Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 06-05-2024

The 186th anniversary of the arrival of East Indians in Guyana was celebrated

Rama

in a variety of forms, a depiction of the Hesperus, craft and other

(Yohan Savory photos)

Region Two RDC hosts Arrival Day programme at Bushlot Settlement

TO celebrate Arrival Day in Guyana, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two on Saturday hosted a programme at Bushlot; the programme showcased Indian culture.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of the township of Anna Regina, in the backlands of Bushlot, the monument site serves as a poignant reminder of the historic significance of the day.

Erected to commemorate the arrival of the pioneering East Indian immigrants in May, 1838,

the monument stands as a symbol of their enduring legacy. A total of 90 East Indian immigrants had settled at the location.

Given its place in history, it was the fitting location for this commemorative event.

As the crowd gathered, anticipation filled the air, mingling with the sounds of traditional songs and the graceful movements of dance troupes.

The programme unfolded with a captivating showcase of Indian culture, featuring a diverse range of performances.

From the soul-stirring melodies of gospel songs to the mesmerising rhythms of Qaseeda, each performance offered a glimpse into the rich Indian heritage.

Among those present at the event was Suman Singh, Head of Chancery and Second Secretary of the High Commission of India.

Delivering the feature address, Singh said that the day is important since it serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by the Indian ancestors. She said the day is set aside to

honour their unwavering contributions to the Guyanese population.

“Let us celebrate and work for a bright future.

Greetings to all of you for a prosperous future. We have yoga classes, music and dance classes and I encourage you all to join

and share the culture,” she said.

Singh also added that there is a variety of programmes that connect India and Guyana and she used the opportunity to congratulate the RDC for organising the programme that reflects the arrival of

Indians in Guyana.

Meanwhile, in brief remarks, Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva paid tribute to the courage and resilience of the East Indian immigrants, who embarked See page 4

Indian delicacies, clothing and other items on display

Regional officials welcoming Suman Singh, Head of Chancery and Second Secretary of the High Commission of India (Indrawattie Natram photos)

Drs Ali, Jagdeo lead list for PPP Central Committee members

–– new faces enter party’s leadership, constitution brought in line with current practices

FOLLOWING the conclusion of the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) 32nd Congress on Sunday, President Dr Irfaan Ali emerged at the top of the list of candidates voted into the party’s central committee.

This was revealed at the party’s post-congress press conference which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

During this conference, the General Secretary of the party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo revealed that 35 persons were elected to the central committee with President Ali leading the list with 2,308 votes followed by himself

with 2,257 votes.

The other persons elected to the committee are:

Zulfikar Mustapha, Vickram Bharrat, Gail Teixeira, Nigel Dharmlall, Collin Croal, Kwame McCoy, Anil Nandlall, Pauline Sukhai, Shyam Nokta, Ricky Ramraj, Jennifer Westford, Neil Kumar, Anand Persaud, Frank Anthony, Sarah Browne, Zamal Hussain, Faizal Jaffarally, Bryan Allicock, Vindhya Persaud, Charles Ramson, Karl Singh, Pau; Cheong, Claire Singh, Donald Ramotar, Humace Oodit, Brentnol Ashley, Dharamkumar Seeraj, Bheri Ramsaran, Sheik Ayube, Vickash

Ramkissoon, Sase Gunraj, Clement Rohee and Indranie Chandarpal.

In addition to these voting members, Dr Jagdeo noted that five persons known as candidate members were elected to sit on the committee. They will have no voting power.

Some of these candidate members are new faces in the party’s leadership. The five elected candidate members are, Deodat Indar, Mae Thomas, Jason Abdulla, Andrew Forsythe and Rion Peters.

Against this backdrop, the General Secretary stated that this committee will get

together and elect an executive committee made up of 15 members and will also elect the general secretary of the party and other officers like the executive secretary, international secretary and finance secretary.

“So, when that meeting is held later this week then the general secretary and all of the others will be elected,” Jagdeo said.

FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES

Meanwhile, coming out of the landmark congress for the party, Dr Jagdeo told members of the media that some fundamental changes were made to the party’s structure.

“I must say today that we

had the near-unanimous support when the question was put to amend the resolution to remove Marxism, Leninism from our constitution and to remove socialism from our constitution,” he said.

That proposal, he said, was part of a list of amendments to the constitution that got unanimous support and was a unanimous decision of the party’s congress.

Noting that this was supported, he explained that that this “does not mean that we give up on our history or our working-class ideology.”

Against this backdrop, he noted that teaching all members the principles of Marxism and Leninism have been replaced with teaching the party’s founding principles,

political philosophy, core values, history, struggles and achievements.

Jagdeo remarked, “These are fundamental changes to the party, we had long moved away in practice from those Marxism, Leninism and socialism of a different era.”

He went on to add that embracing ideological plurality, racial unity, religious harmony and plurality have all been part of the party but are now part of its constitution.

Further to this, he disclosed that during the congress there was a resolution to elect a group to review the party’s constitution which was adopted in 1979 and amended some 20 years ago and have it updated.

President Dr Irfaan Ali (centre), Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo (left) and Minister Zulfikar Mustapha (right) lead the list of those elected to the People’s Progressive Party’s Central Committee at the party’s 32nd Congress

New faces in the party’s leadership include Mae Thomas (left) and Jason Abdulla (right) who were elected as candidate members. They, along with the three others who were elected, will sit on the Central Committee but will have no voting power

The members of the PPP Central Committee

Gov’t plans to build a competitive, resilient, profitable sugar industry

–– President Ali

PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has said that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is sparing no investment in building a resilient and profitable sugar industry in Guyana. The Head of State made this remark during a Labour Day brunch which he hosted at State House as he spoke about the significant strides the government has made to position workers better in the country.

He noted specifically that for sugar workers, the worst days are going to be behind them soon and the best days for sugar are ahead.

He said: “Make no doubt about this, our commitment is to build a sugar industry that is competitive, sustainable, resilient and profitable and we are sparing no investment in this effort.”

Since entering office in 2020, the government has sought to overhaul and modernise the country’s sugar industry.

Just last month, President Ali told reporters

Region Two RDC hosts Arrival Day...

that a new management team is set to take the helm at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) as the push towards modernisation continues.

At that time, he outlined several changes at the corporation as part of the government’s commitment to providing the necessary investments to revive the sector and return it to a key contributor to the country’s economy.

Earlier this year, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for

Finance, Dr Ashni Singh said that since September 2020, over 4,600 workers have been rehired, bringing the total employment to over 8,100 across the industry. At that time, Dr Singh stated that in 2024 the industry is projected to accelerate its recovery with strong growth of 66.1 per cent aided by GuySuCo’s continued focus on mechanisation and conversion efforts along with the promoting of value-added production.

on a journey into the unknown for the promise of a better future.

De Silva, emphasised the importance of commemorating the arrival of Guyana’s foreparents and underscored the enduring bonds between India and Guyana, which are rooted in a shared history of sacrifice and perseverance.

Historian and retired Headteacher Madhya Persaud offered reflections on the enduring legacy of Guyana’s Indian ancestors.

