Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 11-08-2021

WEDNESDAY 11th August, 2021

' No.106450

House passes bill to remove cross-dressing as a criminal offence

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Revenue from coconut industry ‘climbs’ PAGE

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–– as industry rakes in over $1.1B from exports during first six months of 2021

On Tuesday, 85 families residing along the Aruka River and the Powaikuro Creek in Region One (Barima-Waini) received the government’s $19,000 education cash grant, which is being distributed in all corners of the country (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Public Works)

Vote to remove GECOM trio delayed again

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Guyana Police Force purchases ‘Gold heist’ trio 11 50 vehicles to enhance mobility 05 remanded to prison PAGE

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Suspects in the murder of overseas-based Guyanese remanded

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Vote to remove GECOM trio delayed again –– as Opposition Commissioners log out of virtual meeting

By Rehana Ahamad

WHEN members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) met on Tuesday, they were expected to vote on three motions to terminate the contracts of Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield; his deputy, Roxanne Myers; and the District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

However, this could not be done since the Opposition Commissioners refused to have the vote be put to the floor.

According to pro-government commissioner, Sase Gunraj, the representatives from the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) did not want the motions to contain references that clearly outline the reasons behind the motions, and the allegations of electoral fraud that

stemmed from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

As the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) representatives continued to press for the motions to be voted on, the Opposition Commissioners exited the virtual meeting.

“They logged off,” Gunraj related. He noted that even though the move by the Opposition is disappointing, it is not one that is “out of the ordinary”.

As a matter of fact, Gunraj said that it is “a continuation of the shenanigans that we [the PPP/C] are accustomed to.”

FORCED TO ADJOURN As a result of the abrupt exit, Chairwoman of GECOM, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, was forced to adjourn the meeting until Thursday.

PPP/C GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj Gunraj is hoping that at that meeting, once there is a quorum, the motions “can go to finality”.

“On Thursday, whoever shows up, that constitutes a quorum, so we can proceed

Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield with or without them [the Opposition GECOM commissioners],” Gunraj added.

Initially, Gunraj, along with his PPP/C colleagues, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan, filed three separate motions which sought to have the embattled trio dismissed from their respective positions at GECOM. However, as the hearing on these motions continued to face delays, the PPP/C commissioners sought to have the submissions amended to also consider the termination of contracts, which is catered for in the employment agreements of all three employees.

PPP/C Commissioner and Attorney-at-Law, Bibi Shadick, had previously explained that with the amendments, GECOM has been presented with more options of ridding itself of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo. “We are not removing the option of dismissal; we are doing this as an alternative to say that if the Commission does not find [grounds] to dismiss [Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo], then there is the possibility of terminating their contracts,” Shadick told the Guyana Chronicle during a previous interview. She further opined that based on all the evidence that is currently before it, “The Commission can very well choose to dismiss” the trio, based on the fact that they are statutory officers who were guilty of breaching the law during last year’s elections.

Shadick reminded that should the officers be dismissed, they would still be afforded the opportunity of seeking legal recourse, “because there are legal remedies available to them”.

Nonetheless, should GECOM pursue the ter-

Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers mination of their contacts instead of having them dismissed, the three officers could still stand to benefit, or, as Shadick termed it, “be rewarded for bad behaviour,” since they could have their contracts terminated, and still be able to capitalise on the payments offered in lieu of notice.

SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITED Shadick, however, said that once a person’s contract is terminated, their legal options would be significantly limited since “an employer cannot be forced into hiring an employee” it does not want to hire.

“At the end of the day, though, our goal is that they [Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo] must not work in the secretariat of GECOM anymore. Either option will achieve that result,” Shadick said.

When the dismissal motions were first filed, Lowenfield moved to the courts to prevent Shadick and Gunraj from debating and voting on the issue, since it was the latter who had brought the motion, and she who had seconded it. At GECOM’s previous meeting, the opposition-nominated commissioners walked out of the engagement in support of those very arguments put forth by Lowenfield. Now, even though Lowenfield has quashed the case, voting on the motion is still being delayed.

It must be noted that due to the construct of GECOM, which has three nominated commissioners representing each of the two major political parties, the ultimate success of the motions rest on the vote of GECOM’s Chairperson, Justice Singh.

Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo It has been almost 17 months since Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo have been accused of attempting to thwart the outcome of the elections. Despite being criminally charged on various counts of electoral fraud, they remain at their substantive posts at GECOM. As it is, Lowenfield is faced with three counts of Misconduct in Public Office, and three counts of Forgery, while Mingo was charged with four counts of Misconduct in Public Office, and Myers with two counts of Misconduct in Public Office.

In addition to Lowenfield, Mingo and Myers, Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence; Opposition activist, Carol Joseph; the CEO’s clerks, Michelle Miller and Denise Bob-Cummings; Elections Officer, Shefern February, and Information Technology Officer, Enrique Livan, were also charged. They are all accused of inflating the results of Region Four, Guyana’s largest voting district, to give the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition a majority win at the March 2, 2020 polls, when in fact the PPP/C had won by 15,000 votes. Based on the events of the 2020 elections, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has insisted that it is not wise for Guyana to have any other elections over which Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo are allowed to preside.

It is for this reason that the Head of State has refrained from announcing a date for the country’s Local Government Elections, even though $1.1 billion has already been budgeted in 2021 for this purpose.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Revenue from coconut industry ‘climbs’ –– as industry rakes in over $1.1B from exports during first six months of 2021

BETWEEN January 2021 and June 2021, Guyana’s coconut industry raked in US$5,319,868 million (GYD$1.1 billion) from the export of key outputs, according to figures provided by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.

Examination of the figures shows that the export of coconut water alone has earned the country US$977,138, while the exportation of the coconut itself has brought in excess of US$4.3 million.

During a recent address to a forum organised by the International Coconut Community (ICC), Minister Mustapha said that Guyana’s coconut industry is a major income earner and a stimulant for development of some 1,800 farmers, who cultivate 24,000 acres of coconuts.

“Guyana produces annu-

ally an average of 92 million nuts per annum and has managed in the year 2017 to generate US$7 million from exports. This important sector, I must emphasise strongly, has tremendous potential for both improvement and expansion,” the Agriculture Minister told the ICC. He said that due to the current high demand for coconut and its value-added products, Guyana has formulated a robust plan to replicate and, where possible, scale up coconut production.

“The potential benefits that can be derived from coconut production have open farmers’ eyes to the commercial opportunities that can support sustainability and lead to positive change,” Mustapha said.

He noted that consequently, the majority of coconut farmers have re-

affirmed their interest in coconut production. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on several interventions geared at revitalising a number of coconut farms that have since been neglected and left in disarray.

Notwithstanding the challenges, Minister Mustapha recommitted the government’s intention to actively ensure that Guyana regains its status as a major coconut producer of the Caribbean and South America.

He said that over past few months, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has made significant strides in relation to mobilising support for the coconut industry.

As a matter of fact, efforts are underway for the establishment of full-fledged Coconut Development Unit,

Coconut is one of Guyana’s leading income earners

which would focus on research and development; capacity building and participatory planning and implementation; integrated insect pest and disease management; quality, quantity and productivity improvement; post-harvest processing, product diversification and value addition, among other things.

The unit, once fully established, would pursue the development and adoption of technologies for management of insect pests and disease-affected coconut farms, as well as processing and product diversification.

Emphasis would also be placed on market research and promotion.

He said that as it is, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration is currently working to change both the mindset and methods of farmers who produced products speculatively with no guaranteed markets.

“One of the main strategic objectives is to accelerate sustainable growth, productivity and employment by supporting agriculture productivity – in this case the coconut industry. This, is where, I strongly believe, the ICC can intervene with its vast resources of expertise to make this goal a reality,” Mustapha said.

Outside of the ICC, it would appear as though the private sector is also keen on supporting the growth of the coconut industry. It was only in May that a local coconut production company, Pomeroon Trading Inc.,

unveiled its plan to construct a US$8 million (GYD$1.7 billion) processing facility in Guyana.

A statement from the Agriculture Ministry had said that the company cultivates close to 35,000 seed nuts on about to 400 acres of land.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Duncan Turnbull, said during a previous engagement with Minister Mustapha that the company’s ultimate goal is to acquire more lands to expand their operations, as well as establish a processing facility.

“Once we have this facility set up, we would not only take produce from our farms, but from other farmers in the region. So far, we’ve invested approximately US$3 million since we started,” the businessman said.

He related: “In order to expand our cultivation and construct the processing facility, we would like to invest another US$8 million.

We are currently engaging additional investors to buy into the project. We’re working very closely with the United States Government and USAID. If we can get those sums within the next six months, we would start straight away.”

The CEO also said that the company is currently exploring a joint venture with Trinidad and Tobago to export coconut water. In the immediate term, the company’s aim is to become U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certified, to be

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha (NAREI photo) able to export their products to the United States.

Added to that, Minister Mustapha said that the Government of Guyana will continue to work with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to improve agricultural imports within the region.

“We are working aggressively to tap into the CARICOM market, which is a very large and lucrative market,” Minister Mustapha said previously.

Even with rising oil revenues, the government said that it will be working intently to improve agriculture and to ensure that the sector remains a critical income earning for the country. Outside of rice and sugar, coconut often maintains the agriculture sector’s third largest revenue stream.

Truck driver freed of causing child’s death

TWO years after a sevenyear-old girl was crushed to death during an accident in Agricola, on the East Bank Demerara, a truck driver was on Tuesday freed of the offence after a city magistrate upheld a no-case submission in his favour.

The man, 41-year-old Danion Welcome, was on trial before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on July 1, 2019, at

Danion Welcome

the Agricola Public Road, he drove motor lorry GWW962 in a dangerous manner to the public, causing the death of seven-year-old Ciara Benjamin.

During the trial, Welcome was released on $500,000 bail, and his licence was suspended by the court.

Welcome was represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd, who made a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish evidence to prove that his client drove his motor lorry in a dangerous man-

DEAD: Ciara Benjamin

ner, resulting in the death of Benjamin.

Todd contended that the prosecution had failed to prove that the defendant’s standard of driving fell below the standard of driving that would be expected of a competent and careful driver.

Magistrate Daly, on Tuesday upheld the no-case submission, and dismissed the charge against Welcome.

According to police reports, on July 1,2019, at approximately 16:10hrs, the child and her aunt were attempting to cross the

busy road, when the driver of the truck initially swerved in the direction of the median to avoid hitting them both on the public road at Agricola.

He then lost control of the said vehicle and collided with the child, who was standing by the median, causing her death.

The matter was reported to the police, and following an investigation, a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who advised that the man be charged for the child’s death.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

House passes bill to remove cross-dressing as a criminal offence –– SASOD’s Head calls for sensitisation

THE government, during the wee hours of Tuesday morning, successfully amended the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act of

Guyana, which sought to remove cross-dressing as a criminal offence.

