President, Dr Irfaan Ali, during a visit to Orealla and Siparuta, Region Six on Saturday, reassured residents that Amerindians and their communities are equally important to the development of Guyana (Office of the President photo) Commissioner,
GECOM
No.106814 14th August, 2022 Free Inside PAGE 03
–– President outlines plan to improve agriculture in Orealla and Siparuta
Bibi passesShadick,away PAGE 17 atobacklandsofRegularisationGoldenGrovebeginwithinweek PAGE 13
Involve youth and women
2 SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022
A resident of Orealla raises a concern during the meeting on Saturday (Office of the President photo)
President, Dr Irfaan Ali with officials as well as participants of a youth camp (Office of the President photo)
Involve youth and women
SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022 3 See page 4
GREATER attention will be paid to improving farming and aquaculture in the riverine commu nities of Orealla and Si paruta, along the Coren tyne River, East Berbice, Corentyne. This commitment was given by President, Dr Irfaan Ali during a visit to the two communities on Saturday. After listen ing to the concerns of the residents of Siparuta, the President committed to making available 25 acres of land to expand pineap ple Theproduction.President also asked the residents of the two communities to en gage youths and women in their plans and said that the Ministry of Agriculture will soon begin to work with farmers to develop the land and increase pro duction.Theresidents expressed the need for machinery and equipment to alleviate drainage issues and the President announced that within one week an exca vator will be deployed to the communities. A bull dozer will also be made available soon to assist in landTheclearing.residents also called for the construc tion of a plant nursery in Orealla and the President committed to building one, with labour and material sourced in the locale. “These are two things that I’m very strong on in developing: the food production system of our country; so let me tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to make the money available, we’re going to use the local skills and local material here that you can build the nursery here in Orealla to support the farmers; so you re quested a nursery, we’re going to do it,” he said. He also said that the government will work with the residents to pro mote aquaculture and to get things on stream before yearOnend.that note, he urged the Ministry of Agriculture to work with the residents and provide the necessary support for the production of Basha and Tilapia. “This area has tre mendous potential for farming, especially aqua culture as was said and I’m very, very pleased to see so many of you engage in this these dis cussions because the food production system must be improved but in farming and bringing these groups together you have to promise me a few things and I’m going to work with you. I want at least 50 per cent of the farms be owned by young people below 40 years old and I want at least 35 per cent of the farms to be managed by women… we have to look long-term. This is a longterm industry, so we are going to ask the Ministry of Agriculture to work with you in having five marine cages; marine cage is what they use now around the world to grow the fish in its natu ral environment, so
–– President outlines plan to improve agriculture in Orealla and Siparuta
Involve youth ...
Amerindian Affairs Minis ter, Pauline Sukhai; Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall; and regional officials, among others. The objective of the visit was to listen to the concerns of the residents and provide solutions to them.
A section of the gathering at the meeting at Orealla (Office of the President photo) the Basha out there, we got the small ones; we will make it easier and we have more guaranteed produc tion,” he said. He added: “We will also work with the aquaculture in dustry for Tilapia. Right now we have market for Tilapia that can take off as much Tilapia as we can produce, so we will have to work out a price that is long term… the Ministry of Agriculture will sit with you, we’ll make a machine available, we will do the ponds and you have the creek, so you come here and do all the technical work so that we can build the aquaculture industry here in Orealla. You will get sup port. These things will start, all of these things I’m talking about to start before the end of theTheyear.”President was ac companied by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha;
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Jamie Marsh, reserves manager for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, warned of “a serious situation” for wildlife as rivers run low in parts of the region.Atone nature reserve on the banks of the River Itchen in Winchester, a pond has completely dried up, while low river flow is hitting food sources for fish, insects and invertebrates, with knock-on effects for animals higher up the food chain such as water voles and otters. “Our water resources are under a lot of pressure and this long period of drought is exacerbating those issues,” he said.“What we can do to help is we as a society can look at our water consumption and try and reduce down our consumption.“Formany of our rivers, they’re not in a natural state; they’ve been heavily modi fied and engineered. Many of our river systems are acting more like drains than actual riversChalknow.”streams and rivers rise from springs in chalk bedrock - a layer of spongy rock found beneath much of southern and eastern En gland, that can hold vast quantities of water. This layer of white lime stone is composed of the same material that makes up the white cliffs of Dover and supplies water for rivers and taps in much of the south east of England.Wateris pumped out of the ground or taken directly from rivers, to the tune of millions of litres a day.
Southern Water, which supplies water to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said the decision to introduce a hosepipe ban was a “vital step” to protect the habitats of the River Test and the Riv er Itchen, where it extracts water.The company has said river flows were about 25 per cent lower than they should be forAndJuly.according to the lat est projections by scientists, river flows are expected to remain exceptionally low in central and southern England for the rest of the summer. Water UK, which rep resents the water industry, has said water companies with chalk streams in their re gions have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in re ducing and ending abstrac tions of water and further reductions will take place over the next few years. However, the Rivers Trust has called for a total re think in the way we use water to cope as dry hot summers likely become more frequent. “We want to see govern ment and the water compa nies responding in a coordi nated way,” said Christine Colvin.“This hot spell and this prolonged dry period is a pressure test for us now to get ready for the long haul because we’re going to be seeing many more summers like this in years to come.” Other wildlife is also struggling to find food during the long dry spell, including birds that feed on worms in the soil and ground-feeding mammals such as badgers. Butterflies, solitary bees, hoverflies and insects may also be suffering as plants produce less nectar when they are experiencing water stress, said the Royal Horti cultural Society.
Wildlife under stress as dry spell shrinks rivers
The River Anton in Hampshire is much lower than usual (BBC photo) A dried-up pond at the Winnall Moors Nature Reserve in Winchester (BBC photo)
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022 5
Helen Bostock, RHS se nior wildlife specialist said: “With many species of wild pollinator still in decline they need all the help they can get, but we can think of gardens as service sta tions for these pollinating insects. In a drought your garden might be the only reliable place a bumblebee or hoverfly can find water and nectar.” (BBC)
Environmental groups say the prolonged dry spell is having a “serious” impact on wildlife in rivers. With rivers already under pressure from pollution and use for drinking water, they say the looming drought is adding to the strain. Chalk streams, which support iconic species such as the salmon, kingfisher and otter, are of particular concern, according to the RiversOnlyTrust.200 exist globally, 85 per cent of which are in southern and eastern En gland.“This is our Barrier Reef or our Amazon rainforest; it’s our unique contribution to global wildlife and biodiver sity,” said Christine Colvin of the Rivers Trust. She said some small chalk streams were starting to dry up, while larger rivers were experiencing low flows. “The wildlife here is al ready stressed as a result of the hotter temperatures and their habitat is shrinking as the water levels are getting lower and lower,” she added. “We don’t want them to go any lower than they are now.”
8) “But we want their participation to the debate. We want to hear their per spective,” encouraged Dr Ashni Singh. Oh, the big heart of the PPP/C govern ment gets bigger, brighter and better!
The list is not the problem…. his inability to recognise democracy and… his in ability to respect the will of the people is the problem. And he needs to fix that,” the President informed the large crowd of supporters at Buxton. Norton is caught washing his dirty laundry in the 6)public.An old woman at Bourda once shouted at a political meeting, “Burn ham mek Satan cry.” Ow me Gawd, you feel sarry fu Satan or Guyanese?7)“They must remove any confusion in their own minds and see the dictator clearly for what he is: a vil lain and a monster, the princi pal enemy of the people,” Dr. W.A. R. wrote on Burnham. Is Norton bewitched by the “Burnham’s touch?”
DID it have to take the Chief Justice to inform or remind the leader of the parliamentary opposition that he cannot dictate to the President of the Republic on issues of national security – or any other, for that matter? It’s normal to expect Opposition Leaders to naturally oppose, but in the new national, regional and global normal it’s also widely and largely expected they will rise to the new challenges and start charting new chapters to show possibly better value and worth. However, the current office holder, Mr Aubrey Norton, as already aptly-not ed by Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo not too long ago, is still stuck in Stone Age thinking in the first quarter of the 21st century.Thecurrent PNC leader and overall APNU+AFC alliance parliamentary chieftain has for some time now held all the positions he demanded from his reluctant predecessor, but months later has failed miserably in the delivery de partment. Instead of upping his game to better the brigadier, he’s instead lowered the level of political and parliamentary leadership to one where ‘the devil takes the Guyanahindmost’.has been steaming ahead with careful confidence, energised by Oil & Gas, mindful of not powering forward too fast, instead ensuring needs are ad dressed and development is delivered on time.Thecurrent PPP/C administration has, under the distinguished and distinguish able leadership of President, Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips and the valuable experience and support of Vice-President Jagdeo, done more in less time to ensure Guyana’s new wealth reaches more citizens. But instead of embracing new oppor tunities to upgrade his old role to one of co-operating with a willing government in the common interest of ensuring all of the best gets to most Guyanese at all times -- even while disagreeing on mat
Dear GUYANA’Editor,s week began with the President hitting a solid, scorching and sensa tional 105 not out to show the West Indies how to win games and influence play ers. Dr. Irfan Ali’s leader ship, being a true sports man on the field and off the field, included the art of self-defence, physically and not only vociferously, as he demonstrated his karate techniques. As the world observes International Day of Indige nous People 2022, The Pres ident delivered the keynote to launch the Upper Mazaruni 23rd Annual District Games in Kako, Upper Mazaruni. Amerindian Heritage Month was launched at the Umana Yana by Minister Pauline Sukhai. Unemployed Guy anese are off to a good start this week as some 2,000 part time workers hit the Region [Three] road due to Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s initiative, having visited the residents and be ing overwhelmingly wel comed. Residents on the East Coast are being pampered with more employment also as; news of a Hilton Hotel and a Sheriff General Hos pital in the making were announced. The Coalition skulked from Parliament but the House approved $44.7 Billion to finance a supple mentary budget on on going developmental projects. Per sons living with disabilities are being favoured with the sod-turning event by First Lady Arya Ali, for a $130 million business centre at Palmyra. The President and Prime Minister are sitting examples as portraits of non-discrimination as they significantly engage in the sacred celebration of “Rak sha Bandhan”. While many will be enjoying horse racing and car racing this weekend, others will spare a moment to regurgitate on the week’s eventualities:1)“Guyana is going through the best period of Guyana’s history perhaps since its discovery,” the Hon ourable Attorney- General, Mr. Anil Nandlall reflect ed. All because of a caring, concerned, conscientious, calculative and careful PPP/C Government’s management programme.2)“We are learning important lessons now, that we must not leave unan swered for future genera tions,” Agricultural Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha declared. Not pompous, bombastic or obstinate, the PPP/C Gov ernment is, on the contrary, flexible, acquiescent and compromising.3)“Idon’t know since when a minority view over whelms a majority view,” analysed the chairman. The days of the PNC bullies are over.4) “Things are bad because you people, and I mean you the opposition, have created the situation we are living in today – the hole we find ourselves in, you the Coalition have put us in it, by giving away everything to ExxonMobil with that lopsid ed Stabroek Block contract, signed by former [Natural] Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman,” blurted Glenn Lall. The buck starts and stops with the PNC. 5) “So, apparently this list is only a problem when you don’t win the elections.
ters that don’t impede or delay taking development to the people -- Mr Norton has opted to try to play hardball, but without bat or ball. The current Opposition Leader is stuck in the outdated and unproductive, backward and divisive traditional mode of playing legal games of luck-andchance with citizens’ future, instead of honouring his constitutional duty to serve as a useful part of the republic’s national governanceUnfortunately,mechanisms.MrNorton insists on continuing to play with Guyana’s future, mindlessly shifting draughts on a chess board, at a time when those who voted for his party and backed him to become the PNC’s new Maximum Leader, ex pect him to do more to better represent them. But the gentleman seems to have opted for an addicted pursuit of power by daily rolling dices with eyes wide shut, harbouring dicey hopes of “one day” eventually hitting the evasive political jackpot.
Unless bent on trying to milk what looks like a cash cow, his legal advisers ought to be fair enough to warn their political leader he’s barking up a wrong tree when trying to use legal and judicial avenues to chart his lost way to State House.After all, the Presidency always has access to the best legal and judicial ad vice available, as indicated by the Chief Justice’s latest rulings on the Opposition Leader’s ridiculous efforts to dictate to the President of the Republic on making appointments to offices of national secu rity and public service import. The CJ’s latest rulings on his childish claims (of not being legally consulted by the President as constitutionally required) ought to remind Mr Norton that he has a lot of catching up to do if he intends to legally outmatch the Attorney-General and his department. Meanwhile, since time waits for no man, it’s obviously left Mr Norton way behind time!
11) It was the dark clouds of corruption, the divide and rule technique, sheer stupidity, sowing
Behind Time! Is a storm gathering in a teacup?
9) It finally dawned on the gardener that, “Govern ment believes in ensuring our workers, those in the public service, they have the best possible welfare.”
10) “Emancipate your self from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds,” sang Bob Mar ley. Does mental laziness prevent us from seeing, rec ognising and accepting the progressive and positive eco nomic and social transforma tion of Guyana executed by the PPP/C government over the past two years?
