Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 06-10-2022

teachers,

First

sponsors mammograms

By Elvin Carl Croker

Small vendors: Cricket Carnival put ‘nice change in our pockets’

By Cindy Parkinson

NOW that the curtain has come down on the Car ibbean Premier League (CPL) final and Cricket Carnival, many small ven dors are smiling brightly.

The events held on September 16 to October 2, 2022, under the “One

main aim of the events was “to put Guyana on show for all to see our authentic experiences, whether it is immersing yourself in the rich and diverse cultures, getting in tune with nature in our remote regions, or exploring the built heritage or city vibes here in the coast.”

It was a spectacle of an

certs, SOCA competitions, cultural performances, re gional food festivals, sched uled tours and the road parade, among others.

Nuts, chips, soft drinks and sweets vendors were a common site during the car nival festivities; there were also vendors who sold local dishes such as cook-up-rice, roti and curry, wild meat,

“Every day we went home with a nice change in our pockets and felt safe. Let me say thanks to the police for keeping us safe on the streets and mak ing sure it was peaceful,” said Jason (the only name given).

Delon and Trisha Per saud, who were operating as food and snacks ven dors for the first time, said the carnival brought them much-needed income and believe that other vendors can benefit from the event for the upcoming years.

They thanked everyone who supported them during the Cricket Carnival and asked that they continue supporting all small ven dors

“Because it is what most

of us depend on to make a living,” they told the Guy ana Chronicle.

Several other snacks vendors also expressed their satisfaction with their re turns from the carnival and say that they could not wait for next year.

With the streets still

buzzing with positive reviews, Guyanese, the Caribbean and people all around the world will be waiting in anticipa tion for the next Cricket Carnival and CPL final, which Guyana will be hosting for the next two years.

Guyana” theme generated significant income oppor tunities for thousands of Guyanese across the board.

The first-ever Crick et Carnival was held by the Government of Guy ana through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

Subject Minister Onei dge Walrond had explained in an earlier article that the

event that attracted tourists from the Caribbean territo ries, internationally, neigh bouring countries and the diaspora. Guyanese from all walks of life and throughout Guyana were out celebrat ing in their large numbers as well.

They were treated to a wide range of entertainment and recreational choices such as international con

chowmein, BBQ, fish and chips, etc. Added to that, there were also local craft and paintings for sale.

“I was excited to par ticipate in the Cricket Car nival after five years as a food vendor; business was booming, and I want to thank my customers and the President of Guyana for bringing CPL to our country.

‘To all our teachers, thank you!’

By Tamica Garnett

NOTING that government is continuously working to ensure that teachers are giv en the right environment in which to work, Presi dent, Dr Irfaan Ali on World Teachers’ Day observed on Wednesday thanked teach ers in Guyana and across the world for their selfless commitment and dedication to their profession.

“I want to thank all my teachers for their love, their commitment, their guidance and the sacrifices they made.

“On behalf of all the chil dren of Guyana I want to thank all the teachers of this beautiful country, and teachers world wide, for the work that they do and the commitment and sacrifices that they make,” the President said.

World Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teach ers Day, is an international day held annually on October 5 to celebrate all teachers around the globe.

It commemorates the an niversary of the adoption of the 1966 International Labour Organisation/United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ILO/ UNESCO) Recommendation concerning the status of teach ers, setting benchmarks regard ing the rights and responsibili ties of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.

“Over the last two years, we have engaged on a very aggressive platform in improv ing the welfare of teachers and improving the conditions for teachers. Giving them more opportunities, and giving them an environment in which they can work and [we can] support them in,” the President said.

President Ali shared that he fully understands the challeng es teachers face, having come from a background where both of his parents were teachers.

As such, he is personally committed to ensuring the best of working environments and benefits for Guyana’s teachers.

“I know the commitment and the hours that go behind preparing lessons and spending time ensuring that the notes are prepared for teaching.

“It’s not only about the

classroom it’s the hours spent preparing the notes and pre paring themselves to deliver on the content that must be created for a learning environ ment,” the President said.

In a video message trans mitted on his official Face book page, the President noted that in addition to working to ensure that teachers have the right working environ ment, the government has also shown high regard for the development of teachers through a number of scholar ships being offered, including through the Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL) programme.

Meanwhile, teachers have also benefitted from the expan sion of admission at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), Guyana’s teacher training college.

The President pointed out that whereas teachers training at CPCE received stipends of $11,000, the government has moved to instead have all trainees receive full salaries, benefitting from a payment of at least $80,000 per month.

Teachers have also ben efitted from the government

having rectified the situation whereby incoming teachers were paid based on salaries of the previous year and not al located salary increases for the present year. Approximately 1,300 teachers have benefitted from this development.

Meanwhile, through the Teachers’ Welfare and Benefits Programme launched by the Ministry of Education in 2021, teachers are also benefitting from a number of welfare ben efits including low-cost health and life insurance coverage, a revolving mortgage fund for teachers to access up to $12 million in financing, discounts at over 150 businesses, and the establishment of a Teacher Benevolence Fund.

In noting future measures at which the government is looking, the President noted that every school will see increased clerical support to move teachers away from carrying out those tasks them selves.

“A lot of the teaching time is taken away because of the clerical duties that teachers are burdened with. I’ve instructed the Ministry of Education now to look at every single school

‘Guyana lost a powerful force for good’

- Leaders reflect on the life of ‘fireball’ Philomena Sahoye-Shury

By Cindy Parkinson

DEATH leaves a per manent void in life that

daughter of the soil, a trailblazer, a true leader, a fighter, and a strong, fearless and independent

a former Member of Par liament, passed away on Sunday at her residence.

She was well known as the “Fireball”, a nickname she earned while serving as the General Secretary of the Guyana Agricul tural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

She also served in many capacities, includ ing as a Member of Par liament, Georgetown City Councillor, and PPP/C Central Committee mem ber. Regardless of the challenges faced in the quest for what she be lieved in, Philomena never gave up.

Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, was the chairper son for the event.

Philomena’s daugh ter, Donna, in her brief remarks, described her mother as “a very force ful and strong woman” who was fearless in life and someone who was “always fighting for the underdog”.

She asked that the people of Guyana join President, Dr Irfaan Ali and his “One Guyana” vision, a goal her mother supported. Donna thanked the people for their over whelming support during this time.

and to give every school cleri cal support, so the burden of record keeping is removed,” the President noted.

Additionally, guidance and counselling officers have been deployed to 86 secondary schools across the country.

Teachers awaiting their permanent teaching certificate since 2016 will also be seeing this issue addressed.

“As of this Monday, we have implemented a policy that will see 1,000 teachers receiv ing their permanent screening certificate that was backlogged from since 2016.

“I have instructed that by the end of this year, the entire backlog must be cleared so that teachers can have their permanent teacher certificate,” the President informed.

The government is also looking at the establishment of childcare facilities from which teachers can benefit.

This year, World Teachers Day is being celebrated under the theme: “The Transforma tion of Education Begins with Teachers.”

The President acknowl edged that the demands of teachers in today’s modern

times is far greater than they were ever before. He noted however that with the aid of technology, teachers are better equipped with more tools to handle the complexity and new challenges of the emerging environment.

For her part, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand expressed to teachers that their dedication has not gone unnoticed.

“Happy Teachers’ Day to this nation’s dedicated teach ers. I see you and all you do. I will always hear you and be responsive. I will continue to be your biggest, most commit ted advocate.

“Together, we will do what you wanted to do when you first signed up to teach. God’s richest blessings and all my love. Today and always,” Man ickchand said through her of ficial Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Vice-Pres ident, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo also offered words to teach ers, saying, “Your wisdom, dedication and kindness will always lead us on the right path and inspire us to be bet ter human beings.”

no one can ever fill, but beauty comes from a life well lived. A limb has fallen from the family tree, but the idea was never to live forever but to paint a masterpiece that will.

