Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 26-03-2023

(Latchman Singh photo)

(Delano Williams photo)

(Office of the Prime Minister photo)

Guyana on path to becoming a regional leader

–– US Ways and Means Committee Chair says

GUYANA is continuously being recognised as an emerging regional and global leader given the expected economic growth which is supported by clearly articulated policies and programmes outlined by the government.

The recent visit by the US Congressional House Committee on Ways and Means to the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region underscores Guyana’s rising stature globally.

also included stops in Mexico and Ecuador.

“There’s only three countries that we chose to go to. And there was a reason for each one of those three countries because we wanted to make sure we recognised how important our bilateral relationships are with those three countries.

And that’s why we decided to make [Guyana] the last stop of the three,” Smith said.

“We are all neighbours. There’s no country that cares about your stability and your prosperity more than the United States. Always remember that and don’t forget it,” Smith said.

During the visit, President Dr. Irfaan Ali described the USA as a “trusted partner” that stood by Guyana when it mattered most and he emphasised that Guyana will continue to be an important strategic partner to the USA.

“We want to see you all become so successful and have the most amazing infrastructure and quality of life. And you’re going to do that. You do that underneath the leadership of your president and your vice president and these members of parliament.”

Committee Chair, Congressman Jason Smith, during a reception hosted at the United States (US) Ambassador’s residence, said that it was on the prompting of Congressman Kelly Armstrong, who was a part of the delegation, that the committee knew that Guyana needed to be included in its tour to a few LAC nations.

“He’s really the one that has been a huge champion for Guyana, Guyana. And early on, he’s like, you need to look at this country and see what they’re doing, they’re going to be the leader in the entire region,” Smith related during the Committee’s visit to Guyana from March 16 –18.

Smith and Armstrong were part of a delegation that also included Terri Sewell, Carol Miller, Michelle Fischbach, Beth Van Duyne and Mike Carey. Guyana was the delegation’s last stop in a three-country tour, which

YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT

He was adamant that the friendship and the partnership that the American people have with Guyana will only get stronger, and is very optimistic of improvements in the quality of life and infrastructure for Guyanese.

“We want to see you all become so successful and have the most amazing infrastructure and quality of life. And you’re going to do that. You do that underneath the leadership of your president and your vice president and these members of Parliament,” Smith said.

During the visit, the delegation met with the government, members of the political opposition and officials from ExxonMobil Guyana. Smith described the visit to Guyana as “incredible” and noted the US commitment to seeing Guyana’s development.

“You are our trusted partner. We are proud of our partnership and we’re going to work together to make Guyana and the US stronger together.

“You have nothing to fear; Guyana is, and will continue to be an important strategic partner of the United States. And the opportunities here is open for both the United States and your private sector. And we want to see greater participation from the US private sector,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State further added: “You are one of those countries that stood up when it mattered based on your principles for democracy. That is important because you are not a fair-weather friend; your relationship is based on principles and values and that is what we value. We are working together with you and we can assure you of a government that is open. We are working to advance transparency and

accountability.”

Guyana’s relationship with the US is also evidenced by the economic co-operation recorded by the countries over the years.

It was reported that for the year 2021, the United States imported US$1.7 billion worth of commodities from Guyana.

And as the countries look to enhance bilateral relations, Guyana stands to benefit immensely since the country is on a towering path with a vibrant oil and gas sector, productive non-oil sectors and prudent fiscal planning and management.

A THRIVING ECONOMY

Despite global and local challenges, Guyana has managed to maintain a thriving economy through careful fiscal planning and the creation of an environment that has fostered improved performances in various economic sectors.

In presenting the government’s massive $781.9 billion 2023 budget to the National Assembly, Senior

Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, said the economy grew by 62.3 per cent overall in 2022 in real terms, with a “very strong expansion of 11.5 per cent in non-oil real gross domestic product (GDP).

“At 62.3 per cent overall real growth, Guyana would be the fastest growing economy in the world in 2022,” Dr. Singh said.

The country’s performance was on account of better-than-expected output in the oil and gas sector, and the government’s policies focused on supporting the traditional and new and emergent non-oil pillars of the economy, helped ensure stronger and more broadbased growth than originally anticipated.

The country’s performance was on account of better-than-expected output in the oil and gas sector, and the government’s policies focused on supporting the traditional and new and emergent non-oil pillars of the economy, helped ensure stronger and more broadbased growth than originally

anticipated.

“Speaker, with continued interventions and policies geared at building a resilient economy, real GDP is projected to grow by 25.1 per cent this year, a rate of growth which currently puts Guyana among the top five fastest growing economies in 2023,” Dr. Singh had said.

This position, according to the minister, could be largely attributed to further ramping up of oil production anticipated in the Stabroek Block.

The country is using returns from the oil and gas sector to fund transformative projects and move the country towards the use of renewable energy.

With the gas-to-energy project, Guyana is also on the path to lowering electricity costs and encouraging investments in manufacturing and other areas.

There is also great emphasis on education, healthcare and social welfare, all of which positions the country to become an economic powerhouse and regional leader, as foreseen by the US official.

Guyana reaching new heights with significant investments

–– President Ali underscores, as Suri Trading opens massive warehouse at Little Diamond

SURI Trading became the latest company to add to the slew of investments in various sectors across Guyana, with its launch of a new, state-of-the-art warehouse facility at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

What was once a small business has grown into one of the biggest Guyanese-owned distributors of a range of products from food to hygiene products.

The building, which is more than 100,000 square feet, will accommodate the new Suri Trading warehouse

and significantly improve the landscape of Little Diamond.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in delivering the feature address at the launch, commended the owner and CEO of Suri Trading, Frank Sanichara, on his accomplishment and applauded Suri’s vision to aid in Guyana’s rapid development.

The President used the opportunity to take a jab at some people who have limited perspectives and create a misunderstanding of development in society.

Despite the naysayers,

the Head of State affirmed that the government will continue to make efforts to demonstrate Guyana’s success through actions rather than words.

In addition, the President said that while most people might view this launch as just the opening of a warehouse, one needs to consider how individual investments benefit Guyana and changes the business ecosystem.

Those developments are facilitated by policies instituted by the government to create an environment that is

conducive for business.

Owing to the government’s actions, Guyana has undergone a transformation that has led to the creation of thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in private sector investment in these communities, and billions of dollars in housing investments, to name a few.

“I have now added a responsibility onto myself to do a comprehensive analysis of the financial and economic history of our country from independence to now to show exactly what took place when

and how,” the President affirmed.

Furthermore, in light of the plans to convert Guyana into a regional food hub, the President provided an update on the ongoing works that have already led to some advancement towards the goal of reducing the region’s food-import bill.

Sanichara, the owner and CEO of Suri Trading, reflected on his journey

and said that despite the challenges he encountered, he is happy that he never gave up.

What began as him merely assisting his father-in-law in getting his candy factory opened, gradually developed into an unexpectedly successful business that meets the needs of Guyanese.

This milestone, he added: “Is just a stepping stone to many, many more warehouse and distribution centres that we [Suri Trading] have planned ahead.”

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali; several cabinet members and the US Congressional House Committee on Ways and Means of the Congress of the United States of America, at a recent luncheon (Office of the President photo)

Region Three on towering path

–– ongoing road works, construction of wharf, gas-to-shore project laying solid foundation for immense advancement, opportunities

MASSIVE private and public developmental projects ongoing across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) are not only changing the landscape of the region, but are also laying the foundation for the regional economy to thrive and expand significantly in the coming years.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday inspected those ongoing works, including a network of roads and a wharf, all economically linked to the gas-to-energy project.

Guyana’s gas-to-energy project involves the development and utilisation of natural-gas resources for domestic power generation, as well as other industrial and commercial uses.

It is expected to provide a reliable and cost-effective source of energy for Guyana, reducing the country’s dependence on imported fuels and contributing to economic growth.

President Ali visited the Nismes wharf, where GAICO Managing Director Komal Singh said the project is progressing smoothly.

This US$25 million investment will include a wharf, dry dock, and laydown yard where construction materials will be stored. It is intended to supplement the region’s development, including the gas-to-energy project at Wales, and will create significant opportunities for businesses and for Guyanese.

The Head of State said that when completed, this project will support development of the power plant.

Singh said that 99 per

able to accommodate all the expected work that needs to be done on the gas-to-energy project, all materials and equipment offloaded will be coming off at this facility,” he related.

Road works are also taking place in another area, in preparation for the gasto-shore project. President Ali said that this area will become the new main planning area and in two to three years, will be transformed drastically.

Accompanying President Ali was the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who said that bridges and roads are being built to en-

cent of the workforce are locals, showing the enormous opportunities for the people of the community as well as Guyanese on the whole.

“We have actually injected them in between our skilled workers, to allow them to help develop their skills locally…at the end of the day, this wharf will be

sure that residents have access to their lands and farmlands.

A farmer who was passing by stopped to praise President Ali and said that the community welcomes the development since it benefits them greatly, as well as created employment opportunities for youths in

the area.

The Head of State also inspected a road that connects to Versailles and said that they will be doing a series of connecting roads to the new main highway.

Construction of the fourlane highway from Schoonord to Parika on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE) is currently ongoing.

President Ali in April 2022, in an address at GAICO’s dredge-commissioning ceremony at Nismes, said that because of the speed of development in Region Three, they were building an alternative fourlane highway from Crane to Schoonord because this is where the traffic back-up is huge.

“That is a new four-lane highway that is going all the way back to the Demerara Harbour Bridge… a new

alignment to the bridge and goes all the way to Crane,” he said.

President Ali related that the four-lane highway will not only ease traffic, but it will also reduce costs for farmers, bring more efficiency, reduce production costs, and improve the entire value chain of the lands and the type of economic activities in Region Three.

He said that the alignment which goes all the way to Parika will save at least 30 minutes of travel time.

Additionally, the President visited the Vreed-enHoop Shore Base Inc. (VEHSI) where a road is being

constructed by the company to ease traffic congestion. The US$300 million Vreed-en-Hoop shorebase facility is expected to play a major role in transforming Region Three into a major player in Guyana’s oil-and-gas sector.

Meanwhile, President Ali said that works have started to connect the Vreeden-Hoop Shore Base’s artificial island with the coast. This new island is part of the reclaimed land that will be transformed into the estimated 44-acre mega-project to create the shore base facility.

Works ongoing at the Nismes wharf

Massive private and public developmental projects ongoing across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) are not only changing the landscape of the region, but are also laying the foundation for the regional economy to thrive and expand significantly

Guyana reaching new heights with significant ...

She said “being an entrepreneur is not an easy task” and that the government will keep collaborating with the private sector to create an economy that will assist its population,

especially young people, who want to start their own business.

Timothy Tucker, the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), applauded Sanichara

for persevering despite “going through hell.”

He also lauded the businessman’s dedication which enabled him to grow Suri Trading and go so far as to hire more

than 100 people. He continued by encouraging him to expand his business to a regional level.

The opening of the warehouse, according to Paul Cheong, Chairman of the

Private Sector Commission (PSC), “demonstrates Suri’s continued growth and success,” while reiterating that it shows the company’s commitment to advancement.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that while most people might view the launch of Suri’s new venture as a simple warehouse, one needs to consider how individual investments benefits our nation and changes our business ecosystem (Office of the President photo) Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, in her brief remarks, congratulated the businessman for his hard work.

‘Action speaks louder than words’

Victoria residents confident in govt’s development drive; reject calls by detractors to exclude themselves from ‘very important’ engagements

By Tamica Garnett

“ACTION speaks louder than words” was the message that Victoria village residents had for development detractors, as they turned out in their numbers and gave a warm welcome to the members of a government during an outreach on Saturday at the Victoria Community Ground.

The residents vehemently rejected assertions that the village should not welcome the government officials, indicating that they valued the development of their village over politics.

“We don’t have no time with politics. At the end of the day, we have to come out and listen to things that are offered to us and share our concerns. That’s very important,” commented Crawford Rodney, who was among those who attended the event.

A father of five, Rodney said: “I came out here because I have children and my concern is about what they have to say and whatever contribution I can make towards developing the community.”

The outreach saw the Prime

Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips leading a team of a number of other government ministers and officials to sit down with the residents to discuss development plans for the celebrated East Coast Demerara village.

