Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 13-10-2022

Stable electricity for thousands in Mahdia

as contract for $362M solar farm signed

By Tamica Garnett

THE government, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), on Wednesday signed a $362 million contract with Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM)

for the construction of a new 686 kilowatt Turn-Key Solar Farm in the Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Sipa runi).

The project is ex pected to be completed by September 2023, and will benefit over

2,880 residents with reliable and efficient supply of electricity.

The solar farm is being financed under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of En ergy (EMISDE) pro

gramme, which is funded by a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the Guy ana Energy Agency (GEA) being respon sible for project management.

Over

rescued turtles

THE South Rupununi Con servation Society (SRCS) in collaboration with Sand Creek Village, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Es sequibo) hosted the sec

ond annual Turtle Festival on Saturday, according to a Facebook post by the SRCS.

“Over 150 children at tended the festival from the

communities of Sawariwau, Katoonarib, Shiriri, Rupunau, Sand Creek, Shulinab and Potarinau,” the group said.

Six hundred turtles that were rescued from flooding

GECOM awaiting APNU+AFC

on

this year by SRCS rangers in Sand Creek were released at the festival. The remain ing 700 rescued turtles will be released this week by the rangers along the Rupununi

River.

The initiative is a partnership involving the Frankfurt Zoological Soci ety, the Sustainable Wildlife Management - Programme

Crime Chief admitted to the bar

Guyana, the Protected Ar eas Commission, Rupununi Livestock Producers As sociation and the Regional Democratic Council of Re gion Nine. (SRCS photos)

with illegal maps of Guyana

Not even a global crisis kept Nicklin Belgrave from her dream

as Parika-born President’s College ‘alum’ is now a lawyer

By Derwayne Wills

OCTOBER is surely the Christmas season for the legal profession, as quipped by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George on Wednesday during the Call to the Bar ceremony of Nick lin Belgrave, a proud native of Parika who stood in the company of her colleagues, friends and family to TAKE her oath as a newlyminted Attorney-at-Law in Guyana.

Presenting Belgrave’s petition was attorneyat-law, Emily Dodson, a woman Belgrave cel ebrated for affording her the “opportunity to get acquainted with the law outside of the classroom.”

Belgrave’s journey was certainly not with out its challenges. She, however, told the court of the relief that came from her social support system, especially her mother and sister.

“Thank you for waking me whenever I would fall asleep with my books, for

listening whenever I need ed to vent about a class you know nothing about, and for everything else that you have been doing throughout my life. It has been quite a lot,” Belgrave said about her mother and sister in remarks fol lowing the acceptance of her application by Chief Justice George.

A moment was also spared to extend gratitude to her colleagues at the Guyana Revenue Author ity (GRA). Eight attorneys packed the courtroom of Chief Justice George on Wednesday morning, an overwhelming show of support.

The newly-minted at torney imagined that her life would have taken an other path if not for the chances that came her way. She explained that in 2016 upon completion of her Bachelor of Laws, fi nancial constraints almost dampened her prospects of attending Hugh Wood ing Law School (HWLS) to acquire her Legal Edu cation Certificate (LEC), which is required for prac

tising law in the Englishspeaking Caribbean.

Belgrave is now part of a fresh batch of lawyers and law school gradu ates awaiting their calls, who were largely con fined to their home and office spaces during the lockdown periods brought on by the two-year COV ID-19 pandemic.

For these fresh legal minds, the HWLS campus would hardly have memo ries for them as their first interaction, if by chance, would have been while attending their graduation ceremony days ago in the twin-island republic, Trinidad and Tobago.

For her part, Chief Jus tice George, following her acceptance of Belgrave’s application, told those gathered that although the legal profession is moving apace with technology, there is still a tradition of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct that must be preserved.

That commitment to the ethical standards of the profession, Chief Jus tice George continued,

Attorney-at-law Nicklin Belgrave (second from left) poses with (from left) her mother, Faith Angel, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, and her sister, Lynceia Angel

must include frankness and fairness to clearly indicate to clients when proposed courses of ac tion cannot be pursued.

Turning her attention to the applicant, Chief Justice George recognized Belgrave’s commitment to both academic excel lence and volunteerism, and urged her to maintain those interests.

Reflecting on her own journey as a lesson to the new counsel, Chief Justice George said she

learned many things over the last five years, noting further that when deci sions are written, they are written not only based on the wisdom of judges, but on the wisdom of counsels which has a di rect bearing on the legal knowledge that is created moving forward.

Chief Justice George advised Belgrave that the legal profession is filled with many challenges, notwithstanding those challenges, she remained

confident that the new attorney will overcome those challenges.

Quoting Langston Hughes against the back drop of her own story, Belgrave ended her re marks to the court with the guidance to “hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a brokenwinged bird that cannot fly.

“Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field, frozen with snow.”

Stable electricity for thousands in Mahdia

By Tamica Garnett

THE government, through the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), on Wednesday signed a $362 million contract with Standby Power Engineering Company (SPECOM) for the construction of a new 686 kilowatt Turn-Key Solar Farm in the Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

The project is ex pected to be completed by September 2023, and will benefit over 2,880 residents with reliable and efficient supply of electricity.

The solar farm is be ing financed under the Energy Matrix Diversi fication and Strengthen ing of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme, which is funded by a loan from the Inter-American De velopment Bank (IDB) with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) being responsible for project management.

The signing of the contract took place at the OPM on Camp Street, where Chief Ex ecutive Officer (CEO) of the GEA, Dr Ma hendra Sharma, and OPM Permanent Sec retary, Derrick Cum

mings signed on behalf of the government, and SPECOM General Man ager, Audrea Cambridge signed on behalf of the company.

The signing was ob served by the Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips.

Commenting on the signing of the contract, Prime Minister Phil lips remarked that the project marks a sub stantial step in bridging the energy disparities between the coastland and hinterland regions.

“This is an important project for us. A lot of people talk about the digital divide [but] as a government we are also committed to bridging the energy divide. With this project, we are pro viding electricity in a renewable form to Mah dia… [to bridge] the energy divide.

“We hear a lot about the development on the coastland but we are also committed to bringing development to the hinterland,” the Prime Minister com mented.

PM Phillips related that the project falls into Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, whereby more and more of the country’s electricity will

be derived from renew able sources as 2030 approaches.

As part of the sus tainable energy transi tion, the government is advancing an energy mix of hydropower, nat ural gas, solar and wind, leading to more than 500 megawatts (MW) of newly-installed ca pacity. This expansion in installed capacity is geared towards ad dressing the anticipated tripling in electricity demand.

Ultimately, these plans will decouple economic growth from using fossil fuels for electricity by develop ing low-carbon energy

resources to meet rap idly rising demand and keep greenhouse gas emissions low.

Under the LCDS, the government’s pro grammes between 2021 and 2022 would see the installation of solar farms at Lethem and Bartica, along with 28 solar mini-grids, and 29 off-grid locations, totalling 3.415MW of installed capacity, and avoiding 3,542 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year; 52,900 persons will benefit.

Currently, electricity for the Mahdia commu nity is being produced and sold to the residents by Mahdia Power and

Light Inc. (MPL) from a 1.5MW diesel genera tion power plant.

Approximately 67 per cent of the MPL’s expenditure, however, is directed to the pur chase of fuel, which has to be transported from Georgetown, some 200km away.

The solar farm is expected to have the capacity to supply elec tricity to the community in excess of two-hours daily without the op eration of diesel genera tors, and overall is ex pected to offset between 30 - 65 per cent of the annual electricity to the Mahdia mini-grid.

“It will not fully re place all of the diesel,” Dr Sharma explained.

“What we want to do is minimise the amount of fossil fuel used for that purpose. So, the project provides energy from the sun to displace some of that energy.

“Sometimes during the day it can supply all of the energy for that particular period,” he explained.

The solar farm is be ing constructed on 1.7 acres of land which will be secured by a two metres high perimeter fencing along with so lar-powered perimeter lighting.

The facility would have two security huts equipped with the nec

essary lighting and lava tory compartments.

The solar farm would be constructed into two identical sub systems with each fac tion having a capacity of 343.2kWp of pho tovoltaic (PV) power connected to 375kW of grid-power inverters, and a storage capacity 750kWh lithium bat tery bank connected to 400kW of grid forming hybrid inverters which will support off-grid operations and cloudcoverage.

With a PV capacity of 686.4kWp, storage of 1,500 kWh and an average peak area load of 375kW, it is antici pated that about 25 per cent fuel saving is likely in the first five to seven years of operation.

When completed, the Mahdia Solar farm will join the one megawatt solar farm at Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequi bo) which was commis sioned in August and has since avoided the consumption of over 72,000 litres of diesel or about 457 drums.

Another 1.5 MW solar farm is also on the cards for Bar tica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and is expected to be commissioned dur ing the last quarter of 2022.

