretheyears where if you didn’t know a PNC comrade to put in a word for you, you will get nowhere So, our young peoplenowneedtoknowthe history of how “friends, familyandfavourites”came into being. The PNC wrote the Manuals for that. Those ofuswholivedthroughthat era, snicker when we hear thePNCandthenew“baby” parties complain about that as they try to generate supportfromtheelectorate.

Thefactisthatpeopleget involved in politics hoping togetpositionsorbenefitsas afriendorfamilymemberof the ruling Government and hope to be one of the

favourites.That’showpolitics

works Our various

C o m m i s s i o n s , t h e

Ombudsman’s Office, Courts, and similar institutions, must functionwellintheirwatchdog roles The Procurement

Commissions, Public Accounts Committees, etc. must function well in their watchdogroles,andmustbe held accountable for doing theirjobwell.

AttheGECOMlevel,the PNC Commissioners do a good job of making noise about things there. What I find in Guyana is that most people are not against corruptionasaprinciple,itis thattheyarejealoustheyare not the ones who are in the in-group of friends, family, and favourites getting the premium soup. When they are in the opposition, they know what is right, moral, honest and good, and they wax eloquent criticizing the other side. When they get into Government, they do the exact same as the previous Government. The promised“change”becomes the “exchange.” And then the next election we fight to change the people who said they were the “change,” as happenedin2020.Whenever

someone gets into trouble, they look to see who is a “friend,family,orfavourite” in the governmental system who can bail them out.And they are willing to pay money to get off from a crime, or to get a benefit. That is corruption. We the people fuel corruption Inefficiencies across all of the Government ministries fuel corruption as we are willing to pay to speed up things. Successive governmentshavenotsaved us from that. The PPP is afraid to jack up the ministries for fear of being accused of discrimination, sowehaveto“paytoplay.”I havenotseenanymanifestos to reform NIS and tackling the robbery of workers denied benefits because of poor NIS records Some people wish they can have a family,friendorfavouriteto helpthemoutwiththeirNIS problem. Politics has never been about saints - vsinners.“Forallhavesinned and come short of the glory of God.” In politics, we usually choose the lesser evil!

Sincerely,

Dr JerryJailall CivilSocietyAdvocate

Anote to PPP-C supporters

DEAREDITOR

A l l o w m e t h i s opportunitytocommunicate directly with PPP-C supporters. It is evident that you, the PPP-C base, is highly motivated and ready for another five years of solidleadershipbyPresident Ali and his excellent team. For that to happen, it is necessary that during this coming week you redouble yourefforts.

You should concentrate onthefollowingthings. Firstandforemost,make sure you know where you are voting on September 1. Onthatday,youshouldgoto thepollingstationfirstthing in the morning. The polls open at 6 A.M. If there are younger voters in the home,

be sure to get them up and ensuretheygooutandvote.

Secondly,doyourbestto engage neighbours, family, and friends to be actively involved in the PPP-C campaigns. Go to meetings andralliesnearyou.

The show of support is crucial Later today, there isarallyatRobertsSquare, Enmore Wewanttoseeall o f E n m o r e a n d surrounding villages in attendance Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony will speak, and PPP General Secretary and VP Dr Bharrat Jagdeo will deliverthemainaddress

Thirdly, participate as much as possible in the socialmediacampaign

The opposition parties arespreadinglotsoflieson socialmedia Theseliesare only believed if left without responses Do not allow the APNU to fool you with fake promises, or WIN to make you forget about gold smuggling and the OFAC sanction against Azruddin Anddon’tforget that Nigel Hughes of the AFC once delayed answering when asked if he would put Exxon’s interestaheadofGuyana’s. Finally, do everythingto keep the momentum going. Anelectioncanonlybewon if our PPP-C supporters go outandvote. Talk,sing,anddanceare notenough.VotePPP-C.

Sincerely

DrRandyPersaud

WIN, PPP press GECOM to ensure offshore workers can vote

WeInvestinNationhood (WIN) is calling for urgent measures to ensure that Guyanese employed offshore are able to exercise theirdemocraticrighttovote at the September 1 General and Regional Elections, without jeopardizing their jobs. Since oil production began in December 2019, this will be the second general election held during offshore operations. In a statement on Sunday, WIN said it was contacted by several offshore workers

who indicated that their employers had informed themnoarrangementswould bemadeforthemtoleavethe Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vesselsorrigstovote.

“This means nearly 1,000 hardworking citizens,

menandwomenservingour nation on four FPSOs and five rigs, face the risk of being shut out of the very process that gives them a voice in shaping their country’s future,” WIN stated.

The party blamed the G u y a n a E l e c t i o n s Commission (GECOM), saying it had fallen short in its preparations. “When the law is silent, leadership demands that we adjust our systems to protect the people No eligible Guyanese should ever be denied their constitutional right to choose their leaders,”WINdeclared.

WIN further outlined that democracy is only real when every voice counts, urging the immediate implementation of the “hopscotch voting method” as a fair and practical solution for offshore workers.

The party also accused its political opponents of beingpreoccupiedwiththeir own agendas, stressing that WIN remains committed to ensuring all Guyanese have theopportunitytoparticipate in shaping the nation’s future.

At his press conference last Thursday, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo was asked about the issue. He first noted that PPP cannot instructGECOMwhattodo. Jagdeo said too, “So we’d

have to examine it, because wecannottellGECOMwhat to do, but I hope that people will be given the time off to vote.Ihopethattheywillbe given the time off and will paytovote.That’smyhope.”

Meanwhile, a notice fromanoilcompanyseenby thispublicationoutlinedthat offshore workers scheduled to work on September 1, 2025, which has been designated as Election Day, wouldnotbeabletoembark offshoreduetothenatureof operations Workers who wish to remain onshore to facilitate voting will be crew-changed at the next available port of call, dependingontheschedule.

The notice also stated that those choosing to remain onboard for ElectionsDaymustfillouta declaration form, as no exceptions will be made. Employeesintendingtovote were asked to indicate this byJuly31,2025.

GECOM had issued a notice in July reminding employers that they are statutorilyobligatedtogrant time-off to employees to vote at general and regional elections.

The Commission had reminded employers of the legal provisions to grant employees the requisite time-off to vote at the elections.

Specifically, Section 81 (1) of the Representation of thePeopleAct(ROPA),Cap 1:03 makes it mandatory

that, “every employer shall permit every elector in his employ, other than any elector on whose behalf another elector has been appointedtovoteasaproxy, tobeabsentfromhisworkon electiondayforareasonable time, in addition to the normal midday meal hour, for the purpose of voting at the election; and no employer should make any deduction from pay or other remuneration of any such elector or impose on him or exact from him any penalty by reason of his absence duringsuchperiod.”

Notably, employees were advised that it is their constitutionalrighttovoteat the election and reminded that it is their responsibility to engage their respective employers ahead of time to discusstherequisitetime-off and to obtain the necessary approvals.

Failureonthepartofany employer to grant such request constitutes an election offence. Section 82 ofROPAprovidesthat,“any employer who directly or indirectly,refusesorwhoby intimidation, undue influenceorinanyotherway interferes with the granting to any elector in his employ of the period for voting prescribed by section 81 shallonsummaryconviction be liable to a fine of sixtyfive thousand dollars ( $ 6 5 , 0 0 0 ) a n d t o imprisonment for six (6) months.’

The right to be unseen

Thereisnoobligationin law requiring a voter to be visible to polling staff while in the booth. This simple truth ought to be selfevident, yet it is being obscured by a haze of partisan suspicion The APNU, with its insistence that GECOM must ensure the voter is visible when marking the ballot, has stumbled badly. It has mistaken secrecy for spectacle.

The Representation of the People Act (ROPA) instructs that the elector shallenteroneofthepolling compartments and there “secretly” mark his ballot. Not partly secretly, not provisionally secretly, but wholly secretly The compartment is a modest structureofwoodorcloth,a small sanctuary designed to shield the citizen at the one moment when he or she is mostsovereign.Inside,there is no requirement to stand within view of an agent’s gaze. Indeed, to insist on such visibility is to dismantle the very secrecy thelawprotects.

When the mark is made, theActrequirestheelectorto fold the ballot, present the folded slip to the presiding officer so the official mark may be verified, and then dropitintotheboxunderthe officer’s eye. That is the extent of the visibility requirement The act of markingisunseen;theactof depositing is witnessed Between those two acts lies

the foundation of free elections.