Guyana has lost a

woman who has helped in the transformation of communities and people across the nation.

Philomena SahoyeShury, a long-time mem ber and supporter of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and

Hundreds attended the “Night of Reflection” for Sahoye-Shury hosted at the Arthur Chung Con ference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal to pay their respects to Comrade Philomena for the role that she had played in their lives, both personally and professionally. Minister within the Office of the

President Ali described himself as a “lucky” per son to have associated with Comrade Philomena for as long as he did. He described her as a “chal lenging person” who was never satisfied with where she was at.

According to President Ali, Comrade Philomena

President, Dr Irfaan Ali reflects on the life of Ms Philomena Sahoye-Shuri on Wednesday (Elvin Carl Croker photo)

Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo delivers his tribute (Elvin Carl Croker photo)

Transformational changes coming to legal sector

- Guyana to be Arbitration capital of the Caribbean

MINISTER of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. stated that there are a number of transforma tional changes coming soon to Guyana’s legal sector.

The Minister made these remarks as he spoke to reporters on the side-line of an event on Wednesday morning. Dur

ing this engagement, the minister noted that the government currently has one of the most aggressive legislative agendas in re cent times in the country.

To back this up, he said that there are several transformative pieces of legislation waiting for debate in the National Assembly.

As such, he mentioned

the Bail Bill which, he said, is perhaps the most modern manifestation of the law in relation to bail across the Caribbean and even the Commonwealth.

Some of the other Bills awaiting debate, he said, are the Higher Purchase Bill, E-Transaction Bill, and constitutional reform. This Constitutional Re form Bill, the AG noted, will trigger the important process of constitutional reform.

Additionally, Nandlall stated that also to be taken to Parliament is the most modern arbitration bill in

the Caribbean.

Arbitration is known as a form of alternative dispute resolution which sees matters being re solved outside of the ju diciary.

“In fact, it’s described as a CARICOM mod el because we intend to make Guyana an arbitra tion capital of not only the Caribbean,” the Attorney General said.

He went on to say that in support of this Bill, the government has begun a series of training exercises which commenced last year on the concept of

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

arbitration, and its impor tance and the benefits that can be derived from mak ing Guyana an arbitration destination.

Nandlall highlight ed that a number of the contracts that are being entered into in the infra structure and oil and gas sectors have arbitration clauses which require these arbitrations to be taken to different parts of the world.

He said, “That is so because we don’t have the

arbitration infrastructure here, legislative and oth erwise, that is considered modern and that meets international standards.

“We intend to change that; the arbitration indus try alone is a multibilliondollar industry.”

As such, he men tioned that the govern ment will continue to en sure that work is done in the legal sector to trans form Guyana. (Shamar Meusa)

Ramps Logistics faces 10 charges for false declarations

THE Guyana Revenue Au thority (GRA), on Wednes day, instituted 10 charges against Ramps Logistics Guyana Inc. following the conclusion of recent inves tigations.

GRA in a press release said that following recent ly-completed investigations carried out by the Law En forcement and Investigations Division of GRA, 10 charges have been instituted at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court against the company.

The charges are said to be in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act Chapter 82:01.

According to GRA, the investigations revealed that during the period of 2021 to 2022, the company made several untrue declarations to the GRA.

The release said that GRA, as it continues to op erate within its mandate to allow for a levelled playing field for legitimate businesses and the collection of revenue, is encouraging individuals and businesses involved in any illicit activities to cease and desist from flouting the laws.

The authority further urged these businesses to bring their operations into compliance with Guyana’s

tax, trade and border laws. The specifics of the case have not been made public.

In June, Guyana Chroni cle reported that RAMPS Logistics Guyana Inc., with parent company in Trinidad and Tobago, had been denied a local content certificate.

The declaration was made then by the company’s Chair man, Shaun Rampersad dur ing a press conference at the local subsidiary’s New Market Street, Georgetown headquarters.

The company, which was incorporated in 2013 in Guyana, is parented by RAMPS Logistics Limited out of Trinidad and Tobago. It was reported earlier this year that some 51 per cent of the local company was sold to Trinidadian businessman, Deepak Lall, who, Ramper sad had said, has Guyanese parentage.

The sale of majority shares of the local logistics

company came just after Guyana’s Parliament enacted its updated local content rules which are set to protect the interest of Guyanese and Guyanese companies in the growing local oil and gas sector.

Rampersad, speaking to reporters at the time, said he was of the view that the company complied with spe cifics of the local content legislation. He had said too that the company felt that it went about the processes in the right way.

Following the passing of the local content law, RAMPS reportedly sold 51 per cent of the company’s shares to Lall who, Ramp ersad said, paid GY$210 million.

The goal, Rampersad had noted, was to include someone from the Guyanese diaspora. Lall reportedly received his Guyanese pass port in 2021.

‘Guyana lost a powerful...

excelled in everything that she did as she was very loyal to the task at hand. He went on to say that he and Comrade Philomena travelled the country to get the work done.

The President quipped that even though she was as hardworking and dedi cated to the job, she had a love for tobacco. She is,

however, better remem bered for her natural way of helping people, regard less of their ethnicity.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo expressed his condolences to the daughter and other fam ily members, recognising Philomena for standing up for the people of Guyana, especially for women’s empowerment.

Dr Jagdeo said Philomena ushered many women into poli tics, giving them a voice. He also echoed the call of former President, Donald Ramotar, to in corporate Guyana’s his tory and heroes into the educational system so that the younger genera tion can know of people like Philomena.

A

Great Relief

AFTER months of contending with high fuel prices induced by global economic condi tions, Guyanese were able to breathe a sigh of relief on Monday when Senior Minis ter in the Office of the Presi dent with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, an nounced a significant reduc tion in the prices of gasoline and diesel at the state-owned Guyana Oil Company Lim ited (GuyOil).

This intervention is the latest in a menu of measures introduced by the People’s Pro gressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to mitigate the im pact of rising global commodity prices on the local economy.

Globally, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the cost of living surged this year with inflation rising to 40-year highs in some economies, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a prelude to its Economic Outlook (October edition), set to be released soon.

Luckily, Guyana, to some extent, has been able to evade the severe effects of this global phenomenon through prudent management by the govern ment, which has contained inflation to a rate less than the global average, hovering around five-six per cent.

Even with higher capital investments to enhance public infrastructure and execute large

development projects, authori ties have been able to dish out measures such as the slashing of excise tax on fuel and diesel to zero; removal of VAT from ag ricultural inputs; disbursement of billions of dollars in targeted grants, and, more recently, the reduction of gas prices at the pump from $269 per litre to $215 per litre and diesel from $265 per litre to $225 per litre, to effectively address the rising cost of living.

The latter would—if it hasn’t already— increase the spending power of locals and make travel more affordable, reduce the cost of transportation of goods thereby reducing, in some cases, the cost of goods and increase the sale of vehi

cles, among other things.

Despite those and other ob vious benefits that would accrue to Guyanese from a reduction of fuel prices, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC)’s finance and economics spokes person, Elson Low, described the initiative as a “half-hearted” attempt that would bring “little relief” to families most in need of cost-of-living support.

Many Guyanese, however, accepted this initiative whole heartedly and turned to social media to express their satisfac tion with this great relief effort.

And although many people would have liked for this to happen sooner, it is under standable that the high world

market prices and other fiscal constraints restricted the gov ernment from taking that route.

Even so, there was no absence of support and relief over the past two years, and this was acknowledged by the IMF, which commended the Government of Guyana for implementing effective policies to cushion the burden of high global commodity prices.

In a report documenting the conclusions of its Article IV Consultation with local au thorities, the IMF said: “Staff broadly supported the authori ties’ measures to temporar ily ease the burden of higher global commodity prices on the most vulnerable groups of society, given the absence of adequate safety nets.”

