Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 14-05-2021

FRIDAY 14th May, 2021

' No.106360

33.3 per cent of adult population vaccinated against COVID-19 16 PAGE

More power for the grid –– with electricity production at Skeldon Energy set to increase to 30 megawatts

–– other initiatives being explored could see company supplying power to entire Berbice

SEE PAGE 03

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar and other officials get a first-hand look at what goes on in the 15-megwatt Biomass Boilers control room at Skeldon Energy Inc. The minister had an opportunity to observe the entire operations of the facility during a visit to Skeldon on Wednesday (DPI photo)

Police investigating alleged ExxonMobil to pay for Long-standing forgery of GRA cheques 08 excess gas flaring 02 public 05 PAGE

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servant ‘Vic’ Persaud dies

Veteran public servant, Eshwar Vevakanand Persaud, fondly known as ‘Vic’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

ExxonMobil to pay for excess gas flaring –– as EPA modifies environmental permit for Liza Phase One project

OWING to the flaring of a significant amount of gas at the Liza Phase One development offshore Guyana, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has modified the environmental permit for this project, leaving operator, ExxonMobil to stand the cost of any excess flaring.

Due to technical issues related to the flash-gas compressor aboard the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is servicing the Liza Phase One project, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)-ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary - resumed flaring offshore Guyana, following intermittent periods of flaring since December 2019.

The flash-gas compressor was repaired, upgraded and safely re-installed,

The Liza Destiny FPSO but was slated to undergo a comprehensive three-phase testing programme to ensure full safety.

However, during the final stage of the three-phase testing programme, the company encountered a problem with the discharge silencer. A discharge silencer is used to attenuate noise produced by the expansion of air, steam or gas at elevated pressure to atmospheric pressure.

The contraption has since been sent for repairs and upgrades, as work continues in an effort to return operations to normal levels.

Initially, as result of the damaged discharge silencer, production at the Liza Destiny was initially reduced significantly, moving from 120,000 to 30,000 barrels per day, a decrease of 90,000 barrels.

But, amid the ongoing repairs, the company has started to ramp-up production, which has since moved from 30,000 barrels of oil per day to between 100,000 and 110,000 barrels per day, at a flare level of no more than 15 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (Mscfd).

The EPA, in a statement issued on Thursday, related that ExxonMobil, as a result of its flaring activity, was projected to exceed the 14 Billion Standard Cubic Feet (Bcf) of gas estimated by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be flared for the project, on May 13, 2021.

“In light of the foregoing, EPA and EEPGL have been engaged in discussions

regarding the technical and legal issues regarding modifications to address flaring,” the EPA said.

The environmental permit for the Liza Phase One development was since recalled and modified to include specific regulatory requirements for flaring of associated gas offshore Guyana, in accordance with the EPA’s legislation.

On May 13, 2021, the modified permit was issued to EEPGL, having been signed by both the company and the EPA. The modified environmental permit includes revised terms and conditions relating to emissions reporting requirements, technical considerations for flaring, timelines for flaring events and an obligation on the company to pay for the emission of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) as a result of flaring in excess of these timelines.

Based on the terms of the new permit, as calculated by the EPA, EEPGL will have to pay US$30 per tonne of CO2e.

It was reported recently that considering the challenges created by the defective equipment aboard the Liza Destiny, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, had said that EEPGL will replace the manufacturer of the compressor equipment, to ensure there is no flaring during future projects.

Minister Bharrat said the government took decisive action to effect this change, due

to the constant flaring at the Liza Destiny FPSO vessel.

“This now has forced us to enter into engagements with Exxon to ensure that the Unity FPSO that is coming later in this year, and then Prosperity in early 2024, that we don’t have this issue with those FPSOs. “So, we have gotten that assurance that General Electric will be used as the manufacturer to ensure that the compressor, there is not a recurring problem on those FPSOs with the gas compressor,” Minister Bharrat related.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI), General Electric is a US multi-national company.

ExxonMobil had contracted German company, MAN Energy Solutions, to supply the compressor equipment for the Liza Destiny.

That company, however, failed to correct the challenges encountered on the equipment used on the Liza Destiny, which have plagued the company’s operations since the beginning of oil production here.

Minister Bharrat said the adjustment was needed since both the Liza Unity and Prosperity are each designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day; almost twice the amount of the Liza Destiny.

The government, he related, has maintained daily contact with ExxonMobil to ensure that a swift resolution is derived for the challenges on the Liza Destiny.

More power for the grid

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

–– with electricity production at Skeldon Energy set to increase to 30 megawatts

–– other initiatives being explored could see company supplying power to entire Berbice

By Jared Liddell PROGRESS across various sectors of the economy is often constrained by the inability of consumers to access reliable energy, and as part of efforts to address this issue incrementally, the government will be increasing the production of electricity at Skeldon Energy Incorporated to 30 megawatts.

Increased power generation at the facility will be made possible through the installation of a new transformer, according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Deodat Indar, following a tour of the site on Wednesday.

The new transformer will enable the company, which

Minister Indar said the Board of Directors of the energy company and, by extension, the government, is cognisant of the company’s capacity to generate and channel more energy in order increase supply to the nation.

“They have here 40 megawatts in total that can be generated between the two renewable energy engines which produces 30 megawatts each and the two five-megawatt heavy fuel generators, so that’s 40 megawatts and they have more capacity to grow.

“They have the capacity and they need the transformers to move it from generation into the substation so that it could get into the transmission line; so that is what they are doing currently,” Minister

company would not be able to boost its supply to the national grid.

“Even if we generate as it is now without that transformer, we wouldn’t be able to get all the power that we are generating onto the grid because there’s only one power system with one transformer and that cannot take off all that power,” Dr. Haley reasoned.

Skeldon Sugar Estate was previously responsible for the production of bagasse used by Skeldon Energy Inc. to power the 15-megawatt Biomass Boilers, but after the estate was shuttered by the former administration in 2017, the company started utilising other materials to power the renewable energy plant.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, on a guided tour of the Skeldon Energy Incorporated, on Wednesday (DPI photo) have been crafted to ensure that adequate materials are available.

One of the main solutions, is the cultivation of 3,000 acres of Elephant or Napier grass, which is similar to sugar cane; this would provide a sustainable alternative.

So far, Skeldon Energy Inc. has already started planting 1,000 acres of elephant grass and is in the process of acquiring land from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to facilitate the cultivation of the other 2,000 acres of grass.

“The plan is to reach our full capacity of 3,000 acres of this grass and that would help us to have continuous

generation of power from those two boilers. So, we are going to need some land from GuySuCo. We already have some but we will need some more to help us to get to our objective of generating that 30 megawatts,” Haley said.

He further stated that once production is ramped up, a decision has already been taken to acquire a booster system for the two 15-megawatt biomass boilers. Through this move, the company will be able to produce an additional six-eight megawatts of power, taking its total production to 46 megawatts.

“With all of that, we would be able to supply

the entire Berbice and have some extra to go to the national grid. So far, we are going to the national grid only which comes across the river to the entire interconnection system and also, we have another line that goes to Berbice itself to Region Six… so if we could bring all this power generation, we would have enough power for Region Six and have power to go to the national grid,” Dr. Haley explained.

Should the company be able to produce beyond 30 megawatts, it will have to procure another transformer and distribution lines to channel the power.

The new transformer which will facilitate the transmission of more power to the national grid (DPI photo) is located at the Skeldon Sugar Estate, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), to channel more energy to the national grid, which services the entire country.

Minister Indar said that at present the company is transmitting 12.5 megawatts of power to the grid through the 69,000 kilovolts (KV) transmission line. Once the new transformer is in place, it will increase power generation by almost 17.5 megawatts.

Power generation at Skeldon Energy Inc. is done using two five-megawatt Heave Fuel Oil generators (HFO), and two 15-megawatt Biomass Boilers, which is a type of renewable energy plant that utilises organic material for fuel.

Indar explained.

Further, he said that the government is committed to ensuring that efficient systems are in place to ensure that this type of growth in the energy sector is replicated across the country.

Chairman of Skeldon Energy Inc., Dr. Grayson Haley, said that the energy company is working to ensure maximum productivity is achieved in order to fulfil its mandate of consistent power generation.

He noted that several new systems are being employed to boost productivity and efficiency of the organisation, starting with the installation of the new transformer. In his view, without the installation of this new transformer, the

“Currently we do not have the amount of organic material to fuel the boilers; usually that would have been fuelled from the bagasse from the cane but now that the factory is closed, we do not have enough bagasse.

“So, what we are trying to do is stock pile sawdust and other materials coming from the saw mills, and we are also trying to burn the rice husk from the rice mill and those from farmers from the East Bank River and so on,” the Chairman explained.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTION Dr. Haley said that in the absence of bagasse, several innovative solutions

Skeldon Energy Incorporated (DPI photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

Gaza conflict intensifies with rocket barrages and air strikes PALESTINIAN militants fired more rockets into Israel’s commercial heartland on Thursday as Israel kept up a punishing bombing campaign in Gaza and massed tanks and troops on the enclave’s border.

The four days of cross-border violence showed no sign of abating and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the campaign “will take more time”.

The violence has also spread to mixed communities of Jews and Arabs in Israel, a new front in the long conflict.

Synagogues were attacked and fighting broke out on the streets of some communities, prompting Israel’s President to warn of the danger of civil war.

Worried that the region’s worst hostilities in years could spiral out of control, the United States is sending an envoy, Hady Amr. Truce efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have so far offered no sign of progress.

In renewed air strikes

on Gaza, Israeli warplanes struck a six-storey residential building that it said belonged to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Palestinian enclave.

Netanyahu said Israel has struck close to a thousand militant targets in Gaza in total.

At least 83 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, medics said, further straining hospitals already under heavy pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are facing Israel and COVID-19. We are in between two enemies,” said Asad Karam, 20, a construction worker, standing beside a road damaged during the air strikes. An electricity pole had collapsed by the road, its wires severed.

A Palestinian rocket had earlier crashed into a building near Israel’s commercial capital of Tel Aviv, injuring five Israelis, police said. Seven people have been killed in Israel since hostilities began, the Israeli military said.

Friday May 14, 2021 04:00hrs - 05:30hrs

Israel has prepared combat troops along the Gaza border and was in “various stages of preparing ground operations”, a military spokesman said, a move that would recall similar incursions during Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008-2009.

Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida responded to the troop buildup with defiance, urging Palestinians to rise up.

“Mass up as you wish, from the sea, land and sky. We have prepared for your kinds of deaths that would make you curse yourselves,” he said.

BIDEN’S HOPES Health authorities in Gaza said they were investigating the deaths of several people overnight who they said may have inhaled poisonous gas.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he hoped fighting “will be closing down” sooner rather than later. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for an “urgent de-escalation” of violence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will continue strikes against the military capabilities of Hamas and other Gaza groups. Hamas is regarded as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a senior Hamas commander and bombed several buildings which Israel said were linked to the faction’s activities.

Streaks of light are seen as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, May 12, 2021 (REUTERS/Amir Cohen) Israel launched its offensive after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The hostilities have opened a new front by fuelling tension between Israeli Jews and the country’s 21 per cent Arab minority who live alongside them in some communities.

