Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 05-01-2023

20,500 house lots allocated, 44 new housing areas established

over 800 homes built in two years, Housing Minister says

THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), since assuming government in August 2020, has already distributed 20,500 lots, and developed 44 new housing schemes, upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas, regularised six areas and reduced squatter settlements from 19 to 13.

The government has also

completed construction of 827 low and moderate- income and young professionals houses, while a further 527 houses are currently under construction, in an investment costing more than $7 billion.

The government has also processed and distributed 4,256 Certificates of Title and Transports.

The foregoing statistics and more were shared by

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, when he recently compared the PPP/C government’s accomplishments in housing over the past two years as opposed to what was achieved in five years under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government.

TSU ranks went rogue at GECOM’s command centre

former ‘Top Cop’ tells CoI

THE Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections was reconvened on Wednesday, with retired Police Commissioner Leslie James sharing damning information about a fallout at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) command centre at Ashmin’s building, where his ranks “violated” his orders and simply went rogue.

“What I was seeing was total disorder,” James said, noting that he recalled watching the live-stream of events on national television.

According to James, after seeing the “mayhem and total disorder”, he had to take immediate action.

On March 5, 2020, District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo attempted to make a false declaration from the stairway connecting the ground floor to the first floor of the building.

Mingo had attempted to make the declaration from data derived from spreadsheets, which the Commission had never authorised.

However, his declaration was met with roaring objections by observers,

and this caused police officers to block the stairway to the second floor, where the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired judge, Justice Claudette Singh was located.

Previously, several witnesses had testified that the room, which was locked, was guarded by heavily-armed police officers.

The Chairperson had complained of feeling unwell, but witnesses said ranks barred the EMTs from entering the room.

The witnesses recalled that the door was so secure that they had to “push” and “kick” it until it broke open.

During one of the CoI’s hearings, GECOM’s Chief of Security Ronald Stuart had provided details of how the now infamous bomb threat was designed to remove party agents from witnessing the tabulation process for Region Four.

Stuart had testified that he was summoned to the Ashmin’s building by Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers to get everyone out of the tabulation room, because they were interfering with Mingo’s work.

The witness had said he saw no proof of the alleged interference, and therefore refused to carry out the task he was assigned.

However, 15 minutes later, two male ranks entered the building and identified themselves as being from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force. They informed him that a bomb had been planted in the building. This was later proven to be a hoax.

Another police witness had previously testified about receiving instructions to “clear” the building and “lock it down.” The police recalled that Myers was present and was telling everyone to exit the building.

The witness said that they did not know what the reason for clearing the building was, but he aided in executing the orders.

NO INSTRUCTIONS

However, James during his testimony on Wednesday, revealed that gave no instructions for persons to vacate the buildings, but for the officers to “secure” it instead.

He related, however, that he watched on the live relay as the ranks defied his orders, but he chose to do no nothing.

James added that he

contacted the Chairperson, who told him that she was “afraid” and “alone,” but he did not address her security concerns or enquire if her internal security was there to her aid.

“I assumed that they were maybe outside or nearby where she was, but I did not see it necessary to ask where her bodyguards were at the time when she told me,” James said.

However, he was railed by the Commissioners for this action. But James insisted that Justice Singh did not request police presence, so he backed off.

Last year, former Police Division 4 ‘A’ Commander, Edgar Thomas told the COI that a number of security decisions were made without his knowledge during the 2020 elections fiasco, and that he was later punished for refusing to carry out instructions.

Thomas was reassigned and was reportedly told that Commissioner James was not pleased with his performance and not answering his cell phone while on the ground.

However, James said he called Thomas’s cell phone and even his radio set several times to find out what was ongoing on the ground on the day

in question but all went unanswered.

This eventually led to the then “Top Cop” making a “personal decision” to remove Thomas.

“Thomas was eventually stood down based on him not responding. As a result of that, his deputy [Senior Superintendent, Phillip] Azore was stood up as the acting commander,” James said.

Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, of Trinidad and Tobago, asked the witness why he did not seek to contact Thomas through another senior officer on the ground. James explained that he attempted to contact Thomas through Deputy Police Commissioner, Maxine Graham.

James when probed by Chote as to whether he’d removed Thomas from his posting and replaced him with Azore without any notification, he conceded.

He explained that this decision was made to avoid any “conflict” in the chain of command that day with his replacement. He also said that officers on the ground were instructed to communicate the “decision” to Thomas.

“So, you prefer to leave him there believing that he was in command when you put somebody else in command?” Chote asked James.

However, James reiterated that he had instructed another officer to communicate the institutions to Thomas.

“It would have been an awkward position. But it was a decision that required to be made. As I said, based on what was happening, based on the need for somebody to be there in command, that decision was made,” James said.

He added that a few days after, Thomas was summoned to his office where an inquiry was held into his conduct for abandoning his division and ranks.

However, the elections CoI commissioners said the former Police Commissioner put the cart before the horse, since he had relieved Thomas of his duties and days later moved to hold an inquiry.

James maintained, nevertheless, that in the interest of “security,” Thomas was removed.

Thomas had testified that the reassignment was not one for his rank and noted that he was provided no accommodations to work.

However, it wasn’t until August 2020 that Thomas was promoted and became head of the Presidential Guard when the administration changed.

Former Commissioner of Police Leslie James Head of the Presidential Guard Edgar Thomas

20,500 house lots allocated, 44 new housing areas established

THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), since assuming government in August 2020, has already distributed 20,500 lots, and developed 44 new housing schemes, upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas, regularised six areas and reduced squatter settlements from 19 to 13.

The government has also completed construction of 827 low and moderate- income and young professionals houses, while a further 527 houses are currently under construction, in an investment costing more than $7 billion.

The government has also processed and distributed 4,256 Certificates of Title and Transports.

The foregoing statistics and more were shared by Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, when he recently compared the PPP/C government’s accomplishments in housing over the past two years as opposed to what was achieved in five years under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government.

Refuting claims by APNU Parliamentarian and former Junior Minister of Housing Annette Ferguson that half of the house-lot allocations under the PPP/C were inherited from the previous Coalition Government, Minister Croal, in a Letter to

the Editor, straightened a few facts about what was accomplished in housing during the APNU+AFC’s tenure.

“During its lethargic tenure in government [from] 2015-2020, the Coalition developed three housing schemes: At Peter’s Hall, Prospect Track ‘E’, and Providence, where 279, 186 and 1,258 house lots were developed, respectively. In its five years, the Coalition allocated a total of 7,534 house lots, and regularised no new areas,” Minister Croal clarified.

He went on to note: “When the PPP/C assumed government, we inherited a backlog of 75,509 applications; there was a dire need for new housing areas, for infrastructural development of existing housing areas, and urgent need for house lots. Therefore, the PPP/C’s Manifesto promise and the subsequent mandate of the Ministry of Housing and Water sought to bring immediate relief to this burden.”

To address the backlog of housing needs left by the APNU+AFC, since assuming office, the PPP/C government has been on an aggressive housing and construction and infrastructure development drive all across the country.

Over the past two years, the government has also continuously put a number of programmes and initia-

tives in place to help make homeownership more affordable, and to boost the quality of life of Guyanese.

Those programmes and initiatives include the removal of taxes on several categories of construction materials, such as cement, and the launch of a “Home Construction Assistance” facility, whereby the government partners with prospective homeowners, the banks and contractors to deliver an end product that is a home to the respective families.