Further, the year 2022 aside, the IMF also welcomed the broad-based economic re covery in 2021, following a protracted political transition and the pandemic-induced re cession in 2020, and the unprec

edented high real GDP growth, supported by a steep rise in oil production and accommodative policies.

“Directors highlighted that the increasing oil production could help transform the econo my, address development needs, and build substantial buffers to absorb shocks,” the IMF said.

This, the financial institu tion said, could help Guy ana build up substantial fiscal and external buffers to absorb shocks while addressing in frastructural gaps and human development needs. How ever, increased dependence on oil revenues will expose the economy to volatility in global oil prices.

But it is a great relief that the country is on course to escape many vulnerabili ties and threats since the government is taking steps to improve social welfare, diversify the local economy and create an environment that is conducive to business and educate its population.

Data on suicide tells only a part of the story

Dear Editor, POLICY-MAKERS and so cial activists felt relieved in early 2022 when the reported suicide rate declined (by 21.7 per cent) between 2016 (23.4 per 100,000) and 2021 (18.3 per 100,000), partly in response to initiatives linked to the government’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2015-2020 (NSPS) and Na tional Mental Health Action Plan 2015-2020, as well as to the work of NGOs, but the suicide problem persists and remains significant.

When “suicides” are com bined with “suicide attempts” (e.g., for every suicide, there are seven attempts), not to mention suicidal ideation (which ranges from 14 per cent to 40 per cent), the picture of the suicide problem is altered considerably.

The combined data on “su icide” and “suicide attempt” show that females have a high er rate than males, even though fewer females die of suicide than males. Suicidal acts of women are often spontaneous and women are more likely than men to take less potent substances.

Using sample data (2014), the “suicide attempts” were combined with “suicides” and

a different picture of what has been usually portrayed, emerges: the rate among IndoGuyanese and Afro-Guyanese was almost similar (IndoGuyanese had a rate of 36.33 per 100,000 compared with 36.2 per 100,000 for AfroGuyanese). The data also show that for Indo-Guyanese, sui cide attempts were 6.7 times more than suicides, while for Afro-Guyanese the attempted suicide rate was 7.9 times more than suicides. Data on suicide attempts for 2018, though defi cient, indicate similar trends in two areas: females continue to have a higher rate of attempted suicide than men (1.52 times), and 2/3 of all suicide attempts were reported for Regions Two and Six. Data on other relevant variables, such as proportion in each ethnic group, were lacking.

The difference in ‘suicides+suicide attempts’ rates between Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese is statisti cally not significant at <.05 level (X=2.7526). These data show that using proportions (per cent) alone provides an in complete picture of the suicide problem, especially from a comparative perspective. Rate is a better barometer of suicidal behaviour. While data (2018-

2021) on suicide attempts are grossly under-reported, partly because of constraints imposed by COVID-19. Nevertheless, whatever exists reinforces the historical trend in few areas such as gender disparity, eth nic proportion, and youthful age, but the reports are devoid of other important analytic information such as regional distribution and methods used.

The suicide problem is much deeper than what is usually portrayed in reports on suicides. Suicidal ideation, a process by which persons develop and harbour suicidal thoughts, either active or pas sive, is a major growing con cern. Active ideation could result in suicide or suicide at tempts, while passive ideation remains at the thought level. A report by Charlotte Shaw et al indicates that suicidal ideation is more pronounced in females than males. While data on suicide attempts and suicidal ideation could lead to analytic refinement, what appeals most to people are not abstract data but the real-life stories of sui cide victims and how families and communities are impacted.

The gruesome murdersuicide in a village on the East Coast of Demerara, as well as another brutal murder-suicide

on the Essequibo Coast have rocked their villages as well as the country. Several months before a university lecturer died by suicide. These and other suicide stories point to the nagging underlying condi tions such as marital conflicts, family/domestic problems, infidelity, hopelessness, de pression and loss of status that result in suicidal behaviour.

Studies on suicide show that proportionately (i) more Indo-Guyanese (80 per cent) die of suicide than any other ethnic group; (ii) the youthful population are at greater risks of suicide than the older folk; (iii) males have a higher rate than females; (iv) more sui cides occur in rural areas; (v) a higher proportion of Hindus die of suicides compared with other religious groups: of the 101 suicide cases in which reli gious affiliation was identified, Kay Shako reports that Hindus comprised 49.5 per cent, Mus lims 8.9 per cent, Christians 35.6 per cent, and Others 5.9 per cent. (The Hindu rate of 23.9 per 100,000 was 1.4 times higher than the Muslim rate of 17 per 100,000 and 1.5 times higher than the Christian rate of 15.5 per 100,000).

Data on suicide for 20172021, as well as on suicide

attempts alter the conventional profile of suicides among Guy anese. The national proportion of Indo-Guyanese who died of suicide fluctuated from 65.2 per cent in 2018, to 50.7 per cent in 2019, to 63.9 per cent in 2020 and to 73.1 per cent in 2021. There have been sig nificant changes in age struc ture of persons of all ethnic groups who died of suicide. In 2018, the age group 79+ had the highest rate (40.84 per 100,000), in 2019 for the 6569 age group had the highest rate (57.82 per 100,000); in 2020, the age group 70+ had the highest rate (44.93 per 100,000); and in 2021 the age group 65-69 had the highest rate (43.37 per 100,000).

The suicide hotspots have been thought of as in Regions Two and Six, but Region Five had surpassed them in suicide rate in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Isolation, genetics, poor health, over regulation, hope lessness, faulty socialisation, and depression, are some of the underlying reasons for ‘suicides,’ ‘suicide attempts’ and ‘suicidal ideation.’

A comparative study of suicidal behaviour with Trini dad & Tobago (T&T) could generate insightful explana

tions on causes or correlations. Although TT and Guyana have a similar demographic struc ture and a common history, the existing suicide rate (18.34 per 100,000) of Guyana is two times higher than that of TT (9.12 per 100,000). Is the dif ferential level of modernisation between the two countries an important variable in suicidal behaviour?

The long-term study by Columbia University is ex pected to determine the mag nitude, pattern, causes, in tervention techniques, and preventive measures relative to the suicide problem. The new National Suicide Preven tion Strategy (2020-2015) and the National Mental Health Action Plan (2020-2025) are likely to include the Gatekeep ers, the Safety (poison) Box programme, and a National Suicide Prevention Commis sion. The result of the Colum bia University study could be incorporated into these health plans whenever this becomes available. Suicidal behaviour deserves priority attention by the government, and it should continue to engage the national consciousness.

Yours sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

FIREBALL!

By any measure, Philomena Sahoye-Shury was simply an amazingly phenomenal woman.

‘Fireball’, as I knew her, died like she lived – up to the moment to her very last day, ultimately departing to the Great Beyond last Sunday, but not before joining all others of her age and graceful stage (91) on Saturday, as Guyana and the Caribbean celebrated elderly persons everywhere on Planet Earth.

I got to meet and know ‘Comrade Phil’ in 1993, after the PPP/Civic won the 1992 elections and learned quickly about her earlier career as a PPP stalwart, a genuine peo ple’s servant and a woman committed not just to change, but continuing change.

Philomena always had that air of positivity about her – cheerful when happy, loud when vex, but always in the interest of achieving a party or political, civic or community objective, at all levels of the PPP’s struggle, before and after 1992.

Like so many Guyanese, Philomena Sahoye migrated to Canada when Guyana be came unbearable for the likes of her, but with her heart anchored home and an eternal wish and will to return, which she did when democracy re turned, with her husband Dr Vibert Shury.

She could have been counted-upon to raise candid issues at meetings that oth ers might have considered uncomfortable -- but that was ‘Fireball’, who never liked leaving troublesome issues to worsen.

“You must nurse the cut before it becomes a sore,” she wisely advised me -- more than once.