(from left) OPM Permanent Secretary, Derrick Cummings, SPECOM General Manager, Audrea Cambridge, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and GEA CEO, Dr. Mahendra Sharma display copies of the contract (Adrian Narine photo)

SPECOM General Manager, Audrea Cambridge (left) and (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency, Dr. Mahendra Sharma

Mahdia Solar

(Adrian Narine photo)

GOGEC, Nigerian Petroleum Association sign MoU

(PETAN) at the Pegasus Hotel during their visit to Guyana last week to finalise the Memorandum of Under standing,” the release said.

GECOM awaiting APNU+AFC response on information requested by police

THE Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) has signed a Memorandum of Un derstanding (MoU) with the Petroleum Technol ogy Association of Nige ria (PETAN) to facilitate a collaboration that will lead to the exchange of information and sharing of resources between the two parties in the oil and gas sector.

According to a release, this MoU was initiated in Houston, Texas, USA, dur ing the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2022).

“The MoU was recently signed by Mr Manniram Pra shad, President of GOGEC, and Mr Nik Odinuwe, Ex ecutive Chairman of PETAN accompanied by Mr Ranti Omole, Vice-Chairman of the Petroleum Technolo gy Association of Nigeria

It added: “PETAN’s aim is to bring together Nigerian Oil and Gas entrepreneurs to create a forum for the ex change of ideas with major operators and policy-makers, whereas GOGEC’s mission is to ensure that there are equal opportunities for all the operators and potential operators within the industry and promote trade, invest ment and knowledge transfer within the energy sector to all members and stakehold ers.”

Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa. The release noted that as of 2020, Nigeria had the largest oil and gas reserves in the African region, with around 37 million barrels of crude oil and 5.5 billion cubic metres of gas.

THE Guyana Elections Commission has officially written the A Partner ship for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), through the coalition’s chief scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph, on a request for information from the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

A statement from the commission’s secretariat on Wednesday said that infor mation which was initially shared by the coalition al leging voter impersonation in the 2020 General and Re gional Elections (GRE) were handed over to both the GPF and the General Register Of fice (GRO).

“In this regard, the GPF has since requested that the addresses of the alleged persons to be provided,” the statement noted.

GECOM also said: “Whereas the Commis sion is committed to ensure that the concerns raised by the APNU+AFC are adequately addressed in a prioritised manner to en sure a resolution within the shortest time possible, it is of crucial importance to note that, notwithstanding GECOM is the custodian of the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB) which contains personal information of all registrants, the Commis sion cannot release such information to the GPF owing to legal confidential ity issues that might arise.”

GOGEC President Manniram Prashad exchanges handshakes with PETAN Chairman, Nik C. Odinuwe as

Crime Chief admitted to the bar

in fulfilment of long-held dream

By Clestine Juan

WHAT started as a dream 24 years ago has now become a reality for Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who was on Wednesday admitted to the local Bar by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George at the Demerara High Court.

The Deputy Commis sioner of Police’s peti tion was presented by his wife, prominent attorneyat-law Latchmie Raha mat.

Several senior police officers along with Min ster of the Public Service, Sonia Parag, who is also an attorney, were present with Blanhum’s relatives to witness the special oc casion.

“This was indeed a challenging but reward ing journey with detours that took me into the rank and file of the Guyana Police Force more than 24 years ago,” Blanhum said, explaining that it was his childhood dream to be an attorney.

He said that this jour ney would not have been possible without the love and support of his wife, who is now his senior in the legal profession.

“It would be remiss of me not to give recogni tion to you as the person who revived and reignited that boyhood dream of becoming an Attorney-atLaw that I had forgotten years ago while I pursued and excelled in my po licing career,” Blanhum said.

The newly-sworn at torney also thanked his family for their support throughout all of his aca demic pursuits.

He explained that while growing up his mother always believed that he would make an excellent attorney; how ever, after completing secondary school, financ es proved to be a barrier to pursuing this dream. At age 18, he joined the Guyana Police Force.

Blanhum adds yet an other qualification to his record which includes qualifications in publi cation management and administration.

He is also trained in

crime-prevention polic ing; investigation of or ganized crimes for the Americas; policing and management; intelli gence-led policing and law enforcement leader ship, to name a few.

“I always give 100 per cent in everything I do. I am a full-time police of ficer, full-time husband, full-time father and was, over the last five years, a full-time student.

“As a result, I had sev eral experiences where work and school duties overlapped. Fortunately, I was always able to wear all my caps comfortably,” Blanhum said.

He reflected that one of the “remarkable expe riences of overlap” that created an indelible im pression on his mind was on the day of his Civil Practice and Procedure Examination Year II, the same day when a fire blazed the Criminal In vestigations Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary, Georgetown.

“Mere hours before the exam while I was re viewing notes, I received a distress report from my ranks that there was an active fire at the Criminal Investigations Depart ment (CID) Headquarters and as the head of the CID and the country’s serving crime chief, I was duty-bound to visit the scene, assess the situation and thereafter report to

my superiors,” he added.

As he continued to reflect on his journey, Blanhum recalled when he was removed from his crime chief duties in 2017 by the David Granger-led coalition government and was posted to Region One (Barima-Waini) while pursuing his legal stud ies at the University of Guyana.

“I was posted to Re gion One and could not physically attend all my classes. Your Honour, many persons in this situ ation would have given up and quit; however, I was determined to suc ceed, no matter what the circumstances were that presented itself.

“I was always mo tivated by the follow ing quote that ‘when you shine your own light, dream your own dream,

follow your own star, anything is possible.’ And I made the impossible possible through the help of my colleagues and lecturers who were kind enough to excuse my ab sence from some of their classes,” he said.

During his speech, the crime chief also thanked Minister of Home Af fairs, Robeson Benn; Commissioner of Police (ag), Clifton Hicken; Per manent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs,

Mae Touissant Jr. Thomas and others for their con tinued support during his studies.

“I am fully aware that the legal profession is a noble profession and therefore I undertake to conduct myself in a man ner that preserves and strengthens the dignity, honour, and ethics of the profession,” he said.

The chief justice wel comed Blanhum to the bar and urged him to commit to the hard work

that success entails and to commit to conduct ing thorough research to serve his clients and the citizens of this nation.

She also reminded him that he is not only a police officer, but now an officer of the court and has a new added respon sibility to guide his ranks when it comes to the rule of law.

“I am confident that you will do your best,” the chief justice said to Blanhum.

From left: Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, newly-sworn attorney, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, his relative and his wife, attorney Latchmie Rahamat with their daughter (Elvin Carl Croker photo)

Universal Secondary Education

ACCORDING to Educa tion Minister Priya Man ickchand, Guyana is on course to provide univer sal secondary education to all Guyanese students following the completion of the primary education cycle.

This is indeed a wel come development. What this meant in effect is that students on completion of their primary education would no longer be placed at community high schools or ‘primary tops’ if they did not obtain the required marks at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.

Those institutions do not allow students to prepare adequately for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC). And for many, it

was just a case of marking time until the end of the formal education cycle.

Since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) assumed office in 1992, much was done to correct that unfortu nate situation. Under the Secondary School Re form Programme (SSRP,) a significant number of ‘primary tops’ and com munity high schools were upgraded to discrete sec ondary schools to provide students with an oppor tunity to prepare for the CSEC examinations.

In addition, several new secondary schools were constructed. Expan sions were also done to several others to accom modate more students who could benefit from second ary education.

And, as pointed out by Minister Manickchand, the rebuilding of St Rose’s High School and the North Ruimveldt Secondary School, and the construc tion of the Yarrowkabra Secondary School, the Good Hope Secondary School, and the expansion of other schools such as East Ruimveldt Second ary, Queen’s College and the Bishops’ High School, will create more space to accommodate the growing number of learners.

The fact is that under the previous People’s Na tional Congress (PNC)controlled administration, the education sector was severely under-resourced, both in terms of trained teachers and the availabil ity of adequate secondary school places.

More than half of the students who wrote the then Common Entrance examination were sent to community high schools or the tops of primary schools.

One consequence of the neglect of the educa tion sector in general and the secondary education programme by the PNC regime was a steep decline in student-attainment lev els at the CSEC examina tions.

Such was the extent of the decline that Guyana was ranked as the lowestperforming country at the regional examinations.

All of that has now changed, thanks to the emphasis placed by the PPP/C administration on the education sector. Presi dent, Dr Mohamed Irfaan

Ali has indicated that the government plans to al locate 20 per cent of the country’s budget to expand and improve the education sector.

This commitment was made at a leaders’ roundta ble on transforming educa tion worldwide during one of the sessions chaired by President Ali at the United Nations headquarters re cently in New York.

The reform of the secondary education pro gramme is an integral part of the modernization of the education system as a whole, especially in the context of the transforma tion processes which are now taking place in the country. And according to President Ali, his ad ministration is working to create a 21st-century edu

cation system in the coun try which will see, among other developments, free education from nursery to university levels.

These are indeed laud able and forward-looking approaches on the part of President Ali and the PPP/C administration. Ed ucation is the main vehicle for economic and social progress as the experi ences of so many countries in the world have demon strated.