Jewish and Arab groups attacked people and damaged shops, hotels and cars

overnight. In Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, dozens of Jews beat and kicked a man thought to be an Arab as he lay on the ground.

One person was shot and badly wounded by Arabs in the town of Lod, where authorities imposed a curfew, and over 150 arrests were made in Lod and Arab towns in northern Israel, police said.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called for an end to “this madness”.

“We are endangered by rockets that are being launched at our citizens and streets, and we are busying ourselves with a senseless civil war among ourselves,” he said.

FLIGHTS CANCELLED A number of foreign carriers have cancelled flights to Israel because of the unrest.

The fatalities in Israel include a soldier killed while patrolling the Gaza

border and six civilians, including two children and an Indian worker, medical authorities said.

Gaza’s health ministry said 17 of the people killed in the enclave were children and seven were women.

The Israeli military said some 400 of 1,600 rockets fired by Gaza factions had fallen short, potentially causing some Palestinian civilian casualties.

The conflict has led to the freezing of talks by Netanyahu’s opponents on forming a governing coalition to unseat him after Israel’s inconclusive March 23 election.

Although the latest problems in Jerusalem were the immediate trigger for hostilities, Palestinians are frustrated by setbacks to their aspirations for an independent state in recent years, including Washington’s recognition of disputed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

GAWU views abuse of Guyanese Long-standing public worker at mining camp in 'dim light' servant ‘Vic’ Persaud dies

THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has called out Innovative Mining Inc. on the recent incident at the company where a Russian security guard physically abused a Guyanese cook.

Noting that the action

of history,” the GAWU press release stated.

The union noted that while it is cognisant of the role of foreign investors in advancing development, investors as well as local business persons must, in all instances, be respectful of the rights of all Guyanese workers.

seph Hamilton, in a recent interview with this publication, had indicated that the Ministries of Labour and Natural Resources had initiated investigations into the company’s Cuyuni-Mazaruni operations after receiving several complaints about non-compliance with

is intolerable, GAWU in a press release, said it was disturbed to see that type of physical abuse against a Guyanese. According to the union, the altercation shows a clear disconnect between the organisation’s management and basic human right policies that are expected to be extended to all persons in the working spectrum.

“For the GAWU, which draws a large number of members from the sugar industry, the scene jarred our memory back to the time of the plantocracy. It was a painful period where workers rights were ignored or wantonly trampled upon and workers were seen as means of production rather than living, breathing human beings. It was from the concerted struggle of the working-class and their allies that workers were able to put such wretched relations into the dustbin

Since the circulation of the video, the Ministries of Natural Resources, Home Affairs and Labour have launched a joint investigation into the operations of Innovative Mining Inc. GAWU anticipates that these ministries will swiftly and condignly deal with the actions by Innovative Mining Inc..

“Though heartened by the swift response of relevant Government agencies, we expect that those in the breach will be condemningly dealt with and be made to answer for their actions. The incident highlights the need for greater scrutiny of what takes place in our workplaces, especially in the interior. Of course, the sad situation, we note, cannot be delinked from the dismantling of the Ministry of Labour by the former government,” the GAWU statement read.

Labour Minister, Jo-

Guyana’s labour laws.

“I had received reports of labour breaches by the company which is Innovative Mining; so a little while before this video circulated, I had the Chief Labour Officer summon them to a meeting …. I summoned them to deal with labour breaches, that is, not paying overtime and the issue of not giving leave and those kinds of issues,” said Hamilton.

The Natural Resourc-

es Ministry through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has also launched an investigation to ascertain who is conducting operations at the mining site.

Minister Hamilton explained that the laws indicate that non-Guyanese can only be granted licences for large- scale mining concessions, not medium or small-scale as is currently being done at the site.

“This claim originally was given as a Guyanese medium-scale miner to one of the Jagmohans. The law does not allow for expatriates to own mining land that are medium-scale and small-scale and so at the level of the Ministry of Natural Resources, I communicated, myself and Minister Bharrat, we have been working on this matter. He has instructed the GGMC to indicate how you have expatriates on the mining land,” the minister said.

–– remembered by President Ali as an ‘institution’ in the country’s Public Service

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Thursday, paid homage to veteran public servant, Eshwar Vevakanand Persaud, fondly known as ‘Vic’.

Persaud, who succumbed on Thursday, provided over 60 unbroken years of exemplary public service as an Accountant, Foreign Service Officer and Chief of Protocol and Adviser on Protocol Affairs at the Office of the President.

Persaud had the distinction of providing protocol services to all of Guyana’s Executive Presidents: Mr Forbes Burnham; Mr Desmond Hoyte; Dr Cheddi Jagan; Mr Samuel Hinds; Mrs Janet Jagan; Dr Bharrat Jagdeo; Mr Donald Ramotar; Mr David Granger and most recently, President Ali. Veteran public servant, Ali hailed Persaud as a Eshwar Vevakanand model public servant, and Persaud, fondly known an ‘institution’ within the as ‘Vic’ country’s Public Service, who embodied the finest attributes of professionalism. He highlighted his wit, charm, grace, sophistication, courtesy, excellence and efficiency as the hallmarks of his exemplary service.

“Guyana has lost an outstanding public servant, and the Office of the President has lost one of its most beloved and respected stalwarts,” the President said, adding: “On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, and on my own behalf and that of my family, I extend heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Carol, his children and relatives.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

COVID-19 and mental health WHILE COVID-19 has taken a toll on businesses and the economy, and affected families, all issues that have been well ventilated, little attention seems to have been placed on the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of Guyanese.

This is not to say that work is not being done, but from the look of things, much attention is required with regards to mental health during this period.

In a column on COVID-19 published in November 2020 in the Guyana Chronicle, Dr. Davendranand Sharma pointed out that the COVID-19 crisis can affect an individual’s brain, causing mental health disorders in a number of ways, directly by the viral impact on the affected persons’ immune system, and also by changes in brain function by direct entry into the brain, causing a wide variety of neurological problems, including delirium and vascular disorders.

This aside, due to the pandemic, many have lost their jobs as well as loved ones, and suffered various disruptions. There is no certainty how these persons, their families and victims of the virus are coping in these testing circumstances. Frontline

workers, too, especially nurses and doctors, are faced with various challenges, including distressing situations, in the fight against the pandemic.

People tend to cope differently when faced with challenges, and, naturally, in situations like these, many would need help. Director of the Mental Health Unit, Dr. Util Thomas has estimated that around 15 to 20 per cent of the population is affected by mental health issues. COVID-19 has exacerbated this situation.

To the Ministry of Health’s credit, in December last year, the Mental Health Unit launched a toll-free 655-SAFE (655-7233) hotline for persons experiencing the pains inflicted by the pandemic to seek help, but not much has been said about this facility since its launch. From all indications, the critical service it provides requires much promotion.

This is necessary, because mental health is generally dealt with more from a reactionary standpoint. The importance attached to this condition is often seen and felt only by those who are personally affected.

Those with mental-health concerns or issues are usually seen as a “crazy” group that needs to be locked away, ignored, or

forgotten, and not as functioning or valued members of society.

Much promotion of the toll-free hotline, as well as a public campaign to debunk common myths about mental health are required, because a general premise is that persons with mental-health issues do not initially seek treatment.

They do not, mainly because when they start talking about their symptoms/ feelings, they are seen as weak, trying to get attention, or demon-possessed; or, depending on the culture, the family had some affliction, or had committed some evil act that was now coming back to haunt them.

The stigma attached to mental illness results in loved ones of persons with mental-health issues overcompensating and attempting to conceal symptoms, because it is more acceptable to pretend those issues do not exist.

This is generally done in an effort to blend into society, or be seen as “normal”.

The result of these variables is that often when these symptoms are finally confronted, the person’s condition is too advanced to obtain treatment that would enable them to regain their status as a functioning

member of society.

It is for these reasons that significant attention has to be placed on raising awareness on mental health, and encouraging persons affected and experiencing symptoms to seek help.

Outside of the clinical setting, some solutions to addressing mental stability can be achieved with familial support, as in educating family members on the importance of self-worth, life, and to understand that even beyond their current struggle, life is worth living. Another important factor is support for various age groups, as this would allow for avenues to voice thoughts, feelings, struggles, and gain support from each other on how to deal with the pandemic and other issues as a result of it.

Mental health is a societal issue; its management requires education, acceptance, willingness to support, and receptiveness to including the individuals afflicted with these symptoms to ensure that they are not ostracised.

In the absence of the above-stated, it widens the base and increases inability to identify and effectively treat individuals with mental health symptoms.

Balanced industrial development and mangrove protection Dear Editor, On the minister’s press conference, commentaries, and news reports of industrial development replacing mangroves, there can be a balance between the two without consequences to the environment.

In fact, the environment can come out ahead if more mangroves are planted near industrial sites. The country can’t remain underdeveloped and backward forever.

It must pursue development especially that it has found natural resources that can transform Guyana. Other countries pursued development of natural resources at tremendous cost to the environment. The Western countries became developed while destroying vast swathes of the environment.

Nevertheless, countries are increasingly conscious of the environment and climate

change and so should Guyana to mitigate effects to the environment as it transitions into an industrialised economy.

Shore bases and other projects are critical for development of Guyana; such projects would become critical for the development of the nation. They create jobs and transform the economy.

They come with a cost – an impact on the environment.

In the case of the TriStar shore base, mangrove has been removed to make way for the project. They should not be permanently removed.

Mangrove should be replanted in nearby areas.

I do not know Mr. Krishna (Kris) Persaud. I salute his courage to invest in Guyana, which has been known as a difficult place to conduct business. I wish to applaud his acknowledgement of the inadvertent removal (destruction) of mangrove forestry as

his company, Tri-Star, carries out construction on an oil and gas shore base on the Demerara River waterfront in Versailles, Malgre-Toute area. Not many business people own up to errors and/ or show much interest in preserving the environment. Mr. Persaud courageously said the matter will be addressed, suggesting he, like me, cares for the environment and will pursue mitigating measures.

The shore base is very important for transformation of West Demerara with its potential for job growth and business creation to provide affiliated services. It is the largest project in the area.

It must be supported and similar projects encouraged.

There are many benefits to be had from the development of West Bank Demerara and other locations in Berbice where mangroves are in the way. Government destroyed mangroves in several areas

for its own projects without replacements. Private developers must make every effort to protect the environment.

Investors and the government should pursue a balance between development and maintaining mangroves.

There are many benefits of mangrove colonies and preservation. Mangroves are extremely important for a balanced eco-system in coastal areas. They protect the coast from flooding as a natural sea defence. Their sturdy root systems protect against violent storm surges and high waves. They slow erosion. They are great for protection to coastal development, especially the kind of project being built in the area. The shore base will receive some protection with the presence of mangrove.

So they must not be seen as ‘humbug’ to development.

Mangrove also serves as natural fish habitat, a source

of fish (as well as crabs and shellfish) for local fishermen.

They are economically sustainable.

They also serve as carbon storage – they breathe in carbon and expunge oxygen.

