Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 01-02-2021

MONDAY

Happy New Year

1st February, 2021

' No.106259

Audit of oil contracts in sight SEE PAGE 03

–– as local Audit Office continues to build capacity to analyse petroleum sector

Minor damage reported in Region 9 after 5.7 earthquake PAGE

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Scholarships 02 for journalists, media personnel PAGE

No word yet from 04 Venezuela on supplies for Guyanese fishermen PAGE

President Dr. Irfaan Ali and President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, having an intense conversation during the Presidential Media Brunch, held at State House, Georgetown, on Sunday (Latchman Singh photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Scholarships for journalists, media personnel –– President underscores value of professional media corp

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali addressing reporters, editors and media personnel at the media brunch held at State House on Sunday (Office of the President photo)

SCHOLARSHIP opportunities for specialisation in mass communication, journalism and marketing will be available for reporters and other media personnel, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali announced on Sunday.

The President made the announcement during his presentation at the Annual Media Brunch held at State House.

The media, he noted, plays an important role in development and both the media and government have a common agenda to see a better country for all of its citizens. With this in mind, he said the scholarships for media representatives will help in building a professional media corp.

The local media corp, the President said, will be

actively engaged in the developmental agenda of the government.

“We will be working to ensure that the media is engaged not just from their desks but from where development actually takes place and these are the things that I will support, because it is important that the media understand where the country is going and the development

shifts that are taking place,” the President said.

He also said that post-cabinet press briefings will resume and his government will continue to be accessible to members of the media. The media, he said, can play a vital role in building a cohesive Guyana.

“But important to us all is Guyana, all of us are concerned about Guyana and whilst we exercise the freedom that we have, it is important that we identify a few key areas that are important to Guyana and Guyanese in which all of us must find a common ground in promoting, and the media play an extremely critical role in promoting national unity, how will we together, build a platform that erases the level of hate sometimes that we see on social media, that all of us speak out against so we all have a common agenda against those who try to divide our society, those who try to push hate in our society,” said President Ali.

In recognising the work of the media, he commended local journalists for their coverage during the recent five-month long election and the role they played in preserving democracy.

President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, who also addressed the gathering, acknowledged that while there have been some challenges, the media must serve its role in providing impartial and factual information on issues that affect the lives of Guyanese.

She called on health officials to have more frequent interactions with the media, contending that this will allow for timely and accurate coverage of the pandemic that continues to affect the life of all Guyanese.

The GPA, Raghubir said, is also committed to lifting the standard of journalism in Guyana.

“The Guyana Press Association is always aiming to ensure that we set a high

standard for the media in this country. This is the reason we have rigid training sessions annually. While most of our training this year has been held virtually, we have been able to touch on a number of key areas, like continued training on reporting on sexual offences, understanding and reporting on the judicial system. Most recently with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we did a sensitisation on the Guyana-Venezuela boarder controversy,” she noted.

The GPA President also called on the government to facilitate field trips for the media to some of the border locations.

“This, we believe, will provide the media with a better understanding of some of these locations we often report on. We hope that this request would be able to facilitate at least four field trips so all the media houses would be able to have a chance to see and tell stories otherwise lost,” she said.

President Irfaan Ali interacts with members of the media

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Audit of oil contracts in sight

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–– as local Audit Office continues to build capacity to analyse petroleum sector

By Navendra Seoraj CONTRACTS related to Guyana’s oil-and-gas-sector will soon be audited by the Audit Office of Guyana, as this agency is constantly building capacity to analyse almost every aspect of the burgeoning sector.

The importance of transparency and accountability is practically implied in this case because it is common knowledge that the oil-andgas-sector, in any economy, is usually “big business”.

Audits help governments and companies maintain a transparent working arrangement, and ensure costs are tightly controlled.

Here in Guyana, the Audit Office is charged with scrutinising the expenditure of public funds on behalf of the Parliament of Guyana.

The office conducts financial audits of all publicly funded entities, including donor-funded entities, local Government agencies and trade unions, in Guyana.

By virtue of its mandate, the Audit Office is placed at the fore of any push for accountability and transparency, especially in cases related to new and emerging sectors.

The Working Group on audit of Extractive Industries (WGEI) -- a product of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions -has said that building strong institutions is vital to Natural Resource Management.

“Citizens are excited about the benefits that come along with oil discoveries and at the same time elites are worried about the so called resource curse as it has been witnessed in some resource

The Liza Unity FPSO

rich countries,” the working group posited, adding that many studies put emphasis on good governance that entails transparency and accountability as the solution to the oil curse.

The working group has advised that cost recovery and compliance audits would be very vital under Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) regime and service contracts, whereas, value for money and financial audits may be critical under the concessionary arrangements.

COMMITTED TO REVIEW Locally, the Government has already committed to reviewing all the provisions in the PSA with ExxonMobil and identifying areas where Guyana can “get more” for its natural patrimony. Under the PSA governing the Stabroek Block, Guyana will be

Auditor General, Deodat Sharma

receiving, at minimum, two per cent royalty on all oil produced in the Block, plus 12.5 per cent profit oil.

As the capital and operating costs are liquidated, Guyana’s share of profit oil will increase, rising up to 52 per cent return on every barrel of oil sold.

ExxonMobil Guyana has made 18 discoveries at the

Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana, since May 2015 and began production in December 2019 from the Liza Phase one development project.

And the Liza well represents only the tip of the iceberg, in terms of investments, as the company has committed to investing more than US$9 billion in its new Payara development, the

largest single foreign investment in Guyana’s history.

Ahead of the anticipated advancements in this nascent sector, the audit office is positioning itself to ensure that accountability is maintained.

For some time now, the Audit Office, according to Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, has been working with the British Columbia Audit Office and the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation to build capacity to audit various aspects of the oil-and-gas-sector.

Under the guidance of the partnering agencies, the local audit office has been able to conduct a performance audit of Guyana’s preparedness for Marine Oil Spill Response.

“We already started this… we have done 70 per cent of the audit on if we are prepared in the case of an oil spill… is only COVID [COVID-19] make it hold up,

but we are hoping to issue the report on this one shortly,” Sharma said during a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

The office, after this is completed, will be moving to other areas like gas flaring and the auditing of oil contracts.

Specific to the contracts, Sharma said, the office should have the capacity to audit those a few years from now.

“We are getting our training… it is a new area and just like everybody else we are trying to get a grasp of it,” the Auditor General said.

Most of the training is being conducted online due to the pervasive COVID-19 pandemic, but Sharma remains confident that the result of the exercises would still be effective.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has already audited the over US$460M in pre-contract cost provided by ExxonMobil while searching for oil in Guyana.

Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, has stated that pre-contract cost incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015 amounted to US$460,237,918.

They broke this down stating that the drilling of the Liza 1 well cost US$230M; seismic surveys on 20,000 km of ocean floor cost US$140M; US$25M on overhead costs and the payment of critical persons such as geo-scientists, engineers and geologists amounted to over US$65M.

60 new COVID cases recorded

GUYANA has recorded 60 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total of confirmed cases to 7,641 since recording the first case in March 2020, according to the Health Ministry’s latest dashboard for January 31, 2021.

The new cases were re-

corded from a total of 1,186 tests; men accounted for 37 of the newly confirmed cases, while the remaining 23 were women. Region Four recorded 38 of the newly confirmed cases; Region Three recorded three new cases, while Region Five recorded four new cases, and Region Six recorded nine new cases. Regions Seven

recorded three new cases, while Regions Eight, Nine and 10 recorded one each.

Following the recovery of 21 additional persons, the total number of persons who have recovered since March is now 6,591. The country presently has 874 active cases; currently, there are 57 persons in institutional isolation; 812 persons are in

home isolation and 14 are in institutional quarantine.

Many of the persons infected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic, that is, they are not exhibiting symptoms.

Additionally, five persons are being kept at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hos-

pital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

The updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from February 1, 2021, until February 28, 2021.

As per the current measures, however, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes. Physical distancing

and adequate sanitisation are also important.

The current curfew time is 22:30hrs to 04:00hrs.

Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

No word yet from Venezuela on supplies for Guyanese fishermen

–– boat captain to meet with local authorities on possible delivery of supplies

By Navendra Seoraj

WITH supplies running low aboard the Lady Nayera and the Sea Wolf, which are both detained in Venezuela, the 12-member crew is yet to ascertain from authorities there whether food, water and other necessities will be provided to them.

The fishermen have been in the custody of Venezuelan authorities for a little under two weeks, so it is only expected that food and other supplies would run low, since a fishing exercise usually lasts for about 20 days, and they were already 15 days into the trip prior to being captured.

It was reported that Venezuelan naval troops entered Guyana’s territory and apprehended the two vessels, which

an investigation.

But, with the provision of supplies

by Venezuela still uncertain at this time, Lalbachan and other stakeholders have decided to mobilise ration for the fishermen.

“We want to make some contact to get some supplies for them,” Lalbachan said.