Under the “Home Construction Assistance” programme, applicants will be able to select their preference from an option of three standard models of houses, which will cost $7 million, $9 million, or $12 million.

The government also launched the ‘cement- and-

steel subsidy programme, which assists landowners with the steel and cement for their foundation.

Under this initiative, Guyanese constructing homes to the tune of $6 million and below could benefit from 80 lengths of ½ inch steel rods, 60 lengths of 3/8 inch steel rods, and one sling of cement, while builders with estimates of above $6 million-$25 million will benefit from two slings of cement.

Through agreements with the banks in Guyana, the government was able to secure a reduction in the interest rates on loans of up to $9 million to 3.8 per cent.

At the New Building Society (NBS), the interest rate for mortgages were further reduced, while the institution also opened up four new branches across the country

to cater for the upsurge in business.

At NBS, for loans from $1 million to $4 million, the interest rate was reduced from four per cent to 3.50 per cent, while for loans above $4 million and up to $9 million, the interest rate moved from 5.95 per cent to 3.75 per cent; and for loans above $9 million and up to $20 million, the interest rate was reduced from 5.95 per cent to 5.70 per cent.

In Region Nine (Upper

Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the government also gave $1 million to each person owning a house lot, thereby seeing an initial 600 allottees in the region benefiting from the programme.

Additionally, the NBS along with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) agreed to provide $2 million loans at 3.5 per cent interest to Region Nine residents without the need for collateral.

Some of the houses that have been built so far (Ministry of Housing and Water photo)

Amazon to shed over 18,000 jobs as it cuts costs

- CEO says

AMAZON aims to shed more than 18,000 roles as it cuts costs, the technology giant’s boss says.

Affected workers will be informed from 18 January, chief executive Andy Jassy said in a note to staff.

The cuts amount to around six per cent of the firm’s roughly 300,000-strong corporate

workforce.

In November Amazon said it was starting a round of layoffs but did not give a figure of how many jobs it would cut.

“We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support,” Mr. Jassy said.

He added: “Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so.”

Mr. Jassy did not specify where affected employees were located, but he said the firm would communicate with organi-

sations that represent employees “where applicable in Europe”.

He also said the “majority of role eliminations” would be in the Amazon Stores operations and its people, experience, and technology team.

Two months ago the firm said it would focus on reducing expenses in its annual review of business

operations.

Amazon had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic.

It has also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.

(BBC)

Twitter says it will reverse ban on political ads

in the US.

Twitter Inc. will reverse its 2019 ban on political advertisements, Reuters news agency has reported, citing Twitter’s head of trust and safety, as the Elon Muskowned company seeks to grow revenue.

The social media platform tweeted on Tuesday from its Twitter Safety account that it would relax its advertising policy for “cause-based ads” in the United States and align its advertisement policy with TV and other media outlets.

The change would bring Twitter’s policies closer to Meta Platform’s Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, which allow political advertising, although the Chinese video app Tik Tok still bans political advertisements.

“We believe that causebased advertising can facilitate public conversation around important topics,” the social media company tweeted.

Cause-based advertisements that will be allowed on Twitter include ads that educate or raise awareness of issues such as voter registration, climate change or government programmes like the census, said Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, in an email

to Reuters.

Political advertising made up a sliver of Twitter’s overall revenue, accounting for less than $3 million of total spending for the 2018 US midterm election.

Twitter banned political advertisements in 2019 after it and other social media companies faced widespread criticism for allowing election misinformation to spread. It also restricted advertisements related to social causes.

“We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought,” tweeted Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s then-chief executive, in announcing the move.

Since Musk took over Twitter in late October, corporate advertisers have fled in response to the Tesla CEO laying off thousands of employees, reversing the permanent suspension of former US President Donald Trump and rushing a paid verification feature that resulted in scammers impersonating publicly listed companies on Twitter.

Last month, Musk defended his deep costcutting measures and said Twitter had been facing a “negative cash flow” of $3B next year. (Al Jazeera)

THE social media platform tweeted that it would relax its advertising policy for “cause-based ads”

Mocha squatters make ‘preposterous’ demands

to move

DESPITE being offered land and amounts ranging from $3.4 million to $14.3 million, resistant squatters at MochaArcadia/Cane View dam are demanding as much as $100 million to $150 million a piece to remove from the unregularised area.

To date, 28 families have already relocated from the dam to nearby residential areas and have rebuilt new homes through government compensation.

The government has spent over $250 million in getting the other squatters relocated. However, seven remaining squatters are currently hindering construction of the Eccles to Diamond road link.

On Wednesday, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in a last effort to let the public understand the full gravity of the situation, released a notice explaining the efforts that have thus far been made to negotiate with the squatters, and arrive at an amicable resolution.

According to the CH&PA, an individual who got a valuation of $5.5 million is demanding $150 million and farmlands.

Four other individuals are demanding $100 million each, after being offered valuations of $8.6 million, $7.2 million, $6 million and $3.4 million. One individual was given a valuation of $11.5 million, but according to the CH&PA, the individual was not satisfied with the valuation.

Another individual was given a valuation of $14.3 million and allocated a land at Plantation Herstelling. However, despite having signed a settlement agreement, the person has not yet uplifted the cheque, and instead is demanding $45 million in addition to farmlands. Final notices were served to the individuals on June 27, 2022.

For some time now, the remaining squat -

ters on the dam bordered by two trenches, have been claiming that their refusal to remove from the reserve hinged on getting a better offer from the CH&PA, which falls under the Ministry of Housing and Water.

“To date, 28 families have relocated to nearby residential areas and have rebuilt new homes through government compensation. Some seven individuals remain non-compliant and continue to stall development plans by making spurious and unreasonable claims and refusing to vacate the lands,” the CHPA explained.

Speaking on the issue during a special broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN) on Wednesday, Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal, explained that the CH&PA has been meeting and negotiating with the squatters for some time now, and began paying com-

pensation to the other squatters over one year ago.

Minister Croal describe the demands by the remaining squatters as “preposterous”.

“We started having persons sign up their agreement, started their relocation process, and they commenced construction. We have success stories of such persons talking about the benefit of having relocated. Those persons that remained along that corridor would have never gotten title for

the land they occupied, would have never gotten the utility services legally. Because they’re occupying a space that is a reserved,” the minister related.

He went on to say: “Where they’re relocated to, there is a different environment. You now have that opportunity

to say you know have a proper environment for your children you have space on this land, you own this property and you of course have your water and electricity connected legitimately.”

Minister Croal said that the government

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal

PNC/R Leader Aubrey Norton engages police officers who accompanied Housing and Water officials who, in accordance with a final notice issued by the Ministry of Housing and Water, were dismantling structures built by squatters in Mocha, on Tuesday (Screenshot taken from APNU+AFC’s live video of efforts to obstruct the removal of squatters)

Adequate Housing

BILLIONS of Guyanese dollars have been invested over the past two years to advance housing development across the country, with the overarching aim of ensuring that every citizen has access to adequate shelter and are not relegated to squatting or living in shabby conditions.

Unlike the previous A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, which distributed just over 7,000 house lots within five years, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, since assuming office in August 2020, has already distributed 20,500 lots,

and developed 44 new housing schemes, upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas, regularised six areas and reduced squatter settlements from 19 to 13.

