Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 09-07-2022

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‘Improved healthcare for Guyanese’ No.106778

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–– as Guyana, Mount Sinai, HESS enter monumental partnership 03

* Nat'l Healthcare Initiative launched

* HESS plugging US$32 million

* Guyana’s healthcare status to catapult globally * Centres of Excellence in health to be developed

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony (standing at right) and Chief Clinical Officer at Mount Sinai, Dr. Jeremy Boal (standing at left) exchange the officially signed documents as President, Dr. Irfaan Ali looks on. (Office of The President photo)

* Private sector to play integral role

President Ali expresses 04 condolence to Japan on assassination of former PM Abe PAGE

–– flags to be flown at half-staff in his honour

‘Little Johnny’, 105, dies Full Procurement before great-granddaughter Commission departs for college 22 completed 11 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

‘Improved healthcare for Guyanese’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

–– As Guyana, Mount Sinai, HESS enter monumental partnership

By Shamar Meusa

THE Government of Guyana, on Friday, signed a monumental contract with Mount Sinai Health System, an internationally-recognised healthcare provider, and Hess Corporation that will lift the country’s health services to world-class status, effectively overhauling the entire health system.

The contract was signed at State House, Main Street, the President’s official residence, with several Cabinet Members, government technical officers, and members of the diplomatic corps present.

According to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, the signing stems from government’s mandate to position Guyana as a destination of choice for healthcare services globally and to further transform healthcare services in both the public and private sectors locally.

Giving some background regarding how the process came about, the Head of State said transforming Guyana’s health system was the target. With that vision in mind, Dr Ali said the best possible allies were contacted with Mount Sinai identified as a viable partner.

Subsequently, he noted that John Hess, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hess Corporations, a partner in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, was not only interested in opening the path for the partnership but was also interested in being part of the collaboration directly.

The investment by Hess into the partnership, according to the President, is close to US$32 million.

“I want to say that we are committed to ensuring that the success of this initiative brings all of Guyana together and that all of Guyana must and will have the best possible healthcare,” President Ali said.

Moreover, President Ali noted that this transformation is not only about Guyana but the larger goal is to position Guyana as a destination of choice for healthcare services globally. The private sector, the President maintained, will play an integral role in this.

INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC HEALTH SYSTEM The transformation of the sector, Dr. Ali highlighted, will require a number of things including innovative technology, even as he noted that Guyana may be lagging in that aspect. It is necessary to move towards improved technology within the sector, the President expressed adamantly.

With that, President Ali said that by the end of this programme, health authorities must be able to reach out to every

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (Adrian Narine photo) secondary school across the country and register every child, compiling data for a baseline health assessment.

This baseline health assessment, he said, will further put those persons on an electronic patient management information system where their health will be tracked so as to provide the best healthcare coverage for them.

President Ali also said that from the baseline assessment, historical records, even from the parents of patients, will be documented and used to assist in identifying preventable diseases.

Moreover, the Head of State said there will be a complete system overhaul both at the public and private levels. Against this backdrop, he said that although some in the private sector will have privately-run operations, those operations will have to meet specially set standards.

To this end, he noted that while this overhaul will take place, it cannot be done if the regulations are not in place.

As such, he continued, government is also working on all the regulations to support health.

With much enthusiasm, President Ali said he himself will be part of the committee working to advance these initiatives forward.

WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, during his address at the signing ceremony, said Guyana has

long yearned to improve its healthcare system, and has strived to not only reduce morbidity and mortality, but also improve life expectancy.

This progress, he said, has been gradual. As the country progresses, however, Minister Anthony recognized that the population’s expectation about quality, affordability, and accessibility to healthcare will change.

“His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Irfaan Ali has been very cognisant of these expectations and has provided the resources for the health sector to ensure that we build a modern world-class health care system that can care for the needs of its citizens and those of the wider Caribbean,” the Minister said.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Anthony stated that the signing of the agreement among Hess Corporation, Mount Sinai Health Systems, and the Government of Guyana will advance the President’s vision for a transformed healthcare system locally.

To this end, the Health Minister noted that the Mount Sinai team has the expertise to assist in building the new worldclass system that Guyana is looking to have.

“The signing of this agreement has unlocked not just Mount Sinai’s expertise, but also Mr. Hess’ philanthropy to help us to develop a world-class healthcare system here in Guyana,” the Health Minister said.

Additionally, he indicated that the

agreement has three components of which the first will see Mount Sinai working closely with the Health Ministry to strengthen primary health care across the country including how diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers can be prevented.

With that, Dr. Anthony continued, they will also be working on the development of a health informatics system.

While working to shape the health informatics system, the Minister explained, the partners will also develop an electronic medical record system using this data to integrally plan healthcare strategies moving forward.

The Health Minister further said that the intention is for Guyanese to have smart cards which can be used at any health facility. Once a patient presents their electronic card, their records will be available anywhere on any one of the systems, the Health Minister noted.

The second component of the agreement will see change management being done at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). For this initiative, it was noted that teams will visit to partner directly with officials at the hospital in order to enact that system.

With this, the visiting team will be looking at the development of patient care relationships and improving turnaround times for medical procedures, including testing.

Additionally, the Health Minister noted that the third component will see the partners working along with the private sector in anticipation of a collaboration between the government and private sector here to develop a “Cardiovascular Centre for Excellence” for Guyana, which will be accessible to the wider Caribbean.

Further, he went on to say they will also look at developing an Oncology Centre for Excellence which will also be set up in similar vein.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY For his part, Hess Corporation CEO, John Hess, called it an honour to be investing in Guyana and to have the opportunity to play a key role in the building aspects of the country.

While he noted that the country is blessed with many natural resources, he was adamant that the most important of these resources was Guyana’s human resource. Mr Hess, therefore, recognizes affordable and quality healthcare as central to Guyana’s development.

Hess stated that this investment serves as part of his company’s See page 9

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

President Ali expresses condolence to Japan on assassination of former PM Abe

–– flags to be flown at half-staff in his honour PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali, on Friday, expressed condolences to the government and people of Japan on the assassination of that country's Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "It is with profound sadness that I extend sincere condolences on behalf of the Government and people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the Government and people of Japan, on the senseless assassination of Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," the letter signed by President Ali said.

He went on to say: "Former Prime

Minister Abe was held in high esteem by the people of Guyana.

"During his years in office, relations between Guyana and Japan were taken to a high level particularly through his interest in the implementation of bilateral programmes of co-operation geared to support our climate change agenda."

Dr. Ali said former Prime Minister Abe will be remembered for his astute leadership and his relentless pursuit of strategic economic policies for the enhancement of the livelihood of the people of Japan.

"It is our fervent hope that the loved

July 02, 2022

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ones of Former Prime Minister Abe and the people of Japan would be comforted by the knowledge that they remain in the thoughts and prayers of the people of Guyana during this difficult period of mourning.

"Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the Guyanese Head of State said.

In honour of the former Prime Minister, flags will be flown at half-staff today.

The 67-year-old former Prime Minister was gunned down on Friday, outside a train station while making a speech in the City of Nara.

08/07/22 - 8 1 2

08/07/22 - 2 8 8

The late former Prime of Japan, Shinzo Abe

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Youth effort to tackle climate crisis

(Barbados Today) - WITH future generations likely to bear the consequences of global warming over the next few decades, young people from Barbados and elsewhere in the world have come together to find solu-

glad that more children are beginning to understand this and recognise that they must take action in order to safeguard their future,” said Executive Director of the Ashley Lashley Foundation and UNICEF Youth Advocate for Barbados

as one of our featured speakers on Friday, and our aim is to have our youth fully engaged in the conversation on climate justice.

“Barbados is one of the nations in the forefront of the climate crisis, and this

attention to the issue.

“I did it because I want change to happen and for the world to be protected,” she said after completing her ride.

“It was a really good ride. It was a bit wet but I managed to work through that and I com-

(Photo credit: Barbados Today) tions to the climate change problem.

Thursday morning marked the start of the Youth Climate Summit and Expo, which will be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre over the next two days.

“The climate crisis is a children’s crisis and we are

and the Eastern Caribbean, Ashley Lashley.

Lashley said children from 20 primary and secondary schools across Barbados as well as delegates from the Caribbean and further afield will participate in the conference.

“We will have the United Nations Youth Special Envoy

conference will show that we are making a stand and that our youth and children are meaningfully engaged in the discussion,” she said.

Prior to the start of the conference, 10-year-old Layla Licorish rode from the St John Parish Church to the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium to draw

pleted the ride within the time I had set for myself.”

She was accompanied by her father Randy Licorish and members of her cycling team.

Following Layla’s bike ride, students who are taking part in the Youth Climate Summit and Expo marched from the Garfield Sobers

Gymnasium to the Barbados Community College.

One of the international delegates attending the conference, Xiye Bastida, a climate justice activist from Mexico, stressed the importance of the world’s youth speaking out on this issue.

“Climate change has generally been portrayed as something far away from us in terms of the timeline, as well as geographically.

