Guyana Chronicle E-Paper30-01-2022

30th JANUARY, 2022

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See Inside No.106620

Export earnings top US$4.3B in 2021 PAGE

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–– greater output expected this year with second oil-producing vessel, emphasis on non-traditional crops

GPHC gets $113M new X-ray machines Garden of Love!

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MovieTowne staff ring in the month of love and the highly anticipated Valentine’s Day with its main Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony (second from right), and officials from the Georgetown Public Hospital attraction, ‘Garden of Love’ - the Flower Covered Corporation (GPHC) look on at an employee trying out one of the fixed ceiling-mounted x-ray machines Gazebo - at its Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara location (Photo: Delano Williams) (Photo: Delano Williams)

Agriculture a backbone for Highland Quarries Ten-member 19 multi-sectoral development to pump US$10.1M Guyana-Suriname - President Ali 04 into new project 05 business council soon PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Export earnings top US$4.3B in 2021

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

–– greater output expected this year with second oil-producing vessel, emphasis on non-traditional crops

By Navendra Seoraj

DESPITE the debilitating effects of COVID-19 and those brought on by periodic floods in 2021, Guyana’s economy remained resilient and productive as a result of prudent management and effective fiscal planning.

This resilience was reflected by the country’s ability to not just satisfy local demand, but also its obligations to international and regional markets.

As outlined by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, during his presentation of Budget 2022 on Wednesday last, the country recorded a 68 per cent increase in export earnings last year.

Specifically, the country earned US$4.3 billion in 2021 juxtaposed to US$2.5 billion in 2020.

“This was mainly driven by oil exports growing by 179.6 per cent to US$2,975.5 million [US$2.9 billion] amid increases in both volume and price,” Dr. Singh said, adding that non-oil export earnings amounted to US$1.3 billion.

Matching the intensity of the rise in exports was total import payments which grew by 90.8 per cent to US$4.2 billion.

This, according to Dr. Singh, was on account of the arrival of ExxonMobil’s second floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Unity, which accounted for US$1.6 billion or 38.6 per cent

of total imports for 2021.

But even with the unavoidable increase in imports, the country’s export earnings are projected to increase yet again this year, as a result of a projected increase in crude oil exports by 107.7 per cent to US$6.1 billion.

This growth will be stimulated by the operations of the very Liza Unity FPSO, which will be servicing ExxonMobil’s Liza Phase Two development project. The vessel will produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per

FPSO vessel is being developed.

Outside of the lucrative oil and gas sector, the country will also be building on the strength of other economic sectors; this is reflected by the projected 17.1 per cent increase in non-oil exports to US$1.6 billion.

Specifically in the area of agriculture – one of the main contributors to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) – there are plans to expand production and exports of non-traditional crops such as corn, soya, co-

related.

Added to this, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, in November 2020, had said that trade facilitation is an area which will receive the government’s attention.

Issues such as delays in customs clearance, increase costs and reduce export competitiveness will soon be addressed through an electronic single window for trade, which will reduce time and costs, the President said.

“We will also be seeking to ensure that inves-

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh non-oil productive sector reflects the delicate and dynamic policy balance struck between aggressive containment of COVID-19 on the one hand and phased reopening of the economy on the other hand,” Dr. Singh said.

He also credited the performance in 2021 to prompt and proactive flood mitigation measures, which helped limit the fallout in the agriculture sector and supported the sector in resuming activity in the shortest Non-traditional agricultural produce being prepared for export at GMC’s packaging facility possible time. cent and 7.7 per cent in Additionally, the serday, and will be support- conuts, broccoli, cauli- tors’ applications and the non-oil economy, in vices sector recorded ed by a total of six drill flower, spices, citrus, and requests are facilitated 2022. extraordinarily strong centres and approximate- fresh flowers. more promptly. As part This economic perfor- performances in response ly 30 wells.

“In this regard, focus of our agenda to improve mance will follow growth to a policy framework This includes 15 pro- will be placed on the ease-of-doing business, rates of 19.9 per cent that has stimulated hisduction wells, nine water cultivation of high-val- the Guyana Office for and 4.6 per cent record- toric levels of demand for injection wells, and six ue produce, providing Investment (Go-Invest) ed at the end of 2021, services and facilitated a gas injection wells. Liza support for farm inputs is being restructured as despite the persistence commensurate response Phase Two start-up is for climate smart cultiva- a vehicle to attract and of COVID-19, as well on the supply side. expected in early 2022 tion, restructuring the ex- facilitate investment and as the impact of floods.

Based on Budget and will develop approx- tension services to align export promotion,” PresWith this rate of overall 2022, the government imately 600 million bar- with farmers’ needs, and ident Ali related. growth, Guyana is likely intends to maintain and rels of oil. pursuing applicable reAs a result of strategic to be amongst the fast- even enhance its apThe Liza Phase Two search, to improve farmer planning and increased est growing economies proach to stimulating project will be followed profitability and enable investments, Guyana’s worldwide in 2022. growth in various ecoby the Payara project, them to become more economy is on course “The very credit- nomic sectors. for which the Prosperity competitive,” Dr. Singh to growing by 47.5 per able performance of the

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Agriculture a backbone for multi-sectoral development – says President Ali

By Rehana Ahamad WITH a proposed allocation of about $22 billion in this year’s National Budget, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had insisted that not only has the agriculture sector been a backbone of Guyana’s growth in the past, but it will remain a critical long-term stimulant for multi-sectoral development.

In a broadcast message to the nation on Saturday morning, the Head of State said that Budget 2022 is geared at significantly boosting the country’s productive sec-

tors, especially as it relates to food.

“We have been speaking at length about our plans in making Guyana not only an agricultural hub, but a food production destination, and ensuring that our future economy is built on a strong foundation of food security, and more importantly, allowing our country to become a net exporter of food,” Dr. Ali said.

The realisation of government’s vision has become far more important, when one considers the state of the world, and the fact that it remains off-track to achieving

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President Dr. Irfaan Ali Sustainable Development World Food Programme said Goal Number Two, which that the hunger crisis is largespeaks to attaining a status of ly due to man-made conflicts, ‘Zero Hunger by 2030.’ coupled with climate change According to projections and economic downturns, by the United Nations (UN), which have since been exthe number of people affect- acerbated by the COVID-19 ed by hunger is more likely pandemic. Statistics show to surpass 840 million by that the global health crisis 2030. Added to that, the could as much as double the

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number of persons who go hungry every day.

The UN has stated specifically that “increasing agricultural productivity and sustainable food production are crucial to help alleviate the perils of hunger.”

With the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government setting out to do just that, President Ali said that it requires significant investments that drive transformation and secures institutional support. “…increasing productivity, reducing the cost of production, expanding and securing better paying markets; now, when you do this… farmers get more disposable income; there is more money. When you reduce the cost of operation, there is greater profitability. When you improve and drainage and irrigation, you get greater yield, less cost for transportation,” Dr. Ali posited.

He said that the government intends to invest in the construction of more farmto-market access roads, the clearing and opening up of thousands of acres of land to allow for more Guyanese to own their own farm lands,

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and increase investment and participation in the sector, thereby making it easier for transportation and logistics linkages from field to production.

President Ali said too that the government will be investing in the use of proper technology for the research and development of several non-traditional crops, including soya bean, broccoli, cauliflower, spices and fresh flowers, which are heavily demanded in the tourism and hospitality sector, which continues to grow rapidly. “…because an offshoot of oil and gas is the number of foreigners who are coming in; the new interests in our country, people are looking at Guyana. So, not only are we working on new flights, but importantly the training and development of Guyanese to work in this sector,” Dr. Ali said, pointing to the fact that the foundation has already been laid for the construction of several new and internationally-recognised hotels.

These new establishments, President Ali reasoned, would See page 5

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Agriculture a backbone Highland Quarries to pump US$10.1M into new project for multi-sectoral ...

By Navendra Seoraj

From page 4 also require steady supplies of meats, which highlights the need for investments to ramp up production in the livestock industry, including the establishment of abattoirs across the country. Similar developments would also be needed in the fisheries sector, among others.

“All of these investments are critical…that is what investment does; it catalyses growth, it opens up opportunities and that is why we are focusing on these things…to increase production and revenue streams,” Dr. Ali said.

He explained that increased production would not only result in more disposable income for farmers, but will also translate

competitive, diversified and far less susceptible to the damaging effects of climate change.

“We have to take these things into consideration when we develop a food security strategy. And, in that strategy we must build resilience; we must have crops that are more resilient; we must use technology,” Dr. Ali insisted.

Already, the Ministry of Agriculture has begun subsidising the cost of shadehouse materials for farmers pursuing sustainable production. The positive impact of this particular investment was reflected in last year’s agricultural achievements, which saw Guyana braving months of unprecedented floods, earning impressive

President Ali said that Guyana’s agricultural development will pave the way for advancement across several sectors, including the rapidly expanding tourism and hospitality industry to an increase in the need for transportation and labourers, all of whom will become critical consumers of retail and other sectors. “That is how sectors are linked,” President Ali affirmed.

He said that persons would only be able to fully understand and appreciate the impact of Budget 2022, if the contents are considered comprehensively.

“We cannot understand the full budget if we dissect it,” the Head of State cautioned.

He continued, “we cannot look at Budget 2022 without understanding the context in which the budget is framed and that is why the Minister of Finance spent so much time going through the challenges surrounding the global economy; challenges surrounding the regional economy, and where Guyana fits into these challenges.”

Going forward, President Ali said that his government has set out to transform food production into an “Agri business”, making it more

$2.6 billion from the sale of non-traditional crops – a $500 million increase when compared to the previous year.

As more farmers transition to climate-resilient farming, Guyana’s cash crop production figures are projected to climb significantly.

Meanwhile, as Guyana looks to cover at least 25 per cent of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) hefty food importation bill, President Ali said that the government will be working to build public-private partnerships, with emphasis placed on encouraging entrepreneurship within the agriculture sector, especially among young people.

“We’re targeting university graduates; graduates from the Guyana School of Agriculture, so when they come out of there, they’re not only job searching, they’re investment-ready and the government is going to support them,” President Ali assured.

HAVING identified a Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) site which has “excellent” quarry potential, a local company, Highland Quarries Inc., is prepared to invest up to US$10.3 million to establish a new project which would satisfy the growing demand for aggregates.

According to a project summary seen by the Sunday Chronicle, this project, put forward by Highland Quarries Inc., intends to supply aggregates to help offset the demand created by the construction

boom and infrastructural development across the country.

Essentially, the quarrying industry’s role is to provide a reliable supply of construction materials for road making, building construction, and the maintenance of road networks which are pivotal to other sectors.

This year, the mining and quarrying sector is projected to grow by 86 per cent, driven by expansion across all sub-sectors, namely petroleum, gold, other mining and quarrying, and bauxite.

The mining and quarrying sub-sector, which includes sand, stone, and diamonds, is projected to grow by 8.4 per cent.