The amendment passed by the National Assembly

Wednesday August 11, 2021 04:00hrs - 05:30hrs

comes three years after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down a ruling which stated that Guyana’s cross-dressing legislation violated human rights, and prevented a person’s freedom of expression.

The CCJ’s ruling stemmed from a 2009 case which saw several transgender women being arrested and kept in custody for being in breach of the 1893 Act. The legal challenge to that particular piece of legislation made its way to the CCJ. Spearheading a debate on the Act, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., said that Guyana has a duty to remove from its legal architecture, laws that have been found to be repugnant and repulsive to our constitution.

“We are simply delivering on that responsibility,” Nandlall asserted.

Similar sentiments were not shared by some Opposition members of the House who argued that decriminalising cross-dressing would be against what God intended.

As a matter of fact, Richard Sinclair and Annette Ferguson of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) went as far as to give their interpre-

Head of SASOD, Joel Simpson tation of Bible verses which denigrated cross-dressing.

Well after midnight, Sinclair took to the podium to argue that: “The word of God affirms a clear distinction of what our dress code should be.”

His colleague, Ferguson also expressed her belief that cross-dressing “crosses the line that God set” for gender expression.

To this end, she contended: “God forbids crossing these lines and, therefore, forbids cross-dressing.”

Meanwhile, in her arguments, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, reminded the House that the CCJ had al-

ready ruled on the matter, and that the Amendment Bill was only being brought for the sake of formality.

As the Bill was being voted on, Opposition Members of Parliament such as Khemraj Ramjattan and Dineshwar Jaiprashad offered their support for the amendments.

Commenting on the passage of the amendments, Joel Simpson, Head of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) lauded the government’s efforts to ensure that the discriminatory piece of legislation was removed.

“They were able to do that in just one year of being in office,” Simpson recognised.

He noted, however, that even though the “symbolic” act of removing cross-dressing as an offence is good, it is not the only thing that is required.

The rights activist emphasised the need for government to embark on an effective public awareness campaign geared at ensuring that all “state actors,” including policemen and women, fully understand what the amendments mean.

Simpson said that he was disappointed by the arguments put forward by the Opposition parliamentarians, particularly Sinclair and Ferguson.

“Those are extremely dangerous and discriminatory views that only do further damage to LGBTQ persons in the community,” Simpson

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

He believes that the Opposition’s arguments have the influence to intensify the existence of hate crimes and discrimination throughout the country.

“These are problematic remarks,” the SASOD official lamented, adding that by going down the road that they did, the Opposition lost an ideal opportunity to lend its voice and make solid contributions towards the fight for human rights within certain vulnerable populations.

Simpson is hopeful that once the Law Reform Commission is up and running, reasonable and comprehensive efforts would be made to amend and, in some cases, discard, archaic laws that contradict basic human rights.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Guyana Police Force purchases 50 vehicles to enhance mobility –– Minister Benn says, as Palm Court Group donates two cars to aid in crime fighting efforts

By Jared Liddell TO enhance its mobility and response to crime, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has purchased 50 vehicles, which will arrive in the country soon.

The announcement of this purchase

by Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, comes on the heels of what was described as a timely donation of two French-manufactured Peugeot 308 cars by the Palm Court Group of companies, M&P Insurance Brokers & Consultants and the Zendaya Auto sales, to the GPF. Speaking at a simple handing over ceremony at Palm Court, on Tuesday, Minister Benn said the donation, valuing some $7 million, is “timely and significant,” since it will increase the GPF’s assets and enhance the force’s mobility.

The government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been doing its part to curb crime across Guyana, Minister Benn said, noting that efforts so far have been successful.

The success, he said, is evidenced by the 20 per cent decrease in serious crimes recorded between January and July.

“Serious crimes are down by 20 per cent year-to-date, compared to 2020. We did have it down by 30 per cent, but there have been some jumps over the last six weeks or so, but you may note that we are having success in terms of solving some of those and we are on track to solving some of the more critical ones.

“A great deal of energy and effort is being expended to do fighting of crime… we have to have the ability and the mobility to deal with those issues, so this gesture from the Palm Court Group of companies is very timely,” Minister Benn

said.

With the two cars donated by the companies and the 50 anticipated vehicles, the GPF will be able to significantly enhance its capacity. This will be buttressed by the ongoing repairs to a number of vehicles owned by the GPF. Chief executive officer (CEO) of the Palm Court Group of Companies, Ravin Prashad, said that the company is aware of its role to assist the government to combat crime.

He said the business community is aware that the GPF does not possess unlimited resources, so it is committed to “lending a helping hand” where necessary.

“This is a partnership with the government and the police that we were challenged to do… we know it’s a responsibility we have and are happy to help the force in this way. We would like to encourage other private sector companies to help the government keep the streets safe, they can’t do it all, we all have to play a part,” Prashad related.

Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, said the vehicles donated by the companies will go into use immediately.

“One of the things I want to say is that of the five pillars of our strategic plan, partnership is one of them and its high on the agenda.

We in the force recognise that we cannot do it by ourselves, law enforcement agencies alone cannot tackle crime and so we are very grateful for this timely intervention and this support which would increase mobility in our environs,” the Acting Police Commissioner said.

The two French-manufactured Peugeot 308 cars that were donated to the Guyana Police Force, on Tuesday (Adrian Narine photo)

Chief executive officer (CEO) of the Palm Court Group of Companies, Ravin Prashad, hands over the keys to the cars to Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, as Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie looks on (Adrian Narine photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

Cushioning the impact of COVID-19 pandemic

NO one denies that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in severe disruptions to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people all across the world.

Guyana has not been spared in this regard.

Guyana's President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, fully cognisant of this reality, has put in place a range of measures to lessen the impact of this scourge. One such measure was the recent decision taken to reduce freight charges to pre-pandemic levels-that is rates charged before March 2020.

The decision to reduce the current charges is effective August 1, 2021.

One immediate consequence of that decision is to put some $4.8B in the pockets of consumers and the business community, compliments of the PPP/C administration. This is in addition to the nearly $60B in terms of cash grants and other forms of tax waivers since the new PPP/C administration came into office a year ago. Nothing, however, is without some cost. The true economic cost of these concessions is the loss of billions of dollars to the treasury by way of adjustments to custom duties, excise taxes and

Value Added Taxes (VAT) on imported goods and so on.

The impact of the pandemic on the global economy is tremendous. And even though it is not possible to fully estimate the full impact of the pandemic on global trade and the world economy, there is widespread agreement among economists that should the current trend continue, most of the major economies will see their economies shrink by about 2.9 per cent over the 2020 levels. To put this number in perspective, global economy, which was estimated at $US87.5 trillion in 2019, will see a decline of roughly US$3.94 trillion in loss of economic output.

Guyana, like so many other countries, is not spared the dire economic fallout due to the continuing spread of the virus. The country was forced to implement partial lockdown of the economy, especially in the tourism and hospitality sectors which impacted on the business community.

Many jobs were lost as a consequence and the government had to step in to mitigate the full impact of the pandemic by way of several policy interventions such as the COVID-19 cash grant and now the

reduction of freight charges.

Freight charges constitute a significant part of total cost of goods and services and the reduction of such charges will most likely see an overall drop in the prices of consumer items, especially imported items.

The tendency has been for some business places to deny consumers the full benefits resulting from policy interventions by the government. Such actions cannot be condoned nor justified. The consumers are invariably the ones who are made to carry the full burden of any increases due to unforeseen developments in world trade and any interventions made by the government is not only welcome but must be passed down to the intended beneficiaries.

The PPP/C administration must be commended for the several measures taken to cushion the adverse impact of the pandemic on the lives and well-being of the Guyanese people. This cannot be said for people in several other parts of the world, especially in the developing world where many of the adjustment burdens are passed down to the wider population. Many countries are still grappling with getting adequate supplies of

the COVID-19 vaccines to protect their populations from the virus. The statistics showed that only 1.1 per cent of the low income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccines, according to a recent report by the United Nations World population.

One sure way to bring an end to the current situation is to vaccinate a critical mass of the world's population. And while Guyana is way ahead of most countries, we are still a long way off from a global standpoint. This is why we have to be thankful to the current PPP/C administration for making the resources available to immunise the full adult population.

Regrettably, there are some in our midst who either fail to recognise the dangers posed to the Guyanese people by the COVID-19-pandemic or are being deliberately mischievous.

Instead of providing a helping hand, they are doing everything possible to sow the seeds of doubt and mistrust among sections of the population as to the efficacy and health benefits of the vaccination programme aggressively pursued by the PPP/C administration.

The view that Dr. Adams is a non-political public servant is not true

Dear Editor,

I COULD not help but notice that Stabroek News is pushing a narrative that the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, is a non-political public servant who was removed unfairly following the change of government.

With so much evidence to the contrary available in the public domain, the newspaper has taken on an almost impossible task that will only damage its credibility in the long run.

The first thing I would like to point

out is that Dr. Adams is part of the leadership of the Alliance For Change (AFC) party which is one of the major parties of the Coalition. He was also part of a five-man AFC team that renegotiated the Cummingsburg Accord with APNU in the run-up to the March 2020 elections. While being the head of EPA, Dr. Adams spoke at several APNU+AFC campaign events and appeared on Coalition TV programmes.

He was very critical of the PPP/C and its 2020 Manifesto. How then could he be considered a non-political professional as Stabroek News wants us to be-

lieve? Given his disposition as outlined above; whose interest will Dr. Adams serve? The government of the day whose plans as outlined in its manifesto he opposed or the party he leads which is opposed to those plans? A good example would be his silence on flaring while the APNU+AFC was in office as against his very vocal public opposition to it when the PPP/C returned to office.

He took no action or uttered not even a sound even though he was empowered by the law to do so when the Coalition was in government but became very vocal after. It is anyone’s guess why.

Secondly, Stabroek News’ attempt also to cloak Dr. Adams with sainthood flies in the face of reports of breaches of established procurement and financial procedures of the EPA during his tenure.

In excess of US$47,000 of the entity’s money was used to pay for private medical expenses for an official of the entity.

It is clear that by his own actions that Dr. Adams is not quite the "consummate professional" Stabroek News is projecting him to be.

Yours sincerely, Thomas Cole

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

PNC should apologise for its rigging and attempts to rig Dear Editor, ALL the past riggings perpetrated by the PNC to thwart and destroy the will of the people are well documented and are now undeniable historical facts which can be accessed by anyone but what was even more well documented is the many attempts to rig the 2020 elections.

The footages caught on camera and shown to the entire world and the reports from the observers both locally and internationally, bear graphic testimonies to the unrelenting shamelessness and barefacedness of the Coalition. It leaves us to wonder: What is stopping them from apologising to this nation?

