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Private funeral for Dave Martins Aug 20, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Annette Arjoon, wife of the late Guyanese musical icon, Dave Martins said that there will be private funeral for him and a subsequent public memorial service at a later date. David Martins Martins (90) died on Sunday following a period of illness. “Many thanks everyone for your kind condolences. We will be having a private funeral and a public memorial which will be at a later date,” Arjoon said in a Facebook post on Monday. Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in for the ‘not a blade a grass’ singer. The Alliance For Change (AFC) in a message said Martins was the very essence of what a Guyanese is and was. “He embodied the spirit of Guyaneseness in the way he lived, and in the way he expressed himself through his music. Every generation of Guyanese since 1970, has embraced the nation’s unofficial anthem, ‘Not A Blade of Grass’ as that song that we are most proud of after ‘Dear Land of Guyana’. It was this song that created the spirit of defiance and patriotism that we needed when our neighbours threatened our sovereignty,” AFC said.  According to the political party, Martins’ repertoire of music is a veritable catalogue of Guyanese and Caribbean life, captured and curated in musical notes and lyrics that are second to none. “These are capable of spawning fields of study and research and we so recommend. From a personal point of view, Dave Martins composed the AFC’s theme song in 2005 from his recording studio in the Cayman Islands, and for that and everything else he has contributed, we are eternally grateful.  To Annette and the Martins’ family, the Leader, Nigel Hughes, Mrs. Catherine Hughes, and the entire Alliance For Change offer their heartfelt sympathy and support at this time of mourning. Dave Martins was a national hero and must be recognised as such in death.” For its part, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) said it was saddened to learn that Martins had passed away. “One of Guyana’s many outstanding cultural icons, Dave Martin and his Tradewinds captured the quintessence of Guyanese life. For many Guyanese, his music conjured up memories of growing up and life in simpler times,” FITUG said.  According to the trade union, for most, his “Not a Blade of Grass” will be most fondly remembered at this time. “It epitomises the conviction of our people in defending our territory against aggression from Venezuela. It has not escaped our attention that the song and its lyrics still evoke the spirit of patriotism and commitment to our country.” FITUG said though Martins is no longer with us, “his music and his life’s work will remain with us – cheering us up in difficult times, reminding us of life as Guyanese people and inspiring us to defend our country and its people. At this time, the FITUG and its thousands of members spread throughout Guyana extend their sincerest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of the late Dave Martins. We thank them for sharing him with us and, as they face this difficult time in their lives, take solace in the countless lives that Dave Martins has touched through his life’s work. May his soul rest in peace.” President Irfaan Ali Sunday evening said Martin was more than just a musician; he was a true Caribbean person whose influence extended beyond borders, touching the lives of countless individuals across the region. “His loss is deeply felt, not only in Guyana but throughout the entire Caribbean and in our diaspora.  Whenever his music plays, no matter where you are, it stirs a deep sense of pride in being a Caribbean person. The rhythms and melodies carry the essence of our shared heritage, reminding us of who we are and where we come from,” the President said. He said Dave Martins’ music connects us to our roots and fills us with a profound love for our Caribbean identity.  “I am confident that while he has passed on, his music will live on. Guyana and the Caribbean are indeed poorer for his passing, but we are infinitely richer for having had the privilege of experiencing his art, his passion, and his deep love for our country and the culture of the Caribbean. Dave Martins will be dearly missed, but his spirit will forever resonate in the rhythms of our Caribbean identity.” Related Similar Articles

60 rogue drivers nabbed during traffic enforcement exercise  Aug 20, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Traffic ranks on Monday made out 60 cases during robust enforcement exercises in the Greater Georgetown area. In a press release the Guyana Police Force said Traffic Officer (ag) Woman Superintendent Shellon Daniels and ranks from Traffic Headquarters, namely Corporals Fraser, Mentore and John, and Constables Lekha, Moseley and Roberts, conducted the successful traffic enforcement exercise. The exercise was conducted between 12:00hrs and 15:00hrs resulting in the 60 cases. The cases are as follows. Fail to produce driver’s license — 3 Fail to confirm to sign — 2 Drawing up alongside a stationary vehicle — 6 Leaving motor vehicle in a dangerous position — 17 Driving motorcycle without safety helmet — 7 Unlicensed driver — 3 Breach of insurance — 3 Uncertified motor vehicle — 2 Uninsured motor vehicle — 2 Prohibition of Tinted Glass — 15 Pic save as rank1 Police traffic ranks during their enforcement exercise Rank2 A policeman clamping the wheel of a car that was not parked properly Related Similar Articles

