Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_30_03_2022

WEDNESDAY 30th March, 2022

Mitigating flooding on coastland No.106678

–– gov’t outlines plans to tackle situation in Regions Two, Three, Five and Six

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Construction of the much-needed Mandela-Eccles four-lane highway is nearing completion. The roadway, when completed, will be the first fully concrete four-lane highway in Guyana. (Ministry of Housing and Water photo)

Guyana’s agriculture $2.9B in contracts Financial mechanisms 16 needed for small sector being fortified 02 signed to enhance with massive investments local sea defence 24 farmers, Indigenous people PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Guyana’s agriculture sector being fortified with massive investments

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has said that his government is initiating a wide range of transformative initiatives in the agriculture sector to ensure its resilience and sustainability.

He related that the country’s agriculture sector is not just critical to its future, but also to the region and to the international community.

President Ali said: “I’m here on a very simple mission, and that mission has to do with a vision of making Guyana not only the food basket of the region but more importantly, building a framework that will ensure that we produce the greatest levels of productivity, we use the best available technology, we bring international partners to the development of our agriculture and food system in this country.”

The President highlighted the importance of producing

locally while speaking at the launch of the government’s latest initiative, the Black Belly Sheep Project, at the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) in Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice.

At the event, the Head of State said that the mutton initiative is one of several aimed at ensuring that Guyana becomes self-sufficient and agriculturally versatile.

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES He said that the government will soon be launching another programme, this time, to further bolster the local poultry industry.

“We started by working with all the large poultry producers in a consortium for them to produce their own corn and soya for the production of feed to support that

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali

industry…we are now looking at a project that will enable us to produce our hatching eggs all here in Guyana, locally,” Dr. Ali said.

He informed residents of Region Five of the initiative to be implemented in Pakuri Vil-

lage (Mahaica River), which will see collaboration among the private sector, the government and the Indigenous community to ensure that eggs are produced for local consumption and eventually for export markets in the region.

In addition, the Head of State also pointed to the swamp shrimp project for the diaspora market, which is being executed on the Corentyne coast in the East Berbice region.

He said that since the inception of this project, production has doubled in less than a year. The existing market, he added, is creating incentives for supporting farmers.

“These are the initiatives that are transformative in nature. These are the initiatives that will propel the economy,” President Ali said, adding: “These are the initiatives that will bring direct benefits to the

farmers and enhance our diversification programme. These are some of the initiatives that will ensure our economy is built on many pillars.”

REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INTEREST Guyana is strengthening relations with several islands in the region, including Barbados, Antigua, Jamaica and St Lucia, and mutually beneficial projects are expected.

“Already we are seeing tremendous progress in our relationship with Barbados, for example where very soon we will be turning the sod for a Guyana-Barbados food terminal....We’ve already expressed our unwavering commitment to the removal of every barrier that will prevent trade between the two countries,” the President said.

On the international front, President Ali announced that

a team from West Jet Cargo that he met in the UAE will be visiting Guyana shortly to look at adding a cargo facility for direct export to North America.

“These are all initiatives that we are fast-tracking and we are going after in a very aggressive manner,” Dr. Ali said.

He also stressed the importance of partnerships at the local level to meet the demands, especially when it comes to reducing our food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

At the regional level, the Agri Investment Forum (May 19-24) will help to solidify the regional approach, especially since all the major players in the region from the distribution chain, the trading arm, the banking institutions along with global players are expected to attend. (Office of the President)

Mitigating flooding on coastland

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

–– gov’t outlines plans to tackle situation in Regions Two, Three, Five and Six

By Tajeram Mohabir

A portion of revenue from the country’s oil and gas resources will be spent on building flood mitigation infrastructure for the future as the government moves to comprehensively tackle flooding on the coastland, particularly in Regions Two, Three, Five and Six. The process to shield the coastland, which is six feet below sea level, from flooding started with a National Consultation on Strategic Flood Protection Measures with farmers, engineers and regional officials at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, on Tuesday.

The government, in a PowerPoint presentation delivered by head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, articulated its plan to mitigate flooding in the identified regions.

The presentation, in essence, seeks to set in place comprehensive plans for each of the identified regions to mitigate flooding, open up more lands for agricultural purposes and reduce losses faced by farmers and residents as a result of flooding.

The works required to enable this include dredging of rivers, building drainage and irrigation structures, building embankments, creating water channels and integrating drainage and irrigation network to enable effective and efficient water management.

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who addressed the consultation, said that these plans will be refined through wide consultation, feasibility studies will be prepared and the government, apart from providing part financing, will move to secure funding from international institutions.

Farmers for years have complained that due to losses from flooding, at times, they are not in a position financially to return to their fields.

The farmers, engineers and regional officials at the consultations, in addition to making suggestions to the government to improve the plans articulated to them, said the vision of the government to comprehensively deal with the issue of flooding is commendable.

A delegation from Region Two was particularly appreciative of the govern-

ment’s plan to dredge the mouth of the Pomeroon River. This project is expected to be completed before year end and, according to members of the Region Two delegation, along with other drainage and irrigation infrastructural works, it will enable the opening up of thousands of acres of land for farming.

The Pomeroon could also be a port for direct large-scale shipment of agriculture produce. The mouths of the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary rivers will also be dredged.

ACT NOW The ambitious plans to mitigate flooding on the coastland, Dr. Jagdeo told the gathering, will require an enormous amount of money and even though developed countries are major contributors to climate change and are reluctant or slow in providing funding for developing nations to respond to the challenges posed by climate change, Guyana will have to act now.

“We have to fend for ourselves while we remain engaged with the global process. We in Guyana, we are

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, addressing persons at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday (Office of the Vice-President) not sitting on our hands, we have to ensure that some of our resources are utilised in this manner,” he said.

On that note, Dr. Jagdeo said the strategies outlined in the expanded Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) will be put into action and the consultation, on Tuesday, is geared in this direction.

A section of the gathering at the consultation exercise at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday (Office of the Vice-President)

The LCDS was initially launched in 2009 with a focus on earning revenue from forest carbon and saw Guyana earning US$250M from a deal with Norway.

The updated Low Carbon Development Strategy has extended the focus to integrated water resources management and biodiversity protection. Notably, it also places attention on adaptation for the future.

BALANCED APPROACH On that note, Dr. Jagdeo reiterated to the gathering that while developments in the oil and gas sector will move forward, Guyana will continue to bolster its environmental credentials.

This will happen through sustainability planning, he said, even as efforts continue to tackle flooding on the coastland due largely to erratic weather patterns.

In recent years, Guyana has been experiencing short burst of intense rainfall which, at times, in one day accumulates to the amounts historically experienced in one month.

This situation, Dr. Jag-

deo said, puts pressure on water storage systems and the archaic Dutch drainage infrastructure on the coastland, resulting in flooding and losses to farmers and persons in residential communities.

If this problem is not managed holistically, he said the flooding and loss of livelihoods will continue.

The Hope Canal is instrumental in reducing floods in Region Four, and the government is looking to build similar systems on the coastland to reduce flooding in other areas.

Flooding will not lessen in the future, due to climate change, the Vice-President said, as he underscored the need for Guyana to put effective systems in place to deal with it and to do so urgently.

“If we do not tackle the big issues of water management, every single crop or two crops, we will lose large volumes of our produce and that has not only an impact on the economy, the overall economy of our country, but at the family level often has devastating consequences for people,” he emphasised.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Tightening U.S. labor market underpins consumer confidence despite soaring inflation

(Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence rebounded from a one-year low in March amid growing labor market optimism, but, as the Federal Reserve battles raging inflation, rising interest rates could hurt motor vehicle purchases and crimp consumer spending.

The labor market continues to favor workers, with other data, on Tuesday, showing job openings hovering near record highs in February. Tightening labor market conditions are boosting wages, providing some cushion against inflation.

Consumers’ one-year inflation expectations shot up to an alltime high of 7.9 per cent.

“A strong job market is helping households shoulder the worsening burden of rising prices,” Tim Quinlan, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte said.

He added: “One of the few things still supportive of consumer confidence is the fact that the labor market remains

exceptionally tight.”

The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose to a reading of 107.2 this month from a downwardly revised 105.7 in February.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index falling to 107.0 from February’s initially reported 110.5.

The improvement in confidence followed the rolling back of COVID-19 restrictions across the country, and was, despite gasoline prices, remaining above $4.00 per gallon as Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on.

Unlike the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, which fell to an 11-year low in March, the Conference Board survey puts more emphasis on the labor market.

The Conference Board’s so-called labor market differential, derived from data on respondents’ views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, increased to a record high 47.4

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this month from a reading of 41.5 in February.

This measure correlates to the unemployment rate from the Labor Department. The jobless rate was at a two-year low of 3.8 per cent in February.

Consumers’ upbeat views of the labor market were underscored by the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report showing job openings, a measure of labor demand, fell 17,000 to 11.266 million on the last day of February. Despite the second straight monthly decline, job openings were not too far from a record high of 11.448 million set in December. Economists had forecast 11 million vacancies.

Job openings in the finance and insurance sector fell by 63,000 and decreased 39,000 in the nondurable goods manufacturing industry. But vacancies rose by 32,000 in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector, while education services report-

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ed 26,000 additional openings.

The job openings rate was unchanged at 7.0 per cent. Hiring increased 263,000 to 6.689 million, led by construction, but fell in the information sector.

The hires rate climbed to 4.4 per cent from 4.3 per cent in January.

The jobs-workers gap is now at 3.0 per cent of the labor force, which economists at Goldman Sachs said “suggests strong wage growth will persist until improvements in labor supply and normalization of job openings bring the labor market back into balance.” There were a record 1.8 open jobs per unemployed person in February.

More people voluntarily quit their jobs, pushing the total to 4.352 million from 4.258 million in January, another sign of labor market confidence. About 74,000 retail workers quit, while durable goods manufacturing saw 22,000 resignations. The quits rate rose to 2.9 per cent from 2.8 per cent in January.

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U.S. stocks were trading higher amid signs of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies.

The widely tracked U.S. two-year/10-year Treasury yield curve inched closer to inversion, a signpost of recession, as traders bet that aggressive policy tightening by the Fed could hurt the economy over the longer term.

INFLATION EXPECTATIONS SOAR Consumers’ inflation expectations over the next 12 months accelerated to 7.9 per cent, the highest since the series started in 1987, from 7.1 per cent in February.

With inflation expectations surging, fewer consumers planned to buy cars over the next six months. But intentions to buy big-ticket items like refrigerators and washing machines increased.

Plans to buy a house were

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unchanged, remaining below January’s high reading as rising mortgage rates, combined with soaring prices, make home purchasing unaffordable, especially for first-time buyers. Still, demand for housing remains underpinned by the strong labor market.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate is well above 4 per cent.

The Fed this month increased its policy interest rate by 25 basis points, the first hike in more than three years. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said the U.S. central bank must move “expeditiously” to raise rates and possibly “more aggressively” to keep high inflation from becoming entrenched.

House prices continue to march higher as builders struggle to bridge the supply gap because of shortages and higher prices for inputs like softwood lumber for framing, as well as cabinets, garage doors, countertops and appliances.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

St. Lucia to join CCJ as a full member

(CMC) St. Lucia, on Tuesday, signalled its intention to become the fifth Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to have full membership with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s final court.

Acting Governor General, Cyril Errol Charles, delivering the traditional Throne Speech at the start of a new Parliamentary term, told legislators that the government is committed to addressing its destiny as an independent nation, both tacitly and tangibly.

He said: “This year, St. Lucia will take steps toward the accession to the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice. We are thus expected to become the fifth CARICOM member state to replace the Privy Council with the CCJ.” Charles said that the Phillip J. Pierre administration, which enjoys a 13-4 majority in the Parliament, has appointed a committee under the chairmanship of former CCJ president, Sir Dennis Byron “to prepare the way for St. Lucia’s accession to the CCJ.” “The draft legislation for the amendment of St. Lucia’s Constitution to allow for accession has been prepared and will soon be available for public scrutiny,” the Acting Governor added.

All of the CARICOM countries are signatories to the Original Jurisdiction of the CCJ, which also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement; only Barbados, Guyana, Belize and Dominica have signed on to the Court’s Appellate jurisdiction.

In his address, Charles told legislators that the government is committed to bettering the governance framework and promoting a more secure and accountable democratic system.

He said constitutional reform has languished “for way too long” and that the government intends to “reignite the discourse” on what form and style the country’s democracy should take, especially within the context of the technological era of information communication technology (ICT).

“The Parliamentary Committee created for this purpose will be revamped and mandated to consider specific areas such as prime ministerial term limits, a fixed date for general elections, the appointment of a Deputy Speaker, and the matter of becoming a Republic,” Charles said.

He said that St. Lucia is also moving towards strengthening regional institutions and that the government intends to strengthen functional cooperation and integration, particularly at the level of the Eastern Caribbean sub-region.

He said, regarding regional trade and travel, the Pierre government believes that the present system of regional air and sea transportation is a disincentive to trade, travel and tourism.

“My government is desirous of pushing forward long talked about the dream of regional air and ferry service as well as the review of shipping operations,” Charles said.