The PNC rigged all the elections: 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 and the Referendum of 1978 and for five long months attempted to rig the 2020 elections. The old PNC riggers led by Granger erroneously felt that they could have applied the same rigging strategies with impunity, like they did before.

However, they failed to realise not only will the international communities, the local organisations and the Guyanese masses never condoned any rigging but will never accept the installation of an illegal Government.

What the PNC/AFC also failed to realise is that the PPP itself has undergone a massive metamorphosis which has zero tolerance for rigging or attempts to do so, led by the master strategist, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, and as President Irfaan Ali succinctly summed it up, ‘Never again shall we countenance, in our country, any attempt to deny the popular will of the people.’ This is the mindset of the PPP and will no longer be an easy walk over. Times have indeed changed! The PNC has not.

The Master Strategist, Dr Jagdeo, worked as a true leader of the people and almost on a daily basis exposed the failures, corruption, thievery and gross incompetence of the Coalition and there was no dearth of evidence which he provided in his weekly press conferences whilst Granger hid from the public believing in the infallibility of his rigging skills learnt from his mentor, the late Burnham.

This public sensitisation provided the basis for the no-confidence motion. Jagdeo with his great acumen and leadership skill deliberately planned and executed each and every step of the way leading to the no-confidence motion in December 2018. He not only ensured that elections were held, but carried out an incisive campaign which drew support from non-traditional PPP strongholds to guarantee the PPP’s victory. After the elections he carefully calculated his party’s approach and put into motion the plan to ensure that the attempts to rig do not bear fruit.

On August 2, 2020, the PPP Government was sworn in after five long months of repeated attempts by the Coalition and its band of riggers to steal the 2020 General Elections. This is in stark contrast to the PPP which never rigged or attempted to rig an election. The party fought all their elections on strategies and on their proven track records, something which is alien to the PNC and the AFC. The PNC’s track record is replete with rigging.

The PNC is devoid of any strategy and all they ever did was to depend on their rigging machinery. Imagine a political party which has been around since 1957, more than 64 years, still has to depend on rigging and not their achievements as a government.

This is because the PNC’s leadership lacks the vision to take the party into the future.

Not surprisingly they even rigged their own internal elections and this again is well-documented. The AFC is no less. They also rigged their internal elections and lie and deceived their supporters and continued to change their manifesto or action plan like a true political chameleon. To the AFC, one time the PNC is bad and then another time the PNC is the saviour. No one does this best than Moses Nagamootoo. This is indeed pitiable.

Today, the Coalition can no longer sing the corruption mantra to the public, as they did prior to 2015.

Whilst it is not a surprise that the old order of the PNC would cling to rigging since they lacked the skillset to govern, it is most disappointing that former PPP Executive members like Nagamootoo and Ramjattan would condone rigging and openly support it. Not only that, but they actually accused the PPP of rigging the 2020 Elections. No doubt the duo relentlessly fought the PNC for 28 years in the past but now they not only embraced the same PNC but adapt the very nefarious characteristics which they had abhorred. This no doubt removed the little vestige of trust and confidence which their small band of members and supporters had for them. Ramjattan actually testified to the public that the Russians rigged the 2020 Elections at the behest of the PPP whilst Nagamootoo had trouble with his maths soon after the NCM. Can you imagine that Nagamootoo had claimed that Dr Jagan, somewhere in the mountains had wanted to anoint him in his (Dr Jagan’s) place?

The late Janet Jagan and the PPP knew him better! Ramjattan is no less. We now have a Coalition with leaders who cannot face the public anymore and will have to continue to hide behind posts on Facebook and a hapless camera in a TV station. In stark contrast, we have the PPP leaders who are on a daily basis engaging the public and resolving their problems. This is true leadership.

The Coalition need to realise that lies,

deceit, ineptitude, thievery, extravagance, corruption and rigging are no longer the tools which can win an election.

Their support base is dwindling rapidly and they cannot fool all their supporters all the time. A bigger surprise awaits them in 2025. Guyanese are cognisant who the real leaders are and definitely they are not in the Coalition. It is time that the PNC and the AFC publicly accept and apologise for

the wrongs which they have perpetrated on this nation and at the same time support the removal of the infamous trio at GECOM to sanitise that entity.

Moreover, elections rigging should now be a treasonable act. It’s time for a complete metamorphosis.

Yours sincerely, H. Yusuf

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NGOs to the aid of those in need

OVER the past weekend, the well-known medical and humanitarian group, New York Guyana Mission (NYGM) conducted a food hamper drive at Black Bush Polder (BBP) and at Mahaica Creek.

The four settlements of Black Bush Polder -- Mibicuri, Lesbeholden, Johanna, and Yakusari-- were devastated by floods, and so were several communities across all regions of Guyana.

This hamper drive was a continuation of NYGM’s humanitarian work in Guyana and elsewhere. It has been conducting specifically food hamper drive in Guyana since the closure of Wales Sugar Estate in 2016.

Prior to 2016, NYGM focused on medical, clothing, school supplies and equipment (computers and TVs) outreaches.

The NYGM team travelled to BBP on Saturday August 7, 2021, and distributed 240 hampers at

Mibicuri, Johanna, and Lesbeholden. Recipients were identified by Shurmie, Dharmendra, and Vedo, who are residents of BBP. The BBP Coordinator of this project was Pandit ‘Son Son’, who did an excellent job. For the Yakusari settlement, Pandit Narayan Latchana (Pandit Bhaiya) and his team rendered directly significant financial and material support to residents of Yakusari two weeks earlier.

NYGM team comprised executive members, Rohan Rai, Srad Kublall, Vijay Kublall, Rithik Rai, who procured, prepared, and distributed the hampers to the villagers with support from Pandit Son Son’s team.

Deputy Regional Chairman, Zamal Husain, strongly supported and praised the outreach effort. The reaction from villagers was heart-wrenching. On the way to BBP, the NYGM team delivered 20 hampers to an existing outreach organised

by Canada-based, Ramnarine Sarju.

On Sunday, NYGM joined the Sarju team as well as the Ministry of Health (MoH) outreach team on their mission to Mahaica Creek. Also in attendance were Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and PPP/C Parliamentarian, Faizal Jaffarally.

The Sarju team and MoH team donated water, hampers, supplies and conducted medical checks and administered COVID-19 vaccines.

NYGM provided over 200 hampers to residents there.

Most hampers at the Mahaica outreach were donated

by Komal Singh, a fellow villager of NYGM President, Dr Tara Singh. The Mahaica outreach offered much comfort and joy to residents. Like the BBP outreach, residents know and appreciate that people do care about their plight and are willing to do something positive to offer relief from distress.

NYGM also distributed, through a request made by Victor Singh and Region Three Police Commander, Errol Watts, 20 hampers for accident victims on the West Coast of Demerara. These hampers were donated by NYGM executive, Rohan Rai. NYGM also shared 10 hampers to some needy residents in the Mahaicony Creek.

The Black Bush Polder and the Mahaica outreach projects were the joint efforts by Guyanese diasporans and local Guyanese.

Dr Tara Singh urged others to help in whatever way possible and assured those suffering that there are people of goodwill who will always help in deserving cases.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

A scene from the hamper-distribution exercise

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

House clears motion to implement recommendations of Rodney CoI

By Richard Bhainie

FOLLOWING deliberations which ran into the early hours of Tuesday morning, the National Assembly adopted the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the killing of Guyanese scholar, Dr. Walter Rodney, paving the way for the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the document.

The motion calling for the adoption of the recommendations, which attracted over five hours of heated debate from both sides of the House, was cleared just after 00:34 hours, and will finally put the speculation pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney, among other issues which were left to be debated in the court of public opinion, to rest.

On June 13, 1980, 38-year-old Dr. Rodney was in the front passenger seat of his Mazda Capella motor car bearing registration number PBB2344, in the vicinity of John and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, with his brother Donald Rodney, who was in the driver’s seat, when an explosion occurred, killing Dr. Rodney, and leaving Donald with minor injuries.

The infamous killing sent shockwaves throughout the world and has been a topic for heated debate locally, where the public was left to draw conclusions on the death purely based on assumptions rather than facts, at least until the CoI, which was established in 2014 under the Ramotar administration, heard the matter and compiled their report.

The motion for the adoption of the recommendations was presented by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who told the House that is it imperative to “do what is right, even if it is 41 years after,” and acknowledged the contributions of Dr. Rodney who fought vigorously for democracy.

This is the third motion presented in the National Assembly on Dr. Rodney by Teixeira. The first motion was tabled in the Ninth Parliament in 2005 calling for a CoI into the assassination of Dr. Rodney and the second was tabled in 2016 for the CoI report to be adopted and its recommendations implemented.

In 2016, the motion was placed before the House and carried but the then government amended the ‘be it resolved’ clause to read: “The National Assembly acknowledges the report… calls on the government to take measures to examine the findings and recommendations contained in the report in order to as-

ny and a sense of national unity.

The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C certain whether any, and if so, which are acceptable and implementable.”

By way of the new motion, Teixeira asked the National Assembly to take steps to implement the recommendations of the CoI report in order to preserve and strengthen the democratic architecture of the state, especially considering the country’s experience during the five-month impasse, which followed polling day on March 2, 2020.

Dr. Walter Rodney Minister Teixeira also asked that measures be taken to ensure that the complete report emanating from the CoI is made public and “publicly available electronically.”

During her presentation, Teixeira examined the 12 recommendations made by the CoI, led by Chairman Sir Richard Cheltenham, K.A., Q.C., which was appointed to enquire and report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney.

She expounded on recommendations 9.1 to 9.8 which explicitly mention the need for a well-trained and highly professional police force and army to serve impartially, and that investment in training is necessary for these institutions.

She also referred to recommendations 9.9 to 9.12, which notes that no party which occupies the seat of government should be able to tamper with the electoral system, that system should be entrenched in the Constitution; the Caribbean Community and other nations should be afforded access to observe elections and a programme should be implemented to strengthen ethnic harmo-

FORESIGHT “Looking back at 2020, what was written in 2016 was certainly wise and certainly one that showed that they had some foresight into the risk we were facing as a country even at that time, 30 odd years after Rodney’s death and what we thought was the end of the Burnham

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira era,” she said.

“Who amongst us doesn’t want to strengthen the democratic architecture of the state?” Teixeira asked, as she also questioned why the National Assembly would be divided to adopt a report which recommended investment in training to develop the joint services.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., rose to enlighten the House that the motion was drafted without the intention to attract the level of controversy the opposition has attached to it, but rather, it was simply to commemorate the 41st death anniversary of Dr. Rodney and to set the public record straight on the cause of his death, following a request from his family.

