Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 14-05-2022

saturday 14th may, 2022

No.106722

President, Opposition Leader meet for first time on constitutional, statutory appointments 03 PAGE

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton accompanied by APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Roysdale Forde during the meeting with President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday at the office of the President. The President was accompanied by Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall (Office of the President photos)

18 young professionals in Linden 08 10 receive homes Norton does U-turn on his claim of having ‘winning’ SoPs 05

Accelerate-Her 2022 Kicks off with Bootcamp –– programme key in creating equal opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs

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President, Opposition Leader meet for first time on constitutional, statutory appointments

By Tamica Garnett PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton met for the first time, officially, on Friday. The meeting was held at the Office of the President to discuss constitutional and statutory appointments.

The in-person visit followed the exchange of several pieces of written correspondence over the past few weeks. It also marked the first meeting between the President and an Opposition Leader since the government took office in August 2020.

The cordial meeting ended with an agreement from the President that the curriculum vitaes (CVs) of the persons under consideration will be made available to Norton within two days, as per his request.

It was also agreed that the consultations will be guided by the Constitution and the in-person consultations will resume within a week, on a still to be determined date. This is according to a joint statement released by the two sides

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (third from left) and Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton (left) at the meeting along with Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall (right) and Member of Parliament, Roysdale Forde following the meeting.

According to the statement, Norton would have already been provided the details of the commissions along with the names of the persons being considered for the appointments to the varying commissions.

The discussion pertains to appointments to Guyana’s Integrity Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, Police Service Commission and

Teaching Service Commission. The Constitution provides for the appointments to the commissions to be made by the President in consultation with the Opposition Leader.

Norton attended the meeting accompanied

by Member of Parliament, Roysdale Forde, while also present at the meeting was Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Mohabir Nandlall.

Norton was invited to meet with the President following a letter, dated April 29, 2022 sent by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira. In that letter, Friday had been fixed as the date for the meeting.

“Prior to today’s meeting, Leader of the Opposition by letter dated May 9, 2022, requested details of the appointments to be made,” the joint statement noted.

Minister Teixeira had

responded to Norton’s letter on May 11; however, Norton wrote back on May 12 requesting further information regarding the names under consideration.

Minister Teixeira responded requesting specificity on the information that is being requested.

That information was the CVs of the persons being considered. Speaking with the media briefly after exiting the Office of the

President, Norton noted that he will be doing an assessment of the CVs before engaging again with the President.

“We agreed to engage and we engaged and we have now agreed that documents would be provided to us. You need to know about people [so] we need the CVs. Once we get the CVs, we will do what we have to do,” Norton commented.

When asked if he was satisfied with the meeting, Norton would only say: “I don’t know that there’s an issue of satisfaction, all I want to see is everything occur in keeping with law and keeping with the Constitution.

I think we have been able to make this point and moving forward we will operate in keeping with the Constitution and what meaningful consultations mean.”

Norton dodged other questions asked by the media pertaining to his recognition of the government as legitimate and if other issues were discussed at the meeting.

GWI says did not lay off 300 workers REFUTING claims made in a section of the media that it laid off 300 workers in 18 months, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI), in a statement on Friday, clarified that while some redundant workers were laid off the majority of the reduc-

tion in the company’s workforce was due to resignations and retirements.

Following a press conference held by the company on Friday, an article was published by a media house with a headline declaring “GWI saving $240M annual-

ly after laying off 300 workers in 18 months”.

However, the company clarified that the headline was misleading at best.

“We wish to bring clarity on our restructuring process which occurred within approximately two years. First and foremost, it should

be noted our retrenchment process did not affect 300 employees.

Rather, the reduction of our workforce from a total of 1320 to 998, is owing mainly to attrition,” the statement said.

The company went on to further explain that: “Our termination

exercise only targeted 77 personnel, many of which were redundant positions. The remaining 223 departed the company’s employ as a result of resignations and retirement.

We also wish to state that where key personnel such as engineers

may have resigned, management has moved to hire skilled persons to ensure our mandate is efficiently executed.”

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Guyana, like Norway, recognises importance of ‘blue economy’ –– says President Ali, assures enhanced cooperation in accepting credentials from Non-Resident Ambassador

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has said that Guyana, like Norway, recognises the importance of the ‘blue economy’ which seeks to balance human well-being, social equality and environmental sustainability.

The Head of State, consequently, reaffirmed Guyana’s support for the international declaration on transnational organised crime in the global fishing industry, and the Blue Justice Initiative, as he accepted Letters of Credence from Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Guyana, Odd Magne Ruud on Friday at the Office of the President.

President Ali noted that

as much as Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) incorporates a strong commitment to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, the country is not oblivious to the growing concerns surrounding harnessing of the ocean’s resources.

He also thanked the Kingdom of Norway for offering its expertise and contributing to Guyana’s transition to a renewable energy mix.

He said he is looking forward to the expansion of cooperation in other areas that would provide the impetus to strengthen relations between the two countries.

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Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Guyana, Odd Magne Ruud presenting his Letters of Credence to President, Dr Irfaan Ali (Office of the President photo)

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RELATIONSHIP President Ali also highlighted that Guyana and Norway have forged a “special relationship” that was exemplified by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation on issues related to the fight against climate change, the protection of biodiversity and the enhancement of sustainable development in 2009.

“That momentous occasion was a watershed in relations between Guyana and Norway. It remains a model of how states can partner to forge climate and environmental cooperation, and has helped to propel Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.”

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The President also added that he was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Ambassador Ruud this past week, to further advance the two states’ partnership under the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund.

In his remarks, Ambassador Ruud commended Guyana for signing the Copenhagen Declaration to combat transnational organised crime in the global fishing industry.

He also acknowledged that the development of a sustainable “blue economy” is vital for Norway and Guyana, who both depend on the ocean.

Guyana and Norway established diplomatic relations in 1979. (Office of the President)

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Brackish-water shrimp production earns $153M in first quarter

THE ongoing brackish-water shrimp production along the Corentyne Coast has earned some $153 million, after the production of some 127,400 kilogrammes of shrimp between January and March, 2022.

The total shows 81,740 kilogrammes more when compared to the 45,660 kilogrammes of shrimp produced during the same period in 2021, at an estimated value of $40 million.

The project has already contributed significantly to the livelihoods of several shrimp farmers in East Berbice- Corentyne, which was the chief intention of the government when the initiative was introduced in 2021.

Already, farmers are benefitting from increased earnings, while more than 20 persons have gained employment on the farms.

The administration’s overall aim is to provide adequate support to persons within the fisheries industry, who are impacted by the worldwide issue of low fish catches.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the project has been progressing smoothly.

Fish farmers in one of the ponds along the Corentyne Coast (DPI photo)

While the objective is to increase production from 250,000 to 500,000 kilogrammes annually, Minister Mustapha strongly believes that production will exceed the 500,000 mark.

Already, persons have signalled their interest in these types of sea food, and Guyana now has the opportunity to advance its exports to countries in the region and North America.

This means, that more farms will have to be established to meet the swiftly approaching high demand.

Phase one implementation of the project has seen the rehabilitation of 23 farms, comprising 71

ponds, from the Berbice River Bridge to Maida.

This intervention valuing more than $50 million, resulted in a 175 percent increase in the shrimp production in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the first quarter of 2021.

Phase two of the project is being implemented this year, with government committing an additional $230 million to rehabilitate an additional 63 farms, comprising 109 ponds.

This is expected to increase the shrimp production with an estimated value of over $300 million per annum.

(DPI)

One of the brackish-water fish ponds at a farm along the Corentyne Coast (DPI photo)

Norton does U-turn on his claim of having ‘winning’ SoPs

OPPOSITION Leader, Aubrey Norton has denied saying that he has the Coalition’s ‘winning’ Statements of Poll (SoPs) during an exchange with Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at the Georgetown Club on Monday.

“Could you bring, at any point in time, a piece of clip in which I said I had the winning SoPs? I did not,” he told reporters outside the Office of the President after meeting with President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday.

During the exchange on Monday, the Opposition Leader challenged the Vice-President to a pub-

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton speaking to reporters on Friday (Adrian Narine photo)

lic debate, to which the Vice-President agreed, but on condition that the Opposition Leader presents the APNU+AFC Statements of Poll (SoPs) from the

March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

The APNU+AFC has repeatedly claimed that it won the elections, based on its SoPs, but has nev-

er presented them to the public, or in court during the five-month impasse in 2020 in which it tried every conceivable means to hold on to power but failed.

Norton told Jagdeo that he is willing to submit those SoPs, but only at the end of the debate between them.

