Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 29-07-2021

THURSDAY 29thJuly, 2021

' No.106437

Cost of weekly PCR testing should not be govt’s burden

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Double strike for ExxonMobil at Whiptail exploration 03 projects PAGE

— authorities stand ready to work with operators to expedite drill programmes, says Minister Bharrat

—Yellowtail identified as fourth development project, with startup set for 2025

A pictorial representation of ExxonMobil’s operations offshore Guyana, in the various blocks (ExxonMobil’s photo)

Nandlall: Listing President ‘I don’t have to worry now’ as respondent to lawsuit -father of four says as 'Because We unconstitutional 02 Care' initiative reaches Region 6 05 PAGE

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UK donating 84,800 AstraZeneca doses to Guyana 09

Central Fire Station to be relocated to Homestretch Avenue

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Listing President as respondent to lawsuit unconstitutional

— Attorney-General contends in PSC legal action

By Richard Bhainie

ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., on Tuesday, filed an application in the High Court seeking an Order to remove President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, as a respondent to the matter filed by the suspended Police Service Commission (PSC), challenging the constitutionality of the suspension of the Commission.

Suspended Chairman of the PSC, Paul Slowe, through his attorneys Selwyn Pieters, Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt, filed the action on July 20, 2021 which lists the Secretary of the PSC, the

Commissioner of Police (CoP) (ag) Nigel Hoppie, President Ali, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips and Nandlall as respondents.

On July 5, Slowe issued a letter to Hoppie whereby he reminded that the PSC had issued a list on June 28, of ranks of the Guyana Police Force who are to be promoted, and contended that though the commissioner’s office acknowledged receipt of the list on June 30, the CoP has failed to prepare the promotion order.

“Your action in not ensuring that the Special Promotion Order is prepared and published one week after receiving the promotion list from the

Police Service Commission is interpreted by the Police Service Commission as you defying the legitimate action of the Police Service Commission in promoting ranks of the Guyana Police Force,” Slowe had written.

The action was filed against the backdrop of President Ali suspending the PSC on June 16, 2021.

However, Pieters had contended that the suspension was ultra vires Article 225 of the Constitution, since a tribunal to probe the removal of the PSC had not yet been established.

In the action, the PSC is seeking a declaration that suspension of the Chairman and members of the PSC by President

Ali was contrary to and in violation of the Constitution of Guyana, in particular articles 225 (6) and 210 (3).

They are also asking the court to declare that the Prime Minister’s advice to the President to suspend the PSC was unlawful and that the Chairman and members remain competent and responsible to carry out its functions.

UNLAWFUL Nandlall is asking the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.

Court for a declaration that the joinder of President Ali to the proceedings is contrary to and in contravention of Article 182 (1) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Section 10 of the State Liability and Proceedings Act, therefore, listing the President is unlawful, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.

Section 10 of the State Liability and Proceedings Act also explicitly states except in exceptional instances, “proceedings for the enforcement of any claim by or against the State shall be brought by or against the Attorney General and may be instituted … in all cases, in the High Court in accordance with the High Court Act”.

The matter filed by Slowe is a civil proceeding instituted under the Constitutional and Administrative Division of the High Court. The principle set out in Section 10 of the State Liability and Proceedings Act also has its merits in Common Law as the Guyana Court of Appeal in the case Kent Garment Factory v the Attorney General et al (1991) acknowledged same.

“The constitutional issues raised in Fixed Date Application can be effec-

tively dealt with by the Attorney-General, who is already named as a party and who is the proper party,” Nandlall wrote in his application as he cited that Article 112 of the Constitution states that the Attorney-General is the principal legal advisor to the Government of Guyana.

But most importantly, Article 89 of the Constitution which explicitly states the President is the “Head of State, the supreme executive authority, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces”, therefore any action brought against the Head of State in that capacity should only name the Attorney-General.

NOT PERSONALLY ANSWERABLE In addition, Nandlall reminded Article 182 notes the President shall not be personally answerable to any court for the performance of the functions of his office or for any act done in the performance of those functions and no proceedings whether criminal or civil, shall be instituted against him in his personal capacity in respect thereof either during his term of office or thereafter.

“The law is clear that no action, whether criminal or civil, shall be instituted against His Excellency the President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana whilst he holds the office of President,” Nandlall said in his application.

“You have a problem with a decision, you got to the court, you may win, I’m not sure, but that is the place to resolve the legality of issues,” Nandlall had previously told the PSC, as he explained he anticipated that they would pursue dispute resolution through the judicial process, as it is their legal and democratic

Suspended Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Paul Slowe

right.

“It is part of our democracy, it is part of the legal rights of those who have been suspended to challenge the decision to suspend them; that is a right that they have and that is a right that I respect,” he said.

“I will deal with the matter in court and I’ll explain the nature of the proceedings when I receive them, but the point is that this is the way if one wishes to challenge a decision made by a public officer, more so, one made by the Head of State,” he added.

The Attorney-General had expressed that the law does not permit anyone to arrogate unto himself/ herself a power to ignore the decision of any public official, especially the Executive President.

“Paul Slowe and this team must recognise, at least when this government is in power, [that] the Constitution will be complied with and the rule of law will be respected and when the President makes a decision or a minister makes a decision, whether he is right or whether he is wrong, in law it is a matter for only the court to decide,” Nandlall had said.

“However, the rule of law requires and demands that you respect that decision until it is rescinded, either by the decision-maker or by a competent authority who has the power or the jurisdiction to rescind that decision,” he added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Double strike for ExxonMobil at Whiptail exploration projects

--authorities stand ready to work with operators to expedite drill programmes, says Minister Bharrat --Yellowtail identified as fourth development project, with startup set for 2025 THE Stabroek Block offshore Guyana continues to be a reservoir of prosperity for Guyana, with ExxonMobil, the global oil giants, striking twice at the Whiptail exploration projects.

According to ExxonMobil, the Whiptail-1 well encountered 246 feet (75 meters) of net pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs. And over at the Whiptail-2 well, where drilling is ongoing, the operator encountered 167 feet (51 meters) of net pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs.

‘Pay’, according to Schlumberger, is a reservoir or portion of a reservoir that contains economically producible hydrocarbons.

The overall interval in which pay sections occur is the gross pay, while the smaller portions of the gross pay that meet local criteria for pay such as minimum porosity, permeability and hydrocarbon

saturation, are net pay.

With the prospects at both wells being positive, ExxonMobil said that drilling will continue in order to test deeper targets, and the results will be evaluated for future development.

The Whiptail discovery is located approximately four miles Southeast of the Uaru-1 discovery that was announced in January 2020 and approximately three miles West of the Yellowtail field.

Whiptail-1 is being drilled in 5,889 feet (1,795 meters) of water by the Stena DrillMAX, while Whiptail-2, which is located three miles northeast of Whiptail-1, is currently being drilled in 6,217 feet (1,895 meters) of water by the Noble Don Taylor.

“This discovery increases our confidence in the resource size and quality in the Southeast area of the Stabroek Block and could form the basis for a future development as we continue

to evaluate the best sequence of development opportunities within the block,” ExxonMobil’s Senior Vice-President of exploration and new ventures, Mike Cousins, said.

In statement on Wednesday, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said the respective discoveries, which take the total to 22, will add to the previously announced gross discovered recoverable resource estimate for the block, which is currently over nine billion oil-equivalent barrels.

“As with discoveries prior, the Government of Guyana foresees this new development increasing the potential for additional floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSO).

This is further set to increase the estimated recoverable resource given by the operator, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL),” Minister Bharrat said.

In this regard, the ministry and petroleum sector regulatory agencies remain committed to working with all operators, in efforts to expedite their respective drill programmes and expand the petroleum sector.

“The Government of Guyana welcomes these new discoveries offshore Guyana and reinforces its commitment to the sustainable exploration and development of Guyana’s Oil and Gas Resources. This we commit to do with the highest level of compliance and transparency to ensure that the benefits from this sector improve the lives of all Guyanese,” Minister Bharrat said.

ExxonMobil alone envisions at least six projects online by 2027 and sees potential for up to 10 projects to develop its current recoverable resource base.

The Liza Destiny FPSO vessel is currently producing about 120,000 barrels of oil

per day, while the startup of Liza Phase 2 remains on target for early 2022. The Liza Unity FPSO, which will service the Liza Phase 2 project, is expected to sail from Singapore to Guyana in late August 2021. The Liza Unity has a production capacity of approximately 220,000 barrels of oil per day.

Further, late last year, the oil giant, following an agreement with the Government of Guyana, decided to proceed with the Payara field development offshore Guyana.

Payara is ExxonMobil’s third project in the Stabroek Block, and is expected to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, after start-up in 2024, using the FPSO vessel.

The US$9 billion development will target an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels.

For this project, the hull for the Prosperity FPSO vessel is complete, and topsides construction activities are

ongoing in Singapore, with a startup target of 2024.

Yellowtail has since been identified as the fourth development project in the Stabroek Block, with anticipated startup in 2025.

Following necessary government approvals and a final investment decision, this project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometers) Southeast of the Liza developments, and potentially adjacent resources.

These new projects continue to contribute to the advancement of the Guyanese economy. More than 2,600 Guyanese are now supporting project activities on and offshore, which reflects an increase of more than 20 per cent since the end of 2019.

ExxonMobil and its key contractors have spent approximately US$388 million with more than 800 local companies since 2015.

THE University of Guyana, in collaboration with the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD), recently hosted a simple graduation ceremony for the first cohort of 65 young people from nine regions in Guyana who participated in a 12-week programme in Digital Literacy and Data Skills Training Programme.

The programme run by staff and former students of UG’s Department of Computer Sciences sought to equip the 65 young Guyanese with the requisite skills in computer data management and digital efficiency to enable Guyana to compete in the growing digital marketplace.

During the ceremony, which was held virtually, the University of Guyana’s Vice-Chancellor, XI, Prof.

Paloma Mohamed Martin pointed out that this is the first cohort to graduate from this programme and it is historic since it is done completely online and thus allowed for greater participation from the regions than originally envisaged when it was designed in 2019.

According to a UG release, the Vice-Chancellor took the opportunity to congratulate the graduates for staying the course and successfully completing the programme.

“You are special and you are helping us to understand how things can be done, even if we cannot at any point in the future work together on a consistent face-to-face platform. So the question of mobility, adaptability, innovation is very much on our minds and we’re happy to see you graduate despite the odds,” Prof. Mohamed Martin said.

The Vice-Chancellor added: “I have heard testimonials with words such as knowledgeable, adaptable, I have learned to work as a team with new skills and things that could improve my performance on the job. This, therefore, tells me that you are very much inclined to understanding the grounding of this platform that will allow you to go on to higher and better things.”

representative, Dr. M. McNaughton, in his remarks, noted the programme was the first in the Caribbean that was given the opportunity to test this delivery model. Dr. McNaughton said: “I think your team (Guyana) is doing an incredible job…the results are clear, generally very high performance, and based on what was presented the team had a great time working together.”

He highlighted that the graduates should see themselves as part of an essential process of development that is critical to ensuring our citizens are digitally efficient, especially young people, and by extension, societies would be able to compete in what is becoming an emerging global digital economy.