He reminded the House that at the 28th sitting of the National Assembly of the 12th Parliament on June 10, 2021, he had announced that the government will be undertaking a number of initiatives aimed at recognising Dr. Rodney’s life’s work.

In honouring his legacy, the motion on Monday was one such initiative.

In honouring Dr. Rodney’s legacy, his gravesite and memorial will be declared national monuments under the administration of The National Trust, his death certificate, which currently described him as “unemployed,” will be corrected to read ‘Professor’ and his work would be incorporated into the national school syllabus by the Ministry of Education.

His works will also be distributed to pupils and students across the country, and his more iconic works, note-

worthy “A History of the Guyanese Working People,” “Guyanese Sugar Plantations in the late Nineteenth Century,” and “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” will be made available at the University of Guyana’s library, while the Walter Rodney Chair at the university will be re-established.

Added to those measures, Dr. Rodney’s death certificate will also be amended to replace his cause of death from “misadventure” to “assassination.” All of these measures are intended to bring closure to the Rodney family, particularly Dr. Rodney’s wife and children.

His brother, Donald was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison on February

26, 1982, for being in possession of the explosive device which killed his brother. Donald’s conviction was, however, set aside by the Court of Appeal in April this year.

Minister Teixeira, during her presentation, highlighted the hardships Donald endured for 41 years due to a miscarriage of justice.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Hugh Todd, reminded the House of the life of Dr. Rodney and his contributions, not only to Guyana, but to the Caribbean and the world at large, which helped to uplift the lives of the ordinary man through his advocacy.

He said Dr. Rodney paid the “ultimate price” in the fight for a better society for

all Guyanese and that the implementation of the recommendations is another important step to honour Dr. Rodney and those who fought for a “free and prosperous” Guyana.

Presenting on the motion from the opposition benches were Tabitha Sarabo-Halley; Annette Ferguson; Ganesh Mahipaul; Amanza Walton-Desir; Jermaine Figueira; Nicolette Henry; Dawn Hastings-Williams; Shurwayne Holder and Roysdale Forde.

The opposition members of Parliament purported to support Dr. Rodney’s legacy, however, did not support the motion brought

by Teixeira and sought to question the credibility of the CoI’s report.

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COVID-19 claims three more lives

THE Ministry of health, on Tuesday, reported that three more individuals have died after contracting COVID-19.

The ministry, in a statement, said each person was admitted to medical institutions with COVID-19 symptoms but died while receiving care.

The victims are a 54-year-old woman from Region 10 (Upper Demer-

ara-Berbice), a 63-year-old woman from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and a 66-year-old man, also from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Based on available statistics, the latest deaths took the country’s overall COVID-19 death toll to 564.

Meanwhile, 81 new infections were recorded from 2,071 tests, taking the over-

all number of confirmed cases since March, 2020, to 23,075. New infections were recorded in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Nine.

Of the new cases, there are 15 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, while 77 patients are in institutional isolation, 691 are isolated at home and five persons are in

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

institutional quarantine. To date, 21,728 persons have recovered from the virus.

All Guyanese are urged to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise the need for correct and consistent use of a face

mask when leaving home, the importance of maintaining the six-foot physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone you know is displaying any of the

symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline 2311166, 226-7480 or 6246674 immediately or visit the Ministry of Health at www.health.gov.gy.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

‘Gold heist’ trio remanded to prison

A SERVING member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and two of his alleged accomplices were on Tuesday remanded to prison over the multimillion-dollar gold heist last Thursday at Wallison Enterprise, on Gordon Street, Kitty.

Sergeant Keyon King, 32, of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, and two of Wallison’s security officers, Delroy Jackson, called “Bug”, 36, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara; and Peon Lee, called “Nino Brown”, 35, of Mocha, East Bank Demerara, were on Tuesday slapped with four counts of robbery.

They all appeared before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

King was unrepresented, while his co-accused, reputedly ex-soldiers themselves, were represented by Attorneys-at-Law Dexter Todd,

Dexter Smartt, and Jacy Archibald.

All three denied that on August 5, while being armed with guns, and in the company of others, they robbed Wallison Enterprise of $38 million in local currency, and $20 million worth of raw gold, property of Francis Santos Lumes.

King, who’d initially pleaded guilty to the charge, begged the court to allow him to change his plea, as, being unrepresented, he was confused as to what to say when the charges were formally read to him.

Surprisingly, the ploy worked, as the Magistrate accepted his “not guilty” plea, though not necessarily his claim that he had no prior knowledge of the robbery.

The trio was also slapped with three other charges, for allegedly relieving, at gunpoint, Fernanda Carmichael of a cell-phone worth $350,000; Francis Santos Lumes of gold jewellery and cash amounting to $224,000;

and William Batista DaSilva of a cell-phone valued $60,000.

The three were all remanded to prison until August 24.

And as investigations into the matter continue, Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, noted on Tuesday that the police are in search of two other suspects believed to have been involved in the robbery.

He explained that the plan was hatched by Lee, who’s the Company’s Chief of Security, while Jackson, a security officer on duty at the time it was executed, reportedly confessed that it should have gone down on Wednesday, August 4, but because the owner’s family was there, it was done the following day instead.

At the time of the robbery, DaSilva, a 45-year-old goldsmith, and Carmicheal, a 20-year-old cashier, were at work at Wallison Enterprise when the bandits entered at 10:05hrs.

From left are: Peon Lee, called Nino Brown; Delroy Jackson, called “Bug”, and Sergeant Reyon King, a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force It is alleged that they’d come with a white car, which they parked on the northern side of the building, and entered the compound through the main gate. They were reportedly granted access into the building by a security guard, on the pretext that they were there to sell gold.

Once in the establishment’s waiting area, they reportedly impressed upon the cashier that the small package they were carrying contained the gold they’d come to sell, and after they would have gained her confidence,

whipped out their firearms from their pants waist, and, at gunpoint, ushered her into an inner office where the goldsmith and another man were conducting some business.

Holding both men at gunpoint, the bandits reportedly ordered the goldsmith to open the two metal safes in the office, before handcuffing them, and, confiscating their cell-phones, valued some $360,000, made good their escape with the $38 million in cash and 60 ounces of raw gold valued $20 million they’d managed to lay their

hands on.

By the time the cashier raised the alarm, and the security guard on duty realised what had transpired, the bandits were long gone, and all that was left for them to do was summon the police.

The entire incident was caught on CCTV cameras located inside the business premises.

Police, on Sunday, made a major breakthrough in the investigation with the recovery of a total of $18M found buried at King’s residence.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

NORTHWELL Health, through the Center for Global Health (CGH), on Tuesday, donated medical supplies inclusive of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in support of the hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The protective equipment to keep healthcare workers safe include 12,000 KN-95 masks, 10,200 surgical masks, 3,200 isolation gowns and 1,800 face shields. Collectively, the medical supplies are worth US$18,000.

“We hope the supplies provided will help you in fighting the current surge of COVID-19 cases in Guyana,” Director of Global Health, Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, said in a letter to GPHC’s Chairman, Dr. Madan Rambarran.

Dr. Rambarran acknowledged the timely donation, which he described as a “practical contribu-

and has supported the institution for many years through several training and capacity-building initiatives.

Although the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the delivery of regular pro-

GPHC gets supplies worth US$18,000 to boost COVID-19 response

grammes, GPHC is “extremely grateful” for Northwell’s assistance to Guyana’s healthcare workers, which will be very useful, especially for the protection of frontline staff as they continue their dedication to patient care.

Two remanded for murder of overseas-based Guyanese

Healthcare workers of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation clad in PPE tion” to the corporation’s ongoing efforts.

The provision of adequate PPE for healthcare workers is an essential component of COVID-19 management, particularly

for those who work in highly exposed environments.

“As an institution that prioritises the health of its staff, the GPHC cannot underscore the importance of

this substantive donation from Northwell,” management of the hospital said in a press release.

Northwell Health has been a long-standing partner of the GPHC

TWO persons were, on Tuesday, charged for the murder of an overseas-based Guyanese, Hemraj Pardessi called “Prem” of Lot 9 Reliance, East Canje, Region Six (East-Berbice-Corentyne).

Mario Bissoondyal called “Mayo” and Malisha Dutchin were not required to plead to the indictable charge when they appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh, at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

The duo was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Re-

Mario Bissoondyal

liance Magistrate’s Court for September 9.

According to information, at around 23:42 hours on August 3, police found Pardessi lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor of his Reliance residence.

He was faced down, duct tape was around his neck, and blood was oozing from his nose. After following the trail of blood to the second floor, the police found the entire place ransacked.

Following the incident, police managed to Malisha Dutchin arrest four persons and subsequently apprehended Bissoondyal, a fisherman of Lot 141 Main Street Cumberland, who was considered one of the main suspects.

He was found hiding in the Canje Creek area, aback the Rose Hall Estate.

During an interrogation, he reportedly admitted to his involvement in the crime and identified his accomplices.

A few days later, Dutchin, a housewife of Lot 4 Reliance, who is reportedly the mastermind, turned herself in for questioning at the Central Police Station.

Meanwhile, as part of ongoing investigations, the police has issued a wanted bulletin for 32-year-old Jason Isaacs of Lot 18 Bristol Street, East Canje, Berbice.

Anyone with information that might lead to the arrest of Isaacs is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 226-7065, 227-1270, 226-7476, 226-7065, 227-9271, 227-1611, 227-1149, 227-1270, 225-6940-9, 225-3650, 226-1928, 911 or visit the nearest police station.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Smallholder farmers are key players in food security

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–– Minister Mustapha tells hemispheric forum ENSURING the sustainability of agrifood systems requires empowering small farmers and rural communities through the construction of infrastructure, the transfer of technology, and policies that guarantee a fair remuneration for their work, explained Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.

"We must improve the conditions of food producers, who are the true generators of wealth" said Mustapha, who also advocated the establishment of infrastructure for the processing of crops in rural areas, so as to add value and thus increase the profitability of these communities.

Mustapha was one of the participants in a round table on the role of farmers and rural communities in the sustainability of agrifood systems, organised by the Council of the Americas and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA).

The debate featured speakers from the public and private sectors from across the continent. Mustapha was joined by renowned

scientist, Rattan Lal, professor of soil science at Ohio State University; the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, Luis Basterra; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pepsico Latin America, Paula Santilli; the Global Manager of Sustainability and Business Administration of Bayer, Klaus Kunz; and Walmart's Director of Global Government Affairs, Christian Gómez.

The introduction and closing remarks were given by Eric Farnsworth, Vice-President of The Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS/COA), and Manuel Otero, Director-General of IICA. The minister stated that climate change is having a devastating impact on Guyana's agricultural sector and referred to the floods that, this year, have hit a large part of its territory and have caused losses of crops and livestock that have put the food security of this South American country at risk.