Ministers present at the outreach included Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony; Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson; Minister

of Labour, Joseph Hamilton; Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues; Minister with Responsibility for Public Affair, Kwame McCoy, and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall.

Residents commended the outreach as a sincere gesture by the government to demonstrate their earnestness to work with residents of the community to ensure that the village is part of Guyana’s overall development.

“It’s a very good initiative they have embarked on which is very integral to the development of Guyana, so cheers off to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and this initiative,”

commented 46-year-old Faye Ridley.

The ministers, during the outreach, addressed projects and programmes under their respective sectors, and touched on ways in which they could work with the community to ensure its development is on par with the pace of advancement across the country.

“I think that they honestly want to develop everybody, but persons have to listen keenly and take heed to what they’re saying and use the opportunity available to them and don’t listen to persons that are saying what to do.

“It’s for our own personal development, we are responsible for our own personal

development. They’re doing a good thing… I’ve never seen this before. This is definitely a plus and I know that they will adhere to the things that they say they will do,” Ridley said.

The visit to the community is among a ceaseless series of community visits that the government has been embarking on since assuming office in August 2020.

The government has continuously made it clear that it is their prerogative to achieve across-the-board development of the nation through working with Guyanese all across the country, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.

In demonstration of this, the government has been visiting countless villages across the country, including those traditionally supportive of the political opposition.

“Development must be for all the people of Guyana. We have a development strategy that will bring improvement to the live and livelihood of all the people of Guyana, accelerated development.

“Things are happening so fast that some of the detractors can’t even keep track of us. The Guyana that we have today and

in the next 10 to 20 years will be far more developed,” the Prime Minister said during his remarks at the outreach.

The other ministers present also underscored their allegiance to the government’s commitment for the development of all of Guyana.

“I think that it’s very interesting, especially for the younger generation, at least we can understand the future that they have for us. It all depends on mindset, we have to value ourselves. There’s more to this life than just being one sided. Today I learned that what people saying when you come to the meeting it’s a different issue,” commented 32-year-old Shellyanne Adams.

For 28-year-old Ayanna Elias, she turned up for the outreach because she did not believe in getting an account from someone else.

“Is selling I was selling when I heard about it so I decided to come out and hear what they have to say. I wanted to hear it for myself, I’m not depending on second-hand information. I want to know what they have for me,” Elias said.

A section of the turnout at the Victoria village outreach (Delano Williams photo)

Building Trust

VICE-PRESIDENT and PPP General-Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, at a recent press conference, said that the building of trust among the two major political parties is an important pre-requisite for any movement in the direction of shared governance.

Shared governance at the level of the executive has been on the national agenda from decades ago, but because of the intransigence of the PNC it never materialised.

The records will show that during the early 1960s, the PPP offered to share the Cabinet on a half and half basis but the offer was rejected by the then leader of the PNC Forbes Burnham, who was prepared to sacrifice the good of the nation on the altar of political opportunism.

His “leader or nothing” mantra has become ingrained in the political lexicon of the country and would haunt several subsequent initiatives by the PPP in the search for a political solution to our ethno-cultural diversity.

The fact is that the PPP has always taken

the initiative to find a political solution to our fractured politics even though the party has consistently won all democratic elections since 1953, when elections were held for the first time under universal adult suffrage.

It is an established fact that all elections from 1968 to 1992 were massively rigged by the PNC to perpetuate its political life.

During that period, the PNC showed little if any interest in any attempt to share power and at one time declared itself as the Bolshevik (majority) party and rather derisively dismissed the PPP as the Menshevik (minority) party. And in a display of political arrogance, the Constitution was amended to refer to the Leader of the Opposition as “Minority Leader.”

All of that is now, as it were, water under the bridge but the quest by the PPP for inclusive and participatory forms of governance was never put on the back burner.

In fact, the PPP/C has put in place several policy interventions to deepen the democratic processes, including the Parliamentary

Management Committee and the establishment of several sectoral committees chaired by opposition parliamentarians.

There are also several constitutional rights commissions comprising representative organisations, including that of the political opposition.

As pointed out by Vice-President Jagdeo, the PPP has no difficulty with taking the issue of governance to an even higher level.

The PPP/C in its 2020 Elections Manifesto signalled an interest in constitutional reform to further deepen the governance model, and work on the constitutional reform process has already commenced by the PPP/C administration. But, as observed by Dr Jagdeo, there has to be some seriousness on the part of the PNC if the process is to be advanced.

According to the Vice-President, if the PNC wants to meaningfully engage in such discussions, it has to “move away from racism and it has to commit to democracy.” Its record so far has been anything but encour-

aging and there is still a strong element of distrust as to the willingness of the PNC to put its dismal political past behind it.

The PPP has never been opposed in principle to the idea of shared governance but the actions of the PNC, especially under its current leadership has not generated any hope that the party is interested in such an outcome.

In any event, as observed by Dr Jagdeo, any form of shared governance at the level of the executive cannot be imposed from the top, but has to be mandated by the people, possibly by way of a referendum.

Building an environment of trust is a necessary prerequisite for shared governance. For that to happen, there has to be a commitment by the parties involved to shared values, including adherence to democratic norms and the rule of law, something which is currently lacking because of the politics of intransigence and deception by the main political opposition.

All roads lead to Berbice!

THE People’s Progressive Party has organised a massive rally for Babu John today, Sunday, March 26, 2023, to celebrate the rich legacy of the life, and works of the party’s founder-leaders, Dr Cheddi and Janet Jagan.

The Annual Memorial Committee, which was established in 1998 with direct responsibilities to organise annual memorial activities to celebrate the life and teachings of the great leader, must be complimented for its outstanding works that have since served as a template.

Dr Jagan was born on March 22, 1918 at Plantation Port Mourant. He died on March 6, 1997. The former Queens College student excelled at his academics and sports while in high school, and subsequently strengthened his developmental academia platform as he went on to study at the distinguished Howard University in the United States of America. He graduated in 1942 with his degree in dental surgery (DDS) and a Bachelor of Sciences degree (BSC).

Dr Jagan married Janet Rosenberg on August 5, 1953.

In 1947, Dr Jagan was elected to the National Assembly as he formally entered and established the basis for the rest of his life in the political arena. In 1946, he formed the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) which was the foundation for the formation of the People’s Progressive Party. In 1950 he formed the PPP.

Quickly after in 1953, his party the

PPP won the first elections in then British Guiana under universal adult suffrage. Unfortunately, the British suspended the Constitution after a mere 133 days. Dr Jagan and his close ministers were put in prison.

As the world was experiencing the serious effects of the Second World War, the world was divided into a so-called Socialist and Capitalist bloc. Dr Jagan’s PPP was split in 1955. However, he again won the elections that were held in 1957 and 1961.

In 1964, the imperial grippers and opportunists formed a coalition and the PNC/ UF formed the government. What followed thereafter established Guyana as the country with the greatest riggers of elections.

The PNC rigged itself into government office time after time during the subsequent 28 years. However, in 1992 with the country fully united to fight “rigged” elections, the PPP/C won the government as the dawn of a new era came into action.

The PPP/C as a government recognised the role of inclusiveness, as the civic component in its governance structure, which brought pride and prestige to a coordinated and advanced representative list of candidates.

The PPP/C maintained power for 23 years, as they transformed the country into a better place to live. Subsequently, another, coalition, the ‘APNU+AFC,’ came to power in 2015. However, due to the pervasiveness of serious corruption, crime, and blatant discrimination at all levels, the ‘people’ in Guyana voted out the

established riggers and the PPP/C is back in government.

In 1997, the founder Leader of the PPP died and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was elevated to President. At the General Elections in 1997, Cde Janet Jagan won the presidency with the winning team Samuel Hinds and the brilliant Bharrat Jagdeo as the “A” team.

It must be noted that after the PPP/C came to the government in 1992, Dr Jagan was very conscious of the developmental role of his party, the PPP, and the need to strengthen the pillars of ‘people’ resources that would serve for sustenance and continuity.

Consequently, he elevated several young and brilliant activists into our party’s Central Committee and Executive. Young Jagdeo was quickly appointed junior Minister of Finance and won the confidence of leaders and members to sufficiently advance to the party’s Executive Committee.

Cd. Janet subsequently resigned as President due to fading health and Comrade Jagdeo was elevated based on her recommendations and other senior party executives.

It was Cde Janet who appointed Cde Jagdeo as the youngest Executive President in Guyana. Young Jagdeo developed into a genuine leader and won two consecutive general elections.

The PPP team has never forgotten the role of our founder-leader and will always be inspired by his determination and pur-

suits that continue to live on. The party’s Central Committee has set up an annual Cheddi Jagan Memorial Committee to honour Cde Jagan a founder-member.

The committee guides the coordination of approximately 100 activities organised across the country, to celebrate the life and teaching of our dear founder-leader.

The annual Babu John activities always attract our President, Prime Minister and our party’s General-Secretary along with other representatives.

This is done by recognising that the schedule and political calendar are not counted in the number of days, but in events that are included and implemented.

We would organise wreath-laying ceremonies all over the country and conduct national fitness walks at the National Park. Further, sports events are conducted in his honour, including the perennial hosting of cycle races in Berbice Demerara and Essequibo.

The massive fun day at State House was also a signature event while Our Night of Reflections normally attracts local and international presentations.

The PPP leadership is blessed with quality comrades and the role of our passing comrades and those indeed could always call on the party’s Special Committee to take care of our comrades in need.

All roads lead to Berbice today.

Yours respectfully, Neil Kumar.

Editor Navendra Seoraj

The PPP: from Dr Cheddi Jagan to Dr Irfaan Ali

Dear Editor

THREE things have defined the PPP since its founding in 1950.

These are (1) an unremitting commitment to the democratic governance of Guyana; (2) building a Guyana that is based on equality regardless of race, religion, geographical location or personal idiosyncrasies; and (3) a non-negotiable undertaking to improve the lives of all Guyanese, but especially working families and the poor.

We submit that since 1950, through the long struggles for national independence and the decades of PNC authoritarian rule, and then during the era of neoliberal globalisation that has roughly followed the end of the Cold War, the key values of PPP administrations have stood the test of time.

Successive leaders of the PPP/C – since the end of the Jagans’ era -- Sam Hinds, Bharrat Jagdeo, Donald Ramotar, and Irfaan Ali, have been faithful to the fundamental pillars upon which the party was founded. Allow us to elaborate.

The PPP’s earliest energies were focused on national emancipation from the brutalities of colonial rule, a form of domination perpetrated through centuries of Euro-American global hegemony, much of it based on assumptions of white racial supremacy.

The Guyanese people, (sans some Portuguese elements, and a scattering of the highly colonised Georgetown elite), stood together in formulating a mass movement against foreign rule, gathered as they were under the banner of PPP leadership.

The resoluteness against foreign domination was often expressed in the language of anti-imperialism, something for which Cheddi Jagan ended up paying a heavy price. First removed by Winston Churchill in 1953, foreign interference deepened its hold on the country by installing the PNC and then petted and fattened it for nearly three decades. All through this time, Cheddi and Janet Jagan led a dignified struggle for free and fair elections.

Those elections came in 1992, and despite the forced migration through administrative state violence and targeted coercion of thousands of PPP supporters, the PPP/C won. After Cheddi’s death

the PNC hounded Janet Jagan out of office, but not without a mighty fight by many of the people now in the leadership of the PPP.

The fight to protect democracy continued in full view of the world. It was led by GeneralSecretary Bharrat Jagdeo and the then presidential candidate Mohamed Irfaan Ali. Without these two stalwarts of the PPP, we can assure you that the rigging attempt of the APNU+AFC would have succeeded. Jagdeo and Ali continued the fight for freedom that Cheddi and Janet Jagan began in 1950.

The PPP has always been against race and racism. All you have to do is read through the multiple books and articles by Cheddi Jagan. The point will be obvious. In fact, Jagan, and the PPP, including President Ali to this day, are often criticised for being too soft on the PNC, and now the WPA’s racialisation of politics.

Many have criticised Cheddi Jagan for being too dogmatic about class, and consequently, for ignoring race and racism in the political rhetoric and practices of those who peddle regressive (rather than progressive) Black nationalism.

