Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 29-09-2022

IMF: Relief measures commendable

— cushion burden of high commodity prices, says bank in latest report

THE International Mon etary Fund (IMF) has commended the Gov ernment of Guyana for implementing effective polices to cushion the burden of high global commodity prices.

In a report documenting the conclusions of its Article IV Consultation with local authorities,

the IMF said: “Staff broadly supported the authorities’ measures to temporarily ease the burden of higher global commodity prices on the most vulnerable groups of society, given the absence of adequate safety nets.”

Aside from sectorspecific measures, the

government, since be ing elected to office in 2020, has introduced several measures to put more disposable in come in the pockets of Guyanese. From the on set, Value Added Tax (VAT) was removed from water and electric ity, a burdensome meas ure placed on the backs

of Guyanese by the for mer coalition adminis tration.

There has also been the constant increase in oldage pension and public assistance which, as it is, in one year, put $2.3 billion and $432 mil lion into the pockets of Guyanese. Additionally, the PPP/C

Government reinstated the “Because We Care” cash grant and school uniform cash grant which stand at $30,000 per child in both public and private schools. Every household in the hinterland will receive a $25,000 one-off cash grant, fisherfolk have started receiving a one-

off $150,000 grant, farmers would receive $1 billion in fertiliser support, and there are many other initiatives geared at addressing the issue of rising cost of living induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

(More on page 3)

GECOM reiterates that it is not a court of law

Warriors to try again next year

Tallawahs meet Royals in final on Friday

Scenes from the Warriors-Tallawahs match at the Guyana National Stadium

Photo credit: Office of the President and Digicel

IMF: Relief measures commendable

— IMF says, supports approach taken by local authorities — optimistic that country’s oil resources could fortify economy to absorb shocks, address infrastructural gaps, human development needs

By Navendra Seoraj

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Government of Guy ana for implementing effective policies to cushion the burden of high global commodi ty prices.

In a report docu menting the conclu sions of its Article IV Consultation with lo cal authorities, the IMF said: “Staff broadly sup ported the authorities’ measures to temporar ily ease the burden of higher global commod ity prices on the most vulnerable groups of society, given the ab sence of adequate safety nets.”

Aside from sec tor-specific measures, the government, since being elected to office in 2020, has introduced several measures to put more disposable income into the pockets of Guy anese. From the out set, Value Added Tax (VAT) was removed from water and elec tricity, a burdensome measure placed on the backs of Guyanese by the former coalition ad ministration.

There has also been the constant increase in old-age pension and public assistance which, as it is, in one year put $2.3 billion and $432 million into the pockets of Guyanese.

Additionally, the PPP/C government re instated the “Because

We Care” cash grant and school uniform cash grant which stand at $30,000 per child in both public and private schools.

Every household in the hinterland will re ceive a $25,000 one-off cash grant; fisherfolk have started receiving a one-off $150,000 grant; farmers will receive $1 billion in fertiliser sup port, and there were and are many other initia tives geared at address ing the rising cost of living induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The IMF, while sup porting those measures, advised local authorities that there needs to be a gradual unwinding of the general subsidies provided through the tax system and moving to full pass-through of international prices to domestic prices since the shock does not ap pear to be temporary.

This, the internation al financial institution said, should be done simultaneously with measures to further de velop and strengthen a well-targeted social safety net system.

“In addition, a sus tainable and feasible increase in capital spending to support the transformation of the Guyanese economy is needed, but within a framework that does not generate macroeconom ic imbalances,” the IMF advised.

It was, however, ac

knowledged that the government has already been taking steps in this direction. Fiscal poli cy in 2022, according to the IMF, has been appropriately support ing growth, while con siderably reducing the fiscal deficit. The gov ernment’s milestone $552B 2022 Budget has reduced current expenditures by about one per cent of non-oil GDP compared to 2021, while capital spending has been ramped up to support the non-oil economy.

The year 2022 aside, the IMF also welcomed the broad-based eco nomic recovery in 2021, following a protracted political transition and the pandemic-induced recession in 2020, and the unprecedented high real GDP growth, sup ported by a steep rise in oil production and ac commodative policies.

BUFFERS TO AB SORB SHOCKS

“Directors highlight ed that the increasing oil production could help transform the economy, address development needs, and build sub

stantial buffers to ab sorb shocks,” the IMF said.

Oil production is ex pected to increase sig nificantly with the com ing on stream of two large oilfields during 2023–2026. And, as it is now, Guyana’s com mercially recoverable petroleum reserves are the third largest in Latin America and the Ca ribbean, and one of the highest levels of oil re serves per capita in the world.

The IMF said: “This could help Guyana build up substantial fis cal and external buffers to absorb shocks while addressing infrastruc ture gaps and human development needs. However, increased de pendence on oil rev enues will expose the economy to volatility in global oil prices.

“A slowing global economy and the reper cussions from the war in Ukraine could also adversely affect non-oil exports. On the other hand, higher global oil prices and additional gas and oil discover ies could significant ly improve Guyana’s

long-term economic prospects.”

Considering the po tential challenges re lated to volatility in global oil prices and ef fective management of natural resources, the IMF highlighted the need for continued pru dent policies and struc tural reforms, assisted by technical assistance, to avoid the build-up of macroeconomic vulnerabilities, ensure inclusive growth and intergenerational equi ty, as well as address structural weaknesses and climate challenges.

The resilience of Guyana’s economy, particularly its non-oil sectors, and the pru dent macroeconom ic management that allowed the country to not just withstand global shocks, but also perform above av erage economically, were cited as clear ev idence of the nation’s progressive nature and its avoidance of the Dutch Disease, more commonly referred to as the natural resource curse.

Using empirical and factual evidence re garding Guyana’s eco nomic position, Exec utive Director of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and In dustry (GCCI), Rich ard Rambarran and Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin, practical ly schooled the politi cal opposition, which claimed recently that

there are signs, locally, of the Dutch Disease.

In short, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Dutch Disease re fers to the detrimental consequences of a sud den boom in a coun try’s economy.

“…the first half of this year was affected by the pandemic, and the war between Russia and Ukraine… what that did was create ad verse economic condi tions, and if you have an economy still expe riencing positive rates of economic growth in a global context, where economic prospects are dampened, then you have an econo my, which in my view, speaks volumes to macroeconomic man agement,” economist and Executive Direc tor of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Richard Rambarran, had said.

He went a step further in commending the government for containing inflation to less than the global average, which is hov ering around five-six per cent. There have been reports of coun tries recording inflation of up to nine-10 per cent, so, in Ram barran’s view, Guy ana’s performance is evidence of what prudent macroeco nomic management looks like.

West shores up pipeline security, blaming Russia ‘sabotage’

European countries say they will ramp up security around oil and gas instal lations after the suspected sabotage of two major pipelines.

The EU, US and NATO have suggested damage to the pipelines between Russia and Germany was deliberate, but have not blamed Russia directly.

Russia has said it was not involved, and asked if the US was instead.

Russia has previous ly been accused of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West over its support for Ukraine.

The leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were discovered on Monday and Tuesday.

Neither pipeline was operating at the time, as the Nord Stream 2 project was abandoned when Russia in vaded Ukraine, and Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 in September, citing a need for maintenance.

But both pipelines were still full of gas, which bub bled to the surface in an

area a kilometre wide on the sea’s surface.

Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said the leaks were likely to last for at least a week, until the gas escaping from the pipes runs out. An investigation has been launched.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen has promised the “strongest possible response” if the at tack is proven to have been deliberate.

President Vladimir Pu tin’s spokesman Dmitry

Peskov has dismissed ac cusations of sabotage as “predictable, stupid and absurd”.

Peskov said he was “ex tremely concerned” about the leaks, adding that the possibility of a deliberate attack could not be ruled out.

In the aftermath of the alleged attacks, Norwaynow Europe’s largest gas supplier - has decided to deploy its military to pro tect crucial infrastructure.

Prime Minister Jonas

Gahr Stoere told a news conference that the military would be “more visible” at oil and gas installations.

Any attack would be handled jointly with allies, he said.

The Navy would be de ployed to protect offshore installations, while police could increase presence at onshore facilities, he said.

Equinor, a Norwegian state-owned energy compa ny, also said on Wednesday that it had also stepped up security measures.

NATO Secretary Gener al Jens Stoltenberg said he had discussed the protec tion of critical infrastruc ture with the defence minis ter of Denmark, the country closest to the damage.

And in the US, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the country would continue its work to safeguard Eu rope’s energy security.

A spokesperson said the US navy was ready to support its allies.

“We stand ready to pro vide support and assistance in close coordination with our allies and partners, if needed,” Cpt Tamara Law rence said.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline - which consists of two parallel branch es stretches 745 miles (1,200km) under the Bal tic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany.

Seismologists reported underwater blasts before the leaks emerged. Den mark’s Defence Command has released footage of the

leaks which shows bubbles - the largest is 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter - at the surface of the Baltic Sea.

“There is no doubt that these were explosions,” said Bjorn Lund of Swe den’s National Seismology Centre.

Mike Fulwood, a senior research fellow at the in dependent Oxford Institute for Energy Studies told the BBC sabotage was, indeed, the most likely cause of the leaks.