“All the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are highly vulnerable to the impact of

climate change. We have not only been affected by floods, but also by land degradation, hurricanes and the volcanic eruption in Saint Vincent and The Grenadines this year. We are small economies and we must ensure the health of our agrifood system,” said Mustapha.

The minister reported that the Government of Guyana, this year, has given social assistance to 52,000 smallholder farmers, who have been the most affected by the floods.

“We need to adopt good agricultural practices and the private sector plays a key role in this. A concrete way they can collaborate is through investments in technologies to reduce the impact of diseases and pests on agriculture. The Government of Guyana is supporting its small-sized farmers.”

Mustapha also revealed that his country has great expectations for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, convened by the United Nations, to discuss the future of the way in which food is produced and consumed.

“For us,” he said, “the

Region Three Private Sector Inc welcomes reduction of freight charges THE Region Three Private Sector Inc (R3PSInc) has commended the Government and President, Dr. Irfaan Ali on the timely decision to reduce the adverse impact of increased freight costs on Customs Duties, Excise Taxes and Input VAT calculations, by reverting to pre-pandemic estimates.

Head of the organisation, Halim Khan, said the R3PSInc will work with all its members to ensure that all cost-saving measures are transferred to the relevant sectors under its purview and by extension, consumers.

He noted that the measures will not only help lessen the economic burdens on the general public but stimulate consumption and help local businesses to recover.

Khan noted that this

adjustment to customs duties, excise taxes and input value-added tax (VAT) on goods imported would see the return of $4.8 billion to the pockets of consumers and the business community over the next six months.

“The R3PSInc anticipates and expresses its willingness to work with the Government of Guyana in ensuring fruitful bilateral relations for the significant social and economic advancements of all Guyanese,” Khan added.

Additionally, he said it is noteworthy to mention government has developed several measures and policies designed to enable the diversification of the economy as well as resuscitating the major productive sectors – such as the agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors to rapidly develop capacity

Head of the Region Three Private Sector Inc., Halim Khan for future undertakings.

Further, Khan said President Ali must be commended for his leadership, vision, and foresight in assisting all Guyanese in every way possible to enjoy the good life.

“The R3PSInc would like to urge importers to not behave in a deceitful manner by exploiting the measures designed to ease the burden on the Guyanese people,” he stated.

summit is of the utmost importance, and we will surely make a very positive contribution to it. Ensuring food security is essential and we hope that this summit will help us. Everyone in the world has a role to play

in achieving sustainable and healthy agrifood systems”.

“It is paramount,” he concluded, “to underscore the critical role that farmers play. Rural communities must be part of the discussion”. (IICA)

The minister reported that the Government of Guyana, this year has given social assistance to 52,000 smallholder farmers, who have been the most affected by the floods

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

425 Wauna learners receive 'Because We Care' $19,000 cash grant

A total of $8M has been disbursed to some 425 primary and nursery school learners as the government commenced the "Because We Care" $19,000 cash grant distribution in the Mabaruma sub-region, Region One. Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, joined other Cabinet members as they fanned out in communities across Mabaruma to ensure every school age child in the public school system receive their grant.

During the distribution exercise at Wauna, the minister encouraged parents to match the efforts being made by the government, in investing in their children's future.

Referencing a number of investments made by the government in the delivery of education, the minister called on parents to play their role in supporting their children.

“We all want to give our children the best, we all want to give them the life we didn't have, and investing in

their education is one sure way out of poverty,” he said.

He added that while the government is bringing development in education delivery incrementally, there remains a gap between the hinterland and coastland which can be filled with the help of parents and guardians if they simply allow their children to return to school and stay in school.

The minister also urged parents to utilise the grant in the best interest of their children as this intervention seeks to aid in the preparation for the reopening of school.

Meanwhile, Region One Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, in his remarks, welcomed the initiative, noting that this is another one of the government's manifesto promises being fulfilled.

“We have implemented several initiatives that foster better education delivery across the country, this is a move to prepare our children for the reopening of school,” the Chairman said.

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, hands over a cheque to a mother and her child at the Wauna Primary school

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Sunshine of co-operation will finally dispel dark cloud of COVID-19 (By HeYin, People’s Daily) CHINA will strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year and offer $100 million dollars to COVAX to promote vaccine provision in developing countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Aug. 5 in a written message to the first meeting of the international forum on COVID-19 vaccine co-operation.

This marked an important practice for China to fulfill its promise of making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, signifying the country’s firm determination to keep supporting global anti-pandemic co-operation and build a global community of health for all.

To set up an international forum on vaccine co-operation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world was one of the five measures announced

by President Xi to support global solidarity against COVID-19 at the Global Health Summit this May. The first session of the

forum was attended by premiers, foreign ministers, health ministers or senior representatives from over 20 countries, heads of UN and the WHO, as well as representatives from 29 vaccine manufacturers in China and abroad, which fully indicated the support for China’s proposals from the parties concerned.

Foreign representatives to the session gave a high evaluation on China’s leading role in international anti-pandemic co-operation, especially vaccine co-operation, and expressed their gratitude to the country for fulfilling its promise of making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, providing vaccines for the world, especially the developing countries, and its outstanding contribution to promoting the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.

With concrete actions, China is striving to tackle distribution deficit, making new steps toward global equity and accessibility of vaccine distribution.

Vaccines are an important weapon for the mankind to defeat the virus. In May the last year, China took the lead to announce that COVID-19

vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good.

Such a promise is a Chines contribution to improving the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. Keeping its word, China has donated and is donating COVID-19 vaccines to over 100 countries, and is exporting vaccines to more than 60 countries. These vaccines add up to 770 million doses, the highest in the world. This June, China, together with 28 countries, jointly started the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines Co-operation to enhance collaboration on vaccine aid,

export and joint production.

These Chinese actions have vividly explained the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and demonstrated China’s major country responsibility.

With concrete actions, China [is] striving to tackle production deficit, injecting new impetus to the solidarity and co-operation among developing countries.

The pandemic is a major test that examines each country’s governance capability, as well as the world’s health governance system. To win the battle against the virus, which concerns the future and destiny of mankind, the world must rely on solidarity and co-operation, and help developing countries with

vulnerable public health systems improve their capability in fighting the virus.

As a developing country, China is not only offering vaccine aid to other developing countries, but also helping them develop their own vaccine- production capability to enhance their competence in coping with public health challenges.

Under China’s assistance, the UAE, Egypt, Indonesia and Brazil became the first countries capable of producing COVID-19 vaccines in their respective regions, and Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan and Mexico also kicked off vaccine production co-operation with China, with total production capacity exceeding 200 million doses.

With concrete actions, China is striving to safeguard international equity and justice, making new contributions to an early win of the mankind over the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the world, and maximum efforts must be taken to protect the lives and health of all people on the planet. When advancing international vaccine co-operation, China never seeks geopolitical goals, aims at economic benefits, or attaches political strings. The only

aim of China is to make the vaccines a global public good that serves all the people in the world.

Compared with the vaccine nationalism in some countries, China has always demonstrated a generous and unselfish spirit of international co-operation, said Munir Akram, president of UN Economic and Social Council and Pakistan's UN ambassador.

Virtue is not left to stand alone. China’s solemn promise and active practice demonstrated its responsibility for the lives and health of the Chinese people, and the cause of global public health.

The international co-operation on pandemic fight proves that to build a global community of health for all is a common aspiration of the people around the world.

It conforms to the trend of history, and remains the right approach for mankind to cope with common challenges and build a better world.

The sunshine of cooperation will finally dispel dark cloud of the pandemic.

China will keep advancing international anti-pandemic co-operation, and work with all parties relevant to build a magnificent power against the virus.

Clean energy efforts to get fresh impetus

By ZHENG XIN | China Daily

CHINA will step up efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 with more active new energy development goals and promote the largescale, high-quality and marketized development of clean energy, a top National Energy Administration official said on Tuesday.

The government will accelerate the replacement of fossil fuels with renewables and increase their consumption and storage capacity as part of the shift to a new power system with clean energy as the central focus, Zhang Jianhua, head of the NEA, said during a news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Renewable energy will become the mainstay for an increase in energy and electricity consumption, rather than the incremental complementary role it has now, the administration said.

China is already pro-

moting the use of renewable energy nationwide on a large scale to ensure that clean energy accounts for a large proportion of the overall energy mix in a market-oriented way at lower costs, said experts.

Wang Lu, an analyst tracking the Asian renewables sector at Bernstein, a consultancy, said use of renewables has been increasing as the NEA has proposed targets for renewable power consumption from 2021 to 2030, under which the share of renewables, including hydro, solar photovoltaics, wind and biomass in electricity consumption will rise to 40 percent in 2030, compared with 29.5 percent in 2020.

The renewables sector will see long-term growth opportunities, while equipment manufacturers will enjoy a higher sales volume as solar PV and wind gains share in the overall energy mix, said Wang.

With all provinces re-

Technicians check solar panels in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo by YAO FENG/FOR CHINA DAILY] quired to take the responsi- proves how much the counbility for the development try can achieve, said Joseph and consumption of renew- Jacobelli, an independent ables, those that lag will energy analyst and executive need to catch up in the next vice-president for Asia busidecade, she said. ness at Cenfura Ltd. Clean energy developAccording to Zhang, the ment and promoting green installed capacity for the reenergy consumption require newables sector will witness strong push and clear signals a substantial increase during from the central authori- the 14th Five-Year Plan ties, and the nation's track period (2021-25) to ensure record during the 12th and that renewables account for the 13th Five-Year Plans a larger proportion of the

overall energy mix.

It is expected that renewable energy will account for two-thirds of the increase in overall electricity consumption by the end of 2025. It will also account for more than half of the increments in primary energy consumption.

The country has also been witnessing a decrease in the wind and solar power wastage along with higher utilization rates. China's wind power utilization rate reached 97 percent in 2020, while solar power stood at 98 percent, the best globally, said Huang Xuenong, director of the electricity department at the NEA. According to the administration, as the world's biggest renewable energy market and equipment manufacturer, China will continue deepening international co-operation in the renewable energy sector. The country's solar industry provides more than 70 percent of the world's photovoltaic

modules.

The extensive application of renewable energy in the Chinese market has further driven down costs and pushed forward application on the global stage along with the world's eventual transition to green energy.

China is also stepping up renewable energy project investment in countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative in recent years, helping less developed countries and regions apply advanced green energy technology, said Zhang.

According to the administration, the development and utilization scale of renewable energy in China ranks first worldwide and has provided strong support for low-carbon energy transition in the country.

Installed power capacity using clean energy reached 930 million kilowatts, 42.4 percent of total installed capacity, 14.6 percentage points higher compared with that in 2012.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Fashion guru to host virtual seminar for entrepreneurs today

IN celebration of her 50th birth anniversary, philanthropist, writer and fashion guru, Sonia Noel, is hosting a virtual “fireside chat” for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs, today.