Regressive Black nationalism and all other forms of racism have been roundly rejected by Irfaan Ali and before him, by Ramotar, Jagdeo, Hinds, and not least by Janet Jagan.

The Ali administration is challenging Guyanese of all walks of life to make it their personal responsibility to commit to non-racial, democratic politics. More broadly, the PPP/C is absolutely open to the constitutionalising of shared governance, but only when the PNC is fully dedicated to, and has established a record of democratic values.

Vice-President Jagdeo noted in a press conference only days ago (March 24, 2023), that the PPP cannot enter into any partnership with the PNC until such time that they embrace democratic values.

We believe that one of the first steps in that direction is for the PNC and AFC to renounce a politics based on racial mobilisation. In this regard, President Ali’s One Guyana is indeed a symbol. But symbols matter, and it is better to have a symbol of unity rather than one of division.

The economic outcomes that Cheddi Jagan carved out are not different from what the Irfaan Ali administration is actually delivering. There are indeed differences in ideological expression, political rhetoric, and on some substantive issues such as the role of the state in the economy. Yet, the goals are the same.

No one in their right mind today can claim that the best economic policy should be based on the commanding heights of the economy, or that foreign investment is simply imperialism.

Cheddi Jagan himself moved away from that kind of talk, to one based more on openness to FDI, cooperation with the IFIs, and building partnerships with states that were hitherto hostile to national development strategies with significant market-correcting policies.

The accomplishments since President Ali took office should offer not only reassurance that the focus on the poor and the powerless is alive, but also that it is moving at such a pace, even Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan would have been astounded. Below is a snapshot of these accomplishments.

In 1992 when the PPP/C government won the first free and fair elections after decades of rigging by the PNC, Guyana inherited a bankrupt country.

In 1980, our GDP stood at US$600 million which shrunk steadily from thereon to US$374 million in 1992, with a per capita income of US$618. Effectively, in 12 years under the PNC, our GDP shrunk by US$226 million or by 38 per cent.

The total public debt in 1985 stood at $8.6 billion with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 438 per cent. By 1992, the total stock of public debt moved from $8.6 billion to $275 billion, representing a debt-to GDP ratio of 588per cent. This means that the total debt stock of the country was almost six times the size of our economy in 1992. Imagine what the level of poverty was in those days compared to now.

By the time the PPP/C left office in 2015, GDP had moved from US$600 million in 1992 to US$4 billion in 2014, with a per capita income of about US$5,000. In 1992 it was only US$600. The debt-to-GDP came down from almost 600per cent to 38per cent in the same period.

The foreign reserves held at the central bank in 1992 was US$15 million. In 2015 when the PPP left office, the foreign reserves stood at US$652 million.

Today, under President Irfaan Ali, GDP is now US$14 billion with a per capita income of US$17,000 and a debt to GDP of less than 30 per cent, and as of December 2022, our foreign reserves stood at US$939 million.

Cheddi Jagan would be thrilled with the policies of the Irfaan Ali administration. He would be proud to know that a house is now within reach of a young teacher or civil servant; that all schoolchildren are getting cash grants; that thousands have ($40,000 monthly) part-time jobs to supplement their household incomes; that young professionals can continue their education with GOAL scholarships; that the price of electricity and cooking gas will drop by more than 50per cent by 2025; that the income tax threshold is now in excess of $80,000; that the Ali administration removed the punitive taxes levied on agriculture and mining during the APNU+AFC tenure; and that the local-content policies related to oil and gas is specifically intended to protect Guyanese citizens from being bullied.

Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan struggled with Guyanese indebtedness. If they were around, they would be proud that the current administration has pursued policies that find this country in the black.

And finally, Cheddi and Janet Jagan would be proud that their own commitment to environmentally sustainable development is being pursued with great vigour and corresponding economic rewards, based on Jagdeo’s LCDS of 2009/2010, followed up by LCDS 2030.

We are sure that the current PPP/C leadership offers solid continuity of the vision, ethics, and economic policies of Cheddi Jagan.

To the critics we say, please note that Cheddi Jagan himself would not have wanted his party’s rhetoric of the 1950s, 60s and 70s to remain unchanged in 2023.

Yours sincerely, Dr Randolph Persaud & Joel Bhagwandin

WHATEVER else can be said of former President Dr Cheddi Jagan he was essentially a democrat and a patriot.

This was quite unlike Forbes Burnham, who rigged his way to power for over two decades until democracy was finally restored on October 5, 1992.

I follow with interest attempts by the PNC, including some who were integrally involved in the rigging of national and regional elections, to create what can only be described as “a storm in a teacup” over a billboard depicting Dr Jagan as the “Father” of the Nation.

Such attempts are both feeble and infantile and certainly will not gain traction.

Dr Jagan has become a national monument, someone who has transcended the boundaries of national politics. He was one of the main architects of the national independence struggle and the building of a modern Guyana.

His honesty, integrity and high political morality has now become legendary. Such attributes are widely acknowledged by Guyanese all across the political and ethnic spectrum of the Guyanese society.

It is unfortunate that the PNC has chosen to use his 105th birth anniversary to seek to denigrate Dr Jagan and his contributions to the politics of Guyana. It is not without significance that such attempts are being made on the eve of Local Government Elections which the PPP/C is expected to win by a landslide.

It is time for the PNC to come clean with the Guyanese people and admit to the injustices inflicted on Dr Jagan and the Guyanese people as a whole during its 28 years of dictatorial rule. During that period, Guyana was reduced to ‘pariah’ status.

It is more than ironic that some of those who were responsible for destruction of the democratic fabric of the country are now seeking to “lecture” us on the virtues of morality.

Dr Jagan’s multifaceted contributions to the growth and development of Guyana cannot be downplayed and will forever be etched in the consciousness of the Guyanese people. Yours respectfully,

Dr Jagan’s multifaceted contributions to the growth, development of Guyana cannot be downplayed

Saint Lucia: The Caribbean’s Newest Gangsters Paradise?

SEVEN murders in four days - anywhere - is enough to warrant the prevailing level of public anxiety in Saint Lucia after the recent gangland-style killings in Vieux Fort, the island’s southernmost town, following the outing of a reputed ‘Don’.

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre promised swift action, including inviting regional assistance, new emergency laws and more arms and vehicles for the police.

Vieux Fort was a ghost town last weekend following

the killings that started on March 10, when schools and businesses shut early after family members of earlier shooting victims were targeted and executed, in what’s been officially described as retaliatory vengeance.

The Prime Minister invited the Regional Security Service (RSS) to support the police to monitor the town and maintain peace; and schools reopened Monday with a heavy police presence everywhere; the Education Minister also visiting to reassure teachers and students - and

encourage students to avoid the usual after-school loitering and head for the safety of their homes after classes.

Tempers have lowered even though anxiety is still very high, but while citizens rightly demand that ‘the government’ and ‘the police’ do more, in less time, to allay public fears, both sides are caught in a Catch 22 situation: The government has a responsibility to respond, but cannot realistically publicise how it intends to confront this latest national security with the specifics citizens expect and

opposition politicians loudly demand.

With over 20 broadcast media entities, the daily official police reports and crime updates are seen and heard three times daily island-wide, keeping the same story, with hardly any updates, on screens and airwaves, online through various social media platforms - and spread 24/7 by multitudes of gossip grapevines.

But this is not the island’s first national security crisis of this kind, as a similar prolonged crime wave led to a government-backed police operation between 2010 and 2011 called “Operation Restore Confidence,” in which alleged criminal elements, known to the law, were reportedly listed on a police blacklist for execution.

It was also alleged that in one such operation, also in Vieux Fort, five targeted persons were killed by the police, with the investigators also alleging efforts to cover-up and/or falsify evidence.

An investigation by CARICOM security investigative entity IMPACS turned up enough evidence to conclude that more than a dozen police officers had engaged in at least as many extra-judicial killings, following which the victims’ families and the accused officers were left in limbo.

The Trump administration and the European Union (EU) together condemned the slow pace of the national judicial response and Washington instituted sanctions against Saint Lucia under the 1997 Leahy Law, requiring ending US support for any police force or national army found to have engaged in extrajudicial killings.

The US sanctions resulted in years of Saint Lucia’s top police officers (including the Commissioner) unable to attend conferences abroad, the police force no longer receiving US financial or equipment assistance, the mainly USarmed Special Services Unit (SSU) unable to receive more guns or ammunition and the

island’s Coast Guard vessels also virtually crippled for lack of spare parts needed urgently.

In 2022, Washington relaxed some sanctions against certain police departments to allow the island to combat evasive inter-island boat trips by persons evading COVID vaccines, but earlier this year it was announced that five of the police officers investigated were cleared for lack of evidence, which is unlikely to encourage a lifting of the US sanctions.

Members of the police force were also earlier accused by politicians of profitably returning illegal weapons to the streets after having been submitted in a guns-for-cash amnesty that also fell victim to politics and regime change.

In the past decade, fighting crime has been weaponised by Caribbean politicians in the fight for votes, while the armed gangs have multiplied, strengthened by untold numbers of “deportees” sent to the region by the Obama and Trump administrations, worsened by extended gang warfare and continuing proliferation of more illegal weapons.

The sophistry of today’s multinational inter-island criminal operations has also resulted in the gangs having access to more deadly weapons than the police, which some gunmen don’t even hide, displaying their hardware on social media platforms, whether firing bullets at parties or simply showing-off.

(Some) citizens have become understandably unwilling to finger the dons and gangsters who are already well-known to the police and the community out of fear of deadly reprisals.

With 72 homicides officially reported a few years ago and the Borderlais Correctional Facility (BCF) overflowing with young murder accused seemingly awaiting trail forever, more Saint Lucians are calling for a return of the death penalty, going to bed expecting another death tomorrow, only wondering

who or where next.

It’s a frightening state of affairs, but the Saint Lucia experience, while different, is not dissimilar to other national security crises that have faced other CARICOM member states from time to time - from Jamaica and Haiti in the north, to Trinidad & Tobago in the south.

Suriname faced its own scary storming of parliament in mid-February, while Guyanese too-young to know about the Jonestown Massacre (in November 1978) are certainly aware of the situation surrounding the recent explosive political call for mutiny aimed at the republic’s armed forces, in the name of Freedom of Expression.

Unfortunately, regional security only seems to ignite regional reaction and international concern when events like The Grenada Revolution happen, or a hurricane, earthquake, volcano or other tropical or climate disaster causes loss of life or untold and irreparable damage.

But the increasing frequency of national crises of all kinds and urgent requests for regional military support is worthy of more and better response than has been the norm, especially with more criminals in more places behaving as if the Caribbean is the world’s newest Gangsters Paradise.

Yesterday was elsewhere and tomorrow will definitely be somewhere else, so all CARICOM governments have an equal stake in tending to this growing regional headache.

Meanwhile, as if to underscore the above, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is appealing for public information after the island registered two more gun-related killings on March 19, when two men on a motorcycle – one 53, the other 32 and both known to the police – were shot dead in the dark (after 8 pm) in Bananes Bay in South Castries, in what residents who heard have described as “a hail of bullets”.

Understanding Energy: Guyana plans to update the country’s local content law

GUYANA’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall announced last week that the country would update its local content laws to reflect the learnings and recommendations from stakeholders in the growing oil and gas industry. This is welcome news for Guyanese individuals and companies who envision providing their goods and services to the sector.

On December 31, 2021, the Government of Guyana passed the Local Content Act 2021. Subsequently, it published several related guidelines that were designed to maximise the participation of Guyanese companies wherever they have the skills and capacity to get involved, beginning with services such as office space rental, janitorial services, laundry and catering services, pest control services, insurance services, supply of food and accounting services and extending through long-term involvement in highly skilled subsectors like subsea installation, geophysical analysis and engineering.

In laying out the rationale for the update, Attorney General Nandlall said, “We have now had two years of the Act being in force…the first piece of legislation of its type in the entire English-speaking

THE Private Sector Commission (PSC), on Thursday, March 23, 2023, met with the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud to discuss the preparations for Local Government Elections (LGE).

