Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 25-06-2022

saturday 25th june, 2022

Greater access, more lands soon No.106764

–– with signing of US$106.4M contract for new ECD-EBD road link

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15 &19 President Ali warmly greets Commonwealth SG Scotland (left) and Rwanda’s President Kagame (centre) on stage at the 2022 CHOGM opening ceremony in Kigali (Office of the President photo)

Thanks to GPHC, woman Railway Embankment Road Trinidadian owns majority shares who battled infertility for could become four-lane in RAMPS Logistics here, 18 16 years gives birth 12 highway, authorities say 02 company official confirms PAGE

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Railway Embankment Road could become four-lane highway

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh (DPI photo)

–– authorities say

By Shamar Meusa

WITH several infrastructural road projects taking place across the country, the government is currently considering the expansion of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) Railway Embankment Road to a four-lane highway.

This was revealed on

Juan Edghill, said that the government wants to be able to expand the road so that persons would encounter little to no challenges when commuting along the ECD. He drew attention to the recent works that have been ongoing on several steel panel bridges along the embankment to have them converted to concrete

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill (Adrian Narine photo) Friday, at the signing of a contract for the construction of the ECD – East Bank Demerara Road Link project. The possible expansion of the embankment road, according to authorities, could aid in relieving traffic congestion along the ECD. Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, said discussions are ongoing for the opening of the four-lane road which will go from Sheriff Street up to Buxton, with plans to extend beyond.

“When I say brand new four-lane road, I’m speaking here of the alignment along the existing railway embankment road but widening that existing railway embankment road to a new four-lane highway from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau, like I said with plans to go beyond,” Dr. Singh said.

Public Works Minister,

bridges.

“The intent is that all 13 bridges that are remaining that we get them done, take out the aqua panel put in concrete bridges, we want to be able to expand the railway embankment so eventually we must be able to increase the number of lanes that are traversing up or traversing down,” Edghill said.

He added that while most persons are aware that there is significant traffic congestion along the EBD, the situation is almost identical now on the ECD. Edghill related that when some of the aqua panel bridges were being replaced along the stretch, authorities were forced to open three lanes of traffic into Georgetown due to the congestion.

This project is set to fit into the government’s infrastructural master plan to transform the country and enhance connectivity.

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

US$106.4M contract signed for new ECD-EBD road link

By Shamar Meusa

A US$106.4 million contract was on Friday signed for the construction of the first phase of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) to East Bank Demerara (EBD) road linkage project.

At the signing ceremony which was held at the intersection of the Rupert Craig Highway and Ogle Road on the East Coast of Demerara, it was announced that an India-based construction company, Ashoka Buildcon Limited, will take on the project which is expected to be carried out over a 24-month period.

The first phase of the road is expected to be a four-lane highway that stretches some 7.8 kilometres, with which each lane will be 3.6 metres wide, even as the road will feature a median, sidewalks, and a number of structures along the way.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, said this massive project is being supported through a concessional line of credit worth US$50 million from the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of India.

He related that the road

Officials turning the sod for the first phase of the new East Bank Demerara– East Coast Demerara road linkage project (Adrian Narine photo) is not a stand-alone project, as it cannot be seen in isolation from what is happening across the rest of the country.

“Each one of these projects must not be seen as stand-alone or isolated projects unconnected within an elaborate and comprehensive masterplan; an elaborate and comprehensive plan for the transformation of infrastructure across Guy-

ana,” Dr Singh said.

The overarching infrastructural plan of the government is to improve connectivity not just within Guyana, but between the country and its geographic neighbours, Suriname and Brazil.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, in addressing the new road link and the wider plan to enhance connectivity across the country, said

the project will create the foundation for there to be a number of connector roads that will bring this larger connection to fruition. The first phase will connect Ogle to Haags Bosch in Eccles, then farther into Diamond and subsequently to Timehri.

With this, the road will serve as a critical link from the Eugene F. Correia International Airport to the Cheddi Jagan International

Airport at Timehri.

The construction of this important piece of infrastructure will also open up more lands for housing, agriculture, and industrial development.

“So, all Guyanese who are progressive in thinking, let’s talk to each other, let us converse, let us lock arms together to ensure the success of these projects for the benefit of all of us in Guyana,” Min-

ister Edghill said.

The idea behind the new, transformative ECDEBD road link was conceptualised by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government in 2014.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, said it was one of the projects that has been of major importance to the government since it was elected to office in August 2020.

He said that after just one week in government, President Dr Irfaan Ali had called a meeting to discuss the status of the project which was first conceptualised in 2014.

The High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr K. J. Srinivasa, said that the High Commission has been actively working with the government to execute various transformative projects. And he related that they will continue to work closely with the government to ensure that work continues successfully on several development partnership assistance projects.

Director of Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Ashish Kataria, said construction of the new road link will commence in August.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill (third from right); Indian High Commissioner, Dr K. J. Srinivasa (second from right); former President, Donald Ramotar (fourth from left); Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh (second from left) and Director of India-based Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Ashish Kataria (fourth from right) following the signing of the contract on Friday (Adrian Narine photo)

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Congress passes first gun-control bill in decades

(BBC) The US Congress has passed a gun control bill, the most significant firearms legislation in nearly 30 years.

It imposes tougher checks on young buyers, and encourages States to remove guns from people considered a threat.

The measures enjoyed

bipartisan support, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats in the House to approve the Bill by 234 to 193 votes.

The Bill is now headed to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. On Thursday, the Bill was also passed in the Senate, with 15 Republican Senators

voting alongside their Democratic colleagues in favour of it. The Bill was ultimately passed in a late-night 65-33 vote.

“After 28 years of inaction, bipartisan members of Congress came together to heed the call of families across the country, and passed legislation to address the scourge of gun violence in our communities,” Mr. Biden said on Thursday.

The Bill came after mass shootings last month at a supermarket in Buffalo, New

York, and a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 31 people dead.

The reforms include: * Tougher background checks for buyers younger than 21 * $15bn (£12.2bn) in federal funding for mental health programmes and school security upgrades * Funding to encourage States to implement “red flag” laws to remove firearms from people considered a threat * Closing the so-called

“boyfriend loophole” by blocking gun sales to those convicted of abusing unmarried intimate partners President Biden has pushed for bigger reforms, including a ban on assault weapons, which were used in the Texas and Buffalo mass shootings, or at least an increase in the age at which they can be purchased.

The gunman in the Texas shooting is believed to have purchased two semi-automatic rifles days after turning 18.

IMPORTANT MILESTONE The Bill is also significant, because it is the first time in decades that proposed reforms have received this level of support from both Democrats and Republicans.

Historically, efforts to strengthen US gun laws have been blocked by the Republican Party.

In the Senate, all 50 Democrats, including the party’s most conservative members, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, voted for the Bill.

They were joined by deal-making Republicans, including the party’s Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham, who is a close ally of former President Donald Trump, and a traditional opponent of gun-control legislation.

However, two-thirds of Senate Republicans opposed the legislation, and all of those who backed it, except for Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Indiana’s Todd Young, will not face voters in November this year, or have announced their intention not to seek re-election.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is widely tipped to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, con-

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demned the Bill as an attempt to “try to disarm law-abiding citizens, rather than take serious measures to protect our children”.

Among the 14 Republican House Representatives to vote for the Bill were Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, and Illinois’ Adam Kinzinger.

Gun safety group March For Our Lives, founded by survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida, welcomed the advancement of the Bill.

“We know there’s A LOT more work to be done to end this epidemic, but a lot of hard work got us to tonight. We refuse to quit or be silenced; ending gun violence is the fight of our lifetime,” the group tweeted.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has opposed the Bill, and argued that it will not stop the violence.

WHY IS GUN CONTROL SUCH A BIG DEAL? There are an estimated 393 million firearms currently in the US. It has the highest rate of firearms deaths among the world’s wealthy nations more than 20,900 people have been killed in gun violence in the US this year, including through homicide and suicide, according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit research group.

But it is also a country where many cherish gun rights that are protected by the Constitution’s Second Amendment to “keep and bear arms”.

The last significant federal gun control legislation was passed in 1994, banning the manufacture for civilian use of assault rifles and large capacity magazines, but it expired a decade later.

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Belize: CDB helps indigenous women gain incomes (Barbados Today) A unique, centuries-old Mayan art form once thought to be dying, is enjoying a glorious renaissance in Belize. More important, it is emerging as a launch pad for many indigenous women to lift themselves out of poverty.

The resurgence of intricate Mayan embroidery is evident on websites of online giants such as Etsy and in high-priced boutiques in North America and Europe.

Additionally, key public figures in Belize and trending influencers are proudly promoting clothing that features the handmade artwork.

Unfortunately, the indigenous women who spend weeks and sometimes months crafting these complex designs, do not always reap the ultimate value of their artistic expression.