But at an even more fundamental level, it leads to a situation of empowerment of a criti cal mass of people, both at the cultural and intel lectual levels which is a critical ingredient as we seek to advance the ‘One Guyana’ agenda as envis aged by President Ali.

October 5th 1992 was a watershed moment in Guyana’s history

Dear Editor,

MONDAY, October 5th 1992, is a day to remember in Guyana and by Guya nese wherever they live. It marked the return to de mocracy after nearly three decades of dictatorial rule by the People’s National Congress. It marked the first free and fair elections since 1964. It marked the return of the People’s Pro gressive Party to govern ment. It marked the return of progress and prosperity to a land defined by acute suffering, hardships, pover ty and hunger for 28 years. And above all, it marked the return of dignity and self-respect to Guyanese who were tired of escap ing to all parts of the globe

in an effort to earn three square meals.

On that day the PPP end ed 28 years of PNC dictator ship. It was the first free and fair election since 1964. The People’s Progressive Party ended the People’s National Congress’ 28-year rule, win ning 28 of the 53 seats in the National Assembly and 53.5 per cent of the votes cast. The PNC managed just 42.31 per cent. I will just give one example of the shameless and blatant rigging which took place in the past. When the results of the 1985 Elections were announced, the PNC under the late Hugh Desmond Hoyte, gave the PNC a land slide victory with 228,718 votes or 77.6 per cent of the votes cast. The PPP was giv

en 45,926 votes or 15.6 per cent. Thus, the PNC rigged itself to 42 seats, gave the PPP eight seats, the UF two seats and the WPA one seat in the National Assembly.

This was the worst rigged election in Guyana. Similar riggings took place in 1968, 1973, and 1980, but what was crystal clear was that the rigging became increasingly worse: in 1968 the PNC had 55.8 per cent, in 1973 it was 70.1 per cent, in 1980 it was 77.6 per cent and in 1985 it was 78.5 per cent of the total votes cast. It defies logic and imagination that having ‘won’ 78.5 per cent in 1985, the PNC’s votes fell to 42.3 per cent in 1992. It’s quite re markable that its support fell by 36.2 per cent a mere six

years later. What more proof is needed to prove PNC’s massive rigging?

However, the PPP wasted no time in rebuilding the country and in 23 years Guy ana moved rapidly from a low-income and highly in debted country to a middleincome developing country. Unfortunately, in 2015 the Coalition deceived some Guyanese with false prom ises and managed a one-seat majority which saw Guyana once again rapidly descend ing into bankruptcy and a budding dictatorship, not un like the old PNC. However, the PPP never balked in its fight against the PNC but this time Dr Jagdeo, as the new Leader of the Opposition, managed to do the impossible

in just five years, but not after five months of intense strug gle against the most blatant attempted rigging by the PNC and its ally, the AFC. Ironi cally, it was the same leaders of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjat tan and Moses Nagamootoo who fought against the PNC riggings from 1968 to1985.

March 2nd, 2020 and the five months aftermath will also go down in Guyanese history as a period when it was power at all and any cost with no consideration that the entire world was looking on.

Guyanese owe an eter nal debt of gratitude to the leaders of the PPP, past and present and the indefatigable freedom lovers who relent lessly fought the PNC behe moth and its later hybrid (the

Coalition) and ensured that our democracy prevailed. It was a long and hard battle which began with Dr Ched di Jagan in British Guiana, fighting against the colonial masters, then the PNC dic tatorship.

In closing I must pay tribute to an ‘Iron Lady’ who fought and helped win our democracy and freedom. Mrs Philomena Sahoye-Shury, aptly nicknamed ‘the Fireball,’ has earned her place in the an nals, alongside the freedom fighters of the world. What we are enjoying and what the future generations will enjoy is a result of unselfish people like her.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Public Debate on the Dutch Disease and the Political Opposition’s Counter Proposals on Economic Issues: Joel Bhagwandin versus Elson Lowe (Conclusion)

By Joel Bhagwandin

THE Dutch disease is not present in any form at this time, largely on account of the current government’s strong commitment to tan gibly rebuild the tradi tional productive sectors, and the advancement of an ambitious economic diversification programme through improved national competitiveness, inter alia, cheaper energy, the region al food and energy security agenda, etc. However, it is worth mentioning that the economic path that the economy previously came out of under the previ ous administration during 2015–2020, had that trend continued, the economy would have most certainly experienced far greater symptoms of the Dutchdisease syndrome by now, as evidently demonstrated

Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin

in the aforementioned find ings and analyses. Notwithstanding this, the paradoxical Dutch dis ease is a cause for concern by the policymakers of the day, but it is one of those risks that has to be man aged. The degree to which

this can be prevented or avoided, depends on the ac tion of government today, the type of policies being pursued, the economic di versification and develop ment plan being pursued and the strategic allocation of resources. At this time, it can be safely concluded that the government is ab solutely committed to do all of the right things (as pre viously mentioned to avoid the dreaded disease) as is tangibly demonstrated thus far. In other words, the current government is so far managing the economy well, while being cognisant of the Dutch disease and is undertaking prudent measures to prevent such occurrence.

SUBSIDISING FUEL IMPORTERS – ELSON LOWE’S PROPOSAL

Economic Adviser to the Opposition Leader, Elson

Lowe, made a proposal to the government to subsidise fuel importers to ease the highcost burdens owing to rising fuel prices. More recently, he went further to propose that the government should subsidise electricity bills for the vulnerable.

BHAGWANDIN’S RE

SPONSE

Lowe failed to perform any analysis to justify his recommendation as stated above and demonstrate the feasibility of both options. In the case of the second option, to subsidise electricity for the vulnerable, Lowe has no clue what he was talking about,

because the government has already subsidised electricity for the entire country and not just the vulnerable. In this regard, though the fuel cost for power generation has increased substantially, the government did not increase electricity rates, which

Dear Editor, THE announcement by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to provide a oneoff cash grant of $28,000 to Old Age pensioners is a welcome move and an indication of the govern ment’s commitment to the elderly and the more vulnerable segments of the population.

This is indeed a wel come gesture which, when taken together with other relief measures such as free potable water to pensioners, removal of VAT on water and electricity and improved health care delivery, will

go a far way in terms of enhancing the quality of life of our senior citizens.

There are not many countries in the world where non-contributory pensions are payable to senior citi zens. Moreover, the means test had been abolished and pensions are paid across the board, regardless of income levels.

There was a time when the pension payable could hardly buy a loaf of bread, not to mention some cheese to go with it. Today, it is much more substantial and pensioners are in a much better position to cope with

the demands of daily life.

In addition, it is much less cumbersome for pen sioners to access payments. The indignity of long lines at post offices and pension ers having to line up early in the mornings out of fear that money will run out is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

It is said that a soci ety is judged by the way it treats with its children and the elderly. The PPP/C administration is doing a commendable job in this regard.

Yours sincerely, Hydar Ally

Poetry Rx, a wonderful book

Dear Editor, RECENTLY, a friend gifted me a book, “Po etry Rx” by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. The sub title is, “How fifty inspir ing poems can heal and bring joy to your life.” Dr Rosenthal, a renowned psychiatrist, is also a New

York Times bestselling au thor. Poetry has not been a big part of my adult life. This book revived my in terest. It is most edifying and enjoyable. The writer is learned and treats each poem as the gem it is, breaks down the meaning and shows us how we can

apply the insights, lessons and wisdom of the poem to our lives. He also tells us about the life of each poet. I highly recommend the book not just to poetry lovers, but to readers in general.

Yours faithfully, Sieyf Shahabuddeen

The government is committed to the elderly and more vulnerable segments of the population

Petro Dollars and Sense!

GLOBAL energy mar kets continuing to be severely disrupted sev en months after the Ukraine war started and Europe decided to wean itself of Russian gas. Every indication is the fighting will con tinue longer than can be predicted, while the world’s richest nations face unprecedented inflation ahead of a biting global recession and poor nations pay highest prices, especially for food and fuel. Europe is trying hard to secure energy supplies ahead of possibly its worst winter in four decades. The global oil market is both full and emptying, as pro

ducers protect prices and anxious businesses and consumers line up to fill their tanks and boost reserves. This series examines some of Guyana’s options at home, regionally and on the world market -- as the world’s latest and fastest-growing emerging oil producer -- today and tomor row, ahead of the Final Quarter of the 21st Year of Century 21.

A lady friend who normally needles my brain with penetrating questions was at it again on Monday night, when she called to discuss ‘Things That Matter Today’ (theme for our almost-daily conversa

tions). And this is how it went…

SHE: With its budget expanding by almost 50 per cent annually and oil reserves in the bil lions of gallons, when will the Guyana gov ernment start caring and sharing about the rest of CARICOM?’