“To rupture an offshore pipeline is a rare occur rence, so three in 18 hours would be a big coinci dence,” he said.

If the sabotage was in deed committed by Russia, this was a “bizarre” move, he said, as it had already shut supplies off.

He estimated that re pairs could take between three and six months, as the damaged sections would need to be replaced. Similar damage to a different pipeline in the past took nine months. (BBC)

Cuba begins restoring power after storm

Power has been restored in parts of Cuba after Hur ricane Ian pummelled the western end of the island and caused a total blackout.

Officials earlier said the electrical system had collapsed after one of the country’s main power plants could not be brought back online.

Two people were reported dead and buildings were dam aged nationwide.

More than 20 Cuban mi grants are believed to be miss ing at sea.

As Ian began to bear down on Florida with winds of up to 250km/h (155mph), US Border Patrol and the US Coast Guard said that a search and rescue operation had been launched to look for 23 migrants whose boat is believed to have sunk at sea during the storm.

Another four migrants made it to shore at Florida’s Stock Island. The previous day, seven migrants were ap prehended after reaching the US coast at Pompano Beach, prompting Walter Slosar, the chief patrol officer of the Bor der Patrol’s Miami sector, to warn Cubans to not attempt the treacherous crossing during the hurricane.

On Cuban state television on Tuesday, the head of the electrical energy authority an nounced that an island-wide blackout had occurred as a result of the national electrical system’s breakdown, leaving 11 million people in the dark.

A journalist with a state-run news agency reported that “the Antonio Guiteras thermo-elec tric power plant… could not be synchronised”. Based in Matanzas, 100km east of the capital Havana, Antonio Guit eras is the most important en ergy plant in Cuba.

The blackout also meant that water was unavailable in many areas which rely on pumps, leaving residents un

able to bathe or boil water to drink. Food in some areas was reportedly spoiling without functioning refrigerators and freezers.

Working overnight, author ities began gradually restoring service in eastern regions by Wednesday morning although they warned the process would be more “complicated” further west.

Officials later said power had been restored to three re gions, but work was ongoing to restore electricity in others.

The storm devastated Pinar Del Rio province, home to much of the tobacco used in Cuban cigars.

The owner of the famous

Finca Robaina cigar producer posted photos on social media of the havoc wreaked by the hurricane in the tobacco farms.

“It was apocalyptic, a real disaster,” wrote Hirochi Robaina.

Forecasters had warned that some regions of Cuba could see up to 30cm (12in) of rain under Hurricane Ian.

Mayelin Suarez, a resident of Pinar del Rio, said Monday night, when the storm hit, was “the darkest of her life”.

“We almost lost the roof off our house,” she told Reuters. “My daughter, my husband and I tied it down with a rope to keep it from flying away.”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel visited the province and vowed that it would rise “above adversity”, the Cuban presidency tweeted.

A 43-year-old woman in the province was killed after the walls of her home collapsed. A farmer in the town of San Juan y Martínez was electrocuted while trying to shut off a wind turbine used for irrigation, the New York Times reported.

Cuban state television channel Canal Caribe said that a total of five buildings had col lapsed and 68 were damaged.

The report did not specify how many of those structures were residential homes. The storm also felled about 1,000 trees.

The hurricane has been gathering force in the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 3, says the US Na tional Hurricane Center (NHC).

On Tuesday night the storm passed over the Florida Keys, a string of islands off the south ern tip of the state.

It was projected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast late on Wednesday.

The Florida coastal zone most at risk is home to miles of beach, resort hotels and mobile home parks. Some 2.5 million people are under evacuation orders.

Florida Governor Ron De Santis warned in a news confer ence on Tuesday that the storm is “the real deal”.

He declared a state of emer gency for all of Florida over the weekend and has activated 5,000 National Guard troops.

Earlier forecasts suggested the Tampa area could see its first direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century, but forecasters now predict Ian will make landfall further south on

the coast.

Meteorologists have said flash flooding is possible in the Florida peninsula and Flor ida Keys as the hurricane ap proaches.

The neighbouring state of Georgia has also declared a state of emergency and placed 500 National Guard troops on standby.

The White House has made its own emergency declaration, which will help federal and state officials co-ordinate disas ter relief and assistance.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, spoke with Gov DeSantis, a Republican, on Tuesday evening, and the two committed to “continued close co-ordination”, the White House said.

The Caribbean is still reel ing from the effects of Hurri cane Fiona, which tore through the region last week.

Moving northward to parts of the Atlantic Can ada coastline and eastern Quebec, Fiona claimed two lives, washed homes into the sea and downed power lines over the weekend. (BBC)

Photo saved as storm

Politics Without Principles

DID it have to take the Chief Justice (CJ) to inform or remind the leader of the par liamentary opposition that he cannot dictate to the President of the Republic on issues of national security –or any other, for that matter?

It’s normal to expect Opposition Leaders to naturally oppose, but in the new national, regional and global nor mal it’s also widely and largely expected that they will rise to the new challenges and start charting new chapters to show possibly better value and worth.

However, the cur rent office holder, Mr Aubrey Norton, as al ready aptly noted by Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo not too long

ago, is still stuck in Stone Age thinking in the first quarter of the 21st century.

The current PNC leader and overall AP NU+AFC alliance par liamentary chieftain has for some time now held all the positions he demanded from his reluctant predecessor, but months later has failed miserably in the delivery department.

Instead of upping his game to better the brigadier, he’s instead lowered the level of political and parliamen tary leadership to one where ‘the devil takes the hindmost.’

Guyana has been steaming ahead with careful confidence, en ergised by oil and gas, mindful of not power ing forward too fast,

instead ensuring that needs are addressed and development is deliv ered on time.

The current PPP/C administration, under the distinguished and distinguishable lead ership of President Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips and the valuable experience and support of Vice-Pres ident Jagdeo,has done more in less time to ensure Guyana’s new wealth reaches more citizens.

But instead of em bracing new opportu nities to upgrade his old role to one of co-op erating with a willing government in the com mon interest of ensur ing that all of the best gets to most Guyanese at all times — even

while disagreeing on matters that don’t im pede or delay taking de velopment to the people — Mr Norton has opted to try to play hardball, but without bat or ball.

The current Oppo sition Leader is stuck in the outdated and un productive, backward and divisive traditional mode of playing le gal games of luck and chance with citizens’ futures, instead of hon ouring his constitution al duty to serve as a useful part of the re public’s national gover nance mechanism.

Unfortunately, Mr Norton insists on con tinuing to play with Guyana’s future, mind lessly shifting draughts on a chessboard at a time when those who voted for his party and

backed him to become the PNC’s new max imum leader, expect him to do more to better represent them. But the gentleman seems to have opted for an ad dicted pursuit of power by daily rolling dices with eyes wide shut, harbouring dicey hopes of “one day” eventually hitting the evasive po litical jackpot.

Unless bent on try ing to milk what looks like a cash cow, his legal advisers ought to be fair enough to warn their political leader he’s barking up a wrong tree when trying to use legal and judicial av enues to chart his lost way to State House.

After all, the pres idency always has ac cess to the best legal and judicial advice

available, as indicated by the Chief Justice’s latest rulings on the Op position Leader’s ridic ulous efforts to dictate to the President of the Republic on making ap pointments to offices of national security and of public service import.

The CJ’s latest rul ings on his childish claims (of not being legally consulted by the President as con stitutionally required) ought to remind Mr Norton that he has a lot of catching up to do if he intends to le gally outmatch the At torney-General and his department.

Meanwhile, since time waits for no man, it’s obviously left Mr Norton way behind time!

Commendations and suggestions to the government

Dear Editor,

THE Caribbean Voice lauds the government, es pecially the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Per saud, as well as the First Lady and her office for the strides being made and upcoming plans for the dis abled community in Guy ana. In this context isn’t it time for all public buildings to be made accessible to the disabled?

We also laud the Uni versity of Guyana and more specifically Dr. Paloma Mo

hamed, for the pioneering step to introduce a module on domestic violence preven tion available for the entire university community. We sincerely hope every student will seize this opportunity to become part of the solution to this scourge.

However, we also join with the many who have expressed shock and disap pointment at UG’s associa tion with alcohol promotion and sales. While we do un derstand the need for funds and recognise the significant role played by DDL in this respect, both these entities must realise that this alcohol

alliance is awful and send so many wrong messages. There is urgent need to rethink and reframe that alliance so that UG does not directly become a purveyor and promoter of alcohol sale and consump tion.

As well, some years ago, UWI lecturer, Dr. Katija Khan, informed The Ca ribbean Voice that she was involved as a consultant in helping UG to implement a Masters in Psychology programme, following the introduction of the degree programme in psychology. So, would it be possible for UG to inform as to the status

of that master’s programme that has been in works for years? It is moot to remind that one needs a minimum of a master’s in psychology along with at least one year of supervised clinical practice to be considered a professional clinical counsellor.

Meanwhile, we join with so many others, especially columnist and social ad vocate, Freddie Kissoon, in urging that the verdicts for those found guilty of acts of domestic and sexual abuse need to be urgently addressed. Far too often perpetrators get away with little more than a slap on

the wrists and while we understand that each case is different and judges and magistrates interpret and apply the law as they see fit, surely such application should start with mini mum sentences that do not water down the seri ousness of such crimes.

