Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 25-02-2023

Defence diplomacy paramount in Guyana’s foreign policy

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that the government is working on promoting defence diplomacy as a key feature in Guyana’s foreign policy.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who addressed newly promoted ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), at State House on Friday, said that as Guyana

continues to progress, new strategies will be pursued.

He called defence diplomacy one of the “most critical links between our foreign policy, our defence mechanism and our development strategy.”

“We are now going to embark on having defence diplomacy as a key feature of our for-

eign policy and a key feature of our national architecture,” Dr. Ali said.

Another important strategy the government is pursuing in its development agenda is to prepare members of the GDF for continued contribution to the development of the country.

He posited that it is the training and

experience of the GDF that will be converted into an “additional knowledge set” to position the force to produce men and women to be a part of the country’s defence diplomacy.

(Office of the President photo)

Trade between Guyana, India climbs by 300 per cent

--from 2021-2022 despite COVID-19 pandemic effects

BILATERAL trade between Guyana and India has witnessed a growth of over 300 per cent from 2021-2022 despite the effects of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, according to the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu.

She made those remarks during an engagement with Vice-President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo at Rashtrapati Bhavan, on Friday.

According to a press release from the Indian authorities, President Murmu said that India attaches very high importance to its relations with Guyana.

“Guyana has been a homeland to Indian brothers and sisters for the last 180 years. Even though India and Guyana are separated geographically by a large distance, both have many aspects in common, such as a colonial past, predominantly agricultural and rural based economies, and multicultural societies,” she related.

And despite the increase

in trade, President Murmu stressed the need to further diversify bilateral trade.

The President said that development partnership is a major pillar of India-Guyana

relations. She was happy to note that more than 640 Guyanese government officials have

been trained under the country’s ITEC programme so far.

President Murmu expressed confidence that Dr. Jagdeo’s visit would further deepen historical bonds of friendship between India and Guyana.

The visit by Guyana’s Vice-President follows that of President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali back in January as the Chief Guest of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

President Ali, during his visit in January, had said: “I am very confident that within the next three to four months, you will see a massive expansion of the Indian investment footprint in Guyana and a massive expansion in the collaboration between Indian companies and Guyanese companies building consortiums and building partnerships.”

According to President Ali, those partnerships will be seen in various areas such as the agro-processing sector, oiland-gas sector, manufacturing, human-resource development

and the transfer of technology, among other things.

To this end, he added that he sees the relationship between Guyana and India as one that will expand in a massive way, as transformation is already taking place in Guyana.

Guyana’s position is strengthened by revenues from oil and gas, and the government intends to use those resources to build a strong, sustainable and resilient economy for 2030 and beyond, that can withstand shocks and even stand on many different pillars.

Further, the Head of State said that Guyana has to use its natural competitive advantages such as the rich natural resources which include freshwater, arable lands and more.

“What we want to do is position Guyana as a major energy provider, as a major food provider, building a food-production system, becoming a strong supplier of food in the region,” Dr. Ali said.

Vice-President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo engages India’s President, Smt Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on Friday

Defence diplomacy paramount in Guyana’s foreign policy --President Ali says

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan

Ali has said that the government is working on promoting defence diplomacy as a key feature in Guyana’s foreign policy.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who addressed newly promoted ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), at State House on Friday, said that as Guyana continues to progress, new strategies will be pursued.

He called defence diplomacy one of the “most critical links between our foreign policy, our defence mechanism and our development strategy.”

“We are now going to embark on having defence diplomacy as a key feature of our foreign policy and a key feature of our national architecture,” Dr. Ali said.

Another important strategy the government is pursuing in its development agenda is to prepare members of the GDF for continued contribution to the development of the country.

He posited that it is the

training and experience of the GDF that will be converted into an “additional knowledge set” to position the force to produce men and women to be a part of the country’s defence diplomacy.

“So, as you embark on this journey, know that we are going to call upon you to contribute in a more significant way,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State also thanked the Chief of Staff,

Brigadier Godfrey Bess for his “very strong commitment” over the last two years in transforming the GDF and integrating it into the country’s development plan.

This, the President said,

has helped to bolster and improve the standing of the military in Guyana.

“There is greater respect. There is greater honour shown to military officers because you’re delivering a

lot more positive development and contributions in communities themselves, and this is not going unnoticed,” Dr. Ali said.

Guyana’s increasing international presence and partnerships, he reasoned, gives the GDF the opportunity to “shine” and stand out.

“There are many regional institutions that are asking me for officers by name, because of courses you would have attended and the way you conducted yourself and the way you presented yourself,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State implored the ranks not to take the massive exposure and training opportunities that the GDF, and by extension the Government, is providing, for granted.

Dr. Ali said: “Stay true to your oath of office. Stay true to professionalism. Stay true to the rule of law. Stay true to democracy and trust me, once you stay true to those principles, nothing can ever block you and your future from being better.”

$56.8B in contracts awarded for Silica City, other major projects

By Tamica Garnett

SOME 126 contracts totalling over $56.8 billion were signed between several contractors and the Ministry of Housing and Water (MoHW)’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Friday.

The contracts cater for works under the CH&PA’s 2023 work programme, and include infrastructural developments on roads, culverts, bridges, wells, and electrical installation across Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Signing the contracts on behalf of the CH&PA was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sherwyn Greaves.

Of the total sum, $21.78 billion in works will be carried out in Region Four in communities such as Hope, Le Ressouvenir, Success, Good Hope, Great Diamond, and Golden Grove, while $15.47 billion in

works are scheduled for Region Three at MetenMeer-Zorg, Stewartville, and Leonora.

Region Six communities will benefit from $9.4 billion in works, while $3.31 billion in contracts were signed for Region Five, and $1.08 billion for new houses at Bartica, in Region Seven.

In Region 10, works valued $2.1 billion are scheduled for Silica City, which will begin occupancy by 2025.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, during his address to contractors, acknowledged that the volume of contracts being signed represents a clear demonstration of the government meeting critical needs of citizens, especially regarding the provision of access to adequate housing at subsidised costs.

“While this is a simple activity, it is very significant to what is going to take place in Guyana; very

significant to the transfor-

mation that will take place in the housing sector. The success of the government intervention in the housing sector is one of the key pillars to the overall development of our country,” Minister Croal said.

He, therefore, called on contractors to ensure they stick to the timeframes of their respective projects, as any delays could be severe, given the important nature of the infrastructural works.

Minister Croal, however, told the contractors that he will have an opendoor policy to listen to any contractor who encounters issues during the execution of their works.

“If you are finding that you are not able to move

forward on the implementation of the project, you need to let us know immediately. Your first line of communication when you have issues is the Clerk of Works, then Project Engineers. And then you have hierarchy of the Project Department.

“Should you be confronted with issues, and you don’t see them being addressed, my office is open for you to raise your concerns,” Minister Croal said.

The minister reminded contractors that with the massive infrastructural drive going on across the country, opportunities abound for persons who are delivering their works in a timely manner, and at a good quality.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that the government is working on promoting defence diplomacy as a key feature in Guyana’s foreign policy

Some 126 contracts totalling over $56.8 billion were signed between several contractors and the Ministry of Housing and Water (MoHW)’s CH&PA (Delano Williams photo)

Food makers, feeling squeezed, pull the plug on slow-selling products

MAJOR consumer companies including Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) and Conagra Brands Inc (CAG.N) are culling product lines to combat sky-high costs and falling consumer demand, their executives said this week.

Many companies started slimming their offerings during the pandemic and are aggressively renewing those efforts, eliminating less-popular items to focus on products on which they can more easily raise prices amid prolonged inflation on food items.

Executives at Nestle SA (NESN.S) and Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) said they have seen billions in savings after ditching the laggards in their product portfolios.

Conagra recently discontinued a Marie Callender’s chocolate chip cookie dough cream pie to make room for what the U.S. food company hopes will be a faster-selling no sugar added apple pie.

“No one will have a perfect batting average,” said Chief

Executive Sean Connolly in an interview. “The key is to have more winners than losers.”

Eliminating less popular products is part of a “decomplexity program” underway at Kraft Heinz, its executives said at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference this week. It recently discontinued Heinz Real Mayonnaise.

Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O) CEO Dirk Van de Put told Wall Street analysts at the conference that the Oreo maker had clear rules on replacing old products with new ones - “one in, one out.”

Martin Renaud, a top marketing executive at Mondelez, told Reuters the chocolate manufacturer has “too many flavours.”

“We sometimes have the tendency to launch a lot of things because they are exciting but we need to be very rigorous,” Renaud said. As Mondelez adds products with different price points, it adds complexity, he added. “I am a big advocate of simplicity.”

Companies cull product offerings to make room for new iterations of their most popular items, such as smaller-sized

versions for dollar stores or larger ones for warehouse chains like Costco (COST.O), said Justin Cook, U.S. consumer products research leader at Deloitte. Cash-strapped shoppers are more frequently looking for bargains at both types of retailers.

“It’s more expensive to make a lower-volume product,” Cook said. “If it’s not a high-performing item that people absolutely have to have, companies feel it’s harder to raise price.”

Nestle said cutting products saved 1 billion Swiss francs last year ($1.06 billion), while Unilever said the practice saved $2 billion.