The government also completed construction of 827 low and moderate income and young professional houses, while a further 527 houses are currently under construction, in an investment costing more than $7 billion.

There is no shortage of support for the housing sector, and this is evident even at the highest level, where President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has practically made it a mantra that housing is a top priority for his administration.

According to President Ali, modifying infrastructure must be linked to human development and transformation as well as to the changing of people’s lives in the nation as part of the Vision 2030 transformation plan.

He insisted that every government action, including more employment prospects and better living conditions, is related to improving the quality of human existence. President Ali also stressed the importance of equitable development in relation to access to house lots, for which programmes are being rolled out consistently.

The political opposition’s hostility to these housing strategies, how-

ever, is truly remarkable, especially given that the former APNU+AFC government failed to deliver outcomes for Guyanese citizens in the areas of housing and economic fairness.

It is becoming more evident that the opposition is clutching at straws to remain relevant and hang on to its dwindling support base that has awoken to the reality that the PPP/C government has a firm plan for development.

One such example is APNU and AFC’s latest efforts to influence a few squatters at Cane View to resist efforts by the government to provide them with a better housing opportunity and adequate

compensation.

To date, 28 families have relocated from the Cane View squatting area to nearby residential areas and have rebuilt new homes through government compensation.

Some seven individuals, however, remain noncompliant and continue to stall development plans by making spurious and unreasonable claims, and refusing to vacate the lands, which constitute government reserve.

Evidently influenced by the opposition, those persons are denying themselves the opportunity to dwell in a different environment where they would raise their children in proper con -

ditions, have space on their land, and also own a valuable asset.

Not only are they depriving themselves of an opportunity for betterment, but they are also hindering the construction of a critical road link, the Eccles to Great Diamond Highway, that would ultimately benefit thousands of Guyanese.

The onus is now on the squatters to make a decision that would suit their best interest or continue to be influenced by the political opposition, which is continuously losing supporters and members, and failing to address pertinent matters under its own roof.

Setting the record straight about developments in the housing sector

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Housing and Water takes note of a letter written by Coalition member Annette Ferguson in SN 2022-12-31 “Half of the PPP/C’s house lots’ allocations were inherited from the Coalition Government.”

These are the facts: During its lethargic tenure in government - 20152020 – the coalition developed three housing schemes

at Peter’s Hall, Prospect Track ‘E’ and Providence where 279, 186 and 1,258 house lots were developed respectively.

In its five years, the coalition allocated a total of 7,534 house lots and regularised no new areas.

When we assumed government, we inherited a backlog of 75,509 applications. There was a dire need for new housing areas, for infrastructural development

of existing housing areas and urgent need for house lots.

Therefore, the PPP/C’s manifesto promise, and the subsequent mandate of the Ministry of Housing and Water sought to bring immediate relief to this burden.

Since August 2020 to end of December 2022, we have:

1. Allocated over 20,500 house lots.

2. Established 44 new housing areas.

3. Upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas.

4. We have built 827 houses (Low and Moderate Income and Young Professionals) while a further 527 in progress. The investment cost for these houses is pegged at more than $7 billion.

5. We have regularised six areas and reduced

squatter settlements from 19 to 13.

6. We have processed and distributed 4,256 certificates of titles and transports.

These are indisputable facts.

We also note with concern the allegation and accusation made by Ms. Ferguson regarding the illegal sale of house lots.

We wish to ask Ms. Ferguson to provide the Ministry of Housing the evidence

that she has in her possession so that we can launch an investigation into her claims.

In the interim, we wish to remind applicants that there is no intermediary needed or authorised by the Ministry of Housing or CH&PA to facilitate ownership of a house lot.

Yours sincerely, Collin D Croal Minister of Housing and Water

Mocha squatters make...

FROM PAGE 5

offering compensation and assistance to the squatters does not negate the fact that the land they are occupying is a government reserve and they were never entitled to it.

“It has to do with the elements from the [main political] opposition which, as usual, is never being a responsible political group of leaders. We are having discussions about a portion of land that is a reserve. We must establish that.

“Adequate time was provided, we repeatedly kept engaging asking them to come in to us. The ministry’s doors are open, the Central Housing and Planning Authority doors are open; we repeatedly said this,” Minister Croal said.

He denounced claims that the dam being occupied is part of “ancestral lands”.

In keeping with its mandate to ease traffic

congestion for thousands of commuters along the East Bank Demerara, Region Four Corridor, the government of Guyana is currently constructing the Eccles and Great Diamond Highway.

However illegally occupied lands at Cane View/Herstelling form an essential link to the project, thus stymying development which will ultimately benefit

thousands of Guyanese.

On Tuesday, the squatters, supported by Leader of the PNC/R, Aubrey Norton, and Parliamentarians Coretta McDonald, Nima FlueBess, Ganesh Mahipaul, and Sherod Duncan continued to resist efforts to be remove and faced off with officials from the CH&PA and the police.

Demolished structures on the dam

Local farmers, agro-processors urged to form consortiums to supply O&G sector

WITH Guyana’s oil-andgas sector quickly expanding, local farmers and agro-processors are being urged to form consortiums to supply fresh fruits, vegetables and other commodities.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle exclusively on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said that while there is a small group of local farmers who already provide both fresh and processed products to the sector, there is room for a greater market.

“The Ministry, through the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), is continu-

ously encouraging farmers’ groups/associations across the country to drive the overall improvement of the sector, especially in the area of production,” Minister Mustapha said.

He noted that the ministry has been providing training opportunities to members of existing groups that supply the oil-and-gas sector.

“These groups are receiving training in various areas such as Good Agriculture Practices, Record Keeping, Pest and Disease, Chemical and Fertiliser Application, Post-Harvest and Business Management to better improve their farming

techniques, and management practices,” he added.

To ensure that farmers are well positioned to benefit from the oil boom, there has been an increase in production initiatives.

It was explained that the aim is to allow them the opportunity to be able to supply goods while using traditional methods and climate smart techniques.

According to Minister Mustapha, many of Guyana’s agro-processed products can be found within the oil & gas Industry.

Several recognised brands are being purchased directly from processors or consolidators and are sup-

plied to oil and gas vessels, he said.

“Our local products are of comparable standards and even of better quality. Take for example ketchup, the brand Heinz is made in USA. It] sits minimum three months in a [United States of America] USA warehouse, then ships another month to Guyana, then reaches the customers, whereas locally produced ketchup is made today and reaches customers tomorrow,” Mustapha added.

Last month, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, had announced the first auction for the development of 14 new oil blocks.

The blocks will be in shallow-water and deepwater areas combined.

The President had explained that there are separate requirements for qualifications to participate in the deep versus the shallowwater blocks. A higher bar has been set for the deeper areas.

He noted further that Guyana’s offshore basin has captivated the attention of the global oil market participants and has been called a gateway to the world’s fastest-growing super basin over the last four years.

Further, at a recent press conference, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA)’s President, Rafeek Khan said with the upcoming auction of the new oil blocks, small businesses must be “bold and

Mustapha

confident” to capitalise on the opportunities provided by the sector.

“I want to see businesses come forward and bring your ideas, challenge us at the GMSA to see how you can play a greater role, but you must put your businesses in order, you must come with confidence, you must prepare to leverage your assets, you must be prepared to leverage your time and …take risks,” Khan said.