We always hear about what is likely to happen by 2050 and 2100, and in terms of geography we talk about the North Pole and polar bears and recycling, but it goes a lot deeper than that,” the young Bastida said.

“We have to look at community health, pollution, the

spilling of oil and dumping waste in the ocean, not the same conversation we have had for the last 50 years. For example, at my university, they are talking about getting away from fossil fuels by 2040, but by that time I will be 40 years old and we need to do it sooner.

“I would say as young people we must engage our local politicians, ask them what they are doing about reducing the use of plastics, and other such matters.

This issue is already affecting people in this part of the world because although we are not responsible for the bulk of the problems that have led to this crisis, we will bear the brunt of it,” Bastida contended.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

National Grade Six Assessment THE National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) for 2022 has now ended.

Some 16,288 candidates were registered.

This is the second time pupils wrote the NGSA examination successfully since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From all indications, the pupils are fairly well prepared with a high level of optimism regarding attainment outcomes.

The NGSA is an assessment examination used to determine child placement in secondary schools. The reality, however, is that only a limited number of students can be accommodated in every school despite the best efforts of students, teachers and parents to ensure that the best learning environment is in place for optimal student performance.

The Ministry of Education, for its part, has worked commendably to create equitable environments for learning in all of the schools regardless of the systems of ranking and priority which existed previously, all while battling the myriad of challenges to education brought on by the COVID-19 pan-

demic.

According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, the closure of schools, caused by the pandemic, effectively disturbed the delivery and quality of education and also heightened some of the inequalities faced by the nation’s children, especially in far-flung areas.

‘We prepared work sheets, we taught on television channel, we have a video prepared for every single topic.

We have an entire website dedicated to quizzes that we prepared that are specific to these topics, so there is little else that could be done by the ministry to prepare these children,’ the Education Minister had said.

These are indeed commendable initiatives on the part of the Education Ministry which has impacted positively on learning outcomes especially at the primary level. These, along with several other initiatives by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, such as cash grants to parents/guardians and the school-feeding programme, have resulted in a much

higher level of learners’ attendance, particularly for hinterland areas.

The PPP/C administration must be given credit for making it possible for increasing the number of students admitted to discrete secondary schools through the implementation of the Secondary School Reform Programme (SSRP). This programme saw the conversion of several community high schools and primary tops to discrete secondary schools where students are now prepared to write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CESC) examinations.

Prior to the implementation of the SSRP, the majority of pupils who wrote the then-named Common Entrance examination were sent to community high schools or the tops of primary schools which, for all practical purposes, was a period of marking time. These schools did not prepare students to sit the CSEC and only a handful of students managed to make it to tertiary-level institutions.

All of that has now changed thanks to the PPP/C administration. Not only

are there more students writing the CSEC examinations but overall student performance has improved significantly as well. What the PPP/C administration has done, in effect, is to restructure the delivery of quality education both in terms of access and equity.

The education attainment gap between coastal and hinterland schools is now closing due to a number of policy interventions such as teacher education, greater supply of learning materials in the classroom, curricula development and reform, to name a few. Our learners are, today, the beneficiaries of the PPP/C’s visionary policies in terms of human resources development.

Education is, today, a top national priority and, as pointed out by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, every Guyanese, irrespective of the region in which they live or their ethnic or religious background, would have an equal opportunity or stake in the development of Guyana and resultant prosperity.

This, he said, will be done by rolling out universal access to world class education.

Guyana’s agriculture sector stronger than ever with sound leadership

Dear Editor,

NO one can doubt there is an agriculture renaissance in Guyana, which is marked by the renewed understanding and recommitment to the fundamental role of agriculture in the nation’s development.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government and the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, must be applauded for this. There are several different approaches underway which guarantees the agriculture sector’s growth.

This is so despite the many challenges faced by the sector including damaging floods experienced since last year.

In retrospect, during the coalition (APNU/AFC) government’s tenure in office, agriculture suffered immensely as the coalition embarked on several preposterous and vindictive acts such as cutting crucial funding, placing fortune seekers in top positions, and positioning the worst and most visionless agriculture minister ever to ensure that the downward decline was rapid and devastating.

This has been dealt with by many intellectuals. This period of APNU+AFC leadership was a replication of what the sector faced under the People’s National Congress (PNC) during its 28 years of dictatorial rule. Fortunately, it came to a screeching halt in 2020.

This Dr Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C government is investing heavily in all areas of the agriculture sector, and is looking to grow the sector more, beyond rice and sugar. A sum of $28.7 billion was budgeted this year to further thrust development in the agriculture sector.

Some of these new projects pursued by the Ministry of Agriculture are outlined below. These will see major increases to output, and the opening up of new markets, not only locally, but regionally and internationally.

The President has recognized the importance of brackish-water shrimp production which has ‘a very huge potential in the diaspora’. This project is intended

to move production by 300 per cent from 450,000 kilogrammes annually. This project is already underway and will be an outstanding foreign exchange contributor.

Added to this, the fish cage project has already started at Mainstay/Whyaka in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

It is estimated that this has the potential to produce 11 metric tonnes of fish every nine months. We are a pioneer in this regard in the Caribbean.

Another lucrative project is the corn and soya bean production at Ebini along the Berbice River.

This has all the signs of success.

See page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Guyana’s agriculture ...

From page 6

Minister Mustapha stated that, ‘the trial was very successful’ and there are plans to increase production from 125 acres to 3,000 acres by this year, and further increase to 25,000 acres in the next three years. Guyana will not only be self-sufficient but will be a major exporter. This will be another foreign exchange earner.

This government is also cognisant of the importance of non-traditional crops such as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. These are imported into Guyana and command high prices in the market [and has] huge demand in Guyana and the Caribbean.

In this venture, President, Dr Irfaan Ali is targeting youths. Works have already commenced to construct 25 shade houses for the cultivation of the three crops. This is rolled out under the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP). The long-term plan is to produce 7,000 tonnes of the crops.

This is a direction which will not only benefit farmers but consumers as well. Already, there are some small farmers producing broccoli and cauliflower which [were] showcased at farmers’ markets held across the country. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture is supporting small farmers who are cultivating strawberries and grapes.

This project has now grown to more than 54 shade houses, and is expected to increase to 300 because of its success, according to Minister Mustapha.

Already these produce are sold to leading hotels.

Moreover, shade houses are now introduced in schools across the country ensuring that the knowledge of this new project becomes embedded in our young people early in life and that a career in agriculture is just as rewarding as any other.

Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture is providing the necessary marketing support to enhance the value-chain.

Minister Mustapha, earlier this year, explained this: We have been meeting with various stakeholders, farmers, middlemen, agro-processors, sellers and exporters to discuss the issues facing their particular value chain and how to support the improvement of the chain with support from the agriculture agencies’.

The government will also invest heavily in agro-processing which will ensure that produce do not perish but increase in value. We have seen demand and supply wreaking havoc to farmers.

Poultry farmers and prospective ones, on the other hand, are given black giant birds, each of which can produce approximately 200 eggs per annum and 4.5 kg of meat. These birds will greatly increase the supply of both eggs and meat to meet the local demands.

We have also seen the introduction of Black Belly Sheep in Regions 5 (Mahaica-Berbice) and 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) which will boost the production of mutton locally and for the international market, especially the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

At the launching of this project in Region 5, the President emphasized the lucrativeness of this market.

The list of new and pioneering projects in agriculture will continue to grow and expand.

There is a renaissance in agriculture in Guyana as the country is positioned to champion food security in the Caribbean and the rest of the world, as envisioned by the PPP/C government.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Need for brand-new approaches to age-old regional problems – (Part 5) –– Of Presidents, Prime Ministers and Servant Leaders

By Earl Bousquet

CARICOM’s 2022 Heads of Government Summit was attended by three new Prime Ministers (Bahamas, Grenada and Saint Lucia), each bringing fresh new perspectives to the ongoing efforts by Caribbean leaders to address old and new problems -- and the challenges and opportunities they always bring.

At different levels of the age spectrum, each offered different visions of common wishes for regional prosperity: Bahamas reached out to its neighbours down the island chain, Grenada promised redefined hope and aspiration for citizens,

and Saint Lucia challenged the regional movement to do more to build a better future for the region.

Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, not as new to the regional movement, happens to have a longer period of unbroken public service than many of his colleagues.

His election on July 26, 2021 as the island’s ninth Prime Minister came with his sixth consecutive election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Castries East, the largest constituency in the island’s capital, an electoral feat he shares only with his predecessor, ex-PM, Dr Kenny D. Anthony. Dr Anthony won his Vieux Fort

South seat six consecutive times.

Pierre served as Deputy Leader of the ruling Saint

Lucia Labour Party (SLP), Deputy Prime Minister, and held key government portfolios, including: tourism, trade, commerce, manufacturing, industry, consumer affairs, offshore banking, international business registration, international financial services, infrastructure, port services, and now national security, finance and the youth economy.

The only CARICOM leader heading a ‘Ministry of the Youth Economy’, he told his colleagues in CARICOM recently: “There can be no CARICOM future” if the region’s youth “continue to wallow in despair, dashed expectations and apathy” and “with crime and gun violence as their most available option.”

