Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 22-09-2022

Re-examine financing gaps, debt portfolio of developing countries

- President Ali implores global leaders, says this would open fiscal space, create opportunities for economic recovery

By Tamica

pandemicciallyvelopingdevelopednancingleadersAliPRESIDENT,GarnettDr.Irfaanhasimploredglobaltoaddressthefigapbetweentheworldanddecountries,espesincetheCOVID-19andotherinter

locking global challenges have widened the gap of inequality.

Dr. Ali, in his firm ad dress to the United Nations General Assembly, said cli mate challenges, energy and food crises and inter-state conflicts are among the issues which have led to a

loss in revenues and income in the developing world, which, in some cases, had earmarked those funds for initiatives that would help in the achievement of many Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.

“[To address this] there must be an immediate re-

examination of the financ ing gap and the debt portfo lio of the developing coun tries, to open fiscal space and create an opportunity for recovery, bridging the gap and attaining the SDG goals,” President Ali re lated.

Fisherfolk: ‘Big help; right time!’

WITH plans to purchase new equipment and con duct major repairs to their vessels, fisherfolk from

Region Three were in high praises of the Government, on Wednesday, as they received their $150,000

one-off cash grants.

Alvin (only name given) told the Guyana Chronicle that he had been unable to

work for some weeks now due to an injury he received while at sea.

ATTORNEY-GENER

AL (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said that the government has not been discrimina

tory when it comes to mat ters regarding State lands. discriminatory in revoking ownership of State lands.

See story on page 5

Guyana judicial

Buxton contractors get advance to commence rehabilitation of community bridges

SOME 25 contractors from the village of Bux ton, East Coast Dem erara, received their mo bilisation advance from the Ministry of Public Works, to immediately begin rehabilitative work on 25 bridges in their community.

Last week, the contrac tors signed and received their contracts for specific work. A total of $56 mil lion has been allocated for thisGuidingproject. the process along on Wednesday were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service, Vladim Persaud; Procure ment Manager at the min istry, Andy Mahadeo and personnel from the minis try’s Finance Department.

The government has al located the largest portion of its milestone $552.9 billion 2022 Budget to the Ministry of Public works. A total of $96.1 billion has been allocated to the ministry, which is responsible for the coun try’s infrastructure. Of that sum, some $76.7 billion is set aside for roads and bridges.“$76.7 billion is for roads and bridges and that is the main part. We had to put infrastructure where there’s no infrastructure so that money is really to do that,” Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar had said.

In breaking down the $76.7 billion sum, he had said that $49.2 billion

will be spent on roads, while the remaining $27.5 billion will go towards bridges.Roads and bridges are a major aspect of a coun try’s development, not only do they ease trans portation and cut costs, they integrate communi ties and boost people’s development, hence the government’s major focus on building the country’s roadPublicnetworks.Works Minister, Juan Edghill, had said that the government is com mitted to rolling out these projects without discrimi nation.

“The PPP/C Adminis tration, President Irfaan Ali, and his cabinet, we are working in every sin

Some 25 contractors from the village of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, received their mobilisation advance from the Ministry of Public Works to immediately begin rehabilitative work on 25 bridges in their community (Ministry of Public Works photo)

gle community; the ones who have voted over whelming for us and the ones who didn’t vote for

us because we are not developing a PPP/C Guy ana, we are developing a ‘One Guyana’, and in de

veloping a One Guyana, we bring development to all the people,” Minister Edghill had said.

Fisherfolk: ‘Big help; right time!’

WITH plans to purchase new equipment and conduct major repairs to their ves sels, fisherfolk from Region Three were in high praises of the Government, on Wednes day, as they received their $150,000 one-off cash grants.

Alvin (only name given) told the Guyana Chronicle that he had been unable to work

try’s officials, eagerly waiting for his name to be called.

“I went out to sea and I hurt my foot when I was throwing out the seine, so I couldn’t go out to the big sea really to work,” he said.

Waiting just as patiently was Lakhraim (only name given), who said that help could not have come at a bet

days and you only get lil rash ing for your work man to carry home so this money come in very nice right now to help,” said Lakhraim, a fisherman for more than 30 years.

Thamdra Joho expressed her gratitude for the grant.

“I’m happy, because right now my husband is not work ing and it will help me a lot;

erfolk have been reeling from the ‘aftereffects’ of flooding and climate change and the support from the Government is well

Theappreciated.fisherman disclosed his plans to purchase new fish ing equipment.

“I get to buy some more seine and things for the boat, I hope in time to come we

Alvin (only name given), who was recently injured while out at sea, is one of the many fishermen who received the $150,000 fisherfolk cash grant

for some weeks now due to an injury he received while at sea.The man was patiently sit ting not too far from the minis

ter time.“The fishing work right now is very hard, sometimes you barely making it -- the fuel raise, everything raise. Sometimes you work 10-12

the money will help we a lot and the work men them. We are thankful to the Govern ment of the day,” the woman said.Rondald Skeete said fish

can get more because catch es are not at the standard it was before. For exam ple, I used to get 12 bucket shrimps now I only getting five and six.”

Thamdra Joho

Lakhraim (only name given)

Re-examine financing gaps, debt portfolio of developing countries President Ali implores global leaders, says this would open fiscal space, create opportunities for economic recovery

By Tamica

PRESIDENT,GarnettDr.

Ir

faan Ali has implored global leaders to address the financing gap between the developed world and developing countries, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic and other in terlocking global chal lenges have widened the gap of inequality.

Dr. Ali, in his firm address to the United Nations General Assem bly, said climate chal lenges, energy and food crises and inter-state conflicts are among the issues which have led to a loss in revenues and income in the developing world, which, in some cases, had earmarked those funds for initia tives that would help in the achievement of many Sustainable Develop ment Goals (SDG) by 2030.“[To address this]

there must be an imme diate re-examination of the financing gap and the debt portfolio of the developing countries, to open fiscal space and create an opportunity for recovery, bridging the gap and attaining the SDG goals,” President Ali

Herelated.went on to say:

“We are living in a trou bled world which has lost its balance. Indeed, our collective actions, as leaders today, will convey to the next gen eration that their aspira tions, their future, and that of the planet are worth fighting for.”

The Head of State cited substantial sources of statistics that point to the widening gap of ine quality across the world, one of which was the United Nations (UN) re port published in March 2022, which addressed the unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and its impact on widen ing the economic dispar

ity between the rich and poor.“The study found that low-income countries could have increased their GDP by US$16.7 billion in 2021, if they had a similar vaccina tion rate as high-income developed countries,” President Ali said, add ing: “How are we going to address this inequali ty? How are we going to address this injustice?”

Those issues are com pounded by the 65 per cent rise in global food prices. Food prices are expected to remain high in the medium term, as a result of supply chain constraints, a hike in en ergy costs, higher ship ping costs, climate issues and the war in Ukraine.

“The global food se curity problem has dis proportionately affected us. The prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity trended upwards since 2014. The World Food Programme and FAO warned that acute food insecurity would worsen in 20 hun ger hotspots from June –September 2022,” Presi dent Ali Further,said.the President said, the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war saw global food prices reach ing an all-time high in February 2022.

The global food im port bill for this year has been recorded so far at US$1.8 trillion, a new record according to the FAO. This is a steep in crease by US$51 billion from 2021, $49 billion of which reflects higher prices.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

“The question is what we are doing about this?” the President questioned, noting: “Can the reversal of export bans on rice and wheat and freeing up of grains, help this situation? The answer is a resounding yes. For example, export bans

of rice from India and wheat from Russia con tributed to a price in crease of 12.3 per cent and nine per cent for rice and wheat

out earlier during the dis tribution of COVID-19 vaccination, which left many small nations, particularly those in the Caribbean region, at a severe

committed to addressing issues of food security, climate change, energy security and inequalities, both within the country and in the wider Carib bean.“We are on a path to reduce Guyana’s food import bill and increase food security- through

developing nations for planning and carrying out mitigation and adap tation measures. The gap between predicted adap tation costs and existing public adaptation finance flows is generally grow ing and ranges from five to ten times more,” the President

increased cultivation and investments in new technology and smart agri culture to position Guyana as a leading food producer in CAR ICOM. We have also been providing incen tives, capital, land and opportunities for youth and women to partici pate in the uresmatsaidtransformation,”agricultureDr.AliOntheissueofcliecrisis,thePresidentnotedthatfinancingandimplementationarestillfarbehindwheretheyshouldbeformitigationandadaptationmeas“In2019,US$79.6billionwasallocatedto

“Analysisremarked.shows that the costs of adaptation are most likely to be higher than the predicted range of US$140 billion–US$300 billion annually by 2030 and US$280 billion – US$500 billion annually by 2050 for developing nations,” Dr. Ali said.

The President re minded that forested countries like Guyana are ripe with potential to earn billions of dol lars through the volun tary carbon markets; however, there is need for adjustment of the current approximate price from US$10 per tonne to US$70 per tonne.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali addresses the United Nations General Assembly (Office of the President photo)

Guyana firm on judicial settlement of border controversy with Venezuela

President Ali tells global leaders at 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

GUYANA will continue to champion the peaceful resolution of the territo rial controversy with neigh bouring Venezuela.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, reiterated Guyana’s position in his address at the 77th Ses sion of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

in New York, on Wednesday.