‘Phil’ was a trade union activist, but I tended to follow her performance as a Local Government councilor in the Office of the Mayor and City Council, where she built a reputation as a firm ‘minority’ (opposition) firebrand, even while the PPP/Civic was in office, eventually rising to Deputy Mayor after the PPP/ Civic was elected – and often serving as Acting Mayor.

I was in Georgetown (temporarily in a wheelchair) one month after her 90th birthday last year and sent greetings through Shirley Ed wards, another long-standing veteran PPP parliamentar ian and Central Committee

member who served with distinction before time and age counted them out of the hot daily pace of activism that had carved them over long years of political action and life risk, especially during the PPP’s 28 long years in op position (1964 to 1992).

I’ve always been glad that people their age who’ve contributed to parliament have been and are still being visited by the President Irfaan Ali, with such visits now in stitutionalized, the last one to Lethem by the Clerk of Parlia ment and including honouring one gentleman I suspect might very well be the famous ‘PPP Charlie’ whose name was always in the news headlines at election time during the struggle for Restoration of Democracy.

I’m also pleased by gov ernment’s recent decision to form a ‘Century Club’ to honor and give automatic, deserving public assistance, in different ways, to centenari ans, of which 90 are recorded, but there must be more.

100 is an age everyone wishes to reach after achiev ing 65 and 70 and starting to slow down gracefully, while looking ahead and hoping to enjoy the rest of their long lives in peace and comfort, with family and visited by friends, supported by children and grands – and always by the government of the day.

Indeed, the likes on Philomena and Shirley – and current Minister for Parlia mentary Affairs and Govern ance Gail Teixeira – never wavered in their commit ment and contributions to the continuing struggle for progressive political change and restoration of democracy to Guyana.

A Chronicle report on October 2 headlined ‘Senior Care on International Day for the Elderly’ by Sandra Khan, also put the issue of the world’s elderly in focus, stating…

On Saturday October 1, 2022, the United Nations (UN) focused on seniors, those 65 years and over, cel ebrating International Day for the Elderly under the theme: “Resilience of older persons in a changing world” so they can grow old with dignity.

The genesis dated back to 1948 when the UN promoted “the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fun damental freedoms by older

persons” and then later, in 1982, adopted the World As sembly on Ageing.

By 1990,the UN pro claimed October 1 as Interna tional Day for older persons, which was first commemo rated in 1991.

The world is getting pro nouncedly older with 900 million people currently over age 60.

It is predicted that by 2050 there will be two billion sen iors, equivalent to 22 per cent of the world’s population, an unprecedented time when the elderly population will exceed

the children’s population.

Universally, life expec tancy has increased over the past decades from 48 years in 1950 to 68 years in 2010 due to the improvements in public health, access to clean water and safer foods and social development.

On average, men are ex pected to live 70 years and women 75 years; the latter group seemed to go an extra five years maybe because they are more responsive to healthcare advisories.

Guyana is ranked at 137 worldwide where life ex

pectancy for both genders is 70 years, but in Hong Kong and Japan they enjoy the maximum life expectancy of 85 years, being ranked as the fourth and nineteenth most developed countries, respec tively.

Phil, Shirley and Gail didn’t qualify to join the Age ing Club, but each could have aspired to eventual member ship.

But, levity aside, the Guy ana government’s decision for the state to actually adopt its centenarians is a welcome ex ample that other CARICOM

nations without such a policy can follow, as it’s the least a nation can do for its citizens who score that extremely rare milestone.

Always to be counted on to plan her moves carefully, Phil sat quietly and patiently in the departure lounge for her final voyage throughout Saturday, saying her quiet final farewells on the day the world observed older persons, then boarded last Sunday for her one-way trip along the River of no Return.

Now, that was the ‘Fire ball’ I knew

Passionate school teacher wants community of digital content creators

By Cassandra Khan

CHRIS Krishnaram, a teacher at Saint Stanislaus College, took the chance of becoming an Information Technology (IT) teacher after being an IT techni cian at the high school for about five years.

After Chris finished high school, he attended the Government Technical Institute (GTI) where he studied Radio and Electronic Service. His goal then was to be an electronic engineer. He wanted to build and repair electronics.

Finding a job, however, was challenging aside from the job itself.

From that realisation, he then switched over to repairing computers, noting that was similar to his field of study.

After GTI, Chris pursued studies at Global Technology where he completed a num ber of computer courses. He would then go on to apply for the position of IT technician at Saint Stanislaus College.

“I joined as the techni cian in 2014 and in 2019, I became a teacher. So that is roughly five years I was a technician,” he told this newspaper in an interview as World Teachers’ Day was observed on October 5.

He related that after a while he felt as though his

job became more of a routine as he was doing the same things every day.

“During the process of learning, I always had an interest in helping persons to understand IT and to get a better understanding of how a computer works,” he said.

He was always passion ate about educating persons so he decided that, by being a teacher, he would be able to reach his goals.

Chris noted that, when he first started as a teacher, he wasn’t a very social person and could remember himself shaking with nervousness. Now, he is in his element at work.

He is currently studying at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and is in his fourth semester completing an Associate’s degree in Education, major ing in IT.

In addition to CPCE, he is studying at Jain Univer sity to attain his Bachelor of Business Administration in IT. He also does photogra phy, videography, volleyball, and cricket as hobbies.

He teaches Grades 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 and has a passion for digital media, animation and game design.

“When I started teach ing, it was mainly to teach IT, but the school did not have a digital media teacher and it was relatively easy because digital media is about business and content creation.

“I was already in that field of practice so it was

easy for me to basically teach persons and help them to understand that particular topic,” Chris explained.

As someone who liked repairing computers and then switched to teaching, Chris reflected that it is sat isfying for him to teach be cause that would mean he is helping someone long-term.

“You can actually help them to get skills, espe cially living in an IT world, whereby every job is making use of a computer,” he said.

Chris’s first batch of students who wrote the Car ibbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exami nations in 2021 all attained passes from Grades One to Three.

As a teacher who is stud ying as well, he says that he manages his time by docu menting each task he has to finish and doing the most urgent one first.

Chris shared that one of his goals would be to create his own school and build a community whereby people can create content in Guyana and they can have the skills needed for creating content.

“I wanted to build a community of persons in Guyana: photographers, videographers, animators, graphic designers and those kinds of things because those are skills we need in Guyana. But we don’t have much of those persons in Guyana.

“So, my goal is actually to bring about that kind of community,” Chris said.

Chris Krishnaram

Some 150 small fisherfolks to benefit from safety gear

THE Food and Agricul ture Organisation (FAO) handed over a quantity of safety equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Department as part of its Emergency Response and Early Re covery Support to Small holder Farmers Affected by the 2021 Floods in Guyana and Suriname programme.

and whistles were procured for approximately $9.6 million.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, while offering remarks said the fisheries sub-sector was one of the most important and second-highest income earning sub-sectors within the agricultural sector.

“Approximately 9,000

to our fisherfolk. They are important stakeholders to help achieve a food-secure CARICOM as they con tinue to brave the elements so that we are able to con sume protein at a cheap cost,” the minister said.

He also said that the government had taken note of the challenges faced by fishermen due to low catches over the past year which saw President, Dr Irfaan Ali announcing a $150,000 one-off grant for fishers.

said that the report done by the FAO to determine the factors behind the low catches will be released soon.

FAO’s Country Repre sentative Dr Gillian Smith, while offering remarks said the ability of small fishers to stay safe at sea remains a great concern to policy makers and pledged the FAO’s continued support to the government in this regard.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

FAO’s Country Representative Dr Gillian Smith

According to a re lease, the donation made on Wednesday saw some 150 pieces of safety gear comprising items such as fuel containers, life jackets, first-aid kits, rain jackets,

people directly depend on this sector while thousands indirectly depend on it to earn a livelihood. The government will therefore continue to make the nec essary interventions and give the necessary support

“The significance of this year being the Inter national Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquacul ture is emphasised in the theme, ‘small in scale, big in value.’ Our Presi dent, H.E. Dr Irfaan Ali earlier this year recognised the challenges our fishers are facing with low catches stemming from key global issues, such as climate change, and ocean acidi fication, and in response announced a one-off relief grant to all fishers to the tune of $150,000 to help ease the burdens they face. We are currently in the pro cess of distributing these grants to those who earn a living at sea,” he added.

