Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 04-03-2021

THURSDAY 4th March, 2021

' No.106290

$1.1 billion budgeted for LGE

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‘Premature and inappropriate’

–– Minister Singh reacts to Scotiabank’s announcement of sale of operations –– says no approval given by Bank of Guyana for transaction

SEE STORY ON PAGE 03

Guyana condemns intrusion of air space by Venezuela’s fighter jets PAGE

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Lowenfield ‘raked in’ 09 over $25M in 14 months PAGE

Coalition Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul, pulls down his mask during the consideration of the budget estimates, on Wednesday, to heckle fellow Opposition MP Lennox Shuman, who pays no attention to him (Adrian Narine photo)

Minister McCoy denies touching Halley

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Guyana condemns intrusion of air space by Venezuela’s fighter jets GOVERNMENT has condemned Venezuela’s latest sign of aggression after an unauthorised Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the community of Eteringbang and the airstrip at an altitude of 1,500 feet on Tuesday.

Eteringbang, Region Seven, sits on the western edge of the Essequibo region.

Essequibo is the subject of territorial controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, predating the former country’s independence from Britain in 1966 and now pending before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on

A Sukhoi Su-30?K2 fighter aircraft owned by Venezuela (Defpost.com photo) Wednesday, noted that on Tuesday, at approximately 13:20 hours, two Venezuelan army Sukhoi SU 30 fighter jets flew over the community of Eteringbang and the fighter jets circled the location once before proceeding in an easterly direction.

“The Government of Guyana condemns this latest act of aggression by the Venezuelan armed forces as a violation of the sovereignty of Guyana over the air above its

territory,” the ministry stated.

The government said that this latest hostility follows closely on the heels of a decree recently issued by Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, which purports to establish maritime territory for Venezuela which encompasses Guyana’s territorial waters, EEZ and continental shelf, as well as its land territory west of the Essequibo River The Foreign Affairs Ministry also noted that Venezuela had previously intercepted and detained two Guyanese fishing vessels and their crew in Guyana’s waters.

In addition, it has noted “the resolutions of the Special Commission for the Defence of the ‘Guayana Esequiba’ and Territorial Sovereignty, which recommended the convening a session of this Special Commission to the Essequibo with the assistance of the Venezuelan armed forces.”

The incursion, the Guyana Government said of the two Venezuelan fighter jets, is a clear indication that the Government of Venezuela is prepared to use aggression and intimidation to accomplish what cannot be accom-

plished by legal means -- the surrender by Guyana of its patrimony.

“The Government of Guyana exhorts the Government of Venezuela, and its agents, to behave in a manner consistent with international law and good neighbourly relations.

The international community will be kept informed of all actions undertaken by Venezuela to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana and threaten the peace and security of the region,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry noted.

MV Barima operations on hold following engine room fire IT was a chaotic scene on Wednesday morning at Port Kaituma, Region One, when a gas pump exploded in the engine room of the MV Barima ferry vessel, resulting in a fire.

Quick action quelled the blaze and averted a major disaster.

A crew member recounted that around 11:30 hours while cargo was being offloaded, a gas pump in the engine room exploded. He said a fire erupted and persons in the vicinity immediately provided assistance.

“The fire just got big and it was uncontrollable.

However, we tried to get it under control,” the man said.

Thick smoke emanating from the MV Barima The extent of the damage has not been ascertained thus far.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Public Works and the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), in a press release, informed that the fire was brought under control.

The vessel departed the port in Georgetown on Sat-

urday last, around 14:15 hours, and arrived at Port Kaituma on Sunday.

The management of T&HD and officials from the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Home Affairs are currently working to verify the source of the fire and the extent of the damage done to the vessel, the release said.

It added that the T&HD is currently engaging external engineers to assist in conducting an immediate investigation into this incident and to provide a full report on the cause of the fire.

Attempts will be made to ensure that the service is back in operation at the soonest possible time, the release added.

Selected Quote from Dr. Cheddi Jagan “IF I could relive my life, basically I would not want to change the journey, the route I went through, and the course I charted, no doubt it was tough, but it was all a learning experience and looking back, with the experience I acquired, maybe

some of the things I did with a lot of youthful exuberance, could have been done more delicately with the experience I now have, but there is nothing I regret in any way that I did, and I would do it all over again.” 1995

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

‘Premature and inappropriate’ –– Minister Singh reacts to Scotiabank’s announcement of sale of operations –– says no approval given by Bank of Guyana for transaction

SENIOR MINISTER in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, has described the decision by Scotiabank Guyana to announce the sale of its operations here, as premature and inappropriate since the regulatory process has not yet been initiated, much less concluded.

The bank, on Wednesday, announced that it had reached an agreement for the sale of its banking operations in Guyana to First Citizens Bank Limited.

According to a release from the bank, the agreement was subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

“This transaction supports Scotiabank’s strategic decision to focus on operations across its footprint where it can achieve greater scale and deliver the highest value for customers. Scotiabank’s current operations in Guyana encompass four branches and approximately 180 employees. Following closing, all employees will continue to support the business,” the release said.

First Citizens is one of the leading financial services groups in the English-speaking

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh

Caribbean.

Headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, First Citizens offers a full range of retail, corporate and investment banking services as well as wealth management, trustee and brokerage services to clients through its operations in Barbados, Costa Rica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

The release noted that the transaction supports First Citizens’ strategic growth across the region and leverages its

strengths in innovation and excellence to the benefit of all stakeholders.

“It has just been brought to my notice that a press release was issued... announcing a sale of the operations of Scotiabank Guyana to a regional bank -- a Trinidadian Bank in particular.

I wish to say that the Government of Guyana considers it extremely unfortunate that this transaction was announced, bearing in mind that any such transaction is subject to a specified regulatory process.

In particular, Section 12 of the Financial Institutions Act stipulates that no financial institution may transfer a whole

as pointing out that its sale agreement was ‘subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions’,

or a substantial part of its operations in Guyana without the prior approval of the Bank of Guyana,” the Minister said to the media at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre where he had been participating, along with Government and the Opposition, in the examination of Budget 2021 Estimates.

While the bank noted in its press release that the transaction supports Scotiabank’s strategic decision to focus on operations across its footprint where it can achieve greater scale and deliver the highest value for customers as well

Minister Singh stated that considering that the Laws of Guyana require this process, “we consider it premature to announce a transaction of this nature”.

He added that it is the intention of the Government of Guyana and Guyana’s financial sector’s regulatory supervisor, the Bank of Guyana, to ensure that the Laws of Guyana are complied with in the fullest and to ensure that appropriate processes of due diligence required under the Laws of Guyana are initiated and concluded before any such

transaction can be proceeded with.

The Finance Minister reiterated that both Government and the Central Bank remain firmly committed to ensuring the maintenance of a stable, strong, vibrant, dynamic and growing financial sector, especially during the current period.

He reminded that “it is important that the financial sector is adequately equipped to meet the needs of our evolving economy which, as viewers would know, is currently going through dramatic changes.”

Minister Singh further posited that Government’s primary objective remains the preservation of a strong and stable financial sector and one that is dynamic and competitive and can meet the needs of the economy.

Minister Singh also emphasised that Government’s paramount concern is the protection and preservation of the stability of the financial system as a whole and, in particular, safeguarding the interests of depositors and customers of the financial system.

Minister McCoy denies touching Halley THE National Assembly, which is currently examining the 2021 National Budget Estimates, was forced into adjournment on Wednesday evening, following allegations of assault. It was alleged that a Government Member of Parliament physically assaulted his colleague on the opposing side of the House, while they were on the corridors of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, which is being used as a temporary location for the National Assembly.

After concerns were raised by members of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, suspended the consideration of bud-

get expenditures, at around 16:00hrs.

The Parliament was reconvened later in the evening for the Speaker to provide an update on the alleged incident. He said that a meeting was convened to address the issue; the team included the Prime Minister, Brigadier ret’d Mark Phillips; the Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira; the Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon; the Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, along with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, the Speaker, Mr. Nadir, and members of the Guyana Police Force, including the ‘A’ Division Commander.

Following preliminary investigations, the security footage during the time of the incident was deemed un-

Opposition MP, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

reliable; the police proceeded to take statements from a number of alleged witnesses.

Last night, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, released to the press, a copy of the statement he provided to the police, in response

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy

to the allegation of assault made by Opposition Member of Parliament, Ms. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley.

“I emphatically and completely deny that I assaulted Ms. Halley as she has alleged. At no time did I touch

Ms. Halley with my phone or any part of my body,” McCoy said.

Recalling the period that incident was alleged to have occurred, the minister said that he was outside the Parliament Chamber, having just engaged in a verbal exchange with Keith Lowenfield, Chief Elections Office, who was at the time, attending the Committee of Supply.

“After Mr. Lowenfield's departure, I began to speak with Minister Anand Persaud.

I observed the presence of Ms. Halley, who was approximately four feet away from me. We exchanged words, but there was absolutely no physical contact whatsoever.

Minister Persaud was present with me at all material time,” McCoy posited.

He maintained that “Hal-

ley's allegation is totally false, malicious and intended to cause me embarrassment and public ridicule.”

McCoy said that he will be seeking the advice of his attorneys-at-law on the way forward.

“I urge the Guyana Police Force to fully investigate this matter and institute the necessary charges against Ms. Halley, and I am prepared to prosecute any charges vigorously,” McCoy concluded.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Phillips was invited to move the motion to have the 26th Sitting of the Twelfth Parliament adjourned. As a consequence, the National Assembly will resume 10:00hrs today, Thursday, March 4, 2021.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Legal, administrative screws will be tightened to prevent electoral fraud –– Attorney-General

By Rabindra Rooplall ALL legal and administrative screws that are loose will be tightened to ensure that attempts at electoral fraud are dealt with condignly.

This is according to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall, who was at the time speaking during a programme on NCN titled “Assault of Democracy-Never Again” that was aired recently.

Kaieteur News Editor, Ruel Johnson, and columnist, social activist and commentator Freddie Kissoon were also part of the discussion that looked back at the attempts to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Noting that electoral reform will manifest itself in two forms, the Attorney-General said that while one will be the constitutional reforms that require a two-thirds majority, “the riggers will not support reforms to make the process transparent, because they are hoping for another opportunity to thief the elections”.

He said that 90 per cent of the electoral reforms can be done by a simple majority, and in giving an example, he said all Statements of Poll (SOPs) made public will be uploaded to a website for all Guyanese to view.

“All the weaknesses in the law that they exploited are still fresh in our minds, so we have a tabulation of them. I have already begun the exercise, and a unit has been established.

And we are working towards correcting them, and, hopefully, we will correct them before Local Government Elections,” the Attorney-General said.

He noted that all the necessary amendments to the laws will be made before the next general elections.

Further, he said that systematically, everything will be checked in detail, and all the loose screws will be tightened.

Emphasising that March 2, 2020 and its aftermath was a defining moment in the country’s history, Nandlall said, “We as a people did not succumb to those who wanted to destroy this country, using race, using violence, using fraud, sabotaging the electoral process and employing various methods.”