He said the government will not support any use of force as a means of settling any dispute or controversy among“Guyananations.does not con done or support the threat of, or use of, force in rela tions between states or in the resolution of disputes. Consistent with the Charter of the United Nations, Guy ana subscribes to the use of peaceful means to settle disputes,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State high lighted that even though Guyana’s own land is being threatened, the government will not sway from the ad vice proffered by Secretary General of the United Na tions António Guterres, at the opening of the event on

Tuesday.“[We remain] committed to making the most of every diplomatic tool for the pacif ic settlement of disputes, as set out in the Charter of the United Nations,” Guterres was quoted as saying.

President Ali noted that Guyana is committed to a judicial settlement in the matter, one which he hopes could come soonest.

Guyana is seeking to obtain a final and binding judgement that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary be tween then British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid and that the Esse quibo region belongs to Guyana and not Venezue la. (DPI)

Norton stoking racism through misinformation

StatecomesbeenthatAffairs,(AG)ATTORNEY-GENERALandMinisterofLegalAnilNandlallsaidthegovernmenthasnotdiscriminatorywhenittomattersregardinglands.

AG Nandlall made these remarks on Tuesday during his weekly Facebook pro gramme, Issues in the News, where he responded to claims made by Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, who alleged that the government has been discriminatory in revoking ownership of State lands.

The Opposition Leader made the statement during his press conference earlier this week, where he said that the government’s attempt to take away lands from an Afro-Guyanese woman and other African Guyanese is an indication that the administra tion is seeking to “impoverish AfricanHowever,Guyanese”.inresponse to this, the Attorney-General brought the relevant docu ments and transactions as he spoke on his show on Tues dayHeevening.revealed that the lands which the opposition claims

have been taken back in an at tempt to discriminate against the woman happen to be three acres of commercial land lo cated at Thisprovidence.land,hesaid was leased to the woman in 2017 for some 20 years and she was expected to pay US$1,950 along with VAT as a deposit and the same amount per year but never “US$2,000did. a year and never paid a cent from 2017 to September 2020… not even the deposit to sign the lease… not even the first

month’s rent. NICIL, the landlord took back the land because there was no consid eration in the contract. The contract is null and void,” Nandlall said.

He added that for Norton to say that the land was taken back because of the woman’s ethnicity shows the type of dangerous racism that is be ing spewed by the opposition.

While Nandlall indicated that the opposition mentioned that the government is taking legal action to get back lands, he posited that the opposition

should say what process was embarked upon for those persons to receive the lands.

Many of the persons who acquired State lands under the previous administration he said are giving up the prop erties as they recognise the illegality of the transactions that took place.

The opposition also com pared the intended regulari sation of Pigeon Island to the removal of squatters in Mocha, East Bank Demerara.

At Pigeon Island, which is a squatter settlement that is more than 50 years old, most of the persons there have transport for their properties, the Attorney-General said.

He noted that as the gov ernment is working on the regularisation of persons from this area, they are also working on regularising per sons in villages like No. 4 and No. 5 on the West Coast Ber bice which are Afro-Guyanesepredominantlyvillages.

“We don’t look at it on the basis of race,” he said, while adding that the gov ernment will continue to foster development for all Guyanese.

Digicel special needs project

DIGICEL Guyana plans to contribute $60 million over a three-year period, to the Ministry of Health as part of efforts to enhance local special needs and rehabili tation services.

According to a press re lease from Digicel, the com pany has been a long-stand ing partner of the government and other organisations for social development across communities in Guyana. To demonstrate that support and commitment, Digicel signed an agreement on Tuesday, to support the Ministry of Health in its efforts to deliver efficient services in the area of special needs.

The agreement was signed by Permanent Secre tary at the Ministry of Health, Malcolm Watkins and Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean.

The long-term vision of Digicel is to create worldclass facilities for children with special needs across the 10 regions of Guyana. The initial period starts with investing in special needs training for individuals and professionals living with dis abilities in Guyana.

Across the region and in Guyana, Digicel has been

keen on developing sustain able programmes in areas like special needs, education and community development that impact key social and eco nomic development markers.

“We have made a com mitment to support the Minis try of Health as they strive to make a difference in the lives of the children and their care givers. This is a small step in a long-term commitment, and it is envisioned that this pro ject will continually enhance quality of life, and empower the people of the community. It will also provide a holistic approach to the well-being of families with special empha sis on health and education through various empower ment programmes.” Dean said.Watkins expressed grati tude to Digicel for this ini tiative, stating that it is im measurable.

“We would like commit that this partnership will fa cilitate and foster long-term enhancements to the health sector. This partnership falls under the testament of the Ministry of Health’s comprehensive approach to healthcare and we intend to build and strength on this partnership,” he said.

- says Attorney-General, affirms gov’t has never been discriminatory in matters of State lands

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton

Service to country

GUYANESE are more excited now than ever be fore about the country’s development, and the di aspora is no exception. Leveraging the technical and financial capacity of the Guyanese diaspora for national development has always been a strategy point for this country, cul minating, even now, in the formation of the diaspora engagement unit at the Foreign Affairs and In ternational Co-operation Ministry.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali is currently in the United States attending the meeting of world leaders at the Unit ed Nations headquarters in New York. Before venturing there, the President engaged members of Guyana’s dias

pora in the state of Florida where he encouraged them to return home and lend their skills toward the coun try’sThisgrowth.newspaper, in a previous editorial, noted that there is no need to guess what Guyana’s development goals are as the messaging and talking points are con sistent in and out of Guy ana. There is, as previously noted by this newspaper, an immaculate blending of Guyana’s domestic and foreign policy initiatives, and this is aptly reflected in the consistent messages from His Excellency and his Cabinet of Ministers, which are also connected to policy and intervention measures.

This is also not the first time that the President has

called on Guyanese to re turn home to be part of the rapid growth and develop ment. The uphill battle has also been to use his “One Guyana” initiative to build Guyanese pride home and abroad. “Know that the Guyana we want to build is the Guyana that must reflect the values that define us as a people… When someone says they are Guyanese they must be a symbol of the rule of law. They must be a symbol of democracy. They must be a symbol of ethnic harmony. They must be a symbol of what unity looks“Theylike.must be a symbol of tolerance. This is how a Guyanese identity must be defined. We are born in a society that is multi-ethnic,

a society that is multi-reli gious. God has given us this gift so that we can demon strate to the world how you combine a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country to demonstrate what the true meaning of tolerance and unity is,” President Ali had said during a diaspora engagement in Washington, DC in GuyanaJuly. experienced the exponential loss of human capital through brain drain in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on successive cen suses, there was very little hope that there was a return migration home. Census 2022 will be a window to home our population dy namics have changed, and possibly even whether there has been a return migration

to Guyana by diaspora com munities from the global north,Already,especially.there is pro gressive moves to advance the country’s social ser vices, especially in health and education to bring local standards up to world class quality. Additionally, more companies in Guyana have secured international cer tifications

ofofecution,ensuretheapparatuses,throughimprovingconsiderablevice.qualityexceptionaldemonstratingstandardandofproductandserFurther,therehasbeeninvestmentincitizensecurityincreasedsmartcityrestructuringofprosecutionsystemtomoreeffectiveprosandimprovementthefire-fightingcapacitytheGuyanaFireService

across the country.

One thing that is in creasingly present, albeit not mentioned enough, is the change in our political culture, specifically the way politicking is done. There has been, especially on the part of the Presi dent and his government, heavier focus on working across differences, sup porting every community regardless of their race, ethnic and political per suasion, and also turning more to the evidence of development and citizen wellbeing as a measuring stick for performance. For any Guyanese in the diaspora contemplating a return home, the choice should be much easier post-2020.

Diaspora should heed President’s appeal for investment

Dear Editor, IN his latest trip to the US, President Irfaan Ali appealed to the Guyanese diaspora to return home and invest in the develop ment of the country. The President has been mak ing such appeals over the last two years in every trip to countries where Guyanese have settled. It is not known how much diaspora investment had or has been made over the last two years or in previous years. But investment has been sorely needed to fund capital projects to promote development. The govern ment has turned to bor rowing and Chinese invest ment. The Chinese have been the major beneficiary of investment in Guyana as opposed to Guyanese or members of the diaspora.

I have studied the role of diasporas in the develop ment of several developing countries including India and China, African, Caribbean, and Latin countries. In fact, almost every diaspora in the developed countries has helped their former home land not only in sending remittances but also in in vesting in them to achieve growth and create jobs as well as raise standard of liv ing. The Guyanese diaspora has been contributing some US$400M annually over the last several decades in remit tances plus tens of millions more annually in material assistance and direct cash assistance through unofficial ways.Guyanese diaspora has been investing billions of American dollars annually in their adopted countries

like Canada, USA, and UK plus other countries creating wealth and jobs. They can do same in Guyana. Clearly, they have capital to invest. They also have enormous technical skills, laboring in and building industries. Thus, the diaspora can lead the role in development of Guyana with its enormous capital as well as technical skills. The Guyanese diaspo ra should heed the call of the President to contribute to the development of their former homeland. Favorable terms should be offered to them.