On Friday, the Opposition Leader in a haste to dodge reporters’ questions on his ‘winning’ SoPs, apparently got confused an entered the wrong vehicle.

Norton was seen exiting the vehicle he first entered and quickly making his way into another, all the while maintaining stony silence to questions from reporters.

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Conflict in a digital world

THERE is nothing new about propaganda in wartime.

Although its origin is contested, a popular adage about conquest and power reads that history is written from the viewpoint of those who wielded power.

And in wielding that power of “truth”, a concept for which the only absolute is that it is relative, history could be written or rewritten to control narratives and cement the dualities of heroes and villains, drawing from specific reference points which justify certain actions as right, fair, or just.

From the world wars to the cold war to more contemporary conflicts, the obsession of global powers to control the narrative has surged with the deepened interconnectedness of the international system. Allyship is the order of the day. The concept of hero and villain will largely be decided now as a democratic process within the corridors of the United Nations General Assembly, and, more particularly, as a consensus process at the mercy of the indomitable Permanent 5 of the UN Security Council.

With social media platforms moving away from a place where families and communities connect to more of a place for extensive political and politicised discourse, controlling the narrative now means a dominant presence in mainstream platforms– Twitter, Facebook, TikTok– and even control of the structuring of those platforms whether through regulation or “deep fakes”.

Recognising the power of discourse online to translate to offline action, misinformation and disinformation campaigns have reached new heights.

The undeniable is that social media is a major player in violence at micro and macro levels. From the Arab Spring to the 2020 siege against the U.S. Capitol, social media platforms are conduits for powerful mobilisation.

The Washington Post and ProPublica, a data-driven non-profit organisation, jointly investigated the role of Facebook in the attack on the U.S. Capitol following the 2020 defeat of then-U.S. President, Donald Trump at the polls. The investigating duo said in a 2022 article: “Facebook groups swelled with at least 650,000 posts attacking the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory between Elections Day and the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, with many calling for executions or other political violence…”.

“The barrage — averaging at least 10,000 posts a day, a scale not reported previously — turned the groups into incubators for the baseless claims supporters of President Donald Trump voiced as they stormed the Capitol, demanding he get a second term. Many posts portrayed Biden’s election as the result of widespread fraud that required extraordinary action — including the use of force — to prevent the nation from falling into the hands of traitors,” the Washington Post article on the investigation said.

Although Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act (1996) gives immunity to companies behind internet-based platforms like Facebook and Twitter for the things posted on their platforms by users, the pressure has been applied by U.S. lawmakers for these platforms to take responsibility and implement minimum “community standards” for users.

Responding to the concerns of lawmakers, Facebook, now operated by parent company Meta Inc., hastily implemented an Oversight Board tasked with supporting the company with policy and content moderation. The effectiveness of the Oversight Board has largely been questioned considering it still “relies on funding from Meta, it has a contractual relationship with it governing its use of user data, and its founding members were hand-picked by the company,” according to the technology reporting agency, The Verge.

In February, The Verge reported, Meta asked its Advisory Board to issue an “advisory opinion on how it should moderate content during wartime. The conflict had raised a series of difficult questions, including under what circumstances users can post photos of dead bodies or videos of prisoners of war criticizing the conflict.

“And in the most prominent content moderation question of the invasion to date, Meta decided to temporarily permit calls for violence against Russian soldiers, Vladimir Putin, and others.

All of which raised important questions about the balance between free expression and user safety.”

Recognising the power of social media not only in its own democracy but in democracies around the world, the U.S. government has taken a new approach which could be regarded as internet diplomacy. On April 4, the U.S. State Department announced that “the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) began operations today… the CDP bureau will address the national security challenges, economic opportunities, and implications for U.S. values associated with cyberspace, digital technologies, and digital policy,” according to a U.S. State Department media note from the Office of the Spokesperson.

This blend of foreign policy and the internet is evidence of a changing world, rapidly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s lockdown measures.

With more and more countries depending heavily on their digital infrastructures -- Guyana also moving in that direction -- and more conflicts having social media as their conduits, it’s prudent for any government to pay attention to what’s happening not only in its cyberspace, although the internet is borderless, but also in the cyberspaces of other territories, recognisable by the network of users who share commonalities of language, experience, and nationhood identifiers.

Editorial Department commended Dear Editor, I COMMEND the Editorial Department and staff at the Guyana Chronicle for the marked improvement of the paper since August 2020.

The paper has carried some very well written editorials and commentaries, since under new editorial board and management over the last 21 months. Edito-

rials and features as well as reporting are more balanced that those in other papers.

The editorial board, Editor-in-Chief, seem fair and professional and not out to tarnish the reputations of others. The paper does not attack anyone and is not maliciously libelling people as happened during the previous management. The paper has been spared a lot of libel suits since August 2020.

I salute the leadership of the Editor-in-Chief (EIC). He has a keen ear as a listener and accepts constructive criticism and is also open to ideas. He himself is an outstanding reporter and writer with a keen eye to detailed information to substantiate a caption. As an investigative reporter, he was systematic and thorough, and he has brought these skills over as Editor in Chief to make the paper much

better than it was under the preceding administration.

The improvement in the paper is largely to the EIC’s credit, the board and the management of Moshamie Ramotar and supporting staff. Thanks for a job well done!

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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USA, Caribbean and Americas: Between Summits and Hosts, Invitations and Exclusions

THE 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member-states say they are unlikely to attend the upcoming June 6-10 Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, if the host decides who should be invited.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and Permanent Representative to the OAS, Sir Ronald Sanders, said last week the Caribbean would not likely attend, after Washington announced it won’t invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Brian Nichols, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, announced May 2 that Washington hadn’t invited the three nations to the Los Angeles Summit “because they do not respect democracy.”

However, Ambassador Sanders says, “The Summit of the Americas is not a meeting of the United States, so it cannot decide who is invited and who is not…. It is a summit of all the Heads of State of the Western Hemisphere…”

The senior Caribbean diplomat reiterated the position taken earlier by CARICOM leaders (in March) at their last Inter-sessional Heads of Government Meeting in Belize, to “refrain from attending the event if the exclusion of the aforementioned states occurs…”

Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceno, recalling the united position taken two months ago at a meeting he hosted and chaired, said earlier this week: “The Summit of the Americans should be a summit of The Americas and not a summit of some of the Americas…”

He said Washington was “lobbying intensely” among CARICOM member-states, but as far as Belize is concerned, “the situation stands the same.”

Last week, Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel condemned the planned exclusion of his country, saying Cuba can contribute to the discussions on a

regional and hemispheric approach to COVID-19 treatment and recovery, especially with its Abdala vaccine.

“The great challenges of humanity are not solved through confrontation and violence, but through solidarity and cooperation,” said the Cuban President.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also said Washington is putting pressure on several Latin American and Caribbean countries that oppose the exclusions.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this week again called for “inclusion of all countries” in the Summit of the Americas.

Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, later said too that the decision by the host country to exclude Latin American countries from the upcoming Summit of the Americas is more of a hindrance than a help.

He said: “There will be no way to bring the US and Latin American countries closer together as long as the US continues to be tough on the region.”

Clearly, CARICOM is under pressure right now from both sides of The Atlantic as world powers try to influence the votes of the 14-member grouping, or win support from its members individually.

The US, UK and European Union (EU) have been lobbying CARICOM support and succeeded in splitting the regional grouping right down the middle in voting last month at the United Nations on Russia’s exclusion from the UN’s Human Rights Committee – that after the CARICOM Secretariat had already issued an earlier diplomatically safe and politically neutral statement condemning Russia, calling for respect for territorial integrity and for both sides to stop the fighting.

The US, UK and EU are also still pressing individual CARICOM member-states

to join their economic sanctions against Russia, even threatening reprisals against Economic Citizenship programmes of nations that don’t.

And now the US is lobbying Caribbean member-states of the OAS to break with the united position of staying away if any nation is not invited.

CARICOM is certainly not in Washington’s good books at present – and not in the UK’s either, the former British West Indian colonies (except Suriname and Haiti) altogether condemning London’s decision to disband the parliament, suspend the constitution and rule the British Virgin Islands (BVI) territories directly from London.

The member-states are more likely to be at one on the burning BVI question than on the Americas Summit, as regional observers have learned over time that when it comes to preserving CARICOM unity on external relations matters, the principle has always been to hope for the best and expect the worst.

CARICOM supported recognition of Maurice Bishop’s administration after the Grenada Revolution in 1979, but only Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago opposed the US-led invasion in 1983, following which it’s taken decades for the regional grouping to regain its admirable standing on the regional and global stages.