The release noted that University of Guyana, Department of Computer Sciences, Head, Max Baird, admonished the graduates to, “take the graduation as an example of how anything can be possible when you truly put your minds to it, to continue forward with confidence that you can achieve your goals and

that you’re equipped with the tools to tackle the challenges of the future.”

Top graduating student, Danielle Mittelholzer, in her testimonial said: “It has been such an honour and privilege to be a part of this wonderful course where I learned new digital and data skills that have really changed my professional work. I really enjoyed our meetings where we were engaged in exciting and fun games and activities, along with informative discussions. My journey would not have been completed without the support, motivation, and guidance of the facilitators as well as my teammates. I hope all of us here graduating can take this personal accomplishment as an example of how anything is truly possible when we put our minds to it.”

at a time that I really needed it because I deal with very large amounts of student data… so I learned about Google Sheets and cleaning data during the programme which really has boosted my efficiency and effectiveness over time.”

Another graduate, Dalia Araujo, related: “I am very thankful that I was chosen to be a part of this tremendous programme and I am also grateful for having another year of learning. My experience when completing this programme was a bit challenging but with the help of my two facilitators, I was able to complete all my tasks and I will be sure to practice all I have learned in my future endeavours.”

The top 10 graduates were: Danielle Mittelholzer, Shane Sahadeo, Leon Ross, Reon Payne, Daniel Eastman, Curtisha Kellman, Shelon Benjamin, Safoora Khan, Naomi Singh, and Shion Gullen. The ceremony was cochaired by Faculty of Natural Sciences Lecturers; Penelope DeFreitas and Juanelle Marks who designed and ran the programme.

One of the facilitators of the course, Penelope Defreitas, during her remarks said, “I have had the esteemed pleasure of working with the first CSOD-Guyana cohort, serving in the capacity as lead coordinator and one of the facilitators. Operating in the online space has been an interesting and learning experience. Throughout the training programme, my team was challenged to be creative, inspiring, and on the ball every step of the way.

Apart from utilising the core learning materials that were provided by CSOD, we also introduced educational games and team-based activities to further stimulate interest and build the soft skills of the participants. Running the first cohort was a success since we encountered few drop-outs as well as a high pass rate in the programme.”

The UG release noted that the programme was sponsored by the Caribbean School of Data and Philanthropy, Alumni and Civic Engagement (PACE) in the office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Data skills training programme sees 65 graduates

INCREDIBLE JOB Caribbean School of Data

TOUGH Second place graduate, Shane Sahadeo, reflected on his experience saying: “It hasn’t been an easy route considering how much work I had with my jobs, but I’m really glad I did it anyway. It came

Latin America, Caribbean face an ‘avalanche of worsening health issues’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

— if COVID-19 disruption of health services continues, PAHO warns THE COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted essential health services in most countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, threatening immunisation of children and care of expectant mothers and people with chronic conditions, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director, Carissa F. Etienne warned.

“We therefore urge countries to ensure their COVID-19 responses do not leave other essential health services, like routine immunisations, be-

hind,” Dr. Etienne said at her weekly press briefing.

“These services are not optional,” she said, adding that PAHO is helping countries “adjust and rethink how essential care is delivered at the first level”.

According to a release, she said that more than 300,000 children, mostly in Mexico and Brazil, have missed routine immunisations, “leaving them vulnerable to deadly yet preventable infections”.

“Coverage of the first dose of measles vaccines dropped by 10 per cent in eight countries in the

PAHO Director, Carissa F. Etienne

Americas, including Venezuela, Panama, and Brazil, and dropped as much as 20 per cent in Suriname,” she continued. “If we do not reverse these trends, we risk an avalanche of worsening health issues.”

She added that in a recent survey of health services in the region, 97 per cent of participating countries and territories reported disrupted health services while 45 per cent reported disruptions in at

least half of their health services.

“Soon, COVID-19 will not be the only health crisis demanding countries’ attention,” Dr. Etienne said. PAHO, the release said, is supporting countries in finding alternatives for delivering health services. Many health systems, including in Chile and Peru, have embraced telemedicine, while others have launched community outreach programmes so patients can get medical care while they’re in their homes.

The PAHO Director advised countries to hire and train additional staff so that all health workers have the tools and resources to safely provide care. Asserting that health workers must be “fairly compensated for their extraordinary efforts,” she said Chile recently approved a pay increase to providers who have been critical to the COVID-19 response.

“We know that the economic blowback of this pandemic is forcing countries to make difficult choices on where to prioritise spending, but we cannot afford to cut corners on health,” she said.

“That is why investing in the first level of care now is a smart choice so we can reverse trends more efficiently and equitably than if we wait for health crises to surface,” she said.

“As the adage goes: ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’”

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION Turning to the pandemic’s continued “devastating

toll in our region,” she said that Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Paraguay are among countries reporting the world’s highest weekly death rates.

The Mexican states of Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo and Yucatan are reporting a rise in new infections, PAHO noted. It noted that in Central America, cases are reportedly accelerating in Guatemala and remain high in Panama. Cuba is experiencing higher COVID-19 infection and death rates than at any point in the pandemic, and all age groups are affected.

Cases are decreasing among several South American countries, although hotspots have been reported in Argentinian provinces bordering Bolivia and Chile, and in Colombia’s Amazon region.

In total, over 1.26 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 29,000 deaths were reported in the Americas in the past week, Dr. Etienne said.

While infections mount, “our region has yet to access the vaccines it needs to keep our populations safe,” she said. “So far, just 16.6 per cent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”

She also called attention to World Hepatitis Day, celebrated July 28. The survey reporting broad disruption of essential health services also reported that diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C have been interrupted by the COVID-19 response.

‘I don’t have to worry now’ 5

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

-father of four says as ‘Because We Care’ initiative reaches Region 6 -elated parents plan to use grant to prepare for September school term

By Nafeeza Yahya O V E RW H E L M E D b y the harsh effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, massive flooding and the closure of sugar estates, the parents of school-aged children in Region Six have said that the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant will go a long away in preparing their children for the upcoming school term.

“It’s hard right now. The first thing I will do is ensure we buy up their stuff so when school open they have everything; I feel good that I don’t have to worry so much now because I know for sure they will have everything for school,” Chadradat Jugistee, a father of four said.

Jugisteer was among those who turned up at the Betsy Ground Primary School in East Canje for the activity. Over $420M will be distributed in the coming days to the parents of approximately 22, 000 school children from across the region. Similar activities have already been held in other regions.

Jugisteer, a cane harvester of Lot 7 Betsy Ground, East Canje, told the Guyana Chronicle that the grant comes at an opportune time since he has been thinking about how he will be able to purchase the necessary supplies for his children if or when school reopens in September.

In 2017, he was transferred to the Albion Sugar Estate following the closure of the Rose Hall Sugar Estate.

While noting that he was fortunate not to have lost his job, he said his financial situation has been unstable, especially during the out-of-

crop season. The pandemic has made the situation even harder, he added.

According to Jugisteer, the cash grant will give him an ease and has taken a major burden “off the table.”

He, like many others, expressed gratitude to the government for the assistance.

Headteacher of Betsy Ground Primary School, Debra Ward, was elated. The single parent noted her struggles to prepare her son for the upcoming National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Ward told the Guyana Chronicle that studying through the pandemic has been challenging, especially learning virtually. Nevertheless, she has tried her best, she said, before noting that the grant will be put toward the purchasing of a computer for her son. At the moment she does not have the entire amount but she stressed that such a device will become necessary when he begins his secondary education.

She expressed hope that the government can provide similar monetary assistance on a regular basis so that residents, especially single parents, can get help to adequately care for their children.

For Serojdai Deochand, a 41-year-old housewife of Gangaram Village, the grant will be a great help to her family. The mother of two told this publication that her husband who is the sole breadwinner has been working part-time in the construction industry following the closure of the Rose Hall Estate.

She said he was among the more than 1100 workers who were sent home.

“Whatever little he worked [for] we try with

parents and learners have to seize every opportunity that is available.

“The future of your children will not be bright by magic. The future of your children would not be bright simply because the government built the schools or the government staff the school

ing the future of Guyana and our government is firmly committed to doing what is necessary to create the opportunities but ensuring these opportunities are fully capitalised on.

It is a responsibility that is shared by those in the education system and you

Headteacher of Betsy Ground Primary School, Debra Ward, counts her cash which will go towards the purchase of a computer for her son who is preparing to write the NGSA. Looking on is Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance in the Office of the President, Dr.Ashni Singh

that. I try to assist by planting the garden at home. Without no income to maintain the home and the children, it’s hard, very hard. So now with this help it give we a relief cause remember if school open, it gonna be hard to find things especially during this COVID times. So now is one less worry,” she said.

ECONOMIC BOOST Meanwhile, Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance in the Office of the President, Dr.Ashni Singh, who was present at the activity, said that the grant will be a huge boost for the region’s economy.

“This grant will multiply itself over and over in the economy and generate economic activity. This rep-

resents not only an injection of $19,000 per child into the hands of the parent [but] it represents an injection of $420 M in the economy of Region 6 and an injection of $3.3 B into the economy of the country”, he said.

Every child attending school in Region 6 will receive the $15,000 cash grant along with a $4000 uniform voucher.

During his address to parents and educators, Dr. Singh said that the cash grant initiative was in keeping with the government’s commitment to provide an equal opportunity for everyone. He reiterated that the government will do its part by providing the schools, the curriculum, scholarships, the facilities and the cash grants, but the

Chadradat Jugisteer

with teachers. The future of your children will be bright if you ensure your children go to school, if you ensure they do their homework, if you ensure you do their revisions to prepare for exams... So, we are mould-

the parents,” he said.

The distribution will continue today until Sunday. Several ministers will be at various schools in the region to witness the distribution exercise.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Delaying Justice August 2nd this year will mark the first full year that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government is in office.

The government has done some remarkable things. We never thought that the materialisation could be so fast. They have scaled back the excessive tax policies of their predecessors while making sure Guyana was on the right economic growth trajectory. In addition, the PPP has come up with changes in the policy direction that moved from ministries to public entities and public business to the private sector based on the line of action

Guyana needs to move forward in the future.

We are not short on examples to show things are moving progressively forward in every sector of Guyana’s development.

But there is one which is taking an inordinately long time to change. That is not the government’s fault but has to do with the slothfulness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in changing the guards of democracy to ensure the levels of transparency and accountability, declarations, and voter confidence that we expect.

Also, the Commission is failing the people if they can’t change the

guards and laws that govern the process to ensure we are never in the sad place we found ourselves in back in 2020.

The battle is on to remove the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, and other officials who allegedly tried to rig the electoral process to give the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change opposition could get a second chance at power. They did not allegedly care about protecting the will of the people contained in the votes cast.

The world believed that the CEO and a compliant team of GECOM officials were

stalling the process and holding the results of the elections at ransom.

G E C O M ’s P P P Commissioners have finally decided to let them go by dismissing them or terminating their contracts. And the expected battle in the courts seems to have restarted again, with the CEO seeking to bar two PPP Commissioners from voting on the motions brought against him.

Within the coming days, he is seeking injunctive measures to hold GECOM’S hands from letting him go until the Courts have decided substantively the matters brought firstly by Lowenfield,

and secondly give him more time to ponder his next move.