As I have found in my research, diasporas in de veloped countries tend to be flush with money to invest in addition to possessing technical skills and hav ing political connection in their adopted homeland that would be assets to their

home countries. Not sur prisingly, every developing country has appealed to their diaspora to invest in their former homeland – in busi ness and industries as well as contribute with their skills to help transform the na tion. They have funded de velopment in home countries when capital is hard to raise from lending institutions or at extremely high rates from private banks.

So me countries have been very successful in their appeal to diasporas to invest in home countries – China and India stand out among several others. China, for example, has di asporas in North America, Singapore, Malaysia, Aus tralia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UK, and other European countries. With diaspora investment

in tens of billions annu ally as well as investment from non-ethnic Chinese from the West and AustralAsia, China has grown con tinuously from the 1980s till now registering record growth rates. It had built up surplus capital and savings of over US$1 trillion. With so much unused money, it has been investing in or lending money to other countries including the US and European countries. Similarly, India, which opened up its economy only since the early 1990s and began appealing to its diaspora since the late 1990s has also been regis tering record growth even overtaking China’s over the last decade. India’s diaspora as well non-ethnic Indians in North America, UK, Europe, and Australia

have been pouring large amounts of funds, tens of billions annually, into in dustrial projects in India. Some of us also invested in India. Such huge invest ments have allowed India to move up from outside of the top 10 global economies in the 1980s to number six today in terms of value of GDP and is on course to be come number three by end of decade. Guyana needs investment from her large diaspora to grow and create jobs. The diaspora should give consideration to invest in infrastructure like roads, agriculture, forestry, ener gy, gold and other mining, and other industries

The diaspora should respond to the call to invest in their former homeland.

While the media has a responsibility to do critical work, it must also do honest work

Dear Editor

IT is astonishing how far Kaieteur News and a long list of opposition opera tives have been twisting the words and central messages of Vice-President Jagdeo since the interview with Glen Lall.

The word ‘operatives’ is not accidental. Rather it speaks to a thosedisinformationwell-organisedoperationbyinvolved.

The strategy as far as I can determine, is that once the interview was done, Kai eteur News made its own poisonous hay by carefully selecting excerpts from the show, which were then twisted in order to yield some seeming inaccuracies by Jagdeo. The mischievous concoction was then pub lished in Kaieteur News, as news. The falsified or reshaped material has since

become the source for all the operatives to write sto ries.The bogus news is cited as evidence of culpability. A particularly sinister instance of this surfaced in a frontpage headline (KN, Sept 19, 2022) which reads as follows – “Govt. says…Guyanese must wait 14 years before change to ‘lopsided’ Exx on contract -acknowledges successful renegotiation by

APNU-AFC, but holds fast to sanctity of contract”. In fact, nowhere in the two-hour and 22 minutes does Jagdeo state that APNU+AFC were “successful” in any contract negotiation with ExxonMobil and its Thepartners.truthof the matter is that the interview was a fi asco for the host of the radio show. Elementary things such as the meaning of ‘real-time’ had to be explained to him.

And in addition to numerous lost-in-space moments about the oil industry, other bed time stories peddled for years were also swiftly debunked. The highly trumped-up ac cusation that Jagdeo is part owner of the Marriott comes to mind. To no one’s surprise, not an iota of evidence could be offered to support this most disingenuous bit of falsehood.

The distortions of the

interview with Vice-Pres ident Jagdeo by known operatives are a sad com mentary on the quality of the Guyanese media space. While the media has a re sponsibility to do critical work, it must also do honest work. Failing that, we are not likely to develop a cul ture of meaningful debate.

Yours sincerely, Dr. Randy Persaud Office of the President

Some suggestions to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Speaker of the National Assembly

Dear Ms. /Mr. Editor, I HAJJI Dr Roshan Khan, a former Commissioner of the Ethnic Relations Com mission of Guyana, wishes to submit some suggestions to be urgently considered by the honourable Minister of Parliament and the Hon Speaker of Parliament. Please note the following:

1. Former commis sioners should not be reap pointed in this new commis sion about to be re-created. The reason being, many are tainted.2.

I have advised my Islamic constituent grouping that I am not up for elections, in order to give some new blood an opportunity to ar ticulate and make an impact positively in this country.

3. The ERC grouping to which I belonged did some marvellous pieces of work, at least in the beginning by the chairman, the Hon Reverend Dr General Bishop Oswald Smith.4.

We went throughout the country, met many in various meetings and moti vated them about the impor tance of national cohesion, respect, and the understand ing of peoples regardless of ethnicity, religion and their way of life. Little could have been achieved due to the rabid election process that was evolving, which exposed many as to their true colours and who seemed to have lost the understanding of the con cept and purpose of the ERC.

5. Many want to be reappointed as far as I know. To many the stipend is lu crative. Plus the facilities to tour, great meals and ac commodation, out-of-town

allowances, etc.

6. The CEO previous and current have both been exceptional and I have great respect for them, the staff are also worthy of much respect and applause. I am ashamed to this day that there was one member of an ethnic group who was planted as a spoiler within the ERC, not for the purpose of creat ing cohesion and goodwill until I intervened. After he continued at the beginning of meetings being given the priority to speak sometimes not very intelligently, he would always attack the pre-2015 government and said that government was responsible for killing over 400 black people. Also at that same time I was being prevented from making very elegant, quality remarks. With a Christian group I had to intervene and actually said that I was prevented from speaking. If all went well that should be in the minutes.

There are about four per sons who are always aligned

as spoilers as was observed by myself and other posi tive commissioners as being completely pro PNCR/AFC/ APNU and always had a ten dency to vote along that line. In votes and discussions one could see the alliances, the eye messages and language that were being passed.

I have even refused a bonus of a large sum, which in my opinion was not neces sary and should have been returned to the treasury as the end of the period was approaching. In my opinion there were attempts to spend as much money as they pos sibly could have. I refused to participate in the New Amsterdam event as a result. Again, that was with lavish food and the finest hotel, I doubt whether anything tangible was ever achieved.

I believe in the wisdom of the founding fathers and the concept of the Ethnic Relations Commission, i.e., the late former President Excellency Hugh Desmond

Hoyte and then Excellency President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo.

In my opinion it was a travesty that as the election season neared I witnessed certain forms of ethnic hate and disrespect from ques tionable elements and real ised that a certain head of the organisation was receiving directions externally, politi cally to lead the ERC into a political direction. To me this was a betrayal of the philosophy and thought for the creation of the ERC; this I believe from the depths of my Withheart.all of that in mind, because I was not in concur rence with the line they were taking, concerned about the brutalities of a certain ethnic population just after the elec tions in 2020, I was severely attacked and even placed in

the press to be critiqued.

An arrangement was made through the deputy chairman, the Hon Mr Nor man McLean, Retd’ Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, who had arranged for the Chief of Staff of the GDF and the Commissioner of Police to travel with us to meet the parents and the citi zens to bring a sense of calm. But lo and behold, which I suspect to be total politics, the Chairman unilaterally postponed the visit with the excuse being fear, which it is alleged and believed by several commissioners was a political directive. I do not believe any leader of people can be so Pleasecowardly.bereminded when we would have had entire military and police brigades accompanying us, with all of

the above I sincerely believe that the Speaker of Parlia ment and the Hon Minister of Parliamentary Affairs need to be very cognisant of the points that I have made. We need real, positive personali ties and not just those nomi nated by constituents who might have ulterior motives for their constituents and not for the development and peace of the nation.

I recommend that the background of the indi viduals being nominat ed be it ethnic, religious, trade union or whatever be thoroughly studied and assessed. We need only in dividuals who are truly in terested in peace, harmony and national cohesion of our Dear Land of Guyana.

Yours sincerely,

Hajji Dr Roshan Khan Snr

179 Linden residents benefit from special BIT programme

THE Labour Ministry, through the Board of In dustrial Training (BIT), on Tuesday, launched a special skills training programme in Linden, Region 10, to build human resource ca pacity, and address the deficiencies that exist in the labour force.

Labour Minister, Jo seph Hamilton, spearheaded a two-day engagement in the mining town to inspect

to address the needs in the region.Minister Hamilton said the programme is focused on building the country’s human resource capacity.

“We wanted to focus and get as far as we can with the persons who are needed with specific skills in some areas that are deficient in the country. All of these skill sets have a relationship to a sec tor,” he said.

Training programmes in clude motor vehicle repairs, electrical installation, joinery, auto electrics and electron ics, welding and fabrication, air conditioning and refrig eration repairs, heavy-duty equipment operators and foodThepreparation.programmes have a community development component, which allows trainees to demonstrate and utilise their skills in commu nityUponbuilding.completion, per sons will receive an accred ited certificate and licence.

During his visit, Minister Hamilton met with trainees from the air conditioning in stallation and repairs courses, who were repairing AC units at a community health centre.

Meanwhile, BIT techni cal officers have recorded an increase in the participa tion of women in the pro grammes, which, Minister Hamilton noted, is a win for the “Femalescountry. are in the pro gramme, so that is a win for all of us because I have been saying that women have to think outside of the box and they have to move into other skills training and other types of jobs,” he said.