Growth in the quarrying sub-sector is contingent upon projects such as the one proposed by Highland Quarries Inc. The site for the proposed project could be found near the Sherima Crossing in Region

Chart showing how much stone would be produced yearly

10. The area encompasses 1,200 acres.

“The gabbroic rocks (dark coloured) located on the properties have an estimated 2.8 million tonnes of aggregates, and the Granodiorite (light coloured) contains 950,000 tonnes of Riprap material,” the company said in its project summary.

In Highland’s view, the area could be actively termed the quarry belt of Guyana, with St. Mary’s and Monkey Jump quarry approximately 3.5km north of the proposed quarry area. The properties have a probable 3.7 million tonnes of quarriable materials.

The company itself is expected to produce 200,000 tonnes of stone yearly, increasing capacity by 10 per cent every year.

To get this project “off the ground,” the company would be investing US$3.6 million, but could expand this to US$10.1 million with the passage of time.

Through its potential investment, Highland Quarries Inc. would be creating direct jobs for over 30 persons.

“The mine will have a full-time sanitation crew and a medic will always be on site with adequate medical supplies. Because of the threat of malaria in the area, the company will work closely with the Ministry of Health to maintain a malaria free environment at the quarry and nearby communities,” the company affirmed.

Speaking about the potential for advancement in the local quarrying industry, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali had said: “Guyana has a huge quarry potential that has been greatly underdeveloped. Our accelerated housing programme, massive highways, and community roads to be developed will increase our demand three-fold over the next five years.”

A reflection of what was said by President Ali was the performance of the construction industry in 2021.

It was widely reported that from the housing sector to

the agricultural sector, there was mobilisation of resources from both private and public sector stakeholders, who started laying the foundation to capitalise on the impending local growth.

Private projects, as reported, ranged from the construction of hotels and apartment complexes, to shopping complexes and office buildings, among other things.

In the public sector, aside from the construction of several low-income and young professional houses, there were upgrades to highways, main roads, and miscellaneous roads countrywide. This was also supplemented by the commencement of construction of new roads.

In addition to providing improved road facilities, the ongoing works have also added to the creation of thousands of jobs, bringing the Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration closer to delivering on its promise to create at least 50,000 jobs within the next five years.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

The Wealth of the Nation

PEOPLE are our most precious resource.

This is the philosophical outlook that has underpinned all of the budgetary presentations made over the years by successive PPP/C administrations. This year’s budget is no different. Even a cursory look at the Budget Estimates would reveal that the main emphasis is on enhancing the quality of life of the Guyanese people, including the poor and the vulnerable.

The truth is that despite the economic and social progress made by successive PPP/C governments over the years, there still exists a fair amount of poverty, especially in the rural and hinterland regions. A study done by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in 2006 found that poverty levels were much higher among the rural and indigenous communities even though the incidence of poverty progressively declined since 1992 when the PPP/C took over the reign of power.

Much of that poverty resulted from the incompetence of the PNC regime over the nearly three decades of authoritarian rule.

By the late 1980s, the country was considered the poorest in the western hemisphere.

Even those who were fortunate to get a job in the public service were unable to make ends meet.

It was not until the PPP/C administration assumed power on October 5, 1992 that genuine efforts were made to arrest and reverse that spiral of poverty and economic

decline that had characterised the greater part of PNC misrule. That was no easy task but with good governance, prudent economic management and support from the international community, the country made substantial progress even though that legacy of economic mismanagement under the PNC regime still loomed large and continue to cast a dark shadow over the economic health of the country.

This 2022 Budget seeks to further build on the economic and social gains made by the PPP/C with one added advantage, namely a much bigger financial package than otherwise possible thanks to significant injection of oil revenues into the consolidated fund. One consequence of this development is the creation of more fiscal space not only to address the macro-economic fundamentals but to create new opportunities for the less fortunate to enjoy a better quality of life.

Take for example those who are currently on dialysis due to renal failure. There are several persons currently on dialysis treatment who are severely challenged financially to meet the high costs for such treatment, especially those not covered under the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

The 2022 Budget Estimates now makes provision for patients on dialysis to benefit from financial assistance to the tune of $600,000 per annum which, even though may not be enough to cover the full cost, will go a long way in terms of easing the financial burdens

of those on dialysis treatment. This is indeed a commendable gesture on the part of the PPP/C administration and speaks to the concept of development with a human face as adumbrated by the Irfaan Ali administration.

The same can be said for increases in Old Age pension which has now been increased to $28,000 per month.

There are those opposition elements who seek to project the increases as ‘miserly’ but fail to recognise and give credit to the current administration for having raised the pension to one in which pensioners can access a much bigger basket of goods and services than what was provided for by the previous APNU+AFC administration, not to mention what it was in terms of real value in 1992, the last year of the Hoyte administration. The government minimum wage then was below what is now paid to pensioners who back then could hardly buy two loaves of bread not to mention some butter and cheese to go with it. Public servants were pauperised and the fate of pensioners was comparatively worse.

Those who seek to belittle the social gains of the PPP/C administration are either hypocritical or suffer from selective amnesia, especially when such increases in pensions are seen against the background of other benefits enjoyed by senior citizens including subsidies on water and the removal of value-added tax on electricity and other essential food items.

The true wealth of our nation resided in a healthy and educated population and it is precisely for that reason that a huge slice of the budgetary allocation is earmarked for education and health. This is qualitatively different from what transpired under the PNC regime when the emphasis was on the military, foreign service and the Office of the President. Those three entities consumed more than agriculture, education, health, housing and water put together. In fact, housing was on the backburner and at one time was even dropped as a line item on the budget estimates.

The support for dialysis in particular can only be seen as a welcome development, coming shortly after the passage of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill 2021 in the National Assembly. This now makes it legal for persons in need of organ donation to do so without having to rely solely on relatives and friends, which may or may not be matched. With the passage of this new bill, the way is now cleared for patients to benefit from organs extracted from a ‘brain dead’ patient.

The health infrastructure of the country is now being modernised in line with international best practices.

A number of new state-of-the-art hospitals are earmarked for construction this year which will modernise and make quality health care delivery to all citizens of Guyana.

Better days are ahead Time to challenge the victim-blaming for all of our children strategies frequently employed against survivors

Dear Editor,

THE national budget of $552.9B, presented by Dr Ashni Singh, is the largest to have been read in the National Assembly; one thing is certain, that is, no Guyanese was left out or forgotten by its government, but there is one aspect of the budget which I am most pleased with, and that is the huge investment in the education sector.

The PPP/C Government has allocated $74.4B in the 2022 budget for development of the education sector in alignment with its 2030 vision for the sector.

Further, Dr Singh announced an increase to the ‘Because We Care Cash Grant’ from $15, 000 to $25,000 per child and the School Uniform Grant has

been increased from $4,000 to $5, 000. A total of $30, 000 to each boy and girl from nursery to secondary school is no small feat.

This cash grant is impressive as it significantly removes the expenses that otherwise would be incurred by parents and caregivers of our youngest, brightest, and most precious resource, that is, our children.

And if this trajectory is maintained, unhindered by bad politics as in 2015 when APNU+AFC decided to cut funding for the programme, then one can confidently stand by this government in knowing that better days are ahead for all of our children.

Yours sincerely, Attiya Baksh

Dear Editor ONE of the largest barriers to combatting sexual violence against young boys is tied to low levels of reporting.

In ChildLinK’s recent report examining the Social-Norm Drivers of Sexual Abuse of Boys in Guyana, it was found that several factors often coalesce to restrict reporting of sexual violence such as feelings of fear, shame, stigma, labelling and economic vulnerability.

A case that was reported to one of ChildLinK’s Child Advocacy Centres (CACs) also indicated the ways within which developmental issues and societal beliefs around sexuality are utilised to target and silence male survivors of sexual

assault. John Doe, aged 17, has developmental issues that impact his learning abilities and memory. John was employed in construction and his boss would rape him after the other workers had left.

The perpetrator also videotaped the incident and shared it with the other workers who would begin ridiculing John.

John’s behaviour became extremely aggressive and erratic following the incident and it was only when his uncle sat him down and took time to listen that John shared what had happened.

Due to his mental/cognitive development condition, however, all he remembers is the pain from the experience and not other details.

Children reporting sexual abuse is not a straightforward process as they rarely

disclose it immediately after the event and clear evidence is rarely found. Given their developmental vulnerability, especially for those who might have cognitive issues, perpetrators can manipulate them into silence through shaming, fear and guilt strategies. Young boys interviewed for the report stated that fear of the perpetrator or the reaction of their parents deterred them from reporting incidents of abuse. One boy recalled feeling afraid that his parents would quarrel with him or beat him if he told them about his experience. Another stated that he was threatened with death if he did not comply with the perpetrator.

While Guyana has shown a consistent increase over the years (2013 -2020)

in the reported cases of boys who were sexually abused, there was a notable slowdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing social-distancing protocols. Encouraging the trend of young boys reporting sexual violence means challenging a lot of victim-blaming strategies that are frequently employed against survivors.

Doing this will signal to them that their experiences matter and that their perpetrators will be brought to justice.

Yours sincerely, Akola Thompson Blue Umbrella Consultant, ChildLinK To report or seek counselling, please call 914/2270979/227-2023/233-3500

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Prices should moderate soon with new budget

Dear Editor,

INFLATION has hurt consumption of the bulk of the population over the last year.

This does not have as much to do with too much money chasing too few goods (that triggers inflation as is taught in economics), but simply brought about by a shortage of goods resulting from flooding and high transportation costs of imports attributed to the pandemic.

And President Irfaan Ali’s budget has addressed both.

The government knows that inflation has impacted the working class. And that is why it has taken measures to reduce various taxes and provide subsidies to reduce the costs of goods. These will redound to the benefit of consumers, providing the wholesalers and retailers pass on to consumers the reduced costs of doing business.

In conversing with ordinary Guyanese, housing (rental and mortgage), transportation and utilities may not have not gone up that much. As related to me, the greatest inflationary effect has been on food, which has particularly impacted the poor and working class more than other sections of society.

The prices of all goods have gone up, with some foods in

particular, by multiples the price they were sold a year ago. Food has seen the fastest and highest increase in decades. The government has recognised that food prices have gone up considerably and has responded wisely in the budget to address rising food and energy prices to bring the costs down through various measures.

Food and energy are volatile and are subjected to price swings on the upside or downside. Income may go up once a year or not at all, but consumers are hit with higher costs on one thing or another week after week over the last nine months. Prices have been affected by rising costs of energy and transportation (shipping from overseas ports). Government has no control over either one as they are determined by market forces and availability.

But government has reduced taxes on energy and on the taxes of imports to bring down prices. What government needs to do is to check on whether the importers are passing on the reduced costs of doing business to consumers. If they are not, then there should be some kind of enforcement mechanism.

Regardless of the rate of inflation, the wealthy class will not reduce consumption.