That scenario, however, is quickly changing due to financial support from the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the hugely successful Fahina project of the Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM).

The funding for this project is administered by the CDB’s Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Unit, which is headed by Lisa Harding, Coordinator of MSME Development.

The initiative, which was first spearheaded by Belizean intellectual Froyla Tzalam, was the beneficiary of a US$130, 000 grant under the Bank’s Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF).

Tzalam, a highly respected anthropologist and advocate for indigenous people, was elevated to position of Governor General in May 2021 but her work has been continued by Maya Choc, the new Executive Director of SATIIM. Faced with obstacles such as poverty, limited educational access and employment opportunities, the Mayan

women, through Fahina, are now benefiting from consistent and sustainable income while boosting their economic independence.

With the assistance of a consultant, the provision of basic training in entrepreneurship, marketing, elements of intellectual property, and the manufacturing processes for various types of apparel, these women are now empowered to dream big.

“Through this project we’ve found there was a need to assist the women with pricing these things.

They were also underselling, and this embroidery can take sometimes up to two weeks or a month to produce,” Choc explained.

The SATIIM executive director noted: “In addition to pricing, we also helped them with valuing their time and expertise. The intellectual property component sought to sensitise them about how valuable their work is because these are Mayan traditional practices.

Often, foreigners come, and our women share our knowledge. We tell them how we do this, and they replicate it on a commercial level and sell it at a very high price.

“We tend to give out information and we are naïve about what people use it for.” Emphasis was placed on capacity building for the 50 women participants, many of whom are from districts in Toledo.

“A simple system was developed that they can adhere to because often people put sophisticated systems in place and then they are not suitable for the people they are meant to assist. Most of these women have only gone to primary school,” the executive director revealed.

“Of all the indigenous groups, we are the most marginalised in the country.

Mayan women, on whom this project is focused, we are at the bottom. . . . there

is not even data on Mayan women and that shows how important we are viewed and our place in society,” she reflected.

At the same time, Choc highlighted the importance of the project to sustaining the art form, empowering the Mayan women financially, and boosting their self-esteem. Through the CIIF- funded project, the group engaged the services of a designer who worked with the women to create popular, chic fashions into which the Mayan embroidery is incorporated.

So successful has the project been that senior government officials and average citizens are wearing the Mayan embroidery designs with pride. The act not only supports the resurgence of the artform but uplifts the Mayan women and contributes to their economic and social wellbeing.

There is none prouder of the indigenous women’s work than Governor General

Froyla Tzalam, who in her official portrait, wears some of the traditional embroidery.

“Between October 2021 when we launched and December, it has been quite busy. We did not expect this kind of excitement about the project. . . .People really love that they are supporting these groups when they purchase these clothes.

“Since we have launched, those women have not had any free time . . . . It is a real success story, and we must thank the CDB for providing us with the support,” Choc said.

In addition to the embroidery, several Mayan women from nearby communities have been trained and employed to sew. For most of them it is their first foray into the formal workforce.

“What we also enjoyed was the fact that all the consultants working on the project were women, and that was special for us,” Choc affirmed.

The new executive director of SATIIM, Maya Choc

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

Commission of Inquiry

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in keeping with an earlier commitment, has appointed a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events that transpired following polling day on March 2, 2020.

The Chairman of the Commission is retired Justice of Appeal Stanley John, and the other members of the commission are former Attorney General, High Court Judge and Acting Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean, Godfrey P Smith, S.C.; former Chair and Chief Elections Commissioner of India, Dr. SY Quraishi, and former Chancellor (ag) Carl Singh, OR CCH. These are legal luminaries, all of whom have distinguished themselves in the field of law and jurisprudence. In the case of the retired Justice John, he currently serves as non-resident Justice of Appeal on the Turks and Caicos Islands,

and presides over criminal and civil appeals from the Supreme Court.

He also previously served as temporary High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Court in Montserrat during the period April-July 2021. He served as temporary High Court Judge of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the British Virgin Islands and temporary High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Antigua and Barbuda.

It is unnecessary, if not superfluous, to establish the credentials of the Chairman and the other members of the Commission except to make the point that President Ali must be commended for living up to his commitment to establish a CoI and to put together such a team of eminently qualified and highly respected members of the legal community drawn from Guyana, the Caribbean and

India.

These are individuals who are not only knowledgeable in law but, as in the case of Dr. Quraishi, was a former Chief Elections Officer of India, considered the world’s largest democracy.

One would have thought that the main political opposition, the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) would have welcomed such a development, having regard to the fact that it continues to peddle a false narrative of being “cheated” out of office.

Instead, the APNU+AFC appeared unenthusiastic about the establishment and appeared to have more faith in the courts and, interestingly, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to conduct such an exercise.

The matter is still before the courts and the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission had made it clear that it is outside the

remit of GECOM to conduct such a probe. As far as the PNC/R is concerned, it views the CoI as “interference in the judicial process.”

The fact is that given the damage done to the image and the democratic credentials of the country by the APNU+AFC coalition in collaboration with rogue elements of GECOM during the course of the tabulation of results, an independent investigation into the events that led to the delay in the announcement of the results and the swearing-in of the President is both timely and necessary.

For the first time in the history of Guyana and the Caribbean, if not beyond, the results of an election took such an inordinately long time to be declared.

There were counts and recounts and the declaration of multiple results by the then Chief Elections Officer, all purporting to show

a “victory” by the incumbent APNU+AFC until the intervention of the courts, which ruled that only valid votes counted by a GECOM supervised recount exercise be used for the purposes of a final declaration.

On the basis of the ruling of the court, the Chairman of GECOM declared that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) had won the elections and Dr. Ali was sworn in as the duly elected Executive President of Guyana, but not until six months after the date of poll!

The Commission of Inquiry, no doubt, will have its work cut out with an abundance of testimonials, statements and reports by individuals, representatives from several contesting political parties and representatives of local and international observer groups. There is also access to the Statements of Poll (SOPs) as submitted

by GECOM should that be

necessary.

Moreover, individuals and organisations of interest to the commission could be summoned with the force of law, if necessary, to appear before the commission to give evidence.

The APNU+AFC has an opportunity to substantiate their allegations of electoral fraud before the commission.

As for President Ali and the PPP/C, “the CoI will set those who dwell in the house of democracy against those who dwell in the fire of undemocratic rule and norms.”

The CoI, according to President Ali, will see Guyana celebrating yet another victory. Guyanese, and the entire democratic world, are looking forward to the findings of the commission, even though the findings are hardly likely to come as a surprise to the vast majority of Guyanese who saw first-hand what actually transpired.

Indian High Commission hosts cross-country yoga sessions for International Yoga Day

THE High Commission of India in Georgetown, in collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre organised yet another event to celebrate the 8th observance of International Day of Yoga at the Indian Arrival Monument, Palmyra, Berbice on Tuesday, according to a press release from the High Commission.

This event follows another held last Sunday at the Everest Cricket Ground, Georgetown and two others in collaboration with the Guyana Defence and Police Forces.

A s p a r t o f I n d i a ’s “Guardian Ring” Yoga Programme, countries from Japan and Fiji in the east to the United States in the west have been enlisted. Guyana is among the countries. The affiliated yoga events were streamed live on social media and broadcast on television

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr., delivering remarks at the recent yoga event

stations across the world.

Delivering his message on the 8th International Day of Yoga via recorded video which was played at the event in Guyana and also across India last Tuesday, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said “Yoga improves human wellbeing as a force of good in

promoting social harmony and goodwill.”

“I encourage all Guyanese to discover the range of benefits that can be derived from Yoga. May this timeless practice help us to remember to live in harmony with nature and our fellow brothers and sisters,” Dr Ali said.

Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner in Georgetown, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, in his remarks, praised the simultaneous yoga events happening around the world with the primary event led

by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city of Mysuru, India.

There were also yoga events in 75 heritage locations and 100 cities which, the release said, signified the 75 years of Independence of India under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Echoing sentiments of Prime Minister Modi, High Commissioner Srinivasa,

Yogis at the Indian Arrival Monument, Palmyra, Berbice (Indian High Commission photos)

the release continued, said: “Yoga is a journey from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Yoga makes an individual a better person in action, thought, knowledge and devotion.”

Delivering feature remarks at the event on Tuesday in Berbice was Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr. whom, the release noted, under-

scored the benefits of yoga to maintaining a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Minister Ramson exContinued on page 7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

OP-ED

2022: The year to stop the decline of the ocean’s health

WITH every breath we take, we are connected to the ocean. The ocean gives us oxygen, provides us with food and livelihoods.

It stabilises our climate, absorbing most of the heat trapped in the earth’s system. Billions of humans, animals and plants rely on a healthy ocean. But the ocean’s health is in trouble.