Drawing from personal experiences spent amongst the Indian community and his experience of living in a logie

-- a house that accommodated several families and was constructed by the Indians when they came to Guyana -- Persaud highlighted the challenges faced by labourers on the sugar estates, with their unwavering spirit of resilience.

Also in attendance was Regional Executive Officer Susannah Saywack.

At the end of the programme, there was an exhibition that showcased different delicacies brought to Guyana by the East Indian immigrants.

Both the Golden Arrowhead and the flag of India were hoisted.

President Dr Irfaan Ali speaking at the Labour Day brunch (Office of the President photo)

An Indian dance performance

Researcher wants anti-cancer facility in Jamaica

RESEARCHER

and senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr Simone Badal McCreath has signalled the need for funding to set up a state-of- the-art anti-cancer facility in Jamaica.

She argued that Jamaica is renowned for excellence in music and sports but not in the field of science, and that has to change.

“Jamaica is known for music; we are known for track and field, but we are not known for the impact we are making in science. And if we are going to use our science to transform Jamaica, we need attention, and we need funding.

“We need a cutting-edge anti-cancer facility in Jamaica. We need a facility that can do all the pre-clinical testing on our Jamaican products, from cell line works to animal models, and then at the end of it we can say these can be transitioned to clinical products. That’s what we need,” she said.

–– calls for funding to use science to transform Caribbean country

“We have infrastructure at the university, we need equipment, and as you can imagine these equipment are expensive,” Badal McCreath added.

The senior UWI lecturer said that after developing the novel Jamaican prostate cancer cell lines, followed by three breast cancer cell lines, there is now need to develop a pipeline of cell lines locally, which will attract a

price tag of US$2 million.

“We have created the first prostate line. Since then, we created three breast cancer cell lines, from then we created a second prostate cell line. So, we need to create a pipeline of cell lines, and we have started that with little funding,” she added.

“We do need to characterise these cell lines. So far, the characterisations have been done with overseas collaborators.

We need to be able to do that in-house. It is going to take money, at least maybe US$2 million to get that done,” Badal McCreath added.

She was speaking at Ernst and Young (EY) Strategic Growth Forum Caribbean on Friday, at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Montego Bay, St James.

Badal McCreath recounted that an overseas university that Jamaica

partnered with for testing on the Periwinkle plant, ended up in a multimillion-dollar investment that did not benefit Jamaica.

“We worked on a plant called Periwinkle, which our Jamaican scientists were doing anti-diabetic [testing], and they noticed that this plant was interesting and they wanted to do further testing, but once again, they have no resources,” she said. “So, they collaborated with scientists at the university overseas.

“And with the resources at their fingertips, they could expand and extend the testing to not only diabetes work but cancer. And in doing so, they recognised that this plant has promising anti-cancer properties, and from that work they isolated two anti-cancer drugs that have contributed to a multimillion-dollar investment,” she said.

She added that it started in Jamaica and “we haven’t got any benefit from that, but at the same time we have the talent, we have the mindset, but we don’t have infrastructure to get things done”.

Badal McCreath expressed that “when we do enter into collaborative agreements with our partners at this moment, we go there from a weak standpoint”.

“So we need to create a system in place that strengthens the type of research that we are doing here, so if we do enter into collaborative discussions, we are going there from a position of strength. Ultimately, what we want is whatever drug leads are created, equally benefit our Black people,” she told Loop News.

She recently launched her book, “No Cell Left Behind”. (Loop News)

Dr. Simone Badal McCreath (right) speaking at a fireside chat at the ‘Ernst and Young (EY) Strategic Growth Forum Caribbean’ on Friday at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in St. James. Looking on is presenter Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid

Solidarity and Progress

IN a nation where political discourse often echoes with divisive tones, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) stands as a beacon of unity and progress, defying attempts to undermine its legacy and purpose.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s recent address at the PPP’s 32nd Congress elucidated not only the party’s resilience, but also its unwavering commitment to a prosperous Guyana for all.

His assertion that the PPP stands on its strongest footing in history is not merely rhetoric; it is backed by a legacy of leadership and a vision for a unified Guyana.

Despite malicious attempts to paint the party as discriminatory, the diverse composition of the audience at the con-

‘We are all

gress speaks volumes about the PPP’s inclusivity and its ability to bridge divides among Guyanese of all backgrounds.

Central to President Ali’s message was the acknowledgment of past challenges and the party’s steadfast response to adversity.

The PPP’s resilience in the face of political persecution and attempts to tarnish its reputation underscores its commitment to democratic principles and the welfare of the Guyanese people.

The transformative leadership of Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, the party’s General Secretary, has also been instrumental in steering the PPP through turbulent times and leveraging its weaknesses into strengths for the benefit of all Guyanese.

His dedication to the party’s cause, even in the face of lucrative opportunities elsewhere, exemplifies a rare commitment to public service and national development.

The “One Guyana” vision championed by the PPP is not just a slogan but is also a guiding principle aimed at fostering a more egalitarian society where every citizen has the opportunity to thrive. President Ali’s rejection of racism and division reaffirms the party’s commitment to inclusivity and social cohesion, challenging detractors who seek to sow discord for their own gain.

Moreover, President Ali’s condemnation of the previous APNU+AFC government’s campaign against the most vulnerable underscores the PPP’s

commitment to social justice and equitable governance. By fulfilling over 95 per cent of its manifesto promises, the PPP has demonstrated its dedication to improving the lives of all Guyanese, regardless of background or affiliation.

As Guyana charts its course towards a brighter future, it is imperative that the values of solidarity and progress embodied by the PPP remain at the forefront of the national discourse.

In the words of President Ali, the PPP is not just a party, it is the embodiment of hope, aspiration, and vision for the Guyanese people. As we look to the future, let us embrace the drive for unity and resilience, knowing that together, we can build a Guyana where all can thrive.

equal members of the human family, united by aspirations for a better future’

–– President Ali says

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has said that multiculturalism remains a priceless asset that enriches the human collective experience

The Head of State made this remark in his Arrival Day message where he extended greetings on the occasion which commemorates the rich and varied tapestry of cultures that constitute the fabric of the nation.

“On Arrival Day we celebrate their indomitable spirit and resilience and also pay tribute to the myriad contributions they and their descendants have made to our motherland,” he said.

Added to this, Dr Ali said that their enduring legacy reminds all of the human capacity to overcome adversity and thrive in the face of challenges. As their contributions are honoured, the President urged that Guyanese reaffirm their commitment to building a future that honours their sacrifices and embraces the values of unity, diversity and inclusivity.

“Multiculturalism remains a priceless asset that enriches our collective human experience. In an era where divisiveness and intolerance threaten to tear apart the social fabric of nations, highlighting and cel-

President, Dr Irfaan Ali

ebrating our multicultural diversity makes us stronger and more united,” he added.

By celebrating the cultures that coexist in our communities, the Head of State noted that a sense of belonging and inclusion can be fostered, while also laying the foundation for a more cohesive and harmonious society.

He went on to say, “Regardless of ethnicity, we are all equal members of the human family, united by our shared aspirations for a better future. By embracing this fundamental truth, we can transcend the artificial barriers and reject those forces that seek to divide us.”