The Private Sector Commission sought assurance that GECOM is

Caribbean. We said that it would be subject to review as we gain more experience in the sector and we will also supplement the law with regulations made by the Minister of Natural Resources.”

The Local Content Act was designed with the overarching goal that Guyana’s oil and gas industry can support an economy where small and medium-sized businesses can grow, thrive, and benefit from the country’s burgeoning oil and gas industry. The laws aim to ensure that companies operating in the country hire a certain percentage of local workers and use a certain percentage of local goods and services. These percentages are set to steadily increase as local workers and companies gain capacity and knowledge until Guyanese provide many services and fill most of the industry’s jobs.

Guyana saw a rapid expansion of training opportunities and certification programmes for local companies early on through the industry-funded Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD). This initiative has received praise regionally and locally. The CLBD was operational in Guyana before the first oil, helping companies align their operations with the services that would be needed in Guyana’s oil and gas sector. One promi-

nent company that has benefited from the CLBD’s expertise, Guyana Shore Base Inc., is already expanding operations and seeking local vendors that satisfy the forty sectors outlined in the original local content law.

The update to the local content law will likely include new provisions that reflect the lessons learned since its enactment, the progress made in many areas and the remaining challenges. Laws like this are generally reevaluated regularly to ensure they correctly reflect the realities on the ground. Attorney General Nandlall has made it clear that the country has matured significantly, and modernising the workforce will be imperative to see the industry and country continue to advance.

“I think after we have acquired under our belt, two years of experience as an oil and gas producer, operator, and exporter, and I believe now…we are at a particular vantage point that we can now reveal our experience and start to work on modernising or making adjustments to the local content law and bringing in additional regulations that will strengthen the legislation to enable the government to achieve the core objective of the legislation, which is to protect Guyanese and Guy-

against any attempt to illegally manipulate the presentation and counting of the Statements of Poll during the process of tabulation as occurred in the last General and Regional Elections.

anese company in the oil and gas sector,” the Attorney General said. With this new turning point for Guyana and the industry, the country will hopefully see even more local companies providing logistics and manpower services for increasingly high-skilled industry segments. Progress has been made, but to maximise Guyana’s ability to capture the most value from its resources and move Guy-

anese into more technical and managerial roles, effective training and worker development programmes must continue to play a central role, which is why such new provisions in the local content law will be integral to developing a capable workforce.

Guyana has already avoided some of the pitfalls of other countries with emerging oil and gas sectors because it has committed to putting Guyanese first

through consistent investment in training, workforce development programmes, infrastructure development and other sectors that will support the local economy. Guyana has so far heeded good advice, and an updated local content law will significantly benefit Guyana’s economy for years to come as it transitions into being a global player in the oil and gas industry.

organised and prepared to conduct a free, open and transparent election and that arrangements are in place to guard

The PSC has also written to the Guyana Elections Commission requesting Local Observer Accreditation Status for the Local Government Elections.

PSC engages GECOM on plans to ensure smooth, transparent conduct of LGEs

Drawing Political Parallels

THE late President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan said in his book, “The West on Trial,” first published in 1966, that “the PNC’s defeat at the 1961 election caused it to move further in the direction of African racism; its leadership launched a racist campaign at home and abroad.

“In New York City and in the UN corridors, American Blacks and African

diplomats were told that the PPP Government was penalising the Africans. At home, the African workers were told that the Indians owned lands and big houses in Georgetown and if they (Africans) were not careful, the Indians would soon be taking over their jobs.”

Dr. Jagan had warned over two decades, at different intervals in history that the PNC was relying primar-

ily on the race card to win votes. He and other founding members of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic kept informing the Guyanese public of the racism directed at the other groups in society by the policies adumbrated by the PNC and its handful of powerful and influential friends in civil society.

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Dr. Jagan kept his

PPP far away from being seen as a party to the PNC race-baiting agenda while setting it up to be a truly multi-ethnic political force that would mirror Guyana’s motto of “One people, One nation, One destiny.”

Dr. Jagan did not fight fire with fire. No. He consumed his time and energy towards fighting and struggling against the PNC policies which were rooted in racism, mass corruption, a lack of transparency and accountability, and justice.

The late President arguably did not have the oratory skills like his predecessors Desmond Hoyte and Forbes Burnham, but he had the strategic intelligence and political acumen to never allow Guyana to fall into the clutches of the PNC rule again.

While different political parties will battle for the title the ‘Father of the Nation’ and none really can claim it outright, Dr Jagan’s fight for Guyana’s freedom, democracy, and independence cannot be wished away or be understated. He was a true hero and fighter for Guyanese justice and just causes in every part of the world.

He stood up for the Guyanese, fighting racism in all of its forms whenever it reared its ugly head to create division and divisiveness in society.

Interestingly, the PPP since Dr Jagan’s passing in 1994, has held up his doctrine, arguably, against racism and discrimination every time it raised its head in politics and the wider society.

When Samuel Hinds, Janet Jagan and Bharrat Jagdeo were President, it threatened to divide the Guyanese public then, with the PNC playing an integral role in setting the stage for ethnic disharmony, political war, and civil unrest.

The Presidents used modern political strategies

and maneuvers to calm the multi-ethnic society down while focusing their energies on the development of Guyana’s human and natural resources as well as its infrastructural development.

Fast track to the periods of the Presidency of Donald Ramotar and David Granger which marked the mood of the people shifting away slowly from the PPP/C to the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change Coalition, which really was PNC attempting to reinvent itself.

This is one of the most uninspiring political and socioeconomic periods in modern Guyana. If it wasn’t for the lucrative oil and gas exploration and initial discoveries, Guyana would have been in a civil, race and class struggle not for development but for the destruction of itself.

Move past that to present-day Guyana with the Presidency of Dr. Irfaan Ali and the Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, not forgetting the General Secretary of the PPP/C Bharrat Jagdeo.

While Dr. Ali is focused on building a modern and unified Guyana, Norton is busy laying the foundation and preaching messages that could easily create hate, divisions and civil-ethnic war.

Norton is doing exactly what Dr. Jagan referenced in his book but with more consistency. He is becoming bold and openly pushing the envelope of racial insecurity in the multi-ethnic society while waring in the PNC camp with the prominent East Indians in his own party.

Norton believes in the doctrines of Hoyte and Burnham. He believes in street-style politics and embraces the racially insensitive rhetoric of the new Working Peoples Alliance leadership. He refuses to denounce the racists at home and abroad, once they are

helping his cause against the PPP/C.

In response, he is finding a match in Dr. Ali who is not intimidated or thin-skinned by his blistering attacks.

The President continues to demonstrate statesmanship and that he is above the race-baiting, divisiveness and spectrum of discrimination in politics not only at home but abroad too. He is leading his government down the right path like Dr. Jagan did, skillfully navigating all political potholes and turns that could possibly cost the PPP/C the upcoming Local and General Elections.

At last, though Jagdeo shares Dr. Ali’s beliefs, he is still the GS of the ruling party and a political giant at heart. He knows what Dr. Jagan warned them (the PPP/C) about the PNC political tool and use of racism and discrimination as soon as they lose a critical election (2020).

He will not take any chances politically with this tongue, and cheeky politician (Norton) who is fighting desperately against the PPP/C, so he will use the event held at Babu John to metaphorically take not first blood, but sink the nails deeper into the coffin of Norton’s opposition, launching his party’s bid officially to win the upcoming polls in June 2023.

From all indications, Dr. Ali and Jagdeo will fight in memory of Dr. Jagan because they hold the firm view that Guyana will not see the resurgence of these racist and divisive political shenanigans, ever again!

The fight continues on after Dr. Jagan’s death for Guyana’s soul, development and future. Dr Jagan drew the political parallel, now is the time for Dr. Ali and Jagdeo to act swiftly to put a dent in their racist campaign, and save Guyana.

Appropriate use of topical steroidal preparations

STEROID is the shortened word for corticosteroid or glucocorticoid, a drug used in topical formulations for inflammatory conditions of the skin, the largest human organ.

Some skin manifestations, such as redness or irritation, swelling and itching, are responsive to topical steroid due to its anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, vasoconstrictive and anti-proliferative effects.

Formulations of topical steroidal preparations are creams, ointments, solutions, lotion, gel, foam aerosol, powder and patch. However, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry has introduced other terms for various forms of preparations such as paint, balm, mist and milk.

The most appropriate choice of preparation is selected based on the site of treatment and the nature of the dermatosis. So for example, for a dry or scaly condition, ointment and oils are best suited whilst for an oozy and wet skin condition creams, lotions and drying paste are recommended.

There are seven classes of potent drugs. The strength of the following compounds are categorised as mild, moderate, potent and very potent:

* Mild – hydrocortisone and hydrocortisone acetate

* Moderate – clobetasone butyrate, triamcinolone acetonide

* Potent – betamethasone valerate, betamethasone diproprionate (cream, gel, ointment), diflucortolone valerate, mometasone furoate and methyl prednisolone aceponate.

* Very Potent – clobetasol proprionate and betamethasone dipropionate in optimised formulation

As seen above, the chemical structure attached to the base molecule, whether valerate, butyrate or dipropionate, determines the potency. Presentations also come in various strengths ranging from 0.025 to 2.5 per cent. Additionally, the vehicle used in the formulated product can optimise the effectiveness of the preparation and hence determine the strength. So read the fine print of labels carefully before choosing an inconspicuous spot for trial test.

The fingertip rule applies for application of steroidal cream and varies with sex, age and body part. One finger-tip is equivalent to 0.5g in an adult male and 0.4g in an adult female.

So, for example, one fingertip can evenly cover one hand and three fingertips one arm, whilst one foot should require two fingertips and one leg six fingertips. It will take a 20 to 30 gram size cream or ointment to cover an entire body. Infants from six months to one year usually require quarter of an adult dosage and children from four years of age just one third of an adult requirement.

“Red skin syndrome” is the condition

associated with topical steroid addiction and withdrawal which features burning, stinging or bright red skin after overuse and subsequent withdrawal within one to two weeks.

The abuse of steroidal preparations includes:

* prolonged use of an appropriate steroidal preparation

* misuse of steroidal preparation

* application of inappropriate potency

Some of the side effects seen from the abuse of steroidal preparations are skin thinning, stretch marks, very delicate skin (easy to bruise and tear), enlarged blood vessels and a localised patch of thickened or lengthened hair.

It is not recommended that you apply hydrocortisone-like creams on the face since such preparations may cause skin thinning. Since facial skin is already thin it may exacerbate some skin conditions, unless it is recommended by the dermatologist. Likewise you should not use steroidal creams on broken or infected skin, around the bottom, genitals or the eye.

Another side effect is glaucoma and cataract if applied on the skin of eyelid over a prolonged period of weeks or months.

Cushing syndrome, characterised by moon face and buffalo hump, is a rare side effect if used appropriately. However abuse of topical steroid for example using 50 gram clobetasol propionate or 500 gram hydrocortisone per week can result in Cushing syndrome.

Only mild or moderate steroidal formulations may be used safely in pregnancy. There are inconclusive reports of babies born with low birth weight when exposed to high doses of topical steroids from mothers.

Children under age 10 should not use certain cream unless directed by the doctor. If it is used then the particular attention must be given to the directions which includes dosage application, frequency and duration of treatment. If placed on such medications on a long term basis then the child’s growth (height and weight) should be monitored and immediately reported if there is a concern.

Unrestricted access to these types of preparations in countries like ours coupled with self-diagnosis and or recommendation from an unqualified person may worsen the plight for a cure since this may result in a cascading trial and error process hereafter.

For further discussion, contact the pharmacist of Medicine Express Pharmacy located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets.

If you have any queries, comments or further information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@ gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg. Tel #225-5142.

Remembering slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

By Vanessa Cort

IT is fitting that an International Day for the Elimination of Discrimination should be followed by one dedicated to remembering victims of slavery and the iniquitous Transatlantic Slave Trade, particularly in this decade for people of African descent.

The majority of people around the world have a broad understanding of slavery and what it entails and the institution of slavery is said to date back to the “beginning of time” or at least of human existence on this planet. It has crossed all ethnic lines and cultures.

The International Day of

Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, however, seeks to jog the world’s memory of the abhorrent nature of the Transatlantic

Slave Trade, which enabled millions of Africans to be enslaved far away from their homeland.