Rising carbon emissions are making the ocean more acidic, weakening its ability to sustain life underwater and on land. Plastic waste is choking the ocean. And if we continue on our current track, more than half of the world’s marine species may stand on the brink of extinction by 2100. Solutions exist to restore the health of the ocean, but they will require action from all parts of society, from world leaders down to every one of us.

There can be no healthy planet without a healthy ocean, and the ocean’s health is measurably in decline. Having said that, I wish to emphasize that 2022 can be the year we stop the decline.

To illustrate that asser-

tion, 2022 is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, and both aquaculture and artisanal fisheries are central to our quest for sustainability. Very importantly, last year also saw the launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to support and advance the realisation of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

In addition, we have the decision of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow that ocean considerations must be built into UNFCCC’s ongoing work, giving cause for optimism that solid progress will be made on addressing such issues as ocean warming and acidification. These in turn will improve the ocean’s health and secure its unique capacity to sequester carbon.

But on top of these positive factors, and all the other positive ocean action meetings taking place this year, there are six international gatherings which, taken together, can really stop

From page 6

Guyana’s Tain Campus, and students from local schools and the University of Guyana.

The Indian High Commission’s team later visited

By Ambassador Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the ocean

the decline. One of those meetings has already been held - the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5) which, in the first days of March, in Nairobi consensually agreed to begin negotiations for a binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.

We currently dump eleven million tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year and are projected to double that figure by 2030, tripling it by 2050. But we can stop that trend of outrageous pollution through the proposed treaty.

Indian High Commission...

pressed appreciation to the High Commission of India for building closer relations with Guyana, including culturally through yoga.

Throughout the observance, several national sites were used for yoga sessions including the Public Buildings, St George’s Cathedral, Umana Yana, Nelson

Children mastering yoga pose

Tuesday’s yoga session was attended by Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) officials as well as representatives from the University of

the Berbice-based women’s prison where, the release press added that 25 inmates and prison staff officers participated in the yoga session there.

Mandela Avenue roundabout, the 1763 Monument, and Promenade Gardens, all in Georgetown.

Secondly, the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference takes place in mid-June in Geneva, where, after two decades of negotiation, the WTO has the ability to ban harmful fisheries subsidies.

Some 20 to 30 billion United States dollars of public funds go to such subsidies every year, mainly for the enjoyment of industrial fishing fleets, in an exercise described by many as the most harmful thing we do to ocean ecosystems. Do the right thing in Geneva, and the ocean’s health will

be given a new lease on life.

Thirdly, this year’s resumption of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) presents the opportunity to conclude a robust and operable treaty for governance of the high seas, thereby safeguarding one of the planet’s most critical global commons.

If only Member States can reach consensus, we will get the BBNJ job done in 2022.

Fourthly, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 to be held later this year in Kunming, holds the promise of the adoption of a new target to protect 30 per cent of the planet by 2030.

Such a decision at the COP this year would be a major game-changer for marine protected areas and thereby the ocean’s health.

Fifthly, we have the UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal, in Lisbon, 27 June to 1 July, where we will launch a great fleet of innovative, science-based solutions.

These solutions will be

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carried forward in well-funded partnerships, representing effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’s resources.

And lastly, at UNFCCC’s COP27, in Sharm-ElSheik in November, we must all deliver on the ambition and political will for the climate adaptation and finance required to bend the curve in the direction of security, equity and sustainability.

If we are to halt the decline in the ocean’s health this year, we have to do the right thing at all six of these meetings, and while “we” primarily refers to Member States, it also refers to every one of us. We must not squander the unparalleled opportunities presented by 2022’s confluence of moments for decisive ocean action.

Let us all commit to redressing our relationship with Nature to one of respect and balance. Let us do this for our children and grandchildren, that they may live the good lives we wish for them.

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

You Only Live Twice!

By Earl Bousquet

THIS title from an ageold James Bond (Agent 007) movie aptly applies to Grenada today.

Judging from Thursday night’s parliamentary election results, it’s a great lesson about everything to do with understanding that ‘The Masses’ are always the masters and mistresses in election politics, in and out of parliament.

The New National Party (NNP), under Dr Keith Mitchell, won all 15 seats three times, the last two successively, which would naturally have led to the ruling party entering the elections with an understandable expectation that it’s overall majority would have been a natural advantage.

That, however, was not the case.

Indeed, while the NNP had the numbers advantage, it was undoubtedly clear to its leadership that time was running (or had run) out and thus the decision for a snap election, with Dr Mitchell begging for the electorate to bless him with one final term at age 75.

The ‘Doc’ promised to pay pensioners ‘this year,’ but in the ‘next budget.’ The massive turnout of the ‘Green Machine’ on the last night of the campaign was enough to convince greenhorn analysts that the NNP had had its victory sealed.

But when the final vote was counted, the picture was different, as the political landscape had surely long-changed.

The analyses will come fast and furious as analysts try to pin the

reason(s) for the NNP’s loss. Some blame unavoidable factors such as COVID-19, the supply-chain crisis and the Ukraine war which have all had effects on food and fuel prices.

Others will dig deeper for the deeply buried domestic factors that would have contributed to the ruling party’s loss.

‘The Doc’ and his

inner circle will, at some time, admit they saw it coming despite the brave faces, as the signs were very clear that ‘the masses’ were, again, ready for change, even though quietly expressed until the snap election date was announced.

Snap elections are usually called when the ruling party feels it has no choice but to do so, or when it has a chance to outdo the political opposition.

While such polls have been won in circumstances where the ruling party’s analysis was correct, this was definitely not the case in Grenada where a new and emerging younger electorate seems to have decided it was time for change to a new and younger leadership.

Naturally, age has no place in politics, but time and history always matter. It’s quite clear that Grenadian voters in 2022, at home and abroad, had decided (for whatever reasons) that ‘The Doc’ and the NNP had to go now.

Here again, the lesson is that at the end of the day it’s ‘the masses’ who decide; the same ‘masses’ that parties and politicians always all say they will ‘represent’ and ‘respect’ and ‘work for’ if and when elected.

But the masses, as The Electorate, always have the power, ability and sense to make and break governments and remind parties who’s in charge.

Unfortunately, traditional politicians have always seen and treated

‘the masses’ as lesser people who need to be represented by ‘brighter’ people. Such people always claim to be forever acting ‘in the people’s interest’, but don’t always deliver as promised when elected.

For example: The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) in 1997 came the closest to winning all the seats when it won 16 of 17 under the dynamic leadership of then-young Dr Kenny D. Anthony, who gave up his job as CARICOM’s General Counsel in Georgetown in 1996 to accept an invitation to lead the major Opposition party into the 1997 general elections.

But the SLP’s 16-1 victory was reduced by the same ‘masses’ to 14-3 in 2001. The SLP then lost 11-6 to the United Workers Party (UWP) in the 2006 election results.

The SLP’s 13-4 win has now been translated into a 15-2 leadership in the parliament for SLP, after it invited two successful independent candidates (both former UWPs and including a former Prime Minister) to join the current Cabinet.

Dr Mitchell accepted defeat and is now nursing his political wounds, even with the inerasable memory of the NNP setting a regional record as being the only party to have won all the seats three times.

But as Saint Lucia has shown, winning all (or nearly all) is no guarantee of perpetuity in power. At the end of the day, it’s always about how and what the party

in power does within the five-year term that decides whether it will be re-elected.

Take Barbados, where Prime Minister Mia Mottley has led the Labour Party (BLP) to two consecutive all-out general victories, making the island a republic within months of again taking home all the bacon.

Of course, the jury is still out as to whether the BLP would have won a referendum among ‘Bajans’ on the issue of breaking with the British monarchy. The fact, however, is that now that the island has women as Prime Minister and President, respectively, that unique and distinctly admirable reality does not automatically mean Bajans will re-elect the BLP with all seats for a third consecutive time.

As Grenada has clearly shown, once again, it’s never about winning all the seats. It’s more about what the winning party does with all the power and, most importantly, the extent to which ‘The Masses’ feel the ruling party they gave all that power is or has been using it in their interest.

Election Day is where the proverbial ‘masses’ know and prove who’s in charge. It is the Judgment Day for every politician and party claiming to be always operating ‘in the people’s interests…’ or ‘for the benefit of the masses….’

Indeed, Grenada has taught those who haven’t learned that, like the ever-living James Bond, you only live twice!

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Free Maths, English text books for Grades Seven

–– 13 students, Education Minister confirms THE Ministry of Education (MoE) will provide all of the Mathematics and English textbooks, free of cost, to students from Grades Seven to 13, from the next school year, commencing September 2022.

This was announced by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand during an award ceremony held earlier this week at the National Cultural Centre (NCC), here in Georgetown.

“By September, every student from Grade Seven to Grade 13 will have all the Mathematics, English and Literature textbooks that they need,” Minister Manickchand said.