While organising the supplies is not expected to be difficult, transporting it will not be so straightforward. It is unclear whether formal travel between Guyana and Venezuela has halted, but, with the pervasive novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, boat owners have unavoidably reduced their trips.

In the absence of many alternatives, the boat owner’s plan is to approach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Inter-

address to the nation.

He said that, regrettably, by decreeing that the seas adjacent to this territory belong to Venezuela, at least two fundamental principles of international law have been violated.

It was reported that a peaceful conclusion to its border controversy with Venezuela remains Guyana’s aim, but with the opposing state insisting on aggression, Dr. Ali, has affirmed that his nation will not cower in the face of threats against national security.

“As President of our beloved country, my single most important responsibility is to keep the Guyanese people safe. It is the first thing I think about when I wake [up] in the morning. It is the last thing on my mind at night. And my working day is consumed by it.

Detained:( from left) Joel Joseph, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston , Orland Roberts, Captain of the Lady Nayera, Richard Ramnarine and Shirvin Oneil

Monday February 1, 2021 – 04:30hrs

are both owned and operated by Guyanese, on January 21, 2021.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Captain Richard Ramnarine, of the Lady Nayera, and Captain Toney Garraway, of the Sea Wolf, after being apprehended in the Waini area, were instructed to chart a course to Port Güiria in Venezuela, where both vessels, which are registered in Essequibo, and the 12-member crew, who hail from Essequibo, have been detained.

The crew members of the Sea Wolf include Garraway, Errol Gardener, Orland Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil and Randy Henry; the crew members aboard the Lady Nayera are Ramnarine, Ramlakan Kamal, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo and Joel Joseph.

From all indications, none of the crew members has been harmed, but with supplies running low, the fishermen will have to start enquiring about where their next meal is coming from. The owner of the Sea Wolf vessel, Kumar Lalbachan, told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday that Venezuela has not been supplying the fishermen with any food or water.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, had assured Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, during a virtual meeting on January 25 that the crew members were being treated with utmost respect for their human rights.

On the same day, the 12-member crew appeared in a Venezuelan court, where they were informed that they will be held for 45 days on their boats, pending

national Cooperation to discuss possible solutions. The Government of Guyana has since considered the capture of its citizens by Venezuela as a wanton show of aggression by the Venezuelan armed forces against Guyana and Guyanese citizens.

“This Venezuelan action amounts to an interference with the sovereign rights of Guyana in its EEZ, contrary to international law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a previous statement.

What is more disturbing, is that this act comes on the heels of the issuance of a decree by President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, claiming Venezuela’s sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights in the waters and seabed adjacent to Guyana’s coast, west of the Essequibo River.

Based on reports emanating from Venezuela, the decree points to the creation of a strategic zone for national development, called the “Territory for the Development of the Atlantic Façade”, which the Bolivarian Republic envisages will provide it adequate protection, and safeguard its jurisdiction. However, since Guyana has sovereign rights over the coast west of the Essequibo River, as far as Punta Playa, it follows, consequently, that only Guyana can enjoy sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights over the adjacent sea and seabed.

“I remind that sovereignty over this coast and the land territory to which it is attached, were awarded to Guyana (then British Guiana) in the 1899 Arbitral Award, whose validity and legally binding character Guyana is confident the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will uphold unequivocally,” President Dr. Irfaan Ali affirmed during a recent

“But, I want no mistake about it: my government is doing all in its power to vigorously protect our people’s health and our country’s territorial integrity.

Just as we will not relent in the battle against COVID-19, so will we not bend to threats to our national security… we may be a small country, but we are a proud people. We have no military might, but we have moral and legal right. We pick fights with no one, but we will resist threats from anyone,” President Ali said during a passionate address to the nation on Saturday at State House.

In resisting threats, Guyana, the President said, will seek the protection of international law and the support of the international community.

The ongoing Guyana-Venezuela border controversy relates to a more than century-old disagreement, which arose as a result of Venezuela’s contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899, which outlines and settles the boundary between the two nations, was null and void.

In March 2018, Guyana filed its application in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking an affirmation of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the international boundary that it established. The ICJ ruled on December 18, 2020, that it has jurisdiction to hear the border controversy case.

Guyana is seeking to obtain a final and binding judgement that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid, and that the Essequibo region belongs to Guyana and not Venezuela.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Minor damage reported in Reg. 9 after 5.7 earthquake FOR a few seconds on Sunday afternoon, sometime around 15:03h, persons across Guyana questioned whether a “big truck” was passing outside their homes or whether they were experiencing a dizzy spell, but it was that a 5.7 earthquake struck Boa Vista, Brazil, resulting in tremors and some damage to properties and earth surfaces in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

The earthquake was subsequently confirmed by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), which stated that it was an earthquake with a shallow depth of 10 km and an epicenter near Boa Vista in the Brazilian state of Roraima.

“The regional authorities of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region 9) have confirmed that there are some damages to properties and earth surfaces in the Region due to the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook several parts of Guyana earlier (Sunday),” a statement from the CDC noted.

Damage to properties and earth surfaces were discovered in the Katoonarib community, Deep South, Rupununi. The

CDC further noted that the Regional Response System was mobilised and was ready to conduct an assessment in the area. Support, the CDC noted, would also be provided to affected families.

On Sunday evening, Regional Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock told the Guyana Chronicle that there were no reports of severe damage recorded in the region at the time, based on reports from the military personnel monitoring the border between Guyana and Brazil and from local enforcement authorities. “(On Monday), we’ll go down further south and see if there have been any damages because we heard that further south might have felt the tremor stronger,” Allicock said, however.

The CDC also noted that it will continue to monitor the event through the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) and provide updates as more information becomes available. Anyone who suffered any damages from the impact, is asked to contact NEMS at (592) 600-7500 or at (592) 623-1700. (Vishani Ragobeer)

This structure in the Katoonarib community, Deep South, Rupununi was damaged by the earthquake (Karlos Kroft photo)

Cracks were seen along the earth surface in the Katoonarib community, Deep South, Rupununi (Karlos Kroft photo)

MV Kimbia returns to service Georgetown – Northwest route ––MV Barima remains inoperable

The MV Kimbia resumed operations on Sunday afternoon

By Rehana Ahamad AFTER undergoing a series of critical repairs, the MV Kimbia returned to the waters on Sunday afternoon, providing significant relief to commuters travelling the Georgetown – Region One (Northwest District) route.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, spoke with the Guyana Chronicle, just as the

vessel was preparing to set sail from port Georgetown.

“Passengers are loading and we are getting ready to sail in another few minutes. We are a little behind schedule; we had set 4pm (as the departure time,” Edghill said.

He noted that the latest repairs to the MV Kimbia were executed by Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC), at a cost of more than $16

million.

“The workers at the shipyard, as well as the captain, and General Manager, are all fully satisfied with the quality of work that was done. I, myself, went down to GNIC to look at what was happening,” Edghill told the Guyana Chronicle.

He noted, however, that the cost for repairs exceeded the ministry’s expectations due to the severity of damages to

the vessel. “We had that major hole, and when we went down there, it was more than we expected; it was expensive work,” the Public Works Minister said, pointing to the fact that at one point, the vessel had been in dry dock for about three years.

“It went into dry dock in 2015, and came out in 2019,” Edghill posited. At that time, some $488 million was set aside for repairs.

At the time of recommissioning, the then Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, had said that the repairs were outsourced to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited. Recent investigations done by the current administration revealed that the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration had been sole-sourcing and paying the company millions for incomplete and in some cases, flawed works.

The ongoing probe has so far determined that the company had been paid in excess of $610 million to execute repairs on a few vessels, but to date, no works have been done on any.

“The investigations are still ongoing, so these figures are likely to climb,” Minister within the Ministry of Public Works told the Guyana Chronicle during a recent interview.

He explained that when the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) assumed office in August 2020, the ministry launched a wide and extensive investigation into a number of outstanding infrastructural projects flagged by the Office of the Auditor General. So far, incomplete works on the three vessels remain the most significant of all the highlighted projects.

Nonetheless, even as the MV Kimbia sails again, the MV Barima remains in dry-

dock undergoing repairs to its engine. The Ministry of Public Works, in a statement, had said that the MV Barima had gone without critical maintenance and repairs for almost four years. Reports are that some parts of the port main engine arrived in Guyana only on Friday last, and that the vessel is expected to be fully repaired

by Wednesday.

In an effort to increase the efficiency of water transport to and from Region One, the government recently inked a $2.6 billion contract with Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers Limited from India, for the construction of an ocean-going passenger and cargo vessel to replace the MV Kimbia.

That new ferry, which is expected to be built and shipped to Guyana within 18 months, is being financed through a line of credit and an accompanying grant from the Government of India. This was secured by the Donald Ramotar administration, prior to the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.