Govt.’s hiding of true oil reserve numbers a recipe for thievery – Opposition Aug 20, 2024 News Kaieteur News – The People’s National Congress Reform PNC/R) is of the view that the Government of Guyana’s hiding of the true oil reserve numbers is a recipe for thievery. Economist and Spokesperson on oil and gas for the party Elson Low told this publication in an invited comment said that the current administration is treating the country’s oil as if it is its personal property. Economist and spokesperson to the PNC on oil and gas Elson Low. Low said, “The PPP is behaving as if it believes that Guyana’s oil is its personal property. It is clear that the government is deliberately hiding accurate oil reserve estimates because if only one new oil find announced by CNOOC is larger than the government’s entire announced reserve increase then the total increased reserve for multiple finds must be far higher.” The party is of the belief that there should be criminal penalties in place “for deliberately concealing oil reserves and that there should be a transparent, specific, regular process for the release of reserve estimates. In the event that there is a legitimate reason to conceal them (such as national security concerns given the current controversy with Venezuela), these updated estimates should at minimum be communicated to the Opposition via the relevant National Assembly Committees.” Furthermore the PNC believes that the government’s hiding of the true numbers of the oil reserves “is a recipe for kleptocracy because it would allow a government and company to collude to siphon off oil revenues. If Guyanese do not know exactly how much oil the country has and there is not adequate monitoring of daily production (as we have called for) then billions of barrels could go missing over time, with Guyanese unable to identify this. The PPP’s disdain for basic tenets of good governance, like transparency, is a danger to Guyana’s potential prosperity.” The Alliance for Change (AFC) on Friday said that it believes the country’s oil reserves are significantly more than the 11.6B barrels that the government claims. At the party weekly press conference, former leader of the party Khemraj Ramjattan said, “in view of all that is happening right now I distrust whatever the government is saying as to what our reserves are. I believe that it is lots more than 11.6B and the government simply doesn’t want us by virtue of this precedent that they are talking about 2014 to call Exxon for us to question Exxon how much more oil they have discovered, because there were obviously about 16 discoveries or so after that big one in Payara in the Stabroek Block.” Ramjattan’s utterance was bolstered and supported by former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dr. Vincent Adams who challenged the government to release the quarterly report presented by ExxonMobil so that the public can examine it for themselves. In its 2023 annual report that was released this year, ExxonMobil’s partner, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) said that one of the eight new discoveries Lancetfish which was discovered in April 2023, averaged 100 million tons, translating to an estimated 746 million barrels of oil. However, the Guyana Government on Wednesday claimed that since the last update in 2022, the reserves have only grown by 600M barrels.  This glaring contradiction, which was done at a televised news conference will further undermine the government’s claim of being transparent in its dealing with citizens in the oil and gas sector. Related Similar Articles

President’s College for $386M expansion Aug 20, 2024 News Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand at the sod turning at the President’s College Kaieteur News – Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Monday officially turned the sod for the construction of a new $386M teachers’ block at President’s College, Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara. This ceremony marks the commencement of a major project aimed at enhancing the educational infrastructure of the institution. The construction contract has been awarded to Jaspal Mohabir of Mohabir’s Construction, with an expected completion timeline of 12 months, the Education Ministry said in a release. The modern two-story block will be designed to improve both the teaching and learning environments, the release added. The ground floor will feature nine state-of-the-art classrooms, a sanitary block, and an administrative office, while the upper level will boast eleven additional classrooms and a comprehensive library.  Furthermore, the integration of modern science laboratories into the new building will significantly enhance the college’s science curriculum, providing students with innovative hands-on learning opportunities, the ministry said. In her remarks at the sod-turning ceremony, Minister Manickchand emphasised the importance of investing in education and infrastructure. She noted that the new teachers’ block will not only address the immediate needs for modern educational facilities but also lay the groundwork for future advancements in teaching and learning. Related Similar Articles

