GECOM finalising advertisements to replace Lowenfield, Myers & Mingo

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is currently finalising the terms under which advertisements would be published seeking replacements for top officers who were fired last week.

Last week, GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers and Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Clairmont Mingo, were all dismissed.

Following GECOM’s statutory meeting today, Commissioner Sase Gunraj explained that efforts are underway to replace them.

In fact, he said the issue of crafting the advertisements was the main focus of today’s meeting.

The advertisements will be seeking replacements for the vacant positions, which must be filled ahead of Local Government Elections (LGE) which are due this year.

Gunraj had told reporters last week that LGE are still possible this year, with the termination of the compromised GECOM trio.

Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo had attempted to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

The three election officers are all before the courts on a number of electoral fraud charges in relation to the 2020 polls.

After weeks of false starts, a motion to have them dismissed from GECOM was passed by the commission on Thursday last.

With the embattled trio gone, Commissioner Sase had noted there are still a few months remaining and if GECOM is serious enough about holding the Local Government polls then this can be done.

Local Government Elections is constitutionally mandated to be held every two years and with the last one held in 2018, it is due this year.

While, Government has reassured that Local Government polls will be held this year, it has cited the need for public confidence to be restored in GECOM following last year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections, which left Guyana embroiled in a political and electoral crisis for five months. As such, calls were mounted for the removal of key electoral officials who are responsible for those events.

Nevertheless, some $1.1 billion has been set aside in GECOM’s 2021 budget for the hosting of Local Government polls. This includes $237.7 million for the printing of 500,000 ballots for LGE.

Only last week, President Dr Irfaan Ali, during a press conference to mark his Administration’s one year anniversary in office, said Local Government polls is still on Government’s agenda, while noting that it is up to GECOM to advise on its readiness.

Looking at Dilip Kumar protrayals as a Hindu is amazing, he played the roles so convincingly he fooled hundreds of millions of hindus of his fakeness. Strange how hate suddenly awakes. The 1947 Partition of India pitted Mussalman against Hinduman. Similar in pattern, the 1955 split of the PPP awoke the hate of the Blackman against the Kulieman.

the degenerates resort to cussing down decent indian speakers that attended today's anti-ppp racism march and rally

10,000 strong!

Mayor fails to remove Town Clerk from statutory meeting

Mayor Ubraj Narine and Town Clerk (ag) Candace Nelson

The Local Government Commission’s decision to appoint Candace Nelson as the interim Town Clerk for the Georgetown Municipality was protested again on Monday by Mayor Ubraj Narine and Councillors, who claimed that she is not qualified for the post.

Some 25 workers of the Mayor and City Council protested with placards at the Kitty Market in Georgetown, where a statutory meeting was scheduled to be held at 14:00h. However, at around 14:45h, Councillors voted in favour of Mayor Narine having the meeting adjourned, as their attempts to remove Nelson were unsuccessful.

Before the meeting commenced, the Mayor and Councillors had said they did not recognise the appointment of Nelson and, as such, they asked her to “step down” to allow the meeting to be chaired by the Deputy Town Clerk, who was given such duties in the past.

However, Nelson, who was appointed after the Local Government Commission wrote to then acting Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick and instructed her to return to her substantive position of Assistant Town Clerk effective from July 28, refused to be moved.

“The law does not speak to an interim or illegal Town Clerk,” Narine said to Nelson, while urging her to withdraw from the meeting to allow the Deputy Town Clerk to take charge.

The Mayor told Nelson that legal proceedings have been filed before the Chief Justice, challenging her appointment, and he demanded that Nelson leave the meeting. Standing at their seats waving their placards, Councillors shouted at Nelson, “We do not recognise you!”

The interim Town Clerk then informed the meeting that she was not leaving, as her lawyers have advised her that there is no court order restraining her from participating in the meeting.

Narine also instructed the Chief Constable, a male, to remove Nelson from the meeting, but when the Chief Constable approached Nelson, she told him to “stand down”. She also told this to a female City Police rank, who was also given orders to remove her.