Several female partici pants stated that the training is an opportunity for selfdevelopment.MikedaRichardson, who is part of the welding and fabrication course, said she joined the programme be cause it was free and will create avenues for multiple streams of income.

fall back and do something else. I would like to become a geologist and since I am learning this welding course, I would like to open my welding shop or something so that I can allow persons to gain employment right here,” 18-year-old Richardson said.

to join the electrical class, because the class was full. I am glad I am here to do this here and when I finish this programme I want to go out in the field and work.”

the ongoing training pro grammes, where 179 Linden ers are participating in six specialised courses tailored

The programme com menced last month and is expected to be completed by December.

The programmes have also been rolled out in Re gions Two, Five and Six. It is similarly tailored to the geo graphic needs of the regions.

“It is good to learn a new trade, so you could go about to the world of work and at least you can get a certifi cate to show that you know to do something. So just in case, your first option doesn’t work out, you can always

She expressed elation that more women are making their mark in male-dominat ed fields.“Itis very nice to know that women are empowering themselves and you know they are coming out to the field of work moving away from the stigma type that

Kendy Marshall, a moth er, said she joined the course to be an example to her son, who is also in the training

programme.“Ijoined this programme because of my son. I want him to come out of the box and so much of the time as a parent we get our children and they just focus on this gadget. So, I want them to come out and learn some

females aren’t able to do a certain type of job,” Rich ardsonRichardsaid.Fraser, a 19-yearold who is enrolled in the electrical installation course, said: “Since I was small, I al ways wanted to do electrical work and since I come to LTI I didn’t have the opportunity

thing for themselves. And this is one thing I wanted to do since when I was back in school so now, I get the chance, I am gaining too,” Marshall said.

The ministry also launched the programme in Kwakwani, which has ap proximately 70 beneficiaries.

A female trainee doing AC repair work at the Linden Health Centre (DPI photo)

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton inspecting the project of the electrical installation trainees (DPI photo)

Mikeda Richardson displaying her project (DPI photo)

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday, met with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Dr. Qu Dongyu and his del egation.

Discussions centered on a number of projects Guyana has undertaken in several ar eas, including food security. The Director-General com mended the President on the alignment of Guyana’s policies to several of FAO’s

strategic areas.

The President was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and In ternational Co-operation, Hugh Todd; Presidentdir-SharmatheProjectsPersaud,ForeignsadoranaRepresentativePermanentofGuytotheUN,AmbasCarolynRodrigues;SecretaryRobertandDirectorofattheOfficeofPresident,MarciaNa(Officeofthephoto)

Attorney-General: CoI into 2020 elections fiasco giving Coalition nightmare

THE Commission of In quiry (CoI) into the 2020 General and Regional Elec tions is expected to start soon, and Attorney-Gener al Anil Nandlall on Tuesday said that a monetary value cannot be placed on the benefits that will be derived therefrom.

The minister made the foregoing remarks in re sponse to a news item say ing that A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul has writ ten to the Commissioner of Information, Justice Charles Ramson, SC, seeking dis closure on the remuneration packages for the recently appointed commissioners of the MinisterCoI. Nandlall is con tending that while Mahipaul now wants to know the remu neration package, it was clear from the beginning that the Opposition was vehemently opposed to the CoI.

“So, they have been ob jecting. They said it will interfere with their petition; it will interfere with court cases, and they’re writing from all angles. Now they are bringing in the cost factor,” he said.The Attorney-General

made it abundantly clear that the CoI is an expensive undertaking, just like any other CoI which comprises the calibre of commission ers with which this one is staffed, along with other staff that will work along with the commissioners.“Suchanundertaking is necessary, and it is important, and a monetary value cannot be placed on the benefits that are going to be derived from

this initiative,” he said.

He noted that those who were part of the plot to rig the elections must be ex posed, so that the public will know who they are, and what appropriate actions can be democracymonthtranspiredeachalsotaken.TheAttorney-Generalindicatedthattherolespersonplayed,andwhatduringthefive-attempttosubvertmustbeenquired

into and placed on the per manent record of the country. This, he said, must be done so that future generations will be aware of these per sons and what they did.

The inquiry, he said, too, must act to prevent others from attempting similar actions that were witnessed during the March 2, 2020 general and regional elec tions, and the events that followed thereafter.

Anns Grove man kills self, son in failed bid to slay reputed wife as well

A MIDDLE-age Ann’s Grove woman narrowly escaped death in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday at the hands of

her abusive reputed hus band, who also vented his anger on their 21-year-old son while he was asleep, killing him in the process.

According to the police, 53-year-old Sharon Scott shared a long and tumultu ous relationship with her now deceased common-law

husband, Leon Bobb, 57, during the course of which, their son, Seon Bobb, who lived with them, often had to intervene.Other reliable sources confirmed this with the Guy

Word is that the pair had been having a number of arguments of late over her alleged infidelity, and that the suspect had even physi cally assaulted her on several occasions.According to the police, reports are that at about 02:30hrs, noise was heard

was around 01:00hrs. I didn’t know the number; I see the miss call, and the person call me back and say they got some problem at the back here with the mother. So I decide to walk, and I meet up with the mother, and she say the father chop up the son pon de

ana Chronicle, saying that there would often be heated spats between the couple, and that it was often left to Seon to make the

online,alsochopsnotshecomecurityaroundingacommunity,derwhoDistraughtpeace.neighbours,convergedonthemursceneintheclose-knitrecalledhearingruckusandscreamscomfromthecouple’shome01:00hrs.Oneofthem,whoisaseguard,saidshehadjusthomefromworkwhenheardloudscreams.Fromallaccounts,BobbonlydealtScottseveralaboutthebody,butdousedherwithgasoandattemptedtosetherfire.

coming from the couple’s residence, after which Scott was seen running up the road, drenched in blood, with Bobb, cutlass in hand, in hot pursuit and urging her to get back in the house.

As she ran, sources say, Scott could be heard shout ing, “Leon chop Seon!”

As word spread, the woman’s daughter and sonin-law reportedly rushed to her aid and took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The son-in-law, who asked not to be named, told this newspaper, “I really didn’t know what happen, until I get a phone-call; it

Thebed.”woman reportedly sustained a wound to the left side of her neck, one on her right hand, and burn marks about her body. She is cur rently a patient at the Burn Care Unit of the GPHC, where her condition is listed as stable, having suffered first degree burns.

Her assailant, meanwhile, was escorted by the police to the GPHC, where he died while receiving medical at tention. Their son, Seon, was pronounced dead on arrival at the same institution.

The bodies are presently at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting the mandatory post-mortem examination.

(Naomi Parris)

The house where both the murder

The assailant, Leon Bobb

53-year-old Sharon Scott, who is currently warded at the GPHC and listed as stable DECEASED: 21-yearold Seon Bobb

A unique cultural experience in a breathtaking ambience

The intention is for everything on the menu to be authentic; no artificial flavours, Marketing Manager Anna Goorsammy told Guyana Chronicle over the weekend. “Lazeez is an Urdu word that means delicious and the inspiration came from Mr. Ramnaresh Sarwan’s love for Thai food and the people’s love for Indian food; Lazeez Fusion was quickly turned into re ality.”

The restaurant opened in the Amazonia Mall with the follow

ing mission statement: “Where every ingredi ent tells a story; where your stomach rules your mind. The flavours will inspire you to listen

when your taste buds speak. It’s where culture blends. We’re not just a restaurant; we’re a cul tural experience.”Generallyopened

every day from noon to 11pm, the restaurant features foods that may be new to Guyanese but promises that eve rything will be scrump tious. “We encourage everyone that’s plan ning to dine with us to come with an opened mind. There are dish es that are known, but there are also dishes that will be new to some people since we took in spiration from all parts of India and Thailand. We wanted to introduce new items and expand the palate of people giv ing them something dif ferent but feelingeveryourourourriencewholegiveGoorsammyscrumptious,”offered.“Weaimtoeveryguesttheculturalexpewhetherit’sinfood,ourmusic,ambienceandevenservice.Wewantguesttoleaverefreshedand

come back knowing they’re in for a good time. Lazeez Fusion is the whole package, and we’d love for everyone to experience it,” she continued.While Indian food may be known for its spices and dis tinctive flavours, the restaurant recognises that not everyone’s pal ate is the same. “Their spice levels are not the same and some folks prefer vegetarian meals. Fortunately, we cater for all. Our menu has vegetarian options and upon request, items can possibly be made more or less spicy to accom modate the customer’s spice tolerance,” Goor sammy “Thairelated.food also has its own distinctive flavors which we are excited about because guests are now intro duced to something new

and flavourful. To top it off, on our menu re gardless of if you’re having Indian or Thai Food, we have a wine or drink item to pair really well with it,” she continued.As much as La zeez Fusion is new to the public, Goorsammy said it is also new to the management team and hence, they would greatly appreciate hon est feedback from the public. Guests can stay updated with the restau rant through its social media platforms.