But the working class and the poor will be severely affected by inflation if the rate of wage increase does not keep pace with the rise in prices. As complained to me, retirees, pensioners, and the poor have found it difficult to pay for certain items and therefore have consumed less. Ideally, wages or incomes should keep pace with inflation and if it does not, then the working class and the poor will have to cut back on spending. This is what has happened in the country over the last year as consumers complain that they can’t afford to shop and to buy certain goods. Market vendors have also complained that they are not making a living because shoppers lack purchasing power to buy the goods which they have traditionally consumed.

From an economics point of view, households can avoid many ‘luxury’ goods, eating ‘cheaply’ though not healthily in order to stretch their fixed budgets. But there are certain basic staples that they cannot avoid – flour, potatoes, dhal, rice, cooking oil, kerosene (gas), onions, tomatoes and other key vegetables, among other basic goods. The government must focus on reducing the prices of these essential items and indeed government has taken measures to reduce their costs of

production and imports. Government has reduced the costs of imports at the domestic ports by lowering duties. One drawback is, imports may be cheaper than local products with consumers opting for foreign products, and as such, domestic industries are thereby affected, resulting in loss of jobs and incomes. Reducing the price of fruits and vegetables is more difficult as there are no taxes to reduce or eliminate in their sales. But government can offer subsidies to farmers in the price of seedlings and fertilisers to reduce costs of cultivation and harvesting with the expectation that savings would be transferred on to consumers.

In fact, government has been helping farmers.

There was a shortage of fruits and vegetables resulting from damage to crops last May and June. Government provided grants to farmers to help them re-plant, as well some seeds, seedlings, and fertilizers. Cash crops should become plentiful in the months ahead, resulting

in lower prices. Also, President Irfaan Ali has assured the public that energy costs and food prices will start to fall soon.

Prices will moderate as goods become plentiful and as pandemic-related distortions (such as supply-chain costs), ease. The passing of base effects and the easing of supply-chain constraints

should slowly bring inflation down.

The fact that people are not consuming certain goods, or doing so in fewer quantities, will lead to surpluses that should themelves bring down prices.

Yours sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Debunking claims by Kenneth Mohammed

By Earl Bousquet

I’VE never seen Reparations and China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) joined-together in one article, until one earlier this week entitled ‘Reparations to the Caribbean could break the cycle of corruption – and China’s grip’.

Written by Kenneth Mohammed – described as “a Caribbean analyst and senior adviser at Intelligent Sanctuary”, the article was published by the UK Guardian on January 25, 2022.

It started with a clear red-flag-warning of where Mohammed was heading, with the following introductory sub-heading: ‘The

Belt and Road Initiative is ensnaring vulnerable countries in debt via corrupt infrastructure projects. Slavery Reparations from former colonial powers could help turn the tide…’

The writer drew on the recent knighthood of Guyana’s legendary West Indies cricket team captain, Clive Lloyd, to express his imagination.

Mohammed wrote: ‘A recent photo of Clive Lloyd, captain of history’s most successful West Indies cricket team and one of the most successful test captains of all time, being knighted drew mixed reactions.

The sight of Lloyd bending the knee, not in support of

Colin Kaepernick, but to receive an affirmation from the monarchy of Britain, the ex-colonial masters, ignited fresh debate about reparations.’

The writer’s basic argument (in the form of a question) is: “Could Reparations be the strategic tool for Europe to remove China’s hold on the Caribbean and for these islands to throw off the shackles of poor governance, underdevelopment and inequality once and for all?”

His vision is that Europe should move quickly to fill that wide development gap in its former West Indian colonies – lest China movesin!

“It could be pure genius,” he claims.

He further explains: “In Britain, corruption has been on the minds of journalists, academics and practitioners alike… However, a massive brain drain has weakened Caribbean economies significantly over the past five decades…

“Resources continue to be drained by corrupt infrastructure projects, while expenditure in health and education, critical to nation building, remains insufficient. But as these sectors fall behind the rest of the world, a new player has emerged in the Caribbean.”

By Mohammed’s rearview account: “In 2018, Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean country to officially sign-up to China’s $4tn global Belt and Road development initiative. Suriname, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and even the progressive leadership in Barbados followed... Jamaica was last in to bat and did not put up much of a resistance.”

Then he bowls a curvedball argument: “One can argue that the Caribbean islands don’t have much choice – the pandemic has been merciless to their economies. Should they approach the International Monetary Fund, cap in hand, and be subjected to austerity measures that make governments unpopular with their people? Is there another option?”

I was a bit taken aback by this new and crude effort to make Britain’s centuries-old reparations debt to its former Caribbean colonies for slavery look like a mere favour.

I mean, to suggest that

Clive Lloyd and Lewis Hamilton accepting knighthoods was in some way a betrayal of the Caribbean’s quest for reparations for slavery is just as bad as saying it should be paid quickly to keep China at bay in the Caribbean.

Fact is, China’s Caribbean ties long preceded the establishment of the CRC. China also came to the assistance of its nine CARICOM allies with COVID assistance in 2021 through the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Guyana and China will later this year jointly celebrate 50 years of bilateral ties that started even before CARICOM was established.

And China’s presence is felt today in the oil-and-gas industry with China’s National Oil Company (CNOC) having a 25 per cent share Stabroek Block, as well as other Chinese investments.

Another manifestation of China’s ongoing friendship with Guyana is in the recent announcement that the Chinese will spend between US $8 million and US $12 Million to fund the redevelopment of the Joe Viera Park as ‘A China-Guyana Friendship Monument’ that’ll include: amphitheater, picnic lawn, a stand canopy over a pond, twin pavilions and grounds for football, tennis and basketball, are among major attractions earmarked for the Joe Vieira Park on the West Bank of Demerara.

Mohammed’s interpretation of Lloyd “taking the knee” as a genuflection to colonialism or disrespectful of his people’s demand for reparations for the sins of Europe is nothing less than an academic insult to

Lloyd’s own history as captain of the West Indies cricket teams that ‘whitewashed’ England at their own game.

According to a Department of Public information (DPI) press release following the signing of the Joe Vieira Park agreement, China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan said: “The governments of both countries adhere to a people-centred philosophy of development.

So, in the past 50 years, all the projects China assisted Guyana with reflected the principle of serving the people.”

She also reflected on the history of Chinese in Guyana, noting that they arrived as early as 1853 “and have been hardworking contributors to the country’s economic and social development.”

Ambassador Haiyan also expressed a desire “to see more fruitful cooperation in promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global transport infrastructure initiative, and Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.”

Obviously, Mohammed either ignored or simply did not know how long China has been engaging in bilateral cooperation with Caribbean nations, including Guyana and eight other CARICOM member-states.

However, the simple bottom-line question is: Did Clive Lloyd ‘bend his knees’ at Buckingham Palace against reparations?

Methinks not! (end) (Earl Bousquet is Chairman of the Saint Lucia National Reparations Committee (SLNRC) and Chair of the Saint Lucia-China Friendship Association)

9

SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Understanding Energy

Government to use NRF to tackle near-term challenges

THE recently finalised Natural Resources Fund (NRF) is a crucial tool for development that will establish the framework for how Guyana will spend its oil revenues for decades to come.

The legislation that was passed in December to finalise the structure of the Fund has already attracted scrutiny, since many provisions would allow the government to “front-load” investments by withdrawing a large percentage of the revenue in the first few years. But the thinking behind this is strategic and in line with the approach that many other countries have taken.

As reported earlier this month by the Chronicle, the NRF allows the government to spend 100 percent of the first US$500 million, 75 percent of the second US$500 million, 50 percent of the third US$500 million, 25

percent of the fourth US$500 million, five percent of the fifth US$500 million, and three percent of all funds above the first US$2.5 billion.

While countries like Norway are often held up as a model for how to save revenues, it’s important to recognise that Norway was already highly developed with strong infrastructure, healthcare and education systems when it found oil.

The strategy adopted by Guyana’s government is more similar to that of Kazakhstan, which invests a large portion of revenues immediately into critical infrastructure needs in order to create a strong foundation to support economic growth.

This is a common tactic in countries that are less developed and have higher initial needs.

Upfront spending of revenues in this way can support

economic stabilisation and intergenerational equity by ensuring the management of natural resource revenues is done in a manner that contributes to both nearterm and long-term national development. Opportunities for domestic investments that could have an outsized impact are many and could include roads, bridges, education, better sea defences and renewable energy.

In addition to addressing the immediate needs of the country, heavier spending of the funds early on could have multiplier effects far beyond the initial investments by opening up new opportunities for businesses in the longer term. Investments like a more reliable electrical grid or improved schools could provide businesses with the resources they need to be competitive, build their talent pool, expand their reach, and more.

Moreover, investment in education would help create a healthier and more educated workforce that could allow Guyana to compete in more industries.

Although individual ana-

lysts and organisations agree that this strategy is likely a good option for Guyana, there are some potential pitfalls, particularly the potential for economic overheating and resource shortages if spending is done too quickly and without proper checks and balances.

For example, if funds cannot be absorbed fast enough, the currency could overinflate or overwhelm local capacity, causing harm.

Investments, especially those funding large projects like roads, dams or sea defences must be made carefully with an eye towards long-term benefits and spreading spending out over several years.

If done too quickly, they can outpace local businesses’ ability to meet demand, causing prices to increase and stripping resources like skilled labour away from important sectors. A fast investment pace also means that open and honest procurement processes for public works is vitally important.

The examples of other countries in similar situations have also made it clear

that a transparent and honest process for the management of the Fund itself – from allocation to investment – is critical to success. A proper system for checks and balances, as mentioned above, can help ensure that strategic and high-stakes decisions about the Fund are made in good faith.

Currently, Guyana’s Fund design does not place many restrictions on withdrawal beyond the approval of a large Board of Directors, which creates flexibility within the plan.

While this kind agility in spending can be important for developing countries, it is also important for newly resource-rich countries like Guyana not to make mistakes like borrowing on the back of future resource revenues.

This over-optimism, known as the ‘presource curse,’ can lead to the accumulation of unsustainable debt and, ultimately, an economic crisis.

Deploying a sovereign wealth fund like the NRF carries some risk, but it can also be an excellent tool for countries to generate long-

term prosperity using their natural resources when managed properly.

The International Monetary Fund has laid out six conditions for success with respect to sovereign wealth funds, including appropriate budget and monetary policies; transparency and external reporting; well-designed funding and withdrawal rules consistent with their stated goals; well-framed corporate governance arrangements; clear accountability procedures among the different levels of fund governance; and responsible investment policies that are consistent with the policy purpose of the fund.

Although there are some potential pitfalls for countries like Guyana to avoid, there is no dispute that the establishment of the NRF to manage Guyana’s new wealth is a major step towards strong economic development and a more authoritative position within the oil and gas industry, propelling Guyana towards long-term prosperity.

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Budget 2022 – A budget all Guyanese can be proud of

BUDGET 2022 is one of the most pleasing, yet strong fiscal policies ever outlined by the Irfaan Ali Administration to date.

It engenders the development aspirations of the country.