ME: What’s your hurry? The Guyana government is only two years old…

SHE: What they waiting for? Another COVID? Or another set of hurricanes? Guy ana is building-back its highways and bridg es quickly and they’re about to construct a whole new Smart City, so why not also start helping us with our main problems in the Caribbean too?

ME: How?

SHE: They can give each island an annual donation, alongside a long-term interest-free loan, like how the Chi nese are doing with their ‘Belt & Road’ deal.

ME: Guyana’s oil and gas is still very much below the ocean floor and what’s being

extracted is still very small by total estimates.

SHE: All the more reason for them to be more generous to us, who welcomed Guy anese with open arms when things were bad with them.

ME: You behaving like you want Guyana to become CARICOM’s ATM…

SHE: No, I am only asking them to lead the way in construction of a new CARICOM, with an in-house partner that can better understand our needs than Amer ica, Britain, Japan and China. All I’m saying is, I hope Guyana learns from Trinidad and Toba go and Guyanese don’t go about flashing oil dollars in our faces to morrow, like the Trinis did back then, when (Prime Minister Dr) Eric Williams made the very big mistake of say ing ‘Oil can’t spoil…’

ME: That was about 50 years ago, but a bar rel of oil was already worth US $140 and Trinidad & Tobago was truly swimming in mon ey. But even today, the world market price per barrel is nowhere near that, so Guyana isn’t making that amount of money in the new norm.

SHE: But given the volatility in the oil mar ket today, with the US even getting vex with Saudi Arabia for joining OPEC and Russia to raise energy prices, is Guyana ready to tap that market?

ME: I suspect Exx on-Mobil and Hess will first sell every barrel they can to the US, but

if Guyana’s oil is to be sold on the European market, I suspect it will be the oil companies making the deals -- and paying the taxes to Guy ana. But Guyana is in the oil business for dol lars and not cents and I don’t see this adminis tration playing politics with oil, or ‘weaponis ing’ its gas, as they say now.

SHE: But Guyana must also guard against oil theft… BBC just reported last weekend the Nigeria national oil company has only now discovered, after nine years, there was an illegal pipeline in its production machinery selling oil on high seas.

ME: That is a nauti cal version of highway robbery, but I am sure that while Guyana is a rookie on the global oil block, it’s grownup tough in a rough neighbourhood and I don’t see this govern ment rolling over to be walked upon, or closing its eyes to the experi ences of others, which are reported in real time by today’s mainstream and social media… I’d rather think they are quietly, even silently, taking notes and getting ready to do those things that will allow Guyana to continue to carefully milk its new cash cow instead of hurrying the job and risk kicking the bucket, or spoiling the milk.

SHE: But back to my earlier question… When will Guyana start giving us a helping hand?

ME: Guyana has shown its willingness to

help. Some wrongfully claim ‘only Barbados’ is getting help, but it seems to me Barbados is formally seeking and arranging co-operation and assistance faster than other CARICOM states. Just check how many times Prime Min ister Mottley has been to Guyana in the past year, to attend multi lateral conferences and sign agreements. I think it’s we who are mov ing by turtle pace and communicating by snail mail while Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica move faster. It’s we who have to move faster…

SHE: From what I see, the government seems to be using the money well and spread ing it far and wide across Guyana, but I hope, for our sakes, they are putting something aside to help us…

ME: Guyana is taking a ‘Dollars and Sense’ approach to its oil and gas future and I have no doubt good sense will prevail in its management of taxpay ers’ money. But again, as to be expected in the economics of Caribbean politics, ‘Charity must begin at home…’ And in that regard, I feel this Guyana government has been more than just charitable.

SHE: ‘Yeah? Let’s hope you don’t choke on their oil and gas promises.

ME: If I do, you’ll surely be glad to give me a big glass of wa ter – and remind me later.

Facebook, Twitter asked to remove posts with illegal maps of Guyana

THE Chief Executive Offic ers of Facebook and Twitter have been written to in light of a renewed orchestrated disinformation campaign being waged against Guyana by a number of Spanish-lan guage social media accounts claiming Guyana’s territory by publishing illegal maps. In his letters to Facebook and Twitter CEOs, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud high

lighted that those social media operatives have been utilising Facebook and Twitter platform, to propagate a false narrative regarding the extant matter of the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela about the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award which settled the land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

Mr. Persaud stated, “I wish to point out that Facebook (and

Twitter) posts and the subse quent comments surrounding the particular posts, have the potential to permanently dam age relations between states, incite violence against the ter ritory and people of Guyana, and derail the current adjudi cation of the matter before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

The Foreign Secretary in formed that the land boundary

Public Debate on the Dutch...

FROM PAGE 7

means that this increased cost has been absorbed by the power company, which is effectively a subsidy.

To further understand this level of increase, about 20 per cent of the country’s total fuel-import bill accounts for electricity generation. Prior to the rising fuel prices, with no substantial increase in demand, the country’s to tal fuel-import bill stood at about US$500 million, of which about US$100 mil lion accounts for electricity generation for the country.

Following the rising fuel price, the total import bill amounted to about US$823 million, representing a 65 per cent increase. As such, fuel imports for electricity generation have amounted to US$165 million, repre senting an increase of 65 per cent or US$65 million. None of this cost was passed onto consumers, which means that the government has already subsidised the entire coun try, a fact about which Elson Lowe is utterly clueless.

The same argument / analysis is applicable to an other of Lowe’s proposals, whereby he suggested that the government should take the increased earnings from the higher price on Guy ana’s share of crude oil from the profit-oil and provide subsidies to the vulnerable. Again, while Guyana ben efitted from the higher price on its share of crude oil, as shown above, this increase was more than offset by the increased cost for the fuelimport bill of the country, of over US$300 million or 65 per cent, from US$500 mil lion to US$823 million.

WINDFALL

TAX – PROPOSED BY ELSON LOWE

Following the introduc tion of a “windfall” tax on oil and gas companies in the United Kingdom (UK) on the back of soaring oil prices earlier this year, the

Elson Lowe / the political opposition and others have been calling for a similar measure to be implemented in Guyana.

Bhagwandin’s Argument

It is critical that one seeks an understanding and appreciation for the current situation in the United King dom, the precedence and jus tification for the measure and more importantly, the fiscal regime for the oil and gas sector in the United King dom. While it is always good to examine comparatively these issues across other countries in the world with a view to apply similar policies in the home country, context is particularly important. Within this framework, the situational contexts are often times fundamentally differ ent, hence, not pragmatically applicable.

The fiscal regime applied to the oil and gas sector in the United Kingdom prior to introduction of the windfall tax (energy profits levy) in May 2022, comprised three elements, namely (1) ring-fence corporation tax (RFCT), (2) petroleum rev enue tax (PRT), and (3) sup plementary charge (SC). It is worthwhile to highlight that the UK’s fiscal regime is designed with a number of built-in incentives. For example, the 25 per cent tax levy or windfall tax includes an additional investment al lowance of 80 per cent that can be claimed at the point of investment. Overall, the tax-relief companies receive from qualifying expenditure in the UK has nearly doubled from 46p for every £1 to 91p for every £1. Put differently, for every US$1 billion in vested in the UK oil and gas industry, the oil companies receive US$912.5 million in tax relief under the new (cur rent) scheme.

A comparative analysis conducted by this author demonstrates clearly that the economic situation and

the fiscal regime for the oil and gas industry in the UK are completely different when compared to Guyana altogether. In fact, the com parative assessment revealed that Guyana’s fiscal regime allows for a relatively higher government take, even when the 25 per cent windfall tax is applied to the fiscal regime as in the UK – that is to say, should the UK’s fiscal re gime be applied to Guyana. The oil and gas revenue contributes just about 2.5 per cent of government’s total revenue in the UK, while in Guyana the contribution to total revenue is about 40 per cent, based on the projec tions for 2022. The windfall tax was introduced in the UK because the fiscal regime over the years have undergone sev eral changes aimed at making the industry more competitive and to attract new investments in the industry. For example, the PRT was reduced from 50 per cent in 1993 to zero per cent in 2016.

See my full analysis here: https://guyanachroni cle.com/2022/09/26/shouldguyana-apply-a-windfalltax-like-the-uk-did-part-1-2/.

CONCLUDING RE MARKS

The Economic Adviser to the Opposition Leader, Elson Lowe, has failed the people of Guyana and more so their constituents to prove that they are a better alternative for the economic prosperity of the country. To this end, Lowe back-pedalled from a unique opportunity to debate and defend his party’s coun ter proposals and other posi tions on economic matters of the country. This of itself speaks volumes, which is an unfortunate situation.

As demonstrated in this special article, the counter proposals on the economy by Elson Lowe are poorly thought out, lacking in depth and rigour, and are divorced from pragmatism and reality.

between Guyana and Venezuela was settled by a legal process of International Arbitration on October 3, 1899, pursuant to an 1897 Treaty of Washington by which both parties agreed to re spect the results of the arbitra tion as a full, perfect and final settlement of the boundary.

At that time, Guyana was British Guiana, a colony of Great Britain.