With all efforts to remove Nelson proving futile, the Council adjourned the meeting to later this month.

Nelson was appointed by the Local Government Commission in July, and Sherry Jerrick, who served as Town Clerk, was reverted to her previous position. Chairman of the Local Government Commission, Julius Faerber, said last week that the decision to remove Jerrick was a unanimous one.

“That decision was unanimously voted in favour of, and when I said unanimously, there were seven commissioners who were present at that time, and all seven of them voted in favour of having Ms Jerrick return to her substantive position. That was the situation that occurred,” he had told a press conference.

Faerber has pointed out that the decision to appoint Nelson is in keeping with the authority vested in the Local Government Commission under Sections 12 and 13 of the Local Government Commission Act.

Section 13 (2) states thus: “The Commission shall have power to deal with all matters relating to staffing of Local Government organs, and in particular shall be responsible for employment, transfer, discipline and dismissal of staff.”

The widows of dead Indian soldiers from Assam collect their rifles during the India -China war 1962.

August 30, 2021

Source

Dear Editor,

Guyanese renters and homeowner small landlords, those of other ethnicities also, in America have been severely affected financially by Covid. The Covid rent moratorium has emboldened renters or tenants of all ethnicities not to pay rents. Some of those rent defaulters are Guyanese. Many Guyanese homeowners are struggling to make ends meet and pay the mortgage while tenants who lost jobs can’t afford to pay rent; some who have been re-hired have not been paying or are behind in rent. Guyanese homeowners could lose their homes when Covid is brought under control and normality returns. The situation is reminiscent of what happened in 2008/09 when there was a real estate meltdown in value and home prices collapsed and homeowners lost value in their home of over $100K per property. Foreclosure was widespread impacting on Guyanese also. Based on my impromptu conversations and interviews with many of them in NY, one in three Guyanese homeowners is owed rent of between $1500 and $3500 monthly going back to April 2020. So the amount of money Guyanese landlord is owed is enormous – somewhere from $24K to $48K for every third home owner for the last sixteen months. The total is tens of millions of American dollars owed to Guyanese American landlords.

The government-issued moratoriums on rental and mortgage payments at the start of the pandemic last year April expired last March and was renewed till end of September. Landlords challenged the moratorium in court and won including at the final appeal at the Supreme Court. The government allocated some $45B last year and earlier this year to help renters. But only some $5.5B was actually distributed to or claimed by renters. Several billions more have been included in a new budget for renters. The money is available from government to pay landlords but it is not getting to them. Renters have to file an application and sign it with the money going directly to the landlord. Several renters, for varied reasons, are unwilling to file the application. Some renters are illegal and don’t want to create a file with the government applying for public assistance although the undocumented is eligible for rental and food assistance. Some renters in default simply don’t care a damn because landlords can’t proceed to evict them till after September. And they know the process will take a minimum six months to evict them. So they will get another six months of free rent. Even if evicted and ordered to pay back rent, there is virtually no way to enforce court rulings.

Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram

Happy Krishna Janmashtami to all who are celebrating.

Man like canejuice business has him busy

UN marks first International Day for People of African Descent

PAHO --The International Day for People of African Descent is being celebrated for the first time on 31 August 2021.

The UN on Tuesday celebrated the enormous contributions the African diaspora has made in every field of human endeavour, marking the first-ever International Day for People of African Descent. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a greater commitment to advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all, in his inaugural message.

Long overdue 

“It is a long overdue recognition of the profound injustices and systemic discrimination that people of African descent have endured for centuries, and continue to confront today,” the Secretary-General said.

“And it is an urgent call to action for everyone, everywhere, to commit to rooting out the evil of racism.”

More than 200 million people in the Americas alone identify as being of African descent.  Millions more are located worldwide outside the African continent.

Whether as descendants of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, or as more recent migrants, they are among some of the poorest and most marginalized groups, the UN said.

Last December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the International Day.

The objective was “to promote greater recognition and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies, and to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent”.