Since August 2021, Pierre has made the youth economy “one of the most important pillars” of his administration’s development plan for the country because he sees it “not only as an economic imperative, but a moral one.”

As such, he said, his government is “determined to create a special space for youth entrepreneurship and business growth within the general economic system.”

Pierre said the island’s young entrepreneurs “will be provided with state resources to help them convert hobbies into entrepreneurship and skills into businesses through finance and marketing support, training and mentorship, thus creating sustainable livelihoods and a new cadre of indigenous business people.”

He said Saint Lucia “stands ready to work with CARICOM to see how we can organically link our development of the youth economy within the existing CSME [CARICOM Single Market and Economy], and other economic and social development mechanisms within CARICOM.”

Pierre also extrapolated on his administration’s foreign policy principles saying regional integration “will remain continually weakened if we allow the basic principles which have defined our relations to the outside world to be compromised by the foreign policies of other countries.”

He insisted that “CARICOM is strongest when it holds steadfast to the traditional principles of the right to self-determination of all countries, non-interference into the internal affairs of sovereign nations, safeguarding the Caribbean region as a zone of peace and pursuit of South-South cooperation.”

Other principles he identified included “the freedom and dignity of the Caribbean peoples, respect for the internal sovereignty of our neighbours and its pursuit of a foreign policy framework that allows it to tap into the development potential from regional friends, while avoiding making enemies with our longstanding traditional global allies.”

In that regard, he said “St. Lucia believes that a free, sovereign and economically stable Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti can only mean a free, sovereign and economically stable CARICOM.” Regarding his “expectations” in office, Pierre recalled that when elected, “I came in on a promise to be transparent, to be a listener, to be democratic -- and to practise as much as possible, the principles of Servant Leadership.”

He also added personal principles of “humility, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and fairness to all and to put the development of people above everything else…”

The Saint Lucia leader said that four to six decades after independence, CARICOM leaders should

commit to the principles of “good governance, constitutional reform, transparency and accountability” and to “strive to make this Region the freest, most democratic and best-governed part of the universe, all in the best interest of the people we have been called to serve…”

As a new CARICOM Prime Minister, he dreams of “attainment of genuine togetherness and integration of our foreign and economic policies,” a “flexible and agile CARICOM, serving the day-to-day needs of our people and enhancing their faith in our collective destiny…”, and for “a CARICOM that never forgets that the only reason why we have committed ourselves to public life is to serve the people, and so we must put the people first in all that we do.”

Not known to offer deflective “Smoke and Mirrors” for answers and solutions and free of corruption allegations for 25 years, Pierre, in his Paramaribo Address, will have drawn the attention of host President Chandrikapersad ‘Chan’ Santokhi, the CARICOM leader with responsibility for youth.

Pierre’s principles belying his policy of seeing himself as a Servant Leader will also have attracted equal note.

But perhaps his most-remembered statement might be some unsolicited words of wisdom from the common experiences that have faced every newly-elected leader, when he told his colleagues, “You will appreciate why the euphoria of an election victory vanishes quickly upon occupying the seat of the Prime Minister (or President), because the challenges we all face as new leaders, upon sober reflection, are very apparent and in one word: Daunting!”

‘Improved healthcare ...

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

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From page 3

commitment to its corporate and social responsibility.

As such, he indicated that this direct investment support to the communities in which the company works is a core value of the company.

It was then that he reflected on the moment when he received the call to join government’s vision for modernizing Guyana’s healthcare system.

With the table set, Hess said he recognized Mount Sinai as the most strategic partner to undertake this development co-operation.

“The greatest gift in life is life; a longer life, healthier life, and more productive life. We are honoured to be part of the strategic partnership with the government and Mount Sinai to bring a brighter and healthier future for every Guyanese citizen and the country’s future generations,” Hess underscored.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jeremy Boal, Chief Clinical Officer

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (right), Dr. Jeremy Boal (left), and John Hess (second from left) share a light moment at the signing ceremony on Friday. (Adrian Narine photo) at Mount Sinai, said this process began for Mount Sinai when Mr. Hess asked them to partner with Hess Corporation and the Government of

Guyana.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Boal said that the three partners worked collectively to develop a broad and durable

strategic partnership aimed at giving all Guyanese the best possible health care services.

As such, the Chief Clinical Officer stated that within

the next three days, Mount Sinai officials will arrive in Guyana to engage their counterparts at the GPHC to improve and enhance their

approach.

Soon after, he continued, other clinical experts will return to Guyana to continue the planning for the centres for excellence.

Just recently, CARICOM leaders agreed, at the regional summit, that there must be restructuring of regional healthcare services. This was highlighted in the official communiqué following the heads of government meeting in Paramaribo, Suriname which concluded recently.

The leaders agreed that as countries moved into post-pandemic recovery, it is an opportunity to restructure services and public health programmes across the Caribbean.

This move, which has been undertaken by the government to modernize Guyana’s health care services, shows that Guyana is leading the charge towards this official regional restructuring.

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29 graduate from prosecutors’ course at Nations School of Law

By Clestine Juan

AFTER successfully completing a six-month course, 29 persons have graduated from the internationally recognised

elementary prosecutors training course offered by the Nations School of Law. During the simple ceremony held at school’s New Market Street location, two Assistant

Superintendents of Police, three Sergeants, seven Corporals, three Lance Corporals, 12 Constables and two employees of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department graduated.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

The course, which is the first of its kind, was a collaborative effort between the Guyana Police Force and Nations School. The ranks were selected from various divisions, based on their outstand-

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

ing performances.

As part of their international certified courses, the participants were exposed to Basic English training, Trafficking in Person (TIP) seminars, and gender-based violence, among other courses.

The programme was designed to equip the ranks with the neces-

healthcare, access to justice must be an inalienable right of the citizens.

Additionally, he explained that currently, several courts are either under construction or being renovated, which will aid in the delivery of justice across the country.

He pointed out that there has been continuous training at every level of the legal sector, especially in the law enforcement and prosecutorial arm of the justice system.

“For example, we have ongoing training on arbitration, a new concept that we are going to inject in the most modern possible way into our legal system, because the exigencies of a developing commercial environment in Guyana, requires that as an important component of the settlement of disputes in the commercial organisation,” he said.

Additionally, Nandlall disclosed that next month, Guyana, in collaboration with the government of the United States of America will commence training in relation

The newly trained prosecutors, senior police officers and representatives of Nations University. Also pictured are Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Robeson Benn (second row, fifth left) and Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Ms.Yonette Cummings-Edwards (second row, sixth left) (Elvin Croker photos)

sary skill-set to become prosecutors within the local Magistrates’ Courts.

While delivering the feature address, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, S.C., congratulated the graduates on pursuing their legal dreams.

“Your Rule of Law is the foundation upon which modern society rests. You all are aware of the transformational economic, social, commercial, and other changes taking place in our country, but none of it is possible, and will be possible unless we have Law and Order prevailing in this society; unless the Rule of Law is respected; unless there is public order, or unless we have a legal system that delivers justice to our people in accordance with the law,” he said.

According to AG Nandlall, no matter what advancement is made in a country, there must be corresponding and commensurate advancement in the justice and legal sector which delivers fair and transparent justice according to the law.

He further highlighted that access to justice is the foundation of a democratic nation, and the hallmark of modern civilisation.

He reminded those gathered of the Constitution, which speaks of the State not denying anyone equality and equal protection and benefit of the law.

The Attorney-General added that just like the right to life and

to addressing the issue of proceeds from crime.

“You are ministers of justice; you are not to be concerned about winning. Your job is to present the evidence available; if you don’t have the evidence, then you don’t have the ability. You are not to fabricate and concoct; you have a serious responsibility as a minister of justice,” the Minister told the graduates.

He underscored that over 80 per cent of the court matters are being dealt with in the Magistrate’s Court, which the new graduates will have to deal with.

“We must allow the systems to work; it is imperative that we inspire the public with confidence that the legal system will protect their interest in accordance with the law…And when we are able to do that, we would have been discharging our constitutional duty and role as the legal system and as components of that legal system,” he added.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus told the police officers that the GPF will sponsor their studies if they decide to pursue the LLB programme at the University of London.

Additionally, Brutus, that there is currently a second batch of prosecutors in training, and the Force will continue to run an annual six-month programme at the Nations School of Law for the next five years.

Full Public Procurement Commission appointed

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

11

–– Commissioner Chase takes Oath of Office

COMPLETING the appointments to the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) was Attorney-at-Law Pauline Chase, who was sworn in on Friday by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali at State House, on Main Street, a statement from the Office of the President said.

Chase, current President of the Guyana Bar Association, was unavoidably absent when the other members of the Commission were sworn in recently.

She joins the other four members of the PPC: Messrs Joel Bhagwandin, Rajnarine Singh, and Berkley Wickham, and Ms. Dianna Rajcumar, who were all sworn in on July 1.