Perhaps too it’s time to finally launch that registry of sexual abusers and also a registry of perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide, which is becoming a growing trend globally.

The Childcare and Protec tion Agency was supposed to have launched a regis

try of child sexual abusers years ago and The Carib bean Voice had also been informed that one for adult sexual abusers was also be ing planned. Isn’t it much more logical and convenient to simply have one registry? Citizens need to be aware of both sexual predators and gender-based abusers when such personnel enter their communities so that they can raise the alert level and become proactive.

Yours respectfully, Annan Boodram

The North-South UN Debate in Century 21 Part 3: The Common Wealth of Binding Together!

I BEGAN Part 2 of this 4-part series saying the South ‘can be heard louder, even in silence’ on the world stage today; and concluded that it not only ‘has always been able to’ but is now ‘even better able…’

Why?

For many reasons, start ing with the world’s poor and developing nations, big and small, representing the vast majority of member states of the United Nations (UN); and now, more than ever, them needing to start binding together to press harder for meaningful democratization by applying their collective political and economic clout in pursuit of common objec tives.

The South needs to be come the UN’s 21st Century Change Agent in 2022, if only because of the do-ordie nature of the challenges brought by current economic, security, food and energy crises facing most (if not all) developing nations.

Urgent issues affecting the South, including in equality, Climate Change and Global Warming, have been repeatedly raised -- and just-as-often swept under the UN’s long red carpets, or simply ignored.

Take flooded Pakistan today… 30 million people affected, 7 million displaced, 4 million children helpless, 2 million homes destroyed, 1.8 million jobs lost, 70% of displaced living in the open, 70% of affected areas still flooded -- and water-borne diseases now spreading.

Pakistan needs urgent help to start repairing the $30 Billion worth of damage assessed thus far, but help is coming by drips, while the North is spending US $48 Billion to provide arms to continue a Ukraine war that no side can win.

The majority of UN mem ber states might have voted to urge that help for Pakistan be fraise with similar speed, but the General Assembly, where their votes count, doesn’t have the power to make it happen – again underlining the vital and urgent needs for change in the UN’s structure.

With the majority have no power and a powerful minority decides everything, the UN is being understand ably described by some as ‘toothless’, ‘always dead locked’, ‘unable to solve global issues’; and the Gen eral Assembly being an ‘an nual showcase’ where world leaders make ‘long and dra matic speeches that amount

to nothing…’

The priority differences between North and South were quite glaring at the UN last week: Africa was largely concerned about security, food insecurity and calling for lifting of sanctions on Zimbabwe; Asia worried about oil and gas prices and skyrocketing inflation; and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were again anxious about worsening Climate Change effects.

The power of the Se curity Council (where sin gle nations with permanent membership have outright veto powers over all others) vis-à-vis the General Assem bly (where majority votes don’t necessarily matter) is another long-running matter that contributes significantly to the powerlessness of the South, despite their numbers.

Measured by the yard stick that defines democra cy at the UN as ‘One Na tion, One Vote’ the General Assembly is therefore seen by many as democratic but powerless and the Security Council as undemocratic and powerful.

Africa and South Amer ica, representing 1.9 billion people (as many as China) have no permanent place on the Security, with Brazil, Germany, India and Japan making ongoing bids to get equal status as the Permanent 5 (China, France, Russia, UK and USA).

In the last 40 years, the UN has failed to deal ade quately with major interna tional issues like Climate Change and Global Warming, preventing or ending wars or global pandemics, all thanks to differences of priorities

between North and South.

But today, with every one’s back against the wall and the South facing serious make-or-break challenges not of their own doing, poor and developing nations, now more than ever, need to sum mon the political will to bind together in pursuit of taking advantage of the new op portunities that always come with new challenges.

The South needs to start building the capacities of and within the international entities that will permanently press for placing and keeping the South’s agenda in focus in the UN and other global fora.

The North has long de pended on trusted entities they created to care for their common interests over the past seven decades -- from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Develop ment (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The South also has the minds and means to shape common approaches to sim ilar problems, even though experienced differently, with the support of leading na tions within the developing world with more people and resources, political and eco nomic clout, willing to offer more than just a lending hand in the common endeavor to change world affairs for the better.

The South is better placed today to start quietly but pur posefully walking the talk on the global stage, to ensure the causes of developing nations do get their equally-deserv

ing place at the top of the UN’s agenda.

Indeed, the South’s read iness for moving to make changes will soon be put to the test at the UN.

Ahead of an upcoming General Assembly meet ing to be summoned by the North after Tuesday’s Secu rity Council meeting on latest developments in Ukraine led to nowhere, the South needs to urgently reassess whether it can continue to be used or

treated like cannon fodder in the North’s continuing battles to preserve global dominance.

Pakistan’s state today is the best example of why everything must change if the nations of the world are to re ally help each other in times of need – one of the reasons for the UN’s existence.

The South must seize the upcoming opportunity to tell the North -- point-blank and in no uncertain terms

-- the time has come for the minority to listen more to the majority.

Failing this, the South cannot be criticized for turning to other sources willing to assist without the crucifying preconditions that have always kept de veloping nations in check while the North continues playing Snakes & Ladders with Southern causes and asking poor nations to keep playing Hide & Seek.

Guyana being transformed into knowledge-based digital society

— Minister McCoy tells ITU conference in Romania

THE government is fully committed to transforming the information and communications tech nological landscape of Guyana into a knowl edge-based digital soci ety.

This is according to Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Pub lic Affairs, Kwame Mc Coy, who was at the time speaking at the Interna tional Telecommunication Union (ITU) conference in Bucharest, Romania.

Minster McCoy said while the government has persevered at home with localised programmes and projects that will impact its national transformation outlook, it is concomi tantly engaged in bilateral cooperation and collective global efforts to build and promote common digital platforms for the benefit of all humanity.

“The social restrictions that became necessary over the past two years as

a result of the COCID-19 pandemic provided Guy ana with an opportunity for us to introspect and deter mine the gap areas which needed to be addressed towards the achievement of universal, secure, inclu sive and affordable access to the Internet for all citi zens, residents and visitors alike,” he said.

The minister added: “In this regard, we have developed and launched a Digital Master Plan which strengthens the de sign and implementation of future-oriented digital programmes, with builtin ecosystems to achieve and maintain innovative pathways for better social inclusion and employment across the industry contin uum, as a means of aiding the sustainable develop ment of our country.”

He noted that as part of the master plan, ef forts at building a knowl edge-based society are already well underway with the roll out of free

Wi-Fi access and youth-in novation campaigns across the country; establishment of ICT hubs in both urban and hinterland commu nities; piloting of smart classrooms in schools across every region; na tional expansion of dedi cated learning television channel, and the launch of a world-class academ ic and skill-based online scholarships academy with 20,000 scholarships from certificate to doctoral lev els in the first phase.

Digital social services platforms that support women and youth entre preneurship and capaci ty building for enhanced cross-sector business and employment readi ness growth; pension and other access for seniors; telemedicine services for indigenous communities across the hinterland; legal services; children and do mestic violence protection services; legislative and law-enforcement infor mation and services, and

critical flood control and transport infrastructure systems have all gone dig ital within the last year.

This week, it became possible for the first time for citizens to book their travel on river ferry ser vices, online.

Minister McCoy also noted that the establish ment of an ICT and Inno vation Department within the office of the Prime Minister, the commission ing of a National Youth Advisory Council under

the auspices of the Office of the President recent ly, and the building of a Satellite Ground Centre represent a demonstrable commitment on the part of Guyana to foster an enabling environment for its digital transformation.

“As we redouble our efforts on the home front to emerge more digitally synced with the rest of the world while em powering our own cit izens, we remain fully committed to regional and global solidarity in keeping with our legal and moral obligations to build frameworks that support an inclusive and sustainable digital future for all humanity. The Government of Guyana stands squarely with efforts to contribute uni versally for developing the ITU Connect 2030 Agenda and the Unit ed Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda,” the release said.

Norton confirms AFC members want their party to leave coalition

LEADER of the Oppo sition, Aubrey Norton, has confirmed that he is aware that some mem bers of the Alliance for Change (AFC) are desir ous of seeing that politi cal party part ways with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Norton, who is also the Leader of the Peo ple’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), while speaking at forum in Can ada, noted that he knows that the issue is being deliberated on within the AFC party.

“I know there are some issues that are un der consideration and that there are some people

in the AFC who believe they should go their way, [however] Mr. [Khemraj] Ramjattan has never said that to me,” Norton told those in attendance.

“So I think the AFC so far has not said that they will go at the end of the day but people put it however they want…,” he added.

The AFC, over the past few years, has made no bones about its delib erations and consider ations on leaving its part nership with the APNU, which has seen a number of members walking away from the union over the years. Reports are that their main concern was

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

the dictatorial behaviour of the PNC/R, which is the largest faction of the

APNU coalition. Norton is also the Chairman of the APNU.

The Working People Alliance (WPA) and Jus tice for All Party (JFAP) are two notable affiliates that have left the APNU coalition, while several individual members of the PNC/R have also parted ways with the party citing conflicts with the exec utives.

According to reports, the party’s General Secre tary, Geeta Chandan-Ed mond, opted to proceed on leave after experienc ing “difficulties.”