However, on the occasion of Arrival Day, President Ali encouraged Guyanese to recommit themselves to the ideals of unity, diversity, and inclusion and celebrate the contributions of all peoples -- past and present--while striving to build a society where everyone can flourish and thrive.

He said: “In the spirit of solidarity and mutual respect, let us forge a future where our differences are respected and where the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood allow us to overcome the divisions of the past and the shenanigans of those who seek to manipulate these divisions for their own ulterior ends.”

Scenes from PPP 32nd Congress

The governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Sunday successfully concluded its 32nd Congress, which was well attended. There were many achievements, including the election of Central Committee members, and an amendment to the Party’s Constitution

Well-to-do Indians and Africans: A class comparison

TODAY is the time of the calendar year when the country observes the arrival of labourers from India that came as indentured workers to toil on the sugar plantations. So much has been written about Indians, a mere newspaper column cannot contribute anything. I will attempt here an analysis of a sociological dimension which maybe has not been visited before. This is a comparison between the snobbery, petit bourgeois mind, and psychic make-up of the African middle class and the petit bourgeois Indians. Complicating the

analysis is the fact that the African middle class is a one-dimensional construct. They live in Georgetown and are Christians who practise Western culture. The Indian petit bourgeoisie is a multi-class, multi-cultural formation. Well-to-do Indians are divided into the commercial Georgetown class and the rural Kulaks (upper stratum of the peasantry). Because of the urban-rural divide, the urban Indian petit bourgeoisie practised class snobbery and colour prejudice that were almost absent in the Kulaks. I witnessed the difference in the psychological make-up of

the privileged Indian class and the well-todo African people in Guyana from very close quarter. It is fascinating to see how the Indian petit bourgeois psyche differed from the psychological make-up of the African middle class.

A newspaper column cannot do justice to the comparison. What I am about to undertake here is best left to an academic forum. Hazel Woolford, head of the Guyana Historical and Research Institute, has requested I do a paper at the forthcoming conference of the institute and I may do that. But the theme of the conference is on the

labour movement and not the class structure of Guyana which is my field, but I hope I can be accommodated.

Here now are brief notes in a comparison between the privileged world of Guyanese Indians and that of their African counterparts.

I went to UG at a time when I was perhaps the only poor, south Georgetown citizen to attend that institution. Long standing PPP big-wig, Hydar Ally, surprised me on the Freddie Kissoon Show when he said that one of the things, he remembers about me whenever people talk to him about me was that I used a common pin to hold together my rubber slippers that has broken up and he remembers me at UG walking in such footwear.

I encountered two different types of attitudes among the privileged Indians and well-to-do Africans. Both looked down on me and wondered all the time where I came from and why I was at UG and not in jail. I found less tolerance for people like me from urban-based Indians than the children from the

rural, rich Indian class. They accepted me fully. I found no acceptance whatsoever from the urban petit bourgeois Indians who moved aside when I walked pass them on the corridors at UG.

The majority of the African middle class resented my presence on campus. The daughter of a high-ranking judicial officer would walk aside as in apartheid South Africa when I walked past her. Another former student who is now a Black Power advocate, was the leading Black middle-class personality on campus. She would move away from the table in the library if I sat down at the same table.

Middle class African Guyanese see themselves as the embodiment of Western culture and they carry that belief at a deep ideological level. Like clear-complexioned Indians they are obsessed with skin colour. But while the Indian petit bourgeois Indians and African middle class put a high premium on skin colour, the rich rural peasants do not.

The reason for this has to do with village life in the countryside

and the role of the temples and mosques in rural Guyana. In the villages, even though you are the big, rich rice farmer, you are not a product of Western culture, so the tendency to behave like a bigshot is less pronounced. I have always found that of all the political parties, and I mean every one of them, in Guyana, the PPP leaders are less pompous, less arrogant and the least snobbish. I believe this is because of the absence of emphasis on class and colour in the rural ambience. I found out during my discriminated days at UG that the Indian petit bourgeoisie placed emphasis on caste and from there I think the skin colour thing arose. All that I discovered about class and culture in Guyana as a UG student I saw replicated in the Working People’s Alliance and the Alliance For Change. The PNC, like the PPP is not a class elitist entity. So why was I part of both of these elite formations –WPA and AFC? That is a long, tragic story best left to my memoir if I ever write it.

Ethnic gaslighting and calls for boycotts will not help the opposition at the ballot box

THE political opposition in Guyana is a similar but contrasting duplex, a local elected segment alongside a virtualised cyber-sustained overseas element. The locally-based elected pretenders are so bad at their jobs, the one word descriptive comes to mind, lameduck. What we find happening is that the cyber element sees itself as a viable substitute and life support for an ineffective elected opposition. Even the opposition’s own support base in Guyana turn to the cyber element for its vicarious political engagement.

Because of the lack of imagination among the opposition benches they have latched on to a single issue. Not because it makes sense or because the people of

Guyana will benefit, but because it is easy. It is easy to exploit seething historical ethnic fears tied to our political and colonial past. Essentially, the overseas cyber opposition segment is turbo charged on stroking ethnic fears around any and every issue. This occurs to the point where even bad weather in any place dominated by Afro-Guyanese is denominated into ethnic permutations by the PPP/C to discriminate against black people. Every social media post, every forum, every public communication is a glowing ember of racially charged utterances aimed at gaslighting the nation. This past week President Ali visited boroughs of New York City with a high concentration of Guyanese. He chose to traverse the streets, engage di -

aspora folks and visit some Guyanese-owned businesses in Brooklyn. This area is Afro-dominated and from all accounts, he was well received and hosted. This apparently incensed the cyber opposition elements, many of whom called for the Guyanese diaspora in New York to boycott all Guyanese businesses that hosted Dr Ali.

In essence, the implications of this boycott campaign really means that an Indian PPP leader must never be hosted or engaged in a civil manner by Afro-Guyanese. This is extreme race-based politics that only serves to further divide our people. The rhetoric in GT-NY cyber space is caustic, racially charged and hate filled. This strategy will not be successful at the ballot. The opposition will back themselves

into a one-sided vortex from which there will be no escape. It will consume them at a time when the Guyanese voter is seeking creative and dynamic leadership. Afro-Guyanese would require more than ethnic appeal to get them energised to show up to the ballot box for the opposition.

In the meantime, Afro-Guyanese are engaging PPP leaders who are demonstrating, in tangible ways, that they are responding to their concerns. Can the PPP/C improve its relations with the Afro-Guyanese constituencies at home and abroad? The answer is a resounding yes. In some ways, in the past, the PPP leadership did express some measure of tone deftness to the real needs of the Afro-Guyanese constituencies. However, since Dr Ali took office, we

can see that serious efforts are being made to engage, listen and respond.

A lot more needs to be done but Dr Ali’s efforts are trending in the right direction. Boycotting his efforts or those who engage him is certainly not a useful strategy at attempting to bridge the divide that has us trapped as a nation in a circular tail-catching effort to better unite Guyana.

The opposition comes to the table with an overplayed one-card trick. The card is now old and sustaining the trick is becoming more and more difficult. Pulling this race card will backfire. As more and more of the Afro constituency figure out the sleight of hand, they will ignore these card spinners, forcing them to be even louder, calling on anyone to come

place a bet, risk being considered pesky blabber mouths.