If the Commission continues to permit the CEO and other people to fool them into cowardly following the precedent that it set of waiting to see what the courts will decide, the braver and more dangerous the business of dishonesty will become.

There is no excuse for waiting any longer. After all, we have waited an entire year patiently to get to the point of letting Keith Lowenfield, Roxanne Myers, and Mortimer Mingo go so that GECOM could start its reformation process.

It has so many things to do after they let the trio go.

The electoral reforms and the Local Government Reforms are waiting on the outcome of this process.

The PPP and government have committed this country to deliver all of this and more.

We expect this issue to be decided and acted upon in the interest of Guyana.

Lastly, the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Claudette Singh, must know what the public expects of her in terms of time and doing the right thing according to the law.

The ball is in her court now.

The diaspora is the most potent resource available for Guyana’s development

Dear Editor

I AM referencing a news article published on July 25, 2021 on Demerara Waves titled “Diaspora stakeholder complains to President about slothfulness, discourtesy on investment webinars.” It is quite paradoxical that Mr. Forde, who is “committed to promoting and encouraging active diaspora engagement for social and economic development in Guyana,” would exhort such energy and resources to complain and express disappointment with the government and suggest

widened mistrust between Guyana and the diaspora.

This seems quite contrary to his UGDGN’s core purpose of “a prosperous and harmonious Guyana for all Guyanese”.

I am an active member and advocate for deeper and wider engagement and participation of the Guyanese diaspora in the development of Guyana. However, like so many in the diaspora, we find Mr. Forde’s statements insincere and counterproductive, especially in the midst of an unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic and the recent floods.

Guyana’s development is

directly and critically linked to its global diaspora population. The global Guyanese diaspora is estimated at one million, possessing significant wealth, skills, disposable income and a deep desire for Guyana. More than 50 per cent of the diaspora are second and third generation Guyanese, who are talented, innovative and excited to explore and contribute to Guyana. Without a doubt, the diaspora is our most potent and valuable resource, more than all the natural resources available in Guyana.

We must commend the Irfaan Ali Administration

for recognising this prized potential and creating an environment to leverage the resources of our diaspora.

Let’s mention a few for clarity. The early opening of the airports to ensure investors, diasporeans, and others can access Guyana’s potentials; upgrade of GO-INVEST to highlight and bring urgency to the vast investment opportunities in Guyana; the establishment of a Diaspora Unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop the structures and strategies for active and ongoing diaspora engagement; pursuing a bustling private sector focused

economy with benefits for the diaspora as well as local investors; the commitment to a “one window” economy to deliver efficient services; and more than anything else, the government has placed Guyana back on a development path after years of economic neglect and mismanagement.

No one will disagree that there is room for improvement in the government’s strategy and execution. The diaspora on the other hand, notwithstanding its potential, lacks leadership and organisation. Represented by hundreds of loose associations and groups globally, the

diaspora is largely without a single voice, framework, or strategy. So who does the government engage with or talk to when it comes to the diaspora? I believe Mr. Forde’s frustration and “disappointment” should be channeled to the diaspora who he seeks to represent and claim to shepherd.

Mr. Forde’s frustration stems from a planned investment webinar that did not happen because of the unavailability of the President.

Mr. Forde should know that the President meets diaspora Continued on page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Agriculture, Infrastructure, Local Gov’t Ministries praised for flood response

Dear Editor,

THE Ministries of Agriculture, Public Works and Infrastructure, and Local Government were praised for their emergency response to address the devastating flood that affected the country in recent weeks. This is according to the findings of an opinion poll conducted by this writer over the last couple of weeks for NACTA. Ministers Zulfikar Mustapha, Bishop Juan Edghill, Deodat Indar, and Nigel Dharamlall, among others, received praises from the public for their rapid action to mitigate the effects of the flood. They were commended for taking actions to rescue and/or help victims, including livestock and farm products, providing various forms of relief. Oth-

er ministers, Members of Parliament, and regional chairs like Dr. Vindya Persaud, Priya Manickchand, Vickram Bharrat, Anil Nandlall, Joseph Hamilton, Mark Philips, Oneidge Waldron, Faizal Jaffarally, Vi c kc hand Ramp h a l , D a v i d A rmogan and Inshan Ayube, among others, also received kudos for touring affected areas and providing hamper relief, cleaning detergents, medical supplies, etc. And the public also notes the difference in the flood response between this and the preceding administration.

President Irfaan Ali and government ministers were lauded for touring various flood-hit areas, empathising with victims. It was pointed out that the President and ministers used aircraft and rescue

boats to reach out to flood victims in some isolated areas not accessible by roads that were covered with water. The ministers energetically visited flood-affected areas all over the country and were praised for giving out various forms of assistance including food hampers, clothing, and household items. The disaster management team responded quickly in emergency operations by coordinating activities. The public praised the team work of various ministries. Even critics of the government and supporters of the previous administration were loud in praise of the work of the line ministers and the overall government to mitigate effects of the flood.

The public has been very pleased with the visits and assistance of the government, pointing out that the

From page 6 investors almost daily in Guyana; these are serious investors who are making real effort with time and money to do business in Guyana.

Secondly, the President has already outlined his vision and commitment in the May 22 Diaspora Conference, it is for the diaspora to learn and align itself to access investment opportunities.

Thirdly, Mr. Forde should have worked with GO-INVEST, Diaspora Unit and the private sector, these are the

organisations that execute on the President’s strategy and have deeper knowledge of the opportunities and how to access them.

As mentioned above, the diaspora is the most potent resource available for Guyana’s development.

It requires bridges and structures to be built that would enable a tangible and robust engagement between Guyana and its diaspora. This will have to go beyond talking, webinars and expectations

from the government and frustrations. The diaspora, knowing their individual and collective worth with access to technology, finance and experience, need to professionally organise itself, build a strategy and establish the structures to engage and impact Guyana and Guyanese.

Yours sincerely,

The diaspora is...

Salaudeen “Salim” Nausrudeen

President Ali-led administration is far more responsive and helpful in addressing flooding than the preceding administration.

The public showered accolades on President Ali and Ministers Mustapha, Edghill, Indar, and Dharamlall, among others for visiting them during the flood situation and taking stock of their losses.

People in flood-affected areas say they were pleased with the visits by the President and government ministers to check on and assess the damage caused by and interventions taken to mitigate the effects of the floods. Mustapha, Dharamlall, and Indar were in the forefront coordinating emergency response with rapid action, getting work done on the spot.

“They were on the ball” was how one respondent in Region Five put it.

Several respondents on the coast stated: “Nigel, Indar, and ‘Zulfi’ really stood out for emergency infrastructure work.

Dem d ey wi t h us giving help. Dem responded to every request.” Farmers note that Minister Mustapha was seen almost everywhere in flood-affected areas with strong connection on the ground interacting with them and offering

various forms of assistance. The ministry responded with a NDIA team, headed

by Chairman, Lionel Wordsworth, who provided emergency equipment to clear blockages and manage the major conservancies as well as the Hope Canal and other waterways. The ministry was praised for its quick action that saved thousands of acres of rice cultivation. NDIA also contracted the private sector to assist with drainage. In rural areas, especially in Regions Five and Six, the public expressed gratitude to rice farmers for responding to calls

by Ministry of Agriculture to drain flood waters on the land with makeshift methods using rice field pumps.

The floods, caused by excessive rainfall and topping of banks of rivers and other waterways, led to billions of dollars in damage to homes and properties and infrastructure, and losses of crops and animals. Asked if government should provide assistance to the victims of flood, almost everyone answered in the affirmative. Respondents say it is a no brainer to help farmers get back on their feet to resume productivity. Agricultural issues and condition of roads, bridges and

other infrastructure are among the leading problems the public listed as requiring urgent attention. Assistance for agriculture and road rehabilitation tops the list of priorities of the public.

The puablic expressed strong support for the recent supplementary budget geared towards flood relief. Almost everyone polled feels that those who suffered losses caused by the floods should receive fair compensation and support from government to get them back into production. Flood victims have high expectation for relief to compensate them for losses.

The public also expressed their gratitude to US Ambassador, Sarah Lynch, and other diplomats for the assistance rendered to flood victims.

Overall, the public is satisfied with government’s response to the flood although some respondents feel that government should have prepared for the flood and take preventative measures. Some suggest that government consider building more canals and kokers, particularly in the Mahaica and Mahaicony areas.

Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Cost of weekly PCR testing should not be government’s burden

-says Minister Anthony

By Jared Liddell NOTING that PCR testing for COVID-19 is expensive, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has posited that government should not be burdened with the cost of weekly tests for unvaccinated private sector employees.

Minister Anthony’s made this comment in response to the recent move by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Giftland Group of Companies, to have all unvaccinated employees submit negative PCR tests at the beginning of each work week.

The minister, on Wednesday, told members of the media that the government expends around US$100 per test and should this system become mandatory by private employers, government’s testing budget would signifi-

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

cantly increase.

“If you need to get those tests, then I think the employer should specify where they should get those tests. I don’t think they should be utilising the government’s resources in that way. We want to really check for persons who have been exposed and are at risk and who don’t have unlimited resources. One PCR test is probably about $US100, so

every time we do a test for someone, it is a very expensive process,” said Minister Anthony.

He noted that while government has managed to procure a significant number of tests to boost its testing capacity, those tests are intended to be utilised to help government identify and curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus across the country.

The minister’s statements are supported by the Laws of Guyana. Section 47 (3) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of Guyana states “If a worker participates in a prescribed medical surveillance programme or undergoes prescribed medical examinations or tests, his or her employer shall pay – (a) the workers’ costs for medical examinations or tests required by the medical surveillance programme or required by regulation.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Giftland Group of Companies stated that “It is critical that all people in the workforce get vaccinated against COVID-19 because of highly contagious variants.”

It also pointed to the fact that COVID-19-related hospitalisations and deaths are on the rise throughout the country.

“It has become a worldwide known fact that 99.5 per cent of all persons in hospitals and [who are] dying

from the dreaded COVID viruses are unvaccinated,” the Giftland franchise stated.

The company said that its decision was in keeping with continued efforts to protect its employees and patrons, and to create a safe work and shopping environment for all Guyanese.

Giftland’s announcement follows the release of a strongly worded statement by the PSC last week.

The commission had issued a strong statement calling for its members to require vaccination of its employees.

“The Private Sector Commission embraces and recommends that its member companies require that all of its employees who refuse to be vaccinated must provide evidence of a medically- current COVID-19 negative test from infection before reporting to work, while continuing to encourage all of its employees to become vaccinated,” the statement read.

Further, the PSC urged that the government makes

it mandatory for all medical and security personnel in frontline contact with other persons to either be vaccinated or provide evidence of a medically-current COVID-19 negative test. “… and that all places providing hospitality and entertainment services, including restaurants, require evidence of either vaccination or a medically-current COVID-19 negative test from its customers in order for them to receive service,” the PSC added.

The PSC also lauded the government’s “sterling efforts to obtain vaccinations for our people in an effort to achieve herd immunity for the nation”.

As it is, Guyana is one of the very few countries that have managed to secure enough vaccines to inoculate its entire adult population. Notwithstanding this feat, there are some Guyanese who are reluctant to take the vaccine.