ROPAfurtherinsiststhat no one may interfere with a voter,orattempttolearnfor whom he votes, or induce him to display his ballot. It does not carve out exceptions for party polling agents or anyone for that matter, however vigilant or suspicious they may be.

Partyagentsareguestsofthe process, not its proprietors. They are entitled to observe the orderly flow of voting, but not to dictate its choreography

Thereisequallynoright for a party polling agent to prevent anyone from voting simply because he cannot see that person in the booth. Any such attempt amounts to obstruction. The law is unambiguous on this point. Theobstructionofavoteris an offence, and those guilty of it may be arrested and charged. The booth is not a theatreboxwhereagentsare entitled to a view of the proceedings.

To preserve secrecy in the modern age, GECOM has rightly outlawed the taking of photographs of one’s marked ballot. This prohibitionisenforceableby the presiding officer—not by a party agent. If a party pollingagentsuspectsthata voterhasdefiedthisrule,his duty is to report the suspicion to the presiding officer, who alone has the authority to act. The party polling agent who takes the lawintohisownhands,who

presumes to stop or detain a voter, becomes himself an offender

This distinction matters. Without it, polling day degeneratesintoacontestof tempersandaccusations.

We saw an unhappy glimpse of this during the Disciplined Services vote, when a party agent, in full voice, complained of being unable to see the elector in thebooth.

If we permit such complaints to flourish, we transform the voting station into a place of intimidation ratherthanassurance.

There is, after all, no legalormoralobligationfor thevotertobeseen.Whatif theelectorwishestopausea moment to say a prayer before casting the ballot? Mustthisprayerbevisibleto a roomful of party polling agentsandpollingstaff?The ballot booth was built precisely to accommodate s u c h p r i v a t e gestures conscience at work,unseenbyothers.

The danger in APNU’s argument is not academic. ThePNCR,themainpartyin thatcoalition,hasalongand unhappy record of electoral mischief.

To allow it to advance this false contention—that voters must be visiblein the booth—istohanditareadymade excuse to challenge electors,tosowdisorder,and ultimatelytodisenfranchise.

It falls now to GECOM to issue clear directives Partypollingagentsmustbe

DEM BOYS SEH

Red Jersey Trouble

Some Venezuelan boys wukkin in Guyana get catch up in big mix-up. Dem man hear “freeness,” and dem eyes light up.Somebodyhanddemabagofbrightred jersey,anddemmanain’tevenwaittoask question. Each ah dem collect four—one fuh Monday, one fuh Tuesday, one fuh Wednesday,andonefuhThursday Friday? Well,demstilldeciding.

Whole week dem boys deh pon de wuksite look like marching band—red, red,red.Oneahdemseh,“Boss,thisisde best job bonus we ever get—fresh clothes every day!” Dem ain’t know seh “Vote PPPC”printbigbigpondechest.Todem, was just style Is only when some Guyanese pass and seh, “Ow, y’all campaigning early?” that de Venezuelan boysstartscratchdemhead.Demnahtalk English too good, but dem know “campaign” sound serious. Dem boys explain: “Buddy, y’all walking billboard forPPPC.”

Quick-quick,demVenezuelanmanpull outdemjerseylikeithot.Onetime,jersey turninsideout.Oneahdemseh,“Wewant

remindedthattheirdutyisto observe, not to obstruct; to report, not to intervene; to bear witness, not to police. GECOM must make plain that the booth is sacrosanct, thatsecrecyisinviolate,and that no voter need suffer the indignity of being watched whilemarkingaballot.

Freeelectionsdependon trust—thetrustthatonemay

enteraboothunseen,makea choice uncoerced, and emerge again as a citizen equalamongothers. To erode that trust is to erode democracy itself. It is therefore imperative that GECOM resist the misapprehensions of APNU and assert that the voter, in theactofmarkingaballot,is entitledtobeinvisible.

(The

de freeness, but we ain’t want no politics. We come to work, not to vote.” So if per chance,yuhdrivingbyandseefellasinred jersey inside out, don’t think dem crazy or inventing new style. Is just de free PPPC jerseyturnupsidedown Demmanwnatde jerseybutdemnahwantbenoadvertisement fu no political party So dem wearing de jerseyinsideoutbecausedemsehitdoesbe comfortable to work in Dem boys seh PPPC real clever—giving away jersey to people who can’t even read de slogan. Is like giving a man Chinese food menu in Portuguese. He gon collect it, but he ain’t gotcluewahinside.

Politics sweet in Guyana. Jersey free, rum free, lil change free. But when de freeness done, de bill come due. Dem Venezuelan boys smarter than nuff Guyanese.Demholdontodefreeness,but dem ain’t letting nobody use dem as politicalposter

Demboysseh—rednice,butnotwhen it tie you to a party yuh don’t even know howtospell. Talkhalf.Leffhalf

Lastweek,latestevaluation-PPP’sJagdeo

The president is a figurehead, and the vice president is the PPP’s force of nature; thus, the former standsdiminished,livingoff thelatter’senergies.

Therefore, in this final

look at the major

competitors in the September 1st election, PPP General Secretary and Guyana’s Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, is the one whose name must be called. Ashegoes,sogoesthePPP. Whenheispersuasiveon the campaign trail, the PPP odds of sneaking out a victory improve. When he registersasamanstretching to grasp at any speck of elusivecredibility,thePPP’s star takes a hit, darkens menacingly

With campaigns now gathering strength for that final, climactic push to the finishline,howdoesJagdeo

and the PPP measure up, whatdoeshavetoshow?

HerolledthePPPrecord and his own for the last five years into one word: “performance.”

Roads Schools

Hospitals Yessir The Guyanese that can afford to travel on those roads do so with a hollow stomach, a sinking feeling. They are driving over billions in skullduggeries,billionsfrom thelastfivenationalbudgets that should have come to them to ease their cost-oflivingtraumas.

Buttherewasaproblem. The PPP Government cared moreforconcreteroadsthan its leaders cared for the cavities developing in the stomachs of poor Guyanese whocan’tbuyfood.

Massive corruptions aside, there is no question thatthePPPGovernmentput

on the kind of performance thatsentandwillcontinueto send cash-strapped and struggling citizens to the hospital.

Fill prescriptions, do tests, at private facilities. The same hospitals that contestant Jagdeo craftily, boisterously gave the headingof“performance.”

A performance, indeed; andasapoliticalperformera phantom one, a whirling dervishone,oraBollywood one-Bharrat Jagdeo is the best in the business. Ever seenhimgyrate?

It grates on the eyesight of the pros: a performer, for sure, but one that’s of a low, cheap,type. Adimeadozen, with a dollar leftover as change.

Butthereisonearea,one aspect, of the performance that GS and VP, Jagdeo, should boast about, but

whichhewastooshytotake creditfor,inthiscountdown to next Monday’s elections. In a baby’s booty, there was nobody,andImeannobody, who performed as well as Mr Jagdeo.

Legends and wannabe legends are left mesmerized and tongue-tied by the vice president performance record of the last five years. He was aggressive, for which I give him a pass, since that isn’t abnormal in thedemandsofgovernance.

ButJagdeowentbeyond what is ordinarily aggressive. Hewasabusive. He seemingly took a special delight in being skin crawlinglyrepulsivealso.

Anyone paying scant attention to the PPP’s leadingspokesmancouldnot avoidconcludinghowbeing repulsive was almost compulsivetohim. Theman isanaturalperformerinthat regard.

Those are going to cost the PPP some votes that it can least afford to lose. Jagdeo twisted himself into

Guyanese with any senseofdecencyinthem turned their backs on him long ago. What does the man have to hide that he carriesoninthoseways?

Ask him about the many contractawardsthatmadeno sense and he dilly-dallied about criteria, evaluators, and processes of which he was proud, while more billions disappeared. Is this leader Jagdeo, a master performer,orwhat?

Ask him about his baby, the Wales gas-to-energy GY$400 billion, and he performs like an absentee father He knows nothing, has nothing to prove its paternity, nothing but more prevarications, put-offs, and putdowns.

That’s what Guyanese getfortheirGY$400billion, another patented Jagdeo jig, what he calls performance. He doesn’t care how long past the delivery date a schooltakes,orhowquickly new roads crumble. He brags about performance. I think that he has set himself upandthePPPforenormous pain. Whenhenarrowedthe electionstoareferendumon himself,heservedthePPP’s gooserawtothedogs.