CARICOM member-states at the OAS opposed the Trump Administration’s four-year-long

efforts to win the Caribbean over to Washington’s position on Venezuela; member-states didn’t support the electoral coup against Bolivia’s President Evo Morales; and they resisted plans to impose election observers on Dominica for its last general elections.

The US positions on Venezuela were led at the OAS by the so-called ‘Lima Group’ that even Peru has pulled out of and which became silent after Trump lost power.

Earlier indications that Washington was hoping to strike an oil deal with Caracas in the sanctions war against Russia have obvi-

ously disappeared, now that Venezuela isn’t even invited to Los Angeles.

It will be argued that Cuba and Venezuela are not OAS member-states, Venezuela having withdrawn two years ago and Cuba since 1962.

But under President Barack Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro was invited to the 2015 Summit of the Americas in Washington; and Castro was also again invited in 2018, with President Trump at the White House.

Facing mid-term elections and under intense pressure at home as inflation wreaks havoc and

with his popularity lower than any other recent President at this point after just over a year in office, President Biden is highly unlikely to back-down or budge on his exclusionary invitation list, in which case it can be expected that Washington will do all to deepen and widen the CARICOM split shown at the UN. Between now and the June 6 Summit, therefore, Caribbean observers will remain on edge -- and virtually anything can happen between the US having its way and CARICOM standing its ground.

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First 18 young professionals in Linden receive homes

THE first 18 young professionals and other public servants of the mining town of Linden will soon be moving into their new homes, as part of the Government’s 1,000 homes project in Region 10.

The beneficiaries were given the opportunity to finalise their documentation process for the units on Friday, during an activity facilitated by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at the Regional Housing Office in Linden.

They were subsequently given a walkthrough of the homes allotted to them in Amelia’s Ward.

Kenisha Moore, a police

officer was the first beneficiary to be given a tour of her new home. The young Lindener said, “this is a dream come true,” as she is finally able to have her own home thanks to the government’s housing initiative.

“I’m so happy. It’s been a long time I have been paying rent and I’m grateful and I would like to encourage my fellow young people to work hard and apply at housing, the process is not hard, it’s very smooth,” she said.

Jenelle Alphonso, a teacher, will now be able to provide a stable home for her children with the new two-bedroom elevated unit allocated to her. “I can’t

explain to you right now how happy I am to actually own my own home after waiting seven years,” she said.

For Leitisha Lynch, a doctor at the Linden Hospital Complex, the initiative is a life changing one for young people of Linden, who now have the opportunity to become homeowners.

While praising the government’s aggressive housing programme, Lynch said, “it’s always good when you can own something in your own country, and we here in Region 10 are very grateful with what the government is doing.”

Another doctor, LeAndre Hinds, said that the initiative

Dr. Leitisha Lynch holding the keys to her new home

is an excellent one where young people can access affordable homes through a simple process. “I feel it’s a great success, not only for the community, but for the government as well,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves, said that 22 more homes will be ready for handing over in the coming weeks.

He added that simultaneously, preparatory works

have commenced to ensure that all the necessary amenities are available in the housing scheme. The sum of $400 million is being invested in those works.

“When that is done, you will see roads, medical facility, you will see schools.

So, we just started here in Linden, and over the next few months and years, there will be much more to come, houses and other infrastructure.”

This is the delivery of

a promise by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali back in January 2021, when he announced that the government would be constructing 1,000 housing units in Region 10.

The housing ministry subsequently met with a number of young professionals who indicated their interest in these homes. In the first phase of the project, the construction of 40 elevated and flat houses got underway.

Amelia’s Ward squatters allocated house lots

A TEAM from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), led by Chief Executive Officer, Sherwyn Greaves, on Friday, returned to Linden, Region 10, to deliver on a commitment made by the government to a group of people there on Monday.

So far 14 persons, whose structures were demolished last week due to illegal occupation of lands earmarked for infrastructural development, have been allocated a house lot each at Amelia’s Ward–Phase Four.

This allocation will bring significant improvement to the lives of the allottees, as they will now be able to obtain Certificates of Title/ Transports and have legal access to potable water, electricity and other amenities.

Given the short notice

CH&PA CEO, Sherwyn Greaves

for the allocation, CEO Greaves explained that the allottees will be given one month to commence payment. A team will also be returning to Linden to commence an evaluation process for the demolished structures.

During the demolition exercise, several structures, including foundation and column, fences and two habitable structures had to be taken down since they fell in the path of an access road which will be built. These structures were recently constructed, as an occupational survey done in 2021, revealed that no structures were in the path of the road at the time.

Persons squatting in the area were also advised against erecting new structures, and making additions to existing structures. Some $364 million has been allocated for infrastructural works in Amelia’s Ward. The new road will serve as the main access to approximately 500 residential house lots.

(DPI)

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Safeguards in place for transparency, accountability in O&G sector — Vice-President Jagdeo responds to misinformation in public domain

VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on social media platform “The Guyana Dialogue” on Thursday evening addressed what he described as inaccuracies and misconceptions about management and accountability of the nascent oiland-gas industry.

This was the second edition of the programme that debuted on June 5 with President, Dr Irfaan Ali as the first guest. Next week’s programme will feature Prime Minister, Mark Phillips.

The Guyana Dialogue is an initiative of the diaspora. It is organised by a coordinating council in the diaspora and coordinated by community advocate Dr Tara Singh. It is hosted by social media personality Shameeza Ally and moderated by former Senior Lecturer of UG, Dr Tara Singh with Dave Narine as a commentator.

Funding for the programme comes from businessman and philanthropist, Dave Narine of Dave West Indian Imports.

The purpose of the programme is to provide viewers with fact-based and evidence-based information in order to allow them to understand the scope, nature and challenges of development in Guyana.

Dr. Singh explained that the aim of the programme is to address misinformation pertaining to development in Guyana and to clarify and give understanding of issues.

It is a weekly programme aired every Thursday from 19:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs The Vice-President in his opening remarks praised the initiators and thinkers who conceived the programme.

“Let me commend the diaspora for this Guyana Global Dialogue initiative. Let me also thank Mr Dave Narine for funding this initiative. It is good to have a programme that engages Guyanese to become aware of facts of issues, so that they can make informed decisions. There is a drought of informed opinions in our country. There are rhetorical and anecdotal comments and there are some people out to make mischief,” he said.

Asked about Norton’s claim that he was in possession of original Statements of Poll (SoPs) that show the Coalition won the elections, the Vice-President stated he

did not wish to contaminate the programme by addressing this outrageous lie. But he debunked the claim, saying that Norton is not taken seriously.

The Vice-President was also asked to comment on misinformation pertaining to the subject of oil revenues and the Natural Resources Fund, as they relate to accountability and transparency.

CAREFULLY ADDRESSED Jagdeo responded: “Our election manifesto carefully addressed the issues. We proposed laws to change what the APNU legislated. We stated that we would put out an infrastructure to manage the sector from a regulatory perspective. We said we would reform and update the 1986 ACT – the Petroleum Act, and we have strengthened the regulatory capabilities of Ministry of Natural Resources. We said there would be a transition to an independent petro commission – in terms of the architecture of managing the sector. We stated we would reform the Sovereign Wealth Fund or the Natural Resource Fund. The APNU passed an illegal act after it lost the no-confidence motion.

That act lacked legitimacy because it was passed after the no-confidence vote.”

He noted that the APNU legislation concentrated enormous powers in the hands of the Minister of Finance and this does not lend itself to transparency or regulation of the sector.

“We made a commitment on transparency and reducing the powers of government officials. And we honoured our commitment. We stipulated how we will use the resource fund, the oil wealth. We stated what sector it would go to and why. We wanted to avoid the Dutch disease which could affect all sectors of the economy. Our criticism of APNU and our manifesto were clear on our position on the oil-and-gas industry.

We had the blessing of the electorate in terms of winning the elections; the electorate endorsed our manifesto and we proceeded to legislate and implement programmes. We also stated our position on [the] gas-to-energy project.

It was in our manifesto. And we did it.

“We have the Wales Industrial Development Complex Project. We have had

Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

transparency in resources and in receipts. Look at what APNU did. They hid the signing bonus and lied about it.

They put it in an account that evaded the Auditor-General,” he said.

On the oil contract with ExxonMobil, he said government acknowledged it was lopsided, but made clear that it will not renegotiate it.

DIFFERENT TERMS Though renegotiation would have been a popular position during the election campaign, he said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic did not go down this road, but noted that any new development in the oil sector will come on different terms.