Food availability, access, stability must be holistically addressed

— says Agri. Minister, discusses CARICOM’s position on agriculture, food security, agri. diversification MINISTERS of Agriculture and other officials from around the world, on Wednesday, participated in the Pre-Summit for the United Nations Food Systems Summit.

Due to the ongoing global pandemic, COVID-19, the Pre-Summit was held virtually and saw the participation of over 50 countries.

While delivering remarks, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said that, in order for countries to ensure safe and nutritious foods remain accessible, food availability, access, utilisation, and stability must be holistically addressed.

“The current food system makes ‘ultra-processed’ foods readily accessible, appealing and affordable, displacing more nutritious foods. Expanding the non-traditional agricultural sub-sector is therefore critical

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

for diet diversification and enabling equality in availability and access, especially for rural populations. Further, of growing concern is the need to reduce on-farm and post-harvest food loss and waste through adopting appropriate harvesting, post-harvest, and storage technologies,” Minister Mustapha said.

Following the onset of the

current global pandemic, greater emphasis has been placed on building Guyana’s resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress. Minister Mustapha told pre-summit participants that systems are being put in place to confront such threats thus safeguarding the livelihood of farmers and fishers in the country.

“COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of our food production and distribution systems and exacerbated other challenges such as Climate Change. Guyana must confront these threats to the livelihood of farmers and fishers by making its food systems more climate-resilient,” Minister Mustapha said.

CARICOM’S POSITION Guyana currently holds lead responsibility for Agriculture,

Agricultural Diversification, and Food Security in the CARICOM. The Caribbean Region is amongst the most vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change impacts and has been identified as the second most hazard-prone region in the world. Just recently, economies and food systems were impacted by the eruption of a volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, affecting Barbados and other neighbouring Islands.

Hurricanes left wind and flood damages in Barbados and other islands in the Eastern Caribbean, and Guyana and Suriname experienced unprecedented flooding that resulted in tremendous loss of crops and livestock.

“Actions to reposition Caribbean agriculture include, strengthening linkages between the agri-food, tourism, and health sectors; establishing pub-

lic-private partnerships in local food production and processing; implementing climate-smart technologies and transitioning towards digital agriculture.

Financing for mitigation and adaptation to climate change has become more critical today than ever before and is necessary to protect and transform Caribbean food systems. International support from international financial institutions, and bilateral partners will be critical to ensuring a more resilient agricultural sector through financing, technology, and creating an enabling global environment,” Minister Mustapha said.

The Pre-Summit of the UN Food Systems Summit served as the preparatory meeting for the culminating global event, which is being held in September 2021, by bringing together diverse actors from around the world to leverage the power of food

systems, to deliver progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and [address] our shared vision for people, planet, and prosperity. It will consolidate all of the substantive work of the Summit into a common vision and set a tone of bold ambition and commitment to action. The Pre-Summit will deliver the latest evidence-base and scientific approaches from around the world; strengthen coalitions of action; and mobilize new financing and partnerships.

Through the Pre-Summit, the UN Food Systems Summit will reaffirm its commitment to promote human rights for all and ensure everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to participate. The event is open to all, with a small in-person component in the context of COVID-19, complemented by a vast virtual programme and platform.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Central Fire Station to be relocated to Homestretch Avenue

— as fire prevention capabilities being ‘ignited’ with new infrastructure, training

By Richard Bhainie THE Ministry of Home Affairs has been undertaking and implementing a number of initiatives, primarily, securing more assets, investing in training of service personnel and revamping archaic infrastructure in keeping with their commitment to the protection against, and prevention of destruction through fire.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, pronounced on some of these measures during an outreach programme conducted by the Fire Advisory Board on July 28, 2021 at the Guyana Police Force Officers’ Training Centre Auditorium focused on training in relation to the Building Code, causes and prevention of electrical fires, the Fire Prevention Act and fire safety tips.

Benn explained that the Fire Service has made significant strides in recruiting and training a “large number” of new recruits, who are intended to be stationed at the new fire stations in the new towns, Lethem, Mabaruma and Mahdia.

Most noteworthy, the minister announced that the final plans for the new Central Fire Station are in the final phases. The station, currently located at Stabroek, Georgetown, will be relocated to Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown and

Fire Station be relocated but Benn disclosed that the maintenance sections for the units will also be relocated into the same building from the West Ruimveldt, Georgetown Fire Station so that the main activities are all in one place.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn

will occupy some three and one half acres of land, consequent to the ministry recognising the shortcomings of the current location.

The relocation of the Central Fire Station has been in discussion for some years now, consequent to recognising the Stabroek Market area being radically transformed since the station was constructed in that area, namely, issues pertaining to congestion in the area and also the future development of the area.

The location was selected against the backdrop of the City’s population density and other factors said Benn. He explained, “The best place with open land to take in the number of new assets … the operating spaces needed and the fact that we have to cater for future development means we had to have land with adequate space.”

Not only will the Central

“That all mean that the emergency response services, the ambulances too, will be moved to that new location. So it’s a comprehensive plan we are coming up with in relation to overall fire safety not only in the City but in the country,” Benn said.

In addition, along with the new recruits who will occupy the new fire stations, Benn also disclosed that the ministry has been securing more assets to aid the firefighting capabilities of the service; so far, some five new fire trucks have been acquired.

“I said that we got to pay attention to the care and use of these assets, because on the unit basis, they are much more expensive than any other thing which we buy in the ministry, $60 to $90 million for a new fire truck, and that we got to pay attention to their usage,” Benn said.

But not only is the personnel being trained and infrastructure and support equipment being developed,

The Central Fire Station

but Benn also disclosed that President, Dr Irfaan Ali has mandated him to re-establish the fire mains and hydrants in the City and in the new housing areas.

“There was always the debate on whether the responsibility was with Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) or with the fire service … we’ve now taken the position that fire service will pay attention to the hydrants, the restoration but the mains will have to come from GWI,” he said.

All of the major developments contemplated are against the backdrop of the orthodox methods of fire-fighting in Guyana.

Benn urged that businesses and even homeowners take it upon themselves to educate themselves on fire safety and prevention and equip their premises with firefighting devices such as smoke detectors and sprinklers.

HAS TO BE CAPABLE

“The fire service has to be capable, aware, trained and engage in relation to this new situation. The normal continuing issues and normal fighting fires we got to be better at it, we got to be more skilled, we got to be more confident, we got to be more courageous,” Benn said.

Budget 2021 saw some $1.9 billion earmarked to enhance the capacity of the Fire Service. This accounts for the relocation of the Central Fire Station, the construction of a new fire station at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and the purchase of six water tenders and two ambulances.

The minister thanked the Fire Advisory Board for initiating the outreach scheme which he opines will assist to mitigate the “deficit” which exists in relation to national fire awareness. He expressed that since the reconstitution of the board, the fire service has begun moving in an incremental direction.

Benn explained that since he assumed leadership of the Home Affairs Ministry, he has experienced certain “grievances” in relation to ensuring the service is equipped with proper mobile and fixed assets to fight fires; fire prevent personnel utilising training effectively; that fires are fought in an appropriate manner and that more emphasis placed on public awareness and engagement.

“The important thing is that in our discussion here is to have more information out there, more measures taken, more appreciation of the reasons why we want to prevent fires, to prevent the loss of life, property, jobs and that we keep building new and we build on what we already have,” he said.

He explained that given the historical context of the City of Georgetown, and Guyana at large, where most houses are built using flammable material, persons are at risk of losing their livelihoods in the blink of an eye, therefore the outreach, aimed at fire prevention through enhancing public awareness, is timely and effective.

Benn reflected on major fires which destroyed large sections of Georgetown, and other places in the 1940s and 1960s which, he noted, reversed major developmental strides the country had made and negatively impacted the economy, among other things.

UK donating 84,800 Cocaine, cannabis found in Corentyne raid AstraZeneca doses to Guyana

Some of the narcotics found by law enforcement during their raid

A quantity of suspected cocaine and cannabis were found at Kildonan village, Corentyne during a police raid carried out on Tuesday, police have confirmed.

Police said a search was carried out at an empty open lot where one black plastic bag containing seeds, leaves and stems suspected to be cannabis and one transparent plastic bag containing a quantity of whitish rock-like substance, suspected to be cocaine were found.

The suspected narcotics were weighed and the sus-

pected cannabis amounted to 35 grammes while the suspected cocaine amounted to 15 grammes.

Police said a search was also carried out at a male suspect’s residence. Two transparent plastic bags containing seeds, leaves and stems that are suspected to be cannabis were found in his yard.

It was reported that the man was told of the offence committed, cautioned and arrested. The suspected cannabis was weighed in his presence and amounted to 75 grammes.

THE UK will be donating 84,800 AstraZeneca doses to Guyana to double its vaccination efforts and help further protect the population against the Coronavirus disease.

According to release from the British High Commission in Georgetown, the bilateral agreement between the UK and Guyana was signed by British High Commissioner, Jane Miller and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Malcolm Watkins.

High Commissioner

Miller said the UK is proud to be supporting the expansion of Guyana’s COVID-19 vaccine programme. She also congratulated the Government of Guyana for its determined efforts on the rollout of this important vaccination and has encouraged everyone to get evidence-based information on the COVID-19 vaccine, get vaccinated and encourage their friends and family to be vaccinated.

The 84,800 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will be arriving in Guyana on August 2, 2021.

British High Commissioner, Jane Miller

World leaders outline pathways to end hunger

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THE Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, has told world leaders and other participants in the Pre-Summit to the UN Food Systems Summit that there was an acute need for renewed global efforts to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030, as envisaged under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As he urged increased funding, Qu also called for greater efficiency, as well as a sustained push for “scientific innovation and digital technologies”.

Qu was speaking at the closure of the three-day preparatory event for the main summit to be held in New York later this year.

It was the first-ever global gathering dedicated to the root-and-branch reform of the way we grow, market and consume food; and the UN’s first hybrid event of such magnitude, with proceedings unfolding in a mixed physical-virtual format.

OPTIMISM AGAINST THE ODDS The FAO Director-General’s address capped a series of debates featuring

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

stakeholders across agrifood systems – including many whose voices are seldom heard in official fora, such as smallholder farmers. There was broad agreement that the current agri-food systems do not work for much of the world population – or indeed, for the planet.

As the latest FAO-led report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World makes clear, between 720 and 811 million people suffered from hunger in 2020: the numbers have been worsening year on year, and more so amid the COVID-19-induced

Cultivating seaweed on a Philippine beach (FAO photo)

economic slump. Yet more people are gripped by food insecurity, without reliable, year-round access to food that is sufficient and/ or nutritious enough. And for as many as three-billion people, healthy diets remain unaffordable. All the while, biodiversity degrades, further undermining the world’s ability to feed itself.

Despite such sobering statements of fact, Qu expressed hope that a combination of efforts on the economic, environmental, and even cultural fronts could still deliver the required transformation.

As the pre-summit wound down, the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, outlined Italy’s leading role in promoting food security – both historically and in the run-up to 2030, when the SDGs come due.

He described food as a “fundamental right of the person” as he sketched out three major policy action tracks: engaging the private sector; the pursuit of a zero-waste approach; and a prominent place for local food systems, community-rooted and steeped in centuries-honed knowledge, alongside modern

transnational food systems.