Retailers are also demanding new, fast-selling products to enhance their own faltering sales. Products most likely to get the boot are those with niche or limited popularity.

Heinz Real Mayonnaise has a small share of the global market, according to the research firm Euromonitor.

For some consumers, such cuts can be jarring.

Vinh Banh said in an email he has long used Heinz Real Mayonnaise for sandwiches and deviled eggs. He was disappointed to discover this month that Kraft had killed the product, which it launched in 2018. Banh, 34, from Garland, Texas, said he is on the hunt for any remaining jars he can find.

Kellogg Co (K.N) ditched its line of Special K protein shakes and Nestle axed Lean Cuisine paninis, frozen Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon and Sweet Earth Vegan Hot Dogs, spokespeople for the companies confirmed.

‘PREPPING FOR A SLOWDOWN’

In some cases, suppliers are bowing to retailer plans to reduce inventory, hoping that cutting product lines will make stores more efficient and less costly to run and stock.

Walmart told Reuters it was seeking more data from suppliers to justify pricing and pushing for more creative ways to defray costs and cushion price hikes to consumers.

“We recognize that price concerns are more elevated at this point in time, but that’s where we can lean in and have data driven negotiations with our suppliers,” Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said.

“I have seen a lot of reduction in inventory purchases this year,” Kelly Pedersen, a partner at PwC, said at the National Retail Federation conference in January. “Everyone is prepping for a slowdown.”

Unilever, which makes Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s, is slimming the variety of ice cream it sells, finance Chief Graeme Pitkethly said this month on an earnings call.

The company has for over two years used artificial intelligence in its ‘Polaris’ program to help manage its assortment. It credited Polaris as it cut its variety of products by about 20%.

Unilever also trimmed about 5,000 types of products in the personal care category.

Food makers tend to cull products without much fanfare. At the consumer products conference they highlighted new offerings, many of them increasingly popular handheld foods that people can eat while scrolling on phones.

That does not mean consumers don’t notice when a beloved item disappears from the shelf. John Finn, 35, runs a Twitter page called “Discontinued Foods” with over 23,000 followers.

“You’d be shocked by the loyalty and personal connections people have to food products,” he said. (Reuters)

T&T warns of ‘a tsunami of post-carnival infections’

–– after PM Rowley tests ‘COVID-positive’ a 4th time

WITH Prime Minister

Dr. Keith Rowley testing COVID-19-positive for a fourth time, doctors have warned that there are lessons to be learnt for the nation, as a “tsunami” of infections will come post-Carnival.

The Office of the Prime Minister revealed Thursday that Rowley, 73, tested positive for the virus that morning after experiencing mild flu-like symptoms on Wednesday night.

The release stated that Rowley “will remain in isolation, in keeping with the current COVID-19 protocols. He will continue working from his office at the Prime Minister’s residence. He is scheduled to lead the weekly Cabinet meeting, and is expected to attend Parliament, virtually, where he will answer Prime Minister’s questions”.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister told the Express that he opted to not play mas this year, out of an abundance of caution, having contracted the COVID-19 virus three times previously.

“For me, personally, I have decided to follow my own advice and stay away from the large crowds and mixing too closely with strangers. I have had ‘COVID’ three times, and I do have my own health cautions to avoid a fourth dose...,” he said.

However, the Prime Minister did also disclose that he attended some Carnival events, including the Bishops fête, Brian Lara’s fête, a brief appearance at the mayor’s box to celebrate with San Fernando at the new Skinner Park for Calypso Fiesta, as well as the Grandstand for Panorama finals.

Is getting re-infected with COVID-19 up to three and four times a usual occurrence? The Express reached out to some doctors for their opinions.

According to Dr. Aroon Naraynsingh, medical director of Medical Associates, re-infections are normal, and Trinidad and Tobago is already seeing a surge of re-infections, but the numbers are not recorded, as people are not getting tested.

“It (re-infection) is quite common now; as a matter of fact, I had a few of my workers who have been re-infected more than once, and they are fully vaccinated. There are a lot of people now, for this Carnival, who have been infected and re-infected. There is a surge already, but people not coming out. I know a batch of people who were in a band; all of them were infected.”

Naraynsingh said because of the surge in cases, Medical Associates has received requests to manage some gravely ill COVID-19 patients.

During the height of the pandemic, the hospital had a special ‘COVID’ ward, which was later disbanded as the infection rate fell.

He said many people who have fallen ill tend to stay at home, not get tested, and self-treat as the symptoms are that of the flu. He said the younger persons should isolate from the elderly in their homes.

Naraynsingh said the Health Ministry should re-implement its COVID-19 management systems, and encourage people to get tested, and do not self-medicate at home when gravely ill, especially if experiencing shortness of breath.

Naraynsingh said there are “long effects” of COVID-19, as the virus

causes clotting. “You can get clotting in any organ; your heart, your brain, your lungs, anywhere, but you will also get your organs to be inflamed, because of the reaction to the virus. So the clotting is a problem, and if you get it more than one time, you run the risk of having a lot more clots, and that you may get long-term effects from,” he said. On the up-side, a person who gets re-infected repeatedly builds up a higher immunity to the virus, he said.

In an interview on Thursday, Dr. Joel Teelucksingh said COVID-19 reinfections are very common, as wily viral variants are able to evade the immunity from vaccines or past infections. “There could be a tsunami after Carnival, with global travel. These variants are extremely transmissible, especially in closed, crowded and close-contact settings. Repeated episodes increase the risk of sudden death, kidney failure, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. Long COVID is a real risk,” Dr. Teelucksingh said, adding:

“Subsequent episodes are not milder in all; it is tantamount to playing Russian roulette.”

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Dr. Sarah Ince told the Express that re-infection is not unusual, as the virus is mutating.

“If you have a vaccine that covers a particular strain of a virus, and the virus replicates and mutates to a point where it can escape the antibody response of a particular vaccine, then, yes, you can get re-infection. It’s the same virus, but it’s just a different strain, and that’s what has been happening worldwide,” she said.

Ince said she has seen patients who have been re-infected, and that when COVID-19 first arrived, there were symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and body aches, but then patients were presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.

“We see people presenting with rashes and joint

pains, and testing positive for ‘COVID’. So, ‘COVID’ has worn different masks, so to speak,” she said, adding that some people can be asymptomatic, while others have mild symptoms.

Ince said all the things the public were doing before, in terms of hand washing, sanitising and social distancing should be continued on a personal level, without the government having to put rules in place for people to follow. “People have become complacent; it is a matter of personal responsibility,” she said.

Ince said it was never said that once you are vaccinated, you cannot get ‘COVID’. She said the vaccines make the symptoms less severe, and the data has shown that large Intensive Care Unit hospitalisation rates were unvaccinated

persons. The Prime Minister is not the only leader who has had multiple battles with COVID-19. Last year, United States President Joe Biden, currently 80, was infected twice. (Trinidad Express)

Dr. Keith Rowley

Mashramani: A Hallmark of Unity

GUYANA, known for its diverse culture and rich history, celebrated, on Thursday, the Mashramani festival, a colourful and vibrant celebration of unity and culture.

Mashramani, which means “celebration after hard work,” was indeed a time for Guyanese to come together and celebrate their unique identity, history, and culture.

The recent festival was characterized by vibrant colours, music, dance, and food. People dressed up in colourful costumes and paraded through the streets, accompanied by lively music played on steel drums and other instruments. The streets were filled with food vendors selling traditional Guyanese dishes along with a variety of bar-b-que and other options.

Rain did not deter participants of the grand parade as thousands flocked the roadway braving the intermittent drizzle to experience the costume displays and dance routines.

But Mashramani is more than just a celebration of culture and tradition, it is also a symbol of unity and togetherness. The festival brings together people from all walks of life, regardless of race, religion, or social status. It is a time for Guyanese people to put aside their differences and come together as one nation.

This year’s Mashramani festival was especially significant, as Guyana faced significant challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the festival provided a much-needed respite from the ongoing challenges, allowing people to

come together and celebrate their resilience and strength in the face of adversity.

The Mashramani festival is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Guyana and the resilience of its people. It is a celebration of unity, diversity, and the power of community. As Guyana continues to navigate the challenges of the modern world, events like Mashramani serve as a reminder of the importance of coming together and celebrating the things that make us unique and proud.

Further, President Irfaan Ali has been a beacon of hope for the country since his election in August 2020. Since taking office, President Ali has made national unity a top priority, and his efforts to bridge the gap between different groups have been widely praised.

In a country as diverse as Guyana, with a population of over 780,000 people and a mix of ethnicities, religions, and cultures, national unity is essential for progress and development. President Ali understands this and has taken concrete steps to promote unity and inclusivity.

One of the most significant moves by President Ali was the creation of a National Unity Advisory Council, which includes representatives from various political parties and civil society organizations. The council’s aim is to foster dialogue and collaboration between different groups and to promote national unity.

Another notable effort by President Ali has been his outreach to the country’s Indigenous peoples, who make up about 10 per cent of the population.

He has visited several Indigenous communities, promising to prioritize their development needs and rights.