6 SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022 See page 7
30) The world is learning of a “transitionary” stage in retirement as Serena Wil liams does not “turn her back” on tennis, but she’s “walking away from the game!”31) “This promising is yet to emerge but imagine the possibilities it will bring to our economy and country,” Agriculture Minister, Zu lfikar Mustapha underscored. Indeed, with the PPP/C Gov ernment, the best is yet to come!32) The economist added, “You have never seen this level of poverty before and that is a symptom of the Dutch Disease…” Wake up big guy, this is August 2022….not August 2020.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022 7 F pagerom 6 seeds in barren grounds, square pegs in round holes, secrecy, nepotism, dis honesty, lies, propaganda, blind, obtuse and self-opin ionated leaders, greed, victimisation, violence, viciousness and evilness which caused the demise of this nation for 33 years, led by dangerous, devious and demented PNC dictators and lieutenants!
18) “And so we have left the door open. We hope we don’t have to close it and Claudette Singh will do the descent thing and resign,” said Norton. And which par ty appointed the GECOM Chair? Naughty boy wanting to have his way in every thing otherwise he sulks and skulks. The truancy of a big, bad bully!
35) The case of an “en gagement of speculation” was found to be an applica tion that was “vexatious and an abuse of the process of the court.” A few Guyanese ‘hard ears’ and dey always ‘tryin a Adrialting!’Austin and Anisha Gibbons are smiling with their sports scholarships. The Amerindian communi ties are smiling with a do nation of $1.5 million from President Ali for the Kako Games. Rosemary Kilkenny at Georgetown University, Washington DC, is mak ing Guyanese smile. Region Three is smiling with its Le onora’s ‘Smart Hospital.’ 692 out of 1,038 Rose Hall Estate workers are smiling with employment as 58 per cent of the works are completed. Cheers and smiles as Guyana awaits the arrival of British Airways. The President is bringing smiles to Region Five and Six with his inclu sive developmental plans. Linden squatters are smiling with financial compensation as rewards. Some 1,500 rice farmers are smiling as they received some $257 million in fertiliser vouchers. Do begin the week with the Dalai Lama in mind, “A simple smile. That’s the start of open ing your heart and being compassionate to others.” Yours respectively,JaiLall
22) “And that says that no one is above the law, not even a president or for mer presidents of the United States,” said the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Hear that Coalition? Now mend your ways and don’t misbehave, especially in Par liament.23) “As an MP, my job is to assist the people and get them back on their feet,” explained the Jamaican MP, Donovan Williams. What’s the job of the boycotting MPs’? To turn their backs on their24)constituencies.Mosesturned Judas and Ramjattan turned Brutus when they sold out the sugar workers and stabbed them in the backs. Naga wants ‘to light a candle for the dismissed sugar workers,’ a wickless candle and…with a torch!25) “Guyana as a coun try will strive to ensure that in almost each of its econom ic pursuits, there will be an emphasis against the emis sion of noxious substance.” Say ‘no’ to drugs. 26) “No Fishing,” per mitted in Demerara ships’ channel. The fishes have been granted diplomatic im munity! 27) “It is a complete and utter waste, and unnec essary use of taxpayers’ money,” complained the At torney-General. The list is long and the projects end less, thanks due to Burnham, Hoyte and Granger.
33) “I communicated to the applicants that it is the a storm gathering...
12) The street boy, the bully boy who turned the raging bull is now a meek lamb asking for truce? Age finally catches up to prepare us for that eryconfrontationuncomfortablewithtruth!13)“Everyculture,evsystem,everyhistory
19) The PNC Party had confirmed and concluded that the CARICOM Team for the 2020 Election recount was the ‘most competent’ interlocutor. Buttering up, bribery and besmirching did not work. The PNC’s ficti tious claims were dismissed by the CARICOM Team as a “fishing expedition” and time-wasting exercise. Their leader was referred to as a “sanctimonious gangster!”
points us to that singular whole that we are part of one family, the family of hu manity,” preached President Ali. President Ali teaches all Guyanese to live for a “One-Guyana,” unlike others who insinuate racism, disuni ty and14)violence.TheUS asked about “inclusive growth” and Pub lic Works Minister, Bishop Edghill responded, “What we’re trying to do here now is to do what should have been done in those communi ties during the period 2015 to 2020. Selective communities had works done during that period. In this dispensation, all communities are bene fitting...the Government of Guyana wants to fix every road in every community. My mandate is to ensure that it happens.”
17) “Is a storm gathering in a teacup” as Norton flocks at Burnham Park, Hinds calls for his share and Parliament is boycotted? Slo fya, mo fya,
29) “But the people of Guyana now have to shoulder that burden and it’s unfortu nate, but it’s the duty of our government to defend the country,” our learned friend indicated. The PPP/C Party is always loyal to the people and has cleaned up the PNC’s mess, not once but twice.
15) When the US mentions about “strengthen transparency,” Finance Min ister, Dr. Ashni Singh does not play around with his words, saying, “We will en sure therefore that the reve nues that we earn through the LCDS are processed through the most rigorous of account ability systems and be fully incorporated in the budgetary process.”
20) “We are bringing development not only to the coast, but we’re bridging that divide,” Prime Minis ter, Mark Phillips remarked. Look out for the new, spank ing Demerara Harbour Bridge.21) “As we work to improve things, you know, more and more people will demand higher and higher standards,” Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony declared. The PPP/C Government is appeasing to this appeal.
Is
28) “Those who made the decision and are respon sible are no longer there to answer for the decision,” reminded Mr. Anil Nandlall. And Guyanese will ensure that they will not return for a long, long time to come!
34) “And that list must be compiled in accordance with the law,” the Attor ney-General reinforced. No one is above the law, not even Norton.
16) “The fight for In digenous women’s rights is still a challenge and there fore particularly important to support,” stated the ABCE. Minister for Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai and Minister of Human services, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, are certainly on the right track, pushing for the betterment of the Indigenous women.
view of the Guyana Police Force that we should try as far as applicable to have new recruits train at the Police Training School closest to where they live,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cal vin Brutus, stressed. There is hope yet for residents in the rural areas to avoid the garbage city. Ministry of Ed ucation should pay attention to include Teacher’s Training College in the country areas!
Dear Editor, THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), must be congratulated for commencing the Claims and Objection process. This will enable all stake holders to peruse the Register of Registrants, in pursuit of confirming the necessary verifications of additions and deletions of the names of persons that should transpar ently remain on the list. By so doing, GECOM signals a positive forward process but has drawn rasping convenient reactions from the Opposi tion Camp. The Commission should not be worried about the sinister wind blowers. Since becoming Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton has utilised his big gest platform yet to hasten the exposure of his impo tent leaderless strategy of the inexorable fragmenting coalition. His recent ranting and raving over the Voters List and unjustified call for the resignation of the emi nent Justice Claudette Singh from the Guyana Elections Commission, lacks basis and is nothing but wind in a des perate effort to propagandise race-based confidence into the few remaining hopefuls. Norton’s ride on a wave of fallout support from those in the PNC in the camp who have reacted to the coalition’s loss at the 2020 General and Regional Elections has become bumpier and more unpopular for the wrong reasons. It appears that he should rather be working hard to strengthen his internal position and relationship with the few remaining Coalition partners. The obvious dimin ishing returns have resulted from his failure to command the perceived and prom ised aggressive dent in the PPP/C Government’s prog ress, and in gaining national confidence and influencing international recognition and support.Rather, Norton has be come more associated with attempts to damage control his disappointingly consistent public blundering, focused on a race-driven and hatred infatuation with the Hon. Vice- President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo whose productive performances and sense of nationalism he could never match! With a sense of lost objectivity and non-politic behaviour characterised by a lack of diplomacy in deal ing with President Ali, his displays have realised an embarrassing loss of face rather than gains in strength ening and confidence. Com paratively, President Ali’s and the PPP/C’s admirable work have been creating nightmares for the Norton-led PNC/RConsequently,clan. there is no doubt that Aubrey Norton has resorted to gambling in the high-stakes engagement of attempting to challenge the Chairwoman of the Guyana Elections Commission who was previously approved as the best-proposed candidate by the previous leadership of his PNC Party while he was involved as a senior execu tive. Albeit hypocritical, the situation reflects the char acteristic nature of the PNC and the ‘Creature’ referred to by former PNC/R leader and President of Guyana Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte (deceased). He cannot put up any legitimate or justified argument why this should happen as long as he has, as claimed, the undisclosed fake SOPs from the 2020 elections.
ON Friday, the President of Guyana launched his Youth Advisory Council which will be at the centre stage in implementing the policies and programmes throughout Guyana.
Neilsincerely,Kumar
President Ali was quoted as saying that this Council would not be doing political work. He expressed the hope that it would be focused on national priorities and matters that will lead Guyana on the right path to the development trajectory.ThePresident hopes that this group of young people, which has a wide-ranging skillset and abilities, are crit ically integrated into the policy-making and policy implementation in Guyana. He said, boldly, that the Council was living in a coun try that will be among the best by the year 2030 before telling them that he expects hard work on hinterland de velopment programmes, fea sibility studies, and urban projects.Ingeneral, he said that the Council must always be in a state of readiness to support projects for young people by young people. This, he said, will see young people involved at each level of the deci sion-making process.
Norton’s outbursts are now in sync with the sound of wind through an empty barrel
Int’l Youth Day and TheYouthPresident’sCouncil
Firstly, this initiative by President Ali is appropriate and timely because he man aged to launch his youth advisory council on the day Guyana is joining the world in celebrating United Na tions International Youth DayHe2022.chose this signifi cant day to fulfil a manifes to promise that was made during the 2020 elections period to establish this youth advisorySecondly,council.the Council must take what the President said seriously, always yearn ing for more opportunities to be of service in this rapidly changing environment. They must work to ac complish President Ali’s goal of developing ‘One Guyana’ through a series of developmental projects and undertakings. Additional ly, they must take seriously the responsibility and trust that the President has put in them to guide him in his decision-making process on the policies and programmes that his PPP/C Government is likely to pursue over the next threeThirdly,years. the theme for international youth day was intergenerational solidarity and it speaks to the need “to leverage the full potential of all generations” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to ensure “no one is left behind”. Members of the advisory council must have this goal at the forefront of their minds. They must always speak out and up about the policies and programmes that will positively change Guyana’s future in These2030.include issues re lated to youth unemployment, youth crime and violence, youths working towards food security, youths addressing climate change, and youths for the socioeconomic ad vancement of Hopefully,Guyana.theCouncil is not made up of ‘yes’ men who will do much more harm than good because Presi dent Ali needs, from a youth perspective, to know which policies will resonate with the man in the street, and what is good as well as what is not working.Finally, the launch of the President’s Youth Advisory Council must be taken very seriously. It is not a cursory move. It is not window dress ing or wantsthedemonstratesyoungPPP/CknowRight-thinkingshowmanship.Guyanesethatit’spartofthecommitmenttothepeopleofGuyana.Itseeminglythatadministrationcaresandtohearfromtheyouths of this country about the kind of policies and programmes they are piloting. This is not politicking or speaking loosely but the PPP is saying loud and clear that young people must decide for themselves the type of Guyana that they want to inheritThenow.entire Cabinet and the President are banking their resources on the young and energetic people of Guy ana to lead the country into a brighter, more prosperous future for all. When 2030 comes around clearly Guyana must be ready for the next wave of devel opment buoyed by its rich mineral and human resources and oil and gas sector. Our young people must utilise this council to keep the change occurring and advancement going.
The President was also quoted as saying to the Coun cil that they must “Focus on the task ahead, focus on your country, focus on the future, focus on the legacy you want to leave; focus on what you want to do, what you have committed yourselves to do. Do not focus on the noise.”