Also, it delivers the goods and services directly and indirectly to the people.

It is indeed people-oriented, people-centred, and people-focused. It looks like a sterling example of the right fiscal policies, legislative remedies, business measures, and plans that, if implemented properly, will catapult Guyana further along the developmental trajectory.

It would appear that this $553.9B budget has not left out a single thing that is critical to Guyana’s development as an oil-producing nation and the CARICOM region’s breadbasket in terms of agriculture.

It focuses heavily on human capital development and natural resources such as gold, bauxite, and other minerals.

This budget seems to have had the full complement of consultation from every entity

and group which wanted to propose projects and things that should be done now. It seems as though the 2022 budget, from a glance, cannot be found wanting on decisive policies geared to tackle the concerns of the populace about the increase in the cost of living. In response to this, government has allotted $5B for various measures that have to do with cushioning the cost of living in Guyana. Also, notably, are adjustments in the tax rate on fuel, gasoline, and diesel prices to make them more affordable. It does not stop there! The 2022 budget makes the prices for freight return to pre-pandemic levels.

Apart from this, another laudable measure is that the government raised the tax threshold from $65, 000 to $75,000, which means more disposable income for Guyanese. Sure as day, the Guyana Public Service Union, the Teachers Union, and the Trade Union Congress are gearing up to cry foul because they did not hear anything about salary increases. They were waiting on the Finance Minister

to say something about that. So, they can speak about not being consulted and the government showing no respect for the collective labour agreement.

There is a sum of money budgeted for salary increases.

Government plans to tap into it, if the collective bargaining agreement process falls through the floor and these entities continue their bias and opposition politics and theatrics. Maybe, another argument is waiting for the PNC-led APNU+AFC and the surrogates.

Additionally, there is an increase again for pensioners from $25,000 to $28,000. This fiscal move is not enough, but look at the bigger picture. Look at all that the government has done for this group of Guyanese in just 18 months. Recall, the restoration of water and electricity subsidies for pensioners and one-off cash grants which amount to millions.

This move to focus on the infrastructure development, road linkages, upgrade and building of new roads and bridges, the education and health of the peo-

ple, is good and laudable. The fact is that, this year, the budget presented is being fuelled by funds available in the Natural Resources Fund and such is even more appropriate and timely to start the transformation into the future. After all, Guyana will get the benefit for its rich oil resources finally!

Finally, when the budget debates begin Monday, it is hoped that parliamentarians would focus their attention on the measures that address the standard and cost of living in Guyana that the government missed or did not address sufficiently in

SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

the estimates.

The opposition parliamentarians must come up with their recommendations and suggestions for making an already good budget, better. They must not oppose, just for opposing sake. They must argue the points they are going to make with the evidence and substance to match.

The truth is, the APNU+AFC Coalition was in power from 2015 to August 2020 and promised the citizens a good life but delivered instead tax upon tax for tea, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

But this government crafted the budget for the delivery of their manifesto promises, and goods and services to the people which is smart, good and practical. It is based on the theory of realism.

This budget 2022 boasts a footprint of what can be done if there are sober thinkers, parotic builders, political minds, and scholars at the decision-making table, alongside the President of Guyana.

No one was left out and every Guyanese will benefit regardless of how the APNU+AFC politicians shout.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Politics & Society Forum Interview with Dr. Aliyah Khan on the Muslim Caribbean

IN tandem with the growing wave of Guyanese overseas scholars, I asked Aliyah Khan, a Professor of English and Afro-American and African Studies, and the Director of the Global Islamic Studies Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to do an interview with me on her recently published book: Far from Mecca: Globalizing the Muslim Caribbean (Rutgers University Press and University of the West Indies Press, 2020).

The book received honourable mention in the 2021 Modern Language Association Prize for a First Book, and awards from the American Comparative Literature Association and the American Association of University Women. Far from Mecca is the first academic monograph to address the comparative history, culture, and music of Indo- and Afro-Caribbean Muslims in Guyana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. The book argues Muslim Caribbean identity is performative and not fixed, and that Caribbean Islam troubles post-colonial creolization discourse in the region.

Lomarsh Roopnarine (LR)What has inspired you to write this remarkable book on Muslims in the Caribbean?

Aliyah Khan (AK):I’m a Guyanese Muslim who was raised in Georgetown before immigrating to the U.S. in high school. I was a Queen’s College student like my father Jan Khan before me. My maternal grandfather, Mohamed Rasheed, is an imam in Georgetown, and his father Meer Mohamed Abdur Rahman, whose family was from Lucknow, India, was an early imam at the Queenstown Jama Masjid. Caribbean people must do a lot of archival research and excavation to discover our enslaved and indentured ancestors.

I wrote the book I wish had existed for me to read as a young person, on the history of Caribbean and Guyanese Islam.

LR: Your background places you in a “privileged” position to write Far from Mecca. What is the purpose of this book in terms of historical and contemporary importance and significance?

AK:It is the first single-author academic book to examine the history, culture, and music of Indian and African Caribbean Muslims together. Before 1990’s attempted Trinidad government coup by the Jamaat al-Muslimeen, a primarily Black Muslim organisation, Anglophone Caribbean people assumed Islam was a religion of Indian indentured labourers and their descendants. But Islam was also the religion of at least 10 per cent of enslaved West Africans in the Americas. I discuss 19th century Jamaican and Trinidadian autobiographies written in Arabic by enslaved, literate Muslims originally from Guinea, Senegambia, and Mali. As Walter Rodney emphasised, Africans and Indians in Guyana share a colonial labour history, and even a religious heritage, which we must remember to build a better future together.

LR:You are correct in stating that the early Muslim African Caribbean has often been misconstrued or marginalised within the larger historiography of Caribbean Muslims.

However, I think you did an excellent job in mapping the historical journey of African and Indian Muslims in the Caribbean. What are some commonalities and differences among these ethnic Muslims? What has kept these

Aliyah Khan, a Professor of English and Afro-American and African Studies individuals together as Caribbean Muslims?

AK:African and Indian Muslims preserved their ancestral Islam as much as possible under colonialism: enslaved Africans wrote Islamic treatises and prayed in secret, and indentured Indians set up mosques and found imams to lead prayers on plantations.

Both Muslim groups were resistant to Christian conversion by European missionaries.

We have stories of early indentured Indian Muslims and manumitted African Muslims who recognised their shared religion in 19th century Trinidad.

LR:So what happened in the contemporary period?

AK:After Independence, Indian and African Muslims often separated: for example, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana has been predominantly Indian. Demographically, there were few Black Muslims in Guyana until 20th-century conversions or reversions.

The Muslim Brotherhood of Guyana or “Muslaman: Ujamaa Wa Guyana,” the country’s first Black Muslim organisation, was formed in the mid-1960’s independence era. Racial barriers are less the case now, with influence from Middle Eastern countries and Arab religious education, and a decrease in so-called “Indian cultural” Islam—although I don’t know if we should replace that with Arabized dress and customs. But it’s good to recognise our shared labour and religious history.

LR:You have addressed what you described as “Marvelous Muslim” and “Muslim Time” in your book.” Can you expound on these descriptions?

AK:“Marvelous Muslim” comes from Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier’s “marvelous realism,” which precedes “magical realism” as the surrealist landscape that describes the extreme violence of the colonised Caribbean.

“Marvelous Muslim” describes the excesses associated with Muslims: fanaticism, terrorism, patriarchy, and shifting loyalties.

LR:And in the case of “Muslim Time?”

AK:“Muslim Time” is from Trini calypsonian David Rudder’s song “Hoosay,” which he was kind enough to permit me to quote in the book. “Hoosay” was written after and about the 1990 Trinidadian Jamaat al-Muslimeen coup. In the song, “Muslim time” is when, metaphorically, “Hosay is number one.” Hosay or Tadjah is the colonial

Indo-Muslim procession with model tombs (tadjahs) marking the Shia Muslim holiday of Muharram and the Prophet’s grandson Hussein’s martyrdom. The British violently squashed this Muslim holiday in the Caribbean because it came to have participants from all races and religions. It’s still celebrated in Trinidad and Jamaica, but not really Guyana.

“Muslim time” is when Islam enters public discourse as a “revolutionary threat” to the Caribbean, with Hosay, then the Muslimeen, and more recently, Caribbean nationals travelling abroad to join the Islamic State in Syria. I interviewed Muslimeen leader Imam Yasin Abu Bakr for the book before he passed away recently, as he became the Caribbean’s number one “Islamic terrorist” after the coup.

LR:As you know, the label “Fullaman” is a derogatory one in Guyana, the F word, yet you stated that the postcolonial Caribbean creolisation discourse “is generally troubled by the Muslim in its midst because the local fullaman Muslim forces engagement with contemporary global concerns and exposes the limitation of hybridity and diaspora” (p.34). This is a strong statement. Do you still stand by it? If so, break it down for the readers.

AK:Yes, I stand by my statement, taken in context and prefaced by an examination of the etymology of “fullaman”. “Fullaman” helps us understand Guyanese Muslim history: though it can derogatorily denote any Muslim now, it is derived from a West African Muslim tribal name, Fula or Fulani, indicating that Islam’s history in Guyana is both African and Indian. In Trinidad, “Mandinga” or “Madinga” denotes Muslims, similarly deriving from enslaved West African Mande or Mandinka people. Because of chattel slavery, African Muslims did not leave direct Caribbean Muslim descendants, but they left writings and linguistic traces.

LR: What about the harsh side of the label “Fullaman”?

AK: “Fullaman” is a cacophemism. That is a word used as a harsh substitute for another word, but it can also be humorous. I grew up around Muslims jokingly calling each other “fullaman”, meaning a Muslim who is religiously performative and pompous. But it can be used harshly, by non-Muslims. It all depends on context. I wouldn’t use the word casually.

LR: How would you explain “Fullaman” in relation to creolisation and hybridity?

AK: Creolisation and hybridity the multiethnic melding of colonised peoples into one unity, are frameworks through which Caribbean nation-states create themselves: “One People, One Nation, One Destiny,” as Guyana’s motto goes. By using “fullaman,” which shifted meanings from the global African Fulani to the local Guyanese Muslim of any race, I argue that Caribbean Islam exposes the limitations of hybridity and diaspora.

LR:What would you like readers to know about your book?

AK:That Muslims have been a part of Guyanese and Caribbean history since the earliest colonial era. Islam is an ancestral religion of both Africans and Indians in the Caribbean. We cannot define our Caribbean Muslim history in U.S. terms, using 9/11 and American national discourse as a benchmark.

Professor lomarsh roopnarine

LR:Are you working on any future projects in the Muslim Caribbean?

AK:Yes, I am writing an article on Muslim devotional music in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname—qasidas, songs brought by Indian indentured laborers, which one can now hear at Eid Milad or Moulood religious celebrations, on album compilations, and in regional competitions. For example, my former madrasa school teacher from the United Sad’r Islamic Anjuman Masjid in Kitty, Georgetown, Ustadh Nazim Bacchus, is a well-known Guyanese qasida singer and competition judge.