One can only urge President Ali and the PPP/C to continue to engage the Afro-Guyanese constituencies, provide genuine solutions to their concerns and watch the detractors wither into a super minority.

There is no doubt that there is sincerity in the effort to reach out to the Afro constituencies at home and in the diaspora. As the PPP/C continue to engage, it will better understand some of the nuances at play in dealing with Afro-Guyanese issues that the party might have missed the mark in the past. This will pay dividends at the ballot box in 2025 as it did in the 2023 Local Government Elections.

Narcotics, gun and ammunition found by police

RANKS under the command of an Assistant Superintendent, conducted an intelligence-led operation at the home of a 30-year-old of La Penitence Squatting Area, on Sunday, at about 00:30 hours.

During the search on the premises, one .32 Taurus pistol with magazine and one round of .32 ammunition were found in the bedroom, police said in a press release,

“A further search

was carried out in the premises, and a transparent plastic bag containing a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be narcotics (cannabis) was found in the kitchen.

“The 30-year-old and a 27-year-old female who was also present were questioned whether they were holders of a valid firearm license, and

they both responded, no.

“They were then told of the offenses committed, cautioned, arrested, and escorted to the East La Penitence police station along with the mentioned items,” the release said.

The firearm and ammunition were marked, and the suspected cannabis was weighed in their presence and amounted to 30.3 grammes. This was also marked and sealed. All the mentioned items were lodged.

This duo remains in custody.

Investigations are ongoing.

The narcotics and gun with matching ammunition that were found by the police (GPF photos)

‘APNU posture is anti-national’

- Dr Jagdeo says; highlights how country faced hardships because people took PPP for granted in 2015

-70,000-80,000 jobs restored to Guyanese since August, 2020

By Trina Williams

THE memory of Guyana’s economy being stagnant under the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is still burning in the minds of Guyanese who were hoodwinked by the party’s 2015 promise of a “good life.”

However, under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Guyanese are now living the actual “good life”, as according to the party’s General Secretary they have restored 70,000-80,000 jobs since entering office.

While presenting the General Secretary’s report on Saturday at the PPP’s 32nd Congress, Dr Jagdeo reminded the thousands gathered of the struggles they faced and what makes the PPP the ideal party to lead this country.

“...We took the economy where we had to use over 100 per cent of revenue to service debt, down to less than 10 per cent of revenue, so now we had 90 per cent of the revenue to spend back on our people... We restored a bankrupt country to financial solvency,” he said, while pointing out that in other countries, persons would get re-elected only on that metric.

Further, after the PPP/C government cleared the excessive debt that was left by the People’s National Congress-Reform (PNC-R) now disguised as APNU, they then embarked on an “unprecedented” programme through which spending on education, healthcare and housing was increased.

“We gave out over 100,000 house lots in a country where we had just over 250,000 households. Unbelievable! And I’m not going to trace that history because you know it,” he told the sea of red that withstood the sombre weather.

The PPP General Secretary then urged members to actively engage in the workshops that were being held in order to discuss their ideas, which will contribute to the party’s future growth.

“This party will take your ideas seriously,” he told the

mammoth crowd.

He added: “We come to the congress to infuse ourselves with fresh ideas, to rekindle the enthusiasm, to draw on each other’s spirit and strength and that’s why with this large gathering here today [Saturday], we will leave here with a great momentum to go on to win the 2025 elections and continuing [sic] to lead this country.”

‘PPP TAKEN FOR GRANTED’

The quote: “You don't know what you've got til it's gone,” pretty much sums up what lead to the PPP departing office in 2015.

After lifting Guyana off of its feet and placing it on the path to prosperity, this energy was lost, as according to Dr Jagdeo not only did the citizens take the PPP for granted, but the leadership within the party lost their appetite to remain in office.

And with APNU promising almost everything under the sun, many were hoodwinked into giving them a chance as the memory of that party’s nature in office was distant, especially for the generation of youths that grew up under the PPP and were not able to compare a life under APNU to a life under the PPP, Dr Jagdeo explained.

“By 2015, we’ve [sic] been in office for a long time so people took us for granted and even in our own leadership, I mean at every level, we started losing the hunger to remain in office. The hunger was not there.

“Secondly, we had a whole generation of young people that [sic] grew up only with the PPP in office. They never had a starting point; they couldn’t compare what life was under APNU. They did not know about the struggles of our fore- parents. They did not know about rigged elections. They did not know about people not having [anything] to eat in this country; foodstuff being banned. They did not know about the repressive nature of the army and others under APNU,” he said.

However, despite the se-

ries of manifesto pledges made by APNU, Guyanese did not obtain the promised benefits but instead saw hefty taxes being clamped on their backs.

“The miners who supported APNU overwhelmingly saw three new big taxes on them. They told the miners in 100 days we’ll remove all the taxes,” he said, while highlighting that the opposite actually happened.

“The reason I’m telling you this is because they’re at it again. New set of promises to the very people that they had destroyed. The indigenous people, they [APNU] gone back and talk about land rights after dismantling the land-titling unit and firing all the people. They’ve gone to Linden and said to people, ‘we’ll give you house lots and everything and jobs.’ Zero jobs in the past and they oppose the 1,200 part-time workers we have in Region 10,” the PPP General Secretary stated.

“We cannot go back to the lies of 2015,” he said, while urging party members to be vigilant against attempts to “distort” the PPP’s track record.

Further, he reflected on the complaints by Guyanese when the PPP was in office and the PPP General Secretary explained that the hardships were a result of bad policy-making.

He stated: “They were just collecting more and more through higher taxes and spending the resources on things that did not matter to people, that didn’t bring greater welfare to them. It was extravagance.”

Dr Jagdeo also reminded the mammoth crowd of APNU’s “vindictive campaign” when they hauled them in front of the courts.

As he extensively reflected on the fight to protect the nation’s democracy and the road to the no-confidence motion in 2018, the PPP General Secretary took time to thank those citizens who stood up even in the face of obstacles, in order to fight for what is right.

The people in 2020 went to the polls and peacefully gave a mandate to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to govern.

Guyanese, however, after casting their votes, had to endure a five-month wait for the results of the General and Regional Elections as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the patience of the electorate was tested, as electors observed what was described as attempts by the then APNU+AFC administration to rip the democratic fabric of the nation with “delay tactics” which were openly criticised by a wide section of society.

It was only after the legal challenges and international intervention that a national recount of all votes cast was convened and the figures showed that PPP/C received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC Coalition got 217,920 votes.

REOPENING THE ECONOMY

Dr Jagdeo then pointed out that within the first two years in office, the PPP government had to protect its people while reopening the economy.

While President Dr Irfaan Ali stated that the government managed to create 60,000 jobs from 2020, Dr

Jagdeo said that the President was modest in this figure.

The PPP General Secretary stated that in four years, they placed 70,000 -80,000 people back into the workforce to earn incomes to take care of their families.

Adding to this, he said that the PPP does not “wonder in the wind.”

“Every policy-making in the PPP is grounded on [not only] what is good for today but also sustainable tomorrow and in the future. That’s the only way you accumulate wealth in a country and remain relevant and ensure that the prosperity we work for could really be sustainable,” he explained.