When leaves fall, they are buried under water-storing carbon. That is good for the environment. Mangroves are the last barriers against climate change, combating global warming, and as such, every effort must be made to conserve them.

Mangroves encourage eco-tourism and are therefore great for the economy. Environmentalists and eco-tourists visit countries with rich mangroves, bringing important dollars to their economies. Sustainable tourism offers a stimulus to preserve existing mangrove areas, with potential to generate income for local inhabitants.

Mangroves are homes to birds for nesting and breed-

ing; they attract bird-watching tourists like me.

Mangroves have been disappearing in country after country, including in Guyana as they are increasingly chopped for firewood and other uses. And now they are being removed to make way for oil industrialisation. It is important that we preserve as much mangrove and natural habitat as possible in Guyana as the nation pursues development.

The Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Bishop Juan Edghill, said at a press conference that cutting down the mangrove is necessary for industrial development.

He said man-made sea defences would replace mangrove to protect against flooding. Such projects would be very costly and not as effective as natural mangrove trees. I think there Continued on page 7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

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Balanced industrial ... Guyana’s landscape is positively changing Continued from page 6

can be a balance between man-made development (shore base) and mangrove preservation. New mangrove can be planted in areas just outside of the shore base.

The country must proceed with development and industrialists like Mr. Krishna Persaud should be encouraged to fund shore base development. But I don’t think we have to choose between protecting the environment and pursuing development. Industrialists should try to preserve as much of the coastal mangrove as possible. Otherwise, it would lead to disruption in fish catch of communities and pose a serious threat to livelihoods and communities on the coast.

But it must be acknowledged that mangroves have limited life as seen in West Coast from Ruimzeigt to

Vreed-en-Hoop and other locations where they have had to be replaced or regenerated. Engineered structures have longer life protecting coasts allowing for livelihood of people. Where mangroves have been removed, they must be replanted in a nearby area.

Mr. Krishna Persaud has promised that the issue of mangrove removal will be addressed. Government should take him up on the offer. Government should provide the necessary support and encouragement towards this objective.

Perhaps, government can consider planting mangrove in nearby vicinity that would not affect the onshore base as well as other areas where mangrove is being depleted.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Dear Editor, I AM very optimistic that Guyana is on the upsurge as I am seeing more and more signs of overall growth and development across the country, and this is in spite of the raging Global COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists speak of “Factors of Production,” which “… is an economic term, describing the general inputs used to produce goods and services to make a profit.” Subsumed in this view of economics, “… the factors of production consist of land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship.” So, what is happening in this regard in Guyana?

First, I see that “Plans are moving apace as some 250 acres of land are being prepared in Tacama, Region 10, to cultivate

CH&PA denounces publications that compromised privacy, protection of a child Dear Editor,

THE Childcare and Protection Agency (CH&PA) hereby denounces all publications, radio broadcasts, news stories whether via social media, print or television media and press conferences which have in one way or another compromised the privacy and protection of a child by disclosing information that leads or could easily lead to the identification of a child.

In recent times there have been an increase in instances where either the police, media personnel (professional, social media or otherwise) and other individuals have published or revealed details in respect of a child who is involved in matters that are considered offences whether as victim, witness or perpetrator contrary to the Rights of the Child convention and the Laws of Guyana.

The Laws of Guyana, under section 10 (2) of the Childcare and Protection Agency Act, Chapter 46:07, “no person shall publish any information relating to proceedings relating to children (see sub-sections 10 (1), (3) and (4) Cap 46:07 for clarity) in a manner that discloses the name of the child or any information from which the child’s identity may be inferred, including information

on persons connected to the child.”

This means that the name, ages, relationship of the child to the perpetrator or the victim; names of the child’s parents or guardians; area where the child resides, school which the child attends or the child’s grade should not be published or revealed to the general public neither any picture of the child nor the child’s relatives that can lead to the identification of the child. Only vague and general information should be given in respect of any child who is the subject matter of any proceedings.

Section 10 (6) Cap 46:07 further provides “anyone who contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars (GY$250,000.00) and to imprisonment for six months”.

The agency’s responsibility for the supervision and protection of ‘at risk’ children include protecting and ensuring the privacy and welfare of children who engage or could possibly engage the attention of the court, agency or any other organisation in respect of any report of physical, sexual or verbal abuse, child neglect, child abandonment or child endangerment.

We are therefore willing

to train the media and other related entities in this area and work with them to ensure the protection of our nation’s children.

The agency therefore implores the police force, journalists and media entities, social media enthusiasts and the general public to be cognisant of the legislation relating to the protection of the rights, privacy and welfare of children and to desist from any practices including the publishing of information whether via television, radio, social media or print, that can lead to the identification of children involved in proceedings otherwise than as specified in section 10 (4) of the Childcare and Protection Agency Act, Chapter 46:07.

Please note that if you fail to desist from such practices and to comply with the provisions of the Act, the agency will not hesitate to institute legal proceeding against you for non-compliance with the provisions of the Act. Yours sincerely, Ann Greene, Director of Children Services & Head of Childcare & Protection

corn and soya bean locally for livestock feed.” This is according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha.

Mustapha “… disclosed that land preparation, along with some infrastructural works, has commenced on the farmlands that have been chosen to cultivate the crops and results can be expected as early as November.” It is a trial run and the investment, inclusive of access roads and other accompanying infrastructure, runs to the tune of $500 million.

For too long Guyana has been leaving mass swads of arable lands unused. So, this change is most welcomed.

Barring a few hiccups, this venture translates to employment opportunities and cheaper produce. The minister explained that overall, the project will redound in “significantly decreasing the country’s

reliance on imports and ensure that prices, especially for poultry, remain constant.”

Secondly, let me go across now to the Capoey S u n r i s e B a k e r y. T h e venture, under the aegis of the Guyana Foundation and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), is reaping great success. The news is that some 17 women are now employed at the recently opened bakery. And things are looking up as “Work is currently being done on this $12 million facility to install solar panels. The project, when completed, will cost approximately $15 million.”

Even though Capoey is not very populous, it can still be a prosperous village, and it can be a forerunner in how women should start thinking and planning.

I echo the sentiments of the Toshao of Capoey, Ralph Hendricks, who stated

that, “He is very happy for the women as they are now more empowered and marketable.” He was indeed happy that “… his village will be more economically viable and many women will also learn the skills of baking from those who have already received training.”

M r. E d i t o r, w h e n I combine happenings in Tacama and Capoey, I see a holistic improvement in the nation. Guyana must address not only infrastructural and financial issues; it must focus also on things like women’s equality and liberation and equal opportunity for them as the men of the same land.

I hope other ‘far-off’ villages will be inspired to move in this direction.

Yours sincerely, Yours truly, Baldeo Mathura

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

BK to return sand illegally removed from #63 Beach

By Jared Liddell

CONTRACTOR BK International has been asked to return the sand removed from the # 63 Beach, which forms part of the beach’s sea defence, Minster within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar disclosed during a visit to Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Wednesday.

Minister Indar said no application was made or approval given from the Sea Defence Board for removal of the sand. The Sea Defence Board is the legal body that has responsibility for granting permission for the removal of sand or other materials from the country’s reefs.

According to the Sea Defence Act, Chapter 64:02, Act 11 of 1953, “No person shall, without the previous

written sanction of the board, make or cause or permit or suffer to be made— (a) any drain, trench or cutting in the earth so as to affect any sea defence; (b) any construction, erection, alteration or thing in, about or upon any sea defence.”

“Around May 2, we got reports of a contractor removing sand from the reef in 63 and taking it to a construction site in Corriverton for sea defence works there.

This contractor, BK International, was doing that. This is the reef, it’s not privately owned, it is sea defence reserve protected by law and they were digging it out as you can see a pond here of it, they dug it out,” Minister Indar explained.

He noted that since receiving information that the contractor was removing the sand, the Sea Defence Board swiftly moved to issue the

company with a cease order.

The order also requested that the contractor refill the site from where the sand was removed.

Minister Indar indicated that while the company did not seek permission to remove any material from the site, it did seek permission from the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) to utilise the access road to get to their equipment from the # 63 Beach where it previously conducted work, to the Corriverton site where Civil Defence Commission (CDC) contracted work is ongoing.

“From what the NDC Chairman has said to me, what was requested of the NDC was permission to use the access road; nothing to do with removal of material.

Now the NDC does not have the power to grant the removal of material from a reef, it

The section of the Number 63 Beach reef that was removed by BK International that is now filled with water following a short period of rain (DPI photo) is the Sea Defence Board, so The dam which was once contractor, a different confor you to remove any thing smooth is now destroyed due tractor, who built that sea or destroy any of the land or to the heavy tractors travers- defence there and BK’s so on, an application would ing that area. contractor has destroyed the have had to be made to the “They took these large dam,” the minister said.

Sea Defence Board and none trucks and they used the The ministry has not was made,” he explained. front, close to the sea de- t a k e a n y l e g a l a c t i o n Additionally, Minister fence there to get out with against the contractor as Indar stated that BK Inter- the materials, and they de- it has given the contractor national in removing the stroyed that piece too by some time to return the material has also caused the heavy trucks moving material and fix the dam significant damage to the through the earthen dam that was destroyed. Minis“earthen dam” leading up to there. That dam was re- ter Indar will meet with the the front of the sea defence. cently made by a pervious contractor today.

Police investigating alleged forgery of GRA cheques THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched an investigation into allegations of forgery of cheques in the name of the Guyana Revenue Authority.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that cheques written out for millions of dollars were allegedly cashed at a local commercial bank.

According to reports, officials of GRA believe that this attempt can only be considered as collusion or gross negligence between employees of the bank and the alleged fraudsters.

It was reported that it is customary for cheques that are issued by GRA to be stamped, “not negotiable.”

When contacted on this

issue, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that the GPF is investigating the situation and persons are in police custody.

It is unclear at this time how many persons are in police custody, but the crime chief said investigations are ongoing.

GRA’s headquarters at Camp Street

Taxi driver found guilty of raping teen

A MIXED 12-member jury, on Thursday, found 33-year-old taxi driver, Damon Assanah, called “Demon”, guilty of raping a 13-year-old schoolgirl back in 2015.

Assanah was on trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court on three counts of rape, which charged that during the months of January, October and November 2015, he engaged in sexual penetration with a child, who was, at the time, under the age of 16.

The jury, after deliberating for two hours, returned a “not guilty” verdict on the first two counts, but found Assanah guilty on the last one.

Sentencing has been deferred until June 3, pending the presentation of a probation report.

The State was represented by prosecutors Sarah Martin and Nafeeza Baig, and Assanah by Attorney-at-law Ravindra

Mohabir.

According to reports, Assanah is known to the victim and her family, and during the month of January 2015, he lured her out of her home and raped her near a ‘fowl-pen’.

Some nine months later, while returning home after being sent on an errand by her mother, Assanah again struck, grabbing the child this time around and unceremoniously throwing her into his motorcar, and headed for home, where he allegedly raped her again.