He said that all right-thinking Guyanese, CARICOM and the international community stood “on the side of freedom and democracy, and in the end we prevailed”.

It should also be noted that every delaying tactic was used by then President David Granger to stifle the democratic process.

TRAGIC AND BLATANT What is even more tragic

Thursday March 4, 2021 –– 09:30hrs

Attorney-General Mohabir Anil Nandlall

and blatant, Nandlall said, is the ability of the APNU+AFC representatives in the recent National Assembly to insult the intelligence of Guyanese.

“Every speaker on the side of the APNU+AFC stood in that [Parliament and told the Guyanese people that what they experienced subsequent to March 2 did not happen; that they did not attempt to steal the elections; that Mingo did not attempt to pervert the results; that Lowenfield did not attempt to pervert the results; that they are the victims of fraud; that they were robbed; that the PPP was the bad people. That is what they have been telling people all the time,” Nandlall emphasised.

He said when a major opposition party in a country continues to mislead their supporters, it says something about the caliber of their leaders.

“Everyone saw for themselves what transpired; it is recorded in permanent form, in video, in writing, in still pictures. And they are still telling a story out there that is completely the opposite of what people know what we experienced in this country; and they present themselves as a credible oppo-

sition,” the Attorney-General said.

Ruel Johnson, who is also the co-founder of The Citizen Initiative (TCI) party, said what occurred after March 2, 2020 was an attack on the fundamental structures of a country.

Johnson said laws are meaningless if any group of people can fundamentally ignore legal structures holding society together.

“There was a clear delineation of what is right and what was wrong; at that point and time, everybody who saw what took place and was not part of the then administration knew what was wrong; not just morally but what was basically procedurally wrong,” Johnson said.

GECOM, which was supposed to be a separate and independent entity from the Government, he said, was joining with politicians to manipulate reality to show a specific narrative.

“The incumbent government at that time was signing off on that narrative; the basic machinery of an establishment of a democracy was under assault. At that point and time, it was not a question of whether we supported one side over the other; it was a matter of supporting what was right against what was blatantly wrong at a fundamental level,” the TCI cofounder said.

Johnson said there were international interventions that the general public was not aware of as a result of the democratic crisis experienced in 2020.

All the international community wanted, he said, was for the laws and procedures to be followed, which meant they did not support the rigging of the elections.

“The electoral rules have to change towards greater

transparency; there is no reason that at any point and time GECOM’s commissioners should not have had legitimate Statements of Poll to put in the public domain,” Johnson said.

He said that the SoPs are automatically made public after voting at the place of poll, and should never subsequently be placed under lock and key at GECOM. He noted that electoral reform must also be tied to constitutional reform, resulting in less space for any indecency by politicians.

However, Freddie Kissoon said he hopes that leaders are focused on the beginning of a new horizon in which the State and its institutions will be used to serve all Guyanese.

Kissoon said a country with 70 per cent of its population under the age of 40 would not know what unelected power does to a county.

He said that the traumas experienced in the 60s, 70s and 80s “was like if your world was ending”.

“In 1968, I was a polling agent at St. Thomas Moore Primary School, and I saw what happened the night when polling was closed. I was 16 then; I was 26, I was 36, I was 46 and I saw what happened when I was 16, and you mean to tell me in 2020, a married man of 42 years, with a child in her late 20s, I had to go through that again!” Freddie reflected.

THE VULGARITIES He said that after 1992 when the vulgarities of fraudulent elections in politics were thought to be over, it returned with a sharpness that would not have been encouraged by the majority of right-thinking Guyanese.

Kissoon said he made a pledge to himself to ensure that

the country his daughter lives in will embrace democracy and not a dictatorship.

He said older persons and young persons who experienced the five months of trauma in 2020 decided that that should not have happened, and they guarded the ballot boxes to ensure its integrity and democracy prevails.

“I was very optimistic; I know this was a different opposition. There were 10 parties; this was not the passivism of Cheddi Jagan, and this is not the world as it was in the 60s, 70s and 80s; they were rigging this thing in a way that was an assault on the dignity of every human being,” Kissoon said.

He reflected that there were strong external forces telling the People’s National Congress (PNC) that their actions will not be tolerated.

“Mr. Granger did not originate the idea of a recount, and I am a 1,000 per cent sure of that; it was suggested to him by Mia Mottley through the Americans, and he knew it was a fait accompli, but he had thoughts in his head, and he said ‘Yes’,” Kissoon noted.

This, he said, caused the PNC much distress, and one of the party’s regional candidates, Ulita Moore, filed court proceedings, with the support of PNC lawyers to challenge the recount.

However, he said that after an arduous journey, democracy was achieved.

“I am satisfied that democracy has prevailed; I am satisfied that our votes have been counted,” he said, “but I am not satisfied we are out of the woods yet; we have to bring in a new landscape of electoral behaviour that is tightly legalistic.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

‘Two Colours’ files constitutional motion MURDER accused Lennox Wayne called “Two Colours” has filed a constitutional motion in the Demerara High Court seeking a permanent stay of the case against him.

He has asked the court to grant him bail pending the hearing of his application.

Wayne, along with co-accused Melroy Doris are currently on remand awaiting a re-trial for the murder of cosmetologist, Ashmini Harriram. The woman was shot once to the neck moments after she disembarked a minibus at Lusignan on the Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara on July 10, 2014.

In 2017, the case was first tried before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury at the Georgetown High

Lennox Wayne called “Two Colours”

Court, but it ended in a hung jury. Justice Barlow had ordered a re-trial for the case.

The case is listed in the January 2021 session of the De-

merara Assizes.

However, during the session which is still ongoing, Wayne’s attorneys, Nigel Hughes and Ronald Daniels,

DEAD Ashmini Harriram

engaged the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding a possible plea bargain. However, after that failed to reach certain terms and conditions,

Bandit robs 60-year-old gambler of $4M A 60-year-old man was shot in the upper thigh and robbed of $4M, on Wednesday, while at the All Seasons Horse Racing and Sport Betting facility on Robb Street, Georgetown.

The victim, Terry Per-

saud of Herstelling Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara, was robbed at about 15:00h while placing bets.

Police said Persaud was approached by an identifiable man who was armed with a handgun.

The suspect told Persaud to hand over the haversack he had on his back with the cash and when Persaud refused the bandit shot him.

The suspect then grabbed the haversack

and escaped on a black motorcycle with no registration number. Persaud was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he is presently receiving medical attention as investigations continue.

Wayne changed his mind.

In his constitutional motion against the State, Wayne is seeking an order admitting him to bail pending the hearing and determination for his application and a permanent stay of proceedings for the murder charge against him.

According to Wayne, his right for a fair hearing within a reasonable time as guaranteed by the provisions of Article 144 of the Constitution, has been infringed.

He is also seeking damages to the tune of $100,000 for the breach of his fundamental rights.

The case comes up for hearing on March 23 before Justice Navindra Singh.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that it is alleged that Wayne is said to be the

triggerman while Doris is said to be the taxi driver who drove Wayne to the scene of the crime to execute Harriram.

It is also alleged that following the act, Doris reportedly transported Wayne back to the city where the victim’s phone was handed over to one of the two persons who contracted the duo to carry out the murderous act for a price tag of $2.5 million.

The two men were reportedly contracted by the brother-in-law of the hairdresser and an accomplice who wanted her dead after they suspected that she had snitched on them. They believed that it was she who informed the police of a drug operation they were engaged in, resulting in the narcotics being seized.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Strategic positioning

FACING the future with confidence that this country would achieve its ambitious development goals requires a keen understanding of the times, along with sound analysis of the state of the world in which the Guyanese nation functions as an interdependent member of the global village, and also securing knowledgeable advise on the road ahead, given global circumstances.

Guyana is unique and in a powerful position, as one of the world’s only net generator of clean air. And as it balances its role as also a major oil and gas producer, this country cannot afford to focus only inward, looking solely at the national situation, but must position the local scenario within the context of the world order, an order that is now undergoing enormous stress.

It is all too easy to get caught up with local politics and on-the-ground existential needs, that the nation does not absolutely emphasise zeroing in its analytical lenses to focus on the dynamic international atmosphere relevant to national interests. In a real, concrete way, the world is an interdependent community, and Guyana needs to constantly assess its function, role and positioning in that global context.

Major societies on the world stage stare with consternation today at tremendous challenges, and were it not for the oil and gas sector, Guyana itself would be facing tough

times. Canada, in 2020, recorded its worst GDP growth in history, Spain is suffering from its worst unemployment situation in several years, with upwards of four million people not employed, and across Europe and the US, governments are undergoing major financial stress, with record stimulus plans having to re-work macro-economic financial policy to cater for severe revenue shortfall.

The world today faces three major threats, each directly affecting and impacting Guyana: COVID, climate, and credit.

In the COVID pandemic, and in a global push to achieve the Paris Agreement through the Sustainable Development Goals and the great reset that aims for worldwide net-zero emissions, countries face their biggest challenge of how to reform monetary policy to supply ongoing credit financing so that the major necessary reforms happen without devastating disruptions and crushing chaos on fragile society.

In dealing with the dire state of affairs across the world that is impacting their own nations, Britain and Canada have turned to Dr Mark Carney, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Canada and subsequently also of the Bank of England, who is advising both the Canadian and British Prime Ministers. Carney is lining up to be the main figure at the global Climate Summit coming up in November this year in Glasgow, England, with Guyana making a main presentation

and participating with full commitment to play its role in the climate agenda. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is this country’s best known climate advocate, and from his position in government, would understand the balance that is necessary between the oil and gas sector and the global climate mandate.

Guyana is in a good position, because in the grand scheme of things, this country is a net producer and generator of clean air, with the Norway forest preservation deal providing a concrete recognition of this fact.

Yet, Guyana cannot sit back and take things for granted. In the battle to defeat the COVID pandemic, the country would want to align with the global strategy of reforming its credit financing system to ensure that foreign and local investments into the burgeoning economy factor in sustainable growth as the main value in doing business, rather than just aim for profits. Government is showing encouraging signs that this country understands its role well, with the gas-to-shore project working alongside the Amaila hydro project and other alternative energy sources already in the works, as the country prepares to achieve energy independence.

The climate agenda is one thing that is urgent and of utmost concern around the world, but the COVID pandemic injected, literally, a state of emergency across the globe. Dr Carney is advocating to the

world’s Heads of State, major business leaders, and administrators of global organisations, that the way to handle the crisis is to shift the fundamental value on which society pivots, away from mere profits, into a laser focus on net-zero sustainability, through a system of monitoring, with reports keeping track of progress and climate risks, risk management to minimise adverse impact and effects, both on the climate and on financial investments, and returns that benefit the planet, with economic measurements and thresholds and key-points factoring in not just financial returns, but, fundamentally, returns on how an investment brings value and worth to the environment, including reporting such a return to shareholders in annual general reports.

In this world, Guyana stands out, with its net positive clean air generation, its miraculous socio-economic growth in the foreseeable future, and its position as a major oil and gas producer.