He related that good governance and anti-corruption were issues that had featured repeatedly in the run-up to the last general election in July last year, noting: “Corruption creates waste and inefficiency in the delivery of vital services.

It therefore must be stamped out of our public affairs with due haste and vigour.”

“A government can have the best of plans but if it does not govern well, if corruption abounds, every plan will be rotten from the inside. My

government invites the nation to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to corruption,” Charles said.

The Acting Governor said that the government will review and strengthen the Integrity in Public Life Act to hold public officials accountable to the people.

He added: “My government will continue to strengthen the management of its public finances through the finalisation of the regulations for the recently approved public finance management and procurement legislation.”

Charles said a new debt bill will be brought to the Parliament that will seek to amalgamate all the existing pieces of legislation that deal with debt into one comprehensive law and this will provide a more effective and cohesive framework for the management of the country’s debts and liabilities.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Strategic Development

THE University of Guyana (UG) will soon be offering a Master’s Degree Programme in Strategic Development Studies. The programme was launched in the presence of President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who lauded the university on the initiative.

According to the President, the programme would contribute significantly to the regional integration process. “The programme is not meant only for Guyanese.

We’re hoping and the aim of this programme is for all of CARICOM to start it.

Because all of us must be integrated into the regional agenda. And I must say our new Secretary-General is working hard on pushing this regional agenda. But we must first get at every level, especially at this level — the level of universities — an interest in the regional agenda,” he said.

The development of the region is inextricably linked to the economic growth of all participating countries. It was precisely that thinking that resulted in the establishment of the University of Guyana by the PPP Government in 1963. Prior to the establishment of the university, only a handful of Guyanese were beneficiaries of university education which was not only costly but also inadequate to meet the human resource needs of the economy. The establishment of the University of Guyana was the brainchild of former President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, which at the time was a bold step given the paucity of tertiary teaching staff in the country and the region. In fact, Guyana was the only country in the English-speaking Caribbean that established its own national university, an indication of the visionary

thinking of Dr. Jagan and the PPP administration.

Today, the university is offering courses in medicine and law and six Master’s programmes, in addition to a wide range of course offerings both at the graduate and post-graduate levels.

As pointed out by President Ali, the introduction of the strategic development studies at the University of Guyana is both timely and relevant and comes at a time when the country is making significant progress in terms of strategically repositioning itself as a major player in the CARICOM region and for that matter the world at large. One of the major selling points, in the view of President Ali, is that the courses allow for real-life scenarios that are currently in play within the international arena. This, he felt, would assist in devel-

oping the capability of each individual to strategically deal with those challenges and come up with solutions.

Persons benefitting from the programme should be in a better position to apply themselves analytically to different scenarios that present themselves from time to time.

The programme is aimed at developing national analysts to evaluate and interpret the changes in national, regional and international affairs from a policy framework perspective and equip them to critically analyse policy formulation, shared responsibility, threats, challenges and opportunities in these systems.

The University of Guyana has an important role to play in terms of influencing policy formulation based on research and development studies. In fact, it was precisely for that reason that

the Institute of Development Studies was set up at the university. Regrettably, because of political interference by the former PNC regime, the university was unable to discharge much of its mandate both with respect to teaching and research. Many qualified Guyanese were denied teaching jobs or had their services terminated because of political victimisation.

Thankfully, we have gone past those difficult years and the University of Guyana is once again taking on its role as a centre of excellence in the areas research and teaching.

The PPP/C administration has continued to provide substantial financial assistance to the university by way of financial subventions and through the student loan facility. In addition, significant rehabilitation and expansion works are also being done by the government on

an ongoing basis.

The PPP/C administration is committed to the building of a knowledge-based economy. In pursuit of that objective, the government has been providing online scholarships to thousands of Guyanese students free of cost. President Ali had also indicated that his administration has plans to eliminate tuition fees for students attending the University of Guyana.

Development requires the right mix of skills and competencies to drive the process. The need for strategic thinking and higher order thinking skills are indispensable in this regard. The Master’s Degree in Strategic Development Studies is therefore a welcome development, especially at this exciting stage in the country’s development.

Leaving oil undersea not an option

Dear Editor,

SOME critics are opposed to oil exploration, drilling, and production; they feel Guyana should leave the oil under the seabed. That is not an option; there is no gain in leaving the oil.

Other countries could possibly tap into a vein that hold Guyana’s oil and financially benefit from its extraction. Why should Guyana not benefit from oil and gas?

Vice-President Jagdeo is right that Guyana should expedite the extraction of oil and gas, as there could be a finite time during which Guyana would benefit from oil extraction (sale) before the globe switches to renewable energy (solar, water,

wind) and or oil prices dwindle. Oil price is at its highest.

Guyana has received financial benefits over the last 14 months as a result of oil production; not a fair amount as many have penned, but it is the contract, and is more than what would have obtained had the oil remained under the seabed. Offshore drilling benefits the country, improving the economy as a whole. Increased revenues resulting from production reduce trade deficit, expand economic activity, and strengthens the value of our money. It is a win for Guyana.

Oil is very important to rapid growth for many countries. Job growth, increased revenues, and economic stability result from oil-and-

gas drilling and production.

These revenues greatly improve economic success of countries, providing resources for infrastructure development. Oil drilling and production stimulates the economy, resulting in rapid growth and development.

Thus, oil production must be kept thriving for the country to continue to develop and grow. Reducing offshore oil and gas production could have a devastating impact on not only the domestic economy, but also the global economy as less money would be in circulation, in addition to less energy resulting in higher prices for oil and gas.

In such a situation, the consumer is hurt. And if there is less drilling in Guyana or less production, the country

gets less revenues with the economy negatively affected.

Offshore drilling has many advantages for Guyana. It eliminates risk of damage to land had the drilling occurred onshore. In addition, offshore drilling is contributing substantially to global energy independence from OPEC. Guyana’s production is small, but it still reduces dependence on OPEC oil. OPEC can hold the global community to ransom or blackmail, and determine oil price. So increased production by Guyana helps to lower the price of oil, while also making more oil available for world consumption.

Several companies are expanding offshore drilling in Guyana, spending

large amounts of money from which the country benefits.

While the companies directly involved in drilling and production are benefiting by extracting oil, companies on the periphery of the industry are also benefiting, providing goods and services to those within the oil-and-gas market and servicing workers. This leads to job creation in the industry, as well as in the community where shore bases are established. Working for the oil company helps to improve the lives of families of those working in the industry, as well as those who live in proximity to shore bases or where the oil and gas companies are headquartered or have offices. Guyanese have been steadily employed, with more and

more local Guyanese getting oil-related jobs, reducing employment rates, and causing the economy to flourish and thrive. Employment is very important; the more people employed, the more money is being spent. The more jobs that are available, the better the economy will fare overall. In addition, businesses are able to grow and expand because workers have more expendable income.

With tens of billions being spent in drilling and production in the offshore oil and gas market, it is building businesses. When oil companies move into an area and develop it, they also begin to support local businesses. Offshore oil and Continued on page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

There is no Opposition Leader for the President to consult with

Dear Editor,

THE recent announcement of the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, as Guyana’s acting Top Cop has raised objection from the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Aubrey Norton. This is even before Mr. Hicken’s appointment takes effect from March 30, 2022.

The People’s National Congress have called the appointment of Mr. Hicken illegal. This is another bizarre claim.

Mr. Norton is also the leader of the coalition of convenience, A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+ AFC), yet he never spoke on any issue in that capacity. This, in itself, is viewed as evidence to the fact that the other political misfits that revolve around the People’s National Congress are indeed nonentities, and as such, requires no publicity or even a simple mention as a form of recognition.

It is Aubrey Norton’s intention to become the leader of the political opposition. However, whether this happens or not does not alter the fact that Aubrey Norton is an ineffective, uninspiring and uncharismatic leader who can never win any free and fair elections in Guyana.

As it is, he isn’t even a Member of Parliament.

The People’s Nation-

al Congress Reform is the only political party in Guyana that is historically embedded in unconstitutionality. Yet the PNCR constantly quotes from the Guyana Constitution for the sake of their convenience. This was prevalent during the tenure of former President David Granger, who, whilst acting unconstitutionally, quoted the Constitution, conveniently, from the moment retired Justice Patterson was illegally appointed as the Chairman of Guyana Elections Commission up until the People’s National Congress Reform surrendered the reign of power in 2020.

When the People’s National Congress Reform issues a statement as the opposition, one is left to wonder whether they purport to speak for all the opposition political parties of this country. The People’s National Congress Reform with its current leadership has become a terrible joke in Guyana and elsewhere. This tragedy is of their own making.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic has long embraced the principles of democracy, constitutionality and good governance. Article 211 (1) of the Guyana Constitution is unequivocally clear. It states that, “the Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the

Opposition and the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission, after the Chairperson has consulted with the other member of the Commission.”

The APNU+AFC has continuously humiliated themselves. In January 2022, Joseph Harmon, a tainted political figure, resigned from being the Opposition Leader. Through petty politics, the Coalition has failed to replace him. This, however, cannot undermine the smooth functioning of the State and its entities. It has become clear that the PNCled opposition, which is in a state of nothingness, is trying to appear functional. The PNC/R and its leader need to desist from these obnoxious publicity stunts.

It is clear that there is no Opposition Leader in Guyana; so, who should the President have consulted with? The Guyana Police Force cannot function without a leader as the opposition does. The appointment of a Commissioner of Police is further delayed by the failure of the PNC-led opposition. The Police Service Commission is without a Chairman. This is even as Parliamentary Committee of Appointment have already nominated four members to sit on the new Police Service Commission. The Chairman of the PSC is appointed after consultation between the President and the Opposition Leader, and as there

Leaving oil...

From page 6 gas production strengthens the local economy providing that community with financial trickle-down effect.

This in turn leads to more job creation. And this in and of itself would attract more people to certain communities where oil workers live, essentially transforming it into a more attractive place to live. This additionally improves real estate values

in the area. Restricting access to oil and gas hurts the economy, driving income down. Also, increased national revenues from oil makes more funds available for social programmes to reduce political instability.

The production of oil is infusing tens of billions of dollars into our economy, resulting in manufacturing, supporting the development of new jobs, infra-

structure, and economic opportunity. It is also supporting private sector investment and furthering economic growth. The quicker we get the oil out, the better for the country.

Drilling and extracting oil under the sea bed will not hurt Guyana.

Yours sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

is no Opposition Leader so the process is hindered.

Aubrey Norton knows this.

The President of Guyana has acted quite responsibly in appointing Deputy Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken to act in the capacity of Commissioner of Police.

This was necessary as was highlighted by the President in a media re-

lease. Guyana cannot wait until the People’s National Congress Reform gets it right. The show must go on and on it will go.

Mr. Clifton Hicken has distinguishable service record in the Guyana Police Force.

He served as Divisional Commander in A and B divisions and up until his appointment was the Deputy Commissioner of

Operations. He is very professional and is quite popular, especially in challenged communities. He has helped many youths in these various communities in many ways and is more than competent to act as the head of the Guyana Police Force.

Yours sincerely, Nkosei Williams

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

FAO, International Chamber of Commerce strengthen collaboration

THE Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their partnership and boost public-private collabo-

to “ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030”.

As part of this, the ICC will provide the FAO with a platform to share knowledge on best sustainable agricultural practices, with the aim of increasing collaboration with the private

sector in this initiative.

The ICC is the institutional representative of more than 45 million companies in over 100 countries. It supports the work of the United Nations (UN), the World Tr a d e O r g a n i s a t i o n (WTO), and many other

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu (right) and ICC Secretary-General John Denton signing the MOU (FAO photo)

ration.

The MoU was signed

by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and ICC Secretary-General John Denton, and will support the three pillars of sustainable development, namely: Economic, social and environmental development, with an emphasis on mitigating climate change, and strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems and natural resources.

As part of the agreement, the two parties have agreed to enhance advocacy and communication, seeking opportunities to highlight their shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promote the important role played by the FAO, the ICC and the private sector in achieving those goals at local and global levels.

The MoU also aims to facilitate knowledge exchange between the two parties, and support their individual initiatives, especially those having to do with SDG 2, which speaks

sector. Additionally, the MoU will connect relevant FAO offices with the ICC’s network of National Committees and National and Local Chambers of Commerce.

HAND-IN-HAND Through FAO’s Handin-Hand Initiative, the FAO and the ICC will work together to promote responsible investments and sustainable strategies for agrifood system transformation, and foster private sector engagement.

Hand-in-Hand acts as a matchmaker of resources, including knowledge, technology, innovation, capacity development and training, access to markets and finance and investment, to bring together development partners and countries and encourage collaboration.

Through Hand-in-Hand, parties can help each other realise their economic and social potential. The FAO and the ICC have agreed to join forces to enhance the participation of the private

intergovernmental bodies, such as the G20, on behalf of international business.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Reg. One CSOs begin training in water system management

SOME 30 Community Support Officers (CSOs) from 16 villages within the Moruca sub-district of Region One (Barima-Waini) are participating in a two-day water system management training programme designed to operate and maintain systems in their

the entire area has access to potable water.