As required by the 1897 Treaty of Washington and the 1899 Arbitral Award, the boundary as determined by the Award was demarcated on the ground between 1900 and 1904 by Commissioners appointed by Britain and Venezuela.

On January 7, 1905, the of ficial boundary map delineating the boundary as awarded and demarcated, was drawn up and signed by the Commissioners of both Britain and Venezuela and promulgated in George town, at the Combined Court.

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud

That boundary and the cor responding territory of Guyana are internationally recognised, including by the United Na tions, Mr. Persaud pointed out in the letter.

“In this regard, I am requesting that these types of Facebook posts (and Twit ter) which violate the ba sic tenet of international

relations between States, the sovereignty and territo rial integrity of the Coop erative Republic of Guyana and incite a threat of use of force against Guyana, be removed forthwith and more stringent measure be taken against their publications,” the Foreign Secretary’s let ter urged. (DPI)

Guyana to write CARICOM over delayed issuance of Surinamese fishing licences

minister’s promise to issue licences to fisherfolk here in Guyana.

In the email dated De cember 13, 2020, which was seen by this publica tion, Suriname’s Agricul ture Minister informed Mustapha that the fishing licences would be issued from January 1, 2021.

Port Mourant and Skel don Community Centre grounds.

He related that Guyana has been waiting long enough and it is time that the Surinamese authorities fulfill their commitment.

FOLLOWING the re lease of an email sent by Surinamese Minis ter of Agriculture, Live stock and Fisheries, Parmanand Sewdien, to Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, vindicating the agreement for the provision of Surinamese fishing licences to Guya nese fisherfolk, Guy ana has decided to forge ahead with its decision to write the Caribbean Community (CARI

COM) on the delayed delivery.

“They promised us, they made a commitment, also we would have sub mitted all the documents that they called for and all that they wanted and we were waiting on them,” Mustapha said in an invit ed comment on Wednes day.

The email, which, ac cording to the minister was leaked to the Suri namese parliament, vin dicated the Surinamese

Additionally, Sewdi en wrote that a govern ment company will be appointed to oversee the registration of vessels and issuance of licences to Guyanese fishermen.

Last month, Guyana’s Vice President, Dr. Bhar rat Jagdeo, announced that Guyana will be writing CARICOM over the har assment of local fishermen by Suriname’s authorities and the country’s failure to honour a written agree ment to provide 150 li cences to local fisherfolk.

The Vice President had outlined Guyana’s posi tion twice in front of hun dreds of fisherfolk at the

“We recognised the injustices that are meted out to fishermen from Guyana. We recognise the capricious nature of the Surinamese Govern ment and the corruption in Suriname that is prevent ing this issue from being resolved,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

He added: “There are officials in Suriname who are totally corrupt and do not want to see this mat ter resolved because it affects their pockets…. It seems as though that these individuals whoever they are — are so powerful in Suriname – that they can negate a promise made by the President of Suri name.”

In July of this year, three Guyanese fisher men were detained by Surinamese authorities for

fishing in that country’s waters and their vessels were seized. The men de tained were identified as Ramesh Ramchand and Mahendra Bissessar of Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Troy Tyrell of Lusignan, ECD.

On September 5, the Government of Guyana, in a statement, condemned the harassment of Guy anese fisherfolk by the Surinamese Government, inclusive of its failure to grant licences to local

fishermen in keeping with the commitment made to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on November 26, 2020, during a visit to Suriname.

During the Novem ber 2020 visit, Minister Mustapha had met with Minister Sewdien, and requested the issuance of 150 SK licences, which would allow Guyanese fishermen to ply their trade in Suriname waters.

Minister Mustapha re called the earlier discus sions between President Ali and the President of Suriname, Chandrikaper sad Santokhi, that there should be an agreement on the issuance of the number of licences requested by Guyana.

At the last meeting of President Ali and President Santokhi in Georgetown, it was agreed that by January 1, 2022, arrangements would have been put in place to facilitate the issuance of the 150 SK licences to Guyanese fishermen.

Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Parmanand Sewdien

Ellen Gopaul, the Canadian High Commissioner for the day

ON Tuesday, October 11, as the world celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child, the High Commission of Canada in Guyana hosted the fifth edition of its High Com missioner for the Day con test.

According to a release, the contest is organised yearly to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child to give young girls between the ages for 15 to 20 years the opportunity to experience a day in the life of the High Commissioner of Canada.

The contest was done in the form of video submis sions discussing the topic “What role do you believe girls can play to contribute to food security?” A panel of judges from the High Commission then reviewed the submissions to choose the girl with the best points.

This year, the High Commission of Canada, in a release, announced that El len Gopaul won the contest.

knowledged the importance of recognising the struggles girls face and the benefits of ensuring that they have access to opportunities.

During the presentation of the items, Gopaul spoke about the benefits of pro viding sports and hygiene packages to school and how it would contribute to posi tive adolescent activities and interactions.

After the event at the Ministry of Health, Gopaul then had the opportunity to meet with the staff at the High Commission to understand their roles and the operation of the mis sion. She also had a oneon-one conversation with High Commissioner Ber man where she discussed her passion for service to others and also shared some of her goals.

At noon, Gopaul then attended a small lunch re ception which was planned in her honour where she was able to engage with several women who are outstanding

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

She also learnt about the importance of taking risks and seizing opportunities as she pursues her academic and professional goals, the release said.

As her engagements continued as High Com missioner, she then had the opportunity to meet with the Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Containers Inc., Patricia Bacchus, who is a board member of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce.

Bacchus, who is a trained lawyer and suc cessful business leader, an swered questions from Ellen about the company’s op erations, being assertive as a woman in business and her experiences studying law since that is Gopaul’s field of study. Ellen explained that she was very motivated by Bacchus’ journey and would take her advice on navigating the world of work.

After the meeting with Bacchus, the day ended on a high note with Gopaul meeting First Lady, Arya Ali, where she shared some of the ideas she had for community projects and the First Lady discussed some of the work that she has on-going, inclusive of more beautification projects across Guyana.

Gopaul, who is 20 years old, is currently complet ing a Diploma in Public Management as a precursor to studying law. She is also a volunteer and the event coordinator at the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC).

At the start of her day as the High Commissioner of Canada, Gopaul visited the Ministry of Health to hand over packages of sports and hygiene equipment as part of the ‘Promoting Safe and Healthy Learning & Liv ing Environments’ Project supported by Canada and UNICEF Guyana.

RECOGNISING THE STRUGGLES OF GIRLS

There, the release not ed that Gopaul was able to meet Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony and UNICEF representative, Nicolas Pron, who both congratulated her on her new role for the day and ac

in their fields. In attend ance were Rowena Elliott, the President of Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana; Joana Robertson, Climate Smart Agriculture Officer at the Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean (SAC) Pro ject; Milagro Matus, the Deputy Programme Manag er for Agriculture and AgroIndustrial Development at CARICOM and from the High Commission, Caro line Mireault, Political Counsellor; Jessica Teas dale, Head of Aid; Kalima Ali, Senior Development Officer and Roberta Fergu son, Public Affairs Officer.

During the lunch recep tion, Gopaul learnt about their pathways to their careers and participated in an enlightening discus sion about agriculture in the Caribbean and how youth and women can be included

High Commissioner Berman also used the op portunity to update the First Lady on some of the pro jects that the High Com mission is working on cur rently.

At the end of the day Gopaul expressed that she had one of the most unfor gettable days of her life and she was thankful for the experience and opportunity to network with influential women.

The High Commission of Canada in the release said that it was pleased to be able to facilitate this activity for the fifth year as well as with the overwhelming response from young girls interested in the contest.

“Canada recognises the importance of creating space for girls to flourish, to demonstrate their po tential and to have their voices heard. The High Commission will continue to use its platform to af ford girls the opportunity to see themselves in any role they desire,” the re lease concluded.

From left: High Commissioner Mark Berman, First Lady Arya Ali and High Commissioner for the Day, Ellen Gopaul

From bottom left: Jake Thomas, Senior Trade Commissioner (Canada); Patricia Bacchus, CEO of Caribbean Containers Inc.; Ellen Gopaul, High Commissioner for the Day and High Commissioner, Mark Berman

China’s Communist Party congress to begin Oct 16

By Samuel Sukhnan dan in Beijing

CHINA’S ruling Com munist Party will hold its national congress on October 16, when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third five-year term as party general-secretary and the country’s top leader.

The twice-a-decade conclave will also see personnel changes in the party’s powerful deci sion-making body, the 25-member Politburo and the seven-member Politburo Standing Com mittee, the party’s high est circle of power.

Nearly 2,300 dele gates representing all provinces and regions in China are expected to convene in Beijing to elect the Central Com mittee, with over 200 full members and 150 alternate members.

So far, each electoral unit across the country has convened a party congress or party rep resentative meeting and elected 2,296 delegates to the 20th Party Con gress, according to Chi na’s state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV).