“Lazeez Fusion has options: if guests would like to try items from our menu but aren’t able to dine in with us, there’s the take-out option. We also offer delivery services as well so that if they can’t come to us, then we’ll go to them,” Goorsammy informed.

LAZEEZ Fusion, an authentic Indian and Thai andspecialisewaysistskitcheninopenedrestaurant,cuisine-basedlastweekitsdoorshereGuyanawithateamthatcon-ofchefsallthefromIndiawhointheIndianThaiCuisine.

A view inside the newly opened restaurant

An authentic menu is promised with no artificial flavors

Coalition marginalised Baracara, loves community only for votes

- Agri. Ministry described claims that community did not receive flood relief assistance as bogus

the Ministry of Agriculture.

In addition, the ministry said 51 cash crop farmers received cash grants for flood relief.Farmers also received limestone, fertilisers and farming tools, along with vegetable seeds and seed lings. With regards to live stock, an additional 54 farm ers benefitted from relief grants ranging between $50,000 to $500,000.

Chickens and two replace ment Brahman Bulls.

“These were all delivered to the community. As a mat ter of fact, Baracara is the only community that benefit ted from both financial and biological assets in the form of replacement bulls follow ing the 2021 floods.

fallacious claims to be its ‘stronghold’,” the release said.The ministry is assuring farmers and citizens that the Government will continue to govern in the interest of all Guyanese.

THE Ministry of Agricul ture has condemned what it called “malicious” and “bogus”, claims by the APNU+AFC that farmers in Baracara did not receive assistance as part of the Government’s flood relief efforts.

“These claims are a fig ment of the imaginations of the wild men in the PNC/

APNU/AFC and are intended to play on ethnic sentiments -- a known tactic of the op position to foment strife and discord,” the ministry said in a statement.Theministry pointed out that following the floods, it deployed extension staff and regional officials to conduct several rounds of assess ments in all farming commu

nities in the country, which resulted in all affected farm ers, including those in Bara cara, who suffered losses as a result of the floods, benefit ting from the relief grants.

It noted that the records will show that both livestock and cash crop farmers from Baracara benefitted from the grant and their signatures are on the distribution records of

On August 11, 2022, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali visited Baracara and com mitted additional resources for farmers of that commu nity and others in the Berbice River, including clearing of farmlands, drainage and irrigation works, setting up a bee-keeping operation, farming tools, seeds and live stock, including Black Giant

“What we stated above was reported widely in the press and could be easily validated. However, we are not surprised the opposi tion chose to deliberately mislead the public on this matter in their deliberate bid to paint the People’s Progres sive Party/Civic in a nega tive light. The reality is, the APNU+AFC is embarrassed at the fact that, for five years, it failed to provide any sup port to Baracara and many other communities with its

“We will continue to equitably distribute the resources to every one. We, therefore, urge the people of Guyana to ignore the racist cam paign of the desperate and deflated opposition whose modus operandi is to create division and racial hostility among our people. Let us focus on the bright and prom ising future ahead as we work together in support of President Ali’s vision of a ‘One Guyana’,” the release said.

65 Edinburgh allottees move closer to homeownership after being shown their house lots

THE first batch of allottees in Phase One Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara (WCD), were, on Wednes day, shown their house lots as a fulfillment of a promise made recently by Minister of Housing and Water, Col lin Croal.

According to a press re lease from the ministry, some 65 persons were invited to identify their lot and bound ary lines by the staff of the survey department of the Central Housing and Plan ning Authority (CH&PA).

Those persons were al located lands in December 2020 at the first ever Dream Realised event in Region Three.Itwas sheer excitement for those allottees, who ex pressed gratitude and satis faction for finally being able to access their land.

A total of 410 lots have been allocated; however, during an inspection of works earlier this month, Minister Croal was informed of some challenges facing the con tractors. Consequently, there were delays in the progress of the Evenproject.as works are ongo

ing to make the remainder of the scheme available, the agency has committed to start identifying lots with allottees. By the end of September, allottees in Phases Two and Three will be able to access theirItland.was reported that the development of lands in the region will help to address the backlog of 14,000 ap plications currently awaiting allocation by CH&PA.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, had said that some 1,500 acres of land are being devel oped in the Stewartville-Cor nelia Ida Neighbour Demo cratic Council (NDC) alone.

“…1,500 acres of land would give us here and there, 7,000 new house lots,” Presi dent Ali had said, adding that the infrastructure costs, on average, to develop 1,500 acres of land was close to $10“…andbillion. this is not 10 years from now. These are projects that are in the im mediate pipeline, projects that have already started,” Dr. Ali Hesaid.added: “In the me dium term, if you have an occupancy of 50 per cent

in five to seven years, then convert 3,500 [50 per cent of 7,000] by an average of $7 million and you will see the volume of transaction[s] that we’re talking about just in thisAdditionally,locality.” under the government’s turn-key initia tive, some 200 housing units are expected to be construct ed in Anna Catherina and Meten-Meer-Zorg, targetting low and moderate-income earners.Further, under the In ter-American Development (IDB) funded Adequate Housing and Urban Acces sibility Programme, 25 core homes have been constructed for vulnerable families in Lust-en-Rust, Onderneeming, La Parfaite Harmonie, RechtDoor-Zee and Westminster. Those new developments, President Ali said, will be complemented by a $52 bil lion (US$260 million) new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

In May, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, had announced that, as the ministry’s 2022 al location drive continues, some 15,000 applicants will be served.

The first batch of allottees in Phase One Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara (WCD), were, on Wednesday, shown their house lots (Ministry of Housing and Water photos)

The ministry is assuring farmers and citizens that the Government will continue to govern in the interest of all Guyanese

$10.5M health incommissionedcentreWestBerbice

RESIDENTS of Num ber Seven Village and surrounding commu nities, along the West Coast of Berbice, wit nessed the commis sioning of a new $10.5 million health centre on Wednesday.

Local Government and Regional Develop ment Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, in his ad dress at the opening ceremony, said the gov ernment has honoured its commitment to the people.“When we took government, one of the things that we have been striving for is to make sure that our peo ple are well educated and even whilst they are educated, that they re ceive proper healthcare.

“Well, this was one of the clarion calls of people when we were campaigning, before we got into government, that the healthcare ser vices, especially at the regional level, that those services were not the best suited to rural people,” Minister Dhar amlall said.

He said the gov ernment has invested massive sums over the last two years to lift healthcare standards in Guyana.Inlight of that, Min ister Dharamlall en couraged residents to utilise the facilities and monitor their health to lead a healthy lifestyle.

“We have an integral role to play in ensuring that there is optimal delivery of everytothoseingservicesWeplehanceingthatservices…So,healthcarewehopethefacilityisgotoimproveandenthelivesofpeowithinthevillages.alsohopethatthethataregotobeprovided,thatservicesaregoingmeetyoupracticallyday,”hesaid.

Meanwhile, Region al Health Officer, Dr. Desmond Nicholson, said the new facility will eliminate the cost and lengthy travel to the other health facilities.

“So, before now, you may have had to visit the Cotton Tree health centre or the Woodley Park health centre to address the common health conditions such as diabetes, hyperten sion, asthma or even the immediate health condi tions that you may have. You no longer have to do that. Today, you’re doing it here. From this day, you’re doing it here at the Number 7 health centre,” Dr. Nicholson said.Member of Parlia ment, Faizal Jaffarally said too that healthcare delivery and health ser vices are important to the country’s growth and development. He noted that successive PPP/C governments have always ensured that all citizens benefit from the country’s re sources.Jaffarally related that this is a commitment of the government to ensure that the health care facilities are fully eq uipped to provide more than basic ser vices.Among the services to be made available to residents in West Berbice are antenatal and postnatal care, treatment of chronic illnesses, child health, and COVID-19 vac cination. The facil ity also has a doc tor’s office, pharmacy, dressing room, nurses’ room, triage, and vac cination room.

Regional Chair man of Region Five, Vickchand Ram phal; Regional Vice Chairman, Rion Pe ters, and Regional

Executive Officer, Genevieve Black man, also attended the opening ceremo ny. (DPI)

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, handing over the licence to one of the nurses of the health centre

FROM heart disease to can cer and diabetes, non-com municable diseases (NCDs) now outnumber infectious diseases as the “top killers globally,” the UN health agency said in a new report, released on Wednesday, with one person under 70 dying every two seconds from an NCD.The report and new data portal were launched on the sidelines of the 77th session of the General Assembly, at an event co-organised by the World Health Organiza tion (WHO) together with

Bloomberg Philanthropies. REPORT ASSETS

According to the WHO, NCDs constitute one of the greatest health and devel opment challenges of this century.Chief among them are cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke; cancer; and diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – as well as mental health illnesses.Together, they account for nearly three-quarters of deaths in the world, taking 41 million lives every year.

The report titled, “Invis ible numbers: The true extent of non-communicable dis eases and what to do about them,” highlights NCDs statistics to illustrate the true scale of the threats and risk factors they pose.

It also shows cost-effec tive and globally applica ble interventions that could lower those numbers and save lives and money.