This includes ring-fencing among other steps, issues that were deficiencies in the contract signed by APNU. “We said we would accelerate production for the fossil fuel sector because of Conference of Parties (COP) climate change net zero goal offered a limited period for the fossil fuel sector. We said we would seek more benefits for local Guyanese. Local content legislation was passed. We encouraged and promoted local capacity building measures. We have created huge opportunities for Guyanese companies. Foreigners are busy running down Guyanese private sector companies to partner with them. Our policy has led to a rebalancing to bring benefits to Guyanese businesses. We have eked out more benefits to Guyanese.

We said we will bring the gas to shore, monetize the gas, and generate cheap power that will impact [the] business community. We aim to cut electricity prices by 2024 by 50 per cent. On environmental protection, we are taking appropriate precautions.

“Don’t believe what you read that we are not doing

feasibility studies. We did feasibility on the issue. We hired technical people on structural matters. On [the] capacity building side, we are building a massive oil training institute

at the Training Centre in Port Mourant. We are paying to train people on short term – to fill immediate jobs as welders, fitters, etc,” the release noted.

The Vice-President also said the government has received enquiries and/or interests from members of the diaspora seeking positions in the energy sector.

“We don’t have the kind of positions they seek in government. We are not a producing entity. We are a regulator at this stage,” he noted.

The Vice-President also slammed the ‘so called’ environmentalists of Guyana for their duplicity.

“Every country in the world looks out for itself.

The US has urged com-

panies to produce more oil because of Ukraine in spite of limitations relating to COP 26. Our so called environmentalists are not taking a nationalist position like those of other countries to promote oil production.

Some have written to the PM of Barbados to ask us to stop oil production. The PM of Barbados herself is asking oil companies to search for oil off the coast. We must look out for our country.

Our environmental position is strong. We are at net zero.

We will remain so for a long time. We are funding capital programmes for long-term development. We are not focused on current expenditures,” he said.

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, may 14, 2022

On-site training in India under ITEC programme resumes

THE High Commission of India in Guyana, this month, has re-started accepting applications for on-site training in India, under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) programme after a stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a release, ITEC is Government of India’s flagship programme

instituted on 15th September 1964. It is aimed at sharing India’s own development experiences with fellow developing countries on the basis of partnership and co-operation for mutual benefit.

So far, the release noted that more than 200,000 alumni across the world and over 650 Guyanese have undergone training under this programme.

ITEC is for enhancing skills and capacity-building for Guyanese and for deputation of ITEC experts and technical assistance in various sectors.

On May 12, 2022, the first batch of five officers from the Guyana Police Force, under ITEC 2022, left for training at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for a four-week

training course in specialised training programme in Cyber Security and Malware Analytics, Reverse Engineering from May 16, 2022 to June 10, 2022, which is geared to improve the capabilities of the Guyana Police Force to fight cybercrime.

The team comprises five Guyana Police Force Officers and marks the beginning of training of Guyana Police Force Officers in India under ITEC. Established in 1988, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is a premier Research and Development (R&D) organisation of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) for carrying out R&D in Information Technology (IT), Electronics and associated areas.

C-DAC has today emerged as a premier third-party R&D organisation in Information Technologies and Electronics (IT&E) in the country working on strengthening national technological capabilities in the context of global developments in the field and responding to change in the market-need in selected foundation areas.

The release noted that

as an institution for highend R&D, C-DAC has been at the forefront of IT revolution, constantly building capacities in emerging/ enabling technologies and innovating and leveraging its expertise, caliber, skillsets to develop and deploy IT products and solutions for different sectors of the economy. C-DAC was also instrumental in establishing the Centre for Excellence in IT for Government of Guyana located at the University of Guyana premises at a cost of about US$2 million to train Guyanese nationals.

“It may be recalled here that the Guyana Defence Force are currently sending their officers to India for various training courses. 19 training slots for the year 2021-22 were allotted, out of which three officers from Guyana Defence Sorce are currently in India to complete their courses while 10 officers have returned to Guyana after completing their courses with the Indian Armed Forces. In continuation of this partnership

with Guyana, Government of India has further allocated 28 slots for Guyana’s Army Wing & 10 slots for Coast Guard of Guyana Defence Force for the year 2022-23.

India and Guyana continue to collaborate on the cultural and educational fronts with over 50 ITEC scholarships; nine ICCR Commonwealth scholarships for Under-Graduate/ Post-Graduate and Phd. courses in India; five scholarships for learning Indian culture, dance and music etc. along with upcoming “Know India Programme” scholarships for Guyanese youth and elderly,” the release noted.

All these scholarships are completely funded by the Government of India.

Over 4,650 Guyanese are currently studying in Indian universities such as the Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) and Jain University, under the Government of Guyana-funded GOAL Scholarship scheme.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

Thousands to benefit from government’s WiFiGY Initiative

THE Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), through the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) has commenced the installation of 1,000 free WiFiGY locations or “Hotspots” along Guyana’s coast.

The initiative which is being referred to as WiFiGY seeks to provide free Internet access to thousands of citizens through the WiFiGY portal. WiFiGY is free Internet access provided by the

(ret’d), Mark Phillips has indicated that the government is committed to bridging the digital divide.

He said that in its initial deployment, “connections will focus on the coastland because these locations can be easily connected to the NDMA’s LTE network. However, government will not only focus on the coast but in subsequent releases, using different types of technology, government will seek to en-

The National Data Management Authority (NDMA) has commenced the installation of 1,000 free WiFiGY locations or “Hotspots” along Guyana’s coast (DPI photo)

The National Data Management Authority team at Charity, Essequibo Coast (DPI photo)

Government of Guyana to its citizens. Connections will be established at public buildings, libraries, schools, health centres, markets, and other public spaces. These hotspots will be connected via Long Term Evolution (LTE) WiFi equipment, and all have a coverage capability of just under 30 metres both indoors and outdoors while allowing for 100 concurrent users at each site.

Prime Minister, Brigadier

sure WiFiGY connections in every region of the country.”

General Manager of the NDMA, Christopher Deen, has been travelling along the coastland and meeting with community leaders to see how best the NDMA, through this initiative can support the regions.

He stated that “the benefit of this initiative is enormous; we are talking about positively changing people’s lives. For example, the

GOAL Scholarship awardees, can visit these hotspots in their communities and attend classes, do research, submit assignments, or even write exams.”

WiFiGY signs will be mounted at connected locations to inform citizens of their existence. For more information on the work of the NDMA and other ICT initiatives visit the NDMA’s Facebook page for daily updates. (DPI)

NDMA General Manager, Christopher Deen (right) and a NDMA staff member at the Lima Nursery School

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Accelerate-Her 2022 kicks off with bootcamp

guyana CHRONICLE saturday, may 14, 2022

–– programme seen as key to creating equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs

Some of the women who are participating in the Accelerate-Her bootcamp which began on May 13 and will end on May 15 (Delano Williams photo)

THE Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD), on Friday evening, kicked off the first phase of the second installment of its Accelerate-Her programme with a weekend bootcamp which will end on Sunday, May 15.

At the programme launch, Director of the CLBD, Natasha Gaskin-Peters, stated that Accelerate-Her aims to bridge the gap in Guyana as it relates to gender equality.

Giving a breakdown of the programme, she stated that it is expected to be conducted in three phases with the ongoing bootcamp being the first. Over the weekend, the women entrepreneurs will work to build their individual business model canvas with hands on training and one-on-one guidance from presenters.

“You will have a model that shows you your business as it is now but also what your business will be in the future. So, we know that goals are important in life; goals are important in business, so if we understand what the growth potential of our business is that means we are working towards something,” Gaskin-Peters said.

Regarding the second phase, she noted that the centre will select approximately 15 businesses to move for-

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud as she addresses the launch ceremony for the Accelerate-Her bootcamp (Delano Williams photo) ward and those entrepreneurs will go through more training to then forge ahead to the third and final phase.

Meanwhile, in delivering the feature, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, stated that the intention of the programme and others like it is to ensure that there is equal opportunity and access to business opportunities for women.

She said: “The intention is to ensure that there is equally opportunity and access… one of the areas that I am very, very particular about is to remove the barriers that existed when it came to women accessing programmes out there.”

This, she said was the driving force behind the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) which is a programme that was launched under her ministry. The minister urged women to take advantage of the opportunities that are being made available to them.

She went on to say that

with these and other programmes, the ministry would like to ensure that there is nothing that limits women from succeeding in their business and other endeavours.

Dr. Persaud while giving well wishes to the entrepreneurs, enforced the importance of networking and learning from each other during the programme and even after its conclusion.