The release noted that Minister Mustapha also

“This is part of an emer gency response project that we started in which we’ve

done some work with live stock and crop farmers. Today, we are very grate ful to be working with the ministry for fishers, in particular small fishers. We know that there is a great concern for small fishers and their ability to stay safe at sea while they are

making their livelihoods, so we are very pleased to provide some support,” Dr Smith said.

Some 150 fishers from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six are expected to benefit from the project, the release concluded.

Confessed wife killer gets 10 years’ jail

GANESH Dhanraj was on Wednesday sentenced to serve 10 years, seven months for strangling his 29-year-old wife with a bedsheet at their Parika, East Bank Es sequibo (EBE) home in 2017.

Last month, Dhanraj appeared before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court for the capital offence

of murder.

However, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of man slaughter, which al leged that on April 5, 2017, at Parika, he un lawfully killed Dhan wantie Ram.

Attorney-at-law Ravindra Mohabir is on record for Dhanraj, while the state was rep resented by prosecutors Latifiah Elliot, Marisa Edwards and Simran Gajraj.

Justice Barlow, in sentencing Dhanraj on Wednesday, told him that domestic violence continues to reign prev alent in society and it cannot be condoned.

However, she gave him credit for his early guilty plea and the time spent on remand.

Justice Barlow start ed Dhanraj’s sentence at 24 years and deduct ed one-third for his early plea along with five years, five months for his time spent in

CONVICTED: Ganesh Dhanraj

pre-trial custody.

As a result, Dhan raj will only spend 10 years, seven months behind bars.

According to pre vious reports by this newspaper, on the morning of April 5, 2017, the body of the mother of three was found in a sitting posi tion with a bed sheet tied around her neck.

The victim’s sister who made the grue some discovery had told this newspaper that the woman was found kneeling on the living room floor, slumped

across a chair with the sheet around her neck and a carpet covering her body.

On April 9, 2017, the police arrested Dhanraj after he was on the run for four days. He was caught around 02:00 hrs at Parika af ter being shot in his right arm by law en forcement officers.

Investigations had revealed that Dhan wantie, after enduring years of abuse, ended her relationship with Dhanraj. She left his house with their three children and went to live elsewhere in Pari ka.

Although she had tried to move on, Dhan raj continued to harass her and on the fatal day as she was on her way to make a report to the police, Dhanraj lured her into his house and allegedly killed her.

The two had been together for some 15 years.

DEAD: Dhanwantie Ram

Water supply system for Sand Hills

THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), on Tuesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Guyana Industrial Mineral Inc (GIN MIN) to establish a new water supply system in Sand Hills, Region Three. The in vestment is in keeping with GWI’s strategic plan to provide 100 per cent potable water access countrywide by 2025.

The community, with a population of approximately 60 -70 persons - including a primary school, health centre and church, cur rently relies on a spring and practices rain water harvesting.

According to a re lease, during a simply signing ceremony at GINMIN in Sand Hill, GWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Shaik Baksh pointed out that this collaboration forms part of the utility’s key mandate to provide po table water access to riverain communities.

In doing so, the CEO noted that partnerships with stakeholders such as GINMIN, as well as communities, are im portant.

Baksh commended GINMIN, who will be funding the project, noting that Govern ment is appreciative of such interventions which help to bolster communities. He en couraged community members to play an

active role in oversee ing, while adding that GWI will do its best to ensure the successful completion of a well, in a timely manner.

Chief Executive Of ficer of GINMIN, Elli ott Lincoln, highlighted that consultations were already held with com munity members, while GWI conducted resis tivity logging to ascer tain the best location for drilling.

Lincoln said the goal is to provide wa ter service to residents of Sand Hills, in time for Christmas this year.

GWI will provide technical guidance throughout the execu tion of the project.

According to Ex ecutive Director of Hinterland Services, Ramchand Jailal, the undertaking of this pro ject marks the addition of yet another well to the 30 others currently

being undertaken in the hinterland.

He stated that this forms part of the 120 wells scheduled to be drilled in the next three years, as GWI works towards its goal of 100 per cent water access.

Jailal also encour aged the community representatives present to identify persons from the village to be trained for the maintenance of the water supply sys tem.

The community rep resentatives Godfrey Bowman and Nadia Benjamin expressed their gratitude for the realisation of the water system.

GINMIN, a subsid iary of First Bauxite LLC, is a natural re sources company en gaged in the explora tion and development of bauxite deposits in Guyana, the release said.

GWI will provide technical guidance throughout the execution of the project

Scenes from Dussehra celebration and Garba Night

VIJAYADASHAMI or Dussehra celebration was held by the High Commis

sion of India on the lawns of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre on Tues

day night. The well-attended event also saw Garba

dances and the serving of fine Indian foods. Both events, which have their

respective origins in India, mark the end of Navaratri (nine days of fasting). Guy

ana Chronicle’s photojour nalist Elvin Carl Croker captured these moments.

First Lady sponsors mammograms for another 50 women

By Elvin Carl Croker

FIFTY women will receive free mam mograms thanks to First Lady Arya Ali.

Founder of Guyana Cancer Foundation Bibi Saeedah Aktar Hassan received the donation on Tuesday at a simple ceremony held on Main Street, Georgetown.

Mrs Ali reminded the gathering that early testing is important. “So we need to con tinue our advocacy and mobilise resources to support testing….

“I use this opportu nity to recommit my support in the fight against this disease

by sponsoring mam mograms for another 50 women,” she an nounced in her brief address to the gather ing which included US Ambassador to Guy ana, Sarah-Ann Lynch.

The programme held under the theme ‘Brest cancer doesn’t discriminate’ saw Guy ana’s First Lady lead ing a tree-wrapping exercise accompanied by her son Zayd.

The exercise trans formed the ambience into a picturesque scene of towering trees decked in pink cloth wrapped around the bark. The shade of pink a symbol of cour age, hope, and char

ity in the fight against breast cancer.

“It is my hope that we continue to stand on the shoulders of those victims and sur vivors of breast cancer and continue the great work that has started,” Mrs Ali said as she concluded her address.

The activity is held in recognition of Octo ber being observed as Breast Cancer Aware ness Month. As such, the Office of the First

Lady collaborated with Impressions Brand ing and the Guyana Cancer Foundation to make the venture pos sible.

The office of the First Lady has so far sponsored mammo grams for 100 women.

Also in attend ance were Mayor of Georgetown His Wor ship Pandit Ubraj Nar ine and other dignitar ies.

According to Cent

- as Guyana observes Breast Cancer Awareness Month

ers for Disease Control (CDC), a mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer.

Regular mammo grams are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early. It can sometimes take up to three years before it can be felt.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) explains that when

breast cancer is detect ed early, and is in the localised stage, fiveyear relative survival rate is 99 per cent.

In 2020, breast cancer deaths in Guyana reached 96 or 1.34 per cent of total deaths. The age adjusted death rate was 25.5 per 100,000 of the population which ranked Guy ana 23 in the world.

(Elvin Carl Croker photos)

Tourism Guyana unveils second magazine

THE second edition of the Tourism Guyana Maga zine teeming with lo cal and international travellers’ stories was unveiled on Monday,

a statement from the privately-owned organi sation, Tourism Guyana said.

“Taking you on ad ventures throughout Guy

ana while showcasing the abundance of investment opportunities available in the growing South Ameri can nation, free copies of the magazine produced

by Creative Marketing Company (CMC) will be available to the public in the coming weeks,” the tourism body said.