Aside from that, the seventh plenary session of the Communist Par

ty’s 19th Central Com mittee, which is expected to run for around four days, will discuss a draft work report to be deliv ered by President Xi at the congress and finalise plans for China’s top leadership for the next five years.

The work report, which will outline basic policies and develop ment goals of the party and the world’s secondlargest economy through 2027, is also expected to detail achievements in the 10 years since Xi became party chief.

President Xi rose to the post at the 18th Na tional Congress in 2012

and took office in March of the following year.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Under his leadership, China has witnessed enormous economic growth and solidified its standing as an eco nomic and geopolitical superpower. China has also become the world’s dominant manufacturer of almost everything, as well as the main trading partner for most of the developing world.

Poverty elimination was one of President Xi’s signature national policies. Since he took power, China has also lifted over 100 million members of its rural pop ulation out of poverty and has embarked on a long-term goal of achiev ing developed-nation sta tus by 2035.

A resolution on the country’s modern history was adopted by the Chi na Communist Party last year, which touted his accomplishments since he became its leader.

The previous con gress in 2017 enshrined in the party constitution, “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” which made his status comparable to Communist-led China’s founding father, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xi aoping, the architect of the country’s reform en deavours.

President Xi’s term in office has also been initially marked by an ambitious foreign policy of strengthening Chi na’s global leadership through the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as by territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Confidence

Domestically, the country has grappled with slowed econom ic growth and repeated lockdowns owing to President Xi’s insist ence on stamping out the COVID-19 pandemic through a strict “ZeroCOVID Policy.”

After a two-month lockdown of its financial hub, Shanghai, and a default crisis in the real estate sector, China’s economy teetered on the verge of contraction in the second quarter, growing by only 0.4 per cent.

Despite this, many world leaders, includ ing former President Mr Donald Ramotar, have expressed a strong belief that the Communist Par ty, led by President Xi, can turn things around and return China to a path of massive growth and development.

In fact, Mr Ramo tar told China Daily’s “Wired Column” recent ly, “I have full confi dence in the Communist Party of China,” refer ring to China’s develop

ment. He believes that China’s eradication of absolute poverty is a great achievement.

The Chinese Commu nist Party is now working to tackle “relative pov erty,” which is the state of having standard living expenses that cannot be met with the household income. While this will be a much more difficult task, Mr Ramotar said, looking back at China’s development, the Chi nese Communist Party has always found crea tive solutions to complex issues.

Mr Ramotar, who met with President Xi in 2013 in Trinidad and Tobago during a China-Caribbe an bilateral engagement, has often spoke highly of China’s development and its important contri bution to safeguarding world peace and assist ing developing countries.

The 20th National Congress of the Com munist Party, the most important political event in China this year, is expected to run for one week.

(Reporting courtesy of NCN Editor, Samuel Sukhnandan, who is currently in Beijing on a China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2022 Fellowship at the in vitation of the China Public Diplomacy As sociation)

President Xi Jinping is set to secure a third term as China’s leader (AFP photo)

Award programme recognising quality goods, services of local businesses launched

By Clestine Juan

THE Guyana National Bu reau of Standards (GNBS), on Wednesday, launched its National Quality Awards Programme for 2023 at the National Exhi bition Centre, Sophia

The NQA programme is Guyana’s first quality system-based award pro gramme, which seeks to rec ognise local businesses that demonstrate commitment to implementing quality systems and best practices in the production of goods and services.

Speaking during the launch, GNBS Marketing Officer, George Defreitas said that the award seeks to recognise local businesses for their commitment to quality and standard.

Businesses from the manufacturing sector, ser vices sector (financial, tour ism and hospitality, pro fessional services, etc.), small businesses and micro/

agro-processing businesses can participate in the award programme.

Application fees to par ticipate in National Qual ity Awards are $10,000 for manufacturing and services; $5,000 for small businesses; and $3,000 for agro-pro cessing businesses.

Businesses can down load their application from the GNBS website and email the completed docu ment to marketing@gnbsgy. org.

The application can also be submitted to the GNBS’ Head office at Sophia, or the sub-offices. The application deadline is December 31.

Defreitas said that win ners will receive an NQA trophy, industry recognition and promotion from GNBS. All qualified participants will receive a certificate of eligibility and a brief report on the findings of the NQA assessments conducted by GNBS.

“The National Quality

Award is designed to bring recognition for industry leaders in their class… In addition, it gives businesses a comprehensive assessment of the operations and oppor tunities for improvement,” he said.

According to Defreitas, every business that par ticipates in the NQA will be given a report that gives them points and areas for improvement.

The NQA Programme allows local businesses to promote continuous im provements, health and safe ty, quality, customer service, leadership and sustainable practices.

Additionally, the pro gramme will foster greater consumer confidence and satisfaction in goods and services and will serve as a prerequisite for businesses to participate in the Region al Quality Awards (RQA) Programme.

Defreitas explained that to be eligible for the pro

gramme, businesses must possess a valid business registration from the Deeds Registry, tax compliance from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and na tional insurance compliance from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

He added that the GNBS NQA is primarily based on the Quality Management Principles of ISO, require ments of the ISO 9001:2015 standard and environmen tal and safety Guidelines including customer focus,

leadership, engagement of people and many others.

Meanwhile, GNBS communication officer Bibi Khatoon said that they are expecting a larger set of ap plications compared to the previous years.

She added that since GNBS launched its “Made in Guyana” programme, majority of the beneficiar ies are small businesses and agro-processors. The NAQ, Khatoon said, will also take the same focus.

Previously, the NQA

programme would only al low small businesses that employ 25 or less employ ees. However, in the new programme, businesses which have 10 or less em ployees can qualify.

“So, in that way, the smaller businesses that are just family business ser vices with just five or six persons can also partici pate in the quality awards program… In that way, they don’t have to com pete with the bigger busi nesses,” Khatoon said.

$4.3M coconut nursery commissioned at Hosororo

by-products. You can use co conut fibres, you can make oils, soaps, lotions, beauty supplies, pharmaceuticals, and cooking products just to name a few. The coconut wa ter industry alone is estimated at $2.2 billion. We have to take advantage of the global demand. We have the land and we are making the materials and inputs available. We can tap into those markets,” the minister said.

INVESTORS COMING TO GUYANA

tion of spices.

AGRICULTURE Minis ter Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday commissioned a new coconut seedling nurs ery in Hosororo Village, Re gion One.

The nursery, which is lo cated in the National Agri cultural Research and Ex tension Institute’s (NAREI) compound, was constructed and stocked at a cost of $4.3 million.

At full capacity, the nurs ery will be able to produce some 206,000 seedlings an nually.

In addition to the nurs ery, Minister Mustapha also commissioned several new pieces of equipment for NA REI’s spice-processing facility. These pieces of equipment,

which include a ginger washer, ginger slicer, ginger grinder, and a vibro sifter, were pro cured at a cost of $9,747,756.

While offering remarks at the event, Minister Mustapha said the construction of the facility is part of the govern ment’s decentralisation efforts for the agricultural sector.

“Today is a great day for us. We are here to commis sion a new coconut nursery. We know many farmers in the region would usually travel to Georgetown to purchase qual ity seedlings. After consulta tion, we decided to have one constructed here so you can benefit from the same services the farmers in Georgetown and other coastal areas receive.

Having this facility here will not only reduce the cost of

acquiring the planting materi als you need, but it will also help us to increase our national production figures. This is part of our coconut decentralisation programme,” Minister Musta pha said.

He noted that given the benefits of and the growing de mand for coconuts and coconut bi-products, farmers in Guyana should get involved in coconut production. He said the gov ernment is working to make the necessary resources avail able to expand the industry.

“We all know the ben efits of coconuts. The world is also cognisant of the benefits of coconuts and all of their many uses. Anyone who is involved in this industry will benefit from several streams of income because of its many

He also told farmers that following this year’s Agri Investment Forum and Expo, which was held back in May, many investors are now com ing to Guyana to invest, some of whom have expressed inter est in investing in the produc

While noting that access to markets continues to be an issue in the region, the minis ter said that the government, through the New Guyana Mar keting Corporation, has been successful in finding markets for farmers in other remote parts of the country. While as suring farmers that issues with access to markets will now be a thing of the past, Minister Mustapha told the farmers that the government is current ly engaging the CARICOM member states to remove the non-tariff barriers to many of Guyana’s traditional products.

CARDI’s Representative in Guyana, Juman Kundun, noted that the demand for coconuts is constantly increas ing in the region and globally.

Furthermore, the CARDI Head said that Guyana is among three of the major coconutproducing countries in the region, producing some 20 per cent of the region’s demand, while The Dominican Repub lic produces some 59 per cent, and Jamaica some 12 per cent.

With that said, Kundun lauded the government’s efforts to expand the industry, adding that initiatives such as this will enable Guyana to go beyond its current production levels.