Police investigating alleged murder of Moruca pensioner

POLICE in Regional Division One are investigating the alleged murder of Stanley Williams, an 81-year-old pensioner of Cabora Village, Moruca, North West District.

According to information from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the victim and the suspect, a 25-year-old labourer of Moruca, are known to each other, as the suspect is the victim’s reputed nephewin-law who would frequently “sleep over” at the victim’s house.

The pensioner’s reputed wife, 28-year-old Verita Torres, told police that around 23:00 hours on Tuesday, she and Williams were asleep, when they awoke to calls from the suspect who visited their home and requested to sleep on his “grandmother’s bed.”

Williams, however, reportedly told the suspect that he cannot sleep on the bed and the suspect got annoyed and left.

“However, shortly after, the victim went outside to urinate and subsequently started to scream, causing

her (the reputed wife) to get out of bed, looked through the window and observed the suspect chopping the victim about his body, after which he made good his escape,” the police said.

The matter was reported to the Acquero Police Station, and ranks immediately went to the victim’s house, where they observed him lying on his right side, motionless and unresponsive. He was clad in a black underwear and a grey jersey.

The victim’s body was then examined by the crime scene rank and multiple wounds were observed on his person.

He was placed into a

vehicle and escorted to the Kumaka District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty. The body remains at the hospital’s mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.

Acting on information received on Wednesday, of-

ficers visited the suspect’s home and informed him of the allegation.

He was then arrested and escorted to the Acquero Police station, where he was placed into custody. The suspected murder weapon has not yet been recovered, but investigations are ongoing.

A Guyanese farmer harvesting sorrel (Carl Croker photo)

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar

Possible fire averted at Christ Church Secondary School

- chemical reaction suspected to be the origin; facility to remain closed until Monday as investigations continue

they were able to use the smoldering system to extinguish,” Wickham said.

The substance was removed from the building and further efforts were made to ensure the rest of the building was ventilated and secured.

“[They] remove the contents from the area, and then used fire extinguishers and a small amount of water and sand to cover the debris,” Wickham said.

He related that while the Fire Service does not often receive reports of chemical reactions, all ranks are trained and well equipped to respond to such situations.

Further investigations will be conducted.

Meanwhile, Minister Manickchand said that her ministry is in the process of rolling out an initiative to ensure that chemicals that are used as part of the secondary school curriculum as

well as electrical appliances are properly stored.

“We are in that process [of] looking at all high schools and how we can make sure we dispose safely of chemicals that may have expired and I’m not suggesting that is what happened here, I’m just saying that is one of the processes we are engaged in currently and also looking at electrical and so on,” she said.

By Naomi Parris

FIREFIGHTERS, on Wednesday, prevented a possible fire at the Christ Church Secondary School, located on Camp Street, just adjacent to the Prime Minister’s Office.

At 16:30 hours, an alarmed was raised by teachers and other nearby patrons after heavy smoke was seen emanating from the lower flat of the building.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand, who spoke with reporters while on the scene, said quick response from both the teachers and the fire service helped to alleviate any possible devastation.

“Anything that destroys a school really hurts a lot of children for a long time, so you would think it’s only for the hours or the days a school is closed, but for every day lost for a child in education, they suffer many years to come and so we are very concerned about anything that could damage a school… these are old schools, they are wooden schools, so we

are very glad about the prompt responses and alert,” Minister Manickchand said.

Meanwhile, acting Fire Chief, Gregory Wickham told reporters firemen who responded to the incident were able to contain the situation, which was believed to be caused by a chemical reaction in the school’s laboratory.

“We would have had a dispatch of four ten-

ders that is from the four stations in Georgetown; the first arriving tender would have sent the signal or the call that the building was smoke logged and so as they arrived, they were able to gain entry, they realised it was not generally smoke, but it was some chemicals and so they entered the prep room and they were able to identify the area where the chemicals were…

Due to the ongoing investigation and concerns of safety, the school will remain closed until next Monday.

“Because of safety concerns, chemicals have peculiar smells and so on, we have decided that the school is going to be closed on Thursday and Friday. We will resume again on Monday,” Minister Manickchand said.

Also present at the scene, were Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand receives an update from a fireman who responded to the alarm (Delano Williams photos)

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, were also at the scene (Delano Williams photo)

Several government officials, teachers stood outside of the school’s compound, watching on as firefighters work to prevent a fire (Delano Williams photo)

Fire Service gets $81.8M boost from gov’t

new vehicles, bicycles to help improve firefighting efforts

tract period at the rate they are going.

The contract was awarded in November 2021 to Mohamed’s Enterprise following a tender process. Subsequently, the construction began in December of that year, with an expected 14-month timeline.

The relocation of the Fire Service headquarters from the Stabroek area to Homestretch Avenue is expected to increase emergency response timing, as it will now be away from the heavilycongested downtown area.

In February 2022, the Guyana Chronicle reported that following preparatory works on the three-and-ahalf-acre plot of land, the foundation for the facility was laid, and further works commenced.

Later in September this year, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said that work on the actual structure was about 60 per cent completed. At the time, he noted that he was satisfied with the progress and quality of the work done thus far.

MINISTER of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, on Wednesday, handed over $81.8 million worth of new vehicles and bicycles which were purchased by the Government of Guyana, to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).

Minister Benn told the firemen that this year, new steps will be taken to improve the operations of the Fire Service.

According to a press release, the vehicles include two excavators which will remain in Region Four to assist in the planting of fire

hydrants and to support firefighting efforts; three double cab pickups which will be placed in Regions Two, Four, and Six; one Fortuner SUV which will be used to transport the Chief Fire Officer and other senior officers; and one motorcycle which will be sent to Lethem, Region Nine.

Five bicycles which were also included in the purchase will be distributed to each division.

Chief Fire Officer (ag), Gregory Wickham, thanked Minister Benn on behalf of the GFS for the commitment to the development of the

service by allowing them access to more equipment and tools to help them better their firefighting efforts.

“These pieces of equipment will be used to enhance our firefighting in the various areas. The excavators will be used to do clearing of debris

when there are fires and also in the exercises of planting of hydrants around the country,” Wickham said.

Additionally, Wickham related that the Guyana Fire Service’s new headquarters on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, is already 90

per cent completed.

In December 2022, the fire chief in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, confirmed that works have been progressing smoothly on the multimillion-dollar facility.

He noted that it should be completed within the con-

The expected deadline for the completion of the project is April 2023. While the contract sum is $614 million, the new headquarters is expected to cost some $648 million upon full completion.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, hands over the keys to the vehicles to the Fire Chief (ag), Gregory Wickham

Wakenaam customers register no complaints about quality of water

- GWI says

A CUSTOMER survey by the Guyana Water Incorporated’s (GWI)’s field and office staff has found no complaints about dirty water or customers using trench water for domestic purposes at Wakenaam.

According to GWI: “Indeed customers understand that there is a high iron content in the water above WHO standards and that GWI will commence shortly the construction of a water treatment plant on the island. Customers have also expressed satisfaction with the level of service being received across the island which is 15 to 20ft high.”

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the utility company, Shaik Baksh, debunked allegations

made by Kaieteur News publisher, Glen Lall, about dirty water being supplied to residents and sees this as part of an agenda to mislead and distract the public on important developments taking place in the country, including at GWI.

A new well was recently completed on the island in 2022 and President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, said in his address at the commissioning of the well: “Water quality and treatment is major on our agenda and as such residents will receive the best quality.”