Accelerate-Her targets local women owners, operators and managers of businesses with the aim of building leadership and business skills and growing their companies.

According to the CLBD they received over 130 applications from women entrepreneurs from seven regions and several sectors.

Some 39 women operating in areas such as logistics, marketing, recreation and consultancy, were shortlisted to participate in the bootcamp.

The centre had opened the call for applications in March and closed same in April.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

38 new doctors among Texila graduates

TEXILA American University on Friday conferred degrees on 62 students, including 38 who had completed the Doctor of Medicine programme.

The university held its 10th graduation exercise at its Providence, East Bank

USA. Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony, in delivering the feature address, expressed hope that those who would be joining Guyana’s healthcare system would come with the passion to serve.

In this regard, he pointed out that it is important for these new doctors to also add specializations within the various fields.

“If we are to lift the quality of service in the country, it would mean that we need more consultants,

Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony as he addressed Texila American University’s 10th graduation ceremony (Carl Croker photo)

Demerara campus, virtually as well as face to face.

Dean of the university’s College of Medicine (CoM), Dr Dheeraj Bansal, in his address said that the college has come a long way since its establishment in 2012. He noted that the college has been quite creative in administering its curriculum over the years.

With that, Dr Bansal told those gathered that all of the students have access to lecturing programmes that provide instant and customized materials for any topic.

He disclosed that students are also given the opportunity to do their clinical rotations at the Tucson Medical Center in Arizona,

To this end, he noted that there is massive expansion expected within Guyana’s health sector in the coming years and as such, there would be a need for more healthcare professionals in the country.

“In the health sector here, there will be many opportunities that are coming, in addition to the services that we currently provide… we are going to start this year, the construction of nine new hospitals and with the nine new hospitals obviously we need persons to be working at these institutions,” the minister said.

He added that among the new hospitals will be specialized facilities for children and high-risk mothers.

more specialists, more people to be able to help us to develop that kind of quality that we’re looking for,” he said.

Dr Anthony also indicated that there are also many opportunities for those persons who were graduating with their Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Public Health.

“I think the direction in which we are going would require that we get more people in the health sector, train them well so that we can lift the quality of healthcare,” the minister said as he congratulated those who were graduating.

Aside from the 38 new doctors, a total of seven persons graduated with Bache-

The graduating class, their lecturers, administrative officials and Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony (Carl Croker photo)

lor’s and Master’s Degrees in Public Health and one with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

Some of the remaining 16 graduands who appeared virtually, graduated with Bachelor’s

Degrees in Public Health, while the others were conferred with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

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Guyana joins Airbnb 'Live and Work Anywhere' campaign to welcome digital nomads

guyana CHRONICLE saturday, may 14, 2022

GUYANA has joined the Airbnb “Live and Work Anywhere” campaign to promote the destination to the growing number of digital nomads worldwide, a release said.

According to the release, as flexibility becomes a permanent part of so many company cultures, Airbnb wants to make it easier for workers to take advantage of its newly enshrined flexibility.

With more than six million listings worldwide, the platform launched last Thursday, its “Live and Work Anywhere” programme, was an ongoing initiative to continue working with governments and DMOs to create a one-stop-shop for remote workers, and encourage them to try new locations to work, while helping to revive tourism and provide economic support to communities after years of travel restrictions.

For the Caribbean region, Airbnb found that the share of nights booked for long term stays in Q1 2022 almost doubled compared to the same period in 2019; in Q1 2019, almost six per cent of all bookings were for long term stays, while in Q1 2022 this percentage reached almost 10 per cent; and the number of nights booked for long term stays tripled in Q1’22 compared to Q1’19.

Continuing the effort to partner with governments and tourism agencies to promote responsible travel and local economic growth, Airbnb, in partnership with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), will promote CTO member countries with digital nomad programmes across Airbnb’s vast global community.

“This campaign will promote Guyana through a landing page that provides details about the digital nomad programme, and also highlights the best Airbnb options to stay in and work from in Guyana,” the release noted.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

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Video/film-making competition launched to mark India’s independence

THE Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in collaboration with Routes2Roots, has organised a video/film-making competition to connect with the Indian diaspora living abroad and with foreign students who are studying or have studied in India.

Head of Administration at the Indian High Commission in Guyana, Sunil Singh, told the Guyana Chron-

icle this week that the competition is to mark India’s independence in August.

The competition is proposed to be organised in various themes and sub-teams. For the Indian diaspora, the themes are: My roots, my ancestral (18-25 years); Away from India: What do I miss the most? (26-50 years); and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: World as my family (Above age 50).

For the Foreign Alumni of India, the themes are: Learning in Indian, Learning from India (18-35 years); India: My home away from home (36-50 years); and Indian Culture: Imprints on my mind (Above 50 years).

The starting date of the competition was May 9 and the closing date will be on July 25, 2022. The video duration, which should not exceed three minutes, can be uploade d a t h t t p s : / / w w w. routes2roots.com/ICCR-film-making.

The best entries in each category, theme and sub-theme will be awarded prize money.

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Some of the nurses who attended the dinner and award ceremony

‘You are the heart of the hospital’

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

— Region Two RHO tells nurses at special dinner

NURSES in Region Two were, on Thursday evening, honoured for their sacrifices and dedication to the country’s healthcare sector at a dinner and awards ceremony held at G and P Jaigobin conference hall in Henrietta.

The hosting of the activity was a collaborative effort between the Regional Health Services and the regional administration. It coincided with the observance of International Nurses Day, which was held this year under the theme, “Nurses: A Voice to Lead- Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure Global Health”.

More than 120 nurses received pins, tokens and awards for their outstanding performance in the region.

In his address to the healthcare providers, Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Ranjeev Singh, described the nurses as the heart of the hospital. Dr Singh assured them that the Regional Health Services appreciates them and intends to continue providing a favourable work environment.

“We know that without nurses our health sector cannot work as efficiently as it should. We know the importance of nurses and what you play within the sector. Tonight is just a way to motivate you to work even harder,” Dr. Singh said.

He reminded them of their roles within the health sector and told them that their work is integral to saving lives. He used the occasion to call on them to treat

patients with respect and professionalism.

Dr. Singh also pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the important role nurses play in keeping people healthy. He said that the pandemic has made the world appreciate nurses and other healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, Matron of the Suddie Public Hospital, Peggy Allicock, said that the region hosted one week of activities in observance of Nurses Week.

She said that nurses from various public health facilities received pins and tokens for their sacrifices.

Allicock said that during the week, there was an interfaith service, fitness walks, a cultural and scrub day and the distribution of hampers to the less fortunate.

She recalled that since joining the region’s health team, she has received overwhelming support from the nurses.

Also present was the Prime Minister’s representative and Chairperson of the Health and Sanitation Committee of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Arnold Adams.

He extended greetings on behalf of the RDC before thanking the nurses for their work and sacrifices.

Patricia Bridgemohan, a midwife, received a token for delivering the most babies at the Suddie Public Hospital. Staff from other departments at the hospital were rewarded for their professionalism.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

On-site training in India under ITEC programme resumes

THE High Commission of India in Guyana, this month, has re-started accepting applications for on-site training in India, under the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) programme after a stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a release, ITEC is Government of India’s flagship programme instituted on 15th September 1964. It is aimed at sharing India’s own development experiences with fellow developing countries on the basis of partnership and co-operation for mutual benefit.

So far, the release noted that more than 200,000 alumni across the world and over 650 Guyanese have undergone training under this programme.

ITEC is for enhancing skills and capacity-building for Guyanese and for depu-

tation of ITEC experts and technical assistance in various sectors.

On May 12, 2022, the first batch of five officers from the Guyana Police Force, under ITEC 2022, left for training at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for a four-week training course in specialised training programme in Cyber Security and Malware Analytics, Reverse Engineering from May 16, 2022 to June 10, 2022, which is geared to improve the capabilities of the Guyana Police Force to fight cybercrime.

The team comprises five Guyana Police Force Officers and marks the beginning of training of Guyana Police Force Officers in India under ITEC. Established in 1988, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing

(C-DAC) is a premier Research and Development (R&D) organisation of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) for carrying out R&D in Information Technology (IT), Electronics and associated areas.

C-DAC has today emerged as a premier third-party R&D organisation in Information Technologies and Electronics (IT&E) in the country work-

ing on strengthening national technological capabilities in the context of global developments in the field and responding to change in the market-need in selected foundation areas.