Once the monies for the vessel have been expended on the project, the savings will be directed towards the construction of new stellings in Region One, namely at Morawhanna, Kumaka, and Port Kaituma.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

Diplomacy over Confrontation PRESIDENT Ali's address to the nation last Saturday assured Guyanese that this nation is practising international relations with a policy of diplomatic good conscience, always seeking to cement peaceful resolutions to international conflicts and disagreements, including the Venezuela-induced border crisis. It is commendable and exemplary, this approach of the Guyana Government to engaging with the world, deliberately adopting a policy of peace, progress, and genuine care for a world that works for everybody's benefit, with justice, fair play and dialogue the preferred policy. No matter how terrible Venezuela might appear to be today, with its illegal arrest of 12 Guyanese fishermen in Guyanese territorial waters, Guyana would exercise patience and diplomatic finesse in dealing with these unwanted international situations.

President Ali's assurance to the nation is a welcome sign that government is acting with decisive good sense, rather than choosing to react with emotional irrationality, impatience and indignation against the Venezuelan illegality. In life, fighting fire with fire and practising the tenet of a tooth for a tooth is

unhealthy in today's world order.

And the Guyana Government understands the nuanced approach that is needed at this delicate hour of the Venezuela border crisis, with the International Court of Justice ruling just around the corner.

Although the average Guyanese sees Venezuela's aggression against their nation as enough to warrant a response of tough fighting back, especially with emotions running high, President Ali gave a calm and measured assurance to citizens that the best way is the path to peace, and so government is working with diligence and focus on a peaceful resolution to the vexing border crisis.

The aggressive excursions of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, would not dictate Guyana's choice of how to respond to threats and intimidation from the troubled neighbouring country. Venezuela's military navy arrested and imprisoned 12 Guyanese fishermen in Guyana’s territorial waters off the Waini coast, and since then, the world came out in strong, unanimous support for Guyana's territorial integrity. Venezuela seems to care less what the world thinks, and although Guyana with a strong heart of good conscience and goodwill

towards its fellow nations of this global village, exercises exemplary patience, noble restraint, and peaceful diplomacy in its response, President Maduro's rhetoric remains harsh, hard, and headstrong.

The Guyana Government, in its measured, reasonable, rational response, resorted to networking with nations around the world, gathering a host of encouraging official declarations of support for the Guyanese fishermen. In fact, the enormous wave of international support for Guyana in this crisis is much cause for great celebration; the world stands with this nation and Venezuela cannot win against world opinion. Guyanese can take heart that their government is wise enough to know how to play this diplomatic game. Venezuela and its aggressive approach to dealing with its neighbour cannot dictate the Guyanese preference for peaceful means to settle differences.

All indications point to Guyana triumphing at the International Court of Justice, winning Venezuela’s irrational claiming of Essequibo. Justice, fairness, and favour are with Guyana, and it is only time before Venezuela's border claim becomes a passing dot on the history map of the Region.

With that confidence, President Ali addressed Guyanese with assurance, a measured calmness, and full confidence that this crisis will be resolved peacefully and to the full satisfaction of the Guyanese nation.

This kind of wisdom is encouraging, because Guyana and Venezuela share a long tradition of cooperation, love and gentle care for each other. The two nations have always watched each other's backs. Indeed, when Venezuela flourished as an oil-producing nation, many Guyanese families benefited through trade, migration, and socioeconomic cooperation between the two South American partners.

One really is at a loss as to why President Maduro assumes such an aggressive stance against Guyana of recent. One could speculate that it may have something to do with Guyana's oil find, and ExxonMobil's involvement in the Guyanese oil-and-gas industry, after Venezuela had nationalised its oil industry, knocking Exxon from its Venezuela perch. But whatever the motivation of President Maduro, the Venezuelans know that Guyana is a friendly and ready neighbour to them, willing to open its arms to help them through their rough patch these days.

One recognises that Venezuela is under tremendous social and economic pressure, internally, and internationally, with world powers anxious for regime change and for the re-opening of the country. It is a sad situation and Guyana somehow got caught in the middle of the whole geopolitical fiasco. It takes a Guyanese Government of wisdom, skilful diplomatic finesse, and excellence of leadership to weather this crisis and come out not only triumphant, but as an aid and help to Venezuelans.

“We always choose the path of peace and the rule of international law to resolve our issues. We will remain firmly on that path, while we pursue justice for our country,” President Ali said in his address to the nation, and that policy decision is one that every Guyanese resonates with, for this nation is indeed a peaceful people. Guyanese could be assured that the Guyana Government is exercising the kind of leadership and policy direction that would resolve this Venezuela situation with peace and satisfaction to all Guyanese.

Gandhi did not allow anyone to walk through his mind with their dirty feet Dear Editor,

GANDHI forewarned, “I want freedom for the full expression of my personality. You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” The world laughs with you when you’re happy but you cry alone when you’re sad. Such is the fragility of companionship and the fragment of compassion.

The greatness of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is a reason for all seasons and a son of the soil who succeeded in securing the respect and response from the powerful British Empire. During the 19th century period, the world utilised the tools of

slavery ship and indentured labour, to commandeer the exploitation of wealth from the perils of colonialism.

This enrichment provided the luxury and comfort of the White masters to grow in material worth at the expense of the miserable poor, suffering and sinking in the dungeon of doom. As they toiled and waxed in blood, sweat and tears, the sharp whip of domination infiltrated the very skin, flesh and bone of human dignity. The cry for liberty and equality went ignored and submerged by the contorted mind of greed, the tainted intellect of blindness and the proud ego of brute, force and supremacy, until the roar of a lion in the land of name and

fame, brought about the rise of refusing to be intimidated by the weakness of fear and cowardice.

Gandhi indicated, “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” The beginning of the end of incivility birthed with the fragility of a soft spoken representative of truth conquering lie and, the frailty of a thin, loin-clothed defender, fighting with the weapon of non-violence. He offended the aggressors of war with his mission of peace, engaged in the march for righteousness and thundered in a soothing voice of unprovoked calmness. There was no distinction for discrimination and no exception for acceptance.

Mahatma justified his signifi-

cant presence when, the world continues to bow in adoration to his resilience and, mankind forever accepts his principles and practice as universal teaching.

As the world turns, the philosophy of life superimposes that, “Everything here happens for a reason.” As the universe serenades the birth of Mahatma K. Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Guyanese pay obeisance to the death of Walter A. Rodney and Joshua R. Ramsammy.

Gandhi remarked, “Terrorism and deception are weapons not of the strong, but of the weak.”

The holy books remind us not to murder.

The victims of circumstances brought the demise of Martin L. King Jr., John F.

Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy and Guyanese cannot forget Vincent Teekah, Oswaldene Walker and Shirley F. Ridley.

Gandhi pondered on, “There is a higher court than the court of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts.” The good books point out that thou shall not commit adultery.

Nations learn from the appearances of Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar and Malcolm X, while Guyanese shudder on the farewell of Father Malcolm Drakes and Satyadeow S. Sawh. Gandhi taught, “It’s easy to stand in a crowd but it takes courage to stand alone. When you are right, you have no need to be angry. When you are wrong, you have no right to be angry.”

The books of peace and justice spell out the reason not to bear false witness.

The brutal departure of Sheikh M. Rahman, Benazir Bhutto and Alexander Litvinenko remain significant.

How can Guyanese overlook the fatality of Kowsilla (Alice), the Henry cousins and Haresh Singh? Gandhi surmised, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. There are two days in the past year that we cannot do anything, yesterday and tomorrow. Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but, to change ourselves. So, be the change you are trying to create.” The books we swear on demand that we should not lie nor steal.

TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Strengthening bond, partner in development Dr. DAI Dechun and Dr. QIAO Zhiming, Captain, the 16th Chinese Medical Brigade IN order to help the Government of Guyana effectively fight the COVID-19 epidemic, the 16th Chinese Medical Brigade assisted China’s Embassy in Guyana in donating an automatic nucleic acid-extraction system and relevant reagents to Guyana’s Ministry of Health on October 9, 2020. The device was sponsored by the Government of Jiangsu Province of China.

The device that was urgently needed was helpful for improving the nucleic acid-detection capability and realise the automatic extraction of viruses from samples. The detection efficiency would be increased by four times, which would play a key role in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.

On December 2, 2020, we donated a set of ventilators and oxygen generator to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), to help the hospital effectively cope with the growing epidemic and improve the treatment capacity for severe respiratory diseases.

On December 22, 2020, we again donated medical equipment to the GPHC with non-contact tonometer and special surgical instruments of surgery and orthopaedics and obstetrics and gynae-

cology. In particular, we donated one set of fibre bronchoscope; one set of portable colour Doppler ultrasound; one set of fibre-optic laryngoscopes; one set of computer infusion pumps; 450 puncture needles for epidural anaesthesia and spinal anaesthesia.

We successfully established anaesthesia visualisation technology centre of China medical team, sponsored by the National Health Commission of China in GPHC. Breakthroughs had been achieved on the basis of frank communication and cooperation in the face of difficult diseases. Dr.Zhang Xiangxin, Consultant of Joint

Orthopaedics, made accurate diagnoses and treatment of pathological dislocation of hip joint caused by hip infection in child, and led the medical team in the department to discuss repeatedly.