In relation to water quality plans, programmes have been outlined to improve same over the next two years.

During a press briefing, Baksh, announced: “GWI has improved ac-

cess to water to 97 per cent, owing to invest -

ment by the Government of Guyana, where

over 15,000 persons along the coastland and hinterland have benefitted in the year 2022.”

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (fourth from right) with Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal (third from left), Minister within the Minister of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues (fifth from right), GWI’s CEO, Shaik Baksh (fourth from left) at the commissioning of the new well on Wakenaam Island, last August (Office of the President photo)

President Ali is first official subscriber to ENet’s

VoLTE network

ENET, on Wednesday, visited State House, where President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, became the first official subscriber to its 4G/5G VoLTE (Voice over LTE) network, and the company has indicated that it will be rolling out this service to the general public over the next few weeks.

According to a post on the President’s Facebook page, during the visit, ENet’s Chairman, Rakesh Puri, and CEO, Vishok Persaud, presented President Ali with a replica of the first SIM

numbered 001 as a token of his status as the first person to officially connect to ENet’s new 5G cellular network.

The President congratulated the newest entrant in the mobile telecoms space on this remarkable achievement, that is, the first 5G VoLTE network in the country and the region, and especially on utilising local resources to deliver a world-class product.

President Ali commended the company’s continued investment in the sector. He also

recognised them as a private sector company that is taking on the challenge of creating transformational investments aligned with the government’s national development agenda, which aims to create jobs and generate wealth for all citizens across Guyana.

ENet’s Chairman thanked the President for accelerating the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, as well as the government’s emphasis on enabling local companies to implement meaningful projects for the benefit of Guyana.

He also reaffirmed ENet’s commitment, as a 100 per cent Guyanese-owned company, to continuously expand and improve telecommunications services for Guyanese.

ENet’s 5G VoLTE network will deliver a world-class product on 4G and 5 G-enabled phones, including local and international voice calls, SMS, 4G, and 5G data, and international roaming services. Cellular talk, text, and data services will be available across a large coverage area

built on ENet’s fiber backbone – the largest fiber backbone in Guyana.

ENet’s Chairman, Rakesh Puri, and CEO, Vishok Persaud, presenting President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, with a replica of the SIM numbered 001

Law revision, JSC and PSC appointments for 2023

THE year 2023 will see numerous amendments to facilitate the government’s efforts to modernise the country’s legislation.

This was according to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C., during his programme, ‘Issues in the News’.

The Attorney-General said that early this year, members of the Judicial Service and Public Service Commissions will be appointed.

“All the preparatory work has been done and these important commissions will be appointed so that important appointments can be made to the public sector and in the magistracy and judiciary,” he said.

Further, he alluded to the Court of Appeal Bill that seeks to add to the complement of judges.

The bill seeks to amend

section 43 (1) of the Court of Appeal Act, Cap 3:01, which currently allows for the judges of the Court of Appeal to include no less than two and no more than five Justices of Appeal.

The bill amends that section to provide that the Court of Appeal judges shall now include no less than five and no more than nine Justices of Appeal.

Nandlall also reiterated that the long-awaited constitutional reform is also on the docket for 2023.

The act provides for the appointment of a Constitutional Reform Commission, which will be responsible for receiving, considering and evaluating submissions for changes to the constitution. Those recommendations will then be submitted to a

Guyanese cardiology specialist ready to serve after completing training in Cuba

the Cuban Medical Brigade.

In January 2019, he commenced studies in Clinical Cardiology at the University of Medical Sciences of Villa Clara and secured 98.16 per cent out of a possible 100 points. After that, he began to pursue an intensive programme specialising in Clinical and Invasive Electrophysiology and Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (pacemakers, ICDs, CRTs).

standing committee for consideration by the National Assembly.

He said that the commission will be appointed early this year and will begin its statutory duties. Simultaneously, law revision also forms part of the 2023 agen-

da. The Attorney-General said the process of compiling and organising the amendments to each law promotes functionalism within a democratic society.

“If the rule of law is to prevail in any society, then people must have access to

the law to know the law. It must be in an orderly fashion so that the ordinary man can pick up the law and read it,” he said, adding that those revisions are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2023.

(DPI)

DR. SURUJ HARRICHAND who has recently completed specialist training in Cardiology from the University of Medical Sciences of Villa Clara, Cuba, with excellence, will return to Guyana, later this month, after a rigorous three years of intense studies.

Dr. Harrichand, who hails

from West Bank Demerara, Region Three, arrived in Havana in 2009 to pursue studies in Medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and later at the University of Medical Sciences of Ciego De Avila.

After completing his MD, he returned to Guyana and worked at the West Demerara Regional Hospital alongside

Dr. Harrichand performed surgeries involving 175 pacemakers and ICD implants as First Operator during his training. He was privileged to study at the Ernesto Guevara Hospital in the Province of Villa Clara during his final year. His Medical Supervisors included Professor Elibet Chavez Gonzalez, Professor Raimundo Carmona Puerta, Dr. Juan Miguel, and Dr. Fernando Rodriguez Gonzalez.

Dr. Suruj Harrichand (centre) with Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed (at left) and Quincy Younge, Foreign Service Officer at the Guyana Embassy

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.

Newly promoted soldiers ‘badged’

CHIEF-OF-STAFF (ag), Brigadier Godfrey Bess, ‘decorated’ 31 newly promoted Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers with their new badges of rank during a badging ceremony conducted, on Wednesday, at the auditorium, Base Camp Ayanganna.

This batch is among the

more than 700 Other Ranks whose promotions took effect on January 1, 2023.

Among those ‘badged’ were six Warrant Officers (including one Reservist), eight Staff Sergeants and 17 Sergeants. The Sergeants are new to the Warrant Officers’ and Senior Non- Commissioned Officers’ Corps and will undergo induction as part of the

“backbone” of the Force.

During the simple but significant ceremony, the newly promoted Non-Commissioned Officers recited the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ Creed, which is an oath and a pledge and also serves as a reminder of the many responsibilities and expectations bestowed upon them under their elevation in rank.

Brigadier Bess, during congratulatory remarks, charged the WOs and SNCOs to stay focused, remain committed, and be disciplined in support of their commanders and the Force.

“You have crossed a significant threshold in your military career. You have transcended to the rank that holds the responsibility in

peacetime and wartime. Your responsibility has evolved and you must evolve with it, or you will forfeit what you have earned. The way in which commanders, WOs and SNCOs communicate with each other has a direct bearing on the cohesion and morale of your unit regardless of the size of the unit. I urge you to maintain the type of relation-

ship with your commanders that will send a message that you are a team player,” he charged.

Brigadier Bess also reminded the WOs and SNCOs that elevation in rank was not automatic but earned by demonstrating commitment and professionalism in completing their tasks.

Police Force gets ‘small arms’ boost

THE Guyana Police Force, on Wednesday, received an additional boost to its ‘operational capacity’ in the form of 10 new 9mm Pistols and over 3000 matching rounds of ammunition, from private security firm, VxL Security South America Inc.

The guns and ammu -

nition were handed over to Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag) Ravindradat Budhram, at his office, at Force Headquarters, Eve Leary, by representatives from VxL Security South America Inc., Kerry Crain (Project Manager) and Joseph Holligan (Guard Force Commander).