Now is the moment

The resolution also recalled two related UN initiatives: the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, and the declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which runs through 2024.

“Twenty years after the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and more than halfway into the International Decade for People of African Descent, we are experiencing unprecedented momentum towards ending the global scourge of racism,” said the Secretary-General.  “We must not squander this opportunity.”

Costa Rica spearheaded efforts to create the International Day. The Central American country changed its political constitution in 2015, defining itself as a multiethnic and multicultural nation.

Jan André Solano is a university student and activist from Limón, a city on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, who admires the late civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  

He recently participated in a UN initiative that collects the stories of various people of African descent in his homeland, who also share their accomplishments, challenges, hopes and life lessons. 

Still dreaming of change

Despite his achievements, Jan said he does not understand why some people cross the street when they see him, or why he is subjected to other indignities, including being closely watched in supermarkets or being singled out for police searches while in public.

Courtesy of Jan André Solano --Jan André Solano participated in a UN initiative that collects the stories of several people of African descent and through their personal experiences they share their achievements, challenges, desires and life lessons.

Latin America is home to nearly 134 million people of African heritage and a recent report by the UN economic commission for the region, ECLAC, reveals how they suffer poverty, lack of access to basic services and inequality.

For example, in Brazil, the overall poverty rate is 11.5 per cent, but among people of African descent, it is 25.5 per cent. The story is repeated in other countries such as Ecuador and Colombia.

Like Dr. King, Jan said he also has a dream: “That exclusion, inequality, racism and discrimination be banished forever from the world, and that I may have the same opportunities to develop, lead a prosperous life and thus dedicate myself to serving, and helping, all other people regardless of the colour of their skin.”

Acknowledge legacy, redress wrongs

The Secretary-General pointed to the UN’s work to dismantle racism.

The Slave Route Project, run by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), encourages open and honest conversation around the horror and greed of slavery.  

Another initiative by the UN Population Fund, UNFPA, focuses on expanding opportunities for young people of African descent, while the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has launched the Agenda Towards Transformative Change for Racial Justice and Equality in efforts to tackle systemic racism, ensure accountability, and deliver reparatory justice. 

Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly established the UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, a 10-member advisory body that will work closely with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“Acknowledging the entrenched legacy of enslavement, redressing the wrongs of history, and shattering the evil lie of supremacy, demands persistence and action every day, at every level, in every society,” the UN chief said.

“Together, let us commit to do our part and advance the promise of equality, justice and dignity for all.”

Case filed by suspended PSC: High Court to rule on President’s immunity on Sept 16

On Thursday, September 16, High Court Judge Gino Persaud will rule on whether President Irfaan Ali is immune from being named as a party to a case filed by the Police Service Commission (PSC) challenging its June 16 suspension by the Head of State. The imminent ruling has its origin in an application filed by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who is asking that the President be struck out as a respondent.

On Monday, Justice Persaud entertained full arguments on the issue from Nandlall and Attorney-at-law for the PSC, Selwyn Pieters. Elaborating arguments proferred in his written submissions laid over ahead of yesterday’s hearing, the Attorney General maintained that is unconstitutional and unlawful to name the Presidents in legal proceedings regardless of whether it is criminal or civil in nature.

The Senior Counsel placed heavy reliance on Article 182 of the Constitution and Section 10 of the State Liability and Proceedings Act. Under the aforementioned constitutional provision, Nandlall argued that the President has immunity from the judicial process.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

According to him, Article 182 states that subject to the provisions of Article 180, the holder of the office of President shall not be personally answerable to any Court for the performance of the functions of his or her office, or any act done in the performance of those functions.

“Whilst any person holds or performs the functions of the office of President, no criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him or her in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him or her in his or her private capacity. And no civil proceedings shall be instituted or continued in respect of which relief is claimed against him or her for anything done or omitted to be done in his or her private capacity,” said the Attorney General as he quoted from the constitutional provisions.