Exxon’s decommissioning money could reduce with larger oil reserves – Former EPA boss Aug 20, 2024 News Kaieteur News – Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams recently said that American oil major, ExxonMobil, could be hiding Guyana’s true oil reserves, as this would reduce the sum that could be deducted by the company for decommissioning activities. Former EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams Decommissioning refers to the cleanup and restoration of the environment following the end of the life of an oil project. It involves the safe plugging of wells and removal of equipment used during the operations, including the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. During an Alliance For Change (AFC) press conference on Friday, Dr. Adams shared his view on the recent revelation by Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat that Guyana’s oil reserves have only grown from 11B barrels to 11.6B barrels over the last two years and eight discoveries. Dr. Adams, a Petroleum and Environmental Engineer hinted that the company may be deliberately keeping the nation in the dark on its real oil reserves as this would affect the monies it can deduct and hold in its account for decommissioning. He explained, “If you read the contract and this might be tied to something else because remember the issue that was raised about the money being withdrawn for decommissioning that goes into Exxon’s Bank Account? The amount that is being withdrawn is calculated and here is how that amount is being calculated: it’s being calculated by dividing the (decommissioning) budget…you divide that number by the reserves and then you multiply it by the amount that has been produced.” Consequently, the former head of the EPA noted, “Right now they are dividing by 11B barrels, if you divide it by let’s say 18B barrels…you are reducing it by almost half as to what they can withdraw for decommissioning so is there a suspicion that is tied to it?” The comments made by Minister Bharrat have attracted criticism from citizens who have been paying attention to the developments in Guyana’s petroleum sector. It should be noted that the last resource count, dated April 26, 2022, declared the recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block at 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels. Since then, Exxon announced eight subsequent discoveries, the Seabob-1 and Kiru-Kiru-1 wells, Sailfin-1, Yarrow-1, Fangtooth SE, Lancetfish-1, and Lancetfish-2 wells, along with the recently announced Bluefin discovery. Exxon’s partner, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Limited, in its 2023 Annual Results disclosed that one of the eight discoveries made by ExxonMobil Guyana since 2022 holds an estimated reserve of 746 million barrels of oil. CNOOC said in the report that the Lancetfish discovery, which was made in April 2023, averaged some 100 million tons, which is equivalent to 746 million barrels, according to the conversion formula of the Independent Petroleum Association of America. ExxonMobil is the operator of the Stabroek with a 45% stake, with partners CNOOC Ltd and Hess holding interests of 25% and 30%, respectively. Related Similar Articles

French company wins contract for Guyana’s reservoir audit -“It is something that we should have done a long time now” – Oil minister Aug 20, 2024 News Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat Kaieteur News – Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat last week revealed that a contract has been awarded to a French firm to conduct a reservoir audit. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources issued Epression of Interest for “Consulting Services for Conducting Petroleum Resources and Reservoir Audit.” This process had initially attracted three proposals, Egyptian company Stratoil Energy Services, French company Beicip Franlab, and DeGolyer & Mac Naughton Corp (D&M) of Texas, USA. The ministry’s advertisement stated that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has received financing in the amount of US$20 million from the World Bank (WB) towards the cost of the Guyana Petroleum Resources Governance and Management Project (GPRGMP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds to pay a consulting firm to provide advisory services, technical support and training and capacity strengthening services to the GoG. It was revealed by the Natural Resources Ministry that the objective of the assignment is for the Consultant to provide advisory services, technical support and training and capacity strengthening services to the government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Sector Regulator – the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) or the Petroleum Commission (PC) once established – and other attendant Ministries with the aim of enhancing the country’s core capacity to review, approve, authorise, and oversee, monitor and report on the country’s oil and gas reserves and resources. During his Mid-Year press conference last week, Minister Bharrat revealed, “A French company has been awarded the contract to do our reservoir audit. It is something that we should have done a long time now, but I’m happy that we’re going to start this soon.” This publication had reported that during a May 2024 opening of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office, it was revealed that Stratoil Energy Services bid – US$381,200 (excluding local indirect taxes), US$129,000 (local taxes) for the contract, and Beicip Franlab bid US$451,930 (excluding local indirect taxes), US$192,070 (local taxes). This minister’s disclosure about the reservoir audit comes amid debates on the true figure of Guyana’s Stabroek Block reserves. According to Minister Bharrat the block’s reserves have only increased by 600 million barrels since the last official update in 2022, which placed the reserves at 11 billion barrels. This update comes despite ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of the block, announcing eight new discoveries since then and Exxon’s partner, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) stating that one of the eight new discoveries Lancetfish which was discovered in April 2023, averaged 100 million tons, translating to an estimated 746 million barrels of oil. CNOOC made the disclosure in its 2023 Annual Report which was released this year. At the press conference, Minister Bharrat addressed an estimation by international experts from US analytics company S&P Global who recently put the current Guyana basin reserves at 18.7 billion barrels. Chairman of Wales Development Authority, Asgar Ally in January had said that some 15 billion barrels of oil have already been discovered to date in the Stabroek Block. Ally, a former Finance Minister and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Jamaica was representing Guyana at the Jamaica Stock Exchange Conference held in January when he made the comments. Related Similar Articles

Carbon credit sales dipped Aug 20, 2024 News President Mohamed Irfaan Ali …but Govt. ups allocation to Amerindians by US$700,000. Kaieteur News – President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Monday announced a US$700,000 increase in Carbon Credit Funds for some 242 Amerindian Villages. The announcement was made during the opening Ceremony of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference annually held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. During his feature presentation Ali said that this year a total of US$87.5 million in revenues was received from “Carbon Credit Sales and pointed out that it is less than what Guyana had received in 2023. Last year Guyana received US$150 million from Hess Corporation- one of ExxonMobil’s partners in the lucrative Stabroek Block- following a US$750M multi-year deal the government signed with the oil company for one third of the country’s Carbon Credits”. The government had handed out 15 percent of that amount (US$22.5 million) to Amerindian Villages. With Carbon Credit Sales revenues decreasing this year by some 41.6 percent, Ali noted that a similar 15 percent allocation for the villages will mean less money for the indigenous people. “…But because we are a government that care and love you, because we are a government that believes in giving more and not less, we have taken a decision to allocate 26.5 percent of the total earnings this year to you, although the agreement is 15 percent.”, Ali told the Toshaos on the opening day of the conference. While 26.5 percent is a significant increase in percentage from 2023, the actual revenues that the 242 Amerindian Villages will receive in 2024 has not increased by much. “We do not want you to get less than what you had so we have increased the percentage this year to 26.5 percent ensuring that you get no less than what you got last year, US$23.2 million or GYD$4.84 billion, directly transferred to your villages,” Ali further explained before adding: “Isn’t this love? Let me hear you, isn’t this love?”. An increase from US$22.5 million (GYD 4.7 Billion) to US$23.2 million (GYD$4.84 billion) means that the Amerindian Villages will only receive US$700, 000 (only GYD$140 million) more than they did last year. Related Similar Articles