The items were donated to the Police Force as part of the continued collaborative effort between the Force and private security firms, in enhancing and boosting operational capacity and crime-fighting efforts countrywide.

Chief-of-Staff (ag), Brigadier Godfrey Bess, flanked by newly promoted Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers

Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag), Ravindradat Budhram (centre), receives one of the 10 new 9mm Pistols and matching rounds of ammunition from private security firm VxL Security South America Inc. Project Manager, Kerry Crain

Over 300 applications approved for cement, steel subsidy

SOME 302 applications were approved in 2022 for the government’s “cement and steel” subsidy programme, which began in October, 2022.

The programme is being administered through the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

The incentive caters to home builders constructing homes below $6 million and ranging up to $25 million. The government was expected to invest approximately $700 million into the programme in 2022.

“These activities benefitted the very poor and vulnerable, and also those who qualified for low, middle and high-income homes,” Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal, commented.

He added: “It feels good that we’re also able to help the vulnerable. It’s a sense of satisfaction knowing that we fulfilled a commitment as a government. When we asked the people to elect us, we said

we would work every day to ensure that we uplift their environment and their social well-being. So, a lot of these developments happening in the housing sector it’s to uplift people, their families, and their social well-being.”

According to Minister Croal, with the inaugural batch of applicants having been approved, the next step will be for them to be issued with the necessary vouchers to uplift their materials.

Through this initiative, Guyanese constructing homes to the tune of $6 million and below could benefit from 80 lengths of ½ inch steel rods, 60 lengths 3/8 inch steel rods, and one sling of cement, while builders with estimates of above $6 million-$25 million will benefit from two slings of cement.

It was at the opening of International Building Expo 2022, that President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, first announced the government’s plan to put the programme in place to continue the government’s aggressive

agenda of making homeownership more affordable, and to boost the quality of life of Guyanese.

pledged to provide 50,000 house lots by 2025, and is well on target to reaching that goal, having allocated over 20,000

construction from the requisite local government authority in their area, have an approved plan, and an estimate for their

gy. Qualified persons will be issued with a voucher to purchase the materials at selected merchants.

The programme is part to several initiatives and programmes by the government to support the aggressive housing drive all across the country.

The government has

house lots over the past two years, in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine, and 10.

To be eligible to benefit from the cement and steel programme, applicants must own their land, have permission for

construction.

Interested applicants can apply at the ministry’s main office at 41 Brickdam, Georgetown, any CH&PA Regional Office, or online at mohw.gov.gy/chpa.gov.

In the process, officers from the CH&PA will follow up to ensure that the recipients receive what they are supposed to receive, and that they utilise it to the fullest.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Thursday January 05, 2023)

CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD -- 83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 215 ODI players (2) 30 captains

Today’s Quiz:

(1) How many players have turned out for the WI in T20 International cricket to date? (2) How many of these players have led the team?

Answers in Tuesday’s issue

RACING TIPS

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Shakeel maiden test century gives Pakistan fight

(ESPNCricinfo) - Tom Latham shelled two catches as the second Test in Karachi saw an otherwise tame third day's play end with New Zealand bagging a flurry of wickets. Pakistan lost four wickets for 12 runs in a lower-order collapse in fading light, but Saud Shakeel was still undefeated on a solid 124 from 336 deliveries, his maiden Test century.

Eventually, the day ended with New Zealand 42 ahead, with Pakistan having only one wicket remaining on a flat Karachi surface that is yet to see any sort of deterioration. The hosts, too, have been happy to bide time and test the bowlers' patience. They added only 70 runs in 31 overs in the final session, 34 of which came in the last ten overs of the day.

After tea, Shakeel faced 94 balls and scored only 23 runs. Overall, he let go of 66 out of

the 111 deliveries that landed outside off from the pace bowlers in his entire innings. The only time he seemed to poke outside off and away from his body, Latham dropped a simple catch while going reverse-cupped at short point just after being brought in to stand exactly at that position. Shakeel was on 102 at the time.

The grind from Shakeel and Agha Salman meant they added only 53 in 25 overs before Ajaz Patel finally broke the stand, though that was down to sharp catching by Michael Bracewell at slip. Salman went to sweep Ajaz, only for the ball to take a little top edge, hit his right shoulder, and pop towards Bracewell, who went first went to his left, considering the shot and the bowler's around-thewicket angle, only to immediately skip to his right to grab that on the second attempt even after tumbling down.

That opened the door for a bunch of late wickets, as Hasan Ali swung Ajaz in the 127th over to deep midwicket, where Devon Conway snapped up a smart catch close to the ropes. Four balls later, Latham, at silly point to Ajaz, saw a push from Naseem Shah hit his right hand and fall off. It was, however, a tough chance with a lack of reaction time.

But two overs later, Ish Sodhi joined in on the fun when he removed Naseem and Mir Hamza off successive balls, cleaning both of them up using the googly and the leg-spinner, respectively. But Shakeel and last man Abrar Ahmed saw off the day for Pakistan.

Pakistan had earlier scored rather rapidly in the second session, which fetched them 113 runs at more than four an over. Much of that was down to Sarfaraz Ahmed, who hit an entertaining 78 to keep piling

runs on comeback.

He got to his third fifty in a row off 61 balls, especially targetting Ajaz, off whom he picked 22 off 16 deliveries. Sarfaraz even negated any possible movement with the second new ball by walking down and getting across off to play Southee. And it took some nimble glovework by Tom Blundell to stump Sarfaraz minutes before tea, with the third umpire checking multiple replays from various angles before ruling it out.

He had missed a delivery angling down leg off Daryl Mitchell, and lost balance. Eventually, his back leg ended close to his front leg, which he tried to drag back, only for Blundell to whip the bails off despite taking the ball well down the leg side. That came just two balls after Sarfaraz had been saved by the DRS when umpire Alex Wharf had ruled

him out leg before wicket off Mitchell's first delivery.

Earlier in the day, Imamul-Haq missed out on a century for a second successive time, falling for 83 as Southee broke the solid 83-run stand between Imam and Shakeel when he forced the former to play away from his body, with replays showing a faint nick off the toe end of the bat. Sarfaraz came out to bat after Imam fell, and got into some cat-and-mouse

stuff with Sodhi. The leg-spinner beat Sarfaraz off the first ball he bowled to him, but ended up conceding 25 off the 32 balls he bowled to him.

But both spinners, Sodhi and Ajaz, got into the action as the third day neared its end, leaving New Zealand with an opportunity of a meagre first-innings advantage even with no demons in the pitch yet.

Labuschagne, Khawaja hit half centuries

(ESPNCRICINFO)

- Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja hit half-centuries for Australia on a truncated day one before Anrich Nortje helped South Africa claw back into the third Test at a gloomy SCG.

After captain Pat Cummins won a crucial toss and elected to bat on a dry surface, Australia reached stumps at 147 for 2 with Khawaja unbeaten on 54 and Steven Smith yet to face a delivery.

Labuschagne fell for 79 on what turned out to be the final delivery of the day's play. Only 47 overs were bowled due to bad light and rain much to the disappointment of the 31,000 crowd in another Sydney Test match affected by inclement conditions.

Labuschagne and Khawaja had built a strong platform with a 135-run partnership after the early loss of opener David Warner for 10. There was a delay of more than two hours due to bad light before five overs were squeezed in late in the day and Nortje capitalised with a cracking delivery to remove Labuschagne.