The Mesopotamians, 4,000 years ago, gave us

our first glimpse of slavery though fragments of texts reveal that slavery dates as far back as 11,000 years ago. Codes written indicate that slaves had certain rights and could win their freedom.

The 1619 project on slavery in America tells us, “Africans and Europeans had been trading goods and people across the Mediterranean for centuries – but enslavement had not been based on race.”

It further states: “The Transatlantic Slave Trade, which began as early as the 15th century, introduced a system of slavery that was commercialised, racialised and inherited.” African slaves were not seen as people but as commodities – bought,

sold and exploited.

There is a school of thought which says that there was never a “Middle Passage” because no one could have survived a journey of that distance in that timeline and under the conditions described.

However, historical records dispute this argument, going back to the 15th century when the Roman Catholic Church divided the world in half, giving the Portuguese a monopoly on West African trade and the Spanish the right to colonise the New World.

Pope Nicholas V issued a proclamation, which not only affirmed Portugal’s exclusive rights to West African territories, but also granted the right to invade, plunder and “reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

Queen Isabella of Spain backed Christopher Columbus’ exploration but rejected the enslavement of American Indians, claiming they were Spanish subjects. Spain then established a “contract,” that authorised the direct shipment of captive Africans for trade as human commodities in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.”

Other European nations followed suit, competing for the “contract” to colonise the New World and “a new form of slavery came into being.”

This was endorsed by European nation states seeking economic and geo-political power and led to what the 1619 Project terms: “The largest forced migration in the world,” as upwards of 12 million men, women and children of African origin were forced into the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The American slave trade is thought to have begun in 1619, when 20 men from Africa were sold in Jamestown, Virginia after being wrested from a Portuguese slave ship.

There followed a horror story of millions of Africans being stacked, packed and chained in the holds of ships – many dying on the way from a litany of diseases –and their dead bodies tossed into the oceans. Sketches, etchings and pictures of manacles used provide damning evidence of the measures employed to transport slaves.

The horror continued, with vivid descriptions of the inhumane and barbaric treatment meted out to landed slaves at the hands of white slave masters who considered them chattel.

The US Constitution, following the Revolutionary War, according to HISTORY.COM.EDITORS, “tacitly acknowledged the institution of slavery, counting each enslaved individual as threefifths of a person…”

And Thomas Jefferson, the architect of the American Declaration of Independence, was a lifelong enslaver, who reportedly inherited slaves, fathered enslaved black children and relied on slaves for his livelihood, yet arguing that ‘Black’ people were inferior to whites.

The theme of this Remembrance Day programme is. “Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education.”

For as the UN says: “The racist legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates today in harmful prejudices ad beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world.”

Transformative education, is considered a means of empowering learners to change the status quo and essential for teaching and learning about slavery, “… in order to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people everywhere.”

Equality Forum sets platform for discussion on ‘Hate Crime Legislation’ –– with launch of research report

By Shamar Meusa

THE Guyana Equality Forum (GEF), on Friday, launched its research report on Hate Crime Reform in Guyana, to inform and start a debate on introducing local Hate Crime Legislation in Guyana.

The GEF, on Friday, launched the research report which comprises three components and is said to be the first of its kind to be done in Guyana. This report comes on the heels of the world observing International Day for the Elimination of Racism.

that work together to achieve equal rights and justice for all Guyanese, is aware of the prevalence of hate crime in Guyana through its work with groups that support women, Indigenous people, and lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT+) people and other groups.

Further, it can be said that incidents of hate crimes are not understood and are rarely documented or discussed in public discourse in Guyana.

To this end, Simpson told members of the media that the report comprised three

ter, ‘Local Legal Analysis’ was authored by Sigismund Consultants Inc. and focused on providing a survey of the local legal landscape as it relates to hate crimes to further spark debate about the potential introduction of Hate Crime Legislation in Guyana. As part of this study, the Managing Director said that over 20 national stakeholders were interviewed. Consequently, he said that a number of these institutions had the raw information and data on hate crime statistics that they were able to share

to be added to the research. Meanwhile, following the release of this report, the GEF intends to have some level of in-person training with the relevant stakeholders where they can study the recommendations made by the authors of the various chapters and make a way forward. This is expected to be done during the first half of this year.

Further, for the latter part of the year, the GEF intends to do more dissemination and sensitisation amongst

national stakeholders and the constitutional commissions.

Added to this, he said that the GEF also wants to do more work in relation to consultations with players in the legal fraternity.

“I think the goal in another two years or so is to have a draft bill on hate crimes as the GEF that we want to take to the government,” Simpson said.

This is what the Forum will be advocating for and moving towards as more consultative and evidence-based work is done.

Managing Director of the GEF, Joel Simpson, during the launch at the Herdmanston Lodge, said that the group wanted to ensure that there is adequate research on the subject that was broad and intersectional, which would also look at hate crimes against four major grounds including race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender.

The research project, he said, started in late 2020 and, following its conclusion, the report on the findings of the research was compiled.

The GEF, which is a network of civil society groups

chapters, the first of which focuses on the situational analysis of hate crime in Guyana and was authored by Pere DeRoy, a Guyanese researcher at the University of Kansas.

The second chapter which focuses on International Legal Analysis was authored by Professor James Chalmers at the University of Glasgow, and considered the various models of hate crime legislation throughout the world to help inform possible proposals for law reform in Guyana.

The report’s third chap-

Managing Director of the Guyana Equality Forum, Joel Simpson (Delano Williams photo)

The Guyana Equality Forum’s ‘Hate Crimes Reform in Guyana’ report

GuySuCo: Second week in succession Blairmont surpasses production targets

THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) announced that the Blairmont Estate had leveraged the good weather conditions over the last seven days to surpass its weekly sugar production target, ending March 25, 2023, by 12 per cent.

According to GuySuCo, this is the second time for the first crop this year that this Estate has surpassed its weekly target.

This good news, GuySuCo noted, will boost the income from the members of the sugar fraternity on the West Coast of Berbice as all the workers at that Estate secured additional

remuneration with the weekly performance incentive.

Estate Manager Threbhowan Shiwprasad said the achievement was possible due to the factory time efficiency of 95.5 per cent, against a budget of 93.0 per cent, and minimal downtime of 5.25

hours for the week.

Also contributing to this achievement was the cane quality, with extraction of 92.4 percent, versus 91.1 percent budgeted, resulting in an improved Tonnes Cane to Tonnes Sugar (Tc/Ts) ratio of 11.53 per cent versus the budgeted 13.04 per cent.

GuySuCo stated that qualified workers who worked 80 per cent or more days available for that week would benefit from another weekly production incentive scheme, which allows tax-free incentives when an estate achieves its weekly production target.

The first crop production target is 16,875 MT of sugar,

Youth representation not absent from ERC’s composition

See full statement:

and 50 per cent of that target was surpassed on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

“The Executive Management congratulates the management and workers of Blairmont estate and urges all grinding estates to strive towards achieving the weekly production incentive. The Executive Management also implores workers to remain focused and committed to consistently achieving their weekly targets, as every effort is being made to harness better weather during March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022,” GuySuCo noted in a statement Saturday.

THE Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) wishes to allay some concerns expressed and informs that Article 212 (A to F) of the Constitution of Guyana governs, among other things, the composition of the constitutional body, which must be derived from various bodies, including youth organisations across society.

On Tuesday March 21, 2023, eight Commissioners of the reconstituted Board were sworn in by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. Mr. Dwayne Adams took the oath of office as Commissioner representing the youth constituency, having been elected from a cluster of youth organisations.

The National Youth Policy (2015) of Guyana defines a

youth as an individual between the ages of 14-35 years old. Moreover, the board wishes to reiterate that, from the inception, the mandate of the ERC was agreed to by the government and the opposition sides in parliament and focuses on the country’s diverse population. The body is, therefore, guided by 24 functions as enshrined in the constitution.

'If you are not promoting peace, then you cannot represent Islam' –– President Ali says

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali, the first Muslim President of Guyana, as well as the second in the Americas, in an Al Jazeera documentary said that if a person is not promoting peace, tolerance, respect, trust, or love, then they cannot be representing Islam.

He said that Guyana the country is rich in terms of diversity.

“In many mosques across the country, you will see that community spirit

again where the community and the people in the community, the children, their parents, they are coming together as families joined together in one community, breaking the fast of iftar, sharing and praying together, you know, connecting with each other,” he said.

Dr Ali added: “The diversity is not only from a religious perspective; the diversity is from an ethnic diversity also. We are a land of six different peoples fused

together under one common banner, and that is we’re Guyanese.”

President Ali mentioned that in the last week, Guyana had a very interesting period where the Muslims are in Ramadan, the Christians are in the period of Lent and the Hindus are in the period of Navratri.

“The people of the country, they were fused together… there are certain fundamental principles that bounded the people together and that is the love for freedom, their respect for each other, viewing each other

equally in the eyes of the law in the eyes of human and developing that level of respect and tolerance for each other,” he said.

The Head-of-State shared that he comes from a normal Guyanese family which contributed significantly to public service.

“My grandparents and my parents and myself, our family came up in an Islamic background. Both my parents would have completed Hajj. I’m from a village called Leonora, on the West Coast of Demerara…I grew up playing in the compound

of the Leonora Mosque that’s our local mosque,” he said.

President Ali said that as a child, he remembers looking forward to Ramadan. He said that the community would come together to break their fasts together.

“As a community, people came, all the children, your parents, they were all there, breaking the fast together, eating together, sharing together, eating from the same plate and then praying together, building relationships,” he said.

Victoria being transformed with continuous investments

WORK on a number of streets in Victoria Village on the East coast Demerara, are expected to start this week, while a $6 million tractor and trailer has been given to the community and a new excavator is being procured to conduct works on the drainage systems.

These developments will add to the over $60 million spent on infrastructural works that have already been done in the community.

Over 200 persons from the community have also benefitted from the government’s parttime work programme, while several residents from Victoria are expected to receive house lot allocations when the Ministry of Housing and Water distributes some 2,000 allocations on the East Coast Demerara in the first Dream Realised housing drive for the year.

Those and more announcements were shared with residents of the village on Saturday, during a government outreach led by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips at the Victoria Com-

munity Centre Ground.

A number of ministers were part of a contingent that went on the ground to speak with the residents, listen to their various concerns and offer solutions to existing issues.

As with many communities, issues with the roadways, works needed on the drainage and employment opportunity and business support were some of the primary concerns raised by the residents during the packed interactive session.

Addressing the gathering, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, shared that the tender is out for an all-weather road to the farmlands in the community, while to date a number of major canals in the community have been desilted

With the current focus on food security in the Caribbean region, Minister Mustapha reminded the residents that the farmers from the community have an important role to play in contributing to the initiative while capitalising on opportunities to grow their business.

“Agriculture is one of the

most important sectors, without agriculture we can’t be food secure. If you produce more, Guyana will produce more and we will be able to make CARICOM food secure. So, we will listen and we will work with you to ensure that we help in this process. We are coming here to continue the development. This community has never been neglected,” Minister Mustapha related.

He said, however, that an area of continued concern remains cases of conflict over ownership of some lands, and he called on the farmers to ensure they are regularised and receive titles for their properties.

During his remarks, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, said that his ministry will be working with the community to bring vocational training programmes to the community’s two training centres.

Hamilton said that the ministry will be placing special focus on flexible courses that could accommodate working persons.

Also present, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport,

Charles Ramson, pledged his ministry’s commitment to working with the community to develop the community’s youth and sporting facilities.

“We are committed to see-

ing the transformation happen across the country and Victoria is one of these places. We want to see everyone prosper under the services that we deliver. I am very happy to be part of

what this process is about.

I’ve seen how these sessions have translated into the development for communities and for individuals,” Ramson said.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali (Screenshot from Al Jazeera’s documentary)

Guyana among the most diverse, tolerant countries in the region

–– a simple analysis of initiatives, programmes would highlight inclusive nature of the gov’t, Minister Teixeira says

MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira has said that Guyana is one of the most diverse and tolerant countries in this part of the world, and relevant reports are regularly submitted to the United Nations to ensure that the country receives the respect it deserves.