The AFC has been testing the waters with re gard to becoming an inde

pendent party. It contested the 2018 Local Govern ment Elections separately from the APNU.

Earlier this year at its National Conference, the AFC discussed the pros pect of walking away from the APNU+AFC coalition.

The delegates were presented with three op tions relating to the way forward: remaining in the party under the current circumstances, leave the coalition altogether or remain in the coalition but under a “revised political alliance.” Several votes were garnered for the op tion to exit, however, ma jority voted for the party

to remain in the coalition.

Relations between the two partners became strained when it was time to pick a candidate for the Vice-Chairmanship of Region 10.

Norton made it clear that his party will not al low the AFC to “dictate” the picking of the candi date, while AFC’s lead er declared that there could be “consequences in relation to the rela tionship” between the APNU and the AFC if the party did not get support for their select ee, Coretta Brathwaite.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy speaking at the conference in Romania

Tourism mural unveiled at Moleson Creek, Berbice

THE Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) unveiled a tourism mural at the Canawaima Ferry Terminal at Moleson Creek, Berbice, Region Six, on Tuesday, in observance of World Tour ism Day.

The vibrant and colourful mural signifies all that Guy ana has to offer to its people and visitors.

Kaieteur Falls, the Umana Yana, St George’s Cathedral, the National Flags of Guyana and Suriname, and the Victo ria Regia Lily are some of the elements of the mural.

World Tourism Day was celebrated under the theme ‘Rethinking Tourism’.

This underscores tourism as an integral pillar of growth and development.

The addition and integra tion of the mural at the ferry port will significantly con tribute to the promotion of long-term economic growth, the development and mainte nance of cultural identity, and developing a sense of belong ing within the community.

GTA has been working continuously to develop more tourism products in every region to widen the tourism market, and providing the necessary training to build the capacity of stakehold ers, which will help them to evolve with the industry.

Mayor of Corriverton, Winston Roberts, lauded the Tourism Ministry for the mural, saying that it is a

great initiative to showcase Corriverton.

“I’m happy that the Min istry of Tourism, in this initia tive, has put a signboard up in this area, so that the tourists can know what Guyana looks like. I must say that I’m very happy at this point of time to know that, Upper Corentyne, it will enhance the beauty of the area now. And more so, when they get into the town of Corriverton,” the release said.

Meanwhile, Training and Licensing Manager at the GTA, Tamika Inglis, noted that the mural is a represen tation of the flora, fauna, na tional animals and historical landmarks.

“Persons travelling be tween Guyana and Suriname can now admire this picture and use it as a selfie station to

take beautiful pictures. This, I believe, will help to promote Guyana and its beauty.”

Inglis noted that, for the past two years, tourism was at a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected all sectors.

“The impact tourism has on our economy, especially within the region, is enough reasons for us to put nec essary measures in place to safeguard the livelihood of our tourism stakeholders, especially persons working within the sector. Finding more unique ways to capture the tourism market as well as promoting domestic tourism is a step in the right direc tion,” Inglis underscored.

She highlighted that the progress made must be com mended, in relation to show casing Guyana as an ideal destination for eco and sport tourism.

The artist, Colin Nedd, stated that the painting rep resents tourism in Guyana since it depicts culture, her itage, flora, fauna and wild life.

He provided details about the background of the mu ral and what each element represents. This is the first tourism mural he has painted.

“I’m glad to represent the Ministry of Tourism at this level. I did a lot of other works that people may rec ognise in Guyana like, for instance, the paintings in the zoo.”

Meanwhile, Senior Reve nue Clerk at the Canawaima Ferry Service, Vinatta Per saud, extended gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism for providing the ferry service with the beautiful mural. She noted that the mural will beautify the port and educate tourists about Guyana’s di verse culture.

The Government has given tourism top priority as a sector for sustainable development and as one with enormous potential to advance the nation. (DPI)

A section of the gathering at the unveiling of the mural

The mural being unveiled

Artist, Colin Nedd

First tourists from Qatar receive warm welcome

MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, on Wednesday morning re ceived a courtesy visit from Guyana’s first tourists from Qatar.

According to a release, while Qataris have visited Guyana for official gov ernment engagements and religious purposes, Dr Nasser

Saqr Al-Mohannadi and his wife Galyiah Al-Mohanna di are the first to travel as tourists.

“Dr Nasser Saqr Al-Mo hannadi was Qatar’s first Ironman and is a profes sor at the Department of Petroleum Engineering in Qatar. While in Guyana, the couple will visit several tourism hotspots, including

Kaieteur. Minister Walrond welcomed the visitors to Guyana and encouraged them to explore as much of the country as possible. She expressed the hope that their visit will encourage more citizens of Qatar to visit Guyana,” the release said.

Seventh-day Adventist Church honours top NGSA, CSEC performers

THE Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists recently honoured two of its members who turned in outstanding performanc es at this year’s Nation al Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the Caribbean Examinations Council-ad ministered Caribbean Sec ondary Education Certifi cate (CSEC) examinations.

According to a press re lease from the conference, it was an atmosphere of jubila tion in the board room of the church’s headquarters as the administration, directors and staff gathered to celebrate the achievements of the students.

Nuel Bancroft shared a three-way tie for the top spot in the 2022 National Grade Six Assessment Examina tions, while Daniel Dowding earned 22 Grade ones and three Grade twos to cop one of the top spots in the 2022 Caribbean Secondary Educa tion Certificate (CSEC).

Both students are mem bers of the local Seventh-day Adventist Movement.

At the celebration, Ex ecutive Secretary of the Sev enth-day Adventist church, Pastor Jumoul Sancho, ac knowledged the hard work of the parents of the young men. Sancho saluted the par

ents’ sacrifices and support to their children on their path to success.

For his part, Pastor Ex ton Clarke, president of the organization, highlighted the significance of model ling excellence, especially in academia. He expressed pride and commendations to the students on behalf of the 65,000 plus members of the local church scattered across the 10 administrative regions of Guyana.

Gifts and commemora tive plaques were handed over to the students. Special prayers were also offered up on their behalf.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond with Dr Nasser Saqr AlMohannadi and his wife Galyiah Al-Mohannadi

Pastor Exton Clarke (President); Roxanne Bancroft (Nuel’s mother); Nuel Bancroft (NGSA top performer); Elder Rovena Harrinauth (Treasurer); Pastor Margaret Ramsarran (Education Director); and Pastor Jumoul Sancho (Executive Secretary)

From left to right: Pastor Jumoul Sancho (Executive Secretary); Pastor Margaret Ramsarran (Education Director); Daniel Dowding (CSEC top performer); Elder Rovena Harrinauth (Treasurer); Sarah Dowding (Daniel’s mother) and Pastor Exton Clarke (President)

India’s independence paved way for end of colonisation — says former President Donald Ramotar

REFLECTING on India’s journey from colonial rule to independence, members of the Guyana Peace Council and the administration of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre on Wednesday held a panel discussion in honour of the country’s 75th Indepen dence Anniversary.

The discussion took place at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre in Kingston, George town, where former President Donald Ramotar highlighted that it was the strides made by the then British-ruled South Asian country that paved the way for the dem olition of colonial rule of several other nations across the globe.

“Without doubt, this is one of the most important dates in modern-day world history, the independence of India. The endless struggle for independence unleashed a movement in the world that

has now most of the countries free,” the former president said.

British colonial rule in India had been established through a series of wars fought across the subconti nent from the mid-18th cen tury onwards. India achieved its Independence from British colonial rule on August 15, 1947.

Ramotar noted that the

struggle for freedom was a long and tiresome one that saw the sacrifices of many freedom fighters, who laid down their lives for their country and many other countries that were once colonised.

It was noted that it is for this reason that the celebra tion of the day is not limited to the country’s people.

“Before India’s indepen

dence, some two thirds of the world were living in colonial or semi-colonial conditions.”

Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa reiterated that India’s independence is not only a cause of celebration for just Indians, but for all of those who advocated and fought for democracy.

The High Commissioner said that when India won

independence in 1947, there were many international lead ers and experts who were skeptical of the success of a democratically elected gov ernment in India.

It was noted that during those days, democracy was limited to economically ad vanced nations.

“India, after so many years of exploitation at the hands of foreign rulers, was

marked by poverty and illit eracy, but we Indians proved the sceptics wrong,” he add ed.

The Indian diplomat highlighted that to date, the country is among the fast est-growing major economies in the world with extraordi nary progress made in the development of physical and digital infrastructure.

This has seen the country fostering meaningful partner ships with Guyana and many other countries, he said.

“I believe we are here to partner with Guyana and other countries across the world to share what we can in the field of health care, pharmacies, science, technol ogy, capacity building etc.,” he added.

Also present at the event was President of the Guy ana Peace Council, Clement Rohee.

GECOM reiterates that it is not a court of law

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has reiterated that allegations of unlawful acts during an election can only be deter mined by a court of law.

The commission in a re lease noted that recently, there have been numerous public pronouncements call ing for GECOM to conduct internal investigations into allegations of electoral fraud that were reported to have oc curred during the 2nd March,

2020 General and Regional Elections.

These calls have been emanating from Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and other elements in the political opposition.