Given that Article 89 states that the President is the Head of State, the supreme executive authority, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Guyana; as a consequence Nandlall submitted that in accordance with Section 10 of the State State Liability and Proceedings Act, all actions brought against him in his capacity as Head of State should only name the Attorney General.

The Senior Counsel went on to highlight the history of Presidential immunity which he says evolved out of the Crown Prerogative. “The Crown was replaced by the President in Guyana where the President is both the Head of State as well as the head of Government. In that regard, Guyana is different from the rest of the Caribbean for example in Trinidad and Tobago where the Head of State is the President and the Head of Government is the Prime Minister.”

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

According to the AG, the compendium of immunities and privileges conferred on the Head of State are similar to the compendium of powers and immunities that have been historically devolved upon members of the judiciary as well as members of the legislature. And he noted that they find expression in constitutional provisions, in statutory provisions as well as in the common law.

He added, “And there is one golden thread that runs through this immunity and it is conferred on the office not necessarily the officeholder, but the office because of the functional responsibilities which devolve upon that office. When the office is occupied, the occupier of that office then enjoys that immunity and all interpretations going back centuries…”

Having regards to the foregoing, the Attorney General submitted that no court which has had the opportunity to interpret this immunity “has ever been able to alienate the holder of the office from the office itself.” He went on to say, “In other words, the cloak of immunity that covers the office, covers the individual impenetrably and that has been the consistent interpretation.”

“You cannot take away the officeholder from the office. When does the President stop being the President? He is President 24 hours per day, every day of the week, every hour of the day… and once he performs either a function of his office or he does it personally. The wisdom of the law has been that it is impossible to draw a distinction between the officeholder and the office.”

In support of his arguments, the Attorney General cited case laws from Guyana, the Caribbean, and other Commonwealth nations. Moreover, Nandlall made it clear that he is “not at all” saying that decisions made by the President are barred from judicial review.

In fact, he submitted that as a creature of the Constitution, the President’s actions are reviewable by the High Court which is conferred with the authority to strike it down should it be found to be unlawful.

Having regard to his arguments, he asked the Court to remove President Ali as a party to the case.

For his part, Attorney-at-law Selwyn Pieters who is the Police Service Commission lead counsel urged the Court to dismiss the AG’s application because President Ali is “indeed a proper and appropriate party being named in his official capacity” as he unlawfully suspended the Police Service Commission.

In addition, he said he is also challenging the actions of the Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie and Secretary of the PSC following its unlawful suspension by President Ali. “The declarations sought is the reason we named His Excellency as a respondent,” told Justice Persaud.

While he acknowledged that the naming of the President in these proceedings is “somewhat unusual”, the lawyer submitted that this simple fact reflects the “unusual and unprecedented nature” of this case and of the course of the action which the President and his Government has taken against the PSC.

He described those actions as, “unconstitutional, undemocratic and a violation of the independence and autonomy of this constitutional body.” According to him, the absence of exact precedent for this case does not mean that the naming of the President is impermissible neither does the role of the Attorney General precludes the naming of the President as a respondent.

The PSC’s lawyer advanced that the case laws relied on by the Attorney General are not applicable in this case, as Guyana’s Constitution has nothing that prohibits proceedings from being brought against the President in his official capacity. He said that the decisions in those cases are “faulty and not binding”.

Justice Persaud will hand down his ruling on September 16. Besides President Ali, others listed as respondents in the matter are Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie, and secretary to the commission.

Paul Slowe

Chairman of the PSC, Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, and several members of the Commission are currently facing criminal charges in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

They have been implicated in a $10 million fraud over duties delegated to them for revising the Police Force’s raft of Standing Orders. It is alleged that the officers collected payments amounting to $10 million, but never provided the Force with a raft of revised Standing Orders.

President Ali suspended the PSC Chairman and Commissioners Michael Somersall, Claire Jarvis, Vesta Adams, and Clinton Conway – all retired Assistant Commissioners of Police – weeks after the Prime Minister had written to them, asking them to show cause why the fraud charges against them should not result in their removal from the constitutional body.