The minister made this remark on Tuesday, as the world joined in the obser -

vance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racism.

She said that Guyana signed on to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination some decades ago and, as such, still submits reports to the United Nations so as to ensure that these stories are recorded and that Guyana is afforded the respect that it deserves for being one of the most diverse

and tolerant counties in this part of the world.

Given the country’s position in this regard, Minister Teixeira said that racism, racial hostility, ethnocentrism or any form of discrimination based on diversity has no place in Guyana, as she remarked that Guyana’s Constitution clearly states the responsibilities of all persons to eliminate discriminatory distinctions and to honour the diverse cultures in the

country’s society. She said: “Every person in Guyana is entitled to the same fundamental human rights laid out in our Constitution, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sex, class or any other characteristic. The PPP/C Government of Guyana has always led efforts to promote equal rights, provide equal opportunity and ensure equitable access to essential services and goods for all our people.”

An analysis of any of the initiative or programme being implemented by the government which includes scholarship opportunities, disability grants, improved healthcare and public assistance among others, will show that Guyanese of all ethnicities and identities are benefitting from these initiatives.

“We are a government committed to ensuring inclusion and diversity at the core of all that we do,” Minister Teixeira said.

As Guyana develops, she said that President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s One Guyana vision stands even more important as it sets the foundational block upon which the country can be built on a united front.

Added to this, Teixeira said “One Guyana” is not just an objective, but is also Guyana’s reality and though persons may come

from many cultures, many races and places of origin, their identity as Guyanese is most important.

DO NOT BE DIVIDED

“We must not allow ourselves to be divided by political parties and agents of those parties who strive to propagate a racist and hateful rhetoric, often to fill a void of any true validity,” she said.

In the face of those attempts, the minister said that it is the fundamental right and responsibility of every Guyanese to reject those attempts and racism.

Meanwhile, she added that from using carbon credits to empower Amerindian villages to the legal land titling process for Indigenous people to the Because-WeCare cash grants and the further humanitarian assistance offered to migrants fleeing their countries, it is evident that the government’s commitment to promoting inclusion and diversity is steadfast.

“We should not be led astray by a handful of foul-spirited persons who despise progress; these are the people who preach hate, fuel tensions and incite violence. They offer nothing to the Guyanese people except pain and division,” Teixeira said.

President Ali had said too that the government takes seriously the attempts to instigate racial animosity and will continue to promote harmonious relations under the One Guyana agenda.

The Head of State said that the government will also ensure that those who are guilty of instigating racial animosity are subject to the sanctions imposed by law.

Dr. Ali, as reported previously, said as Guyana’s story is unfolding globally, this development story is not predicated only on oil and gas, but rather policies and programmes to build a resilient, sustainable and strong country, under the umbrella of “One Guyana.”

“And that is what I’ve been working on; creating this ‘One Guyana’ in which we build a system that delivers prosperity for every single Guyanese and every single Guyanese family,” the Head of State said.

He pointed to the importance of shaping the right collective mindset, noting: “This, for me, is the important project, changing the mindset, changing the way we relate to each other, community by community, household by household. And I assure you I will not rest until this country is unified.”

He added that this requires the involvement and support of every Guyanese.

Dr. Ali said: “It requires every single Guyanese changing from the inside.

It requires every Guyanese making a special effort and a special commitment to being part of the positive transformation, to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira

‘All-rounder’ Steven Jacobs continues to score as an entrepreneur

By Cindy Parkinson

WITH Guyana being one of the leading countries in the world that foreign investors are gravitating towards, it gives a sense of pride when the country’s natives can invest and capitalise on the opportunities that are being presented.

One such individual is Guyana’s West Indies righthand batsman and off-spinner Steven Jacobs. This renowned cricketer might have retired, but he continues to score in the field of business. Staying true to his roots in Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown, Jacobs has established one of Guyana’s most prominent jewellery stores.

In an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Jacobs explained that his father was a jeweller in the 1990s and had a workshop at Jacobs Jewellery location.

He remembered coming home from playing cricket and going into the workshop with his father to see how the jewellery-making process was being done. Jacob said that while he was playing cricket, the word got around that he was involved in making jewellery, and a number of people, including other cricketers became interested, so he started to make pieces for interested people.

Even though the former cricketer studied sports management at the University of the West Indies, he related that he was more “focused” on business.

While playing cricket, Jacobs said he tried to invest in a couple of small businesses.

He said, “I bought a car and started up a taxi service, and I tried to organise some apartments and rent them out so that I could have had multiple incomes.”

According to Jacobs, he wanted to set up a business he was comfortable with and would enjoy after retirement.

So, he went back to what he grew up seeing and what made sense for him to invest in: jewellery.

Jacobs said, “I saw that investing in a jewellery business was something that I could do. I also thought of my popularity and how it would help me excel. So, I decided to get into it.”

Jacobs went ahead and opened “Jacobs Jewellery & Pawn Shop,” and the business took off. The former cricketer revealed that he had to make the tough decision in 2018/2019 of “putting down” his cricket bat due to the quick growth of the business. According to him, it required much of his time and presence to ensure that it was run in the

manner and standard that he had envisioned.

Looking at the progressive rate at which Guyana is moving, Jacobs shared that he is in talks with the University of Guyana to launch a jewellery school that will have professionals from India train Guyanese so that they will be able to produce the best pieces for the world. The idea, Jacobs said, is for all the sectors in Guyana to “bloom.” It makes perfect sense since Guyana is known for having some of the best gold in the world.

One of the things that the Guyana Chronicle learned about Steven Jacobs is that he doesn’t limit himself or put himself in a box when it comes to business. Like many of his teammates, Jacobs credited the gentleman’s game for instilling in him and his fellow Guyanese cricketers the discipline, positive attitude, and determined mindset they are now implementing in the business chapters of their lives.

Steven Jacobs is currently in construction with one of his Guyanese teammates, friends, and business partners, Leon Johnson.

Jacobs related, “I have built a few apartments; I built my home. I actually love seeing the work being done from the foundation up; seeing the end result, as well as being involved in the process of it all.”

He continued: “That sparked my love for construction, and in partnership with Leon Johnson, who just announced his retirement, was also looking to do something on his way out. We fused our ideas together and bid for a government contract and were successful. We are a young company, but we are pushing to meet the demands of the construction market that is booming in Guyana.”

Jacobs and Johnson, together with their company “First Change Builders” take pride in giving back to the Guyanese people by creating employment for their fellow countrymen. At the moment, they have over 200 people employed in their sector.

“I am fortunate enough

to see firsthand what President Dr. Irfaan Ali and his government are doing for the people of Guyana and what his agenda is for the country, which is amazing. A lot of infrastructural work is laid out right now in different areas across Guyana, and I would like my fellow Guyanese people to know that in the next five years Guyana will look very different because of the foundation that the president is laying right now,” the former cricketer related.

He is also pleading with all Guyanese, especially the young, to take up the opportunities in front of them and not sit and wait. He hopes that they can all open their eyes and make full use of what they see before them.

He also reminded Guyanese of how far “we” have come to where “we” are now since independence.

“I remembered I had to sit on the bench at an airport in the Caribbean because I was a Guyanese and wait on someone to come and identify/receive me even though I was a cricketer, but now it is different because Guyana is the place that everyone wants to come to. So, look at where we were and where we are heading, and we must feel a sense of pride, and regardless of what race we are, we are one people, and I support President Ali’s ‘One Guyana’ initiative because it is who we are. If you cut us all, we will bleed the same blood colour. At the end of the day, Guyanese have to benefit from all of this. I am very proud to be a Guyanese, and for the sake of a future generation, we need to work together; the time is now. And I can say that President Ali has Guyana and the people’s best interests at heart, and I am proud to say that he is a role model for me because of his work ethic and his personality,” he said.

When it comes to Jacob’s personal life, he said, “What I try to do is be at home as much as possible on the weekends, and during the week. I have a starting point and a breaking point where I put

down the tools and try to make sure I get home for my wife and my kids and put them to bed.”

Family, he noted, is the foundation of his livelihood; “it is very important, and we have to make sure that the home is in order in terms of love and affection. The material things are there, but family life and guiding your children are very important.”

Jacobs added: “My son is at a tender age now, and he will be looking towards me and what I do, and I try to live the right way so that I can be the best role model for him.”

“I would like to leave by saying to my fellow Guyanese: do not doubt yourself, challenge yourself, and position yourself to grow so that when you start a business, no matter how small, be sure about what you want and go for it. Don’t be afraid to take risks; it is said that the bigger the risk, the greater the reward, but make sure it’s a sensible risk,” said Jacobs.

— Challenges fellow Guyanese to embrace development, take positive risks as country’s economy rapidly expands

Former cricketer/entrepreneur with his wife, Simone Jacobs, and their children Jordan and Jamie-Lee Jacobs

Former cricketers and business partners Steven Jacobs and Leon Johnson

Aqueduct Race

Sinclair takes 4-37 as Guyana Eagles crush Scorpions by 228 runs

...Guyana in sight of 13th Regional title, Johnson eyes 6th as Skipper

By Sean Devers

GUYANA Harpy Eagles

crushed Jamaica Scorpions by 228 runs yesterday at Providence Stadium on the final day of the penultimate round of West Indies Championships and have one hand on their thirteenth First-Class Regional title, while Leon Johnson is eyeing his sixth as captain in his last season at this level.

Resuming on their overnight 174-4, Jamaica were blown away for 229, losing their last nine wickets for 55 runs as off-spinner

Kevin Sinclair (4-37), pacer Ronsford Beaton (3-45) and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (2-23) bowled Guyana to an emphatic victory with two sessions to spare.

Only overnight batters; Tevin Gilzene who made 85 from 141 balls 176 minutes with 14 fours and Jermaine Blackwood who hit 80 from 161 balls and 215 minutes with 12 boundaries offered any fight as the two batters extended their partnership to 173, but once Gilzene fell to off-spinner Sinclair as their last three wickets fell at 129

Scores: Guy 278 & 294-7 dec Jam 115 & 229

Jamaica still needed 282 for a miraculous win and everything depended on Gilzene, who survived a testing time from Ronsford Beaton on Friday and Blackwood who had already put together 165 for the second wicket after Leroy Lugg fell at 10-1.

Gilzene began the day on 81 while Blackwood was on

66 and how long they batted and how much they extended their partnership would indicate if Jamaica, on a still decent track and a fast outfield, had a sniff of a chance of a sensational win.

But Sinclair quickly extinguished those hopes when he had Gilzene LBW in the second over of the day while Nail Smith had Paul Palmer caught behind without scoring to leave the score on 183-3.

Abhijai Mansingh joined Blackwood, who stroked Smith gloriously through the covers for four before Mansingh edged Beaton for four.

Mansingh watched from the non-sticker’s end as Blackwood pushed forward to Sinclair and was caught

bat/pad at 207-4, and it was soon 208-6 when Beaton removed Aldane Thomas (1) and Deval Greene (0) in identical fashion; caught at second slip by Kevlon Anderson while Mansingh (12) who was trapped LBW by one that did not turn from Sinclair at 214-7.

Ojay Shields, who lofted Sinclair for six over long-off, was stumped off Permaul who had Marquino Mindley lbw next ball before Blackwood was last man out for 80.

Guyana face the Leewards Volcanoes from next Wednesday at the Providence Stadium in the final round of the West Indies Championship.

HARPY EAGLES 1st Innings 278 Scorpions 1st Innings 115

Harpy Eagles 2nd Innings 294-7 dec Scorpions 2nd Innings (overnight 176-1)

L. Lugg c wk Imlach b Beaton 10

T. Gilzene lbw b Sinclair 85

*J. Blackwood c Savory b Sinclair 80

P. Palmer c wk Imlach b Smith 0

A. Mansingh lbw b Sinclair 12 +A. Thomas c Anderson b Beaton 1

D. Green c Anderson b Beaton 0

N. Bonner c Anderson b Sinclair 5

O. Shields st Imlach b Permaul 14

M. Mindley lbw b Permaul 0

N. Gordon not out 0

Extras (b10, lb5, nb7) 22

TOTAL (all out, 66.2 overs) 229

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-182, 3-183, 4-207,5-208, 6-208, 7-214, 8-229, 9-229.