General Manager of Hope Estate, Ricky Roop chand, indicated that the facility will be able to service the region’s demand and that the first set of seedlings will be available for purchase by the end of December. (Minis try of Agriculture)

From left: GNBS Marketing Officer George Defreitas and communication officer, Bibi Khatoon (Elvin Carl Croker photo)

Minister Mustapha while commissioning the coconut nursery in Hosororo

Quality, standards important to agro-processing in Guyana

By Shamar Meusa

THE importance of quality, safety and stan dards were highlighted as key components of the growing agro-pro cessing sector in Guy ana.

This was highlighted on Tuesday at the Guyana

National Bureau of Stan dards (GNBS)’s Nation al Dialogue on National Quality Infrastructure and the Agro-Process ing Industry held at the Regency Suites Hotel, Georgetown.

The forum was hosted in collaboration with the CARICOM Regional Or

ganisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), CARIFORUM, the Eu ropean Union, Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA), the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Tour ism, Industry and Com merce.

During the opening

ceremony of the nation al dialogue, it was stat ed that the aim of the working session was to identify the challenges of the industry and to forge an action plan to provide support.

Those taking part in the national dialogue were urged to start the conver sation and work together towards creating a culture of quality through stan dards.

Delivering remarks was the acting Executive Director of the Govern ment Analyst Food & Drug Department (GAFDD), Tandeka Barton who said that the GAFDD continues to work in the best interest of manu facturers, processors and others with the aim of providing a range of ac credited, analytical and inspection services.

Barton stated that, in recognition of the heavy investments in technolo gies and more to enhance

the agro-processing sec tor, the GA-FDD was committed to ensuring that the necessary services were readily available to meet the specific needs of the industry.

“Rest assured that an upgrading of the current services being provided by the GA-FDD is in the works to ensure improved access to regional and international markets as well as to increase con sumer confidence and as surance in product safety and quality,” Barton said.

Also highlighting the importance of food safety and quality was the Per manent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Delma Nedd who stated that improving safety in Guyana requires sustained investment and stringent surveillance, among other things.

Nedd added that the government had taken on several initiatives to improve food safety and

quality in Guyana thus far.

Particularly, through the Agriculture Ministry, she noted that they have established the Guyana Food Safety Authority and have been working together with the In ter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agricul ture (IICA) to improve safety and further work ing with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to conduct food safety assessments that will allow the relevant authorities to decide on a way forward as it relates to food safety.

She also urged those stakeholders present at the National Dialogue to bring their concerns to the table in order to find solutions and a way for ward to improve safety and quality within the emerging Agro-Process ing field in Guyana.

Delma Nedd, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture (Adrian Narine photo)

Tandeka Barton, Executive Director (ag), Government Analyst Food & Drug Department (Adrian Narine)

Nicolette Fernandes through to South American Games final

GUYANA’S premier squash player, Nicolette Fernandes, will have another oppor tunity to cap a stellar year after reaching the final of the women’s singles at the ongoing South American Games in Paraguay.

The final was contested on Wednesday evening against Colombian Laura Perez.

In the semi-final, Fer nandes played Ecuadorian

Maria Lopez and after hang ing on for a gritty 12-10 first game she lost the second and third sets 5-11, 4-11.

Returning to the court for the fourth set, Fernandes had the entire Guyanese delega tion loudly applauding every point scored and, like poetry in motion, she turned the ta bles around and won the next two sets in mirroring fashion 11-5, 11-4.

More so, Guyana’s Ashley Khalil played Ecuadorian Araque and lost in a tense back-and-forth round of 16 match-up 3-2 (5-11, 11-1, 2-11, 11-8, 8-11).

In the women’s dou bles, Khalil and Taylor Fer nandes came up against the second seed, the Colombian Tovar sisters, and lost 11-2, 11-3.

Table Tennis

In the women’s singles, Natalie Cummings played Daniela Ortega of Chile and lost 4-0. In the afternoon Chelsea Edghill played Pe ruvian Isabel Duffoo and lost 4-0 while in the men's divi sion, Shemar Britton played Ecuadorian Alberto Mino and lost 4-0.

Shemar Britton and Edghill played Brazilian Car oline Kumahara and Guil

herme Teodoro and lost 0-3.

In the women’s doubles, Edghill and Cummings played Argentina’s Camila Arguelles and Candela Molero and lost 0-3.

In the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles, Britton and Christopher Franklin played Paraguay’s Marcelo Aguirre and Alejandro Toranzos and lost 1-3.

Boxing

At the weigh-in, Keevin Allicock failed to make his weight and was disqualified. The disqualification means that Allicock will be awarded a bronze medal.

Desmond Amsterdam lost in his semi-final match up with Benjamin Ruben Escuder Grimaux of Ar gentina. Desmond will be awarded a bronze medal for his semifinal finish.

Dehydration forces hospitalisation of Keevin Allicock

GUYANA’S Keevin Allicock, who is in Paraguay for the South American Games, was rushed to the hospital, on Monday, after complaining of pain in his right chest area.

According to a release to the media from chef de mis sion of the Guyana contingent, Keavon Bess, the boxer “started to complain about a pain in his right chest area and eventually it became clear to myself and his other teammates that we needed the help of a doctor and an am bulance.”

The 23-year-old Olympian had just returned from watching squash player Nicolette Fer nandes compete in a successful quarter-final match.

Bess stated in a release that, “the Panamanian Chef de Mis sion, who was in the lobby area when we contacted the front desk, overheard our situation and sensing an emergency, she immediately summoned her doctors and one of them rushed to Keevin’s room and rendered

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Olympian Keevin Allicock is well after hospitalisation in Paraguay

vital assistance until the EMT and ambulance arrived.”

Chronicle Sport was able to confirm that Guyana did not travel with a team doctor or physiotherapist.

Allicock was accompanied to the hospital by Bess, Boxing Coach, Terence Poole, and Gar field Wiltshire, manager of the squash team and Treasurer of the Guyana Olympic Association.

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Upon examination at the hospital by a full team of doc tors, it was informed that Alli cock’s heart was working normal and “not under stress”.

“After the results came back from the lab the doctors ex plained to the Boxing Coach that Keevin was extremely dehy drated to the extent that even his bones were lacking fluids, and this caused the pain in the chest and the difficulty in breathing.”

Each member of Guyana’s delegation to the South Ameri can Games 2022 has travel insur ance (health and other coverage) that was secured by the Guyana Olympic Association before the delegation’s departure.

Additionally, the Games Organisers also have health in surance coverage, to the tune of US$10,000 for each member of the delegation.

Contact was made with Al licock’s family in Guyana, and they were reassured that he was recovering well and was out of harm’s way.

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After about five hours Al licock was discharged from the hospital and is currently recov ering well and was even present with the rest of Team Guyana as Nicolette stormed into the women’s Squash Finals.

Allicock and Desmond Am

sterdam settled for Bronze in their respective weight class after failing to advance past the semi-finals stage.

Allicock lost via walkover after failing to make his weight against Colombian Jean Carlos Pachito in his 57kg category,

while Amsterdam had a Unani mous Decision loss to Argenti na's Benjamin Grimaux in the Welterweight Division.

The other boxer, Colin Lewis, exited his lightweight Division in the Quarter-finals.

Sampson (84) lights up gloomy day at Bourda despite Berbice win

crucial victory.

The right-hander fol lowed up his ton against Demerara in the first match, cracking 7 fours with 3 sixes, top-scoring with 62 off 53. It was tough going for the Essequibo bowlers as Garfield Phil lips snapped up 2 wickets to end as the most success ful bowler.

Bramble led the chase with confidence and looked like he was eyeing another century before Phillips knocked him over. Ramp ertab Ramnauth (12) and Shimron Hetmyer (9) and Sinclair (10) didn't trouble the scorers much.

Berbice registered a solid 26-run win against a spir ited Essequibo thanks to Anthony Bramble's fifty and the Duckworth/Lew is Method, which came into effect after bad light ended play in round 2 of the GCB Inter-County 50-Over tourney played yesterday at the Bourda Cricket Ground.

It was a gloomy day plagued by dark skies and rain but fans were still treated to some intense ac tion at one of the country's most legendary venues.

Essequibo made a good score of 226 all out in 49 overs after batting first.

Sampson bludgeoned his way to 84 off 61 balls, dealing primarily with sixes after smashing 8 of them, and just two fours.

All-rounder Kee mo Paul scored a work man-like 46 off 82 deliv eries, stabilizing the order after a horrid start. Cap tain Anthony Adams also grinded for his 30 down the order but not much was done by the talented line.

West Indies fast-bowler Romario Shepherd again set the tone for his team, grabbing 4-37 from his 10 overs.

It was another feast for the spinners with Cap

tain Veerasammy Permaul collecting 2-36 while off-spinner Kevin Sinclair followed up his 3-wicket haul in the previous game, with a haul of 3-35.

When bad light ended play, Berbice were well ahead of their required target of 118, ending their chase on 144-4 at the end of 26 overs with Johnathan Foo (16) and Shepherd returning to hammer 30 off 19 not out with 3 max imums and a pair of fours.