The distribution of the textbooks will mark the fulfilment of yet another promise made by the government to improve education.

Earlier this year, the government provided all pupils from Grades One to Six in the public school system with all the textbooks needed for studies at their respective levels.

Minister Manickchand had announced then that plans will be put in place to extend this to the secondary

school level.

The Minister noted that this latest measure is part of wider initiatives taken by her ministry and the Government of Guyana to reduce the burden on parents to send their children to school. The aim of the government’s support is to ensure higher performance among learners.

“There were complaints before about the long book lists that we in the Ministry and schools were sending to parents.

So, these changes ought to see significant output; better output and less coming out of the pockets of families,” Minister Manickchand said.

“If we are going to do this together: The Ministry, the government, the parents, the schools, the teachers, [and] the students, then surely we should be able to see better results,” she added.

It is expected that the books will be returned after the completion of each level of study, so that other learners can benefit from the initiative.

In addition to providing the textbooks, parents will also be receiving $30,000 for each child enrolled in school.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

Vendor gets $50,000 bail on indecent exposure charge A 36-year-old vendor was, on Friday, released on $50,000 bail for allegedly exposing himself to a woman.

Nelson Pierre appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and denied intentionally exposing himself to Ruth Trotman, to cause her alarm and distress.

He was represented by attorney-at-law Madan Kissoon, who made an application for reasonable bail.

Magistrate Daly released Pierre on $50,000 bail and adjourned the case until Jul 8, 2022.

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Latin America and Caribbean need to reduce gender gap in digital transformation

(IDB) - An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest and IDB Lab study has revealed that 62 per cent of the representatives of major institutions and

entities in the digital ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean think the digital gender gap is a problem in their respective countries.

The same proportion

believe that women have little participation in digital transformation processes, because of a lack of skills and competencies.

According to the unpublished surveys and analysis

of recent research in the study, ‘The Gender Dimension in the Business Digital Transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean’, governments in the region need to implement specific public policies to reduce the gender gap in digital business transformations.

The survey shows that women’s participation in digital transformation processes was less than 50 per cent at approximately half of the organisations that were surveyed. These organisations pointed to a lack of necessary digital skills and competencies as a primary reason for this lack of participation.

The study maps the main gender gaps in companies’ digitalisation processes, and recommends that governments help solve this problem through public policies that increase women’s access to, and use of digital technologies, and reduce the gaps related to women’s participation in digital jobs.

“We want digital transformation processes to be guided by strong public policies promoting greater gender inclusion. This will help our region accelerate its growth, and promote equitable and fair development,” said Jessica Bedoya, Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the IDB. “This study provides a roadmap for governments to incorporate gender equity into their digital agendas; it reinforces the commitment set forth in IDB Group Vision 2025 to promote gender equity, and advance the region’s digital transformation,” she added.

Currently, two-thirds of Latin American and Caribbean countries do not include gender as a cross-cutting pillar when designing efficient public policies for digital transformation of business.

When asked about the main barriers faced by female entrepreneurs in digital spaces, most respondents (73.6 per cent) mentioned access to financing.

The survey also found the high burden of family responsibilities among women to be the most common reason why more women are not starting companies in the digital sphere (70 per cent).

Moreover, a large majority of respondents (80.2

per cent) believe women-owned digital businesses receive less investment than male-owned ones.

The survey data is based on responses from leaders of digital transformation agendas in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on an analysis of digital public policies in 27 countries in the region.

There was a total of 416 responses to the general survey questionnaire between October and November 2021.

OTHER GENDER GAPS In terms of access, more men than women have Internet access in over half of the region’s countries.

There is also a higher share of men with mobile connectivity in 70 per cent of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The primary demand-side factors contributing to this access gap are level of education, presence of children in the household, employment, and socioeconomic conditions. Meanwhile, the main supply-side factor is the affordability of telecommunications services and devices.

The study also indicates that women have less training on digital technologies, and are less confident in their digital technology skills, which leads them to use these technologies less.

The study also warns that the gender gap in digital jobs is progressively widening, especially due to high levels of informal employment in the region, which, in turn, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women make up 32 per cent of the employees in the information and communications sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Finally, the study concludes that women’s limited participation in digital transformation is also tied to behavioral biases among women themselves and in the digital sector, which is dominated by men.

It can also be linked to the scarcity of women in decision-making positions within companies.

PUBLIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The study recommends various public-pol-

icy measures to boost female participation in the digital sphere.

In general, the recommendations highlight the need to change the culture through awareness campaigns and equitable early education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as to foster a culture of self-empowerment and ongoing training in digital technologies.

For the public sector, the study suggests accelerating digital infrastructure projects, and reducing the gender gap in digital skills, especially in rural areas.

It also recommends activities attracting more women to digital professions, and raising awareness in the private sector about how much value it loses by not including female talent in processes for digitally transforming businesses.

The study recommends legal reforms to distribute family responsibilities more evenly among the capable adults in a household, and that when financing entrepreneurship projects through tendering processes, governments should strive to consider an equal number of proposals from men and women.

For the private sector, the publication recommends that companies develop gender equality policies, and use data analytics to design them.

In terms of recruitment, companies should ensure that application processes for certain positions in the organisation are fair, and use blind resumes without referencing the gender of applicants.

To increase career opportunities for women, companies should consider implementing flexible or hybrid work mechanisms, creating mentoring programmes to encourage more women to develop their digital skills, and adopting upskilling and reskilling measures for women in digital fields.

Finally, the study recommends creating funds or programmes specifically to help female entrepreneurs obtain financing.

These programmes should be designed to mitigate a possible undesired effect of excluding these women from normal financing circuits.

guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Over 700 flood-relief hampers distributed countrywide

THE Government of Guyana, via the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), has so far distributed hundreds of food items and cleaning and hygiene supplies to flood-impacted communities across the country.

According to a press release, the CDC has distributed over 700 food and cleaning hampers, along with several other relief items.

Residents in Mahaicony Creek, Mahaica, Little Baiboo (Region five), Maraicobai (Region five), Linden, Mahdia, Kokerite, New Amsterdam, El Paso (Region Eight) will be the beneficiaries of relief supplies.

Currently, relief items procured in Lethem are being packed for distribution

in that area. Also, supplies are being prepared to be sent to Regions Five, Seven, Eight and 10.

Residents of Speightland, Region 10 are set to benefit from $8 million in emergency infrastructural works under the Ministry of Public Works. This announcement was made during an outreach to the region on Thursday, as part of government’s intervention to provide relief to citizens in flood-affected areas.

The ministry is limiting the bidding process to contractors of the region only. This is important to further boost economic development there. After the tendering process is completed, works will commence immediately, with a scheduled date of no later

than July 2, 2022, for completion.

The Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill explained that the procurement for emergency works identified will be advertised, and opened to bids on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

The minister is also scheduled to make a return trip to the region during the weekend to conduct further flood assessments in Kwakwani and other affected communities.

The commission implores all residents to remain vigilant and cautious during this rainy season and to report any impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 600-7500 or 226-1114 at any time.

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The relief supplies that will be dispatched to flood-affected communities (CDC Photo)

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Woman who battled infertility for 16 years gives birth –– thanks GPHC for the historic artificial insemination procedure

AFTER 16 years of failed fertility treatments and constant doctor visits, Bibi and Zaheer Hidar, on Thursday evening welcomed their first child, a healthy baby girl, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where doctors performed

Guyana’s first artificial insemination procedure.

Bibi, 39 of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice was considered a high-risk patient as she has a medical history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition which affects how a woman’s ovaries work. She also has type

two diabetes which contributed to her fertility issues in the past.

The procedure was conducted by consulting Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (OB/GYN), Dr. Rafi Rozan, at GPHC. The woman, during a press conference at the

Zaheer and Bibi Hidar with their baby girl, Rehana (Delano Williams photos) GPHC following the birth of her daughter, Rehana, told reporters that herself and husband had been trying for 16 years to conceive.

Visibly exuberant, she said she had longed for the day when she would give birth to her first child.

She added that she is overwhelmed with immense joy and gratitude.

“It’s a joy and happy [moment] for me and my family today to have my bouncing baby girl to hold after 16 years... I was trying a number of places and [was] never successful until we heard about doctor Rozan. I took the step and come the hospital…I’m thankful,” he said.

Meanwhile, an equally excited Zaheer, who also had medical complications, said that he is beyond thrilled to finally be able to hold his baby in his arms.

“It’s a long, 16 years. We finally get the baby now [and

couple.

With a highly trained and competent team of doctors and nurses, the procedure which sees a doctor inserting sperm directly into a woman’s cervix, fallopian tubes, or uterus, was a success.

“Miss Bibi Hidar is a 39-year-old female with a vast medical history of diabetes type two and polycstic ovarian syndrome. The couple has been trying for approximately 16 years to conceive and had no avail.”