GECOM said it is of cru cial importance to note that Article 163 (1) b (i) of the Constitution of Guyana stip ulates that “subject to the provisions of this article, the High Court shall have exclu sive jurisdiction to determine

any question whether – either generally or in any particular place -- an election has been lawfully conducted or the re sult thereof has been or might have been affected by any unlawful act or omission.”

Accordingly, the commis sion said it takes this oppor tunity to acknowledge that correspondence listing the names of persons who were allegedly either deceased or out of the jurisdiction on the date of the elections were re

ceived from the APNU+AFC during the national recount, and sent to the Registrar General and Chief Immigra tion Officer respectively for verification.

Notwithstanding this action having been taken, GECOM said it could not

have taken any further action in this matter, since to do so would have been in contra vention of Article 163 of the Constitution.

“The fact that the na tional recount had estab lished that more votes were cast in favour of the Peo

ple’s Progressive Party / Civic (PPP/C), the onus was on the APNU+AFC to file an election petition to de termine the validity of the allegations of unlawful acts such as voter imperson ation. In view of the fore going, the Guyana Elections Commission is reminding all stakeholders, specifi cally political parties, that the operations of GECOM are and will continue to be guided by the Constitution and the relevant laws for the conduct of registration and elections,” the release concluded.

India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa

Former President Donald Ramotar

Solid Waste Management Authority on the cards

THE Ministry of Local Government and Region al Development opened a three-day consultation process on the draft Solid Waste Management Bill, which makes provision for a Solid Waste Management Authority.

The session is being host ed at the Arthur Chung Con ference Centre (ACCC) and saw in attendance various stakeholders, including mem bers of the private sector on day one, local democratic organs (LDOs) on day two and government agencies expected to be in attendance on day 3.

The consultation was fa cilitated by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Legal Consultant, Fiona Handl and chaired by Director of Sanitation, Satro han Nauth.

Minister of Local Gov ernment and Regional De velopment, Nigel Dharamlall, during remarks, explained that the bill is expected to capture all the aspects of san itation management required for a modern economy and society.

He urged the participants to modernise the way they manage their communities as there is a plan in the national budget for massive transfor mational development.

The minister noted that government has launched a programme to expand infra structural development in all communities which will

have a concomitant effect on sanitation management and the way in which local econ omies are operated.

Minister Dharamlall re vealed that an aggressive road network programme has been implemented which will result in a building boom as well as an increase in the workload of each Neighbour hood Democratic Council (NDC).

The minister spoke of the work being done in the various regions as it related to the upgrade and development of new and existing landfill sites.

“We have built qua si-landfill sites in all the regions, and we will consis

tently do so in every area…,” he said.

The Local Government Minister reminded the LDO participants that they are agents of the State and there fore do not have the authority to impose fees or raise taxes.

The bill specifically makes provision for the pro hibition of the imposition of fees to cover the cost of waste disposal at the com munity level. He detailed that government would deal with the heavy lifting when it comes to the operational costs associated with sanita tion management.

“Overseers must advise the council to come up with a work programme that will

serve the best interest of the communities. They are not to be dealing with management, but they should be setting the policy framework.”

The bill covers penalties, enforcement, public educa tion and the age-old issue of how to treat with household, commercial, medical and industrial waste including coconut waste, glass bottles, refrigerators and other elec trical appliances, old tyres, derelict vehicles etc.

During the interactive session, Handl detailed that the objective is to harmonise all the fragmented pieces of legislation relating to san

itation management in one place.

As it is, Guyana currently has the Municipal District Council Act, the Environ mental Protection Act, the Public Health Ordinance, and various other regulations that speak to waste management.

The aim of the bill is also to reduce the dependence on landfilling and embrace more modern technology and alternative means of waste management.

The bill proposes the establishment of a Solid Waste Management Author ity which will operate as a body corporate and would

be responsible for permits, licences, operational certifi cation etc.

Some of the key sugges tions coming out of the forum were to ensure that licensing is hinged on a company’s ability to incorporate recy cling techniques into their management plans and the examination of converting of coconut waste into bio-en ergy to effectively deal with waste.

The Sanitation Man agement Bill was initial ly drafted in 2014 and is currently being reviewed before it is sent back to the Attorney-General’s Cham bers to be taken to Parlia ment.

$3B Lusignan Prison nears completion

THE multibillion-dol lar rehabilitation of the Lusignan Prison is set to be completed soon and will see a massive reduc tion in the overcrowding of inmates at the East Coast Demerara facility.

With Guyana’s prison population standing at some 30 to 38 per cent over ca pacity, the upgrades will allow for some 1,000 pris oners to be accommodated in keeping with internation al requirements.

Prisoners will be housed in a dormitory-style setting furnished with beds and mattresses, unlike the hold ing bay facility.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home

Thomas was given a walkthrough of lots one to three, which are being reconstructed to a modern facility. Works on lot two

are still ongoing, while lots one and three are almost completed.

The prison will have a large building subdivided

into prison cells at lots four to six. Construction of the cell blocks at lot six is ahead of schedule, while works on lots four and five are awaiting the arrival of steel cells from North America.

Upgrades to the facility will also accommodate a female prison, which will see the relocation of female prisoners from the New Amsterdam prison. Works on the building are 30 per cent complete and are also awaiting a shipment of steel cells from North America.

Additionally, works on the prison’s ‘vocational school’ is 75 per cent com plete. The school will fa cilitate training to upskill

inmates while mitigating recidivism. The structure works conjointly with the home affairs minister’s ‘fresh start’ initiative.

The permanent secretary also inspected construction works on the senior offi cers’ ‘living quarters.’

Ongoing projects to fa cilitate an infirmary annex and overhead water-storage tanks and water- treatment plants, which commenced in January, were also exam ined and are almost com plete.

Construction of the outer perimeter fence is 55 per cent complete and is advancing according to specifications.

A section of the gathering at the consultation

Local Government and Regional development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, speaks at the consultation

Affairs Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas, spearheaded a site visit to the facility on Mon day to inspect the status of the project.

The Lusignan Prison is set to be completed

Speak with one voice at COP 27

GIVEN the daunting cri sis scenario that has in creased hunger and mal nutrition in the region and around the world, it is the responsibility of the agricultural sector of the Americas to bring a com mon position to the United Nations Climate Change

America and in develop ing countries in other parts of the world because the growing season has become shorter and water stress has increased,” he added.

Professor Lal, Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (CMASC) at The Ohio

COP 27,” stressed the min ister.

The Honduran Secre tary of Agriculture, Suazo, underscored the close rela tionship between agricul ture and the environment, warning that, “The impact of climate change is very important in Central Amer

the COP for implementa tion. I would also add that it must be the COP meeting where the voice of sustain able agriculture plays a very special role”.

The IICA Director Gen eral stressed that it is im perative that the hemisphere demonstrate to the world at

— in light of global food crisis, say region’s agriculture ministers

COP 27 all the transforma tions that the agricultural sector has undergone to im prove its sustainability. For example, he mentioned di rect seeding; natural pasture management; bioeconomy efforts to reduce waste; the system of rice intensifica tion and the progress being

made in the Caribbean.

“Our food systems can be improved, but they are not failed systems,” he said. “We have many things to improve, but they cannot criticize us for everything. The worst mis take it so place agriculture on trial.” (IICA)

Conference (COP 27).

This was the consensus reached by senior officials and leaders at the open ing session of a meeting of ministers, secretaries and high-level officials of Ag riculture of the Americas, which is aimed at discussing the strategic role of the re gion’s agricultural sector in addressing climate change.

The opening ceremony of the high-level meeting or ganised by the Inter-Amer ican Institute for Coopera tion on Agriculture (IICA), was attended by 2020 World Food Prize winner Rattan Lal, IICA’s Special Envoy to COP 27 and the world’s leading authority on soil sci ence; Lydia Peralta, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica; Victor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica; Laura Suazo, Secretary of Agriculture of Honduras and Chair of IICA’s Execu tive Committee; and Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.

“Climate change is not something that will happen in the future; it is already happening. We can see how climate events are affecting Latin America and the Ca ribbean. Between 1998 and 2020, these events resulted in the loss of 312,000 lives,” said Rattan Lal.

“We must convey a very clear and strong message at COP 27, to ensure that the importance of agriculture will not be overlooked, as it was at COP 26. Food pro duction is at risk in South

State University, consid ered that discussions at COP 27 should focus on how to produce more food with fewer resources. “We must capitalise on agriculture as a solution to food and nutritional security and as a means of mitigating climate change”, he remarked.

Foreign Affairs Minister Peralta Cordero commended IICA’s efforts to assist the region to arrive at a com mon position regarding the transformation of the agri cultural sector in the con text of international climate change negotiations.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

In reference to COP 27 that will take place in No vember, Peralta insisted that, “We must increase the participation and lead ership of our countries in promoting collective action to enhance the role of the agriculture sector in global discussions and negotiations in this monumental global event.”

“Food security, the ad aptation of livelihoods, pro tection of water and soil resources and the improve ment of the socioeconomic conditions of communities must play a leading role in the national strategies of governments,” said Carvajal Porras.