Hence, it is prudent for the Guyanese nation to know its place in the world, play its role with strategic positioning, and assume a leadership post in the global village, with its eye firmly fixed on the trifold factors of Covid, climate, and credit, and with systems and legislation providing a playground for reporting, risk assessment and management, and socio-economic returns that emphasise climate cleanliness.

Some ‘big ones’ at the ERC should know that the good books teach not to be greedy Dear Editor,

IS there partial or impartial ethnic disparity in the composition of the 10 learned members of Guyana’s Ethnic Relations Commission, notably only two ladies versus eight gentlemen? Looks and names can be misleading and deceiving and are not a perfect representation to qualify or quantify the individual’s ethnic identity.

A person’s political affiliation can also influence

the ethnic opinion on any conflagrating controversy not demanding a unilateral or biased summation. Traversing one step backwards to analyse the background and backbone of this institution, it is rather interesting to characterise the individuals employed to administer the functions of the day-to-day operations of this institution. Is there unprejudiced employment practices exercised in the hiring process and equitable distribution

in ethnic components which are relatively essential and paramount to truly identify and represent the significance of this meaningful body? Are the faces a manifest of Guyana’s six races? Does a need arise to increase or decrease the staff in order to have an even keel to replicate indiscrimination? Is this organisation highly overstaffed or grossly understaffed? Is the budgeted dollars compensative or a waste of taxpayers’ dollars? Can the production

of this organisation be measured for justification purposes? Is the output satisfactory or deplorable, acceptable or repulsive? Are the attitudes of the members arrogant or tolerant? At this stage, Guyana is bombarded with curious enquiries and passionate questions with an alacrity for clarity and answers.

Two commissioners and the chairman have been embroiled in the dissemination of information and the urge to establish the truth, reveal the

lies and dissociate themselves from the reckless propensities the ERC has postulated.

The minutes of some of the meetings have exposed the recorded transactions and speak volumes. Facts cannot be changed, figures do not lie and numbers do add up.

Confirmation has intimidated speculation. Guyanese are not surprised by this quandary and are only further embarrassed that “religious leaders” are caught up with defamation.

There have been pronouncements from a Muslim cleric and a Christian cleric.

Guyanese need to hear the voices of the Hindu Pandit, the Brahma Kumari representative and any other member of any other faith who is a commissioner. There have been statements, confessions and declarations from Afro Guyanese and Indo Guyanese. Guyana needs to read about divulgence and See page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Some ‘big ones’ at the ERC should ...

From page 6 utterances also from the other ethnicities on this Committee.

There has been no published communication from the female compatriots of the ERC. Taxpayers have a right to learn about their acknowledgements and admissions. It takes courage to succumb to honesty and integrity. Do these remaining committee members have the gall to satisfy the public, or, will they simply have the temerity to fade away in the background, remain in deep and disturbing silence and continue to be paid handsomely for a job not well done? These members can provide the water to calm this blazing inferno.

Can they face the fire and step up to the plate?

While Guyanese suffer in poverty and misery, would you not share $150,000 free money with those in dire and real need at a time of peace, joy and happiness? Isn’t there a reason for the season? How can you even consider the humungous figure of $200,000 as a bonus when you know to your conscience that you did not lift a finger to earn one dollar? Where is the sense of justification? The good books teach not to be greedy.

Are you not God’s teacher?

All Guyanese householders are receiving $25,000 as a COVID-19 relief package.

What makes you think you are above the law? Who gave you the right to bless yourself with $150,000? Even the past president, Mr. Granger lauded this initiative. He received

$25,000 and not $150,000.

There was no “curry favour.”

Instead, he generously donated his amount to a worthy cause. Did the godly man as a leader exemplify such nobility and answer the call to serve instead of being served?

Who in their righteous minds refused to stain their hands with such promiscuity and did not accept such a debauchery?

The true colour of character is tainted with stain. The house of worship warns, “Waste not, want not.” Why indulge in unnecessary extravaganza, only to burn good money to ashes? To utilise immediate funds in order to make more funds available or to quantify a means and qualify a cause?

Window dressing is for a decorative purpose only. The ERC is a transparent window from being dirty inside and dark outside! The ERC has dishonoured its sense of virtue and has desecrated the sanctity of its ultimate purpose. Most of the members have failed to live up to Guyana’s expectations and have allowed themselves to be made fools and be used. Only two so far can hold their heads above water and walk the streets with straight necks and not cower with heads touching their chests.

The ERC needs time out, or, its time is up. Perhaps there is a need for mutual concession from all the members to resign and not wait for their contracted time to expire.

If you cannot get the job done correctly the first time, then it’s time to move on.

Respectfully, Jai Lall.

We are not being used as tokenism within the PPP party Dear Editor, I WISH to register my stern objections to being referred to in any way, shape or form as being used as a “token” or “educated slave” by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government.

I, and I rather suspect others in the party or affiliated with the PPP, are tired of their contributions to the body politic of our nation being seen through these eyes or racial lenses just because of whom we support.

For the record, I am fully aware of the history of hardship and oppression that Blacks in this part of the hemisphere have gone through and endured throughout the periods of slavery, communism, and pre/post-independence periods in the Caribbean and farther afield. I know of the systematic racism being fuelled against Blacks and coloured people that has made us resist and fight against the system that seems destined to put us down, don’t matter what we try. And the stereotypes of being Black and wealthy or being angry and a woman are untrue, because time and time again we have many examples of this culture being shattered to pieces the world over.

Closer to home, we have seen how being Black or coloured worked against us in the Caribbean to keep us down and in slave-like conditions whenever we wanted to reach or surpass our developmental aspirations. It still works to keep us in check and behind today.

But my experience has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that appears to be endless if you work hard, are conscious of what you want,

and are capable of respectable disagreement. In Guyana, the system has not been kind to all of us. The problem with the system for achieving wealth is that the opportunities are given to one group and people at the exclusion of another.

I am proud to have the opportunity of an education and common sense to know that racism is wrong and we must never allow or condone it from anyone at anytime. Therefore, the freedom of association and freedom of choice leaves it to me to decide who has the best sets of policies, plans and initiatives for Guyana, and which political party appears closest to achieving this vision that I see for a Guyana that isn’t enslaved to the chords of racism and is developing, conscious that it is existing in a world that has been built on racism.

And that party has been a clear choice for many people who have grown weary of the opportunistic PNC and the people who lead that party.

We have grown tired of not only preaching our history of the enslavement of the Black man but using it against us to tell us that the only way you can break free from that state is by resistance and through the creation of fear, problems and anxiety. The PNC, now APNU, is opposed to working to break the chain of racism through new and unique partnerships, cooperation and bi-partisan dialogue. They want dominance

and Black superiority. They don’t want to share the corn of development equally as we now know from the experience of living under their political party when it was in government from 2015 to August 2, 2020 and the period from 1966 to 1992. Look at what the PNC does when it gets power and control: everything is for the Afro-Guyanese and throwing mere scraps to every other group in the society. Their management of the economy, though it appears to the naked eyes as good, is rooted in the principles of tribalism and ethnic dominance. Now that they are out of power, they want us to go easy on them.

They now know the meaning of democracy, transparency and accountability. They are now the champions of the environment, good oil deals and good public sector investments in health, education and public works. They are now doing the works on our Amerindian communities and the disadvantaged blocks in society.

They want public servants, of the Black majority, to become worked up by demanding salary increases and better working conditions. They want the public to believe that the PPP has fired hundreds of Black Guyanese from the public service without any reason because it will make them concerned and move to action.

But this PNC/APNU/AFC

will not get the Black Guyanese worked up again for no real reason. They will not fight against their Black leaders in the PPP simply because they are qualified and are doing their jobs. They will not become worked up because they’re not seeing eye-to-eye with the APNU+AFC cabal.

We know what we are doing and that’s breaking the stereotypes of Black people in the PPP. We know that we are a threat to those Black leaders who thrive on race hate, division and divisive politics. We don’t believe in racism and using the excuse that “its because you are Black…”.

I am not a token. PPP is not a party for indians in Guyana alone. I am not here because I feel I am going to get something. I am here because I am at home in the PPP, their policies are right, and Guyana is safe under the leadership of the PPP. I know my history and the young people are smart to know their history and not repeat it.

I salute all the hard-working PPP members of African descent who are making a change for Guyana’s development and the hundreds crossing the divide daily.

Together we can break the back of the problem of development, one pillar at a time.

Yours faithfully, Michael Younge

8

Cocaine-laden containers were destined for Haiti and China THE two cocaine-laden containers, which were allegedly shipped from Guyana and intercepted in Jamaica earlier this week, were destined for Haiti and China, according to the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU).

In a press release issued on Tuesday, CANU informed that it is in contact with its counterparts in Jamaica and investigations are on-going locally to ascertain how the narcotics ended up

in the containers.

A release from the drug enforcement unit said that the narcotics were intercepted on March 1, 2021, in Kingston, Jamaica.

Jamaican law enforcement agents at Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited, Jamaica, were conducting searches on several transhipment containers, allegedly emanating from Guyana, when more than 300 pounds of suspected cocaine were unearthed in two containers.

According to CANU, one container containing logs of lumber was found to contain a box with parcels of suspected cocaine. The second container contained multiple duffle bags that also contained parcels of suspected cocaine. Both containers were detained, and an investigation ensued.

The consignment was destined for Haiti and China and contained suspected cocaine totalling 306.5 lbs or 139.4kg.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Labourer who allegedly murdered neighbour remanded A 26-year-old labourer, was, on Tuesday, remanded to prison for stabbing his neighbour to death over a pack of cigarettes.

Devon Boucher, called “Kingman” of Chateau Margot Squatting Dam, East Coast Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrate Court and was not required to plead to the offence.

Particulars of the charge

alleged that on February 25, 2021, at Chateau Margot Squatting Dam, Boucher murdered Clifton Bhagwandat, a 30-year-old horse cart operator.

According to reports, on the day in question about 17:20hrs, Bhagwandat went to Boucher to purchase a pack of cigarettes. Bhagwandat reportedly didn’t had the required money for the cigarettes, which resulted in an argument.

During the argument, Bhagwandat snatched away his money from Boucher and said he is going to a nearby shop to buy his cigarettes instead. Boucher became annoyed and picked up a knife.

He then, allegedly, stabbed Bhagwandat several times about his body and made good his escape.

Bhagwandat ran a short distance and collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Man charged with stealing motorcycle during armed robbery A WEST LA PENITENCE man, who, allegedly, robbed a man of his motorcycle at gunpoint, on Wednesday, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was granted $70,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan Delwyn Gulluc denied that, on January 1, at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, while being in the

company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Raphel Jackman of one Haojue motorcycle valued $178,000.

The case against the accused is that, at about 00:30 hours on the day in question, he confronted Jackman who was sitting on his motorcycle.

Jackman was forced to give up his motorcycle after his cousin was shot.

On February 28, at about 19:00 hours, Jackman saw Gulluc and immediately contacted the police at Ruimveldt Police Station. Jackman identified Gulluc to ranks and with the help of public spirited citizens he was apprehended.

He was later charged.

The matter was adjourned until March 31.