In further explaining the case, Dr. Rozan said: “They came to us here at Georgetown Public Hospital and when they consult with us, we decided to go a step further and together the couple myself and the team, we

Zaheer and Bibi Hidar and consulting Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (OB/GYN), Dr. Rafi Rozan share a light moment with baby Rehana she’s] a gift from the father now and I’m thankful. I’m thankful to Dr. R Rozan.”

Dr. Rozan told reporters that after learning of the complexities of the case, he concluded that an artificial insemination procedure was the most fitting step for the

decided to [conduct] what is known as a Saline Infusion Sonography with Chromopertubation using corticosteroids that is to guarantee that the tubes are clean and clear.”

Ovulation stimulation see page 13

Zaheer and Bibi Hidar with the doctors who supported the artificial insemination procedure

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guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

Elections fraud case adjourned to July 15

THE electoral fraud case involving former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former PNC/R Chairperson, Volda Lawrence; coalition political activist, Carol Joseph-Smith and four others, was, on Friday, adjourned to July 15, 2022, for report.

The trio, along with Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) employees Sherfern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Bobb-Cummings and Michelle Miller are before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for defrauding the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes for the 2020 elections.

A team of special prosecutors comprising attorneys-at-law Darshan Ramdhani, QC; Glenn Hanoman, Mark Conway, Ganesh Hira, Arudranauth Gossai, and George Thomas are handling the case for the state. Attorneys-at-law Nigel Hughes, Eusi Anderson, Ronald Daniels and Konyo Sandiford are on record for the defendants.

The case came up on Friday before the Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, who is holding for the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Last October, the state handed over certified copies of Statements of Poll (SoPs) and Statements of Recount (SoRs), to the seven accused who are facing multiple charges.

According to particulars of the first charge, it is

alleged that, on March 5, 2020, with intent to defraud, Lawrence and Mingo uttered a report purporting to be a true declaration of all votes cast in District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) for the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections, knowing same to be forged.

It is further alleged that, on March 13, 2020, Mingo and Smith-Joseph uttered a forged document purporting to be a true report of all votes cast in the March 2 elections, knowing that said report was forged.

It is also alleged that, on the said date, Smith-Joseph conspired with Mingo and others to declare a fraudulent count of votes for District Four.

Mingo, Lawrence and Smith-Joseph were each released on $100,000 bail.

Additionally, it is alleged that between March 2 and August 2, 2020, at Georgetown, Mingo, conspired with Lawrence, Smith-Joseph, February, Livan, Bobb-Cummings, Miller and others to defraud the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes for the elections.

In August 2021, Mingo, along with Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and his deputy, Roxanne Myers, had their employment terminated by the commission. Lowenfield and Myers have also been charged with electoral fraud and are before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Woman who battled infertility ...

from page 12 was also conducted to have maximum results. After only three sessions of intrauterine insemination, they were able to conceive.

“In this case, we also had a male component in fertility, so it was a mixed case for many years trying. We did our first sessions of artificial insemination and after three cycles of intrauterine insemination, the couple managed to conceive,” he added.

Given Bibi’s medical history combined with the adversaries that accompanies pregnancy, she was closely monitored by the hospital’s high-risk clinic.

“During the pregnancy, we managed the patient at our high-risk clinic as she developed gestational hypertension and also being a little bit decompensated with the diabetes which could have resulted in adverse outcome for the pregnancy,” the doctor explained.

Despite the challenges and uncertain possibilities, the team of medical experts were able to ensure that Bibi was able to carry her child to full term and guarantee a safe birth by caesarean section.

“Because of the expertise available at hand, the entire team worked pretty hard with the couple and we managed to get the pregnancy to full term and we delivered yesterday via c-section and today they are doing well. Mommy is happy [and] dad is happy with their new baby girl added to the family,” Dr. Rozan added.

It is alleged that they inflated or facilitated the inflation of results for Region Four, the country’s largest voting district, to give the APNU+AFC Coalition a majority win at the polls when, in fact, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had won by 15,000 votes.

Those who rejected the results filed several legal challenges which ended up before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Guyana’s highest appeal court.

A lengthy recount of the votes eventually declared victory in favour of the PPP/C, and Dr. Irfaan Ali was sworn in as the President of Guyana on August 2, 2020.

PNC/R activist Carol Smith-Joseph; former minister, Volda Lawrence, and former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo

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Man remanded for allegedly robbing nurse aide at knifepoint JAMAL Delph, who is well known to the court, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly for armed robbery committed on a nurse aide.

Delph, 25, of Stevedore Housing Scheme, Georgetown, appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Particulars of the charge alleged that Delph, on June 19, 2022, at Meadow Brook, Georgetown, while being in the company of another and armed with a knife, robbed Delise Blades of a handbag and other items, together valued $42,000.

Police Prosecutor, Christopher Morris, strongly objected to bail being granted, since the accused was before the same court for armed robbery with violence and was currently out on bail for that offence.

Magistrate Daly upheld the prosecutor’s jamal delph objection and remanded Delph to prison until July 22.

According to the prosecution’s facts, on the day in question, about 06:55 hours, Blades, who is a nurse aide, was walking along Meadow Brook Drive, on her way home when she was approached by two men on a motorcycle.

The men allegedly held her at knifepoint and relieved her of her handbag before riding away.

The matter was reported to the police station and investigators retrieved the footage of the robbery from a nearby CCTV surveillance camera.

Delph was later arrested by police.

During an identification parade, the victim reportedly identified Delph as the rider of the motorcycle.

It is alleged that, while under caution, he admitted to the crime and later took the officer to a location where two of the stolen articles were handed over.

Man gets two years for robbery with violence A 32-year-old Kaneville, East Bank Demerara resident, was, on Friday, sentenced to two years’ in prison after pleading guilty to a robbery with violence charge.

Sherman Ken appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

He admitted that, on June 21, 2022, at Brickdam Access Road, Georgetown, he robbed Farida Ali of a gold chain and pendant worth $28,000. Also, during, or immediately after, the robbery he used personal violence on the said Sherman Ken victim.

According to the information presented by police prosecutor, Christopher Morris, on the day in question, the victim was walking along Brickdam, when Ken approached and pushed her.

Ken then snatched the woman’s chain and dealt her several cuffs about her body, before escaping on foot.

The victim raised an alarm and Ken was apprehended by a City Police Officer He was searched and the stolen jewellery was recovered in his possession.

guyana CHRONICLE saturday, june 25, 2022

‘Focus on our people,’ Rwanda’s Kagame urges at Commonwealth Heads meeting

By Rabindra Rooplall in Kigali, Rwanda

THE Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2022) officially opened in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame calling on members of the 54-nation bloc to focus on addressing challenges faced by its approximately 2.5 billion people, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening ceremony at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) was attended

by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali and 53 other Heads of State and Government, including United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, Queen Elizabeth II, was represented by her son and heir apparent, Charles, Prince of Wales. Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was re-elected for another term, was present.

President Kagame, in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the two-day summit, paid tribute to the Commonwealth’s Head for her leadership of the body over the last 70 years.

“The Commonwealth we need is on the frontlines of global challenges, not on the periphery watching events unfold,” President Kagame charged.

“We are united by a shared language, whether English is our first, second, third or even fourth one.

“But what really defines us are the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and the commitment to good governance, the rule of law and the protection of rights. That’s why we shall always remain open to new voices and the new members,” President Kagame said.

Reflecting on the dark events that struck Rwanda in the 1990s, Kagame said: “Today, we are a nation transformed in heart, mind and body.

“Three-quarters of our population are young people with no memory of those events. Everything we do, including joining the commoners in 2009, is aimed at making sure that our people are connected, included and forward-looking.

“We are delighted that through CHOGM, you have the opportunity to get to

know us and we aim to repay that trust with many years of continued friendship.”

Kagame further noted that, “the fact of holding this meeting in Rwanda, a new member with no historical connection to the British Empire, expresses our choice to continue reimagining the Commonwealth for a changing world.”

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Secretary-General (SG) Patricia Scotland, for her part, said the Commonwealth today is a beacon within the international system.

“Yes, we have shared interests and practical advantages, but we are the most significant grouping of countries in the history of the world which is bound, above all, by values which we all aspire to.

“These values of peace and justice, of tolerance, respect and solidarity and our role as the foremost international champion for small and vulnerable states remain our enduring responsibility,” the Secretary-General remarked.

Baroness Scotland said honouring these values and that vision is not only a sacred act for this generation, but it is also a gift for future generations.

“Today, as we gather in the midst of new and decisive shifts in our world, it is imperative that those values shape the choices we will make in the hours and days ahead.