Touching on the Opposition’s promises that they are currently peddling, Dr Jagdeo poked holes in some of these ideas and explained how many of them are not feasible.

“We can give cash grants too, but not to undermine work ethic. We prefer to fund more job opportunities. We prefer to help our children and pensioners, but for them [APNU], they want to give out every cash grant. They want to give out money we never collect as yet and will never collect when you hear the numbers,” he said.

Regarding the true nature of the opposition, Dr Jagdeo said: “Their posture is anti-national.”

PPP General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

‘Power ship’ on schedule for connection to national grid by Wednesday

A SIGNIFICANT step towards alleviating the power-outage crisis in Guyana is on the horizon as the power ship, which arrived at Everton, Berbice, on Saturday, is on track to be connected to the national grid by Wednesday.

This is according to Kesh Nandlall, Head of the

Guyana Power and Light's (GPL) executive management team. Nandlall told this publication on Sunday that the power company is working on the task in phases.

Nandlall stated that they do not anticipate any delays as a result of the recent, intense downpours that have descended on the country.

The engineers and technical staff at GPL have been working non-stop before and after the ship arrived to make sure that everything was set up to connect it to the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). More than 90 per cent of the work, which included in-

stalling transmission lines and driving piles, has been completed.

The power ship, which will supply 36 megawatts (MW) of power for the next two years, arrived in local waters last Wednesday. It last operated on the Caribbean island of Cuba.

It has two engines which produce 18.5 mega-

watts each.

On April 13, GPL signed a contract with Urbacon Concessions Investments, W.L.L (UCI) to charter the power ship for a period of two years, with US$1 million paid as a mobilisation fee. The contract includes the provision of operational and maintenance services as part of the agreement.

UCI is a subsidiary of UCC Holdings, a company incorporated in the State of Qatar. UCC Holdings has a strategic alliance with Karpowership International, a Turkish company.

Once connected, the power-supply ship is ex -

pected to operate at a remarkable 96 per cent availability, and will be integrated into GPL’s grid at 69 kilovolts (kV).

Under the terms of the agreement, GPL will pay a monthly charter fee of 6.62 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the power ship, along with a 0.98 US cents per kWh operation and maintenance fee based on electricity generation.

GPL is also responsible for the supply of heavy fuel oil (HFO) for operation of the generators of the vessel.

The persistent power outages, attributed to various factors including aging infrastructure and increased demand, have

underscored the urgent need for infrastructural upgrades within GPL’s network. In response, the utility company is actively exploring renewable-energy options, and is poised to embrace the government’s gas-to-energy project, which aims to supply around 300 megawatts of power by the last quarter of 2024.

Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has reassured citizens that energy costs will not escalate because of the rental of the power supply ship, highlighting the government’s commitment to stable and affordable energy solutions.

The power ship is at Everton, Berbice, and will soon be connected to the national grid

Final pile-driving works to secure the power ship were carried out at the site on Saturday (DPI photo)

Head of GPL’s executive management team, Kesh Nandlall

Sanskriti celebration brings Indian culture alive

By Shaniya Harding

THE Dharmic Rama Krishna School tarmac came alive on Sunday evening with beautiful artistic and cultural displays in celebration of the

186th anniversary of the arrival on East Indians to Guyana.

The event, which was hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, was titled, ‘Sanskriti’ as part of a passionate cultural

showcase celebrating one of Guyana's many peoples.

Persons turned out in their numbers to be a part of the exhilarating programme. Talented performers took the crowd on a

trip through history with music, dance, and much more.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Vindhya Persaud, was present at the momentous occasion.

- Minister Persaud says the past is important to the future

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, she shed light on the significance of the event, stating, “This is Sanskriti and we are celebrating our heritage, our culture, our traditions. The Hindu

Dharmic Sabha has been holding events every year to commemorate Indian Arrival Day. This is 186 years this year and we thought that we should do this in addition to

Scenes from Sunday’s Arrival Day event at the Dharmic Rama Krishna School tarmac (Yohan Savory photos)

TURN

Sanskriti celebration...

FROM PAGE 13

what we do in Berbice in Region Six. All of our various branches will come together to host one at Palmyra, which will be on Monday.”

A unique event, the minister underscored the fact that Sanskriti seeks to create an experience.

As she stated, “We are hosting a little fair for the first time and so

it is creating an environment that is history because there is an educational experience. People can understand both the Logie concept, getting the photos of back in the day and then taking the walkthrough, seeing the various fashions and getting a chance to be draped in a sari and a dhoti.”

Experiencing heritage is at the forefront

of this Sanskriti and every event of its kind.

As the minister shared, the stalls and displays put together help recreate certain historical events of Guyana’s first Indians in their true form.

“People here can move all the way around to various arts, crafts, artifacts, jewellery, all of those things that people brought with them when they

came those years. And food is a big part of it. We have a big food festival and it is traditional food, roti, samosa, and it's really a lived experience. It is about acknowledging their accomplishments, their achievements, and overall, the big contributions they have made in so many important sectors, especially agriculture, to Guyana over the years

and their descendants,” she added.

She further emphasised the bigger Guyanese aspect of the celebration as she spoke of the cultural cohesion of the country.

“We are celebrating the fact that as a people of Guyana, we can really share traditions, culture, heritage, and celebrate in this way in diversity where we

add to the tapestry of our country. And I feel very proud as a Guyanese because we can do this. And I feel if we have more and more groups doing this, we will have a better appreciation of each other, and understand more in a very historical way of where we came from and where we are going. And I think that's important.”

Chinese construction worker killed after septic tank wall collapses

ZHENG Shun Liu, a 52-year-old man, was killed on Sunday after the wall of a septic tank he was working on collapsed on him.

In a press release, police said the fatal incident occurred at about 09:55hrs at the Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara.

“Inquiries disclosed that on the mentioned date and time, Zheng Shun Liu, an employee of 'L and P Con-

struction' company, was working alone inside a septic tank that is being built at a bond that is under construction.

“It is alleged that the wall on the western side of the tank collapsed, pinning Zheng. Other workers at the site rendered assistance, and managed to remove him from the tank,” the release said, adding that a doctor later pronounced him dead at the scene.

The scene was processed by detectives and Crime Scene Investigators, and the body examined for marks of violence. Injuries were seen on the left side of Zheng’s body.

The body of the deceased was thereafter escorted to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, to await a post-mortem examination.

Investigations are ongoing, police said.

NGSA 2024 ‘a massive success’

- Education Ministry records highest student turnout since pandemic, Manickchand says

AS another batch of pupils triumphantly conquered the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), the Ministry of Education has lauded their efforts as well as that of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), hailing this year's turnout the largest since

the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a video which was posted on the ministry’s Facebook page on Saturday, Minister Manickchand declared the examination “a massive success”.

She said: “We just concluded a massively success-

ful two days in the country from the Ministry of Education's perspective. We [have] just finished the NGSA 2024, and so, to parents, teachers and particularly our pupils, I say warmest congratulations for this entire process. I want to thank the CXC employees across the country

who worked to supervise, invigilate, and manage this process.”

The Caribbean-wide examination went off without a hitch this year, the minister said.

