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Headquarters are COP T20 champs Sep 11, 2024 Sports Headquarters romped to a comfortable 10-wicket win over 4A and 4B Combined. Kaieteur Sports – Headquarters were crowned champions of the Commissioner of Police T20 tournament which culminated on Saturday at Eve Leary. Headquarters romped to a comfortable 10-wicket win over 4A and 4B Combined in the final. 4 A and 4 B Combined won the toss and opted to bat, but were reduced to 21-2 with Mohamed making inroads picking up the wickets of C/O J. Campbell (06) and C/O D. Collins (00). C/O Orvin Venture and dangerman C/O Chemroy Kendall, fresh from a century in his previous game, steadied the innings somewhat with a third-wicket stand of 31 before Kendall was caught of Cpl. Delon Paul for 10, while Mohamed removed Venture for 26; his innings contained three fours and two sixes. The inform C/O Troy Drakes showed some fight, hitting four fours before he was removed by Mohamed for 23. However, the rest of the batting faltered with only C/O Samuel Henry reaching double figures with 10 as they were bowled out for 106 in 15.5 overs. Mohamed grabbed 4- 25, London 2-12 and C/O Hazel Williams 2-13. London and Mohamed wasted little time in the chase as they fashioned an unbroken  opening stand of 110 in 9.4 overs, handing their team an easy victory. London slammed six fours and four sixes in a top score of 67 while Mohamed struck three fours and one six in his unbeaten 27. London was the tournament’s best all-rounder, while Mohanmed copped the best bowler in the final prize. Ivor Trotz was rewarded for taking a hat-trick in the tournament. Earlier, Officers won the third/fourth place playoff game against Region Two by 31 runs.  Batting first, Officers posted 124-9. ASP C. Sullivan made 40, C/O Ivor Trotz 15 and ASP Michael Newland 14.  Inspector Roopnarine Ramnarine, R/C Fazeer Khan and C/O P. Edward took two wickets each. Region Two were bowled out for 93 in 17.4 overs, in reply. Khan scored 27, Corporal Reon Venture 21 and C/O Diquan Campbell 16. Trotz claimed 4- 5, while C. Sullivan, ASP Troy Benn and ASP Trevor Benn had two each. Related Similar Articles

Teams gearing up for Wiltshire, Hunte dominoes tourney Sep 11, 2024 Sports Mark Wiltshire Kaieteur Sports – A number of teams have already registered for the upcoming dominoes competition which is slated for September 15 at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. Among the teams registered so far are Mix Up, Gold is Money, Spartans, F and H, Vikings, Strikers, R and R, Fresh Cash and C6. The competition which is being organised by Mark Wiltshire and David Hunte, has been dubbed ‘Sunday in the Country’, and will commence at 14:30hrs; entrance fee is $15,000 for male teams and $10,000 for female teams. $100,000 has been added to the prizes (in the pot) and the best female player in the first round will receive a hamper and $5000; the best female player in the tournament will receive $10,000. All GNDA rules will be in effect and teams can contact Wiltshire on 659 8672 or Hunte on 696-1851 for registration. Related Similar Articles

The President and pure truth Sep 11, 2024 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column Kaieteur News – I am worried.  President Ali made me worried before relative to the paleness of his fondness for truth. Still, I thought it was going to be a swiftly passing phase in the cyclone that is his presidency, that strength of truth would return and takeover both the man and his time at the helm.  Regrettably, the paleness of truth in the Ali government has only gotten sicklier looking, now with an almost deathly pallor. GHK Lall According to the book of President Ali, the world of Guyana began in 1992.  It stopped in 2015, when a comet hit here, and things fell apart.  Restoration has begun again since August 2020.  President Ali could be given a pass for having a one-eyed and half-cocked view of developments in Guyana.  He, however, cannot be spared for having a one-track mind about where Guyana was, how that came about, and where it is today.  I start by using reverse chronology. The president lowered his voice and spoke in poetic cadences at the recently concluded indigenous confab of how sweet liberty in the face of oppression is.  He can follow a script, I will give him that, but he can’t live it. For shortly afterwards last week, Mr. Vincent Henry, a Member of Parliament of indigenous roots was unceremoniously run out of the National Toshaos Council gathering in the capital city.  Who is for freedom and who is about oppression and the fear of open doors and frank conversation could not have had a better set of circumstances as proof.  Mr. Mervyn Williams, a former MP, and an indigenous son of Guyana was also declared persona non grata at the Toshaos conference and blocked from joining the proceedings.  The sweet liberty of Mohamed Irfaan Ali does have a strange way of manifesting itself in Guyana.  