Given all the rich resources that the PPP and the nation’s chief policymaker had in their hands,September1stshould have been their date with a foregone conclusionvictory Resounding victory Victory that could have been declared from today, six days before September1st.

Due to the shady performance of the ruling party, its record can only be charitablydescribedaslaced through with felonies, conmen, and quacks Hence,thePPPdoesn’thave a date with victory, but one withdestiny Jagdeo’s ‘outright’ victory is the rambling of a delirious man on life support,whodreamsthathe isanOlympicgoldmedalist. He may have been but the PPPteef out all the de gold. Quiteaperformance,I’dsay

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

Turningchallengesintomotivationforsuccess ...the Kaitlyn King story

Sixteen-year-old

Kaitlyn King emergedasthetop performeroftheNorthWest Secondary School, Region One,atthisyear’sCaribbean

Secondary Education Certificate(CSEC)exams.

The teen who hails from Mabaruma, Region One, wrote10subjectsatthe2025 examinations and secured nine Grade Ones and one GradeTwo.

Despite her elation, her journeywasnotaneasyone. Maskedwiththeuncertainty of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to the destructionofhersecondary schoolin2021,Kaitlynused

the challenges in her academic journey to motivatehertoachievingher goals.

In an interview with KaieteurNews,Kaitlynsaid COVID-19struckjustasshe was about to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams also known as Common Entrance.Theexams,which areusuallywritteninMarch/ April of every year, were pushed to July/August of 2020.

The young lady was awardedaplaceattheNorth West Secondary School but due to the pandemic was unable to start school at the

start of the new academic year–September

All schools were closed to face-to-face learning and unfortunately, children across the country missed almosttwogradesofschool. InKaitlyn’scase,shemissed almost two grades of secondary school She startedhersecondaryschool lifein2022.

Instead of 14 terms, students were left with nine terms in that academic year as they returned to face-toface learning in April 2022 insteadofSeptember2020.

“They actually started in thesecondtermofFormTwo (Grade Eight),” Chief

Education Officer Saddam Husseinsaidrecentlyduring the release Caribbean Examinations Council’s preliminary CSEC and CAPEresults.

However, in Kaitlyn’s case,whilemaneuveringthe challenges associated with COVID-19, the school she placed at was destroyed by fireinSeptember2021.

“Ididn’tgettostarthigh school in that school, so in Form One there was COVID. So, I missed that entiregradeandthenhalfof Form Two I missed that entire term because of COVID.So,whentheschool burneddown,wekindoflike

16-year-old Kaitlyn King of North West Secondary School, in Region One.

had to switch to different learning sites. People were in fields; people were in the small primary school and then they built a small alternative building where the Form Fours and Fives were in. So, I spent most of my school life up to Form Fourinthosesites.”

The dynamics of the situation made the teen feel like “giving up hope” while inthe4thform.

“Because I missed Form One that was like the foundation, I missed half of Form Two and then Form Threewastheonlyfullclass I ever gotten because in FormFourtherewasastrike forlikethreetofourmonths andthentherewastheborder issues with Venezuela, so Form Three was only like my full school period,” she related.

Kaitlyn told Kaieteur News that when she started her secondary school journey, she and her c l a s s m a t e s w e r e accommodated in the buildingofaprimaryschool.

In Form Four, the students were moved to another building which was constructed specifically for students of Grades 10 and 11.

“Itwashard,”shesaidof the circumstances The young lady said she was placedinthebusinessstream for that is where her interest lies.Whileitwasdifficultfor her,shesaidherschoolmates who were in the science s t r e a m s t r u g g l e d significantly because they were required to complete labwork.

In5thForm,Kaitlynsaid the situation got worse “They (the teachers) would ask for a specific topic that we should have covered withintheFormOnetoForm

Four period and we would not know that because we didn’tgettofinishanyofthe syllabuses within Form One andFormFour wewereso behindandwewouldhaveto gobackthetopicsandwedid notknoweverythingthatwe had to. The foundation is crucialwhenyouareinForm One to Form Four, so it was harderinFormFiveforme,” sheexplained.

In October 2024, while inFormFive,thenewNorth West Secondary School was commissioned by President Irfaan Ali and Minister of E d u c a t i o n P r i y a Manickchand.

Having set her own personalgoalofexcellingat the CSEC exams, Kaitlyn said she paid keen attention to areas she was not strong in. She used the internet to research topics, watch videosandstudy.

The committed teen said she attended Mathematics lessons from 06:30hrs to 08:00hrs and 15:00hrs to 17:00hrs in the afternoons and utilised all of the resources made available to her by the Ministry of Education.

The Region One top girl saidsheisveryproudofher achievement and noted that she wrote 10 subjects at the examinations because she was comfortable with that number and wanted to ensure she secured high grades.

“Ifeellikeitwastheright amount and easier for me andatthesametimeeasierto getthegradesIwanted,”she said.

She thanked her family for their unwavering support. She said her family has always supported and motivatedher

“Ican’tthankthem

Continuedonpage15

Guyana’s oil fund received almost

in second quarter of 2025

Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF) received payments totalingUS$617,955,248(GY$126 billion) in deposits from oil revenuesduringthesecondquarter of 2025 for the Stabroek block operation.

The NRF receipt published in the official gazette on July 4, showed that eight profit oil payments were made for lifts executed between March 10 and May 31 of this year, but paid into the NRF betweenApril 1 and June 30.

During the second quarter, one royalty payment amounting to US$85.4 million was made to the NRF.Thispaymentisforthe2025 first quarter production. The profit oil payments were made from revenues generated from the first three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels producingoil.

For March, the NRF received threedeposits:US$64.7millionfor profit oil from the Liza Destiny FPSO, US$71.7 million on forprofitoilfromtheProsperityFPSO and US$74.3 million for profit oil fromtheLizaUnityFPSO.

ForApril,Guyanareceivedtwo deposits:US$66.2millionfromthe Prosperity FPSO and US$63.8 millionfromtheLizaUnityFPSO. For the month of May, the NRF received three deposits: US$63.1 million from the Liza Destiny FPSO, US$64.4 million from the Prosperity FPSO and US$64.2 millionfromtheLizaUnityFPSO.

The Ministry of Finance noted thatprofitoilreceiptsrepresentthe Government of Guyana’s share of crude earned as profit, while royalty payments are made on a quarterly basis, 30 days after the closeofeachcalendarquarter

ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) is the operator of the Stabroek block, and holds 45 per cent interest. The other block partners are Hess and CNOOC with 30 per cent and 25 per cent respectively

The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) governing the Stabroek block allows oil companies to recover cost of up to 75 per cent from revenues generatedfromoilproduction,this is considered cost oil, the remaining25percentisconsidered profit oil and this is split equally

consortium, giving each 12.5 per cent From their half, the consortium pays a 2 per cent royalty to Guyana and Guyana from its 14.5 per cent total take, mustpaytheoilcompanies’taxes.

FIRSTQUARTER

This publication had reported thatduringthefirstquarterof2025,

FiregutsKwakwani SecondarySchool

The Kwakwani Secondary School, located in Pathville, Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River, wascompletelydestroyedbyafire ofunknownoriginintheweehours ofSundaymorning.

The blaze reportedly began around03:40hrs.

According to a statement from the Guyana Police Force, a police corporal stationed at the Mackenzie Police Station was attending the annual village fair at the Kwakwani Ball field when he noticedalargefirecomingfromthe Pathville area. He immediately informed ranks at the Kwakwani Police Station, who responded to the scene, witnessing the school engulfedinflames.

The police then summoned auxiliary staff, and a fire pick-up unit with two staff attempted to extinguish the blaze. However, by that time, the one-storey concrete

structure with approximately 30 feet wide and 100 feet long, was alreadyentirelydestroyed.

Police reported that the school was protected by Homesafe Security Service, and a security guardwasondutyatthetimeofthe incident The guard informed police that while conducting routine checks around the compound, he noticed smoke emanatingfromtheheadmistress’s office,locatedonthesouthwestern side of the building He subsequently contacted the school supervisor

The police also noted that the school was powered by electricity suppliedbyKwakwaniUtilityInc., and it was alleged that the area experienced frequent power outagesduringthenight.