GLOBAL AIMS Held at FAO’s Rome headquarters, the event was co-hosted by the United Nations and the Italian Government. Italy has also championed the Food Coalition Initiative: led

by FAO, it is designed to mobilise political and economic capital to boost resilience in the face of the COVID-19 emergency.

This commitment was evident in the Matera Declaration, adopted at a meeting of G20 Foreign Affairs and Development in June: the document takes its name from the city where the Italian presidency of the group placed food security and nutrition at the heart of the global diplomatic agenda.

More than sixty government ministers attended or addressed the Pre-summit – including Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy. The event also heard from the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres; Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; Special Envoy to the Food Systems Summit, Agnes Kalibata; the Prince of Wales; officials of the World Bank and other multilateral bodies; and a host of participants on the

frontlines of food systems, from businesses big and small to representatives of small island developing states, and from chefs to peasant rights activists.

The Pre-summit agreed on the urgency of empowering women, youth and Indigenous Peoples, if the world is to have a stab at a more equitable agri-food system – but also heard calls to allocate farming subsidies to urban areas, where most food is now consumed. This last point – with much talk of “inclusive circular cities” – resonates with FAO’s own Green Cities Initiative, which aims to boost the resilience of urban communities and economies to external shocks.

As he wrapped up the Pre-summit, the FAO Director-General described the organisation as a service provider to Members and the wider international community, ready to support them in the transformation of agrifood systems. “But we need solidarity. And we need brotherhood” he noted, before concluding that “it is time to move to action.” (FAO)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Mabaruma, Port Kaituma residents to benefit from medical outreach

By Jared Liddell

THE United States Embassy Humanitarian Assistance Programme (HAP), is set to host a five-day medical outreach in the Region One communities of Mabaruma and Port Kaituma, from August 2 to 6.

A US team of doctors from the Global Medical and Surgical Support Group, who are

“necessary.”

He noted that many communities across the country, especially those in the hinterland, experience region-specific health issues.

“As you know, in the different regions in Guyana, there are specificities with different diseases. So, in Region One for example, we have more cases of malaria…we also have challenges with HIV and

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and US ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch at Wednesday’s launch of the Region One outreach

specialists in various fields of medicine, will be conducting medical testing and treatment in areas inclusive of hypertension, dentistry and minor surgery. They will also be identifying and treating skin diseases and other health issues.

Additionally, National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS Guyana) will be providing medical testing for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and several other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

The team, through collaboration with the Ministry of Health intends to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

A main area of focus for the outreach will be women’s health and, as such, trained medical persons will be deployed to provide obstetrics and gynaecology care and other services that would cater directly to the specific needs of women in the two communities.

The initiative is expected to target approximately 1,000 persons in Mabaruma and an additional 1,000 in Port Kaituma. It is anticipated that this will be the largest number of persons ever targeted at any of the local outreaches held under the programme.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who attended the launch of the outreach at Bookland Gardens, Thomas Lands, acknowledged the work of the non-governmental organisation and described the initiative as “timely” and

STIs in those communities.

Those are the infectious diseases,” said Minister Anthony.

Further the health minister praised the HAP team for selecting two hinterland communities to host the initiative, noting that it is sometimes difficult for persons in those areas to have access to adequate healthcare due to the limited resources and materials at the medical facilities within the region.

“We have a number of persons that come to the health centres with a number of complaints and so we welcome the team because it is always good to have another pair of eyes and hands to assist, and more so in some of these remote communities once it is properly organised, you’ll have persons coming from various villages …to access this type of service,” the minister added.

He encouraged the team to ensure that adequate focus is placed on educating residents about the COVID-19 vaccine.

He highlighted that neighbouring Venezuela has recorded cases of the Delta variant of the virus and as such, it is paramount that residents in the communities get vaccinated.

He noted that even while the vaccination drive in the region has been progressing, there are still some 9,000 adults in the region who are unvaccinated.

“The people who are coming to get other services, if you could encourage them

to get vaccinated it would be a very important message.

More so, as you know in the neighboring country, about a day or so [ago] we saw reports that they got the Delta variant…those persons who are fully vaccinated we know that if they contract the Delta variant of the virus they would experience milder symptoms,” Minister Anthony said.

Meanwhile, US ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, noted that the embassy is very satisfied to see its initiative coming together for those “most in need.” She stated that the outreach directly correlates with the policies of the organisation to ensure that support is given to the Government of Guyana and to the Guyanese people.

“The upcoming medical outreach in Region One does underscore the US Embassy’s initiatives to support Guyana in the areas of improved governance, security, and prosperity for all,” Ambassador Lynch noted.

She further stated that a US-based NGO, called the surgical and medical support group will provide nine medi-

cal personnel to the upcoming outreach activities, inclusive of nurses, physicians, specialised OBGYNs and anesthesiologists.

“It is really truly satisfying to see global bilateral national and local resources coming together for the benefit of those most in need,” Ambassador Lynch added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

‘Education is a powerful tool for development’ – says Minister McCoy at distribution of $185M ‘Because we care’ cash grant in Region Nine

PUBLIC Affairs Minister, Kwame McCoy, and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond, visited several Region Nine communities over the weekend to distribute the $185 million ‘Because we care’ cash grant initiative to students.

At the Arapaima Primary School, Minister McCoy told parents and guardians that unlike the ‘Five Bs’ programme initiated by the Coalition, the ‘Because we care’ cash grant will benefit every public school student.

“That is how we operate in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government; we are a government for all the people.

“We are a government that understands the needs of our people and we develop and implement programmes and policies and strategies to be able to deal with those challenges facing our ordi-

Public Affairs Minister, Kwame McCoy presents the cash grant to a mother of Region Nine (DPI photo)

nary Guyanese brothers and sisters.”

Minister McCoy said the education grant is the realisation of a PPP/C manifesto promise and allows parents to use it to equip their children for school.

He also highlighted the important role teachers play, particularly now as they help their students to navigate

learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister McCoy also said while the government is building the educational infrastructure, and initiating programmes for education, parents are also being given assistance to send their children to school.

He assured parents that exciting times are ahead for

Guyana, and education is a powerful tool that will propel Guyana’s development.

“It is by educating our people, educating our children, our country will be able to benefit from their education and we will be able to accelerate the pace of development to move forward very quickly and swiftly, in implementing our infrastructural programmes that are necessary for the social and economic advancement of our country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Walrond said the grant will increase over the next five years in keeping with the PPP/C manifesto.

“It will grow until 2025 [where] it will be $50,000.

Now that is significant and that is not a gimmick, that is us as government telling you that we are convinced that investment into the education of our children is the best thing.

TREMENDOUS EXPONENTIAL RETURNS “We are convinced that our country as a whole will see tremendous exponential returns when we invest in education,” she said.

Minister Walrond also noted that today’s children seem able to learn faster than previous generations as times are changing rapidly. The government recognises this, she said, which is why it is focused on ensuring that students are empowered.

“Our children are no less than the children in the United States or North America or in Japan, our children are just as brilliant, some even more brilliant, just as intelligent, and we have decided that education and educating every single child in Guyana with a

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond with a pupil (DPI photo)

quality education is the way to go so this grant, it does just that,” she said.

Many parents expressed their appreciation to the government for providing the funds to allow them to send their children to school.

Lethem resident, Jenny Joseph, said she benefitted from previous cash grants and is happy that the PPP/C has restarted the initiative.

“I really appreciate it, thank the government for it.

I would like meh children to come back to school,” she said, adding, “I’m not working, just my husband working, so when the other party take over everything shut down, so I really glad for this lil money that I collect.”

Alyssa Bell of Haiowa is also grateful for the government’s cash assistance.

“My children already have plans; they want their school materials because they get to understand that school will be reopening in September and they are happy for it because it would be a good help for them,” she told Department of Public Information (DPI).

Meryl Adolf, another Haiowa resident, expressed

similar sentiments.

“I am a mother of four and this cash grant will be very helpful to me because I have a daughter in Grade Six. She will be writing her NGSA next week and this cash grant will be very important to me to buy her school needs when she has to pass to secondary school.

“I would like to say thanks to the Government of Guyana, to our President, special thanks. We never get opportunity like this to get money for our children,” she said.

Jason Foo of Central Lethem also expressed gratitude for the initiative.

“I think the cash grant off the bat is one of the best initiatives that any government could do and to have an increase in that over the years to come, will definitely be a boost to individuals, to families, to communities, to the country at large, and once money is flowing there is gonna be development.”

The ministers visited several communities including Kumu, Moco Moco, Quarrie, Katoka and Yupukari.

(DPI)

A section of the recipients during the distribution exercise (DPI photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Minister Manickchand commits to addressing gender-specific issues impacting educational experiences

THE education of girls came into sharp focus on Monday when Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, participated in the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Global Education Summit 2021 on Girls’ Education Day. A special virtual side event was organised to discuss the topic of “Getting girls into and back to school” with the Education Minister presenting on the topic based on the Guyanese context.

During her presentation, Minister Manickchand said that Guyana is committed to improving the experiences of girls in education by devising strategies for improving the quality of education offered across all levels of the system in Guyana.

She said that work will continue to ascertain and address any gender-specific issues impacting their educational experiences.

She spoke about the global recognition that an investment in the education of girls goes well beyond merely correcting the gender-equality imbalance and has significant national devel-

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand

opmental benefits.

She said Guyana has embraced the fact that the education of girls impacts the age of initial childbirth and the number of children conceived, the value of education passed on to future generations, the earning capacity of women and their degree of social participation among other significant benefits.

Minister Manickchand explained to her fellow panelists and participants that similar to territories in the Caribbean, Guyana’s experience regarding girls’ education differs from some other

parts of the world where girls are denied access and are marginalised in their educational pursuits.

She said that the reality in Guyana is that the number of girls enrolled in education exceeds that of the boys on many levels including tertiary.

“Beyond that, the performance of females has outstripped that of their male counterparts for a considerable period and is expected to continue.

This has led to investigations into the phenomenon called ‘the feminisation of education’ within our jurisdictions,”

Toddler found dead in Essequibo fish pond

THE lifeless body of a toddler was, on Wednesday, discovered in a fish pond located some 300 feet from his Onderneeming Sand Pit, Essequibo Coast home.

Police said the discovery of the one-year-old boy identified as Jeremiah Norton was made at around 09:30hrs by his mother, 32-year-old Elizabeth Henry.

According to the woman, she left her baby, Jeremiah Norton in the house where he was playing with his two siblings. At the time, she was washing clothes outside of the house.

At about 09:30hrs, the woman said she decided to check on her children and upon doing so, she discovered that Jeremiah was missing.

Upon investigation, the mother discovered her baby’s body floating in the fish pond.

The infant was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said the body was examined for marks of violence by the police but none was found.

Minister Manickchand explained.

Further, she said that taken on the surface, this reality might suggest that the experiences of girls in Guyana’s society is devoid of issues and challenges.

“The existing reality, however, is that we have

had to delve well beyond the superficial appearances to develop a deeper understanding of where socio-cultural, socio-economic, political and other issues create structural barriers to the effective education of girls.”