The release noted that as an institution for highend R&D, C-DAC has been at the forefront of IT revolution, constantly building capacities in emerging/ enabling technologies and innovating and leveraging its expertise, caliber, skillsets to develop and deploy IT products and solutions

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for different sectors of the economy. C-DAC was also instrumental in establishing the Centre for Excellence in IT for Government of Guyana located at the University of Guyana premises at a cost of about US$2 million to train Guyanese nationals.

“It may be recalled here that the Guyana Defence Force are currently sending their officers to India for various training courses. 19 training slots for the year 2021-22 were allotted, out of which three officers from Guyana Defence Sorce are currently in India to complete their courses while 10 officers have returned to Guyana after completing their courses with the Indian Armed Forces. In continuation of this partnership with Guyana, Government of India has further allocated 28 slots for Guyana’s Army Wing & 10 slots for Coast

Guard of Guyana Defence Force for the year 2022-23.

India and Guyana continue to collaborate on the cultural and educational fronts with over 50 ITEC scholarships; nine ICCR Commonwealth scholarships for Under-Graduate/Post-Graduate and Phd. courses in India; five scholarships for learning Indian culture, dance and music etc. along with upcoming “Know India Programme” scholarships for Guyanese youth and elderly,” the release noted.

All these scholarships are completely funded by the Government of India.

Over 4,650 Guyanese are currently studying in Indian universities such as the Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) and Jain University, under the Government of Guyana-funded GOAL Scholarship scheme.

including the classic Mojito, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre, El Presidente, El Floridita, Canchanchara and Cubanito, and to give attendees a taste of its rich culture which is largely an amalgamation of African and Spanish influences. Cuban music is known the world over for its

lively and exciting pulsating rhythms, and from Mambo to Tango to Salsa to Bolero, there will be Cuban dances for everyone, whether they prefer watching or dancing, the release noted.

The event planners have chosen the latter part of September to host the event when Guyana will already be abuzz with the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPLT20) domestic Twenty20 cricket finals and the carnival, adding a Latin flavour to the Caribbean festivities that will be ongoing at that time.

Cubans and other Latin Americans currently residing in Guyana and who are interested in participating and who have culinary, mixology and bartending skills or who have artistic capabilities in singing, playing an instrument, in dance, poetry or comedy, along with impressionists, magicians, and ventriloquists are all asked to contact the event coordinators at email: globalfriendshipsfoundation@gmail. com or telephone: 225.1881 to come on board.

Major celebration to mark Cuba, Guyana 50th anniversary

IN celebration of the semi-centennial anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Guyana this year, the Embassy of Cuba in Georgetown, in collaboration with the Global Friendships Foundation, has commenced planning for the hosting of a special celebratory event.

The event called ‘Fiesta Cubana’ is scheduled for September 24-25, 2022 in Georgetown.

“This special jubilee celebration shall be a mega outdoor Cuban themed culinary, cultural and tourism event that is expected to attract the attendance and participation of not only Guyanese of every walk of life, but also members of the Cuban, and other Latin American and Caribbean communities living in, or visiting Guyana at that time. It is often said that the best way to understand a country and its people is by experiencing its culture,” the release said.

At that event, attendees shall be treated to the widest range of delectable Cuban foods and snacks,

the popular cocktails and other refreshing beverages, the scintillating culture including its music and dance performances, art and handicraft and a glimpse into Cuba’s amazing tourism product, the release noted.

The main thrust of this two-night affair, apart from

marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, shall be to promote Cuba’s latest and greatest tourism offerings showing Guyanese travellers the benefits and opportunities to have destination weddings, honeymoons, vacations, group travel, study tours, adventure travel, busi-

ness travel and family travel to this exotic Caribbean island, to expose the Guyanese public to traditional Cuban dishes such as the Cuban sandwich, Medianoche, Ropa vieja, Lechon asado, Ajiaco Cubano, Fricasé de pollo, Pulpeta along with the famous Cuban Cocktails

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, may 14, 2022

GWI achieves financial stability under new management

UNDER the new management of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaik Baksh, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has managed to achieve financial stability.

“We have a stable financial position at GWI here and by that I mean we have eliminated any need for overdraft facilities at the bank.

Secondly, the cash flow we have is a fairly good cash flow position to meet all of our commitments, that is, employment cost, which was skyrocketing but we have been able through the restructuring of GWI as you know, to reduce the employment numbers. This has resulted

in an annual savings of about $240 million,” the CEO said on Friday.

He noted that there has been prudent financial management under the new finance director.

“We achieved a lot of cost-cutting without affecting the operations,” he said.

Baksh went on to say that under the previous administration, millions of dollars were spent on the smallest things which they [new management] have recorded and have cut out.

Additionally, staff buildings were constructed in Regions Two, Five, and Nine, as well as on the East Bank of Demerara.

“Importantly, payment to suppliers which was about $800 million before September 2020, has now gone down to about $50 million owing to suppliers…this is a great achievement we feel.

That’s what we call financial stability and sustainability,” Baksh added.

Baksh also said that the government also took the responsibility of paying off GWI’s $8 billion Guyana Power and Light (GPL) debt.

He added that revenue collection has been improving and several strategies are being employed to bring in revenue as in some communities, there is an unwillingness to pay for water services.

“That is a big challenge for GWI. So, we urge customers to come forward and pay the bills to enable us to provide an improved level of service, a better quality of service to the customers,” Baksh said.

According to him, about

$3 million is owed by residential and commercial customers.

Baksh explained that unless they collect the outstanding sums, GWI would not be able to offer services to the population and pay employees.

CEO of Guyana Water Incorporated, Shaik Baksh

‘Leakage’ app being developed by GWI AS parts of efforts to better serve its customers, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is developing an app to aid in the timely reporting of leaks and other water-related issues.

The development of the app is already at the half way mark, the company’s Executive Director of Operations, Jawaharall, disclosed during a media briefing on Friday.

GWI’s Executive Director of Operations, Jawaharall Ramjug “This app will give the customer the ability to report a leak from their smartphones whether they are connected to the internet at the moment or not,” he said, adding that the name of the app is the leakage management app.

“So, wherever you see a GWI complaint, whether it’s a low pressure, contaminated water, or any operational issue, you’ll be able to [lodge a complaint] after downloading the app,” he said.

After taking a picture of the issue being complained about, he explained, that the location will be geo-referenced once the location on the owner’s phone is on. Giving details will also be an op-

tion provided by the app.

“As you click send, it will be monitored by a central dashboard. The dashboard is linked to the other satellite regions...your complaint will be dispatched to throw customer service out into the field,” Ramjug said.

He added that the application will reduce paperwork, improve efficiency and help to bridge the response time.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of Commercial Services and Customer Relations, Andrea Khan said that a meter reading management system has been developed. She explained that this will be used by their meter reading personnel and will provide the reading in a fast, accurate, and efficient manner.

“This will reduce any errors that may occur when a meter reader has to manually write or enter [information] into our billing system. The process will now be automated. The meter reading management system will also reduce estimated billings to ensure that customers are billed accurately and based on their actual consumption,” Khan said.

As part of the celebratory activities to mark its anniversary, GWI has launched a programme which is in keeping with plans to improve revenue collections while assisting customers to get access to potable water.

“This programme will be waiving the residential reconnection fee of $7,500 for those residential customers who are disconnected. This promotion starts today [May 13] and it goes until June 30,” Khan said.

To be eligible, she explained that customers who are disconnected must pay 50 per cent of their outstanding balances and GWI is willing to offer wallet-friendly payment plans to offset the remaining sum.

“We are urging persons because this is a limited-time offer to come into our office and take advantage of this programme,” she said.

Khan noted that GWI depends on its customers to improve their level of service and quality.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

Bravo, Hosein back in Red Force squad for West Indies Championship (CMC) – Trinidad & Tobago Red Force head coach David Furlonge is hoping the return of Darren Bravo and Akeal Hosein will give his team the boost they need to overtake Barbados Pride at the top of the regional four-day championships standings.

Red Force ended round two of the West Indies Championship on 38.6 points, behind table-toppers Pride with 42 points.

Furlonge said one of the objectives in the third round of the competition will be to “boost the batting and get the totals that we’re looking for.

“Our target is to score 300-plus runs, or if we can get 350-plus runs. We be-

From page 28

lieve we have the bowling to defend it but the top four or five batters haven’t been scoring runs. We hope that with Darren Bravo coming in that will sort of stabilise the top four there,” he said, adding that Hosein would also be an asset to the squad.

Red Force will also have full pace strength for their May 18-21 match against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, with fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Shannon Gabriel back to full fitness. Pacers Anderson Phillip and Uthman Muhammad are also in the team.

Gabriel, who missed the second round of the championship in February due to injury, has been training with the Red Force and Furlonge

said he was ready.