Things, however, came to a head on December 7, 2015, when the teen, at school, began vomiting and that prompted her mother to take her to a city hospital, where blood and urine tests confirmed that she was seven weeks pregnant.

At that point, the teen confided in her mother what had transpired.

The police were called in and Assanah was arrested.

60 Baramita residents GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

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complete WIIN courses SIXTY residents of Baramita, Region One, who participated in short courses under the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) programme by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, were presented with certificates

fer opportunities of self-development through technical vocational training.

The very people-oriented minister, who focuses heavily on delivering quality services, spent an entire day interacting with residents of Baramita, and assuring them that the ministry will do all

in Baramita did not restrict the boys from joining the programmes. “These are people who had never had formal training before and they were full of excitement and enthusiasm when they were introduced. We had no problems filling those classes and even had to register

Human Services Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud (centre) addressing residents of Baramita last Tuesday, along with Permanent Secretary, Shannielle Outar and Toshao, Trevor Matheson last Tuesday.

At the Baramita Primary School, Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, personally handed out the certificates.

Eighteen persons received a certificate in sewing; 25 in Information Communications Technology (ICT); and 17 in the Fundamentals of Agriculture and English Language. A number of arrangements have been put in place to allow for the education process to continue in these fields.

Baramita, troubled with various issues such as alcohol and substance abuse, suicide, incest, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking, among others, was chosen by Minister Persaud, who has a special interest in helping those who are vulnerable to pilot WIIN to of-

that it takes to lift Baramita from the serious issues plaguing the community.

WIIN is being rolled out through Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) and Senior Training Officer, Sanjay Pooran, noted that the courses in Baramita had an extremely positive impact on those who signed up for them.

Even though the courses lasted for just three days, the participants were well equipped to practice what they have learned by the end. “For those who did sewing, when we got there, they couldn’t sew masks and hammocks, but by the time we left, they were able to start doing so,” Pooran informed.

Although WIIN targets women and girls, the team

extra persons.”

The ministry has arranged to send in support staff so that they can train persons in Baramita to in turn be trainers. This is to facilitate continuous learning opportunities for the people in the community.

Minister Persaud expressed a desire to see continued progress in Baramita and will be doing everything possible to have the Learning Resource Centre, which was furnished with computers and sewing machines, develop into a hub for youth and women to gain confidence, step away from the social ills and become employed or develop small businesses.

Seeing the potential for agricultural development in the area, the minister has

The group which completed the sewing course, along with Minister Persaud and other officers of the ministry

also decided to send back the agricultural officer so that he can provide further training and guidance.

“The intention is to provide them with life skills for employment or starting a small business, and it’s coupled with courses that are focused on social development so things like anger management, conflict management, suicide and depression, can Continued on page 10

Minister Persaud presents 21-year-old Selina Bacchus, who took the sewing course, with her certificate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

60 Baramita residents...

Fifteen-year-old Josani Scott, who completed the ICT course receives his certificate from Minister Persaud

Minister Persaud presents a hamper to an older resident of Baramita From page 9 also be dealt with,” Pooran further explained.

WIIN, a brainchild of Minister Persaud, is available both online and in-person across the country and seeks to provide women and girls with economic benefits, along with an enabling environment to help them boost their self-confidence and individuality.

Whether persons are interested in garment construction, ICT, graphic designing, video editing, photography, interior decorating, the ministry is moving to cater for major development in the country.

WIIN will also include the provision of functional, business, social issues, and legislative literacy,

and will cover areas in anger management, emotional intelligence, coping mechanisms, as well as information on support systems from the ministry. Each course will be followed by an assessment, and the top five students will be eligible for assistance to start-up their businesses.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

Only 11,000

Essequibians

vaccinated -- vaccination accounts for 33 per cent of the population

By Indrawattie Natram CHAIRMAN of the Health and Sanitation Committee in Region Two, Arnold Adams, has disclosed that only 33 per cent of the region’s population has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. Adams was, at the time, speaking at the statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Wednesday, in the boardroom of the RDC. Adams, during his address to the RDC councillors, commended the efforts of Regional Health Officer,

Chairman of the Health and Sanitation Committee, Arnold Adams Dr. Ranjeev Singh, and his team for working around the clock to ensure residents are vaccinated against the virus.

Adams told the council that daily, the vaccination teams are in various communities administering the vaccines.

According to Adams, out of the 30,500 eligible persons in Region Two, only 11,000 have taken the vaccines so far. He also said that the vaccination campaign has intensified and encouraged persons to come on board and take the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We have to give credit to Dr. Ranjeev and his team, every weekend they are out in the fields working and ensuring the vaccination drives are conducted, for this, we want to say thank you to you and your team,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Singh said that the region is aiming

Regional Health Officer, Dr. Ranjeev Singh to achieve herd immunity and can only do this if leaders and organisations come together to host vaccination drives. There are still some persons who are hesitant to take the vaccines.

Dr. Singh noted that once the region achieves herd immunity, it will be able to regain some state of normalcy. He also mentioned that the testing capacity in the region has increased and more and more persons are being tested positive.

To date, 34 persons are in isolation. As it relates to sensitisation, the Regional Health Services has intensified its public relation campaigns, educating and sensitising persons using various mediums to express the importance of taking the vaccines.

Apart from the fixed sites, every weekend there are several vaccination drives along the Essequibo Coast. These sites are usually published on the Region’s Health Services Facebook page in advance. The Regional Health Services has also partnered with various religious organisations and agencies to conduct various vaccination drives.

He also said that vaccines are being released by the Ministry of Health based on the demand and if people are not taking the vaccines then the region will be left behind. He also said that there will be house-tohouse vaccination to encourage persons to take the vaccines and to protect them

11 from getting infected by the coronavirus.

He also said that it is important for persons to get vaccinated since there might come a time when persons might have to use their immunisation card as a passport to travel.

Dr. Singh has therefore echoed calls for persons to visit the various vaccination sites in the region and get vaccinated. He said once the region achieves herd immunity, then persons would be able to walk without a mask but will still be expected to practice social distancing.

Both the AstraZeneca and Sputnik-V vaccines are available in the region.

The vaccines stimulate the body’s natural defences, causing it to produce its protection in the form of antibodies. The Sputnik-V vaccine was documented as the first registered COVID-19 vaccine in the world on August 11, 2020.

It is manufactured by the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in collaboration with the Gamaleya Centre. The Ministry of Health is advising those who have been vaccinated to continue to take precautions. If anyone is experiencing symptoms of the virus, they should immediately book a test.

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Two men lose battle with COVID-19 –– 186 new COVID-19 cases recorded THE Ministry of Health, on Wednesday, recorded two more COVID-19 deaths for the month of May, 2021, pushing the death toll for this month to 32, and the overall number of deaths to 333.

The latest fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health, are two men, ages 55 and 64, from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), who succumbed to the virus while receiving treatment at a local health facility.

Meanwhile, 186 new cases of COVID-19 were, on Wednesday, recorded from 1,364 tests carried out for May 12, 2021.

Of these, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) recorded 28; Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 86; Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), seven; Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), 25; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), 21; Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), 16, and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), three.

The group of newly infected persons consists 94 males and 92 females. Currently, there are 12 persons within the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 111

in institutional isolation, 1,696 isolated at home, and eight in institutional quarantine.

Guyana has confirmed a total of 14,845 cases of COVID-19 since the discovery of the deadly virus in Guyana. Of that number, 1,827 are currently active; and of the 12,693 recoveries, 142 were recorded within the past 24 hours.

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-feet physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

The Minister of Health has also urged persons 18 years and older to take the COVID-19 vaccine, to immunise themselves against the deadly virus.

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 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit the Ministry of Health at www.health.gov.gy.

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‘Stay focussed’

By Indrawattie Natram

THE Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC), in collaboration with the Department of Education, on Wednesday, recognised the efforts of the region’s top three Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students at a special award ceremony.

Those honoured were

Duvina Seurattan, who topped the region and secured the second spot for the country with 19 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos; Swasti Saytoo, whose 18 Grade Ones and 3 Grade Twos placed her at number two in the region and third in the country and Tabitha Alves who came in third in the region and 10th in the country with 16 Grade Ones and 4 Grade Twos.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

-Region Two Chairperson tells top CSEC performers

Seurattan of Cullen, and Saytoo of Zorg, are former students of the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School (ARMS), while Alves of Queenstown Village, formerly attended the Abram Zuil Secondary School.

At a simple award ceremony held in the RDC boardroom, the trio received awards in the form of plaques and trophies, compliments of

Regional Vice-Chairman, Humace Oodit; Regional Chairperson, Vilma De Silva; and Regional Executive Officer (REO), Devanand Ramdatt with the top three performers at the awards ceremony the RDC and Adamantium Holdings Inc/Alfro Alphonso. A cash award was also presented by Adamantium Holdings Inc to each of the top performers.

Regional Education Officer, Nichola Matthews, in her remarks, said despite the pandemic, the region was able to excel. She said the Department of Education was extremely elated and proud of the students’ performance at the 2020 sitting of the regional examination.

Matthews noted that 2020 will be a year that will remain in the minds of all Guyanese for many reasons. She said that to date the department is still struggling to ensure that the curriculum is effectively delivered to all learners. She said the pandemic has drastically changed the structure of education delivery and the Ministry of Education is now forced to use Google Classroom, WhatsApp and other means to ensure that the learners are actively involved in learning.

Giving a comparative analysis of the region’s CSEC results over the past four years, Matthews said that in 2016, the matriculation rate was 33 per cent; in 2017, it was 33.3 per cent; in 2018 it was 59.8 per cent; in 2019, it was 50 per cent; and in 2020, it was 56 per

cent. This, she said, is evidence that despite the presence of the deadly virus, the region managed to record growth at the examination.

She also used the opportunity to thank the parents for helping the students during their studies.

Meanwhile, Chairperson Vilma De Silva noted that the day was historic for the region.

She encouraged the teens to remain focussed. Noting that she was passionate about women and male development in Guyana, De Silva encouraged them to pursue their dreams and to further their studies.

She extended congratulatory messages to them on behalf of the RDC. Regional Vice-Chairman, Humace Oodit, during his brief remarks, congratulated the top performers, and later, their parents for helping to “mould them”.

Oodit, like the chairperson, encouraged them to pursue their dreams and to continue to further their education. He noted that the government was investing heavily to ensure that the children throughout Guyana get an education.

Seurattan extended gratitude to the regional administration and the Department of Education for recognising their efforts.

She also took the opportunity to thank her family for supporting her throughout her studies. She said that her success at the examination was one of her many achievements.

Headteacher of Abram Zuil Secondary School, Jennifer Taylor; Regional Education Officer, Nichola Mathews (middle) and Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School headteacher, Lalljeet Rooplall, with the top performers

Food loss, wastage main concern at high-level summit GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

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--as 1.3B tonnes of food continue to be dumped globally each year

By Rehana Ahamad EVEN though hunger affects close to 700 million people annually, an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food are dumped each year.

This means that the global wastage and loss of food account for approximately 30 per cent of all food production.