Dr. Zhang designed surgical scheme; preparation of surgical instruments; prevention of intraoperative risks; and a post-operative rehabilitation plan, among other things.

With the cooperation of Dr. Qu Hui, Consultant of Anaesthesiology, and other Guyanese counterparts, Dr. Zhang successfully completed the first Salter pelvic osteotomy at the GPHC. The patient recovered well after the op-

eration.

In the face of a premature baby, a self-made tool played an important role in life-saving, with full of love accompanying. Dr. Wang Xuli, Consultant of paediatrics, kept calm in the face of premature infants with birth weight of only 2460g and accompanied by asphyxia and hypoxia. To overcome the shortage of medical equipment at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), she made a life-saving tool by adapting to local conditions to save the life of a fresh and young baby in danger. She and her team worked together in a race against time. They skilfully

used a sodium chloride physiological solution bottle, oxygen hose and tape to make liquid sealing bottle, and then connected the nasal catheter to make a simple breathing apparatus. They took turns to pressurise and oxygenate the manual-resuscitation capsule to maintain the pulse and oxygen stability and ensure the safe transportation of the baby to the Georgetown Public Hospital for nearly 12 hours.

Dr. Pan Jianhua, Consultant of Anaesthesiology, introduced the use of lightstick intubation technology to create a precedent in the history of the Linden hos-

Gandhi did not allow anyone to walk through his mind ...

Paying with their lives for making a difference by speaking up were John Lennon, Pope John Paul 11 and Jamal Khashoggi.

Guyanese will remember the massacre at Lusignan and Bartica and, the 1962-1964 crisis.

Gandhi pointed out, “The world is big enough to satisfy everyone’s needs, but will always be too small to satisfy everyone’s greed. When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There

have been tyrants and murderers and for a time, they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall…..think of it, always!” The Saviour’s books we turn to, attest that we must not covet our neighbour’s property and always speak the truth.

Gandhi philosophised, “Relationships are based on four principles: respect, understanding, acceptance and appreciation.” Gandhi clarified that there is nothing like “Gandhi-

sim”. He can be remembered by his teachings for, he was very cautious of those whose words do not match their actions. He believed in the good conduct, deeds and attitude of a sincere person and in prayer. While God has no religion, Gandhi reflected on the thief of time which stray man from God realisation, namely: lust and desire; wrath and anger; greed and jealousy; delusion and attachment; false ego and excessive pride.

Gandhi’s meaningful purpose is engrained in, “An ounce of practice is worth more than the tonnes of preaching.” Indira Gandhi cautioned the world to be aware of ministers who can do nothing without money and those who want to do everything with money. While in office, many stained their hands with blood, sinned their souls for power, created mayhem and chaos, trampled on the rights of the deprived and ruled with

pital, which could greatly shorten the intubation time to less than six seconds, reduce the occurrence of patients choking and let the operator stay away from the high-risk, exposed parts such as the head and face of the patient to greatly decrease the risk of infection for medical staff.

The medical team members dare to show their talent and brought hopes to local patients in case of emergency and severe illness. Dr. Yuan Zheng, Consultant of General surgery; Dr. Qin Gongzhao, Consultant of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Dr. Pan Jianhua, had performed the emergency operation of septic shock caused by oviduct ovarian abscess successfully in the early morning of December 21, 2020, at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC). The rich experience, accurate judgment, powerful execution, superb surgical skills and multidisciplinary cooperation were the keys to the success of rescue.

All the past is the prologue, all the future is expectable! In response to the proposal of President Xi Jinping of China, that China is willing to continue to uphold the community of human destiny, we work together with Guyana to respect each other and build a health community with a shared future to welcome the dawn of victory over COVID-19.

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a fist of vice. Today, they forget the simple lesson of not to be a traitor of God to please the whole world. As we project and reflect on the passing of Mahatma Gandhi, remember his parting words, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”

Respectfully, Jai Lall

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Helping millennials maneuver through life

–– Daniel Francis unlocks the secrets to success

By Richard Bhainie DEPARTING the school system and venturing into a world unknown, many young adults are often ill-prepared for the realities of “life after the system”.

Daniel Francis, a Trinidadian personal development coach, in his book “The Millennial Mind: Success Secrets for Unlocking Your Full Potential”, elucidated some of the struggles millennials face as a generation and how these young adults can overcome struggles and maneuver through adulthood.

The Guyana Chronicle recently interviewed Francis, who used his own experiences to provide more insight into the issue. A google search of the term would explain that ‘millennial’ is used to describe the generation born between 1981 and 1996. However, the advice Francis provides is not limited to millennials, but also those of the next generation, Gen Z. The youngest millennial would be around 25 this year, while some Gen Zs will also be entering adulthood.

Francis explained that upon leaving school, his ambition was to pursue a career in medicine, however, after multiple attempts, it never came to fruition. Feeling like he was thrown out into the world, he had no definite structure to follow and the lessons he learnt in school did not always resonate with reality.

“When we become adults and we enter the world of adulthood, we find that we struggle because what we imagine it would be like, it’s definitely not like that. You were taught that you get your degree, you will get a job, but in reality we struggle to get jobs,” Francis said.

“When we do get a job the vision of the company does not align with us, so we find it hard to settle and then we always want to move faster because we’re always told that we’re better, but that’s not the reality of it,” he added.

More alarming to Francis, a millennial himself, was the amount of young adults that were suffering in similar ways. After successfully becoming a personal development coach and helping oth-

ers like himself, he compiled the common challenges millennials face and addressed them in his book.

PUSH-PULL FACTORS From birth to the end of one’s school life, they are instructed about everything that they need to get done.

They abide by a routine and everything is already structured in a particular way for them do. This is what Francis terms “the push factor”.

“When we start off in school, we go through what I call the push factor. The push factor relates to everything being structured for us. We’re just told what to do and we

dividuals to become reactive whereby you are programmed from an early age to do things because you have to. To combat this, Francis teaches “the pull factor”.

“In order to create a pull factor, you have to have something to pull to you. The pull factor is telling yourself to get out of the auto pilot setting and start saying in this present moment I am X, where do I want to be in a month, in a year or in five years, and how do I make tangible steps to get there.

So now you’re not being reactive, but you’re being proactive,” Francis explained.

“The good thing about

Daniel Francis reading a chapter in his book

are constantly being pushed to get things done; we have assignments to do, exams to study for, we have quizzes to take, we might not want to do these things but we are pushed in that direction,” he said.

This is the way life is for our early formative years.

However, when you enter adulthood, everything drastically changes; there is no structure for you to follow, and you are given the discretion of choice, with an abundance to choose from.

The push factor aligns in-

proactivity is that you’re going to start aiming for things, making those steady steps towards it as oppose to always reacting and you never know where you’re going to go,” he added.

PURPOSE While a useful starting point is to break away from being pushed, and to find something to be pulled towards, this is where another struggle arises for young individuals.

With access to the internet from birth, an abundance of

information and resources and a gamut of choices, to identify something to channel your energy towards may be one of the greatest challenges.

In these regards, Francis encourages them to find their purpose.

“When you start funneling your energy around purpose, you would find that you will have distractions but they will not have such a strong hold on you,” he said.

Being able to acquire satisfaction through watching one more episode on Netflix or having the most kills in PUBG, young persons have developed a propensity for short-term thinking; rarely one would immerse themselves with great thought of ten years in the future.

However, to think in the longterm, set goals and work towards them provides a purpose to be pulled towards.

But how does one find purpose? Francis explained that young persons are in the perfect position to do so.

With the resources available to them, they are afforded the opportunity to dream, and dream big. He empasised that there is no harm in trying as it is through trials and tribulations that passion arises.

“In finding your purpose you need to find your values and the next thing is what are you passionate about. Purpose and passion go hand in hand.

There is no right or wrong way to find passion,” he said.

If you would like to know something, Google it; if you would like to find someone, Facebook them; in a second, the information presents itself. Accustomed to immediate gratification, the concept of patience has been forgotten and the thought gradual accumulation is somewhat non-existent.

“If you think of life as a sprint, you will run out of gas. This is a marathon we are in and if you don’t have a marathon mentality of taking it slow and steady, you will find that you will hit a wall,” Francis said Without patience, purpose is lost. “Patience comes with the pull factor, you can’t create the plan and not stick with it,” he added.

COMMITMENT PHOBIA Somewhere along the line

Daniel Francis with a copy of his book, ‘The Millennial Mind: Success Secrets for Unlocking Your Full Potential’

of being patiently pulled towards your purpose, the thought hits-- what if I had done something else? What if there is someone better?

And off to the next best thing we go, breaking the chain of reaching our goal and starting all over again.

“Social media plays a role in that because social media portrays that the grass is greener on the other side and that the option that you didn’t pick is looking better than the option you’re in right now,” Francis noted.

“We grow up with all these resources, all these options, it can be overwhelming. You’re fearful of committing to something, you can be in your relationship and still talking to other people just in case,” he added.