With a number of wells scheduled to be drilled this year in the Barima-Waini Region, the minister said that the percentage of potable water access will move to over 70 per cent.

Over the next eight months, several wells are

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal with participants of the GWI water system management training programme

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal (DPI photos)

respective communities.

Training is being facilitated by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), and will see the CSOs being engaged in activities covering water purification processes, water sampling, and basic sanitation and hygiene, among other areas.

During the official launch of the programme in Santa Rosa on Monday, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal stressed the importance of ensuring the proper management of water systems, as the government continues to invest billions of dollars to ensure hinterland communities have 100 per cent water coverage.

“We are investing in the hinterland in the delivery of potable water; we have already assessed what needs to be done in order to achieve the objective of 100 per cent access to water in the hinterland, and the CSOs play an important role in this development,” Minister Croal said.

There are over 70 communities spread across the three Region One districts, namely: Moruca, Matarkai, and Mabaruma, and according to Minister Croal, only 55 per cent of

expected to be drilled in the communities of Waramuri, Himacraba, Hobodiah, Kaburi, Manawarin, Kwebanna and Santa Rosa.

The PAT well-drilling rig has arrived in the sub-region to commence the drilling of these wells.

Minister Croal said the projects are in keeping with the government’s commitment to provide water and sanitation for all, in keeping with the UN-led Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.

This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Housing & Water and Amerindian Affairs, with GWI being the agency responsible for its execution. UNICEF and the UNDP are also contributing significantly towards funding for the capacity-building exercises.

Earlier this month, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministries of Housing and Water and Amerindian Affairs for the training of Community Service Officers (CSOs) in the operation and maintenance of water supply systems in hinterland communities.

(DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

New all-women CPG group launched at Better Hope

THE National Community Policing Group (CPG), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, launched an all-female Communi -

ty Policing Group a t B e t t e r- H o p e North, East Coast Demerara, on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Home

Affairs, the newly launched group is the 14th all-female CPG and comprises 39 members. The other all-female CPG groups are

spread across the 10 administrative regions, with a total of 250 members.

The Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Min-

(seated second from right) Permanent Secretary, Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas and (seated third from right) Head of CPG, Reshi Das, and officials share a moment with the new all-female CPG Better-Hope North members

istry, Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas, charged the ladies to at all times be professional, build trust in the community, enhance the relationship between the police and the community and encourage community partnerships while being agents for change, conflict resolution and problem-solving.

She said this will significantly improve the flow of information between the police and the public, which will help in preventing and solving crimes, thus creating a safer and more secure community.

Reshi Das, Head of CPG, also encouraged the women to stay true to the agency’s mandate to always be “fair, friendly and firm” in carrying out their duties.

He stated said: “This duty requires you to deal with persons from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Often, it may be someone you know or that you are close to, be impartial and stay

committed to the mandate and your new areas of responsibility.”

F u r t h e r, s i n c e the relaunch of the CPG on October 26, 2020, by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, there are now 299 active groups comprising 5,172 members countrywide.

According to the ministry, these would include new groups as well as the resuscitation of dormant ones.

Among the groups, 67 are located in hinterland areas such as Arakaka, Oronoque, Fauls Top, 4-Miles (PortKaituma), Annai, Toka, Karasabai, Shulinab, SandCreek, Shea (Rupununi), Rincon, Karaburi, Mora, Waramuri (Moruca) Yarakita, Tobago, Imbortero, Bunbury and Whitewater (Mabaruma).

Together they have a membership of 1,115 persons.

The CPG is also responsible for establishing 35 youth groups countrywide with a membership of 1,001.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Region Five farmers embrace President Ali’s vision for livestock capital — single mother ecstatic about plans to prioritise women, young farmers — others happy with promise of ‘anti-rustling’ group

By Rehana Ahamad LIVESTOCK farmers in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) have begun to dream big, now that they have been assured of the unwavering support of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, whose intention is to position the region as the livestock capital of not only Guyana, but also the larger Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as well.

On Sunday, during the launch of a Black Belly Sheep project at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, the Head of State delivered a comprehensive presentation on the enor-

mous potential of the livestock industry, underscoring that Region Five has the capacity to supply meats, particularly mutton, to all 15 CARICOM member states.

Dr. Ali was also keen on giving a step-by-step breakdown of how the industry will be developed, and what mechanisms will be put in place to assist farmers, most of whom are in need of access to more land space and better infrastructure, as well as training on the use of innovative and climate-smart technologies.

On Tuesday, the Guyana Chronicle spoke with several farmers who have since begun

to envision the eventual evolution of their businesses. Single mother, Yvonne Morris, was the first to express excitement for what is to come.

For over 16 years, rearing farm animals such as cattle, sheep and goats have been her main source of income, enabling her to raise her two children, following the death of their father some time ago.

“I been managing, but it was a little hard; that’s the reason I start doing this business.

Is two sons I’m having and things still a little tight but yuh can’t say that yuh deh that bad; yuh gah be thankful for life,” Morris said.

Following the President’s presentation, Morris has allowed herself to imagine life as a large-scale farmer, providing an even better life for her boys.

“This plan that the President got is very good. Its lovely and I am happy. I even studying to go plant a piece of rice,” the Golden Grove, West Coast Berbice resident said candidly.

She was particularly impressed by the specific plans laid out by President Ali, especially as it relates to improving the breeds of the animals, ensuring sufficient access to proper pastures and grasslands, and providing steadier markets for the animals.

“For a start, with the new black belly (sheep) breed coming from Barbados, it will develop the flock, and give us better breed and eventually you gon get better production,” Morris related.

As it relates specifically to the recently launched Black Belly Sheep project, Morris said she was elated to hear the President say that the project will prioritise the participation of women and youths.

President Ali had insisted that at least 20 per cent of farmers in the project have to be women, whilst 35 per cent must have the integral involvement of youths.

Above all, Morris is pleased that Dr. Ali understands the plight of farmers who continue to suffer at the hands of thieves.

“To be honest, that is a tight, tight something,” Morris said, as she recalled several instances where her farm was raided.

“When I did just start, I had 12 sheep, and they tek six.

When the sheep drop and get big, they come back and ker eat a next six,” Morris recalled.

She said that during the second raid, the thieves even went as far as to slaughter Continued on page 14

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Region Five farmers...

From page 13

the family’s dog, which often served as a protection for the woman and her sons.

A SIGH OF RELIEF In relating the inefficiency of the police when it comes to animal theft, Morris said she was comforted by President Ali’s stance on the issue, and the fact that the police, during Sunday’s launch, was cautioned to do better.

The Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces even went as far as to announce

the development of a special ‘anti-rustling’ group to tackle issues of animal theft, which continues to plague the Mahaica-Berbice area.

“Security is an important part of the building of any sector or industry,” Dr. Ali assured residents.

With the President’s promise in mind, Morris said she hopes to God that it works out and the President gets through.

She added: “I want it to work out, because I want the thiefin must stop; is young boys doing it. The next thing to, is the butchers we gah get

cooperation from….”

As it relates to sick animals, President Ali also informed residents that a second veterinarian will be deployed to effectively serve the region.

Also lauding the government’s efforts was Raian Dhanraj, a farmer of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice.

“A lot of people really embrace this initiative,” Dhanraj said, recognising that in order to fulfill President Ali’s vision, farmers as well as members of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), will have “a lot of work to do.”

Single mother of two, Yvonne Morris

Dhanraj, a small-scale livestock farmer, is eager to see the development of pastures and grasslands that would allow for “better grazing.”

Farmer ‘Javed’ is hopeful that technology would be able to curb issues of animal theft

Also sharing his frustration with animal theft, Dhanraj expressed hope that the oversight group would be outfitted with capable people.

“There’s a lot we have to do, but so far, this is something very good. It will reduce cost of living and so,” the farmer said.

Meanwhile, Debra Gopaul, Head of the Sheep and Goat Association, who has been rearing livestock for over 28 years, said that the Black Belly Sheep project, in particular, was launched at an ideal time, since many are still working to rebuild what they lost during the May 2021 floods, which devastated thousands of acres of farmlands and more than 50,000 households across 300 communities across the country.

She said that with the government’s $7.8 billion flood-relief programme, many families are still working to rebuild and return to optimal production.

“Livestock is my only source of income, and my husband planting rice,” Gopaul said.

She added that President Ali’s position of youth and female involvement in the region’s livestock industry was most pleasing, since it will serve as a notable empowerment mechanism for both demographics.

“For the women especially, this would put more finances in their pockets, rather than have to depend on their husband or anyone else,” Gopaul noted.

She said that having grown up in a family of animal farmers, she understands the role that the industry could play in establishing a young person’s independence.

“I remember in my small days, we does sell we own sheep and buy we school clothes,” Gopaul reflected with a smile.

She is hopeful that since the growth of the region’s livestock industry is a direct policy of the government, law enforcement would be more effective in dealing with reports of animal theft.

“I hope that the vision come through and we have closer collaboration with the police,” Gopaul said.

TRACKING DEVICES Another farmer named

Debra Gopaul, Head of the Sheep and Goat Association

Javed Ishmael of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, is more focused on President Ali’s promise of improved technology, which he believes, could reduce or perhaps even eliminate rustling.

Raian Dhanraj

“As you know, we still have larceny, and I know it’s a very complex situation, but I remember speaking with former GLDA boss and he spoke of a chit to track the animals. Farmers will be investing a lot of money, so that would be something nice to see,” Ishmael said.

Like many other farmers, Ishmael too “grew up in the business of livestock farming,” a trade passed down from his great-great-grandfather.

Having heard the President’s promises, he said that he is looking forward to taking his business to next step.

“The hope is to grow from here. One of the reason I didn’t go that far, is because of the need for more investment and guaranteed markets,” the farmer told this newspaper.

He said that now, with the President throwing his support behind the sector, farmers will look to grow and improve on the amount of animals they have.

“Farmers will need all the help we can get; we are looking forward to it…we excited about it,” Ishmael said.

Meanwhile, as far as technology goes, President Ali said, on Sunday, that for the Black Belly Sheep project, each farm will be outfitted with an electronic monitoring system, which will be linked to national database.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Key investments in non-oil sector could unveil untapped potential — Min. Bharrat says more can be done to add value to natural resources

By Shamar Meusa

MINISTER of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat on Tuesday affirmed the government’s commitment to developing and sustain-

need investment, and we need investors to come to Guyana,” Minister Bharrat said, adding that by the same token, while investors are welcome, opportunities must be presented to local busi-

GMSA President Rafeek Khan

ing the non-oil sectors, even though more can be done to add value to the country’s natural resources.

Minister Bharrat used the opportunity to outline the government’s plans for development in non-oil sectors during his address at the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association Limited (GMSA)’s 2022 Business Luncheon at the Ramada Princess Hotel.

The minister said that President Dr. Irfaan Ali has on numerous occasions spoken of the government’s commitment to fostering growth in other sectors.

“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that we develop our non-oil sectors like forestry, mining and agriculture which will play a major role as we move forward as a country, and as we finally realise our potential as the breadbasket of the Caribbean,” Minister Bharrat said.

He went on to say that it is easy for any new oil and gas-producing nation to make the dreaded mistake of only focusing on oil and gas at the expense of other sectors, but that in years to come, sectors like agriculture and tourism will receive the necessary incentives, attention and management to ensure growth in a manner which presents opportunities to Guyanese, as well as local and international investors.

And while Guyanese will be at the forefront of development, the minister assured foreign investors that this would not be a hindrance to those seeking to come and do business in Guyana.

“As a matter of fact, we have stated that Guyana is open for business; that we

nesses and to the local workforce.

With that, he said that whether it is through partnerships, joint ventures or otherwise, investors from beyond our borders are welcome in all sectors.

ADDING VALUE In investing, the Natural Resources Minister said investors must be cognisant of the need to add value to local products.

“Everywhere you go, people say Guyana is a rich country. Why they say that?

We have a lot of natural resources: We have gold, we have diamond, we have bauxite, we have a wonderful forest, we have sand, we have loam. But why is it that Guyana has not really realised its true potential with its natural resources? Because, for too long, we have been exporting raw materials instead of value-added products,” Minister Bharrat said.

He related that this is an opportunity that exists for persons in and out of Guyana to add value to the country’s resources and export them.

According to the minister, he was made aware of a number of challenges which include access to capital, expertise, technology, power generation and more.

However, he mentioned that the government is working assiduously to address a number of these issues, with the major one being power generation.

He said: “Our government is seeking to address the biggest issue of power generation; the gas-to-energy project will address that issue.”

Additionally, Bharrat said that the gas-to-energy project will deliver cheaper and more

reliable power.

The government will, however, not stop there, as there are already plans in place for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.

Together, the ‘hydro’ and gas projects, along with others will erase power generation as one of the issues affecting value added production.

Meanwhile, GMSA President Rafeek Khan told stake-

holders that while Guyana has some of the rarest natural resources on the planet, the country needs to identify its niche, and work in those areas.

Khan said: “Let us move to the era of not being order takers of our products, but going out there for proactively promoting what are the niche products that we have in Guyana, and play to our strengths.”

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat (Elvin Croker photos)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Financial mechanisms needed for small farmers, Indigenous people —Minister Mustapha tells FAO

MINISTER of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has lobbied the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for more financial mechanisms to be implemented to target small farming communities

and indigenous people.