Editor, Norton and the PNC’s glaring doctrine of convenience cannot be made more apparent. They cannot pretend to be unaware of the GECOM’s Chairperson Jus tice Claudette Singh’s role as the Head of a Statutory Con stitutional Body whose Office must be respected. Further, the conduct and holding of elections are not entrusted to politicians, but GECOM and the institution must be fully prepared to hold elections on time providing that the gov ernment ensures the neces sary fund for the proper func tioning of the organisation. There is verifiable evidence that the PPP/C had done so. However, it is also important for GECOM to make sure that they are accountable and provide a fully audited report to theRecentnation.experiences dic tate that there must be a clear and written role of GECOM Commissioners and GECOM Secretariat as delegated by the Commission. The Com missioners are to decide on policies and the Secretariat must implement the deci sions of the Commission. Further, it is recognised that because of the peculiarity and the situation in this country, the Chairperson of GECOM must be a strong and profes sional person. Norton’s latest outbursts that the PPP/C Government does not want to hold Local Government Elections must be rubbished. Monies were allocated in 2020, 2021, and 2022 Nation al Budgets for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGEs) with a mammoth allocation of $4.1 billion this year for the intended purpose. It is the practice and the usual cry of the PNC to say that the list is padded, but it must be noted that the PNC/ WPA/AFC and now APNU never won at LGEs. While they are criticising the List of Electors currently, it was the same list that they did not hesitate to use in 2016 and 2018 to hold LGEs. Of note, however, when they catapulted themselves into government in 2015, the ‘defector’ APNU/AFC Gov ernment hastily went to Par liament and changed the law to decide that a period of Continuous registration will give legitimacy to the Voter’s List for six months. In addition, the APNU Co alation without the neces sary consultations went on a ‘Gerrymandering spree’ changing selected electoral boundaries to win more seats. The PPP/C is calling for the holding of LGEs now and GECOM must act following the institution’s constitutional mandate.Norton’ s empty barrel wind howling and outbursts are synonymous with his characteristic creaturelike status in the PNC, and while he calls for the resignation of the Chairperson of GECOM, he must not forget how he was rudely removed from the position of PNC General Secretary, he was rudely kicked out of Parliament and was shamefully removed as the PNC District Chairman in Georgetown. Norton was never given a ceremonial handshake as he was kicked about the place and, there fore, cannot relate to hand shakes! Guyanese are await ing his replacement as the leader of the PNC. Guyanese must unite and work together for a better Guyana. GECOM must bring on LGEs soonest.Yours
8 SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022
And the top order along with the middle-order bat ting is also difficult to name. The bowlers are also not certain of their place in the Fieldingteam.is getting more important and the superb fielding of the likes of Hetmyer is indeed most encouraging. The West In dies selectors must identi fy the core players and let them play together to build much-needed team spirit.
THERE is no precise date as to when Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) arrived in Trinidad, Guyana, and Su riname. The basic understanding is that some arrived during the indenture period in the nineteenth century as reli gious travellers spreading Hinduism and Islam. Their purpose was to provide reli gious inspiration and support for the indentured community on the premise that these la bourers were uprooted from their homeland and taken to a foreign land where their re ligion was unknown. Toward that end, religious travellers ensured that the labourers were protected from reli gious abuse and conversion and that they continued their religious practices in the Ca ribbean. While over time the indentured community pro duced its own religious lead ers, however few, these early religious travellers played a role in aiding indentured Indians to retain, at least, some aspects of their re ligion in their new domicile. The flow of these reli gious travellers was sporadic and small, not more than two to three hundred throughout the whole indenture period. Their impact or intended impact was more significant than their numbers. Their tradition has remained as a part of the Indian experience in the Caribbean. Indian re ligious travellers and now religious gurus and lead ers continue to come to the Caribbean, while Caribbe an-born Indians continue to travel to India for religious education and training. By the end of indenture in 1920 there was a small group of NRIs in the Caribbean. How they got to the Caribbe an is not clear. It is believed that some were sailors; some answered advertisements in local newspapers that took them to Brazil to cut timber; some came to do business. The latter was the most pop ular reason for them being in the Caribbean, as evidenced by their continued participa tion in business—mainly sell ing Indian clothes, religious items, and groceries. Some of these early im migrants did not come di rectly from India but were already in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Through conversations with their customers and among themselves they became more knowledgeable of the history of their new surround ings, especially regarding ex tending their business beyond their immediate base. Unknown descendants of the first wave of NRIs to Guyana, Trinidad, and Suri name have blended with de scendants of indentured ser vants through intermarriage and residential assimilation. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, they have intermarried with the Creole population or even migrated to Europe and North America. The major flow of NRIs to the Caribbean began after India achieved independence in 1947. Independence pro vided India the opportunity to establish ties with countries that had large populations of Indians to enhance growth and development as well as to develop stronger cultural connections. Nowhere is this initiative as noticeable as on various Indian High Com mission websites in countries with large Indian populations, such as Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname. High Com missioner of India to Guyana H. E. V. Mahalingam, on the 67th Republic Day in Febru ary 2016, said in a speech, “to consolidate cultural links, the Indian Cultural Centre has been functioning in Guyana since 1972 and during the four decades, a large number of Guyanese have benefitted from its yoga, dance and mu sic classes”. Over in India, the Times of India, a news magazine, ran this: “help ing upgrade a much-needed mortuary, sending a Ramlila troupe to exchange ideas with the local troupes there or pro viding expertise in renewable energy—India is actively engaging with its large dias pora in the small and distant countries of Suriname and Guyana in meaningful ways”. Not all NRIs in the Carib bean are associated with the Indian High Commissioner’s office on diplomatic duties. There are four categories of NRIs: diplomats, profession als (doctors and teachers), businesspeople and religious leaders. The population of these NRIs is small, ranging from three hundred to one thousand each for Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname. De spite their category and size, they share four fundamental characteristics. The first is that they live a life of privilege and prestige. Their residenc es are in well-to-do neigh bourhoods and their children attend the best schools in the host country. Their main aim is to send their children to the United States. The second is that they see themselves as immigrants first rather than as residents and have little meaningful contact with the wider society other than their occupational connections and Indian-related activities. The third is that they consider themselves better than Indians in the Caribbean because they believe Caribbean Indians have lost true Indian values. The fourth is that they do not generally marry someone or let their children marry some one from the Caribbean. NRIs are more visible and progressive in Trinidad than in Suriname and Guyana. Trinidad is more developed and therefore Indians are associated there beyond dip lomatic functions. Doctors and professors earn higher salaries in Trinidad than in Guyana and Suriname. There are about one thousand to fifteen hundred NRIs living in Trinidad, which translates into about two hundred fam ilies. Some are diplomats, doctors, academics, trad ers, and business personnel. There is also a small student population.Theyare located mostly in Port of Spain and in Cha guanas, the business district. Unless they speak or dress for an occasion, it is difficult to distinguish them from Trinidadian Indians. NRIs have good professional relations with Trinidad, but they are not deeply connected culturally, which, paradoxically, is one of the mission statements of the Indian High Commis sioner’s Office roopnarine@jsums.edu).(lomarsh.
Time is not on the West Indies side and it is nec essary for the West Indies cricket administrators to get down to serious busi ness and build a possible winningNicholasteam.
–– ahead
By Neil Kumar
SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022 9
West Indies ‘in deep trouble’ of Cup
A new wave of Indians in the SportCaribbeanView
Pooran, Shmiron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, along with some good all-rounders could put enough runs on the board for the bowl ers to bowl at. However, Pooran must be the wick et-keeper. The player’s confidence must be in their team spirit. This year Ca ribbean Premier League CPL will bring out the best from our players and expectations are sky-high that our cricketers will be at their best. The support for cricket in the Caribbean is most encouraging and our administrators must be objective and pro-ac tive.
By Neil Kumar AS the West Indies are trying desperately to put together a team to play in the T20 World Cup, which is only two months away, the selectors and the administrators are in deep trouble. Phil Simmons, the head coach is certainly quite lost. He is a total failure. Phil Simmons is the per son who made bad choices in guiding the prepara tion for the West Indies team. It was Simmons who decided that Shimron Hetmyer was not fit for selection while he selected Rahkeem Cornwall to play in the West Indies team, just to mention one of his bad selections. We cannot have a coach who can not communicate with the players. Simmons recent outburst that ‘we can’t beg people to play for the West Indies,’ is utter nonsense. As a leader and particular ly a head coach he must be able to communicate with the players and win their respect.The Caribbean people are waiting to hear why the West Indies Captain, Kieron Pollard, dropped a bombshell when he walked away from the West Indies team. Simmons mouthing that Andre Russell hasn’t made himself available for selection and saying that the status of Sunil Narine is a mystery, should follow with his resignation. Evin Lewis and Oshane Thom as, along with several oth er players such as Fabian Allen and Chanderpaul Hemraj are players who the selectors must keep a watchful eye on. It is indeed sad to know that the West Indies will have to play in the first round matches so as to qualify to play in Super 12 of this year T 20 World Cup. The West Indies hu miliation against India and now struggle against New Zealand is a poor reflec tion of the Team The West Indies is un able to put together core players in the team. The Coach cannot name the possible opening batsmen.
T20 World
Recently, Vice Presi dent Bharrat Jagdeo out lined steps being taken in negotiations to secure as much as US$2 billion in guarantees from the parent companies for the Yellow tail development. The EPA has confirmed that the in surance policies for Liza-1 (renewed), Liza-2 and Pa yara include coverage of a total of US$600 million per occurrence of a spill event. This is in keeping with con tinued efforts to improve the permitting process and ensure that Guyana remains a world class producer for decades to come. Insurance is ultimately just one of many avenues for financial assurance in the unlikely event of a disaster. The first line of defence is always prevention and Exx onMobil maintains it is an
Oil spill insurance is a standard practice in the industry and Guyana is no different. Each project to be developed offshore Guyana is carefully reviewed and permitted before any activi ty can take place. Guyana’s first offshore development, the Liza-1, did not have specific requirements for in surance coverage. However, the approved projects since, namely Liza-2, Payara and Yellowtail, clearly define the requirement for insur ance coverage and parent or affiliate guarantee. This is in keeping with the govern ment’s promise to securing the ‘best possible deal’ in relation to insurance from Stabroek operator. Exxon Mobil Guyana maintains that it has the full insur ance coverage that meets the international industry standards required for all its developments in Guyana.
industry-leading operator in this respect as a result of reforms made over the past three decades including a dedicated in-house spill re sponse research programme and the company’s focus on operational efficiency. Ms. Persaud outlined in her letter that ExxonMobil Guyana has “established response personnel, pro cedures, and equipment aligned with the principles of the International Con vention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC), the Caribbean Island Oil Pollution Preparedness Re sponse and Co-operation (OPRC), and the National Oil Spill Response Plan of Guyana. We routinely con duct drills with the Govern ment to ensure readiness.” Guyana is providing the world with a reliable source of energy, while simultaneously developing its economy and putting in place policy like the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 to ensure a secure energy transition. For Guyana, the fast pace of development maximises full benefits within the short horizon to transition away from fossil fuel. The ben efits of moving quick are clear: more revenue now, and multiple projects backto-back mean economies of scale that bring down costs, local companies and indus tries are growing to support the oil developments and production too. Liam Mal lon, president of Exxon Mobil Upstream Company recently said regarding the local operations that “[we] are working to maximise benefits for the people of Guyana and increase global supplies through safe and responsible development on an accelerated proof.missedtiatedUltimately,schedule.”unsubstanclaimsmustbedisintheabsenceof Beneath Guyana’s rapid pace of development is a network of detailed permits, thoughtful ne gotiation and regulations that govern oil production in the country and ensure a balance between safety and development.
IN recent weeks, there has been a resurgence of claims made by the former executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA), Dr. Vin cent Adams, regarding oil spill insurance coverage for the offshore develop ments. The discussions largely centre on unsubstantiated claims by Dr. Adams that he sought and received from ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek block, signed agreements including the EPA permits, committing the company to ‘unlimited liability coverage’, com prising insurance plus a parent company guarantee for coverage of all liabilities above the insurance limit. However, there is more to this issue than what is being represented, as well as some confusion that otherwise can be easily Firstly,dispelled.todate, Dr. Ad ams has yet to produce doc uments that he has claimed exist and has instead sought to proffer from recollection, his accounting of the events and conversations that took place. That is a troubling de velopment since as a former official, his words carry sig nificant weight. In response to those claims, ExxonMo bil Guyana’s Media and Communication Manager, Janelle Persaud noted in a widely published letter that no such agreement was signed by Rod Henson, the former President of Exx onMobil Guyana and that “ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners are liable to the government for the obliga tions of their activities in the Stabroek Block according to all the laws, regulations, and permits in place.”
In an interview last week, current ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge reiterated that the company intends to go above its commitments on paper to respond to a po tentially disastrous event. “There is no limit to what we would do to respond,” Mr. Routledge told News Room Guyana. Mr. Rout ledge went on to state that as outlined in the various environmental permits, oil companies are liable for the costs associated with cleanup, restoration, and com pensation in the “extremely low” probability of a major incident. “It’s going to be part of our commitment to ensure that we have all controls in place not just to prevent but in the very un likely event that something happens, we can respond very quickly.”