Using that as a standard, I must contemplate if I would be blocked from showing my face at a conference discussing Indo Guyanese (or any) matters in this country.  I wonder what threatening label would be found to paste on someone like me. My recommendation to President Ali is that if he is going to hold fast to some leaf of truth, then when he speaks of liberty, he should know that it has no limits, not even when having to deal with those declared to be undesirables.  Clearly, Dr. Ali harbors ideas in his head about what liberty can only mean and to whom it should apply, in that he alone determines the loyalty and quality of their citizenship.  This is the upside-down world of Guyana, where a man who bullies and knocks down those found disagreeable could speak about sweet liberty.  When the devil starts quoting scriptures, then it is time for people like me to run for cover. If President Ali is to be taken seriously, pre-1992 Guyana was a void, utter darkness, thanks to the beastly, diabolically clever PNC.  Not a piece of land was given to the indigenous.  Perhaps, that is why not a blade of grass has now come into its own with the powers in the PPP Government.  For if there was no land given by the PNC of Burnham, it makes sense for not a blade of grass to be the battle cry of Guyanese from coast to coast.  My concern is not from where President Ali gets these, shall I say, mental and historical extravagances, his own irrational exuberances.  But how does he still get comfort from them and still deliver them, despite being called out for articulating publicly what has such distance from things truthful, factual? Whatever the personal regard the president has for the fullness of truth that is his business, his constitutional right.  But as president he is afforded neither the same luxury nor liberty nor cavalier attitude with truth from this corner.  I can appreciate that the president is excitable and gets carried away by what he imagines to be the splendor of his own voice and its volume.  But it is well for his people to remind him that he functions in distinctly defined historical and reality-based contexts, and not as he is prone to conjuring rather irresponsibly. No president should delight in being a boisterous salesman rather than mature statesman.  Rhetorical bubbles and baubles are not his stock in trade.  Like slick salesmen, President Ali has grown overly friendly with lip service.  Guyana’s burning issues: Democracy, inclusivity, harmony, transparency, accountability are all shells of themselves, thanks to the head salesman.  One Guyana fragments into a thousand pieces in Mocha, Cotton Tree, Buxton, Linden.  Duplicity, double standards, and double dealing are now essentials in the national character. A peasant is afforded lapses in memory, the lack of deep learning.  But even a peasant is not entitled to that discretion forever.  When presidents are involved, the standards are tighter, the scrutiny more intense, the territory less lenient.  Still, a president could be extended quiet discretion, but on one condition only.  What was delivered in public was due to negligence in sticking to the facts, and not some peculiar pathological fascination with manufacturing situations for political mileage. When truth’s purity is subject to such constant pounding stresses by almost a whole government, then the only liberty that soars is the liberty to dissemble first, distract next, deceive carelessly, and congratulate self for disingenuousness.  On any issue.  On any occasion.  On any moment’s notice before any audience.  I am worried that President Ali has now convinced himself that showmanship is the first essence of true leadership.  He may be on to something regarding leadership alone, but not on anything that has to do with the fullness of truth. Truth is boring, not about hysterics.  Truth is mature, responsible, faithful, and not about mugging for the microphone and the mob.  Truth is painful, when it exposes one’s squeamishness with it.  Last, Dr. Excellency: truth is liberating because it frees those the clutches of falsehoods, introduces them to fresh and new horizons. Lessons that never fail. Stick to reality, sir.  Abandon fantasy. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this  newspaper.) Related Similar Articles

Mr. Bisram seems unfulfilled Sep 11, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, For a person who stated that he holds 6 Masters and 6 P.hD degrees, Mr. Vishnu Bisram seems to be unfulfilled in life from the frequent silly letters he pens to all the local newspapers and the topics that he writes about. He also seems to exhibit a colonial mentality and a revolutionary wannabee from the various protests and liberation struggles that he inserts himself into. I also got the impression, from his letters, that he may be a racialist and religionist. Regards. Sham Rahman Mohammed  Related Similar Articles