“He was working his way back to fitness this week and Monday was the first time he went 100 per cent – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week ….

Actually, some of the senior players in our team have commented that Shannon’s pace is back so I think that will do well for the team, having a genuine fast bowler on top there,” Furlonge said.

“The last meeting that we had with the coaches, some of them complained about the lack of grass on the wicket, so hopefully we have some grass on the wickets now and the wickets are hard due to the lack of rain and we get some quick wickets for him to bowl on.”

Furlonge said the team had no shortage of cricket to prepare for the resumption of the four-day championships.

In addition to players participating in club cricket and practice matches since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in the Twin-island Republic, he said: “We’ve been meeting regularly and discussing the next three rounds. We had a two-week camp with individuals working on their skills.”

The hosts will play Hurricanes in their round-three match at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex.

Furlonge said it was important to start off with a win to get the momentum going into the May 25 match

against Barbados in round four.

In the first two rounds of the five-round tournament, Red Force defeated the Windward Islands Volcanoes and Jamaica Scorpions before a break was taken to for the West Indies Apex Test Series.

Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Full Squad: Imran Khan (captain), Jason Mohammed, Jeremy Solozano, Isaiah Rajah, Khary Pierre, Shannon Gabriel, Darren Bravo, Jayden Seales, Bryan Charles, Yannic Cariah, Akeal Hosein, Uthman Muhammad, Anderson Phillip, Keagan Simmons, Joshua Da Silva.

Punjab Kings thump RCB to keep ...

his first 14 balls, Livingstone jumped out to Shahbaz and smashed him for a straight six.

In the spinner’s next over, he picked up a four with a reverse sweep before launching a massive hit over long-on.

However, Mayank Agarwal, who came in at No. 5, struggled to get going. Eventually, Harshal dismissed him with an offcutter for a laboured 19 off 16 balls. Hasaranga then came back to pick up Jitesh Sharma, once again with a googly, before Harshal sent back Harpreet Brar.

But there was no stopping

Livingstone. In the 19th over, he got stuck into Hazlewood, hitting him for two sixes and two fours in a 23-run over. Harshal conceded only four from the final over but Livingstone’s assault meant Kings finished with a daunting total.

Royal Challengers lose early wickets For a moment, it looked like Kohli was back in form. In the second over of the chase, he drove Arshdeep to the cover boundary before whipping him through midwicket for four more. In the next over, he

skipped down the ground to Harpreet Brar and lofted him over deep midwicket.

But Kagiso Rabada got rid of him with a back-of-thelength delivery. Kohli moved towards the leg side and went for the pull. But the ball brushed the glove, hit the thigh pad and lobbed towards short fine leg, where Rahul Chahar pouched it.

The umpire gave it not out but Kings got the decision reversed on review. In the next over, Rishi Dhawan dismissed du Plessis and Mahipal Lomror to leave Royal Challengers 41 for 3 after five overs.

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Maxwell, Patidar try to revive the chase After playing out a couple of overs, Maxwell and Patidar took Chahar on in the eighth over of the chase. Maxwell started by hitting a reverse-swept four.

Patidar joined in with a six over midwicket before Maxwell wrapped up the over with a switch-hit six over extra-cover.

In the next over, Patidar hit Brar for a six and four off successive balls. At the halfway stage, Royal Challengers were 95 for 3, needing another 115 from the last ten overs.

But Chahar and Brar didn’t

take long to strike back. With the longer boundary on the leg side, Chahar bowled well outside off to Patidar. The batter still tried to target the leg side and holed out to long-on. In the next over, Maxwell ended up hitting Brar straight to Arshdeep at long-off, leading to thigh-fives from the bowler, the fielder, and even Livingstone.

With 92 required from 36 balls, Arshdeep dashed Royal Challengers’ diminishing hopes with an excellent 15th over, where he conceded only two runs and dismissed Karthik.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday May 14, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Lasith Malinga-28 wickets (MI) (2) Ishant Sharma-5/12 (Deccan Chargers) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many centuries were scored in IPL 2011?

(2) How many five-wicket hauls were recorded in IPL 2011?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

CWI helps Antiguan coaches boost skills

(CMC) - Antiguan coaches got an opportunity to develop their skills this week through an initiative that Cricket West Indies (CWI) says it wants to roll out across the region.

A day-long seminar at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, jointly hosted by CWI and the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA), saw CWI High Performance Unit staff, including coach development manager Chris Brabazon, high performance manager Graeme West, and high performance coach Steve Liburd, guide 22 participants through a range of topics including coaching philosophy, applied skill acquisition across fielding and batting as well as how to plan and deliver effective, contemporary training sessions.

“It was great to have so many local coaches committed to ongoing development of their coaching skills. We know that good coaching

CWI High Performance Unit coach development manager Chris Brabazon interacts with some of the coaches

plays a massive role in the recruitment and retention of players and this group of Antiguan coaches is well placed to have a massive positive impact in the community,” said Brabazon.

“CWI is looking forward to rolling out more of these types of workshops across the region where we can reconnect with previously accredited coaches, share some key development prior-

ities from the upper echelons of our West Indies Cricket Pathway and then have our local coaches head back out into their communities and address these areas with our junior players.”

CWI said the main aim of the seminar was to re-engage previously accredited coaches and provide them with an opportunity to share their knowledge on various aspects of cricket coaching,

reconnect with each other and identify opportunities to work together to move Antiguan cricket forward..

Among the coaches involved were former Test cricketers Winston Benjamin, Kenny Benjamin and Sylvester Joseph, as well as former regional first-class players and national representatives.

The Antiguan workshop follows a series of Coach Development events held in St Kitts over the Easter weekend which included CWI Level 1, Level 2 Coaching Courses and observations of CWI High Performance Programme (Level 3) participants.

Over the past three years, CWI has delivered over 600 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries, while 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.

Guyana Harpy Eagles, Barbados Pride clash to highlight 4-Day restart … Coach Crandon says Eagles still to play best game

W E S T I n d i e s F o u r- D a y Championship resumes on May 18, and one match which could potentially determine the champions for this season will be contested between Barbados Pride and Guyana Harpy Eagles at Queen’s Park Oval.

Pride, who are defending champions, are unbeaten on 42.0 points while former champions Harpy Eagles have 21.4 points, in fourth place.

Speaking at a virtual media interaction yesterday, Harpy Eagles head coach Esaun Crandon stated Pride have always been tough given the quality, especially with their experienced batting and he does not think any different, come Wednesday.

He added, “We want to try and play our best cricket and we have not done that yet.”

On the other side, Vasbert Drakes, who is head coach of Pride, indicated his players are looking forward to the clash noting it was “unfortunate they had a break so long” and they

Barbados Pride will be looking for big runs from Shai Hope

were playing a lot of T20 cricket domestically.

Drakes said he is expecting a lot of spin from Harpy Eagles and underscored that despite the big names, it is important they “play as a collective unit”.

The other matches in Round Three will see Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Diego Martin along with Jamaica Scorpions and Windward Islands

Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

Harpy Eagles’ next match is against Jamaica Scorpions from May 25 to 28 at Diego Martin and Trinidad & Tobago Red Force from June 1 to 4 at the Oval.

Guyana Harpy Eagles squad: Leon Johnson (captain), Keemo Paul (vice-captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Vishaul

Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Nial Smith, Demetri Cameron, Antony Adams, Kevin Sinclair and Ronsford Beaton.

Management Staff: Manager Albert Smith, head coach Esaun Crandon, assistant coach/manager Ryan Hercules, physiotherapist Angelica Holder and cricket analyst Keshava Ramphal.

Barbados Pride squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Camarie Boyce, Shamarah Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (vice-captain/ wkp.), Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chaim Holder, Shai Hope, Akeem Jordan, Shayne M os e le y, R a ymon R e ife r, Ramson Simmonds, Jomel Warrican.

Va s b e r t D r a k e s h e a d coach, Ryan Hinds (assistant coach), Wendell Coppin (manager), Dr Jacqueline King (physiotherapist), Jamar Layne, Alexander Forde (strength and conditioning coach).

Scorpions looking for significant partnership during West Indies Championship resumption

(CMC) – Jamaica Scorpions head coach Andre Coley says his side will need bigger totals and more significant partnerships to play catch-up when the West Indies Championship resumes next week and to move from the bottom of six-franchise standings.

Speaking ahead of the team’s May 18 clash with Windward Islands Volcanoes when the third round of the marquee regional four-day tournament bowls off, he acknowledged their underperformance in the first two rounds.

Scorpions ended the second round on 8.8 points after losing by 10 wickets against Barbados Pride.