During the COVID-19 period, no ministry felt the effects as much as education did. The sector is now making an impressive comeback, with this year seeing the largest student turnout since the pandemic.

“I'm happy to say that we have 95 per cent of the attendance registered, because we can’t get from very farflung regions [or] schools. We have a three per cent absentee rate, which is too high; one per cent would be too many for me, but I expect this to come down, because we have not reconciled the numbers.”

She went on to underscore the remarkable impact of the ministry's robust management systems, stating, “I want to say that since

nent of its holistic approach.

“We delivered over 49,500 meals between the course of Thursday and Friday to our children - breakfast, lunch, or hot meals in the hinterland across the country. That was also a

an entertaining way. Maybe Spanish, maybe a different language, maybe some first form mathematics,” she added.

In concluding her comments, she spoke directly to the pupils who wrote the

COVID-19, this is the best we have seen in terms of turnout; in terms of the least number of children absent, and that speaks really well to us managing the system. I mean, we're not talking about ‘COVID’ anymore, but we are still managing a system that was really wrecked in many ways by COVID-19. I'm very, very glad to see that we are retaining more children in the system and working to do that. And I think it's some of our measures.”

Among the impactful initiatives cited by Minister Manickchand was the ministry's dedicated feeding programme, a crucial compo-

massively successful programme.”

In an effort to alleviate anxiety surrounding the results, the minister emphasised that these will be released on or before July 5.

“Parents can plan holidays around that date and so on. Of course, something I've put in place since my previous time in the ministry, you're going to be able to access your results online with your candidate number, and we're going to be showing various programmes on the Guyana Learning Channel and elsewhere that your children can participate in and get some knowledge while they have some fun in

two-day assessment.

“We are very, very, very glad that we had such a big success over the last two days. I want to say to all the children, you must be very relieved and you should be. You now have a nice four months stretching in front of you. So take a week off and then make some goals for yourself about what you want to do over these four months. Whether it is to get fitter, eat better, learn a language on Duolingo, do some more mathematics, advance maybe from where you are [or] get a literature book and start reading.”

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand making comments on the recently concluded NGSA 2024

The minister interacting with NGSA pupils

Accused found guilty of manslaughter in death of Linden vendor

THE man accused of murdering 54-yearold Dwane Williams, a vendor from Linden who was discovered dead behind a shack in the mining town, has been convicted of manslaughter.

Larry Da Silva, 34 years old, also known as 'Kill Quick' of Wismar Housing Scheme in Linden, stood trial for Williams' murder before Justice Sandil Kissoon of the Demerara High Court.

However, after deliberations last week, the jury found him not guilty of the capital offence of murder, but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The sentencing hearing for the convict has been postponed to a later date, and he is currently in custody.

Reports indicate that Williams was discovered deceased at his residence in Wismar Housing Scheme on November 27, 2020. He was last seen alive on November 26, 2020. He was found behind a shack by

his nephew, who noticed severe wounds to his throat and right wrist.

Detectives recovered a knife after a search of the area.

The police stated that Williams, who lived alone, was killed between 21:00hrs on November 26, 2020, and 05:45hrs on November 27, 2020. On November 26, 2020, Williams visited his 88-year-old mother at her residence in One Mile Wismar, where she resided with the nephew.

Afterward, he reportedly left to return home to prepare a meal.

On November 27, 2020, individuals in the vicinity informed the nephew that Williams was lying motionlessly behind the structure. Williams, also known as 'Levi' and 'Sweetie Man,' worked as a vendor in the mining town and his cause of death was given as multiple incised wounds.

Dead: Dwane Williams

Guilty: Larry Da Silva

Justice Sandil Kissoon

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Monday May 06, 2024)

CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 2256158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Rishabh Pant-DC (24 dismissals-18 catches/six stumpings)

(2) 185 for the first wicket-D. Warner/J. Bairstow (SRH vs RCB)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which two teams contested Match # 40 in this season’s IPL?

(2) Which two teams have been involved in Match # 50?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

AMERICAN RACING TIPS FINGER LAKES Race 1 Banco Medici Race 2 B C Glory Days Race 3 Flying Emperor Race 4 She She’s Shadow Race 5 Mybronxbaby Race 6 Uncle Kendric Race 7 Cool In Blue

IRISH RACING TIPS

CURRAGH

0815 hrs Right And True 08:50 hrs Arizonia Blaze 09:25 hrs Samuel Colt 10:00 hrs Sluice 10:35 hrs Jumbly 11:10 hrs White Birch 11:45 hrs Racing Royalty 12:20 hrs Rathbranchchurch

ENGLISH RACING TIPS

BEVERLEY

08:55 hrs Larchill Lass 09:30 hrs Brummell 10:05 hrs Princess Alex 10:40 hrs Ardbraccan 11:15 hrs Swatch

11:50 hrs She’s Got Bottle

12:25 hrs Spartan Warrior

KEMPTON 09:55 hrs Excelero 10:30 hrs Fasol 11:05 hrs Quick Draw 11:40 hrs Redbridge Rambler

12:15 hrs Editeur Du Gite

12:50 hrs Tarahumara

WINDSOR 09:00 hrs Charlie Mason

09:35 hrs Gilded Water

10:10 hrs Vibrato

10:45 hrs College Choir

11:20 hrs Stone Circle 11:55 hrs Theworldsnotenough 12:30 hrs On Edge 13:00 hrs Dubai Immo

CMC – A DESTRUCTIVE spell of reverse-swing bowling from West Indies paceman Jayden Seales propelled Sussex to an innings and 124-run win against Derbyshire inside three days in the English County Championship on Sunday.

The 22-year-old bagged a career-best five for 29 from only eight overs and was twice on a hat-trick before Derbyshire were bowled out for 109 in their second innings – with New

Zealander Blair Tickner absent hurt – in their Division Two match at Derby

Seales is now the most successful bowler in the Division Two championship this season with 18 wickets at an average of 21.2, and he has outdone England pacer and new-ball partner, Ollie Robinson, and media reports in the country have started to warn Ben Stokes and company of pending danger.

The Trinidad & Tobago native has 34 wick-

ets in 10 Tests for West Indies, and he has not played since late 2022 because of injury, but his form for Sussex suggests that the Caribbean side may be able to produce a lethal attack for the three Tests during the English summer.

Apart from Seales, there is long-serving Kemar Roach, who is playing for Division One title holders, Surrey, while Jason Holder has turned out for Worcestershire to try to win a Test recall after a period of prior-

itising T20s, while the two Josephs – Alzarri and Shamar – are also potent weapons.

The form of Seales has also catapulted Sussex to the top of the Division Two table with 74 points from two wins and two draws from their four matches.

Sussex already had a healthy lead of 111 entering the day after they had dismissed Derbyshire for 246 in their first innings the previous day.

India batting mae -

stro Cheteshwar Pujara added only nine to his overnight 104, and the visitors lower order were required to secure maximum batting points.

Danny Lamb added 49 with Finn Hudson Prentice to stretch the lead towards 200, before he gave left-arm spinner Jack Morley the charge and was stumped.

After Ollie Robinson drove Morley for six, he was caught at short mid-wicket off the same bowler and when Hudson-Prentice was

McLAREN driver

Lando Norris added his name to the list of Formula 1 race winners with a sensational breakthrough victory in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, overhauling Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to take the chequered flag.