The Matthews Ridge drug bust Sep 11, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, We heard the statement by the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs and of course, following the script raised by the President and others, noteworthy his involvement with the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Dear Editor, when the manganese company closed their operations claiming that they were mining in a cone, that is, as they dug deeper, there was less and less manganese. Those of us in Government at the time had our doubts. Burnham sent me in with a team to the area to persuade Guyanese Mine workers to become farmers. This effort was unsuccessful. However, as a result, I became familiar with this part of the North-west, and from information received, this airstrip and the massive amount of cocaine found, could not be more than 4-7 miles, as the crow flies, from the community of Matthews Ridge.  Was the airstrip built by hand? I am also aware that a friendly state for a few months had stationed a well armed and equipped battalion in the face of threats from our western neighbour. Then there is the tragedy of Jim Jones and his community further away from this area. With limited resources. Instructions were given to overfly this area periodically. With modern surveillance equipment and no shortage of money, it is preposterous, unacceptable and unbelievable that this operation could have been conducted undetected. Guyanese including PPP supporters must demand the truth, that is, if the powers that be, understand what truth is. I am told that a senior police officer has been replaced. I have no way of confirming if this is the case, but I believe the President, the General Secretary of the PPP, the top brass of our security forces must say. Why it is. We apparently had to rely on the United States. The truth and the whole truth will point to either complicity, carelessness or incompetence. For who knows, this may be the tip of the iceberg. My only comment is the establishment must stop treating us the people as idiots. Incidentally, we must note with interest that the Minister had stated that these pits were dug by hand. At the next Press Conference, we should be told how we arrive at this conclusion. Hamilton Green Elder Related Similar Articles

Absence of emergency response glaring in measures rolled out for creeks Sep 11, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, It was good to see movement at last, following the latest creek outing tragedy, the authorities putting measures in place.  These safety measures should have been put in place a long time. It is unthinkable, but happening all along and despite several incidents at these locations, an essential feature such as a trained lifeguard is absent. It is posited the authorities must share some responsibility for these incidents and ensuing tragic outcomes.  It is not as though they are not aware what goes on at these creeks on weekends and holidays.  The absence of basic safety measures should have seen operations suspended at these locations. It was noted though in the measures rolled out and for operators to become compliant, the absence of emergency response was glaring.  The latest incident noted that calls to the emergency service hotline indicated ‘no ambulance were available that far out’ (KN September 9).  So persons go to these locations and are left on their own when an emergency occurs. Better has to be done for emergency situations at these locations.  Some mechanism must be found and put in place for an emergency call to be responded to.  It is just unacceptable, where life matters, (and heaven forbids a similar incident might occur again) that the response given in this latest incident, to be the norm. Of course safety is everybody’s and especially our own business and we must be mindful of this when venturing on outings and activities where the unknown can creep up unsuspectingly. My condolences to the grieving families and relatives of the two young girls. Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed Related Similar Articles

The folly of Gas to Energy Projects Sep 11, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, “The hazards associated with gas-to-energy projects include: methane leaks throughout the gas extraction, transportation, and processing stages, which contribute significantly to climate change, potential explosions from pipeline leaks, air pollution from combustion products like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides”. (Reference: Climate Council. org, Southern Environmental Law Center). According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Nitrate and Nitrogen Fertilizers and Cancer”, President’s Cancer Panel – October 21, 2008, “In addition to methemoglobinemia, a range of other health effects have been associated with ingesting nitrate-contaminated drinking water, including various cancers, adverse reproductive outcomes (especially neural tube defects), diabetes, and thyroid conditions”. The water contamination occurs from run off and accumulation in ground water under agricultural land. The result is that well water is contaminated by the fertilizer.  