“The economic damage of COVID, and mounting debt, confront us all. The rapid intensification of climate change poses an existential danger. The tremors of conflict and instability in our world, the spiralling costs of food and fuel and economic uncertainty, threaten a serious and protracted crisis. This CHOGM is, first and foremost, an opportunity to find answers to these questions,” the SG stressed.

Noting that it will not be easy, the Baroness said the solutions will simply not ride up onto the stage and present themselves.

“We must talk and listen to each other and give all that we have to achieve progress for the 2.5 billion people we— you— represent. “… The world is changing,” she continued, “People are anxious. I understand the pressure you, as Heads of Government, are under.

The last few years have shaken the kaleidoscope.

But before the pieces settle, we have an opportunity right here, right now to show the world what real unity, real solidarity, real cooperation and real progress look like”.

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President Ali warmly greets Commonwealth SG Scotland (left) and Rwanda’s President Kagame (centre) on stage at the 2022 CHOGM opening ceremony in Kigali (Office of the President photo)

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Trinidadian owns majority shares in RAMPS Logistics here, company official confirms

RAMPS Logistics Guyana Inc., with parent company in Trinidad and Tobago, has been denied a local content certificate, the company’s Chairman, Shaun Rampersad, announced, as he bemoaned the decision of the legally mandated Local Content Secretariat.

Speaking to the media corps at a recent press conference at the local subsidiary’s New Market Street, Georgetown headquarters, Rampersad said the Local Content Secretariat provided no reason for the certificate denial.

The company, which was incorporated in 2013 in Guyana, is parented by RAMPS Logistics Limited out of Trinidad and Tobago. Some 51 per cent of the local company was sold to Trinidadian businessman, Deepak Lall, who, Rampersad said, has Guyanese parentage.

The sale of majority shares of the local logistics company came just after Guyana’s Parliament enacted its updated local content rules which are set to protect the interest of Guyanese and Guyanese companies in the growing local oil and gas sector.

Rampersad, speaking to reporters, said he was of the view that the company complied with specifics of the local content legislation. He added that the company felt that it went about the processes in

Head of RAMPS Logistics Guyana, RAMPS Logistics Guyana majority Shaun Rampersad (Carl Croker photo) shareholder, Deepak Lall the right way.

Following the passing of the local lieve that Lall (the majority shareholder) content law, RAMPS reportedly sold acquired his passport as an act of conve51 per cent of the company’s shares to nience.

Rampersad maintained that his comLall who, Rampersad said, paid GY$210 pany, in adhering to local rules, submitted million.

The goal, Rampersad continued, was a local content plan to the authorities for to include someone from the Guyanese consideration.

RAMPS’ chairman said the company diaspora. Lall received his Guyanese will engage local authorities on the issue, passport in 2021, Rampersad claimed. adding that it will continue its operation The company’s chairman does not be-

here. The company’s top official hinted at possible court action.

At a recent press conference, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said that a number of businesses have tried to bypass the legislation. He said those businesses have tried to change the way they incorporate in an attempt to circumvent the provisions of the law.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), for its part, issued a statement on Thursday, underscoring the importance of respecting the local content law in a way that creates meaningful and genuine partnerships.

“The GCCI wishes to strongly repudiate any enterprise or citizen that seeks to exploit the local content framework by operating under the guise of local participation when this is not, in fact, the reality of the operation,” the chamber said.

It went on to note that this phenomenon, referred to as “fronting”, could reduce the benefits to Guyana and Guyanese from the burgeoning sector.

The GCCI further called on the Local Content Secretariat to “examine the beneficial ownership of enterprises seeking to obtain Local Content Certificates,” even as it encouraged the Secretariat to continue its thorough vetting of companies.

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Baroness Scotland gets another term as Commonwealth Secretary-General

BARONESS Patricia Scotland has been re-elected as Commonwealth Secretary-General defeating Jamaica’s Kamina Johnson Smith during an election at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) confab held in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday.

Baroness Scotland received 27 votes while Kamina Johnson Smith received 24 votes.

Born in Dominica and raised in the United Kingdom, Scotland had a career as a lawyer and politician before taking up the post of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in 2016.

Her first term was sched-

various international discussions, including those involving extradition.

In her remarks at Friday’s CHOGM in Kigali, the Baroness expressed her determination to take up the role for another cycle.

“I’m determined that when the role of Secretary-General rotates to Africa two years from now I will hand on the baton with a stronger and more effective, powerful Commonwealth than ever before,” the SG said ahead of her re-election.

According to reports, Scotland was the first black woman to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC).

At age 35, she was also

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, during her presentation at CHOGM on Friday uled to end in 2020; however, the 54-member states agreed to retain her as the pandemic prevented the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where SGs are elected.

Speaking after her reappointment, Secretary-General Scotland said she was humbled by the confidence of the bloc.

“It is deeply humbling to have been reappointed as Secretary-General of this great Commonwealth. To continue to serve our family of nations is a true honour and a privilege and I will do so to the best of my ability.

We will face the world’s challenge with unity and purpose,” she said.

“To seek high office is a profound act of service and I want to commend my colleagues who also sought to serve. The Commonwealth is richer for the breadth and depth of talented leaders who dedicate themselves to our family of nations,” the Baroness continued.

At the UK’s Home Office, Scotland was in charge of international relations and represented the UK in

the youngest woman ever to be made a QC and the first black woman to be appointed Deputy High Court Judge, Recorder and Master of Middle Temple.

She joined the House of Lords in 1997 as Baroness Scotland of Asthal and served as a minister in the Foreign Office, Home Office and Lord Chancellor’s Department.

She undertook a major reform of the criminal justice system, including the introduction of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act. Scotland was appointed Attorney General of the UK in 2007, the first woman to hold the post since it was created in 1315.

She founded the Eliminate Domestic Violence Global Foundation in 2011 and was later appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to South Africa in 2012.

She was elected as the Alderman of Bishopsgate in the City of London in 2014 and was awarded Eminent Caribbean Jurists Award in 2022. (Rabindra Rooplall in Kigali, Rwanda)

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Bangladesh tour of West Indies 2nd Test, day one

Young quicks punish Bangladesh

C M C – Yo u n g fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales grabbed three-wicket hauls to punish Bangladesh, as West Indies seized control of the second Test with a clinical opening-day performance here on Friday.

Choosing to bowl first on a Daren Sammy National Stadium pitch which offered early movement, West Indies bundled the visitors out for 234 about an hour after tea, with Joseph (3-50) and Seales (353) spearheading the charge.

Pacer Anderson Phillip claimed two for 30 on debut while Kyle Mayers chipped in with two for 35, Bangladesh declining from 105 for two to lose their last eight wickets for 129 runs.

Litton Das top-

scored with 53 while v e t e r a n o p e n e r, Tamim Iqbal, 46, Najmul Hossain (26), Shoriful Islam (26) and Animul Haque (23) all got starts but failed to carry on.

In reply, West Indies cruised to 67 without loss at the close, with lefthander John Campbell ending on 32 not out and captain Kraigg Brathwaite, 30 not out, to be only 167 runs in arrears heading into day two of the contest.

Campbell, coming off a fifty in the second innings of the last Test, has struck five fours off 41 balls while Brathwaite has also shown intent in punching four boundaries in his 55-ball knock.

“It was pretty much a balanced day.

Credit to the bowlers, at least they came out and gave their best effort which had Bangladesh on the back foot again,” said the 25-year-old Phillip.

“I think I started on good areas. The ball was moving around a bit so I just wanted to make sure it finished on the stumps.”

Left-hander Tamim gave Bangladesh a solid start, putting on 41 for the first wicket with

Mahmudul Hasan Joy (10) to starve West Indies of early success.

However, it was Phillip who struck on the stroke of the hour with only his second ball in Tests, bringing one back to bowl Mahmudul through the gate.

Ta m i m , w h o counted nine fours off 67 balls, appeared to be building another partnership this time with Najmul when he found himself into a drive too early and scooped Joseph to Jermaine Blackwood at point, about 20 minutes before lunch.

Najmul, on 16 at lunch, combined with Anamul, unbeaten on five at the interval, in a 37-run third wicket stand which saw Bangladesh to 77 for two at the break and kept West Indies without immediate success on the resumption.

But once Phillip got one to keep a fraction low and hit Anamul on front, the floodgates opened and Bangladesh lost four wickets in the session, to be 159 for six at tea.

Mayers gained a palpable lbw decision against Najmul, captain Shakib-al-Hasan played on to Seales for eight before Nurul

SCOREBOARD BANGLADESH 1st Innings Tamim Iqbal c Blackwood b Joseph 46 Mahmudul Hasan Joy b Phillip 10 Najmul Hossain lbw b Mayers 26 Anamul Haque lbw b Phillip 23 Litton Das c Brathwaite b Joseph 53 *Shakib Al Hasan b Seales 8 +Nurul Hasan c wkp Da Silva b Joseph 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz c sub (D Thomas) b Mayers 9 Ebadot Hossain not out 21 Shoriful Islam c Blackwood b Seales 26 Khaled Ahmed c Bonner b Seales 1 Extras (lb3, nb1) 4 TOTAL (all out, 64.2 overs) 234 Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-68, 3-105, 4-105, 5-125, 6-138, 7-165, 8-191, 9-227, 10-234.