Opened to persons ages 16 to 35 years, the event will feature a panel of experts and intellectuals in the field of business and finance.

Additionally, at the end

ence in various areas within the fashion industry. She worked as a fashion writer, buyer, design as-sistant, merchandiser, stylist and make-up artist.

Joining Alexander is well-known Businessman and philanthropist, Stanley Ming, who will be sharing his knowledge with the participants.

Ming is the CEO of Ming’s Products and Ser-

Philanthropist, Writer and Fashion Guru, Sonia Noel of the event, eight participants will be selected for mentorship, while four of the eight will receive financial assistance for their businesses.

Among the presenters today is Jamilia Alexander, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uppoint Inc and an innovator who has always believed in finding a "better way.”

Graduating from the Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design (CAFD) with a Diploma in Fashion Management, Alexander has 10 years of experience as a full-time Fashion Manager.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Alexander spent her formative years on the eastern side of the island with her family. She moved full time into fashion in 2009, when she enrolled at CAFD. During her time at the academy, Alexander was always seeking opportunities to expand her experi-

vices and has been a member of many boards. He began racing at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri in 1971 and went on to compete internationally in GP motorcycles racing in Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, England, and Daytona - U.S.A and was the Caribbean Motorcycle Champion for four years.

He is also the founder and CEO of Isika Construction & Engineering Inc. (ICE), which is involved in land development, construction, among other things.

Another member of the panel is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana Inc. and the Corporate Secretary for Queens Atlantic Investment Inc, Zulfikar Ally.

Ally previously served as an Executive Director on behalf of the Caribbean on the Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Inter-American Investment Corporation

(IIC). At this level, he played a major role in promoting development for the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.

He has also represented Guyana on the Board of Directors of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF). Added to those credentials, he has over eight

years of experience as a development specialist, working with the Government of Guyana, where he served as the Head of the Multilateral Financial and Institutions Department within the Ministry of Finance.

Noel will also be sharing her experience, while Fash-

ion Impresario and Creative Industry Specialist, Richard Young, will be the moderator of the fireside chat.

“The content from this panel will add so much value to the participants and persons on the livestream… it is an honour to celebrate this special part of my journey with people around [the]

world. My 50th celebration must create invaluable experiences for others also,” Noel said.

The event is scheduled to begin at 18:00hrs.

Persons interested in this event could contact Noel via email beyondtherunway1@gmail. com or call 684-8129.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Simmons concerned over preparation as Pakistan series looms KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Head coach Phil Simmons has expressed concern about the match fitness of the West Indies squad, just four days ahead of the opening Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park here.

Since the two-Test series against South Africa ended in late June, the majority of the Test players have been largely dormant, and last week’s four-day warm-up match here represented the first taste of action for most of the provisional 17-man squad announced Monday.

“As far as I know, none

of the (practice) games were played and there wasn’t enough work done before the players got here,” Simmons told an online media conference also on Monday.

“Quite a few players said they didn’t get any work done in their home territories before they came to this camp and four-day game.”

He added: “It’s disappointing to know they’ve gone home and there’s nothing done. They have to come back and we’ve got to start from scratch when we get here so it’s a little disappointing.”

Of the 17-man squad,

only all-rounder Jason Holder and stroke-maker Shai Hope featured during the recent white-ball series, with Holder turning out in both the shorter formats and Hope in the one-day series against Australia.

Last week’s four-day match saw Shamarh Brooks hit a century while captain Kraigg Brathwaite, all-rounder Roston Chase and vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood stroked half-centuries.

Among the bowling group, off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permail

Reliance Sports Club lift Shivnandan Madholall memorial trophy RELIANCE Sports Club produced a fine, all-round performance to defeat Reliance Scheme by 40 runs in the 8th Shivnandan Madholall memorial trophy match played last Sunday at the Reliance ground on the Essequibo Coast.

After winning the toss and batting first, Reliance SC tallied a challenging 1489 from 20 overs on a wearing pitch, which offered prodigious turn to the bowlers.

Opener Basil Persaud led the way with a top score of 47, (3x6, 4x4) while Shawn Narine supported with 20 (3x4) and Preamnauth Persaud 15 (2x4).

Trevis Simon grabbed 3-15 off 4 overs and was ably complemented by Denesh Persaud with 3-21 from his 4 overs and Captain Ravendra Madholall 2- 14 from

his 4 overs.

When Reliance Scheme batted, former national Under-17 player Rovendra Parasram top-scored with 26 (2x4, 2x6), while Freddy Lall and Ravendra Madholall (14 each) offered token resistance.

Veteran softball player Dhanny Benny who initiated an early collapse bowled superbly to snatch 3-16 from 4 overs while Ryan Lall 3-21 and Kumar Dass 2-19 stifled their opponents into submission. Basil Persaud enjoyed a fine day with 2 wickets to be adjudged later as man-ofthe-match.

He received a trophy while the winners and runners-up also received trophies, compliments of the Madholall family.

At the presentation, several players including former Essequibo Inter-County cap-

tain Elroy Stephney, Trevis Simon, Asif Akbar and Ravendra Madholall reflected on the life of Shivnandan Madholall who passed away in 2013 at the age of 30.

Madholall had represented Essequibo and Guyana at the youth level and was regarded as one of the most talented cricketers to have emerged from Essequibo.

He will be remembered as a flamboyant left-handed batsman who bowled ferocious spells and was a dynamic fielder. He was also the brother of former national youth player Rovendra Madholall.

According to Ravendra Madholall, the match will be played annually and will expand to include two other teams. He expressed thanks to all those who contributed and the support given to the family.

both grabbed five-wicket hauls.

However, Simmons said the performances were no more than he expected, especially since the demands of the international level were quite high.

“I wouldn’t say I am impressed. I always looked for more from guys at that level getting bigger scores and the 150s and bigger hundreds,” he said in reference to the batting during the four-day contest.

“You have to work to score 150 at the higher level so I would like to see more runs being scored at that

level.”

He continued: “We want batsmen to be scoring 100, 150 runs on each occasion and (when) you have one out of your five, six batsmen getting a hundred then we’re doing the right things, and we’re getting the scores we need to give the bowlers a chance to bowl teams out.”

West Indies have had a mixed run this year in Tests, beating Bangladesh 2-0 away, drawing nil-all with Sri Lanka at home before being crushed 2-0

by South Africa, when their batting suffered a complete meltdown in both Tests in

St Lucia.

And Simmons said the challenge against Pakistan would be to turn around the fortunes of the batting group.

“It’s the start of a new series and we’re looking and trying to the best of our ability to try and make sure things improve,” he stressed.

“There’s no hiding from the fact that our batting needs to improve and get to a healthy stage where we can score 400 in an innings on a more consistent basis, and the bowlers continue doing the job they’ve been doing well.”

CWI mourns passing of Sir Lester Bird

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) is saddened by the passing of former Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Sir Lester Bird, who died on Monday following a prolonged illness.

Following is a statement from CWI president Ricky Skerritt: "Cricket West Indies (CWI) joins the Government and people of Antigua & Barbuda in sending condolences to the family of the late Honourable Sir Lester Bird, National Hero.

It was Sir Lester’s visionary

leadership while serving as Prime Minister that was partly responsible for relocating the headquarters of CWI to Antigua, more than two decades ago.

In so doing, Sir Lester Bird helped to pioneer the concept of public and private partnership in regional sport development. Sir Lester was also a past President of the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association, and was a life-long West Indies cricket enthusiast.

May Sir Lester’s soul rest in eternal peace!" (CWI) 12:25 hrs Bolly Bullet

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Messi gets hero's welcome in France after agreeing to join PSG

By Antony Paone LE BOURGET, France (Reuters) - Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi received a hero's welcome after flying to France yesterday to join Paris Saint Germain (PSG) following his shock departure from Barcelona.

The agreement to sign the 34-year-old Argentine is a major coup for wealthy PSG, who will add one of the best soccer players of all-time to an already formidable front line that includes Brazil's Neymar and young Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.

Wearing a T-shirt that read ‘This is Paris’, Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight

from Barcelona.

Chanting "Messi, Messi, Messi," the fans cheered and let off firecrackers.

"It's going to be mad.

After all, it's a legend who is arriving," said Florent Chauveau, a PSG fan who has been back and forth to the airport every day since Sunday in the hope of seeing Messi arrive.

Messi gave no details of the deal, which was reached days after Barcelona said it could not afford to keep the midfielder because of Spain's La Liga's fair play rules.

But his father, speaking to reporters at Barcelona's airport, confirmed reports by French newspaper L'Equipe and Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo that Messi had reached an agreement with PSG, which is owned

by Qatar Sports Investment.

L'Equipe said the deal would be for two years. It also said Messi would have had medical tests yesterday, and that a news conference to mark his arrival was likely today.

PSG did not comment on the reports but released a short video showing scenes of Paris, a plane landing and a close-up of someone putting pen to paper. In the background, upbeat music can heard, and the words "new diamond in Paris" and "mercato update" appear.

The video, seen on Twitter, does not show Messi but depicts an image of six Ballon d'Or - an annual award given to the player deemed the best in the world - by the Eiffel Tower.

Many Barcelona fans were distraught at the end of Messi's glittering, trophy-lad-

en career at the club he joined as a schoolboy.

But the arrival of Barcelona's all-time record scorer with 682 goals will boost PSG's ambitions to win the Champions League for the first time. Messi won four Champions League titles while at Barcelona, as well as 10 La Liga titles.

PSG AMBITIONS Messi is the latest bigname arrival at PSG on a free transfer this summer after coach Mauricio Pochettino's side snapped up Spanish defender Sergio Ramos after he left Real Madrid. Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum also joined after running down his contract with Liverpool.

Italy's Euro 2020-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has also joined

Lionel Messi arrives in Paris to join Paris St-Germain.

after his contract with AC Milan ran out, while Moroc-

can fullback Achraf Hakimi joined from Inter Milan for a reported 60 million euros ($70 million).

The arrival of Messi, whose last contract with Barcelona was worth a total of 555 million euros and reported to be the most lucrative in world sport, is also set to provoke a renewed new debate about UEFA's financial fair play rules.

The rules were first introduced in 2009 to restrict some of the worst excesses of the game but have been criticised by some leading figures for being ineffective.

The arrival of Messi, who has 245 million followers on Instagram and is Barcelona's most decorated player of all-time, is also welcome news for France's Ligue 1, embroiled in a crisis over TV rights.

Toughest conditions to play Former Kiwi star Chris – Matthew Wade Cairns on life support after serious heart problem AUSTRALIAN stand-in skipper Matthew Wade termed the conditions in Bangladesh the ‘toughest’ to play cricket in. In Aaron Finch’s absence, the lefthander had a tough time, both as a skipper and as a batter.