As the preparatory dialogue for the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit convened on Tuesday, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, emphasised the importance of reducing food wastage and loss in an effort to ensure that the world is on a sustainable path where all can be adequately fed. “ To d a y ’s N a t i o n a l High-Level Dialogue in preparation of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit offers an excellent opportunity for all public and private sector, civil society and other development partners to discuss, collaborate and agree on actions needed to transform Guyana’s food system,” Minister Mustapha said.

He noted that the forum will entertain a healthy variety of viewpoints which will be used to update Guyana’s priorities in the coming years, especially as it relates to emerging challenges and threats to the global food system.

These threats, according to Mustapha, have worsened due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus pandemic which continues to devastate the world.

“COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of food production and distribution systems, especially to the most vulnerable and to rural population,” the minister noted.

He said that the virus has had direct and indirect impact on the livelihoods of all citizens, while exacerbating the glaring challenges of Climate Change.

“Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress is therefore necessary to address these challenges that threaten a sustainable food system,” Mustapha said.

He noted that even though these challenges are many, solutions are also within reach, and that many of them have been echoed in the global discussions concerning the ‘Five Action Tracks’ identified for focus by the United Nations.

Track One, Mustapha

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said, relates to the reduction of food loss and wastage, while Action Track Two speaks to the needed shift to sustainable consumption patterns, such as the increase of certain illnesses caused by the consumption of unhealthy foods.

This topic was examined by Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, who emphasised the need to educate the population about the importance of a balanced diet.

OVER-NUTRITION Dr. Anthony told the virtual forum that in addition to pockets of under-nutrition, Guyana is also faced with the threats of over-nutrition, which can lead to a host of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases.

“We should come up with plans of how we could intervene,” the Minister said.

He highlighted too the importance of good dietary practices to begin from as early as pregnancy. “[We must] ensure that mothers have a good and balanced diet of nutritious foods, and that an enabling environment is created to allow for, and promote, breastfeeding. We need to make sure that people make the right food choices,” Dr. Anthony noted.

Minister Mustapha further explained that while the agriculture sector has a crucial role to play in the transformation of Guyana’s food system, it is an effort that requires an all-handson-deck approach.

“Both private and public actors in all sectors -finance, health, environment, tourism, education, human services and social security, local government, Amerindian affairs and public works, have an impact on the way in which the food system functions- all stakeholders,” Mustapha noted.

He said that it is for this reason that the world has recognised the importance of taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to addressing the challenges facing the global food system.

FOOD SYSTEMS APPROACH “By adopting a ‘food systems approach’ rather than an individual sector approach, we can be more productive, more inclusive of the poor, more environmentally sustainable and resilient, and better equipped to deliver healthy and nutritious diets to all Guyanese,” Mustapha said.

He highlighted that currently, the food system does not feed everyone an affordable balanced meal that promotes healthy and productive lives.

“Trade is often imbalanced and excludes small producers. They utilise the natural resources in a non-sustainable manner and they are highly susceptible to external shocks - hydrometeorological, economic, pandemics and so on,” the Agriculture Minister said.

He noted that despite many challenges over the past three decades, Guyana has made substantial progress in relation to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations.

According to Mustapha, the number of people living in extreme income poverty has been reduced to account for less than three per cent of the national population, while the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP per capita have risen more than 1,300 per cent over the last 30 years.

“Notwithstanding these achievements, Guyana still has many challenges to address in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030,” the minister admitted.

On this note, he said: “Guyana and the Caribbean Region will be working to ensure that our input into the Food Systems Summit is aligned with our strategic objectives and development strategies and informed by the solutions and strategies developed through national and regional-level dialogues.”

Mustapha said that once realised, Guyana’s vision for a transformed food system will see agriculture being able to provide a wholesome living for all Guyana, and not just farmers.

The transformation would also see Guyana being able to capitalise on emerging trade opportunities in agriculture both regionally and internationally.

It will also see the country being able to achieve all its development goals, and pave the way for all Guyanese to benefit from healthy, affordable diets that promote good health and reduce non-communicable diseases.

The UN forum, chaired

by Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations (New York), also benefitted from the presence of Guyana’s Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips.

Other dignitaries who tuned in and added to the discussions included Dr. David Nabarro, Strategic Director, Food Systems Summit Dialogues Support

Team; Dr. Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organisation; Dr. Eduardo Trigo, Special Advisor to the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); Paul Cheong, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission and other government ministers and UN representatives.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday May 14, 2021

33.3 per cent of adult population vaccinated against COVID-19 SOME 161,886 individuals have received their first dose of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm or Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines, since the vaccination campaign against the deadly virus commenced in Guyana.

This is according to Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, in his COVID-19 update with the Department of Public Information (DPI), on Thursday.

The current number, he said, is equivalent to about 33.3 per cent/one-third of the adult population.

—18,526 individuals fully immunised, says Health Minister

Further, the minister said that a total of 18,526 persons have received both their first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, making them fully immunised against the virus.

Aside from this development, the Minister of Health has also related that the while there has been a lag in the inoculation rate in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the region has seen a slight improvement between Wednesday and Thursday.

As a result of the slight “pick-up,” 10 per cent of

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony Region 10’s adult population are now vaccinated.

The vaccination rate in Region 10, however,

remains less than that of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), where some 40 per cent of the adult population has been vaccinated.

To further intensify the campaign and increase the rate of vaccination, health authorities will conduct more outreaches in the coming weeks.

“The place where we’re seeing quite a lot of people [getting vaccinated] is in Georgetown, but we do have sites on the East Bank [of Demerara] and we do have sites on the East Coast [of Demerara]. But we will be

doing a lot more outreach work this weekend. I know the teams in the different regions would have been planning outreaches, and so over the weekend, we expect that there will be many more sites,” Dr. Anthony related.

Previously, the Health Minister had said that while the ministry has recorded an increase in the number of younger persons, who have been willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, there is still a large portion of the population who have to be vaccinated.

He added that the min-

istry will continue to collaborate with private sector entities for timely and efficient administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We want to continue those partnerships, so we’ll be working with a number of companies. Those companies who would have organised for us to get the first dose of the vaccine out, we would like them to help us get out the second vaccine, so that we can ensure that we immunise that working population,” Dr. Anthony said.

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Young pageant delegate working towards big dreams

N

INETEEN-year-old Ramiesa Trishana Ganesh has big plans to enter the Miss World

So well did she progress that Ganesh is now the co-founder, secretary, props manager and dance teacher of Tandavas Performing Arts founded by Tagepaul Sooknanan and also co-founded by Darshana Ramotar.

Tandavas is a non-profit organisation where the founders seek to inspire and help their performers reach their full potentials and invest in the youths of society so that they can have a better education for a better tomorrow.

A current delegate in the Miss India Worldwide Guyana pageant, Ganesh is also a teacher at the Islamic school, Qayyim Academy.

She believes strongly that young people should seek to advance themselves academically, and said she wants to be able to do her bit to help them.

In fact, her platform in the ‘Miss India’ pageant is Education. “I believe it is the invisible crown every

Ramiesa Trishana Ganesh or Miss Universe pageants in future, and she is aiming to become a pageant coach so that she can help young girls to develop the sort of self-confidence that they need in life.

A delegate in the Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship Pageant in 2019, for which she won the Best Ballroom Dancing, Ganesh hails from Tuschen Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, and believes her interest in this industry comes from growing up among family members who liked to dance.

She also took classes from her best friend in school and has learnt since then what it is like to perform in front of an audience. Having developed that confidence, she started participating in school programmes and competitions.

Ganesh practising the Kapotasana-pigeon yoga posture

arts, yoga, and artistic painting, is an advocate for body positivity.

“I have been approached by young women who believe their bodies are too imperfect to follow their dreams in pageantry. I have been struggling with my stretch marks on my upper body for years preventing me from wearing certain clothes. In my perspective, change starts with you; that is why I am confident with my body to show young women they can be too,” she said.

Ganesh plans to further her education as she said she has always been interested in academics. She enjoys being a teacher and will work towards qualifying herself at the Cyril Potter College of Education.

At the Tandavas Phagwah Video shoot individual should wear. My focus revolves around children who live in poverty prevalent areas and do not have access to education. It is my objective to not only use my voice but take actions in helping these children in as many ways as possible,” Ganesh told Buzz this week.

She added: “I believe ability is the hidden tool that is unknown until the mind proves itself worthy; we are capable of anything once we have a positive mentality.” She knows the challenges associated with not being able to afford to attend school and said she wants to be there for children who may be worse off than her today. Through Tandavas, small charity drives are organised to help children with school supplies.

Ganesh, whose other interests include dancing, acting, martial

Ganesh at the sashing pageant of the Miss India Worldwide Guyana

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

Aiming for greatness Young musician confident he has what it takes

AS a student in Form One, Josiah Mentore, was not all about academics although he was an excellent student who did well with his grades; he formed a crew called “Shockwave Entertainment” that would freestyle, battle rap, and make music dedicated to their class and life in school.

Now known as “EleMent,” the 20-year-

Josiah Mentore, known as “EleMent”

his feet with his long lost love.

“My cousin gave up rapping and was about to throw away his gear and I asked for them; he handed me them and I kept them for years knowing I would want to make music in the future,” he recalled in an interview with Buzz this week.

In 2019, at the age of 19, he observed that many musicians who were not so skilled or talented were making it on the big screen.

“I told my friends…I grew up rapping and could make great music…I said that one day everyone will see that I was moulded to become not only a good rapper but the Greatest HIP Hop artiste, and so I began writing pieces about my feelings, about stories, making poetic verses, sometimes focusing on flow, sometimes message, soon enough one by one, I was able to make people aware of my gift,” he reflected.

He eventually realised that his whole life had prepared him for being an artist and is now his own writer, rapper, producer, financial investor, marketer, animator, and distributor. “It’s not a burden on me, because I love doing all parts, and besides, you can rest assured that everything you see from EleMent is 100% me. I started with no one so I might as well keep going self-sufficient.”

Mentore, a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition against 26,000

old is pressing on in his music career and no one can convince him that he wouldn’t make it big someday. Apart from the skills needed for the industry, he has the sort of passion for music that is sure to see him through.

For as long as he can remember, Mentore loved rapping and playing with words, writing poetry, writing stories, making parodies, and going up to rap for church and school programmes.

Because his grades started to be affected, he eventually stopped making music with the crew to focus more on improving. When he was 15 though, a remarkable opportunity presented itself to help Mentore get back on

Josiah has been singing and rapping since his school days

Josiah recently participated in the Guyana Talent Search competition and despite not being accepted into the next round, he said he made good use of the opportunity

individuals last February, has performed for CARICOM Energy Month youth forum in December 2020 and has brought third in the Caricom Solar Challenge 2019.

His two peak songs are the Guyanese Alphabet Song in June 2020, and Bussit freestyle in May 2021. He’s also been able to network with a lot of prominent Guyanese creators and is currently working on an advertisement with 592 Wine.

“I would like to encourage all Guyanese to support locals, even if it’s their friend who is doing music; that little artiste is going to be a big artiste someday.

I want all Guyanese artistes to not give up and be discouraged easily, as I would’ve had a recent downfall where I wasn’t accepted into a next round of the Guyana Talent Search and was made fun of all across social media, but I used the opportunity to market myself and bring in at least 30 new supporters,” he expressed.