Bowling: Roach 15-3-57-0, Seales 14.2-4-53-3, Joseph 15-1-50-3 (nb1), Phillip 9-1-30-2, Reifer 3-1-6-0, Mayes 8-0-35-2.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings *K Brathwaite not out 30 J Campbell not out 32 Extras (lb5) 5 TOTAL (without loss, 16 overs) 67 To bat: R Reifer, N Bonner, J Blackwood, K Mayers, +J Da Silva, A Joseph, K Roach, J Seales, A Phillip.

Bowling: Shoriful Islam 6-3-19-0, Khaled Ahmed 3-0-17-0, Shakib-al-Uasan 2-0-9-0, Ebadot Hossain 4-1-8-0, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-0-9-0.

Position: West Indies trail by 167 runs with all ten first innings wickets intact.

Hasan gloved a short one from Joseph through to wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva for seven.

A 27-run, seventh wicket stand between Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (9) which was beginning to pay dividends, ended in the second over after tea when Mehidy was brilliantly taken by substitute Devon Thomas lunging to his left at point off Mayers.

And Das put on a further 26 for the eighth wicket with Ebadot Hossain (21) before finally suc-

cumbing, mis-timing a pull at Joseph and finding Brathwaite at mid-on.

The right-hander faced 70 deliveries and struck eight fours in a shade over two hours at the crease.

Shoriful then entertained with five fours in a 17-ball knock to add precious runs for Bangladesh at the backend in a 36-run, ninth wicket stand with Ebadot before the last two wickets fell cheaply – both to Seales.

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

New Zealand tour of England, 3rd Test, Day 2…

Bairstow, Overtun blunt Boult onslaught

(ESPNCRICIFO) - Brendon McCullum probably doesn’t sit cross-legged on England’s dressing-room floor, spouting karmic platitudes while aiming to demonstrate that he is indeed ‘the one’. But whatever preposterous mindtricks he has unleashed on his new England charges, the upshot in the space of three Tests has been nothing short of mind-bending.

For if England’s victories at Lord’s and Trent Bridge were vital and stirring affirmations of McCullum’s and Ben Stokes’s new and unproven regime, then the fightback that Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Overton produced from the brink of oblivion on the second day at Headingley was surely the moment at which all doubts about the methods to this madness were thoroughly and empirically scotched.

By the close of a thoroughly raucous day, even Headingley’s Western Stand - which must have assumed it had seen it all in England’s comeback win against Australia three years ago - was finding new hosannahs with which to hail a pair of heroes new and old. Bairstow led the teams from the field with a salute to all corners of his home ground, after his second century in consecutive innings and his fourth of a

calendar year that is suddenly beginning to take on epic proportions. As for Overton, he simply followed sheepishly in his wake, head slightly bowed as if bewildered by what he had just witnessed, let alone played an equal part in.

The bald facts of their partnership were startling enough. Not only was their unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 209 the highest in England’s Test history, it came from an unconscionable 223 balls, with the two men lumping 33 fours and two sixes between them. The lions’ share, inevitably, belonged to the imperious Bairstow, who made last week’s 77-ball match-winner at Trent Bridge seem like a prologue.

But the more astonishing performance belonged to his junior partner, a fast bowler on debut who marched back to the dressing-room on 89 not out from 106, just 11 runs shy of only the second firstclass hundred of his ten-year professional career.

But then when you factor in the starting point for their alliance - a grim scoreline of 55 for 6, with New Zealand’s greatest seam trio of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner rolling back the years with a reunion for the ages, and the stand takes on genre-bending properties.

Boult, in particular, pro-

Jamie Overton is congratulated by Jonny Bairstow after reaching fifty in his debut Test (Jun 23, 2022•AFP] via Getty Images)

duced arguably the greatest new-ball spell of his already outstanding career. After New Zealand’s first innings wound up for 329 in a flurry of wickets either side of lunch - including that of Daryl Mitchell, whose excellent 109 was his third century in as many games, but has already been overshadowed for the third time in a row - Boult tore out of the blocks with a searing display of pace, accuracy and wicked movement both ways.

In the space of his first four overs, he bowled each of

England’s hapless top three, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley - picking off a different stump for each man as if to highlight the pinpoint nature of his display. Crawley in particular looked a man resigned to his fate as he drove futilely through an inswinger to lose his middle stump - and as he traipsed back to the dressing-room for 6, he was arguably the exception that proved the rule that all of this really is in the mind, after all.

Southee, a lacklustre bystander in last week’s Trent Bridge onslaught, then served

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notice of his enduring qualities by dislodging England’s kingpin, to leave England on the canvas at 21 for 4. Four balls after turning Joe Root inside-out for a fat snick through the cordon, he went wider on the crease, speared in the fuller length, and demanded the defensive push as the ball snicked off the edge and into Tom Blundell’s gloves.

Out strode Ben Stokes, even at this moment of grim adversity, still pumped with his pre-match exhortations that England would “come

harder” and “be entertaining”. “’Fancy doing another Trent Bridge?’ was the first thing we said,” Bairstow told Sky Sports shortly after the close, and from the moment Stokes galloped to the pitch of his first delivery from Southee to shut down the swing, it was clear that the captain remained true to his overarching philosophy.

In the end, his attempt at a counterattack came a cropper shortly after he’d thumped the 100th six of his Test career, as Wagner - the ideal adversary for a man in such a mood - hit his length with extra venom to induce a spliced drive to mid-off. In the same over, Wagner fired in the inswinger to pin Ben Foakes for a duck, but, in a moment reminiscent of England’s failure to review an lbw against Mitchell on the first day, Wagner missed the chance for his third in two overs, when Overton - also on 8 at the time - was pinned in front of leg stump but got away without a second opinion.

No matter, it seemed at the time. And similarly, an early let-off for Bairstow on 27 - dropped by Wagner in his follow through - surely couldn’t have long-term ramifications as England limped to tea on 91 for 6, still a daunting 238 runs adrift.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday June 25, 2022)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD -83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Animul Islam --145 (vs India, Dhaka, 2000) (2) 6 Today’s Quiz: (1) Where and when did Bangladesh win a Test match against the WI for the first time?

(2) What is the highest Test score made by a WI player against Bangladesh to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

Big wins for Dolphin, Golden Grove as MILO Football continues Matches set for today, tomorrow

THINGS are heating up as the MILO Schools football tournament continued on Thursday afternoon at the Ministry of Education Ground.

In that double header, there were wins of differing paths for Golden Grove and Dolphin Secondary; a penalty shootout decided Golden Grove’s fate and a one sided slober-knocker sending Dolphin through.

In the opening contest, Buxton did well to erase a

two goal deficit but in the end could not secure their penalties to move onto the next round.

On target for the eventual winners were Kellon Croal (29 and 34) and Shamar Walton (48) while for Buxton, Omari Edwards (23), Ovid Brown (58) and Akandy Vanmalson (50) were the scorers Dolphin had a much easier time against Charlestown, winning 5-1.

Brian Burnette (15th) along with braces from Gerry

Bernette (47th and 64th) and Jaquan Cole (32nd and 40th) were the marksmen while Mickelle Andrews (58th) scored for Charlestown Matches continue over the weekend with four encounters on Saturday and another four on Sunday.

From 12:30hrs, Carmel will play Christianburg while from 14:00hrs, West Ruimveldt takes on Marian Academy.

Uitvlugt plays Cummings Lodge from 15:30hrs with

North Georgetown playing Canje at 17:00hrs.

O n S u n d a y, f r o m 12:30hrs, Golden Grove gets the ball rolling against Annandale while Dolphin and the New Central High School clash from 14:00hrs.

Tucville battles Friendship from 15:30hrs, with Lodge and President’s College closing off the proceedings.

All matches are being played at the Ministry of Education Ground.

Bartica, Three Mile Secondary Latest addition to GGA Golf Programme

Some of the teachers and students pose with their new golf clubs

THE Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit and Nexgen Golf Academy continue their push to bring Golf to every region in Guyana by the end of 2022.

Recently, Bartica’s Mayor, Gifford Marshall, was on hand to see the excitement on the learners faces as equipment was donated to the Three Miles Secondary School by the MoE Allied Arts Unit in partnership with the Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy.

T h e j o i n t e ff o r t h a s brought about an incredible awareness for a sport, once

considered to be just for the elite, making it open to every Guyanese.