The Prime Minister, in the letter, had said he was exercising powers vested in him by Article 225 of the Constitution, which mandates that a person shall not be removed from a constitutional office except for inability to discharge the function, or for misbehaviour.

That article further provides that a constitutional office holder can be removed by the President if an appointed tribunal recommends the removal of that person.

The tribunal is to be appointed following the advice of a prescribed authority, in this case, the Prime Minister, and is to be constituted in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The JSC is currently not functioning. The last JSC was appointed by former President Donald Ramotar on September 11, 2014. The tenure of each appointed member is for three years; therefore, the tenure of the last Commission expired on September 12, 2017. The life of the PSC expired on August 9.

By virtue of Article 246 of the Constitution, the Police Service Commission is vested with the authority to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in high offices within the Force or even remove them from office as well as the promotion of ranks above the rank of Inspector.

From left to right; Prime Minister Mark Phillips (Guyana), Brigadier General Régis Colcombet (France) and Defense Minister Krishna Mathoera (Suriname) signed the cooperation document. In the background: French Ambassador Antoine Joly and Major General Xavier Buisson. (Photo: Suriname’s Minister of Defense)

August 30 ,2021

Source

Guyana, France and Suriname have agreed to improve cross-border security and combat climate change, but so far the Guyana government has been mum on the accord.

Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips attended the Strategic Dialogue in Cayenne, French Guiana from August 25 to 27, 2021, and signed the cooperation agreement. French Guiana is an overseas Department of France.

However, the Guyana government has said nothing about this agreement and the Prime Minister has declined several requests by Demerara Waves Online News/ News-Talk Radio Guyana 103.1 FM on how Guyana would benefit from the agreement.  Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd also did not respond to similar questions.

Starnieuws reports that “one of the agreements is to increase joint patrols on land, river and sea. The purpose of the exchange of information is to enable the countries to act in a timely manner against various threats. ”

“All three countries presented their challenges and there was talk about how we will formulate our strategies in such a way as to optimally protect our territory, our natural resources, but above all our people,” said Suriname’s Minister Krishna Mathoera.

She said that France, Guyana and Suriname live in a world that is very unpredictable and where we are very connected, “It is therefore important that we use our resources very effectively and efficiently towards the common strategic interests,’ she also said.

France’s Brigadier General Régis Colcombet signed the historic document.

Guyana will fulfill obligations under int’l anti-corruption conventions – Teixeira assures

By Editor On Aug 31, 2021 Last updated Aug 30, 2021, Source- https://newsroom.gy/2021/08/31...ns-teixeira-assures/

Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira

The Ministry of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs on Monday brought together representatives from several anti-corruption bodies for a three-day workshop as Guyana looks to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

The opening ceremony was held at the Guyana Police Force Officer’s Training Centre in Georgetown with participants set to receive guidance from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in preparation for the upcoming second review cycle of the UNCAC.

Guyana acceded to the United Nations Convention against Corruption on April 16 2008. The Convention entered into force for Guyana one month later, on May 16 2008 with Guyana already completing the first review period.

While addressing the anti-corruption workshop, Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira said the aim is to now build institutional capacity within Guyana’s anti-corruption agencies to report in a factual manner. That report she said must be able to stand scrutiny.

Participants

Teixeira explained that in the first review cycle, Guyana hired a consultant who prepared 188 pages’ document which was submitted; nothing was done since.

“… and that can’t work. It can’t work for our country. We need to build institutional capacity so it becomes a part of what we do in government,” she said.

With the formation of this new Ministry which has among its functions satisfying treaty obligations, Teixeira said a national mechanism for treaty reporting is being developed.

In that regard, a National Coordinating Committee is being set up to not only address United Nations Convention against Corruption but also the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, which Guyana has been associated with since 2000.

Both conventions aim to promote and strengthen the development of the mechanisms needed to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption.

“We have to look at where there are overlaps and synergies although there are differences… we need as a country, a small country, to work in an organised and structured manner and development capacity at the agencies and national level.