Francis explained that this is one of the major struggles for young adults, wanting to have a hold of everything that they stretch themselves so thin not realizing the impact they can create if they remain committed and channel their energies into one thing.

NO QUESTION IS A DUMB QUESTION Another issue inherited from the classroom is the fear of looking dumb by asking questions. However, this can evolve into something much larger in adulthood.

“On social media, all these people are posting their ‘perfect lives’ that’s what we do for the glam. We don’t portray ourselves, we portray what other people want to

see of us. Meanwhile, you portraying this life but you may be suffering. Nobody knows you’re suffering because you’re portraying this perfect life,” Francis said.

He added: “This comes back to not wanting yourself to be perceived as weak, or not making mistakes, you want to create this illusion that you’re perfect but by doing so you’re creating more harm. How can you get the help if no one knows you need the help and if you’re not asking for the help?”

He explained that learning comes through failures, and through experiences.

There is nothing wrong with inquiring, with seeking help and life does not have to be Instagram perfect.

There is no doubt that the millennial and ‘Gen Z’ generations are faced with an unorthodox reality. Navigating young adulthood can be quite challenging, with so much to figure out, so much available to figure it out from and what feels like so little time.

Francis, in his book, seeks to address these challenges and provide guidance for young adults. Each chapter with a story highlights a problem. He gives solutions and there’s a self-reflective exercise at the end with affirmations.

His book can be purchased on Amazon.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

From operating out of a vehicle to owning two branches

9

….Algoos pressing on with customs brokerage services

By Telesha Ramnarine NANDALALL and Sabrina Algoo operated their customs brokerage business for many years from the back of their vehicle, so it’s not difficult to imagine why feelings of excitement and accomplishment permeated the opening ceremony of their new branch office on Sunday.

Little by little, the Algoos worked hard on providing a service that was efficient, reliable and trustworthy, even as they had not yet managed to acquire office space, thereby carving for themselves a good name in the industry. Mrs. Algoo was born and raised at De Willem South, West Coast Demerara (WCD), while her husband is from Leguan Island in the Essequibo River. She reflected on their early beginnings in an interview with Chronicle on Sunday, and couldn’t be happier that their branch office was being opened in the vicinity of where she grew up.

Their office at Public Road, Kitty, Georgetown, ran out of space to accommodate the number of staff members needed for the job, especially as they have been seeing a spike in the number of persons requesting their

Sabrina Algoo.

services. The new branch office, at Public Road, Cornelia Ida, WCD, caters for their customers from the Essequibo Islands and from WCD. They’ve also made it a point to employ persons who are residing in this section of the country.

“We branched away from Georgetown’s office to create this one…a documentation office. I stand to be corrected, but it’s the first of its kind in Guyana for a customs bro-

Nandalall Algoo

kerage office to branch off,” Mrs. Algoo said, as she noted that it may also be the only office of its kind in Region Three.

Her husband was one of seven persons who wrote and passed the Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) broker exams in 2001, which had seen 75 candidates. As Mrs. Algoo explained, although there may be many persons who are seasoned in the business, very few of them are

licensed by GRA. So having been successful at the exam, Mr. Algoo kicked off single-handedly building his name in the customs business. In the meantime, his wife would assist him in the background to prepare invoices for his customers, among other things.

“The customers could not believe that we were operating from our vehicle,” she recalled, and so she decided to quit her job in 2012 and

join forces with her husband, after which they eventually acquired office space. Within just a short time, the business grew tremendously.

What is unique about their business, Mrs. Algoo said, is that they place emphasis on working with high standards and offering their customers quality services.

“We deliver what we promise and we are very considerate of our customers. Sometimes they may not afford to accumulate the duties. We would assist in doing that and then be patient with them; of course this is based on our relationship with them and how much we know them. Sometimes we extend credit…so we see with our customers.”

Meanwhile, a licensed broker is someone who is aware of all GRA regulations and everything that’s needed to make clearance of a ship or aircraft. “Our service is all inclusive. The customer just has to sit at home and relax. Going around, getting clearance and all of that is tedious; it takes an expert to do the job. So we process the documents for commercial cargo; prepare them and submit them to Customs.”

Remaining simple and humble Although being excited about the new opening,

Mrs. Algoo said she and her husband have chosen to continue leading simple lives.

“We have remained very simple and humble and we see this as helping our staff.

We don’t take all these gains for ourselves. We make sure that once we accomplish, it trickles down to them.”

Coming from a background of poverty, she recalled how her father worked very hard selling cane juice to support his family. “Poverty is a very bad thing. We had relatives who were already up there, wealthy and so forth, and we used to be like the scorn,” she said.

In fact, when her school friends would want to visit her at home, she would always make an excuse as she lived in a very small house, which didn’t even have a wall on one side. “My father patched it up with zinc and it was like that for years,” she reflected.

“Today, I am very happy that I can see my parents and siblings happy,” she said, adding, “I always said silently that when I grew up I want to break barriers and I don’t want my kids to grow up like that. I want to see my parents smile because my dad worked very hard. They really struggled and I owe it all to them.”

Gov’t eyes one million tonnes construction aggregate this year –– to meet coming infrastructural development needs WITH the coming national infrastructural developments, the government is working with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to up production of construction aggregates to over one million tonnes for 2021.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said recently that the upcoming plans of the government for this year will see an increase in demand for the materials. As such, production rates must also be increased.

The production rate for quarriable substances have been much lower than the demand over the last few

years, Minister Bharrat noted.

For 2020, just about 650,000 tonnes of materials were produced. The Dr. Irfaan Ali-administration is advancing a number of infrastructural projects aimed at improving the quality of life for all Guyanese, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.

According to DPI, President Ali has committed to the construction of a new Demerara River Bridge and the new four-lane road from that bridge to Parika, East Bank Essequibo. Hundreds of communities across the country are expected to see new and improved road networks

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat

along with other infrastructural projects.

Through collaboration, the Governments of Suriname and Guyana will also be embarking on the construction of the first-ever bridge across the Corentyne River, connecting the two South American nations. The Ogle to Haags Bosch road project is also on the cards.

A massive housing drive is also underway that targets some 5,000 homes, for this year. The Government also intends to allocate some 10,000 house lots by end of this year.

“So, the demand for these materials will increase tre-

mendously-- for lumber, for stone, for sand, for cement.

So, we are working with the GGMC to increase production, to double our production to produce over one million tonnes this year,” Minister Bharrat is quoted as saying by the DPI. He said the government will also be granting licences to a number of companies that have applied to produce the aggregates to meet the impending demand. President Dr. Ali himself had, late last year, said that there will be an increase in demand for quarry and construction materials and labour with the coming developments.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Teach your child today

JUST because children are away from school, it doesn't mean they have to stop learning. However, it does mean that their learning needs to be adjusted and structured uniquely to suit how they learn best. Finding the best way may take some time to figure out, but with an open mind and patience, parents can help their child to enjoy learning, rather than see it as a chore.

To have an open mind you must accept that things have changed, children will not be attending school as they used to for the foreseeable future, so the onus falls upon parents to keep children enthused and gaining knowledge. Parents should stimulate children's minds with challenging and new information that does not necessarily have to be online. Books, worksheets, quizzes and puzzles are good ways to exercise their minds and get them away from the computer and computer games for a while.

Parents can create a healthy balance by making sure children partake in various activities, both indoors and outdoors. If you have a yard, devise a simple task that

your child can complete over some time, such as pulling out weeds and clearing a patch for planting seeds.

Seeds from passion fruit, bora, tomatoes, okras, and peppers, to name a few, are easily obtained. Use old ice-cream containers or other recycled plastic receptacles to plant the seeds before transferring them to the ground.

Go outside with your children if you have space and do some simple stretching exercises early in the morning. Playing 'ketcha', or kicking or throwing a ball around helps your blood circulate. All types of physical activity will get the heart pumping and blood flowing more to the brain; this allows us to think clearly. Exercise regularly for maximum effect – at least one hour of exercise is recommended for children per day.

Families can learn (deep) breathing techniques and yoga in or outdoors. There is a cartoon monkey on YouTube teaching yoga and meditation exercises for children, or families can take a brisk walk just before sunrise when the air is fresh.

These simple outdoor activities will help adults and children enjoy

their day.

Online schooling for those who have access to the internet is helpful but does not suit every child. Making the giant leap from one-to-one teaching in the classroom, to paying attention to a teacher through a laptop lacks interpersonal connection, and some children struggle to cope.

Parents should not be surprised or angry if their child finds it hard to focus, can't concentrate or does not enjoy online schooling. Some children have adjusted and benefit from their online education. However, nothing can compensate for the traditional teacher/student relationship and the social-emotional development children gain from school life.

Parents don't have to be scholars to motivate their children to learn, but they need to be steady with their input and make learning exciting and fun. It is not about trying to replace the child's teacher; it is about connecting with and stimulating the child's learning process, so it does not become dormant or lazy.

Parents can do this in creative ways; for instance, while watching a movie, the name of a city or country

may be mentioned. Challenge your child to find out the location and write ten things or a few paragraphs about the country. Give children a treat or reward on occasions, but don't give incentives related to learning or completing tasks.