The PPC is a critical body, as it is constitutionally responsible for the oversight of the public procurement of all goods and services, along with the monitoring of all infrastructural works to ensure that they conform to the relevant laws and guidelines.

Guyana has been without a PPC since October 2019, when the previously-appointed Commission had reached its statutory term limit. That Commission, which had been appointed in 2016, had served for three years with Ms. Carol Corbin serving as chairperson.

Giving brief remarks at the ceremony earlier this month, President Ali had said that the government has

embarked on a development path that is transformative.

“Important to that transformation,” he said, “are issues of public accountability, transparency, and ensuring that social mechanisms and systems that allow the public expenditure to occur are not only strong, but they are continually renewed, in an effort to advance and enhance transparency and accountability.”

The Head-of-State pointed out then that the function of the Commission adds a tier to the institutional mechanisms for ensuring oversight of public financing. In this case, His Excellency had said, oversight of procurement to strengthen transparency in an accountable manner.

He explained also that under the Constitution of Guyana, commissioners are required to have “a specific skill set” to support Guyana’s reputation of transparent, democratic and open governance.

“I have all confidence that the combined experience, knowledge, and diverse expertise of the members of this Commission will add value to your work, and will bring the necessary benefits to the country, and to government systems as we work together, enhancing and building a stronger framework through which we will transform and de-

velop our country,” the President had told the newly-appointed commissioners.

Newly-sworn in Commissioner Ms. Pauline Chase signs the official appointment document alongside President Dr. Irfaan Ali

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July 20 set for arguments in Opposition’s challenge to Hicken’s appointment as Acting Top Cop

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

COME July 20, Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, S.C., is expected to hear arguments in the Opposition’s challenge to the constitutionality of President Dr Irfaan Ali’s appointment of Clifton Hicken as acting Commissioner of Police.

During a hearing at the High Court on Friday, the Chief Justice granted Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall time to file further evidence in his affidavit. Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones is the applicant in the matter.

Nandlall is also expected to file Hicken’s affidavit. The acting top cop is also listed as a respondent.

Nandlall was ordered to pay $50,000 in cost to Jones since he failed to file his initial affidavit within the two to four-day time frame before the matter was heard.

The Attorney-General had filed a notice of appeal asking the court for an additional five days to file his response.

However, the Chief Justice found that he had no valid reason for failing to file the affidavit on time and ordered him to pay cost.

Roysdale Forde, S.C., who is representing Jones had objected to Nandlall filing further evidence. As such, the Chief Justice instructed Forde to file an affidavit in reply on or before July 13.

All parties will have to file their written submissions

by July 18, and hearing of the arguments in scheduled for July 20.

In his Fixed Date Application (FDA), Jones is seeking to overturn Hicken’s appointment since it is “unreasonable, ultra vires the Constitution, common law and is illegal, null, void and of no legal effect.”

He is also seeking a declaration that the President’s decision to appoint Hicken violates Articles 211 (1) and 211 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana.

Against this backdrop, he is also contending that there were no consultations between the President and the Leader of the Opposition as required by the Constitution prior to Hicken’s appointment.

Recently, the President, after consultation with Chairperson of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Patrick Findlay, officially nominated Hicken as Guyana’s acting Top Cop. In a letter dated June 29, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, outlined to Leader

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, S.C of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, the reasons why Hicken was appointed back in March. The letter also invited Norton to give his opinion on the subject.

According to the letter, former Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie proceeded on pre-retirement leave on March 30, and at the time, there were no constituted Police Service Commission, nor was there a person holding the post of Leader of the Opposition.

It further stated that having regard to a number of factors, including “the preservation of law and order, the preservation of peace, and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations within Guyana, in the nation’s best interest and in the interest of national security,” President Ali opted to make the appointment rather than leave a vacuum in command and superintendence of the force.

Following consultations with Findlay, the President sought to engage Norton in “meaningful consultation”, Teixeira added in her letter.

Norton was given up to Monday, July 4, to give his opinion on the matter in writing. However, he moved to the High Court seeking to quash the appointment of Findlay and the other PSC members, claiming it was “illegal, null, void and of no legal effect.”

In his legal challenge, the Opposition Leader is contending that the President did not afford him “a reasonable opportunity to express a considered opinion on the subject of the consultation”.

He maintains that this is a breach of the Integrity Commission Act. As such, he is arguing that any consultation between the President and Findlay on the subject of the appointment of a Police Commissioner is unconstitutional, null, void, and of no legal effect.

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, S.C

Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken

Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones

Attorney-at-law Roysdale Forde, S.C

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Anyone can bid for gov’t contracts –– Minister Dharamlall says while refuting claims of racial preference

By Cassandra Khan

MINISTER of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, on Thursday refuted claims that

the government is only awarding contracts to persons of a certain ethnic group.

He addressed the issue when he appeared as a guest on The Guyana

Dialogue, a Facebook programme.

The minister told viewers that the remarks made by an associate of the political opposition were neither factual nor truthful.

“From the video that I saw of him stating that persons of a certain ethnic group are not getting contracts, I believe that is totally dishonest of him to say so because it is not the case. As a matter of fact, some of the biggest contractors we have in this country are contractors who have generated a lot of their growth from the policy directives of successive governments of the PPP/C,” he related.

Minister Dharamlall stated that there is a concerted effort being made to ensure that everyone who is interested in Guyana’s development and who have the necessary resources, skills, and wherewithal to contribute to the development, benefit from the procurement process.

“As a matter of fact, procurement in Guyana is one of our great achievements to the extent that most of the procurement is open nationally, and so anyone is eligible to bid for contracts,” he added.

The Local Government Minister related that he can say without fear of contradiction that Guyanese from “all walks of life, across the ethnic divide,” have been benefitting from contracts worth tens of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars, specifically the Afro-Guyanese contractors.

“And I can say again, very factually, that we have contractors of African origin or Afro-Guyanese in all ten regions of Guyana bidding for contracts at both the regional level as well as at the national level,” Minister Dharamlall said.

When asked about plans to publicise the evidence, Minister Dharamlall said that this will be done at some point but because the individuals are private, permission must first be sought.

He added that information is available on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board website.

“If you go on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board website, you will see who these contractors are,” he said.

When asked about the difference between the Local Government Commission (LGC) and his Ministry, Minister Dharamlall related that the LGC is one of the principal commitments that Former President Bharrat Jagdeo made to the people of Guyana to enhance local democracy.

“We have since been working in that direction to make sure that we work

very closely with the Local Government Commission,” he said.

Minister Dharamlall stated that the LGC is responsible for the administration of the Local Democratic Organs (LDOs) which are specific to the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the Municipal Councils.

“Their function has to mostly do with administrative issues in terms of recruitment, in terms of terminations, in terms of disciplining… those types of administrative things at the level of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development,” he explained.

Minister Dharamlall said that his ministry works more at a policy level to make sure that the vision of the President is implemented by all stakeholders within the local government system.

“The Local Government Commission is one of those stakeholders that work with us to make sure that there is better delivery… so they’re not just advisory, but they have a principal day-to-day function. They also work like I said, administratively,” he related.

As for policies, he explained that those are a mandate of the cabinet, so, policies are developed at the level of the cabinet and it is expected of stakeholders that they work on a common cause to make sure that these policies are effectuated.

Minister Dharamlall shared that there are 70 NDCs, 10 RDCs, and 10 municipal councils.

“The local government system oversees those 70 NDCs and 10 municipal councils, but, in the wider definition of the local government system. We also have 10 RDCs that govern the 10 regions of Guyana,” he related.

He said that the entire cabinet and the rest of the government share the responsibility for different issues across the country.

“In terms of regional development, our mandate includes the administration of regional education as well as regional health. Of course, we have the guiding ministries or the policy ministries, ministry of education and health. We also have a public works programme in regional development as well as an agricultural programme.

So yes, we capture a lot of what has to happen in government and across the country,” the Local Government Minister further

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall explained.

In terms of the budget process, he said that there is a National Budget and every region is an agency in the budget. “…to say that the budget of one ministry is different from another, I think would be doing a disservice to how the budget process operates. So, we do a lot of the small things in the 10 regions, a lot of the road building is done through the Ministry of Public Works. The solar investments are done through the Office of the Prime Minister. The drainage and irrigation is done through the Ministry of Agriculture. Some of the road construction in the interior will be done by our ministry as well as the Ministry of Public Works and in some cases, the Ministry of Natural Resources. So, we tend to share resources based on what is available and based on the type of work that has to be done,” he said.

He related that there is a system where daily information is collected at the local level and then filtered up into some of the executing agencies.

“So those handled at the level of the region will be done by the region. The regions, their budgets also require them to construct roads and to fix potholes and to do drainage and irrigation,” he said.

He added that the ministries work as a team.

“So, for example, in road building, we will have a team from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, from Public Works, and from the Ministry of Finance, that will all go to the engineers and do the assessment of the physical conditions of the roads and then that decision is made at the level of the different ministers and the cabinet to decide on what we can do. And of course, all of this depends a lot on the resources available,” he said.