Understanding Energy
10 SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022
Getting the facts straight on insurance coverage
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By Dr. Vishnu Bisram ON Monday, India cele brates her 75th anniver sary since independence in 1947. Our ties are deep-rooted. India has been a longtime friend of Guyana who ren dered continued develop mental support for Guyana. And Guyana has been very supportive of India’s causes and concerns. Culture, inter national politics, financing, and trade were instrumental in strengthening our rela tions.India-Guyana relations are not based on regional geo-polity but has a founda tion in strong cultural (eth nic) bonds, historical expe rience and traditions, shared heritage, sports, democracy (1992 onwards), freedom struggle, economics, and international political bond ing. India-Guyana relations were officially established in 1966. But India has main tained contacts with Guyana while both were colonies and before Guyana obtained independence. May 5 marks the day when the ships Hes perus and Whitby carrying the first batch of Indian in dentured labourers docked in Guyana’s territory. This day is now observed in Guyana as Arrival Day. Cultural relations that started from the mid-1800s with imported labour from India have con tinually deepened. The pres ence of Indians, descendants of some 240,000 indentured labourers (between 1838 and 1917), today some 40 per cent of the population that was 55 per cent during the mid-1970s, has led to close cultural, political, econom ic, and technical relations between India and Guyana. Indentured labourers brought their language, customs, traditions, cuisine, religious beliefs to their new abode that has led to cultural diffu sion among the ethnically di verse population. India was a founding member of the non-alignment movement to which Guyana was leading member and champion. The bust of India’s first Prime Minister and initiator of the Non-Align Movement, Jawaharlal Nehru, is at a garden in Georgetown. Suc cessive Guyanese leaders since independence have treated India with a position of significance and impor tance in our foreign policy, especially at international platforms. And the diaspora linkage between Guyana and India has been growing. Our economic relationship has also been very strong and growing over the years. It is a matter of satisfaction that trade between the two countries is growing. Since 1966 when Guy ana gained independence, there has been diverse areas of cooperation. The rich bilateral relations could be seen from our wide range of agreements and MoUs which include so much as sistance to Guyana in science and technology, medicine, agriculture, environment, education, sports, cultural exchange and loans, among others. India has been very generous in foreign aid and lines of credit. India has established the Swami Vivekanand Cultural Cen tre in Georgetown and has increased scholarships to Guyanese to study technical and science subjects in India. The result is that India enjoys love, affection, and support from the popula tion and the Government of Guyana, regardless of party. The economic and political feeling in India for Guyana is mutual also cutting across government and opposition. Thus, the presence of the 9,000 miles distance does not really separate us. While our relations are close, they can be deepened. I am sure India and Guyana can explore the possibil ities of working together in a variety of other areas besides those mentioned above. Guyana is a resource bountiful country – recently found oil and a variety of rare earth minerals. Guyana should look at how India can help our country in tele communication, the blue economy (oceanic resources and coastlands), energy (hy drocarbons and renewable), mining, tourism, invest ment, financing of projects,
Perspective: Distance apart but united by heart manufacturing, canning of agro products, health care, transportation, defence, and security,Presidentetc. Ali admin istration should consider strengthening ties that will lead to further growth, great er prosperity, modernity, and all-round development under his able and dynamic leadership. President Ali should consider tendering an in vitation to India’s gov ernment for a State visit by her President or Prime Minister and vice versa. (Dr Bisram is a specialist in Indian Affairs and the Indian Diaspora) Vishnu Bisram
“By law it is ballots that are counted and not the statu tory documents that are in the ballot boxes, to tally the total of valid votes cast in Guyana’s elections.”
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Ballots are counted, not statutory documents
This is the position of a high-ranking official in the PPP/C Government who responded to a load of disin formation and misinforma tion being peddled in certain circles in the country about the case of the 49 ballot box es and the alleged missing statutoryAttorney-Generaldocuments.
and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, speaking with the Department of Pub lic Information, said that the political opposition is making empty noise about the fate of the documents in the 49 ballot boxes in the elections of 2020, to incite tension and confusion in the public’s mind.The ballot boxes he was referring to were for the Bet ter Hope/LBI locality which was under the control of the Guyana Elections Commis sion (GECOM). Nandlall, at that time, was politically re sponsible for his party -- the PPP/C -- on the East Coast of Demerara.Hesaid that GECOM must find the statutory doc uments that it allegedly mis placed. However, those doc uments are immaterial to the count of ballots which are in the 49 ballot boxes. “… It is the ballots that are counted. It is the state ments of polls that are to talled. And that is what gives you the results. The ballots are counted and recorded on the Statements of Poll (SoP) … and SoPs are totalled. All of that are laid down in the law. Statutory documents are not necessary for the count ing of ballots,” he argued. The Attorney-General said that an errant presiding officer will never be permit ted by the law to throw away the statutory documents or file them improperly to cause people’s ballots to be invali dated.“That is not the law of Guyana and that is not the law of any part of the world,” he Side-eyeinginsisted.the argu ments made, the Attor ney-General said that the Opposition knows this well, but keep repeating the lie that they were somehow cheated out of office. This is not a new narrative, they expressed this at the recount; the CARICOM team rejected it. They canvassed it before the Courts before the results were declared and the Judi ciary rejected it and advised them to file elections petition and raise those matters in the elections petition. They filed two elections petitions and were so in competent that both were dismissed on preliminary points.THAT KOOL-AID “So this narrative that they keep spewing, they end up apparently believing it. And they have innocent, uninformed but complic it bystanders listening to them and drinking that Kool-Aid wholesale,” the Attorney-General related. According to the Legal Affairs Minister, he was in formed that the documents were not included in the 49 ballot boxes on elections night and swiftly brought it to the attention of Clairmont Mingo and Keith Lowenfield who were the Chief Return ing Officer for Region Four and GECOM’s Chief Elec tions Officer back in 2020. “Mingo investigated it and informed me that he is aware that the documents were not put into the ballot box as he had instructed, but that they were sent sep arately to him. And Mingo confirmed to me that he re ceived those documents. And it is Mingo who informed me that he gave those documents to Keith Lowenfield, the Chief Elections Officer. Keith Lowenfield subsequently confirmed to me that he re ceived those documents from Mingo and that he stored them at GECOM storage facilities at Colidgen on the East Coast of Demerara, and that I must not worry, the documents are with GECOM. No one can dispute what I am saying. I was the person (there),” the minister said. “Lowenfield must an swer where those documents are; GECOM must answer where those documents are. The Commission of In quiry will enquire into all of that…” the minister stated.
MUST BE CORRECTED This narrative is dan gerous and must be correct ed, Minister Nandlall said as he poured cold water on the opposition’s behaviour since being defeated in the 2020 elections. Referring to their repeat ed attempts to rig the results of the 2020 elections, the Attorney-General said: “So I am glad when they recite these things so that I can refresh the public’s mem ory. Because they want the people to believe that they were hallucinating… that they made up these things in their heads and that they didn’t see these things hap pen. They want people to doubt their own senses and Attorney-General,AnilNandlall their own reality. That is the narrative they are run ning since 2020, now it has characterised their entire conduct,” Nandlall said. The PPP/C Government came to office on August 2, 2020. Since then the op position has been repeating the false narrative that it was cheated out of office. It is now using the case of the 49 ballot boxes in which the statutory documents were removed deliberately to ped dle its lie that some votes were missing or skulldug gery afoot to try and make the public think it was indeed cheated.“That is the kind of peo ple you’re dealing with, peo ple who are living in an alter nate world and they want to take you into that alternate world with them. And that’s why I’m telling you it is like a mental sickness. I listen to them, these people are living another reality,” the Attorney-Gen eral said. (DPI)
every ballot was counted in the 49 boxes, says Attorney-General
VERY soon, residents of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara will have legal rights to lands they occupy in the back lands. The regularisation process is slated to com mence within a week. This is the outcome of a meeting held with residents, led by Attor ney-General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall S.C, and Com missioner of the Lands and Survey Commission Enrique Monize on Sat urday.During the meeting, it was agreed after consul tation with the residents that they will work along with the government to get leases for the lands they occupy.This was after it was explained that the process to get the lease had begun close to two decades ago but was Residentsabandoned.were in formed that since the pro cess had already begun, all that needs to happen now is to update the claims list. The Attorney General said “it is a very tedious exercise and it spans vil lage across the coastland. So, it is not an easy task and it takes some time. We are doing on the Coren tyne Coast, we are doing in West Coast Berbice, we are doing on the East Coast Demerara, we are doing on the West Coast Demerara and we are also doing in Essequibo.” He further added that “we want to bring formality to this, what you call squatters because if you have no title to the land, you are essentially squatting until you are regularised.”
THE man suspected of stabbing Salman Rushdie at an event in the United States on Friday has been charged with attempted murder. Hadi Matar has been re manded in custody without bail after pleading not guilty, said the prosecutor in Chau tauqua County, New York State.Matar is accused of running onto the stage and attacking Rushdie and an interviewer at the event held by a local educational centre. The writer is in a critical condition.Rushdie, 75, has faced years of death threats for his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims see as blasphemous.Policedetained Matar from Fairview, New Jersey, shortly after the attack at the ChautauquaAppearingInstitution.incourt
The commencement of the process is the ful fillment of a commit ment made by the At torney General during a recent meeting in Melanie Damishana.Duringthat meeting, he had committed to start the regularisation process for persons who occupy untitled lands on the East Coast.Queries were also raised by residents as to what will happen when the process is completed and there are vacant lands. In response, the Min ister said that once the process is completed and lands are available, per sons from the area can apply for the vacant lands. Land Surveyor Ted win Roach who was recently appointed by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will be leading the exercise. (DPI)
Two security officials were on duty at the centre at the time of the attackone making the subsequent arrest.However, some of the visitors have questioned why security was not tighter for a man with a bounty of more than $3m (£2.5m) on his head.Members of the audience said the venue lacked basic security measures like bag checks and metal detectors. Like other people plan ning to attend the author’s lecture, Matar had ob tained a pass to enter the Chautauqua Institution grounds, the group’s pres identFATWAsaid.
Regularisation of Golden Grove backlands to begin within a week
Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall interacting with residents of Golden Grove Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall pays keen attention to this resident Salman Rushdie
on Saturday afternoon, the sus pect wore a facemask and prison uniform before enter ing his plea of not guilty. “This is the very early stage of what will invari ably be a protracted legal process,” District Attorney Jason Schmidt said in a state ment.There has been an out pouring of support for Rush die, with the attack con demned as an assault on freedom of expression. Later on Saturday, President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was “shocked and saddened” by the “vicious attack”. Rushdie had refused to be “intimidated or silenced” in his career, and stood for “essential, universal ideals”, BidenTheadded.writer was stabbed at least 10 times - including in the face, neck and abdomen, which damaged his liver, authorities said. He has been put on a ventilator, is unable to speak, and may lose one eye, his agentThesaid.interviewer who was with Rushdie, Henry Reese, suffered a minor head injury. Reese is the co-founder of a non-profit organisation that provides sanctuary to writers exiled under threat of perse cution.No motive has yet been confirmed by police, who said on Friday that they wanted to examine a back pack and electronic devices found at the centre. A review of Matar’s social media accounts has suggested he is sympathetic to the causes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), NBC News report ed. The IRGC is a major military and political force in Iran - however, no link has been definitively established. Matar was born in the US to parents who had em igrated from Lebanon, a Lebanese official told the As sociated Press news agency.
theover1981,Midnight’sRushdieIndian-bornRESCINDEDNEVERnovelistshottofamewithChildreninwhichwentontosellonemillioncopiesinUKalone.
Salman Rushdie stabbing suspect charged with attempted murder
SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 14, 2022 13
But his fourth book, pub lished in 1988 - The Satanic Verses - forced him into hiding for nearly 10 years. The surrealist, post-mod ern novel sparked outrage among some Muslims, who considered its content to be blasphemous - insulting to a religion or god - and was banned in some countries. A year after the book’s release, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomei ni called for Mr Rushdie’s execution. He offered a $3m (£2.5m) reward in a fatwaa legal decree issued by an Islamic religious leader. The bounty over Rush die’s head remains active, and although Iran’s gov ernment has distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, a quasi-official Iranian re ligious foundation added a further $500,000 to the reward in 2012. There has been no reac tion from the Iranian govern ment to Rushdie’s stabbing. Iranian media described him as an apostate - someone who has abandoned or de nied his faith - in their cov erage. Rushdie, a Brit ish-American citizen, has become a vocal advocate for freedom of expression, defending his work on sev eral occasions. He has also continued to write, with his next work due out in 2023. (BBC)
PRIME Minister, Briga dier (Ret’d), Mark Phil lips, on Saturday, told a gathering in Region Two that Information and Communications Tech nology (ICT) skills are key for national development. He was, at the time, speaking at an ICT summer camp graduation held at the Cotton Field Secondary School. The summer camp was organised by the Of fice of the Prime Minister through the Innovation Unit of the Prime Minister and attracted 56 young persons from various communities in Region Two. The camp which com menced on August 8 and concluded on August 13 was held under the theme “Creating a brighter fu ture through ICT” at Cotton Field Secondary School. Participants were taught ba sic Information Technology skill, Web Development, Cyber Security, Robotics, Python and STEM.
ICT key to national development, says PM Phillips
Prime Minister Mark Phillips and regional officials with the participants
Addressing the audience of parents and participants, Prime Minister Phillips said the Office of the Prime Minister will continue to invest in the IT sector. Re gion Two, he noted was the first region to host the ICT summer camps and similar camps will be done in Re gions Four and Six. He also committed that his office will be making more investments in 2023 to train more persons in ICT, bridging the digital gap. He said that the aim was to ensure that ICT skills were imparted to persons in the most isolated communities. He, therefore, urged par ticipants to use the knowl edge to move on to a higher level. The Prime Minister also said that most of the jobs available also require basic ICT skills and the training served as an oppor tunity to learn those skills. He also spoke about making Free Wifi services available in the region through his office. The in stallation of the devices has enabled persons within the communities to have access to the Internet. Meanwhile, Region Two Chairperson, Vilma De Sil va said that tremendous transformation was ongoing in the region. She said the Government was investing heavily in the education sector and youths were part of the transformation. She further mentioned the trans formation was possible be cause of the investment in the education sector. Director of Industry and Innovation Unit of the Of fice of the Prime Minis ter, Shahrukh Hussain, in brief remarks, said that over 1,000 youths were trained in ICT. He also used the op portunity to congratu late the participants and urged them to ensure they continue to further their studies in the field of Infor mation Technology.