The report also stated, “The ecological effects of too much nitrogen in the environment are well-known and include algal blooms resulting in ‘dead zones’ in freshwater lakes and coastal areas”. We cannot as a country, continue to neglect the importance of everyone’s health in the pursuit of a system that has been proven to be ineffective in achieving sustainable long-term economic growth. The U.S. Budget Committee (Reference: budget.house.gov, January 26, 2024) stated, “mandatory health care spending is the key driver of our nation’s $34 trillion debt, driving America to the edge of insolvency”. Many people in countries that have pursued this strategy of fertilizing their products with the byproducts of the oil and gas sector have been severely impacted by cancer. As a result, these economies are making a significant shift towards organic products so as to secure their future health. Guyana must make the immediate shift towards this new healthy organic strategy so as to avoid the pitfalls and errors of the current leading economies. Consumers in leading economies are willing to pay a premium for this healthier way of life. Our small country has a very healthy environment primarily due to our lagging economic growth. This has been a blessing in disguise and has helped us avoid the adverse effects of a highly industrialized economy. We must now learn from the mistakes of others and ensure that we avoid making the same mistakes. It is better to leave the production of the fertilizer to others and focus our efforts on healthy organic agriculture. The EPA continues to show a lack of thoroughness in their project evaluations and they should not be expected to do a thorough job in regulating such an industry. The protection of our citizens appears to be a significant weakness under the current leadership. The public discussion over Coverden is an example that brings much concern. The lack of EIAs for major projects that will impact the environment also gives pause and reduces confidence in the EPA. It is better for us to take the conservative approach and avoid the risks associated with these cancer-causing projects. As the saying goes “Prevention is better than Cure”. What is even more concerning is that the first project hasn’t been completed and another is being proposed and planned. Leave the gas pipeline alone. The sunk costs and lack of timely financing for the project is a clear indicator that responsible decision making is not occurring. If the government is not willing to place the safety of our citizens at the forefront of their decision making then we must as a people demand change. Change that will ensure the safety of ourselves, our children and our children’s children. If they are not in it for the long term, then we must be, and we must place those in leadership that can appreciate the importance of our safety and the health of the environment in which we live. It is preferable to see the new hospitals empty and live a long life in a healthy environment. As for the energy benefits of the gas to energy project, the government’s argument is very weak at best. In 2022 Solar added 191 GW of new capacity globally. This was the most new renewable energy capacity added globally. In 2023 over 80% of new power capacity added to the world market was renewable energy. (Reference: International Renewable Energy Agency). The world is accelerating its transition to renewable energy due to the favourable economics of renewables and the adverse impact of climate change. It is not only profitable, but also necessary. Guyana is currently not in sync with the world trend. Our gas should be sold and the funds used to invest in renewable energy needs. We do not need any more mega projects that are extremely expensive and at risk of extensive corruption. The people must speak up and voice their objections. The gas to energy project is unhealthy, unnecessary, unneeded and not helpful in our pursuit to become a first world nation of the future. We must pursue the path and the destination of where leading nations would like to be. Instead of the path and the destination of where they are today. Learn from their mistakes and avoid them. Do not repeat them. Unfortunately, this is the current course of transformation that is being pursued by the government of today. It is time for change. President Ali and VP Jagdeo must make a fundamental shift in their development strategy if they wish to remain relevant in the future. Otherwise, Guyanese families will never forgive them if illness comes as a result of the gas to energy project. With concern, Mr. Jamil Changlee Related Similar Articles