“The 2022/2023 edition

of the magazine encapsu lates every sub-sector within the tourism industry includ ing investments that the recent oil boom has brought and its ripple effects in the tourism sector with the es tablishments of several lux ury hotels,” CMC’s Director Fiaz Yamin commented.

The magazine features creative content from bird ing lovers, wildlife con servationists, and persons with a general interest in the growth and advance ment of Guyana’s tourism product.

Receiving one of the first copies of the publication was GTA director Kamrul Baksh, who congratulated the privately-owned tour ism-focused organisation and the publishing team on the finished product, noting their essential role in rais ing the bar for promoting Guyana’s as a prime tourism destination.

Baksh said, “Tourism Guyana, one of the leading travel influencers in Guyana, has once again produced a phenomenal body of work through the 2022/23 Edi tion of the Tourism Guyana

Magazine.

“Through this magazine, the team continues to por tray our country in all of its authentic splendour, creating highlights of a diversified and inclusive tourism sector.

“The experiences cap tured on their social media platforms, and now maga zine, places emphasis on the exhilarating experiences that await travellers.”

Tourism Guyana has over 100,000 followers on Facebook and close to 25,000 followers on Insta gram.

He praised the team’s patriotism which, he said, is evident through the striking yet equally realistic imagery and thought provoking arti cles that they have churned out in this publication.

“More importantly, I am proud to say that my team at the GTA has collectively contributed eight written features, including a wel come message from myself,” the Director said.

Hardcopies of the 2022/2023 edition will be available at all tourism stakeholders, hotels, cafes and tour operators.

(From left) CMC Director Fiaz Yamin, GTA Project Development Officer Omari Joseph, Tourism Guyana Executive Host Tammy Quail, GTA Director Kamrul Baksh, GTA Product Development Manager Candace Phillips, CMC Director Lesa Fleming, Tourism Guyana Director Neilon Dias, CMC Director Heimant Ram and Melissa Ram

‘Satan’ pleads not guilty to beauty queen’s murder

A MIXED 12-member jury was, on Wednesday, empanelled before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court for the trial of Alvin Reid, called ‘Satan,’ for the murder of 14-year-old Malika Hamilton, whose body was found floating in the Hope Canal, East Coast Demerara (ECD) in August 2016.

Reid, formerly of Nim rod Street, Ann’s Grove, ECD pleaded not guilty to

the indictment which read that between August 8 and August 9, 2016, he mur dered Hamilton.

He is being represented by attorneys-at-law Ko nyo Sandiford and Iyanna Butts, while prosecutors Gajraj, Muntaz Ali and Ta neisha Saygon are on record for the State.

The trial is scheduled to commence on October 11.

ACCUSED: Alvin Reid called ‘Satan’

The ‘Miss African Cala bash 2014’ beauty queen had left her home at Two Friends Village, Ann’s Grove, ECD, but never returned.

According to reports, the deceased and the ac cused were known to each other and, on August 8, 2016, they went to swim at Hope Canal. The teenager was not seen alive again. Her body was discovered the following day in the canal.

Government Patholo gist, Dr Nehaul Singh, conducted an autopsy on the body of Hamilton and found that she had been brutally bludgeoned to her head, strangled and dumped alive in the canal.

Police later went search ing for Reid and found him hiding in a barrel at a relative’s house. He was

‘Jesus’ freed of child-rape charges

SAHADEO Baichoo called ‘Jesus,’ who was on trial for raping a teen girl, was found not guilty by a jury when his trial ended at the Berbice Sexual Offences Court.

Before Justice Navindra Singh, Bai choo faced seven counts of sexual activ ity with a child family member.

He was accused of raping the victim on seven occasions be tween 2013 and 2019 in the county of Berbice.

According to the

victim, the incidents of rape allegedly started when she was at the age of five and ended when she turned 11. It is alleged that Baichoo is known to the victim’s parents.

It is alleged that he raped the victim when she was left in his care on Sundays; the vic tim’s family was re portedly at church on those occasions.

After the first rape, the child reportedly be came afraid and did not tell anyone what had occurred.

However, in 2019, after the last incident the child subsequently confided in her rela tives and the matter was reported to the po lice. Baichoo was later arrested and charged.

Baichoo maintained his innocence, declar ing that the victim’s claims were fabricated by her relatives.

He added that he was out of the juris diction during one of the occasions the vic tim claimed she was raped by him.

subsequently charged and remanded.

In 2018, Reid was dis charged from the offence by Magistrate Peter Hugh due to insufficient evidence. Police, however, filed new

evidence for the case and Reid was recharged.

Magistrate Hugh, based on the evidence submitted, committed Reid to stand trial for the capital offence.

In 2019, Reid was

“accidentally” released from prison while on re mand for the murder.

After eluding the police for three years, Reid was arrested last month in Ann’s Grove.

DEAD: Malika Hamilton

LGBT acceptance increases in Guyana

OVER the last nine years in Guyana, posi tive attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexu al and transgender (LGBT) people have increased significantly.

This is according to the findings of a 2022 poll called “A study of perceptions and attitudes towards LGBT Persons in Guyana” conducted by the RMK Consulting enterprise which was commissioned by the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimina tion (SASOD).

The national poll comes just shy of a dec ade after the first public opinion poll on LGBT people and issues which was done by the Carib bean Development Re search Services (CAD RES) in 2013.

Since that time, re sults from the 2022 poll showed that LGBT ac ceptance in Guyana has soared moving from 19 per cent to 34.5 per cent with 72.4 per cent of respondents noting that they accept and tolerate LGBT persons.

These findings were revealed on Tuesday last by Dr Marlon Anatol, a researcher attached to RMK Consulting enter prise.

During his presenta tion, he mentioned that hatred of LGBT people had decreased by 50 per cent from 25 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent in 2022. The researcher noted this as significant.

Also, in the findings of the poll, 49.6 per cent of respondents believe that the government should prioritise legally protecting the rights of LGBT people. The re sults further revealed

Managing Director at SASOD, Joel Simpson

that a large majority 53.9 per cent of the popula tion are likely to support the elimination of the law criminalising sex between men.

Additionally, some 72 per cent of the population were likely to support legislation that ensures protection against work place discrimination for LGBT persons in Guy ana.

As such, Managing Director at SASOD, Joel Simpson stated that the results indicate that Guyana has changed sig nificantly over the past decade and as such the society is ready for cer tain changes to be made.

Some 1,070 respond ents were interviewed in person between June 18 and July 11, 2022 through a house-to-house exercise which took place in most regions across Guyana.

The sample, ac cording to the director of RMK Consulting, Dr Mark Kirton was representative of the Guyanese population in terms of sex, age, race, religious affiliation and other demographics based on the 2012 Na tional Census data for Guyana.

Wade, Finch down West Indies despite Mayers’ strike

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Mat thew Wade continued his golden run as Australia's finisher and Aaron Finch, batting at No. 4 for the first time in his interna tional career, scored a wel come half-century to nurse Australia to an untidy three-wicket win with a ball to spare on the Gold Coast.

In a rather chaotic finish, it came down to Australia needing 11 off the final over from Sheldon Cottrell. Wade swung the first ball for four but West Indies had a chance when he was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer next delivery.

Mitchell Starc, too, was missed two balls later before scampering back for the win ning runs off the penultimate delivery and almost having a nasty collision with wicket keeper Johnson Charles.

Quite how much there is to read into Finch's positional switch which enabled Cam eron Green, who isn't part of the World Cup squad to stay

as opener, remains to be seen, but his performance followed the encouraging signs from the India tour. Even amid the horror run that ended his ODI career, Finch's T20 form had not taken the same hit, but having a captain in the runs would remove one issue heading into the World Cup.