“This report is a remind er of the true scale of the

threat posed by NCDs and their risk factors,” WHO Chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

COUNTRY-SPECIFICPORTAL

Sharing the latest coun try-specific data, risk factors and policy implementation for 194 countries, the NCD data portal brings the num bers in the report to life.

Moreover, it allows data exploration on cardiovas cular diseases, cancer, dia betes and chronic respira tory diseases along with their main drivers and risk factors,

spent.“It is a misconception” that they are “diseases of high-income countries,” WHO’s Director of Noncommunicable Diseases, Dr. Bente Mikkelsen said, add ing that a full 85 per cent of all premature deaths happen in low and middle-income countries.Atacritical juncture for public health, WHO said that the new information offers a chance to address the issue and recommends spending more on Investingprevention.$18billion a

which include tobacco, un healthy diet, and harmful use of alcohol and lack of physical activity.

The portal spotlights pat terns and trends throughout countries and allows com parison across nations and/or within geographical regions.

“There are cost-effec tive and globally applica ble NCD interventions that every country, no matter its income level, can and should be using and benefit ting from – saving lives and saving money,” Tedros said.

IMPORTANT TIMING

To date, only a handful of countries are on track to meet the 2030 Sustain able Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing early deaths from NCDs by a third.And yet, NCDs are at the heart of sustainable develop ment and their prevention and treatment are a prime opportunity for investment that would have myriad im pacts on economic growth, far outweighing the money

year across all low and mid dle-income countries could generate net economic ben efits of $2.7 trillion by 2030.

At the event in New York, the WHO chief called on global leaders to take ur gent action on NCDs and re newed the two-year appoint ment of Michael Bloomberg as WHO Global Ambassador for Non-communicable Dis eases and Injuries his third reappointment since 2016.

“As we continue to re spond to this pandemic and prepare for the next, we have seen the critical importance of addressing a major risk factor in COVID-19 hospi talizations and deaths – noncommunicable diseases,” Bloomberg said.

He maintained that they could often be pre vented with investment in “proven, WHO.rymentsmakeforwardinterventions”cost-effectiveandlookedtocontinuingto“life-savinginvestinNCDandinjuprevention”alongside UN health agency reports

Qatar Planning for FIFA World Cup fans to avoid prosecution for minor offences, Say sources

policeQatariandlimindevelopedtionnesssuchcommittingCupDOHA,(Reuters)-WorldfansinQatarcaughtminoroffencesaspublicdrunkenwillescapeprosecuunderplansbeingbyauthoritiestheconservativeMushostnation,adiplomatapersonfamiliarwithbriefingstoforeigntoldReuters.

While the policing strat egy for the competition, which kicks off in less than two months, has yet to be finalised, organisers have told diplomats and police from qualified countries they intend to show flexi bility for relatively minor infringements, the sources said..The signals reflect the delicate balance that Qa tar, a tiny Arab state where many follow the same pu ritanical school of Sunni Islam as in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, is trying to

strike between respecting religious traditions and ac commodating the raucous exuberance of more than a million visiting football fans.Qatar’s World Cup or ganisers, the Supreme Com mittee for Delivery and Legacy, did not respond to a request for comment.

”Increased leniency pleases the international community, but comes with the risk that it might upset conservatives inside the country,” another Western diplomatOrganiserssaid. have not pub licly clarified their approach to policing, and many em bassies have warned fans

they face punishment for behaviour that would be tolerated”Remember,elsewhere. while you’re in Qatar, you are subject to local laws,” U.S. diplomat Morgan Cassell said in a YouTube video.

According to Qatar’s legal code, freedom of expression is prosecutedofmentandtising,protests,leadingcanwearinglicbenignandsentenceennessisandhomosexualityrestricted,isillegalsexoutsidemarriageoutlawed.Publicdrunkcanincuraprisonofuptosixmonthssomethingsconsideredelsewherelikepubdisplaysofaffectionorrevealingclothesbegroundsforarrest.”Arguingwithorinsultothersinpubliccouldtoarrest.ActivitieslikereligiousproselyadvocacyofatheismcriticismofthegovernofQatarorthereligionIslammaybecriminallyhere.Thatap

plies to your social media posts, too,” Cassell said.

Police plan tougher action when the safety of people or property is under threat, World Cup organ isers told diplomats in a briefing a few months ago, several diplomats said.

Fans who commit such acts, like using flares or fire works which could cause damage, or being involved in a fight – even where there are no serious injuries – can expect to face fines and cancellation of their ’Hayya card’, the permit to enter Qatar and access stadiums, the source said.

the smallest nation to do so. With a population of less than 3 million people, it will host an influx of 1.2 million fans – an unprecedented challenge for the Gulf Arab state.To help the policing ef fort, organisers have invited each qualified country to send at least four police of ficers to be on the ground in Qatar during the World Cup, a source with knowledge of policing plans said.

They will be based at a Ministry of Interior com mand centre and around the capital Doha to advise their Qatari counterparts.

It was not clear whether fans who forfeit their Hayya card would be given a dead line to leave the country, or would be detained for

deportation.Security is just one chal lenge facing Qatar, the first Middle East country to host a football World Cup and

Hope, Smith and spinners orchestrate 12-run...

FROM BACK PAGE

to 166 all out in 19.5 overs.

The former Guyana Ama zon Warriors opener who set the tournament record a few seasons ago with his top score of 132 not out, was the star of the evening, decorating Provi dence with eight majestic fours and seven sixes.

It was a clinical exhibition of spin bowling by the Amazon Warriors trio of leggy Imran Tahir (2-17), left-armer Guda kesh Motie (2-36) and Shakib

al Hasan (1-30), who kept the Tallawahs under pressure throughout the match.

King was a one-man show, settling in nicely from the first ball as he looked to knock his old franchise out of the compe tition in Afterstyle.fellow opener Kennar Lewis (13) and Kirk Mckenzie (15) departed, King continued to play his strokes and dazzled the Guyanese crowd, whom he was all too familiar with.

The Warriors spinners in

Motie, Shakib and Tahir were extremely efficient and re warding for their side, follow ing the end of the first pow er-play. King’s presence offset the failures of his teammates, reaching another half-century.

The final stages of the game hung in the balance for King, who smashed his way to another CPL century, but failed to take his team home after being run-out after attempting to score yet again off Motie.

K ing’s departure was the

final nail in the coffin for Jamai ca Tallawahs, who eventually came up short in the end, despite almost pulling off a daring heist.

Earlier, Hope showed his touch of class at the num ber three, stroking a fancy half-century off 45 but failed to get the necessary support needed by the time Nabi bagged his first wicket of the season, disturbing the stumps of theHope’sright-hander.departure saw a brief chain of collapse, as wickets fell in a cluster, thanks to some clinical efforts by Nabi and Green, who set the tone earlier with key strikes.

Guyana at one point looked like they may have struggled to reach 130, but af ter the breathtaking lower-or

der half-century partnership off just 27 balls between Smith and Paul, turned things around tremendously.Smithlatched onto any thing short and wide, most of which was offered up by Preterious, who was clobbered for five sixes in an over by the burly all-rounder, who single-handedly revived the hopes of his team and the ruckus crowd.

So severe was the damage, Warriors raced to 50 runs from just 11 deliveries, stunning the Tallawahs with a wide array of shots around Providence.

Paul then got into his zone, destroying arguably the best international pacer on show this year in Amir in the 18th over, matching

his partner with a flurry of blows some of which sailed over the ropes, into a sea of Warriors fans.

A six then ended the first innings, but not before a nightmare of a last over from Powell, arguably one of the worst in CPL history yield ed 19 runs, including four wide, a six off his free-hit no-ball and a the big wicket of Smith, as a consolation.

Today’s action con tinues with St. Kitts And Nevis Patriots battling the Trinbago Knight Riders in the opening round at 10:00 hours at Providence, to be followed by Amazon Warriors in action at 19.00 hours in the second match against Saint Lucia kings.

”They will police it as they see fit…Our job is to say ’This is how we think you should deal with our fans because that’s what gets the best results’,” said Mark Roberts, Chief Constable of the Cheshire police and the UK’s polic ing lead on football hrs All Go 14:45 hrs Janus 15:15 hrs City Vaults

Irish Racing Tips

08:25Listowelhrs Simpson’s Par

09:00adox hrs Soilse 09:35 hrs Native Queen

10:10 hrs Angel Girl 10:45 hrs Sir Allen 11:20 hrs Flying Dolphin 11:55 hrs White Caviar

September 1, 2022 General view inside the stadium ahead of the World Cup REUTERS/ Mohammed Dabbous

Harmanpreet Kaur hits masterful century to lead India to ODI series win

HARMANPREET Kaur hit a sublime 143 not out from 111 balls to guide India to an 88-run victory over England Women in the second one-day international in Canterbury.

After being put in to bat, India scored an im posing 333-5, the highest total England have ever conceded in a home ODI.

Captain Harmanpreet struck 18 fours and four sixes in her innings, sup ported by Harleen Deol's 58.

Renuka Singh Thakur then starred with the ball, taking 4-57 as England were bowled out for 245 in another 16ofovermissal167-4,Jonesperformance.disappointingDanniWyattandAmysteeredEnglandtobeforeWyatt'sdisfor65inthe30thsparkedacollapsefourwicketsforjustruns.