“As a hemisphere, we must be ambitious in how we position ourselves and thus we must improve the balance between food pro duction and environmental protection, with a view to

ica. We are a region that is extremely vulnerable to cyclical events such as ex treme drought or excessive rain and flooding. That is why we have work [to] ex tensively on the issue of risk management and climate change vulnerability”.

Suazo also underscored the need to create a synergy between climate-change mitigation and adaptation, since although countries such as Honduras make only an insignificant contribution to greenhouse gas emis sions, they are also highly vulnerable.

FOOD SECURITY

Manuel Otero highlight ed the fact that the region of the Americas is the guar antor of the planet’s food and nutritional security, as well as of its environmental sustainability, given its pro duction capacity and wealth of natural resources.

“There can be no en vironmental sustainability without first achieving food security for our people and we must respect the fact that it must take place in this order”, he said.

Otero revealed that, “My aim is to arrive at a hemi spheric consensus for these climate negotiations, pre senting a common voice of the Americas, with respect to this extraordinary situa tion in the world.”

He spoke about what would be at stake at COP 27, remarking that, “They say that it will be the COP of the agriculture sector and

The opening ceremony of the high-level meeting organised by the IICA was attended by 2020 World Food Prize winner Rattan Lal, IICA’s Special Envoy to COP 27 and the world’s leading authority on soil science; Lydia Peralta, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica; Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA; Victor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Costa Rica; Laura Suazo, Secretary of Agriculture of Honduras and Chair of IICA’s Executive Committee; and Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA (IICA photo)

Jarbas Barbosa da Silva is new PAHO Director

DR. BARBOSA DA SILVA Jr., a national of Brazil, will be the new Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). He was elected on Wednesday by PAHO Member States during the 30th Pan Amer ican Sanitary Conference.

Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr will begin his five-year term on February 1, 2023, suc ceeding Dr. Carissa F. Eti enne of Dominica, who has led PAHO since 2012.

A national of Brazil, Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. is cur rently the Assistant Director at PAHO where he has led the organisation’s efforts to increase equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and to enhance regional capacities to produce medicines and other health technologies.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr. received his medi cal degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, and specialised in public health and epidemiol ogy at the National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) in Rio de Janeiro. He holds a master’s degree in medical sciences and a PhD in public health from the University of Campinas in São Paulo.

Earlier in his career, he was Municipal Secretary of Health of Olinda, State Secretary of Health in Per nambuco, and Director of the National Center for Epidemi ology (CENEPI) in Brasília.

Dr. Barbosa joined PAHO in 2007 as Area Manager for Health Surveillance and Disease Management, re sponsible for coordinating re gional activities related to the surveillance, prevention, and control of communicable and

noncommunicable diseases; veterinary public health; and health analysis and statistics.

In 2011, he rejoined Bra zil’s Ministry of Health as Secretary of Health Surveil lance, and later became Sec retary of Science, Technol ogy and Strategic Supplies. Prior to becoming Assistant Director at PAHO, Dr. Bar bosa was Director-President of the Brazilian Health Reg ulatory Agency (ANVISA) from 2015-2018.

PAHO is the health or ganisation for the region of

the Americas and serves as the Regional Office for the World Health Organisation (WHO). The election of Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. will be transmitted to the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for ap pointment as WHO Regional Director.

This year, PAHO cel ebrates its 120th anniver sary, working for over a century to improve the health and quality of life of the peoples of the Americas. (PAHO)

PAHO new director, Dr. Barbosa da Silva

Brooks dazzles with brilliant ton as Tallawahs send GAW packing

By Clifton Ross

DREAMS turned nightmares for War rior Nation last night after Shamarh Brooks dazzled with a superb century as the Jamai ca Tallawahs trounced a woeful Guyana Am azon Warriors (GAW) by 37 runs in front a stunned sold out crowd at the Provi dence Stadium, setting up this year's final against the Barbados Royals at the same venue on Friday night.

Playing with all the chips on the table, the CPL tale, as old as time, again repeated itself as the Warriors were again disdainfully booted out of the crunch stages of the tournament, more so being relegated to watch the finals on their own turf, as mere spec tators.

Providence, respon sible for some of the best batting exhibitions this season as well as the only venue to pro duce record two hun dreds prior to last night, added a third centurion to their list after Brooks crushed the hearts of the GAW supporters.

The 33-year-old right-hander mixed tim ing and aggression as he notched up a breath taking 109 not out from

52 balls. Sixes rained as the Barbados-born player smashed eight of them to go along with seven crisp fours, piloting the Tallawahs to a mammoth 226-4 in 20 overs, batting first.

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, continued to show his value to the franchise over the years, playing a big role with his cameo knock of 41 from just 15 balls, with four fours and three maximums, adding a record unbroken stand of 103 off a mere 30 balls along with Brooks for the fifth wicket.

By far it was the Warriors worst bowling effort this season, with all the operators going for roughly 10 or more runs an over from their respective 4-over spells.

Outside of Imran Ta hir (1-34), pacers Ro mario Shepherd (2-43) and Odean Smith (164), who had a night mare show came into some heavy treatment from the Tallawahs bat ters.

Warriors never got into the chase, flustered and stunned by the mas sive total, the home team crashed out for 189-8 in their 20 overs.

All-rounder Keemo Paul came to the party a little too late, with his 56 off 37 balls, keep

ing fans slightly enter tained. Shai Hope (31), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (22), Gudakesh Motie (22*) and Smith (24), all tried but were unable to successfully hunt such a daunting target.

Wasim returned with the ball to grab 2-25, with ex-Warriors Captain Chris Green chipping in with 2-40, while four other bowl ers including Fabian Allen, snapped up a wicket each for good measure.

Warrior Nation were given an early jolt of adrenaline rush, thanks to Shepherd who got things going quickly, by removing openers Brandon King (06) and Kennar Lewis (0), leav ing the Tallawahs reel ing at 16-2.

A great start then turned on its head af ter the Brooks show commenced, and Ja maica soon reached their team's 50 mark after seven overs, with the Bajan settling into his innings with a few boundaries.

Captain Rovman Powell upped the scor ing upon his arrival at the crease, bashing three sixes and two fours, racing to 37 off 23 but more impor tantly adding 55 for the third wicket with

Brooks.

Smith, expensive as could be, managed to remove Powell, caught behind by wicket-keep er Gurbaz. The 100 came up in over 11 and shortly after Brooks reached his half-century off 34 deliveries.

Raymon Reifer then scored a run-a-ball 22, further playing a good supporting role as Brooks unleashed a brutal display of pow er-hitting. The Warriors bowling was all over the place, and Brooks along with Wasim wailed into the attack.

Brooks raced to his century off 50 balls, with the likes of Shep herd and Smith espe cially being treated with disdain, reaching the landmark with a four off the latter during the final over, celebrating with much elation.

Wasim, from the other end, was savage too, mauling the same pair a few overs lat er, finishing the game with a one-handed six off Smith, who bowled arguably one the worst spells in T20 cricket.

The pair added an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 103 off just 34 balls which took the Tallawahs well past 200 when their 20 overs expired.

09:34

10:09

RACING

10:44

11:19 hrs

11:54 hrs

12:30 hrs Songo

Chelmsford

12:25

13:00 hrs

13:30 hrs

14:00 hrs Epic

14:30 hrs

15:00

Pakistan beat England by six runs to take 3-2 lead

DRBUTANT Aamir Jamal helped Pakistan to a six-run victory over England in an absorbing contest as the hosts opened up a 3-2 lead in the seven-match T20I series.

The hosts were all out for 145 in 19 overs in La hore, with Mark Wood (3-20) leading the way for England, who fell just short despite Moeen Ali's half-century off 35 balls.

Jamal claimed his maiden international wicket on just the second ball of his career and, under immense pressure, the youngster held his nerve to steer Pakistan to a tense win.

Wood's fierce pace had put England in command as he removed half of Pakistan's top six, with Babar Azam (9), Haider Ali (4) and Asif Ali (5) failing to reach double figures.

Mohammad Rizwan topscored for Pakistan with 63 from 46 balls – his fourth half-century this series – but David Willey (2-23) and Sam Curran (2-23) restricted the home side's total.

Chris Woakes, making his first appearance since March, wrapped things up thanks to a swipe from Haris Rauf (8) as England were set a more-than-gettable target of 146.

However, opener Alex

Hales went inside five balls for just a single run and fellow opener Phil Salt (3) pulled a short ball straight into the hands of Rauf soon after.

The tourists struggled for momentum, with Harry Brook (4) and Dawid Malan (36) trapped lbw after Ben Duckett (10) spooned Mo hammad Wasim's short ball to Shan Masood.

Curran (17) sliced Ja mal's second ball to Wasim as England chased boundar ies, with Woakes (10) close behind, but Moeen kept his side ticking along.

England required 15 from the final six balls and would have forced a su per over had David Willey cleared the boundary off the last ball, but it was not to be as Jamal held his nerve. (Sportsmax)

Australia recall star quartet for upcoming West Indies T201 series

AUSTRALIA have upped the ante in their quest to retain their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup crown by recalling a quartet of big guns for their upcoming two-match T20I series at home against the West In dies.

The series will form a crucial period for Australia ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup next month and selectors have opted to recall four players that missed the recent three-game series in India.

Opener David Warner, all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, and veteran pacer Mitchell Starc all return to the fold, while young star Cameron Green will get another chance to prove his T20I credentials as he is also included in the 16-player squad.