The Aussies lost the fivematch T20I series 1-4 after losing the last and final T20I by 60 runs.

The visitors were bowled out for 62 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

Wade started with two sixes but got out after a run-a-ball 22.

Prior to the series against the Tigers, Australia also lost 1-4 at the hands of the West Indies back in July. The 33-year-old Wade was clear cut in saying that his team didn’t play the brand of cricket it was expected to.

“I’ve played for a few years now, certainly the toughest conditions to play T20 cricket in. Great learning for youngsters. Wasn’t our series, unfortunately. There

Australian stand-in skipper Matthew Wade

are no excuses for not playing enough cricket. We had enough cricket in the West Indies to come and play good cricket, we just didn’t. Credit to Bangladesh, they did well,” Wade said.

Mitchell Marsh was the brightest prospect in an otherwise shambolic performance from Australia. The righthander became the leading run-scorer of the series with 156 runs at an average of 31.20 with one half-century.

He was also the top run-get-

ter in the West Indies T20Is where the other Aussie batters found it tough to get accustomed to the conditions.

Wade lauded Marsh for striving hard for success.

Marsh was also amongst the wickets in the Caribbean, though he didn’t have much bowling to do in Bangladesh.

Wade also praised the spinners for bowling well. In the last T20I, the Aussies used four spin-bowling options and restricted the Tigers to 122.

“Our spinners were exceptional. Mitch Marsh continues to grow on these pitches; he’s had to work hard for it. Our bowling was good, but we just didn’t have enough runs on the board. We’ve got to find a way to get better in spinning conditions.

Batting in spinning conditions is our biggest takeaway. We were not getting beaten by big margins barring today. The biggest positive is that young guys got exposure in these conditions,” Wade added. (CricTracker)

FORMER New Zealand cricket all-rounder Chris Cairns is on life support in a Canberra hospital after recently collapsing with a health problem in Australia, New Zealand media reported yesterday.

Cairns, 51, had undergone several operations after suffering a heart problem but had not responded to treatment as hoped, Newshub reported.

Newshub said Cairns had suffered an aortic dissection in his heart in Canberra last week. An aortic dissection is a tear in the body's main artery.

New Zealand's players' union was unable to provide immediate comment.

A New Zealand Cricket spokesman said the board was respecting Cairns' right to privacy and declined to comment on the situation.

Several well-wishers posted messages of support on social media. Australian journalist Brendan Bradford said: "Ah man, this is awful.

Chris Cairns was an absolute icon when I was growing up.

A genuine superstar. Hope he pulls through this."

Fellow journalist Brad Walter added: "Terrible news. I used to love watching Chris Cairns bat and bowl.

He was the Kiwi version of Gary Gilmour."

Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006 before becoming a television pundit.

Cairns was one of the best all-rounders of his era, especially in the shorter formats. His father Lance also represented New Zealand in cricket.

Cairns was later the subject of allegations of match-fixing in India as captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008.

He denied any wrongdoing and fought several legal battles to clear his name.

In 2015 he was found not guilty of perjury and per-

Chris Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 one-day internationals and two T20 matches for New Zealand.

verting the course of justice at Southwark Crown Court in London over match-fixing allegations, and has since rebuilt his career as a cricket commentator, along with his role as chief executive of SmartSportz, a virtual sport specialist company.

He is married to wife Mel and they live in Canberra with their children.

(Telegraph Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

An Olympian power couple - The athletic Moeen Ali added to squad for second union of two UGA graduates ATLANTA - Olympian power couple, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Maicel Uibo, do everything together, including winning.

In an unforgettable moment at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, Miller-Uibo and her husband simultaneously earned silver medals. That night in Qatar, the two former UGA athletes crossed the Bahamian and Estonian flags over themselves and shared a kiss.

While the heartfelt memory wasn't an Olympic moment, it carries the Olympic spirit. The love of sports brought together two athletes from different parts of the world.

Not many Olympians can have their significant other compete beside them like these two both did in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Their love story, however, began at the University of Georgia, where Uibo said he first saw his future wife.

They both described the story in more detail during a conversation entitled ‘Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Maicel Uibo on Tokyo 2020, relationships, and more’ on the Olympic Channel podcast.

During a medical examination in their freshman year, Uibo said on the 24-minute podcast, he looked over to this tall girl. Having investigated the roster of the freshmen track team, the Estonian athlete said he walked to Miller-Uibo and asked her name.

"Oh, so you're the girl who has the (better) PB than

Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Maicel Uibo

me," he uttered.

Miller-Uibo said she was confused about what Uibo was referring to before realising he was a decathlete and not a 400-metre runner like herself. " I w a s a l i t t l e c o nfused," she said. "(Initially I thought), 'how did you get on the team’?"

While the first exchange wasn't precisely dreamy, eventually, the pair began dating. And what made it even more special - they both had Olympic ambitions.

Those ambitions turned into reality.

Fast forward to 2016, and the two competed in the Rio Games, where Miller-Ui-

bo would have her iconic gold medal dive win in the 400-metre race. The picture remains an Olympic moment of the Rio Games and forever attached to Miller-Uibo's name.

While Uibo didn't do well in the decathlon event, he was happy nonetheless to see his soon-to-be-wife bring home a gold medal.

A year after competing in their first Olympics, the two got married.

"It was the happiest day of my life so far," he said on the podcast. "I was very happy that day and ever since then."

Celebrating achievements like the 2019 Doha World

Athletics Championships for the Olympian couple involves two pit stops: The Bahamas and Estonia. The two said they party and celebrate their wins in their respective countries, with both families being very welcoming.

"They take him on as a Bahamian as well," she said.

"They were like we got three medals and were celebrating as well!"

She said the Estonian family also accepted her win as their own. Their cultures have blended so much that Uibo picked up a slight Bahamian accent.

In terms of sports, Miller-Uibo wants to try and focus on multi-discipline events like the ones her husband races in. Uibo is the opposite; he wants to focus on being fast, like his wife.

The couple's naturally competitive spirit is showcased in their home as well.

The two keep the competition alive by having a family record list on their wall, jotting down new and faster times.

"I'm trying to learn from the best," Uibo said.

Miller-Uibo and Uibo both took on the 2020 Olympic Games with intense races and events. Uibo took part in the decathlon and placed 15th overall with a score of 8 037.

The Bahamian runner competed in the women's 400-metre final, defending Olympic champion title on Friday morning. She took part in the women's 4x400m relay and the women's 200-metre race. (Alive News)

Test at Lord's WORCESTERSHIRE all-rounder Moeen Ali has been added to the England squad for the second Test against India.

Moeen, 34, last played

Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen Ali

Test cricket in February in the second match of the series against India at Chennai.

That was his first Test since the Ashes opener at Edgbaston in 2019.

Fellow all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes are currently unavailable for England, who were outplayed for large periods as they drew last week's series opener at Trent Bridge.

Moeen has represented England in limited-overs cricket this summer while

being captain of Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, helping them to the top of the men's table.

"He's been called into the squad because of his capabilities with both bat and ball," said England captain Joe Root.

"He's in serious form at the minute, albeit in the short format, but we all know what he is capable of in the Test arena.

"He's a great contender to play in the next Test. We haven't been to the ground yet so we will need to look at conditions and weigh things up but he's in a great position to potentially play."

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad will have a scan on Wednesday after tweaking his right calf at the warm-up at Lord's.

The injury meant he was unable to train with England on Tuesday and the scan will determine how serious it is.

England squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood. (BBC Sport)

Caribbean Premier League 2021 fixtures: CPL dates, schedule, times All 33 matches will be played at Warner Park on St Kitts & Nevis

All times local (GMT-5) Thursday, August 26: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders (10am), Barbados Royals v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (7pm) Friday, August 27: Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks (10am), Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Royals (7pm) Saturday, August 28: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (10am), Jamaica Tallawahs v Barbados Royals (2.30pm) Sunday, August 29: St Lucia Zouks v Trinbago Knight Riders (10am), St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Guyana Amazon Warriors (7pm) Tuesday, August 31: Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Zouks (10am), Barbados Royals v Jamaica Tallawahs (7pm)

Wednesday, September 1: Trinbago Knight Riders v Guyana Amazon Warriors (10am), Jamaica Tallawahs v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (7pm) Thursday, September 2: St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors (10am), St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Barbados Royals (7pm) Saturday, September 4: St Lucia Zouks v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (10am), Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals (2.30pm) Sunday, September 5: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Zouks (10am), Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs (7pm) Tueday, September 7: Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders (10am), Barbados Royals v Guyana Amazon Warriors (7pm) Wednesday, September 8: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v

Jamaica Tallawahs (10am), Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Zouks (7pm) Thursday, September 9: Barbados Royals v Trinbago Knight Riders (10am), St Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs (7pm) Saturday, September 11: St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Royals (10am), Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors (2.30pm), Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (7pm) Sunday, September 12: Barbados Royals v St Lucia Zouks (10am), Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs (2.30pm), St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Trinbago Knight Riders (7pm) Tuesday, September 14: Semi-final one, Semi-final two Wednesday, September 15: Final UPDATED JULY 30, 2021

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

SCA joins COVID-19 vaccination drive THE Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA), led by its dynamic Guyanese-born president Shiv Persaud, is not just about playing cricket but is also community-oriented and cares about the health of both its players and others.

When it was approached by the Scarborough Health Network (SHN) to stage a vaccination clinic, the SCA immediately embraced the idea and last Sunday close to 100 individuals received their ‘jabs’, some first and others second, of the Pfizer vaccines at the Ashtonbee ground in Scarborough, Toronto.

While members of the public and some players were being vaccinated during the four-hour outdoor session, action in the SCA 2021 sea-

son continued at adjoining grounds, lending for a serene atmosphere.

Persaud, who graced the occasion with his presence, said the SCA thought it was a great idea and was excited to be part of the vaccination drive in Toronto. He pointed out that the turnout was greater than expected.

Persaud disclosed that the SCA also used the occasion to distribute trophies won during the 2020 season since it could not have staged its annual presentation, dinner and dance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Nallapaneni, who led the medical team administering the vaccines, explained to Chronicle Sport, that the SHN was trying to make that last push to vaccinate as

many persons as possible, especially in light of the Delta Variant.

According to Dr Nallapaneni, those who are hesitant about being vaccinated should note that the choice is now between getting the doses or risk getting the Delta Variant. She referred to cases where children under 12 years are being hit hard by the Delta Variant simply because adults refused to be vaccinated, while stressing the importance of the exercise.

She also touched on the possible long-term effects of the Delta Variant, which some studies show could include serious neurological, psychological, breathing and heart problems. (Frederick Halley)

Dr Nallapaneni (second from right) and other Healthcare workers at last Sunday’s vaccination clinic.