Some of the factors that have been identified that are considered significant to the educational experiences of girls are the traditionalism and the urban/rural divide, social ills such as teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence, menstruation and its related contextual realities and socio-economic and geographic factors.

Responding to these challenges in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, several interventions had been conducted to facilitate the continued education of girls as well

as the reintegration of adolescent mothers, the Education Minister noted.

According to the Education Minister, among the interventions include the Health and Family Life Education Skills for Life training and distribution of care packages for adolescent mothers adversely affected by COVID in the hinterland regions.

As it relates to the issue of menstruation, she said that a national campaign is being devised for the free distribution of sanitary napkins. Also, worksheets and study materials were distributed for students at all levels of the education system while pedagogical and curricular approaches were introduced aimed at addressing learning loss at all levels.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Disability Council urges all to get vaccinated THE Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) has commended the Gov-

ernment for procuring COVID-19 vaccines in a competitive environment, ensuring that all eligible

Guyanese can receive their jabs.

“We wish to recognise and highlight the hard work of the honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and his team at the Ministry of Health to ensure that all Guyanese are vaccinated.

At this time we wish to encourage all persons with disabilities and by extension all Guyanese who haven’t received their life-saving vaccine to visit one of the many vaccination sites and

get their jabs. We must reinforce that vaccination is our only proven protection against this dreaded disease and is our only way out of this pandemic. We are sure all Guyanese have a desire to return to some level of normality; hence, the importance of the majority of Guyanese receiving their vaccines to reach a level of herd immunity,” the GCOPD said in a release.

GCOPD said it also noted, with concern, the high

level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Guyanese and is aware of the various conspiracies on the vaccines being peddled by persons with their hidden agendas.

To this, it implored citizens to consume their information on the current COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccines from credible sources.

“We once again encourage all unvaccinated Guyanese, especially our brothers and sisters with

disabilities, to get their jabs as soon as possible and protect themselves and families from this disease,” the release said.

The Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) is the umbrella body that represents the majority of Disable People Organisations (DPOs) from across Guyana, working in the areas of advocacy and capacity building.

will enable the availability of OSH officers, labour officers and technical officers attached to the Board of Industrial Training.

Even as they are pursuing lucrative skills in their training, Minister Hamilton also charged the trainees to ensure they obtain several skills so that their skillsets can be diverse. The trainees were encouraged to enroll in other programmes upon completing the current one and were advised that they will all be free of charge, the release said.

The minister observed that out of all 19 trainees, there was only one female and he then made the point that gender roles within the technical fields need to be

diminished, and more women should find themselves in technical training and jobs that go beyond societal norms.

Following his engagement with the trainees, the minister and team visited Kwakwani Utilities Incorporated (KUI), where they would usually conduct the practical aspect of the programme.

The building where the practical are done was recently refurbished to ensure that it is up to standard. During his tour of the facility, Minister Hamilton acknowledged that the building that has long been in use has “come a far way in five months” and said that he will ensure that standards such as OSH are up

to par by sending officers to work along with the company and provide recommendations for improvement. These officers are also expected to train the company’s health and safety committee which has been established.

The trainees were very receptive to the minister’s words of encouragement and advice. They shared their testimonies and even demonstrated the skills they obtained throughout their training.

Also present during the engagements was the BIT’s technical officer assigned to Kwakwani, Pam Rambarran, who will be overseeing all training programmes being executed in the village.

19 Kwakwani residents benefit from electrical installation training

LABOUR Minister, Joseph Hamilton and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Richard Maughn, have met with 19 residents of Kwakwani, Region 10, who are currently benefitting from an electrical installation training programme being executed by the BIT. As he spoke to the trainees, the minister made several key points. Among those was the importance of signing contracts with their employers, so that in the event of a labour issue the Ministry of Labour could adequately intervene.

In addition to that, he stressed the importance of occupational safety and health

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton during his visit to Region 10

(OSH) within their field of work. He said that “No boss should allow you to work in an unsafe environment” as he lamented the number of workplace deaths that

have occurred throughout the country.

He also informed the trainees of the ministry’s plans to establish a Labour Office in the village, which

He also denied that he drove his motor car on the day in question while he was under the influence of alcohol.

The accused was represented by attorney-at-law, Bernard DaSilva, who made an application for bail. Magistrate Latchman later granted Ramraj bail in the sum of $1M for the causing death charge and $10,000 bail for the drunk driving charge.

The case stands adjourned until August 20.

According to reports, on the day in question around 18:00hrs, Bishop was struck down by a vehicle that was being driven

by Ramraj.

The injured man was picked up in an unconscious condition and placed into the said motorcar and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

When arrested, Ramraj allegedly told police that he was heading south along the eastern carriageway of the road when Bishop ran from east to west and ended up in the path of his vehicle.

A breathalyzer test conducted on Ramraj reportedly showed that his alcohol level was above the legal limit.

Man on causing death, DUI Trio charged for murder of charges granted bail Tain woman freed

DAYS after 51-yearold Stephen Bishop was struck down and killed by a motor car while crossing the Providence Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), a 34-year-old man was, on Wednesday, arraigned at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court.

Shivendra Ramraj, of Herstelling New Housing Scheme, EBD, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman and denied that on July 25, he drove motorcar, PZZ 1621, in a dangerous manner which resulted in the death of Bishop, of North East La Penitence, Georgetown.

THREE men were, on Tuesday, freed of the murder of Lelawattie Mohamed who was gunned down at her Sixth Street, Tain Settlement home, in 2017.

Oliver Permaul, a 34-year-old barber; 26-yearold Andre James called “Tatoo man”, of Lot 46 George Street, Rose Hall; Rohan Johnson, called “Jamaky” a 39-year-old carpenter and Jamaican national, were freed

by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Berbice High Court.

The judge upheld no case submissions made by attorneys-at-law Ravindra Mohabir, Tanya Warren-Clements and Sasha Roberts on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Justice Barlow then directed the jury to return a

DEAD: Lelawattie Mohamed

verdict of not guilty.

In 2017, the three men were charged jointly along with Permaul’s wife, Shabikie Albert, and Nazeema Permaul for Mohamed’s murder. However, Albert and Nazeema were later freed due to insufficient evidence.

It is alleged that on February 7, 2017, two men stormed into the woman’s home and executed her in

the presence of her son and daughter. They shot her in the throat at point blank range under the guise of a robbery.

According to reports, Mohamed was having an affair with Permaul. His wife after reportedly learning of the relationship, ordered a “hit” on the woman. Johnson and James were allegedly paid $4M to kill her.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Female agriculture ministers launch forum to improve policies, promote rural women’s rights WITHIN the framework of the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit inaugurated this Monday in Rome, the I Forum of Ministers and Vice Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas was formally established as an entity whose mission is to improve public policies and spotlight the role of women in rural development, favouring the full recognition of their rights.

The inauguration, which was attended by the female ministers, secretaries and deputy ministers of 12 countries of the Americas, was a key step to institutionalising a space to propose specific policies to promote the sustainable development of agrifood systems through recognising the crucial contribution of the

continent’s rural women to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

The meeting at which the Forum was established was convened by the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) and held at the Brazilian Embassy in Rome concurrent with the Food Systems Pre-Summit that runs through July 28 in the Italian capital.

Participants included Samantha Marshall, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Antigua and Barbuda; Tereza Cristina, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply of Brazil; María Emilia Undurraga, Minister of Agriculture of Chile; Tanlly Vera, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock

of Ecuador; Jewel H. Bronaugh, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture of the United States; and Natasha Kim, Assistant Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada.

Also in attendance were Martha Lucía Rodríguez Lozano, Deputy Minister of Rural Development of Colombia; Lily Pacas, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador; Judith Ordóñez Deputy Secretary of Livestock of Honduras; Bettina Aguilera Paniagua, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Paraguay; María Isabel Remy Simatovic, Deputy Minister of Policies and Supervision of Agrarian Development of Peru; and Miriam Guzmán, Deputy Minister of Rural De-

velopment of the Dominican Republic.

UNDERREPORTED Approximately 58 million women live in the rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean and are responsible for 80 per cent of all food production. However, their work is underreported and a mere 10 per cent have access to credit and only five per cent to technical assistance programmes.

The Forum’s presentation, whose first meeting was entitled “Women at the Forefront of Agri-food System Transformation,” was led by Manuel Otero, Director-General of IICA, and Rebeca Grynspan, Ibero-American Secretary-General.

The participating ministers and deputy ministers showed interest in the Forum becoming a space for dialogue and exchange to share experiences in managing access to credit, the availability of new technologies, land tenure and ownership and other issues from which the rural women of the Americas—who make a decisive contribution to regional and

global food security—have been historically excluded.

“We should be discussing public policies and exchanging information to help the rural women on our continent. We are currently undergoing deep transformations in our society and the role of women as change agents is more and more evident.

Women’s empowerment is key to guaranteeing global food security,” stated Brazilian minister Tereza Cristina.

Ecuadorian minister Tanlly Vera explained that poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and a lack of social protection are just some of the challenges facing rural women. “The time has come to recognise and spotlight the role we play in the field. We can contribute a lot to eradicating hunger and poverty and to reducing inequality”.

For her part, Minister Marshall emphasised the disadvantages women face compared to men and urged for work in the post-pandemic era to focus on changing this reality: “We need to educate our women in order to strengthen their abilities.”

For María Emilia Undurraga, the variety of areas in which women work in the rural sector reflects their heterogeneity and worth. “We are connected to the well-being of the entire population, especially the inhabitants of cities. That is why it is fundamental to close the gaps between the rural and urban sectors,” she stated.

In Canada, the percentage of women who work in agriculture has risen over the last few decades, stated Natasha Kim, who explained that removing the barriers women face in terms of accessing markets and value chains continues to be a pending matter.

CENTRAL ROLE Deputy Secretary Bronaugh agreed that women play a central role in agriculture and felt that they should be assured “positions of leadership. We need to pave the way for young women who look up to us to have a seat at the decision table.”

The Dominican Deputy Minister underscored that while women work in rural Continued on page 17

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Female agriculture...

From page 16

areas, when profits are distributed, they do not receive their fair share and advocated for a more equal distribution.

Minister Rodríguez from Colombia emphasised the need to propose a differentiated approach for rural women to have more access to credit.

“We must work to ensure women are paid a fair price.

The transparency of the production chains is essential,” stated Deputy Minister Pacas from El Salvador. Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary Ordóñez from Honduras defended the administrative ability of women: “When a woman

receives a loan, she makes better use of the money.”

More than half of all food is produced by women in the Americas, explained Rebeca Grynspan, who made it clear that women are not vulnerable. “An intrinsic vulnerability doesn’t exist; what exists is a violation of rights.

What we need is to be seen in our capacity to transform the rural world and society.”

Grynspan urged that we stop thinking about the rural world with a 20th-century mentality and for women to have access to land and credit. “In the post-pandemic era, we need a different rurality to

go with a new, more inclusive and improved normal,” she concluded.

Manuel Otero chose to highlight the importance of establishing the Forum of Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Americas in concurrence with the global event that will be discussing the future of agrifood systems in the world.