Most research nowadays is carried out online but, where possible, parents should provide material that is not on a computer screen so children can retain the simple tasks of reading and writing without using technology.

Parents should commend children for work they have completed, and when they seem tired or disinterested, it is okay to give them a break and let them complete their work in a given timeframe. There need to be boundaries, so children realise that education is still a significant part of their development, and not something for which they have a choice.

There is no need to put pressure on children learning at home or scold them for not doing as well as they used to in a school setting.

The World has changed due to the COVID 19 pandemic, and we are all learning new behaviours and ways

to cope. Children are expected to accept and conform to a new set of rules overnight, and for some, it will take longer to adjust than others; here is where parents will need an open mind and patience most of all.

Children need to feel engaged and connected when they are learning; they need material and challenges that will spark their curiosity and imagination, not a tiresome process that is difficult to understand, or long-winded. It is harder for them to pay attention when they have no interest, and where there is no interest, the child will go through the motions, but little, or no learning is taking place. It is a parental duty to maintain some structured education for children.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY

Captain missing after boating accident AN accident on the Essequibo River on Saturday night between a river ambulance attached to the Bartica Pub-

lic Hospital and a passenger boat, resulted in the injury of four persons while efforts are underway to locate the boat

captain, Claude Pollard.

Police Headquarters, in a statement, noted that the river ambulance, which was

being captained by 59-yearold Bernard Singh of Housing Scheme, Bartica was proceeding from Parika to Bartica,

Claude Pollard

while the other boat – captained by Pollard – was travelling from Bartica enroute to Parika; the passenger boat had

seven persons on board.

Police said, while in the vicinity of Stampa Point, the two boats collided at around 19:01h, causing four of the passengers to receive injuries while Captain Pollard fell into the river.

Efforts to retrieve his body proved futile and the injured passengers were taken to the Bartica Public Hospital. On Sunday, a team comprising of police ranks, an officer of the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and an official from the Bartica Speedboat Association visited the scene and formed part of the investigation.

One of the boats involved in the accident

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

‘Ease up’ necessary to encourage safe business operations –– THAG President agrees with safe, limited reopening of businesses

By Vishani Ragobeer EVEN though health protocols have been instituted to help mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19, the extended closure of businesses affects persons’ livelihoods significantly, and President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar, reasoned that giving some ‘ease up’ to businesses will ultimately help to promote better adherence to health guidelines.

Since March 2020, the global pandemic has forced many businesses - save for those essential services - to shut their doors. Businesses that are not seen as a necessity, including bars, cinemas and other entertainment spaces, have been closed for almost a year.

“If you look at all of the small bars alone, look at the amount of people they employ…. (owners) are saying that they just want to open just to meet their expenses and pay their staff,” Ramkumar told the Guyana Chroni-

President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar

cle during a recent interview.

Due to the extended restrictions to the operations of such businesses, many business owners claimed that they have been forced to reopen and operate, even if it meant breaching the Gazetted COVID-19 guidelines.

The THAG President highlighted that over the past few months, he has fielded numerous complaints about businesses in poor economic standing because they have not been able to pay their mortgages, upkeep their facilities or, impor-

the health considerations with the economic impact prolonged closures might have on businesses is key to managing the pandemic well.

And, Ramkumar agrees.

“The focus needs to be on how you can open, how you can operate safely as opposed to shutting down, because we’ve been so long into the shutdown,” the THAG official said, adding: “Even in places of entertainment, the focus has to be on how it can be done safely.”

Ramkumar related that THAG has been advocating

The Caribbean Inn restaurant at Mon Repos, on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD)

tantly, continue employing their staff. It has been an economic catastrophe, with the spinoff effects leading to individuals’ inability to provide for themselves and their families.

Even Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, during an address to the nation on Saturday, related that during his various outreach activities across the country, several business owners and employees have complained about the prolonged closures.

According to the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (no. 14), which will take effect from February 1, and will last for the entire month, indoor dining is now permitted at bars and restaurants. Indoor dining and the opening of bars were prohibited for almost a year.

Though allowing indoor dining at bars and restaurants may be seen as incompatible with national efforts to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19, President Ali emphasised that balancing

on behalf of local businesses in the hospitality sector, but central to these advocacy efforts is assurance from the businesses that they will operate with certain standards. The indoor dining now permitted will only be during the hours of 04:00 am to 9:30 pm. As detailed in the official gazette also, indoor dining at a restaurant and bar is restricted to 40 per cent capacity of the building, tables must be spaced six feet apart and no more than four persons are to be seated at one table, and each person must be three feet apart.

President Ali related that generally accepted industry standards indicate that businesses require at least 35 per cent occupancy to meet overhead costs. And, to prevent bankruptcy and to reduce the risk local businesses are exposed to, these measures have been introduced to provide some relief to them.

Indoor dining at bars and restaurants are being monitored by the Guyana Tourism

Authority (GTA); businesses are required to organise their premises in compliance with the adequate spacing and sanitisation guidelines. So far, 40 businesses have received authorisation to offer limited indoor dining.

“You don’t want to force people to operate illegally, you want to ensure that the measures you put in place make sense and adapt to the reality of the situation you face,” Ramkumar said.

He explained that with these regulatory systems in place, businesses are allowed to operate and earn - though not at the level it earned before - while maintaining safe

guidelines. On the contrary, he related that without such concessions, businesses may operate clandestinely, where there is little to no regulation on their activities.

Though cinemas have not yet been given the ‘greenlight’ to reopen, Ramkumar highlighted that these businesses have felt the brunt of the restrictions due to the pandemic. And this was confirmed by General Manager of Movietowne Guyana, Rochelle Parsram, who lamented that the mall’s cinemas - arguably its biggest attraction - has been closed since March last year.

Movietowne has committed that if allowed to reopen, even at a limited capacity, there will be adequate spacing and sanitation to ensure that the spread of COVID-19 can be curtailed.

Meanwhile, Ramkumar highlighted that in addition to the economic need for the reopening of businesses, humans themselves need certain activities to relax and rejuvenate themselves.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

‘Spotlight Initiative’ addressing violence against women, girls that it will continue working to engage the youths further through several other initiatives that it has planned for the year. One of its new initiatives is the “Hear me out!” youth competition.

The competition is open until February 6, with two age categories (12-16 and

….in Regions 1, 7 IN addressing the issue of violence against women and girls in Region One (Barima-Waini) and Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Blossom Inc., in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched its ‘Spotlight initiative’, a programme aimed at women empowerment and activism.

Through advocacy, sensitisation, awareness, and training, the programme aims to bring about sustainable change that will safeguard women, children, and other vulnerable persons within the community. According to a release from Blossom Inc., the programme was launched in November of 2020, with emphasis being placed in Matthews Ridge, Region One, and Waramadong, Region 7, so as to provide the region with access to resources that could negate the reach or impact of this social issue.

The programme is being spearheaded by Arlyne Ramdatt and Joses Solomon, the Education Awareness Officers at Blossom Inc. The first successful outreach was held on January 20, 2021, at

Matthew's Ridge, which saw a total of 22 participants.

The outreach sought to collaborate, educate, and help mobilise the participants in addressing and managing gender-based violence in the community alongside other forms of violence and abuse.

The four-day trip included a two-day training workshop held at the community centre for frontline professionals in the community, such as healthcare professionals, teachers, police officers, and child protection volunteers; secondary school students and parents also took part in the training.

“With this, it could be seen that the training workshop was a success and great initiative that will receive follow-up and be applied in other communities. The training had several objectives that were meant to provide persons with practical skills, knowledge, and sensitisation in order to effectively manage gender-based violence, abuse, and other violence in the community,” the release stated.

Additionally, the group’s first training session included a module on self-care and

Arlyne Ramdatt, an Education Awareness Officer at Blossom Inc. along with one of the residents of Matthew’s Ridge, who completed the four-day outreach

mental health. At the end of the training, persons received a certificate of completion from Blossom Inc., and were then given the opportunity to volunteer and be a part of a community support system of ‘Gatekeepers’ for the managing and prevention of gender-based Violence.

Before leaving the community, a youth peer support group for advocacy, abuse prevention, and support for the youth in the community battling the effects of these

social ills, was also created, with six youths volunteering to be a part of it.

“Special emphasis is placed on the youths, not only because they are the most impacted by the violence and abuse in the community, but due to COVID-19 restrictions and policies, they are even more exposed to unsafe habits in the community and for many schools was their only safe space,” Blossom Inc. said.

Blossom Inc. also noted

Digicel celebrates 14 years in Guyana ….by making 14 customers millionaires DIGICEL is taking its promise of "Simply More" and is delivering as they launch their 14th anniversary promotion, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," in Guyana.

The Digital Operator announced that they will be making 14 of their loyal customers millionaires as they celebrate 14 years of service in Guyana.

