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– Police investigation underway

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, has issued a stern warning regarding the use of fake and unauthorised pension books.

The issue is currently under investigation by the Guyana Police Force.

During a recent outreach in Region Six, Minister Persaud outlined the severity of the matter and warned that anyone caught committing fraud will be held accountable.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud delivers remarks at the Canefield Health Centre, Region Six, on Tuesday

“These books are not authorised by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and as such, it is being investigated by the Guyana Police Force. It is a serious thing and anybody found complicit in respect of who they are, will be held accountable by law. They will face the full force of the law,” Minister Persaud warned.

The unauthorised booklets, which have appeared in various payment facilities, lack the security features and colours of the official document.

Pension Payment

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has provided all relevant evidence of the fake books to the police. It has warned that anyone trying to pass them off as real will have legal action taken against them.

The ministry also called on its staff, the Guyana Post Office Corporation, and other payment venues to increase vigilance and ensure the integrity of the payment process.

To prevent abuse, persons are reminded that official pension booklets are only distributed through designated offices countrywide.

Minister Persaud urged senior citizens to utilise the various payment methods made available by the ministry via banks and Mobile Money Guyana (MMG). With funds being deposited within the first five days of each month, the ministry’s payment methods are both secure and can be accessed in a timely manner (Republished from the Department of Public Information)

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Reigning champions Guyana Amazon Warriors booked their spot in the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final by inflicting an eight-wicket defeat over Barbados Royals in Providence.

Imran Tahir won the toss and decided to field first, himself and his fellow bowlers working as a well-oiled unit to restrict and run through the Royals who eventually posted a total of 148 runs.

The Royals batting card was full of starts but no one grabbed the innings by the scruff of the neck and went on to post a decisive score as wickets continued to fall.

Quinton de Kock chipped a simple caught and bowled chance back to Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd picked up the key wicket of Rahkeem Cornwall with a reviewed lbw decision that went the Warriors way.

Guyana Amazon Warriors players celebrate a wicket (Photo: CPL/Getty Images)

Cornwall was looking in fine form and the reversal of the on field decision put the Royals under real pressure that they never really recovered from.

The Warriors bowling line-up shared the wickets between them; Shepherd finishing with 3-35 and Moeen Ali once again bowling a decisive spell with the ball in hand, spearing in 13 dot balls and picking up two wickets to end with 2-24 for his efforts.

Some chaotic running in the scrabble for late runs also saw two run outs as the Royals innings spluttered to a close.

The Warriors set about the total with confidence and managed to win the match and secure their place in Sunday’s final inside 15 overs.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Moeen Ali flayed the ball to all parts at the top of the order, Gurbaz departing for a rapid 40 off 18 balls with four sixes and Ali finishing unbeaten on 44 off 35 balls to cap a fine all-round performance in a crucial match.

Shai Hope of Guyana Amazon Warriors bats as Quinton De Kock of Barbados Royals keeps wicket during the Men’s 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League semi final match between Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence Stadium on October 04, 2024 in Georgetown, Guyana. (Photo by Ashley Allen – CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Shai Hope made a classy half-century before being yorked by Ramon Simmonds with just two runs needed for victory.

Player-of-the-Match Moeen clipped the decisive single off his pads just a couple of balls later to land the telling blow.

The winning run struck with 33 balls left unused saw the Barbados Royals title hopes left in tatters and Guyana Amazon Warriors cruising to a comprehensive victory that gives them an opportunity to land back-to-back CPL titles.

Saint Lucia Kings lie in wait in what promises to be an enthralling end to the 2024 competition. (CPL)

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The Centre for Local Business Development celebrated the graduation of 18 women from its third cohort of the AccelerateHer female entrepreneurship programme on Friday.

The four-month intensive training focused on building leadership and business skills. Participants hailed from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, representing industries such as tourism, medical services, manufacturing, and hospitality among others.

Keisha Chung, a past participant turned mentor of the AccelerateHer programme, shared her experience during the graduation ceremony.

“I have no regrets, of course during the programme I asked myself every day how am I going to get through this? What am I doing? Why am I doing this? But it paid off.

“It paid off because at the end of the programme I feel like I emerged as a completely different woman,” Chung told the audience at the ceremony.

Keisha Chung, a past participant turned mentor

Chung believes the programme made her stronger, more confident and a better leader for her business. It also helped her to set up a succession plan and strategic five-year plan for her business.

“So where people might not see immediate funding or financial support and all of that there are things that change within your business when you dedicate yourself to a programmes like this,” Chung said.

Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud praised the initiative and expressed hope for future collaboration with the ministry’s Women’s Investment and Innovation Network (WIIN) programme.

“Guyana is on the precipice of many more great things and it is time now not to see the opportunities but to seize them.

“…and I want to congratulate AccelerateHer for investing in women and for taking them to that point where they seize the opportunities, perfectly equipped with all the necessary elements all the necessary skills and more importantly the network and partnership that is so pivotal for the successes that they want to achieve,” Dr. Persaud stated.

Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud

Dr Persaud said she would like to see the Greater Guyana Initiative expand to such a magnitude that there are hundreds of programmes that thousands of women who graduated from the ministry’s programmes are also able to benefit from.

The Greater Guyana Initiative is a US$100 million (GY$20 billion) investment by the Stabroek Block Co-venturers – ExxonMobil Guyana, Hess Guyana and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana, aimed at supporting the development of programmes across the country over a 10-year period.

“Your commitment to local content must be a real one and I am seeing the strides but it needs to be way more, if our country’s human resources especially our women are able and capable of increasing the labour force that has to be way more,” Dr. Persaud said.

She also encouraged the graduates to become mentors to the women in the ministry’s programme.

“I don’t want to see 30 people in AccelerateHer, no,” the Minister added while pointing to the magnitude of what this programme is achieving and the opportunities for funding, partnership and mentorship.

This Dr. Persaud believes is extremely critical to the success of any entrepreneur, especially female entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, Director of the Centre for Local Business Development, Dr. Natasha Gaskin-Peters highlighted a recent IDB study that showed the challenges facing women-owned businesses in Guyana.

Director of the Centre for Local Business Development, Dr. Natasha Gaskin-Peters

“That study would have found that 95 per cent of women owned businesses had fewer than 10 fulltime employees, 82 per cent earned less than US$50,000 per year and only four per cent of that cohort were certified, only four per cent participated in global supply chain,” Dr. Gaskin-Peters said.

The importance of continued capacity-building efforts for women owned businesses was also highlighted at the ceremony.

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Up to 1,000 Kenyan police officers are due to be part of the multi-national police taskforce (Photo source: Reuters)

CALL FOR ASSISTANCE

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Although an order was issued for their release, two men were on Friday remanded to prison after they were charged for allegedly abducting Joshua David called ‘Bricks’ one week ago.

Alpha Poole, 35 of Stanley Place, Kitty, Georgetown and Osafo Peters, 28 of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown appeared before Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

At the same time, five other suspects in the matter; Aaron Alleyne called ‘Cats’, Wayne Barker, Damion Barlow, Dwayne Griffith and Daventai Mars surrendered to the Police at the Brickdam Police on Friday.

It is alleged that on September 26, 2024 at Main Street, Georgetown, while in the company of others, Poole and Peters abducted David, with the intent of secretly and wrongfully confining him.

The men were not required to plead to the charge and were remanded to prison. The case was adjourned to October 11, 2024.

Four of the five other suspects who surrendered

Known fondly ‘Bricks’ among his peers, David was abducted outside a Main Street, Georgetown restaurant where he had gone to purchase food on the evening of September 26.

Acting on information, the Police began their search for David last weekend in the Buxton and Annandale backlands. However, three days of searches ended in futility as nothing of evidential value was found.

Before the men were taken to court on Friday, a legal dispute unfolded when attorney Everton Lammy-Singh informed the court of an order that was issued for both men to be immediately released from custody as they were kept in custody beyond their 72-hour detention period.

The order was handed down by High Court Judge Justice Nichole Pierre. She ruled in favour of their release, citing the breach of legal protocol.

Singh-Lammy told the News Room that he will be returning to the High Court to seek contempt charges.

During the Court proceeding, the prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that the men were likely to be charged with a more serious offence as David was not located.

However, Lammy-Singh and Glenn Hanoman, who is representing Poole argued that under the laws of Guyana, the offence is a bailable one and it does not attract a penalty of more than five years.

Among other things, they highlighted that while the pictures of the accused are being plastered on the internet, they are not among the persons who were captured on the video abducting David.

The lawyers also told the court that bulletins were issued for their clients one day after the alleged incident without the Police making any efforts to arrest them.

In fact, they said both Poole and Peters voluntarily surrendered to the Police.

After listening to both sides, the magistrate remanded the men. She also ordered that on the next court date, still images from the video of the abduction be presented in court as well as the video which captured the abduction.

READ ALSO

Family clings to hope as search continues for abducted Joshua David

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The existing New Amsterdam Hospital is being replaced with another, more modern facility that costs about US$161 million.

And Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said once that new hospital is built, the current one will be transformed into a mental health facility.

At a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo said the construction of the new New Amsterdam Hospital is part of several crucial investments in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne). These investments, he said, are meant to advance development and people’s quality of living in the region.

The new hospital, in particular, will be a European standard facility. According to Jagdeo, it will provide Berbicians with an “international level” of healthcare.

The current hospital, which serves thousands of people, will not be destroyed. Instead, it will be transformed into a better facility to provide mental health services.

“The old hospital will be rehabilitated, refurbished and upgraded and made into the mental health facility,” Jagdeo said at the press conference.

Just nearby the current hospital is Guyana’s National Psychiatric Hospital which, for years, has provided services locally.

The government previously said it would close this facility built in the mid- 1800s and provide more modern mental health services.