In his address on Day Two of the 37th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in Quito, Ecuador, Minister Mustapha, while commenting on the FAO’s new strategy

on climate change, said that these mechanisms should be able to make resources readily and equally available.

“We would like to see a reference of a financial mechanism that makes resources readily

and equally available for smart, small adaptive, and unformed research targetting small farming communities and indigenous people. And today, when the world is being faced with the serious problem of climate change, we have seen the devastation in some countries. I think

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

we have come to a point where we have to make a decision on what is necessary for us to move forward,” Minister Mustapha said.

Those remarks were in support of comments made by St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry & Labour Saboto Caesar, who also maintained that more time, money, and efforts must be allocated towards developing a climate change strategy for Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in the region.

Minister Caesar noted, too, that some of the fundamental principles and precepts of the Samoa Pathway should be reintegrated. He called on the FAO to promote more nature-based solutions when addressing the issue of food and agriculture.

Minister Mustapha further stated that climate change continues to be a serious problem for SIDs in the Caribbean, and called on the FAO to take a stand on the issue.

“My colleague from St. Vincent and the Grenadines suggested that a marine resources survey be conducted. Such a survey is very important for us in the region, because the blue and green economy in these parts of the world contributes significantly to poverty reduction.

“Today, climate change is causing serious problems within our countries

in the Small Island Developing States, especially in the Caribbean; we are so vulnerable to climate change that now, as we are working to improve our agriculture capacity, it seems as though we are taking risks because of climate change,” Minister Mustapha said, adding: “We cannot allow one or two countries to dictate the pace of our way forward; we are living in these times, and we are living in these vulnerable places. We know what we are experiencing, and we are now appealing that the FAO must take strong measures, and take a stand on this issue.”

In Guyana, the government has been working to combat climate change by developing high-potential low-carbon sub-sectors and industries, drought and flood management, and by practising climate-resilient agriculture with special focus on Mangrove and Coastal Ecosystem Restoration, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and crop rotation.

In this regard, Minister Mustapha said that there are several challenges that must be addressed; challenges such as the need for adequate funds to support the adaptation of such initiatives, limited access to improved climate technologies, often due to limited access to finance, and limited research and development in suitable adaptation initiatives.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

GPL working to reduce power outages AS part of its efforts to reduce the number of power outages, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has increased its maintenance exercises.

This is according to Divisional Director Bharat Harjohn, who made a presentation during a virtual Public Utilities Commission (PUC) public hearing on Tuesday.

Harjohn said that due to several maintenance exercises, the company, in the last year, was able to report a reduction in emergency power outages.

“As we increase our maintenance activity, improving the health of the network, you can see the effect of that. There was a reduction in emergency outage, and there’s also a reduction in trips,” Harjohn said.

He further explained that there are two types of outages being experienced by the network.

“So, we have outages for planned maintenance, and we have outages when there is an emergency.

When there’s an emergency, for example, there’s a pool of fail for some reason, we’ll do some switching activity to isolate that to conduct maintenance or repair. We have generation

shortfall voltage to generate districts; these are outages coming out from the substation or a transformer,” Harjohn said.

He noted that for 2021, the company had faced many adversities as it relates to providing quality service to consumers amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and that while there was a series of material delays that resulted in the company missing some of its targets for the year, they were still able to push on during 2021.

“In 2020, we had the elections and ‘COVID’, so most of that work was pushed into 2021. And we had material delays that kind of put us on not meeting some of our targets,” Harjohn said.

He informed the PUC that as the year progresses, GPL will continue working to further optimise its frequency control, which is the heartbeat of its services.

“For 2022, we are actively working. Right now, we are working to optimise our frequency control system. We know that the frequency is the heartbeat of the system,” Harjohn said.

Several gov’t agencies close to clearing GPL debt

THE Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has seen a substantial improvement in the payments made on several government accounts, the company’s Divisional Director of Finance Loris Nathoo said on Tuesday.

Nathoo made this disclosure during a virtual Public Utility Commission (PUC) public hearing.

“I’m pleased to report that in 2021, a substantial improvement was seen in the payments on these particular accounts… The Guyana Water Inc., the Bureau of Standards accounts are almost up-todate as we speak,” he said

in his brief presentation.

While Nathoo did not reveal how much is owed, he stated that significant payments were made on those accounts, and that other payments were made on other government accounts resulting in those debts being liquidated.

Last year, it was reported that GWI had owed the electricity company $7 billion.

Nathoo had told a 2020 PUC hearing on the power company’s operating standards and performance targets, that GWI’s average monthly electricity bill is approximately $220 to $250 million.

A GPL employee monitoring data in the control room at a power plant

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

UNICEF commences new fiveyear work programme in Guyana

THE United Nations Children’s Fund ( U N I C E F ) h a s c o mmenced, in Guyana, a new work programme which will cover the next five years.

The ogranisation’s work programme was

launched at the Marriott Hotel on Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Marks Phillips; UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jean Gough; UNICEF’s Representative to Guy-

ana and Suriname, Nicholas Pron; Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira.

Present from the diplo-

matic corps were British High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller; United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch; and High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. K.J Srinivasa.

Prime Minister Phillips

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips addressing persons at the launch of UNICEF’s five-year work programme

expressed his gratitude to UNICEF for its work in Guyana that has help to lay the foundation a safe and healthy future for children.

The Prime Minister said the government wants to develop a nation where

they execute this new work programme.

UNICEF’s Regional Director said her time in Guyana has been enlightening, since she has seen significant improvements in a number of areas that

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Jean Gough partake in a ceremonial cake-cutting exercise to commemorate the launch of UNICEF’s five-year work programme

children are safer, free from all forms of abuse, benefit from quality education, healthcare and safe spaces for religious, cultural and religious activities.

As it relates to education, the Prime Minister said the government recognises the challenges parents face in Guyana and has since implemented a number of programmes to ensure each child has access to quality education.

He assured the representatives of UNICEF that they will have the government’s full support, as

affect children, particularly education.

She said that the meeting with President Dr. Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister Phillips was fruitful, and that she was heartened to hear that every child will be given the opportunity to meet their full potential.

Gough said she is inspired by the targets set by the government, and is committed to ensuring that children have the opportunity to grow and be protected from abuse and poverty.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Over 22,500 transactions facilitated through GECOM’s continuous registration process

APPROXIMATELY 22,500 transactions have been completed since the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) commenced its continuous registration exercise.

These transactions range from new registrations, replacement identification cards, changes and corrections and transfers.

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, said that, so far, the response was quite exceptional for the four-week period; however, she believed more persons should take advantage

of the process, especially with the flexibility in the hours of work.

“We have a constant flow, but I think that it can be better as just over the weekend, we may have wrapped up across the board over 20,000 transactions. But I think that we have a long way to go and so I want to impress upon persons the legal requirements for registration to become eligible to vote,” Ward said.

So far, the agency has been able to record a “fair number” of new registrants. In light of this, Ward underscored the importance of getting registered

St. Stanislaus graduates urged to pursue ICT studies MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, has urged the 2021 graduates of the St. Stanislaus College to become involved in the more lucrative areas in Guyana such as Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

“The normal way in which people operate is they finish high school and they go get a job or they try to get to UG or some other university. They try to be a lawyer, a doctor or an accountant. Those are the tradi-

about. He later went on to list some areas in which persons are needed to build up Guyana.

“Design engineering is something that we lack badly.

We don’t have enough engineers to build the country up. Analytics, business analytics, data analytics, those are areas that people don’t normally go into as well as chemical engineering,” Minister Indar said.

He expressed that if the country is to be built to become a manufacturing hub, because of the new found oil and the reduc-

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar with St. Stanislaus’ 2021 valedictorian, Devonte Hernandez (Adrian Narine photo)

tional ways of development. You have to think outside of the box, you have to think differently,” he said.

The minister delivered the feature address at the graduation ceremony which was held at the school on Monday.

He related that there are a number of other areas that the students can look into that are far more profitable than being a doctor, a lawyer or accountant.

As he emphasised that “ICT” is the way to go, he explained to the Class of 2021 that with the world continuously evolving, this has become a main area of economic transformation.

“In another 10 years, we are going to be the largest offshore oil producer on this earth….so you have to be a part of that. It is yours,” he said.

The minister encouraged them to research and go into whatever they are passionate

tion in energy costs, there will be a need for more engineers.

Minister Indar stated that the sciences related to health and safety in the environment are very profitable areas for the graduands to look into.

“Knowing about financial markets and investments is a big one. The country will have money [and] will have to invest it,” he said before asking, “Who will guide the investment, who will advise on the investment?”

As he ended his address, he urged the graduating class to “seize the day” and stop procrastinating.

“This is my last message to you. Seize the day. Now, you are youthful, your bones are strong, your muscles are strong. You have your whole life ahead of you, but do not take time for granted. It is the most important thing there is,” he said.

as it not only allows one to obtain an ID card to transact business, but also become eligible to vote.

She said: “I really want to urge parents here, as well as the kids, to ensure that they use this opportunity to have

their registration transaction done. As you know, due to some challenges we had at the commission, we haven’t had the registration exercise for just about two years.”

Ward reminded Guyanese that the agency was not con-

ducting any house-to-house registration process, nor did the commission authorise its employees to collect information for such an exercise.

“Our registration exercise is not a house-to-house process. It is required that you visit the offices to have your registration transaction,” she said.

As it relates to those who might be immobile to visit these offices for replacement ID cards, be it the young or

19

old, Ward said that there is a protocol in place which involves scrutineers.

Each GECOM registration office operates from Monday to Friday between 08:00 hours and 18:00 hours. On the weekend, persons could visit the offices between 10:00 hours and 14:00 hours.

Some $4.1 billion has been approved for GECOM to conduct its 2022 work programme. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Local stakeholder consultations commence for CSEC, CAPE preparations TO ensure that students are provided with the best opportunities to efficiently undergo the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), education stakeholders com-

menced consultations on Tuesday.

Leading the virtual discussion which involved CSEC and CAPE teachers from all eleven education districts, was Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, along with the Chief

Education Officer (CEO), Dr. Marcel Hutson, and other education officials.

The objective of Tuesday’s engagement was to listen to the concerns of teachers and find solutions that will help students better prepare for the examinations.

The teachers were engaged in two separate meetings, the first of which was attended by teachers from Regions Two, Three, Five and Georgetown while the second meeting included teachers from Regions One, Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Minister Manickchand said that following the results

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, engaging teachers during one of the two virtual meetings on Tuesday

of both examinations in 2020, when many students were marked poorly for several reasons, it has been a priority of the ministry to address any gaps that may exist so that a recurrence is prevented.

She spoke about the importance of submitting School-Based Assessments and committed the Education Ministry’s support for that process. During the

consultations, various points were raised by teachers, all of which have been recorded to be addressed immediately.

Similar engagements will continue so that the Ministry of Education could maintain a productive relationship with all its stakeholders to achieve the desired outcomes and improve the education sector.

Adequate COVID-19 vaccines available to immunise Guyanese GUYANA has adequate COVID-19 vaccines to continue its immunisation exercise to address the spread of the deadly disease, according to Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony.

Dr. Anthony, during Tuesday’s edition of the COVID-19 update, said there were enough vaccines to fully immunise citizens.

He said that the country would normally get vaccines through COVAX because Guyana is one of the COVAX AMC (Advance Market Commitment) countries.

“Bilaterally, we have also received vaccine donations from the US, Spain and some other countries which have given us vaccines, plus we went out and buy vaccines and, in this case, we have been able to purchase Sinopharm and Sputnik vaccines,” Minister Anthony said.

The government has also been offered additional vaccines by other countries.

“More recently, we have had a lot of countries offer-

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

ing to donate vaccines to us, but they had short expiry dates… we did not accept those donations because we had adequate supplies,” Dr. Anthony said.

In January 2021, Guyana received its first batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines via the partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) the Vaccine Alliance, the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

FM proposes partnerships of solidarity, development, security, civilisation with Islamic countries

ISLAMABAD (Xinhua) — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 22 that China is upholding real multilateralism and willing to build four partnerships with Islamic countries.

Addressing the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), Wang said China is ready to build four partnerships of solidarity, development, security and civilization with Islamic countries in a world full of turbulences and transformations.

First; building a partnership of solidarity and co-ordination. China and Islamic countries should support each other in safeguard-

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi

and stability. China will continue supporting Islamic countries in solving the hotspot issues in the world with Islamic wisdoms, and holding the key of stability and peace in their own hands, Wang said. China is ready to promote the comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution.

China backs Afghanistan in forming an inclusive government and achieving stability in governance so as to usher in a new era for peace and reconstruction.

China will encourage Russia and Ukraine to continue peace talks for a ceasefire and put an end to conflict until peace is achieved. Efforts should be made to avoid a humanitarian disaster and prevent spillover of the Ukraine crisis, which may otherwise affect or damage the legitimate rights and interests of other regions and countries, he said.

Fourth: building a partnership of mutual learning among civilizations. China opposes creating division and confrontation by drawing lines with ideology, Wang said, adding that China is also against the ideas of "superiority of a civilization" and "clash of civilizations."