President Ali’s administration has also taken steps to address marginalization of Afro-Guyanese communities. For example, his government has launched an initiative to provide land titles to residents of several predominantly Afro-Guyanese villages that have long been denied legal recognition.

President Ali has also shown a willingness to work with opposition parties, calling for a “unity of purpose” to tackle the country’s economic and social challenges. In his first address to the National Assembly, he emphasized the need for co-operation between the government and opposition to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, promote economic recovery, and build a more inclusive society.

President Ali’s embrace of national unity is a refreshing change from the divisive politics that have plagued Guyana for many years. His leadership style, characterized by inclusivity, dialogue, and collaboration, has the potential to heal the country’s deep-seated divisions and foster a more prosperous and harmonious society.

As Guyana looks to the future, President Ali’s efforts to promote national unity should be celebrated and supported. His vision of a united, inclusive, and prosperous Guyana is one that all Guyanese should strive to realize, and his leadership provides a beacon of hope for the country’s future.

Go back to the drawing board, Lincoln

Yours respectfully, Hon. Oneidge Walrond, M.P Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce

A poem for the education of our children

Dear Editor,

FOR THE CHILDREN OF GUYANA: KNOW YOUR ROOTS

Hearken to the call of this beautiful sun-drenched land of the Pakaraima on which the mighty Roraima stands— a guardian of the vast unspoiled hinterland.

You need to know the Indigenous People— the Amerindians of nine tribes: Arawak, Carib, Akawario, Arekuna, Patamona, Waiwai, Makushi, Wapishana, and Warrau.

The proud and gentle people who thrive on the Earth in ways the wayward world needs to discern.

They still hunt with bows and poisoned-tipped arrows.

But they know every tree and vine in the sacred forest, every macaw, jaguar, black caiman, and every healing herb.

Near their bamboo-thatched huts, they plant the cassava crop, and make tapioca, farine, cassareep, and pepperpot.

You need to know how they lived through the centuries, far from the rush and noise of towns and cities.

You need to know their customs and ceremonies, and their secrets, even as you browse the web for distant lands and faces, and even as you walk with watchful eyes lest you step in a puddle.

Do you wonder from where your ancestors came?

If you would trace your roots, they are deep in lands strange and afar— along the great rivers of West Africa in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal.

Humans shackled and herded on that infernal Middle Passage.

The unthinkable evil unbridled greed and savagery unleashed.

Branded on arrival, they labored from dawn to dust. The taskmasters’ lashes dug deep roped tracks on their sun-burnt backs.

The young bent with aged limbs; unbearable torment broke their spirits.

Still, they cried for freedom, but who would dare to raise a fist.

In the depths of anguish, they heard the voices of Cuffy and Accara.

The Berbice revolt—the first telling blow to slavery in the Americas.

And they came as indentured servants on the Hesperus and the Whitby.

Lured by the arkatis; they crossed the kala pani that drenched their bodies, but not their memories of Bihar, Chennai, and the Bhojpuri speaking districts of Uttar Pradesh.

They too bled from the taskmasters’ whips.

Like the canes held in bundles tight, they forged a bond in day and night with the celestial sound of the shankh and the festive beats of the dolak as they raised their voices in dohas, chalisas, choupais, and chowtals.

And others came from the islands of Hong Kong and Madeira.

They never really took to the bitter-sweet taste of sugar.

They ventured far from the lashes and the blazing sun. They bought and sold, and closed the shop when the day was done,and for my childhood days a little fun—blowing in my mouth a gum.

France to establish local office in September

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Hugh Todd, on Friday met with Nicolás Bouillane de Lacoste, non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of France to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

During the meeting, the ambassador announced the decision of the French Government to enhance its diplomatic presence in Guyana through the establishment of a French Office in Georgetown by Sep-

tember 2023.

While the office will not be an embassy it will have a fullfledged diplomatic representative to aid in the furtherance of mutually beneficial co-operation and bilateral relations between Guyana and France.

In August 2021, the French Republic appointed Pierre Gate, Project Manager and representative of the Embassy of France in Suriname with residence in Guyana.

Gaté’s appointment in Guy-

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Hugh Todd, on Friday met with Nicolás Bouillane de Lacoste, non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of France

ana was the French Republic’s first step towards materialising the commitment to establish a French Embassy in Guyana. Guyana and France es -

tablished diplomatic relations on June 22, 1967. The relationship between the two countries also covers the engagement between Guyana and French Guiana.

THE Bank of Guyana (BoG) has noted the claims in the press by some businesses that there is a shortage of US dollars in the banking system.

The Central Bank, in a statement, reiterated that the banking system, with an average monthly turnover in excess of US$500 million, has an adequate supply of US dollars to meet demand.

As of February 22, 2023, the banking system had US$99.5 million available for transactions.

The Central Bank stated too that while the available funds are not evenly distributed among the banks, there is enough to cover the cash-flow needs of transactions arising from businesses in Guyana.

Cash flowing to the banks is cyclical; as such, there will be periods of excess liquidity and periods when there will be a limited supply.

“The bank continues to monitor the foreign currency position in Guyana to ensure there is no disruption nor adverse impact on economic activities,” the Central Bank said.

Central Bank has sufficient supply of US dollars to meet demand

A Ukrainian mother’s story

By Orin Gordon

FOR Ukrainians, life changed forever on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces launched an unprovoked attack on their country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been talking out of both sides of his mouth, talking peace while massing more troops for war and stoking culture clashes with the nations helping Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials, weeks ago, dismissed a ceasefire offered by Putin for the Russian Orthodox Christmas, celebrated early in the new year. It’s like the home invader/burglar you’re in a life and death struggle with calling time

out in the middle of your living room.

Putin also made unserious overtures for peace, saying that Ukraine would have to give up Russian-occupied land before the sides could sit down for talks on ending the fighting. That’s like that same home invader promising that he’ll stop attacking your family if you give him the backyard.

For the two young children of Yaroslava, a Ukrainian refugee living in the Portugal capital Lisbon, Christmas was unexpectedly bountiful. The kindness of strangers, recognising that the family had fled the Russian invasion, saw them overwhelmed with presents

– more than they could handle.

In a WhatsApp chat we had just before the new year, Slava laughed at the memory of chaotically juggling a video call with her partner, Max, and the nonstop opening of presents by her excited two- and four-year-old children. Max had to stay in Ukraine because of the military conscription of 18- to 60-year-old men. The kids miss him; but sorry dad, Christmas is Christmas.

Slava, a TV sports journalist from Ukraine, was one of several friends I made among the reporter posse at the summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. We stayed in touch,

mainly through Facebook. Smart, quick-witted and with unquenchable spirit, she’s crazy about football, and covered UEFA Champions League matches for years.

Shakhtar Donetsk was a regular participant in that competition, as was Dynamo Kyiv in the capital. The city of Donetsk is part of east Ukraine that Russia wants to annex, and the scene of much fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

European football’s national championships, Euro 2012, were held in Poland and Ukraine. From London where I lived, I made it to Poland for matches, but not Ukraine. Our friendship survived this omission.

On February 24 last year, two weeks shy of her daughter’s second birthday, Russian forces invaded Ukraine, upending their lives, perhaps forever. In the panic of those early days, many thought that Putin’s forces would soon subdue and overrun Kyiv. With her young children, Slava boarded a train full of refugees to Poland.

“Two kids, one baby carriage, two backpacks, and one package with a potty”, she told me.

“The potty was the smartest decision. The train to Warsaw took almost 26 hours because of safety reasons.”

Those safety reasons being that trains were vulnerable to air attacks. She showed me a photo of the overcrowded one they took. People had to sit and sleep in the passageways. The children clutched a couple of stuffed toy dinosaurs they’d taken for the journey. Max was later to

send them a package with the toys they couldn’t take.

It was in Poland that Slava and her children first experienced the kindness of strangers.

“One man with a child about the same age as my children stopped us, asked if I’m from Ukraine, gave me money, and hugged me”, she recounted.

“This showed me that people could be human beings, and not wild animals that invaded Ukraine. On social media I write about open hearted people I meet. I prefer to cherish kindness.”

That social media presence is austere and unsparing, stripped of the usual glitz and glam of Instagram. I told her that this reminded me of the approach of her country’s President, Volodomyr Zelensky. We are at war, she said. No time for fancy clothes, hair and makeup.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates that 1.5 million of the 7.4 million displaced Ukrainians fled to Poland. Accommodation was tight. Slava said she might have stayed in Warsaw if she’d found a place to live. They lived with two families in the month they spent there. Despite kindness and understanding, it was hard to squeeze in with her two young children.

She had started her outreach and job hunt as early as the train journey to Poland, writing to as many people as she could. A football journalist colleague from Portugal answered and put her in touch with the Portuguese Football Federation. They offered her a job. She accepted on condition that her family would have their own accommodation.

In Portugal, the children took to Portuguese easily, and would surprise her by singing songs in the new language. Slava, herself fluent in Ukrainian, Russian and English, struggled at first. Her job as a TV producer for the football federation in Lisbon can mean taking phone calls from the public.