Green is currently not named in Australia's 15-play er squad for the T20 World Cup, but impressed with two half-centuries while playing as an opener against India in the absence of the resting Warner and could still feature during the four-week event

on home soil if he can con tinue to perform well.

Right-arm quick Kane Richardson and spinner Ash ton Agar are rested for the two matches on the Gold Coast (October 5) and at The Gabba (October 7), with vet eran batter Aaron Finch once again captaining the side.

Former Australia batter and National Selection Panel Chair George Bailey said the series against the West Indies

will be vital match practice ahead of the T20 World Cup.

"We have and are taking a cautious approach with the World Cup on the near hori zon," Bailey said.

"To have four key players return gives us the ability to take a conservative path with any minor issues and resolve those well in time for the World Cup.

"As such we anticipate Kane and Ashton will re

turn for the following series against England."

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Ha zlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitch ell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zam pa. (ICC Media)

India crush South Africa in first T20I

INDIA capitalised on a blistering start to post an eight-wicket win over South Africa in their first T20I yesterday, be coming the first team to capture five wickets in the opening three overs of a game in the format.

The Men in Blue wast ed no time in decimating the South African batting order in Kerala, with Ar shdeep Singh and Deep ak Chahar combining to reduce the Proteas to 9-5.

The stunned tourists set a target of just 106, one India experienced little trouble in surpassing courtesy of half-centu ries from KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma failed to lead from the front on his return from injury as he was dismissed six balls in, and that was a sign of things to come as Arsh deep produced an incredi ble second over.

Arshdeep accounted for Quinton de Kock (1), Rilee Rossouw and David Miller – the latter duo for ducks – in the space of five deliveries as South Africa crumbled, before Chahar handed him a catch from Tristan Stubbs (0).

South Africa avoided further loss until Harshal Patel bowled Aiden Markram (25) lbw in the eighth over, but they made slow progress to wards their score of 106-8 through Wayne Parnell (24) and Keshav Maharaj (41).

India joined South Af rica in losing their captain early as de Kock caught Rohit Sharma for a duck following Kagiso Raba da's delivery before dou bling up to fell Virat Kohli (3).

That was the extent of the Proteas' response, however, with the efforts of Rahul (51 not out) and Yadav (50 not out) en suring India brought up 110 runs with 20 balls

remaining as they seized the initiative in the threematch series.

South Africa came into yesterday's match having won their last four com pleted T20Is away from home, looking to post seven wins on tour in a calendar year for just the second time in the for mat (after winning 14 in 2021).

However, their hopes of extending that fine run were left in tatters by India's fast start with the ball, as Arshdeep and Chahar ensured they be came the first bowling side among full-member teams to scalp five wick ets in the first three overs of a T20I.

RAHUL, YADAV EASE

INDIA TO VICTORY

South Africa's tally of 106 runs is the sev enth-lowest score they have managed in the for mat, with their worst such performance also coming in India this year (87 all out in Rajkot in June).

India made a slow start to their chase, post ing their lowest score (17-1) in a six-over pow er-play in the format. However, the patience of Rahul and Yadav ul timately paid dividends as India cruised to a routine win. (Sportsmax)

Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with 63 from 46 balls

All-rounder Cameron Green will get another chance to prove his T201 credentials

India’s K.L Rahul hit a half century for India

NAMILCO renews sponsorship of RHTYSC Under-21, 1st Division cricket teams

… Foster unveils plans for youths at senior level

THE National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) last week renewed its cricket spon sorship of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (EHTYSC) during a simple presentation cer emony at the company’s Agricola head office.

The support would cov er sponsorship of the club’s Under-21 and First Division teams for the next twelve months. RHTYSC Sec retary Hilbert Foster stat ed that the company first sponsored the two teams in 2019 and over the last three years, both teams have ex celled on and off the cricket field.

The teams have won several major cricket tour naments including the Bus ta Champion of Champi ons, Stag Beer 50 overs, Elizabeth Styles Under-21 and Ivan Madray 20/20 tournaments.

Foster also informed NAMILCO management that the teams have pro duced several outstanding players including Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Clinton Pestano, Kevin Sinclair, Jonathan Ramper saud, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabi ka Gajnabi, Jermey Sandia, Mahendra Gopilall, Sohail Mohamed and Ramzan Koobir who all played for Guyana or the West Indies over the last twelve months.

Junior and Kevin Sin clair played in the 2022 CPL tournament while

Kevin and Pestano played for Guyana at the firstclass level. Anderson, a former West Indies Un der-19 player was unlucky not to gain selection to the national senior team but gained selection to the West Indies Emerging Players Academy.

Foster disclosed that in 2022, the RHTYSC pro duced four players on the national Under-19 female team, six on the national senior female, two on the national senior male, two in the CPL, two for the nation al Under-15 male and three

for the national Under-19 male team. A hand injury prevented Matthew Pottaya, the opportunity to play for the national Under-17 team.

Off the cricket field, the two teams together hosted over 50 personal develop mental projects including the construction of two homes for friends of the club, annual cricket camp, annual summer camp, COVID-19 hampers, score book program,me medical outreach, Basil Butcher Trust Fund, distribution of school bags and educational school grants.

The teams over the last twelve months assisted doz ens of youths with bicycles, cricket gear and electronic tablets as part of their ;Say Yes to Sports and Educa tion; drive. Members of the teams would also be in volved in promotional work for their sponsor during the upcoming Berbice Expo at the Albion Ground from the 14th of October.

Foster also disclosed that with some of the club's most senior veterans pass ing the age of 35 years, a decision was made to invest in the younger players like Sandia, Pottaya, Ramp ersaud, Gopilall, Romesh Bharrat and Ramzan Koo bir.

This would be done de spite the fact that it might affect performances on the field. The long-serving club official stated that the im mediate goal is not to win tournaments but to mould a powerful team for the future.

He stated that the RHTYSC has won over 100 tournaments over the last 30 years but acquiring silverware is not the main objective but rather produc ing a team for the future. Players like the Sinclairs, Anderson, Sylus Tyndall, Keith Simpson, Eon Hoop er and Clinton Pestano shall provide the leadership to the younger generation as part of the rebuilding pro cess.

NAMILCO Managing Director Bert Sukhai and Financial Controller Fitz roy McLeod both hailed the outstanding work of the RHTYSC and the way the two teams have represented the company brand.

McLeod hailed Foster for his visionary leader ship of the club and stated that NAMILCO was very pleased to be associated with a club that fulfils all of its commitments under the sponsorship. He also stated that he was very impressed with the team's winning ways and the number of outstanding players it has produced.

As part of the spon sorship, the company also handed over 30 pairs of coloured uniforms to the club along with a cheque to cover the cost of trans portation, meals/snacks, balls, gear and practice sessions. Kevlon Anderson would captain the first division team while Jonathan Rampersaud would lead the Under-21 team.

Nets guard Kyrie Irving says choosing not to get vaccinated cost him $100M contract

CHOOSING not to get a COVID-19 vaccination was a $100M decision, says Brooklyn Nets guard Ky rie Irving. Last season, Irving, 30, could not play in the Nets' home games until March because of New York's ban on unvaccinated people in indoor venues.

His availability for away games was also dependent on different states' vaccine requirements.

The seven-time All Star says his decision not to get vaccinated cost him a fouryear contract extension.

"I gave up four years, 100-and-something million deciding to be unvaccinated and that was the decision," he said., "(Get this) contract, get vaccinated or be unvacci nated and there's a level of uncertainty of your future, whether you're going to be in this league, whether you're going to be on this team, so I had to deal with that real-life circumstance of losing my job for this decision."

The new NBA season starts on October 18 and Irving will play for the Nets on a $36.5M (£33.7M) play er option deal, but could become a free agent next summer.

He had expected to sign a new contract in 2021.

"We were supposed to have all that figured out be fore training camp last year," Irving said. "And it just didn't happen because of the status of me being unvaccinated.

"So, I understood their point and I had to live with it. It was a tough pill to swal low, honestly.

"I felt like I was forced with an ultimatum of wheth er or not I had a contract, whether or not I can be on the team (based on) whether or not I was vaccinated. I was definitely put in that position

where I had to make that decision."

However, Irving's view was disputed by general man ager Sean Marks, instead saying contract talks "stalled" when the pandemic started.

"There's no ultimatum being given here," Marks said. "Again, it goes back to you want people who are reliable, people who are here and accountable. All of us: staff, players, coaches, you name it.

"It's not giving some body an ultimatum to get a vaccine. That's a completely personal choice.

"Two summers ago, when we were talking about contract negotiations, that was pre-citywide mandates that went in. Once the vac cine mandates came in, you knew how that would affect playing home games. That's when contract talks stalled.

"It didn't get to 'here's the deal, now take it back'. That never happened."

Meanwhile, Irving's Nets team-mate Kevin Durant says he is "committed" to the team, despite making a trade request in the summer because of doubts he held about their direction and the leadership of coach Steve Nash.

He later rescinded the request after meetings with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Nash and Marks.

"I'm getting older. I want to be in a place that's stable and try to build a champion ship culture," he said.

"We came to a mutual agreement that we should keep moving forward."