Investigationsintothecauseof thefireareongoing.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public

Works,JuanEdghill,announcedon his Facebook page that the government will “move speedily” torebuildtheschoolifthePeople’s ProgressiveParty/Civic(PPP/C)is re-elected. In a pre-recorded video shared on the platform, Edghill expressed regret over the school’s destruction, stating, “Whatever is the cause of that fire, it is regrettable.Thechildrenneedtobe served, and the community needs tobeserved.”

He said the rebuilding process will be swift and that there will be no learning loss for the students attending the school. “We will work with the regional authorities and the local authorities to ensure that by the time school is ready to be reopened

e accommodations are made, there willbenolearninglossandwewill overcome every challenge,” Edghillsaid.

the country’s oil account received p a y m

US$605,462,893. The payments relate to all petroleum revenues made during the period January 1, 2025andMarch31,2025.

During the period, seven profit oil payments were made and one royalty payment, amounting to US$84,167,953 Notably, the royalty payment was made for the

24 Additionally, two of the profit oil payments made in the first quarter of 2025 were also related to lifts made in December 2024. This means that Guyana only received US$375,411,909.46 in total for its oil produced in the first three monthsofthisyear

Guyanese stabbed to death by Venezuelan

Anearlymorningargumentata hot-dogstallonSunday,resultedin the death of 30-year-old Toralpher Simon Harry, a porter attached to theGuyanaWaterInc.(GWI),who wasreportedlystabbedtodeathby aVenezuelannational.

Harry, of Lot 24 Best Village (Foreshore),WestCoastDemerara, was attacked around 3:00 hours along the Vreed-en-Hoop Public Road.

Police said Harry’s friend, 30year-old Naipaul Sukhdeo, reportedthatthetwowereheading homefromaCarandBikeShowat the Leonora National Stadium around2:30hours.

Sukhdeo said they stopped at a hot dog stall at Vreed-en-Hoop opposite the Bright Star Chinese Restaurant.

While purchasing hot dogs,

Harry got into an argument with a Venezuelanman,andthisescalated intoascuffle.Thesuspectallegedly armed himself with a knife and Harryreportedlyusedhisbeltinan attempt to defend himself, before fleeing to the northern side of the roadway with blood gushing from his neck but he collapsed shortly after

Policereportedthatthesuspect boarded a minibus parked nearby and escaped. Meanwhile, Sukhdeo told police he observed a stab wound to Harry’s neck before rushing him to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounceddeadonarrival.

Police said the body bore one stab wound to the left side of the neck. The body is currently at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a PostMortemExamination(PME).

Freehouselotsforcitizensearning under$400Ksinglemothers -Norton promises

Presidential candidate of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, has pledged that every Guyanese citizen 18 years or older, who does not ownahouse,andearnsunder $400,000,willreceiveafree house lot under his government.

The announcement was made during a public meeting held at Hopetown, WestCoastBerbice.

N o r t o n f u r t h e r committed to supporting single mothers in building their homes, emphasising that the government will provide financial assistance to help them achieve home ownership.

“Wewillputresourcesin yourhands.Iwanttosaythis to single mothers. I have already said we are going to give every Guyanese that does not own a house, 18 yearsandaboveafreehouse lot Because we believe Guyana has enough land for allGuyanesetoget,”Norton stated. “But in addition, we aresayingtoyouthatwewill ensure single mothers can get assistance to build a house.”

He highlighted the

challenges faced by single parents, stressing, “Our single parents struggle, and if we allow them to struggle andtheycannotgetahouse, we are condemning their children to poverty That is why we will help single motherstobuildahouse.”

Norton also assured that proper infrastructure would accompany the distribution ofhouselots.

“You are entitled to get h o u s e l o t s w i t h infrastructure, and our government will ensure we putinfrastructureinplaceso thatwhenyougetaland,it’s a land suitable for human occupation We cannot continuetothrowourpeople on a piece of land and abandonthem,“hesaid.

Turning his attention to education,Nortonaddressed the difficulties law students face in pursuing their studies. He noted that while students may complete their law degree at the University ofGuyana,thecostoffurther studies abroad, such as at Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad, often prevents themfromcontinuing.

“Wehavealotofpersons who completed UG but

couldn’t go on to Trinidad. When we came to government in 2015, we restored the scholarships for law students and started to produce lawyers They [PPP/C] came into government in 2020 and stopped the scholarships,” Nortonstated.

He promised that under an APNU government, all studentswhoqualifyandare acceptedintolawschoolwill have their tuition paid. “All those who qualify to do law and have a place in a law school, our government will pay for them to do law,” he announced.

In addition, Norton revealed plans to expand access to education by introducing free night schools for young people whodidnotattainfiveCSEC subjects, including MathematicsandEnglish.

“Wehaveinthiscountry many young people who complete secondary school but did not get five CSECs withMathsandEnglish.We believe they need a second chance, so as a government, across Guyana, we will set upfreenightschoolsforour youngpeople,”hesaid.

...the Kaitlyn King story

Frompage12 enoughespeciallymyparents,notonlyinthe fiveyearsofhighschoolbutfromnurseryas well and primary school.” The teen plans to attendtheUniversityofGuyananextyearto pursueabusiness-relatedfield.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn’s mother, Susan Boyer said the teen has followed in her brothers’footsteps as they too have excelled atsecondaryschool.HerbrothersDelonand KennonwerevaledictorianoftheNorthWest Secondary School in 2012 and 2022 respectively

Boyer said Kaitlyn always performed wellatschoolandshehadnodoubtabouther abilitiestoexcelattheCSECexams.

“As much as I was overwhelmed and excited and jumping up and down for

Kaitlyn, I still knew in my mind that she would do well and perform well,” she expressed.

Boyer said education is important to her family and she and her husband sacrificed a lot to ensure that their children have all the necessarytoolstoexcel.

“Asamother,Ineverlosthope.Asmuch as she wasn’t getting that education or the teachingthatsheneededatthetime,athome wealwaysprovideandmakeitavailableand herbrothersandsisterswouldhelp.”

With support being an important role in these accomplishments, the woman advised otherparentstopayinterestintheirchildren’s education because “that is one of the most important things we can give to them and leavewiththem.”

WANTED VACANCY

Canter driver with at least 2 years experience & Hauler driver with atleast 3 years experience. Tele: 644-7088/ 624-7248.

One live in Maid to work at Mon Repos, E.C.D. Tele : 6447088 / 624-7248.

Job openings: Truck drivers, AC Technician, Excavator and Skid Steer Operator. To apply send applications via Whatsapp: 689-1111 / 6082114.

General Domestic with cooking experience. East Bank Area, preferably. Call: 6761148.

Wanted: Armed and unarmed Security Personnel, signing bonus attached. Contact: 603-5140.

Wanted: Experienced Security Supervisor and Office Assistant. Drivers license will be an asset. Contact: 603-5140.

Wanted one Maid. Call: 6801282.

Able bodied security to work. Apply 21 Seaforth street, Campbellville. Tele: 621-5140.

Sales Rep needed, ages 1830 years. Knowledge of vehicle model will be an asset. Contact: 619-1237.

LAND FOR SALE

1 Honda CRV, includes TV, music system, alarm, reverse camera, spoiler, low mileage PTT Series (first owner). Call: 649-0956.

2008 Toyota Premio, fully loaded with dark interior. Excellent condition, 2.1 mil. For more information Contact: 670-1705.

“We have your back” - Ali tells Kamarang

· commits to investing in assets to reduce transport cost

· study hub to offer UG, GOAL programmes

DC Fox Secondary to offer medical programmes

PExperienced Salesman, knowlege in hardware & stock taking, etc at Keyfood Mc Doom next to the Post Office.

General Domestic, Apply at Keyfood Mc Doom village next to the post office. 4 day work.

Wash Bay worker needed, Nandy park East Bank Demerara. Tele : 682-1616 / 233-5227.

Vacancy exists for 2 experienced electrician and an apprentice. Call: 644-9084 / 6449635.

One (1) qualify physiotherapist for home services in East Bank area. Call: 615-9132.

Vacancy for bodywork guy. Monday to Saturday. 36k60 k per week depends on skills. Call: 644-0833.

Licensed, Experienced , Responsible & Reliable Howo long base Truck drivers needed on the Westside. Call / Whatsapp: 680-6041-

Home Cook to work in Houston, E.B.D. Call/WhatsApp 6230133 to apply.

resident Irfaan Ali on Sunday assured residents of Kamarang and outlying communities that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/ C) administration has their back, while rolling out a host of plans if granted a second term come September 1.