Exerting plenty of energy, Nortje conjured sharp bounce

and pace on the slow surface to produce an unplayable delivery that had Labuschagne caught behind.

After a lionhearted effort in Melbourne, Nortje was again the standout with 2 for 26 from 11 overs having earlier taken the wicket of Warner. He has kept a struggling South Africa buoyant after Australia threatened to grab an early stranglehold of the contest.

Labuschagne had been irrepressible until on 70 he appeared to be dismissed out of nowhere when he edged seamer Marco Jansen to first slip where Simon Harmer claimed a low catch.

It was given out on the soft signal but Labuschagne stood his ground and it seemed difficult to prove from replays whether Harmer had his hands under the ball close to the turf.

Third umpire Richard Kettleborough overturned the decision much to the frustration of South Africa. It only furthered Labuschagne's reputation as a rather charmed batter but he had played imperiously before that contentious incident with five boundaries in 12 balls to go from 40 to 61.

After bowling well before lunch, Harmer trapped Khawaja

lbw with the second delivery of the second session only for the decision to be reversed when replays showed the ball hit the glove first.

Having revived his career a year ago with twin centuries against England on this ground, Khawaja passed 4000 career Test runs en route to a half-century.

Under-pressure South Africa

captain Dean Elgar once again made questionable decisions, including under-utilising Harmer who bowled just five overs even though his off-spin particularly threatened left-handed Khawaja.

Elgar, however, backed underperforming left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who bowled nine overs for 35 runs with Labuschagne and Khawaja sweep-

ing effectively against him.

Maharaj has now bowled 52.5 overs without reward in this series.

While Nortje toiled, spearhead Kagiso Rabada continued his underwhelming series to finish with 0 for 45 off 12 overs. He unsuccessfully reverted to bowling short against Labuschagne, who counterattacked with ease.

There was drama when Renshaw, playing his first Test since 2018, tested positive for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test after feeling unwell before the day's play, but he will continue to play in the match.

With the SCG surface set to play more traditionally, Australia named two frontline spinners at home for the first time in six years with left-arm spinner Agar making his return having not played Tests since 2017.

Regular quick Hazlewood returned from a side strain having edged out Scott Boland and uncapped tearaway, Lance Morris.

Along with Harmer, who replaced Lungi Ngidi, South Africa named batter Heinrich Klaasen in place of Theunis de Bruyn who returned home for the birth of his first child.

South Africa still have a slim chance at qualifying for the WTC final with a consolation victory as their spirit lifted after Njorte's late heroics.

Saud Shakeel notched up his first ton in Test cricket (Associated Press)

Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood and Matt Renshaw were named in an Australia team attempting a clean sweep of the series and a spot in the World Test Championship final in June.

Marnus Labuschagne debates the controversial non-catch with South Africa's fielders (Getty Images)

GBA dubs 2022 a success

The following is a release from the Guyana Badminton Association:

The Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) hailed 2022 for its success as the sport grew continuously, with bigger plans set to take 2023 to newer heights.

The year 2022 started off with the launch of the Badminton Nursery Academy on January 2 and resumed at the Queens College after refurbishment of the Badminton Courts in the Auditorium.

In March 2022, national players, siblings Narayan Ramdhani and Priyanna Ramdhani had a very successful year on the Collegiate Circuit when Narayan got 1st in the Provincial Men’s Singles Championship and Priyanna got 3rd in Women’s Singles.

They pair went on to the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (Nationals) where Narayan got 4th in singles and Priyanna got 3rd in Doubles. Narayan then won the coveted All Canadian Award 2022 and also the Athlete of the Year and All Conference Award.

The GBA was represented at 5 international tournaments beginning in April, where Narayan Ramdhani, Priyanna Ramdhani, Akili Haynes and

Tyrese Jeffrey participated in the Panam Individual Championship in El Salvador where Narayan and Priyanna Ramdhani got to the quarter finals.

In May, South American Youth Games in Argentina were represented by Matthew Beharry. Commonwealth Games in July in Birmingham, England.

South American Games in Paraguay October 3 persons were qualified Narayan, Priyanna and Akili Haynes. The El Salvador International saw Priyanna Ramdhani given a Gender Equity travel Grant by Badminton Panam to participate. December.

In March 2022, the GBA visited the community of St. Cuthbert’s Mission and promoted AirBadminton. We also donated equipment for the community to continue playing the sport.

The local Tournaments were: GUMDAC AB&C Division Tournament in April. The GBA then held a tournament to commemorate World Badminton Day, which is celebrated worldwide on July 5 this was the inaugural year.

GBA National Junior Tournament in October, 2022 where students from the Nursery Badminton

Academy participated as well as a few players from Berbice.

The other local tournament we had which can also be considered an international tournament was the Inter-Guiana Games in November. Suriname got the better of us but we had a young team compared to them.

A team we will continue to work with. Again 3 persons were from the Badminton Academy, two from Berbice and the others from Yonex Badminton Club.

The GBA was then scheduled to have another local tournament and for the first time the Gokarn Ramdhani Classic, a memorial tournament to honor our late President. This was a brainchild of our Hon. Minister, Mr. Ramson.

However due to the refurbishment of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and clashes with other sport discipline were unable to have this tournament but we are looking forward to having it done bigger and better in 2023.

The association noted that it was very happy with the progress of having the Sports Hall completed which was long overdue.

"I would say for 2022 the major accomplishment

which was made possible through the Hon. Minister of Sports Mr. Charles Ramson, The National Sports Commission and the Government of Guyana was a finally,a home for Badminton.

We are truly grateful and extremely excited over this huge accomplishment. Hats off to the Stakeholders". GBA Secretary Emelia Ramdhani noted.

PLANS FOR 2023

Plans for 2023 will be geared towards growing the sport of Badminton in Guyana. The first order of business will be our Biennial General Meeting thereafter we will continue the Badminton Nursery Academy, maybe take it to a few other locations maybe Bishops, St. Roses etc.

Maybe even Berbice, Linden, Essequibo as we find it’s easier for us to go to interested persons. For 2023 the Association plans on distributing Racquets, Shuttlecocks and Nets to schools. Hopefully in the outlying regions where we think that the outdoor aspect of the Game “AirBadminton” will be more readily accessible.

The shuttles for this aspect of the game was modified for playing outdoor and for the wind fac-

tor. These donations will be made possible through our international affiliations Badminton Panam and the Badminton World Federation.

The GBA will also continue to work with our senior players as Pan Am Games and Olympics 2024 are soon approaching. They're are hoping our national players Narayan Ramdhani and Priyanna Ramdhani can qualify for Olympics 2024.

However, to do this we will need to attend at least 6-7 international tourna-

ment in the region and further afield in 2023. The association are hoping to solicit the help of our corporate sponsors, the National Sports Commission and the Guyana Olympic Association.

By April 2023 we should be aware of the players who will qualify for the Panam Games in Santiago, Chile in October 2023. Once again we look forward to having our own home, this dream should be realized by the end of 2023. (Clifton Ross)

MINISTER of Youth, Culture and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., has confirmed January 29 as the date for the National Sports Commission awards while the day prior will be the second staging of the Sport Conference at the National Cultural Centre.

The Minister made the announcement on Wednesday after a meeting with the Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle; Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow-Richardson, and various sport journalists at his Main Street office.