She told me that she’d sometimes stare at the ringing phone, “scared to pick it up” and make a fool of herself by mangling the language. She swallowed her pride and forced herself to face up to the linguistic challenge without excuses or exceptions. None of this “sorry, I’m a refugee” stuff, she said. Do the job. She did, and it’s easier now.

For Slava and the children in Portugal and Max in Ukraine, several anniversaries loom. In late February, it’ll be one year since the invasion – a year since they hugged each other goodbye. In early March, the girl turns three. She’s lived in three countries in her short life. And late March will mark one year in Portugal.

Orin is a Guyanese-born communications specialist based in Trinidad.

He’s at www.oringordon.com

Orin Gordon

500 police ranks equipped to combat domestic violence

- New domestic violence legislation coming soon

OVER 500 Guyana Police Force (GPF) ranks who completed the COPSQUAD2000 initiative received their certificates and badges on Friday in accordance with the government’s commitment to preventing domestic violence against women and girls.

The initiative aims to increase the ranks’ knowledge of gender-based violence laws and equip them with the necessary training to deal with gender-based crimes in a manner that would protect the victims.

This is a partnership of the Human Services and Social Security and Home Affairs Ministries, the Guyana Police Force, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The initiative aims to improve the officers’ knowledge of the laws governing gender-based violence and to equip them with the training they need to respond to cases of gender-based violence in a way that would safeguard the victims.

This will help the officers to strengthen the response against the various forms of violence against women and girls.

The training included interrogation, safety assessment, advising and dealing with persons with complaints, and creating case reports.

The government will be overhauling the ‘Domestic Violence Act’ of 1996, with some 40 proposed amendments, which the Human Services and Social Security Ministry hopes will address all forms of violence.

During remarks at the

graduation, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud said the training was significant since it will help the officers address gender-based violence matters professionally.

The officers were also informed to be agents of peace within their communities.

“You are on a path of

noted that the training is essential to provide the ranks with the necessary tools to mitigate gender-based violence against women and girls, while noting the need for a holistic approach.

The police officers are the gatekeepers, ensuring that peace is always maintained, which will help to

to train the officers was executed to ensure that they are multifaceted and competent, thereby providing the service

that is needed by the public.

“With this type of training, we will ensure that we maximise the opportunity in a decentralised way. We are going to have you, who have been trained in the COPSQUAD, stationed at every station of our outpost within the regions on a shift basis… Introspection and change start now,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the European Union, Evelina Melbarzde expressed gratitude to the partners involved in the initiative.

She emphasised that everyone has the responsibility to help others.

UN Resident Coordinator Yesim Oruc and other ranks of the Guyana Police Force were also in attendance.

transformation where you are the trailblazers in an initiative that ensures that every person who requires that protective arm is the custodian of peace and protection in this country…I believe peace can be achieved once people understand that wherever there is peace, there is stability. Wherever there is peace, there is comfort. That comfort is felt by the citizenry knowing that there is a force that caters for them to be, at all times, secure and safe,” Minister Persaud highlighted.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn

create wholesome communities.

“If we cannot protect our women, we would not have the opportunity to have peace in our country. If we cannot protect our children, we will have the vicious circle and the continuous issues of not moving along the progressive path of creating a more wholesome, safe society… You are the peacekeepers. Peace has to be fundamentally in the homes where women and children are,” Minister Benn said.

Police Commissioner (ag), Clifton Hicken also highlighted that the initiative

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud; Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn and graduates

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn handing over a certificate to one of the graduates

Guyana, India co-operation agreement to extend beyond oil exports --VP Jagdeo says

By Cassandra Khan

VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has said that Guyana will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India to enhance co-operation in the energy sector beyond crude oil exports.

Dr. Jagdeo, during an interview with World is One News (WION) said: “So, now we’re trying to build the architecture for a broader look at the energy sector and enhance co-operation between Guyana and India.

So, we’re expecting shortly to sign a memorandum of understanding that would go beyond just the export of crude, but we’ll look at the energy sector and its development in its totality.”

In addition to the exportation of oil, he said that Guyana is looking to learn from India as well.

“So, that is why India’s assistance and its great technical skills are important. You have a lot of smart people here who can help us in defining the growth of the industry, but not just on oil, on the gas sector as we move to develop a gas policy and start utilising the gas resources and then in terms of environmental management, building capacity across the country,” Vice-President Jagdeo said.

Guyana’s intention is to develop the oil and gas sector in an orderly and sustainable manner, as the country by 2027, will be producing over a million barrels of oil per day.

“…maybe 1.2 million barrels per day, that’s a steep ramp up. That’s almost 20 per cent of India’s daily use,” Dr. Jagdeo related.

The aim as the country

progresses, is to ensure that the sector develops in such a way that oil corporations carry their fair share of responsibility from an environmental perspective as well as a fiscal perspective, and that the industry is developed in an orderly manner.

The Vice-President related that considering India’s experience and expertise, Guyana is looking forward with great excitement to the development of a strong relationship with the Asian nation on energy-related matters.

Outside of energy, Dr. Jagdeo said too that Guyana is considering the purchase of defence capabilities from India to help preserve and protect its oil and gas sector, marine borders, and exclusive economic zones.

The Vice-President referenced a number of defence capabilities, primarily for peaceful purposes and to exert more power over maritime boundaries or exclusive economic zones.

“We have great relationships with our neighbours and where we’re not looking to fight a war. We’re a small country, with less than a million people. But India, particularly in the defence sector, has some really great capabilities and we’re looking to buy some of that capability to assist us with the task of exercising greater sovereignty over maritime boundaries or exclusive economic zones,” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo explained that there are major “leakages” from illegal fishing, and now that Guyana’s oil and gas sector is based primarily offshore, these assets must be protected.

“Similarly, air capability would allow us to better

serve people who live in the vast hinterland of the country, where there are small communities so that’s why we want to work in that sector, too,” he said. He related that Guyanese authorities have already held discussions with key stakeholders who are supplying the goods and services, and the hope is to “wrap up some arrangements very soon.”

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Friday, met with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, Hardeep Singh Puri. The two held wide-ranging discussions on matters of mutual interest related to the oil and gas sector (Office of the Vice-President photo)

131 Linden residents receive BIT certification

Skills like welding, fabrication, heavy equipment operation, electrical installation, general building construction, commercial food preparation, and garment construction were taught to the graduates. Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton, among

other officials, were present at the ceremony which recognised the involvement of the second batch of 584 persons in BIT. Also, the organisation was able to certify 214 individuals in various programmes by the end of 2022.

SOME 131 residents of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice), received certification in six vocational and technical programmes offered by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) under the Ministry of Labour.

Cop succumbs to injuries sustained in ‘Mash Day’ accident

ALDEN Reynolds, a police corporal, passed away on Friday from injuries he sustained in an accident that happened on Thursday along the Heatburn Public Road, East Bank Berbice.

The accident involved motorcar HD 2816 owned and driven by Troy Henry, 50, of First Street, Edinburgh Village, and motorcar PAC 4187 owned by Karen Thomas.

According to police reports, Henry was proceeding south along the eastern lane, allegedly at a fast rate of speed.

It is alleged that the driver lost control of his vehicle and collided with the right-side rear portion of motorcar PAC 4187,

which was parked on the western grass parapet, facing south. The vehicle driven by Henry subsequently collided with two pedestrians, Reynolds and police sergeant, Javon Thomas.

As a result of the im-

pact, the two cops received injuries to their bodies and were picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where they were seen and examined by a doctor on duty.

Corporal Reynolds was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday afternoon.

Henry was arrested at the scene of the accident and taken to Central Police Station.

A breathalyzer test was conducted on him and same produced a reading of 48 and 51 microgrammes.

The man remains in police custody assisting with the investigation.

The car that ran into the two police officers

Dead: Alden Reynolds

GECOM suspends continuous registration exercise to prepare Register of Voters

–– extends objections period ahead of Local Government Elections

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided at its statutory meeting held on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, to suspend the cycle of continuous registration with effect from February 24, 2023 until further notice.

According to a press release from GECOM, the exercise commenced on January 3, 2023 and was scheduled to conclude on May 31, 2023. However, this decision was necessary to facilitate the inclusion of all eligible persons who have registered thus far under continuous registration, in the respective Registers of Voters (RoV) for the upcoming Local Government Elections.

The deliberations at the level of the Commission, and ultimately the decision to suspend the registration exercise, were premised on a proposal and advice submitted by the Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud to ensure the inclusion of all eligible persons in the final Register of Voters.

“For the sake of clarity, it must be noted that in order to facilitate the inclusion of those persons in the RoV, the agency would have to compile supplementary lists by constituency and post them for public scrutiny,†GECOM said.

Acknowledging the need to allow persons to properly scrutinise the supplementary lists with those names, the Commission decided to extend the duration of the objections period aspect of the Claims and Objections exercise until March 2, 2023.

“Persons are therefore encouraged to scrutinize the supplementary lists posted in each Constituency/Local Authority Area (LAA) and to object to the inclusion of the name(s) of any person whom they suspect may not be eligible for inclusion in the list,†GECOM said.

Over 42 local businesses participate in Barbados Agro Fest 2023

CHIEF Investment Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Guyana Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop is leading a team of 42 Guyanese businesses including farmers, agro-processors, furniture manufacturers, arts and crafts producers and jewellers, at Agro Fest 2023 in Barbados.