Norris ran sixth in the early stages of the race, with fast-starting team mate Oscar Piastri the McLaren man who initially looked most likely to cause an upset, but a Safety Car at the midway point played perfectly into the Briton’s hands after he extended his opening stint.

Norris emerged from the pits in the lead, with Verstappen demoted to second after stopping under normal racing conditions, and despite an initial attack from the latter at the restart, the Briton managed to maintain the position and then edge clear. A cool, calm and collected performance thereafter, and balance problems for Verstappen, meant there was no stop-

ping Norris from banishing the demons of his near-miss at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix and becoming a race winner at the 110th time of ask-

ing. Verstappen settled for second amid his relative struggles behind the wheel, while Charles Leclerc completed the

podium ahead of Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz, who clashed with Piastri late on in an incident that sent the Australian back into the pits for a new

caught at long on off Morley, Derbyshire had five overs to negotiate before lunch.

David Lloyd and Luis Reece survived with few alarms, but the drama unfolded after the interval when Seales started to make the ball talk, and Derbyshire crumbled in the span of 17 overs.

Sussex were deducted a point from their haul of 24 for a slow over rate, while Derbyshire finished with only three bowling points.

Seales’ swing propels Sussex to win against Derbyshire Norris beats Verstappen to take Miami win

front wing.

Sergio Perez wound up fifth in the second of the Red Bulls, having completed another stop under the Safety Car, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell salvaged some solid points on a challenging weekend for Mercedes in sixth and eighth respectively.

Yuki Tsunoda gave RB another reward in seventh, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso crossed the line ninth and Esteban Ocon capitalised on Piastri’s problems to finish 10th and score a morale-boosting first point of the season for the Alpine team. Haas had been on course for another top10 result in the opening exchanges, only for Nico Hulkenberg to slip down the order as the race developed, leaving him 11th at the flag from the other Alpine machine of Pierre Gasly.

Lando Norris won the Miami GP

Narine helps KKR to win against Lucknow Super Giants

CMC – Retired West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine continued his batting exploits in the Indian Premier League with a swashbuckling 81 that set the foundations for a 98run win for Kolkata Knight Riders against hosts Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.

The 35-year-old, who bats left-handed, again opened the

batting, and he slammed six fours and seven sixes from 39 balls to be the cornerstone of a KKR total of 235 for six after they were put into bat at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Pacer Harshit Rana and leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy then combined to lead the

KKR charge with the ball, and LSG were demolished for 137 in 16.1 overs.

Rana ended with three for 24 from 3.1 overs, Chakaravarthy finished with three for 30 from three overs, and ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cupbound West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell bagged two wickets.

World Cup-bound Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis led the way for LSG with 36, and his captain K.L. Rahul, who missed out on World Cup selection for India, made 25; while World Cup-bound West Indies left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran got only 10.

It was the third win in a row

for KKR and catapulted them back to the top of the 10-team table on 16 points from eight wins in 11 matches and sunk LSG to fifth on 12 points from six wins in the same number of matches.

Earlier, World Cup-bound England opener Phil Salt hit 32 and set the platform with Narine in a blistering opening

stand of 61 from only 4.1 overs, but breezy knocks of 32 from Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 25 not out from Ramandeep Singh, and 23 from Shreyas Iyer beefed up the total; while Russell made 16. Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq was the most successful LSG bowler taking three for 49 from his allotted four overs.

Demerara take inaugural Caribbean Airlines T20 Village title

- George, Barrington & Lyght shine for the Guyanese

GUYANA’s ‘Demerara’ emerged champions of the inaugural Caribbean Airlines T10 Village Cricket competition, with two victories at National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Couva, Trinidad yesterday.

Played in strong wind in overcast conditions, a fair size crowd watched Demerara, who beat Essequibo by 58 runs and Berbice by six wickets in the Guyana leg of the tournament to qualify for yesterday’s tournament in the Carnival Country to win the tournament before the final game began.

Demerara, led by their 36-year-old skipper Shemroy Barrington who has played seven First Class matches for Guyana, beat country champions South East of Trinidad by four wickets before defeating St. Elizabeth Junction of Jamaica by 21.

In the first game, South East were restricted to 90-9 off of their 10 overs with Brian Pegus

Man-of-the-Match Dexter George captured 3-11 and got support from Jamal Gomez who had 2-17.

Andrew Lyght Junior, the son of former West Indies ‘B’ team opener Andrew Lyght and Barrington went after the bowlers and reached 34 in the third over before the Skipper (13) who smashed consecutive boundaries on either side of wicket, was taken at long-off off the bowling of Mc Craig Smith. Lyght executed a stunning extra cover drive for four which was arguably the shot of the day.

Richard Latif and Lyght carried the score quickly up to 69 before Latif (22) was lbw to Nicoes Rajkumar.

But with Demerara cruising at 72-2 in the eighth over, Aadian Racha almost turned the game on its head.

He bowled Suresh Budhu (5), shattered Sheldon Alexander’s (0) wicket with the next ball and all of sudden, was on a hat-trick.

In a bizarre run of events, Keon Morris square drove for four only to realise the high wind had blown off the bails off the non-strikers’ wicket causing the umpire to call and single ‘Dead Ball’.

To add drama to an eventful over, Racha beat the outside and appealed for caught but Morris was out of his crease, the Keeper took off the bails and the umpire at Square-leg raised the dreaded figure and Morris was stumped.

After effecting one of the strangest hat-tricks Racha was not done yet and removed Jermaine Maxwell (1) in the same

over as Demerara slipped from 69-1 to 73-5.

Lyght was then run out for 28 and 74-6; the game was in the balance.

However, Racha who had 4-11, had completed his two overs and Corwin Austin, with eight to get in the final over, saw Demerara home with two balls to spare.

In the second match, Bar-

rington (73) and Lyght (54) plundered St Elizebth Junction bowlers for 132 runs in a brutal opening partnership before Lyght was run out off the last ball of the innings.

When the Jamaicans began the chase, they were restricted to 117-7 despite 28 from Sheldon Allen, 24 from Craig Walters and 23 from Troy Powell. (Sean Devers)

Daly-Ramdyhan still plays pivotal role at Sheltez Tennis Club despite migrating

By Sean Devers

THE job of helping to develop Lawn Tennis in Guyana to International standard is far from done, but the work of US-based 50-year-old former Guyana tennis player and Coach Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan is making a positive impact. She started at ‘Multi’ school and then was transferred to the National Racket Centre in 1991, which was then named the Non Pareil Tennis Club under Coach Skeete.

She got involved in coaching through the club in 2003 while still an active player.

In 2005, Shelly officially got involved in coaching when she started the first P&P-sponsored tennis camp with Debbie Bunbury.

The pair started their club programme at the National Park and produced all the top junior players who represented Guyana at ITF team events.

After Bumbury migrated, Shelly continued the programme and later changed the name to Sheltez Tennis Club.

The U10 has three levels red, orange and green balls while the U18 has an Advanced and Novice category.

The tournament will be played over five weekends and is expected to conclude on Independence weekend.