“It really doesn’t matter who funds it, what is important is that it gets done,” the Minister added.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Bush Lot farmer fatally stabbed allegedly by neighbour

POLICE in Berbice have arrested a man who allegedly stabbed his neighbour to death on Friday afternoon.

Dead is 47-year-old Rameshwar Sydney called “White eye,” a farmer of Lot 232 Bush Lot, Region Six. The Guyana Chronicle understands that Sydney

The house where the incident occurred had returned to his house from his farm around 13:00 hours, when he was approached by his neighbour who invited him over.

According to the farmer’s nephew, Randy Sydney, his uncle accepted the invitation and went over to his neighbour’s house, but was seen moments later running towards his home with a knife in the back of his neck.

Randy recalled that his uncle made it to his yard but col- Dead: Rameshwar Sydney lapsed immediately called “White eye” after, causing panic among relatives, who had to muster the courage to pick up the injured man and rush him to the Port Mourant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The nephew said that the entire family is in shock because his uncle was a humble man, who worked hard to achieve what he wanted.

Sydney, a father of five was described by other relatives as a friendly, hardworking and respectful.

He also served as a local cricket umpire and was well known in the community.

Meanwhile, according to reliable information the suspect, who is reportedly a habitual drinker, attempted to take his own life after the incident, but was stopped by public spirited persons and subsequently handed over to the police.

The Guyana Police Force has since confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing.

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Guyana gets approx. 50,000 COVID-19 vaccines from South Korea

GUYANA, on Friday, received 40,800 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines from the Government of the Republic of South Korea, a statement from the Ministry of Health said.

During the brief handing-over ceremony at the Ministry of Health’s Bond in

Kingston, Georgetown, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony welcomed the donation.

“The Government of Guyana and people of Guyana would like to thank the Government and people of the Republic of Korea for this donation of COVID-19 vaccines to fight the COVID-19

pandemic”, the Minister said.

He further explained that the vaccines would be distributed across the 10 administrative regions and will be administered to anyone 18 years and older who requires their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, the Honor-

Health Minister Anthony (second from left) receives the donation from South Korea’s Honorary Consul Ramesh Dookhoo (second from right) December, Expanded Proary Consul of the Republic care system in Guyana. of South Korea in Guyana, Also on site for the hand- gramme on Immunisation Ramesh Dookhoo said the ing-over was Dr Erteni- (EPI) Support Officer; and valuable donation will aid in sa Hamilton, Director of Andrea Budburgh, Medex saving many lives while sat- Family and Primary Health attached to the Ministry of isfying the need of the health- Care Services; Dr Farrah Health.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

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CARICOM leaders mourn loss of former Japanese Prime Minister CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) leaders, on Friday, issued a

joint statement expressing shock and sadness at news of the assassination

of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The BBC reported ear-

lier that Abe was shot at twice while giving a public speech on a street in the city

of Nara. The alleged gunman, the global news agency said, was a 41-year old, Tetsuya Yamagami, who is now in police custody.

“Mr. Abe is well remembered in our Community as in 2014 he became the first Prime Minister of Japan to visit the Region and meet with our Heads of Government, taking to a new level the political engagement between CARICOM and Japan,” the CARICOM Secretariat said.

“It was during that visit the Prime Minister signalled Japan’s support in recognising the vulnerability of Small Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS) and expressed Japan’s willingness to take into consideration issues other than GDP [Gross Domestic Product] per capita as criteria for determining the provision of official development assistance.

“It was Prime Minister Abe who, during the Summit [of the Americas in 2009] in Port of Spain, reset CARICOM-Japan relations by outlining his country’s three-pillar Policy towards the Community.

Former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe (Photo credit: CARICOM Secretariat)

“These are co-operation towards sustainable development including overcoming vulnerabilities particular to small island states; deepening and expanding bonds founded on exchanges and friendship; and co-operation in addressing challenges in the international community.

“CARICOM is highly appreciative of Mr. Abe’s significant contribution to enhancing relations between the Region and Japan.

“CARICOM extends deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Abe, and the Government and People of Japan on the death of their longest serving Prime Minister and a man who made great efforts to reshape his country and its place in the world,” CARICOM statement said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

COVID-19 pushed Jamaica’s maternal mortality rate to almost record level in 2021

(Jamaica Observer) - CITING the high maternal mortality rate associated with COVID-19, Professor Affette McCaw Binns, a reproductive health epidemiologist, is advising expectant mothers, and women who

year’s maternal mortality rate, which she argued was the highest it has been in Jamaica for almost a century.

“The new kid on the block over the last two years is COVID-19 and we have seen that the maternal mortality rate

Reproductive health epidemiologist, Professor Affette McCaw Binns addressing reporters following her address to the Nurse Practitioners in Jamaica’s 68th Scientific Seminar at the Hilton Rose Hall in St James on Wednesday. (Photo: Philp Lemonte) are planning to get pregnant, to be vaccinated.

McCaw Binns was speaking on Wednesday, the first day of the threeday Nurse Practitioners in Jamaica’s 68th Scientific Seminar at the Hilton Rose Hall in St James.

The conference is being held under the theme: ‘Maternal and Child Health: Building Blocks for a Secure Future’.

“If you are planning to get pregnant, get vaccinated. You don’t want COVID because when you get COVID and you are pregnant the outcome is not very pretty. So that is the message I would like to give to women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, to be administered in pregnancy keep yourself safe and have a happy and healthy pregnancy and live,” McCaw Binns said.

Speaking with reporters after addressing the conference, McCaw Binns revealed that COVID-19 has been the main contributor to last

in 2021 associated with COVID alone has been as high as everything else put together,” McCaw Binns said.

“So the maternal mortality rate in Jamaica normally ranges between 80 and a 100 per 100,000, the COVID mortality rate in 2021 was 130 per 100,000, that was just COVID alone; and that year the total maternal mortality rate was 213 per 100,000, twice as high as what we are normally accustomed to and that is a rate we haven’t seen in Jamaica for maybe a century.

“The last time we have had rates like those was maybe the 1930s.

“I have never seen a maternal mortality rate in my career of over 200 per 100,000. And so that’s been a bad year and vaccination is safe and effective in pregnancy in women,” she said.

McCaw Binns has more than 40 years’ experience as a reproductive health epidemiologist. She argued that one of her areas of research over the years has been

to help babies and especially mothers.

She noted that one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in Jamaica is hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.

“One of the leading causes of maternal death in Jamaica is the hy-

pertensive disorders of pregnancy and overtime we have tried to improve that, but the challenge with trying to deal with that is that we are seeing older mothers having children, which is not a problem, but we have to recognise that as we get older, the risk of having

our conditions, diabetes and hypertension before we even get pregnant is occurring,” noted McCaw Binns.

“And so they need to present early for care and get good quality antenatal care so that the problems are addressed early and effectively,”

she said further.

“So we have done a lot of work on documenting the causes of maternal mortality and trying to develop interventions aimed at reducing the risk of dying in association with pregnancy,” added McCaw Binns.

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‘Little Johnny’ dies at 105

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

–– weeks before his great granddaughter departs for Howard University

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric VICTOR Lewis, known as ‘Little Johnny’ or ‘Ole Police’, died peacefully at his Brighton Village home, on the Corentyne Coast, just before 11:00 hours on Thursday, at the age of 105.

Although he had lived

a full life, and was satisfied with the successes of his children, he had hoped to see his great granddaughter, Kaeyla Vanderstoop, off to the prestigious Howard University in the United States of America. Vanderstoop who is set to begin classes on August 8, had recently appealed for the public’s help to raise the additional

$7 million for needs, tuition and living expenses.

Lewis’ daughter and caregiver Patsy, and other family members were at his side when he died.

During an interview with Guyana Chronicle on February 23, two days before his 105th birthday, Mr. Lewis praised his Creator for sparing his life. He used

the opportunity to recite the lines of an old hymn which is a favourite in the Orthodox churches. It states: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above the Heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

He added that God is the director of his life.

Victor Lewis, known as ‘Little Johnny’ or ‘Ole Police’ “He directs. He orders.

He knows my days. It is in His hands,” he said even as he turned and chuckled to his daughters Brenda and Patricia, who were seated nearby. He asked them what were the plans for his birthday.

In response, a smiling Brenda had said, “Just a prayer service. The pastor will come over, not too much celebrations.” She had reminded that COVID is out there and as such her father had to be protected.

When asked about his birthdate, the centenarian was quick to respond, “I was born on February 25, 1917, at Eversham Village.

My parents were James Lewis, known as Johnny Lewis. That’s where I got the name Little Johnny. My mother’s name was Racheal Albert.”

He said that from time to time he would experience bouts of memory loss, but he has not forgotten his birthdate nor the names of his parents, who he thanked for bringing him into the world.

He had also thanked his paternal grandparents, James and Mary Lewis, who nurtured him, at the very place that he lived.

“I grew with Elric; he was my cousin. We were the children of two siblings. My grandparents were farmers. They cultivated ground provisions, corn and bananas.