Man allegedly caught with over 7 kilos of ganja remanded A MAN, who was allegedly caught with over 7 Kilograms of cannabis hidden in 5 gallon buckets in his home, was, on Wednesday, remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court.

Milroy Taylor of Stevedore Housing Scheme pleaded not guilty to the possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking charge when it was read to him.

The charge alleged that

Taylor, on March 1, at Stevedore Housing Scheme, Georgetown, had in his possession, 7 kilograms 484 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

It is alleged that, on the day in question, at about 11:30 hours, acting on information received, police went to Taylor's home where they contacted him. A search was performed on his person and his premises. While they were searching the bedroom of his home, two white five gallon buckets were found.

They were opened in his presence and several transparent Ziploc plastic bags containing suspected marijuana were reportedly found.

Taylor was told of the allegation and cautioned.

While under caution he reportedly admitted to the offence. He was escorted to the Narcotics Branch along with the illegal drugs.

Further investigations resulted in him being charged.

The matter was adjourned until March 29.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Linden Hospital CEO reinstated, apologises to nurses –– GPSU backs nurses’ calls for his removal

Vice-President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Dawn Gardner

THE Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has rejected the apology made by reinstated Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Linden Hospital Complex, Rudy Small, who has received backlash for his recent “sweetman” comment.

This was disclosed by GPSU Vice-President, Dawn Gardner, during an inter-

view with this publication on Wednesday.

“GPSU did not accept that apology. That apology is not coming from Mr. Small so the union rejects that apology…

This issue is bigger than an apology,” Gardner stated.

Gardner is of the view that the apology is not a reflection of how Small feels about the mat-

ter and that he is not remorseful for the comment he has made.

She believes that Small was prompted by “some politician” to issue the apology as a way to appease those who were calling for his removal from office.

Small was reinstated to his post on Wednesday, just one day after the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health signed off on orders to have him removed.

Gardner made it clear that GPSU is opposed to the decision to reinstate Small.

“We strongly condemn his being reinstated to the post of CEO. We are not going to accept that, and we are still calling for him to be removed,” the GPSU Vice President stated.

She reiterated that the union is not calling for Small to be fired, but for him to be removed from the Linden Hospital Complex, and be disallowed from holding any similar positions at any healthcare facility in the country.

Gardner stated that Small’s comment where he accused nurses of clocking in and leaving work to go and “meet their sweetman” has caused significant trouble for them. Some of them have been physically abused by their spouses, she claimed.

Gardner added that the nurses protested on Wednesday after receiving news of Small’s reinstatement, and she informed that they intend to continue such actions until their demands are met.

On Wednesday morning, Small distributed a letter of apology to the nurses in which he sought to take responsibility for the statement that has now been deemed reckless and dangerous.

“I am issuing an unequivocal apology to the nurses and all staff of the Linden Hospital Complex. I made a statement that was hurtful to the nurses and that must have hurt other staff. There is no excuse for my public utterances on this matter and, I am, therefore, sincerely apologising to all those that my utterances have hurt,” the

Linden Hospital Complex CEO, Rudy Small

apology read.

Small further stated that given his reinstatement to the post of CEO, he is committed to ensuring that the hospital is one of the best functioning healthcare facilities in Guyana and one that would make the people of Linden proud.

He lauded the hospital’s staff for their dedication and commitment to the hospital and its patients.

“I am again reiterating my commitment. I genuinely believe that the staff of the Linden Hospital Complex is

a dedicated and committed staff and I am renewing my promise to work with our staff to ensure the mission is achieved. I have learnt much since coming to the Linden Hospital Complex and everyday prepares me to be better. I will work diligently with all staff to ensure that the original mission of a successful and great institution is promoted every day,” Small said in his apology letter.

Lowenfield 'raked in' over $25M in 14 months FOR the period January 2020 to March 2021, an accumulated sum in excess of $25 million has been paid to embattled Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

This was disclosed by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, as she addressed queries relating to the $1.1 billion allocation for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

On Wednesday, Teixeira told the National Assembly’s Committee of Supply that Lowenfield received some $3.5 million in salaries. This, she noted, is aside from a series of other allowances that amount to millions of dollars more.

Responding to questions posed by Opposition Member, Lenox Shuman, the Government Chief Whip highlighted some of Lowenfield’s benefits. It was then that the House heard that in addition to the hefty salary Lowenfield was receiving, he also received a vacation allowance of $1 million, plus $120,000 for travelling, $360,000 for entertainment, $700,000 in gratuity; and $120,000 for uniform.

Added to that, taxpayers also stand Lowenfield’s security expenses which were pegged at some $6 million annually.

Lowenfield’s Deputy, Roxanne Myers benefits from an annual salary that amounts to $16 million; she too receives a number of other allowances including travelling and overtime to the tune of $240,000; entertainment and rent pegged at $1.6 million; gratuity in the sum of $1 million; as well as vacation and uniform allowances that cost the State $865,000 and $120,000, respectively.

Lowenfield and Myers are currently facing charges relating to electoral fraud and misconduct in public office.

The two are being accused of being part of a scheme to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections which only concluded six months later.

Teixeira also disclosed that Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh is paid a salary of $2.05 million monthly; this accumulates to an annual salary package of $24.6 million.

Justice Singh also benefits from an annual allowance

of $13 million; this accounts for $4 million in duty allowances; $46,000 for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS); $648,000 for her telephone expenses; $900,000 for

her electricity charges; and $7.2 million for security and $240,000 for fuel.

Meanwhile, the six GECOM Commissioners, comprising three Govern-

ment representatives and three opposition representatives, are all paid a salary of $478,000 each; they too benefit from other allowances. Minister Teixeira

estimates that GECOM spends some $75 million in salaries and allowances for the Chairman and six Commissioners, combined.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

$1.1B budgetted for hosting of LGE

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been allocated $4 billion in the 2021 National Budget.

Of this figure, $1.1 billion will be channeled towards the hosting of Guyana’s Local Government Elections (LGE).

It was only a few days ago that Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall confirmed that the election of regional and constituency leaders will be held this year, and that further consultations with GECOM will determine the exact date that Guyanese can return to the polls. Nonetheless, as the National Assembly’s Committee of Supply examined the expenditure for GECOM, questions were raised about the execution of House-to- House Registration. It was then that Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira confirmed that no monies have been budgeted towards this exercise, but that rather, LGE allocations in 2021 will cater for the establishment of approximately 17,000 polling stations across the country.

The Government Chief Whip explained to the House that GECOM will be using the 2018 voters’ list to conduct this year’s LGE, which will see the printing of 500,000 ballot papers being catered for as part of a $237.7 million allocation for the “printing of materials” for GECOM. At this point, Opposition

Member of Parliament David Patterson interjected, saying that seeing that voter turnout in 2018 was approximately 40 per cent, the printing of half-amillion ballot papers could be seen as a bit excessive.

Teixeira rebutted saying that GECOM cannot print ballot papers merely based on voter turnout, and that provisions would have to be made for cases of spoilt ballot papers.

IT MUST CORRESPOND “You have to have the number of ballot papers matching the numbers on the (voters’) list; it must correspond, because to under-produce ballot papers means that people would be denied the right to vote,” Teixeira said in defence.

Responding to Patterson’s concerns about a padded list, the Governance Minister reminded the House that just as in the previous elections, there will be a ‘Claims and Objections’ period. “There will be a period for people to check, (and as such) the list may go up, or the list may go down,” Teixeira noted.

As Patterson continued along his line of questioning, the minister asserted that “If a person does not vote, the ballot papers have to be returned.”

Prefacing the 2020 elections debacle, Leader of the Minority Opposition ‘Joinder’ parties, Lenox Shuman then stood to question whether GECOM has set aside any monies to accommodate local observers in an effort to

Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira responding to queries on the 2021 National Budget

maintain the integrity of the votes; Texeira responded in the negative.

“GECOM has made no provisions regarding local observers,” she posited.

Deputy Speaker Shuman also inquired whether GECOM has allocated monies to pay the Chief Elections Officer to have an early exit from office.

To this, Teixeira responded, “Budgetary provisions have been made for a Chief Elections Officer; if it is not the present one, it (GECOM) still has money for a new Chief Elections Officer.”

Following Guyana’s sixmonth-long General and Re-

Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson

gional Elections last year, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali had said that while the LGE are due in 2021, there are a few fundamental areas that need to be ‘fixed’ at GECOM before an actual date is set.

“What we have to do is fix what is there first to ensure we have a system that is working; a system that we can trust, a system that is professional, and a system that operates in an unbiased manner, so that the people of our country can have confidence,” President Ali said two months after being sworn in.

MUST GO Only recently, Local Government and Regional Devel-

opment Minister Nigel Dharamlall made specific reference to the officers who are currently facing charges relating to electoral fraud, emphasising the need for such persons to be removed from GECOM. “Anyone who believes in good governance, transparency and accountability can never have Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo at the Secretariat. As the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, I have the mandate of announcing that date [for LGE], and I would like to bring to the attention of the public that Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo must go,” Dharamlall told the National Assembly in February.

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, along with Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers and District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo all have cases pending before the Court.

Nonetheless, as part of the $1.1 billion LGE allocation, a sum of $75.6 million has been budgetted to cover the travel and subsistence expenses for polling day staff. Approximately $26.4 million has been allocated to cover telephone charges and the purchasing of minutes for Presiding Officers and Field Staff on duty on elections day. An additional $89.1 million has been budgeted for meals and refreshments of Election Day staffers.

In an effort to improve efficiency, $18 million has been approved for the training of 8,500 persons. Meanwhile, a sum $9.9 million will go towards the distribution of Identification (ID) Cards at locations throughout the country.

Further, a sum of $32.8 million had been allocated towards the provision of fuel and other lubricants, and even though polling stations will be set up at mostly public buildings such as schools, the GECOM budget also earmarked $81.6 million for the rental of private properties in cases where utilising public spaces is not possible.

Artsunac and Century 21 partner to transform Guyana’s real estate market

ARTSUNAC, Alleyne and Alleyne business practitioners, on Monday, signed a contract to partner with international real estate agency, Century 21, to foster innovation in Guyana’s real estate market.

Managing Director of Artsunac, Gavin Alleyne, called the signing momentous and stated that it is the first step in ensuring that Guyana’s real estate market has the opportunity to grow and expand.

According to Alleyne, the partnership will ensure that technology is utilized to promote more efficiency in Guyana.

Century 21 was established in 1971 and has 86 established offices worldwide. The company connects buyers, sellers, and real estate agents to promote a smoother operation time for buying and selling houses, land, apartment buildings and all other types of real estate.

Alleyne reminded that given Guyana’s trajectory in the real estate market, and its booming potential for foreign investments, now is the op-

portune time to invest.

“Firstly, we want to ensure that Guyanese’s assets are properly priced and we want to ensure that we are making this a good process for investors and shareholders. In doing all of that we think, technology is going to be a big driver of that,” said Alleyne He added that the company will be working to ensure that the local real estate market benefits from an advanced level of technology, so as to ensure that transactions are not just mutually beneficial, but that they are smooth and easily accessible.

“Additionally, we want to map a world class real estate agency. We are going to work alongside stakeholders.