Josiah in company with other Guyanese creatives

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Film Producer Melissa ‘ Vanilla’ Roberts MELISSA ‘Vanilla’ Roberts is all set to produce her latest film, “Eating Papaw on the Seawall” - a story about love and how it navigates hate in darkness.

In an interview with Buzz this week, Roberts said the film’s writer Rae Wiltshire of Counterpoint Productions submitted a script to the Commonwealth Caribbean Voices Project for a competition they were having.

Wiltshire was the only Guyanese selected from over 100 participants around the Caribbean. “I consider this great news for Guyana because it opened another

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

Sensational Vanilla to produce new film, ‘Eating Papaw on the Seawall’ window for the creative industry in the area of film,” pointed out Roberts, adding, “It’s a story about love; where love navigates hate in darkness. It’s a love than cannot ripen in light.”

Because the creative industry is small in Guyana, building a cast and crew can become challenging in the area of film, especially when there’s a unique story to tell.

“So Rae reached out to members of CeniGuyana who reached out to me because of my experience in film production where I worked not only in Guyana

The film’s writer Rae Wiltshire but Barbados and Los Angeles as well,” Roberts explained about how she became involved with the film.

As part of preproduction for a film, a casting call is required so open auditions will be on from 14:00 to 17:00 hours tomorrow (May 15). An open audition basically means that anyone can walk in once they suit the criteria

advertised.

The character list includes an East Indian/Mixed male 16-22 years old, Afro/ Mixed male 16-22 years old, East Indian/ Mixed female 35-45 years old, and Afro/ Mixed male age 35-45 years old.

“There is a specific structure in place because it’s important to cast the right characters with the right ages for the roles so that a compelling story can be told. We hope to achieve the goal of finding all the characters that fit the roles because it’s important for the visuals and emotional connection to tell the story,” Roberts explained.

The team is also hoping to find actors who can connect to the emotions of the film, and good enough to be referred to for future films.

Roberts shot to fame back in 2005 with her single, ‘Koc It Up’ and ‘54321’ which featured Ice under the Kotion Rythym Medley video attached to Kross Kolor Records label.

When she’s not in the studio, the talented artiste is also very active in the filmmaking industry.

Having always felt connected to television and the behind-the-scenes workings of music videos she has been a part of in the past, Melissa took up studying Motion Picture Arts in Barbados at the University of the West Indies.

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Brathwaite hails Windies significant move in Test rankings

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies team has made a significant move up the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test Match rankings, following the release of the latest rankings yesterday. West Indies moved up two places to sixth place, leapfrogging South Africa and Sri Lanka.

West Indies are on 84 points ahead of the Proteas on 80 and Sri Lanka on 78.

India lead the rankings on 121 with New Zealand (120), England (109), Australia (108) and Pakistan (94).

The West Indies growth and progress is the result of the memorable 2-0 win away to Ban-

gladesh and the hard-fought 0-0 draw in the Sandals Test Series at home against Sri Lanka.

It signals an overall rise for the team – last month it was announced they moved up one spot in the ICC One-Day International (ODI) rankings – following the 3-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the CG Insurance ODI Series.

Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite was full of praise for his players and support staff. He said this is the beginning of the climb towards higher rankings. The experienced opener spoke to CWI Media yestersday morning from Bristol in England where he is playing for Gloucestershire in the County Championship.

Brathwaite said: “I’m very proud of the team to jump two places in the Test rankings. I think this is just the beginning of good things to come.

As a group it shows that we can climb up the ladder and it’s just important for us to work hard and keep the belief and attitude to doing things right – in the preparation and the execution on the field. Once we continue to do the small things right, and have the right attitude … because Test cricket is never easy … the sky is the limit.”

Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket said:

“I am pleased to see the improvement from eighth to sixth in our Test ranking. This comes on the back of good cricket played earlier in the year against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Firstly we should recognise the efforts of the players and support staff on the ground who have delivered results under pressure and secondly to the large number of people working tirelessly in the background to support them in the face of multiple challenges.

We continue to work hard towards our strategic goal of top 3 rankings across all formats.” (CWI)

Archer makes wicket-taking return Sonaram confident that Guyana can for Sussex against Kent medal at Caribbean Championships ENGLAND fast bowler Jofra at Lord’s. not to have some fun out there.

Archer made a wicket-taking return to competitive action for Sussex as they dominated the opening day against Kent.

Archer (2-29) took the first two Kent wickets before fellow pacemen Ollie Robinson (3-29) and George Garton (365) helped bowl them out for just 145.

England team-mate Zak Crawley and Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond were Archer’s two early scalps.

Sussex closed on 51-2 in reply on a rain and bad light-affected first day.

Archer was making his first County Championship appearance for Sussex since 2018 and was also playing in his first competitive match in any format since the last T20 international of England’s series against India in March.

The 26-year-old had stepped-up his return to training in a Sussex second XI fixture against Surrey at Hove last week.

His return comes less than two months after surgery on his right hand to remove a piece of broken glass from a cut sustained while cleaning a fish tank at his home as well as an injection to manage a long-standing elbow injury.

Archer, who has played 13 Tests, will hope to put himself in contention for England’s series against New Zealand, starting on 2 June

But alongside his encouraging opening spell with the new ball that reduced Kent to 11-2 as Bell-Drummond was caught at second slip and Crawley feathered a rising delivery to wicketkeeper Ben Brown, it was the seam pairing of Robinson and Garton who also caught the eye.

Right-armer Robinson, who came close to a Test debut against West Indies last summer, and left-armer Garton both took three wickets after Kent had recovered to 70-2.

After Jack Leaning (63) and Jordan Cox (24) saw their second-wicket partnership of 59 ended when Robinson knocked the latter’s off stump out the ground, Kent lost their last eight wickets for just 75 runs.

The visitors did manage to pick up two wickets in Sussex’s reply before bad light stopped play with 14.3 overs still to bowl.

Tom Haines (14) was caught behind off Darren Stevens while Aaron Thomason (21) miscued a drive to point off Nathan Gilchrist shortly before the close.

Sussex and England fast bowler Jofra Archer told BBC Radio Sussex: “Playing here with people you’ve probably played with for all of my time at Sussex was really great. It was hard

“I don’t even remember my last Championship game before this one, it was so long ago and in a different context too. Back then I was pushing to get in the (England) team and now, it’s all about trying to keep my place.

“I thought I looked alright out there and I was backing up from the 2nd XI match last week, it’s good to get some confidence and overs in and it felt fine.

“It was just a precaution and management bowling short spells just in case we had a long day in the field, but it worked out OK. “You don’t pick up injuries on purpose and sometimes you don’t know how long they will linger or stay away when you come back, so I think you’ve just got to take everything in your stride, not get too frustrated in your recovery and try and have fun whenever you get the chance.

On his chances of being fit for England’s series against New Zealand: “If I’m fit, I guess I’ll be selected and if I’m not, then I’ll continue working hard to get back. There’s nothing else you can do.

“We’ve still got a second innings to get through and hopefully a couple more games before the Test series so I’m feeling confident.”

(BBC Sport)

Hundreds of Man United fans in anti-Glazer protest at Old Trafford HUNDREDS of Manchester United fans protested against the club’s ownership at Old Trafford in the hours leading up to their home match against Liverpool.

The fixture was postponed due to protests on 2 May and similar scenes were expected before Thursday’s game.

The United team arrived at around 14:00 BST in order to ensure stadium access.

Liverpool arrived around 19:00 BST on unmarked buses after the club’s official bus was blocked by protesters on a street close to the stadium.

The official bus was on its way to pick up Liverpool’s squad when it was stopped but the club moved to use its other two coaches to get the players to the ground.

Greater Manchester Police

said two arrests had been made.

Reacting to protests before the rescheduled fixture, the club’s former player and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said: “Let us be clear with what we are seeing, which is effectively Manchester United turned into a prison.

“It’s a devastating image for the club and its brand around the world.”

Manchester United’s players used beds brought into the stadium in order to rest before the fixture.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “We reported a little bit earlier but we’ve had lunch, meetings, a pre-match meal as normal and we’re ready to play a game.

“We’ve tried to keep it as close to normal as possible. The early reporting time is a little bit different but they’ve been very good at adjusting and adapting.

My players are very focused to show what kind of team they are and what kind of club Manchester United is.”

The game became the first fixture in Premier League history to be postponed due to fan protests when it was called off earlier this month.

Fans broke into the stadium on the day and police were injured by fans, with one man arrested this week.

The protests followed United’s decision, along with five fellow Premier League clubs, to join the European Super League (ESL), before subsequently all pulling out.

United co-chairman Joel Glazer has since written to the club’s supporters and is expected to meet with fans when the season ends.

THE Caribbean Elite Time Trial and Road Race Cycling Championships, which was originally scheduled for next month in Havana, Cuba has been moved to the Dominican Republic and will now take place in July.

According to information from Racing Secretary of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Malcolm Sonaram, the change in place and dates will aid the national cyclists in their preparation and might give them a better chance to reach the podium.

“This change will give us more time to prepare for the competition and we are confident that we can medal at this event.” When Cuba was billed the host the event, the race was set for June 12-13. The new dates are almost an entire month in the future, since the event is now scheduled for July 10-12.

A few weeks ago, the GCF short-listed a team of 10 cyclists, who will use this weekend’s Independence Three-Stage Championships and the National Championships later this month, to make a travelling team of five.

TOP LOCALS UNCERTAIN Jamual John, Briton John, Andrew Hicks, Christopher Griffith, Marcus Keiler, Alex Mendes, Deeraj Garbarran, Michael Anthony, Scott Savory (US-based) and Raynauth Jeffrey (US-based) were originally short-listed.

However, two of our top local cyclists might opt out of the regional championships.

According to Sonaram, “Jamual John and Briton John both stated that they have other commitments and may not be able to join the team in representing Guyana at the upcoming championships”.

The Racing Secretary noted that the GCF would be naming replacements.

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Champions League final moved to Portugal ... 12 000 Chelsea and Manchester City fans can attend

THE Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City on May 29 will take place in Portugal with 6 000 fans from each club able to attend.

The game has been moved from Turkey to the Portuguese city of Porto because of coronavirus restrictions.

Portugal is on England’s green list so players and fans can attend without having to quarantine on their return home. Turkey is on the red list.

The final had been due to be staged at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

“To deprive supporters of the chance to see the match in person was not an option and I am delighted that this compromise has been found,” said UEFA president Aleksander Cefer-

in.

UEFA, UK government officials and the Football Association met to talk about Wembley hosting the game but no agreement could be reached on quarantine exemptions for sponsors, VIPs and broadcasters.

“Fans have had to suffer more than 12 months without the ability to see their teams live and reaching a Champions League final is the pinnacle of club football,” added Ceferin.

“After the year that fans have endured, it is not right that they don’t have the chance to watch their teams in the biggest game of the season.”

Both Chelsea and Manchester City say they are in discussions with UEFA and other stakeholders over ticketing and travel

arrangements.