We were never hungry, but if we were, we would just go to the farm, pick a few ripened bananas from the sucker, or parch and pound corn before eating it with sugar,” he said, adding: “Life was not as it is now. Back then, people farmed, and the villagers, despite their ethnicity, lived in unity. In those days, if an

African family had a function and their East Indian neighbour, was not invited, then that would be a big problem. The uninvited person would enquire what was the reason for him or her not receiving an invitation, prior to presenting themselves.

Life was so good, without the politicians.”

In his formative years, he attended that Eversham Primary School while Mr. James Henry was the Head Master. However, while he was privileged to complete his schooling, he was unable to take the ‘School Leaving Examination’, which was held at the Rose Hall Scots School in Rose Hall Town.

“I cannot now remember what prevented me from going to write the exams, but my now deceased friends Albert King and Marth Douglas, they were successful at the exams and had pursued higher learning resulting in them becoming educators.

I became a carpentry apprentice, under the stewardship of ‘Brother Grant’ of Philippi Village. As a small boy, I had visited the village shop, and had observed ‘Brother Grant’, doing some carpentry, and he asked me whether I was interested and I responded in the affirmative. I started to learn the trade, and have since specialised in all areas of carpentry.”

His trade took him to many areas locally, including the mining town of Linden and Matthews Ridge.

He leaves to mourn his children: Denzil, Eon, Victor Jnr, Eldon, Wendy, Patricia, Brenda, Kim, Yonnette, Denis, and Leon; 30 grandchildren, scores of great grandchildren and other relatives.

He will be buried on July 16, in his home village.

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Spotlight on literacy in Buxton

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

–– with planned enhancement of village library IN responding to immediate needs of the youth in Buxton and Friendship on the East Coast of Demerara, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has committed to ensuring that the village’s library is retrofitted to offer the best services.

During a recent Cabinet outreach to the community on Monday, residents voiced their concerns over the dilapidated building that currently houses the facility, which is an extension of the National Library.

“Do something for that library so that the children in this area, the Buxton/ Friendship northern section and vigilance can access the facilities of the library,” one of the residents said.

A community stakehold-

er said that the building has the capacity to be rehabilitated into a modern facility to offer an extensive array of services not only to the children in the community, but also the adults.

“It can be modernised into an IT hub; you can pay someone let the person run a little photocopy shop, let the children get to do their assignments and so on. And that will serve mainly the residents of this community and the school children,” one resident said.

She added: “There is the nursery school, the primary school and the secondary school all on the northern side of this community. It will be an asset if something can be done for it.”

Meanwhile in responding to the concerns raised

by residents, Prime Minister Phillips said there will be further consultations with the relevant subject ministers to determine how soon rehabilitation works can commence on the building.

“Minister Nigel Dharamlall will have a look at that building and we will determine how best we could move in renovations…we will have a look at that building and have it refurbished quickly and have it back to you,” the Prime Minister said.

The ministerial outreach, led by the Prime Minister also included Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall S.C; Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill; Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony; Culture, Youth and Sport Minister,

The building that currently houses the community library in Buxton/Friendship (Delano Williams photo) Charles Ramson Jnr; Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond; Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall; Water and Housing

Minister, Collin Croal and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy. Residents were able to raise additional concerns about health, business de-

velopment, tourism opportunities, infrastructural development, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), local governance, legal issues, sports, and education.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

‘Hot Skull’ gets 'life' sentence for killing Better Hope pensioner

FIVE years after 76-yearold David Ramkissoon was killed during a robbery at his Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home, his killer, Sherwin Clarke called “Hot Skull” was, on Friday, sentenced to life for the gruesome crime.

Clarke, formerly of Prince William Street, Plai-

sance, ECD, was sentenced

by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court.

Back in June, Clarke was arraigned for murder and pleaded not guilty. After his trial commenced, Clarke threw himself at the mercy of the court and opted to admit to manslaughter.

Clarke admitted that, on

August 21, 2016, he unlawfully killed Ramkissoon during the course of a robbery.

He was represented by attorney-at-law, Damien DaSilva, while the state’s case was presented by prosecutor Muntaz Ali. During his sentencing hearing, the victim’s daugh-

ter-in-law, Nalini Ramkissoon’s impact statement was read in court.

In her statement, the woman said that she is haunted by the memory of finding her father-in-law’s lifeless body “From that day to now I still feel the pain… Many days all I can do is cry be-

cause I miss him so dearly,” she said.

In his address to the court, Clarke expressed remorse for his actions and said, “I’m very sorry for all that happened… Please give me another chance.”

“I’m asking the deceased’s family to please forgive me for my wrongdoing.

I’m just asking for another chance to make it right,” he added.

DEAD: David Ramkissoon Meanwhile, his attorney, DaSilva, asked the court to temper justice with mercy for his client. He said that his client can be rehabilitated.

Prosecutor Ali urged the court to send a strong message to deter the accused man and other like-minded potential offenders from contemplating similar crimes.

The judge, during his sentencing remarks, said that she considered the seriousness of the offence, the impact on the deceased man’s family, among other factors.

“Cold, brutal and callous best describes the horrific invasion,” the judge said as he explained that Clarke received $25,000 as his “bounty” for the crime.

As it relates to aggravating factors, Justice Kissoon said that Ramkissoon fell into the category of a “vulnerable victim” since he was 76 and suffered from cerebral palsy, a condition that affected his movements and his ability to maintain balance and posture.

“He was a pensioner, he had given a life of service to his country, his community and his family. At the time of this crime, he was in the precinct of his home, which is considered by all citizens as their castle, when this violent crime was unleashed, and meted out to him, brought to him, literally at his doorstep…He died alone, unaided, unassisted at the hands of this accused and his accomplices who sought

Sherwin Clarke called ‘Hot Skull’ to deprive him of what little he had, in terms of material possessions,” the judge said.

According to Justice Kissoon, the court cannot turn a blind eye, given the prevalence of robbery within our society where citizens are subjected, on a daily basis, to offences of this nature.

As such, he added that the rule of law has always been that when such offences are prevalent and remain unchecked, the sentence of the corporate must be sufficiently severe to deter like-minded offenders.

“The prevalence and frequency of this crime, of this offence, and similar offences of the stature involved in the use of violence that often results in [the] death of citizens, continues unabated and remains of grave concern to these courts. One of the fundamentals remains the safety, security and wellbeing of all citizens and all members of society. That is the overriding consideration at all times,” he underscored.

To this end, he explained that the matter before the court was a “severe, harsh and violent crime” that warranted systematic penalty.

In the end, the judge sentenced Clarke to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years.

In April, Clarke’s co-accused, Godfrey Gill called “Chucky”, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

On August 21, 2016, Ramkissoon was found with his throat slit in his home.

The perpetrators escaped with jewellery and cash.

Detectives who visited the scene on the day of the murder saw footprints in the mud at the back of the pensioner’s yard leading to an alleyway.

They also spotted drops of blood that led to a shack located a short distance from the slain man’s house.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Cop to stand trial for fatal shooting of Essequibo businessman

POLICE Constable, Sherwin Peters, was, on Thursday, committed to stand trial at the Essequibo High Court for the fatal shooting of 29-yearold Essequibo businessman, Orin Boston, on September 15, 2021.

Magistrate Esther Sam handed down the committal at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court following the

ibo Coast home.

Peters will remain out on $1 million bail, which was granted to him during his first court appearance

DEAD: Essequibo businessman, Orin Boston

Police Constable Sherwin Peters closure of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the matter.

She ruled that a prima facie case had been made out against the 32-year-old Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden resident.

Particulars of the charge alleged that Peters, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), unlawfully killed Boston at his Dartmouth, Essequ-

back in January.

According to a police report, ranks on the day in question were conducting an anti-crime operation in Regional Division Two, when, at about 04:40 hours, they went to Boston’s house to conduct a search.

It is alleged that during the operation, Peters shot Boston in the upper left arm. Boston’s wife, Feona, reportedly claimed that, at the time of the incident, her husband was asleep in his bed.

The popular businessman was later pronounced dead on arrival at the Suddie Public Hospital.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday July 09, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD - 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Nicholas Pooran (2) Rovman Powell Today’s Quiz: (1) Where and when did the WI & BANG first play a T20 Int’l game against each other?