Both sides should also deepen their cooperation in preventive anti-terrorism and de-radicalization, and oppose double standard in anti-terrorism and linking terrorism to a specific nation or religion, he said.

Noting that friendship is the mainstream of the relations between China and the Islamic countries, equality is the basis of mutual communication of the two sides and win-win is the target of mutual cooperation, Wang made three proposals to further boost communica-

bringing tangible results to the peoples of the two sides, Wang said.

Third: China and the Islamic countries should always stick to learning from each other and safeguard the diversity of civilizations in the world.

The two sides should draw on the wisdom from each other's long civilization, Wang added.

CHINA ACTS SWIFTLY TO CONTAIN COVID-19 RESURGENCE * Decisive, swift and tailored measures are being implemented across China to contain the latest novel coronavirus flare-ups. * The Chinese mainland on Monday detected 1,228 new confirmed cases of domestic infection, along with 5,658 local asymptomatic cases. * The highly contagious and elusive Omicron variant has constituted a new threat to existing anti-epidemic measures.

A staff member works at a COVID-19 nucleic acid testing laboratory in east China's Shanghai, March 23, 2022.

(Xinhua/Ding Ting)

ing sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and back each other in exploring a development path suited to their own national conditions, Wang said.

They should also support each other in safeguarding their rightful development interests and common interests of the developing countries.

Second: building a partnership of development and rejuvenation. China will provide 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Islamic countries in helping them fight the pandemic, Wang said. Both sides should join hands to build the Belt and Road and implement the Global Development Initiative in high quality so as to contribute to realizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Third: building a partnership of security

tion between the two sides.

First: China and the Islamic countries should always stick to mutual respect and mutual trust, and accommodate each other's core concerns. China will never forget the firm support from the Islamic countries in restoring its lawful seat at the United Nations, and China, in return, has always supported the Islamic world over its core concern of the Palestinian issue, Wang said.

Second: the two sides should always stick to unity and mutual assistance, and work together for the realization of common development. Jointly building the Belt and Road has served as a bridge and a bond between the two sides for development and prosperity. China has signed cooperation documents with 54 Islamic countries on nearly 600 large projects,

SHANGHAI (Xinhua) -- Decisive, swift and tailored measures are being implemented across China to contain the latest novel coronavirus flare-ups.

The Chinese mainland on Monday detected 1,228 new confirmed cases of domestic infection, including 1,055 in the northeastern province of Jilin and 96 in Shanghai, along with 5,658 local asymptomatic cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily announcement.

The highly contagious and elusive Omicron variant has constituted a new threat to existing anti-epidemic measures.

China's economic hub Shanghai, where over 4,300 asymptomatic carriers were logged within a day, launched a new round of citywide nucleic acid testing starting from 5 a.m. on Monday.

The megacity with a population of over 24 million has been split into two parts to enforce temporary closed-off management between March 28 and April 5 to hunt down possible infections and curb the spread of the virus. Within 20 hours, more than 8.2 million people had been sampled.

Local authorities said the measure is being taken to curb the spread of the

virus, protect people's lives, and achieve the dynamic zero-COVID target as soon as possible.

People line up for COVID-19 test at a testing site in Pudong District, east China's Shanghai, March 28, 2022.

(Xinhua) NECESSARY QUARANTINE MEASURES The booming number of asymptomatic cases has brought unprecedented pressure to quarantine venues in Shanghai.

An orderly and swift quarantine procedure to harbor as many infections as possible is vital to ensuring effective epidemic prevention and control measures against the Omicron variant, according to Chen Erzhen, who is in charge of medical treatment in Shanghai's isolation venues.

"Though highly transmissive, the virulence of the Omicron variant is gradually decreasing, which explains the large number of asymptomatic infections," noted Chen.

"But for some elderly people with underlying disease, there's a risk of aggravation, so isolation is requisite at this moment," Chen said.

In northeast China's Jilin Province where most of the confirmed cases were reported, rounds of mass testing have been launched.

Zhang Li, deputy director of the provincial health commission, said that strict prevention and control measures have managed to contain the spread of infections, but a high level of risk remains due to the large number of infected people in the early stage.

Zhang added that nucleic acid testing and effective quarantine measures are still needed to further contain the spread of the virus.

A total of 19 makeshift hospitals have been built in Jilin. Shanghai on Saturday converted the over 150,000-square-meter Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center into an isolation venue that can accommodate about 7,000 people.

"Our medics are assiduous and overloaded.

Their working hours in hazmat suits have been extended from six hours to over See page 22

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

FM proposes partnerships of solidarity, development, ...

From page 21

10 hours a day," said Chen, stressing that the main focus of the medical team has been early treatment.

Similar makeshift hospitals are also being constructed in other provincial-level regions including Liaoning, Hunan, Inner Mongolia and Jiangxi.

BALANCE BETWEEN EPIDEMIC CONTROL, ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES While sticking to the dynamic zero-COVID principle, authorities at all levels are trying their utmost to keep economic activities running and people's lives largely undisturbed.

Though services including bus, subway, ferry, taxi and online ride-hailing are suspend-

ed in the areas under closed management in Shanghai, the city's airports, railway stations and international passenger and freight terminals are operating normally.

Official data show the container throughput of Shanghai Port remains at a high level of around 140,000 TEUs per day.

As one of the busiest financial centers in the world, major financial trading platforms located in Pudong New Area, including the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange and China Financial Futures Exchange, are all running smoothly.

The new round of citywide testing is an optimized version of the original grid screening, or extensive screening of citizens in key districts, industries and key groups, which

Aerial photo taken on March 15, 2022 shows the interior of a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

(Xinhua) Shanghai had earlier initiated, according to Wu Fan, a member of the Shanghai municipal COVID-19 prevention and control expert team.

"The move is helpful to quickly contain the upward trend of the epidemic situation, and cut off transmission in communities as soon as possible," said Wu. Foreign firms also expressed confidence in China's anti-epidemic efforts.

"Shanghai is a city full of resilience and vitality.

It has a solid economic foundation, sound business environment and open and inclusive genes.

For global enterprises, these advantages will not be weakened by the epidemic," said Wang Yunfeng, president and chief executive officer of HSBC Bank (China) Co., Ltd.

An employee works at an auto parts company in Anting Township of Jiading District, east China's Shanghai, March 26, 2022. Local enterprises have been maintaining stable production under strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures. (Xinhua/Wang Shujuan)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

$65M Providence station 80 per cent complete

WORK on the $65 million Providence Police Station, East Bank Demerara, is 80 per cent complete, with construction on course to finishing within the stipulated timeframe.

Following the complete demolition of the previous police station at Providence, construction on the new facility began on July 23, 2021.

The new modern facility is expected to be completed in April 2022.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, some of the remaining works include painting, electrical, plumbing, and the installation of CCTV. In its progress report, the ministry also stated that the Ruimveldt Police Station, another multimillion-dollar undertaking by the Guyana Police Force, is also nearing completion, with the facility being 60 per cent complete.

The previous Ruimveldt station was also torn down,

The new Providence Police Station (Ministry of Home Affairs photo)

and reconstruction started on July 23, 2021.

Works to the ceiling, tiling, plumbing, electrical, painting, external concreting, and the completion of the waiting area are still to be completed.

Both the Ruimveldt and Providence police stations, as it relates to design and layout,

mirrors the Parfaite Harmonie Police Station which includes a domestic violence waiting area and interview room, a children-friendly area, and an ID parade room.

BUDGETARY ALLOCATION A sum of $47.9 billion has been set aside in Budget

2022 to ensure the preservation of law and order at all levels of society. This sum will enable widespread connection of CCTV cameras and equipping of police ranks with satellite phones and body cameras.

Based on a breakdown of the crime and security budget, $4.9 billion has been

allocated to strengthen the assets of the force and $2.5 billion has been allocated to expand the Safe City Programme beyond the boundaries of Georgetown.

The latter investment will see the entire country being connected to CCTV cameras monitored centrally as well as at Regional Command

Centres to be established across the country.

Further, $99 million has been allocated to support the 175 targetted community policing groups across the country.

The government has allocated $120 million for the training of ranks in the areas of crime and traffic management, while additional ranks will be added to ensure greater coverage across communities.

Regarding new projects for 2022, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, had said $405 million is earmarked for the construction of the Brickdam Police Station, which was destroyed by fire last year. He said a design for a multi-storey building has been selected.

The minister also gave insight on several other projects that will commence this year to enhance the work of the Guyana Police Force.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

$2.9B in contracts signed to enhance local sea defence

COGNISANT of the need to actively explore ways to protect Guyana from the threats of climate change, local authorities have invested $2.9 billion into the construction and rehabilitation of sea defence structures at various locations across Guyana.

their projects.

The awarding of those contracts is in keeping with the government’s promise to enhance and expand the country’s infrastructure.

Through investments by the government, local sea and river defence structures were strength-

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, with contractors who will execute $2.9 billion in works to enhance Guyana’s sea defence mechanisms

The funds are distributed across 22 contracts which were awarded to contractors by the Ministry of Public Works.

This is part of the government’s overall plan to expend some $5 billion to enhance Guyana’s sea and river defence mechanisms this year.

“It is not just boulders and rip-rap sea defence we are thinking about. We are thinking about the thousands of farmers who plant cash crops, rice, sugar, the poultry farmers, the cattle farmers. They have to be able to carry on their trade, so we have to keep the sea out. So, we are making the investment to secure agriculture,” Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, was reported as saying.

The funds in this year’s budget will go towards building sea defence structures at Grove, La Resource, Maria’s Delight, Zeelandia, Leguan, Bygeval, Essex and Bengal.

At a recent ceremony for the award of the most recent contracts, Minister Edghill implored contractors to fulfill all of their contractual obligations, including the time limits set for the completion of

ened, with some 6,695 metres of defence structure being built and 64,651 metres being rehabilitated last year.

In 2021, the government invested $4.7 billion on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of rip-rap sea defence in areas, including Fairfield, Naamryck, Zeelugt, Zeelandia and Leguan.

Further, the construction of 100 metres of geotextile tube groyne at Non Pariel was completed along with the planting of 40,000 mangrove seedlings.

During the second quarter of 2021, the government expended $233 million on rip-rap sea defence at Anna Catherina, on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD). Similar projects were also undertaken at Uitvlugt and Zeelugt during the year.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, had previously said that these investments are particularly important because of discomfort and dangers that inadequate sea defences could bring to a community.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

‘Tallman’ gets 12 years for killing Bourda Market cheese vendor

GEORGE Paton, called ‘Tallman’, was, on Tuesday, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for his role in the murder of Bourda Market vendor, Troy Ramalho, who was shot dead during a robbery three years ago.

Paton, formerly of ‘BB’ Eccles, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court for

“All I want is justice,” Precious said as she explained to the court that her husband was killed exactly one week before his 46th birth anniversary.

“His death is what he get for his birthday,” the woman said.

Paton, during his address, expressed his remorse but maintained that he was not the person who killed Ra-

Paton called ‘Tallman’ (left) and the late Troy Ramalho

a sentencing hearing.

He was represented by attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson, while the State was represented by prosecutor Caressa Henry.

Last month, Paton was arraigned for the capital offence of murder but he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The 37-year-old admitted that, on August 15, 2018, at Robb Street, Bourda, he unlawfully killed Ramalho.

During the sentencing hearing, on Tuesday, a probation report was read in court by the relevant statutory officer who said the confessed killer told him that he was deeply remorseful for his actions and wished to apologise to the victim’s family.

Paton also told the probation officer that he had been receiving death threats while in prison and was fearful for his life. The probation officer said that the prison officials were aware of the threats and were doing their best to keep Paton safe.

Meanwhile, the deceased victim’s wife, Precious Ramalho, broke down in tears as she read her impact statement in court, detailing how the criminal actions of the accused had impacted her life.

She explained that her husband was a kindhearted man, who was the breadwinner of the family.

The grieving widow begged the court for justice so that her family could finally move on.

malho.

“I did not kill anyone.

The life that was lost was not by my hands,” he said.

The prosecutor asked the court to send a strong message to deter the accused man and other like-minded potential offenders from contemplating similar crimes.

The judge, during her sentencing remarks, said that she considered the seriousness of the offence, the impact on the deceased man’s family, among other factors.

She also said that while Paton expressed his remorse, he was not convinced that he was responsible for the death of the victim, although he admitted to being the getaway driver.

In the end, the judge sentenced Paton to 12 years and ordered prison authorities to deduct the time he had already spent on remand.

According to reports, Ramalho, of North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown, was shot around 23:00 hours on the day in question, after “he put up a fight” during the course of a robbery.

The 45-year-old vendor, who was well known for selling cheese and eggs in front of a store on Robb Street, in close proximity to Bourda Street, was plying his trade when the three bandits, one armed with a gun, ambushed him.

Days later, police arrested Paton, and he confessed to being the getaway driver.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 30, 2022

TWO years after the brutal stabbing of Farida Khayum at her Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast home, her reputed husband was, on Tuesday, sentenced to serve 10 years in jail for the crime.

Last month, Devanand Narine appeared before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Essequibo High Court for the capital offence of murder.