Bowling: Beaton 17-3-85-3 (nb1); Smith 10-1-42-1 (nb6); Motie 10-4-27-0; Permaul 11-5-23-2; Sinclair 18.2-4-37-4.

Result: Harpy Eagles won by 228 runs.

Points: Harpy Eagles 19.2, Scorpions 5.8.

Player-of-the-Match: L. Johnson (Harpy Eagles).

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Sunday March 26, 2023)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Chris Gayle-375 runs (12 matches)

(2) Quinton de Kock-302 (6 matches)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which WI bowler has claimed most T20 International wickets against SA to date?

(2) Which SA bowler has bagged most T20 International wickets against the WI to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Williams, Ballance, Madhevere help Zimbabwe clinch series against Netherlands …The hosts chase down 232 with ease after solid performances from their top four

WESSLY Madhevere and Gary Ballance notched up fifties, and Sean Williams hit 43 and took a

three-wicket haul as Zimbabwe beat the Nether-

lands by seven wickets in the final ODI in Harare to clinch the series 2-1.

Opting to bat first, Netherlands started off slowly with Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd putting on a 67-run partnership for the opening wicket. Once fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani removed O'Dowd for 38, Vikramjit also fell soon after, to the offspin of Sikandar Raza. Colin Ackermann and Musa Ahmed steadied the innings with a stand of 60 for the third wicket.

However, Madhevere bowled Ahmed out for 29 in the 30th over to trigger the collapse. From 129 for 2, Netherlands lost their next five wickets for 63 runs.

(Scores: Zimbabwe 235 for 3 (Ballance 64*, Madhevere 50, Ervine 44, Shariz 2-71) beat Netherlands 231 for 9 (O'Dowd 38, Ackermann 37, Williams 3-41, Raza 2-55) by seven wick-

ets). Captain Scott Edwards' 41-ball 34 and contributions from the lower order lifted the visitors to 231 for 9. While Williams accounted for Wesley Barresi and Edwards, Raza added Teja Nidamanuru's wicket to his bag.

In reply, Zimbabwe were never in trouble with Madhevere and captain Craig Ervine stitching together a 96-run partnership in 18 overs for the first wicket. The stand was broken when Shariz Ahmad had Ervine caught six runs short of a half-century. In his next over, the legspinner removed Madhevere too, who scored a 61-ball 50 with the help of seven fours.

But even before Netherlands could sense an opening, Ballance and Williams added 96 to blunt their attack.

Ballance top-scored for Zimbabwe with an unbeaten 64 off 72 deliveries, while Williams made 43 before being bowled by Fred Klaassen in the 39th over. Raza then smashed an unbeaten nine-ball 18 to complete the formalities with 50 balls to spare.

Western Australia tighten grip on Sheffield Shield title

Western Australia continued to remain on top in the final of the Sheffield Shield, 2023 even as Victoria slipped but fought back.

Led by Ashton Turner's 128, Western Australia secured a lead of 119 in the first innings. On the third day, Turner had lost his overnight partner Josh Philippe early in the day but found a willing partner in Joel Paris to stitch together an important stand for the seventh wicket.

Paris remained patient for 126 balls for his 31, which enabled Turner to do the heavy lifting in terms of scoring. Turner added a further 79 to his overnight score and put on 105 with Paris that helped WA stretch their lead further.

Turner's 227-ball knock finally came to an end, bringing about a five-wicket haul for Will Sutherland.

After WA were bowled out for 315, Victoria's second innings started on a false note once again. Paris, fresh off a valuable contribution with the bat set the

tone by bagging the openers, Marcus Harris and Ashley Chandrasinghe early.

The innings got a fillip when skipper Peter Handscomb hit a quickfire fifty, while Campbell Kellaway held one end up with doggedness. The duo shared a 54-run stand where the latter contributed only 7 before he was picked up by Matthew Kelly.

This triggered a collapse that saw Victoria lose 4 wickets in the space of 37 balls for just ten runs including that of the Handscomb for 52 which left them tottering at 74/6. With the threat of suffering an in-

nings defeat looming large, Victoria began a counterattack through Sutherland who hit six boundaries in an unbeaten 40, that saw Victoria end the day with a slender two-run lead and with an outside chance of still ploughing their way back in the game.

Scores: Victoria 195 all out(Ashley Chandrasinghe 46, Matthew Short 36; Lance Morris 3-53)and 122/6(Peter Handscomb 52, Will Sutherland 40*; Joel Paris 3-32)lead Western Australia 315 (Ashton Turner 128, Aaron Hardie 45; Will Sutherland 5-75) by 2 runs. (Cricbuzz)

Ashton Turner made his highest first-class score • (Getty Images)

Gary Ballance top-scored with 64* for Zimbabwe • (AFP via Getty Images)

McSween grabs 5-39 as Windward Islands Volcanoes beat Leewards Hurricanes by six wickets

PRESTON McSween starred with his fifth firstclass five wicket haul as the Windward Islands Volcanoes completed a comfortable six-wicket win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes on day four of their fourth-round fixture at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Saturday.

The Hurricanes started the day 99-5 off 39 overs with a lead of 128 runs in their second innings with Montcin Hodge on 45 and Kofi James yet to get off the mark.

Hodge ended up making a top score of 59 as the Leewards eventually folded for 144 off 55 overs.

McSween led the charge

with the ball for the Volcanoes with 5-39 off 13 overs while Larry Edward took 3-9 from eight in support.

Chasing 174 for victory, the Volcanoes reached 32-0 at lunch with Teddy Bishop on

15 and Keron Cottoy on 12. They lost three wickets after the resumption, including first innings centurion Kavem Hodge, but Alick Athanaze, who also got a century in the first innings, and Sunil Ambris steadied the ship.

At tea, the Volcanoes were 151-3 off 34 overs, needing only 23 more runs to win with Athanaze on 31 and Ambris on 28.

Shortly after tea, Athanaze was dismissed for 38 before Ambris and Tevyn Walcott guided the Volcanoes to 174-4 off 38 overs. Ambris finished 40*.

Rakheem Cornwall took 2-53 off 13 overs for the Hurricanes.(Sportsmax)

PPP Soesdyke, Timehri, Highway Cluster 7-a-side Football Champions to be crowned today

FOLLOWING intense rivalry in yesterday’s opening matches of the PPP Soesdyke, Timehri, Highway Cluster 7-a-side Football competition at the Banakari Ground, Long Creek, Linden Soesdyke Highway, eight villages have made it through to the quarter finals.

Hauraruni will open action against Soesdyke at 10:00 hrs Today as they lead off the bid for one of the four semi-final slots. Yarrowkabra will then engage Waiakabra to be followed by a clash between Bamia and Kuru Kuru College.

The final quarter-final match will see Swan battling Circuitville. The respective winners will advance to the semi-finals after which the final would be contested between the winners of the two semis. Yesterday’s action was

intense and saw two matches having the be decided in extra time; one decided via kicks from the penalty mark. That match saw Bamia eventually getting rid of Circuitville 2-0; their goalkeeper being the hero as he saved all four of the shots that Circuitville took.

An own goal by Hauraruni cost them their match against Waiakabra in the second period of extra time, however, the former was still able to make it through to the quarter-finals as one of the two best losing teams in the opening round. The other team advancing via the route, was Circuitville.

In other results, Soesdyke defeated Laluni 2-0, compliments of goals from Mark Barker and Tyrone Khan. Kuru Kuru College won via a similar margin over Banakari; Encosi Morris and his brother, Nickoli, crafted the win.

The widest margin of victory was recorded by Yarrowkabra, over St. Cuthbert’s, 4-1, on account of a double off the boot of Terrance Glasgow. Shemar Schultz and Christopher Fung notched in one apiece to complete the win. St. Cuthbert’s consolation came from Wayne Wong.

The opening match of the day saw produced a 2-1 win for Swan Madaweni over Kuru Kururu, 2-1. The winning goals were scored by Anderson Webber and Abraham Webb, the lone response from the losers came from Anthony Roberts.

The winning team will walk away with $100,000 while the losing finalist will pocket, $50,000. Trophies will also be rewarded to the top two as well as the highest goal scorer, best goalkeeper, and most valuable player.

Preston McSween took 5-39 for the Volcanoes

Nine-month boxing programme commences Friday at 'Six Head' Lewis Gym

WITH an emphasis on building on the momentum of a successful 2022, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will institute a weekly training programme which is scheduled to commence this Friday (March 31st) at the Andrew 'Six Head' Lewis Gym, Albouystown.

The weekly initiative will last for the remainder of the year and is expected to attract the participation of senior and under-16 pugilists from the environs of Georgetown, Linden, Essequibo, and Berbice.

The Andrew 'Six Head' Lewis Gym, which will serve as the facility for the entirety of the programme, has undergone an extensive refurbishment by the Government

of Guyana and is expected to host in excess of 20 boxers.

The pugilists will enter the training facility on Friday and will remain until Sunday.

Cuban coach Franciso

Roldan, who is scheduled to return to local shores on April 4th, will form part of the training apparatus that will also include national coach Lennox Daniels and Technical Director Terrence Poole.

According to the GBA President, Steve Ninvalle, the initiative was conceptualised to serve as a high-performance platform, which will better equip pugilists with the requisite training mechanisms and structures in preparation for international sojourns.

He elucidated, "This programme will form the backbone of the association's preparatory drive for the impending international assignments which is inclusive of a world championship and youth championship. We

Grizzlies clinch NBA play-offs place with big win over Rockets

have opted to take a qualitative approach, as we envision having the best pugilists participate in the camps in what is expected to be a highly technical and intense initiative."

"It is essentially high-performance training which will be conducted weekly for the remainder of the year, and it will also ensure that our U-16 programme, which is a critical transitionary age group of our nursery programme, remains vibrant."

Ninvalle further stated that pugilists, in particular from the Mining town of Linden, have been failed by their respective coaches and that their participation in this initiative is critical if they are to ascertain quality training.

Bairstow ruled out of IPL 2023; Australia's Matthew Short named replacement

Jonny Bairstow will not play IPL 2023 as the England wicketkeeper-batter, who plays for Punjab Kings, continues to recover from the freak injury he picked up last September. ESPNcricinfo has learned that uncapped Australian batter Matthew Short will be Bairstow's replacement for the 2023 season.

Kings, via the BCCI, had been waiting for Bairstow's exact fitness status from the ECB after the player had resumed training in late February. This week Bairstow started batting in the Yorkshire nets and is expected to feature in Division 2 of the County Championship, which will be played in May. It is understood the BCCI informed Kings on Saturday to go ahead with the replacement.

Bairstow broke his left leg and dislocated his ankle on September 2, days before the third and final Test of England's home series against South Africa. He was playing golf with friends when he slipped and suffered multiple fractures in his fibula, which required a plate to be inserted when

he underwent surgery a few days later, and also sustained ligament damage. He has since missed all the cricket England have played, including the T20 World Cup where he was meant to open with his captain Jos Buttler. He has also missed tours to Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh, as well as the ILT20 where he was due to play for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

Recognised as one of the all-format batters, Bairstow's absence is bound to

have an impact on Kings' strategy. Last IPL, Bairstow scored 253 runs in 11 innings, averaging 23.00 with a strike rate of 144.57, with two half-centuries.

For Short, this will be his maiden IPL experience. He was the Player of the Tournament at the recent Big Bash League, where opening for Adelaide Strikers, he scored 458 runs - the second-highest in the tournament - at an average of 35.23 and a strike rate of 144.47.

His best performance

was an unbeaten 100 in a chase of 230 to beat Hobart Hurricanes. Athletic in the field, Short also is a handy offspinner. He kept his head high while bowling in the powerplay during the BBL and took 11 wickets in all, at an economy of 7.13. An all-format player, Short scored three centuries across first-class and List A cricket during the second half of Australia's domestic season where he plays for his home state of Victoria.

THE Memphis Grizzlies secured a spot in the NBA play-offs with an emphatic 151-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Luke Kennard made a franchise record 10 three-pointers, from only 11 attempts, while Desmond Bane added 25 points.