“We are looking for more consistency, especially from our batting. Our bowlers had a fair amount of work to do (in the last rounds). The key and what we want to focus on is going deeper, so not only getting that start but transferring and translating that into bigger scores and bigger team partnerships and actually spending time,” Coley said.

Reflecting on the second-round match in which Barbados Pride put a mammoth 521 runs on the board in their first innings, the head coach said that loss was a result of complacency.

The final scores from that match were Jamaica Scorpions 328 and 233, Barbados Pride 521-8 declared, and 42-0.

Asked what needs to be done to avoid a repeat, Coley said the team would need to “manage the momentum shifts within the game”.

“It is really to make sure that as a team we are not taking anything for granted and our standards and our expectations are higher and (we are) not easily satisfied,” he said.

The John Campbell-captained team will get a boost with Brandon King now available and top wicketkeeper Aldaine Thomas back in the squad.

Their match against Volcanoes is set for the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad.

Jamaica Scorpions full squad: John Campbell (captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Leroy Lugg, Oraine Williams, Aldaine Thomas, Gordon Bryan, Paul Palmer Jr, Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Nicholson Gordon, Derval Green, Patrick Harty, Kirk McKenzie, Brandon King.

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

WDFA Senior League set for tomorrow at Leonora

— Slingerz FC back; Den Amstel FC also in reckoning for supremacy

EXCITING combat is expected to permeate the atmosphere when battle lines are drawn from Sunday evening at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, as nine clubs will begin their quest for top honours in the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) Senior League.

Competitive action in earnest is returning to the association after years of inactivity which in part was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday evening, at Leonora, WDFA president Trevor Williams, who was voted in as the new head of the association a few weeks ago, unveiled the league in the presence of

WDFA president Trevor Williams (seated 2nd right) is pictured with fellow Executive Members and Club Reps. after the League was unveiled.

fellow Executive Members and Club Representatives.

He challenged the clubs to work together with the Asso-

ciation and by extension the

SIC/GuyanaNRA Smallbore Section Team Semi-Practical Pistol Competition …

Lennox & Jermaine Braithwaite, Jermaine Softley emerge winners

THE seasoned combination of short- and longrange marksman Lennox Braithwaite, his son Jamaine, and Jermaine Softley emerged victorious in the just-concluded Guyana National Rifle Association Smallbore Section Team Semi-Practical 9mm Pistol competition.

The competition was sponsored by Secure Innovations & Concepts Inc. which is located at 246 Samaan Drive, Meadow Brook Gardens, Georgetown.

Apart from an exciting day of rapid and calculated shots at 10m, 12m, and 15m ranges, the activity which was held at the Tactical Services Unit Range, Eve Leary, also saw a close tussle from start to finish with just two points being the difference between winning and losing.

The Braithwaite’s father and son combination along with Softley held nerves to stave off the challenge of Robin Razack, Stefan John, and GuyanaNRA Smallbore captain Gordon Richards,

Members of the top four teams take time out for a group photo following the presentation of prizes.

who fell short by two points, 177 to the winning total of 179.

Each team was allotted 50 rounds while team members assisted in loading magazines as well as collecting the same when their partners were taking aim at the targets at the various ranges. Experienced shooters took aim at the longest range (15m) as teams sought to get their best shots on the home straight; the likes of Lennox Braithwaite, Gordon Richards, Satya Dayaram, and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon.

The all-female combination of Persaud-McKinnon, Basmatee Mohabeer and Yonelle De Abreu did well to end in fourth position.

Members of all four teams were presented with individual trophies, compliments of Secure Innovations and Concepts.

Smallbore captain, Richards, expressed gratitude to CEO of Secure Innovations and Concepts, Harold Hopkinson, for his continued investment in the development of the sport in Guyana.

“Mr. Hopkinson has con-

tinued to show real commitment to growing the sport by his continued investment and partnership with us without any hesitation. We are most appreciative of his continued support. I would also like to thank our members for coming out in their numbers to compete and for making the event an exciting and successful one.

We look forward to many more partnerships with Mr Hopkinson and his company as we continue to grow this sport.”

Following are the full results of the competition (first to fourth), names listed in order of competing at the 10m, 12, and 15m ranges.

Teams Jermaine Softley, Jamaine Braithwaite, Lennox Braithwaite (179 points), Robin Razack, Stefan John, Gordon Richards (177 points), Dwain Vyfhuis, Terry Stuart, Satya Dayaram (172 points), B a s m a t e e M o h a b e e r, Yonelle De Abreu, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (169 points).

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to ensure that the game reaches heights never reached in the WDFA. Clubs were informed that in this short season, the GFF has made it mandatory that Elite League clubs within the various Regional Associations (RA) compete in the local leagues, and in this instance, Den Amstel FC will be throwing down the gauntlet to their fellow West Demerara rivals.

Additionally, former Elite League club, Slingerz FC, will be making a grand comeback which adds more spice and excitement to the competitive pot as it will serve up mouth-watering action for fans to absorb each

match day.

Setting the tone for the league from Sunday evening will be Pouderoyen FC against Belle West FC from 18:00hrs with the main attraction featuring Den Amstel FC against #1 All-Stars from 20:30hrs.

The other contesting clubs are Wales, Crane Rovers, Eagles, Uitvlugt Warriors, and Slingerz. The president is urging fans to come out in their numbers to support their favourite club as the game will be back with a bang and fan support is critical to making this a reality.

Meanwhile, clubs were each presented with balls and other gear, compliments of the GFF.

Minister Indar offers support to Albouystown boxing gym MINISTER within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, fulfilled a promise to assist the Pace and Power Gym Boxing gym in Albouystown.

After an initial visit to the gym over the Easter weekend, Indar returned Thursday to deliver a financial donation to the gym.

The minister indicated that when he visited, Clifton Barker, who coaches the young pugilists, told him that it is difficult to sustain the support of the youths, given the financial constraints.

As such, Minister Indar assisted with offsetting the expenses with uniforms for the young boxers.

Minister Deodat Indar hands over the donation to the coach of Pace and Power Boxing Gym, Clifton Baker

28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 14, 2022

Guyana Harpy Eagles, Barbados Pride clash to highlight 4-Day restart … Coach Crandon says Eagles still to play best game

Story on page 26

The Guyana Harpy Eagles are in fourth place and chasing another title

Punjab Kings thump RCB to keep playoff hopes alive

Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow put on 60 runs in just five overs at the top yesterday (BCCI)

(ESPNCRICINFO) - Punjab Kings gave their play-off chances a big boost with a thumping 54-run over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Brabourne Stadium.

With 12 points from as many games, Kings are now sixth on the points table, their net run rate being marginally lower than that of fifth-placed Delhi Capitals.

Sent in to bat first, Kings rode on the half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone to post a daunting 209 for 9. Bairstow laid the platform, hitting four fours and seven sixes in his 29-ball 66. Once he got out, Livingstone took over and smashed 70 (off 42 balls), studded with five fours and four sixes.

Royal Challengers’ bowling card made for interesting reading. Wanindu Hasaranga conceded just 15 from his four overs and picked up two wickets. Harshal Patel bowled the difficult overs at the death and

still finished with 4 for 34 from his four. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood registered figures of 4-0-64-0.

In response, Royal Challengers lost Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Mahipal Lomror within the first five overs.

Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar tried to revive the chase but their efforts proved futile. And when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Dinesh Karthik for a run-a-ball 11, it was all over.

BAIRSTOW’S 21-BALL FIFTY SETS THE TONE Coming into this game, Bairstow had 136 runs in eight innings at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 117.24 in IPL 2022.

But here he teed off right from the start. He chipped Maxwell for a straight six in the opening over before biffing Hazlewood twice over deep midwicket. By the end of three overs, he had raced to 34 off 12 balls with four sixes.

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Maxwell got rid of Shikhar Dhawan but Bairstow took apart Mohammed Siraj in the last over of the powerplay, hitting him for three sixes and a four. Bairstow brought up his half-century off just 21 balls, his fastest in T20 cricket, as Kings reached 83 for 1 after six overs.

HASARANGA, SHAHBAZ APPLY BRAKES After a blazing start, Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahmed pulled things back somewhat.

Hasaranga dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the seventh, the batter slicing a tossed up googly to short third man. Soon after, Bairstow miscued one against Shahbaz and was taken at cover-point. From overs 7 to 11, Kings scored only 25 for the loss of two wickets. But their quick start meant the run rate was still hovering around ten.

LIVINGSTONE TEES OFF After scoring only 14 off

Continued on page 25 SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2022