So how can you become a Digicel millionaire? The "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" promotion gives prepaid and postpaid customers on an active Prime Bundle or who top up with $1,400 or more a chance to win one million dollars ($1,000,000) daily for 14 days starting February 1, 2021, and concluding on February 14, 2021.

A press release from Digicel noted that once you have an active Prime Bundle or top up with $1,400 or more on the day of the draws, you will get an entry to win one million dollars. There will also be a special surprise for any winner who has been with the network since 2007.

Digicel will also be rewarding 100 customers with $1,400 in free credit daily for the same period. Customers performing any activity on the said days will qualify, whether

Chief Executive Officer of Digicel, Gregory Dean

sending a text, making a call, browsing, activating a plan, or using any of Digicel's eight apps Billo, MyDigicel app, DMusic, Bip, GoLoud, PlayGo, Sportsmax, and Loop.

The Digital Operator is also allowing their social media fans to become part of the celebration too. Follow their Facebook page (Digicel Guyana), and you can WIN one of fourteen laptops. Answer the trivia questions, which will be posted daily from February 1st-14th, and you can be a winner.

For the music and messaging lovers, Digicel has something for you too. Download

the Bip messenger app from the Play Store or App Store and be part of the daily Bip Trivia and get a chance of winning $20,000 daily.

Music lovers can also stream the "Ultimate Valentine's Day" playlist in the DMusic app and get a chance to be 1 of 3 winners of $140,000. To end the 14 days of celebration, on February 14, customers on an eligible Prime Bundle can "Shake to Win" in the MyDigicel app and get a chance to win 1 of 14 laptops.

According to the release, Gregory Dean, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said "As we celebrate this milestone, our focus remains on our customers and we hope customers enjoy taking part and winning millions with us. Since liberalization, we have committed over $5B to service expansions and improvements. We have completed to date LTE expansions in Bartica, Linden, Port Kaituma, Mahdia, Kwakwani, Potaro riverain communities, Berbice and Essequibo to support our Prime Bundles and digital launch. This adds to our LTE services in Georgetown and surrounding areas. We eagerly await the granting of

various licences, permissions and spectrum allocations to expand our service offerings and coverage in the coming months.”

17-25 years) aimed at visual artists, creative writing or through videography that gives youths the opportunity to use their creative talents in addressing aspects of violence against women and girls in the community.

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Reifer, Da Silva provide bright sparks as warm up game drawn CMC – All-rounder Raymon Reifer and Joshua Da Silva produced solid performances to highlight the final day of the drawn threetour match against the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI here Sunday.

In the final warm-up before the first Test on Wednesday, Reifer struck an unbeaten 49 while Da Silva weighed in with 46 to get West Indies up to 291 in their second innings.

Left-arm seamer Reifer then picked up the only wickets to fall as the BCB XI, set 389 for victory, reached 63 for two.

The hosts were tottering on 14 for two after Reifer struck in successive overs but opener Yasir Ali (33 not out) and Shadman Islam (23

not out) consolidated in an unbroken third wicket stand worth 49.

Resuming from their overnight 179 for five at the MA Aziz Stadium, West Indies lost Nkrumah Bonner in the day’s fourth over before he had added to his 80, caught at the wicket off seamer Khaled Ahmed (3-42).

And when Rahkeem Cornwall perished for four just three overs later, West Indies were tottering on 190 for seven but Reifer and Da Silva calmly pulled the innings around in an 82-run, eighth wicket stand.

The left-handed Reifer counted five fours and a six off 94 deliveries while Da Silva, yet to score overnight, faced 116 deliveries and hit

three fours.

They took the Caribbean side to lunch on 258 for seven but Da Silva, unbeaten on 39 at the interval, fell inside the first half hour following the resumption with a well-deserved half-century in sight.

Reifer missed out on his half-century too as West Indies lost their last three wickets for 19 runs in 36 deliveries.

New ball seamer Mukidul Islam, 20, grabbed two of the last three wickets to finish with four for 59 while 22-year-old off-spinner Saif Hassan supported with two for 45.

West Indies face Bangladesh in the opening Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here.

Barcelona to take legal action against El Mundo (BBC) - Barcelona say they will take “appropriate legal action” against Spanish newspaper El Mundo after it published details of forward Lionel Messi’s £492m contract.

Barcelona denied “any responsibility for the publication of this document”.

According to El Mundo, Messi’s four-year contract was worth a possible 555,237,619 euros until 30 June, 2021.

It means the 33-yearold would be receiving up to £123m a season.

Barcelona said in a statement that they “regret” its publication, adding: “FC Barcelona categorically denies any responsibility for the publication of this document, and will take appropriate legal action against the newspaper El Mundo, for any damage that may be caused as a result of this publication.

“FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for

Lionel Messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the entity where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history.”

Argentina international Messi joined Barcelona at 13 but handed in a transfer request in August.

There remains uncertainty if he will remain with the club when his contract runs out in the summer.

Messi is Barcelona’s record goalscorer and has won 10 La Liga titles, the Champions League four times and the Ballon d’Or - awarded to the world’s best player - six times.

His controversial summer request to leave followed clashes with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned in October.

Messi, who described Bartomeu’s reign as “a disaster”, said in December: “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday February 01, 2021) COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Dennis Amis-103 (ENG vs AUST, Manchester, 1972) (2) Dennis Lillee-5/34 (AUST vs PAK, Leeds, 1975)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who struck the first ever T20 International hundred?

(2) Who was the first to snatch a five-wicket haul in a T20 International match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Scoreboard WEST INDIES 1st Innings 257 BCB XI 1st Innings 160 WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (overnight 179 for five) J Campbell c Rishad Hossain b Saif Hassan 68 S Moseley lbw b Khaled Ahmed 0 N Bonner c wkp Nurul Hasan b Khaled Ahmed 80 J Blackwood c Towhid Hridoy b Saif Hassan 4 K Mayers lbw b Towhid Hridoy 8 K Hodge b Mukidul Islam 19 J Da Silva c Khaled Ahmed b Mukidul Islam 46 R Cornwall c Towhid Hridoy b Mukidul Islam 4 R Reifer not out 49 V Permaul c Towhid Hridoy b Khaled Ahmed 7 J Warrican b Mukidul Islam 2 Extras (b3, lb1) 4 TOTAL (all out, 89.2 overs) 291 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-130, 3-135, 4-144, 5-177, 6-183, 7-190, 8-272, 9-281, 10-291.

Bowling: Khaled Ahmed 16-2-42-3, Mukidul Islam 17.2-4-59-4, Saif Hassan 17-2-45-2, Rishad Hossain 21-3-84-0, Shahin Alam 11-1-36-0, Towhid Hridoy 7-0-21-1.

BCB XI 2nd XI (Target: 389 runs) Shadman Islam not out 23 Saif Hassan lbw b Reifer 7 Mohammad Naim c wkp Da Silva b Reifer 0 Yasir Ali not out 33 TOTAL (2 wkts, 29 overs) 63 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-14.

Bowling: Roach 4-3-2-0, Gabriel 4-3-5-0, Permaul 11-4-21-0, Reifer 4-0-7-2, Joseph 4-0-17-0, Bonner 2-0-11-0.

Result: Match drawn.

Toss: West Indies.

Brighton needle lackluster Tottenham

(BBC) - Brighton punished a lacklustre Tottenham to grab their first home league win since June and go seven points clear of the drop.

Leandro Trossard grabbed the game’s only goal, side-footing in Pascal Gross’ cutback after 17 minutes.

And the hosts always looked likelier to score the match’s second, with substitute Aaron Connolly having his late effort cleared off the line by Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld.

Jose Mourinho’s side struggled to create chances late on, with defeat meaning they stay sixth, six points off the top four.

Flying Seagulls grab rare home win Brighton’s victory finally ended their seven-month winless run at the Amex Stadium.

Coming into this fixture, Graham Potter’s team were the only side left in England’s top four divisions without a win at home this season.

But the Seagulls were the better side throughout, with Gross striking the woodwork in the third minute.

Trossard’s second goal of the season deservedly put them ahead, before Gareth Bale headed a Lewis Dunk effort off the line on the stroke of half-time.

And it was much of the same in the second period with the hosts continuing to impress.

Ben White saw his shot well-saved by Hugo Lloris after it deflected off Alderweirweld in the 55th minute.

The Spurs defender was also on hand

to clear Connolly’s effort off the line in stoppage time when the Republic of Ireland international looked destined to score.

A winless December may have had Brighton boss Potter looking over his shoulder.

But three wins in their past four games in all competitions - including three clean sheets - suggests the Seagulls are starting to find the form they need to pull away from the bottom three.

SORRY SPURS OUT OF IDEAS After losing to Liverpool on Thursday night, Spurs needed a response - the omens were not great, given when they lost to the champions in December they followed it up with a 2-0 defeat to Leicester.

A win would have put the visitors fifth in the table. Instead, they suffered back-toback defeats for a second time this season.

With Harry Kane sidelined with injuries to both ankles, Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale started just his second league game of the season.

But, like the rest of Spurs’ forward line, the four-time Champions League winner did not look interested in the opening 45 minutes. The Welshman was subbed shortly after the hour mark.