However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter which alleged that, on May 16, 2019, at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, he unlaw-

tinues to reign prevalent in society and it cannot be condoned. However, she gave him credit for his early guilty plea and his strive for rehabilitation.

In the end, the judge sentenced Narine to serve 10 years behind bars and ordered prison authorities to deduct the time he spent on remand.

She also ordered that Narine benefit from all counselling services available which would assist his reintegration into society after completing his sentence.

The State was represented by prosecutor Tif-

fully killed the 39-year-old woman.

On Tuesday, a probation report was read in court by a social worker, who described Narine as a “hardworking individual” who would normally get along well with family members and persons within his community.

The social worker said that, based on the investigation conducted within the Anna Regina community, it was revealed that Narine was a quiet and soft-spoken person who would usually imbibe and smoke cigarettes; however, that some-

Devanand Narine and his late reputed wife, Farida Khayum

times caused arguments in his family home.

According to reports emanating from the Timehri Prison authorities, Narine was a well-behaved prisoner, who was baptized while

behind bars and was a member of the Prison of Hope ministry, the social worker added.

Justice Barlow, in sentencing Narine, told him that domestic violence con-

fini Lyken, while Narine was represented by attorney-at-law Latchmi Dindyal.

On the day in question, Narine and Khayum were at home when they got into an argument which quickly became physical. Reports are that Narine armed himself with a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his reputed wife several times about her body.

The police were summoned and Khayum’s lifeless body was discovered in the kitchen area. Narine was arrested and taken to the Suddie Hospital, after ingesting a herbicide.

‘Bam-Bam’ gets 14 years for killing drinking partner THIRTY-NINE-YEAROLD Lexroy Garraway, called “Bam-Bam” was, on Tuesday, sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for fatally stabbing his drinking buddy in 2019.

Garraway of Enterprise, Lower Pomeroon, was sentenced by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Suddie High Court.

Last month, Garraway appeared before Justice Barlow for the capital offence of murder. However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He admitted that, on May 23, 2019, at Takutu Landing, Puruni Road, Mazaruni River, he unlawfully killed Erick Nurse, called “Black-Boy”.

During his address to the court at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Garraway asked the judge to temper justice with mercy.

“Please have mercy upon me, my worship,” he told the judge.

During the disclosure of his probation report, the court was informed that, in 2017, Garraway was convicted on a wounding charge at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to serve two years.

Judge Barlow took into consideration the aggravating factors of the case, including the loss of a life, and the weapon used during the commission of the crime.

She also placed weight on Garraway’s previous conviction, his early plea and his background.

After announcing the 14-year sentence, the judge ordered prison authorities to

Lexroy Garraway called ‘Bam-Bam’

deduct the time he spent on remand.

The state was represented by prosecutor Tiffini Lyken while Garraway was represented by attorney-at-law Latchmi Dindayal.

According to the reports, on the day in question, Garraway and Nurse were drinking at Joanna’s shop at Takutu Landing.

Garraway then went into the living quarters of one of the shop’s female employees and hid.

When the startled shop assistant discovered him there, she raised an alarm.

Nurse came to her rescue and pulled Garraway out of the living quarters.

The two friends then had an argument which resulted in a physical altercation during which Garraway pulled out a knife and stabbed Nurse several times.

Nurse was rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Garraway was later arrested and confessed to stabbing Nurse in self-defence.

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GMR&SC Quarter Mile Return...

GMR&SC to issue statement on incomplete classes THE Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) has said it will be issuing a statement shortly regarding the issues surrounding the Quarter Mile Return drag race meet held on Sunday.

Fans were promised a match between the record-holding GTR of Team Mohamed’s and the newly acquired 2JZ-powered Mustang of Randel Daby - a match-up which never happened.

A record turnout of fans forced the premature end to the day’s activities, as spectators crowded the finish line causing the race committee to deem the siruation unsafe to run off more races.

Before that, however, the Goliath GTR had lined up awaiting the Daby Mustang which after several calls, did not come to the line.

In a statement issued earlier today owner and team principal Arzrudin Mohamed said,” I would like to thank my fans mainly, spectators, officials, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service, the media fraternity, the Surinamese who came from so far and everyone else who played a significant part in this event.

It was a bit disappointing that no one came to the line to race any of my GTRs. However, I ran all of my cars yesterday to entertain the thousands in attendance.

My vision for Drag Racing in Guyana will change the future of motorsport in the Caribbean.”

No statement has been issued by Randel Daby’s team.

What did show up and tease the fans, however, was

the newly acquired Pro-Mod car of Team Mohamed’s which cut an impressive 7.6 second time on the day despite not being able to put down its full-power.

And on the track record, while the Godzilla GTR recorded the fastest time of the day, it was equal to the past record of 7.5 seconds.

Driver Terrance Cox was planning to have one more shot at the record on the day; the car was already on the line when the event was shut down.

There were also niggles and gremlins for the S&D Performance camp with the Kong Supra and the Caldina, as well as the 2ZJ-powered RX7 of Peter Daby all not being able The team admitted that these problems were actively being sorted on race day but by the close of day, they were unable to fully sort them out.

Meanwhile, due to fading light and the finish line being over-run by fans, the club was unable to run off several time brackets namely the 1513 second classes.

An early spill for a Surinamese competitor saw his day end prematurely but the driver escaped unharmed.

For the completed groups, the Touring Surinamese drivers did pick up trophies: Michael Namchand’s 2JZ-powered Mazda RX7 snapped up the 9-second class, (RX-7); Sanjay Sewgobin won the 10-second class; Raymond John and his Toyota Chaser retained the 11-second title and Omar Nabibaksh won the 12-second class.

The 16-second class went to Reeaz Khan.

10:10 hrs Pinwheel 10:45 hrs Golden Sands

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Market Rasen 08:45 hrs Super Six 09:20 hrs Wolfspear 09:55 hrs One For You 10:30 hrs A Distant Place 11:05 hrs Heritier 11:40 hrs Edmond Dantes Wincanton 09:10 hrs Salley Gardens 09:45 hrs Forget You Not 10:20 hrs Merry Mistress 11:30 hrs Espirit De Samoza 12:05 hrs Moorland Rambler Kempton 12:00 hrs Coraje 12:30 hrs Mount Koseiuszko 13:00 hrs Above It All 13:20 hrs Solanna 14:00 hrs Rhythm N Rock 14:30 hrs Fantasy Believer 15:00 hrs Sir Joseph Swan 15:30 hrs Lunar Shadow

Former England coach Thorpe takes role with Afghanistan GRAHAM Thorpe has been appointed as head coach of the Afghanistan national cricket team, less than two months after leaving his role with England.

Thorpe was assistant coach with England until early February when he was part of the post-Ashes exodus that also saw head coach Chris Silverwood and managing director Ashley Giles moved on after the 4-0 humbling by Australia.

The 52-year-old enjoyed an impressive playing career for his country, scoring 6 744 runs in 100 Test matches at an average of 44.66 with the bat before retiring in 2005.

A statement on the official Afghanistan Cricket Board's website yesterday confirmed the appointment, saying: "For-

New Zealand beat Netherlands in first ODI A CENTURY by Will Young has helped guide New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over the Netherlands in the first of three one-day internationals.

Young made 103 and combined with Henry Nicholls in a 162-run partnership for the second wicket which saw New Zealand surpass the Netherlands total of 202 in the 39th over yesterday.

Nicholls made 57.

Fast bowler Blair Tickner took 4-50 in his ODI debut to help New Zealand limit the Netherlands, who batted first after winning the toss.

The Netherlands slipped to 45-5 before Michael Rippon and captain Pieter Seelaar put on 80 for the sixth wicket. Rippon made 67 and Seelaar 43.

South Africa-born Rippon, who plays for Otago province in the New Zealand domestic competition, also took 2-32 from eight overs. (Yahoo Sport)

mer English middle-order batter Graham Thorpe has been named as the new head coach of our national men’s cricket team.

"He will step up into the role of head coach ahead of the upcoming international events of Afghanistan.

"After his tenure as a cricketer, Thorpe took to coaching roles at different levels, the biggest of them being the batting coach for the English National team from April 2011 to September

Former England Test batter and assistant coach Graham Thorpe

2019.

"He has worked with all the England players across international formats, completed six England Lions tours and 12 England senior men's tours.

"He has also worked as a lead batting coach with World Cup Winner England Team during the 2019 Cricket World Cup." Thorpe's first games in charge will be close to home as Afghanistan are scheduled to tour Ireland in July and August. (Yahoo Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday March 30, 2022

Broad, Anderson were big winners of England's failure - but only one should return

By Tim Wigmore ENGLAND evidently do not agree with Steve Archibald’s aphorism: “Team spirit is an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory”.

After the series defeat in the Caribbean, England captain Joe Root observed: “The best thing on this trip has been the attitude of this group, and that has not wavered.”

Team spirit, the notion that Archibald, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker, mocked, has been at the heart of England’s thinking in the West Indies. James Anderson and Stuart Broad were, in part, dropped because they were perceived as being damaging to team culture – no matter their combined 1 177 Test wickets.

For all the diplomacy of West Indies cricketers asked about these twin omissions, it was not hard to grasp what Caribbean supporters thought. “Thank you Strauss, for omitting Broad & Anderson – from West Indies fans,” read a poster at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.

As England were thrashed by 10 wickets, Broad and Anderson were displaying their sporting prowess at St Andrews in Scotland, playing golf.

Naturally, England have not voiced even a modicum of regret about their two absentees. “I am very enthused by how Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher did in that Barbados Test and also Saqi in Grenada,” Paul Collingwood, the interim coach, said. “These are two players we wouldn’t have seen if that decision had been different.

Moving into next winter and to Pakistan, surfaces that we’re going to need different skills on, I think it was important that we’ve seen on this trip what other bowlers can do.”

On one level, of course, Collingwood was right: England do need to develop a deeper and more varied attack. But their more pressing need is simple: to win Test matches.

With one of Anderson and Broad in the side, their prospects of doing so in the last three Tests would have been enhanced.

Craig Overton (R) managed four wickets at 47 apiece in his two Tests, Chris Woakes (L) five wickets at 49 in his three Tests. (Getty Images)

Instead, England mustered 14 and then 15 wickets on flat pitches in the first two Tests. Then, when given a wicket with a green tinge and ample seam movement, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, England’s new-ball pair, were less skilful and much less accurate than Kyle Mayers.

The notion that England’s bowling attack in the Caribbean was particularly bold was only half-right. It was bold, certainly, to dispense with Anderson and Broad.

But it was altogether less adventurous to give the new ball to Woakes and Overton – two known quantities, and essentially English-style seamers who are 33 and 27 respectively – while taking leg-spinner Matt Parkinson on his fifth Test tour without giving him a debut. Even Mahmood needed the injuries to Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood to play two Tests.

In absence, then, it was a fine tour for Anderson and Broad. It is implausible to think that they would

Zampa, Head star as Aussies overwhelm Pakistan in first ODI TRAVIS Head and Adam Zampa starred as Australia sealed an 88-run victory in the first ODI of their threematch series against Pakistan yesterday.

A depleted Australia batted first in Lahore, and their total of 313-7 proved beyond Pakistan's reach, despite Imam-ul-Haq making 103.

Head was the main Aussie aggressor with a brilliant 101 from 72 deliveries that propelled the tourists to 171 by the time he was dismissed in the 25th over, with captain Aaron Finch (23) having played a supporting role in an opening partnership of 110.

Ben McDermott provided support with his maiden ODI half-century, though Australia lost three wickets for 21 runs in the space of seven overs as McDermott (55), Marnus Labuschagne (25) and Alex Carey (four) fell.

A flurry from Cameron Green, who hit four boundaries in a knock of 40 not out from 30 balls, gave Australia a com-

Travis Head led Australia's batting with a century in his first ODI since November 2018 (Getty Images)

petitive total to defend.

Fakhar Zaman was dismissed for 18 in the fifth over of Pakistan's reply, but Imam and skipper Babar Azam steadied the innings before the latter was trapped lbw by Mitchell Swepson.

Babar's steady 57 from 72 balls summed up Pakistan's issues, though, with the hosts unable to match the required run rate early in the innings.

Quick losses of Saud Shakeel (3), Mohammad Rizwan (10) and Iftikhar Ahmed (2) further damaged Pakistan's chances, despite Imam's fine

work in reaching his eighth ODI century.

Imam's ton included nine boundaries, but he was then bowled by Nathan Ellis, shortly after Pakistan passed 200 with just five wickets down.

Zampa bowled Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim to bring up his 100 ODI wickets and then moved onto 101 when Khushdil Shah lofted to Carey, with Swepson rounding things off.

TRAVIS MAKES HEADWAY It took Head just 70

deliveries to reach his second century in a 50over match, which is the eighth-quickest in the format by an Australian batter, and the fastest against Pakistan by an Australian in an ODI. His stay came to an end when he hit Shah to Iftikhar, while he also contributed to the bowling attack with figures of 2-35.

Dropped in and out of the attack by Finch, Zampa bowled superbly to finish with four wickets for 38 runs, becoming the 18th Australian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.