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GGMC During the exer cise, the GGMC will show appreciation to the miners, especially at the small and medium scale level, for their continued commitment to meeting their obligations as they continue to be the main drivers of the mining sector in GuyanaTheevents will conclude on August 27 with the tradi tional “ Pork Knocker Day Celebration” in Mahdia, Pu runi and Port Kaituma. Activities will include batelling, warishi race, shove in bucket and vari ous other traditional min ing-related games.
The association also commended the ab olition of the 10 per cent Tributor’s Tax; this also takes effect from June 1, 2022.
The GGDMA welcomed in particular, the government’s move to reduce the Final Tax on income from gold produced, declared and sold. This tax has been reduced from a maximum of 3.5 per cent to a new maximum of 2.5 per cent effective June 1, 2022.
Miners salute legislative changes to improve sector
NaturalVickramMinister,ResourcesBharrat
Under the previous APNU+AFC admin istration the Tributor’s Tax was increased from 10 to 20 per cent; however under pressure they were forced to later reduce it back to 10 per cent. The removal of the 10 per cent Tributor’s Tax is expected to benefit thousands of workers in the industry, with an estimated $300 million expected to be returned to those who are paying this tax. Other previous measures geared at bring ing relief to the mining sector included the removal of the 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on lubricating oils, which took effect since“[This]July. will have an immediate positive impact on the mining sector, where heavy equipment is essential,” the association said. The most recent measures implemented add to a slew of other previous measures that the government has been incrementally implementing since it took office in 2020. These other measures include the remov al of tax and VAT on All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), removal of VAT on machinery and equipment for mining, removal of VAT on hinterland travel and the removal of excise tax on fuel. In addition to the tax relief, there has also been the removal of certain bureau cratic processes such as the need for a police clearance requirement for miners to transport fuel in their own vehicles and the requirement that miners regis ter and obtain road licences for mining equipment. employed in mining sector, directly and indirectly
With mining being one of the biggest productive sectors in Guyana, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, noted that it is essen tial that the sector continues to be given recognition “ Before oil and gas it was the largest contributor to our GDP So we are pushing the mining sector a lot and this is something that our government have always been committed to, because regardless that we are oil producing nation and we’re getting revenues from oil we will continue to incentivise and grow the non oil econo my and mining is a big part of that,” Bharrat said According to the minis ter, the sector directly em ploys approximately 30,000 Guyanese and another 40,000 indirectly and must be given prominent recognition He said the Government will continue to create incentives to work with all stakeholders in the mining sector to ensure the sector remains vibrant “It’s an important sector for us,” he said The history of mining in Guyana and its significance to the economy go back more than a century as Guyana has long been recognised as an established mining nation and one of the Caribbean’s fastest growing economies In this year ’ s Mining Week, focus is being placed on ensuring activities do not take place only in George town but is decentralised and held throughout the various mining regions in Guyana “ What we ’ re going to do is not to centralise the activities We will carry ac tivities to all five of the min ing districts There will be a
MINERS are extremely pleased with the many legislative changes being piloted by the government to give major tax in centives to the mining sector, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) said on Saturday. The latest relief to miners was the pass ing, on Monday, in the National Assembly, of the Fiscal Enactment Amendment Bill No. 2 of 2022, which was successfully piloted and debated by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Fi nance, Dr. Ashni Singh. The bill primarily gives legislative effect to the commitments made by government to the mining community during a meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre last May.“The GGDMA is of the view that these measures by the government will assist in reducing the burden of added operational costs and improving varying aspects of miners’ operations,” the GGDMA said in a statement.Itadded “The GGDMA would like to express gratitude to His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Honourable Vice-Pres ident, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Honourable Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Natural Resources Hon ourable, Vickram Bharrat and the Govern ment of Guyana for keeping their promises and commitment to the mining sector. We value the partnership with our government as we seek to ensure the continued viability of the mining sector.”
“The abolishment of the Tributor’s Tax will benefit the personnel working within the various mining operations throughout the country as larger disposable incomes will allow them to better support their families during this time of rising prices,” the state ment“Managerssaid. and owners of mining opera tions also welcome this move as it will create a more level playing field for recruitment and retention of quality personnel.”
number of activities around the country and not just in Georgetown as we celebrate the activities and highlight mining and Guyana,” Bharrat saidOrganised by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis sion (GGMC), the activities will commence with a cock tail reception and opening ceremony on August 21 Outstanding operators in the field, including top producers of gold, diamonds and baux ite will be honoured This year , a two day “Quarrying, Mining and Ex ploration Conference ” will be held during the period 22-23 August by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis sionOn(GGMC)August 24, the mining school will be hosting a sem inar and training session for miners and prospectors The training will be four short courses that will include Oc cupational Health and Safety (OSH), which will address mining pit safety and gen eral occupational safety in the sector; GPS Navigation training; the potential of lo cally available semi precious stones and a display of jewel lery pieces from the students of the jewellery course; and the potential of non mercury gold recovery methods A “ Business , Arts and Craft and Poster Session ” will be held from August 21 to 24 The session will see the mining communi ty and the local jewellers showcasing their products and projects throughout the events at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). On August 25, a “Min ing Tour” raffle will be held whereby 45 attendees of Mining Week 2022 will win a day tour to a mining opera tionOnlocationAugust 26 , the an nual Customer Apprecia tion Day will be held by the
THE annual Mining Week has been scheduled for Au gust 21 - 27 and will involve a number of activities to commemorate the celebra tion, which will be held un der the theme “Emerging from adversity, transition ing to sustainability.”
70,000
Mohamed’s Enterprise refutes Bascom’s allegations ready to assist the police with any investigation.
Enter prises of Lot 29 Lombard Street, thedistancingGeorgetownWerk-en-Rust,Guyanaisitselffromallegationsbyone
“The Guyana Police Force has always re ceived our respect and support as we believe in the rule of law and jus tice,” the company said.
It was last Thursday night that Bascom post ed on social media a live video, which he later deleted, naming several persons in wild allega tions. After deleting the video he made a subse quent written post. The social media postings were in re taliation for Bascom having been arrested on Monday during a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) raid of a home in Norton Street, Georgetown. Bascom was eventually released.
AzruddinBusinessman,Mohamed
In the now deleted Facebook video, Bas com claimed that he be lieved his detention had to do with his work on the case in the murder of Fagundes. A popular gold dealer and biker, 42-year-old Fagundes was gunned down on Main Street, George town, on March 21. A close associate of con victed drug dealer, Rog er Khan, Fagundes was shot more than a dozen times.The Guyana Police Force, on Friday, had released a statement that the Office of Profession al Responsibility has since been instructed to commence an investiga tion into the videos and allegations by Bascomtheyer’sMohamed’sBascom.lawletternotedthatstatementsmadebyarebaseless.“Plainlyspeaking, all of these statement and accusations against my client are patent ly untrue, without jus tification, defamatorymisleading,andhave caused significant harm and injury to my client, his good name, his rep utation and lowered his standing in the Guya nese, regional and inter national community,” the letter Mohamed’ssaid. Attor ney, Naresh Poonai, said that his client is there fore demanding an im mediate cease and desist by Bascom of any fur ther defamatory allega tions and statements and for the retraction of al ready uttered statements along with an unquali fied apology approved by Mr “TheMohamed.apology must include an admittance that the statement ut tered by you were false, misleading and utter without justification,” the letter said. It further warned that: “Should you fail to com ply with the terms of this letter, I have been autho rised to institute legal proceedings against you without further notice for defamation of char acter for declarations, monetary damages in excess of $25,000,000 as compensation for def amation and injunctive relief.”The letter also warned Bascom that his actions are also liable to criminal charges as it entails several breaches in the Cyber Crime Act. “My client main tains his rights to make criminal complaints as he sees fit includ ing private criminal prosecution against you without further notice,” the letter said.
MOHAMED’s En terprise has issued a statement seeking to refute damning alle gations made out in social media posts by Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, regarding the murder of Ricardo Fa gundes known as “Pa per shorts”. Bascom has also been issued a lawyer’s letter by attorney for the com pany’s principal, Azrud din Mohamed, which seeks an immediate pub lic apology and financial compensation failing which Bascom could see a $25 million lawsuit against“Mohamed’shim.
Mr. Dion Bascom pub lished through a ‘Face book Live Post’ made earlier this week and subsequently reported in the press. The allegations made by Mr. Bascom are very distressing and are aimed at tarnishing our reputation,” the company said.The company noted that it wish to clarify that “Mohamed’s Enterprise was never subjected to any investigation related to the crime Mr. Bascom referred to. We have no record that Mr. Bascom ever visited our main of fice. We have no record that Mr. Bascom or any other rank approached our office to arrest any employee or conduct any investigation”.Thecompany noted that it nonetheless stands
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The statement and lawyer’ s letter from Mohamed’s Enterprise comes days after Bas com was reportedly slapped with a $50 mil lion lawsuit from Su perintendent of Police, Mitchell Caesar, who was also named during Bascom’s video.
GUARDIAN OF AgricultureguardianCallingDEMOCRACYheratrueofdemocracy,MinisterZu lfikar Mustapha noted that her service to her party and to Guyana will never be forgotten, while Attorney-General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandalall said he would al ways be grateful for the role she played in his life. “You played your part in life; in the life of others, and for your country, and you did it your unique way. Fortunate am I to have met you, and shall always be grateful for the much you have done for me I know you have lived your life to its fullest; upon your own terms and condi tions, and with little or no regrets,” Minister Nandalall saidMinister within the Min istry of Public Works Deodat Indar said she will forever be remembered as a servant of the “peopleRestin peace, great war rior for the people of Guy ana. Bibi Safora Shadick will be remembered as a servant of the people that fought for their cause in different capacities of public life, be it as a minister or Member of Parliament or Commissioner at GECOM,” Minister Indar saidFormer **General Secre tary of the People’s National Congress Reform ( PNCR )
PROFOUND SADNESS As a close friend of his, President , Dr . Irfaan Ali immediately issued a state ment expressing his pro found sadness after learn ing of her passing. “Only yesterday I had the opportunity of sitting in her presence, and listening to her wise counsel. This exception al soul has given Guyana the best of her life,” President Ali said, adding: “Her contribu tion as an educator, Cabinet minister, lawyer, leader in the PPP, humanitarian and social work is beyond question. This champion of democracy, freedom and development of Guyana was, and will contin ue to be a great inspiration to me. May Allah grant her peace and a place in the high est heavens.”PublicWorks Minister, Bishop Juan Edgehill de scribed her passing thus : “An Oak tree has fallen.” He noted that her imprint on the development of the country is evident, especially when it came to her work in ensuring democracy prevailed , and the will of the people was respected“Itis with great sadness that I mourn the loss of my friend, colleague and com rade, Ms Bibi Shadick Sin cere condolences to Javed, as well as the family and friends of Bibi. May the God of all com fort provide peace for us all at this time,” Minister Edgehill said in a message on his official Facebook page.TRUE
Bibi Shadick, passes away
Amna Ally shared that not withstanding being on op posite sides of the political divide , she always had a good relationship with Ms Shadick“Iknew her for a very long time Bibi, Zulfikar and I actually went to India to gether for a conference, and I really got very close to her on that trip We really enjoyed a good relationship , even though we are from different political parties Her passing is very sad; I didn’t know that she was sick until I saw the news,” Ally said. Ally also praised Shad ick as a very vocal person, who made a vast contribu tion to Guyana.
Commissioner and for mer Minister of Human Services and Social Se curity Bibi Shadick
GECOM Commissioner,
the Guyana Elections Commis sion (GECOM) and former government minister, Bibi Shadick died of pulmonary fibrosis at around 15:00hrs on Saturday at her East Street, Georgetown home. She was 76 years old. A wake was held for her on Satur day night at her residence, while her funeral service and viewing of the body is scheduled for the same venue, today, from 09:00hrs to 11:00hrs. From there, she will be taken to Wa terloo, at Leguan, on the Esse quibo River for Janaaza (burial) at 14:00hrs.Herdeath was first an nounced by the Central Is lamic Organisation of Guy ana (CIOG) on their official social media page , while her nephew, Javed Shadick, who lived with her, also con firmed her Speakingpassingwith the Guy ana Chronicle , Javed ex plained that his aunt had been ill for the past three months, and that he was at her side when she died He noted that his aunt had made invaluable contributions to her country and her family, and that that is how he wants her to be remembered “She was such a teacher, and she touched the lives of so many people,” the young ster said, adding: “She was a former minister; a GECOM Commissioner The amount of things she has done for the country; for her family is innumerable We just want everyone to remember her likeAnthat.”attorney at law by profession, and member of the People ’ s Progressive Party / Civic ( PPP / C ), Ms Shadick once served as Min ister of Human Services and Social Security In addition to being her party ’ s representative at GECOM, Ms Shadick also served over the years as a Director of the Guyana National Broadcasting Au thority (GNBA), and was the eighth pro chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG). As news of her pass ing spread, the condolences came pouring in quickly Several of her fellow PPP/C colleagues took to social media to express their sympathy, and share fond words about their ac quaintance with her.