He added: "I still love to play. I knew that wasn't going to be affected. "I'm committed to going for ward with this team, so if they (fans) got doubts, I can't control that."

RHTYSC Secretary, Hilbert Foster, receives the coloured uniform from NAMILCO Managing Director, Bert Sukhai, in the presence of other company executives

Off-spinner Junior Sinclair

Kyrie Irving (left) only played a handful of home games for Nets last season because of New York's vaccine mandate

Reasons why Barbados Royals are ruling CPL 2022

They have scripted a remarkable turnaround having finished bottom last season. Here is how they've done it

By Deivarayan Muthu

AFTER finishing bot tom of the table in CPL 2021, Barbados Roy als have scripted a re markable turnaround by topping the table in the league stage this season.

They were the first team to make the playoffs. All up, Royals have lost just two games so farone being an inconsequen tial match against Guyana Amazon Warriors, and the other a rain-hit one against Jamaica Tallawahs when Rovman Powell hit a time ly six to put them ahead of the DLS.

ESPNcricinfo decodes Royals' dominant run in CPL 2022.

ROLE CLARITY

One of the key ingre dients for success in a T20 tournament is giving play ers clarity about their roles. Despite the absence of their regular captain David Miller and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock - who were both part of the over seas core - for the last leg of the tournament in Guy ana, Royals' management ensured everyone stayed true to their roles.

Before CPL 2022, Kyle Mayers had never cap tained in senior T20 crick et, but Royals prepped for Miller's departure for South Africa duty in India by eas ing Mayers into the leader ship role in the inaugural 6ixty that preceded the CPL. And Jason Holder, who had led the Barba dos franchise - Tridents at the time - to the title in 2019, was around to help smoothen the transition.

According to Holder,

the Royals have done an "outstanding job" in ensur ing there was transparency in the group, and every player understood his role

"We know more or less how we want to operate as a franchise," Holder had told ESPNcricinfo. "I think it has been really easy on David (Miller) as captain and now Kyle (Mayers) coming in to replace him.

"You see today (in the match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Septem ber 21) it was just like a smooth transition, and I think that's because of how the structure is in the group. I always believe if you've got a strong man agement in terms of how you operate, how certain things are supposed to be done, everybody knows who he’s meant to be and what he’s meant to be do ing, everything pretty much falls into place.

“I think you can have any leader once you get that clarity amongst the group - and also good di rection - everything else falls into the place."

Mayers himself dashed out of the blocks at the top - his 9 off 20 against Am azon Warriors being an ab erration - as did Rahkeem Cornwall. de Kock showed that he has the game and gears to bat at the top as well as in the middle.

Obed McCoy and Hold er, who were both tasked with bowling the tough overs, have taken 15 wick ets each so far. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, who is particularly strong against spin, got an NOC from the PCB to skip the National T20 Cup - the domestic T20 tournament

at home - to turn out for Royals once again.

In Royals' first game at Providence, which is argu ably the most spin-friendly venue in the Caribbean, Azam hit 64 off 42 balls to blindside CPL 2021 cham pions St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

SQUAD DEPTH

Amid the pandemic, CPL 2020 was entirely played in Trinidad, while CPL 2021 was entirely held in St Kitts. With CPL 2022 being hosted by three venues - Guyana being the new addition - squad depth was another important box to tick.

Although Miller and de Kock left the tournament early, Mujeeb Ur Rahman joined the squad late after the Asia Cup, and Oshane Thomas, who has had to deal with fitness issues in the recent past and played just three games, Royals constructed a squad that had the depth to win games across conditions.

In IPL 2022, Rajas than Royals often strug gled with the absence of a

sixth-bowling option after Nathan Coulter-Nile suf fered an injury. In CPL 2022, Royals remedied that by recruiting and backing all-rounders Corbin Bosch and Cornwall, who can not just hit sixes, but also con tribute with the ball.

And when the ball swung in the early ex changes of the tournament in St Kitts, Mayers himself took the new ball and made inroads for Royals, pro viding a throwback to the times when he was more of a frontline seamer.

On the spin front, Roy als followed their usual template of pairing up an aggressive wrist-spinner or a mystery spinner with a defensive finger-spinner. In the IPL, it was Yuzven dra Chahal with R Ash win. In the SA20, it will be Tabraiz Shamsi with Bjorn Fortuin. At the CPL, Royals had two aggressive options in Hayden Walsh Jr and Mujeeb, and two tidy finger-spinners in Joshua Bishop and Cornwall.

Start strongly with bat, finish strongly with ball

Arguably the pow er-play and death are the make-or-break phases in a T20 game. Power-plays, in particular, can be challeng ing for players who are not familiar with the Caribbean conditions where the wind often dictates proceedings.

The wet weather was also a factor in the tour nament, but Royals found ways to pull ahead even when they lost crucial toss es in day games.

With the bat, Royals were the second-fastest scoring team in the pow er-play at a run rate of 7.24. Only St Lucia Kings (8.39) bettered them during this phase, thanks to the vast experience of Faf du Ples sis and Johnson Charles.

However, Royals were by far the most economical side with the ball between overs 17 and 20, conceding at just 6.97 an over. During this phase, they also picked up 18 wickets - only Am azon Warriors (20) and Trinbago Knight Riders (20) got more wickets than Royals

The emergence of

Simmonds and Bosch

In their first CPL seasons, uncapped South African all-rounder Bosch and local left-arm seamer Ramon Simmonds have contribut ed handsomely to Royals' success. Simmonds, Roy als' emerging pick at the CPL draft, impressed the management so much with his variations and courage to bowl the difficult overs that they added him to their Paarl Royals side for the forthcoming SA20.

"Someone like Ramon Simmonds has really im pressed me, particularly because this is the first time I've played with him," Holder told ESPNcricinfo. "To just see his composure under pressure and then his confidence to execute slower balls and yorkers to big players at big stages of the game is quite impres sive to me

"I think he has talent that not many people can boast of at such a young age. Once he continues to develop, the sky's the limit for him."

Bosch is also part of the Royals' squads in SA20 and IPL. After having tri alled Bosch at No.3 in the 6ixty, Royals gave him an opportunity to bat at that position at the CPL. Bosch seized that with back-toback half-centuries against Kings and Tallawahs.

Having added an ex tra yard of pace to his bowling, Bosch pitched in with the ball too. He also adds value in the field by patrolling the hotspots. Against Patri ots, he snagged five catches, which is a CPL record.

Corbin Bosch is also part of the Royals' squads in SA20 and IPL (CPL T20 via Getty Images)

Brooks dazzles with brilliant ton as Tallawahs send GAW packing

Henry, Alleyne shine as Windies edge NZ in T20I opener

NORTH SOUND, Anti gua, (CMC) – West In dies Women’s penchant for dramatic finishes continued here Wednesday, the hosts snatching a one-run win over New Zealand Women in the opening Twenty20 Inter national.

Defending a meagre 116, the hosts entered the final over at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground with their noses in front, especially with the visitors nine wickets down and requiring 20 runs.

However, Hannah Rowe made the game in teresting with a bold un beaten 27 from 21 balls, lashing the first deliv

ery from seamer Aliyah Alleyne for four before trading singles with Fran Jonas (one not out) and then pinching a couple, to leave New Zealand Wom en needing 11 runs from the last two deliveries in order to tie the encounter.

The 25-year-old righthander injected fear into the Caribbean side by smashing the fifth delivery for four and the final deliv ery for six, New Zealand Women coming within a whisker.

“We wanted more than 115 of course but that didn’t come and we went out as a bowling unit –every single person – [and worked hard],” said seam er Chinelle Henry, who snatched three for 26 from her four overs.

“The coach (Courtney Walsh) always says bowl ing doesn’t work without fielding and I think the other 10 players and my self, we went out there and got the job done.”

Alleyne had ear lier shone with the bat, top-scoring with 49 from 37 deliveries including seven fours as West Indies Women were dismissed for 115 off 20 overs.

Sent in, the hosts lost Natasha McLean without scoring to the second ball of the innings with a sin gle run on the board but Alleyne entered to add 66 for the second wicket with captain Hayley Matthews (15) and stabilise the in nings.

Once Matthews per ished, however, the in nings collapsed quickly with the last nine wickets going down for 48 runs.

Leg-spinner Amelia Kerr, 21, grabbed three for 19 while 18-year-old leftarm spinner Jonas (2-13) and veteran slow medi um Sophie Devine (2-15) picked up two wickets apiece.

In reply, New Zealand Women suffered a top or der collapse even though captain and opener Devine hit 25 from 18 balls, and were languishing at 75 for eight in the 15th over at one stage.

Henry made the key strikes, removing Devine and her experienced open ing partner Suzie Bates for five while leg-spinner Afy Fletcher chipped in with two for 18 from four excellent overs.

Rowe then revived the innings in a 21-run, ninth wicket partnership with wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze (15) before hitting a few lusty blows at the end.

Story on page 20

Shamarh Brooks celebrates his match-winning century which broke the hearts of the Warriors and their fans. (CPL Getty/images

Amazon Warriors top-scorer Keemo Paul hit a brisk 56 before he was bowled by Imad Wasim. (CPL Gettty Images)

Chinelle Henry … grabbed a three-wicket haul