The event is being held from February 24-26 at Queens Park, Bridgetown. Guyana Invest through its division, Export Guyana, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association is facilitating Guyana’s participation at the event.

During the event, Guyanese businesses will engage other businesses and business support organisations in Barbados through sessions that will feature presentations from the Barbados Manufacturers Association, Barbados National Cultural Foundation, Barbados coalition of service Inc. and Export Barbados.

Two Guyanese businesses are also slated to sign agreements with key distribution companies in the sister country. The

attendance of Guyana at Agro Fest was initiated in 2022 after the signing of the St. Barnabas Accord between Guyana and Barbados.

Agro Fest aims to demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between agriculture and the community, at the same time reinforcing the importance of agriculture in feeding and providing economic support to families. It is also aimed at highlighting the impact of agriculture on other economic sectors.

Last year, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali led a delegation of over 45 businesses to the mega event. He was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond.

The Guyanese Head of State also delivered the feature address at the event’s opening.

Both President Ali and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley reaffirmed their commitment to advance their nations together, with many projects in several areas, including hospitality, import-substitution, food security, and agricultural diversification.

Chief Investment Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Guyana Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop is leading a team of 42 Guyanese businesses including farmers, agro-processors, furniture manufacturers, arts and craft producers and jewellers, at Agro Fest 2023 in Barbados

GEA installs solar photovoltaic system at two primary schools

Lighttown Primary/Nursery School, and a 6kWp Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system with a 28.8kWh VRLA BESS at the Schepmoed Primary School in Region Six, which also connected the teacher’s quarter to the electricity supply from the solar system.

The GEA provided the items installed at the Lighttown Primary School in keeping with the government’s sustainable energy interventions for communities and public buildings.

ties benefitting the students and teachers.

Meanwhile, the Schepmoed Primary School located approximately 36 km from New Amsterdam on the east bank of the Berbice river, received GEA’s supplies and support for the transportation and installation of the solar PV and battery energy storage systems. This initiative will provide a renewable, stable, and reliable electricity supply to the school and the school’s kitchen for its daily activities, benefitting approxi -

Lighttown Primary School is located approximately 18 km from New Amsterdam on the east bank of the Berbice river. In exercising its mandate, the GEA supported the transportation and installation of solar PV and battery energy storage systems.

This initiative will provide a renewable, stable, and reliable electricity supply to the school and the school’s kitchen for its daily activi-

mately 18 students and three teachers.

The teachers present at the time of the solar PV system’s installation expressed their gratitude for the initiative stating that it will allow them to utilise the school’s services better and provide better learning opportunities for the students.

GEA’s Engineer provided training to the facilities on the operation and maintenance of the system.

IN January 2023, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) installed a 3.375kWp Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system with a 19.2kWh Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the

Solar PV array (3.375kWp) installed on the roof of the Lighttown Primary School

Students and teachers at the Schepmoed Primary School benefitting from the electricity provided by the solar PV system

Guyana Mining School, E.R. Burrowes School of Art to launch jewellery-making course

THE Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI), in collaboration with the E.R. Burrowes School of Art will be launching a free jewellery-making course in March to target aspiring and practising jewellers and other interested persons.

“This was a very successful programme from last year, which was conceived by the honourable minister [of Natural Resources] Vickram Bharrat. This was his brainchild. The course came about after realising there is a capacity to build for goldsmiths in the jewellery sector because there was

a gap,” Administrator of the GMSTCI, Vaughn Felix said in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) this week.

The course is designed to target those interested in learning fundamental skills such as drilling, sawing, sanding, filing, forging, texturing, and soldering. It may also expand to include local semi-precious stones in jewellery designs.

The first iteration of the programme, hosted in July 2022, aimed to train local jewellers to learn and develop essential skills related to jewellery-making processes and techniques. It saw 30 persons taking part in the pioneer programme over several weeks.

This was to prepare for the Guyana Gold Hub, hosted in Barbados. The establishment of a Guyana gold jewellery hub in Bridgetown, Barbados, is part of the St Barnabas Accord signed by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

The agreement was signed as a result of the high demand for gold in Barbados, and the high-quality jewellery produced in Guyana, which is of particular interest to residents and tourists in Barbados.

In 2022, a total of 30 persons participated in the training. Several jewellers were also allowed to showcase their products at the Agro Fest, which was held from May 26-29, 2022 in Barbados.

While this year’s programme will target persons in the mining and jewellery sectors, any interested person will be able to participate.

Just recently, GMSTCI commenced its comprehensive Map Reading and Navigation Short Course to equip miners with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate difficult terrain and read maps effectively.

That programme will last for three weeks and will conclude in late March. (DPI)

Some of the jewellers who participated in the jewellery-making course (Ministry of Natural Resources photo)

EU offers support to enhance local legal, security sectors

EUROPEAN Union (EU)

Ambassador to Guyana, René Van Nes, has expressed an interest in fostering a closer relationship with Guyana’s Ministry of Legal Affairs to enhance the country’s legal sector through various programmes offered by the EU and its agencies.

Van Nes highlighted his intentions during a meeting with Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, S.C, at the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The EU Ambassador informed Nandlall of the El Pacto 2.0 programme, the largest programme supporting the implementation of the Regional Team Europe Initiatives for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on justice and security.

The project intends to

consolidate and strengthen LAC regional and EU-LAC bi-regional structures and mechanisms for co-operation on justice and security matters; strengthen LAC’s overall rule of law environment and criminal jus-

tice institutions’ capacity to fight against transnational organised crime, including a focus on women and youthspecific concerns, as well as address specific challenges of transnational criminal markets of LAC organised

crime namely, trafficking in drugs, arms, human beings and cultural goods, among other things.

Ambassador Van Nes informed the Attorney General of the support to the effective administration of

Criminal Justice Systems in the Caribbean programme which aims to modernise and strengthen the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) participating countries’ court systems, processes, and services.

It also aims to train and equip judicial officers and court staff with skills and competencies necessary to deliver justice in a fair, transparent, efficient and timely manner.

The project intends to support the judicial reform agendas of participating countries by building the capacity of trial and appellate courts, including the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to improve court governance, customer-focused services, case flow management and case disposition. Additionally, Ambassador

Van Nes pledged technical support on various matters. The Attorney General thanked the EU Ambassador for his visit and expressed appreciation for the significant role the organisation has played in Guyana, especially during the protracted electoral process in 2020. Nandlall briefed Ambassador Van Nes on legislative amendments and other measures since implemented to prevent electoral transgressions, which takes into consideration the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission. He also briefed Ambassador Van Nes on the status of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall S.C in discussion with European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana, René Van Nes

Tackling crime from a public health perspective

symposium to be convened in Trinidad and Tobago in April

ACROSS the region, the screaming headlines make for sombre reading and reflection on the cheap value now placed on life; on the irrationality of the use of guns at the drop of a hat; at the ease with which guns have become more accessible to almost anyone with nefarious intentions.

Loss of life from gun violence is increasing in the region. Drugs and human trafficking are fuelling the upsurge in crime and violence. Chair of CARICOM, Hon. Philp Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, addressed those matters pointedly as an area for priority action, when he addressed the opening of the Forty-Fourth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.

“We should seek to strengthen our collective response to end the smuggling of guns and drugs,” he said.

“And we must do all that we can to wipe out the misery of human trafficking,” he told his colleagues and other delegates; calling for a region to operate within a framework of “the interests of us all.”

The Prime Minister added: “None of us will be safe until we are all safe. None of us will develop sustainably or securely if we leave our neighbours behind. None of us will truly prosper if our resources are forever taxed by the poverty and instability of those nearby. Going it alone will not work.”

The crime and violence situation has galvanised regional security stakeholders to search for different approaches to confront the problem.

One such approach that is gaining traction is tackling the matter from a public health perspective. It is not the first

time the link is being made between regional public health and crime and violence. Back in 2020, when Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon. Mia Mottley, was chairing the Conference of Heads of Government, she had announced that a multi-disciplinary summit on security was being convened. She noted then that crime, violence and security were not issues that could “be believed to be simply the responsibility of governments,” particularly in the context of the Caribbean where they are “effectively public health disorders, public health diseases.”

At the conclusion of the 44th Heads of Government Meeting in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Davis announced that Trinidad and Tobago will host the high level multi-stakeholder meeting in April to address crime, particularly violent crime as a public health concern.

“The Heads of Government expressed deep concern at the current levels of violence being experienced in Member States. We recognise that to adequately

(CARPHA), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Regional Security System (RSS). The October Security Cluster meeting focused on crime and violence as a public health issue preparatory to the 44th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM on the matter.

After the CONLSE Meeting, CARICOM today spoke with security and health experts including Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Head of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS).

IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE

For Dr. St. John, the approach makes a lot of sense. She explained that the perspective considers what makes people behave in a way that allows crime and violence to thrive, because at the essence of health is behaviour. “So,

resurgence in crime and there has been a lot of loss of life through shootings. We’ve seen that it has also affected the culture and the way in which especially young people are interacting with the whole of society, so it makes sense to have a public health perspective.”