The competitions help coaches to identify those talents in all three levels. Those players can then move on to a higher level of competition and training.

“Players in their respective clubs have been training and competing in all the available competitions. Some are also involved in the National Academy,” continued Coach Shelly, adding: “The lack of competitions continues to be a major concern for the development of players.”

This tournament is the second of its kind but first junior tournament for 2024 with the players focusing on participating in ITF tournaments.

She attended several coaches’ conferences Worldwide, workshops and courses which included Sports Administration before migrating to the USA last year. She is still involved in coaching. Sheltez Tennis Club is now coached by former National Junior Champion Kayce Fraser, but Shelly still plays an integral role in a club where she has been a coach for close to a decade and a half.

Shelly explained that the latest tournament held by the club in Guyana consists of four different ages, level of play and skillsets.

“The difference in the colour of the balls is based on the level and age of the players,” she said.

The introduction of tennis for kids begins with the red balls, and then as they progress and develop their skills, they graduate to the yellow and green balls.

The tournament has four categories, namely the U10, U12, U14, and U18s.

“Guyana’s affiliation with the ITF allows the team to participate in team events and circuit tournaments throughout the year, once they can afford to attend,” said Shelly, who was the national champion for four successive years as she dominated locally from 1993 to 1997.

Michael Fordyce won the boys' U10 Green Ball competition in the Sheltez/Homesafe Independence tournament.

The next categories are Boys and Girls U14 and Medley Novice U18 Medley Green Ball.

(20), Jevon Webb (17) and Nicholas Khan (16) offering token resistance.

Shemroy Barrington Dexter George collects his MoM award in the first game

Michael Fordyce

Coach Shelly Daley

Harry, Latchana win Horizon Group Inc Practical Shoot

THE Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) proudly hosted the first practical shooting match of the year, attracting participants and enthusiasts from across the nation.

Sponsored by the Horizon Group Inc., a leading force in sustainable property development in Guyana, the event showcased marksmanship and sportsmanship with Pravesh Harry and Rajiv Latchana winning the limited and production division respectively.

The match was declared open by GSSF's Match Director, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, with safety briefings conducted thereafter by Range Master Ryan McKinnon.

Spectators and officials from Horizon Group Inc graced the event, showing their commitment to supporting local sporting events

that promote skill and camaraderie.

Winston Hermanstyne, Business Development Manager of Horizon Group Inc., expressed excitement about witnessing the event's excitement and skill, wishing competitors the best of luck.

The match featured three thrilling stages designed by Imam Baksh to test participants' speed, power, and accuracy.

The dynamic stages required shooters to engage targets from behind barricades, walls, and various props, showcasing their proficiency in diverse shooting scenarios such as shooting with strong hand only, weak hand only, from a kneeling position and through ports and openings at steel plates and poppers.

Safety remained paramount throughout the event,

with vigilant range officers ensuring a secure and enjoyable environment for all participants and spectators.

The match culminated with stats officer Dr Pravesh Harry officially releasing the results in an official presentation ceremony, where Hermanstyne presented trophies to the deserving winners, acknowledging their outstanding performances.

See full results below

Limited Division:

1st Place – Pravesh Harry (331.4943 Points)

2nd Place – Sadiq Rahat (241.4070 Points)

3rd Place – Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (240.7085 Points)

Production Division:

1st Place – Rajiv Latchana (340.0000 Points)

2nd Place – Dallas Thomas (278.8184 Points)

3rd Place – Raphael DeGroot (197.3657 Points)

KFC Elite League

Champs GDF and Slingerz eke out draw to maintain undefeated record

A TITANIC first-round clash of the KFC Elite League between undefeated sides the Guyana Defence Force and Slingerz FC fizzled out into a draw when the two met on Saturday.

The two sides went into the contest boasting flawless records in the first round of the league, but were unable to overcome each other as the game ended in a goalless stalemate.

The GDF, because of their superior goal difference going into the game, will remain the top side in the league with eight wins and a draw in nine clashes

While Slingerz will keep their position in second also with eight wins and a draw.

The well-attended super clash saw enthusiastic spectators leaving the ground peeved, but the two top sides will have one more opportunity to match skills

before the 10-team league concludes, with each club playing 18 games over two rounds of action.

Slingerz, despite the results, will consider themselves winners after getting their promotion to the league ahead of season six.

The West Coast team which won the inaugural edition of the Elite League (2015/16) has been awesome under their new Jamaican coach Alex Thomas,

Wilson Pluming Service GABA U-23 League

after struggling to get their ticket back into the league under Coach Charles Pollard.

While the two-time defending champions GDF will feel they should have showed their class, being the seasoned side in their unbroken league stint since it’s commencement close to a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Santos FC took a surprise victory over last year’s runners up West-

ern Tigers 3-2 to move up to fourth place, five wins behind third-placed Police FC who have six wins.

Tigers will now drop down to fifth place with four wins.

In the evening’s opener Randy Roberts gave Santos the led six minutes into the game before Randolph Wagner equalised in the 24th Roberts returned to make it a double in the 51st minute of the second half

to put Santos into the lead once more before Wagner recorded his brace in the 74th and put the game back level again.

Late into injury time Stefan Reynolds found the go-ahead goal as Santos edged Western Tigers 3-2. The league continues on Tuesday with Western Tigers playing Den Amstel at the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre.

North Ruimveldt Ravens blow out Leonora Rising Star

NORTH Ruimveldt’s U23 Ravens achieved the largest margin of victory yet in the ongoing Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) U-23 League sponsored by Wilson Pluming Service and General Supplies.

Saturday night’s game moved inside the National Gymnasium because of adverse weather and a blow-out showing for the young guns.

The first quarter ended with Ravens leading 29-5 and from then, it was downhill for their West Coast opponents. Ravens continued to pile on the points, adding 14-11 in the second period and 2212 in the third to complete

The Ravens U23 team

a 48-point victory 84-36 victory.

Shaquan Archer starred for Leonora Rising Star with 13 points in a losing effort, while Ravens Atilla William-

son had 15 points with 13 from Alroy Nurse with Quan Jackson sinking 12 buckets.

Pacesetters Basketball Club also served up a comfortable 76-60 victory over Festival City Black Caimans.

The Black Caimans opened the contest 11-10 in the first period, before pacesetters filled the script in the second quarter to lead 32-18.

After the break the Black Caimans came surging back, outscoring pacesetters in the third period leading the quarter 27-21 to make it 45-53 at the end of the third period.

Delmar Grant led the Caimans with 10 points with

Quivon Bourne being the star with 23 points. The action resumes on Wednesday at the National Gymnasium with a double header.

Pepsi Sonics will play Leonora Rising Star and Knights meet Black Caiman with games scheduled for 18hrs 30 and 20hrs 30 respectively.

The league features 12 teams divided into two groups of six battling it out in a round-robin format with the top two then locking horns in the semifinals on June 19, with the finals on the 22nd of June.

Mr Winston Hermanstyne, Business Development Manager of Horizon Group Inc poses with the prize winners at the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation’s Practical Shooting Match

Slingerz Darren Niles (left) Challenging GDF Kelsey Benjamin for the ball

Sunil Narine brought up his 50 in 27 balls•BCCI

Andrew Lyght Junior