We want to help push this digital transformation, this real estate agency to the extent where we can do things, all real estate, virtually from anyplace,” said Alleyne.

He stated that they are working to ensure that the partnership would bridge the gap between Guyanese sellers and land owners and those foreign investors or diaspora

From left: Managing Director of Century 21 Guyana, Afa Zada; Managing Director of Artsunac, Gavin Alleyne; Chief Finance Officer, Dacia Solomon; and Chief Technology Officer, Roger John - Elvin Croker photo.

Guyanese who are looking to have protected access to the local real estate market.

Further, Alleyne stated that Artsunac will be working with government institutions and other organisations. This, he said, is one of the company’s major plans to further

promote a better functioning local real estate market. The company added that decreasing the timeframe for real estate transactions through governmental cooperation is top on the agenda.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Century 21 Guy-

ana, Afa Zada, called the project instrumental. She stated that she was intrigued at the magnitude of the impact that her company could have on the real estate culture in Guyana, and how the company can use its extensive clientele to push and promote

the sector.

Zada noted that the proposal by the Artsunac to promote transparency and to ensure that all stakeholders have the opportunity to benefit, aligns perfectly with Century 21’s mission.

Further, she stated that innovation and digitalization is another key pillar of the Century 21 group and that this is one of the major changes that would positively affect the efficiency of the local real estate market.

“A lot of investors are ready to invest but we need the reports, the surveys, the evaluations, and so on.

They are ready to invest but they need more information, and Century 21, we are 50 years in real estate.

We are in 84 countries in 16 languages because we want our clients to feel comfortable doing business with us. We want them to know that we understand their needs, buyers, sellers and real estate agents,” Zada explained.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Telephone argument between relatives result in shooting A TWENTY-EIGHT-yearold businessman of Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD) escaped unhurt Tuesday after his cousin discharged several rounds in his direction following an argument over money.

Reports indicate that the businessman identified as Anthony Harrinandan and his cousin, a 39-year-old fisherman of La Bonne Intention, ECD, had an argument via telephone over money which the fisherman owed the businessman.

The fisherman allegedly refused to repay and during the verbal tussle, the fisherman reportedly threatened to kill the businessman.

At around midday, Tues-

businessman was not struck by the bullets.

The suspect, however,

day, Harrinandan was seated in his motorcar outside of a bar at Annandale when his cousin suddenly appeared before him.

The fisherman whipped out a handgun, pointed the weapon in the direction of his cousin and discharged several rounds. Police said the

made his escape in a white motorcar. He remains in hiding. Police arrived on

the scene and discovered two 9mm spent shells as investigations continue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Anti-democracy, the hallmark of Coalition’s rule

–– says Dr. Tandika Smith The hallmark of the APNU+AFC Coalition regime surrounded anti-progress, anti-cohesion, anti-youth development, and, most of all, anti-democracy.

This is according to government Member of Parliament, Dr. Tandika Smith, who was, at the time, delivering her budget presentation to the National Assembly.

“Always be reminded

that it was under the very Coalition Government you did not enjoy the good life as promised, opportunities and employment became foreign to them, health care, education, agriculture and major sectors collapsed under their watch and, most of all, democracy was under siege for five long months, your basic right to freedom of choice was held hostage simply

because of an uncaring and kleptocratic government,” Dr. Smith said.

Be watchful and be mindful, she said, noting that the future generation must never endure what citizens endured under the APNU\AFC Coalition and certainly must never have their right to freedom of choice violated or held hostage.

“Like every Guyanese, Government MP, Dr. Tandika Smith

I am convinced that the only hard work they have done was to work hard on destroying the economy of this country, they worked hard to empty the pockets of the working class and the poor and ordinary man of our country by adding over 200 new taxes; they worked hard on creating unemployment by firing 7,000 sugar workers and 2, 000 Amerindian CSOs, and that is why today they can only boast of works that are a mere figment of their imagination and it is evident that they are competing with the fictional characters of the famous fairytale books, Alice in wonderland and Pinocchio,” Dr. Smith said.

She explained that the distortions of their perception of “a good life and progress” is insanely unbelievable and a blatant insult to the intelligence of every Guyanese and, more so, to their own supporters.

VENOMOUS AND SHAMEFUL “The untruths spewed by the Coalition opposition is venomous and shameful and it is sickening to see that the very political party that plundered the public’s purse, did nothing for our country, stand there without remorse, knowing fully well that it was under their government many families went to bed without a meal, persons lost their place of abode, our school children dropped out of schools, the dreams of our young people to attend a university to achieve higher learning was shattered simply because the children and cronies of party members became a high priority,” she noted.

Meanwhile, in the health sector where she practices, Dr. Smith said that it is no secret that under the previous administration, like other sectors, the health sector suffered immensely due to

mass corruption and mismanagement of public funds.

As a result of this, she said basic medication countrywide was not available while there was a crippling of basic health services such as ultrasonography, x-rays and basic laboratory tests such as biochemistry and serology, among others.

Today, under this government, Dr. Smith said a whopping $53.5B, one of the largest in many years, was allocated to the Health Ministry to tackle maternal and child health, mental health, chronic disease and reproductive health, among other benefits.

The doctor noted that a total of $70 billion will be allocated to replenish the shortage of medications for psychiatric patients and programmes will be implemented to address mental health and suicide prevention, which will be extended to hinterland communities.

“Mr Speaker, our high risk expecting mothers in areas such as Moruca, Kato and Enmore will be able to benefit from maternal waiting homes provided for them at the cost of over $ 140 million,” she said.

Further, she said, $2.8 billion has been allocated for smart hospital projects at Leonora, Lethem, Paramakatoi, Mabaruma, while Diamond will see upgraded services.

She said that this is clearly a visionary path that the government will embark on to ensure no community, big or small, is left behind as was done under the previous government.

“Mr Speaker, our health sector has been plagued with a large number of nonfunctional or faulty medical equipment in various health facilities.

This will be resolved because $1.8 billion has been allocated to purchase critical medical equipment to furnish this void,” she said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

MoU signed to strengthen marine, wildlife conservation Shyam Nokta disclosed that the two have had a partnership for years and the MoU is just a consummation of their entities to work alongside each other in preserving the vast wonders and beauties of Guyana.

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, delivering brief remarks at the ceremony

By Naomi Parris THE Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS) on World Wild Life Day signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Environmental Management Consultancy (EMC) in an effort to strengthen a public, private partnership to fortify the country’s response to marine and wildlife conservation.

Delivering the feature address at the simple, yet significant, ceremony held at Duke Lodge, on Wednesday, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, said that such partnerships will see greater awareness being brought to the country’s marine, wildlife and forestry sectors.

“It is therefore quite fitting for me to stand here and express my outmost support for the signing of this MoU with the Guyana Marine Conservation Society and the Environmental Management Consultancy,” the minister said.

He added that with the challenges that come with climate change and other dangers threatening the costal and marine eco systems, the document signed will provide for the collaborative effort needed to safeguard the country’s coastal and marine eco-systems.

“The signing of this document will formalise and solidify the relationship between the GMCS and the EMC as they collaborate in an effort to protect and conserve Guyana’s coastal and green ecosystems, making Guyana resilient in climate change and support [the government’s] climate development strategy,” Minister Bharrat added.

The minister said that

with the responsibility of having to extract natural resources and protecting the environment, partnerships like these can assist the ministry and government in achieving its mandate of protecting the environment while safely extracting natural resources.

He said the two organisations, since their existence, have worked relentlessly to educate Guyanese on the importance of protecting the environment and the other occupants who share the land with us-- the people.

As the minister with responsibility for forestry, Bharrat said he will throw his support behind the two entities to support the protection, conservation and enhancement of the country’s forested areas and the many animals that live in it.

“The ministry welcome this collaboration between non-governmental organisations and the private sector to advance conservation and protection of the environment,” he said, adding: “Through the signing of this MoU, these two companies will bring together Guyanese with immense expertise and experience who will collaborate in initiatives surrounding education and awareness, community livelihood projects, research, training and capacity development.”

Given the impressive environmental protection records of the duo, Bharrat said, “I have no shadow of a doubt that these two organisations will be successful in their efforts to protect, conserve and also promote the sustainable use of Guyana’s coastal and marine ecosystems, given their outstanding track records as environmental stalwarts.”

GMCS’ head, Annette Arjoon-Martins and EMC’s

President of the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS), Anette Arjoon-Martins and Managing Director of Environment Management Consultants, Shyam Nokta, during the signing of the MoU on Wednesday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

‘Boards of Guardians’ installed countrywide THE Guyana Government has moved to install groups of persons who will be specifically tasked with reviewing applications for public assistance within their respective catchment areas.

So far, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, has already met with several of the groups referred to as the ‘Board of Guardians’.

After meeting the guardians in Regions Two, Six and 10, Minister Persaud, on Saturday evening, engaged two of the Boards of Guardians in Regions Five – Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice and Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

During the joint meeting hosted at the Fort Wellington Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Office, Dr. Persaud emphasised that all efforts will be made to improve the quality of services being offered by her ministry. More importantly, she said that the ministry will be “critically assessing” the way that its officers interact with vulnerable groups that reach out to the ministry for assistance.

Dr. Persaud told the ‘Guardians’ that her ministry is one that should and must be “people- oriented.”

In this regard, she said that compassion and empathy will be the name of the game, going forward.

“When persons come for

public assistance, it means they have no other alternative, so we have to learn how to speak with them when they come to us for help.

Therefore, the ministry will be critical at assessing officers’ performance to see how they deal with the public. I make no apology about that because I believe that we need to elevate the manner in which we deliver services to people of this country,” Dr. Persaud asserted.

She believes that certifying the ‘Boards of Guardians’ to have direct engagements with residents within their communities would ensure that the Public Assistance Programme reaches those who truly need it.

Minister Persaud further encouraged the Ministry’s Probation Officers within Region Five, along with members of the boards and the Region’s Welfare Committee, to host sessions with community members in an effort “to sensitise them on how public assistance works, the benefits and who benefits.”

Dr. Persaud expressed confidence that the public interactions would also eliminate any miscommunication and every speculation of discriminatory practices.

“So, if you have continuous engagements within the communities, persons will have the confidence in you.

Irrespective of ethnicity, re-

ligion or political persuasion, and I want to be very clear on this, we need to reach out and help people; help and support should not be tied to any of these things,” the minister posited.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar, also accompanied the minister to the engagement. She used the forum to congratulate the ‘Board’ members on their appointments, and reminded them of the importance of their new role, which she says plays a critical part in the ministry executing its vision.

“You are the eyes and ears on the ground. You all have an impact on the lives of the most vulnerable,” Hoosein-Outar told the appointees.

She pointed to the fact that the concept of public assistance is not intended to be a permanent fix for all. With the exception of Persons With Disabilities or those who will undoubtedly require long-term help, the Public Assistance Programme (PWD) will be linked to the ministry’s skills-training initiatives which will equip persons to earn a decent living for themselves and their families.

Hoosein-Outar made specific reference to the programmes that will soon be offered by the

Minister Persaud with members of the West Coast Berbice ‘Board of Guardian’

Minister Persaud flanked by members of the Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara ‘Board of Guardians’ Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI), which is poised for rehabilitation and revival in the coming weeks.