“The other thing about the linkage between crime and violence and public health is that public health purists always approach health from the perspective of what are the determinants of health, and violence and health conditions; the traditional health conditions are also impacted by several things, so the causes for the health status of the region – poverty, access to social services, marginalisation in the society – all of those things affect people and how they live and how they take care of themselves and how they are able to access health services and those things also are drivers of violence. So, it makes a lot of sense. It is not the usual connection, but it is not a new way of dealing with violence in the wider world.”

Acknowledging that the Caribbean “needs to do things differently,” she pointed out that the United Kingdom, and the Nordic countries have adopted the public health approach.

CARPHA sees its role in the approach through the lens of its membership in the security cluster of CARICOM, which was most recently fighting the COVID-19 health security threat as a unit.

So, the music is the vehicle; the message for crime and violence can be replaced by other messages.

By way of example, she reflected on the use of ‘infotainment’ to aid adolescents on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and mental health.

She stressed that there is going to be a need for short and long-term solutions to be found because public health approaches usually take a long time.

“We have had a change because of COVID. In the emergency of COVID, we saw the implementation of public health over measures, region-wide, within a very short time. This kind of response is not usual.”

iteration, and we have been using that as a way of ensuring regional development while there is national attainment of goals. And so, from the health perspective, we have a track record of getting things done over long periods of time and I am hoping that there will be similar vehicles, regional compacts, in other sectors, because a public health approach does not mean that health drives this; it means that there is a whole of society approach…”

address crime and violence, a holistic approach must be undertaken which addresses economic growth and prosperity, legislative, judicial, police and education reform,” he said at the press conference.

In October last year, institutions that participated in the CARICOM Security Cluster met in Trelawny, Jamaica, during a series of security-related meetings, including the 24th Meeting of the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE). The CARICOM Security Cluster comprises the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM-MPACS), the Caribbean Public Health Agency

the public health approach is therefore looking at how we can change that behaviour so that when people are deciding on a way of life, they don’t decide on violence and crime”.

“From a purely public health perspective, it makes every bit of sense to link crime and violence with public health. In public health, we look at things that affect the health of the population and so the context, the national environment is going to affect the population. So, looking at crime and violence from a public health perspective is almost like a no-brainer. It’s the next step because we have been seeing since the COVID-19 lockdowns have stopped there’s been this

“We’ve worked very closely with IMPACS, RSS, and CDEMA and so now we’re looking at violence and crime… So I would be doing my work in the context of the Security Cluster… which is led by CARICOM IMPACS,” Dr. St. John said. She added that the activities that CARPHA will recommend will then be viewed by the Organs to which the Security Cluster reports such as CONSLE and the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD).

THE MESSAGE IN MUSIC

Music has been suggested as one of the means through which the messaging against violence, particularly gun violence, is relayed. The suggestion is made even as the concern has been raised of music with lyrics and accompanying videos that glorify violence, guns and money, and which also objectify women.

While Dr. St. John agrees “it’s the message in the music,” she contends that the fact that music captures people’s imagination and directs their actions should be the point of focus.

She added, “We have to have resources for sustainability which means that we have to plug our interventions into our usual activities – at individual levels, at regional Americas, regional CARICOM, national and community levels. It also means that there has to be sustaining out-of- the-box thinking for a long period of time which demands leadership and so in the upcoming conference with the Heads of Government on this matter, it is going to be very important that the papers are taken, and that the decisions that are requested make it clear that there is a long-term commitment.

“In the same way that there was the Port-of-Spain Declaration in 2007 towards addressing non-communicable diseases, which sets some frameworks which demanded long-term action, there will need to be papers that suggest this to the Heads, and suggested in a way that they like the idea and they commit in that way.”

GETTING THINGS DONE

“Because CARICOM functions very well for its members, it’s going to be important that the policy compact that comes out of the conference is then buttressed by some level of strategic planning with some level of monitoring and evaluation.

In heath in CARICOM, there’s the Caribbean Cooperation on Health which is in its fourth

She stressed the need to consider the issue as a developmental one and for a systemic approach to be undertaken as she is conscious of the challenge of resources, particularly in the context of the funding that was required to fight COVID-19.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

Lt. Col. Jones maintains that crime-fighting has to be tackled holistically, but sees the public health approach as another arrow in the quiver of responses that the community can utilise to reduce crime in the region.

Pointing to the range of impacts of crime and violence, he cited the impact of trafficking in cocaine as an example.

“Yes, it has a street value of $20,000. But that brick of cocaine is equivalent to how many addicts that will develop as a consequence of (using the drug); how many visits it would mean going to hospitals; the loss in productivity hours? So …it’s not just $20,000 that it’s worth; it’s what can happen down the line. And I think once we start putting things like that into perspective, you’ll make a better argument at budget times as to the real worth that agencies such as ours contribute to the safety of the economy,” he said.

He pointed out that an approach “from cradle to grave” or a “mix of medicines” is essential as there is no “silver bullet” to confront the crime problem. There has to be a holistic approach, he stressed.

(CARICOM Today)

Dr. Joy St. John, CARPHA Executive Director, at the just-concluded 44th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, Nassau, The Bahamas

Lt. Col. Michael Jones (r), Head of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), at the CONSLE Meeting in October, Also in photograph are then Chair of CONSLE, the Hon. Horace Chang (c), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security of Jamaica, and CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, Alison Drayton

‘We cannot afford to fail our children’

- Commonwealth Secretary-General

- calls for end to institutional care of children

discuss the implementation of the Kigali Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform - one of the four declarations unanimously agreed upon by Commonwealth Heads of Government in Rwanda last June.

THE Commonwealth must work together to end the institutional care of children and reform protection services to ensure: “every child is safe, protected and able to reach their full poten-

tial”, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has said.

Her comments came during a roundtable meeting of government officials, stakeholders and experts on Thursday, to

The Declaration is a historic agreement among Commonwealth countries that focuses on ensuring and restoring the rights of children following the COVID-19 pandemic, paying particular attention to the most marginalised and excluded.

It contains commitments to phase out orphanages in the Com -

monwealth and opt for community care of children; to tackle the underlying causes that lead to separation of parents and children, to establish sustainable and effective safeguarding systems and to eliminate child labour in all its forms, including forced labour, trafficking, and sexual exploitation.

Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland said: “More than five million children around the world still live in institutions. Most of these children are not orphans – around 80 per cent of them have at least one living parent. “But

their institutionalisation disproportionately exposes them to vulnerabilities and marginalisation, which can inhibit their development and life chances.

“The truth is that growing up in a family environment is critical to a child’s well-being and development, and every child is entitled to a happy and fulfilling upbringing under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

She added: “This is just one of many areas where the Commonwealth can make a real difference.

“We can all work together to prioritise support for, investment in,

and reform of childcare and protection services – to enable children to live without abuse or discrimination of any kind; to enjoy their civil, political, social and cultural rights; and to flourish as equal, valued and productive human beings.

“We cannot afford to fail our children, so we must give their wellbeing the priority it deserves – and act together to ensure that every child in Commonwealth is safe, protected and able to reach their full potential.”

The far-reaching Declaration recognises

TURN TO PAGE 22

Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland

‘We cannot afford to fail our children’...

FROM PAGE 21

that child protection and safeguarding are cross-

cutting issues that have strong links to the Commonwealth Secretariat’s

work on youth, disability, health, education and early childhood development.

Youth-focused action is being given a spotlight in 2023 as it is the Year

of Youth – a seminal 12 months designated for the empowerment and inclu-

sion of the 1.5bn under30s living in the Commonwealth.

The roundtable meeting was set to build a consensus on a focus for the effective implementation of the Declaration and to agree on collabroation between Commonwealth governments and civil society organisations, with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Other speakers at the meeting included Joseph Kabakeza, First Counsellor from the Rwandan High Commission, Mark Waddington, CEO Hope and Homes for Children - a civil society organisation working with the Rwandan government on the Declaration initiative, and David Jones, Chair of Commonwealth Children Interest Group, Children of the Commonwealth.

Mr Kabakeza said:

“The Kigali declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform highlights many of the areas where we must bolster our efforts.

“Rwanda will continue to collaborate with partners, and the Commonwealth network to champion the Kigali declaration, during our tenure as Commonwealth ChairIn-Office and beyond.”

Mr Waddington said:

“Eliminating orphanages is a precondition of developing effective child protection and care systems and a key to unlocking the hardest to reach Sustainable Development Goals.

“The Kigali Declaration, agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in 2022, recognises this imperative for action and places the Commonwealth at the centre of this global movement. Countries across the Commonwealth are demonstrating that care reform is possible and there is much learning and experience to share. Today’s roundtable is an important step.”

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(SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2023) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS

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Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Brian Lara - 1715 runs (18 Tests)

(2) Jaques Kallis - 2356 runs (24 Tests)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which WI bowler has claimed most Test wickets versus SA to date?

(2) Which SA bowler has taken most Test wickets against the WI to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Brook hands England control after stuttering start

(ESPNCRICINFO)

- Harry

Brook came into the Wellington Test in possession of some of the most outrageous stats in the history of the game for a batter at the start of their career - and promptly turned the amps up to 11 with an astonishing display on day one at the Basin Reserve.