According to the Minister, the awards will return as a norm after last being held in 2019 due to COVID-19 and for these specific awards, they will seek to cater for accomplishments in 2021 and 2022.

Candidate Master (CM)

Wendell Meusa won the Open Rapid Chess Championship, scoring a remarkable eight points after nine rounds of play at the School of the Nations on Monday.

His only defeat was at the hands of Saeed Ali, who finished fifth overall. Coming in second, just one point behind the champion, was Glenford Corlette.

Corlette lost to Meusa and Davion Mars, who finished in fourth place with 6.5 points. Also finishing on 6.5 points is third-place finisher Roberto Neto, who edged Mars by a direct encounter tiebreak for the prize.

Neto lost in a round four clash to Meusa, round six against Corlette and then proceeded to draw his match with Saeed Ali in round sev-

en. The top female was Jessica Callender, who finished ninth overall with four points.

Her losses came against Meusa, Owen Mickle, Mars, Michael Chapp-Jumbo and Corlette. Fifteen players competed in the one-day event under a time-control of 10 minutes per player with a one-second increment after each move.

This event was just the

first in a packed year of tournaments for the Guyana Chess Federation. Anthony Drayton was the tournament organiser and Chief Arbiter.

The top player in the event received G$50,000 cash. Second prize was G$30,000 and third G$20,000, while the top female player was awarded G$20,000.

The Minister further expressed he has confidence in the panel he has gathered to decide on respective winners after the various national sport associations / Federations would have made their nominations.

Meanwhile, the central focus of the Sport Conference will be to further discuss how to move the sport academies forward which started after the historic conference in 2021.

The Sport Academy, which, importantly, is a programme and not a building, will centre on three pillars – nursery, tournaments and elite training academy.

The core sports currently identified by the Ministry are badminton, basketball, cricket, squash, table tennis, rugby, volleyball, swimming, football, tennis, hockey, and track and field.

Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh renews sponsorship of Berbice Cricket for 2023

The plans of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) for the development of cricket in the ancient county for 2023 on Monday last received a major boost when long-time sponsor, Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh renewed his sponsorship recently.

Dr. Singh, a highly respected medical doctor based in Texas, USA, has been supporting the Hilbert Foster-led board since 2018 and has invested millions of dollars into a county-wide coaching programme and assisting the county with a wide range of items including water pitchers, grass cutters, pitch covers. He also sponsored the restoration of the BCB Office in 2019.

Foster, who led the BCB discussion with Dr. Singh, disclosed that the 2023 sponsorship covers three major

sections that includes tournaments, bowling machines and cricket academies.

The deal would see Dr. Singh sponsoring two-day tournaments for four sub zones at the under-15 and under-19 levels.

The major objectives are to get youth cricketers to play the longer version of the game and to get youths to develop concentration at the crease.

At the end of the two tournaments, the Berbice selectors would select a twenty-man squad for a special three-day coaching programme.

The second part of the multimillion sponsorship would involve the purchasing of two bowling machines for the BCB coaching programme.

The machines were spe-

cially requested by the BCB nineteen- member coaching staff during one of their meetings with Foster.

The two machines would be obtained at the cost of about eight hundred thousand dollars.

The main objective is to work on the ability of Berbice young batsmen to play

fast bowling.

The BCB hopes to acquire at least two more bowling machines so that every sub zone would have one for their own internal coaching programmes.

The ancient county is also expected to collect a large amount of bowling

machines from a friend of Berbice cricket, Australian Matt Bruer, later this year.

The final part of the cricket sponsorship covers expenses for the hosting of mini academies in West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne.

The four mini academies will be held in July/August and would cater for a combined one hundred and eighty youths between the ages of nine to eighteen years old.

A panel of coaches headed by level three coach, Winston Smith, would conduct the academies that would be held over two days in each sub zone.

BCB president Hilbert Foster expressed thanks to the sponsor for his continued investment in the county cricket development.

He stated that 2023 will see unmatched development in the game especially at the youth level as the proactive board strives to unearth new talents for the future.

The support of Dr. Singh would allow the BCB to successfully complete its comprehensive youth developmental programme which includes regular coaching at the club and school levels, youth tournaments, obtaining all the necessary equipment and providing youths with gears and all the necessary cricket educational materials.

Dr. Singh stated that he was very impressed with the development currently taking place in the county and was delighted to assist. The long-time sponsor also committed to assisting in the future.

BCA expresses disappointment over Barbados omission from CWI championship venues

-

and Cricket West Indies (CWI) director Conde Riley has expressed disappointment that the island will not host any matches in the West Indies Championship for the second straight year despite being the home of the defending champions.

He suggested that the decision demonstrates a lack of vision.

Former opening Test batsman Philo Wallace went further, suggesting that Barbados was “being ostracized”.

Last month, CWI announced that matches in this year’s first-class championship will be staged in Antigua, Grenada, and Trinidad.

Speaking on Mason and Guest radio show here on Tuesday, Riley said it was

turn out

“Barbados has a lot to offer and when things like this happen I realise why Cricket West Indies is where it is…. It tells a story – that they’re not thinking,” he said.

“Sometimes I watch cricket in other places and I see nobody at cricket. The one thing I can assure Caribbean people about is that because of our heritage, we’ll always have people watching cricket….but it is what it is…. Where there is no vision, people will perish.”

Pressed by host Andrew Mason to say who lacked vision, the cricket administrator responded: “Whoever decides on where cricket is

being played and the defending champions can’t have one game, two games, I leave it to them.”

Wallace, who was also a guest on the show, said he was also surprised at Barbados’ omission.

“I think it is a clear indication from Cricket West

Indies that Barbados is being ostracized,” the Barbadian said. “You cannot have Barbados as a leading nation in the region not …. host meaningful matches…. I would like to know from Cricket West Indies who sets out the fixtures and who decides where these games are being played.”

“The decision-makers are not making good decisions and when you don’t make decisions you pay the price and our price is going to be very, very hefty,” Simmons added.

Despite the disappointment, Riley said it would not stop Pride from successfully defending their title.

“We are going to prepare our guys and wherever they play we will still win it. Last year we played the majority of the games in Trinidad and we won…. I have no doubt

that we will repeat as champions,” he said.

The first two rounds of the West Indies Championship featuring the six territorial franchise teams – Barbados Pride, Guyana Harpy Eagles, Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and Windward Islands Volcanoes – will be contested from February 1 to February 11 at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada, and the CCG and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The last three rounds will be played from March 15 to April 1 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval and Diego Martin Sports Complex in Trinidad.

Riley did not accept the explanation by CWI Manager of Operations Roland Holder that challenges related to intra-regional travel

was the main factor in the selection of venues.

“You don’t get from any part of the Caribbean without air transport,” he said. “I don’t know if the guys are going to swim to those other places or travel by boat but I know that if you want to get to Barbados, the same way that you get to Antigua or Grenada or St Vincent, you get to Barbados. We have thousands of people all over the world in Barbados as we speak.”

However, Riley said the BCA has not raised any objections to CWI about Barbados’ omission from the chosen venues and had no intention of doing so.

“It makes no sense,” he asserted. “If they say the problem is travel, how do they get down to these other islands but not to Barbados?”

Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh

CMC – President of the Barbados Cricket Associ

ation (BCA)

“disappointing” that the country was not selected to host any games, specifically given that Barbados Pride are defending champions and the crowds that usually

for games here.

BCA chairman and CWI director, Conde Riley