With general and regional elections exactly one week away, the campaign trail has heated up and all parties have intensified efforts to convince the electorate that they are the team for the dream.

At the public meeting, Ali told the crowd that the “People’s Progressive Party civic we have your back. 75 years of service, 75 years of selfless work, 75 years of commitment, 75 years of standing with you in every season, in every moment of time.” Speaking on several is-

sues the community faces, he highlighted that the cost of transportation to the hinterland has to be reduced, hence the reason VAT was removed on travel to those areas. Th president said he believes the time has come for government to support the communities so as to reduce the cost of transport, so that the goods can be cheaper. “So, I’m committing to you today that your new government will invest in assets that will reduce the transport cost for you here in Kamarang and the surrounding community. We are going to build out expanded facility in the Guyana Defense Force,” he promised.

President Ali said further, that his government will ensure every community has their own ATV’s, river ambulances, tractors for farmer support, and upgraded air-

15-year-old

strips, as these are necessities that must be immediately addressed. Additionally, investments will be made into “a study hub with all of the facilities, including the digital facility, so that your children can come to one hub in this sub region, and they can do a degree, a diplomas, and all of the other programmes that the University of Guyana and the GOAL scholarship

offer.” Addressing the future of education, the president said he is aware of the importance of the DC Fox Secondary School in the community. He promised that it will be modernised to provide more than secondary education. “The school must be linked to the new hospital that we are building, because we want that hospital to be a teaching hospital.

So, I’m saying that the Ministers of Education and Health, that the next government, will ensure that not only you have a modern DC Fox secondary school, but that that school will be offering medical technologists, nursing, dentistry, all of those programmes are attached to the teaching hospital that we will build here. That is the future we’re talking to you,” the president said.

aspiring doctor is BHS’ top CSEC achiever

The Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) results have been officially, reflecting a 66.76 per cent pass rate, as the Ministry of Education has confirmed.

country’s top performers, and for the entire Region Six, Persaud is encased amongst the distinguished cluster of its highest accomplishers at this year’s examinations.

From a total of sixteen subjects, the young man secured a whopping 13 grade ones, two grade twos and one grade three.

Fully furnished 2 & 3 bedroom Luxury apartments to rent $2,000 USD (Monthly). Tel No: 682-2585 / 712-8641.

Elevate your brand with our professional Graphic design services. For more information Call: 619-0007, 629-5526.

VISA Application for USA, Canada, UK, ETA, ETC. Natrualisation guidance + application filling, ECT. Tel: 626-7040.

Prime land @ Agricola Public road. 275 x 25, fence, sand filled, steel gate, etc. For more information Call: 629-7426. T RUCK TIRES 295/ 75R22.5 $40K EACH. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL/WHATSAPP: +592688-3201.

Rice farmer 290 massey Tractor, 110-90 Fiat, Lavarda 132 combine . Call : 695-2220 / 1 954 464 8614.

Small Farmers mini Tractor. Contact : 624-0646 / 6870453.

A direct contributor to that figure is 15-year-old Narindra Gyosi Avinash Persaud, who is this year’s top CSEC achiever of one of the top secondary learning institutions in Region Six, the Berbice High School (BHS).

Preliminary results announced by the education ministry listed him among the

Supermarket Cashier AM & PM required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survival.humanresources@gmail.com

Western Union CSR'S required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survival.humanresources@gmail.com

Supermarket AM & PM Sales representative/ Shelf Restockers required @ Survival Shopping Complex. Tel: 609-2995, Email: survival.humanresources@gmail.com

Porters/ Bond Clerk required @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff ST. Tel: 6092995, Email: survival.humanresources@gmail.com

Subjects for which he attained ‘distinction’ level are: Chemistry, English ‘A’, Human and Social Biology, Physical Education, and Principles of Business.

Subjects for which Grade 1 were obtained are: Agricultural Science, Biology, Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM), Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts and Social Studies.

He earned Grade 2 in Economics and Religious Education, while the lone Grade 3 was acquired in Geography.

Persaud’s accomplishments were not without hurdles, however. He disclosed that even as he and his peers were gearing for the decisive exams, several factors threatened the likelihood of sitting them, and left a pre-

vailing uncertainty. He cited the last nationwide teachers’ strike action, along with changes in his school’s structure as direct encumbrances.

“All of that led to lost periods and loss of learning time, and so I, as well as most in my school, had to attempt to cram whole entire terms of information in the weeks leading up to these exams.”

Not to be left without devices amidst the uncertainty, he and his peers made use of past papers and the internet, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media.

His family and friends have proven to be motivating factors in the ideal quantity, as he heaped gratitude on them for sustaining him through to his eventual success. As the ministry updated

(Continued on page 18)

‘Good politicians’ are not plentiful...

From page 04 of power, and turn oppression into policy.’ Furthermore, as in Suriname, the vital budgeting process follows international best practices, is very inclusive and lasts for 3 months rather than the 22 days of largely meaningless parliamentary discourse as in Guyana. Independent Members of Parliament selected, elected by, responsible to and recallable by their local constituencies should be established. Local governments are so suppressed in Guyana one could hardly hold a substantial private party without having to get permission from the

central government. The principle of ‘subsidiarity’ should limit the scope of central government.

The Natural Resource Charter presents a comprehensive and interrelated picture of what is necessary if a country it to make the best of its resources. ‘Because the extraction process can last many generations, decisions made in the present must be robust to the cycles of governments. This calls for building understanding and consensus from a critical mass of informed citizens. Actors outside the executive, including legislators, journalists, and civil society groups are guard-

ians of the strategy, playing a scrutinizing role by holding decision-makers to account’ (https://resourcegovernance. org/approach/ natural-resource-charter). Reforms that seek to establish the democratic process by preventing the continuation of ‘one man’ rule are urgently required. But it is as if there exists a silent prayer for the country to be lucky enough to elect ‘good’ people to manage its affairs. The evidence suggests, however, that is it not sensible to put your hopes in there being ‘good politicians’ for they are very thin on the ground. Regards Dr Henry Jeffrey

programme in Berbice 214 graduate from Patient Care Assistant

The local health system has been boosted by the insertion of 214 patient care assistants who on Thursday graduated from the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) training programme in Berbice.

At the formal ceremony held at Regional Health

S e r v i c e s i n N e w Amsterdam, the graduating batch, according Matron Harriet Bailey, exceeded expectations and were able tosecurea100percentpass rate.

Valedictorian

Gracelyn Phillips

Facilitated by the health sciences education unit of the Ministry of Health, the programme ran for some fourmonths.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, encouraged the graduating classtoseektoadvanceeven beyondPCA.

He explained that the structure within the health system allows for them to transitiontodifferentlevels, including nursing assistants,

registered nurses, and even nurses with specialties Pursuingthis,hesaid,would allow for them to upskill themselves.

“Today you begin your journey in healthcare, and yes, we would like to see some of you, once you put theworkin,someofyouare going to be the future matrons,andsomeofyouare going to be the future directors, and so forth, but nothing would happen unless you put the work in,” theministeradvised.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony

H e h e a p e d commendations on the graduates for not only their

programme, but also for achieving a 100 per cent perfectpassasacollective.

Minister Anthony assured the young grouping that government will create anenablingenvironmentfor them to meet their full potential, especially in this particularfield.

“Right now we are opening up a lot of opportunities so that anybody who wants to get into health can get those opportunities,” he said,

h

government has already made tangible investments in the country’s health system.

The minister urged them to explore the prospects available in the healthcare system,whichwouldlendto better personal economic standing.

Their career journey, he said, should “move from PCA to a nursing assistant, and then from a nursing assistant, we want you to become a registered nurse. And some of you who are registerednurses,wewantto offeryouacareerwhereyou couldbecomeamidwife.”

Graduates of the programme

Regional Health Officer, Dr. Vineshri Khirodhar, in hercommendationmessage, also

assembly of newly certified PCAs to dutifully promote the patients’ health, respect their rights, and act in their bestinterest.

The new PCAs will be dispatched to various health services facilities across Region Six, primarily the NewAmsterdamhospital,as some will find placement following the imminent openingofanewhospitalat #75ontheCorentyne.

Valedictorian for the batch was Ms Gracelyn Phillips

Tens of thousands march across world in support of Palestinians in Gaza

(AL-JAZEERA) Tens of thousands of people have marchedthroughAustralia’s major cities and towns, organisers said, demanding action to save dying and starvingPalestinians.