LR: Wow, I am impressed with your project on qasidas? Can you share some more thoughts on it?

AK: I’m excavating the origins of Caribbean qasida songs in 19th and early 20th century Indian poetry—in the indentureship period. Some of the qasidas, notably ones praising the Prophet Muhammad, appear in Urdu in the Islamic text Milad-e-Akbar

by Sufi Khwaja (Saint) Muhammad Akbar Warsi, who was born in pre-Independence Meerut, India, and died in Karachi, Pakistan in 1953. There is more research on Hindu Caribbean devotional music like bhajans, so I’m filling the religious music gap. I will also discuss Caribbean Islamic theological controversies over the public performance of qasidas, and vocal and instrumental music.

LR:Thank you.

In sum, Professor Khan reveals the historical continuity and cultural production of Caribbean Muslim identity amid the multifaceted Caribbean where race, class, gender, and religion matter. Far from Mecca brings out the displacement of Muslims and places them at the center of Caribbean and hemispheric American discourse, and, in doing so, Khan has done an enormous justice to the understudied and undertheorized field of Muslim and Islamic Caribbean Studies. The book deserves a place on the top shelf of Caribbean literature (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

GuySuCo investments indirectly support tens of thousands of jobs – Pres. Ali

By Rehana Ahamad

THE $6 billion allocation that has been proposed for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will allow for more than just the boosting of field and factory operations, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who reasoned that the company’s prosperity is also linked to the livelihoods of tens

of thousands of Guyanese families.

“That is what is important. It is not only the investment…it is linked to supporting an industry that creates jobs; that sustain jobs,” Dr. Ali said during a virtual briefing on his Facebook page Saturday morning.

In addition to directly maintaining thousands of jobs, President Ali said that

the allocations for GuySuCo will also stimulate economic activities in several communities across the country.

“It promotes economic and social wellbeing,” the Head of State posited.

He stressed that for one to truly comprehend and appreciate the need for investments in GuySuCo, they have to be privy to the realities on the ground.

Over the past two years, GuySuCo has been able to improve its profits by investing more in the sale of packaged sugar “The investment in these sectors, when you want to understand the impact, you can’t sit in an AC (air-conditioned) office or sit in a particular confinement and believe that you understand the impact,” Dr. Ali cautioned.

He continued, “Go to Canal and understand the impact that private cane farming has on the community; go to Uitvlugt, go to Albion.”

Over the past two years, investments in GuySuCo have led to the return of approximately 5,000 of the jobs which were lost when the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) went ahead and closed four of Guyana’s sugar estates in 2017.

During his presentation of the 2022 national budget on Wednesday last, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh revealed that over 1,300 persons have since been reemployed.

“These are jobs that were returned, these are sustaining communities enhancing communities sometimes you forget this,” President Ali said.

Meanwhile, the other severed GuySuCo workers who did not return to the fields benefitted from oneoff cash grants of $250,000, in 2021.

The payout followed the release of a study conducted by the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation (ILO), which found that the manner in which the previous government went about shutting down four of Guyana’s sug-

ar estates was “a bad decision from any perspective.”

The report pointed to the fact that not only were the estate closures done over “a very short period of time,” but the onset of the process failed to consult the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), which represents the majority of GuySuCo employees.

The closures, according to the ILO, compromised the livelihoods of scores of dismissed workers, exposing many and their families to the “poverty trap”.

Nonetheless, with the new government in place, GuySuCo has revamped its operations and efforts are ongoing to reopen three of the estates.

The government has said that the reopening of the Wales Estate was almost impossible, due to the significant dismantling that it suffered. Instead, the location has been earmarked to house a conversion plant for the massive gas-to-shore project which will see natural gas being transported from the oil ships offshore Guyana converted to electricity.

Meanwhile, GuySuCo seems to be on a path to turn things around. As a matter of fact, the company has already begun clearing its outstanding debts.

According Sasenarine Singh, GuyS-uCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), last year the company was able to pay more than $700 million to its trade creditors, in addition to clearing $175 million of the $475 million in debts owed to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union

(GAWU).

The CEO, in a previous interview, said the entity’s objectives are achievable, especially now since the new management has been successfully working with all stakeholders to change the strategy by which sugar is sold.

As part of plans to reform the once ailing sugar industry, GuySuCo intends to ease the production of bulk sugar and focus on more value-added products.

“This is where changing the sales mix from bulk sugar, that were sold on the world market for between US$320 to US$350, to now selling package sugar at US$700,” Singh had explained.

In making that switch, the company’s annual losses have plummeted from $2.6 billion to $825 million.

This means, that by simply redesigning its marketing and sales strategy, GuySuCo has managed to save approximately $1.7 billion.

In the meantime, President Ali has hinted to government’s efforts to encourage private investments.

“It will create more jobs. Not only more jobs, but more jobs at a technical level if we are to increase our production. It will expand our production,” Dr. Ali said.

This year, government is looking to make strategic investments at Albion, Blairmont, and Uitvlugt, particularly to upgrade and mechanise aspects of the operations, while expanding packaging capabilities to produce more value-added products for domestic and international markets.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

13

‘Beating the odds’

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

From page 13

RIAZ RUPNARIN, BACHELOR DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Thirty-two-year-old Riaz Rupnarin will be graduating with a Bachelor Degree in International Relations.

Like his colleagues, the Pomeroon resident was faced with many challenges, including losing one of his parents while he was attending university, but he was determined to persevere.

He explained: “Finan-

cial constraints coming from a poor background, my father passed away, my mother is a pensioner, my brother is disabled, and my sister is a single-parent mother, so not having that financial backing was very hard. I had to basically support myself through the four years of studies. So, sometimes it was quite hard, because I had to miss certain experiences due to finance. For example, as International Relations students, in our first two years, we had

RIAZ RUPNARIN trips overseas with our lecturers but I had to miss them because of finance and other reasons.”

“The four years have been quite a trial and more so with the addition of the pandemic in the latter part of our studies.

We know International Relations is a bit more physical and it was very hard to get that kind of experience while doing it online,” Rupnarin added.

STEFAN BOWMAN – BACHELOR DEGREE IN ECONOMICS: Twenty-three-year-old Stefan Bowman of Mocha, East Bank of Demerara (EBD), will be graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Economics on February 11, 2022.

Similarly, Bowman also has a unique story of beating the odds to reach the stage of graduation. He detailed that he had to deal with the loss of his mother in the final semester of his third year; this he noted was the most difficult period in his life.

On the day he came to the Turkeyen Campus to take his official graduation portrait, Bowman wore a pin with the photograph of his mother whom he recalled was always very supportive and would have been extremely proud to see him becoming a graduate of UG as STEFAN BOWMAN this was her desire.

“Losing my mom while studying was really rough. Even when my mom was very sick she kept asking me about classes and exams so I knew I had to push through for her… I dedicate my degree to my mom, she would have been very proud,” he said as he was overcome with emotions.

When asked how he was able to cope with the loss while studying, he related that the University, his peers and his father were all incredibly helpful, “My colleagues kept pushing me through.

They helped me out with a lot of assignments and they made sure that I got whatever I needed and if I missed anything they made sure they kept checking in on me. My dad also helped me along the way, he provided the financial assistance I needed because I am not working but now that I have graduated I will be looking for a good job.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

Two UG students awarded ‘McGowan family education scholarship’

TWO University of Guyana (UG) students, Miriam Ogle and Jumaine Levi, on Friday, received the inaugural ‘McGowan Family Education Scholarship’, which was presented during an award ceremony held at the Herdmanston Lodge in Georgetown.

Twenty-year-old Ogle, who is currently studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Geological Engineering, was awarded $1 million to cover her tuition for four years, while Levi, who is a registered nurse currently studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, was awarded a one-time $200,000 grant towards his tuition.

Speaking with the Sunday Chronicle, Ogle expressed how grateful she is to be a recipient of the award.

“It is a distinct pleasure of mine. It certainly is very prestigious, and to be the very first awardee, I’m truly honoured,” expressed Ogle, who is also a volunteer with the TigerBay Compassionate Ministry.

Presenting the awards at the ceremony were Jeanette McGowan-Grannum, the daughter of the late Basil McGowan, Headmaster of the Comenius Moravian and New Comenius Primary schools, and Orson

Ferguson, the grandson of the late Irma Long, also of Comenius Moravian and New Comenius Primary schools.

Ogle and Levi were among 20 applicants for the scholarship. The ap-

plication process, which commenced in July last year, involved the students having to write an essay about why they deserved the assistance.

Applicants were vetted by a review team head-

ed by McGowan family member Melissa Harding, Dianne Mc Gowan Brutus, Monique Davidson, Joann Davis- Valz and Brooklyn college professor, Ingrid Clark.

Scholarship recipients are required to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above and to complete 20 hours of unpaid community service each semester. The scholarship will now become an annual feature awarded to matriculated UG students who shared the McGowan family’s commitment to community service.

“The McGowan Family Scholarship was established to honour and continue the commitment of five generations of McGowans to community service, development and engagement in the

Scholarship awardees, Mariam Olge and Jumaine Levi display their check as they are flanked by several members of the McGowan family

See page 16

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 30, 2022

GPHC gets $113M new X-ray machines THE efficiency of the X-ray system at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has been boosted significantly with the addition of three new X-ray machines at a cost of $113 million.

These machines are expected to take the department’s operations fully digital.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, during the commissioning ceremony, on Saturday, noted that the new pieces of equipment will be used to replace the antiquated methods of x-ray systems previously employed at the hospital, which significantly affected the department’s ability to provide time-efficient service to the public.

The three new Siemens machines, which were procured from BioMedical Enterprise of Trinidad and Tobago, are two fixed ceiling-mounted Multi Fusion Max totalling US$419,420 and one portable Mobilett Elara Max that costs US$102,900.

The new X-ray machines are completely digital and eliminate the need for X-ray films which were previously used by the hospital and proved to be time-consuming.

The systems are linked to all wards and clinics in addition to the hospital’s Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) which is a medical imaging technology used primarily in

healthcare organisations to securely store and digitally transmit electronic images and clinically-relevant reports.

According to Minister Anthony, this means there will be faster efficiency for patient information to be transferred from the X-ray department to the requisite doctor. He noted that the new system also allows for a wider range of

The new portable Mobilett Elara Max that costs US$102,900, at the GPHC’s Radiology department

medical expertise when needed.

He added that this comes particularly useful given the collaboration of the hospital with the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) RAD-AID, an organiation that works to improve and optimize access to medical imaging and radiology in low-resource regions of the world.

“So, basically, if you get an image at New Amsterdam [Hospital], you’d upload that to the Cloud, pull it down back here [GPHC] and you could read it here and then send the report to the doctors at New Amsterdam.

“And the collaboration that we have with RAD-AID, if we need specialist advice, they can also give us that type of advice and they could take that off the Cloud or anywhere else in the world and give us that report; that’s not fiction, that’s what is happening right now,” Minister Anthony explained.