The win takes India to an unassailable 2-0 lead, securing their first ODI series win in England sinceAgain1999.England strug gled in the absence of key senior players, with Katherine Brunt resting, captain Heather Knight injured and Nat Sciver taking a break for her mental health.

The inexperience of England's bowling at tack was stark, and India capitalised. The bowling figures of Freya Kemp and Lauren Bell were En gland's two most expen sive of all-time - Kemp 1-82 and Bell taking 1-79, and as a team they bowled 21 wides.Theseries continues with the third and final ODI at Lord's on Satur day.The impact of inju ries and absences on En gland's bowling attack has

been well-documented, with Tash Farrant's back injury also causing further selection headaches.

But at Canterbury it all unravelled.Kemphad an ODI de but to forget, while Bell also struggled for the consistency that England have been craving.

The experienced duo of Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone also went at more than six runs an over, but spinner Charlie Dean held her nerve bril liantly with 1-39.

There are several selection dilemmas for whoever replaces Lisa Keightley as head coach at the end of this series, but particularly in the bowling department: the three highest ODI totals England have ever con ceded have all come in 2022.There were question able tactics from Amy

Jones, who has unexpect edly found herself leading the side in the absence of Knight and Sciver. But the move to stick with her five bowlers cost En gland, bowling them 10 overs each, despite Bell and Kemp in particular being carted around the ground by Harmanpreet andPart-timeDeol. spinners Al ice Capsey and Emma Lamb did not bowl a sin gle over between them.

It is a young, inexpe rienced bowling attack in transition from the retire ment of Anya Shrubsole and one which is prepar ing for Brunt's retirement, but they looked lost and lacked leadership when faced with Harmanpreet at her brutal, brilliant best.

HARMANPREET'SCLASSPUNISHESENGLAND

Recently, India have shown an over-reliance

on their opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana.Butwhen India slipped to 99-3, Harman preet played a masterful, chanceless innings, ac cumulating patiently to reach her 50 from 64 balls before capitalising on En gland's wayward bowling to reach her century at a run a Sheball.then smashed her last 43 runs from just 11 balls, and finished unbeat en to take her average as captain to a remarkable 116.2.Itwas a destructive

masterclass of white-ball batting, but England's tac tics played right into her hands.As Jones persisted with the same bowlers, the pace became predict able as she scored all around the ground with impeccable timing, and the occasional glimpse of flair with two stunning sixes carved over extra cover.

Even the world's best bowler Ecclestone had no answer, and England slumped to their fifth defeat in seven matches.

(BBC Sport)

Surrey edge closer to county title as Yorkshire struggle

SURREY took a step closer to winning their second County Champi onship title in five years after forcing Yorkshire to follow-on at The Oval.

The hosts' relentless seam attack bowled York shire out for 179 and when they batted again, 154 runs behind, they quickly lost Finlay Bean in the fourth over.Adam

Lyth and George Hill put their heads down to take the score to 78 before Jamie Overton en tered the attack and found some extra bounce to find Hill's edge with his fifth ball.When bad light stopped play Yorkshire were 89 for two, 65 behind, with Lyth unbeaten on 36.

There is still work for Surrey to do, but they are in a strong position with two days to go.

After picking up six bonus points they now hold an 11-point advantage at the top and if they wrap up victory, Hampshire would need to beat Kent to take the title race to the

last round of matches next week, when Surrey visit Lancashire and Hampshire are away to Warwickshire.

On a fast-moving day in which 16 wickets fell, Surrey's last four went down for 40 runs as they were dismissed for 333.

Jordan Clark, on 55, played on to Ben Mike

in the first over of the day and Surrey were in danger of not collecting a third bonus point when Hill pinned Overton with an in-swinger and bowled Kemar Roach through the gate.But Worrall thrashed 23 including two sixes as Surrey set a new club record by passing 300 in the first innings for the 15th consecutive firstclassTheirmatch.bowlers then got to work. Worrall and Roach could easily have picked up two or three wickets apiece during out standing spells of swing bowling with the new ball. Having Lyth caught at fourth slip was the least Roach deserved, but the

tone had been set and there was no let-up when the West Indian and Worrall came off.

In his second over Tom Lawes, 19, went around the wicket and plucked out Bean's off-stump and after lunch found the thinnest of edges to remove Hill, who made a battling 28.

Worrall was final ly rewarded during his second spell when Will Fraine edged another away-swinger to second slip.There was a recovery by Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jonny Tattersall, who added 72 in contrasting styles in 17 Kohler-Cadmoreovers. went on the attack, hitting Roach for a spectacular

six over long-on and nine fours in his 55, but when he was caught behind aim ing another big drive it was the first of three wick ets in seven balls.

Dom Bess played on to Clark, who then had Jor dan Thompson caught be hind with a beauty which held its line and although Tattersall, with 45 not out, stood firm, the tail offered little resistance.

Lawes bowled Ben Coad and finished with career-best figures of 4-31, Cameron Steel's googly foxed Mike and Overton wrapped up the innings when Steve Pat terson edged to second slip with Yorkshire four short of avoiding the fol low-on. (BBC Sport)

Harmanpreet Kaur walks back after scoring an unbeaten 143 (Getty Images)

Tom Lawes finished with career-best figures of 4-31 for Surrey

THE final of the ongoing ICC World Test Champi onship will be held at The Oval in June 2023, while Lord's will stage the final of the next edition, in 2025, the ICC announced yes terday.

While the dates for the 2023 WTC final have not yet been confirmed, ESPNcricin fo has learned that it will be held before the Ashes, which starts on June 16 in Birming ham.This will make it three WTC finals in a row to be played in England, with the first one, in 2021, being held at Southampton's Ageas Bowl.New Zealand beat In dia to win the trophy then. On that occasion, the final was originally scheduled for Lord's, but the Ageas Bowl's

on-site hospitality arrange ments made it the top choice because of the COVID-19 situation at the time.

The WTC final is contest ed by the top two teams on

CAPE TOWN, South Af rica (CMC) – Five West Indians were picked when a total of 314 players went under the hammer in the inaugural South Africa T20 League (SA20) auc tion, bringing to nine the number of Caribbean cricketers chosen for the January-February 2023 tournament.

Antiguan fast bowler

Alzarri Joseph was the most expensive buy of the five, sold to Johannesburg Su per Kings for R2.1 million (US$118,353). The fran chise had signed all-round er Romario Shepherd be fore Monday’s auction here.

Alzarri Joseph was the most expensive West Indian buy in the SA20 auction.

Jamaican all-rounder Odean Smith was the only West Indian acquired by MI Cape Town. He went for R1.7 million (US$95,810) in theAll-rounderauction. Keemo Paul of Guyana and St Lu cian wasbowlerVincentian(US$9,862)atSimmonds(US$23,952),(US$47,905)wereGiants.MayersanspreviouslyJohnsonwicketkeeper/batterCharleswilljoindraftedBarbadiJasonHolderandKyleatDurbanSuperPaulandCharlesboughtforR850,000andR425,000respectively.BarbadianpacerRamonwasacquiredapriceofR175,000andwilljoinleft-armfastObedMcCoy,whoselectedbeforethe

the table at the end of each cycle - Australia lead the table in the ongoing cycle, followed by South Africa; Sri Lanka are third, with India and Pakistan behind them.

There are still some match es left in this cycle, so the standings could well change by the time the finalists are decided.Infact, South Africa were

leading the table for a while, but a 2-1 series loss in En gland last month has pushed them down. They have two series remaining in this cy cle - against Australia (away) and West Indies (at home).

They face tough compe tition from India, who also have two Test series remain ing in this cycle - against Bangladesh (away) and Aus tralia (at home). Australia have nine more Tests in this cycle, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka, too, have a shot at making the top two.

"We are delighted to be hosting next year's ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval which has such a rich legacy and an amazing atmosphere, which is ideal for such an import ant fixture on the calendar," ICC chief executive Geoff

Allardice said in a statement. "Following that we will then take the 2025 Final to Lord's which will provide a fitting backdrop to the ultimate Test."

TRUNCATED IPL 2023 FOR ENGLAND, AUS TRALIA PLAYERS?

England have released their home schedule for next summer. It starts with a oneoff Test against Ireland on June 1. The Ashes are then scheduled to begin from June 16 in Birmingham. And that could mean some England and even Australia players might leave the IPL early.

While the dates for IPL 2023 have not been released yet, last year the tourna ment stretched till the last week of May, and the 2023 edition is expected to be longer. (Cricinfo)

auction, at the Paarl Royals.

There will be no West Indians turning out for the Pretoria Capitals or Sunris ers Eastern Cape.

Among the West In dies players on the auction list who went unsold were Carlos Brathwaite, Ros ton Chase, Brandon King, Jayden Seales, Lendl Sim mons, Hayden Walsh Jr and Shai

EachHope.of the six fran chises, owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners, was allowed to sign a maximum of five players – three interna tional, one South African national, and one uncapped local player – in a pre-auc tion

Overall,draft. they could sign seven overseas players and 10 South Africans in their 17-man squads, but only four foreign players are allowed in the Playing XI.