ICC launches official bid for Olympics inclusion THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially launched its intention for the sport to be included in the Olympic Games from 2028 onwards.

After years of speculation that cricket planned to return to the Games for the first time since the 1900 Olympics in Paris, the game's governing body has announced the establishment of a working group that will lead a bid on the sport's behalf to be included in the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

The news comes just days after the conclusion of the Tokyo Games, and just

weeks after Brisbane was confirmed as the host city for the 2032 event.

"Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket's long-term future," ICC chairman Greg Barclay said in a statement.

"We have more than a billion fans globally and almost 90 percent of them want to see cricket at the Olympics.

"Clearly cricket has a strong and passionate fanbase, particularly in South Asia where 92% of our fans come from, whilst there are also 30 million cricket fans in the USA. The op-

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday August 11, 2021)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Viv Richards-20 ODIs (2) Mohammed Azharuddin-19 ODIs Today’s Quiz: (1) Which WI wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against IND in ODIs to date?

(2) Which IND wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against the WI in ODIs to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

ICC chairman Greg Barclay

portunity for those fans to see their heroes competing for an Olympic medal is tantalising.

"We believe cricket would be a great addition to the Olympic Games, but we know it won’t be easy to secure our inclusion as there are so many other great sports out there wanting to do the same. But we feel now is the time to put our best foot forward and show what a great partnership cricket and the Olympics could be."

The ICC's statement did not clarify which format of the game they would push forward for inclusion.

Cricket officials had pre-

viously floated the idea of indoor or beach cricket for the Olympics, but the 20over game – or even the new 100-ball format recently launched in England – looms as the most likely option.

The ICC's working group will include the chairman of USA Cricket, Paraag Marathe, who will play an important role ahead of what will be the first Games to be held on US soil since 1996.

"With so many passionate cricket fans and players already in the USA, and a huge global audience and following for the sport around the world, we believe that cricket’s inclusion will add great value to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and help us to achieve our own vision for establishing cricket as a mainstream sport in this country," he said.

Women's T20 cricket will be a part of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the first time the sport has been included since 1998, which could provide a template for the Olympics bid.

(Cricket.com.au)

Briana Williams dedicates her medal to late grandma

Briana Williams helped Jamaica to a national record and the Olympic 4x100m title.

JAMAICA’S Olympic Gold medallist Briana Williams is dedicating her top prize to her grandma Nenna, who passed away shortly after the youngest member of the Jamaican team left for Tokyo.

It was supposed to be excitement galore when the newly minted Olympic medallist arrived home, but the sad news of her grandmother put a damper on her jubilation.

Briana Williams, who helped Jamaica to a national record and the 4x100m title in Tokyo, was greeted by her mom at the airport, who broke the sad news.

Shortly after learning about her grandma’s death,

the 19-year-old Olympic Champion informed her social media followers, who poured out their hearts in condolences.

“Just got home and found out that my dear grandmother, who lived with us, passed away soon after I left for the Olympics. They wisely decided to wait until after Tokyo to tell me. I dedicate my Olympic gold medal to her memory and for all she poured into me. Sleep well, Nenna. Thank you. I love you,” she wrote on Facebook.

Within two hours nearly six thousand fans were reacting with sadness emojis and words of sympathy and encouragement.

(CNW)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Windies Women to host South Africa Women in eight-match series

West Indies and South Africa will renew their rivalry in an eight-match series.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies Women will be back in action in the coming weeks when they host South Africa Women in an eight-match series in Antigua at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and the Coolidge Cricket Ground as they build up to the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifiers later this year.

Following their CG Insurance T20I and CG Insurance ODI wins over Pakistan in July in the white-ball formats, West Indies Women will now face the Proteas in three T20 Internationals and five CG Insurance One-Day Internationals. The upcoming series will run from Tuesday, August 31 to Monday, September 19.

West Indies will use the

CG Insurance ODI Series as part of their preparations for the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifiers, as they look to secure a spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand next year.

The marquee 50-over tournament will see 31 matches being played from March 4 to April 3, 2022.

Eight of the world’s best cricket nations will go headto-head in six host cities: Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Ahead of the matches against South Africa, West Indies Women will hold their third High Performance Training Camp this year under the guidance of head coach Courtney Walsh, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) has significantly increased

investment in the West Indies Women’s preparations and in the Women’s game overall.

“We are delighted to have more cricket on the horizon as this will be a vital part of our preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. We are at a crucial juncture as we prepare for this big event and again, we want to thank CWI for organising this camp, the T20Is and the CG Insurance ODI Series to get the girls up to speed,” Walsh said.

“We were fantastic against Pakistan last month and we want to bring that winning momentum into this series of matches as well. We are going in the right direction, with the way we want. There is a lot to play for and we will be up for the challenge.”

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE (with start times) Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground – SVRCG Coolidge Cricket Ground – CCG Sunday, August 29, Intra-squad warm-up match Tuesday, August 31, 1st CG Insurance T20I – SVRG (14:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/13:00hrs Jamaica) Thursday, September 2, 2nd CG Insurance T20I – SVRCG (14;00hrs Eastern Caribbean/13:00hrs Jamaica) Saturday, September 4, 3rd CG Insurance T20I – SVRCG (18:30hrs Eastern Caribbean/17:30hrs Jamaica) Tuesday, September 7, 1st CG Insurance

ODI – CCG (14:45hrs Eastern Caribbean/13:45hrs Jamaica) Friday, September 10, 2nd CG Insurance ODI – CCG (10:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/09:00hrs Jamaica) Monday, September 13, 3rd CG Insurance ODI – CCG (10:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/09:00hrs Jamaica) Thursday, September 16, 4th CG Insurance ODI – SVRCG (10:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/09:00hrs Jamaica) Sunday, September 19, 5th CG Insurance ODI – SVRCG (10:00hrs Eastern Caribbean/09:00hrs Jamaica) (CWI)

IPL 2021: Balls hit for sixes to be replaced with new ones THE 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume on September 19 in the UAE. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already told the eight franchises to enable full vaccination of all members travelling to the UAE. Apparently, the BCCI has given a 46-page report to the franchises and does not want to take any risk whatsoever.

And the BCCI also does not want the same balls to be used after it is getting hit for sixes. During the COVID-19 matches played by different teams, the balls that went for maximums were always sanitised by the umpires and the same ball was used for the next delivery. The BCCI

does not want to take any risk in that aspect as they will completely change the ball during the second half of the IPL. A recent study was shown where there was a minor chance of COVID-19 spreading from the use of the ball and due to that reason, the BCCI is not willing to take any chances for the remainder of the 31 games.

“If the cricket ball goes in the stands or outside the stadium, the fourth umpire will provide a replacement from the library of cricket balls. The previous ball when returned will be sanitised with alcohol-based wipes and/or UV-C by the fourth umpire and placed in the library,” the BCCI circular reads as quoted by Indian

Express.

The BCCI and IPL officials had a meeting recently in Delhi, wherein several pointers were discussed between the two parties. One of the main topics was how BCCI is planning to introduce two new teams in the IPL for the 2022 season.

BCCI has almost processed the tender paper document for the same.

Apart from that, the eight franchises can retain up to three players and can use Right to Match Card (RTM) too in the mega auction set to be held in 2022. Although the player retention numbers are not confirmed yet, it is almost certain that the teams can retain three players. (CricTracker)

Zhang, Alphonso register wins in latest rounds of Youth Online Rapid World Cup … Guyana’s U-14s to compete from today THE National U-12 Open team and the U-16 Girls squad ended their 10 rounds of the Youth Online Rapid Chess World Cup with Alexander Zhang and Adia Alphonso leading the charge.

Both players registered wins yesterday on the last day of their respective competitions.

Zhang, 11, who finished with three points in the U-12 Open,, was able to use his tactics against rated player Andreas Kyriakides (1153) from Cyprus in Round Nine.

He sacrificed his Queen in a forced checkmate.

Mahir Rajkumar, who was outstanding in the earlier rounds, battled well against South Africa’s Remoletile Shuping, but he lost that clash. In the end, experience played a big deal for the pre-teen local chess players. Rajkumar and fellow 10-year-old Omar Shariff finished on two points each, while Enoe Micaiah finished on one point.

In the U-16 Girls' division, Alphonso registered a

Adia Alphonso turned up the heat in the latter stage of the U-16 Girls’ division to finish with 3.5 points.

Alexander Zhang finished with three points in the U-12 Open.

few late wins including one in the tenth round yesterday against Aditi Anant from Cyprus to finish with 3.5 points. The 14-year-old had defeated Panamanian Paola Lopez in Round Eight after gaining a bye in Round Seven and a draw against Bolivian player Rebecca Barnor in Round Five. Her U-16 Girls' partner, Aniyah Couchman finished with 1.5 points in the competition.

Meanwhile, the U-14

Open and the U-14 Girls’ team are set to battle from today in the World Cup. Guyana is represented

by Emmanuel Primus in the U-14 Open and Maliha Rajkumar, Italy Ton-Chung, Naila Rahaman and Pooja Lam in the Girls’ division.

Rajkumar is into her second year in the championships and should be able to use her experience to her advantage.

The World Cup has over 1 600 players from more than 100 countries competing.

Simmons concerned over preparation as Pakistan series looms PAGE

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West Indies head coach, Phil Simmons

Reliance Sports Club lift Shivnandan Madholall memorial trophy

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Reliance Sports Club team and supporters enjoy the moment.

Simmons believes ‘maturing’ Hetmyer will return to Test squad

Shimron Hetmyer played his last Test for West Indies against Afghanistan in November 2019.

SHIMRON Hetmyer last featured in Test back in November 2019 and has not been a part of the red-ball setup for varying reasons.

On Monday, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said he believes the 24-year-old who is showing maturity will add to his 16 Tests to date.

“I think Hetmyer as you say can be a world-class Test player when that time comes,” Simmons stated at a virtual media briefing. “I am sure at some point in time, he will return to the Test squad. I am sure the experience he has gotten from being here before will serve him well and we will make good use of it.”

Fitness has been an issue faced by Hetmyer, having failed two fitness tests within a year, and his output in the red-ball format, despite his undoubted ability, has not

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flourished.

The 24-year-old has five half-centuries and no tons in his 30 innings at the Test level with his average now at 27.93.

“He is maturing as we go along, he has had a few incidents he was not proud of, but he is maturing and I am sure he is going to get back into the Test squad at some point and show what he is made of.”

After the two Tests against Pakistan at Sabina Park, Jamaica, which starts tomorrow, it is understood West Indies will travel to Sri Lanka for a Test series after the World T20 in October-November.

At the end of the inaugural World Test Championship (2019 – 2023), West Indies finished second to last with just three wins from 13 matches.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021