The West Coast Berbice ‘Board of Guardians’ com-

prise Lloyda Angus, Dunita Roopnaraine, Kamini Anantram, Salima Yacoob, Liloutie Singh, Vidyawattie Balram, Tajram Persaud, Deolall Bindra and Momin Sugrim.

The Mahaicony ‘Guard-

ians’ are Inderjeet Persaud, Narine Panchu, Deonarine Singh, Kawal Persaud, Rawl Richmond, Indrani Chaitram, Ramdeo Tooknauth and Mohamed Feisal Khan.

Hydromet to boost water testing capabilities

THE Guyana Hydrometeorological (Hydromet) Service will soon be expanding its testing capabilities to better monitor and collect data from the country’s water ways.

This was disclosed on Sunday by the Chief Hydromet Officer, Garvin Cummings, during the Ministry of Agriculture’s Special Report programme. Cummings explained that the hydrometeorological service has a wide range of responsibilities, one of which has to do with the collection and archiving of water quality data.

He highlighted that the mandate of the hydromet service is to collect historical data on the components of the country’s different water ways.

“There is no institution in Guyana that has historical data for the country, so essentially what the hydrometeorological service mandate has to do is collect data for

all of Guyana, essentially generating a baseline data for all of the country.”

To fulfill its mandate in 2019, the country’s first Water Quality Laboratory was commissioned, providing a facility with all the necessary equipment to carry out physical chemical test on bodies of water.

“The work of the lab is to essentially collect water quality data from all across Guyana and to analyze that data and create information

Officer said, adding: “Indeed, every year the government of Guyana is making incremental investments into the water quality lab so that we can get to the point where a wide suite of parameters can be tested for.”

Explaining further, Hydro-chemist, Felisha Persaud, who also appeared on the programme said, “We have the capacity at this very moment to test for a few parameters, mostly potential of hydrogen (PH), temperature, conductivity, turgidity, saliency, iron, phosphorus, nitrate, nitrite, chlorine, biochemical oxygen and nitrogen ammonia.”

Persaud stated that, with the introduction of biological testing, the lab will be outfitted with new equipment which will allow scientists and chemists to detect a wider range of chemicals and heavy metals

Chief Hydromet officer, Garvin Cummings for public consumption,” Cummings said, adding: “The water quality laboratory, even though small, was designed to essentially start with a very basic type of water quality monitoring and then to expand into a more complex type of water monitoring.”

He noted that the goal now is for the hydromet service to advance its testing capabilities to welcome biological testing of water quality in Guyana.

“We can do water quality testing in terms of temperatures, conductivity, suspended solids, the more simpler type of hydromet service. As the lab grows and matures, we are looking to expand the range of hydrometeorological service that we can test for,” the Chief Hydromet

Hydro-chemist, Felisha Persaud in water.

“We are also on the verge of expanding our testing capabilities; at this very moment we are procuring a piece of equipment, the atomic observance spectrum, to test for heavy metals such as mercury, cyanide and lead,” Persaud said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Works commence on $328M asphalt road in MMA Scheme REHABILITATION works of the Onverwagt main access road in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/ Abary-Agriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA) Scheme has commenced.

A total of five kilometres of the dam will be upgraded to an all-weather road and, once completed, would service over 12,000 acres of farmland and further heighten production in the scheme.

The contract, which was awarded to Romell Jagroop General Construction Services, is being executed at a sum of $328 million.

Back in January, the Ministry of Agriculture hosted a sod turning exercise to signify the commencement of the project.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said his ministry was moving aggressively with resuscitating the sector, add-

Works have commenced on the Onverwagt Road Project ing that the government ‘means business’ when it comes to Guyana realising its full agricultural potential.

The sod-turning exercise for this project was held in January. Since, a series of tests and preliminary works have been conducted.

“Since taking office, persons in the area had expressed their dissatis-

faction with the condition of the road and appealed to government for some amount of relief. We know for a fact that the road is in a deplorable state and is impassable, especially during the rainy season.

As a result of this, huge acreages of cultivated lands being inaccessible and this has affected the production of the farmers in the Scheme.

“If, as a government, we are looking to double agriculture production by 2025, then we have to ensure farmers face the necessary infrastructure to access their lands. The government is very much interested in agriculture development in Guyana and will continue to invest heavily in infrastructure and other agents of agricultural development, not

only in the MMA Scheme, but all across the country,” Minister Mustapha said.

The minister also said farmers can expect greater improvements in the infrastructure with the passage of the 2021 National Budget.

“As you know, we are currently in the process of debating the 2021 National Budget. I presented a $22.6 billion budget pro-

posal for the Ministry of Agriculture last Wednesday. Twelve billion of that will go towards infrastructural development such as the construction and maintenance of drainage and irrigation structures and farm-to-market access roads.

“These works will be executed in all the agriculture producing regions of the country.

With the renewed interest we are seeing in the sector because of the interventions of Budget 2020, farmers can look forward to more projects, and an overall proactive approach to dealing with issues of the sector. I believe that with Budget 2021, agriculture and the economy as a whole, will take off,” Minister Mustapha said.

The contract is expected to be completed before the end of August 2021. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

PM Phillips: Standards of living of Guyanese being uplifted WITH over $2.3 billion budgeted for development in telecommunications, and an $8.4 billion allocated for improvements in power generation across the country, Prime Minister (PM), Brigadier Mark Phillips said that measures in the 2021 budget is sure to touch the lives of every single Guyanese, as he endorsed the budget on Monday before the National Assembly.

The PM emphasised that the budget showcases the immense passion and concern that the government has for the wellbeing of the people of Guyana, evidenced through the ample, strategic, and deliberate allocations across all sectors.

“The budget breathes hope and life into the hearts of our citizens. It speaks of rebirth; it speaks of renewal, but most of all it speaks of a new era of prosperity for all Guyanese. An era that our people have, for too long, hoped for without fruition,” Phillips commented as he opened his hour-long address.

The PM took the opportunity to highlight specific measures contained in the budget for the key programme areas under his portfolio, which includes power generation, telecommunication, government information and communication technologies (ICT), and disaster preparedness, response and manage-

ment Measures funded in the energy sector are widespread and caters for funding towards improvement of the provision of energy both on the coastal area and hinterland areas.

The budget contains allocations of $240 million for the Sustainable Energy Programme; $628.8 million for the Renewable Energy Improvement Power System Project; $750 million for the Energy Matrix Diversification Programme; $500 million for the Solar System Project; $125 million for the Small Hydro Projects; and an estimated $202.5 million has been allocated to Hinterland Electrification.

An estimated total of $3.1 billion has been allocated to power companies across Guyana: $172.5 million for Lethem Power Company, $490 million for Kwakwani Utilities Inc., $2.3 billion for LINMINE, $30 million for Mabaruma Power Company, $50 million for Mahdia Power and Light, $10 million for Moruca Power and Light, $15 million for Matthew’s Ridge Power and Light and $50 million for Port Kaituma Power and Light.

“Our Government will now work assiduously to implement the necessary measures that will result in improved standard of living for our people through the generation and provision

of sufficient, stable and reliable power,” the PM declared.

ENERGY MIX Phillips reminded that the government’s vision for the future of energy provision in Guyana includes the addition of over 400MW of newly-installed capacity and a reduction in the cost of energy by at least 50 per cent through provisions from a mix of energy sources that include hydropower, natural gas, solar and wind.

Also under the energy sector is emphasised consideration for off-grid areas, particularly the expansion of the hinterland electrification programme, replacement and upgrade of solar PV systems in the hinterland and the advancement of micro grids for large hinterland areas.

The HECI plans to install solar PV powered micro-grid systems in 50 communities by 2025.

“Our government will now work assiduously to implement the necessary measures that will result in improved standard of living for our people through the generation and provision of sufficient, stable and reliable power,” PM declared.

Phillips noted that while the PPP/C has achieved an estimated 80 per cent electricity access across the hinterland, that “number has since reduced significantly”, and as such, the government has committed to providing 25,000 solar home systems, rated at 100W each.

These will be installed in over 200 communities.

In power supply on the coastland, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) will continue the roll out of improvements to its transmission and distribution through continued advancement towards the integration of a fully-automated transmission and distribution metering and generation system.

The Power Utility Upgrade Programme was given a further $1.8 billion. This programme targets network issues such as redundancy, reliability, capacity upgrades, bulk delivery systems to new load centres and technical loss reduction via larger conductors and power factor correction.

“GPL is currently working with a list of known areas and will continue to ensure access to electricity is improved to 100 per cent by 2024,” the PM pointed out.

On telecommunications, the PM noted that the importance of ICT as a tool of economic and social empowerment, cannot be overemphasised, which is why some $2.3 billion has been budget

Prime Minister, Brigadier Mark Phillips for this sector.

“Guyana has made many strides in the innovation of ICTs but there is a ways to go, and this creates room for our country to learn and follow the pattern of larger countries’ successes in this regard,” Phillips said.

An estimated $2 billion dollars has been allocated to the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) to transform the delivery of Government services and improve citizens’ quality of life through appropriate use of technology that fosters digital inclusion and public trust.

IMPROVEMENT OF ICT SERVICES Another $172.9 million has been set aside for the National Broadband Project for which will see the improvement of Government ICT services for the citizens of Guyana.

With an allocation of $52.4 million, a highly strategic approach will be taken to plan, coordinate and implement a number of projects and initiatives that will support the policy objectives of the Industry and Innovation Unit (IIU).

The IIU is also expected to establish a National ICT Strategy and accompanying pivotal legislation such as data protection and other-related legislations that will foster the growth and sustainability of the ICT sector.

For 2021, the agency plans to implement the Universality Fund through which mobile telecommunications and broadband Internet service will be extended to thousands of Guyanese in unserved areas.

A total of $961.3 million has been allocated from this year’s budget towards the Government Information and Communications Services Programme.

Meanwhile, also towards improvement in the delivery of communication, the PM reminded of the initiative to develop a ‘National Broadcast Academy’ in collaboration with the Guyana Press Association, Guyana Broadcasting Authority and the University of Guyana.

With regards to disaster preparedness and management, a total of $563 million has been allocated to the Civil Defence Commission for it to carry out its work.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

MP calls for September 10 to be declared a national holiday –– in honour of Stephen Campbell, Guyana’s first Indigenous parliamentarian

A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament (MP), Vincent Henry has called for September 10 to be declared a national

commissioned the Stephen Campbell House located at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Bourda, Georgetown.

A strong believer in empowerment and self-sufficiency, Campbell fought

Stephen Campbell with the petition he presented at the London Constitutional Conference holiday in tribute to the late Stephen Campbell.

Campbell is the first Indigenous person in Guyana’s history to become a parliamentarian.

Last week, during the budget debate, Henry said that in honour of the country’s First Peoples and the elevation of Parliament over the years, a day should be set aside to celebrate Campbell’s strides.

“As a recognition of the first people who settled and remained in Guyana, I ask that we remember the contributions made by the Honourable Stephen Campbell, the first indigenous person who became a parliamentarian.