The Grizzlies also set a new franchise record of 25 total three-pointers as they became the second Western Conference side after leaders the Denver Nuggets to reach the postseason.

Ja Morant hit 18 points in his second game back after an eight-game ban.

The All-Star guard was suspended without pay by the NBA after a video showed him holding a gun in a Colorado nightclub.

The Los Angeles Lakers boosted their postseason hopes with a 116-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Anthony Davis scored 37 points and made 14 rebounds to inspire the Lakers, who are still without the injured LeBron James.

The Lakers are eighth in the Western Conference with eight games of the regular season remaining.

Teams placed seventh to 10th in the Western and Eastern conferences will contest the play-in tournament, with two teams taking the final two spots in the plays-offs.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 120112, despite 76ers star Joel Embiid scoring 46 points.

Jordan Poole scored 33 points and Stephen Curry added 29 for the reigning champion Warriors, who are sixth in the Western Conference.

The Milwaukee Bucks claimed a comfortable 144-116 victory over the Utah Jazz.

The Bucks lead the Eastern Conference by two and a half games over the Boston Celtics, who stayed in the race for the top seed with a 120-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks, Celtics and 76ers have all already secured a play-off spot.

Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings beat the Phoenix Suns 135127, the Chicago Bulls claimed a 124-96 victory away at the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 117-109 (BBC Sport).

Luke Kennard (right) scored all 30 of his points in threepointers

President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Steve Ninvalle

Jonny Bairstow's absence can have a big impact on Punjab Kings' strategy • BCC

India may play two extra T20Is on the tour of West Indies

THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is understood to have agreed to play two more Twenty20 Internationals than originally scheduled in the West Indies later this year. The additional games will feature in the fullfledged series that was part of the FTP in July-August. In all the tour will feature 10 games consisting of two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, instead of three T20Is.

In addition to this, the BCCI is contemplating having another short home series in June. Although nothing has been firmed up as yet, options are being explored to see if a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka or Afghanistan in the second half of June, more precisely after the World Test Championship (WTC) final, is possible.

Such a series will have to be scheduled in the window between the WTC final in London (from June 7-11) and the start of the West Indies tour, for which the team is expected to be leave in the first week of July.

Cricbuzz learns that discussions with various boards have taken place on this some time back but the outcome is still not known. Should that series come to fruition, the BCCI will have to identify a short-term broadcaster as the new broadcast deal is unlikely to have been signed by then. The current deal ended with the last ODI against Australia on March 22.

As for the series against West Indies, the additional games were finalised bilaterally on the sidelines of the recent ICC meetings in Dubai. When contacted, Cricket West Indies (CWI) president refused to confirm or deny. "BCCI and CWI have a healthy bilateral relationship that is based on mutual respect and understanding of each other's needs and role

Athletics Guyana select 18 athletes for 50th CARIFTA Games

in world cricket," Ricky Skerritt told Cricbuzz.

India are expected to start the 10-game series with a Test tentatively around July 10-12 and the schedule is expected to be finalised after the AGM of the CWI on Saturday. "The schedule will be out soonest," said the CWI president. From the Caribbean, India will travel to Ireland where they have agreed to play three Twenty20Is in the third week of August, as recently announced by Cricket Ireland.

So from March 31, when the IPL starts, the Indian teams will have a packed schedule till the World Cup, with the WTC (June 7-12, including the reserve day) final immediately following the IPL (March 31-May 28). The as-yet unannounced series is likely in the second half of June, to be followed by tours to the Caribbean and Ireland with the Asia Cup in September leading into a three-match ODI series against Australia right before the ODI World Cup in October-November. (Cricbuzz)

Powell leads Windies to victory in 11-over slugfest in first T20I

PRETORIA, (CMC) – New West Indies Twenty20 International captain, Rovman Powell, started his reign with a bang on Saturday when he dragged his side to a three-wicket win against South Africa and gave them a 1-0 lead in their threematch series.

Powell slugged one four and five sixes in the top score of 43 not out from 18 balls, holding his nerve in the closing overs, to lead a successful chase of 132 in a contest reduced to 11 overs-aside because of adverse weather at Centurion Park.

The 29-year-old Jamaican entered the fray with West Indies halfway to their target in the fifth over on 66 for three and proceeded to dominate the remainder of the match with his explosive batting that earned him the Player-of-the Match award.

“After the disappointment of the (preceding) One-day Internationals the way I got out, I had an honest talk with myself, I decided that I just got to try to bat through the tough periods, and it worked out,” Powell said after play.

Opener Brandon King gave the chase a flying start with two fours and two sixes in 23 off only eight balls, and enabled West Indies to reach 46 for two after the three-over Power Play.

After King was bowled behind his back, moving too far

inside the line to swing a full toss from burly pacer Sisanda Magala in the third over, two-time T20I World Cup-winning batsman, Johnson Charles, kept West Indies on track.

When Charles was caught on the long-on boundary off unorthodox left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in the sixth over for 28 off 14 balls that included one six and three fours, the visitors needed 56 from 32 balls.

Powell took charge of the chase, taking his only four and three sixes off left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin in the eighth over, reducing the equation to 20 from

the last 18 balls – but three wickets – two to Magala off successive balls in the penultimate over –added to the drama.

Powell kept his composure and formalised the result with three balls remaining when he swung left-arm pacer Wayne Parnell over square leg for six off the second ball of the final over and tickled the next delivery into leg-side for a single.

Magala was the most successful South African bowler with three for 21 from his allotted two overs.

“A lot of guys in the team are used to the T10 format and that helped us,” Powell said. “We know that the ball travels so nicely (at this ground), and we knew that 130 was gettable. All we needed was for two batters to bat long.

“We played a lot of shots, but there are still periods where you have to push it around. You can’t keep hitting good bowlers for six, six, six. When you get good bowlers, good international bowlers, you’ve got to hit them for a six and get off the strike and let the non-striker do some of the work.”

The second T20I of the series takes place today at the same venue, and Powell said his side needed to execute if they are to condemn their opponents to a fourth successive T20I home series loss.

“We just have to do the basics right,” he said. “We saw how the ball travels, so the bowlers will come under a lot of pressure, but it’s important for us to get wickets with the new ball because that’s the only way to stop a strong South African batting line-up.”

Earlier, West Indies failed to maintain their intensity, and left-handed T20 specialist David Miller cracked 48 off 22 balls to propel South Africa to 131 for eight after they were put in to bat.

After rain delayed the start by two hours, left-arm spinner Hosein gave West Indies a dream start when he got Quinton de Kock caught at deep fine leg off the first ball of the match from a top-edged sweep.

Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell got Rilee Roussouw caught at mid-off for 10 from a sliced pull in the second over, but the South Africans ended the threeover Power Play strongly on 30 for two when Hosein conceded 16 from his second over that included two leg-side sixes to Reeza Hendricks.

West Indies rebounded and reduced the Proteas to 79 for six in the ninth over, but Miller blasted four fours and three sixes and put on 47 for the seventh wicket with Magala that gave the hosts something with which they could work.

EZEKIEL Newton, Attoya Harvey and Anisha Gibbons have been included in the 18-member team that will represent the Golden Arrowhead at the historic 50th CARIFTA Track and Field Championships over the Easter weekend (April 8-10) in The Bahamas.

Harvey, voted the Junior Sportswoman-ofthe-Year by the National Sports Commission for her stellar exploits over the period of 2021-2022, returns to the Championships after a rewarding outing last year in Kingston, Jamaica.

At the 49th games in Jamaica, Guyana had won seven medals with current Junior Sportswoman of the year Harvey copping three of her own inclusive of Gold in the under-17 1500m, Silver in the under-20 3000m and Bronze in the under-17 800m.

Gibbons, currently on a scholarship at the New Mexico University, pursuing studies in Business, will be eyeing a third successive gold in her javelin event after medals in 2019 and 2022.

Newton, who continues to improve, registering a season-best of 10.46 seconds in the 100m, is back at the Championships in search of a medal.

Silver medallists in 2022, Narissa McPherson and Javon Roberts are back along with Trevon Hammer.

The full team is as follows

Under-17 Girls: Athaleyah Hinckson (100m, 200m, 4x100m); Tianna Springer (200m, 400m, 4x100m); Tamara Harvey (Long Jump, 4x100m); Adessa Albert (100m, 4x100m).

Under-17 Boys: Malachi Austin (200m, 400m); Javon Roberts (800m, 1500m); Ezekiel Saul (Triple Jump, High Jump); Deuel Europe (Long Jump); Immanuel Adams (High Jump)

Under-20 Girls: Narissa McPherson (400m, 800m); Attoya Harvey (800m, 1500m, 3000m); Anisha Gibbons (Javelin).

Under-20 Boys: Ezekiel Newton (100m, 200m); Wesley Nobel Jr. (400m); Seon Booker (800m, 1500m); Omar James (200m, 400m); Odida Parkinson (5000m); Trevon Hammer (Long Jump, Triple Jump).

Team Officials: Mark Scott (Coach); Kesia Burnett (Coach); Linden Phillips (Coach); Keith Campbell (Manager); Nolex Holder (Physiotherapist).

India's tour of WI will feature 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is. © BCCI

Ezekiel Newton is part of the 18-member team heading to the 50th Carifta Games

New skipper Rovman Powell powered West Indies to a stunning three-wicket win against South Africa in a rain-reduced T20I clash on Saturday

Sinclair takes 4-37 as Guyana Eagles crush Scorpions by 228 runs

...Guyana in sight of 13th Regional title, Johnson eyes 6th as Skipper

See page 27

Gordon and Garrett fire Golden Jaguars to Gold Cup win

GUYANA's senior men's team, the 'Golden Jaguars', defeated hosts Bermuda 2-0 yesterday at the Dame Flora Duffy National Sports Centre in their CONCACAF Nations B League group match. The win was significant since it will see Guyana returning to the Gold Cup (preliminary round).

Bermuda's Gombey Warriors would've hope to make the best of home advantage but the Guyanese dominated the match throughout and it was the heroics from their number 1, Dale Eve, who had the second most saves (35) in the tournament prior to the match, that kept the score level 0-0 at halftime with some good saves.

Jeremy Garret came closest during that period with a powerful header that rattled the cross-bar.

Thirteen minutes into the second half, Golden Jags skipper, Emery

Welshman, received a cross in the box and then flicked it on to an unmarked Liam Gordon who calmly slotted home from close range at the last post. The goal gave the dominating visiting side a well-deserved lead.

Five minutes later, Garrett thundered home the second goal for Guyana from close range following a corner set piece.

As things stand now,

Guyana Men’s and Women’s teams cop bronze at Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships

THE Guyana’s senior men’s and women’s table tennis teams finished with bronze at the Caribbean Championships which wrapped up at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, on Saturday.

The men’s team, comprising Shemar Britton, Elishaba Johnson, Paul David and Jonathan Van Lange, had produced a major upset by beating regional powerhouse Dominican Republic 3-2 in the quarter-final.

the Golden Jaguars are guaranteed to feature in the preliminary round of the Gold Cup but if group leaders Haiti lose to Bermuda on Tuesday and Guyana defeats Montserrat, they will top the group and gain automatic qualification to the Gold Cup.

The 2023 Gold Cup will be hosted in the USA from June 16 to July 17.

However, their quest for further glory was cut short as they lost 0-3 to Puerto Rico in the semi-final.

Similarly, the women’s quartet of Olympian Chelsea Edghill, Natalie Cummings, Thuraia Thomas and Jasmin Billingy, lost 0-3 to Cuba in their semi-final.

However, the semi-final finish is good enough to secure a spot at the Pan American Championships.

Earlier in the week, Guyana also qualified for

Pacer Ronsford Beaton (3-85) tested Scorpions top scorer Tevin Gilzene (85) with some hostile bowling

Off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, who returned good figures of 4-37 had batter Jermaine Blackwood in all sorts of problems. (Sean Devers photo)

Team Guyana takes a photo after the win that saw them qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary round

the Central American and Caribbean Games. The Caribbean Ju -

nior Championships commences on Monday at the aforementioned venue.

Natalie Cummimgs, Thuraia Thomas, Chelsea Edghill and Jasmine Billingy

Paul David, Shemar Britton, Jonathan Van Lange, Elishaba Johnson