Chief Executive Officer (ag.) Robbie Rambarran expressed his elation at the new equipment. He noted that the previous X-ray machines were outdated, making it difficult for the hospital to cater to the growing needs of patients.

It was disclosed that the new equipment can process 300 plus x-rays within 24 hours while the hospital’s previous systems, which were installed in 2015, were capable of processing just over 90 a day.

Two UG students awarded ...

From page 15

areas of education, public health, law enforcement, social work, medicine, nursing, law, industry and volunteerism both in Guyana and in the Diaspora,” a statement from the family noted.

Continuation of the scholarships will be managed by a committee chaired by family member Lourdeth Ferguson. The Scholarship Committee also includes Danette McGowan, Natasha Harding, Rock Harding, McGowan-Brutus, Robin July, Monique Davidson, Carl McGowan, Jean McGowan-Grannum and Joan McGowan.

Speaking with the Sunday Chronicle, Ferguson shared that it was after a family reunion in 2017 that the family first formed a family committee, while two years ago, they began discussions on having their own organisation aimed at giving back to society.

“We meet together as a family pretty often and one day we were talking about doing a scholarship and I said that we really need to get on it.

We use a lot of our time to volunteer for other organisations, and we spend a lot of time making their visions come true and I felt it was time for us to make our dream come true by doing this scholarship,” Ferguson explained.

PSC lauds Budget 2022 SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) has commended Finance Minister,

Dr. Ashni Singh, for presenting what they described as a “balanced budget that

lays the foundation for massive economic growth, expansion of the private

Three more unvaccinated people among five new ‘COVID’ deaths …471 new infections

THREE unvaccinated people are among the five latest COVID-19 deaths while another 471 people have been infected with COVID-19, according to a press release from the Ministry of Health.

The three unvaccinated people who died are: An 86-year-old man from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) who died on January 28; a 68-year-old woman from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) who died on January 29; and, a 55-year-old man from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) who died on January 28.

The other deaths include a 74-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara- Ma-

haica) who died on January 29 and his vaccination status is unknown, and a 73-yearold partially vaccinated man from Region Six who died on January 28.

With these five additional deaths, there have been 1,165 COVID-19 deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic in March, 2020. A total of 110 of those deaths were recorded during January so far.

Additionally, another 471 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus over a 24-hour period. With these additional cases, the number of confirmed infections in Guyana since March 11, 2020 has increased to 54,450.

The new cases were re-

corded in Region One (37 cases), Region Two (13 cases), Region Three (61 cases), Region Four (150 cases), Region Five (33 cases), Region Six (49 cases), Region Seven (11 cases), Region Eight (33 cases), Region Nine (78 cases) and Region 10 (six cases).

There are also 20 patients receiving critical care in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU); 204 people in institutional isolation, seven people in institutional quarantine and 10,967people in home isolation.

Importantly, a total of 47,094 people have recovered after they were infected with the disease.

Court upholds decision for State to keep convertible seized in drug bust

THE High Court has upheld efforts made by the state to confiscate a white Mercedes Benz convertible bearing the number plate PZZ 3304, which was seized during a drug bust in February 2021.

According to a release from the Attorney General’s Chambers, 3.156 kilograms of cannabis was found by agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) in the convertible driven by Troy Jacobs. The driver and another occupant were jointly charged for trafficking in narcotics, contrary to section 12 (3) of the Narcotic Drugs Act. Subsequent to their arrest, the vehicle was detained by CANU officers pending hearing and determination of the charges against the occupants of the motor vehicle.

On November 22, 2021, however, Godfrey George Osborne, through his attorney-at-law Lester Caesar, filed a Fixed Date Application against the Attorney General (a representative of the state), the Commissioner of Police and CANU.

Through this order, Osbourne claimed to be the owner of the vehicle. And, he contended that he has no knowledge of, was not involved in, and was not in any way implicated in the drug “bust.” As such, he applied for the release of the vehicle.

In response, the state, represented by the Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC, Senior State Adviser Loretta Noel, State Counsel Yonika Roland, contended that the convertible had not yet been forfeited to the state.

As such, the respondents posited that the vehicle was being lawfully kept in custody by CANU, awaiting a ruling from a magistrate determining whether the vehicle is liable for forfeiture under the Narcotic Drugs Act upon conviction.

Therefore, the state argued, the application was premature, unwarranted, and an abuse of process.

Justice Jo-Ann Barlow who heard the case, accepted these arguments from the respondents and

dismissed Osbourne’s application. She ordered that he pay $50,000 in costs to the Attorney General.

The court also found that Osbourne has not submitted any evidence that the said vehicle was forfeited and that the vehicle was lawfully seized by CANU and not forfeited.

It was also found that the vehicle’s seizure has not yet reached stage to deal with third-party rights and as such, that there is no basis for releasing the vehicle to Osbourne.

Meanwhile, the press release noted that the state will, with greater regularity, be invoking relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act to pursue the forfeiture of assets implicated in drugrelated offences, and assets believed to be acquired from proceeds of other organised crime.

Such assets include both moveable and immoveable properties.

sector and the creation of jobs for all Guyanese.”

A press release from the PSC noted that in addition to the wide range of public investment projects and initiatives to stimulate economic activity and generate incomes, “Budget 2022 proposes measures aimed at improving business competitiveness, promoting local content and ensuring tax parity.”

“The Commission is pleased to see that some of the measures proposed during consultations with the Private Sector Commission on the national budget were considered and reflected in the budget for 2022.”

The PSC said it recognises that while some of its proposals were taken on board, the $552.9B dollar budget outlined public investment progammes such as infrastructural developments that will also drive private

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- says it strikes balance between private and public sector growth

Chairman of the PSC, Paul Cheong sector development.

The Commission is particularly pleased that the budget did not introduce any new taxes.

The specific budget measures welcomed by the PSC are: elimination of the 2 per cent withholding tax on resident contractors; removal of the 10 per cent excise tax and 14 per cent

VAT on commercial trucks; removal of the 14 per cent VAT on the importation of new haulers; removal of excise tax on the importation of new double and single cab pickups; removal of the 14 per cent VAT on cranes, safety equipment, and oil spill response equipment; extension of the freight cost to pre-pandemic levels; lowering of the excise tax rate on gasoline and diesel from 20 per cent to 10 percent and the allocation of $420.5M to train unskilled Guyanese for jobs in the oil and gas sector.

“The Commission is aware of the fact that the budget must be shaped in the context of the global and domestic environment, given the problem of the supply chain and the challenge of pandemic.”

The PSC believes that this budget is well on its way to bringing about major transformation in the economy.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

Almost $500 million budgeted for equipment at GPHC, Festival City Polyclinic

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

The new Festival City Polyclinic THE Ministry of Health has budgeted almost $500 million for equipment upgrades at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the Festival City polyclinic as part of its 2022 budget to boost the capacity of both facilities to tackle healthcare needs in central Georgetown, according to Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony.

According to the Health Minister, just under $300 million will be allocated to facilitate major equipment upgrades and replacement of outdated equipment in several departments at the GPHC, while $200 million will be allocated to the Festival City polyclinic for the procurement of several key pieces of equipment.

For the Festival City polyclinic, Minster Anthony noted that funds will go towards procuring equipment for the clinic’s own radiology department including state-of-the-art x-ray machines, a functional dental department, and a laboratory.

The Festival City polyclinic, which was once under the control of the Regional Health Services, will now be managed by the GPHC. It is expected that eight medical doctors can be accommodated onsite to provide diagnostic services to patients.

Minster Anthony noted that these equipment upgrades and procurement will allow staff of both health facilities to better cater to a wider range of

medical services. He further stated that government deems it fit to retrofit both health facilities with new state-of-the-art equipment to decentralise the influx of patients at the GPHC. “While we did a soft opening a few months ago, there’s still a lot of work to be done at Festival City.

This year, we’ll be spending close to $200 million to make sure they have their own x-ray equipment, a dental section, a lab, and a whole host of other things because you have a big catchment area down there and it’s going to be easier for people to access services in that area, that is another way that we are decentralising, and reducing patient load coming to this hospital.”

The Health Minister explained that while the government has been able to employ competent doctors and other medical professionals, their expertise could only be complimented with technology to provide the best possible results for patients.

“While they have the technical expertise to do these operations, they don’t have the equipment to do the operation so we want to correct that so we’re going to be spending close to $300 million to make sure we correct that.

“It will help us to lift the quality of healthcare not just here at the GPHC but across the country,” Minister Anthony said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

Ten-member Guyana-Suriname business council soon - as key stakeholders sign MoU

TRADE and other commercial activities between Guyana and Suriname are projected to increase, as the way has been cleared for the establishment of a Guyana-Suriname Private Sector Business Council, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the involved parties.

According to a press statement from the local Private Sector Commission (PSC), a MoU was signed with the Suriname Trade and Industry Association to enhance economic ties and initiatives between the two organisations.

The MoU was signed virtually on January 26, 2022,

by Chairman of the PSC, Paul Cheong, and his Surinamese counterpart, Bryan Renten.

This move paves the way for the establishment of a tenmember council, which will comprise five members from the PSC and five members from the Suriname Trade and

Industry Association.

It is expected that the council will be established within a fortnight and will hold its first meeting to discuss various areas of cooperation.

The work of the council will include the promotion of trade, industry and investment as a means toward economic growth; improvement of competitiveness through innovation and entrepreneurship; building partnerships in skills development to create solutions in education and workforce development, and the promotion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development and exchanges.

The business council is also expected to support the creation of an enabling environment for the rapid and secure movement of goods; promotion of joint venture partnerships/formation of synergies between businesses in the two countries, among other things.

Plans to establish a coun-

cil for those purposes were initiated in August, 2020, following a meeting among members of each private sector body. This followed calls by both the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, and his Surinamese counterpart, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, for the private sectors of the two countries to establish partnerships for cross-border investments.

“The two countries have always enjoyed excellent people-to-people and business relations. Notably, this initiative will birth a vibrant and improved level of partnership and cooperation between Guyana and Suriname,” the local PSC had said in a press statement.

Even further, to maximise the benefits stemming from their burgeoning oil-and-gas sectors and other developments across both economies, Guyana and Suriname had agreed to establish a common local-content platform.

“We are not in competition; we are on a journey of

A 17-member team of investors from Suriname meeting with Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, at his Camp Street Office, last November co-operation to maximise the benefits for people, and, in order to ensure we do it successfully, we would need to have synergies in terms of infrastructure and its use,”

President Dr. Irfaan Ali had said in August.

Ultimately, the objective of enhanced collaboration between the two countries is to improve the lives of all

citizens through social and economic benefits, President Ali had said.

Those benefits are expected to be derived from TURN TO PAGE 20

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

GAWU engages gov’t on foreigners Ten-member Guyana-Suriname... displacing Guyanese workers

THE Executive Committee of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), on Friday, engaged the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, about foreigners displacing Guyanese workers.