The SA20 League is only the second major T20 franchise tournament, after the IPL, to hold an auction system for player signings.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – All-rounder Chi nelle Henry is confident West Indies Women can pull out a win and level the CG United One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand here today, following their fiverun loss in the first match.

And she says key to that will be the middle order.

“We started off well with the bat, but I think for us now it’s about get ting through those middle overs better where the spin ners come on,” said Hen ry whose 83-run partner ship with Kyshona Knight helped rebuild the West Indies innings in Monday’s first match after Stafanie Taylor, captain Hayley Mat thews and Shabika Gajnabi fell in the middle overs.

Noting that the Carib bean side lost some quick wickets in the middle, she stressed that was where the improvement has to come.

“As a batting unit we need to rotate those middle overs a little bit better, pick up some more singles, of course.“Ithink once we can dominate those middle overs as a batting team, we will be scoring 230-plus runs for the remainder of

the two games. And I think going out there, the fight that we showed as a team, as a bowling unit, if we keep doing that going for ward then there’s no doubt we will level the series and then of course go on to win the series,” said the right-handed batter at a vir tual press conference ahead of Wednesday’s game.

On Monday, in a match reduced to 35 overs per side due to wet conditions at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadi um, West Indies batted first and posted 168 for 7. How ever, when bad light ended play abruptly, the visitors were 159 for five off 33 overs – five runs ahead Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.on

In that game, Henry scored 44 runs, including four fours, off 34 balls and also took one wicket.

She said her aim is to put in a performance like that each time she takes up the bat.

“As an all-rounder in this team now, an estab lished all-rounder bat ting at number seven, if I could get 30-plus runs every match con sistently (and), being the opening bowler, getting wickets consistently for this team, then I think personally that will help my cricket stats and also help the team’s perfor mance going forward,” Henry said.

The tournament will see franchises play each other twice, followed by two semifinals and the final. There will be a total of 33 matches. finals

New Zealand are the defending WTC champions (AFP/ Getty Images)

Alzarri Joseph was the most expensive West Indian buy in the SA20 auction

GFF president leads outreach to Upper Demerara Football Association

… hands out football equipment and met with UDFA officials

GUYANA Football Fed eration (GFF) president Wayne Forde concluded a successful visit to the Upper Demerara Football Associa tion (UDFA) last weekend, handing out football equip ment and meeting with UDFA officials and clubs as part of the federation’s official regional outreach programme.

The president’s outreach initiative is designed to op timise information exchange between the GFF Council and administration and GFF members, while enabling the president to experience first-

hand the unique challenges and successes of stakeholders in each of the GFF’s nine regional“Thisassociations.outreach pro gramme is part of our good governance strategy and is an essential part of our work to develop football for all across Guyana, while ensuring our members have the tools and resources they need to deliver on their individual, as well as our collective, goals,” presi dent Forde said.

“The GFF is a united community of football – from our administration to clubs and regional associations –

and it’s vital that we do ev erything we can to maintain excellent relationships within this community to continue building a strong foundation for the future of the game,” Forde added.

During his visit, Forde met with the UDFA Execu tive Committee, the General Council and other stakehold ers, competed in a “masters” football match, and kicked off the UDFA leg of the

GFF/NAMILCO Thunder bolt ‘Flour Power’ National Under-17 Intra-Association League.Healso distributed foot balls to senior men’s teams in the region.

“There are so many un sung heroes working behind the scenes in football across Guyana,” Forde explained.

“It was, therefore, a mat ter of personal importance for me to thank the club execu tives for their service to the beautiful game, and to assure them that the GFF stands ready to support them with the equipment, technical and other support that they need.”

“With that in mind,” Forde continued, “I em phasised the importance of strong club governance and structures, and underlined how the GFF Club Charter Programme and GFF Mem bers Financial Assistance Programme can help them improve standards and accelerate the development of their clubs and their onfield and off-field talent.”

(GFF)

Barbados Royals continue winning ways

THE Barbados Royals secured their eighth win of the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season with a 36-run win over St Kitts & Nevis Patri ots at Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.

St Kitts & Nevis Pa triots won the toss and chose to field first, with the Royals getting off to a subdued start, reach ing 55-2 after 10 overs before a superb 102run partnership between Azam Khan and Harry

Tector propelled them to 156-3 after 20 overs.

In their chase, Patri ots got off to a confident start with Andre Fletcher and Evin Lewis building a platform, but faltered as the wickets tumbled in the final five overs to leave them 120 all out after 20 overs, losing by 36 Barbadosruns. Royals, who have already se cured a place in next week’s play-offs, got off to a very cautious start in their innings, losing openers Rahkeem Corn

wall and captain Kyle Mayers in the first eight overs.Sheldon Cottrell, who is returning to the Patri ots side, led by example in the early overs with a disciplined performance.

Yet Khan and Tector revived the Royals in nings with some fantastic shot-making that helped reap 95 runs in the final eight overs to take the Royals to 156-3.

St Kitts & Nevis Pa triots had got off to a positive start, Fletcher and Lewis navigating

their way through the power-play, before Mu jeeb ur Rahman took bothThewickets.Patriots never found consistency after that, losing seven wick ets in the final five overs of the game, as Mujeeb found support from Ny eem Young, who also took three wickets.

The win means Bar bados Royals continue their excellent form this season while the Patriots are outside the play-off spots with one game left to play.

Afghan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman was magical yet again for his team, claiming 3 for 14 from his 4 overs

GFF president Wayne Forde (fourth left) distributed balls to UDFA Clubs

Presidents Forde and Bethune doing the official kick-off

Hope, Smith and spinners orchestrate 12-run win for Amazon Warriors

- Brandon King hits 104 in losing effort

By Clifton Ross at Providence

OPENER Brandon King smashed a splen did century in vain, as the Guyana Amazon Warriors held their nerves to secure their first win at home by 12-runs, following an epic showdown last night against the Jamaica Tallawahs at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The home team looked almost out of the tournament after a shaky start, batting first in their must-win quest to secure 4 out of 4 wins on home soil, something they did on the backs of thousands of raving fans as they now focus

on tonight’s game versus the St Lucia Kings at 19:00 hours.

It was a spirited fightback by the Warriors that was a true testament to their talent on paper, turning a bad situation of 98-7 in the 16th over following a disastrous start, to end on 178-8 after their 20 overs expired. Shai Hope led the way with a speedy 60 off 45 (3x4,The3x6).real hero, was player of the match Odean Smith who smashed a 16-ball 42 with five thumping sixes and grabbed two wickets, lighting up Providence and a dismal crowd who sunk to silence after the top-order collapse.Local boy, all-rounder Keemo Paul

chipped in with 24 off 12, including two fours and as many sixes, adding a whopping 74 runs for the 8th wicket with Smith, reminding the crowd of his prowess as a pinch-hitter. Seasoned T20 all-rounder, Afghanistan’s Mohammed Nabi, playing his first match for the Tallawahs this season, snapped up 3-12, while former Warriors skipper Chris Green, dug into his old team with the new ball, bag gingWith2-24.a huge target staring them in the face, the Tallawahs misfired throughout their innings with the exception of King, who almost stole the match but nevertheless stole the show with his knock of 104 off 66 balls, taking his team TURN TO PAGE 20

‘Reds’ Perreira heaps praise on government for negotiating CPL playoffs

staging of the playoffs and final in Guyana.

According to Perreira, “Such a tournament is expected to benefit the Guyana economy a great deal and help to promote tourism.”Thetext of Perreira’s release

is expected to benefit the Guyana economy a great deal; help to promote tour ism and with the expected new hotels and properties to be built in 2023, a larger number of overseas cricket followers can become a reality next year.

the role it has played in negotiating

“Withreads:the final week of the 2022 CPL about to begin in Guyana, it will be remiss of me not to record my congratulations to the Government of Guyana for negotiating a three-year agreement with the CPL authorities until 2024.

“Such a tournament

“When the Government of Guyana completed the deal with the CPL offi cials there was no automat ic guarantee that Guyana would be in the finals of the 2022 event and although they have a mathematical chance of making it to the semi-finals, the Guyanese public must understand the

wider reason the govern ment of Guyana is hosting this event for the next three years.“It’s important that Guyanese cricket-lovers and all those who support the Guyana Amazon War riors (GAW) franchise must see themselves being part of the host country and welcome which ever final four make the playoff with all the warmth and appre ciation, which will reflect in a positive way on the Guyanese

since it attained Test status in 1928. A Board Secretary and a CEO, and a number of world class players pro vided the Caribbean side with many captains and as early as 1950/51 produced a writer/commentator Ernest Eytle who covered the 1950 WI tour of England and that of Australia in 1951.

“My congratulations again to the Government of Guyana and hope that the confidence of hosting the event until 2024 will also lead to the further improvement of cricket throughout the coun try.”

RENOWNED

Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira

The Guyana Amazon Warriors fans were ballistic throughout the entire night in support of their team

Opener Brandon King stroked a classy century for the Tallawahs under lights at Providence last night

A blistering partnership of 74 from 27 balls between Odean Smith and Keemo Paul guided the Amazon Warriors to an impressive total of 178