The Director General of IICA summarised the statistics on the invisibility and violation of rights suffered by rural women on the continent and ratified the institute’s commitment to empowering women and their full participation in production processes with equal rights. (IICA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Biles pulls out of second Olympic event (REUTERS) - Superstar U.S. gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of a second event at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday, withdrawing from the individual all-around competition to focus on her mental health.

Less than 24 hours after she had sent shockwaves around the world by dropping out of the team event, the American said she would not take part in today's final, USA Gymnastics said.

Jade Carey will take her place in today's all-around event.

USA Gymnastics said they "wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her well-being.

"Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many," it said.

The governing body for the sport in the U.S. said Biles would be evaluated

Simone Biles (L) of the United States is hugged by team staff after receiving the silver medal of the women's artistic gymnastics team competition at the Tokyo Olympics on July 27, 2021, at Ariake Gymnastics Centre. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)

daily to see if she can take part in individual apparatus competitions still to come at the Tokyo Games.

Biles has spoken with astonishing candour about the pressure she is under here.

"There is more to life than just gymnastics," Biles said on Tuesday night after pulling out of the team event.

"I know that this Olympic Games I want it to be for myself," she said, tearing up.

"I came in and it felt like I was still doing it for other people, so that just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people.

"We also have to focus on ourselves because at the end of the day, we're human too. We have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do."

On Tuesday, Biles picked up her sixth Olympic medal for being part of the U.S. squad that went on to place second behind Russia.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams had said earlier yesterday the IOC has "huge respect and support" for Biles.

Adams said mental health remained a big issue and that it was a matter the organisation had been working on for some time.

IOC president Thomas Bach was seen in deep conversation with Biles on the floor of the Ariake Gymnastics Centre on Tuesday before awarding medals.

Biles had been scheduled to appear in all six gymnastics event finals and a sweep of the gold medals would have given her 10, making her the most accomplished woman Olympian in any sport.

Archibald in shape to do his best – coach Edmonds

By Rawle Toney JULIAN Edmonds, coach of National 100 metres champion Emanuel Archibald, believes the sprinter will be ready to give his best on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

Archibald, one of seven athletes representing Guyana at the 32nd Olympiad, will match strides with some of the world’s fastest men in Japan in the Heats of the highly anticipated Men’s 100 metres event.

Edmonds, one of the best local coaches, told Chronicle Sport that “based on the last couple of sessions that ‘Amo’ (Archibald) has had; he’s on point.”

According to Edmonds, “We did a lot of race models, we did a lot of blocks work and we did some flies. The last training sessions, his times were on point where it should be and I will be very surprised if 'Amo' does not PR at these games.”

Archibald, this year’s South American Senior Championships 100-metre silver medallist and sisters Aliyah and Jasmine Abrams are the Track athletes in Tokyo.

Jasmine Abrams who

claimed bronze at the South American Senior Championships and Archibald will be in action on July 31 in the men’s and women’s 100 metres.

Aliyah Abrams, the first Guyanese athlete, male or female, to qualify for the Olympic Games, will have another taste of Olympic competition on August 3, in the women’s 400 metres.

This will be Aliyah’s second Games, having qualified and competed at the 2016 event in Rio, Brazil.

Just this week, Archibald told Chronicle Sport that he’s focussed on taking it one step at a time in Tokyo.

Archibald’s personal best in the distance is 10.22 seconds, set in 2018

in Kingston, Jamaica. He also clocked a wind-assisted 10.18 seconds to win Guyana’s senior Men’s 100 metres at the Athletics Association of Guyana’s (AAG) National Championships in June.

Though representing Guyana at the Olympic Games in the 100 metres, Archibald is more versed and accomplished in the long jump, where he’s also the country’s National record-holder (8.12m).

Boxer Keevin Allicock OLY, table tennis star Chelsea Edghill OLY, and swimmers Aleka Persaud and Andrew Fowler are the other athletes representing Guyana at the biggest global sporting event.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday July 29, 2021)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Viv Richards-25 ODIs (2) Imran Khan-39 ODIs Today’s Quiz: (1) Which WI wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against PAK in ODIs to date?

(2) Which PAK wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals against the WI in ODIs to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Race 6 Her World Race 7 Abiding Star Race 8 Motivated Seller

English Racing Tips Epsom 13:00 hrs Intersessor 13:35 hrs Historic Event 14:05 hrs Bondi Man 14:35 hrs Poet’s Magic 15:05 hrs Maahive 15:35 hrs Mythical Madness Goodwood 08:50 hrs King Frankel 09:25 hrs Ebro River 10:00 hrs Wordsworth 10:35 hrs Joan Of Arc 11:10 hrs Ardbraccan 11:45 hrs Brazilian Beach 12:20 hrs A pint Of Bear

Irish Racing Tips Galway 11:35 hrs Carrarea 12:10 hrs Bleu Berry 12:45 hrs Bold Enough 13:15 hrs Saldier 13:45 hrs Punters Poet 14:15 hrs m c Muldoon 14:45 hrs Blackstair Rocco 15:15 hrs Dads Lad American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Mo Heat Race 2 Straw Into Gold REace 3 Moontalk Summer Race 4 Bronzed Race 5 Flipping Fund

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Rain has final say in West Indies-Pakistan opening T20 (ESPNCRICINFO) - Incessant rain first reduced the first West Indies-Pakistan T20I to a nine-over shootout before eventually washing away the match.

Pakistan had chosen to bowl first under cloudy skies with rain also predicted,

but the teams raced off to the dressing room just after completing their national anthems. It took almost three hours for the rain to stop and the ground to dry, with the umpires then deciding to curtail the contest.

But in the little cricket

played, Kieron Pollard and the Pakistan bowlers combined to ensure it was entertaining while it lasted.

Debutant Wasim had an instant impact All it took right-arm pacer Mohammad Wasim to land a blow was five balls,

although that was not a wicket. In the second over of the West Indies innings, he pitched one short of a length on middle and off, and got it to angle in with the bounce onto Lendl Simmons, who missed his pull.

The ball hit him on the right side of his neck, immediately inviting the physio on the ground, who decided to take Simmons off with a sling protecting his right arm.

Wasim was taken off after that, but returned to bowl the seventh over. After hurting Simmons, he had Chris Gayle caught at long-on as the bowler now brought out the slower ball. Gayle, who had come in after Simmons, played away from his body to try and heave that, but only found the fielder in search of rapid runs.

JUST WICKETS AND SIXES Amidst a flurry of dot balls - which were 30 in total - and a bunch of extras which contributed 14, there were five wickets claimed with as many sixes slammed from the third over until the

eighth. Hasan Ali got two, while Mohammad Hafeez, Usman Qadir and Wasim all grabbed a wicket each.

Nicholas Pooran cracked twin sixes off Hafeez, before Gayle deposited Shadab Khan’s delivery over his head and Andre Russell dispatched Qadir over extra cover - all this, before Pollard got into Ali with a whip.

Pollard provides late entertainment, but Hasan delivers too Pollard arrived at the crease with one ball of the sixth over left, but watched from the other end as Gayle fell in the following over with West Indies' run rate still under nine. With Pollard on strike, Ali was brought back for the eighth after foxing Evin Lewis off his first ball earlier in the innings.

This time, Ali was whacked first ball over deep square leg, as Pollard swung his bat to a good length ball on middle and leg, and despite not quite finding the middle of the bat, sent the ball sailing over deep square leg.

But that was the only

boundary Ali conceded off his two overs, digging the slower balls perfectly on a rain-affected pitch to keep the West Indies batters quiet. Ali then got Shimron Hetmyer three balls later - Mohammad Rizwan completed a good diving catch - with the hosts struggling for momentum amidst the numerous cutters from the visiting bowlers.

Pollard was on 10 off 5 deliveries when only four balls remained in the innings, and the West Indies captain ensured they were well taken care of. A dot ball later, Shaheen Afridi pitched one short on middle and leg as Pollard pulled fiercely to bisect deep square leg and deep midwicket for four.

After nabbing two more runs, he ended with a maximum by sending the ball crashing over deep square leg when he made room to a length ball on middle and off, and pulled with disdain.

Although he got 12 runs off the last three balls, rain had the final say, with Pakistan not having to chase the total.

Hasaranga moves to number two in ICC T20 bowlers ranking (ESPNCRICINFO) - Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga has leapfrogged Afghanistan's new T20I captain Rashid Khan to be ranked career-best No. 2 among T20I bowlers.

The ICC rankings list is led by South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi, who has a 72-point advantage following impressive returns on the tour of the Caribbean and Ireland earlier this month.

As many as six wristspinners feature in the top 10 - the others being Adil Rashid (fourth), Adam Zampa (seventh) and Ish Sodhi (ninth). Hasaranga will have an opportunity to establish a lead over Khan, who is just one point behind, during the second and (Turn to page 26)

Wanindu Hasaranga took 2 for 28 in the first T20I against India AFP/Getty Images

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Sri Lanka close out India series with last over fireworks

(ESPNCRICINFO) - India, who anyway brought a replacement team to Sri Lanka, were further severely hamstrung by nine of their players having to go into isolation. They had Bhuvneshwar Kumar - a bowler who bats a bit - as high as No. 6, because they had only five recognised batters available to them.

Yet they almost defended 132, their spinners - Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy - stymying Sri Lanka's chase through the middle overs.

Sri Lanka eventually stumbled over the line to record their first T20 victory in six matches with Dhananjaya de Silva holding the innings together with 40 not out off 34 balls. He

had been contending with dew already, but the few minutes of rain had made the outfield even greasier, and the ball likely difficult to grip.

Chamika Karunaratne thumped the full-toss into the stands beyond wide long-on, bringing the equation down to 12 off 9 balls, and Sri Lanka did not need to hit another boundary, running twos and singles until the target was reached.

INDIA SPIN THEMSELVES BACK INTO THE GAME Although Sri Lanka did not quite get ahead of the required rate early on, the middle-overs period in which various batters floundered against the spinners put India in serious contention

handed to him by the coaching staff was to ensure he held one end down and batted as long as possible. He struck only one six (off Kuldeep) and a four in his knock, but ran six twos, and played out only eight dot balls.

SRI LANKA CYCLE BOWLERS IN THE EARLY OVERS Although it is India who were forced to field an XI with more bowlers than they would have liked, Sri Lanka were the side intent on showcasing their bowling depth, right out of the gate.

Captain Shanaka had eight different bowlers deliver the first nine overs - Dushmantha Chameera, Karunaratne, Akila Dhanan-

Dhananjaya de Silva and Chamika Karunaratne celebrate Sri Lanka's win Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

hit the winning run with just two balls to spare and with Sri Lanka down to their last serious batting pair.

A THIGH-HIGH FULL TOSS TURNS THE MATCH SRI LANKA'S WAY When a squall blew through the ground at the end of the 18th over of Sri Lanka's innings, the hosts still needed 20 to win and were three runs behind the DLS par score. They desperately needed boundaries, but had managed only one in the previous three overs.

The third ball of the 19th over - bowled by Kumar - was a hit-me ball, however. India

to defend their total. Not a single boundary was hit in a 27ball stretch between the ninth and 14th overs.

Sri Lanka struggled with Chakravarthy's variety in particular - the bowler returned figures of 1 for 18 from his four overs. Through the course of this boundary-less stretch, Yadav dismissed Dasun Shanaka and Minod Bhanuka. He finished with 2 for 30 from his four.