(2) Where and when did the WI win a T20 Int’l against BANG for the first time?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

RACING TIPS English Racing Tips Newmarket 08:30 hrs Blus Missile 09:05 hrs Kidwah 09:40 hrs Laasudood 10:15 hrs Isaac Shelby 10:50 hrs Montassib 11:25 hrs Perfect Power 12:00 hrs Glen Savage York 08:45 hrs Eilean Dubh 09:55 hrs Gift Of Raaj 10:30 hrs Sanks A Million 11:05 hrs Mahrajaan 11:40 hrs Winter Power 12:15 hrs Brazen Bolt Ascot 08:50 hrs Kyeema 09:25 hrs Iverness 10:00 hrs Bond Chairman 10:35 hrs Chindit 11:45 hrs Washraa

12:20 hrs Rawyaan Irish Racing Tips Navan 08:37 hrs Evening’s Empire 09:12 hrs Kodi Red 09:47 hrs Studio City 10:22 hrs Speedacus 10:57 hrs Fumata 11:32 hrs Supagirl 12:07 hrs Arriba South Africa Racing Tips Turffontein 08:40 hrs Baby Don’t Hurt Me 09:15 hrs Casa Inverno 09:50 hrs Secret Is Ours 10:25 hrs Mill Queen 11:00 hrs Emerald Princess American Racing Tips Gulfstream Race 1 Ice Love Race 2 Real Doozie Race 3 Pork Chop Race 4 Feline Race 5 Lord Darnley Race 6 Jackson’s Webb Race 7 Positively Awesome Race 8 Granny Kakes Cents Race 9 Empire Builder Race10 Octane Canadian Racing Tip Woodbine Race 1 Bosskaye Race 2 Know How Race 3 Basalt Street Race 4 Dejas Too Race 5 Souper Sunday Race 6 Astrological Race 7 Loyalty Race 8 Verdejo Race 9 Pipestone

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Djokovic crushes Britain’s Norrie to reach Wimbledon final

(BBC) Britain’s Cameron Norrie was unable to capitalise on a confident start as Novak Djokovic fought back to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Norrie, 26, was bidding to become only the fourth Briton to reach the final at the All England Club in the Open era.

But after winning the first set, he lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to the top seed.

Serbia’s Djokovic, going for a fourth consecutive title and a seventh overall, will face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in tomorrow’s final.

The 35-year-old will also bid for a 21st Grand Slam men’s title, which would put him one behind Rafael Nadal’s all-time record.

Spain’s Nadal, 36, was supposed to face Kyrgios in today’s second semifinal but withdrew from the match on Thursday because of an abdominal injury.

Now Djokovic has the chance to close the gap again on his enduring rival after ending the hopes of Norrie and a nation.

Norrie, seeded ninth, was the first British player since Johanna Konta in 2017 to reach a Wimbledon singles semi-final and was given partisan backing on Centre Court.

The atmosphere became celebratory as Norrie broke three times to take the opening set, before coming increasingly stifled as Djokovic eventually found his level.

Norrie received a rapturous round of applause as he left the Centre Court, including from Djokovic who stood back and applauded his exit “Cameron didn’t have

Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays against Cameron Norrie of Britain in a men’s singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on July 8, 2022. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)

much to lose, he was playing the tournament of his life,” said Djokovic.

“He’s a great player and I have a lot of respect for him.

“Cameron was dominating the play and I got lucky to break his serve in the second set.

“He gifted me a game and from then I think momentum shifted.”

Despite the obvious disappointment of being unable to maintain his fast start against Djokovic, Norrie will eventually look back on these two weeks with huge pride.

The left-hander had never gone past the third round at a Grand Slam before, breaking that barrier and then going from strength to strength to reach the last four.

The confidence which he has gained over the past couple of seasons, from rapidly rising up the rankings and winning ATP Tour titles with increasing prestige, was clear in a wonderful first set from the Briton.

After earning two break points in the first game of the match, Norrie took the first by dragging Djokovic around the court and hitting a winner past the Serb as he dashed forward.

Norrie, usually mildmannered, spun around in delight, to further illustrate the magnitude of the occasion.

After a nervy service game meant he could not consolidate the break, Norrie soon led again and that was helped by Djokovic’s own edginess.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Smith, Labuschagne make Sri Lanka toil

(ESPNCRICINFO) Significant centuries, but for different reasons, from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith gave Australia control on the opening day of the second Test in Galle.

Labuschagne made his first Test hundred overseas and

Lanka spinner in the series, from Ramesh Mendis, Labuschagne got himself going again with a strong pull off Kasun Rajitha, which brought up his fifty from 84 balls.

Then, in the next over from Ramesh, he collected consecutive boundaries. He

Ramesh helped him towards his fifty, but some of his best strokes came when he put Jayasuriya through the leg side - playing against the turn, but with strong wrists and superb placement.

Sri Lanka did well to stay in touch either side of tea as

had a moment of fortune when a bottom-edged sweep against Jayasuriya went mighty close to off stump, but he followed it with a perfectly timed punchy drive.

Good footwork, as he came down the pitch to Jayasuriya to reach the ball on the full, brought him his 12th boundary to get to 99.

Until now, his 11 overseas Tests had brought five half-centuries - four of them in a row during his memorable performance during the 2019 Ashes in England - so ticking it off was an important milestone, especially to do so in Asia with the tour of India next year.

Smith’s century, his 28th in Tests, was just his second since the end of his remarkable 2019 Ashes and his first for 16 innings. It came late in the day against the second new ball, when he sent Rajitha through the off-side with a commanding cover drive.

There was a big smile, and perhaps a hint of relief in the celebration.

He had attracted criticism for his angry reaction to being run-out in the opening Test and on occasions over the last couple of years has not appeared settled at the crease.

But here Smith was in control throughout with his crisp footwork.

A brace of full tosses from

they managed to bring some control to Australia’s scoring rate after breaking the third-wicket stand. They had started the day nicely when Rajitha, one of four changes to the Sri Lanka side, produced a testing six-over opening spell and found a bit of assistance with the new ball.

In a fashion that has become familiar over the last few years, he removed David Warner from around the wicket when a good-length delivery nipped away sharply and clattered the stumps.

Usman Khawaja had been very secure, picking up from where he left off in the first match, making an early statement when he crunched Ramesh through mid-on, before receiving a brute of a delivery that spun to beat his edge and take the top of off stump.

It would be more than two hours before Sri Lanka struck again, with Jayasuriya showing impressive character on debut after a difficult start, which had seen him concede nine boundaries in 12 overs before taking Labuschagne’s wicket.

He was able to add to his tally Travis Head, whose struggles on the road continued when a delivery slipped past the edge to clip off stump.

Then he claimed Cameron Green with a borderline lbw, the batter missing a sweep.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith share a century stand yesterday (AFP)

Smith just his second in 32 innings overall, going back to 2019, to form the centrepieces of a measured display by their team.

On a surface that started much truer than the one used for the opening Test - but still offered help for the spinners with more likely later on - life was easier for the batters. But the first innings remains the time to score the runs. Labuschagne and Smith added 134 in 37 overs, dominating the second session, before Sri Lanka fought back somewhat through debutant left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, one of three new caps handed out by the home side.

Labuschagne made Sri Lanka pay for giving him a life on 28, when Niroshan Dickwella fluffed a stumping chance which would have left Australia three down before lunch. Instead, he went on to reach his seventh Test century from 147 balls, the second fifty taking 63 deliveries, before he was lured out of his crease

by Jayasuriya on the stroke of tea - this time Dickwella completed the dismissal, 76 runs later.

Except for his reprieve, it was a beautifully compiled hundred from Labuschagne.

After a quiet resumption following lunch, where six overs brought just ten runs including the first maiden by a Sri

Green had been given a life when Dickwella missed another stumping.

Jayasuriya’s day could be split into two parts: 12-0-54-0 and 16-2-36-3.

Smith, though, remained solid through to the close with

Alex Carey for company. Australia had resisted changing the balance of their side by recalling Glenn Maxwell at No. 8. Whether he would have added more value than Mitchell Starc will become clear in the next couple of days, but

Australia are well placed to push for 2-0.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, introduced three debutants Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana and Jayasuriya - following the COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Mohabir to lead Guyana U17 team

ALVIN Mohabir has been appointed captain of the Guyana Under-17 squad ahead of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) regional U17 tournament.

Mohabir will have former West Indies Under-15 batter, Rampertap Ramnauth, as his deputy for the tournament in Trinidad and Tobago from July 17 to 28.

The squad also includes exiting young batter Mavindra Dindial, Jadon Campbell and Zachary Jodha who are all returning from the last Regional Under-17 tournament.

Jonathan Van Lang, who was the leading run-scorer in the just concluded GCB Under-17 Inter-county tournament has also been included in what should be considered

a very strong batting line-up while newcomer and captain of the GCB Rising Star XI, Kevin Kisten, will be the wicketkeeper.

Promising young West Indies Under-19 fast bowler, Isai Thorne, has been left out due to a chronic knee injury.

Neil Rudder has been appointed manager while Garvin Nedd returns as the coach.

The squad is expected to commence training preparations for the Regional tournament today at the LBI facility.

The full squad reads: Alvin Mohabir (captain), Rampertab Ramnauth (vice-captain), Jadon Campbell, Romeo Deonarine, Anthony Khan, Marvindra Dindyal, Zachary Jodha, Jonathan Van

Alvin Mohabir

Rampertap Ramnauth

Lang, Nityanand Mathura, Kevin Kisten (wicketkeeper/batter), Bruce Vincent, Goucharran Chuli, Dillon Ramsaroop, Sasenarine Harricharran

The standby players are: Thaddeus Lovell, Shiloh Adams (wicketkeeper), Sanjay Algoo, Jayden Dowlin, Krsna Singh, Shazzif Mohamed and Nyron Hick.