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South Africa opened their Women’s T20 World Cup with a statement 10-wicket win over West Indies in Dubai.

Last year’s finalists reached their below-par target of 119 with 13 balls to spare as Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits both struck impressive half-centuries.

Captain Wolvaardt finished unbeaten on 59 and Brits made 57 to complete a dominant performance with both bat and ball.

Spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba took 4-29 and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp 2-14 as West Indies stuttered to 118-6 after being put in to bat.

Kapp took the prize wicket of captain Hayley Matthews for just 10 before Mlaba worked her way through the middle order, with West Indies slipping to 83-6.

But former captain Stafanie Taylor’s unbeaten 44 from 41 balls gave the 2016 champions a late boost, though her lone effort proved in vain as the Proteas openers let loose against an unthreatening bowling display.

South Africa hosted the previous World Cup and reached their first ever global final before losing to six-time champions Australia, but this opening win sent a clear message to their opponents that they are confident of going one step further.

They take on England in their next group match in Sharjah on Monday, while West Indies will hope to bounce back against Scotland a day earlier. (BBC)

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On October 3, 2024, the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana commemorated the 125th anniversary of the Arbitral Award of 1899, which marked the final settlement of the boundary between the then British Guiana and Venezuela.

This Award, delivered by a distinguished international tribunal, remains a cornerstone of Guyana’s territorial integrity and international law.

in a statement, the Government pointed out that The phrase “Full, Perfect, and Final Settlement”—or “UNA SOLUCIÓN COMPLETA, PERFECTA Y DEFINITIVA”—resonates as a symbol of wholeness, precision, and permanence, reflecting the commitment to honoring this landmark agreement.

These words have been etched into the very fabric of the nation’s history, defining its western boundary from Punta Playa to the summit of Mount Roraima.

The 1897 Treaty of Washington and the Award

In 1897, Venezuela and Great Britain, acting on behalf of British Guiana, signed the Treaty of Washington, agreeing to submit their long-standing boundary dispute to an arbitral tribunal. The parties agreed to accept the decision of the tribunal, composed of eminent jurists from the United States, Great Britain, and other countries, as a “full, perfect, and final settlement” of the territorial issue. This was not merely a political agreement; it was a binding resolution designed to provide closure to the dispute once and for all.

On October 3, 1899, the tribunal delivered its unanimous Award, which resolved the boundary dispute between British Guiana and Venezuela in favor of British Guiana, establishing the definitive line demarcating the two territories. This 1899 Award was the culmination of extensive legal proceedings, involving thousands of pages of written submissions and over 200 hours of oral hearings, which meticulously addressed the territorial claims of both sides.

Venezuela’s Initial Acceptance

For over six decades following the tribunal’s decision, Venezuela accepted the Award as a full, perfect, and final settlement. Between 1900 and 1905, both Venezuela and Britain cooperated in the demarcation of the boundary in strict adherence to the provisions of the Award. Venezuela not only participated in the process but also ratified the demarcation in its domestic law, publishing official maps that reflected the boundary line described in the 1899 Award.

In 1905, both countries signed a formal agreement, reaffirming the boundary as defined by the arbitral decision. This marked a period of relative peace and mutual respect for the terms of the settlement.

The Shift in Venezuela’s Position

However, in 1962, as British Guiana gained independence and transitioned into the newly formed state of Guyana, Venezuela began to express dissatisfaction with the 1899 Award. Venezuela, now driven by territorial ambitions over the Essequibo region, rejected the established boundary and challenged the legitimacy of the Award. This shift in position was marked by Venezuela’s actions in the United Nations, where it laid claims to the Essequibo region during the decolonization process.

Since then, Venezuela has persistently sought to undermine the validity of the 1899 Award, despite decades of adherence to it. This unilateral rejection prompted Guyana to take legal action to protect its territorial rights.

Guyana’s Commitment to International Law

In 2018, Guyana filed an application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle the ongoing dispute, as provided for in the 1966 Geneva Agreement. This application sought a legal resolution to Venezuela’s unfounded claim that the 1899 Arbitral Award was “null and void.”

The ICJ, in 2020 and 2023, affirmed its jurisdiction over the case, upholding Guyana’s right to seek a legal resolution. In its rulings, the ICJ expressed its commitment to resolving the matter in accordance with international law, ensuring that both parties abide by the principles of the rule of law and respect for treaties.

A Call for Peaceful Resolution

As Guyana marks this important milestone, the government reiterates its unwavering belief in the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, emphasizing that the principles of international law should guide the resolution of this dispute. Guyana continues to uphold the pacta sunt servanda principle, which underscores the binding nature of international agreements.

The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana remains resolute in its commitment to peaceful dispute resolution and calls for Venezuela to return to the rule of law and respect the sanctity of treaties.

Today, as Guyana commemorates the anniversary of the 1899 Arbitral Award, the government reaffirms its belief that the International Court of Justice will provide a final and peaceful settlement to this long-standing issue, ensuring the respect of Guyana’s territorial integrity in accordance with international law.

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