While the pick of the bunch for Pakistan was Haris Rauf (2-44), Zampa spearheaded Australia as the tourists kept Pakistan's big hitters Imam and Babar – who became the second-fastest Pakistan batter to reach 4 000 ODI runs – scoring at a slow pace.

(Sportsmax)

not have bettered the series returns of Overton and Woakes: Overton managed four wickets at 47 apiece in his two Tests, Woakes five wickets at 49 in his three Tests.

The main concern about Anderson and Broad away from home has been with their strike rates – but Overton and Woakes had to wait 106 deliveries for each wicket.

The most easily overlooked quality of Anderson and Broad – their accuracy – has seldom looked more valuable than during Woakes’s new-ball spell in the third Test. Twelve of his opening 18 deliveries could easily be left alone; another two drifted down the leg-side, leaving only four that made the batter play on a good line just outside off stump. The upshot is that the appeal of Anderson and Broad to England is far higher than when the squad departed for the Caribbean.

Back on home shores, you suspect, questions about team culture might prove secondary to an altogether more fundamental concern:

after a run of one victory in 17, finding a way to win Test matches again.

But, rather than Broad and Anderson in tandem, it seems likelier that the new coach will prefer to field only one of them – thereby trying to best balance the twin demands of winning now with developing a bowling attack for the future, empowering Mahmood and Robinson.

Broad, as he likes to stress, is four years younger than Anderson. And yet increasingly it is possible to think that Anderson, now in his 40th year, will endure for longer.

Since the start of 2021, Anderson has taken 40 wickets at 23 apiece in his 13 Tests; Broad has taken 23 at an average of 31 in nine.

Anderson’s close relationship with his Lancashire team-mate Mahmood might also count in his favour; Broad’s lucrative looming second career, working for Sky Sports, could make leaving the stage – perhaps after a farewell Test at Trent Bridge – more palatable. (The Telegraph)

Super Samson sets up victory in his 100th Royals game SANJU Samson hit a powerful fifty in his 100th Indian Premier League (IPL) appearance for Rajasthan Royals to set up an emphatic 61-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Royals captain Samson marked his milestone game with a fantastic innings, blazing 55 from 27 balls as he hit five of his team's 14 maximums, helping them to 210-6.

The Royals got contributions right down the order at MCA Stadium, with opener Jos Buttler (35) making the most of an early let-off, having been caught off a noball to set the tone alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal (20).

New-signing Devdutt Padikkal added 41 and Shimron Hetmyer's rapid knock (32 from 13) provided a quick finish as Rajasthan set an imposing target.

The Sunrisers reply was over before it really began.

Skipper Kane Williamson (2) was the first to go on his

Sanju Samson powered Rajasthan Royals to 210 with an attacking half-century

return from injury, while Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran were both dismissed for ducks.

That left them in disarray at 9-3 inside five overs, and while Aiden Markram (57) steadied things and Washington Sundar (40 (Turn to page 42)

41

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday March 30, 2022

FIFA begins talks over alternatives to biennial World Cup plan

By Simon Evans DOHA (Reuters) – FIFA’s strongly contested plans to hold the World Cup on a biennial basis are not on the agenda for this week’s congress but talks are instead set to focus on alternative proposals, sources have told Reuters.

While FIFA delegates will hear an update on consultations over changes to the international match calendar, the controversial proposal to hold the World Cup every two years, instead of the current four-year rotation, will not be voted on.

The World Cup plan, put forward by FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, and backed by president Gianni Infantino, met with strong opposition from European football governing body UEFA and the leading European clubs.

The Doha congress on Thursday had been seen as a potentially decisive battle over the idea but yesterday Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of the European Club Association, said he was not surprised at its absence from the agenda.

“For us it is not an idea,

basically, so we don’t think we need to discuss it … it doesn’t exist for us. I think I cannot be more clear,” said the Qatari, who is also president of Paris St Germain.

World soccer governing body FIFA says that discussions continue over Wenger’s plans to reform the calendar, which sets out which tournaments and matches are held throughout the season. The current agreement on the calendar runs out in 2024.

Sources have told Reuters that having been strongly opposed to the biennial plan, European officials are now engaged in the broader calendar talks which are expected to intensify this week in informal settings.

“There is a different mood now, things have improved between UEFA and FIFA,” said one global football source.

NO-GO Earlier this month, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin suggested that FIFA had now given up on Wenger’s idea.

“A biennial World Cup is a no-go for everyone in football. I am glad FIFA has realised that as well,” said Ceferin.

“We have discussions

FIFA’s chief of Global Football Development - Arsene Wenger

but, as far as I am concerned, a biennial World Cup is off the table. I am sure we will come to a solution with FIFA soon.”

Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF which governs the game in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has floated the idea of holding a different tournament in the slot that had been envisaged for the additional World Cup. Montagliani, who is also a FIFA vice-president, has suggested that either a tour-

nament loosely based on the old Confederations Cup, which has not been held since 2017, or a global version of the Nations League format, used by UEFA and CONCACAF, could be a solution.

The Confederations Cup was held every four years, in advance of the World Cup, and the eight-nation tournament featured each of the winners of the continental championships such as the Euros and Copa America along with the World Cup holders and the host nation.

Although not considered a major tournament in Europe, it was popular elsewhere and sources said that some discussion has focused on a 16-team knockout format for any revamped version.

The Nations League format was created as an alternative to friendly matches in Europe and CONCACAF and one idea being discussed, sources said, was to ‘globalise’ the competition with short finals, similar to how UEFA’s ‘Final Four’ has operated.

The next World Cup is in Qatar starting in November and the draw for the tournament will take place in Doha on Friday.

Mexico use second half surge to down Honduras

Edson Alvarez celebrates with Mexico´s teammates after scoring against Honduras in the Third Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar on Sunday at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – A strong second half performance earned Mexico a 1-0 victory against Honduras on matchday 13 of the Third Round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 on Sunday night last at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

With the result, El Tricolor can punch their World Cup ticket with a draw or win against El Salvador at home on Wednesday.

Mexico looked to strike early and a hard hit from outside the area from Jesus Corona in the 12’ skirted just a few inches wide of the Honduran post.

Meanwhile, the best look for the Catrachos in the first

45 minutes was a right-footed effort from Kevin Lopez, that sailed over the Mexico crossbar.

Corona stayed active for Mexico going into the second half and it took a top save from Honduras GK Luis Lopez to keep the Sevilla man from breaking the deadlock in the 51’.

Mexico kept plugging away and they would be richly rewarded for their efforts in the 70’, as a Hector Herrera corner kick into traffic deflected off the head of Honduras’ Junior Lacayo and into goal, giving El Tricolor a 1-0 lead.

From there, the Mexico defense took over, limiting the Honduran attack to cement the three points.

(Concacaf.com)

Fernandes sends Portugal to World Cup 2022 with double strike BRUNO Fernandes sent Portugal to the World Cup with a double in their play-off final win over North Macedonia.

Fernandes won the ball in midfield, played a onetwo with Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and fired home from the edge of the box to open the scoring in Porto.

He then volleyed in Diogo Jota's cross for the second having helped start the move himself outside his own box.

The Macedonians, who stunned Italy in the semis, offered little throughout.

They never looked like reaching a first World Cup and failed to test Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa once.

Portugal qualify for their

Bruno Fernandes' double takes him up to eight international goals

sixth World Cup in a row with Ronaldo, 37, going to the tournament for a fifth and potentially final time.

PORTUGAL GET THERE EVENTUALLY Portugal sealed their World Cup spot fou- anda-half months after they had hoped to. They were

seconds away from winning their group before Aleksandar Mitrovic's 90th-minute goal sent Serbia through instead.

They rode their luck a bit in the semi-final against Turkey, who missed a penalty at 2-1, before Portugal netted late to make it 3-1.

But there was no real

drama this time in Porto as they outclassed North Macedonia, ranked 67th in the world, who had given everything they had to knock out Italy last week.

For several of this Portugal squad, Qatar will be their final World Cup and possibly major tournament.

Striker and captain Ronaldo had a good chance to open the scoring but fired wide from Otavio's through ball, before setting up Fernandes' opener.

Defender Pepe, 39, denied Eljif Elmas a rare Macedonian chance with an excellent block in the second half.

Joao Moutinho, at 35, is approaching the end of his international career too.

The trio have more than 450 combined caps.

They should have won this game by more, with Jota heading over and hitting the side-netting.

But now on to Qatar where they will be considered among the potential

winners of the only major tournament that has evaded Ronaldo in his career.

They are likely to be among the top seeds in Friday's draw in Doha.

(BBC Sport)

Max Mosley shoots self after learning of terminal cancer FORMER F1 boss Max Mosley shot himself after learning his cancer was terminal, a coroner has concluded.

Mr Mosley died in his London home in May 2021. The 81-year-old had been in debilitating pain.

Westminster Coroner's Court heard that he shared his plans, had a final meal with his wife and wrote a suicide note.

Senior Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox recorded

a conclusion of suicide, saying she was "satisfied" Mr Mosley intended to kill himself.

Mr Mosley developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a cancer affecting immune cells, in 2019, the court heard yesterday.

Having exhausted all the treatment options, doctors had told him he likely had a "very limited life expectancy" and he had been moved to palliative care. (BBC Sport)

42

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday March 30, 2022

World Cup 2022

Senegal beat Egypt, qualify for Qatar after penalty shootout SADIO Mane scored the winning penalty in a shootout to send Senegal to the 2022 World Cup after Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah missed his spot-kick for Egypt.

In a repeat of the Africa Cup of Nations final, Senegal were left jubilant at the final whistle after winning on penalties, with Egypt's players disconsolate and Salah - one of the world's best players - left contemplating his absence from November's tournament in Qatar.

The second leg of the play-off tie in Senegal's new 50,000-seater stadium finished 1-0 to the hosts and 1-1 on aggregate after extra time, sending the game to a tense and dramatic shootout.

Mane had netted the penalty which won the Nations Cup and the Reds forward notched the decisive spotkick once again after keeper

Edouard Mendy had given Senegal an advantage by saving from Mostafa Mohamed at 2-1.

Egypt captain Salah was one of four players to miss the first four penalties of a shootout marked by a vast number of green laser pointers directed at the visiting players and goalkeeper.

Senegal's Boulaye Dia was the scorer of the only goal in normal time - notching after just four minutes with a shot that hit the body of Pharaohs defender Hamdi Fathi.

It is the second time in six weeks that Senegal have beaten Egypt on penalties to a major prize.

In February it was the Afcon final in Cameroon.

There, too many Egypt misses meant their goal-scoring icon Salah did not even get the chance to take one.

This time around they

Sadio Mane has now scored the winner in successive penalty shootouts against Egypt

made sure he went first and with an eye on securing a crucial early advantage following Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly hitting the bar with the first effort of the shootout.

But Salah could do no better. Indeed he did worse, his shot going nowhere near Mendy's goal as it sailed over the bar.

Boulaye Dia got the early goal that forced the game to extra time

Neither Ciss nor Zizo could score either and it seemed clear the raft of laser pointers being directed at players from both sides - which had increased in intensity as the match drew to a close - were having an effect.

Ismaila Sarr did finally find the net, but that was matched by Amr El Soleya.

Bamba Dieng then struck confidently to put the Teran-

ga Lions ahead, but when Mostafa attempted to reply for Egypt, Mendy saved well and put Senegal in command.

It was a situation where Mane took full advantage.

That the game would be settled on penalties was not the obvious conclusion given the scoreline.

Dia's deflected strike was a strange repeat of the one that had given Egypt victory in the first leg in Cairo - in the same minute and also effectively an own goal.

It came after Egypt failed to defend a dangerous freekick. Dia pounced on a headed clearance to shoot, but Fathi challenged at the same time and the ball went under visiting keeper Mohammed El Shenawy.

In Senegal's brand new home, which unlike most major African stadiums has no running track and created a more intense atmosphere,

the roof nearly came off.

Egypt offered little throughout, sticking to a gameplan of maintaining a tight defence and breaking down any Senegal attacks with heavily contested challenges, But the hosts had two great chances - both of which fell to Sarr - to seal the success, before penalties decided the outcome.

The first was on 82 minutes when he was put clean through, but El Shenawy made himself big to make sure Sarr's effort drifted wide.

Then, with an open goal and barely a metre out, he failed to connect properly and his effort spun into the body of El Shenawy.

Zizo lifted Egypt with a couple of mazy runs, but they seemed to play for penalties and paid the price. (BBC Sport)

Ghana becomes first African nation to reach 2022 World Cup GHANA became the first African nation to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after forcing their arch-rivals Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in Abuja, to qualify on the away goals rule.

However, there were ugly scenes at full-time as angry Super Eagles fans peppered Ghana's players and staff with water bottles thrown from the stands as they left the pitch.

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey gave the Black Stars a shock lead against the run of play in the 10th minute, before Watford defender William Trost-

Ekong levelled from the penalty spot 12 minutes later after Ademola Lookman was fouled.

Ghana coach Otto Addo's game management was spot on as his team kept a defensive shape to earn a fourth appearance at the global showpiece.

Partey's early strike and goalkeeper Francis Uzoho's error helped Ghana advance to the finals on the away goals rule after the first leg finished goalless on Friday.