More than 40 protests took place across Australia on Sunday, the group Palestine Action said, including large turnouts in state capitals Sydney, BrisbaneandMelbourne.

“We demand from our politicians more than just talk. We are long past this,” Remah Naji, one of the organisers of the protest in the eastern city of Brisbane, toldAlJazeera.

“Now, we demand actions in the same way we acted in times of genocide. We are signatories to the Genocide Convention, whichmeansthatwehavean obligation to prevent and punish genocide when it o c c u r s ” P r o t e s t s denouncing Israel’s war and starvation campaign were also held in several other countriesonSunday

In Australia, where people rallied in cities of all sizes nationwide, protesters

urged sanctions against Israel and an end to arms tradewiththecountry,which hasbeenaccusedofcarrying out a genocide by leading rightsgroups.

Organisers estimate more than 300,000 people participated in the demonstrations.

In Sydney, organiser Josh Lees said Australians wereoutinforceto“demand an end to this genocide in Gazaandtodemandthatour government sanction Israel” as rallygoers, many with Palestinian flags, chanted “free,freePalestine”.

In Melbourne, protesters congregated outside the State Library Victoria, chanting “sanction Israel now.”

Organiser Nour Salman said Australia’s plans to recognise Palestinian statehood must be accompanied by tougher sanctionsonIsrael.

“Enough is enough There is no ifs, buts or maybes,”Salmansaid.

Thousandsalsogathered in the southwestern city of Perth “Our government cannot claim to support

Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in the ‘Nationwide March for Palestine’protest in Sydney, Australia [Hollie Adams/Reuters]

h

continuing to arm an apartheid regime,” Friends

o

P

We

Australia organiser Nick Everettwasquotedassaying byWATodaynewspaper

“Trade unions, civil society, and communities acrossthecountryareunited in calling for action Palestinecan’twait.”

‘Enoughisenough’

The protests came after

theworld’sleadingauthority on food crises – the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) –declared famine in Gaza City

Thewarninghascomeas Israeli forces have intensified attacks and bombardments across Gaza, where nearly two million peoplehavebeendisplaced.

TheIPCreportsaidmore thanhalfamillionpeoplein

Gaza–aboutaquarterofits population – face catastrophic levels of hunger,withmanyatriskof dying from malnutritionrelatedissues.

Protests in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza were also held elsewhere aroundtheglobeonSunday, including in Malaysia, Kenya, Belgium and Senegal. Over the weekend, demonstrationstookplacein

the United Kingdom and Sweden.Amassrallyheldin Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, saw thousands of people demonstrate, answering a call by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who said the demonstration would act as a starting point toformagroupofactiviststo take humanitarian aid to Gazalaterthismonth.

InSenegal’scapital (Continuedonpage18)

50 killed as Israel pounds Gaza City

suburbs,

(Reuters) - Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on thecity

Since dawn, at least 50 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza, medical sources confirmed. Amongthedead,20wereaid seekers,thesourcesadded.

Witnesses reported the sound of explosions nonstopovernightintheareasof Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighbourhood and several buildings were blown up in thenortherntownofJabalia. Firelittheskiesfromthe direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area. It added

vows to press on with

that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operateintheseareas.”

Israel approved a plan thismonthtoseizecontrolof Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas militants. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resumeceasefiretalks.

Israel’sDefenceMinister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end thewaronIsrael’stermsand releaseallhostages.

Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t seriousaboutaceasefire. It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages”, holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives. The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day

ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinianprisonersheldby Israel.

Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations onapermanentceasefirethat would include the return of theremaininghostages.

OnThursday,Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release ofall50hostages-ofwhom Israelbelievesaround20are stillliving-andanendtothe nearly two-year-old war but ontermsacceptabletoIsrael.

‘HUNGRYAND

AFRAID’

Around half of the enclave’stwomillionpeople currentlyliveinGazaCity A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.

“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe,butIcan’ttaketherisk. If they suddenly begin the

Mysterysurroundscarthatrammed...

Frompage3

have been identified as 39-year-old Nattel Stanley, an APNU polling agent from LancasterVillage,28-year-oldEvrisHarte,a Deputy Supervisory Returning Officer from Corriverton,PoliceCorporalAnvinashBhiro (#23966) stationed at Whim Police Station, 37-year-old Andrea Cort, a WIN party pollingagentfromRoseHallTown,and38year-old GECOM agent Anascica Hinds from Glasgow Park, Berbice. All injured personsweretransportedtotheGeorgetown

Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for medicaltreatment.

Despite the crash, the ballot boxes were transportedsafelyandsecurelytoGECOM’s headquarters, Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward told Kaieteur News. “All the election materials were intact. They have already been delivered to GECOM headquarters. They are in secure custody,” shesaid.

Investigations into the accident continues.

offensive

invasion,theywilluseheavy fire.”

Others said they will not leave,nomatterwhat.

“We are not leaving, let thembombusathome,”said Aya,31,whohasafamilyof eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent orpayforthetransportation, even if they did try to leave.

“We are hungry, afraid and don’thavemoney.”

Aglobal hunger monitor saidonFridaythatGazaCity and surrounding areas are officially suffering from

famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.

On Sunday, the Gaza health ministry said eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation intheenclave,raisingdeaths from such causes to 289 people, including 115 children, since the war started Israel disputes fatality figures by the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

Israel’s military offensiveagainstHamashas since killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, left muchoftheterritoryinruins and internally displaced nearlyitsentirepopulation.

Tens of thousands march across world...

Frompage17 Dakar, demonstrators condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the enclave, and called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the faminestruckGazaStrip

In Nairobi, hundreds of bikers rallied, chanting: “Free Palestine” Many decried the international community for its inability to stop Israel’s deadly assault.

Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi,

said protesters are standing in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. “They have watched horrific images of children who are starving; they have seen parents being killed as they go to get food for their families,” Soi said. “Here, they are saying: ‘Enough is enough.’” At least 62,263 Palestinianshavebeenkilled in the Israel-Palestine war sinceitstartedonOctober7, 2023, according to Gaza’s HealthMinistry.

The victims include at

least2,000Palestinianswho were attempting to secure meagre food parcels at the Israeli and US-backed GHF aiddistributionsites,dubbed by Palestinian officials as “deathtraps”. Last November, the InternationalCriminalCourt issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahuandhis former Defence Minister YoavGallantforwarcrimes in Gaza, including using starvation as a weapon of war.

15-year-oldaspiringdoctorisBHS...

Frompage16

the nation on the results, and his name was featured amongst the top scorers, “the calls thatIgotthatdaywiththesoundsofpurejoy in their voices, those were worth all the sleepless nights.All the congratulations and thehugsandthelookofprideintheirfaces, allofthatwasworthallthesacrificeIputin,” hesummarisedwithexhilaration.

Hedid,however,statehissurpriseatthe results, acknowledging that many of the papers were “challenging.” As such, he at most expected a grade three or four for Principles of Accounts and Geography, which proved to be the testiest. Of his other subjects,heissatisfiedwiththeresults.

Asked what plans he has for his future; the proud youngster declared his desire to strengthenthemedicalsystemwithhisinput.

“I’mplanningtofurthermystudiesatthe University of Guyana, pursing a Bachelor’s DegreeinPublicHealth.Forthenearfuture, I’m just planning to enjoy this victory that I achieved,andforthefarfuture,I’mhopingto be of service to people. That’s why I’m pursing public health....to be able to help them, that’s what I want,” he told this publication. Persaud is the son of the RegionalExecutiveOfficer(REO)ofRegion Six,NarindraPersaud.

BHS this year finished in the top ten, securing third spot on the country’s official listwithanimpressive93.78%passrate. According to the education ministry’s official release, Region 6 (East BerbiceCorentyne) also emerged as the bestperformingregion,withnearlyeveryschool recordinganincreaseintheirpassrates.

El Dorado, as GCC surge to whopping 274-run win

outclassed the competition as his classy

Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) crush El Dorado

C

y a mammoth 274-run deficit when action continued yesterdayatBourda.

Batting first, GCC piled onamonster 339 all out in

44 5 overs thanks to a sublime ton from the national batsman Dindyal who punched 121 off 103 balls with 7 sixes and 5 fours Dindyal, alongside Thaddeus Lovell, who hammered a 25-ball 65 with 7 maximums and a four, Akshaya Persaud, (4

Pestano-Bell (29) all chipped in to help stifle theoppositionbowlers,with the exception of Joshua Ferrellwhostarredwith5-50 bowlingforElDoradoClub. In

ply, the El Dorado Boys failed to get anywhere close to

crippled for just 65 runs in 18 overs. Only Kampta Persaud (13)

and Joseph Shivgobin (12) got into double figures.