We request that the day he entered Parliament, the 10th of September, be declared a national holiday,” Henry said.

The call comes a little over a year after former President David Granger

vigorously during his parliamentary days for educational opportunities and land rights for the Indigenous Peoples.

During the colonial days, the then rulers allowed Amerindians to live their life in ‘reservations’, according to their traditions and practices, subject to certain limitations.

However, Amerindians at that time had no formal title of ownership or established legal rights to the lands which they used or where they lived. Talks regarding the then British Guiana becoming an independent country led to fear amongst the Amerindians.

The people feared that after the country gained independence, whatever rights they enjoyed would have been trampled upon and ignored, and the lands on which they lived for years would have been expropriated.

In 1962, Campbell trav-

elled to London to present a petition, and lobby the British government for recognition of Amerindian land rights.

On that first visit to London, Campbell took with him a petition, which was written on a long scroll and signed by

dozens of Indigenous leaders of the day.

He presented it to the British Secretary of State, Duncan Sandys, following a one-hour- long private meeting.

Sadly, on May 12, 1966,

two weeks before British Guiana gained its independence, Campbell passed away while receiving treatment in Canada, where he was later laid to rest.

The work that he did during his last days ensured

that Indigenous Peoples have legal ownership of land and rights, and occupancies following Guyana’s independence on May 26, 1966.

These rights were embodied in the independence provisions.

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ENGLISH RACING TIPS Chelmsford 12:50 hrs Regent 13:20 hrs Luna Wish 13:50 hrs Healing Power 14:50 hrs My Footsteps 15:20 hrs Bayston Hill 15:50 hrs Sergeant Major

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Smashing Kieron, Smashing!

–– Pollard sixes lead West Indies to T20 win

LUDLOW 08:30 hrs Qualismart 09:00 hrs Gaelik Coast 09:30 hrs Didonato 10:05 hrs Calipso Collonges 10:40 hrs One For You 11:15 hrs Arcadian Pearl 11:50 hrs Dieu Vivant

Pathum Nissanka plays a slog sweep, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, Coolidge, March 3, 2021

SOUTHWELL 09;10 hrs Smokey Malone 09:40 hrs Mr Excellency 10:15 hrs Gabrial The Devil 10:50 hrs Scale Force 11:25 hrs True Hero 12:30 hrs Travel Lightly AMERICAN RACING TIPS Gulfstream Park Race 1 Mudslide Wicked Race 2 Ultimate Gift Race 3 Cairo Campaign Race 4 Jamsstar Race 5 Cameilia Gal Race 6 Bird Map Race 7 Katama Moonlight Race 8 Game Boy Benny Race 9 Vividly Race10 Surprise Factor IRISH RACING TIPS Clonmel 10:20 hrs Avellino 10:55 hrs Brawler 11:30 hrs An Marcach 12:05 HRS Trumps Ace 12:35 hrs Marshalled 13:05 hrs Saint Benedict SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Vaal 08:00 hrs Eyes On Tiger 08:40 hrs Sabrina Fairchild 09:15 hrs Princess Sabrina 09:50 hrs Easrl 10:25 hrs Castle Durrow 11:00 hrs Nina Amelia

(ESPNCRICINFO) - In one of the more ridiculous T20 run-chases you will witness, Kieron Pollard became just the third player to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket off the same bowler, Akila Dananjaya, who had rocked West Indies' chase just an over earlier with a hat-trick.

It felt like it was either sixes or wickets for most of West Indies' innings as an opening stand of 52 in 3.2 became 52 for 3 when Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle (on his comeback) and Nicholas Pooran fell in three balls to Dananjaya.

Eight balls later Lendl Simmons also departed, lbw to the impressive Wanindu Hasaranga, before Pollard's immense response.

Facing the next over from Dananjaya he joined Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh in having taken 36 off an over with some of the shots almost going out of the small ground.

West Indies' Powerplay tally of 98 was also a new record and the wild ride continued when Pollard was also lbw to Hasaranga before relative calm was brought to the conclusion by Jason Holder.

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA N Dickwella b Holder 33 D Gunathilaka c Pollard b Sinclair 4 P Nissanka st Pooran b Allen 39 D Chandimal c Holder b McCoy 11 A Mathews c Simmons b Edwards 5 T Perera c Bravo b McCoy 1 H de Silva c Allen b Bravo 12 A Bandara run out 10 A Dananjaya not out 9 D Chameera run out 2 Extras (lb2, w3) 5 TOTAL (9 wkts, 20 overs) 131 Did not bat: N Pradeep Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Gunathilaka), 2-71 (Dickwella), 3-83 (Nissanka), 4-96 (Mathews), 5-97 (Chandimal), 6-106 (Perera), 7-111 (de Silva), 8-126 (Bandara), 9-131 (Chameera) Bowling: Sinclair 3-0-26-1, Edwards 4-0-29-1 (w1), Holder 4-0-19-1, McCoy 4-0-25-2 (w2), Bravo 4-0-26-1, Allen 1-0-4-1.

WEST INDIES L Simmons lbw b de Silva 26 E Lewis c Gunathilaka b Dananjaya 28 C Gayle lbw b Dananjaya 0 N Pooran c wkp Dickwella b Dananjaya 0 K Pollard lbw b de Silva 38 Jason Holder not out 22 F Allen lbw b de Silva 0 D Bravo not out 3 Extras (lb4, w4, nb1) 9 TOTAL (6 wkts, 13.1 overs) 126 Did not bat: K Sinclair, O McCoy, F Edwards Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Lewis), 2-52 (Gayle), 3-52 (Pooran), 4-62 (Simmons), 5-101 (Pollard), 6-101 (Allen) Bowling: Mathews 1-0-9-0, Dananjaya 4-0-62-3, Chameera 3-0-29-0, de Silva 4-0-12-3, Bandara 1-0-2-0, Pradeep 0.1-0-6-0.

Result: West Indies won by four wickets.

Series: West Indies lead three-match series 1-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Kieron Pollard.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

CWI confirms widest ever broadcast coverage for Sri Lanka series CRICKET West Indies (CWI) confirms the widest ever access to live broadcast, radio and digital rights for West Indies fans in the Caribbean and around the world for the upcoming International home series against Sri Lanka.

The coverage starts today with the first CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) match which begins at 18:00hrs Eastern Caribbean time/17:00hrs Jamaica time.

CWI is delighted to welcome Flow Sports as the exclusive television and digital broadcaster in the Caribbean for the Sri Lanka Series. Fans can access the live broadcast on Flow TV and through the new Flow Sports App, available to anyone through a direct subscription and to Flow customers with the applicable mobile plans.

Both Flow Sports and the Windies Cricket YouTube channel will carry short- and long-form highlights following the conclusion of each match.

Fans in Sri Lanka will be able to see the first CGI Insurance T20I live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel, before the whole of the remaining series matches are broadcast via free-to-air state broadcaster Rupavahini and Universal Link Ceylon, who will be licensing the tour to satellite TV, digital and radio stations in Sri Lanka.

Millions of fans in India can access the series with coverage from India’s premier sports destination, FanCode, who will offer live broadcast and highlights as part of their streaming, fanta-

sy sports data and interactive community platform.

Additionally, through partners Total Sports Marketing, fans in Bangladesh can access the series on Rabbitholebd Sports YouTube channel and the Toffee App. Supporters in Canada can follow the series through Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN) who will be providing live coverage.

In addition to CWI’s new long-term partners BT Sport (UK), ESPN+ (USA), SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Sky (New Zealand), fans in other countries can watch live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.

For the first time in nearly a decade, more than 10 radio stations in the Caribbean will be providing live ball-by-ball radio commentary of the series to the majority of the region as part of CWI’s partnership with Dominica’s Vibes FM. This radio commentary will also be featured live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel giving West Indies fans around the world the opportunity to tune into authentic West Indies radio commentary.

CWI’s www.windiescricket.com website will be featuring a new live blog within the Live Match Centre which also includes live ball-by-ball scoring. The live blog and the Windies Cricket Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels will feature highlights clips, behind the scenes content and in-running fan comments as a second screen option to complement fans watching on TV or online.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday March 04, 2021) COMPLIMENTS OF THE 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) SL vs WI, Manchester, 1975 (2) Bernard Julien (WI)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who is the first WI player to hit a hundred in an ODI game?

(2) Who is the first SL player to do so?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

C W I ’s C E O J o h n n y Grave said, “It is great that we have been able to confirm these new partnerships for the upcoming Sri Lanka series with Flow in the Caribbean, FanCode in India, ATN

in Canada and Rupavahini and Universal Link Ceylon in Sri Lanka on the eve of the beginning of the tour.

These agreements, along with our new long-term media rights partners, will en-

sure that West Indies cricket fans around the world will be able to watch and follow the team against Sri Lanka.

“We are delighted to provide our greatest-ever range of ways to follow the

West Indies live including regional and online radio, our social media channels and our new live blog as we continue to grow and enhance our fast-growing digital platforms.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

All-West Indian match officials’ team announced for Sri Lanka series ST JOHN’S, Antigua - Cricket West Indies (CWI), on behalf of the International Cricket Council (ICC), today announced the match officials for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and who will all be from the West Indies.

The two teams will play all three formats, starting with the CG Insurance T20 Internationals which began last night at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG).

Former West Indies Test captain Sir Richie Richardson will be the ICC Match Referee for all matches to be played at CCG and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua.

The team of match officials will comprise Joel Wilson, a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, as well as Gregory Brathwaite, Nigel Duguid, Leslie Reifer Jr and Patrick Gustard, who are all members of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires.

The Test series will have special significance for Wilson and Brathwaite. Wilson will stand in his first Test match in the Caribbean.

He has so far officiated in 19 Tests, 66 ODIs

and 26 T20Is. Brathwaite will stand in his first Test match. He has so far officiated in 44 ODIs and 28 T20Is. Due to the logistics challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all match officials will be from the West Indies due to the ICC temporarily permitting the appointment of locally-based match officials from the Emirates Elite Panel of Match Officials and the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Officials.

Roland Holder, CWI’s Senior Manager of Cricket Operations said: “We have worked over the years to improve the standard of cricket in all areas. It is a just reward for the match officials to be recognised for their hard work by being a part of an all-West Indian match officials’ team.

Everyone at CWI is really happy that they have the opportunity to showcase their skills and we wish them all the very best during the series.”

MATCH OFFICAL APPOINTMENTS Coolidge Cricket Ground – CCG Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – SVRS March 3: 1st CG Insurance T20I at CCG

Gregory Brathwaite

Rutherford smashes late cameo as Brathwaite falters (CMC) – West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford shone while former captain Carlos Brathwaite failed again but both tasted defeat in the Pakistan Super League here yesterday.

Playing at the National Stadium, Rutherford’s Peshawar Zalmi went down by six wickets to Karachi Kings with three balls to spare, to lose their second in five outings.

Sent in, Zalmi found themselves in early trouble before Rutherford struck a robust 46 off 32 deliveries to help propel the innings to an impressive 188 for five off their 20 overs.