City say they will offer fans a day-trip travel package from Manchester to

Porto for the 20:00hrs BST match.

The sale of tickets to the general public will start on

Lisbon the location for the delayed final stages of last season’s competition, won

by Bayern Munich.

Porto’s ground has a seating capacity of 50 033

May 24, 2021 at 13:00hrs BST. It is the second successive year the final has been held in Portugal with

The final capacity limit at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto is still to be fixed.

Ceferin acknowledged that the UK government’s

decision to place Turkey on the red list for travel was made in good faith but said it also left the governing body with “a major challenge”.

“The difficulties of moving the final are great and the FA and the authorities made every effort to try to stage the match in England, and I would like to thank them for their work in trying to make it happen,” he added.

“The Turkish Football Federation and the authorities have always been reliable partners of UEFA and I hope to be in Istanbul and Turkey for a Champions League final and many other events in the near future.

“I hope the final will be a symbol of hope at the re-emergence of Europe from a difficult period and that the fans who travel to the game will once again be able to lend their voices to showcase this final as the best in club football.”

(BBC Sport)

New York Knicks make EC play-offs for first time in eight years

The New York Knicks last played a post-season game in 2013

THE New York Knicks are assured a spot in the Eastern Conference (EC) play-offs for the first time in eight years after Cleveland Cavaliers beat Boston Celtics 102-94 on Thursday.

Boston’s defeat sealed a top-six finish for the Knicks, while Celtics are likely to have to come through the new play-in tournament, for sides placed seventh to 10th, to seal their place in the play-offs.

Atlanta Hawks also sealed a post-season return after a five-year absence.

They overcame Washington Wizards 120-116 in a game that had play-off implications for both sides.

John Collins’ three-pointer with 24.8secs remaining helped Atlanta secure the crucial comeback win that saw them move a half-game ahead of Miami and New York in their battle for fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, and home-court advantage in the first round.

The loss means that Wizards will miss out on the East play-in tournament, keeping Chicago’s hopes alive.

Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma ensured Los Angeles Lakers remain in contention for direct entry to the play-offs.

His layup with 6.9ecs left earned them a 124-122 victory over Houston Rockets which leaves the seventh-placed Lakers a game behind Dallas and Portland.

Elsewhere, James Harden scored 18 points, contributed 11 assists and came up with seven rebounds on his return from a hamstring injury as Brooklyn Nets beat San Antonio Spurs 128-116.

(BBC Sport)

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IOC fully focussed on implementing ‘tentpole’ Tokyo Games LAUSANNEE, Switzerland (AFP) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) insisted yesterday that it was fully focussed on implementing the Tokyo Games, calling them a “tentpole moment that can bring the world together”.

The Tokyo Olympics were postponed from last year amid the coronavirus pandemic and are now rescheduled for July 23-August 8.

But their hosting has been questioned not only by a Japanese public in a country battling a surge in coronavirus cases, but also top sportspeople such as tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams insisted, however, that the Games would be a “key moment for the world”.

“We are now very much in an implementation phase,” Adams said. “With 78 days to

go, we are fully concentrated on the last implementation phase.

“We are moving full ahead ... and continue to plan for a full Games. We are confident we can deliver a good Games and we’re working towards that.”

Adams added: “We understand the caution of people. We understand that these are tough times.”

So tough, in fact, that IOC president Thomas Bach was this week forced to postpone a visit to Japan after a coronavirus state of emergency was extended.

Bach’s trip was scheduled for May 17-18 but organisers “decided to postpone it based on various situations including the (Government’s) extension of a virus state of emergency”.

“In terms of Japan and Tokyo we understand the caution,” Adams said. “We are

fully in solidarity with them.

People are very cautious. We have to fully trust Japanese authorities.”

Japan’s COVID-19 outbreak remains much smaller than in many countries, with

just over 10 500 deaths.

But its vaccine roll-out is moving slowly and some areas have seen record cases as more infectious variants drive fresh waves of contagion.

More than 10 000 ath-

Yutaka Kumagai of Japan competes in the men’s 5 000m - T12 category during a para-athletics test event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday (Photo: AFP)

letes from 200 countries and regions are set to travel to Tokyo for the Games, with a decision on how many domestic fans - if any - can attend to be taken in June.

Speaking from Lausanne, Adams expressed hope that the 12 test events held in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan since April would give the Japanese people “confidence that the Games can be held in a safe and secure way”.

He also played down recent polls that showed most Japanese people supporting the cancellation or another delay of the Olympics, saying that when they start “public opinion will be in favour of the Games”.

Adams also highlighted the confidence shown in the IOC by the UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), which backed the IOC, Japan and

host city Tokyo to make the right choices in managing the COVID-19 risks surrounding the Games.

“WHO came with a very strong message of confidence I hope that that ... will also give the Japanese people confidence.”

Last week, the IOC struck a deal with US drugs giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech to provide vaccines to competitors and staff at the Tokyo Games.

And Adams tried to strike a reassuring note about the Olympic Village, which will be host to thousands of people from hundreds of different countries.

“We estimate that a large majority of those in the Olympic Village will be vaccinated,” he said. “I won’t give you a figure but it’s a large and growing number.”

Gavaskar not amused by the sacking of Warner

By Daniel Brettig AUSTRALIA captain Tim Paine has argued that Steven Smith was too immature for the demands of captaincy when the national role was first handed to him in 2014 and 2015. But Paine has fewer qualms about Smith returning to the job whenever the incumbent chooses to retire.

Paine, who initially had been unsure of whether he would continue as captain beyond the end of the 2019 Ashes, has hung on for another two years since, and the national team coach Justin Langer has attempted to end any speculation on the future by claiming that the selectors aren’t even discussing the issue.

But this summer’s Ashes series looms as the most logical conclusion to Paine’s unexpected run in the job, which came about directly through the Newlands scandal that saw Smith banned from playing for a year and banned from leadership for two years.

“At least another six Tests,” Paine told the Chappell Foundation dinner when a s k e d how long he had left. “If I feel like t h e time is right a n d

we’ve beaten the Poms 5-0, what a way to go out. But it might be a tight series and we might be chasing 300 on the last day and I’m 100 not out and hit the winning runs - and then I might go again.”

Smith’s entourage, including his leadership mentor Maurice Duffy, are adamant that he should get the chance for a second go at a role that was snatched away from him after events in South Africa.

“It would be a tragedy right now if he didn’t get the opportunity to be captain again,” Duffy told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2019. “He owns himself much more now. He has an inner calmness. He owns his own feelings a lot better now; he’s much more in control of himself. I think he’s got a better outlook on life right now and I think he appreciates hugely what has been given to him.”

Other senior figures in Australian cricket are not so sure, and New South Wales broadened the race to replace Paine by handing domestic limited-overs captaincy duties to Pat Cummins instead of Smith earlier this year. Paine, who has never argued against Smith getting the job

again, maintained Tim Paine on Steven Smith: “He’s probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy his stance last night. journey in Tasmania -- he was thrown into a very “ I big role at a very, very young age and he probably think wasn’t quite ready for it.” (Getty Images)

so. Obviously I don’t make that decision but the time I played with Steve as captain he was excellent. Certainly tactically he is as good as you get,” Paine said. “He’s probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy journey in Tasmania -- he was thrown into a very big role at a very, very young age and he probably wasn’t quite ready for it.

“But by the time I came in he was growing into that role and getting better and better.

Then obviously South Africa events happened and he’s not doing it anymore. But yeah I would support him getting that job again.”

On captaincy in general, Paine said that in his experience that ambition for leadership was often a dangerous thing. “In my experience the guy who wants it too much is probably not the best option,” Paine said. “So if (his son) Charlie does come up and say he wants to be captain of Australia, I’d say just lower your expectations and worry about being a good player and a good team man and whatever happens from that would happen.”

Reflecting on the series defeat to India, Paine said that the hosts had been distracted by the tourists’ psychological tactics.

“Part of the challenge of playing against India is they’re very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn’t really matter,” Paine said, “and there were times in that series where we fell for that.

“The classic example was when they said they weren’t going to the Gabba, so we didn’t know where we were going. They’re very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball.”(Cricinfo)

THE Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team management faced a lot of flak for removing David Warner as captain in the middle of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which got postponed midway after several players contracted the COVID-19 virus.

was also not amused with Warner’s treatment and questioned SRH’s strategy.

“Hyderabad will also get time to think about its decision to not just sack David Warner as the captain but even to drop him from the playing XI. Warner was getting runs but not in the same

David Warner has been a cornerstone of SRH ever since joining the franchise in 2014

The Australian opener has been a cornerstone of SRH ever since joining the franchise in 2014. While he won the Orange Cap thrice in the SRH jersey, he even guided the side to their maiden title in 2016.

However, Warner’s few mediocre outings in IPL 2021 meant Kane Williamson replaced him as SRH captain. Moreover, the southpaw even got dropped from the playing XI, and this left the cricket fraternity in disarray.

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, part of IPL 2021 commentary panel,

assertive manner of earlier years. Still, with little support from the others, those runs were precious.

Yet, he was left out of the playing XI, which was strange. Without the cares of captaincy, he could have been the galvanising batsman that the team needed,” Gavaskar wrote in Sportstar.

The former Indian opener even went on to say that if captains can be changed midway for better results, then this rule should be implied on coaches as well. Citing the example of football club managers, Gavaskar opined

that coaches also should be sacked midway in the tournament after poor results.

“While the rights and wrongs of dropping him as captain could well be debated for long, the question that needs to be asked is: if captains can be changed midway, why can’t coaches be treated the same? In football, the moment a team starts faltering, it’s the manager who is shown the exit door, so why not in cricket too?” he added.

Notably, SRH endured a horrible campaign in the initial half of the season.

With just one win in seven games, the Orange Army was last in the team standings by the time of season suspension.

Hence, the 2016 champions need to win all their remaining matches to make a place in the playoffs without any hassle. Gavaskar feels that the postponement of IPL is a blessing in disguise for SRH as they got time to rework their strategies.

“Sunrisers Hyderabad had a forgettable beginning and would have been relieved that the event had to be suspended … the suspension could well be a blessing in disguise as it allows time for a calm, cool and proper introspection rather than in the hurly-burly of the tournament itself,” he asserted. (CricTracker)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

Bio-secure bubbles ‘hardest days’ of career, laments Holder

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Former Test captain Jason Holder has described cricket during the ongoing COVID-19 environment as the “hardest days” of his career, pointing to mental exhaustion as one of the major side effects of the bio-secure bubble.

The 29-year-old Barbadian was one of several West Indies players who returned to the Caribbean recently following the abrupt suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in India.

Holder, who featured in a single game for Sunrisers Hyderabad, flew to India immediately following Sri Lanka’s tour of the Caribbean which was played on the heels of the Regional Super50 in February.

“This has been the hardest days of my career so far. Mentally, it gets pretty exhausting and pretty boring,” Holder lamented.

“It is good to get this break and I presume I will have to take one or two more breaks as the year unfolds.

“We have got a pretty heavy schedule and it will be pretty interesting to see how I manage myself and my mental state, but it is taking it step by step, and not getting too far ahead of myself.”