Given that seven of West Indies' squad had been in Australia barely 24 hours, some rustiness could be forgiven. There were times when they were on top and to take it to the final over, and be in a position to snatch the game, can give them heart. Some of the six-hitting was breathtaking, Yannic Cariah had a very encouraging de but with 1 for 15 from four overs and Alzarri Joseph was a handful with his slippery pace.

MAYERS' WOW MOMENT

It's early in the Australian season, but you'll do well to see a better shot than the one

Kyle Mayers produced in the fourth over against Green. Against a short delivery, he drove it magnificently off the back foot, more than 100 me tres into the stand over deep point. It was an astonishing show of power and timing. It quickly went viral.

He had shown intent from the start of the innings with early boundaries off Starc and Josh Hazlewood but, as was the case with West In dies' whole batting display, the momentum was lost after the power-play.

THE NON-REVIEW AND REVIEW

Brandon King was the leading run-scorer in the CPL and played one lovely stroke, lofting Adam Zampa over long-off, but was left ruing not taking a review when he was given lbw against Ha zlewood. The appeal looked good live, but replays showed the bounce in the pitch had it going over the stumps.

When the DR was called

for in the 11th over, it had what appeared a curious mo ment when the ball tracking showed that a very full deliv ery from Starc which speared into Nicholas Pooran's pad and looked to be sliding down was, in fact, taking out leg stump.

BOUNDARIES DRY UP

Alongside Mayers' mem orable effort, there was no shortage of well-struck sixes from West Indies, not least Odean Smith's monster effort in the 19th over. However, in what is not a new talking point about their batting, the skill of working the ball around in the middle of the innings was lacking.

They made 53 in the pow er-play and 50 in the last five, which meant just 42 runs came in the other nine overs. The six overs between Zampa and Glenn Maxwell cost just 29 and included one boundary, which was the power-play six by King off Zampa.

Devine helps New Zealand past Windies in super-over thriller

ESPNCRICINFO - So

phie Devine started and ended the Super Over with sixes as New Zea land hunted down 16 to seal the series and break West Indies' hearts in the fourth T20I in North Sound.

Devine faced all but one ball in the Super Over, bowled by West Indies cap tain Hayley Matthews, and ushered New Zealand home under pressure.

How did it even come down to a Super Over? West Indies were cruising 52 for 2 in the tenth over chasing 112. Wicketkeep er-batter Rashada Williams' run-out triggered a collapse as the hosts lost their last seven wickets for 59 runs to level the scores in regular time.

Hayley Jensen, who was also recently in action in the Caribbean for Trinbago Knight Riders Women, took the wickets of Chedean Na tion and Afy Fletcher in a three-run final over to drag

the game into overtime.

Super Overs are a fa miliar territory for Devine. She has hit 87 runs off 26 balls in Super Overs without being dismissed.

Devine had also contributed handsomely with the ball by removing West Indies' top three.

Much like Devine, Mat thews had played a role with both bat and ball - she even did the dual job in the

Super Over. She helped West Indies score 15 in the Super Over, bowled by Jen sen, but her all-round effort went in vain.

After having been asked to bat, New Zealand had lost both Devine and Suzie Bates early. However, Ame lia Kerr's unbeaten 49 off 47 balls hauled them to 111.

Amelia and previous match-winner Maddy Green (14 off 13 balls)

were the only New Zealand batters to strike at over 100. Fletcher was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, returning 2 for 16 in her four overs.

Amelia's sister Jess and Jensen picked up two wick ets each to assist Devine pull off a stunning win.

The fifth - and final T20I - will be played at the same venue today.

RACING TIPS

American Racing Tips

There was a 54-ball peri od after the fielding restric tions without a boundary be fore Jason Holder cleared the ropes. On the larger grounds in Australia it feels like an area that will have to im prove, regardless of how long they hit the ball.

DO WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MAXWELL?

Australia were intent on going hard from the start of the chase. Cottrell found the edges of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in the second over but they were cantering along at 10s. Either side of the power-play the wheels nearly came off.

Green gave himself room once too often, Maxwell swiped high into the off-side and Tim David picked out deep square leg. Maxwell's dismissal continued a lean patch: since the start of the Zimbabwe ODI series, al beit a different format, he has a top score of 32 in nine innings.

In T20Is his last six in nings read: 19, 16, 1, 0, 6, 0. His value as a bowler in the set-up is as high as ever, and he's the type of player who can flick the switch at any moment, but it is something to keep an eye on.

WADE THERE AGAIN

When Wade came in Aus tralia were wobbling at 58 for 5 and he joined Finch as the last pair of frontline batters. Since taking on the middle-order role for the last World Cup he has enjoyed phenomenal success: in 12 innings he has made 310 runs, being dismissed just three times, with a strike-rate of 160.10.

This time, back-to-back boundaries off Cottrell in the 12th over, which cost 18 runs, brought the re quirement close to a runa-ball. After Finch fell he struggled to get the strike - facing just six of the last 17 balls - but it didn't cost Australia.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Thursday October 06, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD

-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

Jamaica Tallawahs

Brandon King (Jamaica Tallawahs)

Today’s Quiz:

Who were the winners of the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup?

Who was Man of the Tournament in the first ICC T20 World Cup?

in tomorrow’s issue

English Racing Tips

Ayr

Irish Racing Tips

Thurles

hrs Pink Sorrel

hrs Rattle And Hume

hrs Eastman

hrs Fair Damsel

hrs Dark Vega

Martin’s

Emerald Lady

Valley

hrs Rumi

hrs Hermine

South Africa Racing Tips

Flowers

Rainyday Woman

Tom O’Roughlfy

Mount Bonette

hrs Jaunty Soria

hrs Red Happy

hrs Rare Edition

hrs Sawpit Sienna

Canadian Racing Tips

Geneva

Silent Ghost

Dance

Chedean

Raj Jewellery boosts chess development with $100,000 support

RAJ Jewellery has boost ed the ChessKid pro gramme with a $100,000 support.

The donation, which was made over the week end, will enhance chess de velopment amount young players in the country.

ChessKid.com is a vir tual platform used by the GCF to introduce young players to the game of

chess with puzzles, les sons, educational videos and unlimited live chess.

It also allows children to play against players from other schools around their age and skill level.

According to infor mation from the Guyana Chess Federation, over 200 local youths are ac tively engaged on the plat

form.

“Donations such as these allows the Guyana Chess Federation to pro vide more children with access to this free of cost. This contribution will be significant to the develop ment of our junior players in Guyana”.

The release added that the Guyana Chess Federa

tion has seen membership more than triple this year, due to efforts of the feder ation’s hard-working team to bring chess to more schools outside of Region Four.

It added that the fed eration is elated to part ner with Raj Jewellery as the sport continues to develop in Guyana.

Two more cricket bats for project ‘Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana’

R. SEDATT and Son Lumber and Block Mak ing Business, has contributed two cricket bats to the project ‘Cricket Gear for young and promising cricketers in Guyana’.

The business of Lot 47 Palmyra Village, East Can je Berbice, through owner Raywan Sedatt aka Roger, donated to the initiative recently.

At a simple ceremony, Sedatt presented the bats to Anil Beharry, a for mer Berbice Inter-county all-rounder in the presence of Mukesh Appiah who is visiting from the USA. “I am delighted to be part of this successful venture”, Sedatt said. Beharry in re sponse, was very thankful.

The total cricket-relat ed items collected so far include $250 000 cash, two trophies, 12 cricket boots, 19 pairs of batting pads, 23 bats, 15 pairs of batting gloves, 19 thigh pads, one pair of wicket-keeping pad, two arm guards, six cricket bags and three hel mets.

In addition to the above, $600 000 worth in gear had been donated by Sheik Mohamed, former

National wicketkeeper/ batter.

To date, 40 young play ers from all three counties of Guyana have already benefited from three junior gear bags, two trophies, two arm guards, 15 bats, one box, three helmets, 12 pairs of cricket shoes, 10 pairs of batting pads, one bat rubber and 12 pairs of batting gloves.