By Tamica COMMISSIONERGarnettof
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20 SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022 As Europe lives through a long, hot summer, one of the continent’s major rivers is getting drier - posing major problems for the people and businesses that rely on it. Captain Andre Kimpel casts an experienced, but worried, eye across the river Rhine, where water levels have dropped significantly in recentSeveraldays. ferry services in and around the town of Kaub have been forced to a stand still, but he’s still carrying people and their cars across the water to the opposite bank - for“It’snow.no joke,” he says as he navigates the water which sparkles in the summer sun shine. “We have 1.5m [5ft] of water and our boat sits 1.20m deep. So we have 30 centime tres of water left beneath us.”
Low water normally hap pens later in the year, in Octo ber, she “Thissays.isan unusual situa tion for us and the question is what happens in October, when the usually dry months arrive. We are already approaching the record low level we had in 2018. We could reach that level next week.”
Due to Russia reducing its gas supply to Germany, the country is relying more heavily on coal fired power stations (BBC photo)
It’s likely that the Upper Rhine will be closed to traf fic completely, says Martina Becker from HGK shipping. Low water happens every year, she tells us, but it’s not as ex treme as this. “It’s quite extraordinary, particularly for this time of year. July and August are usu ally quite wet months with lots of rain and good water levels.”
A BBC crew on the Rhine riverbed on Friday (BBC photo)
On the riverbank nearby, there’s an old measuring sta tion. Any skipper wanting to enter the Upper Rhine will refer to the official water level recorded here. The current level hasn’t yet fallen below the lowest figure ever recorded here, in October of 2018. The measurement then was 25cm (the measure ment is taken from the same reference point in the water, not the deepest point on the riverIt’sbed).currently 42cm - but is forecast to fall further in the comingTraveldays.a little further up stream and the challenge is obvious.Atthe town of Bingen, great swathes of the riverbed are exposed, bleached stones powder dry in the baking sun. People from the nearby town pick their way over the rocks, take photographs. In normal times they’d be underwater. One man told me he’d never seen it like this. A few commercial vessels slowly navigate the channel of water that’s left here. The Rhine is one of Eu rope’s great working rivers and industry here relies on barges to fetch and carry raw materials and finished products to and from the power plants and factories that line the riv erbank.The water’s already too low to allow some of the larger vessels through. Others have been forced to reduce their cargo, lighten the load so that they sit higher in the water. And they’re keeping a close eye on the river levels.
It’s not unusual for water levels to drop here but, Captain Kimpel says, it’s happening more frequently. “We used to have a lot of floods. Now we have a lot of low waters.”
Experts have warned that the low water could signifi cantly damage Germany’s economy.Andthere’s an extra worry for the government. Since Russia reduced its gas supply to Germany, the ministers are relying more heavily on coalfired power stations. But much of the coal that feeds them is transported by barge. Some of the load is being shifted to the railway network but there’s limitedThere’scapacity.afar greater con cern among those who live by or work on the river. The government agency which monitors the levels say that the current low water may just be part of a normal pattern. But, they note, such events are becoming more intense as a re sult of climate change and they say the situation will worsen in the second half of this century. At Bingen, the water has fallen low enough to expose an old stone bridge which leads to a little island. People laugh as they make their way across the rocks, enjoying the novelty of being able to reach it on foot. But, for many, in this new landscape, it’s a warning. (BBC)
Captain Andre Kimpel who is still carrying people across the water to the opposite bank says “We have 30 centimetres of water left beneath us” (BBC photo)
Drought hits Germany’s Rhine River
The Western Wall is one of the holiest sites in Judaism and thousands of worshippers go on a pil grimage to the site every year to pray. The attacks come a week after Israeli raids targeting Palestinian mil itants in the Gaza strip killed 44 people. An endceasefireEgypt-brokeredbroughtantothreedaysof intense violence. (BBC)
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Several injured in Jerusalem shooting
An Israeli police office inspects the bus that was targeted by gunmen (GETTY IMAGES)
AT least seven people have been injured after gunmen opened fire at separate locations in the city of Jerusalem, Israe li officials have said. The attackers shot at a bus and opened fire in a car park near the historic Western Wall at 01:24 local time (22:24 GMT), emergency officials said. Police have launched a search for the gunmen, who fled after the attacks. A police spokesperson told local media that the incident is being treated as a suspected terror at tack.The ambulance ser vice, Magen David Adom (MDA), said it was treat ing several people, in cluding two who were in a critical condition. The victims - six men and one woman - have been taken to hospitals in Jerusalem, MDA added. It remains unclear as to how many shooters were involved, howev er Hebrew media has reported that police are searching for at least two suspects.Video on social media showed heavily armed police at the scene and local media reported that worshippers had been briefly prevented from leaving the Western Wall compound.Apolice spokesper son said officers have “begun securing the area, investigating the case and searching for the sus pects, who fled”. The Times of Israel reported that at least one attacker had waited for the bus to arrive at a stop, before open ing fire as passengers boarded. “The bus was full, jam-packed,” driver Dan iel Kanievsky told local media. “I stopped at a bus stop at King David’s Tomb and then I heard gunfire, people started yelling, people were hurt inside the bus.”
AnnualParliamentYouth officially opened
Meanwhile, it was noted that there will be four sittings of the Youth Parliament on August 17 and August 18, with the morning sessions being for participants at the secondary school level, and the afternoons being reserved for the senior categories of debates and other institutions. This year’s programme will be done by way of a hybrid format, with 40 partic ipants in the junior category, and 46 at the senior level. This is the largest cohort of youth parliamentarians to participate in the exer cise since the programme’s launch.There are participants from both public and private schools across all 11 educa tional districts in Guyana. In the senior category, participants include former competitors in the Speaker of the National Assembly’s national debating competi tion, the University of Guy ana (UG), technical insti tutes across the country, and new entrant, the University of the West Indies (UWI).
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–– 64 participants named, urged to preserve Guyana’s democratic values
brief remarks during the opening session, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Af fairs Kwame McCoy charged the participants to sound their collective voices in support of the sanctity of Guyana’s democratic values. He also urged that as they take on their areas of debate, attention should be placed on
the transformational path that the country is “Recogniseon.that the un precedented investments in education, healthcare, the traditional productive sectors and social services, the cost of energy and technology will el evate the Guyanese society on par with the developed coun tries,” Minister McCoy said, adding that the perspectives that will be shared through the spirited and respectful debates on the many issues will add value to the country’s sacred democracy.
THE 7th Annual Youth Parliament was on Friday officially opened, with par ticipating youths urged to examine and debate issues affecting their demographic group. With 86 youths expected to participate in this year’s meeting, from August 12 to August 18, the programme will expose them to training in parliamentary etiquette and decorum, the role of Mem bers of Parliament, and the art of public speaking among otherDeliveringtopics.
COP27, strengthening of agrotechnical schools get spotlight
guay) whose secretariat is operated by IICA; the big gest global meeting ever held on the bioeconomy, which is due to take place in Córdoba, Argentina, in 2023; and a programme launched by IICA recently designed to strengthen the operations of agrotechni cal Oteroschools.asked Secre tary Bahillo to include the province of Entre Ríos in the latter pro gramme, under which some 5000 students from 100 agrotechnical schools in Argentina will be trained in the use of digital technologies and learn about their ap plication in agriculture. Schools of this kind are regarded as strategical ly key to the produc tive development of the country’s rural areas and the strengthening of young people’s ties to theThecountryside.Programa Nacion al Agroedutec was devel oped by IICA in collab oration with Microsoft, and with support from the World Bank, the Office of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Education of Argentina, and Bayer. During the first stage, the programme will ben efit students in the last two years of secondary school in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Tucumán. (IICA)
THE Secretary of Agri culture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, Juan José Bahillo, met with the Director-Gener al of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, to dis cuss a range of topics, including the role of the agriculture sector in the global climate negotia tions and the strengthen ing of Argentina’s agro technical schools.
Otero gave details of IICA’s work in drafting the preparatory agenda for the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Unit ed Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), due to be held in November in Egypt. It is anticipated that agriculture will be a strate gic, crosscutting issue, and that the sector will play a leading role given the substantive contributions it can make to tackling the challenges posed by climate change. The IICA Direc tor-General also invited Bahillo to participate in a meeting of ministers and secretaries of agri culture of the Americas scheduled to take place at IICA Headquarters in Costa Rica on September 23. The purpose of the meeting is to establish points of consensus across the continent and raise the agriculture sector’s profile in the climate negotiations. In 2021, for the UN Summit on Food Systems, the Americas presented a joint position developed through a wide-ranging de bate coordinated by IICA. The position taken was based on two premises: that agricultural producers and food system workers are an indispensable and key link in the chain, and the fact that without agri cultural production there would be no raw materials for processing into food stuffs. The objective of these efforts is to ensure that the countries’ needs are duly reflected and addressed, by shining the spotlight on farmers and the de velopment of effective, modern public policies for agriculture that guarantee a correct balance between productivity and sustain ability.After wishing the Sec retary every success in his new position, Otero detailed other hemispheric IICA programmes, such as the “Living Soils of the Americas” initiative, in which he invited Argenti na toGovernments,participate. the pri vate sector,
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TheofNobelspearheadedinversitiesorganisations,internationalanduniareparticipatingtheinitiative,whichisbyIICAandlaureateRattanLal,OhioStateUniversity.aimistocoordinate efforts to combat soil deg radation, a phenomenon that threatens to under mine the countries’ capac ity to sustainably meet the demand for food. During their meeting the two senior officials also discussed several re gional issues, including the work of the Southern Ag ricultural Council (CAS), a ministerial forum of the expanded Mercosur (Ar gentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uru
CHAIRMAN of the Parika/Mora Small Miners Association, Arthur Thorne is calling on the Guyana Geology and Mining Commission (GGMC) to enforce the rightful own ership of land that belongs to Wayne Viera in the Tassawini Backdam, Chinese Landing, Barama River. According to Thorne in a letter to the media, Viera acquired the mining concession at the cost of millions of dollars from Guyana Geology and Mining Commission (GGMC) and al legedly entered into an agreement with the community and former Captain of Chinese Landing. He claimed that the agreement worked for a period of time and then the Captain and Council challenged Viera in court, right up to the CCJ, which found that the property rightfully belonged to Viera.“While the case was winding its way through the courts, a person or persons unknown raided the land and extracted reputedly thousands of ounces of gold from it. Neither Viera nor the GGMC received one cent in royalties which was hugely unfair to Viera considering all the monies he had spent to acquire and develop the property for mining and the monies he was made to spend in court,” the Chairman said. The Chairman related that it is time the GGMC steps up and enforces Vi era’s rightful ownership of the land and allows Viera to earn his livelihood.
China gives $10M for disaster relief in Guyana and experiences that may prove beneficial for Guya nese, the release said. The cheque was pre sented by Chinese Am bassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan. CDC’ s Direc tor-General thanked China for their timely support in wake of the current chal lenges faced by Guyana in the flood prone areas, and looks forward to ben efitting from more capac ity-building opportunities with China.
GGMC must enforce Viera’s rightful ownership to mining land
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Additionally, he said the Captain should not mislead people such as the Amerindian Councils, the United Na tions and other agencies about the truth with the “Viera’sland.operation is generating employment for over 200 persons, both coastlanders and locals…. Viera is always willing to give employment to members of the community,” the Chairman said but claimed some people, one notably, do not want that to happen. The Chairman said that for many years he has been operating in Tas sawini backdam, Chinese Landing, Barama River and wanted to shed some much-needed light on the issue at hand that has generated attention in the local ity, on behalf of Viera. “Most of our members have been working in the area for decades as has Viera. We are asking for a reasonable solution to an ongoing dispute which should not be a dispute at all because a court as high as the CCJ has already pronounced it in favour of Viera,” the Chairman related. He added: “Viera, myself, and our employees have been actively mining in the area before Chinese Landing became a reservation. Many companies did mining there, for example, Parapanaima and Strata Gold and they all spent much money prospecting and mining and building infrastructure such as roads to facili tate their operations.”