DE SILVA PRODUCES A SLOW BURN INNINGS Not known to be a natural hitter, de Silva would reveal after the match that the role

jaya, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shanaka, Ramesh Mendis and de Silva all coming to the bowling crease.

The idea, clearly, was to prevent India's batters from settling. Although the ploy did not yield many wickets, with only Ruturaj Gaikwad falling during this period, Sri Lanka were successful in keeping a lid on the scoring. India scored only 54 runs in those nine overs.

Shikhar Dhawan was particularly modest, as he ambled to 28 off his first 32 balls. When he was eventually out in the 13th over, his strike rate had only margin-

ally improved - he'd soaked up 42 balls for his 40.

SHORTENED INDIA LINEUP FAILS TO EXPLODE AT THE DEATH With Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey and Ishan Kishan all unavailable due to being put in isola-

tion, India had only five recognised batters to choose from. So although they had lost only two wickets at the end of the 15th over, the lack of firepower through the middle was a major concern (this may also likely be why Dhawan and co. batted so conservatively early on).

With the likes of Hasaranga and Chameera bowl-

ing reasonably well on a slow surface, India mustered only 38 off the last 30 balls.

Their last boundary came from Devdutt Padikkal, in the 16th over. Padikkal was out next ball.

Batting at No. 6, Kumar, who is by no means an all-rounder, had to face 11 deliveries, from which he hit 13.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Bishundat lifts Phoenix CC Bishoo, Wilson and Satar to big win in Caribbean Fest lead NY XI to victory against PREDOMINANT USbased Guyanese cricket club, Phoenix CC, registered a 123-run victory against Intruders in their latest clash of the Caribbean Fest 40 Overs Tournament at Bay Park in New York.

Led by top-order batsman Tejpaul Bishundat, who belted an unbeaten ton, Phoenix CC were able to push their score to 204-9 in a reduced 25-clash after winning the toss.

Bishundat, who played limited cricket in Guyana for the New Generation CC in Cane Grove, was ultra-aggressive. Batting at number three he was able to explode with 114 runs from 78 balls.

In total, he belted 10 sixes and six fours and put together a second-wicket part-

Tejpaul Bishundat scored 114 runs for Phoenix CC.

nership of 60 with skipper Mahendra Persaud (35) after Phoenix had lost an early wicket.

The 26-year-old had very little support from then on, since none of the other batsmen reached double figures.

Kemraj Roopnarine 3-45

(five overs) and Kyle Kowlessar 2-34 (five overs) were the pick of Intruders' bowlers.

Kowlessar, who opened the batting, ended up with the highest score. He, however, scored his 23 runs (1x4, 1x6) from 24 balls. Although a few of the top-order batsmen reached double figures, none went on to play the needed knock.

The game slipped further away when left-arm, orthodox spinner Sharma Sukhdeo was introduced. The former Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club cricketer had Steve Samuel caught for 11, while he bowled Leon Madho (6) and Dinesh Bishun (2).

As s result, Intruders laboured to 81-8 from their 25 overs.

Verstappen out to spoil Hamilton Hungary party (REUTERS) - Lewis Hamilton can become the first Formula One driver to win 100 races but Red Bull's world championship leader Max Verstappen intends to be the one celebrating in Hungary on Sunday.

Hamilton has won eight times at the Hungaroring, a record he shares with fellow seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher for most wins at the same grand prix.

The Mercedes driver's 99th victory, at his home British Grand Prix 10 days ago after a high-speed firstlap collision with Verstappen, turned up the heat on the title battle and added acrimony.

Both teams must now attend a virtual meeting with stewards after Red Bull sought a review of the decision to hand Hamilton only a 10-second penalty for causing the accident at Silverstone.

Verstappen, whose lead was slashed from 33 points to eight after 10 rounds, will be particularly fired up to rebuild his advantage before

the August break.

If Hamilton were to triumph with the fastest lap at the Hungaroring, and Verstappen finish second, the pair would sign off for the summer level on points and wins.

There are sure to be plenty more clashes ahead but Verstappen, 13 years younger than Hamilton at 23, would rather do his talking on the track.

"I don’t have much to say on all the media hype and to be honest I am not interested in getting involved in any of that," he said.

"I know what happened at Silverstone as I was in the car and obviously I feel a certain way about how my race ended but now I’m just focussing on making sure we are the best we can be on track so we can stay ahead in the championship.

"The team can take care of the official side of things and anything that needs looking into after the crash but my job is the same as always -- to be the best I can and try to win on Sunday."

Verstappen also has good memories of Hungary,

taking his first pole there in 2019 and finishing second the last two years.

"I enjoy Hungary as a track and let’s hope there is a little less action on the way to the grid as the mechanics worked some sort of miracle to get my car out for the race last year," he said.

The Dutch driver crashed before the start last year, leaving his mechanics racing to repair the suspension and replace a front wing.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saw Red Bull coming back strongly.

"It is a track that will likely suit our competitors more, but we'll give it all we've got," he said.

Hungary also holds happy memories for Alpine's double world champion Fernando Alonso, who took the first win of his F1 career at the circuit with Renault in 2003 and who turns 40 this week.

"It feels like a big gokart circuit. We all love driving there because I think the driver has quite a bit more input than some circuits," said the Spaniard.

Liberty Lions

Devendra Bishoo (right) and Salim Satar (middle) picked up three wickets each, while Randall Wilson (left) scored a match-high 41.

WEST Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and his New York XI teammates Randall Wilson and Salim Satar were instrumental in a low-scoring victory against the star-studded Liberty Lions, in the latest round of the New York National Cricket League (NYNCL) 30 Overs Saturday Tournament at Baisley Pond.

The Lions had several players with national experience, including current senior national cricketers Chanderpaul Hemraj and Bhaskar Yadram.

New York XI won the toss and opted to bat first in the clash of the pre-dominant Guyanese teams.

The Guyanese-born Wil-

son, who is a former U.S. U-19 cricketer, anchored the innings. He scored a matchhigh 41 runs, which included five fours and a six, off 47 balls.

Four other players including Bishoo, batting at six, got into double figures, but none got on top of the line-andlength bowling of the Lions.

Bishoo and number three batsman Alvin Gangadin registered 17 runs each - the second-most runs of the innings.

Bowling for Lions, Avo Yogeshwar Singh took 3-31 and Yadram and Andrew Tomby two wickets each. It was, however, former national cricketer Paul Wintz who was the most economical with 1-19 from five overs.

In their turn at the crease, another former Guyanese cricketer Richard Ramdeen (0) and his opening partner Shiv Sangalemaa (0) both lost their wickets in the first over to former Essequibo cricketer Telson Johnson.

Singh and Hemraj repaired the damage with a 50run third-wicket partnership, but when Hemraj fell in the seventh over for an aggressive 40 (1x4, 5x6, 22 balls), the team fell to pieces. Singh’s 38 (3x4, 1x6) was the only other double-figure score.

Off-spinner Satar got the wickets of Hemraj, Yadram (2) and Andew Tomby (1), while Bishoo cleaned up the lower middle order to finish with 3-11 from six overs.

Hasaranga moves to... third T20Is against India this week. The 23-year-old legspinner picked 2 for 28 during the series opener in Colombo on Sunday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India's vice-captain on tour, jumped four places to be ranked 16th, while Yuzvendra Chahal, whose tight spell reined in Sri Lanka in the first T20I, jumped 10 places to be ranked 21st.

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera also moved up five places to 37th spot.

The other gainers include India's stand-in cap-

tain Shikhar Dhawan, who is joint-29th with Reeza Hendricks. The South Africa opener made a 48-ball 69, his sixth T20I half-century, in an impressive 127run opening stand to help South Africa clean sweep Ireland in Belfast last week.

In the ODI arena, Josh Hazlewood made significant gains following an excellent tour of the Caribbean, jumping to No. 2 after taking five wickets and starring in Australia's 2-1 series win. His newball partner Mitchell Starc,

(From page 24)

who also came up with a Player-of-the-Series performance in picking 11 wickets, jumped 10 places to be ranked eighth. The list is headed by New Zealand's Trent Boult.

Among the batters, Alex Carey jumped three places to be ranked just outside the top-20 (22nd), while Avishka Fernando, who struck a match-winning half-century against India to lift Sri Lanka off the bottom of the World Cup Super League points table, is now ranked 52nd.

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 29, 2021

Wong gets Everest backing ahead of U.S. training camp

Sharma defeats Scotland in GBTI U18 Boys final ‒ Renola Jordan beats sister to win Girls Singles title NUMBER one seed Viraj Sharma defeated the ever-improving Gerald Scotland in the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) championship clash of the Boy’s U18 competition yesterday at the Diamond Tennis courts, on the East Bank of Demerara.

Prior to that clash, 12-year-old Renola Jordan got past her older sister Norella Jordan 2-0 in the virtual Girls Singles Final (round-robin format).

Scotland was the underdog in the male final, since he had surprised the number two seeded player and reigning Rebel Tennis Junior Champion Donnie Anderson on Monday.

CONTROL Sharma was able to control yesterday’s final by mixing up his pace with slices, which threw Scotland off his game and resulted in a 6-0 opening win. Scotland bounced back in the second set, but although he played well, he was unable to execute his usual hard-hitting baseline game. The match ended with a 6-4 victory for Sharma.

In the girl's clash, Renola won the opener by a convincing 6-2 scoreline, before 14-year-old Norella battled back in the second set, but eventually succumbed 6-4.

On Tuesday, Norella had defeated Devanie Renola Jordan played unbeaten to Arjune 6-2, 7-5 in the round-robin clash. the girl’s title.

Miguel Wong (second left) collects the sponsorship from ECC member Javid Khan in the presence of other club officials, Ramdeo Kumar (right) and Krista Norton.

TABLE tennis player Miguel Wong continues to receive tangible support to offset an approximate expense of US$5 000 for a three-month training camp in Ohio, United States of America, from September.

Everest Cricket Club (ECC), through its table tennis group, donated an undisclosed amount of funds to Wong on Tuesday, to aid in his preparation for the Junior Pan American Games in Colombia later this year.

Ramdeo Kumar, treasurer of the ECC, said the aim of this support is to ensure that Wong gets to the USA to fully prepare for the Games, which will be held from November 25 to December 5.

Wong is hopeful he can depart Guyana on September 11 to start the camp on September 13 at the Samson Dubina Table Tennis Academy.

Kumar indicated that the club seeks to promote talent

and Wong is one such with immense potential.

Javid Khan, a former national table tennis player and member of the club, rated Wong as a quality performer and one who can do well in the future.

The young Wong expressed thanks for the gesture, which he said will certainly help his progress for what he considers to be a major event in his budding career.

When the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) revealed the prospectus for the event, Wong was listed as a Caribbean representative for the Men’s Under-21 Singles.

Recently, city restaurant Taco Loco, through its proprietor Kian Jabour, donated an undisclosed sum to Wong and in June, Zoon Online Shopping and Shipping sponsored the equipment needs of the table tennis player ahead

of the Games.

The Guyana Olympic Association has requested from the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), a plan for Wong to enter into a high-performance programme.

Viraj Sharma (left), got the better of Gerald Scotland (right) in the Boys U18 final.