It began with Brook tip-toeing to the crease amid the wreckage of England’s top order, as New Zealand’s reshaped seam attack capitalised on helpful morning conditions to reduce the tourists to 21 for 3. He walked off with the weather closing in again, but with England in a far sunnier mood. In between times, Brook had peeled off a career-best 184 not out from 169 balls, taking his Test average above 100 (and with a strike rate of 99.38 into the bargain).

Oh, and Joe Root scored

an immaculate, unbeaten hundred, too.

Their unbroken stand of 294, already the third-highest for England’s fourth wicket in Tests, turned the tables completely on New Zealand after they had made what seemed an impeccable start on winning the toss and choosing to bowl for the second week running

As in Mount Maunganui, England’s aggression helped wrest the initiative away - by the time the forecast rain arrived midway through the evening session their overall run rate was 4.84. But that only told part of the story, with Brook and Root employing different methods to counterattack after Matt Henry and Tim Southee had made the early incisions on a green pitch that was expected to flatten out.

Brook, as has been his wont during a patch of regal

scoring that began with a century in his second match, in Rawalpindi before Christmas, chose barely fettered aggression throughout his innings . Southee was dispatched for three consecutive boundaries in his fifth over, and that set the tone for Brook’s approach; in all,

24 fours and five sixes came from his bat during another coruscating display. He moved to fifty just before lunch, as England reached the break on a more even keel, then raised a 107ball hundred - his fourth in nine Test innings - during the afternoon session, during

United to play Betis, Arsenal to face sporting Lisbon in Europa round of 16

which the visitors rattled off 136 runs in 27 overs to transfer the pressure on to New Zealand’s beleaguered attack.

Brook’s assault, audacious as it was, displayed a high degree of calculation.

With New Zealand picking only three frontline bowlersHenry, back after the birth of his child, and top-order batter Will Young coming in for Mount Mauganui debutants, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn - Brook in particular chose to go after the support.

Against Daryl Mitchell, nominally the fourth seamer, he struck four sixes - three towering blows down the ground and one impudent ramp to fine leg - and went at a strike rate of 158.06. Michael Bracewell’s offspin was dispatched for 22 off 15, while Neil Wagner saw his short-ball tactics dismantled for the second Test running, conceding six fours and a six.

Europa League last-16 draw

Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise

Sevilla v Fenerbahce

Juventus v Freiburg

Bayer Leverkusen v Fer-

Only Henry, who gave Brook a few moments of concern early on, kept things tight, conceding just 33 off 49 balls bowled.

While Brook plundered runs almost at will, adding his third fifty from just 38 balls, Root was content to slipstream his junior partner. His 29th Test hundred featured just seven boundaries, the majority of which came during the latter stages of the day - one via a perfectly executed reverse-ramp off the bowling of Wagner, the shot which had brought his downfall in the first innings last week at Bay Oval He was on 23 at lunch, coasted along to 72 at tea and was visibly relieved to bring up three figures for the first time in 12 innings, turning Wagner into the leg side from the final delivery before the rain began to fall in earnest.

encvaros

Sporting Lisbon v Arsenal

Manchester United v Real Betis

Roma v Real Sociedad

Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord

(BBC) - Manchester United will play Real Betis in the Europa League’s last 16 after overcoming Barcelona, while Arsenal face Sporting Lisbon.

United beat the La Liga leaders 2-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday to seal a 4-3 aggregate win in the play-off tie Arsenal will play the second leg of their tie at home after qualifying as group winners, while Manchester United host Betis at Old Trafford first.

The Europa League last-16 ties will take place on 9 and 16 March.

Premier League leaders Arsenal avoided the knockout round play-offs by topping Group A with five wins from their six games Sporting, fourth in the Portuguese top flight, beat

Danish club Midtjylland 5-1 in their play-off after they finished third in their Champions League group.

Meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis are fifth in La Liga and ended the Europa League group stage with the best record in the competition, winning five and drawing one of their matches.

Elsewhere, six-time winners Sevilla meet Fenerbahce, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma will play Real Sociedad - who topped Manchester United’s group

The eight Europa League group winners were drawn against the eight clubs who came through the knockout round play-off matches, with clubs from the same association not allowed to be drawn against each other.

Harry Brook raced past 150 as his stand with Joe Root grew

Manchester United beat Barcelona 2-1 at Old Trafford to record a 4-3 aggregate victory

Smith fails as Quetta Gladiators suffer fourth PSL loss

CMC – West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith grabbed two wickets but then perished for a twoball ‘duck’ as Quetta Gladiators slumped to their fourth defeat in five games to remain rooted to the bottom of the Pakistan Super League.

In pursuit of Islamabad United’s massive 220 for six after wicketkeeper Azam Khan struck a 42-ball 97, Gladiators collapsed from 95 for three in the 11th over to 157 all out at the start of the final over, to suffer a comprehensive 63-run loss.

Smith, this week named in both West Indies white-ball squads for next

month’s tour of South Africa, grabbed two for 41 and followed up by skying his second delivery to long on off fast bowler Hasan Ali (3-39) at the end of the 17th over in his side’s failed run chase.

Choosing to bat first at the National Stadium here Friday, United were going nowhere at 43 for three in the seventh over before Azam put on 28 for the fourth wicket with Colin Munro (38); 98 for the fifth wicket with Asif Ali (42) and 49 for the sixth wicket with Faheem Ashraf (17 not out).

The 24-year-old Azam, who turns out for Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League, blasted nine fours and eight sixes before becoming Smith’s second wicket off the final

ball of the innings, bowled with a well disguised slower yorker.

In reply, leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed (2-21) struck twice with the new ball to reduce Gladiators to 26 for three in the fourth over before Mohammed Hafeez (48), captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (41) and Iftikhar Ahmed (39) all combined in an attempt to revive the run chase.

Hafeez, who struck half-dozen fours and a couple of sixes off 26 deliveries, added 69 for the fourth wicket with Sarfaraz who then put on a further 32 for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar.

However, leg-spinner Shadab Khan (2-24) and Hasan Ali scythed through the lower order as Gladiators lost their last six wickets for 30 runs.

Opening Day stakes postponed due to inclement weather

SUNDAY’s one-day horse race meet at the Rising Sun Turf Club has been postponed.

According to a release from the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Commit-

tee, inclement weather has left the venue unfit for racing hence the postponement of the ‘Opening Day stakes.’

“Due to inclement weather conditions, races carded for Sunday 26th February,

2023 at Rising Sun Turf Club, have been postponed to Sunday 5th March, 2023. Races and entries remain the same,” the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee announced on Friday.

Zhou tops day-two of testing in Bahrain

(F1) - Zhou Guanyu shot to the top of the timesheets on Friday evening in Bahrain, where Mercedes brought out a red flag as George Russell’s W14 ground to a halt.

Friday morning saw Carlos Sainz set the early benchmark on C3 tyres of 1m 32.486s, a time that stood at the top of the leaderboards until Max Verstappen emerged in the afternoon. The reigning champion shot to second with his first flying effort and 30 minutes into the afternoon he was at the top.

Under the floodlights, Zhou eclipsed the Dutchman’s time by 0.040s when he equipped the soft compound and rounded the circuit in 1m 31.610s, though his session ended slightly prematurely as his car refused to enter first gear at the end of the pit lane with 10 minutes left.

Mercedes hit trouble just before the sun set, with George Russell (P13) coming to a stop with a hydraulic issue. The Briton did not return to action and tallied 26 laps in the afternoon, after Lewis Hamilton set 72 laps for P15. The seven-time champion’s morning was briefly interrupted by some floor damage and the resulting repairs.

Fernando Alonso managed more than 130 laps and finished third overall for Aston Martin, ahead of AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries in P4 and Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg, fifth. Verstappen finished second overall on

C3 tyres.

Sainz’s morning stint saw him end up sixth on the board with 70 laps in the Ferrari, with team mate Charles Leclerc taking over to clock more than 60 laps and finish eighth overall.

Between the Ferraris was Williams’ Logan Sargeant , who, like Alonso and Zhou, drove for the whole day. The rookie driver finished seventh and led the mileage stakes – more than 150 laps under his belt. Sargeant rolled into the pits with 15 minutes remaining and extricated the car, with what seemed to be an electrical issue.

It was later revealed that the team were having Sargeant practise exiting the car in the event of a problem, during which a small electrical issue did spring up.

Oscar Piastri finished ninth in the afternoon with his team mate Lando Norris 16th overall after a productive morning.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10, 1.5s off top spot, with Haas’s Kevin Magnussen 11th and Gasly’s teammate Esteban Ocon 12th after lapping 49 times in the morning.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez split the Mercedes having set 76 laps in the morning.

Rounding out the standings was AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who managed a session-high 85 laps in the morning before handing the car over to Gasly.

The event will feature top local and imported horses battling for over $8 million in cash and prizes.

The seven-race programme will feature the B and Lower Class over 1,600 metres fighting for a first price of $2M while second place will bag $1m.