“If we are serious about anti-corruption and ensuring taxpayers’ money is used for the good of the people and not for abuse, corruption and embezzlement etcetera, then we have to ensure that the agencies involved are prepared and willing to take on the job” the Minister stated.

She said the Committee currently has reps from 12 agencies with plans afoot to expand this list. There are monthly meetings.

The Minister praised the country’s “good legislative framework” but said the government must ensure there are resources to carry out the mandate of preventing corruption and modernize government services to meet those demands.

Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at UNODC Jason Reichelt.

Also speaking during the opinion session of the workshop which will focus directly on Chapters 2 (Preventative Measures) and5 (Assets Recovery) of the UNCAC, was Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at UNODC Jason Reichelt.

He pointed out that a major part of this reporting period is the government’s ability to recover stolen assets.

Reichelt believes Guyana has made tangible efforts to prevent corruption and set an example for other countries in the region facing similar challenges.

What Is Mirin and Why Should You Use It?

Here's everything you need to know about the rice wine staple—and products you can use as substitutes—when making Japanese food.

Country Living -- Charlyne Mattox -- Source - https://getpocket.com/explore/...source=pocket-newtab

Photo by Promo_Link

If you consider yourself an adventurous and clever home cook, you are probably pretty comfortable with trying all sorts of cuisines and testing substitutions—like baking powder alternatives, different options for heavy cream, and even things you can sub in for oil and butter when baking. But if you’re taking on Japanese cuisine, you're going to need to get to know mirin—a rice wine that’s used in teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and more. Read on for a primer on what it is, how to use it, and what to do if you can't get your hands on it in time for your Japanese-themed dinner party.

What is mirin?

Mirin is a rice wine that adds amazing flavor to Japanese cooking. Because of its high sugar content, it’s the perfect balance to the salty flavor of soy sauce, another classic Japanese condiment. And its syrupy consistency makes it a key ingredient in Japanese glazes, such as teriyaki sauce.

Similar to saké, mirin contains around 14 percent alcohol (compared to 18 to 20 percent for saké) and has a high sugar content. True mirin, called "hon-mirin," is made by combining steamed glutinous rice, cultured rice (called koji), and a distilled rice liquor. This mixture is allowed to ferment anywhere from two months to several years. (The longer it ages, the darker the color more intense its flavor will be.) Mirin produced this way has a complex and rich flavor with loads of umami.

Where can you buy mirin?

Bottles of this style of "hon mirin" can be tricky to find in stores in the United States, but you can find them fairly easily online.

When you’re wandering the aisles of your supermarket, you may find a product called mirin-fu or aji-mirin. These are mirin-style condiments. While they aren't exactly true mirin, these products are made by mixing water, corn syrup, and rice. They contain less than 1 percent of alcohol and the taste resembles that of mirin. While they are cheaper than classically made versions, they often lack the rich and complex flavor of a traditional mirin, and many of them have added salt.

What can you substitute for mirin?

While nothing will really replace the flavor of mirin, let’s say you're having a dinner party emergency, and you need answers fast. We’ve got you covered. Probably the best solution is to mix saké with honey, maple syrup, or sugar in a 5 to 1 ratio. Cook the mixture until it's reduced by half.

If you’ve got a well-stocked liquor cabinet, head that way. After treating yourself to a drink, use an equal amount of vermouth, dry sherry, or marsala wine in place of mirin.

Or if you're a person who happens to have rice wine vinegar on hand, add some sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to 1 tablespoon sugar), and then replace one for one in a recipe.

Guyanese benefitted from almost GY$19 billion in oil and gas contracts during first half of 2021

A worker demonstrates the steel cutting process at the Guyana Oil & Gas Support Services (GOGSSI) factory. GOGSSI is one of two local firms providing fabrication services for the Prosperity FPSO, Guyana’s 3rd oil production vessel.

During the first half of 2021, ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors spent nearly GY$19 billion with more than 750 Guyanese vendors on goods and services ranging from food stuff to engineering. This has generated, either directly or indirectly, an economic impact of GY$23.1 billion and increased the total spent on local businesses to $96.4 billion since 2015.