It was a clinical bowling effort from GCC, led by Yeudistir Persaud (4-30), LaRose (2-24) and spinner and skipper Devon Lord (27).

Monday August 25, 2025

ARIES

You'll find that things are slipping nicely into place for you today, Aries. Your persuasivemannerandgentle nudges are just enough to get peoplewhereyouwantthem.

TAURUS

When faced with ten entrees onthemenu,itmightbehard for you to choose just one. Feelfreetoordertwoormore, Ta u r u s D o n ' t l e t indecisiveness slow you down.Atthesametime.

GEMINIS

Your dreams won't come true unless you believe in and act onthem,Gemini.Nooneelse is going to do it for you. Unless you have a fairy godmother, you need to take mattersintoyourownhands.

CANCER

If people hassle you or give you a hard time about your appearance today, pay them nomind,Cancer Youhavethe righttoliveyourlifeanyway youwantto.

LEO

Reachforthepotofgoldatthe end of the rainbow, Leo. It's closerthanyouthink.Indeed, your dreams are completely within your reach, and there are huge forces at work helping you achieve your goals.

VIRGO

Today is your day to dream and dream big, Virgo. Think aboutwhatitisthatyouwant most out of life. Aim your arrow to the stars and pull back your bow as far as possible. There's no limit to howfaryoucango.

Expand your mind to its furthest reaches today, Libra.

e'

nc

edible opportunity opening up for you in which you can make great strides in a creative realm.Followthemusic.

SCORPIO

Your mind may seem rather cloudy today, Scorpio, but don't let this hinder you. In fact, you'll find that you can use this feeling of fantasy to your advantage. Try to bring moremagicintoyourlife.

SAGITTARIUS

Today is an excellent day for you,oneinwhichyou'llfinda great deal of strength in your emotions, Sagittarius Trust that your instincts are serving youwell.

CAPRICORN

Things might get a bit confusing for you today, Capricorn. Don't feel like you needtomakesenseofitall.In fact, this task may be impossible. Just be yourself. Let your creative nature shine through.

AQUARIUS

Mix your reality with a bit of fantasytoday,Aquarius.Allow your feet to come off the ground for a little while. Give yourselfarest.Takesometime to meditate and clear your mindofyourdailyworries.

PISCES

Let yourself go into high creative mode and drift into a whole other world, Pisces. Escape your present reality and explore your fantasies through any sort of artistic endeavor Dreamasbigasyour mindallows.

BBC Sport - Argentina securedtheirfirsteverhome victoryoverNewZealandas they beat theAll Blacks 2923 in front of a raucous crowdinBuenosAires.

Juan Martin Gonzalez and Gonzalo Garcia scored tries either side of the break for Argentina, while there were 13 crucial points from the boot of Santiago Carreras.

Billy Proctor, Fletcher Newell and Samisoni Taukei’aho went over for New Zealand However, they were left to rue an illdisciplinedperformancethat sawthreeplayerssenttothe sin-bin-includingtwointhe space of three minutes shortlybeforethebreak.

Damian McKenzie’s last-minute penalty at least securedalosingbonuspoint for the visitors, who top the Rugby Championship table with six points from two games.

The Pumas finally broke their home duck against the All Blacks at the 16th attempt, 40 years after their first official Test on home soil against New Zealand in 1985.Itistheirfourthwinin totalinthe41Testsbetween the two, with their previous victories against New

Zealand coming in a Tri Nations game in Sydney in 2020 [during the Covid-19 pandemic], in the 2022 Rugby Championship in Christchurch,andlastyear’s Rugby Championship in

Wellington.‘Webelievedwe couldwin’

The Pumas avenged last weekend’s 41-24 defeat in Cordoba that had seen the All Blacks return to the top oftheworldrankings.

“

rocking, honestly it was amazing.I’mreallyproudof the team and the whole squad,” captain Julian Montoya said. “It’s a team effort and a team sport. I’m

BBC Sport - Australia thrashedSouthAfricaby276 runs in the final one-day international in Mackay to avoid a first clean sweep in anODIseriesonhomesoil. The hosts amassed their second-highest ODI total as they finished on 431, with

their top three all scoring centuries.

They went on to secure their second-biggest ODI victory,withSouthAfricaall out for 155 in 24.5 overs as Cooper Connolly - two days afterhis22ndbirthday-took fivewicketsforjust22runs.

South Africa, who suffered their heaviest ODI defeat in terms of runs, had already clinched the series by winning the first two contests.

“A pretty crazy day, wasn’t it?” said Australia captainMitchellMarsh.

“A full performance fromthelads.Shameitwasa little bit too late but full credit to SouthAfrica. They playedoutstandinglywellin thefirsttwogames.”

Marsh, Travis Head and Cameron Green each scored hundredsforAustralia-with Green’s ton coming off only 47balls.

Inresponse,SouthAfrica

fell to 50-4 in the ninth over andwereunabletorecover

“We were under the pump from the first ball,”

South Africa captain Temba Bavumasaid.

“They put us under pressure. They made it look likeaverygoodsurface,and they were far better than us today.”

South Africa’s Keshav

Connolly claimed a

really proud. We believed that we could win - we’ve believedforafewyearsnow

“We came back from a tough loss in the last game andwestayedinthefight.”

“I think they showed morepassionandintensity,” New Zealand captain Scott Barrettsaid.

“They got over the gainline and they held the ball, while we gave away penaltieswhichjustfedtheir game.They’reaqualityteam andwewereoutclassed.”

“Test footie is tough whenyougetthreecardsand they dominate the aerial game.Wejustdidn’tgetalot oflittlethingstogoourway, which is earned off effort. It’s that simple,” New Zealand coach Scott Robertsonadded.

Argentinaremainbottom of the Rugby Championship table but are now level on points with South Africa, who beat Australia 30-22 earlier on Saturday, with all four teams having won one game.

Argentina beat All Blacks at home for first time Australia hammer South Africa to avoid clean sweep

Maharaj was awarded player-of-the-series for his sixwickets. Australia’s highest ODI total came against South Africa in 2006, when they scored434.

Scores:Australia431for 2 (Head 142, Green 118*, Marsh 100, Carey 50*) beat SouthAfrica155(Brevis49, Connolly5-22)by276runs

BCBtohostCoachingSessionatPortMourantthisThursday

As part of the annual summer of activities, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is excited to announce a special 2-day coaching clinic at the Port Mourant Cricket Ground, bowling off this Thursday

August28th. The clinic will be guided by the experienced Head Coach Winston

c

coaching staff, aspiring young cricketers will have

the opportunity to enhance theirskillsthroughfocused coaching session which commence from 9:00h15:00h.

Sessions will cover the basic principles and f

cricket, ensuring that

players receive a solid basis as the youngsters d e v e l o p t h e i r understandingofthegame, while improving their techniques as they foster a loveforcricket This co

ive effort aims to strengthen

The BCB will be hosting a 2-day coaching clinic at the Port Mourant Cricket Club starting Thursday

community in central Corentyne and inspire the next generation of cricketers

All young players are encouraged to attend, r

r experience level, as our

committed to providing tailored guidance to suit everyparticipant. The BCB is looking forward to seeing a large turnout of enthusiastic young cricketers over the twodaysoftraining.

Pollard powers TKR past Kings

CPL - Game ten of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw Trinbago Knight Riders chalk up a hard-fought victory over Saint Lucia Kingsby18runs.

Both sides have had a quiet start to this year’s competition with just one winapieceintheearlystages heading into this evening’s

match at the Daren Sammy CricketGroundinGrosIslet. David Wiese won the toss for the Kings and elected to field first, that gave Colin Munro andAlex Hales the opportunity to have first use of the wicket and the Knight Riders’ openingpairimpressedonce more with a 47 run opening stand. Wiese then pocketed

Hales after an uppish flay was snaffled by Tabraiz Shamsiatshortthird.

Munro was fluent once more, striking six boundaries on his way to 43 from 30 balls before holing outtomid-offtogiveShamsi his first wicket and the opportunity to dial up his shoe based telephone celebration.

launched Andre Russell’s first delivery over long on forsixbutthebowlerhadthe last laugh, getting out of the over for just four more runs andpickingupthewicketof Delano Potgieter in the process.