THE People’ s Republic of China, on Friday, pre sented a cheque valued US$50,000 to the Govern ment of Guyana to tackle Disaster Relief and Risk Management countrywide. According to a release, the funds were received by Col. (ret’d) Nazrul Hus sain, Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).The Asian nation ex pressed intent to formalise a working relationship with the Guyana Government, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Coopera tion and the CDC, to assist in Disaster Risk Management plans.A forum is slated for August 25th of this year which will delve into Disas ter Risk Management, and the Government of China has pledged to share knowledge
–– Chairman of the Parika/Mora Small Miners Association
Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan, pre senting the cheque to Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Director-General, Col. (ret’d) Nazrul Hussain
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From page 36
ALL roads lead to the Rising Sun Turf Club, today, for the 14th running of the biggest local horse-racing event - the Guyana Cup 2022. All venue and track prepa rations have been completed, according to the organisers, Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Rac ing committee, and fans are promised some of the best horse-racing action to date. The feature race, the Banks DIH Guyana Cup, over one mile (1600m) which will go for a purse of US$35,880 is one of the three races that the post has drawn in the following order (Draw 1-11): Calibouge Sound (Slingerz Racing Stable), Ever esting (Master Z racing Stable), Alado (Master Z racing Stable), Memories (Shaun Mohamed), Jessica’s Pride (Night Eyes Racing Stable), Detroit Steel (Simply Royal Racing Stable), Queen Domina (Slingerz Rac ing Stable), Our Stuie (Jagdeo Racing Stable), Settling Star (Asif Kahdeer), Vera’s Finally (Jumbo Jet Racing Stable), Wild Texas Tom (Jagdeo Rac ing Stable).Theundercards were also drawn with the VALS construc tion Sprint Classic over 1100m for US$10,765; Looking to Heaven (Jumbo Jet Racing Stable) in the first post ahead of Lady Bird (Ephramins’ Thor oughbred), Early Bird (R&R Syndicate), Signal Note (Ris ing Sun Stables), Nuclear Fire (Jadgeo Racing Stable), Regal Intention (Jumbo Jet Racing Stable) and Converter (Slingerz Racing Stable). The Associated Con struction Services Derby Stakes One Mile (1600m) for a purse of US$17,940 saw Like a Million (Jumbo Jet Racing Stables) in post one ahead of Irish Princess (N. Dookie), Glamorous Star (A. Rampersad), Amazing Grace (PHVH) Racing Stable, Black Time (Shocking Racing Sta ble), Heartland (Bronson Cheefoon), Judge Not (Mar tin Pestano) and Colour of Sacrifice (Shaun Mohamed).
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Stalls filled as Guyana Cup readies for horse-racing action today
Pooran said following Fri day’s defeat. “We know we are a young group. A lot of things we are learning as a group, and we are trying to understand how to play the game the right way, and try ing to get that momentum. “Winning and losing is contagious, and at the mo ment, we are losing. There are cricket games that we should win, and we are los ing.“As a group, we are hap py with the progress that we are making, but obviously it’s difficult, and it’s frus trating to see us lose games. Everybody wants us to win games. We are trying to believe in our process and haveWestpatience.”Indies have now lost four consecutive T20Is and their 10th in 17 this year, hardly proof that their internal processes are work ing, but Pooran remained positive, and he said all was not lost with the ICC T20 World Cup in October to November in Australia looming.“We have had three or four series now, and we have a good idea about who want to go to the World Cup,” he said. “We have used about 16 guys and everybody has an opportunity to showcase his talent and cement his spot.“Australia won the (pre vious) T20 World Cup and they lost the series leading up to the World Cup. For us, we are trying to get it right. We know it’s not a perfect team yet, and obviously we see it in our batting line-up, where we are trying to get players in certain positions to play a role. “It’s a new group, and we need guys to understand their roles. T20 is a game of consistency. It’s difficult to come on and switch on, and win games.” Pooran admitted one of the critical missing links in his side’s weak perfor mances with the bat is that he has not scored many runs, and he will contin ue to motivate himself to step up to the crease and change that starting today.
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Windies hoping internal processes engineer change of fortune, says Pooran
RACING TIPS
OTSCL president Azeem Khan (left) with Dickey Singh and Feizal Bacchus
Chanderpaul hits 109 in drawn contest with Bangladesh A
GROS ISLET, St Lucia, (CMC) – Left-hander Tagenarine Chanderpaul kept his name on the lips of senior team selectors with a hundred on the final day of the drawn four-day “Test” against Bangladesh A here yes terday. Resuming the morn ing at the Daren Sammy Cricket ground on 21 with West Indies A on 43 for two, Chanderpaul batted his side out of difficulty with an excellent 109 be foreAlickretiring.Athanaze struck 82 and captain Joshua Da Silva, 37, as the home side finished on 277 for five in reply to Bangladesh A’s 300 for nine declared. The 26-year-old Chan derpaul, the son of Test legend Shiv Chanderpaul, anchored the innings su perbly in three key part nerships as he struck nine fours off 337 balls in a marathon 6-¾ hours at the crease.He first extended his third wicket stand with Da Silva – unbeaten on 12 overnight – to 50 before adding a further 56 for the fourth wicket with Tevin ImlachHowever,(21). the key part nership came when he posted 120 for the fifth wicket with Athanaze who faced 121 balls in three hours and lashed seven fours. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan ended with three for 69.The two-match series finished drawn nil-all.
The Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), who was at the forefront of staging tourna ments of this magnitude a few years back, will also be represented by a Over-50 team, expected to comprise some old stalwarts and play ers drawn from Toronto. The tournament, which is expected to see 26 teams vie for supremacy, will have four categories: Over-50 (Leg ends), Over-40 (Masters), and Open (flick and roundarm) bowling with trophies and attractive cash incentives up forThegrabs.organisers have set August 15 for teams to final ise their participation while the draw will be done via Zoom on Monday, August 29. The tournament will start off with an Opening Night Launch on Thursday, Sep tember 1 at 19.00hrs at the Tropical Nights Restaurant, featuring the teams’ represen tatives and sponsors. Games will be played primarily in Scarborough and surrounding areas, starting on Friday morning with the fi nals on Sunday at the Ashton bee Park Reservoir, a change from the original Ellesmere facility because of the neces sary parking facilities. Based on the tourna ment’s playing conditions, if there are eight teams in a division, that division will be split into Group 1 and Group 2). Teams listed in the fix tures as 1-4 shall form Group 1 and teams listed 5-8 shall form Group 2. With only four teams set to contest the Open Division, the teams will play three pre liminary games. The two top teams with the most points/ best Net Run Rate (NRR) will play in the final. In the round-arm cat egory, which will see all the preliminary matches be ing played in the West End, the teams play three pre liminary games, following which the top two teams from each group (most points/ best NRR) will play in the semi-finals. First place from Group 1 will play second place from Group 2, first place from Group 2 will play second place from Group 1. Winners will play in final. The same applies for the Over-40 Masters once eight teamsWithparticipate.sixteams likely to contest the Legends Over50, the teams will play three preliminary games. The four teams with the most points/ best NRR will play in the semi-finals first versus fourth and second versus three. The two winners will clash in the final In the event of an odd number of teams partici pating in any division, the team(s) drawing a bye(s) will not play 3 games. The teams drawing byes will be awarded six points.TheNRR in a single game is the average runs per over that team scores, minus the average runs per over that is scored against them. The NRR in a tournament is the average runs per over that a team scores across the whole tournament, minus the average runs per over that is scored against them. For the preliminary and semi-final rounds where the result is a tie, a Super-Over will be used to determine the outcome of the game. For participation in the Masters Over-40 category, players should be born 1982 or earlier while teams are also allowed one play er born in 1983. In the Legends Over-50 category, players should be born 1972 or earlier while teams are allowed one player born in 1973.
32 SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022
By Frederick Halley
IT was floated as an idea some four months ago at a restaurant and bar in Toronto and among the five individuals pres ent were three stalwarts (Azeem Khan, Feizal Bac chus and Dickey Singh), who had already been part of an entity, the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) that had staged three previous To ronto Cups in 2015, 2017 and 2019. That idea is set to become a reality in the first weekend of September when the On tario Twilight Softball Crick et League (OTSCL), after much dedication and hard work, embarks on its inaugu ral Canada Cup, a forerunner to the previous Toronto Cups. According to OTSCL president, Azeem Khan, he’s confident that the tournament will be a huge success and has assured that it will take on an international flavour with teams expected from New York, Orlando and Flor ida while several teams in Toronto are also scheduled to participate in the holiday weekend extravaganza.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul struck nine fours in his 109 before retiring
Canada Cup 1 preparations intensify … 26 teams likely to participate
Kenya beat Bermuda by seven wickets
South Africa’s Khaya Zondo plays a shot during the tour match against the England Lions (Photo AFP)
Flores, his wife and two children, had planned to go to the Formula One grand prix in Abu Dhabi on November 20 and then Ecuador’s World Cup game the next day. He has tickets for five World Cup games in all. “We don’t know what to do,” he told AFP, highlighting that he would have to sacrifice one of the two events. “It’s crazy.”“We cannot even start cal culating how much it will cost and I don’t think FIFA is going to payRicardome.”
Seam bowler Ollie Robinson, recalled to the England squad for the South Africa series, removed Rassie van der Dussen on Friday to finish with five wickets in the match. Spin bowlers Dan Lawrence and Liam Patter son-White, and promising Derbyshire quick Sam Conners, polished off the tail - the latter finish ing with figures of 4-23 - as the South Africans slumped to 183 all out. Earlier in the match Harry Brook (140) and Ben Duckett (145) were the major contributors to the Lions’ total.
What might have been a truly painful reverse in a four-day match at Canterbury, which concluded Friday, was eased somewhat by the fact that the fixture lost its first-class status when the Proteas opted to give a run-out to 13 players ahead of the opening fixture of a three-Test series. South Africa collapsed to 183 all out in their second innings, with only Aidan Markram, who made 88 not out, offering much resistance after the Lions had responded to the tourists’ first-innings 433 with a huge total of 672.
South Africa see ‘a lot of despitepositives’EnglandLionsthrashing
Fort, a sports in dustry consultant and former head of sports marketing for Coca Cola - a major FIFA backer - said the date change would be “a huge problem for sponsors”.
JERSEY, Channel Is lands (CMC) – Bermu da produced their best batting performance, but they still tumbled to their fourth straight de feat, going down by seven wickets to Kenya in their latest ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B match on Thursday at the Farmers Cricket Club Ground. A revitalised Bermu da posted 234 for seven in their 50 overs. Charles Trott led the way with 58 off 46 balls batting at six, captain Kamau Leverock made 47, and Dominic Sabir got Leverock39. then claimed all three Kenyan wickets to fall, finishing with three for 45 from his 10 overs, but he received little support from his other bowlers as the East Africans raced to the target with 7.5 overs to spare.Leverock claimed his first wicket with only one run on the board, but a second-wicket stand of 126 between opener Rushab Patel, with 70, and wick etkeeper Irfan Karim, who finished unbeaten on 80, put Kenya on top. Karim and Rakap Patel, with 42, then carried Kenya to the brink of victory with a third-wicket stand of 91. Bermuda went to Jer sey, the third and final leg of the tournament, hoping to salvage some pride hav ing already been eliminated from contention for the lone qualifying spot from the six-team league ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Hosts Jersey led the ta ble after Thursday’s round of matches, followed by Hong Kong and Uganda. Summarised scores: Bermuda 234 for sev en off 50 overs (Charles Trott 58, Kamau Le verock 47, Dominic Sabir 39). Kenya 238-3 off 42.1 overs (Irfan Karim 80 not out, Rushab Patel 70, Rakap Patel 42; Kamau Leverock 3- 45). Kenya won by seven wickets.
“It is really not - compared to the other challenges that we could have faced or have faced in the past - a particularly large problem,” said Jaime Byrom, chairman of match hospitality, which has a contract with FIFA to organise hospitality packag es for World Cup matches and has locked in 450 000 tickets for the tournament. He said the priority would be to help Ecuadorian clients. Official countdown clocks for the event were quickly changed and events for the last 100 days were hastily moved from yesterday to Friday. Most events were low-key even though Hassan al-Tha wadi, secretary-general of the Qatar organising committee, said there was “huge excite ment” building in the state of 2.8 million Organiserspeople.announced that there would be seven entertain ment zones around Doha away from the eight stadiums but did not give details of whether beer would be served. Alcohol sales are severely restricted in the conservative Muslim nation. Despite doubts raised about Qatar’s record on la bour rights and its treatment of the LGBTQ community, FIFA president Gianni In fantino has said Qatar will put on the “best ever” World Cup.
Fort wrote on Twitter.Some companies linked to the first World Cup in an Arab country, expressed confidence, however, that any disruption would be overcome.
“They invited and con firmed hospitality guests, booked flights and hotels, and contracted with all the necessary logistics. Imagine changing it all!”
“If we look at the game as a whole, (Friday) didn’t go according to plan and (Thursday) was also tough,” said South Africa’s Kyle Verreynne “We got a lot of positives out of the first two days,” the wicketkeeper added. “Obviously you want to come out on the right side of the result of any game you play, but we’ll take the positives from this and go forward.”