In just over a year, the development of the sport has seen many ‘firsts’ in the nation: (1) expansion to over 100 schools; (2) over 100 CSEC students taking golf as Physical Education elective; (3) recognition in International magazines in Suriname and Japan; and (4) over 10,000 persons now have access to the sport.

“With many expats and remigrants entering the country, it is important that our residents have an opportunity to

network with them and there is no better place than on a golf course. We applaud the government’s initiative to create more facilities to accommodate this fantastic growth,” said Aleem Hussain, president of the Association.

Ms. Barker-King and Mr. Braithwaite of the MoE Allied Arts Unit have expressed their full support for the sport’s introduction into the school curriculum at all levels and are hopeful that Guyana will become a dominant force in the region in golf, up to and including a potential Olympic team.

A seemingly impossible promise two years ago by Hussain to make golf a top rival for established sports such as cricket and football can no longer be ignored as wishful thinking - the results are in, Golf is here to stay; just look at the smiles on the participants faces.

The Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue offers a unique training programme that boasts the ability to teach anyone how to hit a golf ball properly in less than five minutes. Stop by anytime and take up the challenge.

Hazlewood, Carey secure consolation win for Australia

(ESPNCRICINFO) - A depleted spin attack, led by 19-year-old Dunith Wellalage, made a fist of defending a small chase. But ultimately, Sri Lanka’s calamitous early collapse, in which they’d sunk to 85 for 8, proved the defining period of the match.

Australia had themselves been in trouble at 19 for 3, then 101 for 5, but Alex Carey’s measured 45, which featured just one boundary, saw them to a target of 161 with four wickets and more than 10 overs to spare.

The victory is mere consolation for the visitors, who had already lost the series. But it perhaps offered some confidence to their bowlers, especially, ahead of the Tests. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins had set Sri Lanka’s collapse in motion - Hazlewood getting both Sri Lankan openers. Matthew Kuhnemann, who will remain in the country to train with the Test squad and could yet be officially added, claimed two wickets for himself, with Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green taking one apiece.

Save for Aaron Finch’s dropped catch to reprieve the game’s top-scorer, Chamika Karunaratne on 61, Australia fielded well again, effecting two run-outs as miscommunication between the wickets continued to cost Sri Lanka.

The hosts only batted 43.1 overs, with Karunaratne’s 75 off 74 balls lifting them up towards semi-respectability, as he added 58 in a ninth-wicket stand with debutant seamer, Pramod Madushan.

Sri Lanka’s implosion had begun in the third over, when Hazlewood nicked Pathum Nissanka off, then had Danushka Gunathilaka caught trying to clear mid-on in his next over. Dinesh Chandimal, playing this game in place of an unwell Dhananjaya de Silva, holed out to long-on against Cummins, to leave Sri Lanka 34 for 3.

And then although Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka threatened briefly to launch a recovery, they were out off successive deliveries, both in unusual fashion. Asalanka was run out having called Mendis through for a second run before being sent back early. Next ball, Mendis went back too far in his crease to hit Glenn Maxwell to the leg-side, and trod on his stumps.

Three more wickets fell quickly, before a positive Karunaratne, and a careful

Alex Carey steadied the Australian innings after the initial burst of wickets (AFP/Getty Images)

Madushan put on Sri Lanka’s one significant stand. As Karunaratne found boundaries through leg, using the sweep, slog sweep, and pull to good effect, Madushan soaked up 52 deliveries for his 15. The pair batted almost 17 overs together, with Karunaratne reaching a maiden ODI half-century off the 62nd ball he faced.

When Madushan departed – caught and bowled by Green - Karunaratne bludgeoned two sixes off a Marnus Labuschagne over, but soon top-edged a short Pat Cummins ball, and was out himself.

Sri Lanka’s spinners, though, were not going down without a fight on another turning deck. He got a little extra bounce off the surface to take Finch’s glove, the ball then lobbing to slip, to give Sri Lanka their first wicket, in the second over. Wellalage took the first of his three wickets in the next over, having David Warner caught by a diving Danushka Gunathilaka at midon. Josh Inglis’ maiden ODI innings was then cut short in its 10th ball by Theekshana, who had him caught at leg slip.

That was about as close to a collapse as Australia got, though. Carey came in with the score on 50 for 4, and set about accumulating sagely, first alongside Marnus Labuschagne, with whom he struck up a 51-run stand, then later with Green, who hit the match-winning six. Carey’s only boundary came off a sweep against Vandersay. And even that, only with fewer than 30 required.

Wellalage, Sri Lanka’s best bowler, took 3 for 42, while Theekshana claimed 2 for 26. Wellalage finished the series’ as the highest wicket-taker, having claimed nine wickets at an average of 22.33.

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

Ramsey, Bobb settle for Silver - Guyana end IMMAF Championships with two medals

By Rawle Toney in Monterrey, Mexico (Compliments: Team Mohamed, National Sports Commission & GYMMAF) Team Guyana ended their participation at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Pan American Championships, in Monterrey, Mexico, with two Silver medals, thanks to Shenese Bobb and Carl Ramsey.

The competition, which was hosted at the Gimnasio Nuevo León, saw Guyana being represented at the three-day championships by Bobb, Ramsey and Trevlon Clarke.

While Clarke failed to make it past the quarter-finals of the Men’s Welterweight, Bobb and Ramsey ensured that the ‘Land of Many Waters’ would not leave the Spanish-speaking country empty handed.

Ramsey advanced to the finals of the Men’s Heavyweight Division following a Technical Knockout (TKO) win over Mexican Juan Rodriguez in the semi-finals, while Bobb advanced to the finals of the women’s lightweight category after her opponent in the semis tipped the scale at weigh-in above the 155lb limit.

‘Ground and Pound’! Guyana’s Carl Ramsey trying hard to defend against Trinidad’s Jeremy Rodulfo in the Men’s Heavyweight finals (Rawle Toney photos)

However, in yesterday’s finals, Ramsey and Bobb both had their bouts ended in the second round but not before putting up a commendable performance and a bold representation of their preparation under coach, Sensei Troy Bobb.

In the case of Shenese Bobb, who was fighting Samantha Teutle of Mexico in the women’s lightweight finals, the result was very unfortunate, while showing the Guyanese fighter’s inexperience in the octagon.

During the first round, Bobb was warned by referee Sergio Moreno about holding the cage; one of the

many prohibited moves in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Bobb was also warned about the illegal strikes while bring braced on the cage by the Mexican, but the referee’s words seem to fall on deaf ears.

Before the start of the second round, Bobb was again cautioned by the referee.

However, Teutle, realizing that Bobb was more comfortable striking as opposed to wrestling, cornered the Guyanese. The referee, noticing that the cage was still being held on too, stepped in and stopped the fight.

(Standing L-R), Ijaz Cave, Carl Ramsey, Shenese Bobb and Trevlon Clarke. Below is Sensei Troy Bobb, the team’s coach at the IMMAF Pan Am Championships

Bobb was then disqualified, bringing an abrupt end to her first IMMAF Championships.

Meanwhile, the Men’s Heavyweight final was highly touted as a must-see in the competition, taking into consideration that both fighters won their respective semi-finals via first-round TKO. Ramsey faced off against Jeremy Rodulfo of Trinidad & Tobago and from the get-go, fans in the arena knew that a knockout would’ve determined the winner between the two fighters.

It was Rodulfo who con-

trolled the fight, showing his jujitsu experience and superiority against Ramsey, who is more known as a ferocious striker.

For most of the fight, Rodulfo had Ramsey pinned to the ground, and it was straight ‘ground and pound’ from the Trinidadian thereafter.

Referee Horacio Villanueva was forced to step in as Rodulfo pounded away on Ramsey, who, at the time, was helpless.

In the end, the Guyanese athletes will leave Mexico with their heads high after picking up the country’s first-ever IMMAF medals

in only their second outing.

Guyana finished above Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Aruba and Jamaica on the tenteam medal standings.

Host nation Mexico finished on top of the table with a total of 23 medals (six Gold, six Silver, 11 Bronze); the most in the tournament.

The USA (five Gold, one Silver, three Bronze); Brazil (four Gold); Trinidad and Tobago (one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze) and Colombia (three Silver, three Bronze) are the other countries that finished above Guyana.

32

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, June 25, 2022

Bangladesh tour of West Indies 2nd Test, day one Young quicks punish Bangladesh

Story on page 28

Anderson Phillip struck in his first over of Test cricket•Jun 23, 2022 (AFP/Getty Image)

Ramsey, Bobb settle for Silver

Carl Ramsey (L) and Shenese Bobb showing off their silver medals, captured at the IMMAF Pan Am Championships in Mexico

Big wins for Dolphin, Golden Grove as MILO Football continues Matches set for today, tomorrow

Story on page 31

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Action between Dolphin and Lodge (Delano Williams photo)

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022