The Week in Review – August 25th to August 31st

The Liza Destiny being escorted to its position (ExxonMobil photo)
The Liza Destiny being escorted to its position (ExxonMobil photo)

Politics

GECOM ending house-to-house early to prepare for polls: Retired judge Claudette Singh, the new Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, on Tuesday, August 27th, took the decision to conclude the national house-to-house registration exercise early as the body moves towards the holding of general elections “within the shortest time possible.” GECOM said Justice Singh made the decision at a statutory meeting, where she ordered that the registration process be concluded by month end and that the data collected be merged with the existing national register of registrants. It added that the Commission will move to ensure all arrangements for the publication of a credible Preliminary List of Electors before commencement of an extensive Claims and Objections exercise. The opposition PPP, which has been against the house-to-house process, welcomed the decision but voiced dissatisfaction with the merger of the new data with the current database. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday warned that the merging could delay elections until next year April.

Nandlall seeking court order for Cabinet to resign: With the passage of the December 21st, 2018 no-confidence motion (NCM) against the David Granger-led APNU+AFC coalition government, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Wednesday filed a fixed date application before the High Court, challenging what he says is Cabinet’s refusal to resign in accordance with constitutional stipulations. In his urgent application, filed against the Attorney General, Nandlall is seeking an order compelling the Cabinet, including the President to resign given government’s collapse following the NCM by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly. He is arguing that in accordance with Article 106(6) of the Constitution, Cabinet ought to resign. That provision states, “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by a vote of majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly.”

BoG warns financial institutions about political affiliation questions: The Bank of Guyana (BoG) has warned financial institutions to stop asking citizens about their political affiliation. In a circular issued to all local financial institutions, money transfer agencies, cambios as well as insurance companies, agents and brokers, the BoG has warned the institutions to ensure that in the course of conducting business, customers are not subjected to matters unrelated to their specific transactions(s). “It has come to the attention of the Bank of Guyana that customers have been questioned regarding their allegiance to /affiliation with any political party,” the BoG noted in the circular, which was released by the Finance Ministry on Monday, August 26th.

Crime

Victoria woman fatally knifed while asleep: Shemain Frank, a mother of three was fatally stabbed while she was sleeping at her Victoria, East Coast Demerara home, allegedly by the father of her children, who is now wanted by police. Frank, 28, a janitor at the Enmore Nursery School, was attacked shortly after 3 am on Sunday, August 25th. Police said their initial investigations revealed that the victim’s brother saw the suspect, Clive Frederick Wilson, 37, in their yard and requested that he leave immediately. However, sometime later, he heard Frank screaming and rushed to her aid. He discovered his sister with a stab wound to her left breast. A wanted bulletin was issued for him on Wednesday.

Teen knifed to death during fish and chips stop: An 18-year-old was stabbed to death after he and his family stopped to buy fish and chips on the night of Sunday, August 25th, along the Diamond Access Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and the police have since arrested one person for questioning. Rivaldo Williams, called ‘Romeo’ and ‘Dutty,’ a mason of Lot 37 Friendship, EBD, who received a single stab wound, was later pronounced dead on arrival to the Diamond Hospital, where he was rushed after the stabbing. Williams and other members of his family were on their way home from a wedding when they stopped at Diamond to buy food and he ended up in a confrontation with a man who reportedly tried to rob his cousin.

Springlands farmer murdered, driver charged with crime: Springlands, Upper Corentyne farmer Nigel Leslie Matthews was murdered during the wee hours of Monday morning at Rampoor Village, Corriverton and it is suspected that his assailant/s had been after his winnings from a gambling game. Matthews, 49, of Lot 14 Springlands, was discovered with seven stab wounds about his body at James Street, Rampoor Village, Corriverton, around 3 am. Neshawn Williams, also known as ‘Blacka,’ 29, of Lot 2 A Kildonan Village, Corentyne, was charged on Thursday with the murder. According to an eyewitness, Matthews and the accused were gambling when an argument broke out between them, after which Matthews left and returned with a bottle and threw something in the face of the accused. Later, the accused reportedly attacked him.