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022 33
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) - FIFA and Qatar organisers on Friday counted the cost of bringing forward the start of the World Cup by a day, as they launched the 100-day countdown to the event. Football’s ruling body and the wealthy Gulf state both promised to help fans, spon sors and broadcasters hit by the change but did not give details. The organising committee said “huge excitement” was building for the World Cup, which will now start on No vember 20, but only a small group of migrant workers gath ered at the main countdown clock on the Doha seafront to see the 100 days tick over. The sudden move to bring forward Qatar’s match against Ecuador - to make it the gala opening match - has added to Qatar’s public relations battle as it counters criticism of its rights record and fan worries about what to expect when theyFIFAarrive.said its senior leaders had unanimously agreed that the Qatar-Ecuador game and the opening ceremony at the Al Bayt stadium should be a “stand-alone” event. The move maintained the tradition of featuring the host country or the reigning cham pions at the first match. Qatar had been scheduled to play the official inaugura tion game on November 21, but the third match of the day behind Senegal-Netherlands and England against Iran. The Group A game be tween Senegal and the Neth erlands has now been shift ed from 13:00hrs (10:00hrs GMT) on November 21 to 19:00hrs.FIFA said tickets for the affected matches “will remain valid” and added that it would “seek to address any issues arising from this change on a case-by-case basis”. Qatari organisers, who have spent billions of dollars preparing for the event, wel comed FIFA’s gesture for their “once-in-a-lifetime opportuni ty” to host the event. “The impact of this deci sion on fans was assessed by FIFA. We will work together to ensure a smooth tournament for the supporters affected by the change,” organisers added in a statement, without giving details.Some Ecuador fans may have to change flights to arrive in Qatar earlier. Paul Flores, a car compa ny manager in Quito, said he would have to change flights and was doubtful he would get compensation.
Surprise date change overshadows World Cup 100-day countdown
A man juggles a football near the dome which houses the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup countdown clock, in the capital Doha on Friday. (Photo: AFP)
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) - South Africa tried to downplay a drubbing by sec ond-string England Lions just five days ahead of this week’s first Test, following an innings and 56-run loss on Friday.
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) – Six Trinidadians will appear in a magis trate’s court here tomorrow charged in connection with an incident involving Gre nada’s world-class athlete, Anderson Peters. In a statement, the Roy al Grenada Police Force (RGPF) said the six men, all crew members of the pleasure boat, Harbour Master, were involved in the incident on Wednesday night. The six – Noel Cooper, 42, the captain of the vessel, John Alexander, 55, Mikhail John, 35, Lance Wiggins, 45, and 28 year-old Sheon Jack – were all charged with one count each of grievous harm and stealing, while Abiola Benjamin, 40, a police officer in Trinidad was charged for the assault on Peters. The statement said that Alexander, John, Cooper, Wiggins and Jack were also charged for causing harm to Kiddon Peters, the brother of the ItOlympian.saidallof the accused are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow and will re main in police custody until their appearance before the Magistrate.Earlier, the lawyer rep resenting Peters executed a warrant of arrest of the vessel, which is owned by a Barbados-based company. According to official court documents sent to the Chief Immigration Officer, the Grenada Ports Authority, and Comptroller of Customs, the Harbour Master vessel should not be cleared for sailing until they individually receive instructions from the Acting Registrar of the Su premeTheCourt.vessel is owned by Tall Ship (Barbados) Inc. and as a result of the arrest warrant, it is officially seized as part of a civil lawsuit in volving the athlete and his brother, a police officer. The two men were on board the vessel for a special fete cruise last Wednesday night when a brawl broke out. The police have not pro vided details of the incident that occurred while the vessel was berthed in the Careenage on the outskirts of the capital, but video circulating on so cial media showed the men getting assaulted by crew members.Theathlete, who recent ly medalled at the World Championships in the United States, and won silver at the just concluded Common wealth Games in the United Kingdom, was thrown into the water and had to be res cued.The Harbour Master, a Trinidadian pleasure boat, in a statement said while it does not condone acts of violence of any kind and understands the public’s concern and the overall sensitivity of the sit uation, the full details sur rounding the incident are still forthcoming and it is working with the relevant authorities to gain a clearer understand ing of what occurred. “We will work with all involved to ensure there is an amicable resolution,” it added.
Overwhelming corporate support for Nexgen GolFun Camp
34 SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022
A large number of students from schools across the country have been sharpening their skills on the course, as GolFun camp continues
startssummerCricketDemeraraClubcamptomorrow
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday August 14, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGSCOMPANYELECTRICALLTD - 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Obed Mc Koy-6/17 (Second T20, St. Kitts) (2) Ravi Bishnoi-4/16 (Fourth T20 Int’l, Florida) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many WI players were used in the recent T20 Int’l series against India? (2) How many players India used in he series? Answers in tomorrow’s issue
Six Trinidadians, including cop, charged in attack on World javelin champion Anderson Peters
World javelin champion Anderson Peters
THE Nexgen GolFun sum mer camp starts on August 15 and ends August 27 at Woolford Avenue, George town ground and will al low youths from varied backgrounds to experience a number of sports and activities over a two-week period. A large number of kids from Lions, Scouts, PYARG, and Enmore Or phanage will participate as a result of contributions by sponsors. President of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA), Aleem Hussain explained, “We believe that by providing a variety of options for the youths, we both engage their interest and expose hidden talents in areas we may not discover unless they have an opportunity to participate. Our sponsor base shows that there is a desire to support our Golf programme and we plan on growing it to include otherTheregions.”youths will take part in golf, table tennis, archery, physical fitness challenges, first aid and self-defence classes and finish with a skills tournament for prizes and trophies based on age andParentsgender. will be treated to complimentary massages, taught how to fly a drone and engage in wine-tasting and tea parties while they wait for the children to complete classes.This is the third year for the camp which started in memory of Shafura Hussain and coach Colin Ming and it is expected that approxi mately 160 youngsters will take part this year. Camp organisers are of the opinion that children should be ex posed to a variety of options and then focus on the areas or sports they excel at instead of being pushed into selected programmes.Withthe overwhelming support of corporate Guyana, which has made great strides in the development of sports, post COVID-19 restrictions major companies recently threw their support behind the camp, adding significant ly to the number of previous sponsors who were initially on board.Among the major spon sors are; Pegasus Hotel & Suites; Digicel Business Ser vices; MovieTowne Guy ana; Toolsie Persaud Ltd; CMC Security Services; Mo hamed’s Enterprise; HRTN; Beacon Cafe; Sunshine Snacks; Sterling Products Ltd; Junior Sammy Guyana; V&V Distributors; Comfort Sleep; Vivaanta Spa; Kings Jewellery;Palm Court; Caliper Drones; Assuria General Insurance; Rentokil Initial Guyana Ltd and Guyana Beverages.Survival Supermarket Sheriff Street; Ramchand Auto; Praetorian Security Services; Earthman Invest ments Print; Dr Paloma Mo hamed (UG); CIDI BlueLife Waters; Party Castle; ModFin Salon & Spa; The Italian Gourmet; Trophy Stall; De merara Mutual Fire & Life Insurance and Jaxx Restau rant. The camp runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 16:00hrs to 18:00hrs and provides all equipment, training, snacks, water and ice-cream for the final day graduation. (Clifton Ross)
The annual programme will be back in full swing from tomorrow
THE Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will host its annual cricket camp from tomorrow August 15 to August 26 at its base on Lance Gibbs Street, Queenstown. The camp will involve youngsters aged seven to 17 who will be trained by an experi enced batch of coaches, led by Roger Harper, Mark Harper and Clyde Butts, with support from Darien Best, Abena Parker and Kevin Ross.Sessions will be Mondays to Fridays from 09:00hrs to 15:30hrs and registration costs $10 000 ($5 000) per week. According to a release from the club, there will be mental health talks and leadership sessions apart from skills development in the sport.Interested persons are urged to contact Mark Harper on 678-9983 and Roger Harper (678 2962)
West Indies captain, Sir Vivian Rich ard,s said the country has suffered a huge loss, remem bering the role Whyte played in his life at an early age. “Hearing of the passing of Pat Whyte is a huge loss to us, so I just want to send my condolences to the Whyte family. Why there is some thing sentimental about the loss of Pat is the fact that Pat and Bran Jacobs were part of the committee that sent Andy and myself to Alf Gover. He (Pat Whyte), played a huge role on that particular com mittee with all the other folks like Bran Jacobs,” Richards told the Observer. Condolence messages were also sent to Whyte’s wife Cheryl and family from the Barbados Crick et Umpires Association (BCUA), the Canada Cricket Umpires Associ ation (CCUA), Bermuda Cricket Umpires Associ ation (BCUA), Jamaica Cricket Umpires Associa tion (JCUA) and the and the United States Associa tion Cricket Umpires Asso ciation (USACUA).
Rampersaud, Dindyal bowl Guyana to victory over Trinidad & Tobago
OFF-spinners Jonathan Rampersaud and Ma vendra Dindyal spun Guyana to a 41-run win over Trinidad and To bago in round one of the Regional Under-19 Three-Day tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The Guyanese defend ed 194 by bowling out Trinidad for 152 just be fore the rains came, and will now play the Leeward Islands from August 14 at the same RamsammymanioutSCORES:SUMMARISEDvenue.Guyana179allfrom89.5overs(ToCaesar59,Zeynul43*,Zachary Jodah 29; Nick Ramlal 4-39, Andrew Rambaran 2-24) & 160 all out from 59.1 overs (Rampertab Ramnauth 49, Shamar Yearwood 30, Jonathan Rampersaud 17*, Isai Thorne 17; Vasant Singh 3-36, Joshua Davis 2-33) beat Trinidad and Tobago 146 all out from 44.5 overs (Rambaran 32, Kissoon dath 31, Rajeev Ramnath 27, Justin Jagessar 22; Rampersaud 6-44, Ma vendra Dindyal 2-17) & 152 all out from 48.2 overs (Narad Kissoondath 47, Orlando James 29, Ramlal 26; Dindyal 4-24; Ramper saud 2-50) by 41 runs Dindyal, with his offspin, took 4-24 in a cru cial spell of the bowling and got assistance from fellow off-spinner Jona than Rampersaud (2-50), Zeynul Ramsammy (1-14), and Isai Thorne (1-25) who bundled out the Trin idadians in 48.2 overs. Rampersaud moved his match tally to 8-94 from 28.5 overs while Dindyal had 6-41 from 17.2 overs. Narad Kissoondath top-scored with 47, while Orlando James made 29 and opener Nick Ramlal 26. Guyana made 160 in their second innings, led by Rampertab Ramnauth (49) and Shamar Year wood (30) and lower-order contributions from Ramp ersaud and Thorne, who both made 17. Pacer Vasant Singh took 3-38 and Joshua Davis 2-33.
Off-spinner Jonathan Rampersaud returned match figures of 8-94 Mavendra Dindyal bagged 4 for 24 in a crucial spell Regional Under 19 Tourney
Tributes pour in for former WICUA president ‘Pat’ Whyte
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022 35
The late Patrick ‘Pat’ Whyte
THE West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WIC UA) is among several re gional bodies which have expressed sadness at the passing of its former presi dent, Patrick “Pat’ Whyte, last Tuesday in Antigua & Barbuda. According to a release from the WICUA, Whyte succumbed after a long ill ness including Parkinson’s. disease.The release pointed out that “Whyte served the WIC UA and the region with dis tinction having risen to the status of First Class umpire in the 1980s, officiating in a number of first-class matches especially in the Leeward Islands at a time when only home umpires were being used.He officiated with dis tinction, becoming one of the leading umpires in the region but unfortunately did not make it to Test status. Whyte rose to become the president of the WICUA in 2001, after serving as Area vice-president for the Lee ward Islands for a number of yearsHeserved as president of WICUA for six years until his retirement in 2007. “During the intervening years, Patrick also served as a cricket commentator/ analyst during first-class matches in his home country of Antigua.Hewill be sorely missed throughout the region for his presence and considerate moderation of thought at WICUA conventions. The WICUA wishes to express sincere condolences to his dear wife Cheryl and family on the passing of this giant of a cricketWhyteumpire.”wasalso a former sports administrator and a former head of the minis try’s sports department and is being remembered as an individual who has helped to shape the way sports is administered throughout An tigua and AccordingBarbuda.tothe Anti gua Observer, Whyte spear headed the formation and introduction of the National Sports Awards which, today, is used to honour and reward top national athletes on an annualFormerbasis.
readies for horseracing action today Ready for Action! The
AFTER an absence of over five years, the InterGuiana Games will resume this year. This was confirmed by Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, who met with a high-level team from Suriname and French Guiana last week in Cayenne. The French Guiana team included its president Gabriel Serville. Ninvalle informed that the Hon Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson will soon disclose the dates of the Games, scheduled to be held here In this photograph, Ninvalle (right), shares a light moment with president Serville following their meeting.
Windies hoping internal processes engineer change of fortune, says Pooran
today (Troy Peters photo) Story on page 31
Tributes pour in for former WICUA president ‘Pat’ Whyte pageSee35
Inter-Guiana Games set to return with a bang
West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran Guyana Cup Rising Sun Turf Guyana Cup
Continued on page 31 Stalls filled as
Club is ready for the hosting of the
36 SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 14, 2022 Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 226-3243-9 (General); Editorial: 227-5204, 227-5216. Fax:227-5208 | SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2022
KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) –West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran said his side was trying to have faith in the internal processes and hope that it will be enough to help them turn a string of depressing losses around. Beleaguered West Indies pro duced yet another comical batting display on Friday at Sabina Park and slumped to a discouraging 90run defeat in the second Twenty20 International against New Zealand. West Indies trail 0-2 in the threematch series, which ends today at the same ground, where they also lost the first T20I last Wednesday by 13“Forruns.us, it’s really simple,”