Berbice again eventu ally heaped praise for the in-form opener Bramble who was inevitably the catalyst behind his team's

However, Bramble bat ted towards his half-cen tury and soon after put his team ahead of the required rate. Foo and Shepherd kept the runs coming and eventually after some de liberation by officials, the

match stopped leaving Ber bice well ahead of their target.

Earlier, Sampson was the key down the order after a shaky start, thanks mainly to pacers Nial Smith (1-51) and Shepherd who were clinical during their opening spells.

The pair rocked the Es sequibo top 3 including renowned hitters Kevon Boodie (1) and Kemol Sa vory (1), who hit a century in the last game.

With less than 10 runs on the board, an incoming Paul showed great temper ament despite losing 3 key wickets, playing more of an anchor yesterday, rather than his usual pinch-hitting role; just hitting fours and six.

The West Indies all-rounder missed his half-century after holding out to Smith in the deep off

the bowling of an In-form skipper Permaul.

At 105-6, the righthander Sampson, now find ing his groove, was joined by his captain and the pair consolidated with Adams playing a more controlled innings while Sampson unleashed a fierce attack on the Berbice bowlers.

The Essequibian pummeled his way to a half-century with some lusty blows, maintaining his reputation as one of Guyana’s purest strikers in limited overs cricket. His 50 came off 39 balls and by then Essequibo were psychologically past the decent 150-run mark.

When he departed, thanks to some composed bowling from Shepherd, the innings ended with not much fireworks after the blitz from Sampson ended. (Clifton Ross)

West Indies home series against Pakistan likely to be cancelled

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Paki stan's home series against West Indies early next year is likely to be post poned until the following season. The two sides were to play a three-match T20I series in January but ES PNCricinfo understands both boards are happy to reschedule it for 2024.

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

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

ENG & PAK

Mitchell Masrsh (AUST)

Quiz:

scored most

was

The resulting space in the calendar potentially al lows players from both sides to become available for the various T20 leagues during that period. The ILT20 in the UAE, the SA20 in South Africa, the BBL in Australia and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) are all taking place in that month.

West Indies have al ready visited Pakistan twice

in the last 10 months, al beit because the Covid-19 pandemic split one whiteball series in December 2021 into two. The two sides played three T20Is that month, before a Covid outbreak in the West Indies camp meant the subsequent ODIs had to be postponed to June this year. They played the ODIs in Multan, as part of the 2023 World Cup Su per League.

This series of three T20Is was penciled in be tween New Zealand's visit to Pakistan in the winter of 2022-23 and the Pakistan Super League next year. The three games will most likely be added to West Indies' visit in February 2024 when they are due to play three

Tests as part of the World Test Championship.

Various West Indian players have already been signed up to take part in the BBL, SA20 and ILT20. Pakistan's play ers did not feature in the SA20 auction because of a combination of - at the time - their international home schedule but also suspicions that they would not find a place in a league in which all six franchises are owned by IPL teams. No Pakistani players have been given NOCs for the ILT20 either. The bene ficiary could be the BPL which emerges as a des tination for some of them in that newly opened win dow.

Action in the GCB Inter-county tournament

Guyana grouped with Trinidad, Windward, CCC for Super50

... Harpy Eagles play first match on October 31 at Queen's Park

THE CG United Super50 Cup returns on October 29, with the Caribbean’s 50-over cricket rivalries competing for the first time since February 2021.

The West Indies Academy team and Combined Campus es and Colleges (CCC) will join the six regional franchise teams to contest the 2022 CG United Super50 Cup, to be played in Antigua and Trinidad from October 29 to November 19.

The 2022 edition of the region’s pre-eminent 50over white ball competition also marks the start of the countdown towards the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and an opportunity for players across the West Indies to push for consideration and selection for the West Indies ODI team.

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force will defend their title and host Zone A featuring the Windward Islands Volcanoes, Guyana Harpy Eagles and CCC. Zone B will feature hosts, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Barbados Pride, Jamaica Scorpions and the West Indies Academy.

The opening match will be on Saturday, October 29 and sees Zone B hosts, Lee ward Islands Hurricanes, fac ing the West Indies Academy.

For the first time, the West Indies Academy will be featured in the CG United Super50 Cup and the West Indies Academy players will have the development oppor

tunity to play List A cricket against the best in the Ca ribbean.

This opportunity is part of the Academy programme’s main objective of bridging the gap between youth and professional cricket in the re gion. The West Indies Emerg ing Players side famously won the Super50 Cup in 2019 and six of those players have since gone on to represent the West Indies.

The opening match will be the first of ten (10) Zone B games to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS), all of which will be broadcast live on ESPN Caribbean, the exclusive Caribbean broadcast partner of the CG United Super50

Cup, as well as on ESPN+ in the USA. Two further Zone B games will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), the home of Cricket West Indies.

All of Zone A match es in Trinidad will be split equally between the Bri an Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) and Queen’s Park Oval (QPO), with the first two games played on Mon day, October 31. Every Zone A match will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket You Tube channel in the Caribbe an and around the world.

Each team will play six group matches, playing each of their Zone competitors twice. The top two teams from each Zone will qualify

for the semi-finals, which will be played in Antigua at the SVRS on Wednesday No vember 16 and Thursday No vember 17. The CG United Super50 Cup final will be at the same venue on Saturday November 19.

Johnny Grave, CWI CEO said: “The 2022 CG United Super50 Cup prom ises to be an action-packed event for our fans to feast on exciting cricket rivalries and for players to push for selection to the West Indies. This year’s tournament features some of the re gion’s best and upcoming talent competing to win the CG United Sir Clive Lloyd Trophy.”

West Indies final preparation match rained out

CMC – WEST INDIES’ final preparations for the qualifying phase of the T20 World Cup hit a snag Wednesday when rain forced the abandonment of their last official warm-up match against the Neth erlands.

The fixture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was the second of two warm-ups and represented the Caribbe an side’s final chance for

a match scenario ahead of their opening game of the qualifiers against Scotland in Hobart next week.

On Monday, West In dies beat United Arab Emirates by 17 runs in their opening warm-up at Junction Oval here.

That followed a 2-0 series defeat to hosts and World champions, Aus tralia, in games played in Gold Coast and Brisbane the previous week.

“I’m looking at the first game and the first game is against Scotland on the 17th and that’s where we are focus sing now,” head coach Phil Simmons indicated ahead of the first warmup.

“When we finish with that one we focus on the next one; so right now it’s about sharpening up and making sure we are ready on the 17th for the start of our tournament.”

West Indies take on Zimbabwe on October 19 in their second qual ifier before wrapping up against Ireland two days later.

The two-time for mer World champions have been installed in Group B of the eightteam qualifiers, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the main draw which gets underway on Octo ber 22 in Sydney.

MATCH SCHEDULE

Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA)

Queens Park Oval (QPO)

Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG)

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS)

Zone A

Matches at BLCA start at 2pm local time (1pm Jamaica); matches at QPO start at 9am local time (8am Jamaica)

31st October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v CCC at BLCA

31st October: Windward Islands Volcanoes v Guyana Harpy Eagles at QPO

2nd November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA

2nd November: CCC v Windward Islands Volcanoes at QPO

5th November: Guyana Harpy Eagles v CCC at BLCA

5th November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Wind ward Islands Volcanoes at QPO

7th November: Windward Islands Volcanoes v Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA

7th November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v CCC at QPO

9th November: CCC v Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA

9th November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Guyana Harpy Eagles at QPO

12th November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Wind ward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA

12th November: Guyana Harpy Eagles v CCC at QPO Zone B

Matches at the SVRS start at 2pm local time (1pm Ja maica) unless otherwise stated. CCG matches start 9am local time (8am Jamaica)

29th October: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v West Indies Academy at the SVRS (starts 1pm) – Live on ESPN Caribbean

1st November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Jamaica Scorpions at the SVRS (starts 1pm) – Live on ESPN Caribbean

1st November: West Indies Academy v Barbados Pride at CCG

3rd November: Barbados Pride v Jamaica Scorpions at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

5th November: Jamaica Scorpions v West Indies Acade my at the SVRS (starts 9am) – Live on ESPN Caribbean

6th November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Barbados Pride at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

8th November: Barbados Pride v Jamaica Scorpions at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

9th November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v West Indies Academy at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

11th November: West Indies Academy v Barbados Pride at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

11th November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Jamaica Scorpions at CCG

13th November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Barbados Pride at the SVRS- Live on ESPN Caribbean

14th November: Jamaica Scorpions v West Indies Acad emy at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

16th November: Semi-final 1 – Winner of Zone A v Sec ond of Zoner B at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

17th November: Semi-final 2 – Winner of Zone B v Sec ond of Zone A at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

19th November: FINAL at the SVRS – Live on ESPN Caribbean

Guyana Harpy Eagles will be based in Trinidad for the Super50