A press release from GAWU noted that since the union established its Oil and Gas Branch in June 2021, workers from the sector have continued to regularly visit and interact with the Union.

The union shared with Minister Benn that a prominent concern of workers in the sector has been the presence of foreigners to the detriment of Guyanese.

“[GAWU] indicated to the Minister that workers have informed our union that, in many instances, they were locals who, though capable of undertaking certain jobs, were unable to grasp such opportunities, as foreigners were apparently given preference,” the press release indicated.

It was further noted that some workers informed GAWU that they were required to demonstrate to their foreign superiors how they should undertake their tasks.

Minister Benn was also told that some firms were recruiting foreigners for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs

which can competently be performed by locals.

GAWU told Minister Benn that…it appeared that some foreigners had not possessed relevant documents and were seemingly not fearful of being caught for improperly working in Guyana.

According to the release, in response, Minister Benn thanked the GAWU for its forthrightness on the issue, noting that his ministry has also heard of similar issues.

He urged GAWU that whenever it receives information such should be communicated to his ministry in order for such situations to be addressed.

FROM PAGE 19 projects such as the bridging of the Corentyne River to connect the two countries; the establishment of a trade facilitation committee; the creation of a joint strategy to develop the oiland-gas sectors; and a common “gas strategy”, among other things.

Mutual development could even surpass this level, as Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Co-operation, Albert Ramdin, had said that the two countries, continental neighbours, are eying the possibility of merging the two economies into a single market space, thereby boost-

ing opportunities in both territories.

Ramdin said that an integrated approach is one that is convenient, owing to the closeness of the two countries and their economic similarities.

“We strongly believe that these two markets must be seen as one market,” the Suriname Minister emphasised.

From all indication, Presidents Ali and Santokhi share a mutual interest in enhanced collaboration geared towards the improvement of their countries’ citizens through social and economic benefits.

Recently, as an extension of this partnership, Presi-

dents Ali and Santokhi met with Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro in Suriname.

A press statement from the Office of the President specified that the leaders had planned to discuss, among other things, the formation of an energy corridor, as well as mutual opportunities within the oil-and- gas sectors of all three countries.

Guyana and Suriname have burgeoning petroleum sectors, while Brazil is one of the leading oil producers of the world.

The energy corridor is expected to see the countries teaming up to share power, based on a collective understanding of their needs and ability to supply.

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India willing to assist Guyana with move to electronic voting

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

to see how they can work with the Guyanese system and help with reform.

Electronic voting is considered to be one way in which the system can be changed. Dr. Srinivasa explained that electronic voting has been in use in India

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinavasa WHEN things officially returned to some level of normalcy at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the Indian High Commission will be reaching out to the electoral body to resume talks about India assisting Guyana in the move towards electronic voting.

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinavasa, said talks had begun in 2019 with GECOM. However, that was stalled given the successive situations and issues that developed at the Commission over the years.

“That conversation was started in 2019 but it never moved very far. Nothing has moved since 2019 but we are willing to offer our assistance, if the GECOM deems it fit we are willing to work with them,” Dr. Srinavasa said in an exclusive interview last Monday.

With a new Chief Elections Officer (CEO) finally put in place at the GECOM Secretariat, Dr. Srinivasa said the Commission will be looking to reach out to GECOM to restart talks.

“I will have to go to them. I was waiting for the settling of GECOM and everything. It’s early and he will have a lot of things on his plate but at the opportune time we will take it up,” Dr. Srinivasa said.

Vishnu Persaud, who had also done electoral training in India, was hired as GECOM’s new CEO last month, replacing Keith

Lowenfield who was fired in August.

The possibility of implementing electronic voting in national elections in Guyana is a facility that has been talked about for more than a decade now, given the country’s history of voter tampering and the time it takes to tally and release electoral results, notwithstanding Guyana having less than one million citizens.

This situation was brought all the more into focus during the 2020 elections, where it took over five months before a winner could be officially declared.

The declaration was preceded by attempts to rig the elections, intervention from the international community, several malicious court cases to stall the results, and a national recount. In the end, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) was finally declared the rightful winners.

In the fall out, several staff of GECOM were charged with electoral fraud, including the former CEO, Lowenfield, Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers, and Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

The saga left many local citizens and members of the international community noting Guyana’s need for reform of its electoral systems.

Embassies of several countries, including India, pledged to work together

for some time now, and has been greatly successful.

Despite having approximately 1.3 billion citizens, and a voting population of over 900 million, Dr. Srinivasa explained that in India complete results are made available within hours after

counting starts, thanks to the electronic system implemented.

“It is a humongous exercise getting those people to vote. With the electronic system, we have machines made in India, tested in the 1990s, and

introduced in the India elections between 1998 and 2001 and we have since had about four parliamentary elections after that. And they work perfectly fine. No error, fully tamper proof,” the Indian diplomat noted.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

Brady set to retire from NFL

(BBC) - Tom Brady, one of the greatest players in NFL history, is set to retire.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 44, won seven Super Bowls in an astonishing career spanning 22 seasons.

The five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player won six titles with the New England Patriots before his final triumph with the Buccaneers last year.

His final game was a 30-27 defeat to Los Angeles Rams in the play-offs, when his heroics narrowly failed to see the Bucs fight back from 27-3 down.

Brady, a three-time NFL season MVP, had a year remaining on his Tampa contract and has previously talked about playing beyond his 45th birthday, which is a month before the start of next season.

However, according to reports he has chosen to bring a close to his playing career in the NFL, 20 years

of which were spent with the Patriots.

As first reported by ESPN, Brady’s decision to retire is based on several factors, including family and health.

A post on the social media account of TB12 Sports, the fitness and training company set up by Brady and his personal trainer Alex Guerrero, lists his achievements and finishes: “22 incredible seasons. Thank you for it all, Tom Brady.”

Brady played in 10 Super Bowls in total, including a miraculous comeback from 28-3 down against Atlanta Falcons in 2017, and had a perfect 16-0 regular season with the Patriots in 2007.

He won a Super Bowl in three different decades.

Asked about his future after the defeat by the Rams, Brady said: “I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. We’ll just take it day by day and see where we are at.”

GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE “Tom Brady should be the first player in history to be in the Hall of Fame while he’s still playing,” two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora told BBC One after Brady won his seventh ring in February 2021.

“What this man has done is almost beyond belief, almost beyond words. I cannot describe the level of difficulty, what it took for this man

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady to do what he’s done.

“Every single year this guy’s been doubted, every single year this man rises to the top like a phoenix. This guy is the greatest professional athlete we have seen in history, and this goes for

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“What this guy is doing in the quarterback position - the hardest position to play in sports - winning over and over again ... my hat’s off to this guy.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

Female teachers dominate MoE Golf Fitness Challenge

The education sector and the golf Academy continue their endeavours in 2022

THE Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit, in conjunction with the Nexgen Golf Academy, held the first of several planned Golf Fitness Challenges for PE teachers from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and Georgetown at the Woolford Avenue ground on Thursday.

The winners took home trophies and vouchers for places 1-3 in each category but more importantly, bragging rights for their respective schools and districts.

This Challenge was created by Mr Kurt Braithwaite, Physical Education Officer under the direction of Ms Lorraine Barker-King, Department Head, in an effort to ensure that teachers are fully trained to prepare their respective learners in the more than 80 schools that are already involved in golf.

“This will be a historic year for the sport and our learners, as for the first time in history, Guyana will write golf as a PE elective in the CXC examination. We, at the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit, saw the

need for a sport that was fully COVID-19 compliant and are grateful to Mr Hussain and the Nexgen Golf Academy for working with us to provide training, equipment and expertise to help develop the sport,” Ms Barker-King said She added that golf came along at exactly the right time when almost every other sport was suspended because of COVID-19 and the tremendous response by the learners around the country has surprised everyone, with thousands of young players taking up the sport.

Many of the teachers present also confirmed that their students were very involved in the sport, preferring golf to many of the other usual sports! “Even though we offer traditional sports they all show up for golf so we’re asking for additional equipment to ensure that they can all participate.”

The activity was opened

by Mr Braithwaite who thanked the entire team of judges from the National Sports Commission, physiotherapists from the Ministry of Health, scorers and officials from the Ministry of Education, who were there to ensure that the competition was conducted under the strictest guidelines.

“The response by our teachers and learners is proof that we have found a winning solution to the challenge faced by the pandemic and we plan on duplicating these activities around the country this year.”

22 schools were invited to be a part of the activity in which teachers completed a half-mile run, Russian Twist (using golf balls), squats (holding a putter), and battle ropes before heading to part two of the golf challenge.

To complete the golf competition, participants had to drive for accuracy, make three putts from varying distances and difficulty, and golf an entire hole, with the best scores coming out on top.

President of the GGA and Nexgen Golf Academy, Aleem Hussain, thanked the Ministry of Education for their commitment to develop the game and showed those present how much international attention Guyana was getting because of golf with a four-page presence in the GUIANAME Magazine and a feature upcoming in a Japanese magazine.

“We have accomplished an amazing, probably a Guinness Book of Records achievement - the most players to take up a new sport in a single year - something that could not have been done without the assistance of the Ministry of Education; so we will be forever grateful for their commitment and support.”

With the new budget allocating significant funds to sport and education, the hope is that golf will be recognised as a core sport and given even more support, as the goal is to have 25 000 active players by the end of 2023.

Results of the competition were as follows:

Golf Marcelle McIntosh-Griffith First Place (Region 4, Friendship Secondary) Shyanne Jordan Second Place (Region 10, Wisburg Secondary) Kentroy Boston Third Place (Region 2, Johanna Cecilia Secondary) Fitness Sherman Bristol First Place (Region 2, Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary) Kevin Mars Second Place (Region 5, Novar Secondary) Willon Cameron Third Place (Region 4, President’s College)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

GCB lauds Dr Ali’s leadership

THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is high in praise of the historic $3.2 billion, budgeted for sports in Guyana for 2022. This is indeed a significant leap for the development of sport in Guyana.

Individuals’ participation in sports is perceived as invaluable to the society since it encourages healthy lifestyles, different career opportunities and the promotion of aspects of one’s country.

Through sports many young people are able to channel their energies in meaningful and purposeful ways, exploring their abilities among their peers and as they progress among the most successful players at the national, regional and international levels.

In cricket, the lucrative T20 leagues which are now played in many countries across the world have marshalled a revolution of the game as a desired professional career. In the past, available funding has been a perpetual constraint in the implementation of sport development plans.

The budgeted allocation to sports for 2022 demonstrates His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali’s and his government’s comprehensive understanding of the value of sport to society. This budget allocation would provide sport organisations with the requisite resources necessary to realise the transformation of most sports in Guyana from an amateur status to a professional sport.

Dr Ali is obviously keen on having all sport disciplines employ systematic ways to administer sports in Guyana and has indicated that the characteristics of transparency, accountability and integrity should be the guiding principles of sport administrations.