The 22-year-old lefthander belted three fours and sixes, staging an 82run, fifth-wicket stand with top-scorer Ravi Bopara (58 not out), to pull Zalmi around from a perilous position of 69 for four in the 10th over.

Rutherford eventually fell in the 19th over, gloving an attempted pull at new ball seamer Mohammad Ilyas through to the keeper.

However, English-

stroke-maker Babar Azam carved out a 47-ball unbeaten 77 while Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi smashed 67 off 35 deliveries to rescue the run chase.

The pair put on 118 for the fourth wicket after Kings had slumped further to 43 for the seventh, leaving only three runs to get from the final over.

In the second game at the venue, Brathwaite’s Multan Sultans suffered a 22-run loss to Quetta Gladiators – their fourth defeat in five matches.

After Sultans chose to bowl first, Brathwaite leaked 43 runs Sherfane Rutherford … from his four overs of seam hit a late order cameo for and also went wicket-less as Gladiators finished on 178 for Peshawar Zalmi. seven off their 20 overs, behind man Bopara, who counted opener Usman Khan’s 81.

And the big-hitting half-dozen four and a six in 40-ball knock, added a further right-hander scored only 37 for the sixth wicket with four as Sultans crashed to Amad Butt who blasted a sev- 154 all out with two balls en-ball unbeaten 27 with three left in the innings, with fours and two sixes, to give 20-year-old Afghanistan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad the innings a strong finish.

In reply, Sharjeel Khan hurting the run chase with perished to the first ball three for 21 from his four of the innings but elegant overs.

Joel Wilson On-field umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Nigel Duguid Television umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr Fourth umpire: Patrick Gustard Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 5: 2nd CG Insurance T20I at CCG On-field umpires: Nigel Duguid, Leslie Reifer Jr Television umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Fourth umpire: Patrick Gustard Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 7: 3rd CG Insurance T20I at CCG On-field umpires: Patrick Gustard, Joel Wilson

Television umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Fourth umpire: Nigel Duguid Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 10: 1st CG Insurance ODI at SVRS On field umpires: Joel Wilson, Gregory Brathwaite Television umpire: Nigel Duguid Fourth umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr. Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 12: 2nd CG Insurance ODI at SVRS On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Nigel Duguid Television umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Fourth umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr. Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 14: 3rd CG Insurance ODI at SVRS On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Leslie Reifer Jr Television umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Fourth umpire: Nigel Duguid Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 21-25: 1st Test at SVRS On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Gregory Brathwaite Television umpire: Nigel Duguid Fourth umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr. Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson March 29 to April 2: 2nd Test at SVRS On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Gregory Brathwaite Television umpire: Nigel Duguid Fourth umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr. Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson

Harriott’s brace helps Colchester United snap losing streak (CMC) – Guyana international Callum Harriott struck twice as Colchester United secured their first win in 15 matches after coming from behind to beat Carlisle United 2-1 in an English League Two match on Tuesday night.

At a foggy JobServe Community Stadium in England’s southeast, the 26-year-old UK-born winger, who made his debut for the Jaguars in 2019, cancelled out Jon Mellish’s 29th-minute opener for the Cumbrians with a 67th-minute penalty after Frank Nouble had been fouled by Dean Furman in the area.

Harriott then bagged all three points seven minutes later when he collected Tommy Smith’s pass and scored with a low 25-yard left-footed strike that goalkeeper Paul Farman could not keep out as the hosts, in 20th place, claimed a much-needed win.

Said Harriott afterwards on his social media site: “We will fight till the end. Three points and two

Guyana international Callum Harriott goals, let’s go.”

In the National League, the fifth tier of the English football pyramid, Grenada striker Kairo Mitchell struck a stoppage-time equaliser to earn King’s Lynn a dramatic 2-2 draw against promotion-chasing Notts County at Meadow Lane.

Scott Wootton’s brace had appeared to earn the hosts a first win in three games, but 23-year-old Mitchell levelled following a free-kick.

In another match in the same league, Courtney Duffus, a 25-year-old

forward whose father is Jamaican, scored after the break but ended on the losing side as Bromley went down 3-2 to local rivals Sutton United at Gander Green Lane.

Sutton closed the gap on league leaders Torquay to a point with a dramatic stoppage-time winner.

Michael Cheek, who scored twice in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Altrincham, had fired Ravens ahead from close range in the 14th minute.

The hosts equalised 10 minutes into the second half when captain Craig Eastmond headed in from a free-kick, only for Duffus to restore Bromley’s lead with a low drive in the 65th minute.

Sutton completed a dramatic comeback when Harry Beautyman levelled again with four minutes left.

And then, deep into stoppage-time, Will Randall’s ball into the Bromley box was deflected into his own net by Byron Webster.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, March 4, 2021

Rex Chemicals blends with President’s softball tournament … plans to enter Guyana’s market

INTERNATIONAL manufacturing company, Rex Chemicals have joined the inaugural President’s T20 Softball Tournament which is set for this weekend in Georgetown.

Rex Chemicals, manufacturer of commercial and residential cleaning products including soaps and industrial cleaners, is based in Florida USA but is excited to join the list of sponsors for the inaugural tournament.

Paul Narpaul, owner of the company that has branches throughout the Caribbean and the USA. was elated at the opportunity to get on board with his sponsorship which he promises will increase as the tournament grows in the years to come.

The entire sponsorship

from Rex Chemicals will go towards the total prize money to be paid in the three categories of the three-day tournament which begins tomorrow at various venues in and around Georgetown.

Narpaul has already partnered with local company, Overnite Signs and Grafix, and will be prospecting a branch of Rex Chemicals in Guyana. The experienced businessman extends good wishes to the organisers, teams and supporters of the tournament.

This inaugural softball tournament will be played from March 5 to 7 in Open, Masters and Legends categories. There is no entrance fee but the winning team in each category will pocket $500 000 while the runners-up will

get $100 000. There are lots of individual prizes at stake including smart television sets for the player-of-the-series in each category, along with trophies.

The tournament is organised by the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. in collaboration with Guyana’s Honorary Cousul in Florida, Ramzan Roshanali, among 24 teams competing for honours.

The finals in all three categories will be played at the Everest Cricket Club (ECC) at Camp Road with all COVID-19 protocols in place.

Rex Chemicals has joined the list of sponsors including Banks Beer, Trophy Stall, Danny Persaud), Elegance Jewellery and Pawn Shop, Star

Staff of Rex Chemicals at their factory in Florida Party Rentals, P&P Insurance Brokers, Crown Mining Supplies, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Regal Sports, Dinar Trading, Mohamed’s Enterprise, King’s Jew-

ellery World, Roraima Group of Companies, Barama Company Limited, Kia Motors, West Vybez Sports Bar and Restaurant, Royal Chicken, Beacon Café, Der-

ick’s Variety Store, Muslim Youth Organisation, Bushbox Inc., SS Royal K9, Premier Insurance, Kapil ‘Rice Mart’ Ramnauth and Freelancer Advertising Agency.

Queenstown U-19 remain unbeaten in Guyana to compete at FIBA Esports Devon Ramnauth Youth Cricket League QUEENSTOWN U-19 are now 2-0 in the Devon Ramnauth Region Two Youth Development Cricket League, which is being played on Saturdays in Essequibo.

After a commanding 10-wicket win against Reliance Hustlers in the opening round, the dominant side cruised to another huge victory, when they tackled Essequibo Eagles in their latest clash.

Eagles batted first in the 20-over affair and went for almost a run-a-ball to finish at 124-5. Sheldon Charles and Lance Roberts, who were instrumental in the team’s 54-run opening victory against Golden Fleece Vikings, again led the way with the bat. Charles finished with 44 and Roberts with 35 not out.

Seon Glasgow was the pick of the Queenstown bowlers with 2-16 from three overs.

Unlike the previous game, Roberts could not replicate his six-wicket haul; in fact the Eagles bowlers were ineffective against their opponents.

The four man-of-the-match winners from the delayed round one encounter and the three second-round clashes Openers Azim Mohammed and Ameer Singh again batted their team to victory. Singh scored 35 while Mohammed finished the match with 56 unbeaten runs as Queenstown reached the target in 19.4 overs with eight

wickets intact.

Also in Round Two, Rising Stars Spartans handed Golden Fleece Vikings their second defeat.

In a low-scoring affair, Spartans were bowled out for 73. Mahendra Basdeo finished with 25. In re-

ply, J. Charles picked up 3-3 to help rout Vikings for 42.

Ushardeva Balgobin also powered his team, Hustlers Youths, to a 10-wicket victory when they challenged United Warriors, who posted 59 all out in 13.3 overs after A. Beharry took 3-19.

In reply, Balgobin played a few big shots in his 42 to overhaul the score in 7.4 overs.

Prior to Round Two action, on Friday, Warriors had won their opening round clash by four runs, when they battled Spartans. That game had been postponed from last Saturday because of rain.

Warriors batted first and scored 134 with T. Bacchus hitting 39 and S. Corbin 33. Spartans were looking to overhaul the total, but Benny Persaud captured three crucial wickets to restrict them for 130.

Persaud finished with 3-19. B. Khan led the Spartans with 43.

The six-team battle is set to conclude on March 20.

GUYANA will compete at the FIBA Esports Open III for the first time, after the third edition of the tournament was announced by FIBA on 16 February 2021.

FIBA Esports is part of the Guyana Basketball Federation (GABF) innovation activities under the Enlarge the GABF Family strategic priority.

The global event has more than doubled in size to 38 teams from the inaugural tournament, which took place last June. Guyana will compete in the Americas Conference, which is due to take place late April. Selection to represent Guyana at the FIBA Esports Open III is open to all top NBA2K players, as the GABF invites players from both genders to apply online.

Similar to the previous event, conferences will be played across three weekends, this time in April and early May 2021. FIBA will confirm the exact dates in due course.

GABF general secretary Patrick Haynes said they’re “excited to be part of FIBA’s Esports Open for the first time this year. The gaming world has seen rapid growth, evidenced by the large number of gamers and fans involved, and the timing and opportunities make sense for the GABF to add an e-national team to compete in future international FIBA competitions. Our preparations are underway, and we wish all players who will be representing Guyana the best of luck.”

Each team will have seven players – five on the court and two reserves. Guyana has registered for the Current Gen Division where players will be allowed to play with the PlayStation 4 (PS4) version of NBA2K21, using ProAm mode, which will allow full customisation of player avatars, uniforms and arena designs.

Fans will once again be able to watch the action unfold, with 70+ hours of live content being streamed on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels and live on the Olympic Channel. Each game will be available online with live commentary in English, as well as a daily show featuring up to 12 games.

Register online: http://guyana.basketball/en/esports/

Debutant Kevin Sinclair receives his T20I cap from Chris Gayle, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, Coolidge, March 3, 2021

Smashing Kieron, Smashing!

– Pollard sixes lead West Indies to T20 win

See story on page 24 Kieron Pollard becomes the second batsman to hit six sixes in an over in T20I cricket, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, Coolidge, March 3, 2021 © AFP/ Getty Images 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

Evin Lewis pulls one away, West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, Coolidge, March 3, 2021 THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021