Pollard led the TKR to victory. (CPL)

Pollard led the TKR to victory. (CPL)

Knight Riders captain Nicholas Pooran compiled a calm 34 off 30 balls while player of the match Kieron Pollard inflicted the real damage, clearing the ropes forsixsixesandfourfoursto see Knight Ridders post a competitivetotalof183/7.

Aftermanagingtostayin the hunt with the bat, Kings neededanimprobable29off the final over Hopes were raised of an unlikely victory against the odds when Ackeem Auguste duly

The Knight Riders pulled off the win in Kings’ own backyard to headuptothirdpositionin the CPL table while the home side suffered their f i r s t l o s s o f t h e competition to go with their abandoned first match which sees them one place above Barbados Royals at the foot of the table

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders183for7(Pollard65, Munro 43, Pooran 34, Gaston 2-38) beat St Lucia Kings165for6(Charles47, Seifert 35, Tariq 2-20, Russell2-38)by18runs

Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert put together 74 for the first wicket. (CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert put together 74 for the first wicket. (CPL T20 via Getty Images)

CricketbatwonatDCBfundraisercomplimentsofproject

“Cricketgearforyoungandpromising

The Demerara Cricket Board(DCB)recentlyhelda successful fundraiser at the LBI community center ground and the cricket bat donated by noble initiative donejointlybyAnilBeharry of Guyana and Kishan Das of the USA was won by a lucky cricket fan. Proceeds from this event will be used todevelopfemaleandyoung cricketers.TheDCBthanked this project for the token. This project is happy to be part of the development of cricketacrossthelengthand breadthofGuyana.

Over the years, many

cricketers have benefitted from this project, including ace pacer Shamar Joseph, Kevlon Anderson, who recently made his debut for West Indies and many others.

This project will continuetoimprovethelives of youths in every community We are pleased tobepartofthedevelopment of young cricketers in Guyana. Our aim is to keep them off the streets and get them actively involved in sports,cricketinparticular Total cricket related items received/purchased so

far: $730,000 in cash, thirteen colored cricket uniforms,onesetofstumps, two trophies, thirty six pairs of cricket shoes, thirty nine pairs of batting pads, forty eight cricket bats, forty sevenpairsofbattinggloves, twentyninethighpads,three pairsofwicketkeepingpads, six arm guards, two chest pads, two boxes, fourteen gear bags, thirteen bat rubbers, seven helmets, one fiber glass bat, one pair of floppyhat,sixteenboxesand four of white cricket balls, thirteen boxes of red cricket balls, one bat cone, one

cricketersinGuyana”

batting inners and twenty eightfootballs.Inadditionto theabove,gearwithvalueof over $600,000 was donated by Sheik Mohamed, former N a t i o n a l w i c k e t keeper/batsman All cash collected is being used to purchase cricket gear requested and not available atthetime.

Cricket related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recipients. Talent spotting is

being done across the countryandclubleadersalso assist to identify same Progressive and well managedcricketclubswitha youth programme, will also

Lucky fan on the left received the bat from Annalisa Beharry, a representative of the project.

benefit Distribution will continue. Anyone interested to contribute can contact

AnilBeharryon6236875or Kishan Das on 1 718 664 0896.

Junior Lady Jags honoured at award ceremony following strong CFU U14 campaign

The Junior Lady Jags returned home to a warm welcome and an award ceremony held at the National Training Centre, where parents, coaching staff, and Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officials gathered to celebrate their impressive run at the 2025 CFU U14 Girls Challenge Series.

Guyanatoppeditsgroup stage undefeated, advancing to the semifinals where they battled bravely against French Guiana Despitefallingshortbyone goal in a penalty shootout andnarrowlymissingaspot in the final, the young and majority-indigenous squad captured the nation’s pride withtheirperformances.

During the ceremony, GFF General Secretary Pushpargha Chattopadhyay praised the team’s commitment and spirit, noting that their achievements mark an importantstepforwomen’s football in Guyana He expressed gratitude on behalf of the GFF Council for the players’ efforts in representing the country on the international stage and reaffirmed the Federation’s commitment to supporting t h e i r c o n t i n u e d development.

“The Junior Lady Jags have made us proud. Their fight, discipline, and passion show the potential of this new generation.The GFF will continue to support their journey as they grow, with the hope that many of them will one day make the transition to the Senior Women’s N a t i o n a l Te a m , ” Chattopadhyaysaid.

The General Secretary was joined by Mr Richard DeNobrega, Senior Vice President, Sales and DevelopmentatBlueWater Shipping, who also congratulated the team on the occasion The GFF Council is grateful to Blue WaterShippingforbeingan important stakeholder of women’s football in Guyana. The company has served as the title sponsor for the U-15 Blue Water Secondary Girls InterSchool Championship, from which the majority of the girls in the team were scouted The ceremony highlighted not only the team’s results but also the importance of building a pathway for young female footballers, ensuring that their international experience becomes a stepping stone toward futuresuccess.

CWI Regional Rising Stars 50-Over Championships…

Bad weather ruins opening round for Guyana

The opening round of the 50-Over leg of this year’s

R i s i n g S t a r s U 1 7 Championships was marred by bad weather yesterday despite an iffy win by the Windward Islands, as teams look to reinforce ahead of today’sstarttoRound2.

Guyana, having finished 5thintherecentlyconcluded 2-Daylegofthetournament, will be looking to make amends during the 50-over legofthecompetitionwhich bowledoffyesterday

However, the Guyanese had their bout versus the home team Trinidadians, ruinedbybadweatherwhich resulted in the match being abandoned without a ball being bowled yesterday at the Inshan Ali Park Ground

intheTwinIslandRepublic.

Over at the National Cricket Center Ground, the match between Barbados andtheLeewardIslandsalso hadaforcedstoppage.

Leewards managed to post138-6inagamereduced to 32-overs-per-side, before the match ended 3 3 deliveries into the Bajans chase which abruptly ended on19-0.

AttheQueen’sParkOval where conditions were best suited for action, Jamaica made 217-9 against the Windward Islands having much better conditions as they batted the entire 50 overs.

However, the match would be stopped in the 23 over with the Windwards seemingly well ahead of the

Sensational Shakib puts Falcons back on winning course

CPL-GameelevenoftheRepublicBank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) was another riveting contest that went down to the final over with Antigua & Barbados FalconspippingSaintKitts&NevisPatriots by7wicketswithjusttwoballsremaining.

ImadWasimwonthetossandtheFalcons chose to bowl first in their last match on home soil in this tournament.Asolid effort with the ball and in the field saw three run outsinthefinaloverasthePatriotsfailedto firewiththebatandlostregularwickets.

Jayden Seales impressed with a threateningandeconomicalsetoffourovers thatsawhimreturnfrugalfiguresof1/20.

ShakibAlHasantooktheheadlinesinthe Falcon’s fielding effort though, bagging three wickets that saw him make history as the first player first to take 500 wickets and score7000runsinT20s.MohammedRizwan washisunlucky500thvictim,areturncatch was offered and pouched in nonchalant fashion.HewasdulyrewardedasPlayerOf The Match.Atotal of 133/9 was below par but the Patriots fought hard to restrict the

scoring during the chase, a tense encounter bubbled along with Karima Gore playing a decisive hand, scoring his third half century ofthetournamenttogethissideovertheline atthelast.

Jason Holder bowled the final over with three runs needed off it, the tension was palpable but Gore held his nerve to strike a four down the ground that burst through the handsofthefielderatmid-onandsealedthe wininfrontofjubilanthomesupport.

TheFalconschalkeduptheirthirdwinof thecampaigntoextendtheirleadatthetopof the table by three points over Guyana AmazonWarriorsalbeittheyhaveplayedsix matchestotheWarriorstwo.

The defeat leaves the Patriots in midtable with a few injury niggles floating around the camp that will be a concern to Holder and their fans as the tournament progressesdeeper

Scores: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons 137for3(Gore52*,Salamkheil1-16)beatSt KittsandNevisPatriots133for9(Lewis32, Shakib3-11)bysevenwickets.

- Windwards beat Jamaica by 5 wickets (D/L)

Sports Junior Lady Jags honoured at award ceremony following strong CFU U14 campaign

Sensational Shakib puts Falcons back on winning course