In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area ben efited from two used bats. Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam cricket com mittees. Cotton Tree Die Hard also received one

box of red cricket balls each, while RHCCCC re ceived two, 15 white crick et shirts, one pair of junior batting pads, one pair of wicket-keeping gloves and a set of stumps and bails, Cricket-related items, used or new, are distributed free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are import ant characteristics of the recipients. Talent- spotting is being done across the country and club leaders also assist in identifying same.

Progressive

Haaland scores brace as City sweep Copenhagen

managed clubs will also benefit. We take this op portunity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, Sean Devers, Trevis Si mon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Et waroo, Kelvin Brijlall, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun, Allan Mangru, Dennis Mangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports Awards and Trophies and Ajay Gainda of Cricket Equipment Guyana, Ga janand Singh, Peter Ram kissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin Singh, Denesh Chandra paul, Dr Cecil Beharry, Davo Naraine of UK and Latch Mohabir and family.

Anyone who wishes to contribute can contact Anil Beharry on 6236875 or Kishan Das on 1-718-664-0896.

Haaland now has 28 Champions League goals in 22 games, with his double against Copenhagen breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record for most goals in a player's first 30 appearances in the tournament

(BBC) - Erling Haaland continued his incredible scoring form with two more goals as Manches ter City swept Copen hagen aside to make it three wins out of three in Champions’ League Group G.

Haaland was taken off at half-time and so missed an attempt at what would have been a fourth hat-trick for City, but his first-half double means he now has 19 goals in his first 12 games for Pep Guardiola's side.

With or without him, City were far too quick and clever for their Dan ish opponents and would have ended up with more than five goals from a totally one-sided match if not for Copenhagen keep er Kamil Grabara.

Fresh from crushing neighbours Manchester United at the weekend, City and Haaland picked up where they left off on Sunday and took less than seven minutes to open their account.

Cancelo's low cross found Haaland in space inside the area and, pre dictably, he made no mis take with a powerful fin ish from what was his first touch of the game.

The only surprise was that it took until after the half-hour mark for City to extend their lead and, predictably, it was Haa land who was in the right place to tap the loose ball after Grabara had parried a Sergio Gomez shot.

The last thing Copen hagen needed at this stage

was bad luck but their misery was compounded before half-time when a Gomez shot took a dou ble deflection off Denis Vavro and then David Khocholava on its way into the net.

With victory secured, Haaland was replaced by Cole Palmer at half-timeeven goal machines need a rest - as City cast an eye towards their next game, against Southampton here on Saturday.

His exit reduced City's threat but they still domi nated possession and fur ther goals followed.

Riyad Mahrez made it 4-0 from the penalty spot after Aymeric Laporte was fouled, then the Alge ria forward turned provid er to set up Julian Alvarez to round off the scoring from close range.

City were complete ly dominant and will be heavy favourites to repeat this result in Denmark next week and ensure their progress to the last 16.

CITY HAVE COMPE TITION FOR PLACES TOO

Haaland will continue to hog the headlines but Guardiola will be pleased to see Mahrez get off the mark with his first goal and assist of 2022-23.

The 31-year-old was City's top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions, but had been in unconvincing form in the early stages of this campaign.

Left is owner of R. Sedatt and Son Lumber and Block Making Business, Raywan Sedatt, handing over the two bats to Mukesh Appiah (centre) and Anil Beharry

Trevon Griffith to captain GCB President XI

NATIONAL opening batter Trevon Griffith has been named captain of the GCB President XI for the GCB Senior Male Super50 Inter-county Tournament, scheduled to commence on Mon day, October 10, 2022.

Exciting young West Indies Under-19 opening batter Matthew Nandu will serve as Griffith’s deputy.

Guyana Under-19 bat ter Marvendra Dindyal, who recently scored a cen tury in the just concluded CWI Regional Under-19 tournament is expected to support Griffith and Nandu in the batting de partment, while Jonathan Rampersaud, who was the leading wicket-taker for Guyana in the CWI Regional Under-19, is ex pected to lead the bowling along with Guyana Har

py Eagles reserve pacer Shamar Joseph, left-arm spinners Raj Nannan and Akini Adams, off-spinning all-rounder Kwesi Mickle and fast bowlers Joshua Jones and Keyron Fraser.

The President’s XI will play their first match against Essequibo on Monday, October 10 at Everest. The full squad reads; Trevon Griffith (captain), Matthew Nandu (vice-captain), Zachery Jodah, Marvendra Dindy

al, Jonathan Rampersaud, Kwesi Mickle, Garfield Benjamin, Raj Nannan, Ricardo Peters (wicket keeper), Avinash Persaud, Akini Adams, Shamar Jo seph and Keyron Fraser. The reserve players are Suresh Dhanai and Leo Rayan Ramlakhan.

The team will be coached is Esaun Cran don while Andre Per cival will be the assistant coach/manager.

BCB/Romario Shepherd U-13 tournament final … Rose Hall Town Poonai, Rose Hall Canje to clash

ROSE Hall Town Poonai and Rose Hall Canje are the finalists of the BCB/ Romario Shepherd U-13 tournament final this weekend.

In the first semi-final, Rose Hall Town Poonai cruised past Cotton Tree by 8 wickets in the first semi-finals at Cotton Tree.

Cotton Tree won the toss and, after deciding to bat first, were bowled out for 24 in 19.1 overs with Dhanraj Heeralall scoring 5 and extras contribut ing 14.

Bowling for Rose Hall Town Poonai, fast bowler Adrian McKenzie took 3 for 9 off 5 overs and off-spinner Balraj Narine bagged 3 for 1 off 4.1 overs.

In reply, Rose Hall Town Poonai scored 26 for 2 off 5.1 overs; Leon Reddy 7 not out. Meanwhile Rose Hall Canje Under-13 defeat

ed Albion Under-13 by 8 wickets to create one of the greatest upsets of youth cricket in recent times at Jai Hind ground.

Albion won the toss, elected to bat first and were bowled out for 35 in 16.4 overs. Farhan Balle 5 and Arif Marimutoo 4 were the top scorers while extras contributed 22.

Bowling for Rose Hall Canje; Brandon Grim mond grabbed 5 for 6 off 5 overs. He was supported by Richard Ramdeholl, 2 for 3 off 5 overs.

Rose Hall Canje got to 36 for 2 in 8.4 overs with Ramdeholl 16 not out while extras contributed 9.

The Under-13 tour nament is being spon sored by West Indies white-ball player, Ro mario Shepherd, and is organised by the compe tition committee of the BCB.

Johnson to captain Demerara XI at intercounty with Chanderpaul as vice-captain

LEON Johnson will captain the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) XI at this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Male 50-Over In

ter-County Tournament 2022.

The Guyana Harpy Eagles captain Johnson will have Tagenarine Chanderpaul as his dep

uty.

The full team reads: Leon Johnson (captain), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (vice-captain), Chan drapaul Hemraj, Tevin

Imlach, Jeremiah Scott, Akshaya Persaud, Ste ven Sankar, Christopher Barnwell, Ashmead Nedd, Richie Looknauth, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed,

Qumar Torrington, Derick McCalmont and Sachin Singh.

The reserves are Shamar Yearwood, Alvin Mohabir, Larrel Parks,

Anthony Lim, Carlos La Rose and Joshua Persaud

The manager of the team is Mr Puneet Jai gopaul while the coach is Mr Ryan Hercules.

Joshua Jones

Trevon Griffith

Matthew Nandu

Wade, Finch down West Indies despite Mayers’ strike

Raj

boosts chess

Aaron Finch swats one away (Cricket Australia/Getty Images)

Kyle Mayers lofts one into the stands over deep cover (Getty Images)

FIDE

Anthony Drayton (right) collected the cheque on behalf of the Guyana Chess Federation