Dr Irfaan Ali’s government has witnessed a number of positive changes in cricket administration. From March 2021 a new executive took the reign of the GCB. This change has seen cricket being administered in a structured and systematic way with the three county boards now working more harmoniously

to realise common goals and objectives.

GCB also commends Hon. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, for his energetic and pivotal role in the development and promotion of sports in Guyana.

His intervention has been instrumental in resolving outstanding issues within the administration of cricket.

His continued support for cricket has ushered in new purposeful working relations between government and GCB. The budget allocation suggests that the express concept of a National Academy is now inevitable and would become a formal nursing ground for young aspiring sport personalities.

GCB president Bissoondyal Singh posits that this unprecedented budget allocation to sport represents the government’s holistic comprehension of the value and magnitude of sports to the growth and development of Guyana. This is indeed a good sign, as GCB on a daily basis interacts with players from all walks of life.

“We have seen how players’ involvement in cricket has prepared them for life apart from cricket. The nature of the team-oriented sport of cricket has allowed for GCB to promote a unified and competitive approach to the game.

“The GCB continues to foster relationships from the Club levels through Associations, Counties, National and Regional levels. These networks have allowed us to share ideas on development activities which will realise a sustainable cricket development structure.

Singh advanced that the concept of a National Academy, put forward by government, will stimulate efforts by all GCB-affiliated County Boards and Associations to do their part in feeding the National Academy through the implementation of structured programmes such as School cricket, Club cricket, Outreach programmes and the tailored Association and County activities.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

CECC 10/10 to Haynes looking to ‘broaden’ start today West Indies selection pool

THE inaugural Central Essequibo Cricket Committee (CECC) Invitational 10/10 knockout competition bowls off today with eight matches across Region Two, Pomeroon-Supenaam.

The drawing took place on Friday at Reliance Sports Ground, and the president, Travis Simon, expressed confidence for a successful two-week tournament.

According to Simon, this will be the first competition for 2022 and is being used to kick-start many competitions and to keep the players active.

Things were understandably kept off the field for a while owing to the global pandemic. Simon, who is also the secretary of Essequibo Cricket Board, stated that there will be guidelines in place for COVID-19 and he is very optimistic that players

will adhere to the protocols.

The winners will receive $70 000 and a trophy, while the runners-up will collect $30 000 and a trophy.

Simon took the opportunity to thank the 16 teams for their interest and the eagerness they demonstrated to return to the field.

Vice-president Brian Christian was very thankful as well and is expecting some exciting cricket from ball one especially in this format of the game.

Some established players from across Essequibo Coast expected to be on show are: Ramesh Narine, Beesham Seepersaud, Elroy Stephney, Rovindra Parasram, Mark Austin, Patrick Rooplall, Ravendra Madholall, Kumar Dass, Basil Persaud among others.

Action bowls off at 10:00hrs.

Chief selector, The Most Hon. Desmond Haynes (right), chats with left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein during the T20 series against England at Kensington Oval (CMC) – New chief selector Desmond Haynes says fairness and professionalism will be the

Shepherd makes West Indies T20 squad to India

Romario Shepherd goes down the ground (Getty Images) CRICKET West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the West Indies Men’s T20 International (T20I) squad for the upcoming three-match series against India. The West Indies will visit India from February 6 to 20, where they will also play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

The three T20Is will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 16, 18

and 20 following the threematch ODI Series which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11.

L e a d S e l e c t o r, t h e Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, said: “The team has been doing well in the Betway T20I Series against England in Barbados and we decided to stick with the same group of players. They have demonstrated great skill and fight and we expect the

same kind of performances on the tour of India.”

FULL SQUAD: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.

hallmark of his tenure, as he looks to “broaden the pool” especially in the white-ball format.

In his first media conference here yesterday after being announced to replace Roger Harper earlier this month, the West Indies batting legend said one of the major objectives of the new panel was to transition those excelling in the longer format into the one-day setup, in order to bolster the Caribbean side’s fortunes.

“We’re not like India where we’re picking from 1.2 billion people,” said Haynes, awarded Barbados’ highest national honour, The Order of Freedom, during Republic Day celebrations last November.

“We have a very small pool and we feel it’s important that if someone is doing well in Test cricket, it’s important that we recognise that and give him the opportunity to play 50-over cricket for West Indies, because that could broaden the pool and then we would be selecting from more people.

“We don’t believe that there should be any whiteball cricketer or any redball cricketer – we’re interested in picking cricketers who can play a role that we want them to play in any format of the game.

“And our aim is to make sure that we act in fairness

and in a professional manner, and that is it.

“We’re hoping that the public can realise that we feel like we need to expand the pool by giving people that are doing well in Test cricket the opportunity to play the shorter version.”

West Indies have endured a protracted run of poor form in the one-day version, winning only 12 of their last 27 matches and just three of their last nine series inside the last two years.

They suffered a shock series defeat to minnows Ireland earlier this month in Jamaica and currently lie eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings, only above Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Of the last side which featured against England, only five members have featured in Tests, and Haynes moved to rectify this by calling up the trio of Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo and Nkrumah Bonner for next month’s tour of India.

“We’re not changing the policy. We believe the policy of Cricket West Indies (CWI) is to try and select the best team possible and it doesn’t matter where the person comes from, and that is our aim. We want to make sure we get the best team out there in order for West Indies to get some

success,” Haynes said of his new approach.

“If you look at West Indies in the last couple of years, there were hardly people coming in from the Test team to play in the 50over format.

“The majority of players who were playing in the 50-over format were people who were playing in T20 as well, and our record at the moment – we’ve struggled.

“We struggled in the last series (against Ireland) so we believe if we get someone who is doing well in Test cricket that he would be able to enhance our 50-over team. And you have to take into consideration as well that we’re preparing for the 2023 World Cup in India.”

While the likes of attacking left-handers Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer have remained outside the ODI setup for the last seven months, Haynes assured they had not been discarded.

“I think what we need to do is put our arm around these guys and let them know we’re interested in their development, and to also (let them) understand that there’s a level of fitness that is required to play at international level,” Haynes explained.

“Hetmyer is in our plans so there’s no question about it … but obviously we have a squad of people here who are doing well here in the T20 tournament (against England) so we decided we’d keep them for the tournament going on to India.”

West Indies head to India shortly for a threematch ODI series from February 6 to 11 in Ahmedabad. A T20 International series will follow immediately afterwards, with selectors opting for the same 15-man squad currently featuring in the five-match series against England here.

Haynes and former West Indies captain and stroke-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan form the new men’s selection panel, along with head coach Phil Simmons.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

India beat Bangladesh to set up semi-final clash with Australia … Ireland through to Plate final

INDIA set up an ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Super League semi-final clash with Australia after knocking out defending champions Bangladesh.

In a repeat of the 2020 final, India bowled first and dismissed the Tigers for 111 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and Barbuda before their batters chased down the modest target for the loss of five wickets.

On a day when bowling first proved decisive, Ireland beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets to seal their path through to the Plate final, where they will face United Arab Emirates (UAE).

India have a remarkably strong record in ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup quarter-finals, with this their seventh win in nine matches – and they had their bowlers to

thank.

India batted first in each of their Group B matches but this time their bowlers had the chance to set the tone after they won the toss.

Deciding to field proved a masterstroke and Ravi Kumar ripped through the top order.

The 18-year-old had taken just one wicket in the tournament but finished with figures of three for 14 from seven overs here, as he dismissed the top three Bangladesh batters to leave the defending champions on 14 for three.

Bangladesh struggled to get a foothold in the match and slipped to 56 for seven, before Meherob Hasan came in and hit six boundaries in a crucial 30. However, just two other Bangladesh batters reached double figures and they were

REPRESENTING the University of Florida at the Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational this weekend, Natricia Hooper, with a distance of 14.10m was good enough to see her finishing second behind fellow ‘Gator’ Jasmine Moore who won the women’s triple jump at the event with a leap of 14.55 metres.

However, Hooper ’s distance also saw her reset Guyana’s National triple jump record for the second time in less than a year.

In May of 2021, Hooper erased Guyana’s 2 6 - y e a r- o l d N a t i o n a l

w o m e n ’s t r i p l e j u m p record of 13.74 metres which was set by Nicola Martial (June 3, 1995) and replaced it with 13.92 metres.

Hooper now holds the second and third best all-time distances in the women’s triple jump at the University of Florida.

She was named on the 2021 USTFCCCA Indoor First-Team All-American (triple jump) and 2021 USTFCCCA Outdoor Second-Team All American (triple jump).

Hooper is considered as one of the best triple jump athletes to compete in the NCAA.

eventually all out for 111.

India hoped for a comfortable run chase but they got off to a bad start when Bangladesh bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib removed opener Harnoor Singh for a duck. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) and Shaik Rasheed (26) put on 70 for the second wicket to seemingly secure victory, but Bangladesh threatened a late comeback.

Ripon Mondol had Raghuvanshi caught at cover point and then returned two overs later to remove Rasheed, caught behind. New batter Siddarth Yadav then became Ripon’s third wicket when he was caught at cover to leave India on 82 for four.

Captain Yash Dhull came to the crease and hit four boundaries to calm the nerves, Ripon dismissing Raj Bawa to take

Angkrish Raghuvanshi

his final figures to four for 31, before Kaushal Tambe heaved a six into the stands to seal victory with 115 balls remaining.

Jack Dickson and Tim Tector put on a batting masterclass with a 159run partnership and Muzamil Sherzad took five wickets, as Ireland com-

Another National triple jump record for Natricia Hooper

Natricia Hooper

fortably beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets to reach the Plate final.

Zimbabwe won the toss in Port of Spain and elected to bat but they made a slow start, with Matthew Welch run-out for a nine-ball duck and captain Emmanuel Bawa trapped lbw by Matthew Humphreys for four.

Steven Saul (24) and Brian Bennett (37) put on 52 for the third wicket before Saul was cleanbowled by Humphrey, while Bennett became the first of Sherzad’s victims eight overs later.

David Bennett hit three boundaries in his 35 but he had little support down the order, as Zimbabwe were eventually dismissed for 166 in 48.4 overs.

Sherzad was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, taking his wicket tally to 13 with five for 20.

Zimbabwe made an equally strong start with the ball, as Mcgini Dube had Nathan McGuire caught in just the third over for six.

Joshua Cox then followed McGuire back to the pavilion as he was trapped lbw by Tendekai Mataranyika for a duck but Ireland quickly settled down.

But Dickson and skipper Tector quickly developed a partnership and they went on to see Ireland over the line, with Dickson finishing 78 not out and Tector 76 not out in an unbeaten third-wicket stand of 159. (ICC Media)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 30, 2022

GCB lauds Dr Ali’s leadership SEE PAGE

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GCB president Bissoondyal Singh

H.E. Dr Irfaan Ali

SEE PAGE

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Chief selector, The Most Hon. Desmond Haynes (right), chats with left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein during the T20 series against England at Kensington Oval

Haynes looking to ‘broaden’ West Indies selection pool

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022