The F Class and lower, which is also open to E class first-time starters in Guyana, will run for 1100 metres for

a first prize of $600,000, $300,000 and $150,000 respectively

The G3 and Lower class will go over 1400m for a first prize of $500,000, $250,000 and $125,000 while the 3 Year-old Guyana Bred Maidens will go over 1100m for a first prize of $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000.

The J Class and Lower, which is open to H class non-earners in the last two years is over 1400m with

a first prize of $300,000 followed by $150,000 and $75,000.

There is also a race for K Class Maidens which is opened to L Class horses.

This is also billed for 1400M with a first prize of $250,000 while the L Class Maidens will race in the open J3 firsttime starters for a first prize of $200,000.

Fans can start entering the venue from 10:00am on race day

Quetta Gladiators’ West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith.

The Rising Sun Turf Club will play host to Opening Day stakes.

Chandrika hopes to don Guyana colours again

By Sean Devers

AT 33 and with five Test matches under his belt, Rajendra Chandrika, aka Ginger is hoping to do well enough to stake a claim for selection for the Guyana Harpy Eagles’ last three matches in this year’s regional first-class tournament to be played in T&T and Guyana.

The stylish right-handed batter from Enterprise, on the East Coast of Demerara, who played his last first-class match for Guyana in 2017, is named captain for the GCB’s Select X1 for the four-team senior inter-county competition which is scheduled to commence today at the Providence Stadium and the Enmore Community Centre ground.

“Once I do well and score big I would love to play for my country again, but I will leave everything to the selectors.

I came back to play this tournament because I was just giving it another shot because of my love for the game” said Chandrika, who made his List ‘A’ debut at Enmore against Jamaica for the West Indies

- Back to stake claim in Inter County Tourney

U-19 in 2007.

The Everest batter made his first-class debut for Guyana against Trinidad and Tobago in Antigua in June 2010. He also played for the West Indies ‘A’ team, the Sagicor High Performance Centre, the Leeward Islands and the West Indies Cricket Board President’s X1.

Playing for the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI, Chandrika scored 74 against Australia in a warm-up match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua in May 2015.

His performance in that game caught the attention of many and he was immediately rewarded with a place in the Test side. He made his Test debut against Australia in the second Test after Marlon Samuels was ruled out with an injury.

It is often said numbers are not always a true indication of someone’s ability, with Carl Hooper quickly coming to mind and so it is with Chandrika, who experienced a horror start to his Test career.

On his debut, Chandri-

ka became the third West Indian player to out double duck on their Test debuts but he was the only specialist batter to do so since the others were Alf Valentine and Alzarri Joseph.

England’s Graeme Gooch and Sri Lankan Marvan Atapattu also bagged a pair on test debut.

Chandrika played five Tests, batted 10 times, scored 140 with a highest

score of 37. His average of 14.00 is the lowest for a specialist batter who had played at least five Tests

“That was a tough tour because my father was sick and passed away during that tour. So it did affect me mentally and that was my biggest challenge” disclosed Chandrika, who played 60 first-class games scoring 2,682 runs and

made a century and 13 fifties with a highest score of 145.

But in 2016, Chandrika played two more Tests against India but, unlike Gooch and Atapattu whose careers flourished, the Guyanese was dropped at 26 and returned to the reginald scene with his confidence battered to a pulp.

In the 2017 regional

tournament, Chandrika suffered a poor season and was dropped. He played two first-class games for the Leewards the next year -- against Guyana and Barbados, getting low scores in both matches and at 28, his first-class career was over.

He continued to play in Canada, New York and Trinidad with plenty of success but he was never called by the Guyana selectors.

“I didn’t stop playing in Guyana, I was not getting no calls so I went to play overseas. It always feels good to be playing at the Inter-county level” concluded Chandrika, who seemed destined for greatness when he burst on the scene at the youth level in the early 2000s.

This Inter-County tournament is being used to select the Guyana squad for the final three rounds and could be the platform for the resurrection of Chandrika’s career, once he can make a few ‘big’ scores and prays for the rain to stay away for the duration of the tournament.

GCB’s 4-day Inter-County cricket is back...

Chris Barnwell, Johnson, Persaud, Tevin Imlach, Raymond Perez, Sachin Singh and Shamar Yearwood will need to contribute with the bat.

The bowling should be in the hands of Barnwell, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Richie Looknauth, Ashmead Nedd, Steven Sankar and Qumar Torrington.

Demerara squad: Leon Johnson (Cap -

tain), Matthew Nandu, Raymond Perez, Tevin Imlach, Akshaya Persaud, Shamar Yearwood, Christopher Barnwell, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Richie Looknauth, Ashmead Nedd, Steven Sankar, Qumar Torrington, Sachin Singh and Sachin Balgobin. The Manager is Puneet

Jaigopaul and head coach is Garvin Need. The reserves are Nehemiah Hohenkirk,

Chris Balgobin, Navendra Persaud, Kishan Tracy, Ronaldo Renee, Riyad Latiff and Jermain Ramroop.

Essequibo squad: Antony Adams (Captain), Kevon Boodie, Sheldon Charles, Kemol Savory, Neland Codogan, Ricardo Adams, Keemo Paul, Quentin Sampson, Ronaldo Renn, Leon Swamy, Avinash Persaud, Malcolm Hubbard, Wazim Mohamed, Ronsford

Beaton. The Manager is Yogeshwar Lall and head coach is Ryan Hercules. The reserves are Ricardo Peters, Rajendra Ramballi, Shane Wong, Carl Gilgeous, Beesham Moses and Garfield Phillips.

Berbice squad: Shimron Hetmyer, Tommani Ceasar, Adrian Sukwah, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Jonathan Foo, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair,

Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd, Nial Smith, Shamar Joseph, Garfield Benjamin and Shamar Angel. The reserves are Jonathan Rampersaud, Demetri Cameron, Clinton Pestano, Zeynul Ramsammy, Kelvin Umroa and Sylus Tyndall. The head coach is Julian Moore and Manager is Travis Hardcourt.

GCB Select XI squad: Rajendra Chandrika (Cap -

tain), Alvin Mohabir, Jeremiah Scott, Carlos La Rose, Zachary Jodah, Rajendra Ramballi, Nathan Persaud, David Williams, Mark Gonzales, Demeter Cameron, Jonathan Rampersaud, Zeynul Ramsammy, Sylus Tyndall and Kevin Umroa. The Manager is Ravindranauth Seeram while the head coach is Clive Grimmond.

Rajendra Chandrika pulls against India in Antigua in 2016

GCB’s 4-day Inter-County cricket is back after 9-year hiatus - rain threatens resumption

captains an Essequibo side hunting its first title at this level, will press for selection for the Guyana Harpy Eagles team for the last three rounds of the regional first-class tournament.

Another player who participated in the 2014 tournament and is also vying for a Guyana spot is Demerara’s Chris Barnwell.

By Sean Devers

THE GCB four-day Inter-County Cricket tournament is set to resume today at the Enmore Community Centre Ground and the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, after a nine-year hiatus.

The last time this competition was played, in 2014, Demerara won the title with former West Indies

batter Rajendra Chandrika scoring 402 runs to be the MVP of the tournament.

Steven Jacobs and out of favour Essequibo left-arm spinner

Anthony Adams took 15 wickets each and shared the prize for bowler with the most wickets.

This year, Chandrika has returned to lead a young and inexperienced Select X1 and, along with Adams, who

Opening Day stakes postponed due to inclement weather

Today, defending champions Demerara, led by National captain Leon Johnson, will face off with a Veerasammy Permaul-led Berbice line-up in the feature game of the opening round at Providence while Essequibo will clash with the Select X1 at Enmore.

But the adverse weather conditions could have an impact during the course of the first round of matches.

At Providence where the forecast is for overcast conditions with the

possibility of rain, the ground and pitch are in prime condition and, if it rains a bit, the Providence sward is one of the world’s fastest drying International cricket venues.

The pugnacious Shimron Hetmyer, who was included in the Berbice team, is unavailable for the first round.

Such is the strength of the pre-tournament favorites that first class pacers Demetri Cameron and Clinton Pestano have been relegated to

the list of reserves.

Berbice’s batting will be spearheaded by Kevlon Anderson, who has returned from T&T where he scored a century, and Jonathan Foo, who is capable of destroying bowling attacks at this level.

National youth keeper-batter Tommani Ceasar, along with Adrian Sukwah, Junior Sinclair, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Garfield Benjamin, Veerasammy Permaul and Romario Shepherd gives Berbice a strong batting line-up.

Their pace pack will be led by Romario Shepherd, Nial Smith and Shamar Joseph, while the spin department will be taken care of by Permaul and the unrelated Sinclair’s -Kevin and Junior.

Johnson was on the brink of being dropped as Guyana’s captain and he will know that, at this level, he has to

score hundreds while Akshaya Persaud, whose average in six first-class matches is 9.5, will also need to score ‘big’ to retain his place in the team for the remainder of the firstclass season.

West Indies U-19 batter, Matthew Nandu, who scored a first-class ton against Barbados, will spearhead the Demerara batting and will hope for support in the absence of Chanderpaul Hemraj.

TURN TO PAGE 39

Veerasammy Permaul

Anthony Adams

Leon Johnson

The Rising Sun Turf Club will play host to Opening Day stakes.