The company said in an activity update on Monday that these figures show an almost $5 billion increase for the same period in 2020, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Outreach to local businesses continued through the Centre for Local Business Development with 141 electronic tender notifications being issued to over 3,000 Guyanese companies and mentoring seven Guyanese companies to be compliant in ISO 9001,” ExxonMobil noted.

Employee statistics also show an increase in local hires for the sector, with a 38 percent growth.

“As of June 2021, 2,865 Guyanese were supporting the company’s overall activities, representing 53% of the total workforce. The Guyanese workforce grew by 38% to 2,865 at the end of June 2021 from 2,070 in June 2020 – and includes 568 women,” the company stated.

Furthermore, over 82,000 hours of training were provided to Guyanese staff working on ExxonMobil Guyana activities, with more than 85 percent being in Professional, Technical and Craft, and Trade training areas.

Commenting on the company’s pursuit of local content development and utilisation, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, said the company is proud of the local content results and will continue its local capacity-building efforts.  “It is important to identify and invest in successive projects that allow for the expansion of efficient operations to provide sustainable employment opportunities, local business growth and broader economic development across Guyana,” he stated.

ExxonMobil Guyana is currently undertaking production in the Liza 1 field offshore Guyana, and Liza 2 is expected to come on stream next year. This will be followed by the startup of the Payara and Yellowtail fields.

Cecil Sullivan

Former Magistrate Cecil Sullivan passes away at GPHC

August 30 ,2021

Source

Former acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan passed away today at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

A statement from the hospital follows:

Statement on the death of Cecil Sullivan

The Management of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) continues its investigation to ascertain the events that led to the demise of Mr. Cecil Sullivan on the afternoon of August, 30, 2021.

Based on the accounts received from staff members and bystanders, it is apparent that Mr. Sullivan was brought to the hospital’s East Street triage area in severe respiratory distress.

Upon arriving at the triage facility, a Public Security Officer accompanied Mr. Sullivan’s relative into the triage area and alerted the medical staff who upon examination found Mr. Sullivan unresponsive.

The GPHC wishes to extend sympathies to the relatives and loved ones of Mr. Cecil Sullivan.

https://newsroom.gy/2021/08/29...NiJJ_SUJWYinxh1agDsg

any alyuh know this man?  mr moneybags   

“Oprah” jailed for robbing man who refused to do sexual transaction with him

Aug 30, 2021 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News, Source - Kaieteur News - https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ransaction-with-him/

Kaieteur News – Sherwin Anthony popularly known as ‘Oprah’ of James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was on Friday jailed after he pleaded guilty to robbing a man who had refused to do business with him.

The 33-year-old male sex worker pleaded guilty to the charge which stated, that on August 21, 2021, at Cornhill Street, Georgetown, while in the company of others and armed with a cutlass, he robbed Cromwell Ross one gold and silver fingering, one gold and silver cricket band, one Amazon electronic tablet, a jackhammer, a Samsung Galaxy J7 cell phone, a knife, and $100,000 in cash – totaling $305,500.

The charge was read to the defendant by Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The court heard that on the day in question, Ross was proceeding in a southern direction on Cornhill Street, when the defendant walked passed him, turned back, and then approached him.

Kaieteur News understands that when the defendant saw this, he held onto Ross’ right hand and asked him if he is doing business. However, Ross responded in the negative and stated that he is going home.

Ross told investigators that the defendant then called four males who immediately surrounded him, one of whom was armed with a cutlass. As such, being fearful for his life, he handed over his ring, band, knife and tablet. One of the suspects then held onto the victim’s jackhammer that he was carrying and relieved him of it.

The suspects then made good their escape and Ross reported the matter to the nearest police station. An investigation was subsequently launched.

The police ranks later reported that on Wednesday August 25, 2021, Ross was walking along the Stabroek Market area when he saw ‘Oprah’ and alerted them. The defendant was arrested, placed in custody and subsequently charged.