Son Heung-min and Carlos Vinicius both tested Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez late on, Vinicius’ effort in particular worrying the Spanish keeper.

But without talisman Kane, Tottenham looked bereft of ideas, rarely threatening their 17th-placed opponents.

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Caribbean Senior Championships next on ITTF calendar ACCORDING to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), there is now finally hope and belief that 2021 can be a success for table tennis.

This is because they now know how to make events a reality, even during a pandemic period.

Every ITTF event on the 2020 calendar that was slated for March or later was postponed due to the pandemic.

After the calendar postponement, the ITTF met in December to discuss the 2020 year and charter a way back for table tennis in 2021.

They then released their 2021 calendar of events which sees at least 2 tournaments per month except for January and December which have none.

First event on the list is the World Table Tennis Middle East Hub in Qatar which is slated to begin February.

Following that is the Caribbean Senior Championships billed for March 3-8 in Havana, Cuba. Immediately after, the Caribbean Teams Qualification to Cali 2021 Pan American Junior Games begins on March 9 and runs until March 11. This will also take place in Cuba.

However, it is important to note that the ITTF calendar is subject to change due to the pandemic forcing new parameters.

On Saturday, Cuban authorities said they will tighten measures against the spread of COVID-19, requiring tourists and others who visit the island to isolate at their own expense for several days until tests for the new coronavirus come out negative.

As seen recently with many international events from other sporting disciplines, the event is immediately postponed due to the spike in coronavirus cases in the hosting country.

This move has been welcomed in several cases for the fact that preparatory stages were not satisfactory for the attending constituents.

Meanwhile, some countries are returning to their regular training schedules and have released guidelines for resumption while others are uncertain of recommencement which is mentally draining for the players.

Guyana is one of the countries that has restarted training activities at both junior and senior levels.

In December the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) was granted approval to resume light training.

However, time may be against them to display a level of competitiveness to rival other countries in the International event. Their competition phase is soon to return.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

Salah’s double helps Liverpool beat West Ham (BBC) - Mohamed Salah scored for the first time in seven Premier League games with a brilliant double at West Ham United to help Liverpool move up to third in the table.

A trademark quick shift and curling finish from the Egypt striker was reward for a bright start to the second half from the Reds after Jurgen Klopp’s side had failed to add a cutting edge to their first-half possession.

Salah capped a scintillating Liverpool counter-attack to double his side’s lead 11 minutes later, instantly controlling Xherdan Shaqiri’s looping pass over the top before prodding past Lukasz Fabianski.

Without the injured Sadio Mane and with Roberto Firmino among the substitutes, the onus was on Salah to end his mini drought and he delivered in style.

Firmino came off the bench to set up Georginio Wijnaldum for a slick Liverpool third before Craig Dawson steered home a corner to hand West Ham a consolation.

Liverpool’s second win in London in four days cut

Mohamed Salah’s two goals were his first in the Premier League since a double in the 7-0 win at Crystal Palace the gap to leaders Manchester City - who have a game in hand - to four points, and the two sides meet at Anfield on Sunday.

Klopp’s decisions pay off Eyebrows were raised at the exclusion of Firmino from Liverpool’s starting line-up given Senegal forward Mane was missing with a minor muscle injury.

A toothless first-half display, in which Liverpool’s only effort on target was a 20-yard Salah strike straight at Fabianki, suggested the reigning cham-

pions were suffering from the absence of two of their famed front three - as well as the injured Diogo Jota.

But Klopp’s introduction of Curtis Jones from the bench early in the second half proved a game-changer as the young playmaker neatly played in Salah for the opener.

His surging run through the centre of the pitch put West Ham on the back foot and, after exchanging passes with Trent Alexander-Arnold, he found Salah, who made space for himself against Aaron

Cresswell before curling the ball past Fabianski.

Liverpool’s second goal was even easier on the eye, Shaqiri receiving a cross-field diagonal ball from Alexander-Arnold before picking out Salah with a first-time pass as the visitors broke from a Hammers corner with devastating effect.

Their third was every bit as impressive, as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s backheeled one-two with Firmino set the Brazilian free and the substitute squared for Wijnaldum to coolly fire home.

Drayton and Khan start Chess Championship final with victories TWO of the favourites for the title at the Guyana Chess Federation’s 2020 National Closed Chess Championship final started their opening round on Saturday afternoon with victories.

FIDE Master and defending champion Anthony Drayton and former champion and Candidate Master Taffin Khan made relatively light work of their opponents at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence.

Eight of Guyana’s top players are contesting the premier chess event, which was postponed from last year.

The event is scheduled to be played over seven rounds before a winner is declared this month.

Drayton won against veteran player Rai Sharma, while Khan got the better of another seasoned player

Errol Tiwari. The other game played on the opening day was a draw between Loris Nathoo and 2020 Rapid and Blitz National Champion Davion Mars.

The Wendell Meusa (another favourite) and Glenford Corlette clash has been postponed to Tuesday.

Drayton opted to start with the Queen’s Gambit opening and by eight moves into the game, he had Sharma’s bishops and the ascendency.

“My first game in the championships against Rai Sharma wasn’t that difficult even though it finished in 46 moves.”

Luckily for Drayton, Sharma is better at rapid chess due to his quick plays, which resulted in him missing a blunder made by the defending champion at move 16, which could have swung the

game in a different direction.

“In the coming matches I will have to keep my focus to be able to regain my title because the other players wouldn’t be so kind to miss an opportunity like that,” Drayton added.

Khan opted to play the Closed Sicilian Variation, and Tiwari kept it close until move 16, but he missed a combination, which resulted in him losing his Queen (his prime attacking piece).

“After that I just followed basic chess,” Khan noted.

Ten players had qualified for the event, but former national schools champion Saeed Ali and Justino DaSilva opted out due to work commitment.

The 2021 Closed Chess Championship Qualifiers and final are scheduled for the second half of the year.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, February 1, 2021

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Guyana will be highly competitive against Trinidad – Coach Maximo

(GFF) - THE Senior Men’s National Team will be highly competitive against Trinidad and Tobago in its first FIFA World Cup qualifier fixture in March and has a good chance of delivering a surprise, according to Golden Jaguars Head Coach Marcio Maximo.

Guyana faces Trinidad and Tobago away in Group F of the first round of CONCACAF qualifying on March 25th, followed by a home match against the Bahamas on March 29th. The domestic-based squad is currently in training –

pandemic.

“If you train hard with intensity, with tactical discipline and technical discipline, and a physical effort every day that is reflected during the match” the former Brazil U20 and U17 coach said.

“With our locally-based group, I can see a big development, according to the commitment, intensity and knowledge.

They are growing in each training session.”

The former Tanzania, Cayman Islands and Livingston coach supported the

Golden Jaguars Head Coach Marcio Maximo leads training five days a week – at the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre in Providence.

“We have a good chance to deliver a surprise. Trinidad has a track record as participant of the World Cup before, but nothing intimidates us. We know that a difficult challenge awaits us but that is encouraging and motivating us to do better,” Maximo said.

“We go with a good possibility to make a surprise and we will be very competitive. You can’t predict a win but what you can predict is a competitive game.

We hope that we will take full advantage of this game. It is not only Trinidad, it’s the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Puerto Rico.

The qualifiers are not the starting or finishing with Trinidad so we should make a good start to motivate us for the rest of the qualifiers,” he added.

Only the winner of Group F progress to the second of three rounds of qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Maximo said he was impressed with the level of commitment shown by the squad as players work hard to regain fitness and secure a place in the final squad, after a prolonged lay off due to the COVID-19

GFF’s policy of providing greater opportunities for domestic talent to break into the national squad, as well as bringing in the best overseas-based talent possible.

“Following the Federation’s policy, we need to give a chance to more local players to be part of the group. Internationally-based players are very important for us, with their experience, knowledge and tactical discipline, but together our group also has to be realistic about the development of football in Guyana.”

“Now more than 50 percent of the players are Guyana-based, so we are improving our local football as well as the hope of players to participate and even to go to international markets, especially the younger players.”

Maximo, who worked with Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho during his time with the Brazilian set up, said he could sense an increased interest and level of support among the public as the World Cup qualifiers edge closer.

“When go in the street, or take a taxi, I see that people feel more interested in football. I see more people with more hope in the Golden Jaguars now,” he said.

Guyana finished 2nd overall with at the 61st Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships.

(Photo: Akeem Greene)

Drayton and Khan start Chess Championship final with victories See story on page 22

Caribbean Senior Championships next on ITTF calendar See story on page 22

Anthony Drayton (left) and Rai Sharma during their opening clash

Reifer, Da Silva provide bright sparks as warm up game drawn See story on page 21

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars are currently in training at GFF National Training Centre

Raymon Reifer celebrates after taking a wicket, BCB XI vs West Indians, tour match, 3rd day, Chattogram, January 31, 2021

Guyana will be highly competitive against Trinidad – Coach Maximo

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

See story on page 23 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021