The Black Stars had missed out on Russia 2018, and their qualification denied Nigeria a fourth successive

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Answers in tomorrow’s issue

outing at the World Cup finals.

RARE THREATS After conceding a penalty for the Super Eagles' equaliser, Ghana defended for much of the 90 minutes and rarely threatened the hosts.

Nigeria thought they had scored a second when Victor Osimhen went past Jojo Wollacott and slotted home, but the video assistant referee correctly ruled he was offside in the build-up to the goal.

Joe Aribo, Emmanuel Dennis and Lookman were all presented with opportunities but failed to punish Ghana. Leicester City's Daniel Amartey provided solid cover for the Black Stars' defence as they stayed disciplined at the back.

Dennis headed wide for the home side in the second half and Osimhen sent two acrobatic attempts past the post, but it was largely comfortable for Ghana in the closing stages as they held on to reach Qatar.

CROWD DISTURBANCES MAR GHANA'S PROGRESS Analysis by BBC Sport Africa's Piers Edwards at MKO National Stadium, Abuja Nigerian fans acted with anger and unrestrained frustration as violence overshadowed the Super Eagles' World Cup exit.

Local spectators peppered both the Ghana fans, some 100 or so, and the Black Stars players with wa-

Thomas Partey's early goal did the damage for Ghana - meaning Nigeria knew they would need two

ter bottles - forcing the latter to cower and cover their heads as they battled their way down the tunnel following a mass pitch invasion.

The ugly scenes - with

police hitting out at fans with batons - were allowed to continue by local security for around five minutes or so, and were only briefly interrupted when tear gas was thrown on to the pitch.

By that stage, a dugout had been overturned and smashed up as the unwanted-but-familiar side of football violence reared its ugly head.

Ghanaian supporters making their way from the stadium expressed their disbelief and dismay at their treatment, while football's world governing body Fifa will take a dim view of scenes which require considerable explaining from both Nigerian security and football officials.

(BBC Sport)

Super Samson sets up victory in... (From page 40) from 14) showed some flair, the result was long beyond doubt as Sunrisers ultimately reached 149-7 from their 20 overs.

MORE MISERY FOR SUNRISERS These teams were the bottom two in last season's IPL, but on this early evidence the Royals look much more likely to improve their fortunes.

Sunrisers won only three of their 14 matches last season to finish bottom of the standings and this heavy defeat will do little to inspire confidence of a turnaround.

But Rajasthan, who have been either seventh or eighth in the table for three straight years, produced a complete performance.

Samson, having scored 82 the last time these teams met, was fantastic once

more and Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-22 while Prasidh Krishna's first three overs went for just two runs before he finished on 2-16.

ROYALS FIRST TO DEFEND A TOTAL It has been a thrilling start to the 2022 IPL, with the chasing team – sometimes in improbable circumstances – finding a way to win in each of the first four

matches this season.

But Royals ensured that streak came to an end here by becoming the first side to defend a total.

Unlike those contests which came before, it quickly became apparent which way this result was going. Sunrisers never got themselves back in with a chance after the Royals accelerated to set a high target. (Sportsmax)

43

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday March 30, 2022

West Indies four-day Championship to resume on May 18 ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – The West Indies Championship 2022 will resume on May 18, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said yesterday as it unveiled the match schedule for the final three rounds of the four-day first-class redball tournament for the six professional regional franchises.

The first and second rounds were played in February ahead of the Apex Test Series which concluded on Sunday with West Indies beating England 1-0 to win the newly minted Richards-Botham trophy.

The West Indies Championship returns with all matches being played in Trinidad at the Queen’s Park Oval, Brian Lara Cricket Academy and the Diego Martin Sporting Complex. The third round will run from May 18 to 21, the fourth May 25-28, with the fifth and final round from June 1 to 4.

CWI’s Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, stressed the importance of the regional four-day competition, saying it plays a critical role in the player-development pathway.

“While we cannot recover the two years lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can now restart critical aspects of our development pathway that depended on this tournament. I’m especially pleased for all the players and support staff who have had to put their own development on hold during the enforced break,” he said.

Defending champions

sist of 15 players due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CWI is also implementing a special “player loan” system to try to ensure that each team will be able to complete their fixtures.

If teams have a player(s) ruled out due to a positive COVID-19 result, they can request to use a player(s) from another team and/or from a pool of locally registered reserve players.

CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams

Barbados Pride lead the points table with 42 points and Trinidad & Tobago Red Force are second on 38.6 points – both recording wins in their first two matches.

They are followed by Leeward Islands Hurricanes on 24.6 points, Guyana Harpy Eagles on 21.4 points, Windward Islands Hurricanes on 10.8 points, and Jamaica Scorpions on 8.8 points.

The teams will be competing for the Headley/ Weekes Trophy named in honour of West Indies legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.

The current top two teams face each other in Round 4 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy with the chasing four teams aiming to win their games in round 3 of the West Indies Championship to close the points-gap ahead of the concluding matches.

For the ongoing tournament, each squad will con-

MATCHES TO BE PLAYED Round 3 – May 18-21 Guyana Harpy Eagles v Barbados Pride at Queen’s Park Oval Trinidad and Tobago Red Force v Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Diego Martin Jamaica Scorpions v Windward Islands Volcanoes at Brian Lara Cricket Academy Round 4 – May 25-28 Trinidad and Tobago Red Force v Barbados Pride at Brian Lara Cricket Academy Windward Islands Volcanoes v Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen’s Park Oval Jamaica Scorpions v Guyana Harpy Eagles at Diego Martin Round 5 – June 1-4 Windward Islands Volcanoes v Barbados Pride at Diego Martin Trinidad and Tobago Red Force v Guyana Harpy Eagles at Queen’s Park Oval Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions at Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

SFSCL tournament bowls off tomorrow … Regal Legends, Toronto Blizzards clash in opener FANS who will attend the 16th edition of the South Florida Softball Cricket League (SFSCL) tournament are anticipating a spectacular opening day tomorrow at the four venues in the Sunshine State.

Among the day’s opening fixtures is the highly touted match-up between Over50 rivals Regal Legends of Guyana and the Toronto Blizzards from Canada, at Brian Piccolo Park, starting at 09.30hrs.

It will be the first clash between the two teams and both are brimming with confidence and are raring to start the tournament on a winning note.

Regal Legends skipper Mahendra Hardyal told Chronicle Sport that his charges are wary of the challenges expected from Toronto Blizzards and while they haven’t met at this level, they don’t intend to take any opposition lightly.

Regal’s batting hinges around opener Uniss Yusuf, who had the unique distinction of copping the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards at successive tournaments in New York and Guyana in 2021, the pintsized but hard-hitting Ramesh Deonarine, left-handed powerhouse Eric Thomas, Rudolph Baker and Eion Abel, among others.

Not to be outdone, Toronto Blizzards’ batting depth also packs a punch with the likes of former Guyana players in skipper Shivnauth Seeram, Jaimini Singh and Sunil Dhaniram, former Canadian World Cup batter Desmond Chumney and the consistent Mohan Mohan Harihar.

With the batters expected to dominate, it could be a nightmare for the bowlers on the fast outfield.

In an invited comment, Toronto Blizzards manager

Regal Legends skipper Mahendra Hardyal

Toronto Blizzards skipper Shivnauth Seeram

Azeem Khan disclosed that his players have inherited a winning culture over the last few years and he has no doubt they are capable of continuing in this tournament.

Both Khan and Hardyal spoke about the diversity within their teams with Khan boasting that over the years Toronto Blizzards have consisted mainly of players domiciled in Canada.

Hardyal, on the other hand, referred to Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali’s “One Guyana” initiative, pointing to the make-up of his two squads, which he said comprises different ethnicities. He also had praise for Sports Minister Charles Ramson who was very helpful in getting the team to Florida.

While these two teams may be classified as the two ‘giants’ in the Legends category, Wellman are also aiming to upset the ‘apple cart’.

Veteran Wayne Jones is still capable of destroying any attack on his day while the likes of Anil Beharry, Jagdesh Persaud, Lloyd Ruplall, Ricky Deonarine and Peter Persaud in the batting department and Lakhram ‘Mike’ Singh in the bowling can sway the results their way. Teams taking them lightly will do so at their own risks.

Meanwhile, at Monday night’s draw, which was done via Zoom, the teams in the three divisions - All Stars Open, Masters and Legends - were divided into two groups.

All Stars Open – Group A comprises Minnesota All Stars, SFSCL All Stars, Softball Cricket Canada (SCC) All Stars and Kingsmen; Group B – Firelinks All Stars, Orlando All Stars, Hurricanes and Seeper.

Masters Over-40 – Group A SSCA Masters, SCC Masters, Combined Masters and Corriverton Masters; Group B – Canadian Legends, Shaw Realty Masters, Regal Masters and Orlando Masters.

Legends Over-50 – Group A – Regal Legends, Wellman Masters and Marine Legends; Group B – Toronto Blizzards, Sunshine Raiders and Orlando Legends.

The day’s opening fixtures are: All Stars Open – Minnesota vs SFSCL, SCC vs Kingsmen, Firelinks vs Orlando, Hurricanes vs Seeper.

Masters Over-40 – SSCA vs SCC, Combined vs Corriverton, Canadian Legends vs Shaw Realty, Regal vs Orlando.

Legends Over-50 – Regal vs Toronto Blizzards, Wellman vs Sunshine Raiders, Marine Legends vs Orlando. (Frederick Halley)

'Still a lot of work to be done' – Sir Curtly Ambrose West Indies fast bowling great Sir Curtly Ambrose says there’s still a lot of work to be done if the team wants to return to dominating world cricket.

The West Indies secured a 1-0 series win over England after a dominant 10-wicket win in the third Apex Test match in Grenada on Sunday.

The win extended the Windies’ home dominance over England in the past 50 years to eight wins and two draws in 11 series with England’s only series win coming in 2003-04.

“It means a lot not only for the team but for us as Caribbean people,” said Ambrose while working as a commentator for the series.

“We were spoiled, for many years we were the best team in the world, beating everybody. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he added.

The former fast bowler who ended his Test career with 405 wickets at an average of 20.99 while clearly delighted with the result, explained that the

result doesn’t mean the West Indies have suddenly turned a corner.

“Winning one game convincingly doesn’t mean we’ve turned the corner but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve seen times in the past when they get under pressure they tend to crumble. That didn’t happen in this series,” he said.

Former West Indies fastbowler Curtly Ambose ended his Test career with 405 wickets

Team Mohamed’s Pro-Mod drag car (Ameer Sattaur photo)

GMR&SC Quarter Mile Return...

GMR&SC to issue statement on incomplete classes

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39

Drayton plays unbeaten to win GAICO Grand Prix Chess title FIDE Master Anthony Drayton played unbeaten to win the Guyana Chess Federation-organised, GAICO Construction-sponsored, Grand Prix Chess tournament, which concluded last Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium.

The chess tournament is the first over-the-board event for a while (due to the pandemic) and is one of several tournaments which will determine the National team for the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad to be held in Chennai, India from July 28 to August 10, 2022.

In the eight-round event, Drayton, one of Guyana’s topranked players, secured 7.5 points against his counterparts.

His only blemish was a draw against the second-place winner and seasoned player, Adrian Roopnarine.

Roopnarine ended with six points after he lost to veteran player, Loris Nathoo, and also drew with third-place finisher Davion Mars.

Mars gained 5.5 points after also drawing with Ethan Lee and Loris Nathoo. His only loss was against Drayton.

Nathoo finished a close fourth with 5.5 points.

Keron Sandiford copped the Best Junior prize, also with 5.5 points, after losing to Drayton and Mars and drawing with Ethan Lee. Chelsea Juma was presented with the Best Female prize and Pooja Lam received the Best Junior Female prize.

Trophies and cash prizes were presented to the top three players and medals were presented to the 4th-10th-place finishers (Nathoo, Sandiford, Lee, Oluwadare Oyeyipo, Jaden Taylor, Juma and 12-year-old Arysh Raghunauth).

Female player Jessica Callender was unable to continue the competition due to an accident on the way to the final day’s games.

Vice-president and FIDE Arbiter, Anand Raghunauth, thanked the committee members of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) for their contributions over the past months and encouraged the talented young Guyanese chess players to continue to train and to become involved in the other aspects of the federation.

Drayton and Mars are currently involved in the training of new members of the GCF. Meanwhile, according to a release from the GCF, sponsor GAICO Construction and a number of administrations made the tournament possible.

“Special thanks go to FIDE Arbiter, John Lee, and Head of Development of Chess, who ensured that the games were streamed live on the GCF’s webpage, guyanachess.org and Youtube, keeping viewers at home up to date with the progress of the games.

The GCF for the first time had broadcast live games, utilising electronic chess boards supported by programmes which

FIDE Master Anthony Drayton (right) receives the winner's prizes from the GCF executive member Mrs Marcia Lee

allow games to be streamed over the internet in real-time.

This venture will continue to be a vibrant aspect of future chess tournaments and the federation hopes to acquire more electronic boards in order to improve and develop its mandate in taking chess to higher levels in Guyana.”

Ghana becomes first African nation to reach 2022 World Cup Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022