Verstappen takes win ahead of Ferrari duo

(F1) - Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of the Sprint in a dramatic Friday evening qualifying session – with both Mercedes drivers crashing out – at the Red Bull Ring.

Sunny skies welcomed the drivers after rain in the morning and a drenched leadup to the Austrian Grand Prix, with qualifying setting the grid for today’s Sprint – which in turn will set the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

Mercedes entered Q3 perhaps hoping for pole seeing as Lewis Hamilton was third in the previous session, but the seven-time champion went into the barriers at Turn 7 to bring out a red flag in the middle of the top-10 shootout to leave him a provisional 10th.

Team mate George Russell (P5) followed suit minutes later with a spin then crash at the final corner, capping off a miserable afternoon for the Silver Arrows.

Following the second stoppage of Q3 came a stun-

Max Verstappen snatched pole yesterday

ning fight for pole, Verstappen raising the proverbial roof off the Red Bull Ring with his final flying effort, leaving Leclerc second by just 0.029s and Carlos Sainz third by 0.082s.

Sergio Perez took fourth for Red Bull by 0.420s, with Russell fifth despite crashing out.

Next on the board was Alpine’s Esteban Ocon; his team mate Fernando Alonso was ninth. Between them were Kevin Magnussen in

seventh and Mick Schumacher eighth in a stunning showing for Haas.

AlphaTauri suffered a double elimination in Q2, with Pierre Gasly missing out by under a hundredth of a second and Yuki Tsunoda furious to qualify a provisional 14th. Alex Albon took 12th for Williams ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in P13, while Lando Norris was 15th for McLaren having had numerous Q2 laps deleted for exceeding track limits.

Daniel Ricciardo will start behind his team mate in the Sprint having been eliminated in P16. Lance Stroll was next on the board, 17th for Aston Martin as he shares the penultimate row with Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo today.

Williams’ Nicholas Latifi qualified 19th for the Sprint, with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel last and 20th having also had a lap chalked for track limits.

Jeffrey returns to Radical Caribbean Cup Round One

By Stephan Sookram

FOUR-time Caribbean Champion Kristian Jeffrey is in Barbados for the first round of the Radical Caribbean Cup event.

The Guyanese will compete against several other revered motorsport names in the region including the up-and-coming Jamaican Senna Summerbell, son of former Caribbean Champion David Summerbell Jr. Speaking exclusively to Chronicle Sport yesterday evening, the Guyanese contended, “Today (yesterday) we had our first open practice and getting the car dialled in. This is the car that I was racing the radical series with in England so it’s the first time driving it in the Caribbean and everything seems to be moving in a positive direction.”

“We have about eight or nine drivers on the grid.

Some haven’t practised today but the conditions today were tricky. There was rain then sun then rain again and sun again and the track is still green.

Everyone is still trying to get their setup and by tomorrow (today) we know exactly where everyone is but so far so good.”

Following yesterdays open test, Jeffrey clocked a 59.111 seconds to head the field with Summerbell two-tenths off the pace of the Guyanese with a 59.307 as this fastest time.

Barbadian Mark Maloney was two-thousands’ of a second behind the Jamaican, with a 59.309, with Trinidad’s Kristian Boodoosingh (59.388) fourth ahead of Barbadians and 2018 winner Stuart Maloney (59.435), Justin Campbell (1:00.743) and Justin Maloney (1:01.983).

Rounds two and three will take place in Barbados at the Bushy Park Raceway with round four expected to be held in Guyana later in the year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Pooran cites ‘one of his best innings for West Indies’

(ESPNCRICINFO) Nicholas Pooran might have won the Player-ofthe-Match award for his unbeaten 39-ball 74 in the third T20I against Bangladesh, but he feels Kyle Mayers’ 55 off 38 balls at the top of the West Indies chase made his job simpler than it might have been otherwise.

Set 170 to win the threematch series, West Indies were 43 for 3 just after the power-play, and Mayers, who had opened the batting, was on 18 from 16 at that

stage. But with Pooran for company, Mayers opened up, and the next 22 balls he faced went for 37 in an 85-run stand for the fourth wicket.

“I was telling Kyle how well he was batting out there.” Pooran said afterwards. “It was a top innings.

He was putting away the loose balls. The bowlers were under pressure even though they were on top of the game. We want to continue to do that as a batting unit. He made my job easier to build the partnership with him.

“Our template was always to put the bowlers under pressure early in the over. Kyle put away anything loose from their off-spinners.

I think I fed off that today.

In T20s, a partnership is the most important thing.”

Faced with a lot of spin up front, Mayers said he needed to balance aggression with good decision-making when approaching the chase.

The first eight overs were bowled by spinners: Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan sent down three each in the power-play, and Shakib Al

Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain bowled the next two before the first sighting of a quick bowler in Mustafizur Rahman in the ninth.

It was the first time Bangladesh had bowled spinners in the first eight overs of a T20I innings. And it worked, keeping West Indies down to 56 for 3.

“I thought we approached it very sensibly,” Mayers said. “But still we were aggressive. We needed to put pressure on the bowlers. I thought we made some very good decisions in terms of

shot selection. It was crucial.

We closed out the overs very well (the win was achieved with ten balls in hand).

“I just tried to put away the loose deliveries. It didn’t matter who was bowling at the time. Just staying in the moment and choosing the right deliveries to go after.”

Pooran rated his own innings highly, because, as he said, he managed to close out the game. But he wasn’t pleased with the effort in the field earlier - the stump mics caught him expressing his frustration more than once.

“It is one of the best innings I have played for West Indies just because of the fact that I was there till the end,” he said. “It is something that I have always wanted to do.

“I just felt like we didn’t come out with the right attitude (while fielding). It was a bit disappointing.

We will definitely have a chat about it. We will have a better attitude in our next game. That’s the only thing we can control. We will definitely work on it.”

from football for eight years, though that was later reduced to four.

His appeal against the ban was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2020.

“Believe me, going from being a legend of world soccer to a devil is very difficult, especially when it comes to you in a totally unfair way,” added Platini.

Swiss businessman and sports administrator Blatter joined FIFA in 1975, became general secretary in 1981 and then president of world football’s governing body in 1998.

He remained in the role for 17 years and, following an investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee, received a ban from football for eight years - later reduced to six.

In 2021 he received a further six-year ban after the ethics committee investigated bonus payments.

Following the verdict, Blatter said: “(I am) relaxed, definitely, because during seven years I was always

under pressure because there was a court case opened against me.

“Now it’s finished, so I am happy. I am also happy for international football.

“It’s justice, but it’s a victory for me.”

In 2015, US prosecutors charged several top FIFA executives with corruption following a major inquiry by the FBI. The charges came after a dramatic raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich and the arrest of seven FIFA executives.

Blatter later resigned as FIFA president and Platini himself became embroiled in the investigation and withdrew his candidacy for the post.

FIFA also later suspended former FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke from all football-related activity after allegations of misconduct over World Cup tickets sales and TV deals.

His 12-year ban was later reduced to 10 in a decision which was upheld

by CAS).

Blatter, Platini found not guilty of fraud

(BBC) - Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini have both been found not guilty following their fraud trial in Switzerland.

The pair stood trial over a payment of 2M Swiss francs (£1.6M) made by Blatter to Platini in 2011.

Both men had denied wrongdoing and said the transfer was belated payment for Platini’s advisory work for FIFA. On his arrival at the court yesterday, Blatter said: “I am not innocent in my life but in this case I am innocent.”

Blatter, 86, and former UEFA president Platini, 67, were banned from football in 2015 and indicted last November.

Following a case that was opened in 2015, their 11-day trial over the 2011 payment took place at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona and concluded on June 22.

“I wanted to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally

Sepp Blatter (left) and Michel Platini

been done after seven years of lies and manipulation,” said Platini.

“The truth has come to light during this trial and I deeply thank the judges of the tribunal for the independence of their decision.

“I kept saying it - my fight is a fight against injustice. I won a first game.

“In this case, there are culprits who did not appear

during this trial. Let them count on me, we will meet again because I will not give up and I will go all the way in my quest for truth.”

Frenchman Platini had an illustrious playing career in football and is a threetime Ballon d’Or winner.

He captained France to victory at the 1984 European Championship and won the 1985 European Cup with

Juventus.

Platini later went on to coach the French national team and became UEFA president in 2007.

When his own conduct was investigated by FIFA’S ethics committee as part of a wider bid to root out corruption from the organisation, he stood down from the presidency of UEFA and was subsequently banned

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DDL Executive chairman Mr. Komal Samaroo and CPL Boss Pete Miller share a moment following Friday's event held at the Pegasus Suites

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, July 9, 2022

Detail in tomorrow's edition

Jeffrey returns to Pooran cites ‘one Radical Caribbean of his best innings Cup Round One for West Indies’ See story on page 38

Kristian Jeffrey in open testing (Fast Parts Caribbean photo)

See story on page 39

Nicholas Pooran: Our template was always to put the bowlers under pressure early in the over (AFP via Getty Images)

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SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2022