Nearly 300 Republic Bank customers reimbursed after debit card fraud: Nearly 300 customers of Republic Bank Guyana Limited have been reimbursed in excess of $20 million following a series of fraudulent activities on its VISA International Debit Cards. “They indicated that 294 customers have been reimbursed more than $20 million,” Dr Gobind Ganga, Governor of the Bank of Guyana, to Stabroek News on Tuesday, while adding that the Bank is also working with Visa International to use a series of real-time decline rules to protect against fraudulent transactions.

Oil

Guyana’s first oil production vessel arrives: Guyana’s first oil production vessel, the Liza Destiny, arrived in the Stabroek Block on Thursday to mark a major a development in ExxonMobil’s preparation for first oil by 2020. According to an ExxonMobil release, the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel travelled almost 11,000 nautical miles on its journey. This vessel is a significant component of the Liza Phase 1 development, which involves four undersea drill centres with 17 production wells. It has a production capacity up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and an overall storage volume of 1.6 million barrels. During normal operations, there will be at least 80 persons living and working onboard the vessel, the company said.

Latest local content draft pledges ‘considerable focus’ on oil and gas capacity development: With first oil months away, government has assured that its “fit for purpose” local content policy will be completed before then and has promised “considerable focus” on capacity development. “The primary goal of this policy is to facilitate the active participation and development of Guyanese labour and suppliers in the petroleum sector and to give rise to benefits from expenditure in the sector on labour, goods and services for Guyanese industry, the economy and wider society,” stated the 36-page document, which was circulated to the private sector and other stakeholders and was seen by Stabroek News.  “In an effort to maximise benefits and retain long-term value from Guyana’s petroleum resources, considerable focus shall be given towards local capacity development in addition to local participation, such that our Local Content policy does not drive additional costs into the petroleum sector but instead strengthens our competitiveness,” it adds.

In the courts

SARA sues Queens Atlantic Investment Inc over controversial Sanata Textiles Complex deal: The State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) has taken the principals of Queens Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) to court and is asking the company to pay a differential on the price it paid for the old Sanata Textiles Complex and what SARA believes is its market value. “We just received the papers from the court. No one contacted us or reached out to us at any time. So we have reached out to our lawyers for them to look at it,” Zulficar Ally, the Corporate Secretary of QAII told Stabroek News on Sunday, August 25th, when contacted. The company has been given one month to file a response and is engaging its lawyers, even as Ally stressed that the purchase will be proven to be above board when the matter comes up in court. “We will do what we have to do to defend the company. We know we haven’t done anything wrong and I am pretty sure when it goes to the court, we will be vindicated,” he said.

The Environment

Mercury imports capped at 1,000 flasks per year: Mercury imported into Guyana for use in small and medium-scale gold mining will be capped at 1,000 flasks or 34,500 kilogrammes per year, with importers allowed to import a maximum of 150 flasks of mercury at any one time. The new annual quota and other requirements are contained in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed between the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) on Friday as the agencies move to have tighter control of the importation, storage, distribution and usage of the mercury in the country. The new quota is well above the average amount of mercury imported annually into Guyana over the past five years but represents a major reduction from the amounts imported annually during the height of the gold rush in the 2008 to 2013 period. The amount is to be gradually reduced and importers as well as users will have to provide a range of information that will allow for stricter management of the chemical and they will have to also subject themselves to inspections.

Region Seven’s indigenous communities gripped by land and resource conflicts: All of the Amerindian communities visited in Region Seven as part of a land tenure assessment have reported a land and resource conflict with external parties on their titled and customary lands, according to the findings of a study undertaken by the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), which were released on Thursday, August 29th. The report, which was launched by the Association yesterday afternoon at the Regency Suites Hotel in Georgetown, also found that 16 of 20 communities visited reported that commercial mining and logging were harming their environment and the livelihoods of residents there.

Arts

Singer Johnny Braff dies: Guyanese singer Johnny Braff, known for his songs “It Burns Inside” and “I Don’t Care” passed away on Wednesday morning. The 82-year-old died at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Celebrated Guyanese writers Peter Kempadoo passes away: Writer Peter Kempadoo, 92, died on August 24th at his home in London, England, his daughter, Oonya, confirmed on Thursday. Oonya revealed that her father was suffering from heart problems and on the date mentioned “it just gave out.” Despite that, she said, he was always talking about Guyana.