Holder played a key role in cricket’s historic first bio-secure series when he led West Indies on a three-Test tour of England last July, at the height of the pandemic.

a national crisis and organisers were forced to abort the tournament after several franchises reported positive cases, despite the bio-secure bubble.

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder featured in one game for Sunrisers Hyderabad

T h e t o p - r a n k e d Te s t all-rounder played cricket virtually non-stop thereafter, leading Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) last August, turning out in the IPL for Sunrisers before heading directly to New Zealand for West Indies’ two-Test tour in December.

While this year’s IPL bowled off in early April with much promise, soaring COVID-19 cases resulted in

Holder said he never felt unsafe, however, with the integrity of the bubble remaining intact.

“The bubble we were in was fine and it was no different from any other bubble that I had been in before.

Probably this was one a bit tighter than others of the past,” he told Nation News here.

“But I felt safe. We were really treated well. All the staff

of the hotel were housed in the bubble. And everyone we would have come into contact was in the bubble.

“I felt pretty safe but there were a few cases that popped up in a few franchises. Apart from those, I think it was going alright as it relates to the integrity of the bubble.”

Holder, along with whiteball captain Kieron Pollard, veterans Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, and Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell and Fabian Allen, all campaigned in the IPL this year.

Media reports have indicated that all but Gayle have returned to the Caribbean.

Holder said even though he was disappointed the IPL could not have continued, the focus now would be on invigorating himself.

“I am obviously disappointed that the tournament was cut short or postponed but it’s still good to be home, having (not) been home since January, so it’s good to come home and see the family, refresh and recuperate,” Holder explained.

“My mood is not too bad but I am just hoping that we can all get back to some normalcy, some way, somehow, in the not-too-distant future.”

St Vincent and the Grenadines to play next home match in Grenada

The St Vincent and Grenadines footballers will play a second consecutive home match away from hom

ST Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will play a second consecutive home match away from home, with their upcoming CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Cuba booked for the Kirani James Athletics Stadium in Grenada.

The match was originally scheduled for the Arnos Vale Stadium for June 8. However, existing protocols, including quarantine, mean that it would not be possible for the country to host the event. The match is set to kick off at 16:00hrs. The SVG versus Cuba encounter will precede the Grenada against Montserrat, which takes place at 19:00hrs.

Prior to this round, SVG played a home ‘match’ against the British Virgin Islands at the Ergillo Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao. The Vincy Heat emerged 3-0 winners from the match.

The team is just one of several who will see their fixtures altered as countries around the region continue to battle the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other teams expected to be playing their upcoming home matches away are Aruba, the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Montserrat, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Anguilla, and Puerto Rico.

With two matches played in the first round of the qualifiers, SVG are currently third in Group C behind Curaçao and second place Guatemala. (Sportsmax)

Liverpool boost top-four hopes with win at Man United

JURGEN Klopp celebrated his first win at Old Trafford as Liverpool came from behind to beat Manchester United and boost their chances of a Champions League place.

In a thrilling game played against the backdrop of noisy protests against the United ownership outside the ground, United struck first through Bruno Fernandes’ deflected opener.

But Liverpool, who had

seen one of their buses prevented from picking team members up before the game after being blocked in the street, hit back through Diogo Jota’s instinctive effort.

Roberto Firmino, who had only scored once since his twogoal haul at Crystal Palace in December, then put his side on top with a well-taken double either side of half-time.

Marcus Rashford pulled one back for United midway

the second half but Mohamed Salah wrapped up the points with a late breakaway strike for his 21st Premier League goal of the season.

season.

The result takes Liverpool fifth in the Premier League. If they win at West Brom on Sunday they will close to within

Brendan Rodgers was in charge in March 2014, the last time Liverpool beat United in an away game.

Jordan Henderson’s groin

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(2) Which ENG cricketer has registered most Test runs against the WI to date?

Referee Anthony Taylor changed his penalty decision after checking the pitch-side monitor

That moves him level with Harry Kane in the Golden Boot standings and condemns Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to a sixth home defeat of the

one and three points respectively of FA Cup finalists Chelsea and Leicester, who still have to play each other at Stamford Bridge on May 18.

injury meant there was noone left from that night in the visitors’ ranks, and Klopp celebrated his debut United away win with his double fist-pump

as Salah scored.

Salah might have had the chance to get on the scoresheet much earlier in the game had referee Anthony Taylor not consulted the pitch-side monitor and changed his decision to give a penalty for Eric Bailly’s tackle on Nat Phillips.

Knowing victory was needed to maintain a realistic topfour chance, Klopp appeared distinctly unimpressed by the incident. The Ivorian defender certainly played the ball first but the force behind the challenge sent his defender flying.

In a game that started to the sound of a police helicopter whirring overhead, Liverpool did not have to wait long for another chance.

Jota’s finish was excellent but United’s defence stood off Phillips after a corner, allowing him to run and turn before his shot spun to the feet of his Portuguese team-mate.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb delivery to the far post in first-half stoppage time invited Firmino’s header to put Liverpool ahead - and was a timely reminder of his ability with England boss Gareth Southgate watching from the stands. (BBC Sport)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, May 14, 2021

India retain No.1 spot in Test rankings, West Indies rise to sixth place … Seventh-placed South Africa at joint-lowest in history after annual update

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Bermuda striker Nahki Wells a major doubt for Cayman, Suriname qualifiers

England-based Bermuda international Nahki Wells

India have a one-point lead over New Zealand. (Getty Images)

INDIA and New Zealand retained the top two places in the ICC men’s Test rankings after the annual update, while England overtook Australia for the third spot. West Indies also moved up by two positions to be placed sixth, one slot above South Africa.

India, who have an aggregate of 121 rating points, are only one point ahead of New Zealand. The two teams will face off against each other in the World Test Championship final to be held on June 18 in Southampton.

England climbed up by a place after their 4-0 defeat to Australia in 2017-18 was dropped from the rankings in the latest update. In the current cycle, all matches played since May 2020 are rated at 100% and those of the previous two years at 50%.

Meanwhile, West Indies moved from eighth to sixth place on the back of a 2-0 series win against Bangladesh and 0-0 draw with Sri Lanka earlier this year. This is their best position since 2013.

Pakistan remained fifth despite gaining three points after their 2-0 win against Zimbabwe. South Africa are placed seventh, their joint-lowest in Test ranking history.

Only Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are below them. Ireland and Afghanistan are yet to play enough Tests to figure on the rankings table. (Cricinfo) ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings: 1. India (121 points) 2. New Zealand (120) 3. England (109) 4. Australia (108) 5. Pakistan (94) 6. West Indies (84) 7. South Africa (80) 8. Sri Lanka (78) 9. Bangladesh (46) 10. Zimbabwe (35)

… eight spots left to be filled THE Barbados Tridents have announced their retentions for the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League which gets underway on August 28 in St Kitts & Nevis.

The Tridents welcome back the world’s number one rated Test all-rounder and Tridents captain Jason Holder, along with fellow Barbadians Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Raymon Reifer, Justin Greaves, Nyeem Young and Joshua Bishop.

In addition to the local playing contingent, the Tridents have retained opening batsman, Johnson Charles and leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr

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who was player-of-the-tournament when the Tridents claimed the Hero CPL title in 2019.

Tridents have eight spots left to be filled in their squad and the remaining players will be announced in the coming weeks.

Kailash Pardasani, Barbados Tridents co-CEO, said: “We are really excited to welcome back our retained players and especially look forward to making Barbados and all Tridents’ fans very proud in our upcoming 2021 season.

“Our primary driving factor is the Barbados Tridents family which comprises Newmarket 08:35 hrs Love Destiny 09:15 hrs Tenbury Wells 09:50 hrs Golden Rules 10:20 hrs Derab 10:50 hrs Muntaaz 11:20 hrs Bezzas Lad York 08:40 hrs 09:10 HRS Snow Lantern 09:40 hrs Irish Admiral 10:10 hrs Sir Ron Priestley 10:40 hrs Tom Collins 11:15 hrs Tweet Tweet 11:50 hrs Kondo Isami

Tridents have eight spots to fill at the upcoming players’ draft (Photo: CPL via Getty Images)

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game of cricket will enable us to bring the Hero CPL 2021 title back home as we did in 2019.” (CPLT20)

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HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) – Leading striker Nahki Wells has not yet made up his mind but looks likely to miss Bermuda’s World Cup qualifiers against the Cayman Islands and Suriname next month, in favour of a period of rest after another gruelling season in England’s second-flight Championship.

The Bristol City front man, who turns 31 on June 1, missed the island’s first two CONCACAF Zone Group B qualifying matches against Canada and Aruba in Florida in March.

Kyle Lightbourne’s team – nicknamed the Gombey Warriors – are currently third in their group after losing 5-1 to Canada and then defeating Aruba 5-0. Canada and Suriname are both undefeated on six points.

“I’m uncertain whether I will be available,” Wells told the Royal Gazette newspaper.

“I’m going to have a talk with management mainly because if I am involved in those fixtures, I’m probably not going to have any rest.

“I think, medically, it will be advised to probably have a bit of a rest if possible. That period is the most beneficial for me to get back to Bermuda and spend some time with the family.”

Wells, who earned City’s golden boot award for his 11 goals this season, added: “Obviously with the quarantine and stuff, by time I get out of that I probably won’t have too much time to spend with my family and friends before I have to go back in the bubble with the national team; so there is uncertainty on whether or not I’m definitely going to be involved in those fixtures.

“I’ll still play my part as an influential squad mem-

ber, experienced player and ex-captain for any preparations or any supporting help from the side if I am not to be involved. But at this moment, there’s not a definitive yes or no.”

City suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Brentford in their final Championship match of the season at Ashton Gate last Saturday to finish 19th in the standings after an encouraging start to the campaign.

“Happy to get over the finish line in terms of the season being done,” said Wells “It’s been a long, gruelling season on the back of a very short break between the end of last season and the start of this season.

“A lot of things have gone against us that I’ve never encountered in football,” he said. “The amount of injuries we had as a whole, the number of important players that we missed for large durations of the season, meant we had to use the most players in the league.

“Thirty-seven players made appearances for the first team, which would be by far the most of any team in the Championship.

“As a whole and as a group, things started really well. We had a really good pre-season and went into the season in a good place, and won four out of five and had a decent run of fixtures after that in terms of still picking up points. Then from that stage on the season went on a little bit of a downward spiral.”

The loss of form cost Dean Holden his job as manager in February. He was replaced by Nigel Pearson, who experienced an initial bounce before the club went into a tailspin that brought only three points from a possible 30.

This is West Indies best position in ICC Test rankings since 2013

Brathwaite hails Windies significant move in Test rankings SEE PAGE

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Archer makes wicket-taking return for Sussex against Kent SEE PAGE

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Sonaram confident that Guyana can medal at Caribbean Championships SEE PAGE

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England team-mate Zak Crawley was one of Jofra Archer’s two wickets on his return for Sussex

SEE PAGE

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GCF’s Racing Secretary Malcolm Sonaram said that the change would give Guyanese cyclists more time to prepare for the event

| FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021